Chapter 11: "Oh well, we'd be the best-dressed, most well-read girls sleeping on a bench that Yale's ever seen,"
As soon as they were in Philadelphia after classes on the Friday before spring break, Rory was anxious to get checked into their hotel and get over to Truncheon to surprise Jess. Each couple had a room at the Rittenhouse Hotel and they brought both Rory and Riley's cars so they could go off separately if they wanted to, to explore the city since none of the four had ever been to Philadelphia.
"I think we're going to stay here while you go see Jess," Riley told Rory and Tristan when he stopped in their room before going to his own.
"You sure?" Rory asked.
"Yeah, Jess is already going to be surprised to see you and Tristan, why overwhelm him with all four of us at once," Riley said.
"You just want to be alone to have sex with your girlfriend," Tristan said.
"Maybe so, but what I said about Jess is true," Riley said.
"You're right. Okay, well I'll let him know you're here so he's not surprised tomorrow," Rory said, "We'll see you later."
"Okay, are we all getting dinner together tonight or should I just order room service for me and Steph?" Riley asked.
"I'd say just order room service. Depending on what he's got going on we might eat with Jess," Rory said.
"Alright. See you guys later," Riley said.
"Bye, Ry," Rory said.
"Later," Tristan said, "You ready?"
"Yep, let's go," Rory said as they walked hand in hand to the elevator.
"Is this the place?" Tristan asked when they stopped at the address that was on the invitation Rory had received.
"Looks like it," Rory said as they got out of the car.
"The bookstore hours are over, Mar, they're closed," Tristan said.
"Yeah, but they also live here, so if the door is locked, they should still hear the bell," Rory said as she tried the door and found it locked before pushing the button to ring the bell.
"If you're shopping for a book we open at nine tomorrow," Chris said when he opened the door for Rory and Tristan.
"We're not looking for a book," Rory said, "We're friends of Jess'. We came for the open house, but he doesn't know it and I wanted to surprise him. Could you maybe tell him he has visitors?"
"Are you Rory?" Chris asked.
"I am," she said.
"Pleasure to meet you," he said, holding out his hand to her to shake, "Have a seat. I'll go get Jess."
"Thank you," Tristan said as he joined Rory on the couch that Chris has indicated for them to sit on.
"Who in the world could possibly be here to see me, Chris? Are you sure they aren't after money or something?" Jess questioned as Chris forced him down the stairs.
"No worries there. Us trust fund kids have plenty of money," Rory said when he came into view.
"Rory! What - what are you doing here?"
"You invited me, remember?"
"I know, I do, but you never said...I didn't think you were coming."
"Not come, Jess. I told you when you first said they were going to publish your book that I wanted to see the place and now that it's published and in stores, something I still haven't seen by the way, I had to see the place where it got published and meet the people who saw in you what I've always seen."
"Well, thanks. I'm glad you're here, Rory. You too, Tristan. No Riley?"
"He's at the hotel with Stephanie."
"Hotel? How long are you staying?"
"We're here until Tuesday. It's spring break."
"I'm sure you guys have plans and things you want to do together, but any chance some of that time could be spent with me?"
"Definitely. You've been saying for months that you have places you want me to see if I ever came."
"Perfect. Tomorrow's busy with the open house, but how about we start with breakfast Sunday morning?" Jess asked.
"I'm guessing you know a place with good coffee," Rory said.
"Yes, and really good food," he said.
"Excellent. Okay, well we don't want to keep you anymore if you have things to do to get ready for tomorrow," Rory said.
"Actually, tomorrow's pretty much set. Just a few last minute things to do in the morning, so if you're hungry I know a place you'll love," Jess said.
"Both of us or is this the kind of place only a Gilmore stomach could handle?" Tristan asked.
"Don't worry. I would never suggest a place only a Gilmore could handle," Jess said.
After grabbing his coat, Jess joined Tristan and Rory in the car and directed them to a place he liked going to that in addition to pretty good food also had live music every night. They quickly arrived at MilkBoy Philadelphia where the three all enjoyed a burger and fries, shared a batch of pork belly nachos and enjoyed the sounds of the local band that was performing that night.
Saturday morning after having breakfast at the hotel, Rory, Riley, Tristan, and Stephanie went to Truncheon for the open house. Rory and Riley were anxious to get their hands on all the books while Tristan and Stephanie were looking forward to seeing the artwork they had on display.
"So this is Truncheon," Stephanie said when they walked in.
