Rory perused the row of books in the Literature section of the local
bookstore. She knew she had to get going. She already had twelve books,
still hadn't packed, and her bus was leaving for Washington in two hours.
Maybe just ten more minutes, she thought to herself.
Rory paused for a second to remember the last book on her mental checklist. She hit herself in the head several times, trying to jog her memory. And then she remembered! She needed to get Seymour, an Introduction by JD Salinger. Rory ran towards the "S" row, a look of satisfaction on her face for remembering. But when she got there, the book was nowhere to be found. They had Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey, and Nice Stories, but no Seymour, an Introduction. Rory went up to the cashier's desk and asked the clerk if they had it in back.
"I'm sorry, miss. That young man out there just bought the last copy."
Rory looked out the window to where the clerk was pointing, only to see Jess walking away with the book in his hand. Rory thanked the clerk, paid for her books, and left out the back exit. She didn't feel like running into Jess at this particular moment.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory stood at the closet trying to figure out what to pack. She really just wanted to sneak into her mom's closet and steal a couple of her tops. Rory poked her head out the door and looked into the kitchen. Her mom was still sitting at the table, eating leftover Chinese for breakfast. Oh well. Rory would just have to wait until Lorelai went into the living room before she could sneak upstairs.
Rory lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened at the bookstore. The fact that they had both wanted the same book kept running through her mind. It felt like a secret bond. They had both been thinking about the same thing at the same time, and that connected them somehow. She thought back to the time when she and Dean had gone to the book sale and how bored he had been. Rory got up, walked out the door, and began to run towards Luke's.
Rory reached the diner in five minutes flat, panting loudly.
"Luke, is Jess here?" she asked without even saying hello.
"Oh sorry Rory, he's not. I don't know where he is."
"Oh, okay."
Luke looked at his watch. "Isn't your bus leaving in twenty minutes?"
"Oh my God!" Rory thought. She had been so wrapped up in wanting to apologize to Jess, that she had completely forgotten. She ran out the door and back towards the house, without so much as a goodbye to Luke.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Nearly two hours later, Jess sauntered back into the diner, reading Seymour, an Introduction. For the tenth time, he thought about just reading Franny and Zooey for the tenth time instead.
"Jess, where've you been?" Luke asked from behind the counter.
"Out," Jess responded without looking up from his book.
"Rory was in here looking for you earlier."
"Really," Jess said, finally looking up from his book. Maybe she wanted to apologize for her outburst yesterday. She was probably just upset and didn't really mean what she had said. Jess turned around and headed towards the Gilmore's house.
When he finally got there, Jess took the porch steps two at a time and rang the doorbell. Lorelai answered the door. Great, he thought.
"Is Rory home?"
"She left two hours ago for Washington DC. She'll be gone for six weeks."
"Oh." Jess felt disappointment setting in. Six weeks without Rory? What would Jess do for six weeks in Star's Hollow? He turned around to leave, but Lorelai stopped him.
"Look, Jess, just leave it alone okay. I know you think now that Dean broke up with her. . .that now. . .you know. She still loves Dean, okay. So leave it alone."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jess said as he walked away. But of course, he did. It was exactly what Jess had feared.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory sighed. Three weeks in this Washington humidity, and she was about ready to kill herself. Or maybe Paris.
"Earth to Rory," Paris said.
"What?"
"Were you listening to anything I said?"
"Yeah, yeah of course. I'm gonna get another iced coffee. You want anything?"
"No, I'm fine."
Rory got up from the table at the Starbucks inside the Georgetown bookstore. As she walked up to the counter, a flash of black hair in the corner of her eye distracted her. She lost her concentration and banged into a bookshelf. When she looked up at what she had hit, what should she see in front of her but a copy of Seymour, an Introduction. Her mind wandered back to that day in the bookstore, and then further back to the kiss. Rory's eyelids became heavy and closed as she thought of it. But then she snapped back to attention suddenly, shook away the memory, and took the book off the shelf to purchase.
When she got to the Starbucks counter, the spiky black-haired clerk had his back to her.
"Excuse me," Rory said politely. The clerk turned around, and who should it be but Jess!
"Jess! What are you doing here?" Rory cried.
"Excuse me? I think you have me mistaken for someone else."
And suddenly Rory realized she had. The clerk was not Jess. She had just been imagining things. Rory walked away from the counter, forgetting to order her iced coffee. She knew what she had to do. As soon as she got back to Star's Hollow, she had to tell Jess she loved him.
