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On Friday morning there's a knock at the door. Jess opens it and stares in surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"I'll ask you the same thing," Luke says, walking past Jess into the apartment. "What are you doing here, Jess?"
Jess folds his arms as an answer. Luke looks around the apartment and remarks, "Nice place you've shacked up in. Even more squalid than I remember."
"You came all the way out here to make a joke?"
"I came out to talk to you," Luke says seriously. "Where's Rory?"
"She's at work," Jess says shortly. Luke nods, observing him and Jess stuffs his hands in his pockets. He feels like he should offer his uncle a drink, so they have something to do rather than stare at each other, but there's only a single bottle of water left in the fridge. Still, Jess guesses he needs to go to the store either way.
"Do you want some, uh, water or whatever?" Jess asks awkwardly but Luke shakes his head.
"No. I don't want anything." He goes and sits down on the one free chair and, after a moment, Jess moves the clothes off the spare and pulls it over. They sit opposite each other, slouched, and Jess imagines they must look pretty funny, just sitting in the middle of the room together, but he doesn't smile. The silence is too taut.
"So," Luke says eventually. "Where's Rory working?"
"In a cafe," Jess says shortly. "Waitressing."
"I figured. And you? Still running messages?"
"And washing dishes."
"I see," Luke says. He takes his hat off, turning it his hands, and then leans forward slightly and asks, "How's it going with you guys?"
"Good," Jess says defensively. "It's great."
"Uh huh."
"We're doing fine."
"You're playing house," Luke says, making Jess sit up. "How long is this going to last?"
"So this is why you came over," Jess snaps. "To be a jerk."
"I am not being a jerk," Luke says angrily. "I'm trying to talk some sense into you! Jess, this can't go on."
"Says who?"
"You're still kids."
"I am not a kid!"
"Jess, you're barely twenty! Look, you're taking messages and washing dishes - great career path by the way -"
"You know me, I like a detour."
"You can never do things the right way!"
"Here comes the judgement again!"
"So you're going to be doing this a year from now? Two years? Live here forever?"
"Who said anything about forever? Jeez, according to you, we're still kids!"
"Jess, you're going to have to make some decisions!" Luke exclaims. "And what about Rory?"
"What about her?"
"She's supposed to be in school," Luke says seriously. "She's got a great life ahead of her and she's working as a waitress."
"For summer."
"And then what?"
Jess looks away in a stony silence. The old anger is starting to flare, from when he lived in Stars Hollow and knew how everyone hated him, and it sparks when Luke adds, "She needs more than this."
"Who are you to say what she needs?" Jess demands. "She wanted to come with me! She decided it!"
He takes a breath, not adding his shameful hurt; that Luke looks out for Rory but not him. It never seems to matter what Jess does, but Rory needs more. She always counts more.
"Jess, Lorelai is worried sick," Luke says, his voice low. "We all are."
"What do you think I'm going to do to her?"
"It's not about what you'll do!" Luke shouts. "It's what you'll both do! Jess, do you need me to spell it out for you?"
"If I'm so dumb you'll have to!"
"Don't act stupid," Luke retorts. "You're smart, Jess, you know what I'm getting at. Fine. What happens in three months? Is Rory just going to go back to school? You're going to carry on living here without her? And what if -"
He pauses and Jess, despite guessing what he's holding back on, presses, "What?"
"You know what," Luke says furiously. "You'd better be careful - both of you. If Lorelai doesn't kill you first I will."
"Thanks for having so much faith in me."
"I just want you to take things seriously," Luke says, staring Jess in the eye. "Hey, look at me, I'm talking to you here. Jess, I'm not against you being with Rory, I just don't think living here like this is going to work. Even if you're, you know, careful. What have you got in the refrigerator - a packet of cheese and eggs? Is that all your food for the week?"
They ran out of eggs two days ago but Jess doesn't tell Luke that. He also doesn't tell him their standard meal is sandwiches.
"We're fine."
His uncle gives him a long look and sighs, digging out his wallet.
"Here. If you're not going to get smart about this at least let me help."
"No," Jess says fiercely. "I don't need your money."
"It's a gift. At least take it for Rory."
"We're fine," Jess says again. The part of him that wants to admit that they're living pretty sparsely, Rory's wages barely touching it, is overshadowed by a proud hurt. None of this is Luke's business and it looks like his uncle has joined the rest of the crowd. Jess can just imagine the cover of the Stars Hollow Gazette - Diner punk abducts local princess. Screw them. He glares at Luke and, after a moment, his uncle sighs and gets up, shoving his hat back on.
"I'm going."
"Good."
"I just wanted to see you," Luke says when he reaches the door. "Jess, you can call me, okay? If you do figure you need anything. I'm always here."
Jess nods, his expression souring as Luke adds, "Say hey to Rory from me. Her mom misses her."
Jess guesses none of them are torn up over him not being there. He doesn't tell Luke that Rory is going into Stars Hollow tomorrow, nor that she'll be back from work in half an hour. Instead, he waits for Luke to leave and slam his way out of the building before making a trip to the store. Jess counts the small amount of money they have left for the week before scanning the shelves, buying things discounted and leaving anything that could be considered a luxury. Shortly after he gets back Rory is there, kicking off her shoes and looking tired.
