A/N: Yes, it is finally here. I'm not even sure if you'll like this; it's a little more soap-opera-y than usual. And btw, don't worry. The next chapter should be comin shortly after.

Disclaimer: Ha. Good luck with that.

He's so happy that he almost has no words to explain it. Then again, it's not like he ever talked that much anyhow. He hears a knock at the door and smiles, something unheard of, or at least unlikely, and he walks over to open it, ready to greet her with a kiss. Ready to kiss my girlfriend, he thinks.

But it is not his girlfriend at the door.

"Hi," she said, stepping into the apartment. "How's it going, Jess?"

He's taken aback. "Wha—no. No way. Julie?"

"In the flesh," the girl said, winking an emerald eye.

He's hit with anger, out of nowhere. "I can't believe this," he murmurs to himself. I finally get it together with Rory, and then she shows up. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to visit, Jessie," she smiles, making herself at home on his couch.

Jess gets a flash of Rory using that same pet-name just minutes before, and suddenly feels really guilty about nothing at all.

"What the fuck?" Jess said, his anger boiling higher than before. "It's been a fucking year, Jules. One fucking year and not so much as a word from you and now you show up and act like we're best friends? People don't do that, Julie."

Julie rolls her eyes and absently twists a lock of her dark curls. It reminds Jess of one of the popular girls in those teen movies that he would rather stick his head in the oven than go and see.

"Look, I just wanted to see you, okay?" she said. "I missed you."

Jess shakes his head. "Missed me. That's funny, Jules."

"I'm serious," she said, getting up and walking toward him. "I admit it. I made a huge mistake. I'm sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it, babe," Jess said with a sneer. "Too little, too late."

"It's not too late," she said, moving closer to him. "I love you. And you love me. You know you do."

Jess stood stock-still, almost laughing at the irony. When she had left the year before, he had almost wanted nothing than for her to come back. But he never really loved her. He knew that. He never really had any idea of the one, the girl, since Rory. It had always been Rory.

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed Julie inching closer to him. When he finally snapped out of his gaze, he was surprised to find her looking up at him, so close he could smell her perfume.

"You love me," she said, as though just the power of those words could make them come true.

He backed away. "What the fuck!?" he yelled. "Get away from me. I don't love you. I never loved you."

"Not true," she said.

"Yes, it is," he laughed. "I'm sorry, Julie. Yeah, I cared about you and we had a good run but you left and you just need to leave, now."

She shook her head, her perfect jaw clenched in frustration. "Oh, come on, Jess. What? Do you have another girlfriend or something?"

Jess sighed. "Not that it concerns you but yes, I do. And even if I didn't I still wouldn't give you another chance. You were a conceited bitch when we were going out and you're a conceited bitch now that we're not. It just took me this long to realize it."

"You're just saying that 'cause you're afraid."

"Afraid of what?"

"Of admitting that you're still in love with me," she said.

He stomped his foot. "For God's sake, I don't love you!"

"Whatever, Jess," Julie said, a look of determination on her face. She picked up her purse, heading towards the door. "Just remember that I'm here. So when whatever bitch you're dating now decides to dump you, I'll be sure to remind you that you were the one that came crawling back to me."

Jess jumped up, moving towards her and shaking his head. "You can call me whatever you want," he said, his hands shaking with anger. "But don't you dare insult my girlfriend. Ever."

Julie smiled before opening the door. "See you later, Jess. I'm sure I will." Then she shut the door and walked away.

Jess hovered by the exit for a while, his whole body pulsing with what he thought was pure hate. She had no right to come in like that, after so long. No right. What was wrong with her? After a year, too! His mind whirled with angry thoughts but after a couple of minutes, he started to realize something.

What Julie had done to him was exactly the same as what he had done to Rory. Come back, after so long and tell her that he loved her. She didn't deserve him. She deserved better. He didn't want her to have to settle for him.

He hung his head, coming to the sad truth that the only way to protect Rory was to save her from himself—she didn't love him. He knew that now. She never had.

He just sat there, thinking, watching the minutes on the clock tick away and enjoying the moments he had left where, technically, he had his girl. He thought how sad it was that she was only his for so much longer.