LASTING LOVE:
Rory is back at home after a year's absence. After a chance meeting with a familiar friend, Rory's future is as uncertain as it ever has been.
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls does not belong to me. I only write off of it.
TWO: Just Showed Up
Rory ran up the stairs outside the house and stood on the porch for a little while. She thought she heard her mother chase after her, but she lost her if she had been. The night was getting colder and she realized how she preferred the weather back in Stars Hollow. Spending nights in hotel rooms or on tour buses meant her coats and jackets were better used as pillows and blankets. It was nice to actually be able to wear clothes for once.
Seeing Dean was completely unexpected; it was the last thing she would have even anticipated. Although she knew that Dean still lived in the area, she didn't know he lived close enough to still be able to go to the Firelight Festival. Then again, she didn't even know that he would be back at home so soon.
Hoping to deflect any questions her mom would have for her once she got home, Rory opened the door and walked in as soon as she could. When she closed the door, a familiar voice called to her from the kitchen.
"Your damn oven wouldn't cooperate, but after some convincing I got it to work!" Luke's gruff voice yelled.
Rory walked down the short hallway into the kitchen, her heels rapping against the wooden floors. Luke's surprise was apparent.
"Rory! When did you get here?" He dropped his spatula onto the stovetop and rushed over to give her what, in concept, would have been a hug. However, he backed away before leaning in again, ultimately deciding to give her an awkward pat on the back.
"Nice to see some things haven't changed," Rory commented, otherwise grateful to have Luke in her kitchen. "I've been home for a couple hours now, but I surprised Mom at the Firelight Festival. I see she made you stay and cook instead."
"It's not like I would have gone anyway," he said, flipping a patty of meat in the frying pan. "Live to serve, don't I?"
"Good man," Rory said. "Mom's on her way home, I think, and to save any further question-asking, I'm here to stay at home for a considerable amount of time."
"No question-asking here," Luke said. "Just pull up a chair and I'll get your food ready."
"I'm not hungry yet," Rory said. "I think I'm going to change first. I should have some pajamas that I can still fit into."
"You're going to change? Right there? In your room?"
"Relax, Luke. There's a door." She opened the door to her bedroom, stepped inside, and closed it again behind her.
The familiarity of being in her own bedroom cascaded over her. Although her bed seemed smaller compared to the many other beds she spent time in over the past year, it was the only bed that seemed right to her. She sat down on the edge and noticed herself in the vanity mirror sitting across from her.
She changed. Well, she knew that she had, but she didn't know that it would be so apparent in her appearance. Whereas she let her hair grow curly and long before graduating, it was now straighter and fell just above her shoulders, giving off a sense of professionalism and actual know-how. Thankfully, she looked exactly her age at twenty-three years old, twenty-four coming up in a matter of months. She often overlooked her eyes, although they were what people always noticed first. Now that she took a look at them, she realized that they were what kept her looking real, not stressed and stretched to her breaking point.
There was a knock on her door. Knowing well that Luke would never even have the courage to knock on her bedroom door told her that Lorelai was standing outside, prepared to enter without permission, prepared to ask her questions, prepared to ask her questions about Dean…
"Rory, I'm coming in," Lorelai warned. "And Luke said please don't be naked."
"I'm completely naked and just sitting on my bed," Rory replied.
"Coming in anyway." Lorelai walked in. Rory looked at her pleadingly and she took the hint to close the door afterwards. She sat down next to Rory on her bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"Now, hon, you've got to tell me what that was all about. Did something happen between you and Dean? Is that why you're back?"
"How could Dean possibly have anything to do with me coming back home?" Rory asked wearily, longing to sleep.
"Well, I don't know!" Lorelai said defensively. "You come home with no warning and you expect me to let it slide by without asking any questions about why you left a job that had absolutely nothing wrong with it."
"You could try doing that."
"Rory, I'm not trying to pick a fight here. I just want you to be able to tell me things. A year or no year, we've still kept in touch and not once did you ever mention that you wanted to come home. Now maybe I don't know why you left, but I know that what happened with Dean over there was not just my imagination."
"Just drop it," Rory pleaded, feeling increasingly uncomfortable next to her mother.
"I didn't even know that you were still seeing Dean."
"I'm not 'seeing' Dean, and I'm definitely not seeing him in the way that I think you're implying."
"I'm not implying anything, Rory. You just need to understand that I'm a little bit confused."
"Then can we just drop it?" Rory stood up and leaned against the bedroom door. "I'm tired and I know that I just showed up, but I really want to be able to get some sleep."
Lorelai sighed. "Luke's making you a burger."
"Put it out on the table so I can just eat it for breakfast tomorrow."
"Gross," Lorelai remarked. Rory stepped aside to let her out the door. For a moment, it looked like she was going to say something, but she refrained and walked out instead. Rory closed the door again before suddenly feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over her.
Rory woke up two hours before noon the next morning, when Luke was already at the diner and her mom was at the inn. Lorelai left the burger out on the table per her request, with a small doodle on a Post-It beside it. The words "Sorry…Lunch at the inn?" were written beneath what appeared to be a repentant goat.
After unpacking her suitcase that she stored in the back of her car, she took a long and well-deserved shower. By the time it was eleven thirty, Rory made the decision that she would walk to the Dragonfly Inn, even though it was a five minute drive away. She hadn't taken a walk in the longest time, and she found that it would probably be the best way of reacquainting herself with the town.
