AN: Hello all! Long time, huh? Sorry to make you wait for so long, but school work practically ruled my life these past few weeks. And obviously the World Cup. I'm addicted to soccer. I'm Brazilian, so I have the excuse. But if you watched any of the games you'll know there's also another reason: the guys are hot! So many guys this year are so incredibly cute I don't even know where to look. Of course my all time favorite is Michael Owen, but right now I have a crush on Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo. He's so darn cute! Anyway, sorry to babble about soccer and hot guys. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reviewed. I don't know if I answered you all, but I read all the reviews, so thanks a lot! And I'd also like to apologize for not reviewing your stories. To tell you the truth I haven't even read them. Because of the reason already mentioned. But now that I'm on vacation and the Cup's over I'll make it up to you and I'll read everything and review everything, ok? Don't be mad!

All right, that's enough AN, don't you think? On with the chapter! Hope you like! A nice little treat to you at the end, a reward for your patience! ;)

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Chapter 13: A Good Luck Kiss

It was December 31 and the six friends were at the top of the Corcovado watching the sunset. They had settled on going to the beach for New Year's Eve and watch the fireworks, have the "full experience" as Logan so eloquently put.

"So, Ace, who are you gonna kiss tonight?"

"What are you talking about, Logan?"

"You know it's good luck to kiss someone at Midnight. Do you have your good luck charm yet?"

Rory looked at him. Ever since she started sharing a room with Finn two days ago everybody's been teasing her and joking and asking what was going on. There was nothing going on, though she was the only one who denied it. Finn didn't try to hide what he felt for Rory but he respected her.

"I don't have one yet," she answered Logan.

"I have a pretty good candidate," he said raising his eyebrows.

"Don't bother, Logan. This joke's getting old, you know."

"Oh, come on, Ace, we're in Rio. What happens in Rio, stays in Rio."

"Yeah, right."

"Seriously now, don't you like him?"

She didn't answer, instead she sighed and just starred at the horizon as the sun was about to set.

"Pretty great, isn't it?" an Australian accent caught her attention. She didn't notice when Logan left to give room for Finn to approach her. She looked at him for a moment.

"It really is," she answered and turned her head back to the horizon and so did Finn. "The year's over, it's so sad, don't you think?" she asked him, without taking her eyes from the sun.

"Depends on your point of view. I for one, love New Year's Eve. I take the day to think about all the things that happened the ending year, good and bad, and think about ways that I can make the bad turn good and the good turn better. It's a much more happy way to face New Year's."

Rory smiled to herself. "This is the second time, Finn, that you surprise me with your thoughts and your... philosophical way."

He turned to face her, though she still had her face towards the sun. "Is that a bad thing? Am I scaring you?"

"No, of course not. It's just nice to see this other side of you. Not so crazy and very sweet."

"Well, thanks, doll. But it's probably the Caipirinha wearing out. I'm not sure that has enough alcohol for me."

"And you're back," she said with a small laugh. "So, what are the bad things you're planning on turning good?"

"Grades," he simply answered.

She laughed. "Very honorable goal. What about the good turning great?"

Finn took her chin and turned her head so she could face him. "I'm not waiting for 2006 for this one, I'm already working on it," he answered and shushed her when she started opening her mouth to speak. "How about you?" he asked as he removed his hand from her face and turned back to the scenery below them and watched the city begin to light up. "What are your bad and good things?"

Rory shook her head once to wake up from Finn's hypnotizing gaze and turned to the city as well. "I don't know, haven't thought much about that."

"You still have till midnight to think."

"I guess," she said and took a deep breath. "Finn?"

"Yes, love?"

"What if you already have a great thing in your life, what can it turn into?"

He smiled. "Well, doll, nothing's ever perfect enough that it cannot be improved. Great can always be better, you can always have more than you do at the moment. You just can't settle for what you already have," he finished with a smile.

"I guess you're right, thanks," she said and turned back to the horizon.

