Tea Parties in Boston

32 - Relaxing

October 29th, 2022

Few things had gone according to plan that evening.

Even despite Em's nap the girl had still fallen asleep during the limo ride back. First the dinner at an Italian place, Logan had vouched for being a great place years ago, had taken much longer than anticipated to get them their meals, and secondly a traffic accident on the corner of 9th and W57th Street had transformed their 10 minute ride back to a 40 minute one.

The bubble show had been fun for anyone under the age of 10, the adults noticing the less-than-impressing settings a lot better than they had. It had been loud, and kind of messy for those in the first rows, which had included the three of them.

Rory had made the mistake of wearing a brand new pair studded Louboutin ankle boots, in part certainly to dress up a little sexy for the night for the sake of being out and about in NYC with Logan, but the fact that the bubble show had involved quite a bit of moving around and the walk to the restaurant from there had been longer than she'd hoped, Logan having told the driver they didn't need him until later already before the show, the whole thing had taken quite a toll on her feet. So bad, in fact, that it had now left her limping a little. It was just a blister, but the negative side of it was that it was distracting, having drawn her mind away from trying to impress Logan and put her remaining energy into caring for her daughter.

And on top of that Rory's burgundy wrap also had a rather large bubble soap stain on her hip, which she could only hope she would get out once she got back home to wash it. Either way, it was safe to say her idea of making an impression had turned out a little underwhelming. But that was life with a 5-year-old, without embelishments.

Rory opened the hotel suite door quietly, letting Logan, with Em in his arms - an adorable site she truly felt she could get used to - inside ahead of her. She closed the door behind them quietly and switched on the table and floor lamps, not wanting to risk waking Em with the full ceiling lighting.

Logan headed for Rory's and Em's bedroom, struggling a little at throwing the blanket off the perfectly made bed aside to place Em on the bed. Rory, having by not removed her own shoes, hurried to help him, and fixed the pillows so they'd be positioned just the way Em liked them. The entire interaction - him placing her down carefully, and her taking over, comforting her so she wouldn't wake - came with a certain intimacy as such close proximity, Rory inhaling a deep whiff of his scent. That was almost distracting.

Logan stood back and watched as Rory removed the girl's shoes and jacket, loosening the buttons of Em's cardigan.

Rory had pictured the evening ending a certain way - to indulge in some of that tension she'd felt that morning, possibly a glass of scotch in her hand, and at the very least feeling that temptation to take this to some other level, even if she wasn't quite sure if she should and would actually succumb to it just yet. But right now, it just felt different. Nervous. Confusing even.

She sensed Logan being tired, the last part of the evening having been a lot to all three of them, and her own feet and brain were fried too. Maybe they'd just go their separate ways - even if the 'ways' were just two separate bedrooms that night?

Logan didn't really say much, and swiftly made an exit from the bedroom, and headed into his own - further down the hall, leaving Rory a little clueless on what to do. Sure, she wanted a minute or two to herself - change out of her pantyhose and that stained dress into something comfortable, clean the blister on her foot, remove her makeup and so on. But she didn't want him getting the idea that she was getting ready for bed.

She did the best she knew - left the bedroom door ajar as a sign of wanting to continue to interact. But honestly, she wasn't sure if he was thinking the same, not quite seeing what he was up to from where she was.