Rory opened the oak door to her favorite stop on her way home from the office; a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop with the perfect music and that heavenly, heavenly smell. The stark contrast between the city air and the coffee aroma was intoxicating and put her into a slight daze. She walked to the counter without looking around, with her head focused on finding the wallet in her bag. She was only hoping to be a minute before returning to her walk home. But the counter felt different… and it took a moment for Rory to look up and realize that there was a person in front of her in line and the mortification set it.

"Oh geez! I am so so so sorry, I wasn't looking and I didn't mean to walk right into you. Here, please let me get your coffee, I can't believe I just did this, I.."

"Rory?"

Rory's mouth stopped its rambling and recognition set in as she lifted her eyes to meet the stranger she just accidentally felt up in the coffee shop that she now to had to abandon forever out of embarrassment.

"J-Jess? What are you d- I- um, Hi," she stammered and tried to pick her jaw up off the ground. When did he get so… The blush set in and she could practically hear his smirk before she saw it.

Before she could reel herself in, Jess had turned to the cashier behind the actual counter and ordered a second coffee, she assumed for her. He left a bill on the counter and mumbled to keep the change as he picked up the second coffee from the counter. All the while, Rory quickly checked herself, straightened her skirt a little, and tucked a stray hair behind her ears. Why was she so nervous? This was just her Jess. Her Jess. Where, the hell, did that come from?

"Do you want me to pretend none of that happened and you can start over?" Jess teased gently as he motioned to a table and set a coffee across from himself and slid himself into the booth. He looked happy, and he looked perfect.

"I am afraid it's too late for starting over," She blurted out before realizing it might have applied to much more than this incident. Nevertheless, he just smiled a small crooked smile, took his own coffee in hand, and kept his eyes down. They hadn't seen each in a few years and she didn't know how to handle him.

"I am sorry for running into you so absentmindedly, I was distracted, I guess," She tried to bring the conversation back to where it started. He looked up at her with a little smirk and Rory felt her stomach doing back-flips.

"It's okay; I like seeing you flustered Rory Gilmore. It has always been a good look on you. Want to get out of here?" There she was; just as quickly as he had led them here, they were walking out the door together.

"Jess, what are you doing here? In my coffee shop? Buying me a far too small coffee?"

"Huh"

"Oh don't 'huh' me, Mariano, you blew your cover long ago, I know that head is full of words, now spill"

He liked to watch her roll through the myriad of Rory emotions so quickly, she was squirming and he wondered if there was someone else in her life that could rile her up like he used to.

They were walking down towards the park and she was walking close enough to squeeze into his side when they had to make room for others on the sidewalk. He couldn't tell her why he had really come the three hours to see her, because he didn't really know why couldn't have just picked up the phone and called her. Luke had given him her number to do it, but he just found himself in a car, on his way to see her.

"I just had some business up here this week and wanted to get a feel for the best coffee in the area."

"Huh" He looked over and saw that she seemed really quite proud of herself for a fine mockery.

"So, do you often run into people hands first? Or was that an intentional feel up?"

"You are loving every second of this aren't you?"

"Oh, absolutely." They found a comfortable banter that carried them down a few blocks.

The pair seemed to have slowed into a stroll and found themselves walking around a park and Jess was leading them towards a bench. Rory hesitated before sitting down next to Jess. She hated how comfortable and suave he was being, when she was so visibly flustered with running into the ex-boyfriend she had the most conflicted feelings for. He saw her stiffen up instead of sitting down.

"Please Rory, I promise to stop teasing you. I just want to talk to my oldest friend about something."

"Okay," she said and sat down but noticed the gravity of his sentence stirring up her questions already.

"Are you nervous?" He asked, being gentle after visibly changing her comfort from the banter of before.

"Yeah, it's been a long time, that's all," and she echoed a conversation they had a long time ago. He caught on.

"I'm nervous too," and he brushed her arm lightly to break her out of her bubble. They shared a small smile.

"I know this come as a surprise to you, but I'm getting married in a few weeks. Your mom and Luke are coming to the wedding and I wanted to know if you would come, or if it would be too weird. I just felt like this was something I didn't want to spring on you with a wedding invite." Jess tried to look happy and he hoped that none of his nerves was apparent in his speech. Last time he had just shown up and presented something to her, it was his book.

"You are getting married? That is, well, I- congratulations Jess! Is it weird? Maybe I shouldn't go. Does your girlfriend- oh well I guess she is your fiancé now because that has the emphasis and everything. It's a weird word though right? Fiancé? Why do we only have a French word for that and not every status of relationship? I never liked that word much-Fiancé."

"Rory." Jess broke her ramble with a hand on her arm to break the cycle.

"Yeah?" She finally looked at him, and for a moment, she saw something she hadn't seen in a long time, although this time it was for this other woman, with whom he was going to marry- soon. "Oh Jess, I really am happy for you, I think that's what I meant to say." And Rory liked to believe that she meant it.

"Maybe I shouldn't have blindsided you like this. I should go," and Jess gathered himself a little, and stood up and faced her on the bench, "There is always a seat waiting for you, if you want to come. It's been a pleasure, Rory." Then Jess gave her a long look and walked off and crossed the street as a mob of people started moving and she lost sight of him.

What the hell just happened? Jess? Getting married? Did I even know he had a girlfriend? Rory sat and tried to collect her thoughts but they were running rampant. Why shouldn't Jess get married? He deserves to be happy, and it's not like they were too young any more. Before Rory knew what her next move was, she was calling her mom.

"HOW COULD YOU NOT TELL ME!" Rory whisper-yelled, holding her head in her free hand and balancing her elbows on her knees on a park bench.

"So, you got an invite?"

