I looked in the mirror and saw what I mess I was. My once curly hair was now just in tangles. My lipstick was smudged. My mascara had run down my cheeks leaving black stains but my tears had since dried and I needed them gone. I grabbed some paper towels and wet them under the tap. I was alone in the bathroom at the Windsor Club. After my own confrontation with Colin, witnessing Mom, Dad and Luke's fight and the massive amounts of alcohol, I was both emotionally and physically exhausted. I scrubbed roughly at my cheeks to get the dried mascara off my skin. I pulled the paper away and saw that it was now black and my cheeks were red raw. I took a deep breath and mentally prepared myself to leave the peaceful sanctuary of the bathroom. I straightened my shoulders and plastered on a fake smile that I used at society events. I focused on the clicking of my heels as I walked through the club. I had to focus on something simple or I thought that I might have another break down. Crying wasn't something that I normally did because it made me feel out of control and that's something that I hated. I was heading towards the front doors to the club when I saw Mom and Rory in front of me. I headed over to them to see what was going on with Rory since I hadn't seen her for a couple of hours.
"Hey!" I called out to them once I got into hearing range. They both turned to me and smiled weakly.
"Are you leaving?" Rory asked me as I joined them. I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed.
"Party's over. It is so over." I told them with a sad smile.
"Are you okay?" Mom asked me with a concerned frown. I looked up at my mother and I almost broke down in her arms but then I remembered that she had enough to worry about at the moment.
"Yeah. I'm fine. It's just time to go."
"Are we okay? I mean, that wasn't exactly my proudest moment." Rory asked Mom and now it was my turn to frown in confusion.
"Aw, honey. You're the daughter of a woman who has had no end of less than proud moments. Don't worry." Mom assured with small smile.
"What are you talking about? Did Rory do something naughty? And I missed it!" I exclaimed as I looked between my Mom and my twin sister.
"Luke was so mad." Rory said sadly, thinking that I was kidding when I really did want to know what the hell happened.
"That's because to Luke you're still ten years old wearing feathered angel's wings going door-to-door inviting people to a caterpillar's funeral." Mom told Rory and put her hand on Rory's shoulder to comfort her.
"Oh, now, I did that once."
"Luke is fine."
"I hope so."
"Look, go back in. Catch up with Logan. Tell him everything is fine." Mom said to Rory and my head snapped up at the mention of my best friend.
"He went right to his car, he split."
"I don't blame the boy."
"And what's with you and Grandma?" Rory asked Mom and I scowled at the mention of Emily. How could Emily do that? How could Dad do that?
"All these questions!" Mom said softly, trying to avoid the question.
"Sorry."
"Look. Go back in, huh? Make the best of things. Luke is just, um, bringing the car around. I'll talk to you later."
"Are you sure we're good?"
"Always." Mom assured her with a fake smile.
"'Kay. Bye, Mom. Bye, Christa." Rory said to both of us and I pulled her into a hug.
"Bye, mister." I said to her before she walked back into the club. Mom and I stood in silence for a moment. "I'm sorry about Dad." I said softly.
"It's not your job to apologise for your father, Christa." Mom told me as she closed her eyes.
"I know."
"Man, today sucked." Mom exclaimed and I nodded my head in agreement.
"Guys are stupid. I'm thinking of becoming a lesbian." I told her, only half kidding but she laughed anyway.
____________________
I walked into the Yale cafeteria the next day in comfortable jeans and I throw on t-shirt and ugg boots. I also had on sunglasses because the sun was killing my eyes and I had my hangover to thank for that. I got a bowl of Froot Loops and was heading towards a vacant table so that I could sit by myself when I heard Paris call out to me.
"Christa! Come here!" Paris called out, ordering me over to the table where she and Rory were eating breakfast. I groaned but made my way over to them anyway.
"What, Paris?" I asked, irritably as I stood at the end of the table.
"Hey, Christa." Rory greeted me and I gave her a weak smile in response.
"We have related problems. A little love trouble." Paris told me and my interest in the conversation increased immensely.
"We?" I asked her with a smirk.
"Bend your ears?" Paris asked me and I shrugged.
"Uh, sure." I said as I sat down next to Rory. I slipped off my sunglasses and moaned when the light hurt my eyes.
