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The phone rang on Friday night and Rory hesitated before she answered, letting it ring more than once.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me," came her mother's voice and Rory let out a breath of relief and strange disappointment.
"Hi Mom."
"Listen, kiddo, about tomorrow..."
"You're cancelling!" Rory cried, knowing before her mother had said the words. "What happened?"
"Davey, Martha and Ellen are what happened. They got sick on Tuesday and guess who was puking into a bucket all day today?"
"Oh Mom," Rory said, sinking down on the sofa. "That sucks."
A hollow laugh.
"You're telling me."
"I can still come," Rory said bravely. "I can look after you."
"Thanks sweetie, but you're a horrible nurse," said Lorelai honestly and Rory exclaimed,
"Mom! I am not, I'm your daughter!"
"You're my daughter but you're still a rotten nurse. You get freaked out about germs and end up not even coming in the room with a mask on."
"I'll bring a mask but I'll still come in the room."
"Thanks honey, but no. I'd rather spend tomorrow with the cast of Flashdance."
"You're picking a movie over me?"
"It's for both of us," Lorelai said. "And seriously Rory, this is a horrible bug. I don't you spending next week the day I did today. God, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Let's just say I gave Linda Blair a run for her money."
"Thanks for the visual," Rory grimaced, closing her eyes. "I'm sorry, Mom."
"I'm sorry too," Lorelai said sadly. "Are you free next Saturday?"
Rory ran through her calendar in her head and nodded.
"Sure."
"We'll make it then instead?" Lorelai asked hopefully. "I'm so sorry, Rory."
"It's not your fault, Mom. Just concentrate on feeling better. Drink lots of water."
"I will. I promise to disinfect everything as well."
"Thank you," Rory said honestly. "Feel better, Mom."
"I will. Love you."
"Love you more."
Rory hung the phone up and sighed, looking round the apartment. There were some dishes in the sink and halfheartedly she walked over and washed them, trying not to feel bitterly disappointed. Rory had been looking forward to the weekend for so long. Everyone had said that one day she and Lorelai would not be so close, that work and distance would make them drift apart, but they always talked at least twice a week and Rory came home as much as possible. She'd been looking forward the weekend even more since Jess had called and she glanced over at the phone, half expecting it to ring. It didn't.
Rory sat on the sofa, turning on the television and flipped through the channels without watching any of them. Dimly, she wondered how to spend her weekend now that her plans were ruined. She didn't want to go shopping or see a movie or see any of her work friends who, whilst wonderful people, never seemed to talk about anything besides their job despite their best intentions – even on days where they vowed to talk about anything else work crept back in. Paris would be busy, she was always busy and Rory thought back to high school days and how much she missed Stars Hollow at times before sitting up, wondering why she hadn't thought of it before. Excitedly she dialled some numbers.
"Hello?" came a hushed voice and Rory frowned.
"Lane, is that you?"
"Rory?"
"Why are you whispering?"
"It's after eight, the kids are in bed."
"Of course," Rory said and she smiled, remembering how Mrs Kim would never allow calls after nine.
"What's up?"
"Well," Rory said, going and sitting back down. "I was thinking about how long it was since we've had a proper day together. I was meant to see Mom on Saturday but she's sick and I thought maybe we could hang out – get Zach to take the kids and we'll go and have a girly day like old times."
"That'd be nice," Lane said and Rory sensed a but.
"What is it? We can bring the kids along if Zach's busy."
"We're going to Zach's parents'," Lane said apologetically. "I'm really sorry, Rory. I wish I could do that instead, believe me, but it's been arranged for weeks."
"That's okay," Rory said miserably. "It's short notice. We can do it some other time."
"Sure. What's new in your life, anyway? I feel like we haven't talked in forever."
"Not too much," Rory said, tucking her knees up. "Busy with work like always. Jess called."
"What?" Lane asked. "Jess Mariano?"
"What other Jess do I know?"
"And you choose to tell me that last?" Lane shrieked, sounding like a teenager. "Seriously, Rory! What did he say?"
"Um..."
"Um, what?"
"We sort of had a fight."