Next time: Dean and Jess take their anger out on each other, with surprising results that could just make things even more complicated.
Rory paused for a second to remember the last book on her mental checklist. She hit herself in the head several times, trying to jog her memory. And then she remembered! She needed to get Seymour, an Introduction by JD Salinger. Rory ran towards the "S" row, a look of satisfaction on her face for remembering. But when she got there, the book was nowhere to be found. They had Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey, and Nice Stories, but no Seymour, an Introduction. Rory went up to the cashier's desk and asked the clerk if they had it in back.
"I'm sorry, miss. That young man out there just bought the last copy."
Rory looked out the window to where the clerk was pointing, only to see Jess walking away with the book in his hand. Rory thanked the clerk, paid for her books, and left out the back exit. She didn't feel like running into Jess at this particular moment.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory stood at the closet trying to figure out what to pack. She really just wanted to sneak into her mom's closet and steal a couple of her tops. Rory poked her head out the door and looked into the kitchen. Her mom was still sitting at the table, eating leftover Chinese for breakfast. Oh well. Rory would just have to wait until Lorelai went into the living room before she could sneak upstairs.
Rory lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened at the bookstore. The fact that they had both wanted the same book kept running through her mind. It felt like a secret bond. They had both been thinking about the same thing at the same time, and that connected them somehow. She thought back to the time when she and Dean had gone to the book sale and how bored he had been. Rory got up, walked out the door, and began to run towards Luke's.
Rory reached the diner in five minutes flat, panting loudly.
"Luke, is Jess here?" she asked without even saying hello.
"Oh sorry Rory, he's not. I don't know where he is."
"Oh, okay."
Luke looked at his watch. "Isn't your bus leaving in twenty minutes?"
"Oh my God!" Rory thought. She had been so wrapped up in wanting to apologize to Jess, that she had completely forgotten. She ran out the door and back towards the house, without so much as a goodbye to Luke.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Nearly two hours later, Jess sauntered back into the diner, reading Seymour, an Introduction. For the tenth time, he thought about just reading Franny and Zooey for the tenth time instead.
"Jess, where've you been?" Luke asked from behind the counter.
"Out," Jess responded without looking up from his book.
"Rory was in here looking for you earlier."
"Really," Jess said, finally looking up from his book. Maybe she wanted to apologize for her outburst yesterday. She was probably just upset and didn't really mean what she had said. Jess turned around and headed towards the Gilmore's house.
When he finally got there, Jess took the porch steps two at a time and rang the doorbell. Lorelai answered the door. Great, he thought.
"Is Rory home?"
"She left two hours ago for Washington DC. She'll be gone for six weeks."
"Oh." Jess felt disappointment setting in. Six weeks without Rory? What would Jess do for six weeks in Star's Hollow? He turned around to leave, but Lorelai stopped him.
"Look, Jess, just leave it alone okay. I know you think now that Dean broke up with her. . .that now. . .you know. She still loves Dean, okay. So leave it alone."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jess said as he walked away. But of course, he did. It was exactly what Jess had feared.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory sighed. Three weeks in this Washington humidity, and she was about ready to kill herself. Or maybe Paris.
"Earth to Rory," Paris said.
"What?"
"Were you listening to anything I said?"
"Yeah, yeah of course. I'm gonna get another iced coffee. You want anything?"
"No, I'm fine."
Rory got up from the table at the Starbucks inside the Georgetown bookstore. As she walked up to the counter, a flash of black hair in the corner of her eye distracted her. She lost her concentration and banged into a bookshelf. When she looked up at what she had hit, what should she see in front of her but a copy of Seymour, an Introduction. Her mind wandered back to that day in the bookstore, and then further back to the kiss. Rory's eyelids became heavy and closed as she thought of it. But then she snapped back to attention suddenly, shook away the memory, and took the book off the shelf to purchase.
When she got to the Starbucks counter, the spiky black-haired clerk had his back to her.
"Excuse me," Rory said politely. The clerk turned around, and who should it be but Jess!
"Jess! What are you doing here?" Rory cried.
"Excuse me? I think you have me mistaken for someone else."
And suddenly Rory realized she had. The clerk was not Jess. She had just been imagining things. Rory walked away from the counter, forgetting to order her iced coffee. She knew what she had to do. As soon as she got back to Star's Hollow, she had to tell Jess she loved him.
Next time: Dean and Jess take their anger out on each other, with surprising results that could just make things even more complicated.