"Fine, then I'll just lay out my situation." Paris stated and I nodded for her to continue while I ate my Froot Loops. "Okay, so I've got a guy."
"Doyle?" I asked with a knowingly smirk at her.
"Can it. Last time I saw him, he strongly implied that he was going to call me. And soon. It's been four days."
"You ever call him to hook up?" I asked her with a tilt of my head.
"He's always taken the reins."
"What did he say exactly? Call you later, or see you later?" I asked her seriously.
"Call. Or was it see?" Paris said to herself.
"Very different. Call's more descriptive. If he said 'call you later' and he didn't, it's an egregious 'screw you'." I explained to her and Rory, who was listening intently as well.
"I'm pretty sure it was see." Paris decided with a nod.
"Then I think you could cut him some slack. You like him, right?" I asked her.
"Yeah."
"Then call him, but have a reason." I told her with a shrug as I took another mouthful of Froot Loops.
"We're on the paper together."
"Perfect. Call to ask for notes or something. But don't give him anything else. If he's into you, he'll take it from there. If he's not, at least you know, so you can dump him."
"Direct, simple. A clear path. Thank you." Paris said and I shrugged again and gave her a small smile.
"You're welcome." I said to her as I clutched my aching head in my hands. "I'm never drinking again." I muttered to myself. I looked over at Rory, who was glancing at me nervously like she does when she wants to ask me something. "So what's up with you and Logan?"
"Let me ask you something." Rory started, turning in her sit a little to face me. "Okay, I got close to kind of getting together with Logan at the wedding –"
"You mean like 'getting together', getting together?" I interrupted her with a coy smile.
"Yeah. But, we were interrupted. Shouldn't he be calling me to talk, or maybe set up getting together?" she asked me seriously.
"What was the interruption?" I asked her curiously.
"Mom. Then Dad. Then Luke." She told me sadly and my mouth opened in shock.
"Whoa. Poor guy. Okay, you definitely have to call him." I told her after a minute of digesting the news.
"Really?"
"He might be afraid to call. Thinks you're too much drama. You give him a call, but keep it casual." I told her as I finished off my breakfast.
"She's love dense. Give her specific language." Paris ordered me and I nodded in agreement.
"Get together? Or hang out? That's better. Ask him to hang out sometime. It'll give him an easy out. If he says yes, meet up, act casual, but look hot." I told her seriously.
"I've got a pen if you want to write this down." Paris told Rory and I chuckled at her because she was absolutely serious.
"No, I think I can remember. Thank you." Rory said pointedly and then she turned to me. "Thank you for your help."
"No problem." I said as I stood up.
"Where are you going?" Rory asked me with a confused frown. I put my sunglasses back on and held my hand to my head.
"I need a taco." I told her with pout as I walked out of the cafeteria. I moaned at the stupid sun and tried to stick to the shadows. I heard quick footsteps behind me and then a coffee cup appear under my nose. I sighed in delight as I took the cup from the person. I turned around and came face to face with Logan Huntzberger himself.
"You look horrible." He told me with an amused grin and raised an eyebrow at him.
"I heard someone is an exhibitionist." I teased him with coy smile. I sipped my coffee greedily as I watched his smile fade and be replaced with a smirk. I stepped closer to him and stood up my tip toes to whisper in his ear. "You hurt her and I'll hurt you." I threatened him before turning on my heel and continuing to walk the way I was originally going. I heard Logan's footsteps catch up to me and he threw an arm over my shoulders as we walked together.
"What are you doing tonight?" he asked me and I shrugged my shoulders.
"I'm undecided. It's either between going to the pub and getting blind drunk or going out clubbing with Steph and getting blind drunk." I told him and then looked at him out the corner of my eye. "Why?"
"I'm having a poker game tonight. I thought you might want to join. God, knows you're better than most of the guys. Minus myself of course."
"No way. I'm currently avoiding Colin." I told him honestly and Logan frowned down at me. His brown eyes filled with concern.
"Why are you avoiding Colin? I thought you two were seeing each other."
"We were. Now we are not."
"What happened?" he asked me as we sat down at a café just outside the Yale campus.
