Tea Parties in Boston

49 - London Calling

December 1st, 2022, London

Cloudy, 8 degrees Celsius, humidity 82%, likelihood of rain 20% per cent, wind 4 m/s - read the weather forecast that Logan stared at after he'd stepped off his Virgin Atlantic flight that morning at Heathrow. The prognosis was just as gray and dull as expected. A little warmer than he'd dressed for, but survivable.

He had slept, more or less, having traveled first class... or whatever they called it on Virgin Atlantic these days - he hardly paid attention to the details, being used to all of his travel arrangements being handled by one of the company's many assistants. But still the cross-atlantic flights had never really been his favorites. It was the third time he'd been this reluctant to leave - all three of those times having had something to do with Rory. There had been a few other times, when his reluctance had been mixed with a feeling of escape - like by leaving he was just saving himself, his sanity. But this time definitely fell into the former.

The weekend had been incredible, spent with Rory and Em at Martha's Vineyard. It was quality time at its finest - time like a real family, while still not quite showing his affection towards Rory publicly for Em's sake. But the fairly innocent night had been theirs and in large part about re-establishing that emotional intimacy that hadn't been there during their many lunches these past months. They'd both allowed themselves to be vulnerable, honest and just relax.

That vulnerability, however, had revealed to Logan during their last night, when they'd sat out there on the back porch, warmed by patio heaters and cozy blankets, cuddling, that Rory was actually more worried than she let on about him going back to London. She was much braver, more together and confident, having seen a lot of life, but underneath there were still things he knew about her, things he saw if she allowed him to see them. And her struggle to truly trust that he would be back in time to be her date, actually stung more than he'd expected. She just kept saying it didn't matter, like she knew he had more important things to handle. He'd seen this attitude a lot during their Vegas time too - the schedule had always been his to determine and Rory usually just made it work. It was just something she'd done without asking, as if not deserving his time, or him. But to Logan all of that just felt ridiculous since it was him who didn't deserve her, not the other way around.

It was for these reasons he, more than anything, wanted to just get his obligation over and done with and back to the States, and not let her for a second think she was somehow secondary in this. That, of course, while making sure his daughter came first, but he knew that Rory would also agree with that.

After a short line at the customs, his eyes glued to the weather forecast screen in front of him, encompassed in his own thoughts, he made it out of arrival with just his hand luggage in tow, his eyes already looking for a familiar sign amongst the driver's.

"Hi, Archie, how are you!" Logan said, recognizing a driver that had been one of his regular drivers.

"Mr. Huntzberger, how was your fight?" Archie replied.

"Oh, fine," Logan replied, smilingly, not being terribly happy with the way his own questions were rarely considered anything but small-talk.

Being around Rory, now for several months, had reminded him how treating his staff like friends had been something that too had been her doing originally. It had been something Odette had considered peculiar about him and actually been a conversation starter many years ago. Odette had had a theory about there being two types of people who talked to their help like he did - the ones that were too lonely and wanted them around for company, pretending they were best friends, and the ones who treated them well because they had big secrets that they were worried might get out otherwise.

The brief thought made Logan muse to himself, and he could just feel that odd sense - guilt and grief mixing with a blend of pleasant memories. Now he just felt guilty towards Rory for having the latter.