"Yeah, we didn't see much when we were here yesterday, but there was one painting that caught my eye that I want to show you," Tristan told her.
"Great, it's not like they'll notice us in five minutes anyway so lead the way," Stephanie said.
"Where should we start?" Rory asked as she and Riley eyed the shelves of books in front of them.
"You could start by saying 'hello' to the guy who invited," Jess said as he came up behind them.
"Hey, Jess. It's good to see you," Riley said, shaking his hand.
"You, too. Did you two come alone?" Jess asked.
"No, with Tristan studying to be an architect and doing some drawing for fun," Rory said.
"And Steph being an art history major," Riley added, "They went right to the paintings."
"Plus they knew the two of you would forget they existed once you started flipping through the books," Jess said.
After a couple of hours of looking through book after book, Rory and Riley joined Tristan and Stephanie as they awaited Jess' reading of an excerpt from his book. After mingling with the crowd and the media in attendance, Jess and his business partners Matt, whom they met when they arrived that morning and Chris spoke to the crowd, welcoming and thanking them for coming to Truncheon.
Sunday morning Jess met everyone at the hotel and the five of them went to Sabrina's Cafe, a local place Jess went to occasionally. The coffee was good and the food was amazing. Jess knew that Rory and Riley would love both the coffee and pancakes, especially with the topping options of chocolate chips and marshmallows.
"These pancakes are amazing," Rory said as she took another bite from her stack that in addition to the powdered sugar and cinnamon they came with had been adorned with marshmallows, m&m's, and peanut butter chips.
"Enjoy it while you're here," Riley told her, "Because there is no way Luke would ever make them for you like that."
"He would if the right moment came along and I pouted just enough," Rory said.
"A moment like what?" Tristan asked.
"He made me these crazy extra chocolaty pancakes with whipped cream and strawberries the first time Dean broke up with me," Rory said.
"Well then I guess you're never going to have them then because I don't ever plan on breaking up with you," Tristan said before giving her a kiss.
"I'm good without the pancakes," Rory said, returning his kiss, "As long as I've got you."
"Aww, you guys are too sweet," Stephanie said.
"More like nauseating," Riley said.
"Ditto," Jess said.
"So, what else do you have planned for us today, Dodger," Rory said.
"Haven't heard that one in awhile," Jess said, "Well, a couple of blocks from here is Molly's Books & Records. It's this pretty cool used book and music store. It's small, but you can find a lot of great things if you look."
"Sounds good, but they carry used books. I want to see a store that carries new books, like yours for instance and Truncheon doesn't count," Rory said.
"Don't worry. I'll show you my book in a store, but Molly's is close and I know you'll love it so we'll hit there first and then I'll take you to see my book, deal," Jess said.
"Fine, deal," Rory said, "So, who's all coming to the bookstore?"
"I'm in, for sure," Riley said, "Tris? Steph?"
"I'll check it out," Tristan said, "And then when Stephanie and I get bored watching you look at books we'll walk around a bit."
"Works for me," Stephanie said.
"Great so we'll pay and then we'll go," Riley said.
After spending a couple of hours at Molly's, Jess took them to the Joseph Fox Bookshop so Rory could see his book in a store that wasn't Truncheon. Rory had to ask if he was serious when he told her the name of the store. She couldn't believe there really was a Fox books and a Joe Fox one at that. They had to beg her not to walk around the store chanting F-O-X before they went in.
After the bookstores Sunday afternoon they dropped Jess off back at Truncheon before going to The Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre for a performance of Romeo and Juliet. After the show Rory insisted that for dinner they should get a cheese steak from every place possible and conclude for themselves which was the best. On Monday they decided to do the touristy things and visit Independence Hall and the Benjamin Franklin Museum.
"Okay, I love history as much as the next person," Tristan said, "And it's cool and all to see these things, but can we do something fun now, please?"
"This is fun," Rory said.
"It's educational," Tristan said.
"And learning is fun for me," Rory said.
"I know and I love you for it, but I'm bored," Tristan said, "If I wanted to learn about Ben Franklin I'd read a book or watch a movie. I don't need to spend four hours in a museum."
"It has not been four hours, has it?" Riley asked.
"Close to it," Stephanie said, showing him the time on her watch.
"Wow, time flies," Riley said.
"Okay, so we've been here awhile," Rory said, "What would you like to do?"
"I want to go shopping," Stephanie said, "We could use a few new outfits for the weekend."
"More clothes, Steph?" Riley asked.
