August 2015
Lane pushed her best friend into the room, slamming the door shut behind them. The chatters from the kitchen and living room became muffled, a constant muttering that occasionally raise and fall, providing the two sole occupants comfort as sounds of children laughter echoed off from the walls. Rory saw her mother's raised eyebrow at Lane's antic, but made no move to join them, instead caring for her other daughter's cries for ice cream.
Rory was currently home attending her parents' end of the summer bash, as her mother had called it. The typical American tradition of heat, sprinklers, and grilled burgers. August was hot and unforgiving and cruel; her hair were sticking to her face in uncomfortable clumps and sweat were dripping off her body by the bucket.
Lane spun Rory around to face her and forcefully sat her friend on the bed, before saying, "Okay, spill." Arms crossed. Eyes staring straight at Rory. Lips in a thin line. No wonder Steve and Kwan hardly ever misbehaved. Rory would never admit it to Lane, but at times Rory swear that she see the embodiment of Mrs. Kim staring back at her, minus the bright red highlights scattered throughout Lane's hair, the product of too much alcohol and a rare childrenless night with her husband Zack.
"Spill? I have nothing to spill, Lane," replied Rory, innocently. She shrugged her shoulders, while making her eyes wide and honest. They should really open a window in here. The air was thick with heat, giving Rory an annoying tickling sensations on her arms and legs. (And let it be known, this was not a response to being interrogated. She swear. It was just unbearably hot.) "I'm not Perez Hilton. Or TMZ. I have no stories to tell."
Lane dramatically sighed and rolled her eyes, ignoring Rory's go-to Bambi eyes. "You and Jess are tiptoeing around each other," she said. It was like teaching a child to spell the word I. Lane was not blind. No one was that blind. Ray Charles, who was blind, would have totally seen what was going on under this roof. "Last time you two tiptoed around each other was back in high school after you kissed him at Sookie and Jackson's wedding!"
Rory gasped. She crossed her arms, mirroring her friend standing before her, and acting on a defensive. "We are not tiptoeing!"
Lane shook her head, not believing Rory. "You had said the following series of words to him: hello, pass the ketchup, and blessed you."
"Blessed you?" asked Rory, her eyebrows went up in a questioning manner.
"He sneezed," Lane immediately replied. Yes, she paid attention to little details. It was how she knew that it was Steve that colored the walls with blue crayon and not Kwan. Her other little monster used red.
"Okay, Nancy Drew," replied Rory. "Didn't know you were that observant." (Hands in her hair. A kiss on her neck.)
Rory was not avoiding Jess. Please keep that in mind.
"I need adult stimulation," said Lane. "My kids are still too small to have an intelligent conversation. I cannot spend another day arguing about the merits of a sponge living in the sea!"
"Geez, I didn't know my life is only for your amusement," said Rory, smiling. "I am my own person, Lane." (The lingering hours before they both had to part ways. The birthmark on the left side of his chest.)
"You sure about that?" asked Lane. "I'm pretty sure you lived through many plotlines of The Young and the Restless or some other daytime soap opera currently on the air."
Rory shook her head, not believing her friend. "I did not."
"You stole a yacht," replied Lane. A door slammed in the distance. Luke's voice trailed away as he lead someone out into the yard.
"Why does everyone always bring that up?" asked Rory. She would never leave that unfortunate incident behind.
"You dropped out of Yale," continued Lane.
"For a millisecond," argued Rory.
"You helped a married man cheat."
Rory pouted. "And now you are just naming all my bad moments."
"And smacked lips with another man while either you or the man you were kissing were in a serious relationship," said Lane, stressing on the word serious.
"I'm sensing air quotes around that choice of word," replied Rory.
Lane held up her hand. "Not once." She held out her index finger.
"Lane, you do not have to narrate my life. I lived through it," said Rory.
"Not twice." The middle finger.
"Okay, I get it," said Rory, giving up. "I'm just a block of wood with two legs here. Ignore everything I say."
"But three times." The ring finger.
"I do not want to even know how you know about that last one, Veronica Mars," said Rory. "I'm just Joan Crawford in Daisy Kenyon choosing between Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews."
