"Goodbye, Rory."

Rory released a shuddering breath as she watched Logan turn and walk away from her on what should be one of the happiest days of her life, her graduation from college. Her eyes lingered on one of the only guys she's ever truly let in and loved fully. Though he didn't know it, her heart was breaking just as much as his was at the moment. She released a final shuddering breath before pasting a smile on and turning to her family. She would act happy if it was the last thing she did that day.

Caught in the bustle of the rest of the celebrations, Rory could almost forget what happened earlier. Almost. But, once everyone had left and she was by herself, she found herself returning to that feeling when Logan walked away from her. Rory allowed herself a few minutes to wallow before her mom came back and made a promise to herself: she would try her hardest to put this behind her and move on.

Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. Even though she received the job on the campaign trail and was too busy to remember to even call her mom, late at night she would find herself dwelling on Logan again and again. Even when she finished the trail after Obama's election and she returned home, she was still not over it. Of course, she made sure no one else knew that. She knew her mom would scoff and Emily would use it as an opportunity to try to set her back up with Logan. But, they had each made their choices and had to deal with them. It was obvious to Rory that Logan didn't want to be with her if they weren't married.

So, Rory moved on with her life as best she could. She started traveling and taking freelance jobs that came along. She was happy, well, as happy as could be, with her life and job. She didn't really have roots and it was hard to make friends. It was a fairly lonely existence. But, this was what she wanted, right?

It was because of this choice that Rory found herself in Hamburg, Germany for a Newspaper and Writer Conference. A lot of big newspaper and digital media corporations were attending as well as writers from some of the world's biggest writers. It was a great networking opportunity and Rory hoped that she might get some more jobs out of it or even a permanent position.

The first day of the conference, Rory felt almost overwhelmed. There was a large opening session where everyone attending gathered in the ballroom and Rory recognized so many amazing writers that she felt inadequate. She had to remind herself that she was a fairly important writer that had been published and featured in some big magazines. She had just as much a right to be there as they did. Confidence boost handled, Rory allowed herself to relax and enjoy the event. It promised to be a week full of networking and amazing sessions. She wanted to make the most of the event.

After the opening session, the rest of the day was a blur of sessions and collaborations with others. Rory was exhausted and collapsed as soon as she reached her room for the night. That exhaustion might explain Rory's inability to function properly before making it to breakfast. She was thankful that the conference was being held in a large hotel and that she was able to stay there. She just had to make her way to the ballroom to get some coffee. It also meant she had to walk to the gauntlet of writers to get there. She hoped she was able to make it without having to really talk. She just wanted her coffee and a few moments of blessed silence to enjoy that first cup.

She was so zeroed in on the coffee, she didn't see the person step into her path and they collided. Each reached out for the other and held on till they were steady.

"I'm so sorry!" Rory exclaimed as her heart rate slowed.

"It's no prob—"

Rory looked up when the person speaking broke off and froze. "Logan?"

Logan's mouth moved, but no sound came out. At the same moment they each realize they were holding on to each other and let go like the other was hot. Rory stepped back a few paces and felt herself start to blush. She started to nervously bite her lip as she looked at Logan. She never thought that she would run into him here, but she should have known that he would be there. It was all over the papers when he returned to Huntzberger Media several years back. So, it makes sense that he would be at a large conference of this time.

After several moments of silence, Rory was starting to become uncomfortable and wanted to be anywhere but where she was. But, she also wanted to stay around Logan. It was the first time they had been around each other since her graduation and she wanted to savor it. It seemed that he did as well. She was just trying to work up the courage to say something when Logan's mouth snapped shut and he abruptly turned, walking quickly away.

Rory stared after him in disbelief. She hadn't imagined that being a part of whatever reunion they might have. It hurt. It hurt a lot. But she also understood somewhere deep inside her that seeing her again must be even more painful for him. Once he disappeared from view, she finally made it to the coffee table and poured herself a cup. As she sat nearby for easy refills, Rory inhaled her coffee but found she couldn't enjoy it as much as she wanted to. Her mind was preoccupied with Logan and the fact that he was at the same conference she was. Would she see him again? If so, how would it go? Should she consciously avoid him for the rest of the week? Was that even possible.

As she finished her first cup, she glumly stared at the bottom of her cup. The week that she was so looking forward to wasn't quite as bright.