"Hey," Jess says, going to kiss her. She kisses him back, a scent of cooking oil on her hair, and sounds tired as she says, "Hi. How was your day?"
"Not too bad." Jess pauses and says, "Luke came by."
"What?" Rory asks, stopping mid-shoe removal. "Luke Luke?"
"Luke Skywalker was busy."
"What did he want?" Rory asks and then, in a small voice, "Was he mad?"
"He's not mad at you."
"He was mad," Rory says sadly. She sits slowly down on one the chairs left out and Jess pulls the other one around to her.
"He can't deal with us living here, that's all," he says gently. "It's no big deal. It's not our problem."
Rory nods, her eyes sad, and Jess adds, "We can hang out tonight too - the restaurant doesn't need me."
Jess refrains from adding that a night of less pay stressed out his whole day, and is rewarded as Rory brightens. "That's great! I miss hanging out with you - at night, I mean."
"Right," Jess laughs and Rory giggles before she gets up. "I'm going to take a shower."
After Rory has showered and changed she wanders over to where Jess is making some food.
"What's the menu for tonight?"
"Cheese and eggs sound good?"
"Great."
"Good, because I don't have a lot else."
Rory starts making some coffee and asks, "Did Luke say anything?"
Her voice is forcedly casual and Jess bites his lip. He knows what she's getting at, and half wants to lie, but tells her, "Lorelai misses you."
"She does?"
"Luke said she does. I don't know."
Jess looks up to see Rory looking out of the window, staring at nothing in particular, and awkwardly says, "Look, it's okay."
"I know...I just...I miss her too. She's my..."
"Right," Jess says quietly, and then Rory sighs, shaking herself.
"She won't listen though. She's too mad."
"I bet."
"I know. She's so stubborn."
Jess is saved from stopping a comment by Rory wryly adding, "I know, it's where I get it from. Hey, what's this?"
"What?"
Rory has picked up an envelope from the table and Jess says, "Beats me."
Rory carefully opens it and lifts out some bills. "Jess! This isn't extra wages or anything? How did -"
"Luke," Jess says, putting it together. "I told him not to - he must have left it there when I got up. I swear I didn't know."
"Well," Rory says carefully, "I'm going to Stars Hollow tomorrow. Should I give it back?"
A big part of Jess wants to say yes, but he already saw the look of relief on Rory's face when she picked up the money and, if he's honest, he was relieved too. Jess shakes his head and Rory smiles.
"No. He'd probably refuse it anyway. I guess we can use it."
"We definitely can," Rory says happily. "Maybe we can do something tonight."
"Like what?"
"I don't know - a movie,maybe."
"We should probably save it," Jess says, counting it out. There's a couple of hundred there and he adds, "I guess maybe one movie."
"Just one," Rory agrees. Her smile is reaching all the way up to her eyes. "We should go out tonight."
"Okay," Jess says. "Let's do it."
Rory squeaks happily and wraps her arms around Jess, kissing him deeply. Jess kisses her back and is tempted to suggest going out later, but then Rory is stepping away, dancing up and down on her feet in excitement.
They don't go and see anything too exciting. Jess is hardly invested in the plot but it's fun just going out, hanging out and not being stuck in the apartment. They leave the cinema hand in hand, reluctant to go back right away, and Rory nods over at the park across the street.
"Can we walk through there?"
The sun is just starting to set. The brightness settles all around them as they walk and Jess smiles when he looks over Rory, illuminated all over. She is his light, he thinks. She's his brightness in all the flood. They stop to kiss each other, not making a lot of progress, and when they reach a clearing lie down under some trees, having made a quick glance to check that the ground was free of anything too unsavoury. They look up at the last of the sun making patterns in the leaves and slow, steady contentment fills Jess's chest. He squeezes Rory's hand and she announces, "This right here is the epitome of a perfect moment."
"It is?"
"Isn't it?" Rory asks, turning to look at him, and Jess nods.
"It is."
"I wish it could last forever."
"Right now is good," Jess promises and Rory nods. Her voice is touched with sadness but she smiles at him, and they lie there until the sun dips fully and it starts to get dark. They walk briskly back onto the streets and up the apartment, kissing all the way, and head straight for bed. They giggle, peeling off their clothes, but have sex slowly, making it last. Jess holds Rory close, kissing her neck as he comes but not letting go. She holds onto him too, sighing, and her eyes are sparkling as they finally break apart. She's so happy that Jess sees with a jolt how tense she was before, but he doesn't mention it. She lies down on his chest and says, "I've just figured out something great."
"What's that?"
"I was thinking that I don't want to get up, and I don't have to. We can stay here all night."
"We can," Jess agrees, kissing the top of her head, and Rory looks up, smiling.
"I love you."
"I love you too." Jess holds her hand and looks into her bright blue eyes. They shine with the light Jess yearned for, all those months he was away from Rory. She is his way home.