Part 1- The Return of Jess to Stars Hollow (Rory's POV)
Jess had been gone for three weeks, I should just forget about him. This is what I tell myself. Of course what I tell myself doesn't always work because I'm still thinking about him. Maybe I should call Lane. Maybe if I call Lane I'll forget about thinking about Jess. So I'll call Lane.
I dial her number and it rings three times. Lane picks up. "Hello?"
"Lane? It's me, Rory."
"Oh, hi Rory. How are you doing? Still thinking about Jess?"
Okay, so it was a sucky plan. Nevermind. "No, why would you think that I was thinking about Jess?"
"Because when you called fifteen minutes ago that's who you were thinking about."
"oh." Darn. That's right. I did just call her. I should have remembered that.. but I was thinking about Jess. "Um, I have to go now Lane."
"Wait Rory! Are you sure you don't want to talk?"
"Um, yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just gonna go take a walk or something."
"Okay, I'll call you later then."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye, Rory."
I hang up and start pacing around my room. Okay that didn't work. Why didn't that work? I don't even like Jess that much. Why can't I stop thinking about him. Maybe I should call Dean. No, I don't want to see him. Why don't I want to see him? I love Dean. He's great. But, I think I'll go for a walk. Maybe I'll see Dean in town. I could pass the bus station and walk down that way. Why would I want to walk down that way?
Okay! Stop thinking like this Rory Gilmore. You're gonna drive yourself crazy if you don't stop.
I stand up. I'll go for a walk. That will be great. I can go for a walk. There's nothing wrong with walking. I open my door and walk into the hallway. I grab my coat and slip it on.
"Where are you going?" Mom calls from the living room.
"Just out for a walk."
"Okay, why don't we have dinner together tonight at Luke's."
"Um, no thanks mom, I've got other plans."
"You're not still mad at me for that whole Jess thing are you?"
"It wasn't all his fault."
"But it was still his fault, that hasn't changed."
"You know what, I don't care, I'll be back later."
I walk out of the house and slam the door behind me. How can she still insist that its Jess' fault. God, why does she have to be like that. I can't stand it. I can't stand her anymore sometimes.
I just start walking. I don't even know where I'm going anymore. I'm just walking. Suddenly I find myself at the lake where Jess and I had sat sometimes and talked. I sit on the bridge in the middle of the lake. How did all this happen. How did everything get so backwards and messed up. Why did Jess have to leave?
I miss him.
Of course, I miss him, he's my friend.
Just a friend?
"Yes! He's just a friend!!"
"Who's just a friend."
I turn, startled, and there he is, standing at the end of the bridge, with his usual cynical smirk.
Jess.
"What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Don't avoid the question. Your not supposed to be here."
"So what. Maybe I came to see you."
"What? Why?"
OMG, he came to see me. So maybe what I'm feeling is a little more that friendship. Oh..Oh, okay he's sitting next to me. Why does he have to look at me with that intense gaze he has? Why is he lifting his hand like that to touch my cheek? Why do I feel my eyes close as his face moves closer to mine? Why does my heart melt when our lips touch?
OMG, I think I just fell in love with Jess.
Or is it that I've always loved him?
Part 2-Waking up.
Rory opened her eyes and sat up in bed. It couldn't have been another dream. Could it? But she knew it was. She'd been kissing Jess in her dreams every night for a week. She couldn't stand it anymore. It had to stop. She didn't love him, she loved Dean. She had told Dean that night he came back that she loved him. That Jess was gone and nothing would ever come between them again.
She couldn't stand it. She had to see Jess. She had to talk to him. She had to find out if she really did love him or if Dean was the guy for her. The thought of what she was about to do almost made her laugh. Rory Gilmore, straight A student and all around good girl, was going to run away to New York to the only person she could ever really talk to. She was going to find Jess.
Getting to the bus station hadn't been that hard. Thankfully her mother hadn't been up yet and most of the town had still been asleep. She had come across Taylor who had given her yet another lecture about how glad he was that a bad influence like Jess was out of her life. She was getting to hate everyone in this town. They all blamed Jess. The only person she could talk to anymore was Luke, who understood what she was going through. Luke and Jess had just started to get along.
Well it didn't matter. She was going to go to New York and drag Jess back to Stars Hollow if she had too. This town needed him, but more than that, she needed him.
That realization almost caught her off guard. She needed him. Rory Gilmore needed bad boy Jess. It was crazy. But it was true. She stepped up to the counter at the bus station in Hartford. She'd rode the bus she usually rode to school to get here because there wasn't a big bus station in Stars Hollow. She smiled at the person behind the counter.
"Could I get a one-way ticket to New York City please?"
The person behind the counter nodded and handed her a ticket. "15 bucks even, you depart in an hour."
