And yet again, I'm sorry for the delay! Thank you for all your support so far, I really do appreciate it. :)
Chapter 9
"I can explain..." Matt said.
"Home. Now." Lorelai said.
"Mom..."
"Now!" She said.
Matt glanced at Jess. "I'm sorry..." He said.
"It's fine, go." Jess said. "I'll see you later."
"No you won't." Lorelai retorted.
"Mom!"
"You're going to stay far away from my son, you hear me." She said angrily.
"Mom, you can't..." Matt started.
"Home. Now." Lorelai snapped at him grabbing his arm and pushing him towards the door, leaving Luke and Jess awkwardly standing in the apartment.
"So...you and Matt..." Luke said awkwardly.
"Yup." Jess said.
"So you're...?" Luke said hesitantly.
Jess glanced at him. "You're asking me if I'm gay?"
"Well..uh..you were with that Shane girl before and now I find you here with...uh..well, Matt..." Luke said awkwardly.
"I guess I like both." Jess said.
"Right, yeah." Luke said.
"That ok with you?" Jess said gruffly, glancing up at him.
Luke glanced at him and then let out a breath, taking his cap off and rubbing his hand through his hair. He then sat down at the kitchen table. "Whatever makes you happy, I'm good with."
"Really?" He said.
Luke glanced at him. "Anyone has a problem with who you are, you send them to me ok?" He said.
Jess smiled slightly. "Thanks." He said gruffly.
Luke glanced at him. "But did you really have to choose Matt?" He sighed.
"What's wrong with Matt?" Jess frowned.
"Nothing! You know I like Matt. I've known him for years but...it's complicated..." He said.
"Because Lorelai hates me?"
"What, no!" He said. He saw Jess raise his eyebrows at him. "That's not the point!" Luke smirked slightly.
"Look, I'm not going to mess Matt around ok. I like him. This is all new to me but I know that I really feel something for him. Why should I let Lorelai stand in the way of that?" Jess exclaimed.
"She's his mom. She's allowed to worry. It's what parents do." Luke said.
"My mom never worries about me." Jess said.
"Sure she does!"
"Really? So why did she send me here then? She obviously doesn't care about me. I'm just a burden to her." He said.
Luke frowned. "That's not true."
Jess snorted. "Sure."
Luke glanced at him. "You and Matt are really that serious?" He asked cautiously.
"Well...it's only been a week and a bit but...yeah. We feel the same about each other." Jess said awkwardly.
Luke let out another breath. "Ok."
"Ok?"
"Well you're grounded for a week for lying to me about all these secret meetings with Matt but...if this is what you want and it's what Matt wants, I can't exactly stand in your way." Luke said slowly.
"You're grounding me?" Jess said surprised.
"Yes I am and if you argue, I'm just going to add another week to it." Luke warned. "I might be ok with you and Matt but you still lied to me. You told me you were doing school work but you clearly weren't. There's got to be trust when you're living under my roof."
"We were doing school work." He said.
"Yeah right." Luke said.
"Well, if you can call what we're doing work." Jess smirked slightly.
"Ok stop!" Luke shook his head. "You're grounded for a week. You're only allowed out of this apartment to help me in the diner where I can keep an eye on you or when you go to school. But I will walk you there and back." He said.
"Isn't that a bit overboard?" Jess groaned.
"No. And I will be checking you're going to your lessons and not skiving to see Matt." He warned. "And..."
"Ah geez, Uncle Luke, how many more?" He groaned.
"One more. You hurt Matt and I will ground you for the rest of your life." Luke said.
"Sure, wouldn't expect anything else." Jess rolled his eyes.
"Good." Luke nodded. "Now your grounding starts now. I need to head back down."
"Whatever." He said.
Luke turned back round as he was about to leave. "Jess?"
"Geez what?" He exclaimed.
"The same goes for Matt. He hurts you, I'll go find him as well." Luke said awkwardly.
Jess glanced at him surprised but nodding. "Thanks." He said gruffly.
"I don't get why you're so mad! You knew I was dating someone!" Matt exclaimed as they got back to the Crap Shack. "You were weirdly excited about it!"
"Yeah, that was before I knew it was Jess!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"Right, because Jess is the devil." Matt rolled his eyes.
"He's a bad influence on you, yes!" Lorelai said.
Matt just laughed. "You don't even know him!"
"I know enough!" She said.
"No you don't! You've judged him from that one evening he was rude to you and that's crap!" Matt exclaimed.
"Matt!" She said shocked.
"Hey, what's going on here? I can hear you guys right from the street!" Rory exclaimed rushing in.
"Mom knows about me and Jess and she's freaking out about it." Matt said. "She walked in on us kissing at the diner apartment."
"Oh." Rory said.
"Kissing? You call that kissing? You were all over each other!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"We're dating, mom! That's what couples do! You were happy with Rory and Dean and now you're fine with Tristan. Why can't you just be happy for me?"
"Because it's Jess!" Lorelai exclaimed. "He's...he's already manipulating you! I know his type, Matt, trust me!"
