Rory completed the review for Red Turns Gold just as the sunset was casting its orange glow over the bricks of Philadelphia. She emailed her editor, backed up a copy to the magazine's remote server, and shut down her laptop with a sense of pride. Nothing she'd written lately had given her so much enjoyment, not only about the subject matter but of the writing process in general. Books were her first love and writing about them felt so natural that she wondered how she'd managed to avoid it for so long. She found herself hoping her editor would let her do more book reviews in the future.
Her laptop slid back in her bag and she began winding the power cord as she stood up. Footsteps on the stairs made her look up to see Paiva making her way to the kitchen, empty mug in hand.
"Finished already?" Paiva asked, seeing Rory packing her things.
"Yep, just submitted it to my editor."
"I hope you're sticking around tonight. We could go to the pub again!"
Rory bit her lip, considering. She hadn't exactly packed for an extended stay, and another night on a couch wasn't very appealing. Besides, with her article finished she didn't really have a reason to stay, or so she told herself. "Actually, I have to get back… and I should probably leave soon so I'm not driving all night."
"Oh, bummer. Well, I hope you can come back and visit again soon, and you don't have to sleep on the couch next time. I have a guest room you're more than welcome to. Assuming you and Jess haven't worked things out by then…" Paiva said conspiratorially.
"Thanks! I'll definitely take you up on that!"
"Worked what out by when?" Jess said, emerging from his office.
"Oh, nothing to worry your pretty little head over," Paiva said, with a wink at Rory, who grinned back.
Jess grunted and turned to Rory. "Done?"
"Done," she confirmed.
"Dinner?"
She sighed. "I wish I could say yes, but I should really hit the road."
"Right, long drive," he said, nodding.
"Yeah." Rory suddenly felt awkward again, not sure how to say goodbye with things still so up in the air between them.
"Let me know when you're ready and I'll walk you to your car."
"Aww, such a gentleman, who knew?" Paiva teased, breaking some of the tension.
"I'm only a gentleman around a lady." Jess shot back good-naturedly.
"Oh, get me to the burn unit! Mariano's on fire," Paiva said sarcastically.
"I call 'em like I see 'em," he replied with a shrug and a smirk.
Rory couldn't help but grin at the friendly banter between the two friends. "Well, being a proper lady of society, I would never refuse a gentleman's offer to walk out with me."
"Who's a proper lady? Not Paiva, surely," Matt said, emerging from his office with a smile on his face.
"Rory is," Jess supplied, "Social Register, D.A.R., coming-out party, and everything."
"Ugh. Don't remind me." Rory said with a groan.
"Wait, seriously? You're like… society or something?" Matt asked incredulously.
"No." Rory replied emphatically. "Well, yes, technically. My grandparents are, anyway."
"So I guess that explains the Huntzberger connection," said Matt.
Rory slumped. "I don't really want to talk about it. It's not a connection I like to broadcast."
"Fair enough," Paiva jumped in, "but I want the full story sometime. No matter how many tequila shots it takes."
"Next time, I promise," Rory laughed.
As they laughed, Chris emerged from his office and joined them. "Pub?" he asked, looking around at each of them.
"Not this time, sorry Chris," Rory replied. "I really need to get going." She acted on her point by grabbing her jacket from the back of the couch and putting it on.
"I'll get my coat and we can go." Jess said, popping into his office and coming back with his leather jacket.
Rory once again exchanged hugs and goodbyes with Paiva, Matt, and Chris, then slung her bag over her shoulder and followed Jess down the stairs and out the door.
They walked in silence for a block, not exactly avoiding each other, but not making eye contact. Finally Rory broke the quiet and said "I'm going to miss it here. You have a really great group of friends."
Jess nodded, "Yeah, they're good people."
"So are you," she said softly.
"What?"
"You're good people, too, Jess."
"Huh," he said, as if it was a concept he hadn't considered before.
She supposed it was possible he'd never thought of himself that way. Certainly when he was in high school he didn't think he'd amount to much, and no one tried very hard to dissuade him of that thought. Suddenly, she wished he could see himself through her eyes – see the remarkable man he'd become. He still had a healthy dose of the angry-at-the-world attitude he'd had as a teen, but instead of channeling it into pranks and surliness he had learned to channel it into his writing, which was all the better for it. On impulse, Rory reached over and grasped his hand, twining their fingers together as they walked side by side. Jess glanced at her sideways, one brow slightly raised, but smiled slightly and gripped his hand to hers in return.
They walked this way, hands clasped in silent solidarity, all the way to her car. Minus one short stop into Gypsy Bean for a cup of coffee for the road, of course. At her car, Rory stowed her bag and opened the driver's door to deposit her coffee before turning to Jess and looking at him. They made eye contact and the air ignited again. Her heart started to beat faster and she bit her lip to keep herself from panting from the sudden desire that flooded her veins.
Jess stepped closer, trapping her between his body and the car without breaking their gaze. Rory could see her desire reflected in his eyes, along with an emotion deeper and more pure. He brought a hand up to her face, brushing her cheek lightly with his fingers before leaning in and replacing them with his lips, his hand sliding back to cup her head gently. After kissing her lightly on the cheek he pulled back slightly and looked at her again.
"I'm glad you came," he told her softly.
"Me too," she whispered breathlessly.
His gaze shifted from her eyes to her lips and he leaned in again, using his hand on her head to draw her closer to him and kissing her tenderly. Electricity shot down her body to her feet and back up and she instantly deepened the kiss, opening her mouth for him. Their tongues met and they both let out small sounds of pleasure. Jess raised his other hand and tangled his fingers in her hair while she did the same thing to him. Sliding a hand down his neck to the collar of his shirt, she bunched it in her fist and tried to pull him closer. He obliged, stepping into her and pressing his body against hers, their mouths and tongues still deliciously and lovingly battling for dominance.
Finally breaking apart, Jess rested his forehead on Rory's as they both breathed heavily into each other. "Well, at least we know that still works," he said after a few beats.
"I don't think lack of chemistry was ever one of our issues," she replied with a smile.
"No, I suppose not." Smiling, he kissed her again, more chastely this time.
When they broke apart she sighed regretfully. "I really do need to get going."
"I know," he said, pulling away from her and stepping out of the way.
"I'll see you soon. Stars Hollow Thanksgiving."
"My preparatory fast will begin tomorrow."
She smiled and climbed in the car. "Good plan."
They gazed at each other for a few more heartbeats before she pulled her seatbelt on and started the ignition. "Bye, Jess."
"Goodbye, Rory," he said as he shut her door and stepped back.
She watched him watch her pull out of the parking space and felt a band contract around her chest. Swallowing thickly, she tried to push down her emotions by turning on the radio and searching for a decent radio station. Still, she couldn't help the few tears that escaped as she merged onto the highway and pointed her car north to Connecticut.
A/N: So I know it's not an extremely eventful chapter plot-wise, but I started writing the goodbyes and it just kept going. The kiss was my first real attempt at writing something steamy - how did I do? It's still rated T, and will remain so. If I decide to write some lemons into it I will post them separately. It's kind of a fine line, though, so please let me know if I cross it and go too far for the rating. I have been a little concerned about the use of swear words - too many for "T"? Input is appreciated!