Rory handed her the money and took the ticket. "Thank You."
She walked over sat on a chair to wait for her bus to arrive, taking out a huge novel she was reading for school to occupy her time.
The hour seemed to take days but finally she heard over the speaker. "Bus 194 departs for New York City in 5 minutes. Bus 194 Departs in 5 minutes."
That was her bus! She got all her stuff together and walked outside to board her bus, handing the driver her ticket as she got on. She headed to a seat in the back and took out her book. She had to wait another three hours now before she'd get to see Jess. She could even wait to see him anymore. It was at that moment, right when everything else seemed to be going fine that she realized that she had no idea where Jess lived or how to find him. He could be anywhere in NY. That was her moment of indecision. The moment when she almost decided to turn around and go back. But she didn't. She couldn't. She new that if she didn't see Jess, she wouldn't be able to stand it. Especially after coming so close to seeing him. She had to see him. She needed him.
She loved him.
And that's when Rory stopped denying how she felt about Jess.
Those three hours were the longest of her life. Filled with fear of rejection. Fear that she'd get lost. Fear that she'd never find him. But when the bus pulled into the station, all she could think about was finding Jess.
She decided to look first in Central Park. That was where Jess said he used to like to read or sit and think. That's where she prayed to find him. She caught a cab and made it there in fifteen minutes. And then she was there. Jess had been right, Central Park was beautiful.
She walked past a lake, looked around lush, green trees. But no matter where she went she couldn't find him. She wasn't ready to give up. Maybe he was listed. Maybe she'd find him somewhere else. Maybe he'd show up. Maybe she was depending too much on Maybes.
She sighed and sat down on a bench in the middle of the park. She finally realized how much of a bad idea this had been she was never gonna find him.
"Now if I didn't know any better I'd think you were here to see me."
That voice, that cynical tone. She jumped up and turned around. There he was. There was Jess. Her Jess. She jumped into his arms nearly knocking him over.
"Why did you leave? Why? I missed you so much."
He returned her hug hesitantly. "Its okay Rory. Come on now. Don't get so emotional on me."
"Don't you get it, you idiot?"
"Get what?"
Finally, the moment of truth, the moment she would tell Jess how she felt and live the happily ever after in every fairy tale. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't say those three words. It didn't matter anymore, because right at that moment Jess kissed her. He kissed her with all the love and passion he had ever felt, and when they pulled apart he grinned.
"I love you too, Rory Gilmore."
Jess had been gone for three weeks, I should just forget about him. This is what I tell myself. Of course what I tell myself doesn't always work because I'm still thinking about him. Maybe I should call Lane. Maybe if I call Lane I'll forget about thinking about Jess. So I'll call Lane.
I dial her number and it rings three times. Lane picks up. "Hello?"
"Lane? It's me, Rory."
"Oh, hi Rory. How are you doing? Still thinking about Jess?"
Okay, so it was a sucky plan. Nevermind. "No, why would you think that I was thinking about Jess?"
"Because when you called fifteen minutes ago that's who you were thinking about."
"oh." Darn. That's right. I did just call her. I should have remembered that.. but I was thinking about Jess. "Um, I have to go now Lane."
"Wait Rory! Are you sure you don't want to talk?"
"Um, yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm just gonna go take a walk or something."
"Okay, I'll call you later then."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye, Rory."
I hang up and start pacing around my room. Okay that didn't work. Why didn't that work? I don't even like Jess that much. Why can't I stop thinking about him. Maybe I should call Dean. No, I don't want to see him. Why don't I want to see him? I love Dean. He's great. But, I think I'll go for a walk. Maybe I'll see Dean in town. I could pass the bus station and walk down that way. Why would I want to walk down that way?
Okay! Stop thinking like this Rory Gilmore. You're gonna drive yourself crazy if you don't stop.
I stand up. I'll go for a walk. That will be great. I can go for a walk. There's nothing wrong with walking. I open my door and walk into the hallway. I grab my coat and slip it on.
"Where are you going?" Mom calls from the living room.
"Just out for a walk."
"Okay, why don't we have dinner together tonight at Luke's."
"Um, no thanks mom, I've got other plans."
"You're not still mad at me for that whole Jess thing are you?"
"It wasn't all his fault."
"But it was still his fault, that hasn't changed."
"You know what, I don't care, I'll be back later."
I walk out of the house and slam the door behind me. How can she still insist that its Jess' fault. God, why does she have to be like that. I can't stand it. I can't stand her anymore sometimes.
I just start walking. I don't even know where I'm going anymore. I'm just walking. Suddenly I find myself at the lake where Jess and I had sat sometimes and talked. I sit on the bridge in the middle of the lake. How did all this happen. How did everything get so backwards and messed up. Why did Jess have to leave?
I miss him.
Of course, I miss him, he's my friend.
