Jess looked at his watch. 6:30. The wedding should be done by now. The question was, would Lorelai and Rory come in for a coffee before they went home? Jess hoped so. He wanted to talk to Rory about what had happened. That kiss. God, it was great. Unexpected, but great. Jess had kissed girls before, but somehow all the girls and all the kisses paled in comparison to this one. Probably because of the kisser.

Rory.

Would Jess ever get tired of that name? He didn't think so. Rory. Rory. Rory. Nope. Still not tired of it. A smile softened Jess's normally sullen features.

"What's that for?" The smile disappeared.

"What's what for, Luke?"

"You were smiling. You never smile. I want to know why you were smiling, except if it has anything to do with trouble or mischief of any kind."

"Nothing to tell."

"Jess-"

"Look, I was smiling. It happens occasionally. Maybe I was thinking of bunnies hopping through fields of wildflowers. Maybe I was thinking of smashing the plates that I'm holding. Maybe I'm thinking of holding hands and skipping. Whatever. I'm leaving." Jess brought the dirty dishes he was holding to the kitchen, threw his cleaning rag on the counter, and exited the diner.

* * * * *

Rory looked at her watch. 6:30. The wedding was over, and the dinner was wrapping up. There was going to be a dance afterwards, but Rory didn't feel like staying. She didn't want to have to dance with Dean after…. After that kiss. It had been great. Completely unexpected, but great. Jess's lips were perfect. Soft and warm and slightly salty. It made all Dean's kisses sortof taste like cardboard. Not that she didn't love Dean. She loved Dean. Although, after a while, his name started to get on her nerves. It began to sound like a really annoying bell. Dean. Dean. Dean. Whereas, Jess…

The sound of a spoon tapping against a wine glass snapped her out of her reverie. Lorelai stood up to toast the newlyweds.

"Hey Sookie and Jackson. Um, I had a really good toast all planned out, but I can't remember it. So, I'll wing it. I hope that you always have exactly what you want, and that you always find it in each other. And I hope that this marriage turns out as perfectly as one of Jackson's beef tomatoes." As the guests laughed, Lorelai sat down and Sookie and Jackson kissed. Beside Rory, Lane sighed.

"They are so cute!" Rory nodded in agreement, then checked her watch again. 6:32. It was her turn to sigh. Dean noticed.

"Ror, are you alright? That's the 18th time you've checked your watch in the past half hour!"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just… I'm tired. And my feet hurt."

Dean looked concerned. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Rory shook her head in dissent. "No, I'll be fine." She smiled at her boyfriend, then looked away. Every time she looked at Dean, she remembered the kiss. Not that she'd actually forgotten it, but she realized how big and important it was when she looked at Dean. She wished that the kiss had never happened.

No, that wasn't true. If she had the chance, she'd kiss Jess again. She just wished that she didn't have to deal with the ramifications. She looked at her watch again. 6:35.

* * * * *

Jess sat on the bridge, reading "Pride and Prejudice" with the help of his penlight. He'd always identified with Mr. Darcy, the man who everyone loved to hate. He was the same as the character in a lot of ways. He was basically anti-social, but he cared deeply about his friends. In the book, Mr. Darcy got the girl. Jess wasn't sure how his story was going to turn out. The sound of approaching footsteps made him look up. A lithe figure in a dress sat down beside him. Jess returned to his book. He knew Rory would speak when she was ready. Minutes passed in silence. To Rory, these minutes passed much more quickly and pleasantly than they had at the wedding. She didn't even bother to look at her watch. She didn't care what time it was. Finally, she took a deep breath and began talking.

"Jess." He noted his page number, then shut his book and turned off his light. Turning slightly, he faced Rory. Even her profile was gorgeous. Jess had the sudden urge to kiss her temple, the soft haven between the brow and cheekbone. He resisted, knowing that it would ruin her concentration and possibly, their friendship.

"Jess, I love Dean."

"So you say, every time we talk."

"And I'd never do anything to hurt him."

"And…"

"And, I should never have kissed you. It was so dumb of me, because now I'm comparing your kiss to Dean's, and he doesn't deserve that, and…" Rory looked at the boy-man sitting a foot away from her. "And I wouldn't take it back. Not for anything." She reached out towards Jess, to trace his lips with her finger, but pulled back. She could not risk kissing Jess again, and even looking at him was wearing down her resolve. She looked back out at the river. "I just… I can't let it happen again."

"Ok."

"Ok? That's it?"

"Yeah." Jess shrugged. "You can't let it happen again. It won't." Even though his face betrayed no emotion, Rory heard the undercurrent of bitterness in his voice.

"Jess-"

"No, I understand. You love Dean. You can't hurt him, and you can't kiss me. End of story."

"Jess, it's more than that!" Rory looked over at him again. It hurt so much to see him and know that she could never have him, but he had to understand how much he meant to her. "Jess, I love you too." He looked up, naked hope on his face. Rory had so much more to say, but none of it came out. She just looked at Jess, the lines of his face, the stubble that darkened his chin, his eyes glittering in the moonlight. Words failed her. For once in her life, she couldn't even remember her name. Jess reminded her.

"Rory." And suddenly he was beside her, a question in his eyes. Rory answered without words. She gave in and traced his lips with her finger. Jess reached up and took her hand in his, kissing the centre of her palm before releasing it. Looking into her eyes, Jess gave Rory one last chance to turn back. She responded by moving closer to him. Her gaze flicked to his lips, and it was all the sign he needed. Jess captured her chin with his slightly rough fingertips, and gently kissed Rory for the second time that night. Rory shivered with emotion in spite of the warmth of the night. Jess pulled away slowly and removed his jacket. He put it around Rory's shoulders and wrapped his arm around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder. All her arguments about loving Dean suddenly seemed pointless. Jess was the one she really loved. She sighed happily and wriggled closer to Jess.

"So, what book are you reading?"

"Pride and Prejudice."

"Oh, that's a great book. I love Mr. Darcy."

Jess smiled against Rory's hair. "Yeah. He's a good guy."

THE END