"I caught feelings." I spat out like they left a bad taste in my mouth. Logan burst out laughing at me and I scowled at him. "Shut up!" I snapped at him but he just kept laughing so hard that he was clutching his stomach so I kicked him in the shin.
"Ow!" he cried as he leant down to clutch his shin. He glowered at me and I smirked back smugly.
"You deserved that."
"Still hurt." He complained childishly as he rubbed his leg. Just then a waitress came over to our table.
"What can I get you today?" the tall red-haired waitress asked, mostly Logan.
"Everything omelette, pancakes, bacon and scrambled eggs. And coffee. Lots of coffee." I ordered and leant back in my chair.
"I'll just have the pancakes and a coffee. Thanks." Logan ordered and the waitress smiled flirtatiously before sauntering off to put our order in. He looked back over at me and gave me a small smile. "About my poker game, Colin isn't going to be there."
"Really?" I asked him hopefully because I really wanted to play poker with the boys.
"Really." He assured me but I saw the tinkle of mischief in his eye. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion but let it go because the waitress came over with our breakfast.
____________________
I walked into Logan's dorm room without knocking later that night. I scoffed to myself when I caught sight of a familiar face at the poker table. I was turning around to leave the same way I came in when Logan saw me and came running to the door and grabbed my wrist to stop me. I glowered at him but he just smirked back at me. Most of the guys at the table glance up when Logan came running. I could feel Colin's gaze on me as Logan tried to pull me into the dorm.
"Uh ah! Nope, you are staying." Logan ordered me and dragged me over to the poker table. I took the seat next to Robert and gave him a kiss on the cheek in greeting.
"I hate you so much." I muttered to Logan when he sat down next to me and he just laughed in response.
"Just shut up and play." Logan ordered me as he passed me a drink. I lift it to me lips and gulped down a sip as I raised an eyebrow at him. An hour later there was a knocked at the door and we all looked at it confused. Most people just walked in during poker night.
"Daniel, get the door." I ordered him without looking up from I'm cards and he got up without question. He walked over to the door and opened it but I couldn't see who it was.
"Hey, who is it?" Logan called out curiously as he looked at his own cards.
"Girl scout." Daniel called back and Logan's face broke out in a real grin and I looked at him curiously.
"Hey, Ace. Come on in." Logan shouted and I snorted and shook my head. I looked up and my eyes met Colin for a moment before I looked back down at my cards. Rory walked into the room and her eyes were round as she took in the room. "Welcome to my night of humiliating defeat." Logan greeted her.
"One in a series." Robert said from next to me.
"Don't gloat, Robert. It's not Christian." I joked with him.
"Neither am I." He replied with smirk.
"Everybody, this is Rory." Logan introduced her and I looked up with a smirk.
"We've met." I teased him.
"Hi." Robert said to her, giving her a once over and smirking appreciatory so I smacked him over the back of the head. He glowered at me and I just smiled back innocently.
"Hey." Colin said to her with a kind smile.
"I'd introduce you, but I only know three of them." Logan said to her before turning back to his cards.
"It's to you, buddy." Colin told Logan.
"Oh, joy. Come on, kiddo, sit here next to me." Logan said to Rory and my head snapped up when he called her 'kiddo'. My gaze met Rory's and I smiled sympathetically.
"Is that allowed?" she asked shyly.
"I wouldn't object." Robert quipped and I glared at him.
"Don't make me hit you again, Robert. You already have so few remaining brain cells." I said to him.
"Come on, be my good luck charm. Did I raise or check?" Logan asked Rory and gave her a half-smile.
"You been eating out of aluminium pans again, buddy?" Colin asked him.
"Your short term memory is non-existent." Robert said and I chuckled grabbed a beer from the mini fridge.
"Yeah, it's aluminium pans." Logan told us and I snorted.
"The more you stall, the slower I win." Robert declared.
"That was almost grammatically correct." I said to him and smirked as I sipped my beer.
"Two." Logan said finally and put in two.
"Call." Colin said when it was his turn.
"Hold up." Logan said to the group and we all sighed because we wanted to end this match. He turned Rory and grinned lazily at her. "You look very nice tonight."
"Oh, thanks." Rory said as she looked down and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.
"What do you know about this game?"
"Um, just what I've seen on T.V. The Odd Couple."