Slipping out of professional clothes and into something more comfortable, Rory felt ready to face the day. She wanted to hit all of her usual spots, such as the book store, the diner, and Lane's house again before heading over for lunch. She figured that as "Lorelai Gilmore" to Steve and Kwan, she would have to bring some sort of gift over, which meant that she would have to go to the nearest gift-like shop, which was, incidentally, a Hello Kitty store.
It was a times like these, when Rory had time to think, when she missed her old friends and all the aspects of her collegiate life. As difficult as their friendship was, she missed Paris. During the past year, she would occasionally receive an email on her Blackberry from Paris informing her of the goings-on at Harvard Medical School. Apparently, Doyle had popped the question, and she still had him in a waiting period of over two months.
As for Logan, Rory had absolutely no idea where he was or what he was up to. She regretted the way things ended, the abruptness of the matter, and the unceremoniously regarded ending to what she believed was the relationship. She didn't treat it the same way as she did her breakups with Dean or Jess, but it seemed to hurt a bit more considering she was at the age where things definitely could have gotten serious. More than once, Rory tried calling him, but his number changed every time she got a hold of it; she figured that the business life was really doing something for him.
With fifteen minutes to go, Rory left the bookstore and made her way to the Dragonfly Inn. She put several books on hold that she could buy once she found her wallet in the mess that was her luggage back at home. Throughout the entire day, she heard whispers surrounding her, regarding her. She already predicted the reaction she would get when she returned to Stars Hollow; after all, nothing ever went by unnoticed or untouched where she lived. Yet she took it all with a bit of dignity and kept walking, trying to prove to everyone that of all the reasons she was back home, it was not because she had given up.
When she rounded the corner nearest Weston's Bakery, she almost stumbled. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Dean Forrester stood in front of her, just as she saw him the night before. Both of them seemed unsure of what to do at the moment, although obviously desperate to get away from the situation. However, Dean, being the polite one, made the first move.
"Hey, Rory. I…didn't know you were back."
"It's only been a day," she said. "But I can say the same for you. According to my mom, you've been home for a while."
"Just a week," he clarified, awkwardly scratching the back of his head, his fingers running through his long, brown hair. "I had to get back soon because of Clara's graduation."
"Clara? Graduating already?" Rory was bewildered. "Wow, time flies by pretty quickly."
"Yup." Dean stuffed his hands in his pocket.
"Make sure you tell her that I say 'congratulations.' That and the fact that she should wear pantyhose. Those gowns are hot, and standing in them for hours on end is not comfortable at all."
"I'll try to keep that in mind." Dean laughed sheepishly.
Rory nodded. Then for what seemed like an eternity, the two remained silent. Dean took several steps back and forth, as if he were about to go but decided against his better judgment. Rory, on the other hand, swayed side to side again, swishing her hair back and forth as though she were in high school again.
Finally, Rory spoke up. "You never called."
Dean seemed prepared for this. "You never called, either."
"I gave you my number. You didn't give me yours."
"I don't have a cell phone. It broke, remember? Plus, I gave you my email."
"Email isn't always a reliable method of communication unless you're absolutely sure that the person you're emailing checks it frequently, almost religiously."
"I don't check it religiously, but I check it enough to reply on time."
Rory sighed. "Maybe we didn't have to call each other."
"Why not?"
Rory folded her arms, not wanting to dwell on it much longer. "It wouldn't have done much. I mean, it hasn't done anything now."
"Then why are you back?"
"Because I got tired of following the campaign trail. I told you that."
"I forgot, then." He stood there, towering over her with his face almost indifferent.
Rory swayed again and made her first step away from him. "I have to go. I'm already late for lunch with my mom. I guess I'll just see you later."
"Whenever, then," Dean said. He walked away, leaving Rory to feel completely stupid.
As she walked to the Dragonfly, she reflected on what Dean said. While she never did call him, sure, she spent the entire time dwelling in confusion over how to approach the situation. While mostly a year had passed, she wasn't sure if moving onto anything, important or otherwise, was effective in the long run, especially if it was just a lateral move. She tried clearing her thoughts of Dean as she walked up the dirt road to the Dragonfly's entrance, but everything he said just couldn't leave.
As she walked into the Dragonfly, the first thing Rory noticed was Michel's scowl.
"Oh, I had heard you were back. I was hoping it was not true." Michel's derisiveness made Rory want to strangle him for a moment, in a loving way, of course. "Your mother is in the kitchen waiting for you. Please, walk slower so that she may come out here and ask more absurd questions regarding your whereabouts, of which I have no knowledge."
"You only brighten up my day, Michel," Rory said, not in the mood for much more banter. She walked through the dining room and proceeded into the kitchen where, surprisingly enough, Sookie was not there.
"Good morning," Lorelai greeted her daughter.
"Where's Sookie?"
"At home with Martha, Dave, and Carlson."
Rory nodded, remembering that Sookie was still on mandatory maternity leave. "Doesn't Carlson sound too much like Jackson, though?"
"Hon, we've played this game before. Remember: I have no choice in the naming process. I just have to sit and look pretty when it's christening time."
"Right." Rory sighed and grabbed an orange scone off the counter next to the coffee pot.
"What's up? You look…weird."
Rory looked at her mother. "I ran into Dean."
Lorelai heaved her shoulders. "Now, do I have to ask again or what?"
Rory sunk into her stool and set her arms on the counter. Now would be the best time to tell her mom if she ever wanted to get things sorted out.
"Mom…I slept with Dean."
AN: Wow, not to be arrogant or anything, but I'm really happy with where it's going so far; it's far better than the millions of drafts of this story that I've done, I'll tell you that much. Anyway, I hope you liked this one, too, and that it followed up the previous chapter well. Give any feedback and I'll be thankful! Thanks!