"I don't think that comparison works," said Lane. "Anyway you basically, but not really, but yet you almost did, leave a guy at the alter. Tell me that your life is not literally a plot point out of the writer's room somewhere in Hollywood. You should sell your life story to Lifetime or something."
"Lane, there is seriously nothing going on between me and Jess," said Rory. (The kiss good-bye, full of longing and desire.)
"Rory, look," Lane said, sighing. She moved to sit down next to Rory on the bed and put her arms around her friend. "Jess is never nothing to you. He's an unanswered question. An unfinished book. It's like that time Lennon and McCartney almost reunited on SNL. You always wonder, what if?"
Rory rested her head on Lane's shoulder. "What if Jess and I got back together?" Rory asked, her voice gotten a little smaller. Lane ignored the hesitancy in Rory's tone.
"You have someone to talk books with, cause you know I'm no help in that area. He can argue about music, which helps in getting along with your friends, aka me. Lorelai warmed up to him, so that's another plus."
"Those are all superficial stuff," replied Rory. "Not really a foundation for a lasting relationship." There were more serious issues to address, not counting the ones she didn't want to face, nor admit, to herself.
"Fine," said Lane, sighing. It was time to tell Rory the truth of what she had seen over the years. Events that even Lorelai didn't know transpired between Rory and Jess. "You want to know why you two belong together? He is the only one who can talk sense into you."
Rory questioningly looked at Lane. "Have you seen my relationship with my mother? It's Grey Gardens material."
"Rory," said Lane, the name was softly said and with a motherly intonation. "Your mom didn't talked you into enrolling back in Yale. Nor did Logan, and nor did I."
"He didn't talked me back into Yale," said Rory, reluctantly. She crossed her arms in a defensive manner. Sorry, but she liked to believe that she herself was the one who gotten herself out of the fog and got her life back together.
"He more like yelled at you," admitted Lane, recounting the conversation they had during the week Rory moved in with her. Logan's name was barely mentioned, but Jess appeared and reappeared in their conversation over and over again. "He also got you to break up with Michael."
"Everyone had opinions about Michael," said Rory. Let's not go down that path again, please. She so did not want to relive that portion of her life again.
"But you only listened to Jess," said Lane, with a hint of jealousy in her voice. "I tried telling you to leave that no good ex boyfriend of yours for months and it only took Jess a day and a night to get you to open your eyes and finally see what a jerk Michael was to you."
Rory shrugged. "So we talked. I talked with everyone."
"But you don't pine after everyone. The looks you two give each other is Romeo and Juliet before the marriage, the sex and death," replied Lane.
"So if Jess and I were to get together, we will die?" Rory half-halfheartedly teased.
"No. Sorry. Wrong comparison," said Lane, shaking her head. "What I'm trying to say is this: what happened between the two of you and when will you two get together already?" It was time Lane got to the root of the problem she seeing played out before her very eyes.
"Lane," said Rory, sighing. "It's not that easy. We have history. Also, he proposed to someone else. I almost married someone else. We clearly moved on."
"Sorry, did I see someone attached to your arms today? No! Because you're pining over Jess, but today was not the usual pining! So, once again, what happened?" demanded Lane. "And, on a second thought, does Lorelai know?"
There were a moment of silence between them before Rory muttered, "We spent a day together in New York."
"And?" asked Lane.
"We might had slept together," whispered Rory.
"Oh, my god," exclaimed Lane. She pulled away from Rory and looked at her friend straight on. "Does Lorelai know?"
"No and you are not telling her," said Rory.
"Then what happened?" asked Lane, almost a little afraid of the answer.
"Nothing," said Rory, truthfully. "We parted ways."
"Okay?" said Lane, disbelieving.
"We decided that it was not a good idea. We're related now. It didn't work before. If we were meant to be together, we would had gotten together. It's not rocket science," replied Rory, her words were almost running into each other as she hurriedly spitted out the reasons she tried to convince herself for the past two months.
"That is bullshit."
"Lane!" exclaimed Rory. "There are kids in the house."
"Sorry, but are you sure?" asked Lane, ignoring Rory's mock scolding. "You really think it won't work out this time around?"
