Chapter Two
Lorelai opened her eyes and blinked. It took her a moment to take in her surroundings. Suddenly, she realized where she was. Luke's apartment. She had actually fallen asleep in his apartment. With blurry eyes, Lorelai checked the clock hanging on the wall. Quarter after eleven. She had been sleeping about an hour and 45 minutes. Not enough. More sleep . . . But not in Jess' air mattress. Hadn't Luke gotten Jess a real bed yet? What was wrong with him?
Lorelai crawled off the mattress, her hand coming in contact with a pad of paper. She picked it up, squinting at the writing. Her daughter's handwriting. Where was Rory? She read the note, wincing at the mention of Luke's nephew. Even after the talk she and Rory had had at Emily's, Lorelai was still wary of Jess. The little hoodlum.
Maybe she would sleep. The air mattress wasn't that uncomfortable. Rory was out, having her teenage fun. Lorelai climbed back into bed, covering herself up and dozing off. Again.
" There really isn't anything to do in this town, is there?" Jess asked in disgust. He and Rory were sitting on a bench, eating sandwiches from Doose's Market.
" And you're just now figuring that out?" Rory asked with a laugh, crumpling up her sandwich paper and tossing it in a trash can.
" So, did you and Dean make up yet?" Jess asked casually, drinking his soda.
" No, we didn't really get a chance to. He went somewhere with his parents today, so we're gonna talk when he gets home." Rory sighed. " I hate fighting with him."
" So, you've fought before? You don't seem like that kinda couple. You know, who fight." Jess remarked.
" We fight," Rory defended. " Everybody fights. It's healthy to fight."
" If you say so," Jess shrugged, throwing away his paper.
" We broke up once," Rory mentioned. " On our three month anniversary. It wasn't pretty. He said he loved me, and I didn't say it back."
" So?" Jess asked.
" When someone says that they love you, you should say it back." Rory said.
" Not if you don't know for sure that you love them back." Jess studied Rory's face. " I'm guessing you ended up saying it back."
Rory looked down at her hands. " Yeah. Because I do love him. Dean's my boyfriend. He's a great guy."
" Yeah, he's a great guy," Jess said flatly. " A little jealous, possessive, sure. Suffocating, even. Great guy."
" Stop, Jess." Rory said sharply.
Jess held up his hands. " I just call 'em like I see 'em."
Rory's face darkened.
" Truce," Jess added. " Let's not talk about Dean."
" Fine by me," Rory muttered. She looked at her hands.
Silence.
Lorelai awoke and searched for the clock. Almost noon. Lunch. Seemed like a great time to wake up. Drink some coffee, eat a sandwich. She sat up. Oooh. Take a shower and brush her teeth. Lorelai stood up and straightened her sweatshirt. Her eyes landed on Jess' suitcase. There was a bracelet on top of the luggage. Familiar.
Lorelai snatched the leather bracelet. Damn. It was Rory's. The one Dean had made for her, last year. What the hell was Jess doing with Rory's bracelet?
" You're awake. Thank God, I thought you were dead," Luke said suddenly from the doorway. " What are you looking at?"
Lorelai held up the bracelet. " This is my daughter's bracelet. Dean made it for her. Why is it in your apartment? Jess stole it, didn't he."
Luke held up his hands. " Hold on. Rory was up here a couple hours ago, maybe it fell off, or she took it off. Jess didn't steal it, I swear."
" Rory never takes this bracelet off, Luke." Lorelai began to pace. " I'm getting worried about her. Why wouldn't she notice that Dean's bracelet fell off?"
Luke took Lorelai by the shoulders and made her look at him. " Lorelai. What's wrong with you? Why are you freaking out?"
Lorelai sighed. " I don't know. I'm sorry. I guess I'm still tired. I didn't mean to accuse Jess of stealing." Her eye caught the Caller ID box sitting next to the phone.
" You know, I never really pictured you as a Caller ID-kinda-guy."
" Jess said we should get it. Something about telemarketers. He likes to screw around with them." Luke pushed a button on the box. " See? Isn't that nice?"
" Wait. That said Lorelai Gilmore." She pushed the button again. " I didn't call you last night at 8:00."
" Lorelai, listen to me. Jess and Rory are friends. They went out to get lunch today. Rory probably called him last night. You're making a big deal out of nothing." Luke grabbed Lorelai's hand and pulled her out of his apartment. " Go home. And for God's sake, you're miserable with your coffee. Drink a cup, or ten."
" Look, I'm sorry about what I said about Dean. It wasn't nice." Jess said as he walked Rory home. " Forgive me?"
" Yes, I forgive you." Rory said, her mind somewhere else. Jess always managed to get to her, even if he wasn't trying. How utterly annoying.
" Rory . . .your house, right?" Jess said suddenly, reaching out and taking Rory's hand. " What's wrong? You almost walked right past it."
Rory pulled her hand out of Jess'. " Yeah, right. My house. Thanks for walking with me. Call me later, ok?"
Jess nodded, surprised. " Sure, I'll call. I'll, uh, talk to you later."
Rory nodded and walked across her lawn to the front door. It swung open before she could get a hold of the doorknob.
" God, you scared me!" Rory jumped. Lorelai smiled at her.
" Come inside, sweetie. We have to have a little talk." Lorelai looked out and saw Jess watching them. She waved to him, pulling her daughter through the door and shutting it firmly. " Oh, Rory? Did you by any chance lose this?" Lorelai held up the bracelet and tilted her head to the side. Rory's eyes widened. " Yeah, that's what I thought."
