[Anima Sola]

(Fortsetzung von Kapitel 8)

The next morning, Rory awoke next to a slightly snoring Finn. She looked around and quickly remembered where she was. Watching him for a while, just sucking in everything about him, she felt something rise inside her. A feeling she hadn’t had for a long time. Sighing quietly, she slowly got out of his bed, shooting him a last glance when she reached the door, before she left his room – just in time for the nurses to wake their patients. Cuddling into her coat, she walked the distance back to Yale.
Arriving at her dorm, the first thing she did was to re-dress, grabbing her purse and leaving her dorm again, her steps quick, her paces long. She reached her place of destination within minutes, banging against the door as soon as she did. When the door opened slowly, she didn’t wait for someone to call her in; she just walked inside and glared at the person who had opened the door.
“How dare you?”, she asked Logan who slowly closed the door and stared back at her. “How dare you?”, she repeated.
“Excuse me?”
“Don’t play stupid, Huntzberger! You know what you did and I was wondering why! Are you that arrogant that you can’t accept somebody else’s feelings? Do you have to beat the crap out of them just because you weren’t there first? You know what? It was your own fault. If you had called me last week, none of this would have happened! But you had to ignore me, you had to treat me like that! You had to remind me that I was just one of many. Guess what? No, I couldn’t live with that! I am not that kind of girl! So I found somebody else who would respect me, who was there for me. And the first thing you do when you find out is to fight him?”
Rory drew a breath, staring at Logan with her hands shaking at her sides.
“Why did you have to fight him? Why did you beat him? He is in hospital, Logan. Do you know that? He is there because of you! Because his supposed-to-be best friend beat the crap out of him over a girl! A girl you couldn’t have! What is it with you? Some days you can’t wait to see me again and then there are days you totally forget about me! I can’t take it anymore, Logan! I need commitment! And because you are not the type of guy for that, oh, and because of the fact that you brought my boyfriend into the hospital, well, you might know what happens next!”
“Boyfriend?”, was the first thing coming from Logan since he had closed the door. “Finn is your boyfriend now?” He laughed coldly. “I don’t believe this.”
“What is wrong with you? You don’t know Finn, you don’t know him the way I know him. He is sweet and, unlike you, he wants to try to be a boyfriend!”
“Oh and you believe him?”, Logan blurted out, reaching Rory’s level of volume. “Do we speak about the same Finn? Have you met him?”
“Yes I have –“
“And you just want to ignore that fact that he’s a playboy, just like you think I am!? He will not change, Rory! Believe me! Finn is Finn and Finn is not a boyfriend! I would be a better boyfriend than Finn!”
Rory glared at him with her mouth open. “What?”
“I am”, he said quieter, taking a step towards her.
“You are insane! Have you ever heard yourself talking? How dare you? When you weren’t there for me, Finn was there and he has been ever since! He is already changing! Unlike you he is actually willing to try!”
“Oh and that makes him perfect, huh? You’ll regret this, Rory. You’ll regret this big time! But I warned you! Don’t you come back to me after he dumped you!”
“How dare you!”, she yelled again. “Do you really think I would ever come back to you after what you have done to me? And to him? Is your ego that big? If it is, I’ll better leave you two alone now!”
With that she turned around, about to open the door. It was then that his hands grabbed her by the shoulders and pressed her against the closed door. She gasped in surprise and stared at him. He stared back at her, his expression unreadable. His hands squeezed her upper arms, while his jaw was set and his eyes narrowed.
“I told you, Gilmore. Don’t mess with me!”
“Are you threatening me?”, she asked with her forehead furrowed. “You are such a –“
“Shut up!”, he yelled, making Rory wince. “You had to do this, it was your decision. It’s entirely your fault. It could have been better, you know? We could have been such a nice couple. But you had to choose Finn over me – and trust me, that was your biggest mistake ever!”
His voice was as cold as ice and Rory suddenly felt the urge to run away. She’d never seen him like that. She was actually afraid he would do the same to her as he did to Finn. But as soon as icy Logan had arrived, he was gone again. He lowered his hands from her arms and stepped away from her. She stared at him, feeling a lump inside her throat and tears burning behind her eyes.