"What?"
"Quincy played it, but he wasn't called Quincy, um, Oscar and Felix. Felix didn't play it. Tony Randall, he cooked for them sometimes."
"I am so lost."
"I know a little."
"Well, if you know anything, you know I need a jack or a ten." Logan said to her and then turned back to the game. I laid down my cards and then so did Robert and we all groan simultaneously.
"Pocket jacks." I sighed in defeat.
"Un-bloody-believable." Logan muttered.
"Do we bother with fifth street?" Robert said smugly as he looked over all our faces.
"Let's see it." I demanded and the dealer laid down the card and we all cried out in disbelief.
"Oh, now you're just mocking me!" Logan shouted at the cards in front of him and I burst out laughing at his bad luck.
"Well, your gal brought someone some luck." Robert commented to Logan and I glared at him again, which he ignored.
"Two g's. Ouch." Colin muttered as he sipped his beer.
"That was two thousand dollars?" Rory exclaimed loudly and we all looked at her oddly.
"Got to bet it to win it." I told her with a shrug.
"Christa, you play like this all the time?" she asked me and I looked at her.
"Yeah, it's just money. I'm an heiress, Rory. Don't tell Mom." I ordered her and Colin laughed at me because he was the only one who knew Lorelai. Rory gave a look but nodded.
"It's just money." Logan agreed with me.
"He's down nine to me from last time. Should I send an I.O.U. to your Pop, that how you want to work it? Cut out the middle man?" Robert mocked Logan.
"Yeah, and I'll send some to your mother." Logan quipped back at him and I chuckled lightly.
"Generic, unfocused 'and-so's-your-mother' style comeback. You're off your game, Huntz." I told him playfully.
"I'll work on a better retort and get back to you." He said to me with a grin in my direction.
"So are you covering this?" Robert asked Rory randomly and I frowned at them as I looked in between them confused.
"Pardon me?" Rory asked me, just as confused as me.
"You were at the last Life and Death shindig, as I recall."
"This isn't a LDB event, you tosser." I said to him with smirk.
"Yeah, but I'm not covering this. I'm just hanging out." Rory told him, a little uncomfortable in the spotlight.
"Yeah, back off, Robert. She's just hanging out." Logan added. A girl brought Colin a drink and smiled at him flirtatiously. I glanced up at them and gritted my teeth together. Logan noticed and sent me a look that I glared at.
"Thanks, kid." Colin said to the girl and the girl nearly preened at the attention.
"Oh, you're welcome." She said coyly as she walked away from the table.
"I love the service here." Colin commented and I gripped my beer bottle tighter until my knuckles were white. The dealer dealt again and I glanced at my cards. I kept my poker face in place, not giving anything away.
"Down to the tricks again." I muttered to myself.
"I'm in." Robert said, throwing in some chips without looking at his cards.
"Don't be a jerk, Robert." Logan told him so he must have noticed to.
"What?" Robert asked innocently.
"You bet without looking at your cards. Look at your cards." I said to him, agreeing with Logan.
"I don't need to, with Rory here." Robert said smugly and threw his arm over the back of Rory's chair.
"I hate it when he does that." I heard Colin mutter but I was more concerned with Robert flirting with my.
"Robert, stop flirting with my sister." I said calmly as I threw in my own bet. Robert glanced at me with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you going to do about it, sweetheart?" he asked me, more out of curiosity than anything else. I glanced at him with an devilish smile.
"You forget that I dated you, Robert." I reminded him and his eyes widened as he remembered what I had on him and he nodded jerkily.
"Ha ha, Robert got in trouble." Colin said in a sing song voice.
"Did you forget what I have on you, Mr McCrae?" I asked him rhetorically with a raised eyebrow. His whole face paled and Logan laughed at him but didn't question me because he knew I had things on him as well.
"You want a drink?" Logan asked Rory, who did been watching the whole interaction quietly.
"Well, actually I don't know how long I'm going to stay here so I think I'm good for now." She answered him.
"All right. Well, the way it's going tonight, I may not last till the next drink either." He said as he tossed some more chips into the pot.
"Can we change the music?" Colin asked as he looked around as if it would change itself on command.
"No." I answered him without looking. I could feel his gaze rest on me and my cheeks heated up immediately.
