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For the moment being, I like this chapter. I'll probably change my mind soon enough, but I hope you guys like it.
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'The coffee pot in the diner was particularly lonely today.' – Jess.
'Rory?' – Dean
'I tried to call your house, no answer. Where are you?' –Dean
'Rory please call me back.' – Dean.
She sighed at her pager and then put it on her night stand. Since this was an un-official but very official at the same time wallowing day, she was already in comfy enough clothes to just lie down and go to sleep. She looked at the clock 10:42 pm. All she had to do was make it through tomorrow and then school would take up most of her concentration on Monday.
She didn't even remember closing her eyes, but opening them she was greeted with the warm sunlight filtering through her curtains. Sunday. The day of rest.
If only her mind could cooperate.
Peering up at the clock, the familiar red numbers read 11. Shower, then breakfast she decided. After taking a meticulously long shower, she walked down stairs to be greeted by the sight of her mom, fully dressed in work attire and boxes of cereal waiting for her.
"Morning." She tightened the tie on her robe and took a seat across from her mom.
"Morning. There are some marshmallows in the cupboard, but I just mixed today." She looked down at the paper again.
Rory got up and grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, marshmallows from the other, and sat down to the table. She poured an over-abundance of captain crunch in her bowl and then some marshmallows and drown them in milk.
"You're dressed to impress."
"Huh? Oh yeah, luncheon thing going on at the inn. Apparently Michel knows them and they're pretty high maintenance"
"Remember, I want the one you bring home to be nice as well as rich."
"I'll work out the nice thing if I try, but if we get Class A trips to France, then damn the nice and we'll have an affair with Gaston and you can have Jacques both born and raised in Paris"
"Sounds like a plan. But if Jacques looks anything like Jean-Paul Belmondo, I'm coming back to the Hollow, with or without you."
In mock offended tone Lorelai responded, "You would leave your mother alone in Paris?"
"Alone? What happened to Gaston?"
"Well after Douglas found out about the affair, he killed Gaston with his bare hands. In prison now." She said, shaking her head.
"And my Dear Mother can't find a way back to America?"
"Well I would have been fine until I got kidnapped!"
"Kidnapped? How terrible." Rory said, a smile appearing on her face.
"And it's all your fault. I don't know how this will affect our relationship…"
"Well if you live through it and find your way back home, we'll work on it then." She pulled another spoonful up to her mouth.
"Oh alright," She smiled. "So, what are your plans for today?"
"Homework, some Franklin stuff, wait for you to get home for dinner."
"No Dean?"
"No Dean. He mentioned Friday night that his family reunion was today."
"Oh I see, I see. So, not even a phone call?"
"Not until after you leave."
"Any topics of discussion in mind?"
"I'm not going to break up with him over the phone, mom."
"Respectable."
"But I might set up a conversation time."
Lorelai sighed and gave a sympathetic look towards her kid. "I'm sorry hun."
"Nothing to be sorry about. I'm gonna go get dressed." She answered hurriedly and sat up from the table.
"O-Okay. Well, I'm gonna head to the inn, get things in order. I'll see you here for dinner, 'round 6?"
"Sounds good. Bye mom."
"Bye kid." Lorelai walked out of the kitchen and into the foyer where she picked up her purse and headed out the door.
She stared at the phone while it rang. Pick up, she told herself. Pick up.
After 3 more rings, she jogged to the phone in the kitchen and picked up.
"Hello?"
"Rory!"
"Lane, Hi" she said, with a smile on her face.
"What are you doing?"
"Nothing just reading, you know."
"Good, I have a half hour between church and bible study, can I run to your place for a few minutes?"
"I'll have the pizza bagels waiting."
"I love you!" she shrieked into the pay phone and then hung up.
She hung up the phone and walked to the fridge and opened the freezer, extracting the pizza bagels. She pulled a plate out of the cupboard and started placing them on the plate when the phone rang again.
She picked up, "You know if you don't start running now you're gonna be late for bible study."
"Good thing I'm not super religious."
Her eyes widened and her hands started shaking, "Jess. Hi."
He let out a chuckle before he started, "Hey."
"Umm, what's up?"
