Around noon they decided to leave the bed. Not that they needed to but mostly because they were sure Luke was already stressing out downstairs. They had heard him twice at the door, probably trying to understand if they were sleeping or not. They laughed about it and stayed cuddling in Jess' really small bed for a bit more.
"You know that this is totally different for us, right? Like we've never done this before!" Rory commented to Jess while she tried to find a robe in her bag.
"And?" Jess asked, trying to read her.
"And what?" She asked trying to read him too.
"How do you feel about it?" He asked, avoiding her eyes. Mostly because he had enjoyed it too much and was not ready to get any negative feedback.
"Pretty good actually. I confess, when I saw you downstairs I froze, I was not ready to face you, especially now. But it was all so natural that I can't believe that we spent so much time apart." She said facing him to show him she was being honest. He just nodded and got up from the bed to hug her and kiss the top of her head. This was really natural after all, he thought to himself.
They spend most of the time just kissing and cuddling, something they use to do, but not in bed and with Jess half naked. For some reason, that they couldn't really explain, they didn't advance their moves, as naturally as they just kissed and cuddled, they stopped themselves from doing something more than that. For Jess, he was afraid of moving too fast with her and pushing her away. On Rory's mind was the comfort of having him there and not wanting to speed things up. She was trying to enjoy every moment of it. But without words they both went in the same direction and enjoyed the moment.
"I think I'm going downstairs to grab us something to eat!" Jess said, preparing himself to go and give her some privacy.
"Don't, well go..." She mumble making him stop and look at her confused. She giggled. "Go but don't bring food, I will meet you downstairs and please inform your uncle that I'm alive and breathing because he already picture a million scenarios in his head." Jess laughed at her comment and left the apartment leaving her alone with her thoughts.
Rory smiled at the memories of last night and tried to not overthink the latest events. She needed to enjoy the fact that she had finally a reason to smile these days. Picking up his jacket, she went downstairs to find Luke and Jess having what looked like an argument.
"I'm telling Luke that nothing happened," Jess said for the third time.
"Hey left your jacket! Something wrong?" Rory said trying to understand what the argument was about.
Jess waved his head. "No Rory, Luke is just worried about our wake up hours."
"And what didn't happened?" She asked, curious.
Luke tried to minimize the subject but that was not Jess and he told her, making both Luke and Rory to blush. "Oh that. Well Luke doesn't believe that we just sleep last night... You know he thinks we did something more..." His smile was priceless. As always Jess managed to make her laugh instead of go through an uncomfortable situation.
Jess was so comfortable about it that Rory just went with it. "Oh Luke I can assure you that we didn't do much but if we actually did indeed do something more than sleep it wouldn't be a real problem right? After all we all adults now, right?"
Rory's statement shut Luke down completely. He just nodded and served them the coffees that they were so eager for.
Smiling at each other they started their breakfast. "So, what's your plans for today?" Rory asked.
"I don't know yet. Maybe I will write a bit more, you?"
"I have lunch with my mother but we can do something in the afternoon. What do you think?" She asked, hopping for some time alone with him, to try to figure out what she was feeling right now.
"Sounds good! Meet me here after lunch ok?"
She grabbed her coat and prepare herself to leave. "Done! Hope you manage to write!" She said and as she got up from the counter bench placed a rapid kiss on his lips, leaving everybody surprised even herself. When she left Luke was still speechless.
"So nothing happend right?" Luke finally asked.
"Ok we kissed, but nothing more than that! And this subject ends here," Jess said and left the diner texting Rory hopping her number was still the same. "What was that?"
He asked with an emoji smile.
"I'm sorry I didn't think and it felt natural to do it!" She replied.
"It's totally okay for me. I just wasn't expecting it but you can keep going on that natural mood!"
She smiled at his text and thought about the way she would tell all this to her mother.
That afternoon they hung out around town, visit their favorite spots, taking a trip down memory lane. Here and there, a kiss and a hug in between and it was already time for dinner again. They went back to Luke's, ordered dinner and Jess took it upstairs, leaving his uncle wondering what was going on between those two.
They kept talking about their lives, about them and surprisesly for both about their future. They talked about what Rory should do next and how they could manage to be together. They were talking like a couple, planning their lifes like a couple. In the middle of the laughs and tickles and hugs that always were present when they were together, like a long time ago. They came closer again and they kissed. The bed was just right there and without thinking or even planning both were half naked on that small bed.
