A/N: I'm updating this a day sooner than usual because I have about a million things to do in the next 2 days and well, better early than late right? And since it's my birthday on Friday, I'm asking for reviews as presents. Be nice :). I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Hemingway

As soon as they reached Jess' room, she put the cups on the nightstand and sat down, waiting for Jess who was behind her, carrying her bag. Dropping it on the floor, he sat down on the bed.

"If you want to unpack, I can empty a drawer for you."

"I'm only here until Sunday afternoon, it seems silly to unpack. But thank you anyway."

"Ok."

"I wanted to stay more but I can only get one day off this close to the elections."

"And you decided to waste it by coming here? You could have just waited for your birthday and asked me to come to Stars Hollow. Much better plan."

Crawling closer to him on the bed, she cupped his face in her hand, smiling. "Time spent with you? Never a waste. And I wanted to be here for this." She ran her fingers through his hair, leaning in and kissing him. "Plus, mom is already planning a birthday plus one month birthday party, so I wouldn't want to ruin her plans."

"I still say you should have waited."

"I still say you're stubborn in that case." She stuck out her tongue, laughing. "Oh, and speaking of birthdays, presents! I have presents!" She giggled, jumping out of the bed and making him shake his head and laugh.

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"It's your birthday, that's the rule. Birthdays are just not the same without presents." She unzipped her bag, looking at him and started digging through it. "Also, it's nothing big, so don't get too excited."

"Oh, I'll try not to." He deadpanned as she stood up, holding two neatly wrapped packages in her hands.

"Which one do you want to start with?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Pick one." She tried to pout, her happy smile still on her lips.

"Fine, that one." Jess pointed to the smaller one. Handing it to him, she sat back next to him, waiting for him to open it, trying not to laugh and give anything away. Throwing away the last layer of paper, he started laughing when he saw a nightlight shaped like a book.

"Just something to keep you safe from monsters when I'm not here." She smiled at him, resting her chin on his shoulder and kissing his cheek quickly.

"You're crazy."

"Probably." Rory laughed, kissing his cheek again, then shoved the other package in his hands. "Now open this one. This is the more serious one."

"So what would you have done if I had wanted to open this one first?"

"Pouted until you agreed that it was a better idea to do it the other way around?"

"Why did you give me a choice then?"

"Seemed like the right thing to do." Putting the package down next to him for a second, Jess cupped her face in his hand, kissing her softly.

"I missed your craziness." He whispered softly, making her smile grow bigger and she placed a quick kiss on his palm, then another one on his lips.

"Open your present."

"Fine." He grumbled, picking up the other package and starting to unwrap it, finding a copy of A Farewell to Arms inside it. Picking it up, he looked back at Rory, a smirk on his lips.

"You know I already own this."

"Open it." She pointed to the book and he did as instructed, leafing through the pages only to find her notes on every one of them.

"So do these say "Kill me now, this man is so unbelievably boring, only idiots could like this"?"

"Some of them do." She nodded, kissing his shoulder. Reaching the last page, he chuckled when he saw that she had written the exact thing he had written at the end of The Fountainhead.

"No chance this has changed your opinion?"

"No. But at least now you can't claim that I didn't try. And I remembered that I had to read another one of his painful books in college. So you see, now I've read two of his books."

"Oh, wow, impressive." He smirked, pulling her closer to him and looked at her, then leaned in and kissed her neck. "She looked fresh and young and very beautiful. I thought I had never seen anyone so beautiful." He whispered in her ear, making her smile.

"Do you have the whole book memorized?"

"Most of it." He admitted, getting another smile out of her.

"Crazy man with nothing better to do."

"Well, you're far away. What else am I supposed to do but read?"

"Work. Write. Go out. Watch TV. Anything but reread one of these books again."

"Isn't TV supposed to rot your brain? Want me to turn into an idiot?" He chuckled.

"Well, I could argue that Hemingway can have the same effect." Rory stuck out her tongue, making a face. "And even if you turn into an idiot, it would be ok, as long as you're still my idiot."

"Someone's feeling possessive again."

"Someone missed you." She straddled him, cupping his face in her hands and smiled. "And the same someone loves you."

"Love you too." He whispered against her mouth, putting his hands on her hips and looking at her. "We're going to have a strange life."

She ran her fingers through his hair, placing a series of small kisses on his lips. "Stop quoting that book."

"What if I make it more interesting?" He smirked, his thumbs slipping under her shirt again.

"Like?"

Jess leaned in, kissing her neck, then whispered in her ear. "Like this: "I wish we could do something really sinful."."

Later that night, all four of them were in a bar, drinking and talking.

"Ok, since we didn't get any dirt last time, we need some now." Matt announced. "Rory, what was teenage Jess like?"

"What makes you think she's going to answer that now?" Jess asked, picking up his beer and drinking from it.

"Well, it's your birthday. This is when we're supposed to reminisce about the good years we've had together."

"Can we please stop mentioning that it's my birthday?"

"No." Matt shot him down quickly, focusing his attention back on Rory. "So? What can you tell us?"

