Gilmore Girls: Wish Upon a Snow

Chapter 35

Logan ran around the corner and into the alley in an effort to get a better look at the man who had been photographing him. The man was running in front of him at a much faster clip, dodging the puddles in the alley with ease. Logan stepped in one of these puddles as he ran, splashing London sludge all over the leg of his pants. As he glanced down, he couldn't help but be thankful that he had changed out of his suit from the afternoon. In the brief amount of time that it had taken him to glance down at his pant leg, the man had reached the end of the alley and Logan was not sure if he had turned right or left. Reaching the end of the alley himself, Logan was slightly out of breath. He wondered briefly if there had been some degree of truth to what Finn had said about their years of partying eventually catching up with them. He looked to his right and left and did not see the man. Disappointed, he took a right turn so that he could walk down the street and make another right to get back to the florist. Logan did not want to have to walk down the alley again.

He finally reached the florist and went inside. The more expensive flowers were in the back to prevent people from reaching into the shop and making off with them. Logan strolled quickly to the other side of the shop, putting his hands in his pockets. He felt slightly on edge, his ears pricked. Reaching the roses, he studied them. They were gorgeous, full in bloom. He was searching for something to give to Rory that would help him express to her how badly he needed her to stay in London. The argument with Mitchum and the confrontation with Odette had put quite the damper on the entire trip and Logan had a lot of making up to do. Flowers were the best way he knew how to start.

The roses were not exactly speaking to him. They were classic and beautiful, of course, but Logan was looking to steer away from the cliché. Glancing to his right, a huge bouquet of Persian Buttercups caught his eye. They were dainty but full and unexpected. They reminded him of Rory herself, gorgeous but complex and mesmerizing at the same time. Smiling, he walked up to them to examine them closer.

"She will love those," said a female voice behind him with a hint of snark.

Logan flinched, removing his hands from his pockets and whirling around to face Odette. 

"Odette," Logan groaned, "Can't you just leave me alone. Please?"

Odette smiled. "I am so sorry, Logan. My mother is flying to London to help me move the last of my things out of the apartment. I'm just here to buy her some flowers. I want to give her a proper greeting at the airport," she said sweetly, widening her eyes in feigned innocence. She had changed from the simpler clothes she had been wearing earlier, opting for a shorter red dress with a skirt of chiffon ribbons and strappy heels. Logan sighed, rolling his eyes at what he sensed was a feeble attempt to seduce him. Odette always wore red when she was searching for compliments, as he had told her on one of their first dates that she looked stunning in it.

"Odette, get the hell out of my way," Logan spat. He grabbed the flowers and made his way towards the register. He paid quickly, passing cash over the counter. The cashier said nothing, sensing something was amiss, glancing occasionally behind Logan as he paid, where Logan assumed that Odette was still standing. Hearing the ching of the bell on the door, Logan breathed a small sigh of relief, praying Odette was gone.

He exited the store, trying to steady his nerves. Logan walked briskly up the street towards the restaurant. He had gone only a few hundred feet before hearing the telling click of heels behind him. Thinking quickly, he knew that he only had about a block before reaching the restaurant. He did not want her to follow him inside the restaurant and have her come face to face with Rory twice in the same day. He knew Rory did not deserve that, so he turned to confront Odette in the street. 

"What is it that you want from me?" Logan asked, gesturing with the free hand that was not holding the flowers.

Odette crossed her arms. "I am simply looking for you and Rory to return to your previous arrangement so that you and I can get married," she said simply, shrugging.

Logan narrowed his eyes at her. "Why would you want that?" he asked incredulously. 

Odette took a step towards him, narrowing the space between them to less than four feet. "Because, Logan. You cannot do this to our families. Look what you are doing to your father. Life is not all about what you want. Think of someone else for once in your life."

Logan chuckled. "Just because I am not thinking about you, Odette, does not mean that I am not thinking of others. I am thinking of others. I am thinking of Rory and the baby. This is what is best for them."

Odette laughed derisively, her eyes brimming with tears. "Is it so wrong for me to ask you to think of me? We were engaged, Logan. What are you going to do when that baby is born and it isn't your child? Then you threw away your whole entire life for nothing. For some ex-girlfriend that was loose enough to sleep around with you while you were engaged."

"It doesn't matter, the kid is mine no matter what. And how do you even know about that? Are you getting some of your cronies to follow me around? Snap some pictures? I don't even know why you would hire a private investigator, Odette. I told you that I cheated on you. I told you that she was pregnant. What else is there to know? I don't understand why you would want to continue to stalk me. We aren't even together anymore. What difference does it make to you?" Logan was shaking with anger, all the events of the day simmering to a rage inside of him. 

Odette's eyes had been widening as he spoke, and something about her expression told Logan that she was being genuine. "I am not having you followed, Logan," she said quietly.

Logan felt a sudden sense of unease. "You're not?"

"No," she said simply, gazing at him worriedly. 

Logan cleared his throat. "Odette, we cannot be together."

Odette nodded. "So what you are saying is that you never loved me."

Logan sighed. "Of course I loved you, Odette. We had an agreement with us living separately, yes. The marriage was kind of arranged, yes. I  did love you, though. None of that means that I never loved you...our love just was never as strong as the love I have for Rory."

"You did or you do love me?" Odette asked.

"Of course there is part of me that still loves you, Odette," Logan said loudly. He was becoming exasperated.

"Really?" said a voice from behind him. Odette was staring behind him, her arms crossed and the fingernails on her left hand digging into her right arm. She looked slightly anxious. Logan turned around to come face to face with Rory, who had walked out of the restaurant to take a phone call and seen Logan talking to Odette.

Logan sighed, glancing back quickly at Odette to shoot her a glare. "Rory," he said, trying to swallow a lump in his throat, "It isn't what it looks like." He winced. So much for avoiding clichés. 

Rory nodded, tears beginning to form. She was quiet for a moment, looking back and forth between Logan and Odette. She glanced down at the flowers in Logan's hand before sighing sadly. There was a cab approaching and she turned her head to wave it down. 

"Rory..." Logan began, stepping forward and placing his hand on her arm. She yanked her arm away from him. 

"I am going home," she said firmly, walking over to the curb and opening the door to the cab.

"Rory! Wait," Logan called desperately. 

"Goodbye," she said quietly, sliding into the cab and shutting the door.