"You know we never did this and maybe... Well I don't know if we... Do you feel..." Jess was babbling between kisses.
Rory stopped him with another kiss, then she place her hand on his chest. Smiling up at him. "Jess? Are you ok?"
He giggled. "I am, I just wanted this to be perfect! I pictured this moment for a long time so I don't want you to feel pressured about it!"
She kissed him hard and bit his ear lightly. Almost whispering she said, "Jess I want you so bad right now that nothing matters." And those were her last words because he never left her mouth again until he made her come in a way that she thought wasn't possible.
Maybe because of the way his warm and gentle touch ran through her body, like he wanted to memorize every single detail of her body. Maybe because of the way her sweet and eager kisses felt like she wanted to feel all of him and never forget this moment. Or maybe because of the way their bodies dance together, skin to skin like they knew each other for ages or even because of the way their eyes said "I want you!" without words every time they faced each other, they had the most amazing sex that they ever had had, or at least that either of them could remember having.
Laying on Jess' bare chest, caressing him with her fingertips, drawing little circles, Rory thought how all this was much more than she expected when she came back home. Jess always was in her heart. She now realized that she eventually ended up comparing every man that she dated with Jess. That was the main reason why she was here and now single. As much as she wanted to, she never forgot him and the way that only he made her feel. Real and natural, that were the words that defined her relationship with Jess. The fact that she never achieve this with anyone else was probably a result of him always being in her heart. Was she admitting to herself finally that she was still in love with him? Oh apparently she was.
Jess caressed her hair because he knew that was something that she always enjoyed and he travel back to when they were just two teenagers madly in love. Was he still in love with this woman? After all this years, he still knew her likes and dislikes, her smile by heart. He always knew she would be a memory in his life, but never thought that one day this memory could be real. He had always been in love with Rory Gilmore. Apparently even he had lived in denial.
Rory raised her head to face him and said in a still husky tone: "Jess I..."
But he cut her off. "Rory I think I'm still in love with you, I think I never stop loving you!"
She smiled at his urge to say his words and kissed him sweetly. When she spoke her tone was more light and he could hear the smile in her voice. "Well you beat me, because I was about to tell you that I love you and probably always did!"
And they laughed happily.
"We are really a pretty mess you know. It is what it is... You and Me!'" He added between the giggles and the kisses.
The days turn in to weeks and without them even noticing Jess was living between Stars Hallow and Philadelphia for three months now. Writing in Stars Hallow was very productive and his next book was almost done but his job at the Truncheon Books was his breadwinner so he couldn't leave that behind just like that. Besides he really enjoyed his work there so he made a commitment that was working for the both of them.
Rory wrote an article online that put her name in the spotlight again and between weeks she made deals to write for two different online magazines. The new job implied more travel for her, because let's face it she lived in Stars Hallow and there were not a lot of subject to explore there, but with Jess' absence in Philly she managed to schedule her travels to coincide with that period. With a minimum effort their lives got on track in a very satisfying way, reminding both of them how natural they were together. The apartment above the dinner became their home for now and either they nor Luke could be more happy about it.
Lorelai was accepting too. Everyone knew that she was never a major fan of Jess but he had proven to her that he really knew what he was doing now. She had to admitted that she did see Rory happy for the first time in a long time and now her daughter seem to be her Rory again, and she had Jess to thank for that.
They dined together every Friday, the awkward conversations were frequent however, because there were things that never changed.
One of those nights, between Rory and Luke laughing at Jess and Lorelai's awkward exchange of words, Rory received a text. It was Lane and it was a picture that she had taken moments ago. It showed the diner with low light and fairy lights outside, and showed the four of them sitting at "their table" by the window close to the door. She could see her and Luke's funny look and her mother and Jess' awkward exchange looks. She look outside to see if Lane was still there but she was already gone. The message only said "I smell snow" and when Rory looked outside again it was starting to snow.
"Mom its snowing!" Was all Rory had to say. She and Lorelai ran outside and the men followed them, not because they loved snow but because they were in love with the Gilmore's and that meant that when the first snow of the year came you went outside and hugged them and contemplate.
The first snow flakes of the year started to fall on them while Luke hugged Lorelai to keep her warm and Jess held Rory's hand as she lay her head on his shoulder.
The first snow of their new beginning.