"A girl can never have too many clothes, Ry," Rory said.
"You know it's a good thing you two aren't roommates. Between all your books and Steph's clothes, there would be no room left for the two of you," Riley said.
"Oh well, we'd be the best-dressed, most well-read girls sleeping on a bench that Yale's ever seen," Stephanie said.
"Exactly," Rory said with a laugh, "now we'll go shopping and you guys go do whatever."
"Alright, we'll see you girls later, I guess," Tristan said, giving Rory a kiss, "I love you."
"Love you, too," Rory said, kissing him again.
"Have fun and try not to put too big a dent into your father's credit card," Riley said.
"Funny. I love you, Riles," Stephanie said before kissing him.
"I love you, too, Steph," he said, kissing her back, "See ya later, Baby Girl."
"Bye, Ry," Rory said, kissing him on the check before joining Stephanie in the car.
While the girls shopped, Tristan and Riley went to Truncheon to hang out with Jess, Matt, and Chris. Jess and Riley got into discussing books while Chris showed Tristan a few more paintings and drawings and even set him up with space to draw something of his own while Matt kept an eye on the store. After the girls came back from shopping the four went out to a movie and dinner before heading to the hotel for the evening.
Tuesday morning, Rory went out for coffee with Jess while Tristan, Riley, and Stephanie got their things packed up and checked out of the hotel. Jess took her to a little diner that he had described as being almost as good as Luke's, but gave her an even bigger surprise when he showed her a few chapters of a second book he had recently begun working on.
"I'm trusting you with this," Jess told her, "No one else has seen these pages and I want your honest opinion, okay?"
"Okay and thank you," Rory said, "I appreciate this Jess. I can't wait to read it."
"Well, don't get too excited until you actually do. You might hate it," he told her.
"I could never hate anything you write, Jess, you've got such a great brain," she said.
"So you keep saying."
"And I mean it."
"Thank you. So, how's everything going back in Stars Hollow?"
"Good, the same. Kirk's still crazy, Taylor's bossy, the usual."
"Your Mom's good? Luke?"
"Yeah, they're good. They're slowly beginning to plan the wedding. It will be at the inn next June and Sookie of course will cook. Mom hasn't nailed down whether she's going to make all the dresses or not, but she has time for that."
"I assume you'll be her maid of honor?"
"Yep and April a bridesmaid and Gigi will be the flower girl."
"Lorelai is including April in the wedding?"
"Yeah, they're still getting to know each other and April isn't calling Luke 'Dad' yet or anything, but by the time the wedding gets here they'll have known each other over a year and she's family."
"True, you know Luke asked me to be his best man, right?"
"I did. You're going to do it, right?"
"I'll be there. I'm looking forward to seeing them get married. They've been waiting a long time to be together. They deserve to be happy."
"And they are. Ecstatically happy."
"What are you reading, Mar?" Tristan asked as they drove back to Connecticut.
"Jess is starting a second book," Rory said, "He gave me the first three chapters to read."
"Is it as good as his first book?"
"Better. Thank you for coming with me."
"Of course, but I've told you before, Rory, I'll go anywhere with you."
"I know, but it can't be easy for you to see me spend time with Jess or hang out with Dean, but you do it."
"Do I wish you didn't get along so well with your ex-boyfriends and that I didn't either, yes. I have no interest in spending any time with Summer or any other girls I went out with at Chilton so the concept is a little weird to me. But, as much I hate to admit it, I think Dean and Jess are pretty cool guys now that I've gotten to know them."
"And you don't get even a little bit jealous when I talk to Jess or hang out with him alone like I did this morning?"
"I guess I do in a way, but not jealous in the sense that I think you'll choose him over me. I'm a little jealous of the bond you guys have."
"What do you mean?"
"When the two of you get together or talk on the phone you get into this zone where it's like no one else is in the room. You get so focused on a book or a band you wouldn't notice if I walked into the room naked. Not even you and Riley have that when you get into your literary debates."
"Okay, I'm pretty sure I would notice if you walked into the room naked while I was talking to Jess or I'm sure someone would if you did that while we were in public together."
"Alright, so maybe you would notice."
"And yeah, Jess and I are close. It's a bond we've had since he first came to Stars Hollow, but there is a really big difference between my friendship with him and my relationship with you."
"What's that?"
"I love you!" she said, reaching a hand over to take one of his off the steering wheel to interlace his fingers with hers.
"I love you, too," Tristan said, raising their intertwined hands to kiss the back of her hand.
