"Hold the seat."
"Rory, it's a bench."
"Yeah, but hold it, anyway."
"The park is full of benches."
"Yes, but if you hold that one we won't have to go find another."
Mark rolled his eyes, and sat down heavily on the wooden bench. "Happy?"
Rory grinned. "Yes. Going to go find big pretzels now. And coffee."
"You just had coffee."
"Yes, boring, homemade, tasteless coffee. I'm going to have some up-market, sophisticated Al's Coffee. Hold the bench."
"I'm rooted."
Rory bent over and kissed him on the forehead, then ran out onto the street, and looked around for the many stalls, the smell of whose merchandise was filling up the morning air. She located the Giant Pretzels stand, bought a couple, then headed a block down to where she knew Al's Coffee stand was.
A queue had formed, full of impatient looking New Yorkers dressed in business suits and carrying briefcases. Rory stood in line, staring at the huge Hispanic man behind the counter pouring out Lattes and Americano's.
"Rory?"
She span around.
"Jess?"
She blinked a couple times, not quite sure if she wasn't just suffering from chronic sleep depression. But no, there he was, joining the queue behind her, and smiling in that half hearted way he always had. Dressed in his trademark leather jacket and jeans, he had changed only in the fact that his hair was shorter and he looked older.
"Oh, my God, Jess! How are you?!"
"I'm good. Look at you, all bright eyed and bushy tailed! Since when do you wake up before it's time to go to sleep again?"
Rory smiled at him. There was a short silence as they both grinned stupidly.
"So…" Jess said, to break the moment, "just a big a pig as you were when I worked at the diner, then?"
"What?" Rory replied, confused.
"You have two pretzels."
"I do?"
"Yeah."
Rory looked down at her hands and at the two giant pretzels wrapped in napkins. "Oh, yeah." She looked at Jess. He looked at her, and wore the same expression he had used when looking at Taylor or Lane's mom. Like she was insane. Rory blushed. "Yeah, I'm not eating them both."
"So the second one's for decoration?"
"Er, no, it's, um, for Mark."
"Mark?" His face froze in its expression.
"Yeah, he's my boyfriend."
"Boyfriend."
"Fiancé, actually. He proposed two
months ago."
Jess raised one eyebrow. Rory found herself staring at it. I
love his eyebrow.
"On your birthday?"
"What?"
"Two months ago, your birthday."
Rory stared at him, slightly dumbfounded.
"Er… yeah, my birthday! How did you remember that?"
Jess shrugged. "I was gonna send a card, but I'm not much of a Hallmark kinda guy."
Rory laughed, and then suddenly remembered the shock of this mornings bestseller list. "Oh my gosh, Jess, you were in the Times!"
"You were in the Times too." He said, putting his hands in his pockets. "I've been reading your articles."
Rory was sidetracked. "You've been reading my articles?" She felt suddenly guilty. "But I haven't read your book!"
Jess shrugged, "No biggie. It's not that good anyway."
"It's a bestseller!" Rory said, suddenly feeling terribly ashamed. Jess was her friend, albeit one she had lost contact with; she was obligated to read any book he wrote ever; he'd read her articles…. "I'm going to go buy it."
"What?" Jess said, confused as Rory stepped out of the line and started walking away. "Rory, what about your coffee? Come back!"
"I'm going to go buy your book!" She yelled over her shoulder as she walked off.
"Rory, you're being stupid!"
"It's your book, you'll get the money, I should have read it ages ago!" She was getting further away. Jess started running after her, so Rory sped up, and the people on the sidewalk grumbled as they both pushed by.
"Rory, slow down! Wait!" Jess was suddenly behind her, and grabbed her shoulder. Rory felt herself being dragged to a halt. She turned around.
"I'm sorry I didn't read your book."
"Books, actually. But Rory, seriously, don't try and kill me before I get lunch, and you don't need to buy the book, just come round to mine and I'll give you one-"
"Yes! Of course, yeah, I'm so
sorry Jess, but its great to see you again, and we should really- I
should-"
"Rory, you're rambling. "
Rory drew a breath. "Yes, I am
rambling," she smiled, "I'll be more coherent after
coffee."
"Then let's go back to Al's."
Rory grinned, and together they walked back to the coffee stand, laughing and catching up on each other's news.