"I'm sure, Lane," said Rory confidently. She was still avoiding Lane's eyes. Instead, Rory was glancing out the window and watching Luke off in the distance. He was pushing someone ahead of him, but Rory couldn't see who it was.
Lane's eyes soften a bit, noticing that Rory wasn't telling her the whole truth. All she wanted was for her friend to finally find some semblance of stability and happiness in her life. There were the beginning of wrinkles at the corner of Rory's eyes and the dark shadows beneath them were getting darker and darker every time Lane saw her.
There were a period of silence between the two as they listened to the party outside, before Lane finally asked Rory in an almost reluctant manner, a question. "Are you happy?"
Rory sighed. "Lane, can we not talk about this?" It was better than telling her oldest, dear friend that she wasn't sure anymore
Lane slowly nodded, agreeing with Rory's request. "Okay, but just to let you know, I only want what's best for you."
Rory smiled, finally turning to look at Lane. "I know."
"You're my lobster."
Rory softly laughed. "So we're still doing this? Referencing whatever thing that pops in our head?"
Lane tugged Rory close and gave her a hug as she said, "You know what I mean."
"Yes, Lane, I'm your lobster," said Rory as she raised her arms to enclose Lane.
"Good. I think it's time to bring out the butter and salt." Lane gave Rory a slight squeeze before pulling away.
"Lane!"
xXxXxXx
Luke was ahead of him; the gravel underneath their shoes made small crunch sounds as they walked further away from the house and off the driveway. Once the sounds from the party was almost non-existent and they were ten feet away from the bridge Luke pushed him off once, his uncle suddenly turned around, took off his cap and smacked it on Jess's head, before asking, "Do I want to know what's going on underneath my roof?"
Jess rubbed the spot he was hit at, not taking Luke's question seriously. There were no one else around and Jess could hear the ducks from the pond that was just beyond the trees. Why couldn't they have this conversation inside? The sun was bearing down at them, making his skin flush a bit with the heat. There was no summer breeze and he made the unfortunate choice of wearing a black Rolling Stones t-shirt. "Well, technically, it is not your roof, Uncle Luke."
"Don't be cheeky with me," replied Luke.
"Just stating the truth. The deed is still under Lorelai's name and I distinctly remembered her saying that if she were ever to sell her possessions and join one of those vegan, all-natural, anti-vaxxing, GOOP following, red paint throwing, urine drinking, off grid living Charles Manson-like cult the house will still not go to you because, and I'm quoting her here, you refused to mock baby pictures with her and you made her join a gym, which, by the way, totally out of character of you. I mean, a gym? Really?" Jess thought that he wasn't being that obvious. He was known for his few words and was a reluctant conversationist with non-family members. So what if he was avoiding a certain person wearing an amazing red summer dress that compliment her blue eyes? He mostly avoided everyone from Star Hollows when given a chance. Ask Liz.
"I'm sorry but I refused to mock my own child and the gym was one of Kirk's scheme. I was in no part of that," said Luke, his hands on his hip, his feet squared apart, and his body towering a bit over Jes.
Jess ignored the image that the two of them were projecting, a child being scolded by his father in the middle of freaking nowhere Connecticut. "Yes, but those pictures that you insisted on sending out that Christmas? Terrible," teased Jess, trying to steer the conversation to a more lighthearted topic. "All you see is Emily's mouth and it was barely in focus. You are no Dorothea Lange."
"I don't know how to work that thing," explained Luke. His right hand instantly went to his pocket to pull out the phone Lorelai made him buy a few years ago.
"It's called a smartphone," said Jess with a deadpan voice. There were stickers littered all over the case, pink butterflies and small little fairies. A product of having a five years old and a stack of stickers. You gotta thank Liz for that.
"But why must you include all those extra features?" asked Luke, holding his phone in-between his index finger and thumb, wiggling it back and forth to his nephew. Of course his uncle had yet to upgrade his phone to the newer model, still holding onto the version Lorelai got for him at the store. "If you want to buy a camera, buy a camera. If you want a timer, buy a stopwatch. If you want to know where you at, buy a map! How hard could that be?"
"I'll call Tim Cook and tell him that his job is basically useless for the good of society." Jess had heard this conversation before. He made a point to call the diner instead of Luke directly just to avoid hearing Luke's same arguments against the phone companies and their outrageous fees and global domination.
