Rory woke up the next morning after having a very restless night's sleep.
After she ran from Jess the night before, she went straight home and jumped into bed without changing. She just wanted to get to sleep, because the sooner she fell asleep the sooner she could wake up from what had to be a dream.
The morning seemed no more real than the night had been. She wanted to forget about everything that had happened with Jess, but it persisted in her mind through out her night keeping her from sleep and waking her up early that morning. Glancing at her clock, she realized her mother wouldn't be up for at least an hour. Usually they went together to Lukes, but Rory needed coffee now. Despite her not wanting to run into Jess, she got dressed and walked out the door, ignoring that little voice inside, reminding her that Lorelai had just bought coffee the day before.
Rory sat and waited at the counter for Luke to appear to refill her cup, It's wayy to early for Jess to be up she thought to herself, so she was surprised when she looked up and saw Jess pouring coffee.
Jess had slept even less than Rory the night before. He'd gotten home and tried to read he couldn't get his mind to focus on the words on the page. The meanings seemed to escape and he read the same sentence nearly ten times before he threw the book aside in disgust. He'd spent the rest of the night tossing and turning with his head phones on blaring music trying to break up the thoughts. After a night reflection he had decided that he would just treat Rory the same as he always had, and let her make the next move.
Rory didn't even look at him when he poured her coffee, and it was a pointed statement. She didn't even have a book to provide distraction, she was ignoring him. "Do you want anything to eat?" He asked.
"What are you doing up? You're never up this early" she said accusingly
"Well, sometimes the mornings are decent. There aren't a lot of people here and the people that are here, well, it's too early for them to have decided if they're in a bad mood or not, so I get hassled less. Besides, you're never in this early, so how would you know when I start work?" he said, looking in her eyes as she avoided he gaze.
"I wouldn't I guess" she said pointedly
"well, there are a lot of things you don't know, but that doesn't seem to stop you" Jess said, not quite sure what he meant or hopped to accomplish by saying that. He did know that it had gotten her mad
"I'll have a muffin" Rory said surly. looking directly in his eyes
"to go?"
"No. I'll eat it here"
"hmm, you're staying. that's a change" Jess said turning away, under his breath but loud enough for Rory to hear
He put a muffin in front of her. and then went to serve the other few customers in the back corner of the diner.
Jess couldn't help but feel her eyes on him wherever he went. But a soon as he turnd back to look at her, she quickly change the direction of her stare. He couldn't believe how childish she was being.
Luke reappeared in the diner sometime later. He nodded at Jess indicating that he could have his morning break now and Jess threw down he order pad and towel on the nearest table. Rory was still sitting at the counter eating the last few crumbs of her muffin. The same few crumbs that she'd been picking at for the part 10 minutes. this is ridiculous jess thought to himself. He walked determinedly up to Rory and placed a hand on her shoulder, attempting only the get her to turn and face him.
Rory practically jumped away from the contact and knocked Jess' hand from her shoulder. "Don't" she hissed moving further away from him and still avoiding looking at him.
"Don't what? Rory...can we talk..."
"There's nothing to talk about." She told him tossing some money down on the counter.
"Don't act like this."
"Like what?"
"Like I did something wrong. I'm not the one who started..."
"started what?" she said "nothing happened" and then walked out the door.