“Logan”, she began silently.
“Forget it, Rory” he said and turned around. “You made your choice.”
She quickly recovered. “What is that supposed to mean? Are you tormenting me with guilt now? Guess what, I feel everything but guilty! I am mad at you! And I am even madder at you for reacting like this! I just can’t hear it anymore! Just go to one of your other girls and leave me alone. And leave Finn alone. Because, yeah, I made my choice and I chose Finn and it’s entirely my fault! Do not, I repeat, do not ever blame him again!”
With that she pulled open the door and left before he could even react.
Outside his dorm, she inhaled deeply, trying to calm herself. She then headed to her car and drove back to the hospital. She found Finn sitting on his bed, with his chest bare, trying to get dressed. He looked up when she entered and threw her a smile.
“Hello, love.”
She didn’t reply but walked over to him and pulled her arms around him, burying her head in his chest. He replied her embrace hesitantly. They hugged for a while, before she backed away again and sat down beside him.
“Are you alright?”
“I talked to Logan”, she said quietly.
He silently pulled an arm around her.
“And I told him what an ass he is and was and might be forever and that he should leave me alone and that he should never ever blame you again and –“
“Thank you”, he whispered and heaved her under a little wincing on his lap, pulling both arms around her, his chin resting on her shoulder.
“What for?”
“Now I can go home again”, he grinned.
She slapped his chest playfully.
“No more pain, love, I have to recover first”, he smirked.
“How are you anyway?”
“Better.”
“That’s what you said yesterday as well. So are you feeling better than yesterday – which was already better – or better than from before yesterday – which is the same statement as yesterday?”
Finn watched her with his forehead furrowed. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Before he tried it once more. “I feel very good, darling”, he then said with a smile.
“That’s what I wanted to hear”, she smirked, turning her head to kiss him carefully on the lips. “Oh and your nose thingy is gone. Ooh, what a cute little band aid!”, she said, poking his nose carefully – yet not careful enough for he winced as soon as the tip of her finger touched his skin. “Oh dear, I’m sorry!”
He just shook he head, his eyes watering.
“Is it broken?”
“Mhm”, he nodded, inhaling sharply. “But the doctor said I’ll keep my boyish good looks!” A grin spread on his face, even though it still twitched in pain.
Rory cautiously cupped his face and wiped away a tear that was running down his cheek.
“Stop it”, he said, laughing. “I feel stupid already!”
“You don’t have to. It’s a normal reaction of your body to pain.”
“I see”, he grinned and tilted his head. “Well, that sounds nicer.”
She watched him, smiling, feeling how her stomach once again began to swirl.
“Butterflies”, she mumbled, looking down at her belly, smiling.
“What?”
She just laughed quietly. “Nothing”, she said, locking eyes with him, before she leant in to close her lips around his. He pulled her arms around her even tighter, while she cupped his face. She just kissed his earlobe, when the door opened.
“And again I am sorry to interrupt.”
She let go of Finn and turned around to see the doctor of yesterday again.
“And I am sorry too”, she whispered, getting off Finn’s lap.
Finn continued dressing and looked at the doctor.
“You are free to go”, he just said, signing the clipboard he was carrying. “I just need your signature here and we might never see each other again!”
“What a shame”, Finn whispered to Rory, grinning.
He signed the clipboard and got up slowly, Rory supporting him as he began to tumble.
“Ooh, too many painkillers”, Finn said, shaking his head.
“And I thought you might remember that feeling from elsewhere”, Rory mocked.
He grinned at her and together they left the hospital, heading to Rory’s car.
“How cute”, Finn said as she unlocked the doors.
“Just get in”, she smirked.
He tried. Finally sitting beside Rory, he turned around to her look at her. She met his gaze and started the engine. When he wouldn’t look away, she killed the engine again and turned on her seat to take a better look at him. All he was doing was smiling. She bit her lip and raised an eyebrow. It was then that they both started laughing.
“I like this”, Finn said, grinning.
“Me too”, Rory agreed and leant closer to him to kiss him. Licking her lips, she leant back into her seat and started the engine. “How about lunch?”
“Yes, I am starving”, Finn nodded and looked through the windshield.
“God, you are perfect for me”, she laughed and drove off the parking lot, heading back to Yale.

...to be continued...