Lorelai opened her eyes and blinked. It took her a moment to take in her surroundings. Suddenly, she realized where she was. Luke's apartment. She had actually fallen asleep in his apartment. With blurry eyes, Lorelai checked the clock hanging on the wall. Quarter after eleven. She had been sleeping about an hour and 45 minutes. Not enough. More sleep . . . But not in Jess' air mattress. Hadn't Luke gotten Jess a real bed yet? What was wrong with him?
Lorelai crawled off the mattress, her hand coming in contact with a pad of paper. She picked it up, squinting at the writing. Her daughter's handwriting. Where was Rory? She read the note, wincing at the mention of Luke's nephew. Even after the talk she and Rory had had at Emily's, Lorelai was still wary of Jess. The little hoodlum.
Maybe she would sleep. The air mattress wasn't that uncomfortable. Rory was out, having her teenage fun. Lorelai climbed back into bed, covering herself up and dozing off. Again.
" There really isn't anything to do in this town, is there?" Jess asked in disgust. He and Rory were sitting on a bench, eating sandwiches from Doose's Market.
" And you're just now figuring that out?" Rory asked with a laugh, crumpling up her sandwich paper and tossing it in a trash can.
" So, did you and Dean make up yet?" Jess asked casually, drinking his soda.
" No, we didn't really get a chance to. He went somewhere with his parents today, so we're gonna talk when he gets home." Rory sighed. " I hate fighting with him."
" So, you've fought before? You don't seem like that kinda couple. You know, who fight." Jess remarked.
" We fight," Rory defended. " Everybody fights. It's healthy to fight."
" If you say so," Jess shrugged, throwing away his paper.
" We broke up once," Rory mentioned. " On our three month anniversary. It wasn't pretty. He said he loved me, and I didn't say it back."
" So?" Jess asked.
" When someone says that they love you, you should say it back." Rory said.
" Not if you don't know for sure that you love them back." Jess studied Rory's face. " I'm guessing you ended up saying it back."
Rory looked down at her hands. " Yeah. Because I do love him. Dean's my boyfriend. He's a great guy."
" Yeah, he's a great guy," Jess said flatly. " A little jealous, possessive, sure. Suffocating, even. Great guy."
" Stop, Jess." Rory said sharply.
Jess held up his hands. " I just call 'em like I see 'em."
Rory's face darkened.
" Truce," Jess added. " Let's not talk about Dean."
" Fine by me," Rory muttered. She looked at her hands.
Silence.
Lorelai awoke and searched for the clock. Almost noon. Lunch. Seemed like a great time to wake up. Drink some coffee, eat a sandwich. She sat up. Oooh. Take a shower and brush her teeth. Lorelai stood up and straightened her sweatshirt. Her eyes landed on Jess' suitcase. There was a bracelet on top of the luggage. Familiar.
Lorelai snatched the leather bracelet. Damn. It was Rory's. The one Dean had made for her, last year. What the hell was Jess doing with Rory's bracelet?
" You're awake. Thank God, I thought you were dead," Luke said suddenly from the doorway. " What are you looking at?"
Lorelai held up the bracelet. " This is my daughter's bracelet. Dean made it for her. Why is it in your apartment? Jess stole it, didn't he."
Luke held up his hands. " Hold on. Rory was up here a couple hours ago, maybe it fell off, or she took it off. Jess didn't steal it, I swear."
" Rory never takes this bracelet off, Luke." Lorelai began to pace. " I'm getting worried about her. Why wouldn't she notice that Dean's bracelet fell off?"
Luke took Lorelai by the shoulders and made her look at him. " Lorelai. What's wrong with you? Why are you freaking out?"
Lorelai sighed. " I don't know. I'm sorry. I guess I'm still tired. I didn't mean to accuse Jess of stealing." Her eye caught the Caller ID box sitting next to the phone.
" You know, I never really pictured you as a Caller ID-kinda-guy."
" Jess said we should get it. Something about telemarketers. He likes to screw around with them." Luke pushed a button on the box. " See? Isn't that nice?"
" Wait. That said Lorelai Gilmore." She pushed the button again. " I didn't call you last night at 8:00."
" Lorelai, listen to me. Jess and Rory are friends. They went out to get lunch today. Rory probably called him last night. You're making a big deal out of nothing." Luke grabbed Lorelai's hand and pulled her out of his apartment. " Go home. And for God's sake, you're miserable with your coffee. Drink a cup, or ten."
" Look, I'm sorry about what I said about Dean. It wasn't nice." Jess said as he walked Rory home. " Forgive me?"
" Yes, I forgive you." Rory said, her mind somewhere else. Jess always managed to get to her, even if he wasn't trying. How utterly annoying.
" Rory . . .your house, right?" Jess said suddenly, reaching out and taking Rory's hand. " What's wrong? You almost walked right past it."
Rory pulled her hand out of Jess'. " Yeah, right. My house. Thanks for walking with me. Call me later, ok?"
Jess nodded, surprised. " Sure, I'll call. I'll, uh, talk to you later."
Rory nodded and walked across her lawn to the front door. It swung open before she could get a hold of the doorknob.
" God, you scared me!" Rory jumped. Lorelai smiled at her.
" Come inside, sweetie. We have to have a little talk." Lorelai looked out and saw Jess watching them. She waved to him, pulling her daughter through the door and shutting it firmly. " Oh, Rory? Did you by any chance lose this?" Lorelai held up the bracelet and tilted her head to the side. Rory's eyes widened. " Yeah, that's what I thought."