Just a friend?
"Yes! He's just a friend!!"
"Who's just a friend."
I turn, startled, and there he is, standing at the end of the bridge, with his usual cynical smirk.
Jess.
"What are you doing here?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Don't avoid the question. Your not supposed to be here."
"So what. Maybe I came to see you."
"What? Why?"
OMG, he came to see me. So maybe what I'm feeling is a little more that friendship. Oh..Oh, okay he's sitting next to me. Why does he have to look at me with that intense gaze he has? Why is he lifting his hand like that to touch my cheek? Why do I feel my eyes close as his face moves closer to mine? Why does my heart melt when our lips touch?
OMG, I think I just fell in love with Jess.
Or is it that I've always loved him?
Part 2-Waking up.
Rory opened her eyes and sat up in bed. It couldn't have been another dream. Could it? But she knew it was. She'd been kissing Jess in her dreams every night for a week. She couldn't stand it anymore. It had to stop. She didn't love him, she loved Dean. She had told Dean that night he came back that she loved him. That Jess was gone and nothing would ever come between them again.
She couldn't stand it. She had to see Jess. She had to talk to him. She had to find out if she really did love him or if Dean was the guy for her. The thought of what she was about to do almost made her laugh. Rory Gilmore, straight A student and all around good girl, was going to run away to New York to the only person she could ever really talk to. She was going to find Jess.
Getting to the bus station hadn't been that hard. Thankfully her mother hadn't been up yet and most of the town had still been asleep. She had come across Taylor who had given her yet another lecture about how glad he was that a bad influence like Jess was out of her life. She was getting to hate everyone in this town. They all blamed Jess. The only person she could talk to anymore was Luke, who understood what she was going through. Luke and Jess had just started to get along.
Well it didn't matter. She was going to go to New York and drag Jess back to Stars Hollow if she had too. This town needed him, but more than that, she needed him.
That realization almost caught her off guard. She needed him. Rory Gilmore needed bad boy Jess. It was crazy. But it was true. She stepped up to the counter at the bus station in Hartford. She'd rode the bus she usually rode to school to get here because there wasn't a big bus station in Stars Hollow. She smiled at the person behind the counter.
"Could I get a one-way ticket to New York City please?"
The person behind the counter nodded and handed her a ticket. "15 bucks even, you depart in an hour."
Rory handed her the money and took the ticket. "Thank You."
She walked over sat on a chair to wait for her bus to arrive, taking out a huge novel she was reading for school to occupy her time.
The hour seemed to take days but finally she heard over the speaker. "Bus 194 departs for New York City in 5 minutes. Bus 194 Departs in 5 minutes."
That was her bus! She got all her stuff together and walked outside to board her bus, handing the driver her ticket as she got on. She headed to a seat in the back and took out her book. She had to wait another three hours now before she'd get to see Jess. She could even wait to see him anymore. It was at that moment, right when everything else seemed to be going fine that she realized that she had no idea where Jess lived or how to find him. He could be anywhere in NY. That was her moment of indecision. The moment when she almost decided to turn around and go back. But she didn't. She couldn't. She new that if she didn't see Jess, she wouldn't be able to stand it. Especially after coming so close to seeing him. She had to see him. She needed him.
She loved him.
And that's when Rory stopped denying how she felt about Jess.
Those three hours were the longest of her life. Filled with fear of rejection. Fear that she'd get lost. Fear that she'd never find him. But when the bus pulled into the station, all she could think about was finding Jess.
She decided to look first in Central Park. That was where Jess said he used to like to read or sit and think. That's where she prayed to find him. She caught a cab and made it there in fifteen minutes. And then she was there. Jess had been right, Central Park was beautiful.
She walked past a lake, looked around lush, green trees. But no matter where she went she couldn't find him. She wasn't ready to give up. Maybe he was listed. Maybe she'd find him somewhere else. Maybe he'd show up. Maybe she was depending too much on Maybes.
She sighed and sat down on a bench in the middle of the park. She finally realized how much of a bad idea this had been she was never gonna find him.
"Now if I didn't know any better I'd think you were here to see me."
That voice, that cynical tone. She jumped up and turned around. There he was. There was Jess. Her Jess. She jumped into his arms nearly knocking him over.
"Why did you leave? Why? I missed you so much."
He returned her hug hesitantly. "Its okay Rory. Come on now. Don't get so emotional on me."
"Don't you get it, you idiot?"
"Get what?"
Finally, the moment of truth, the moment she would tell Jess how she felt and live the happily ever after in every fairy tale. But she couldn't do it. She couldn't say those three words. It didn't matter anymore, because right at that moment Jess kissed her. He kissed her with all the love and passion he had ever felt, and when they pulled apart he grinned.
"I love you too, Rory Gilmore."