"HE SHOWED UP MOM, and I had NO IDEA he was even dating someone!" Rory stood up suddenly and started to let her body's pace match how her mind is racing.

"He came to New York? On a Tuesday? Who just goes to New York on a Tuesday? Did he show up in a Chilton uniform? That would have been full circle." Her mother was giggling and finding the irony hilarious.

"Mom, I really think you are missing the weird part about this. Why would he just show up? And why couldn't you have given me a heads up that he was getting married?"

"Well, Luke asked me not to, he said Jess wanted to be the one to break it to you, I'm sorry sweets I thought he would have just called you or something. Are you running? Is someone chasing you? Are you running willingly?" "

"I'm just FREAKING OUT, Mom! Yes, I am panic running like a crazy person because I am FREAKING OUT."

"So, you are coming to the wedding, right? That's why you are panicking right? This thing with you and Jess has been over for years, right Rory?" Rory slowed her speed walking around the park perimeter, stopped, and looked at the bench where she had just been sitting with the boy from her past.

"Rory?"

"Yeah, it's long over, I don't know why it's bothering me so much. I think I was blown away. I don't think I should come to the wedding though, that would be too weird."

"Well, think about it kid, it sounds twisted but you are part of the small group of people that cares about that man, and sometimes it's just about support. Think about it Ror, and let me know if you want to go shopping for a really, really evil dress"

"MOM!"

"Love you!" Lorelai snickered as she hung up.

Rory felt more mixed up about a man she tried to pretend she never thought about, but he crept into every margin of a great novel. He was the one she wanted to call up and talk to about her theories on certain authors or show truly wonderful Thai food. She had been ignoring that part of her for years because letting it have validation would only create this hole in her that she didn't need. She was the one to hurt him last time, and she didn't want to push her luck on trying to be friends, and he had been keeping his distance the last few years. She was busy, she was writing and editing for a decent magazine and was still trying to move her way up and didn't need distractions. He was the reason she had even gone back to college, and in a way she credited him with all her successes. But, he was someone else's person.

The walk home was a blur, and Rory sat on her couch and stared at the wall awhile before she made any moves to make herself eat or change out of work clothes.

She hated to believe that her mom was right about being part of Jess' support system, but with Luke being like a surrogate parent to the both of them for so long, she couldn't deny that as much as there was a romantic history with Jess, she missed his friendship and support too. She would go to the wedding.


Rory was on her lunch break at work, reading with a content absence of time and a furrowed brow. Her phone broke her from the weaving flow of Faulkner and she answered although she didn't recognize the number.

"Hi, is this Lorelai Gilmore?" The voice sounded rushed but friendly enough.

"Uh, well technically yes, but it's Rory"

"Oh sorry, this is Sarah, Jess' fiancé. I was just trying to get a number for the wedding and I saw your name on the undecided list, do you know if you will be able to make it to the wedding? I don't have an address for you, or I would have sent an RSVP. Sorry to put you on the spot!" Dang.

"Oh well, yes, I was planning on attending, if you have room of course.." The words came out without a filter and although she had decided loosely to go, she was hoping not to commit to a decision yet.

"Okay thank you! We will see you July 27th! Can't wait to meet you Lorelai!" Then the line went dead.

"It's Rory." She said to no one.


"Jess, I think there is a typo, we have two Lorelai's on the guest list." Sarah called as Jess was just starting dinner in their little apartment.

"Well one is my uncle's wife, and the other one is her daughter." He said, hoping to end the questions with a vague explanation.

"Luke said you dated his wife's daughter in high school, is that the same one?" There was no malice in this question, just curiosity.

"Yeah, Rory. We dated a little in high school but she's just more of a good friend."

"I thought no exes at the wedding? Isn't that bad luck or something?" Sarah was getting a sort of tone that implied that she needed to win this conversation, but Jess was determined on this.

"It's not like that, she's just important to me and like part of my family, Sarah. I don't believe in bad luck," and with that Jess turned on the water and drowned out the sound of any backlash. He didn't want to appear to be over enthusiastic about Rory coming, but Rory was important. She was the reason he turned his life around, her and Luke. He wrote a book because of her, because she believed in everything he did when he gave her countless reasons not to. He credited any of success as a functioning human to that woman.


"He went to go see her? On a Tuesday?" Luke kept disappearing into the diner kitchen and then poking his head out to have a conversation with his wife at the counter.

"Right! Who does that? And he didn't call first or text or snapchat or skype or whatever, he just showed up!" But as she was saying it, she remembered that this was Jess they were talking about, the king of showing up unexpectedly.

"Huh" Luke tilted his head at her and then got a worried look over his face that he hoped he was hiding from Lorelai.

"Luke Danes, what do you know?" Lorelai gasped and ran behind the counter to join him by the kitchen door.

"Jess asked for Rory's address a while ago but I just figured it was for his invitations so I didn't think to mention it."

"He didn't say anything about showing up did he? Because Rory served me a lashing of hushed yelling while sprinting and I would like to think that I could have avoided that."

"Well," and in Luke fashion, the words were to slow coming out than Lorelai could handle.

"What do you know, mister?" Mock threat? Luke wasn't sure sometimes.

"He said he wanted to be the one to talk to her, you knew that too. Knowing those two, just showing up seems to be more their style. Kind of makes sense actually." Luke had rationalized the situation well enough to be out of his mind but unfortunately, he was the only one convinced.

"That was when they were Rory and Jess, on-again, off-again, and infuriating. It doesn't make sense for him to do it now," but even as she said it, she wasn't sure.

Lorelai had a hard time hating Jess anymore, and they were actually pretty close for former enemies. As much as he was a messed up kid that played with her daughter's heart, he turned out to be a surprisingly responsible guy that any mom would approve of.