IV

Rory and Jess wove through town, cutting back into residential streets when they started to get too close to the square. It seemed an unspoken agreement that they were trying to get their walk to last a little longer.

"You know what I love about Stars Hollow?"

Rory turned to Jess in confusion. "I'm sorry, what did you say? It sounded like you were about to praise the town you ran away from not once but twice."

Jess narrowed his eyes at her and gave her a gentle shove. Rory didn't go too far as their arms were still companionably linked.

"Ok, ok. Proceed. What do you love about Stars Hollow?"

"No sidewalks." Jess gestured at the ground.

"We have them around the square."

"Yeah, but that's your downtown core. In New York, you gotta run a marathon to get away from that. Here, you walk one block out and there's not a sidewalk in sight."

Rory shrugged. "Well, that's small town life for ya."

"And you guys got so many trees. Just," Jess swung his arm around, "trees. All over the place."

Rory laughed. "Ok, Paved Paradise."

"I miss it." Jess was smiling.

"It's Stars Hollow, Jess, not Walden Pond."

"So if I wanted to stay I wouldn't have to build my own cabin?"

"I'm sure you could, but you'd have to get all the right permits. Taylor would check."

"Yeah, that kinda takes the fun out of it."

"You're presupposing there is any kind of fun to be gotten out of building one's own shelter by hand." Rory frowned in distaste.

"Come on, you fancy journalist. Can't you slum it with the average man?"

Rory put her hand to her chest. "This average man has no desire to live more than a mile from a place where she can buy a greasy piece of pizza."

"Now who sounds like a New Yorker?" Jess smirked at her.

"There is definitely a side of me that could be referred to as 'big city Rory.'"

"I can totally see you there. And in London too, from what I've heard."

Rory nodded.

"Stars Hollow suits you too though. I can imagine them collapsing the sets and rolling up the roads like carpets without you here. If it wasn't so dark out, I'd say let's go look for the edges of the façade. It's like The Truman Show."

Rory rolled her eyes.

"Do you miss it?"

"Hmm?" She had gotten distracted catching a glimpse of lights in the square between the houses.

"Big city life. Traveling. Hopping from place to place."

Rory looked at him. Rory looked scared.

"I'm not sure. I don't really know what I want right now. I mean, the Gazette?" She looked at the ground thoughtfully. "I never pictured myself there. Or coming back like this. To visit, sure, but to live?" Rory could feel herself spiralling now. "I feel like Oliver. I went and I tried and I asked for more and I didn't get it."

Rory was unconsciously speeding up their walking pace and they were approaching the square. As she strode on, she turned to look at Jess. "The worst part is I don't even have anything to show for it. I'm Oliver and I have an empty bowl. I'm an empty bowl person, Jess!"

"No, you're not."

"I am! I wasn't supposed to be an empty bowl person!"

"You're right."

"I went to Yale!"

"I know you did."

Rory's forehead furrowed and Jess pulled her to a stop and let her arm drop out from under his. Rory turned to face him and he pulled her into a fierce hug. She dropped her head onto Jess's shoulder and stared at the white ribbon of lights decorating the gazebo behind him. She just stood and let him hold her, let him carry 90% of the hugging effort. She inched her face closer to his neck and found he smelled good. That was nice.

Rory let herself be still and breathe and allow the lights to burn bright dots onto her retinas.

Her heartrate slowed and she became more aware of the way Jess had wrapped himself around her, with his cheek pressed to the side of her head and his arms solidly encircling her, now swaying her gently on the spot. His body was warm and she felt like she might fall asleep. She pulled out of his embrace.

The look Jess gave her was surprisingly loving and she had to look away. She started towards the gazebo and Jess walked with her.

"So, this is really something." A thousand details of the wonderland scene were catching his eye. "I thought the theme for this wedding was supposed to be 'simple.'" He smiled and looked over at Rory. "You're quiet."

"I was almost asleep."

Jess put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "You coulda slept."

Rory raised her eyebrows. "And been the living embodiment of how boring you think this town is? No thanks."

Jess laughed as they climbed the steps. "I think I would have been too focused on carrying you home to spend time assessing the boringness of Stars Hollow."

Rory looked at him, alarmed. "Carrying me? My decades of subsisting on junk food may not have made me visibly larger, but trust me, my body is incredibly dense. I would not be easily lifted."

They had stopped in the center of the gazebo.

"I doubt that," Jess said.

"No, really," Rory widened her eyes and under the lights they were pure blue. "If you put a sample of my cells under a microscope, you'd see each one was shaped like a hamburger."

"Then it's a good thing I'm a writer instead of a scientist." Jess smirked and lunged towards Rory, grabbing her around the waist and draping her over his shoulder. He spun in a circle a few times until the winding lights turned into streaking meteors. Rory was laughing.

Jess set Rory on her feet, trying not to accidentally grope her ass as he lowered her. He staggered slightly as he straightened up and put a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. Rory put her hand over his, still laughing, but stopped when his other hand came up to hold the side of her face.

"I'm seeing two Rory Gilmores."

"Technically there are two Rory Gilmores since my mom and I have the same name."

"Very funny." His fingers stroked around the edge of her jaw and Rory saw his eyes look down at her mouth. Jess started to lean towards her, then stopped. "I know what you need."

References in this chapter:

"Big Yellow Taxi" by Joni Mitchell

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

The Truman Show directed by Peter Weir

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens