A few weeks after her break-up with Dean, Rory took a moment to think on how things had been going. She sat nestled under the 'study tree' she had found her freshman year, with a large coffee in her hand and a notebook in the other. She idly doodled while she reminisced.
The break-up was hard, but not as hard as she thought it would be. After getting out of the limo her new friends had helped get her get into when the champagne had gone to her head, a cold wave of sadness had gripped her. She felt her mother's eyes on her as she walked on unsteady feet to her front door. The emotions that she'd suppressed in the company of others flooded back and when she reached her mother's arms she had burst into tears.
After vomiting, crying, explaining and finally passing out, she had spent the remainder of the weekend having a good wallow. Lorelei had held her, comforted her, admonished her, and just been there throughout the tried and true Gilmore break-up process. They had let go of old hurts in the process, namely the disappointment felt by Lorelei over Rory's foray into bedding a married man.
When she returned to Yale she tried to forget everything but her schoolwork and the paper. Solitude lasted less than a week until late one night when she was drawn back into her observations of a certain mischievous, sexy Australian.
She was on her way home from the library, only having left when it closed at 1 in the morning. The weather was agreeable, if a bit chilly so she took her time walking across campus. She was listening to crickets and watching the moon when she heard a high pitched giggle. She was taught to be observant of her surroundings, especially at night when she was alone so she easily detected the giggle coming from the front of one of Yale's many dorm buildings.
She slowed when she took in the sight of Finn and a slightly weaving auburn haired female. Her heart sank a little, much to her embarrassment.
"Finny, come on, it's time for bed." The redhead tried to whisper seductively. It turned out louder than she intended, drunks can't seem to gauge the volume of their voices well, apparently.
"Oh you flatter me, Lisa."
"Linda."
"Of course, Linda. I'm afraid I will have to bid you a good night. It's been a lovely evening. I hope to see you around, ya?" Finn was trying to back away, but Linda's fingers had held fast to the belt loops on the waistband of his pants.
"But then you would have to walk all the way back to your dorm and it's so cold. It's warm inside. Especially in my bed." Linda persisted. Finn shook his head ruefully and leaned down to kiss her cheek before gently prying himself loose from her grip. He walked backwards down the steps of the building with more poise than any drunk man should possess.
"Ah, but the cold is invigorating! An adventure! You go snuggle in that warm bed of yours and I'll be the brave man we all know that I am and take on the cold on my trek to my own warm bed. Good night, doll!" And with that he turned and bounced down the walkway in front of Rory, apparently oblivious to her presence.
She had watched him practically glide to his building- how did he walk so gracefully while intoxicated? - with his head down and his hands in his pockets. She quickly found her own dorm and as she threw herself on her bed she realized that she was more intrigued than ever. Why had he turned her down? Was she not his type-snort! Most guys thrived on the willing and easy, and everyone knew of Finn's affinity for redheads- or was it something else? Was Finn a…a…gentleman?
Damn it! Question after question always seemed to pop up in relation to the charming Finn, and so far she had more questions than answers. She had to know more about Finn.
Looks like it's back to investigative journalism, Rory thought before she succumbed to sleep.
The next day she had remembered her vow to resume studying Finn and came up with a plan. The social science buildings were clustered together and she still knew Finn's class schedule so checking him out casually while she was on her way or departing her own classes was acceptable.
She began to take more interest in going to the pub, usually falling in line with Stephanie and the Limo boys to get better observations. On a side note, Stephanie was shaping up to be a good friend, definitely better than initial impressions had suggested. But that is beside the point.
In all of Rory's observation, a thread began to form in relation to Finn and women. He flirted openly, sometimes naughtily, but he seemed to be mainly just talk. After several drinking (not so much on Rory's part) and chatting sessions with the LDB group she noted that Finn never seemed to take any girls home with him. She had seen him walk a girl or two that had flirted shamelessly with him back to their dorm but none ever crossed the threshold of his dorm or more importantly his bed.
If she wasn't as observant as she was, she might suspect he was gay, but the way his eyes darkened when looking at a particularly attractive girl (and a few times Rory herself), she knew he was into the fairer sex. So what was his hang-up? She had seen Logan, Colin and Robert take girls to bed as casually as they put on their socks (especially after a good night with many rounds at the Pub).
She listened as keenly as she could to the conversations that took place when inebriation worked the Limo Boys' tongues loose. Some facts came to light pretty quickly. In typical Rory Fashion, she compiled a list in her mind.
Fact one: Finn had met Colin and Logan while in boarding school during their Junior year. Before then, he had been in Australia. His parents had wanted him to have rigorous college prep work under his belt, an academic environment that was better found in the States.
Fact two: Finn's family was the most intact of all the Limo Boys and even herself. His parents were truly in love and traveled together frequently for his fathers business (hotels and resorts).
Fact three: Finn made a point of visiting his parents whenever they were near (a relative term) the New Haven area. This fact came to light when Rory noticed his absence from the pub for a couple days. She had asked Steph as casually as she could and Steph had off-handedly said he was with his folks in New York.
Fact four: His parents didn't push him too hard about grades, his drive excellence was all his own.
Fact five: Finn had a younger sister, a senior at the same prep boarding school he had attended three years prior. Her name was Eliana and she called Finn on a regular basis. No matter what Finn was doing, he would take the call and disappear for a good thirty minutes before returning with a grin.
Most of these facts had served to intrigue Rory to the point of bursting and several of them had endeared Finn to her without any conscious effort.
The case being made in favor of Finn being a gentleman seemed to gain favor quickly. She had seen him open doors for the females around him, pay for drinks, walk Stephanie home (and those drunk girls, can't forget about them), he had offered his coat on several occasions when the New Haven chill came out to play (Rory had accepted once or twice, she really enjoyed his scent), and most importantly, he had bought her coffee on several occasions when he had been in the coffee cart line ahead of her (that sweet, sweet man).
Yes, it was safe to say that Finn was a gentleman. Rory's chest warmed and a smile erupted on her face at the notion.