Works of Fiction
A/N- Thanks to all who reviewed, and I just wanted to say sorry if the whole I'll update after 10 reviews thing annoyed you. I meant it as a joke only, I like getting reviews like everyone on here does, but I hope you didn't take it the wrong way, again I'm sorry. Please keep reading and review.
Chapter Two: Somewhere between War and Peace
Two days passed since the kiss and Jess settled back into the apartment, and working in the diner, Rory hadn't come in once and he couldn't help but feel she was avoiding him. He'd heard no rumours going round town about the status of Rory's relationship with Dean, so he figured that she was still with him. It all grew too much for him to handle when he heard Miss Patty telling Kirk that Rory was leaving for Washington the next day, so he threw down the cloth he was wiping the counter with and told Luke he was going on a break. Walking determinedly to her house, he hesitated at the door. Lorelai's car was in the drive and he didn't want to face her if Rory had told her about the kiss, and didn't want to chance that she hadn't been told, so instead he walked to the side of the house and peered through Rory's bedroom window, she was lying on her back on her bed, staring into space. He wondered briefly if she was thinking about him, about the kiss, but shook these thoughts away and tapped gently on the window. Rory jumped, sitting upright and turning her head to the window, a flicker of a smile passed over her face before she got to her feet, replacing the smile with indifference.
'Jess what are you doing?' Rory inquired opening the window.
'You've been avoiding me, then I heard you were leaving tomorrow and I just wanted to talk.' Jess explained. 'Can I come in?'
'I have a door you know.' Rory folded her arms across her chest, trying to act annoyed.
'Yeah well I didn't think you'd want Lorelai to know I was here.' Jess replied.
'You mean you didn't want her to know you were here. Which she won't because she's gone over to Sookie's, so what do you want?' Rory asked stepping aside so he could climb in. Which he did easily, making her wonder if he'd had practice doing that before.
'I told you, I wanted to talk to you.' Jess said watching as she moved around her room, avoiding eye contact with him.
'What's there to talk about?' She asked shrugging her shoulders, looking down at the floor as she paced the room.
'Rory…?' Jess said quietly. 'Do you want me to say it?'
'I don't think we need to talk about anything.' She again shrugged her shoulders, he could tell she was feeling uneasy. He reached out and grabbed her arm roughly, though not enough to hurt her, Rory's eyes met his in shock.
'Jeez, would you stop pacing, you're making me dizzy.' Jess said frustrated. He started into her eyes for a minute before speaking again. 'You kissed me Rory, how can you say there isn't anything to talk about?'
'I have a boyfriend.' She shot back. Though she didn't pull her arm away from his grip.
'You still with him then?' Jess questioned, even though he already knew the answer to that question. She pulled her arm from his grip and sighed. Moving her eyes from his.
'Why wouldn't I be?'
'Oh I don't know, maybe because you skipped school to come see me in New York, and then you kiss me, are you telling me that meant nothing.' Jess said angrily.
'It can't mean anything.' Rory said desperately.
'It can't, that doesn't mean that it didn't mean something to you.' Jess countered, she looked at him again, struggling with her emotions, she had hoped to go to Washington without having to see him. Now she was forced to try and make sense of what had happened.
'Jess it's too hard, I don't know what you want to hear.' Rory said quietly, he took hold of her shoulders lightly, turning her to face him and catching her eyes with his own, holding a steady gaze.
'I want the truth.' Jess replied just above a whisper. Both jumped a little as they heard Lorelai enter through the front door, but neither turned away from each other, they kept eye contact as if paralyzed, unable to move. Jess kept his hands on her shoulders, and Rory's hands lay limply at her side. Both knew that any minute Lorelai would probably come looking for her daughter.
'I don't know what it meant, that's the truth. It was just a spur of the moment thing, I was happy to see you and I missed you when you left go I was pleased you came back, but it can't mean more than that.' Rory whispered.
'So…You go to Washington, stay with him and we never talk of this again.' Jess said through gritted teeth.
'I don't want you to be mad at me.' Rory said anxiously grabbing his arm as he turned to leave through the window which he'd entered through ten minutes earlier. He turned back to look at her innocent blue eyes, filled with tears. Sighing he looked away.
'I'm not mad.' He promised.
'So we're good?' She asked, hearing her mothers voice coming towards her room. Jess climbed back through the window.
'Let's just say we're someplace between war and peace.' Jess replied still upset at her choice to stay with Dean, but unwilling to beg her to change her mind, unwilling to tell her how he really felt. He still had his pride and he wouldn't show her any deeper how he wanted to be with her. His coming here was enough and that hadn't worked. She wanted Dean.
'It's a good book.' Rory said lightly.
'Yeah it is, Tolstoy knew what he was doing. I should go.' Jess said turning again.
'Jess?' She called after him, he turned again slightly and saw her leaning out the window. 'I'm sorry for what happened.'
'I'm not.' He said simply before walking away. Rory let out a shaky breath, taking in his words, quickly regaining her composure and shutting the window as her mum entered.
'Hey hun, did I hear voices?' Lorelai asked looking round the empty room. 'You don't have some rock star hidden in the closet do you?'
'Nope, nobody here.' Rory said nervously.
