He could not believe he was back on the East Coast. At Yale, even. Max still had a hard time believing that he was at Yale giving a guest lecture on Shakespeare. He felt refreshed to be back in Connecticut, where he had so many great memories. He forbade himself to think about the one person who almost prevented him from coming back here. He went by the exit that would take him to the strange town of Stars Hollow and resisted the urge to drive through to get a peek as to what his life may have been like.
Those memories didn't matter anymore. He was in Hartford, on a Saturday in April. It was not a Friday, and Lorelai would have finished her business degree by then. Those demons would not be there to haunt him. He still had a few hours before having to prepare for his lecture, so he decided to take a walk , familiarize himself with the campus. It was beautiful there, with the trees budding and the grass a brilliant green. He chuckled slightly as he saw students frantically studying for their end-of-semester projects, presentations, and finals. On the breeze, he caught a whiff of coffee and his feet automatically redirected him to a coffee cart across the quad. He had not had coffee since he left Chilton those three or four years ago, he had lost count of the time, or at least had tried to. But, it was a different time, in a different place, and he figured that he could celebrate his accomplishments, both academically and personally with a good cup of coffee.
"One cup of coffee, black, please," Max told the barista, who just shrugged and poured his coffee.
"$1.89," the barista said, placing the cup into his hand.
"Thanks. Keep the change," Max offered, remembering his time as a poor struggling student. Now that he had his coffee, he had the sudden urge to sit down and just take in his surroundings. He looked around the quad and found an unoccupied bench with a good view of the campus. He walked over and sat down, sipping his coffee. Old campus was beautiful and he let his eyes wander, fully embracing where he was. All of a sudden, something caught his eye. A student, a young girl was sitting under a tree reading a book. He was too far away to really make her out but he recognized the focus that the girl was using to concentrate on her reading. He yearned to get a closer look, but he knew that would be dangerous. He knew it couldn't be her, them. Lorelai would have no reason to be at Yale, and Rory was going to Harvard, it was destined to be so. He had heard that she had been accepted, but that was the last he had heard or asked of the Gilmore Girls.
He continued to stare around the campus, lost in his thoughts, until he was distracted by the girl again. She was getting up now, putting her book in her bag and tossing her corduroy jacket over her arm. She tossed her head back to free her hair, and he could swear he saw that all-too familiar blue in her eyes. He shook his head, deeming himself crazy, and he refused to look in her direction any more. He decided to pull out his notes for his lecture and go over them to keep his mind occupied.
"Mr. Medina?" he heard a voice ask, a voice that, while older, he would know anywhere. He looked up and he saw himself staring into the face of Rory Gilmore. She looked different to him, more than just simply older. She held herself differently, confidently. Her eyes were still the same blue as her mother's, as they had always been. Her hair was shorter, more styled, more vain than the Rory he knew at Chilton. He swore that she had grown, or else the boots she was wearing were extremely heeled.
"Rory! How are you? I was wondering if that was you over there," Max replied, standing up to get a better look at her.
"You were watching me?' Rory asked, raising an eyebrow. "Next time you should try 'hello'. It's better than spying."
"I'm sorry. I just didn't know for sure if it was you. I was hoping, and yet…"
"Not hoping it would be me, right?" Rory finished for him. She then looked at him clearly. She could see that he did not look much different. He had a few more wrinkles around his eyes, but other than that, he looked the same. He did appear a bit thinner though, and she hoped that he was taking care of himself.
"Yes," he admitted. "But, Rory, what are you doing here? At Yale? Did you and Harvard have a falling out?"
Rory laughed, and it was a sound that could melt Max's heart. It was a sound he had grown to love and had missed when he and Lorelai had not worked out. "Well, let's just say that my pro/con lists made my decision a bit interesting."
"Yale beat out Harvard? Really?" Max asked, astounded.
"By a landslide," Rory affirmed. She sat down on the bench, and motioned for her former teacher to sit beside her.
"Didn't your grandfather go to Yale?" Max questioned, pulling a memory out that he had not thought of in years.
"Yes, he did," Rory answered.
"I bet your mother loved that," Max said, awkwardly laughing. Rory joined in, unsure of what else to do.
"So, what are you doing here…Norman?" Rory prodded, testing out the use of the nickname she had just remembered she had had for Max years before.
"I am giving a guest lecture on Shakespeare tonight. It's at eight if you'd like to come," Max answered, not really knowing whether or not he really wanted her there.
"Oh, I wish I could, but I have to go home for a town thing. I was supposed to go home last night, but decided that after Friday Night Dinner, I would come back and get some studying done. I know you will be great though," Rory assured Max.
"So…how are…things?" Max asked, his intent perfectly clear.
"Things are good," Rory began, not sure she should mention her mother just yet. "I am a sophomore now majoring in journalism and I have an internship at the Gazette. Life is busy, but great."
"And, same boyfriend, what's his name? Jess?" Max questioned, knowing that he was probably overstepping his boundaries. He sensed a quick look of shock and sadness flit across Rory's face, but she composed herself quickly.
"No, different boyfriend. His name is Logan. He's really great. He's a lot of fun," Rory corrected him. Max laughed.
"Fun? I never pictured THE Rory Gilmore to be with someone she describes as "fun"," Max said, astounded.
