Taking Back Control

Chapter 39 Moving Forward

Logan was sitting in Colin's apartment, waiting for the guys to arrive.

"Do you want a drink, Logan?" Colin asked as he filled the ice bucket.

"Nah, this is okay, " he replied, holding up his water bottle. "I need to cut back. You know Colin, my mother's accident was a wake-up call. "

"What do you mean?" Colin asked as he poured himself a drink. The two men were sitting at the peninsula that separated the kitchen from the great room.

Logan looked at the water bottle and began to peel the label off the bottle.

"Honestly, I was never in love with Odette. So. I started to drink more whenever I was around her."

"If you were not in love with Odette, why did you agree to marry her and propose?"

"It's a long story," Logan replied, shrugging his shoulders. He continued to peel long strips of the label off the bottle.

Colin sighed and shook his head. "Sometimes I don't understand you. Why would you agree to marry someone else if you were still in love with Rory?"

Picking up the pieces of the label, Logan stood up and walked over to the trash can. Opening the lid, Logan dropped the pieces in the can. Shaking his head, he said, "The truth? I was tired of the empty-headed models and society snobs that I met and dated. When I met Odette, I found someone who was attractive, intelligent, and could carry on a conversation. We had fun at the fundraisers, and she was comfortable going to the red-carpet events. I guess I dated Odette, as a distraction. That was before I went to that conference in Hamburg when everything changed. "

"What do you mean?" Colin asked, looking at Logan. The Hamburg conference happened at least three years ago, and Logan and Odette had dated and attended multiple society galas together. Logan looked at Colin with a faraway look in his eyes.

"I was standing in the middle of the hotel when Rory appeared wearing a stunning red dress. She was fumbling with her luggage. I walked towards her when she turned and looked at me. Our eyes met. Rory's face lit up with recognition. She reached out and hugged me, and I knew that she had forgiven me. I waited while she checked in. Together we brought her luggage up to her room. I opened the door, and we both stepped inside. She walked to the windows and opened the curtains. I walked towards her and put my hand on her shoulder. She leaned back into my chest. Kissing her neck, I inhaled the familiar floral fragrance of her shampoo. She turned to me, reaching her arms around my neck. Leaning down, I brushed my lips on hers. All the years apart, dissolved, and the feelings I had for her came rushing back. We spent the whole weekend together and made plans to see each other again. Soon she was flying to London frequently. First, it was for a weekend as she looked for news articles to write. Rory began to receive more articles and I encouraged her to stay with me at my flat instead of spending the money at a hotel. Odette and I would see each other occasionally when Rory was back in the states. After six months, Rory and I talked about what we were doing. Rory was hesitant about going back to our old relationship, and thats when she suggested we keep our relationship like Vegas. "

Colin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"You know," Logan said with a smirk. "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas."

"Really? I never thought reporter girl would be into casual sex."

"I was surprised too, so I kept on seeing Odette."

"Why didn't you tell us about you and Rory?"

"I couldn't. Rory made me promise not to tell you, Finn, or Robert about us. We were living in a little bubble, with no outside interference or pressure from our families." Logan leaned against the counter. "Then, her grandfather died. We were having dinner in London, making plans for the holiday when she got the call from Lorelai. I wanted to fly her back immediately. She told me that she would fly commercial and told me to stay in London. I sent a card and flowers and remained in London. Rory booked the red eye to Kennedy and stayed two days before returning to London. While she was gone, I began to wonder why she was hiding our relationship. It was if she didn't want anyone to know that we were dating."