AN: So Here it is, the first chapter of the new story. Who's excited?! I am, that's for sure! It'd be awesome if you guys could give me some feedback. I know it's a little rough, I haven't written much in the past few years. I just hope you enjoy it and reviews are always appreciated. Also, I'm really sorry for the kind of cliched ending. I can't promise anything, but it'll get better as the it goes on. Anyways, enjoy!!
She was determined to watch the president's speech and focus all of her attention on it. Even though she was currently sitting with her back against a bar, and she couldn't really hear the television, it was the only thing she could do. The bartender, also her closest friend in Boston, Alex, was busy refilling drinks and bowls of bar nuts. Therefore, he had no time to talk to Rory and keep her entertained. The only thing he could do for her at the moment was turn up the TV and make sure the closed captioning was on for good measure.
Rory knew that she wasn't responsible for the way the presidential election played out, but that never stopped the feeling of pure joy and pride she felt when he was on a TV screen. She followed his campaign trail from beginning to end and never once was bored. She was so happy; she never knew how amazing it could be writing a political column. After the campaigning was finished she already had a job lined up for her at the Boston Globe covering more politics. She covered nationwide, statewide, and even citywide. It wasn't what she had imagined when she was in high school, but it was exactly what she wanted at this phase in her life.
It was really good for her to be out of Stars Hollow and on her own. Sure, the Hollow was home and she missed it everyday, but she really felt like a grownup for once. She had an apartment that she shared with Alex right off of Cambridge Street. It was quaint, but it was perfect. Her life was really falling together and it was more than she could have ever asked for. Even though Rory wasn't in Stars Hollow as much as she had been in the past, her mother was still her best friend and Lane was forever second in line for said title.
Her mom and Lane weren't the only ones that Rory missed, though. She really missed Luke and her grandparents. Paris was doing her residency at Mass General Hospital, so they were still pretty close. She even missed Logan, or the relationship that they once had. She said no to his proposal for a reason, after all. They lost touch about halfway through the campaign. He was in California still working for his father at that point. She had gotten over him and they had both moved on in the past three years. He was not something she regretted and neither was saying no to his proposal.
As President Obama made his way to the podium, the Parker Bar started emptying out a bit. Rory reveled in the quieter atmosphere and took advantage of the moment to throw a smile over her shoulder, thanking Alex for letting her sit in with him at work for the second night in a row. He was wiping down the bar where one of his departing patrons had so gracefully spilled half a Jack and Coke, but he caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and offered his own smile. After his brief moment with Rory he had to turn and help an eager customer donning a full business suit and overcoat. If you're a traveling businessman in Boston, chances are you're staying at the Parker House hotel and stopping in the bar to be served by Alex or one of his bubbly co-workers.
Rory spent a lot of time at the bar with Alex. She wasn't a big drinker, but she enjoyed an after work cocktail and the opportunity to walk home with Alex after his shift. Right now, however, the bar's television was closer than her apartments and she needed to watch the speech for work purposes and she was planning on leaving as soon as Obama said thank you and walked off the stage.
"There happens to be a fine looking man standing in the doorway and he seems very interested in a certain blue-eyed political columnist," Alex whispered behind Rory as he moved to the other side of the bar carrying three bowls of bar nuts. Rory smiled briefly and looked towards the doorway out of pure curiosity. However, just after one crowd had left another was coming in and her view was completely blocked. She wasn't interested enough to give it another thought. Alex was always thinking a "fine looking man" was looking at her. However, he was blind to all of the fine looking men and even women looking at him wherever they went.
Alex's last boyfriend had killed his ego and therefore Alex had given up on men and dating for the time being. Since Rory was in a similar situation, after Jeremy had broken up with her, she and Alex used this to the advantage of their friendship. It might seem unhealthy to some people, but they also used the time to focus on other things. Rory had her job at the Globe. Alex was working hard to become something more than a Boston bartender.
No one could deny that Rory and Alex complimented each other well. She was the optimistic, political nut. He was the artsy, gay man. Lorelai was just as in love with Alex, and how great of a friend he has been to Rory, as Rory was. She loved getting away from the Dragonfly and Stars Hollow to spend time with them in their already cramped apartment. Lorelai was finally comfortable with Rory being out of the Crap Shack because she knew that she was happy. She knew she was happy with her job and in Boston. The only thing that Lorelai, and even Rory, knew could make her life a bit better was a boyfriend.
Rory's last two boyfriends, after Logan, were short lived and nothing to brag about. On the campaign trail, she was dating Hugh, a fellow reporter. Their relationship began four months before Rory was set to start work at the Globe and it ended three weeks before she sat down at her desk. He was threatened by her strength and success; he had never dated a woman that was on the same level as him. He usually liked them young and naïve. After Hugh and living in Boston for about five months, she met Jeremy. He was an up and coming lawyer; a classic work-a-holic. Rory was too, so that didn't bother her so much. He, however, was uncomfortable with her relationship with Alex and her mother and anyone that she was closer with than she was with him. These relationships that Jeremy was so uncomfortable with were relationships Rory would never give up, especially after dating him for only a few months. Yes, the rut was great for her work life and her life with her friends, but she was lonely.
"Honestly, Sweetie, if he doesn't come over to talk to you, he's at least worth a second glance," Alex told Rory, standing behind her. She turned to look at him and rolled her eyes in the process.
"I don't know who you're talking about. He wasn't at the door when you told me to look for him," Rory explained and drank the last of her martini. "I'm curious, though. Where is this young man that seems to fancy me?" She was smiling now as Alex gave her a glass of Coke and he nodded towards a table across the room from them.
"He's sitting with another guy, so maybe he's just staring at me. Like I said, though, he's definitely worth a look." Rory's eyes rolled for the second time and she turned her back to Alex, smiling at his insistence. She searched the far wall where Alex had indicated. She started at the beginning and moved over every single face, maybe a little nervous to see who was staring at her. She kept going down the line of the wall until her eyes finally met with the fine looking man. He was definitely good looking in that familiar, I've kissed those lips kind of way.
She sighed, and it turned into a genuine smile. A nervous smile, but it was still real. It was met by a smirk and she knew that, no matter how easy it was to do, she couldn't just sit there and stare at him across the room. It may have been something he had mastered when they were young, but she had to say hello. "We're going to have to talk about this later," she told Alex before she walked over to the table. Alex's eyes widened and he nodded enthusiastically.
She silently prepared herself for the short journey to his table. By the time she reached him, his friend was ducking away and he stood to meet her halfway. His eyes were guarded, hers were dancing. She wanted to hug him, it had been awhile, but she knew it was best not to. Their last encounter did not end well and it was her fault. She wanted this to go well. She wanted them to be civil.
"Hi! How are you?" She asked once they were a foot or so apart. She was ringing her hands back and forth behind her back, out of nervousness. His hands were stuffed deep into his pockets, but he was standing up straighter than he ever did when he was seventeen.
"Hi, Rory. I'm doing really well. How are you?" His voice was quiet, and rugged. It made Rory smile again. Some things never change.
"I'm also doing really well," she answered and he nodded solemnly. He looked around them, taking in the scene where he never really imagined Rory to be living in. He was smiling when his eyes met hers and she finally let herself be happy to see him. "God, Jess. It's so good to see you."