"Sure, just because you and dad crashed his car once, you think you can relate to what Jess has had to deal with." Matt said sarcastically.
"See this is what I mean! This attitude! You've never had this attitude before you started hanging out with Jess." Lorelai said.
Matt just shook his head. "Is it the fact I'm dating Jess or the fact that I'm actually dating someone?" He said.
"That's not fair." She said.
"Isn't it?"
"You know I don't have a problem with you being gay. I'm hurt you would even think that." Lorelai said.
Matt took a deep breath. "Fine. I'm sorry. But I'm not sorry for this. I really like Jess, mom. I'm sorry for hiding it but I'm not sorry for feeling how I feel."
"I just think Jess isn't the best boyfriend material. He was all over that Shane girl the other week. How do you know he's not just messing with you? This could just be one big joke for him!" Lorelai said.
Matt shook his head. "Gee thanks mom." He said hurt. "So you think he couldn't possibly like me?"
"That's not what I meant." She sighed.
"Well, as much as I love this talk we're having, I'm going out to see my boyfriend and apologise for the way my mom treated him." Matt snapped, heading for the door.
"Not so fast mister!" Lorelai said. "You're grounded."
"What?" Matt laughed. "You've never grounded us. Ever."
"Yes, well...there's a first time for everything." She said. "You're not to leave this house unless it's for school. And you can't have any friends round."
"You mean Jess." Matt frowned.
"Yes, I mean Jess."
"So how long is this grounding for then?"
"I haven't decided yet." Lorelai said.
"You can't ground me forever. And you forget that I go to the same school as Jess. Or are you going to deprive me of my right for an education as well?" Matt said sarcastically.
"Hey, less of the smart act. Now...go to your room." She said sternly.
"Mom..."
"Now!" She said.
"I hate you!" Matt shouted before storming off to his room and slamming the door.
"Mom..." Rory said quietly as she watched her mom pace around.
"You knew, didn't you? You knew about Matt and Jess?" She said.
"I...guessed. And then Matt confirmed it." Rory said.
"How long? How long have you known?"
"Since the basket auction." She admitted.
Lorelai let out a breath. "You should have told me."
"That's not fair. I promised Matt."
"Yeah and I'm your mom! I should have priority!" She said angrily.
Rory frowned. "That's not fair. Matt begged me to keep quiet and I promised him I would. This is new for both of them. He was going to tell you, mom. He just wanted to find the right time."
"Well he certainly did that!" Lorelai snapped.
Rory sighed. "He was going to tell you, mom."
Lorelai just shook her head. "Make sure your brother doesn't leave the house." She told her before leaving the house.
"Go away!" Matt snapped as he heard a knock on his door.
"It's me." Rory said quietly.
Matt sighed. "Come in."
"Hey..." She said entering his bedroom.
"Hey..." He said glumly.
"I told you that you should have told her sooner..." Rory said.
"Gee thanks for the support, sis." He said dryly.
Rory sighed. "Sorry." She said. "Look, she was going to find out at some point. You couldn't keep it hidden forever."
"I know." He mumbled. "But I knew she'd act like this!"
"She's just shocked. She'll come round." Rory assured him.
"No she won't. She hates Jess. And now she's probably scared him off. Why would he want to continue this with all the hassle it comes with?" He grumbled.
Rory glanced at him. "Jess wouldn't just dump you..."
"How do you know?" Matt demanded.
"Because you said how good it's been going between you. You said how happy you've been." Rory said.
"I am. Well...I was." Matt sighed.
"And you said Jess felt the same?"
"I...think so. Yeah."
"Well then, why would he just dump you then? That's just crazy." She said.
Matt sighed. "I really like him, Ror. I've never felt like this before."
"I know." She said softly. "It'll all blow over, I'm sure."
"You think mom's just miraculously going to start liking Jess?" Matt raised his eyebrows.
"Well...no. It's not going to be as simple as that. But you can help the matter."
"How?"
"By keeping your head down. Take the grounding. Do as she said. And then after the grounding, try and show mom how serious you and Jess are about this. She's going to have to deal with it. She can't keep you apart forever."
"I guess..."
"Just keep your head down for a bit. Do this to please her and then she might calm down a bit." She said.
Matt sighed but nodded. He glanced at Rory. "Thanks." He said softly.
"For what?"
"For always knowing what to say."
"Hey, what are sisters for eh?" She joked.
Matt smiled slightly. He glanced at her. "So how's it going with you and Tristan?"
It was Rory's turn to smile. "Yeah, it's...uh...it's good." She said.
"Good?" Matt said smirking slightly.
Rory ducked her head slightly. "I think I might be falling for him." She admitted.
Matt smiled. "It's a nice feeling, isn't it?" He said softly.
Rory looked at him and smiled softly. "Yeah it is."
"So I'm guessing you told your nephew to stay away from my son?!" Lorelai demanded going up to the counter.
"Hi Lorelai, I'm good thanks. How are you doing?" Luke said dryly.
"Luke!" She exclaimed.
"Jess is grounded for a week." Luke nodded.
"A week? Seriously? He's going to still go after Matt after that. He'll probably sneak out during it. He's not exactly the most obedient kid." She snapped.