" Since when did you become Tipper Gore?" he asked me and I smirked at him in amusement.
"Shut up, Colin."
___________________
The next morning we were still playing poker after staying up all night. It was nice just to spend time with the guys. Rory was asleep on the couch behind us.
"Come on, come on." Logan muttered to himself.
"I've made my decision." Robert announced and threw in some chips.
"I'm in. Three fifty." I agreed and threw in my own chips.
"Call." Colin said and added his chips to the pot.
"I'm going to raise." Logan told us.
"Ass." Robert said out loud and I snorted at the understatement.
"Our gentleman's courtesies still prevail, Rob." Colin said mockingly.
"Fine. Mr Ass. Ass Esquire." Robert corrected himself and we all laughed.
"He's cracked! We've cracked Robert!" I declared gleefully.
"Mornin' there, Ace, how'd you sleep?" Logan said to the girl behind me and I turned to look at my twin sister who was just sitting up and squinting because of the sun.
"For the record you don't snore." Colin told her happily.
"We'd be happy to sign an affidavit to that effect for any prospective husband." I added to the teasing. Rory's cell phone rang and she dug in her purse to find it. She brought it out and answered it.
"Mom?" Rory said in greeting and my gaze snapped around to look at her. "Sookie? Are you at the house?" Rory asked and I frowned in confusion. "Oh my God. Is she hurt?" Rory asked and I threw my cards down and went to stand next to her. "I'm coming." She said and then I tapped her shoulder and pointed to myself while nodding. "And so is Christa." She said before hanging up the phone and gathering her things from the couch.
"I'm out." Logan said as he got up from the poker table. Colin looked up and saw the panicked look on my face and put his cards down to. He came and stood next to me and I let him pull me into his arms. I knew that it was stupid of me but I was too worried about Mom to protest.
"You okay?" Colin asked me and Rory. Logan stood next to Rory looking as equally as concerned as Colin did.
"We have to go." Rory said with panic in her voice.
"What happened?" Colin asked her and I wanted to know the answer as well.
"We just have to go, we have to get home." Rory answered him as she moved towards the door. I moved out of Colin's arms and followed Rory towards the door. Colin grabbed my hand but didn't try and stop me.
"To your dorm?" Logan asked her and Rory shook her head.
"Stars Hollow. Oh, no, I don't have my car."
"Well, didn't you walk here, like a hundred yards away?"
"No, I mean I took it in for its six month service. It's at the dealer."
"You take your car to the dealer? They so rip you off there!"
"Well it doesn't matter where it is! I don't have it! Which means that I have to take a bus or a train or something."
"That'll take hours."
"I know. I have to go."
"Take my car."
"I don't want to drive your car."
"No, it's a car with a driver. I've got an account with the company."
"No."
"Take it. I'll give Frank a call, tell him to meet you out front. He'll take good care of you. It's a done deal. Christa knows Frank." Logan told her. Colin and I watched them interact together and caught each other's eye. We smirked at each other knowingly.
"Okay. Thanks."
"Go!" Logan ordered her and then pulled out his phone to call Frank while Rory left through the door. I started to follow her when Colin pulled me back to him and I collided with his chest. He put a hand on each side of my face and kissed me passionately. When he pulled away he kissed my lips again lightly before caressing my cheek, almost lovingly. I stare up into his eyes and he looked down at me, completely oblivious to the others in the room.
"If you need anything, you call me." he ordered me softly. "If Lorelai or Rory needs anything, call, okay?"
"I will." I told him gently before kissing him lightly on the cheek. I left out the front door and tried to ignore the 'oohing' coming from the behind I just left.
"Shut up!" I heard Colin say to the group of guys and I had to smile and touch my lips where I could still feel the tingling sensation.
_____________________
Sookie was sitting on the couch when Rory and I rushed into the house.
"Where is she?" we called in unison.
"Upstairs." She answered us and we flew passed her as we headed upstairs.
"Okay, we've got it from here, Sookie. We love you." We called in unison again. Upstairs in Mom bedroom we found Mom lying in bed crying her eyes out.
"Mom? What happened?" Rory asked her.
"Luke." Mom said simply and I sat next to her on the bed.
"What Luke?"