"Well you were MIA yesterday, just wondering if you were stopping by the diner today."
"Why you miss me?" She smiled. Damnit! Stop smiling, she cursed herself.
"That andddd, I have the most radical book to show you."
He missed me, she thought happily. The smile continued to control her mouth before she realized she needed to reply,
"You still there?"
She blushed, "Yeah sorry, just got distracted… pizza bagels." Then she remembered and started putting more on the plate.
"You know I could probably threaten Caesar into making you something while you're here."
"I don't think you gotta put a gun or anything to his head to make him do his job" She popped the plate into the microwave.
"Maybe, maybe not. Would help my image though."
"Maybe, maybe not. Might land you in jail though."
He laughed,
"RORY!" Lane screamed as she entered the Gilmore house.
"Jess, I gotta go. But I'll talk to you later okay?"
"Yeah, later."
She hung up the phone.
Lane entered the kitchen, fighting for oxygen. "I have…" breath "about 20 minutes…" breath "so load me up with food and information…"
The microwave beeped. "Well, your pizza bagels are done. But you might want to sit down for the info." She pulled the plate from the microwave.
"Uh-oh. What happened?" She pulled a bagel off the plate and popped it in her mouth. Rory sat down to her left.
"Well, you know Jess."
"What'd he do this time?" She asked, mouth half full, a little smile on her face.
"He – he didn't do anything."
"Oh my god!" Lane practically jumped out of the chair.
"What?" Rory asked confused, and stepped back.
"It happened! I can't believe you didn't call me!"
"What?"
"You kissed him, didn't you?"
"Well…"
"I knew it was coming! What did Dean say? Have you told him?"
"Lane. I didn't kiss Jess."
"Oh." She adopted a sad and confused look to her face before grabbing another bagel. "Then what happened?"
"I'm thinking…" she grabbed a bagel.
"About breaking up with Dean?" she offered.
"How did you know?" Rory asked.
"It comes with the best friend thing. And with the total obvious thing too."
"Obvious?"
"Rory, everyone knows Jess has a thing for you."
"Everyone?"
"Everyone. The only mystery has been what's going on with you."
"So how did you know I was going to break up with Dean?"
"Hi, best friend territory. I can see the… change I guess you could say."
"Change?"
"I don't know how to explain it. Ever since the basket festival, things have been different between you and Dean. The way you talk about him, or act. I picked up on it because I live a very sheltered life and like to stalk your personal one, but I don't know how much Dean has. Did you even tell him about the study thing?"
"No," Rory said, looking down to her lap.
"What did Lorelai say?"
"She's okay with it."
"With Jess?"
"Yes"
"And –
The phone rang again. Rory grabbed it and pressed talk.
"Hello?"
"So your phone is working?" his voice was agitated.
"Dean, hi." Rory looked up to Lane with big eyes.
"Where have you been?"
"Home mostly, sorry I didn't call –
"Yeah, sorry. Sure you are."
"I am, I just needed a little time to myself yesterday, I wasn't tryi-
"I was gone for a week and you need some more time to yourself?" He asked.
"Yes. And I had homework and stuff too." She said defensively.
"You couldn't even call?"
"I told you –
"Yeah, I heard you."
"Dean, I'm sorry. Can you come over after your family re-
"I have a project to do tonight. But I'll call you later. Maybe we can meet up after school tomorrow." He said, lowering his voice back to normal, but not losing the edge.
"Okay."
"Love you."
"Bye." She pulled the phone down and pressed the off button.
"So that was Dean." Lane said.
"Yep."
"How was that?"
"I ignored him and Jess yesterday. He's pretty mad. But doesn't want to see me until tomorrow."
"And you can't break up with him over the phone."
"Nope."
"This sucks."
"You're telling me."
She spent the rest of the afternoon doing some homework, reading and watching tv.
"Rory?" Lorelai asked, walking into the house.
"Hey."
Lorelai walked into the living room, dropping all her stuff next to the couch and picked up the mallomars. "Oh, kid."
"Long luncheon?"
"The longest."
Rory glanced down at her watch, 5:17. "But some how you're home early."
"I left after they finished their 3rd presentation of socks."
