A/N: First off, thanks for the great feedback on I'd Rather Be In Philadelphia. However, when I wrote it, I honestly didn't plan to turn it into anything more than a one-shot. I'll consider doing something more with it, but it will probably be after I finish this story. I can't promise anything will come of it, because I have no idea where I would go with it, but I'll be thinking about it. :) I don't own Gilmore Girls. Thanks for reading!

The walk to the coffee shop was silent, with both of them lost in their own thoughts. Seeing her face, her eyes, her tears, had almost shredded every last once of resolve he had left. But she was right - they couldn't keep on like this. It was time to get some answers.

They ordered and sat down at a table. Rory fidgeted nervously in her seat, her eyes darting to his face every so often, while he started out the window. Minutes passed as he tried to voice the question he so desperately needed the answer to.

"I need to ask you something." He finally said.

"Shoot."

He hesitated, almost losing his nerve. Then he glanced into her waiting eyes, and knew he had to do this - he couldn't lose her again. "Why did you let me kiss you at Truncheon?"

Her eyes closed briefly. "Honestly?"

"That's what we're going for right now, isn't it?"

"I was mad."

"He deserved it, for cheating on you like that." The thought still angered him. Why she had stayed with him for so long, he would never understand.

She shook her head slightly. "Not at him, Jess. I mean, I was mad at him, and that had something to do with it, but…" She took a deep breath. "It was you. I didn't mean for it to happen like that, but when you leaned in, something just snapped. Knowing you still wanted to be with me, that you thought you could just waltz in and steal me away again - I couldn't stand it. And for just one second, I wanted you to feel what you had put me through." She said the last part quietly, took a breath, and rushed on. "I think cheating on Logan was a pretext for what was really revenge. I came to my senses, but it was obviously a little too late."

He didn't say a word. His mind was spinning. How many times had he replayed the scenario over in his mind? The only thing he kept boiling it down to was that he was a substitute, and a poor one at that. He remembered the night he came to what he thought was that obvious conclusion. He had been helpless around her. As soon as she had walked through Truncheon's door, he had done something he had never liked to do - wear his heart completely on his sleeve. He had admitted he was still in love with her, that he had never been able to think of anyone but her since he first saw her. And it had all been thrown back in his face. She had moved on. He felt the same pang he used to feel when he watched her with Dean. Except that time, he couldn't fix it. He was no longer the dangerous, mysterious rebel who could charm his way into her life. Not that that did anything for her in the long run, he remembered thinking. He had no longer been able to win her affection. It had been taken over by someone who, from what he knew of Logan, simply treated Rory like dirt and left her struggling to pick up the pieces of who she once was. So she had come back to Jess- someone from her past, only to realize he wasn't worth it.

But the fact that she had done it because of all the pain he had put her through - why hadn't he thought of that? And somehow, in its own selfish way, it made everything seem easier. That's just like you, Jess. Getting all caught up in what you think happened, and never giving anyone a chance to explain.

"I thought you had moved on." He said.

She smiled faintly. "Only in theory."

Wow. You really messed this one up. He thought.

"I'm really sorry, Jess."

He barely heard her. She…wants to be with me?

"I don't want to fight about this. You asked, and I couldn't lie to you and -"

And I want to be with her. "I get it, Rory. And as much as I hate to admit this, I deserved that."

"It doesn't make it right."

"No, it doesn't." He agreed.

"I'm sorry."

'You've said that." He flicked her nose.

"You're not mad?"

"Not mad."

She smiled at him shyly. "So…"

Careful, Jess. No groveling. "So?"

"You know, typically the guy does this part."

"Huh. Maybe I should give that a try sometime."

"You've done it before."

"If I recall correctly, you came running into my arms."

"Oh please."

He smirked.

"Fine. Maybe you didn't use so many words, but you still played a part."

"If I agree, does that get me out of the formalities you're demanding now?"

"Ha! Not a chance, mister. It's fun to see you squirm."

"Rory…"

She waited, eyebrows slightly raised. He sighed.

"Alright. Will you -"

"Hold on."

"I thought you wanted me to do this."

"I do. But I don't know what we're doing yet."

He frowned. "I was kind of under the impression that I was going to ask you out."

"We can't do that."

He tried to mask his face even while his heart dropped. What had he done this time? "You're a confusing woman, Rory Gilmore."

"That didn't come out right. I didn't mean you couldn't ask me out. Well, I did, but only because we can't go out."

He blinked. "I'm used to your ramblings, but I'm still going to need a translator for that one."

"We shouldn't 'go out' in the normal sense. One, because we're just now about to get back into a relationship, and it's already going to be long distance. Two, I think we should take it slow."

He nodded.

"Is that okay with you?"

"You're the one who's been studying the self help books."

"I did not! And that reminds me, my mom told me she saw a book like that in your bag once."

He barely restrained choking on his coffee. "Your mom was snooping through my bag?"

"She just saw it."

"Probably got it mixed up with someone else's."

"You're not denying it."

"Because I know you'll just throw a 'Thou doeth protest too much' quote at me."

"Or, ladies and gentleman, could it simply be that the man of mystery, Jess Mariano, actually reads relationship books?"

"Not so loud."

"Why? You afraid someone might hear?"

"Someone might believe it."

"Oh, you've already got one person who believes it."

"I'm never going to get out of this one, am I?"

"Nope." She said cheerfully.

He didn't even mind. All that filled his mind was the fact that he once again had Rory. And he wasn't planning on losing her this time.