"He's my nephew. I call the shots with him, not you." Luke said.
"I do when it concerns my son!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"Look, I get that you're worried." Luke sighed. "But I've warned him about messing Matt around but..."
"But? There's seriously a but! There's no buts, Luke!"
"He seems to really like Matt. I can't lock him away forever." He said.
"That kid is trouble! I won't have him around my kid!"
"Oh and keeping them apart is going to solve everything?" Luke said.
"If that's what it takes, yes!"
"So when you were still living with your parents, when they told you that you couldn't do something, you just followed their rules. You did as they said?" He challenged.
"That's different." She frowned.
"Lorelai, if we try and keep them apart, they're just going to sneak around behind our backs like they were doing before. At least we know now and we can control it." He pointed out.
Lorelai shook his head. "Jess is trouble. He's not coming near Matt again. Ever. And you can make sure that happens by sending him back to his mom." She said stubbornly.
"I can't do that." Luke said.
"Why not?"
"I can't just turn my back on him like that!"
"Fine. But if I don't have your support on this, I guess I'll have to take things into my own hands. And..."
"And what?" He frowned.
"I thought we were friends. I thought you cared about Matt." She said.
"Of course I care about Matt. But I'm not just going to turn my back on Jess. He's my family." He said.
"Then I guess we're not friends then." Lorelai said crossing her arms against her chest.
Luke looked at her for a moment. "I guess not then." He said gruffly. "Come find me when you see sense."
Lorelai just shook her head. "The sooner you see that kid is trouble and send him back to New York, the better." She said before storming out.
Luke let out a big breath just as he heard movement by the curtain and he saw Jess appear. "What are you doing down here?" He said gruffly. "You better not be trying to go out."
"I...was just wondering if you needed some help down here..." Jess said.
Luke looked at him in surprise. "What? You hate working here. What's the catch?"
"No catch. I..uh..I just want to help you out. We're family after all, aren't we?" He said.
Luke realised Jess had heard the argument with Lorelai. He was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Go clear some tables." He said.
Jess nodded and did as he was told. He took them back to the kitchen before glancing over at Luke. "Thanks." He said gruffly.
Luke glanced at him. "You don't need to thank me."
"I know what Lorelai means to you. I do need to thank you." Jess said awkwardly. "Noone..uh..noone's ever stood up for me like that before. So thanks."
Luke just nodded. "You're still grounded." He said after a moment, smirking slightly.
"I know." Jess smirked.
Matt had stayed in his room most of the day. He had left it to eat with Rory and his mom but the atmosphere was so awkward with his mom that he decided to eat the rest in his room. He was lying on his bed later that night, reading, when he suddenly heard a tapping on his window. He frowned confused but got up and opened his curtains to see Jess standing on the other side. He smiled slightly and opened the window.
"Hey..." Jess said.
"Shhh, my mom might be in bed but she has a sixth sense. And excellent hearing!" Matt said.
"Noted." Jess said smirking slightly, climbing in quietly.
"What are you doing here?" Matt said. "How did you even get out? Mom took great pleasure in telling me you were grounded as well."
"You forget Luke goes to bed really early." He said.
"Right." Matt nodded.
"So she actually grounded you huh? She's that keen to keep you away from me?"
"Seems like it." He sighed. He glanced at Jess. "I'm sorry about how my mom reacted. I..uh..I hope she didn't scare you off."
"Scare me off? Nah, I've had to deal with worse things than her, trust me." Jess said.
"So...you're not dumping me?" Matt said hesitantly.
"What? No! Why would I do that?"
"I would understand if you didn't want to have to cope with all the hassle..." Matt said.
"Matt, I like you ok? You know I'm not the type of guy that talks all this soppy crap so please don't make me ok? But I'm still in. If you are?" Jess said.
Matt smiled and leaned in to kiss him. "I'm definitely still in."
"But..."
"I knew there would be a but!" Matt smirked slightly.
Jess smirked. "I can't sneak out again. I..uh..I'd feel bad going against Luke."
"And since when do you care about rules?" Matt teased.
"Yeah I know." He smirked. He sighed. "Your mom came to see Luke..."
"I guessed she would..." Matt said. "And?"
"She wanted him to send me back to New York." He said quietly.
"What?" Matt said shocked.
"But Luke said no. He stood up for me and...well...that felt good." Jess admitted. "I've never had anyone in my corner before."
"Family is everything to Luke." Matt smiled softly.
"I'm starting to see that." Jess nodded. "So..uh.."
"Let's keep the kissing to in between lessons at school?" Matt guessed.
"Yeah..."
"Sounds good." Matt smiled, giving him another kiss. "You should get back before Luke wakes up and realises you've gone."
"Yeah. So, see you at school?" Jess said.
"Unless mom ships me off to boarding school." Matt joked.
"See you at school then." He smirked.
"Night Jess." He smiled.
"Night." Jess smiled before climbing back out and disappearing from view.
So what do you think? Please keep the reviews coming as I love hearing what you all think! :) Thanks again for the continued support! I really do appreciate it. :)