"Glad to be of assistance. If you need anything I'll be at the gift shop trying to score a discount on a miniature Corcovado with the pretty lady at the counter."

"Good luck with that," she answered with a laugh.

"It's not about luck, love," he said and held her chin with his fingertips, " it's about charm, and that I've got to spare."

"Good thing there's no roof above us, or you wouldn't have anymore room for your giant ego."

"It's called confidence, doll."

"I have to get a copy of your dictionary if I ever wish to understand you."

"Hey, don't girls like mystery?"

Rory shook her head laughing, "go get your discount, Finn."

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Later at the hotel, Rory was taking a shower while Finn finished getting dressed with the TV on. They were going to have dinner at the hotel restaurant and then go to the beach to watch the fireworks.

"Hey, Rory! Blazer or no blazer?" Finn called from outside the bathroom.

"No blazer! We're going to the beach afterwards!" she called back.

"But what about dinner?"

"Just put on a nice shirt and you'll be fine."

"You're pro... hold on, there's a phone ringing," he said and went back to the room. He looked for the ringing phone and found it next to Rory's purse. "It's yours, love!"

"I'm in the shower, Finn! Who is it?"

He checked the caller ID. "It's your mom."

"Answer it and tell her I'll call her back."

"Ok," he said and flipped the phone open. "Hello, Rory's phone."

All he got in response was silence.

"Hello?" he repeated.

Again silence.

"Lorelai?" he asked.

"Who is this?" a man's voice asked on the other end.

Finn thought that was strange, but deep down he had a feeling it wasn't going to end well. "Who is this?"

"I asked first," the man replied.

"Hey, you called me, man."

"No, I called Rory, and you're definitely not her!"

"What's going on, Luke?" Finn recognized Lorelai's voice in the background.

"Some guy's answering Rory's phone," he replied.

"Hey, Luke, it's Finn here," he said.

"Who?"

"Finn, Rory's friend from Yale."

Silence.

"Australian?" Finn gave another clue.

Silence.

"Hello?"

"Where's Rory?"

"She's finishing her shower, she asked me to answer the phone for her since it was Lorelai. But it's obviously not Lorelai cause I'm talking to you, right?" Finn's hand were starting to sweat. That wasn't going very well, he thought.

"I knew this wasn't a good idea, Lorelai. I'm not good at this."

Finn scratched his head. "Huh, Luke? Are you..."

"I was talking to Lorelai."

"I realized. Do you want Rory to call back?"

"Who is it?" Finn heard Lorelai ask.

"It's that Australian friend of Rory's, Finn."

"Gimme the phone... Finn?"

"Lorelai, hello! Rory's just finishing her shower. I can ask her to call you back or if you wait for like five minutes, I believe she's almost finished."

"She's taking a shower, huh?"

"Yes, she is," Finn sensed from her tone there were going to be way more awkward questions following.

"Right, right. And she told you to answer her phone?"

"She did."

"Ask him what he's doing in Rory's suite while she's taking a shower. I don't like where this is going, Lorelai," Finn heard Luke complaining in the background.

"Relax, Luke, I'm getting there. Finn?"

"Yes?" he was almost afraid to answer.

"So, you're in her room while she's taking a shower. What are you doing there?"

"I don't want you to think I'm playing with you, but I was actually putting a shirt on for dinner and watching TV."

"Watching TV?"

"What! Does he expect us to believe that!" Luke shouted.

"And you'd think he was just the guy who fed us burgers and coffee most our lives," Lorelai joked. "But seriously Finn, you'll have to be a little more specific than that. Getting ready for dinner, watching TV, that's not gonna do it for me."

"Well," he started awkwardly, just as Rory got out of the bathroom.

"She's still talking?"

"It's your family, you deal with them," Finn said throwing the phone to Rory.

"Finn!" she said picking up the phone from the floor.

"I'll be outside waiting," he said getting out of their suite.