"Well, things change, don't they? I mean, love knocks you down, and you just have to get back up, right? It's what makes us unique," Rory suggested.
"You are so wise for a person under 20. You are going to accomplish profound things with your life…Rebecca," Max stated, finally able to call her by the name he had so affectionately given her. "So," he continued, "how's your mom doing?" Rory fidgeted in her spot, finding the ground suddenly interesting.
"Do you really wish to know?" Rory asked. "Won't it hurt?" She would never admit it, but she, at this moment, would not be able to hear how Jess was doing, it would hurt far too much. She didn't realize it, but Max could tell that she now understood, too well even, the pain of having someone you love, run away from you.
"I don't want to know, exactly, but rather, I have to know," Max admitted, bracing himself for what he was going to hear.
"Well, basic things first. After the inn burned down-"
"You mean the Independence Inn?" Max asked, surprised. "When did it burn down?"
"Not long after you left. It kind of just sealed the deal with the place and it was closed up. Mom and Sookie then found the perfect place for their own inn and set to work making that dream happen. It took a long time, and a lot of money, but the Dragonfly was up and running for the first time in years about a year ago. It's a beautiful place and it's gaining a lot of popularity," Rory explained.
"That sounds great! I am sure the inn is lovely. And, you know what I am about to ask next, don't you?" Max continued.
"Well, she dated a few people after you, but none of them really took. A guy named Jason was close, but then he sued my grandfather and mom chose family over love. It was a real tough thing for her to do. But then, she and Luke got together. He's been great for her. They hit a rough patch a few months ago, due to my grandmother, but they've worked things out," Rory finished, not wanting to say anything else that may hurt him.
"Luke? As in, Luke's Diner, Luke? Well, she sounds like she's happy. I guess I am glad that she is," Max admitted.
"She is happy, very happy. There are times though, that I think she really misses you. Mainly when I try to talk about homework with her and Luke. You can tell that she rethinks her decision those years ago, wishes things had gone differently. But, you know her, things happen for a reason," Rory explained.
"Do you like Luke?" Max asked. He didn't know what made him ask it. He had loved Lorelai, not Rory. But, the idea of being Rory's stepfather had been so important to him, that he felt as though he had lost twice as much in not marrying Lorelai.
"I do," Rory confessed. "I mean, he has been there for me since mom and I moved to Stars Hollow. He made me a coffee cake for my 16th birthday, attended my caterpillar's funeral. He's always tried to help me in the gruff way Luke can." Max's face fell slightly.
"But, while I love Luke, and always will as a father figure to me, he isn't you. I think you and I would have had a great relationship, Mr. Medina. We were so alike, and you understood me so well. You knew my goals and how I could reach them. You wanted to be involved, you even pushed to be involved. And, I think that is part of the reason as to why mom got scared. She wasn't used to guys wanting to be a part of my life, so strongly that they wanted to know their boundaries. With Luke, it was different. He never asked, just did. And he formed a relationship with me as a step-in dad before he ever dated my mom. I miss you, and I think about you all of the time. You and I would have been really close," Rory finished, her sapphire eyes tearing up.
"Thank you," Max added, turning his face away, so she couldn't see him lose his composure. "I miss you too. You and your mom. So many times I thought of coming back here, just to see, if maybe she'd ever want me back."
"She would want you back, but as a friend, I think. I know she misses you. You were the hardest decision she ever had to make. She told me over and over again how much she had wished she had loved you as much as you loved her. But, like I said, things happen."
They continued their conversation for a while longer, ignoring the topic of Lorelai, and of Luke, and focused on classes, plans, what was going on. Before they knew it, the bells rang, signifying that they had been talking almost two hours. Rory looked at her watch and gasped, as Max also stood up suddenly. He was now going to be late to his own lecture if he didn't leave soon. Rory reached for her bag and slung it over her shoulder, placing her coat back over her arm. They stood there for a moment, just looking at each other. His brown eyes into her ocean blue ones. If he focused on the eyes, he could pretend it was Lorelai.
"So, this is it again, isn't it?" Rory asked, sighing.
"Yes, I suppose it is, my Rebecca," Max agreed.
"We leave it up to Fate again, to see if we meet later on?" Rory suggested.
"It's worked well so far. I guess we should. We may meet again." Again, before he was prepared, Rory had pulled him in for a hug, trying to remember everything about him. While she had not loved him as a father yet when he left, she had grown very fond of him, and had missed him dearly. She did not know when or if she would ever see him again. She wanted to make this memory last. Max was not awkward this time in returning the sentiment. He could separate daughter from mother now, and he did not believe that Fate would grant them this moment again in their lifetimes. He held her close, resting his chin on her head. Finally, he pulled away, emotion getting to him.
"Goodbye, Rory," Max said, with a sad smile on his face. He could not bear it anymore. He turned around and started to walk away.
"Norman? Did you ever find love after mom? I mean, do you have someone in your life now?" Rory asked. Max turned around slowly and looked at her with sad curiosity.
"No. I don't think I ever will, either. I have yet to stop loving your mom. Until I can, I am destined to live a life of solitude," Max admitted.
"So, until Fate then?" Rory said.
"Until Fate," Max agreed, and he started to walk away.
"Goodbye, Mr. Medina," Rory whispered watching Max travel away from her. She did not know that he had heard her.