"When will you come back?" Lorelai asked on the phone.
"You've asked about this last Friday, and for the tenth time, we'll be here for two weeks tops, but still have about a month touring in the States before we can go back," Rory sighed.
She's been in Europe for a week, after spending a two weeks in New Zealand and Pakistan to interview Jacinda Ardern and Malala Yousafai, and a week in Israel for Inna Beaverman. She's now in London, preparing her interview to JK Rowling tomorrow, and scheduling for interview with Christiane Amanpour sometime next week.
"Are you nuts? You're leaving me to face another seven weeks of Friday Night Dinners without you? If she say 'I'm so disappointed' one more time, I'm gonna kill myself!"
"You will survive, she's been saying that to you your whole life, at least now she's saying it to the maids," Rory pointed.
"Argh, she didn't say it to me but I can feel her thinking of it. She sees my doc martens and she's thinking about it, she hears my breathe and she's thinking about it, she feels me blink an eye and she's thinking about it!"
"Don't go to dinner wearing doc martens!"
"Why not? I look great in them, I look like a badass! Like Lara Croft, but ten times hotter. But my mom won't appreciate it, she thinks that in order to be beautiful a woman has to look like Princess Diana. I don't mind looking like her, but I don't think Mom will appreciate me coming to dinner wearing polkadots and cartwheel hat. Can you imagine? 'Lorelai, dinner is ready!' Oh wait mom, I can't see you outside my ridiculously wide hat. And please don't say I'm imagining things, because I don't. It is the product of my analysis based on history and my last night's dream," Lorelai insisted.
"You'll be fine! It's just two hours!"
"Is this has anything to do with him?"
"What is?"
"You, avoiding to come back, is this has anything to do with him?"
"Who? Logan? Of course not!"
"It's interesting how I mention him and you automatically assume I meant Logan. Are you really over him?"
"I never said I'm over him. You were right, what we had was extraordinary, and I have been denying it for years. But now I have acknowledged it, got my closure, and ready to move on. And this will not be easy, but I am trying. I'll get there,"
"I'm proud of you, kid! But I meant that guy, that travel writer you met in Pakistan? He followed you to London, if I'm not mistaken?"
"Archie? Oh, him! He did not follow me here. He has a project in Brixton and it's only logical for him to stay in London,"
"Sure, it's only logical," her mother said in a mock voice.
Rory met this interesting guy in Pakistan who claimed he knew her from an elevator in New York. He said he spent the entire elevator ride gathering up the courage to ask for her name and number, but the moment he finally got his gut, the elevator door was opened, and out she went. All he knew was that she was working for HPG, or he hoped too, because she got off on their floor. It's two floors down from his office. He's a freelance journalist for the Conde Nast Traveler up on the 42nd floor, but he's rarely at the office. He's been meaning to visit HPG as soon as his four months trip completed, hoping that he would catch her. He hasn't been able to forget her since that elevator day. Her beautiful face was filled with confidence that day, but as a journalist he could see a spark of nervousness, and he found that really cute. So yeah, he had been meaning to go back to New York, and find a way to know her, but he visited a coffee shop in Pakistan one day, and there she was.
He didn't waste another second before introduced himself. Turned out, they have a lot in common and they spent her entire week in Pakistan together. She joined his travel visits whenever she had time, and he stopped by her hotel at every chance he's got. They exchanged itinerary before they parted ways, and realized that they will be in London in around same time. So they've arranged to spend more time together. It is very casual, and very new, Rory likes it.
"He's a nice guy, Mom. And we have a lot in common. He's helping me heal from Logan, in some ways, and I think this is a good thing,"
Rory started the trip feeling pessimistic, because if she refers to historical facts, she won't be forgetting about Logan in five more years. That is if she doesn't meet him again. If they meet again, she'll probably look at five more, she thought dreadfully. But this guy, Archie. He's sweet and understanding, and so mature. And she could see herself starting to surrender to their chemistry.
"I know, sweets! Just don't move too fast, and don't force yourself. You are still healing," her mom warned.
She nodded. Her mom is right of course, and that is exactly what she's planning on doing. They will take this slow indeed. There's just too much going on between them. He's a travel writer, most of his time will be spent traveling, which is why he doesn't have a place that he calls home. Well, technically he has this beautiful beach house in New Port, but he was never there. Whenever he's in the States it would be just for a few weeks and he chose to stay in a hotel near Conde Nast. And her, she's also a journalist who doesn't exactly know where her path will lead her a year from now. She has a lot of opportunities. They just have a long road ahead, despite of the attractiveness they both feel for each other. And no, before you ask, no...they haven't been having it, yet. *wink
But Rory is very open to the idea of opening herself to Archie, she's really optimistic that this guy can be compatible to her. And they will be creating a new story instead of just dwelling to the past. This time, she will try harder.
"Relax, mom."
"Okay, sure. If you say so. Did you at least do a background check? He might be a murderer, though!"
"Mom!!! You can just google his name up, Archie Coudert MacKenzie. And probably you'll realize that he's Conde Montrosse Nast's grandson from his first wife, who's related to the Coudert Brothers! How crazy is that?"
"Ugh, you do know that I am not my mother, right? I don't care about relatives and peerage and heritage, and names that can be traced to Adam and Eve themselves,"
Rory sneered.
