Glimpses

Chapter 49

December 31st, 2021

Queen Victoria had come a long way in its quality even if the bones of the place were roughly the same. The drag queen on top of one of the dancing tables looked incredible, the only thing hinting at his Y chromosome being the full lengh auburn beard he was pulling off without hesitance. The makeup was fenomenal, the knotted blue minidress making most of the women in the club envy their curves as the performer danced to RuPaul's Super Queen Remix.

"There they are!" Rory noticed, raised from her seat at a VIP table in the corner, and waved towards Paris and Finn who'd just walked in. There had been some tragic traffic accident on I-95 which had left the two stuck in traffic for a while. And with a quick detour to get changed at the hotel Finn had booked for the two in exchange for Paris driving him, they'd only made it to the club around 10 PM.

"There you are, love," Finn walked up with open arms, and gave Rory a slightly provocative closed mouthed kiss on her lips in greeting. Their little miscommunication which had ended up with Rory kissing him and finding they had zero chemistry, had left them both physically a lot more relaxed and goofy, knowing there was no line to cross by accident anymore.

Logan coughed, making his presence known, but not too seriously. Logan hugged Finn himself, greeting him with friendly back-patting. Logan was actually doing a little better personally - a sense of security with Rory together with the knowledge that he'd soon get a chance to tackle both his issues and distract himself with his puppy, having given him something else to focus on.

"I'm so happy you could make it," Rory continued to hug Paris. Paris was the queen of embracing minimalism in what she wore, the modestly embellished slit sleeve sheath dress with a fairly narrow collar being a prime example how one could look hot without showing too much.

"I could've done without the four hours in traffic, but I'm here now, so what the hell," Paris replied, downplaying how glad she actually was to be here. There was apprehensiveness too, naturally, and Rory could already tell how she was looking around the room, looking for Tristan.

Rory had gone with a Tadashi Shoji black sleeveless dress which also exposed her clavicle, appearing held back yet inherently sexy. It didn't hurt to feel Logan's arm slipping around her waist at that moment.

The newcomers got an introductory round with Lane and Zach, who were already cuddled into the back-most corner of the booth, the single Long Island Island ice tea having already turned Lane into someone she usually was not. But she seemed happy in her pleasant buzz.

They were just about to take the seats, as Tristian returned from the bathroom, and Rory could already sense Paris' heart thump in her ears in fear of this interaction. She'd pep-talked Paris into doing this at first, believing truly that she just needed to shed the former embarrassment by interacting with him like an adult.

"My, my - Paris Geller," Tristan exhaled, and without asking wrapped his arms around Paris for a true haven't-seen-you-in-ages hug, as if they'd been best friends in the past.

"Hi," Paris mumbled, having not expected such a warm greeting. But it definitely broke down some barrier of awkwardness between them.

"Come on, let's get some snacks and drinks, shall we?" Rory encouraged, suggesting everyone sit and chat, and continued to introduce Finn and Tristan, while Logan called over the waitress, who was dressed as Cher.

It had been a strange hour and a half talking to Tristian for Rory, in this type of setting no-less, but she hadn't been alone, and that had eliminated that ancient tension between them too. She wasn't here for him and Tristian didn't seem to be interested in her that way either, and even if at times his gaze had appreciated her looks a second too long. Either way it were Logan's whispers and little touches that did wonders for her self-esteem.