'Right…Ok well I was thinking since this is our last night together until the end of the summer, we could hit Luke's for some dinner, then head to the market to get some snacks, hit the video store and rent some movies and watch them until we fall asleep.' Lorelai suggested.
'Uh sounds good, only could we maybe order some food in, I'm not in the mood for Luke's.' Rory said trying to sound as casual as she could. Lorelai however wasn't buying her excuses.
'It's been two days since you went in Luke's, you keep making up excuses not to go, I don't think we've ever gone this long without Luke's before.' Lorelai said calling her out on it.
'How about when Jess and I got into the accident and you had that fight with Luke, we didn't go in for ages, in fact we only just went in like four days ago.' Rory said turning her head away.
'All the more reason to catch up now, we can't keep missing out on Luke's amazing food, not to mention the coffee.' Lorelai said then something clicked in her mind, and she turned Rory to look at her. 'Hun, Jess moved back two days ago, this doesn't have anything to do with his reappearance does it?'
'No, Jess doesn't have any effect on me.' Rory replied, trying to convince both her mum and herself. 'I just felt like ordering in, but if you really want to go to Luke's then we will.' Rory said grabbing her jacket, despite the heat of the day.
'I don't think you'll be needing that.' Lorelai took the jacket and tossed it aside. Both girls made their way to the diner, taking the only available seats which were at the counter. The diner was busy and yet there was no sign of Jess helping out.
'Hey Luke, where's your help?' Lorelai asked as he passed by, holding three plates and muttering to them that they'd have to wait to place an order.
'He came in about five minutes ago, slamming the door and stormed upstairs, real charming mood he's in.' Luke explained, as a loud crash sounded from upstairs.
'Jeez! What's he done now, I should go check.' Luke said, spilling some coffee, while being yelled at by a customer about where his order was.
'Luke, you've got customers. Here let me help.' Lorelai offered. 'Hun would you check to make sure Jess didn't break anything valuable.' Lorelai asked, regretting it the minute she had. Rory looked around a little shocked but got to her feet and slipped behind the curtain, climbing the stairs slowly and pausing outside the door, she could hear the sounds of the clash playing behind the door. She raised her hand and knocked, receiving an annoyed come in, she crept in slowly and saw Jess sat on his bed reading a book, cigarette in hand. He looked up and was shocked to see her standing there.
'Uh Luke heard a loud bang, and uh he'd pretty busy down there so I was sent up to um check everything was ok.' Rory said uncomfortably.
'I knocked over some books.' Jess replied, indicating the pile scattered messily across the floor.
'Oh.'
'Shouldn't you be off saying your goodbyes to bagboy?' Jess said, his words coming out more bitterly than he'd intended.
'Don't be like that.'
'Like what? How am I suppose to act, you know I never asked you to come to New York, I would have been just fine living there and forgetting about you.' Jess lied, pulling his walls up around him the way he always did to protect himself.
'Well I never asked you to come back.' Rory yelled. Tears of anger pricking her eyes.
'Whatever, I'm done talking so now you know what the noise was, report back by all means.' Jess said picking up his book again. Rory stared at him for a minute before slamming the door, which was heard by the whole diner, and stomping down the stairs.
'He knocked over some books.' Rory said to Luke and Lorelai who were looking at her questioningly.
'Is everything ok?' Luke asked nervously.
'It's fine, more than fine it's great. I'll meet you at home.' She replied turning to her mum for the last part of her sentence.
'What about you're dinner?' Lorelai asked.
'I'm not hungry anymore.' Rory answered. 'I just don't want to be here.'
'Ok, well do you want me to order something and bring it in, you could stop by the market and grab the movie snacks, and see Dean.' Lorelai suggested.
'Yes to the food, and could you stop by the market.' Rory asked, begging her mum with her eyes.
'Uh yeah, hun are you sure you're ok?' Lorelai asked.
'I'm fine.' Rory replied, walking out of the diner and down the street, she looked back and saw Jess at the window watching her walk away. He turned away as he saw Dean approaching her. So much for her not wanting to see him.
'Hey, you all set for the trip?' Dean asked.
'Uh-huh, I'm just heading home, me and my mum are having a movie marathon.' Rory replied.
'Sounds about right. What time do you leave tomorrow?' Dean asked.
'Uh I have to be at Paris' around 6 I think.' Rory replied.
'I'll say goodbye now then.' Dean said leaning down and kissing her. They said their goodbyes and she walked home, wishing that her and Jess had left things better, she curled up on the couch and waited for her mum to arrive home.
'Oh sweets you have got to explain what happened back there.' Lorelai said dropping the mountain of food down onto the coffee table, and popping the DVD in.
'Nothing, I just had to leave.' Rory shrugged.
'Did Jess do something, or say something?' Lorelai asked.
'No…he did nothing. We just…had a bit of a fight that's all. It's more my fault.' Rory explained vaguely.
'Right…honey is there anything going on that I should know about?'
'No, there is nothing between me and Jess.' Rory replied. 'I'm with Dean, me and Jess are nothing more than friends, if that.' Rory replied. 'There's nothing going on.' She added, sinking into the couch.
A/N- Hope you like it. I made it a little longer this time, so I hope you like. Please review.
