"She likes Jess, doesn't she?" Dean didn't even look up at Lorelai. She rested her hand on his shoulder.

"I'm not really even sure what to say to you, you know?" Lorelai admitted. "I have no idea how to help."

"I don't know, Lorelai. I don't know what to do. Where is Rory, anyway? Did she stay in Hartford?" he looked hopefully to Lorelai.

"No," Lorelai shook her head. "She said she and Lane might go to Luke's." Dean didn't respond; he just nodded. He stood up and slowly walked home.

As Dean approached his house, he saw that the lights were still on in the diner down the street. He braced himself, hoping, praying that Rory and Lane were hanging out. His own words rang through his mind: "Rory wouldn't lie, would she?" and Lorelai's response: "No, she wouldn't." Bile rose in his throat as he looked into the diner and saw Rory and Jess, but no Lane.

He didn't even have the strength to confront Rory. He stood there, rooted to the spot. Jess saw Dean and disappeared into the back room. Rory turned and spotted him. Dean saw her face play through different emotions: confusion, shock, and finally, a look settled on her face that resembled a mixture of sorrow and acknowledgement.

She came to meet Dean on the sidewalk. "Why?" he asked, when she was standing in front of him.

"What?"

"Why?" Dean repeated.

"Dean—"

"You lied."

"I'm sorry," she didn't even have to admit that she had. Both knew it.

"Tell me the truth. About when Jess and Paris were over."

"Jess did come to drop food off. He told me it was Luke's idea, but I found out later that it had been Jess's. He invited himself in for food. Paris had crashed my night alone, Jess added to it, and I knew that if I told that to you, you wouldn't believe it. So I lied."

"I might have believed it if you had tried me. I was mad, but I would have listened eventually."

"I shouldn't have lied, but it was easier than telling the truth."

"And you lied to your mom."

"What?"

"I was waiting for you two to get home, and she came home alone." Dean swallowed, hard. The lump in his throat kept coming back. "I asked where you were and she said you were with Lane. Lane's house is completely dark. Her mom doesn't let her hang out past nine. We both know that."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"And what about the bracelet? Was it really because you had a rash?"

"No," Rory admitted. "It fell off, and I couldn't find it, and I panicked. I thought you would read into it. So I lied until I found it."

"I wouldn't have cared. Things get lost. I would have made you a new one."

"Dean, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me?"

"I forgive you." He nodded.

"Does this mean we're okay?" she asked.

"Rory, you lied to your mom and me about Jess. Do you think that means we're okay?"

"I don't know what to think."

"Well, I think that if you like Jess, and Jess likes you, then I'm stupid for pretending there's still something between us."

"I don't want to lose you." Rory said quietly.

"I'm right here. Choose one of us, please. Just one."

"I choose you. Please don't get mad at or jealous of my friendship with Jess. Then I won't feel like I need to lie to you about it."

"Okay." Dean agreed. He leaned toward Rory and kissed her gently. "I love you. I'm sorry I was jealous of Jess."

"I love you, too."

Dean looked into the diner, and Jess was standing at the counter, looking down at a book. Rory tapped on the window and he looked up. She waved goodbye to Jess and pointedly tucked herself under Dean's arm. Jess nodded and disappeared again, this time upstairs. All three knew that Rory and Dean were together, that it would stay that way, but also that she would remain friends, and only friends, with Jess.