"He was…pretty much the same. Only with a leather jacket. And an attitude."

"The attitude he still has."

"Actually, I think I still have the jacket as well somewhere."

"Really?" Rory looked at him and he ran his hand over her leg.

"Yeah."

"Oh, she likes the sound of that." Chris chimed in, making Rory blush again.

"Role-playing? Or just prop?" Matt looked at him and Jess quickly focused his attention back on them, glaring.

"You really don't want to still be alive tomorrow, do you?"

"Sorry." Matt smiled, lifting his hands in the air and Chris nodded. "Yes, we're sorry. He deserves our crap. You don't."

"Solidarity is dead." Jess deadpanned, trying not to smirk.

"That's because she's nice and you're a jerk." Matt laughed. "Ok, anything else you can tell us now?"

"I don't know. What do you want to know?" She smiled, looking at them and Jess shook his head.

"You just gave them a free for all pass. Which I am going to regret."

Putting her hand over his, under the table, she squeezed it quickly. "Don't worry, you can stop me at any time."

"No, no, no. Doesn't work that way. You asked, we get to pick your brains about anything we want."

"Matt, what is with your fascination with my life? Do you have a crush on me?" Jess smirked, drinking from his bottle.

"I cannot answer that while Rory is here. It would break her heart if she knew of our feelings."

"It's ok." Rory smiled at Matt. "I'd never stand in the way of true love."

"Why are you not on my side?" Jess chuckled, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him on the wooden bench.

"Because." She stuck out her tongue, then kissed his cheek quickly. "Go on, ask away."

Leaning in closer to her ear, Jess whispered for only her to hear. "You'll pay."

"So, were you two all lovey-dovey in high school? He's told us the story, but I don't trust him." Matt asked, looking at Rory. "Feed each other, him picking you up from school, holding hands?"

"No. Really, really no."

"So the whole ex-boyfriend story is true?"

"Idiot ex-boyfriend. Let's stick to the correct name." Jess chimed in the conversation, smirking. "And yes, it is true. She can confirm."

Rory nodded, kissing his cheek.

"And no chance we can get the swan story now, is there?"

"Can't. Told you, come to Stars Hollow. Mom will be more than happy to give you a play-by–play of his teenage years and the swan story. And I doubt he can convince her not to tell you."

"I'll get started on organizing a Truncheon expedition." Chris laughed, picking up his bottle again.

"I'm sorry, you can ask everything and that's what all you ask? Really?" Jess asked incredulously.

"Hey, you'd tell me everything that's going to make you look good. I want to hear about cheesy, sweet Jess."

"Then you're focusing on the bad period, because high school? Not warm and fuzzy."

"I'm sure it wasn't all that bad. Rory?"

"He was nice if he wanted to be."

"Like?" Chris finally joined their conversation again.

"I'm afraid that if I give examples, he'll get mad."

"Aw, that's cheating." Matt sighed.

"Sorry, I have to be on his side. I don't want to be kicked to the couch tonight." She smiled, kissing Jess' shoulder.

"I'd get mad, but you two are just too cute together for that to happen." Matt laughed, making Jess pick up a piece of paper, make it into a ball and throw it at his head.

"Jerk." Matt shot back after dodging the ball. "Anything you want to know, Rory? Because after that one, it's a free for all."

"I'll just ask him if I want to know something."

"And he'll tell you?"

"Yes." Jess nodded. "I'd rather you hear it from me than them." He rubbed her arm slowly and she kissed his shoulder again.

"Ok, now that's just adorable."

"I'll kill him." Jess placed a small kiss on Rory's head, rubbing her arm again.

Later that night, Rory and Jess were back in his room. Looking at him, Rory bit her lip, running her fingers through his hair.

"Jess…?"

"Hm?"

"You'd really tell me something if I asked you?"

"Probably. Why? What do you want to know?"

Moving closer to him, she rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around him.

"It's kind of stupid and unimportant but it's been bugging me tonight."

"Just ask, ok? I learned how to say no a time ago, if I don't want to answer."

"And you won't get mad at me?" She kissed his chest, waiting for his answer.

"Why would I get mad?"

"Because it's really personal."

"Ror, you already know about my childhood, which is more than anyone else does. Trust me, there's nothing more personal than that."

"Ok." She nodded and he put his arm around her, rubbing her arm. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him, pulling a bit away. "Were you…did you ever love someone else?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really, I just want to know."

"And if I said yes, you'd want to know about it?"

"I don't know." She moved up on the pillow next to his, looking at him. "Is it yes?"

"No."

"No?"

"No." He shook his head, leaning in and kissing her.

"And it's not just no because you wouldn't want to answer more questions about that so you're just going to go for the easy answer to make me stop prying?"

"No. It's no because…that's what it is. There have been other women, and some lasted for more than a night, or a week or whatever, but none of them mattered."

"You know it would be ok if it was yes."

"I know." He nodded, intertwining their fingers together over the blanket. "But it's not."

"Follow up?"She smiled and he nodded again.

"Yes. Although I have a feeling I will regret it."

"Probably not."