"And the competition between the iPhone and the other one. What is the purpose?"
"The market way of pricing their products at a ridiculous amount and making you think you are getting a bargain."
"And all you see is everyone with their heads down, texting away. What happened to actual human interactions?" exclaimed Luke. He finally put his phone back in his pocket, but before it was completely hidden away, Jess saw a picture of Emily, Rory and April on the screen. Luke really loved his children and the picture he chose? Perfect. All three were smiling and falling over each other on the couch. Jess remembered that day. It was one of the last times he saw Rory before she went off and became a hot shot reporter in MENA covering the Arab Springs. Actually, Elizabeth was the one who took the picture. It was a bit surreal at the time, watching his present meet his past, though technically Elizabeth had met Rory two years prior, the same Christmas Rory brought Michael home. Jess wasn't sure if he was avoiding bringing Elizabeth to Stars Hollow, afraid if the small town charm would taint her. Elizabeth was his own little world away from his family and away from those who remembered his misguided youth. But, on that day, with ten months old Emily in between April stressing away on which colleges to apply to and Rory finalizing her plans in traveling abroad, Elizabeth became their go-to gal. Her smile and demeanor had an electric pull, melting away your stress and worries. It was one of the reasons why he loved her. He was the one who was the mess and she came along to fixed all the wrongs, his very own Mary Poppins. She was the one who instigated the pile on; Rory was on the bottom and April on top with little Emily off to the side sticking candy candies onto her sisters' faces.
"You are not going to meet people that way," continued Luke, snapping Jess out of his little trip to the past. "Bump into them? Sure, that works, text away. Their phones will burst into flames with all that use. You can count on that."
"I'll tell Tinder that their business model is basically crap," said Jess. He waved his empty bottle at his uncle, trying not to show his desperation to avoid talking about anything other than Luke's hatred for technology.
(Maybe he was not over Elizabeth as he thought he was. She was still on top of his pedestal in his mind. Maybe Rory was right in her assessment of him from their little visit in New York, back when she left him in the hotel room with nothing but regrets. You might only have one chance in life, so you better step up and take it or watch everyone pass you by.
And, if you wondered, no. Rory was not on any form of a pedestal in his mind. She came with flaws and crevasses and edges. She would stumble and take wrong turns. But she was Rory Gilmore. The town golden girl. Raised by her mother to be the best person she could possible be.
She was just Rory.)
Jess took a small step back to the house. "I need a another beer."
"No," said Luke. He sidestepped in front of Jess. "Wait. This was all a ruse. You're not getting away from me that easily."
Shit. "Ruse? What ruse? We were sharing a mutual disdain for our technology driven society." Jess should had known it would not be that easy to get away from Luke. After years of actually talking with one another, and, god forbid, sharing big emotional moments and life events willingingly, they had developed a somewhat of a sixth sense with one another. Mostly the sixth sense extends to when one was trying to avoid something or someone. It was not that hard to spot, actually. Anyone with two eyes could tell when someone is avoiding something, but Luke and Jess had reached the point in their relationship where they actually care about the outcome and willing to interfere.
Sometimes.
Okay, most of the time. Jess could not stand there and watch Luke and Lorelai danced another dance. He had to do something. And, apparently, all it took was a few chosen words, flowers, and a horoscope. (Luke insisted on the horoscope.)
Luke sighed and shook his head. "Jess," he began, "whatever is going on between you and Rory, figure it out, because if Lorelai and I have to choose side you are going to get the short end of the stick."
Jess gave a low whistle. "That was quick of you to toss me out on the street," he replied. "To be nineteen all over again." Which he figured. Did he mentioned that Rory was the town golden girl? She could do no wrong. All Jess saw was someone trying to figure out the mess her life had become. He could relate.
"Sorry, you're my nephew and Rory is my daughter," explained Luke. "Daughter trumps nephew."
Jess nodded once. "Good to know." Even though Luke basically told him that blood relations were of no importance, Jess could still see the proud glint in Luke's eyes whenever he mentioned Rory. Proud was an understatement.
"Okay."
"Okay," replied Jess.