"He's gone! He hates me. I blew it. I blew everything."
"I don't understand. What happened?"
"I should have told him about Christopher." Mom cried and I held her tighter because I had actually witnessed the fight.
"That was innocent."
"But I should have told him. I hid it. I shouldn't have hid it."
"Try to sit up." I ordered her sternly and she sat up, leaning heavily on me.
"She got to him." Mom announced loudly and I looked at her weirdly.
"To Dad? Who did?" I asked her as I shared a glance with Rory.
"Mom. She pushed him and it ruined everything. And now they're putting up ribbons."
"Ribbons? Who?" Rory asked her, confused.
"Taylor, the town. They hate me. They all hate me. I wrecked everything." Mom cried. I hugged her tighter as tears flowed freely down her cheeks.
"Mom. This isn't good. Come on." Rory said to her as she clutched her hand.
"He said he needed time to think, but I pushed him."
"He'll come around." I murmured to her and I smoothed down her hair.
"I pushed him, and now he's gone."
"He waited forever for you. He's not just going to walk away." Rory tried to tell her.
"It's over." Mom said with finality that nearly broke my heart.
"Mom, this isn't you. Lying in bed like this. You should be up."
"You guys should go to school. Go back to school." Mom protested weakly.
"I'm here. I'm staying." My twin and I said in unison.
"God, I really screwed up this time. He could have been the one."
"He'll come around. Shh. Try to sleep." Rory ordered her as we laid her down on the bed and laid down next to her on the bed as she cried into my shoulder. An hour later when I knew that Mom fast asleep, I sat up and motioned for Rory to meet me outside. I climbed out of bed and headed downstairs. I sat on the couch and leant my head back on it. I was really regretting play poker all night with the boys. Rory joined me on the couch and I flopped my head onto her shoulder. She sighed and leaned her head on up of mine.
"Will you be okay here on your own for a while?" I asked her as I sat up. She looked at me questioning but when I didn't make a move to add any more details she nodded slowly. I smiled at her and stood up. I pressed a kiss to her forehead and walked towards the door. "I have my cell if you need me." I told her as I walked out of the house.
_______________________
I knocked on the door to the apartment and waited for an answer. I tapped my foot impatiently. I heard someone coming to the door and then a second later a familiar face appeared as the door opened.
"Hey, Christa, what are you doing here?"
"What the hell were you thinking?" I yelled at him as I pushed my way into the apartment. I walked over to the couch and in front of it with my hands on my hips. He sighed and closed the door before coming over and sitting on the couch. I pressed my lips into a hard line and started pacing the length of the room. Every now and then I would glance of at him but didn't say anything yet. I ran my hands through my and took a deep breath to calm myself down. I stopped pacing and turned to face him. "What were you thinking, Dad?" I asked softly as I looked at him. He was sitting on the couch with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He finally looked up at me and I could see the tears in his eyes.
"I love her." He admitted to me and I closed my eyes.
"You listened to Emily." I said pointedly and he nodded slowly in confirmation. I shook my head at his stupidity but didn't say anything because I knew that he already knew how stupid it was to listen to her.
"I know. I just..." he started but trailed off, not knowing how to finish the sentence. He looked so lost at that moment so I went over and sat next to him on the couch. I put my arms around him and he leaned into me. He cried into my shoulder and I just held him and rubbed his back until he pulled away, still sniffling. "Have you seen her?" he asked me and I hesitated to answer him. I didn't normally lie to my father but I knew that of I told him the truth about how Mom was doing he would feel guilty and that guilt would eat him alive. Dad looked at my face and I looked away, not meeting his eyes so he frowned at me. "You have seen her." He said as a statement.
"Yeah." I said with a sigh. I turned to look him in eye. "She and Luke broke up. No, actually, Luke broke up with her."
"Damn it." Dad swore as he put his head back in his hands. I rubbed his back again as he groaned to himself. "How is she doing?"
"Pretty bad. Rory's over there now and I was there too before I came to scold you." I told him with a smirk and he chuckled lightly. He smiled at me watery and I tightly smiled back.
"I do love her, Christa."