There was a pause and then Lane sighed down the line.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"I feel so stupid," Rory said, wishing Lane was really there. "It was like I was a teenager again. One moment we were doing the awkward catching up thing and the next he's telling me I was wasting time with Logan and I'm telling him he's Holden Caulfield."
Rory heard Lane laugh.
"Lane!"
"I'm sorry, but that's the best comparison ever. Have you spoken since?"
"Not really. He left a message on my machine saying he was sorry and we should go for coffee."
"What did you say?"
"I didn't. I haven't called back."
"Rory Gilmore, Jess left a message on your machine and you've ignored it? When did he call?"
"Two days ago."
"Rory!"
"What?" Rory cried. "Why should I have to call back? Why should I talk to him?"
"You don't have to but you should. Aren't you curious?"
"A little," Rory admitted and Lane was smug.
"So go see him."
"Are you serious?"
"Rory, it's just coffee. You don't have to see him again if you don't have to."
"Lane Kim, you brazen woman," Rory teased. "Who would have thought that there was a time when you had a code for when you called boys?"
"At least I called them," Lane shot back. "Do it, Rory, at least so you can pass on gossip to me. I'm dying here."
"Nothing exciting in Stars Hollow?"
"Kirk bought a parrot last week and it pecked him everywhere, if you don't count the daily excitement of chasing three very small people everywhere who haven't all mastered their bladder yet."
"Ew." Rory wrinkled her nose.
"Being a mom makes you immune to anything ew," Lane remarked. "Oh, I have to go, Steve's calling me."
"Okay," Rory said. "I'm not promising anything, okay?"
"Sure," teased Lane. "Steve, leave your sister alone!"
"Bye," Rory said and hung up. She stared at the phone for a moment, missing her friend. Adulthood sucked at times.
Rory switched the television back on, watched a few minutes of inane commercials and then switched it off again. She found the piece of paper with Jess's number on it and dialled it before she could change her mind, heart pounding and half hoping he wouldn't pick up.
"Hello?"
Jess's voice, sounding deep and slightly sleepy came through the line and Rory stuttered,
"Hi. Its Rory."
"Hey, Rory," Jess said, sounding more awake. "I didn't think you were going to call back."
"Well, I am."
"Evidently."
There was an awkward pause and Rory asked,
"What are you up to right now?"
"Right now I am working on a bitch of a chapter," Jess sighed. "I took a shower to try and clear my head but it didn't work. I'm just cold."
"Right," Rory said, imagining him in a towel and feeling her cheeks go red. She was glad he wasn't in the room.
"What are you up to?" Jess asked and Rory came back to earth.
"Not much. I spoke to Lane just before."
"How is she?"
"Good – she's got three kids."
"I can't imagine that."
"I can't believe it sometimes," Rory admitted. "She's a great mom though."
"I'm sure she is."
There was another awkward pause and Rory could sense the conversation dying, Jess ready to make a polite farewell and she hastily said,
"Mom's sick."
"What? Badly?"
"Oh – no, just a bug. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay," Jess said, sounding a little confused. "I hope she gets better."
"I was meant to see her this weekend," Rory said, knowing she was explaining horribly. "But now I can't, so..."
"So...?"
"So do you want to go for coffee?" Rory asked in a rush. "I know it's rude to ask this late and all –"
Jess laughed in a friendly way.
"I'd love to."
"Sure?"
"It was my idea in the first place and hey, you don't have to apologise for asking last minute. I sucked at making plans, remember?"
"I remember," Rory said softly.
"Coffee at Seventh Avenue?" Jess asked and Rory frowned.
"There's no coffee place there."
"There is, it's tucked right by the subway," Jess told her. "It's hidden."
"Can I meet you by the subway then?"
He laughed again.
"Of course. How does three sound?"
"Perfect."
"Well...it's a date."
"A date," Rory agreed. "A date for the diary," she added hastily and he said,
"Right. I'll see you then."
"Bye," Rory said, mortified, and hung up. What was wrong with her – a date for the diary? What was she, sixteen?
"Great going, Gilmore," she mumbled to herself and went back to the television, this time grateful for its banality.