"You really scared Finn, mom, what did you say to him?"

"Hey, sweetie, how's Rio?"

"Very hot."

"I can imagine. Have you visited any cool places?"

"We went to the Corcovado this morning. It's really beautiful, the view's just spectacular."

"I bet. How's the beach?"

"Very sandy. The water's not crystal clear, but it's still beautiful. I'm growing quite fond of the ocean. It's very peaceful, I think."

"Nice. Are the guys hot?"

"Lorelai, will you just ask her?" Rory heard Luke's voice in the background.

"Chill Luke! I'm handling it," she answered him and turned her attention back to Rory. "So, are the guys hot?"

"They're ok. What's Luke talking about, mom?"

"Nothing. So, New Year's tonight. What are you guys doing?"

"We're going to have dinner here at the hotel restaurant and then we're going to the beach to watch the fireworks."

"Sounds like fun. When are you going to all those museums and historic spots that Jess told you about?"

"I'll probably start on Monday, since tomorrow's a holiday and nothing will be open."

"That's great. So, you're having fun?"

"Tons of fun, yeah."

"Good! Now, what's Finn doing in your room, honey?"

"Whoa! That's a real shift in the conversation!"

"Well, you know me, sudden change of subject is my kind of entertainment. I live in a small town, there's nothing much to do. Besides, Luke's growing impatient by the minute. I think he's just logged on to buy a plane ticket to Rio and find out for himself what Finn is doing there."

"Well, tell Luke to calm down, there's nothing going on between Finn and I."

"Right, right. So, the explanation of Finn's presence in your suite would be..."

"We're sharing the room," Rory simply said. She learned from personal experience that the more you talked the more guilty you seemed. So simple answers didn't leave any room for suspicion.

"You're sharing a room. That's it? That's your explanation?"

"Well, mom, you asked why he was here and that's the reason why. It's very simple."

"I'm not liking your tone, missy. You better start talking or I'll tell Luke to buy two tickets instead of just one."

"There's nothing else to say mom! Nathan and Laura wanted to share a room since they're, well, you know, together. So it was decided that it was better for me to share a room with Finn."

"Oh, I see than. S this has nothing to do with the fact that you're completely in love with the guy!" Lorelai asked already laughing.

"Mom! I'm not in..."

"You know, this is not fair. You leave me here having to deal with all the wedding preparations by myself while you're enjoying a honeymoon with the hot Aussie in sunny Rio de Janeiro!"

"Hey, don't blame me for the wedding prep, ok? Must I remind you that you chose Sookie over me for your Maid of Honor?"

"Ouch. Got me there, kiddo."

"See, you've got nothing to complain about."

"But I do! It's snowing here, it's cold as, well Id say hell but I don't think hell would be this cold, but you get the picture. And you! You're probably wearing a little tiny top and a little tiny skirt right now."

"Cause that's just the kind of outfit you see me wearing in public all the time. Mom, listen you can relax, there's nothing between Finn and I, we're just two friends sharing a hotel suite for two weeks. That's it. And I'm not wearing a tiny skirt."

"It's ok, you know. I like Finn. He entertains me. Better than you-know-who."

"Glad I have your approval for a roommate."

"Not just for a roommate. You should enjoy your life, kid, and who's better to enjoy it with than funny-guy Finn?"

Rory took a deep breath. "Ok, mom, I'm gonna go now, we need to get to dinner, it's already 10 o'clock. If we're two late, we'll miss the fireworks."

"Ok, then, have fun sweetie!"

"Thanks... oh, why was Finn so freaked out?"

"He was talking to Luke, you know how Luke has that effect on people sometimes."

"I heard that," Rory listened to Luke's comment in the background.

"Why was he talking to Luke and not you?"

"Cause I had asked him to call you and tell you I was dying and that you should come back home from your honeymoon."

"Right. Now that's just like you. And it's not a honeymoon. It's a deserved prize."