Since they already missed one Friday Night Dinner and were going to miss another that week, they all went to the Gilmore's for dinner their first night back in Connecticut. Wednesday was spent hanging around Stars Hollow before a movie night at Lorelai's house and before they went to Martha's Vineyard they stopped in Boston to have lunch with Christopher, Sherry, and Gigi.
"Wow. It's beautiful out here," Rory said as they arrived at the Huntzberger house and she took in the sights and sounds of the beachfront property before her.
"It's even more amazing inside," Tristan told her as he unlocked the door and began his tour of the six bedroom, four and half bath home with hardwood floors and fireplaces in several rooms.
"So you guys want to just hang out and I'll get started on dinner?" Riley asked after they had taken their things to their respective rooms. They had stopped at a store in town for groceries so that Riley, the only Gilmore with any cooking ability would have what he needed to keep them fed for the weekend if they didn't want to go out.
"Do you want any help?" Stephanie asked.
"Sure, while I get the steaks going do you want to make a salad?" Riley asked.
"No problem," Stephanie said as she began to pull the ingredients she would need for the salad and dressing out of the fridge.
"Come on. We'll let them cook and I'll show you my favorite place on the whole property," Tristan told Rory as he took her hand and led her away from the kitchen.
"Where are we going?" Rory asked when he grabbed their coats and led her outside onto the back patio. It was beautiful with the wooden deck table and chair as well as a swing that looked out onto the water and gardens that filled the property.
"When we were kids and I'd come out with Logan and his family he and I would sneak out here late at night. We would either sit here or lay out in the grass and just watch the waves or look at the stars," Tristan said, "It was peaceful. It was a way to escape our fathers lecturing us on one thing or another."
"It's so pretty out here and quiet. I like it," Rory said before kissing him, "Thank you for sharing it with me."
"Anytime. You want to take a walk?" he asked, "It will probably be a little while before dinner is ready."
"Sure, Riley will call us when it's ready," Rory said, taking his hand as he led her down the steps towards the beach to walk along the shore.
Friday morning was spent exploring the island since neither Rory or Riley had even been before and wanted to see as much as they could. They stopped at a bakery for breakfast before going to Bunch of Grapes Bookstore and then Midnight Farm, a shop co-owned by Carly Simon. After lunch at a little cafe called Slice of Life they took a ride on the Flying Horses Carousel before heading back towards the house where they would be joining in on the Martha's Vineyard Film Festival that was showing various films all across the island.
"So what's our plan for today?" Rory asked she poured herself a cup of coffee.
"Well, I'm not sure if you'll be up for it, but I'd kind of like to go horseback riding," Riley said, taking the coffee from her to refill his cup.
"Uh, I don't know. Mom and I tried that once," Rory said as she held the back door open for him to join her outside while they waited for Tristan and Stephanie to wake, "It didn't go so well."
"Yeah, when she got the horses at the inn I believe Mom said something about one dying or something," Riley said.
"Yes, and while I was on it," Rory said.
"Just because it happened once doesn't mean it will happen again," Riley said, "It will be fine, Baby Girl, trust me."
"What will be fine?" Tristan said as he came out with his own cup of coffee and kissing Rory before taking a seat next to her, "Morning Mar, Riley."
"Morning. And I was talking about us going horseback riding," Riley told him, "But Rory's a little hesitant to the idea."
"You don't like horses?" Tristan asked.
"Bad experience," she told him.
"So what, one bad time on a horse and you never want to get on one again?" he asked.
"If you spout 'when you fall off a horse you've got to get back on' I'll slap you," Rory said.
"She went riding with Mom as a kid and the horse she was on kind of expired mid ride," Riley explains.
"Oh, wow. That's a tough one, but like Riley said it will be fine," Tristan told her, "We'll find you a young able-bodied horse that will survive the length of the ride."
"Ride? Are we going riding?" Stephanie asked as she joined them.
"Talking about it," Riley said, "You in?"
"Totally. It's been ages since I've been on a horse," Stephanie said.
"What do you say, Baby Girl?" Riley asked.
"I'll go, but I reserve the right to change my mind when we get there," she said.
In the end Rory joined them and the four of them enjoyed a ride along the coast and through the gardens of the horse ranch they got the horses from before heading back to the house for their last night on Martha's Vineyard. Sunday morning after packing everything up and making sure everything was cleaned up they took one last walk on the beach before stopping for breakfast on their way to the ferry to get back to the mainland for the drive back to Yale.