Jess slipped in the door of the diner. His mind was reeling from what he'd just
experienced with Rory. He leaned up against the doorjamb and closed his eyes, trying to
steel himself against the torrent of emotions she aroused in him.

'Jesus, Mariano,' he chided himself. 'Get a grip.' He walked toward the stairs to the
apartment. 'She's not going to choose you, so just enjoy what you've got.' His memory
tormented him with images of her: sitting up in bed and baring her body to him; watching
him as she caressed his chest; smiling as she fell asleep. "Fuck!" he cursed quietly,
smashing a fist into his hand. 'She's just using you to rebel, to explore a little. It doesn't
mean anything. You do NOT want her to fall in love with you.'

Jess opened the door to the apartment and stepped in, shutting the door and leaning
against it.

"Who am I kidding?" he muttered.

"Not me," said a voice from the couch. "Nice of you to come home."

Jess snorted sheepishly. "Yeah, well, I figured it'd blow whatever chance you have left
with Lorelei if she found me naked in her daughter's bed at 3am."

"Tell me you're making that up just to piss me off." Jess was silent, and Luke swore
loudly. "Shit!" He reached over and turned on a light, and Jess winced. "What are you
doing, Jess? You know she's following your lead."

Jess nodded. "I think I'm in over my head."

Luke sighed. "You're in love with her." Jess nodded again. "Do you want to talk about
it?"

Jess smirked. "You gonna give me advice about women?"

Luke leaned back against the couch and clenched his fists in his hair. "Misery loves
company."

Jess sat on the couch next to him and mirrored his pose. "I'm not going to hurt her, Luke.
I know where I stand. She's just experimenting and I'm more experienced than Dean."

"How can you tell?" Luke sounded skeptical.

"Well, I kissed him in the gazebo and he just didn't know what to do with his hands..."

"Jess..."

Jess leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "I heard her tell Lane she didn't know whether
she was falling for me or just wanted to know what it feels like with someone who knows what
he's doing."

Luke's face twisted into a sympathetic grimace. "Something else not to mention to Lorelei."

Jess chuckled. "I want a cigarette."

Luke shot him a disparaging glance. "I don't wanna know that."

Jess snorted. "NO." He shot Luke a "for pete's sake" look. "It's Rory. We didn't...I wouldn't...not
like this. I want the skag because I'm tense."

Luke nodded. "Personally, I want a drink."

That wasn't what he expected Luke to say. "You don't drink."

"You don't smoke."

"When was the last time you drank?" Jess was genuinely curious.

"The night Lorelei told me she was marrying Max."

Jess nodded in sympathy, but then chuckled. "Lorelei's just twisted enough to appreciate
that she caused you to do something unhealthy."

"I've never been so sick in my life. That's the only thing that's kept me from spending
the weeks since she yelled at me in a booze-induced stupor."

"She's miserable, you know. She really misses you."

"She misses my coffee. She'd never date me, Jess."

Jess snorted again. "Curse of the Gilmores." He leaned forward and rested his forehead
on his hands. "At least she doesn't touch you."

"How long you gonna keep that up?"

"I told her a month. I'll be fucking insane by then. I didn't expect..."

"There's a half-bottle of whiskey in the cabinet above the fridge."

Jess laughed. "I'll be sure to remember that. I think the cold showers are about to completely stop working..."