When I first drove through the winding streets of this small town in Connecticut, I never thought it would be the place I would find love. I guess it's true what they say about love in unlikely places.

I was finally the heroine in one of my many books, and I sucked in every last drop of its glory although never ending. But enough of my rambling, it's time for my story.

We arrived in Stars Hollow in the cool crisp of an ending summer. The leaves of the spruce and oak trees had not yet shed their emerald-green color for a shimmering auburn, but they certainly would in due time. I could feel the breeze from my open window, and I can say for sure that it was intoxicating.

We passed many shops and stores on our way through town and a cute little gazebo in the center caught my eye. It looked magnificent even though it's chipped white paint and no doubt creaking floorboards probably warded off others.

I love to renew old things, so others could see the beauty I had been able to see all along. My mother says it's my hidden talent, but I consider it a gift. Without it, spectacular things go unnoticed by the rest of the world.

I don't believe it's fair, but in this life, what is?

I'll admit I will miss my old home in New Jersey. I'm trading one small town for another. The biggest misconception when it comes to New Jersey is really everything. The people, the places, they are not at all what you think they'd be.

The bustling city is really a quiet town. The robust accents are actually plain American ones. There wasn't much to do for fun around there, but I always had a soft spot for the parks.

Sitting in the shade of a stunning cherry blossom tree with a good book was definitely my favorite thing to do. The petals fanned around me and smelled so sweet you could have mistaken it for perfume.

But I had to leave. The seemingly dreamy persona of my town was just a ruse. It was too good to be true. I won't frighten you with the details, but let's just say people aren't always who you think.

There was one whose inner self I thought I saw, but it turned out to be a facade protecting the ugly truth buried beneath. I had to leave. Had to hide, because my family didn't believe me.

But I was the one with the talent, they said! The gift! And still no one believed me. He was too charming. Too cunning. They believed his lie so much they dismissed me. I was the liar.

My mother scolded me and told me I was crazy, but I still didn't understand. Why didn't she believe me? Her eldest daughter over this manipulator. This con artist.

I had to do something drastic to get away from this town and in turn him, so I applied to a private high school in Connecticut for my junior year, and I got in! I was free!

It took some convincing, but my mom agreed to uproot my younger sister and I to this small town in Connecticut called Stars Hollow. I had looked through pictures online of this very town and it was beautiful, as if it was taken right out of the pages of a book.

Seeing it in person was different though. It took my breath away and made my heart stop. It was perfect. I got to trade in my troubled life in New Jersey for a fairytale in the heart of Connecticut.

My mom's gray Infiniti rolled to a stop on the pavement, and I stepped out of the car with huff. We had been driving for a few hours, but if you asked me it felt like years. I stretched my arms over my head and cracked my back out of habit.

My neck was stiff from being stationary for so long. I rubbed at the soft skin above my spine, trying to massage the feeling away. As if on cue, my baby sister started crying.

"Cassandra, can you please start unpacking the trunk while I try to keep your sister from fussing." My workaholic mother pleaded. She never gives herself a break.

"Yeah, yeah I got it! Go ahead." I tried to sound helpful and not like a sarcastic teen, but of course my tiredness seeped into my words.

"Honey, I'm trying here! I don't need you to make this single mother thing harder than it already is!" She almost screamed back.

Jeez.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm just really tired." I tried to comfort her.

"Well, I'm tired too but do you see me sleeping?" She questioned accusingly.

"No." I whispered under my breath with my head down, tracing the details of my only pair of sneakers with my eyes.

"No, you don't." She said with a hint of finality, ending the conversation as she unbuckled my sister from her carseat and disappeared inside our new house.

I sighed. I hate when we get into these mini arguments, but we are so similar we always clash.

I took a second to admire our new home and took in all of its character. The house was made of white brick stacked tall around a red door with a decorative wreath. The pink and yellow lilies of the wreath nicely complimented the door and four pairs of wonderfully gray shutters. I wondered which window belonged to my room.

I snapped out of my brief daze and opened the trunk. I decided to start with the food before I worked on the furniture. I grabbed a bag of apples in one hand and oranges in the other.

"Hey." I heard someone say from behind me and I jumped, startled, dropping the bag of oranges as a "Jesus Christ!" passed my lips.

I whipped around to see a boy around my age standing at the edge of the driveway. He had dark hair and the most mysterious eyes I had ever seen. It was like he was staring into my soul. I felt exposed.

"You scared the crap out of me!" I said annoyed. If you hadn't noticed I don't like to be surprised.

"I only said one word." He retorted with an eyebrow raised.

"Still, a little warning would have been nice!" I voiced.

He laughed deeply, "Want me to wear a bell or something?" His laugh was infectious, and a soft chuckle erupted in my throat. It made a small smile appear on my face.

"What's your name?" I was curious as to what name would go to such a nice face and snarky attitude.

"You first. I have to make sure you're not on some covert special ops mission to find out my name."

"I'm Cass, I just moved here from New Jersey, and I am definitely not Dimetri Karamazov sent to deliver you to the Motherland."

He laughed again, and I did too by reflex. I never wanted him to stop laughing.

"I'm Jess," he walked up the driveway and held out his hand. I shook it firmly, and he leaned down to pick up the oranges I had dropped.

"I believe these are yours?" He taunted, handing them back to me.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"You're not very talkative, are you?" I hummed.

"How'd you guess, Sherlock?"

"My impressive deductible reasoning, Watson."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Cass or Dimetri, but I gotta run. See you around?"

"See you around." I waved as he jogged backwards and down the street.

He seems nice.

But that's what I thought in New Jersey, and now look where I am. I would not get my hopes up.


Author's Note: This story is a slow burn friends-to-lovers fanfic, so if you have no patience what-so-ever this story isn't for you. I am going to update every weekend to stay on track. This story will be about 12 chapters, and then I think I'll write a sequel that's more fluff-filled than this one will be. No smut so walk-on my horny friends. I will put trigger warnings over each chapter just in case. See you next weekend!

-taylor's version 2.0