"Socks?" She scooted up.
"Not just any old sock, no. Not Hanes or Joe Boxer, but "En Peluche" a French brand of socks, created by Yves himself. That's some guy Michel went to school with and apparently he's set out on a business adventure to give people the most prominent plush socks they'll ever put on their feet!"
"Ouch." Rory said, wincing.
"Do you know how long it takes French people to eat?"
"Well, the ones in France are dirty so I imagine they just stuff it down, but these prominent ones? I have no clue."
"Well luckily they all have such 'exquisite taste'! And they had their meals served in tiny portions and a million courses!"
"Oh boy."
"They had weird sauces."
"Have you eaten?"
"And they all wore their napkins like bibs!"
"Of course you haven't. Let's get you nourished and then you'll feel a lot better." Rory said, getting up off the couch.
"And I thought Michel was bad, they were all rude!"
"I'm calling Al's!" Rory shouted from the kitchen.
"That was some good eats. Nothing like curing the French with some Chinese food." Lorelai said.
"You said it sister."
"So, how was your day?"
"Good. Did some homework, caught up on reading and with Lane."
"Any catching up with Dean?"
"He called, he was angry –
"Understandable."
"Yes, but he didn't want to hang out until tomorrow so…"
"Gotcha."
"But I think I'm gonna go for a walk, read, clear my head." Rory got up from the table and walked into her room, grabbing a book.
"Okay," Lorelai nodded.
"I'll be back in a bit, school in the morning." She walked over to her mom and kissed her on the head.
" 'kay".
The air was warm tonight, summer was just around the corner. Which was a relief. Finals were in two weeks and Sookie and Jackson's wedding was in 3 and a half. She fingered the pages of the book in her pocket, before pulling it out. She looked at it for a minute before slipping it into her other pocket. She walked for a good half hour just letting the warmth of the night envelope her.
Not sure of when she actually made the decision to be here, she knocked on the door.
"Hey." He said, opening the door.
"Well, Ceasar's off duty and I ate some Al's with mom, but I can settle for the last of the pie and the book I was promised."
Jess nodded with a smirk on his face, "Come on in. I didn't think you were coming today"
She smiled and walked past him, into the diner.
"I'm full of surprises. Close up yourself tonight?"
"Yeah, Luke said it'd be okay at 8, he went to dinner with Nicole."
"That's nice" She glanced at him over her shoulder before making her way to the counter.
"So we have peach and blueberry or some left over donuts from this morning" He said making his way behind the counter.
"I'll take you up on the peach. Got any coffee?"
"I can make some."
"No, it's okay."
He nodded and slid the pie pan onto the counter where three pieces of peach pie sat and threw a fork next to it. He grabbed the stool that was propped up by the phone and brought it to the opposite side of the counter and sat down.
"I hope you don't think I'm eating this all."
He put his hand in the air, showing her the fork he had in his hand.
"Good" she smiled.
"So you were incognito yesterday."
"Yeah, personal reasons."
"Everything okay there?"
"I'm a Gilmore."
"Enough said," he let out a little laugh.
They were both picking at the pie with their forks for a minute before she spoke again, "Finished your book today." She picked it up off the stool she sat it on next to hers and slid it onto the counter.
"You like it?"
"Definitely."
"Knew you would. Not usually the style we're into, but good read none-the-less."
She smiled, replaying the words in her head. 'we're'. She looked at him.
"Yes. So what's this other wonderful book I hear about?"
He walked down to the end of the counter and pulled out a book from the drawer and walked back to her, holding it in front of her face.
"The Reader by Bernhard Schlink" he said. "A story of Love, Crime, and Secrets."
She rolled her eyes and snatched the book from his hands.
She headed home around 9:30, leaving him by himself again.
He cleaned up the rest of the diner and bounded upstairs, book in hand. He never leaves the cover on his books while reading, so he took it off for her to borrow and he retrieved the cover from his night stand to put it back on and slide it into it's rightful place on the shelf. The pages fell open when he put the cover on and before shutting it he looked at the open page. Her hand-writing filled the margins.
He smiled and plopped on his bed, shedding the cover again. He started flipping through the chapters, stopping whenever he found her notes.