Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: I will readily admit that I don't write GG fanfiction. Until the revival, it wasn't even a fandom I read fanfiction for. Now I have more Lit stories saved in my favorites than any other fandom-how on earth did that happen?! Ever since, little headcanons have been popping into my brain and I've finally decided to write them down. These are unconnected unless specified otherwise.
A Passing Acquaintance
The diner was dead. Dead dead. Not the normal mid-morning lull that was typical as the denizens of Stars Hollow lazily moved from their pancakes and coffee to whatever it was they did all day. And thankfully not the eery silence of people plugged into their devices, oblivious to the world around them. Jess leaned his his elbows against the counter he'd just wiped down, a rough manuscript splayed open before him, and a ballpoint pen tapping aimlessly against the page. Even a family emergency-if one could constitute being pressed into waitstaff service because Caesar had the flu a "family emergency-couldn't get him out of doing his day job. The diner was empty save for himself and Lorelai, perched at the end of the long counter with her signature cup of coffee and witty remarks aimed at his uncle, busy doing inventory in the stockroom. Jess surfaced from the story long enough to hear Lorelai admonish Luke for not understanding a perfectly obvious pop culture reference and that even if he didn't watch said television show himself, his many years with her should have meant he picked it up by osmosis. Jess smirked to himself and made a note about characterization in the margins of the manuscript; this one wasn't half-bad, and definitely more interesting than others he'd read recently.
He didn't hear the bell above the door chime, barely heard a young male voice greet Lorelai, but he was brought quickly to reality by Lorelai's suddenly cold tone: "Logan." Jess looked up quickly to see the unfortunate sight of one Logan Huntzberger, who, in his designer polo and khakis, stuck out like a sore thumb in the well-worn diner. Jess stuck the pen into the manuscript to mark his page and quickly tried to suppress his inner juvenile delinquent. Beyond Logan's obvious connection to Rory (one getting more obvious by the day), and the memorable first impression he'd left on Jess years prior, Logan represented an echelon that Jess couldn't stomach. One that used money to grease the wheels and make problems disappear in an effort to evade responsibility for their actions. One that felt they were better than others by the mere cosmic fortune of being born into the right family.
To his credit, Logan didn't try to soothe whatever had caused the cold shoulder from Lorelai; he ordered two coffees to go and busied himself with counting out the correct bills. As Jess prepared them, he could feel Logan eyeing him. Clearly, Jess had not made nearly the same depth of impression that night, but there was an air of familiarity Logan was trying to place. Jess handed over the coffee and slid the coins across the counter. He saw the moment it clicked for Logan.
"Hey, I know you. You're one of Rory's friends, right?" he paused. "The writer?" Jess put the money in the register and plastered on a fake smile. The rational, thirty-something adult in him advised him to nod and let it go. The snarky teenager had a different idea.
"Well, hey, I thought I recognized you. Blonde Dick from Yale?"
Jess heard a loud snort from the end of the counter as Lorelai inhaled a mouthful of coffee. Logan's eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to respond. He thought better of it as Luke emerged from the stockroom, roused by the sound of Lorelai's choked coughing. Logan pursed his lips and whirled around with his coffees, leaving the diner and slamming the door behind him. Luke shot Jess a look that asked what was his problem? Jess shrugged and flipped the manuscript open to where he left off. As he picked up the pen and bent over to continue his editing, he could have sworn he saw Lorelai send a smile and a small wink his way.
A/N: The end, for now. Thoughts and feedback are appreciated.