"Well, let's not get into why you got the prize cause that would take another half hour of teasing and you don't have the time."

"How thoughtful, thanks mom."

"No problem! Bye honey! Happy New Year!"

"You too, mom. Say hi to Luke for me. Bye!"

Rory hung up the phone with a smile. Poor Finn. If that didn't scare him away from her, nothing would.

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"Can I kiss you tonight?"

Rory shook her head in confusion after Finn's question. "Excuse me?"

"Tonight, at midnight, can I kiss you?" he repeated the question in a very sweet way.

Rory thought for a long while.

"It's just for tradition, Rory, don't worry. We're friends. Better than to kiss a stranger, right?"

She smiled. "I guess. Unless it's a hot Brazilian guy," she said with a smirk.

Finn looked offended. "Well, if a hot Australian won't do it for you, go find your hot Brazilian," he said shrugging his shoulders. "I don't care."

Rory laughed at his pretend scene. "I guess a hot Aussie will do than. I'll kiss you, but just cause you asked nicely," she said sweetly.

"So, you think I'm hot?" he said raising his eyebrows at her.

"Oh, look, there's a hot guy over there. I wonder if he's already has someone to kiss."

"All right, all right, I'll stop with the bragging, let's got or we'll miss our spot on the sand." Finn said and joined the rest of the group outside the hotel. Logan and Robert had scored two British girls for the midnight kiss and were just waiting for Finn and Rory to settle their issues.

"Well, finally!" Robert said as the couple approached them.

"Where are Nathan and Laura?" Rory asked ignoring Robert's comment.

"They're already there. They're gonna stay next to the kiosk saving us a spot," Logan answered. He then introduced the other girls and went on to the beach.

"It sure is crowded here," Finn commented.

"It's a big event, there are gonna be shows afterwards, it's supposed to be a very big thing."

"It is a very big thing, this is our second time here," one of the English girls said.

"And who did you kiss then, huh?" Logan asked teasing the girl while she just giggled.

Rory rolled her eyes.

"Why the roll, doll? You should giggle for me too," Finn said in her ear.

"When you say something worth giggling for, I'll do it."

"You're cold."

"I'm not flirty."

"You should be. Flirty's fun."

"Not satisfied? Find a better one."

"I love to tease you."

"And I love to answer you back."

"You've got quick responses."

"You've got weak teasing."

"Strike three, I'm out," he raised his hands in surrender.

She just smiled victoriously.

Suddenly everybody started counting down and Rory got more and more tense by the second. She kept thinking that in less than 10 seconds Finn would kiss her. How should she react? Should she say something? Should she hold his hand? Should she pretend it wasn't nothing? She knew it wasn't going to be nothing. She knew there was something between them, she denied it but deep down she felt it. But there wasn't enough time to think about it anymore. "ONE" everyone shouted. Finn put his arms around her waist and whispered in her ear "happy new year, love."

She smiled and closed her eyes as Finn's lips approached hers. When they touched Rory felt something electric, like a shock, something she had only experienced with Jess. That chemistry, that fire, that fitting, she felt it again now, with Finn. She gave in to the kiss putting her hands around his neck and running her fingers through his already messy hair. She opened her lips to give access to Finn's hungry tongue. It was passionate, it was hot, it was everything and more, everything she had expected and more. When they parted they starred at each other's eyes for a moment, just the few seconds enough to make them realize that that wasn't just a good luck kiss. She smiled and he smiled back. Finn was starting to lean in again when Logan and Robert cut in to hug them and wish them a happy new year. Nathan and Laura came with the champagne bottle and glasses and all Rory and Finn could do now was wait, wait until the party was over, wait until they were back at the hotel, just the two of them, only then could they enjoy that moment again. For now, all they could enjoy was good champagne and beautiful fireworks.

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AN: I know, shorter chapter, sorry. But I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer, hope you don't mind. And I hope you liked the kiss! Well, anyway, you know what to do! Please review!