"Ok. Ask."

"Did you ever care about another woman?"

"Not really. I wasn't kidding when I said they didn't matter. I'm not trying to make you feel good or anything. Just never worked out that way."

"Not even with the ones that lasted for more than a week?"

"Well, I am in bed with you right now so that would indicate that no, not even with them."

"Why?"

"Got bored, I guess. None of them had read The Fountainhead 5 times or knew who Ginsberg was." He smirked, dropping his hand under the blanket and pulling her closer to him.

"Ginsberg…that's a beer, right?" Rory grinned, looking at him and leaned in, kissing him. "I'm happy they didn't last. Now I get to have you."

"Yes, what an amazing prize you get." He snorted, and she ran her fingers through his hair again, smiling softly in the dim light.

"Your sarcasm is very unattractive sometimes but I'm glad we agree. You are amazing." She whispered against his mouth, kissing him.

"You only still think that because we barely see each other. Give me a few months after we move in together, you'll realize just how annoying I can actually be." Jess smirked, running his hand over her skin.

"I know how annoying you can be. I still can't wait to see you more. I'm tired of missing you all the time."

"Weren't you the one that was worried earlier about us ending up hating each other if we actually got to live together?"

"Changed my mind. Now I can't wait. And hey, you may be the one that realizes how annoying I can be and breaks up with me."

"Nope." He mumbled, kissing her palm and making her smile. "You're not annoying."

"I don't cook."

"I already know that."

"I clean the house too much."

"I'm sorry, that's supposed to be annoying? I have a feeling it will be the other way around because I never clean. Kind of obvious if you look around you."

"Am I going to be allowed to clean?"

"If you want to. And as long as it doesn't involve me doing anything."

"Then not annoying either."

"Really?"

"I like cleaning. It calms me down."

"I know other things that calm you down." Jess whispered in her ear, grinning and she blushed.

"You like embarrassing me?"

"I like the fact that you can still be embarrassed, even though you're naked next to me."

She blushed again, looking away from him. "You're a jerk sometimes."

"You're incredible all the time." Rory looked back at him as he finished his sentence and smiled.

"You make me happy."

"You make me feel." He admitted, looking into her eyes and she just crushed her mouth to his, smiling through the kiss.

"You're the only one I can imagine spending my life with."

"Even when I'm a jerk?"

"I'm not that perfect either."

"Different perspectives. You're pretty damn close to perfect to me." He admitted again.

"I love you." She kissed him, pushing him until he was lying on his back again and moving to lie almost on top of him. "More than I ever knew I could love anyone. Differently."

Cupping her face in his hand, he returned her smile, kissing her again."I love that you're finally mine."

"Next you're going to admit you've been pining for me all this time."

"I haven't been pining." He smirked, moving his hand to the back of her neck. "I just have standards when it comes to relationships."

"I'm sorry, that line would only work if I didn't know you dated Shane."

"Who?"

"High school? Blonde? You seemed to be very happy to be attached to her at all times."

"That's 'cause I couldn't be attached to you." Jess lifted his other hand, putting it around her waist, smirking. "And you were jealous of her."

"She was an idiot."

"That's not a denial. And really, tell me about it. Have you ever tried having a conversation with an empty pot of coffee? That would have been more fascinating."

"So is she the most annoying girl you've ever dated?"

"What's with this fascination you seem to have tonight for my love life?" He pulled her in for a kiss."And no."

"I'm not sure. I just want to know. So who was the most annoying?"

"Right now, you may be going to the top of the list." He chuckled, keeping his arms around her as she tried to escape, annoyed.

"Let me go." She struggled but he still held her tightly until she calmed down, then kissed her.

"I don't know who the most annoying one was. There was this girl who used to make this really grating, high-pitched squealing sound when we…"

"Shut up!" Rory stopped him, trying very hard to stay angry and not burst out laughing. "You are a jerk."

"What? I'm just answering your question."

"You're not allowed to talk or think about other women like that when we're in bed."

"Why?"

Smiling, she leaned closer, kissing the spot below his ear before whispering. "I don't want anybody else to touch you. I'm silly. I get furious if they touch you." Lifting her head again, she looked at him and he attacked her mouth, his hand moving again to the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry, you're going to have to move. I have to go get another blanket." He chuckled when she pulled back.

"Why? You cold?"

"No. But you just quoted Hemingway so hell is going to freeze over in about five minutes and we night need it."

Laughing softly, she started trailing kisses along his jaw and chest, then lifted her head up again to kiss his mouth.

"I still say he's a bore, but that quote seemed to fit."

"The fact that you remembered it gives me hope."

"Don't fool yourself. A few good sentences don't make a book good. And that was the last time I am ever going near one of his books."

"I suppose that's fair." He smirked, flipping them over and kissing her neck. "But just for the record, I believe it's unfair that you get mad at me for thinking of other women when you're the one that started this conversation."

"And now watch me the one that ends it." She smiled and he lifted his head, looking at her.

"Really? How?"

"Like this." She whispered, lowering her arms to circle his waist and crushing her mouth to his.