Author's Notes: Sorry this is so short. I just wanted to get it up as soon
as possible. By the way, don't worry! There will be two more chapters and
THERE WILL BE A HAPPY ENDING.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. Today was the day. She would finally tell Jess how she felt about him. She leaped out of bed, and danced into the kitchen.
"Good morning!" she said to her mom.
"Well someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning," Lorelai said in an exaggeratedly chipper tone. "Get dressed, we're going to Luke's."
Exactly what Rory had wanted to hear. She raced back into her room and began to throw on a t-shirt and crummy old pair of jeans. But then she stopped herself. Did she really want to tell Jess how she felt looking like that? Maybe she'd wear that lacy tank top she stole from her mom and those new tight jeans. No, this was stupid, she thought. She wasn't this kind of girl. She didn't want Jess to like her because of that; she wanted him to like her for who she was. She put on the plain t-shirt, but decided to wear the new tight jeans with it. It couldn't hurt.
When she entered the diner, Rory had a hard time not smiling. She wanted to remain as casual as possible. She would act as if it were any other day when Jess brought the coffee. She'd make eye contact and smile, but not say anything. Then she would pull him aside when they were done with breakfast, and tell him.
But things didn't quite go according to plan. It took ten minutes of Lorelai chanting "coffee, coffee, coffee" for Jess to finally look up from his book and bring over the pot. And then, when Rory tried to make eye contact and smile, he wouldn't even look in her general direction. Something was clearly wrong. She decided to pull him aside after breakfast anyway. But just as Rory and Lorelai got up from the table to leave, Jess practically ran out of the diner. Rory soon caught up with him.
"Jess, can I talk to you?" she asked from a couple feet behind him.
"Not now, Rory," he replied without even looking at her.
"Jess, come on. This is important." He didn't respond. Rory caught up to him and pulled him around to face her. He would have to say something now.
"Jess, are you mad at me?"
"No, Rory. Why would you think that?" he said in a clearly sarcastic tone.
"Jess, come on. I can't apologize for whatever I did if you don't tell me what I did."
"You're just. . .not the person I thought you were." And with that, he began to walk away. But Rory wasn't going to let him off that easy. She chased after him, and soon had him pinned against a wall.
"Please, tell me what I did. You know I would never do anything to hurt you." She remembered the time she had said that to Dean. But she had hurt Dean. She shook away the growing guilt inside of her so that she could concentrate on the task at hand.
"I heard you say how you feel about me, okay. I just never expected something like that from you." Rory was thoroughly confused. The only time she had spoken about her feelings was to Lane the day before; she hadn't said a single mean thing about Jess.
"Jess, what are you talking about? I don't know what you heard, but. . .I care about you."
Jess' face softened for a minute. She knew that he wanted to believe her. "I care about you too. A lot," he said. But then his face hardened again and the protective wall that always seemed to encircle him was back. "At least I thought I did."
Next time: Jess learns what Rory really said to Lane. But will he finally tell her how he feels?
*~*~*~*~*~*
Rory woke up the next morning with a smile on her face. Today was the day. She would finally tell Jess how she felt about him. She leaped out of bed, and danced into the kitchen.
"Good morning!" she said to her mom.
"Well someone woke up on the right side of the bed this morning," Lorelai said in an exaggeratedly chipper tone. "Get dressed, we're going to Luke's."
Exactly what Rory had wanted to hear. She raced back into her room and began to throw on a t-shirt and crummy old pair of jeans. But then she stopped herself. Did she really want to tell Jess how she felt looking like that? Maybe she'd wear that lacy tank top she stole from her mom and those new tight jeans. No, this was stupid, she thought. She wasn't this kind of girl. She didn't want Jess to like her because of that; she wanted him to like her for who she was. She put on the plain t-shirt, but decided to wear the new tight jeans with it. It couldn't hurt.
When she entered the diner, Rory had a hard time not smiling. She wanted to remain as casual as possible. She would act as if it were any other day when Jess brought the coffee. She'd make eye contact and smile, but not say anything. Then she would pull him aside when they were done with breakfast, and tell him.
But things didn't quite go according to plan. It took ten minutes of Lorelai chanting "coffee, coffee, coffee" for Jess to finally look up from his book and bring over the pot. And then, when Rory tried to make eye contact and smile, he wouldn't even look in her general direction. Something was clearly wrong. She decided to pull him aside after breakfast anyway. But just as Rory and Lorelai got up from the table to leave, Jess practically ran out of the diner. Rory soon caught up with him.
"Jess, can I talk to you?" she asked from a couple feet behind him.
"Not now, Rory," he replied without even looking at her.
"Jess, come on. This is important." He didn't respond. Rory caught up to him and pulled him around to face her. He would have to say something now.
"Jess, are you mad at me?"
"No, Rory. Why would you think that?" he said in a clearly sarcastic tone.
"Jess, come on. I can't apologize for whatever I did if you don't tell me what I did."
"You're just. . .not the person I thought you were." And with that, he began to walk away. But Rory wasn't going to let him off that easy. She chased after him, and soon had him pinned against a wall.
"Please, tell me what I did. You know I would never do anything to hurt you." She remembered the time she had said that to Dean. But she had hurt Dean. She shook away the growing guilt inside of her so that she could concentrate on the task at hand.
"I heard you say how you feel about me, okay. I just never expected something like that from you." Rory was thoroughly confused. The only time she had spoken about her feelings was to Lane the day before; she hadn't said a single mean thing about Jess.
"Jess, what are you talking about? I don't know what you heard, but. . .I care about you."
Jess' face softened for a minute. She knew that he wanted to believe her. "I care about you too. A lot," he said. But then his face hardened again and the protective wall that always seemed to encircle him was back. "At least I thought I did."
Next time: Jess learns what Rory really said to Lane. But will he finally tell her how he feels?