There was a moment of silence before Luke began again. "So are you going to tell me what happened between the two of you? Wait. I don't want to know," said Luke, stuttering a bit, half torn between wanting to know and minding his own business. Lorelai was rubbing off on him. "I do. No, I don't. I…"
"Something might had happen in New York," said Jess, cutting off Luke. He was a bit surprised at his admission. Jess hadn't spoken to anyone about that day since it happened, let alone uttered it within his own mind. "But it didn't go anywhere. What's done is done." It took two to dance and two to walk away.
Luke eyed the man before him, as if he was trying to decipher a hidden message. "And you're okay?"
"I'm fine," said Jess. Even he didn't believe his answer.
"Jess…"
Jess held up his empty bottle. "I'm going to get another beer." He really needed something to stop the voices in his head and the memories from spilling out. The last five years were running through his head, from the moment the picture on Luke's phone was taken to now. Rory had asked Elizabeth where she gotten her necklace from, a simple silver lock and key. Elizabeth had said that her boyfriend had given it to her for her birthday, but Jess had never given Elizabeth jewelry before. The following year when they met again, the three of them at Rory's coming home party, the necklace was still there hanging around Elizabeth's neck, but this time hidden away from view. However, Jess knew it was there and knew that Elizabeth didn't want any more unwanted questions she was not willing to answer. He knew Elizabeth backwards and forwards and she been the only one who stuck by him the last three years. She must had noticed how his eyes never left Rory for a second at the party, afraid that Rory would disappear in thin air for another year. They both had their Gatsby moments and they both were looking for something to replace their past. Or relive it. One over the other. The only problem now was that Jess was still trying to relive the past. Elizabeth was currently happily married to an amazing husband (or so he heard) and had a wonderful baby. Jess just needed to cut the cord and let go.
"Whatever happened, I want you to be happy," said Luke. His voice soften a bit. "After that whole Elizabeth thing, I just want you to be happy."
Should Jess lie? Say that everything was fine? Or should he tell his uncle the truth? That the girl that held his affections at seventeen might still hold his affections at thirty-two? Or maybe it was a knee-jerk reaction in trying to get over Elizabeth, even though it was a few years too late? Or that maybe that everything in his personal life was too emotionally tied-up, spun around, and corrupted? "I'm doing what I love," Jess finally said. "I'm good. And you need to stop putting pictures of me on the menu and giving everyone copies of my novels."
Luke nodded his head, getting the message that Jess had no answers for him just yet. "Hey, I'm proud of you."
"Maybe a bit too proud." Every time Jess published a new novel, there would always be a stack on the counter at the diner to give out to everyone who asked for one and everyone who didn't asked for one. When Jess told him that it actually hurt his sales, Luke proceeded to praised his nephew's writings while simultaneously made sure that every resident in Stars Hollow buy a copy in addition to the ones he was giving out. As said before, proud could not even begin to describe what Luke felt toward them.
"I do this with April and Rory," said Luke. "They didn't complain."
"They did and you ignored them," justified Jess.
"What can I say? You guys make me proud."
"Okay, I am leaving before this turns into a heart-warming moment straight out of the Hallmark Channel." Jess turned around and walked back to the house. Maybe he didn't need another beer. Maybe he should just get out of the house, out of Star Hollows, and clear his system. Because this thing between him and Rory? There were too much baggage on both ends, too many issues left unsaid. And maybe he was just not ready for that right now. He didn't want to put in the work, him willing to be Hubbell Gardiner to her Katie Morosky. Maybe someday.
Just not right now.
xXxXxXx
"So, what did he say?" asked Lorelai. The party had finally died down and all that was left was the clean-up, which was code for Lorelai to run away and force her husband to do all the dirty work. Rory was off at Lane's and Jess was heading back to the diner to settle in for the night. Emily was asleep in her room and Lorelai's parents went back to Hartford in between the burgers and the water balloon fight.
"Nothing," admitted Luke, a trash bag in one hand. "I confronted him and all he had to say was nothing."
"Wait," said Lorelai, a hand on Luke's arm to stop him from walking up the stairs. "You didn't pull the scene from A Few Good Men? Opportunity to be Daniel Kaffee to Jess' Nathan R. Jessup? 'You can't handle the truth!'"
