All the Small Things
"Jess, get your butt down here!" Luke barked up the stairs. He gazed around the crammed diner in dismay. He hated holidays. Well, he was fine with the normal holidays – Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas – but not with the ridiculous made-up holidays that were constantly celebrated in Stars Hollow. Who had ever heard of Apple Picking Day?
"A very important day in the history of Stars Hollow," Taylor was lecturing a bored townsperson. "In the fall of 1897, the crops were so scarce because of a dry summer and the only fruit that grew was apples. The townsfolk managed to survive that winter because of the abundance of apples and that is why we are celebrating today."
"Jess!" Luke yelled again in frustration. He couldn't listen to Taylor a moment longer.
"Alright, alright, I'm coming," a voice mumbled and a dishevelled Jess appeared from behind the curtain.
"What have you been doing?" Luke demanded.
"Nothing," Jess replied innocently as a flushed Rory stumbled out into the diner.
"Rory!" Luke exclaimed in surprise. "Uh, hi. Does your Mom know…?"
"Hi Luke," Rory squeaked, "I've got to get home. Bye!" With that she raced out of the diner as fast as she could.
Luke turned to face Jess who was studiously cleaning the counter. "Back room. Now" he ordered.
Luke hauled Jess into the small pantry roughly. "What was Rory doing up there? What were you two up to?" he questioned suspiciously.
Jess sighed wearily. "Nothing. We were…watching a movie."
"Oh yeah, what movie?"
"It's called 'My Uncle is a Paranoid Freak'"
"Oh, real smart."
"Look, we were just hanging, ok? You know, what someone usually does with a girlfriend. Not that you would know."
"Oh, and what's that supposed to mean?" Luke demanded roughly.
Jess suppressed a smirk. "Just that you're not very up to date on the whole dating thing."
"I date!" Luke exclaimed, a little less vehemently than before.
"Serving a woman coffee is not a date."
"I know smartass. I date."
"When? Tell me the last time you went on a date."
"I don't have to tell you anything," Luke protested hotly.
Jess grinned infuriatingly at him until Luke gave in.
"Fine. It was a couple of months ago. I had coffee and cake with Georgie Middler"
"Georgie Middler is 75! You only had cake with her because she got lost and you helped her home and she insisted you stay and you couldn't say no."
"How did you know that?" Luke yelped, "Were you eavesdropping on one of my conversations?"
Jess shrugged. "I can't help it if I overhear you telling Lorelai about it when I'm working can I? And I can't help it if I hear her heckling you about it – loudly – for twenty minutes. Hey, maybe you should date Lorelai. She never shuts up and you never talk – it would be perfect."
Luke squirmed uncomfortably. "Don't be stupid, I'm not going to date Lorelai. She doesn't…we're just friends. I serve her coffee. I'm the coffee guy, she's the addict, that's how it is."
"Uh huh. Don't think I haven't noticed the way you look at her"
"Like a friend? Or a customer? Because that's the only way I look at her. This is stupid, I don't even know why I'm still in here discussing it with you."
He turned around abruptly and marched back out into the diner, followed by Jess. Lorelai was sitting at the counter. "Hey Luke, my hero. If you give me a large coffee stat I'll love you forever!" She trilled flirtatiously.
Jess smirked as Luke turned pale.
"Don't say a word."