"You have a name that can be traced back several centuries, and you passed it down to me!" she grunted. "But I agree, let's not dwell on the uncertain thing. Now can I tell you about me, preparing for my interview with JK Rowling right now? Can you believe it? I'm meeting THE JK ROWLING! I need to be in my best form tomorrow, it would be embarrassing if go Petrificus Totalus in front of her! The woman is a genius! She's so detailed, creative, and such an inspiration. I only have five hours of her time, and I'm so gonna make it the best that I can!"
"Mmm..mmm.." Lorelai mumbled.
"Mom, what's happening there? You sound distracted,"
"Mmm..mmm.."
"You're eating! Ugh, I'm so hating you right now. I can hear from your mumbles that you are eating a burger from Luke's"
"Beep! You're wrong!"
"It's not a burger?"
"Nope!"
"I could've sworn it was a burger!"
"Beep, you're wrong! It's not a burger, it's two burgers! And fries, and extra fries... whoop whoop!"
"That's it! I'm gonna hang up and call Grandma, she will hear about this!"
"Nothing can scare me when I have burgers in my hands... You go get yourself some Haggis, Neeps, and Tatties!"
"You do know that those are Scottish and I am in London now, right?"
"Tell that to Gordon Ramsay!"
Rory was going to argue her mom when she heard the door bell.
"Wait, mom! Someone's at the door,"
She didn't know who that might be. She and the crew are staying in a hotel, and they rarely had any visitors, and she didn't remember ordering anything from the room service. She opened the door without peeking at the peephole, but kept her chain on.
She froze.
"Logan?"
"Hi, Rory..."
"What are you doing here?"
"Can I come in?" he asked.
"Umm..." she hesitated.
"Please, Rory. I have just landed from a six hours flight, and I need to sit down," he said.
"Umm.. Okay," she closed the door, unlock the chain, and opened the door again. "Mom, can I call you back?"
"Is it Logan? What is he doing there? Don't hang up, let me hear!"
"Bye Mom!" Rory hung up anyway.
She turned to Logan, who was standing there looking nervous. God, she misses him. All those efforts to forget about him just, whoosh, got out of the window.
"What do you want, Logan?"
Just get it over with. She doesn't have the time and energy to deal with this anymore. She thought they had finished and she won't have to see him again. She had decided that after this project she will stay away from HPG and Logan, hence her thinking of the possibility to embark on a relationship with Archie, who will constantly be out of New York. Maybe she'll find peace and happiness traveling around the world with him. But it means rarely seeing her mother and all her other families. Ugh, what is she? Five?
"I want to talk."
"I thought we were finished. You said we were finished. There's nothing to talk to,"
"Please, Rory. I was wrong. We need to talk," he took a step forward.
"No, we don't, Logan! You can't open and close me anytime you want. I need time to heal, and every time I'm almost heal, you open me again... how am I suppose to heal and move on with my life, Logan?"
"I don't want you to. I want you to heal, yes. But with me, heal with me," another step forward.
What does this mean? What does he mean? Why is he here?
"What? What does that even mean? You want us to be friends? Like we did before New Haven? I'm sorry but I can't, Logan. Clearly I am still hung up on you. And being friends with you didn't erase all that, it added the feeling. No matter how hard I deny, it was there. So no, I can't be friends with you,"
"You still hung up on me?" a smile creeped in his face. Another step forward.
"Yes. I'm not denying it anymore. Yes, I'm still hung up on you, and yes, I still have feelings for you. And don't worry I'm trying really hard to undo this,"
"No! I don't want you to!" he's really close to her now.
"What? Why? What do you want then?" she furrowed. "You want me to be with you, while you are with Odette?" she gasped. "You want me to be your mistress?"
"No!" Logan yelped. "No! Of course not! I would never do that to you!"
Rory mummed. Wait, he's too close. She can't think straight if he's this close. Her breathings got faster, and her heart's pounding.
"I broke up with Odette. We called off the engagement,"
Rory was stunned. She couldn't let out a single word, although there are a million questions in her head waiting for answers.
"I... I don't..." she didn't finish her sentence because her doorbell rang again.
"Whoop! Saved by the bell," she said nervously.
She ran towards the door, desperate for a time off to clear her head. She's always so cloudy when near Logan.
Again, she didn't peep.
"Oh, Archie!" she said surprised.
"Hi! I finished early in Brixton, and thought to take you to dinner. Or maybe just order in if you're not in a mood to go out," he said while sneaking a peek into the room.
"Oh! I'm... I think..." crap, what happened to her ability to speak?
"Is this a bad time?"
"Yes, it is." Logan answered from behind her.
"Oh, no. No. Uh... you come in," she said opening the door for him. "I have a friend stopping by from New York, quite a surprise too, I must say."
Archie came in and looked at Logan curiously.
"Archie, this is Logan Huntzberger, my college friend and boss at the office. Logan, this is Archie Coudert MacKenzie, he's um...he's a friend I met in Pakistan. He works for Conde Nast,"
They shook hands.
"Huntzberger, huh? That Huntzberger?"
"Yes, that Huntzberger." he said piercing his eyes into the other guy. Rory could feel the tension.
"Right, now that everyone has known each other, should we go to dinner? I'm starving,"
Although that was the last thing on her mind right now.
Logan hesitated, but "Okay, let's go to dinner,"
"Excellent!" Archie said.
"Great!"
This should be an interesting night.