Patchwork heart

10

AN: Took me bunch of rewrites to get this one out. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 10

"Huh, what a week," Rory exhaled, landing next to Logan on the picnic blanket he'd brought, having found him in the familiar corner of Sheep meadow in Central Park. While neither of them had been big nature-lovers, they'd enjoyed this particular spot before and more than once. Usually it related to getting a feeling that their room at the Pierre could use some housekeeping and they would make themselves scarce, but hadn't wanted to go anywhere where they would be forced to interact with others. The park was an escape of sorts.

"Yeah, I noticed," Logan commented, having become an avid reader of the NYT now that he knew there was a good chance to find a familiar name amongst the authors.

"You read?" Rory asked.

"I did. Got to keep up with what's on your mind when it's impossible to get any actual time with you," Logan said, almost flirtily. But he tried to keep the flirting to a minimum, wanting to keep his promise to take things slow. But sometimes, like now, having not seen her in nearly a week, Logan felt a sense of euphoria to cast eyes on her again. Rory always came with a distinctive presence - her scent, however mild, when she was in the room, the way she moved and the air around her moved as a result, the way she brushed her hair behind her ears, her voice, maybe even her aura - if you believed in that sort of thing.

Naturally, there had been some contact in the meanwhile, mainly just texting though - Rory asking if he was doing better concerning his dad, and other things like that.

"This fellowship is killing me!" Rory groaned, letting out some of the stress that had been building up. But Logan knew that this time she didn't mean it in a bad way.

"And you're loving it," Logan chuckled, having been able to tell from the eleven articles she'd published this week. Eleven articles in the NYT this week alone. He knew how much this meant to her.

"I know," Rory exhaled. "It's just a lot of work. I mean, I always knew journalism was tough, but this is next level. What I did before this - I mean that was just the playground," she explained, taking a more comfortable position by crossing her legs.

Logan could've said that he could've told her that, having seen it up close. But didn't - not wanting this to become a 'who's smarter' moment.

"You're just swimming with the big fish now. And see - they haven't eaten you yet," Logan added instead. He wanted her to feel more confident. It was no small deal that she was where she was.

"Maybe they're just not hungry enough yet?" Rory kept on with the banter.

It was taking them a moment for them to come out of the small-talk stage and actually talk about what they'd agreed to come here to talk about. Them.

"Maybe," Logan reflected, smilingly.

"So, I went to Friday night dinner yesterday," Rory began.

"Those are still happening?" Logan asked, crooking his eyebrow, having not realized that was the case. On many Fridays Rory had been out with him and the guys instead as far as he knew.

"Well yeah, but not nearly as often," Rory said. "I can't imagine grandma ever wanting to give those up," she laughed, relaxing a little.

"She's a feisty woman that grandma of yours," Logan commented.

"Of course now it's mom and Luke, and I, not just the four of us," Rory shared.

"Right," Logan reflected.

"And every now and again there are guests," Rory added.

"Guests?" Logan repeated, unsure what she meant.