Chapter Text
This is stupid. I am so stupid, he thought. The plane hit another air pocket, the body shaking and rattling the passengers and everything in it, but that was the furthest thing from Logan’s mind.
He had just said goodbye to someone who meant so much to him and his heart was broken. He thought he had his life all figured out, he had his father’s dynastic plan as a guide, but all that went out the window the moment Rory Gilmore walked back into his life in Hamburg.
It was miserable thinking about the time they reconnected with each other since their split almost ten years ago when it was probable that today had been the last time he ever saw her. He was now feeling so depressed. He rubbed his tired eyes because he felt like crying. He was such a wuss. If he saw himself right now, he’d beat the crap out of himself.
His Scotch sloshed around the glass as another air pocket hit them. He downed the drink in one go. The flight attendant, who happened to be near him, gave him a small smile.
“Would you like another drink, Mr Huntzberger? I would advise you to be calm, but you’ve had a lot of flights in your belt to know that everything will be all right.”
He looked down at his empty glass and realised it was the third drink he’d had since the plane took off. Great! By the time he arrived in London, he would probably be too drunk to make sense of his life.
“I’ll have a bottle of water, please. How many hours till we touchdown?”
“Only three more hours, sir. I’ll get that water for you.” She left him and he mulled over the recent events again.
Rory. Wonderful, sweet, kind, loving, quirky Rory. Rory Gilmore, the love of his life. He can’t believe he walked away from her, again, from everything they could have shared together. It was clear that she wanted to say more to him when they were at the tango club.
“Are you really gonna marry Odette?”
“That’s the dynastic plan.”
That’s the dynastic plan. He was such an idiot for saying that to her. Screw the dynastic plan!
He glanced at his watch and took the bottled water the flight attendant handed him. In just three hours, he could possibly be making a crucial decision that could affect the outcome of his life and his happiness.
***
Logan climbed up the stairs of the flat he shared with his fiancée with hunched shoulders and a heavy heart. He had made his decision in between the time his bottled water came to when a toddler in the row in front of him spilled her Skittles all over the floor of the first-class compartment of the plane. That took less than half an hour.
He was surprised to find the lights on in the sitting room at 2 am in the morning and even more surprised to find Odette wide awake on the sofa, reading a book.
“Logan,” she said, her French accent unmistakable. “You’re back. How was your flight?”
He dragged his travel bag to the edge of the carpet and sat heavily beside her on the sofa.
“It was okay. Listen, we need to talk,” he said without preliminaries.
“Can I get you anything? Something to drink? You must be tired from the flight.”
He passed his hand over his eyes, sighing. He was tired, but he wanted to get this over with. When he looked at her again, she had closed her book and gave him her full attention, sensing he needed something off his chest.
“We need to talk right now.” He took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. “I can’t do this anymore. Us, I mean. I’m so sorry.”
She was silent for a while. He felt like a total ass. Although he didn’t love her, it was still unfair of him to end their relationship this way without so much as giving her a hint that he wanted it to be over. I am a colossal ass!
They stared at each other for a couple of minutes, not saying anything. Then, surprisingly, Odette gave him a small smile. He found it quite odd, but relief washed all over him just the same when he saw her smile.
“That’s fine by me,” she said. “If you didn’t end this sooner, I would have done it.”
“Whoa. I can’t believe you feel the same way.” It was his turn to give her a tentative smile. “I was hoping against all odds that you would, just to lessen my guilt a bit.” He paused. “You don’t love me,” he said slowly, realisation dawning on him.
“No, I don’t. And you don’t love me,” she acknowledged. “Apparently, there is someone else in your life. It’s okay, I have known for a while.”
“You have? I’m sorry, Odette. I never meant for this to happen. Only, I love her. I can’t be in this relationship when I love someone else.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. It was obvious that during the times you were with me, your mind was somewhere else. I don’t blame you. It was our parents who threw us together in this relationship. Both of us just went with the flow. I’m relieved to end this charade before our mothers decide on which china patterns to use at the wedding.”
“Yeah, it would have been disastrous to cancel all their wedding arrangements. So much for the dynastic plans of our fathers.” He smiled ruefully. “I admit, on paper, us together sounded rather a brilliant plan. It’s only—”
“There is no spark between us. That certain je ne sais quoi, it’s lacking in this relationship,” she finished. Both of them nodded in agreement.
“So, is there someone else for you?”
“No, but there could be,” she gave him a wistful smile. “Shortly before I met you, there was this guy in my building in Paris who I liked, and I think he liked me back. We’ve been continuously flirting with each other, up until I moved here in London. I hope he’s still in my building and that he will finally ask me out. Anyway, I will if he won’t.”
“Maybe he will.”
“I hope so.” She smiled again, looking happier as each minute passed. “I’ll be all moved out from here by the week’s end. I never told you, but I miss Paris so much.”
“I’ll book a room at the Dorchester to give you some space, but, hey, if you need any help packing, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Thanks, but I can handle everything.” She yawned. “It’s getting late, I guess I’m going to bed.” She got up and gave him a hug. “Good luck with this girl.”
“And good luck with your guy in Paris.”
He couldn’t believe that breaking up with his fiancée could go so smoothly. Maybe it was because theirs wasn’t a love match, maybe that was why it was so easy to end the relationship. Whatever it was, he was happy that they both came out unscathed from the split.
As he lay on the sofa that night, waiting for sleep to come, he realised his break-up with Odette was only the beginning of his path back to Rory. He still had his parents to deal with, more importantly, his father. Mitchum Huntzberger will not be happy in the least of what he had done.