Luke shook his head. "No."
Lorelai let go of Luke. "Shoot. I thought one of us will hit it out of the park. I shouldn't had took that victory lap."
"You got nothing out of Rory?" asked Luke. How did the mess extended upstairs? Luke thought for sure he made it clear that the second floor was off-limits.
"I didn't have a chance to talk to her alone for more than five minutes and when I did get her alone she talked me in circles and somehow we would end up arguing about how ABC killed Happy Endings, dumped Trophy Wife, and forgot about Don't Kill the B* in Apartment 23 when we should really talk about is how we should not get too invested with any comedies on network TV, especially if it comes out of the alphabet channel," said Lorelai. She bent down and straighten out a plastic cup. She placed her hands on her hip and proudly smiled at Luke, daring him to say something about her straighten out the mess instead of cleaning up. "If only I had veritaserum…"
"A what?" Luke ignored what Lorelai did and went around her to head to the kitchen for another plastic trash bag.
"Truth serum," said Lorelai, as if everyone should know what she was talking about. She followed her husband and purposely threw some napkins on the floor along the way.
"And why can't you say that?" asked Luke.
"Because veritaserum sounds cooler."
"But people will understand you."
"Your point is?" Her eyebrows went up, egging Luke to discuss more on the matter.
"Okay, moving on," said Luke, submitting to defeat, "So you got nothing?" Luke decided against the trash bag and instead picked up a broom.
"Na-da. Zilch. And Lane is not talking. She taking her 'best friend' card seriously. Why can't we all be a Heather? Backstabbing and gossiping is the point of the game, ladies and gentlemen," said Lorelai as she wielded an invisible knife and stabbed the air before her.
"What does Lane has to do will this?" asked Luke.
"She cornered Rory and spent forty minutes with her in a locked room. She had the candlestick and the study and all she needed was to find Mr. Boddy's killer. And where was I? Outside and eavesdropping," said Lorelai. She grabbed the last piece of cake on the table and proceeded to take dramatic bites, as if telling this story was the hardest thing in the world. "I tried to listen through the door, but man, this party we were throwing? Not a good idea to have when you are pressing one of you ear against the door and the other ear is being assaulted by people enjoying themselves. I need one of those extendable ears."
"A what?"
Lorelai paused mid-bite. "Seriously? Pick up a book once in awhile."
"Okay."
"What do you mean by okay?" asked Lorelai, confused about the change of conversation.
"They will figure this out," said Luke. His tone gave a sense of affirmation. That was one of many things Lorelai loved about him. "Give them some time."
"But what if they don't figure this out?" asked Lorelai. She placed the plate back onto the table and went up to Luke. She played a bit with the hair curled around his ears as she said, "What if they are Luke and Lorelai 2.0? Does this make me my mother in this situation? I do not want to be my mother."
Luke smiled at Lorelai's concerns. Don't say this to her, but he loved how her opinions of Jess changed over the years. She didn't hold onto his past regressions and instead accepted him as part of Luke's family. (It did help that Jess helped them get back together. Let's just say that Luke needed help with the dramatics and he did not want to go to Kirk for help.) "You're not your mother, we are not interfering, and they are not us."
"Tell me this in ten years when this thing still hadn't been resolved. We'll have another Arrested Development revival. Suddenly that kid in Teen Wolf is the new captain of the Enterprise. We still don't have a Black Widow movie, Japan and China are now best friends, and California is now its own country."
"It won't take them that long to figure things out."
"Umm, did you look in the mirror recently? It took us years to get our stuff together," said Lorelai, her smile was infectious and had the ability to warm his cold, cynical heart.
"They will get their act together, fixed whatever problem they have, and we can invite them over for the holidays and have a civil family dinner," said Luke, trying to give Lorelai's the solution to the current problem.
"Not if you invite my mother."
"Lorelai," said Luke, her name a bit stretched out. She could hear his unspoken message: everything will be fine.
"I'm putting my faith in your hands. I'm trusting you on this."
"Thanks." Luke pulled her closer, finally letting go of the broom and giving into the mess.
Author's Note: There's always a heading at the beginning of the chapter, usually describing either the content of the chapter or the time period in which the chapter is set. Just FYI. :)