"I think that there's a difference between loving someone and loving the idea of someone. And I also think there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone." I said carefully after thinking over my response. "I know that you love Mom. She was your best friend for years, Dad and that doesn't just go away. You also have two daughters together and that gives you a permanent connection whether you like it or not."
"God, how did you get so wise?" he teased me gently and chuckled. I chuckled with him before turning to look him in the eye.
"If you really do love her, you need to let her go, Dad." I told him truthfully. I really didn't want either of my parents to get hurt and if they kept doing the same thing it would only end badly.
"You know, Einstein said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." Dad quoted to me and I laughed at him. He looked at me like was crazy to because I was laughing at such a serious moment. "What?"
"If that is the definition of insanity, you and Mom belong in a freaking padded room." I explained to him, still giggling at him and soon he joined in with me. Our laughter subsided and we both lay back on the couch. Dad wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pressed a kiss to my forehead. We were both quiet for a minute as we just sat together.
"Does he make her happy?" Dad suddenly asked me softly, sadness tinting his voice. I immediately knew he was talking about Mom and Luke. I craned my head to look him in the eye as I told him the truth.
"Yeah, he does." I told him sincerely and he sighed and kissed my forehead again.
"Damn it." He swore again playfully and I laughed.
_________________________
I was lying on my bed reading when I heard a tapping on my window and jumped in surprise. I pressed my hand to my heart in shock as I tried to control my breathing. I glanced at the window and saw a familiar and not entirely unwelcome face. I couldn't help the small smile that spread across my lips when I was him. I got up off the bed and pulled open my window so that he could climb through like he had done many times before.
"What are you doing here, Colin?" I asked him shyly. We hadn't spoken one on one since Emily and Richard's vow renewal.
"I was worried about you." He answered me and I looked up into his eyes looking for dishonesty but all I saw the concern.
"I'm okay." I told him with a shrug as I gave him weak smile. He frowned at me, not believing me and grabbed my hands in his own. He used his thumbs to rub circles on the tops of my hands and leaned into him subconsciously.
"And how's Lorelai?" he asked me and I took a deep breath.
"Luke broke up with her. Emily used her black witchy magic to convince my dad that he and mom belong together. So dad showed up at the wedding and got drunk. Mom, dad and Luke all walked in on Rory and Logan and things kind of escalated from there."
"Your family is weird." He told me with small smile and I laughed and nodded my head in agreement. He cupped one of my cheeks in his hands and I leaned into his touch. "It'll be okay." He assured me and I nodded again. He pressed a kiss to my forehead and I closed my eyes. I wanted so badly to let loose and kiss him. The more time I spent with Colin one on one the more I wanted from him. I normally wasn't relationship girl in the same way that Rory wasn't dating girl but with Colin the thought of a relationship wasn't so horrible. And that scared me. Actually, it terrified me. I shook my head again and backed away from him. He followed me with his eyes, a confused frown on his face.
"We can't do this anymore." I told him as I continued to back away until I hit the wall.
"Why not?" he asked me softly as he took a step closer to me.
"Because I like you, okay? More than I should. I hate that you see other girls and I hate that every guy I'm with, in my mind I'm comparing them to you." I admitted to him. I knew that my voice was filled frustration and pleading. I didn't want him to go down this path. I just wanted him to walk away and leave it alone. Colin came closer to me and tilted his head to the side as he looked at me.
"You like me?" he repeated and I pressed my lips together in a line. I didn't say anything. I just waited. I waited for him to turn around a leave. In my mind I was already planning on going out and getting drunk. When I didn't answer him, Colin stepped closer to me until he could cup my face in his hands. He tilted my head up so that I had to look him in the eye. My breath caught when I saw the mixed emotions in his eyes. They conveyed a mixture of lust, awe, adoration and maybe something that could be described as love. I couldn't take it another minute so I bought his mouth down to mine and kissed him passionately. He responded to the kiss eagerly and lifted me so that my legs wrapped around his waist. I gasped as he pushed me up against the wall. We were both panting deeply as Colin carried me over to the bed and laid us down. Colin was on top of me, peppering kisses down my neck to my collarbone when he suddenly pulled back, making me whimper. He looked me straight in the eye.
"No more seeing other guys, okay?" he said to me seriously and my mouth went dry.
"No more seeing other girls, okay?" I retorted just as seriously.