At the Echolls Residence

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

After taking a long, hot shower, and doing what she can about her appearance - the dark circles under her eyes are still there, but they're slightly more faint - Rory finds herself standing in front of Logan's front door.

She has a fairly large purse thrown over her shoulder, which she is obviously not used to carrying, and keeps fidgeting with.

She brushes her hair off her face one last time, exhales hard, and hesitantly knocks.

Comments

[fh_jackass]

Logan looks through the peephole and sighs. Yanking the door open, he says, "I'm sorry, I already gave at the office." He goes to shut the door.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory shoves a foot in the doorway, and says, "Logan. Listen to me."

She pushes slightly against the door, and softly adds, "Please," when she can see his face.

[fh_jackass]

Logan stops trying to close the door, but doesn't open it any further. Leaning his head against the door frame, he sighs. "What?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Can I come in?" Rory asks evenly, not moving her foot.

[fh_jackass]

"The acoustics are better out here," Logan says, not moving.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory exhales through her nose. "Okay."

She runs a hand through her hair, and slowly begins to speak.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I chose to participate in that project. I'm sorry that I partnered with Huntzberger. I'm sorry that I handled the whole situation with him badly. I'm sorry that I was so insensitive in the way that I told you."

She pauses, and takes a deep, shuddering breath. "But more than anything, I'm so sorry that I hurt you. Because I would never, ever intentionally do that," she concludes, looking up at him.

[fh_jackass]

"Well, yay for good intentions, then," he says with a cold grin.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory stares, her brow creasing slightly, her features set.

She had come to the house to apologize, and had spent the day feeling really awful about herself. But now, with her apology thrown back in her face, she was starting to get mad.

"What can I say, Logan? I mishandled a situation, and I'm trying to apologize for that. It won't happen again, I can promise you that. I've let Professor Cregg know that I'm withdrawing from all further activities in her class that may involve any physical contact whatsoever with another student. And it wouldn't happen again anyway, regardless of that, because I'm not going anywhere near Huntzberger again."

She angles herself so that her foot is more firmly in the doorway, and thanks her earlier foresight to wear sneakers rather than something strappier.

[fh_jackass]

Logan quirks an eyebrow at her. "Are you for real?"

[fh_jackass]

Logan leads her back to his room - not to the bed, but to the sitting area nearby. "Do you want anything to drink?" he asks.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"Um, no, I'm okay for now," Rory says, crossing her ankles out of habit.

[fh_jackass]

He sits down on the couch next to her. There's a moment of awkward silence before he turns to her. "Look, I've been through a whole lot of crap over the last couple of years," he says. "If you're going to be part of my life, I have to be able to trust you."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory nods. "I understand that. And I want you to be able to trust me. Which is why I told you, and I...y'know, made sure that it won't happen again."

[fh_jackass]

"Ok, good," he says, nodding. "Because that stuff I said about non-commitment? Total bullshit." He smiles.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory beams and sighs with relief. "Really? Good. Because I kind of panicked when you said that...I mean, I don't do the casual dating thing for long, y'know? And...yeah. I'm really bad at saying what I mean..." she trails off, blushing.

[fh_jackass]

"Well, your timing was a little off," he says with a wry smile.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I also have crappy timing," Rory adds. "And...well, I guess I didn't really realize at first that you weren't...okay. I'm sorry."

[fh_jackass]

He laughs. "Really?"

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

"I really did," she says, smiling and reaching for her purse. "And I would've given them to you earlier, but I didn't want you to feel like I was trying to buy you or something like that."

She holds her bag behind her back, and says, "Okay. Pick a hand."

[fh_jackass]

"The right," he says. "No, the left. No, wait - the right."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory grins, and produces from behind her back a small box, wrapped with a dark green ribbon.

"They're, um, bourbon-filled cordials," she says, trying to remember what Maia had told her was in them. "I think they have raspberry too. I kind of just concentrated on the bourbon part."

[fh_jackass]

"Ooh," he says opening the box. "Bourbon! You're learning my weaknesses."

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory grins.

"Which brings me to present number two," she says, sneaking a bottle of scotch with a ribbon of the same color tied around its neck. "I know you were somewhat cleaned out after this weekend."

[fh_jackass]

"Clever girl," he says, raising his eyebrows. He gets up and fetches a couple of glasses from a cabinet nearby.

[auroryborealis.livejournal.com]

Rory watches Logan pour the scotch, and holds up her glass in a toast when he's done.

"Cheers," she says, smiling.