Not Just A Kiss ~~ Chapter Two
Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They meant so much to me. =) I do happen to treasure each one of your responses, no matter if they're as simple as 'continue soon, please.' In case you guys are wondering, this fic takes place directly after the episode 'Eight O'Clock at the Oasis' which is in the third season. If anyone has any other questions feel free to drop me an email. Thanks.
~
Rory's mouth hung open as she watched her boyfriend stare at her accusingly, his gaze angry and hurt. She quickly stepped away from Jess, opting not to do anymore damage than had already been done. Her hands fell to her side, and for a moment nobody spoke.
Finally, Dean's voice cut through the air like a knife. "Rory, how could you...?" he began, his voice wobbling.
"Let me explain-" Rory tried, but the look on his face made her cringe. There was such pain there, and she knew she had been the cause of it.
"Don't say you can explain. There's no explanation you can give for what I saw. You were kissing another guy. Jess, to be exact."
She looked into his eyes pleadingly. "I never meant to hurt you-"
"Save it, Rory," Dean seethed. "All this time we were in a relationship, all this time you professed to LOVE me, you were really leading me on all along. You never really loved me. I wish I could have seen that sooner."
"I did love you! It's just that, as time wore on, it evolved into a different kind of love. I was no longer IN love with you, but I cared about you very much, which is why I was trying not to hurt you."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have kissed Jess," Dean said bitterly. "Maybe you should have told me of these newfound feelings you suddenly developed so I wouldn't have to watch my girlfriend in the arms of another guy. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me? DO YOU?"
Tears were streaming down Rory's face now, as the truth of what he was saying finally struck her. She wished she could of done things differently, but now it was too late; the damage had been done. "I'm sorry," she said simply, not knowing what else to say.
Dean turned and sulked away, his head bowed, starring ahead wordlessly. Rory watched him go, knowing there was nothing she could do but wanting to do something just the same.
"Are you okay?" Jess asked quietly, sometime later, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them.
She looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes, and nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just didn't think it would hurt this badly."
"He'll get over it eventually. I know it sounds pretty harsh, but it's the truth. Until then, there's not much you can really do."
"Do you think he'll ever speak to me again?"
Jess shrugged his shoulders. "Hard to tell. Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't worry about it either way."
"Jess!"
"Sorry, sorry." He smiled apologetically at her. "I guess I was bitten by the green bug, huh?"
"Why?"
"Well, he IS your boyfriend-"
"Ex-boyfriend," Rory stated, finally finding the courage to say those words. Actually, they felt rather good on the tip of her tongue now that she had said them.
"Right. Anyway, the point was he still means an awful lot to you either way, and I guess I got kind of jealous, okay?"
"Why Jess Mariano, actually confessing to some sort of insecurity?" Rory teased, pretending to sound shocked. "I'm surprised, to say the least."
"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in."
Rory socked his arm playfully, feeling a smile tug at the corners of her lips. After the somber conversation she just had with Dean, it felt good to smile. Really good. "Come on, I guess we should get inside," she added, finally feeling the chill of the harsh afternoon air on her wet skin. She hadn't realized it until now, but she was freezing.
"Yeah, I guess I better get going. Better put on something decent," he said, turning to look down at his wet clothes.
"No, you don't have to go. My house is just up the street. You can change into one of my old sweatshirts or something."
"Welllll..." Jess's voice trailed off. "If it wouldn't make you too uncomfortable-"
"No, it wouldn't make me uncomfortable. Why would it?" Rory asked, raising her eyebrows.
Jess simply shrugged his shoulders. "Well since we're now an item - or whatever, I just thought maybe you wouldn't want to be alone with me without parental supervision."
Rory rolled her eyes at him, beginning to walk up the path towards her house. "Who are you and what have you done with Jess?" she joked.
Upon arriving at her house, Rory quickly headed towards her bedroom and changed into some jeans and a sweatshirt, and drying her hair with a towel that lay crumpled in the corner.
When she came out, she saw Jess sitting at the kitchen table, tossing the saltshaker from one hand to the next. She gave him a skeptical look. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Well, it looks like something's wrong. You're acting so fidgety."
He put the saltshaker back down on the table. "I'm fine."
"You sure about that?"
"Positive. So when is your mom coming home?"
Rory strained to remember. "In a few hours. I think she's working late at the Inn or something."
"Oh."
"Why?"
"I was just thinking she wouldn't like it very much to come home to find me sitting at her kitchen table." A troubled expression pained his face, and Rory figured there was something still bothering him.
"I don't think she'd really mind," Rory told him, but even as she said those words, she didn't really believe them. It's true that Lorelai might not care if Jess came over for a visit, but what if she found out that she and Jess were an item? What then?
"Somehow I doubt that."
"You're so cynical."
Jess smirked at her; a gesture that sent shivers down her spine. "You kind of have to be in today's world."
"Now you're sounding old fashioned," she commented with a wry smile, bending down to give him a peck on the lips.
As they continued to chat, Rory couldn't help the nagging doubt that was still forming in her mind, ever present. She knew that her mom was going to go through the roof when she found out about her relationship with Jess. Hell, half the town would. It wouldn't do to keep the relationship a secret, either, because that could only lead to trouble.
But she was going to have to make a decision soon, one way or the other.
Authors Note: Thanks for the reviews, everyone! They meant so much to me. =) I do happen to treasure each one of your responses, no matter if they're as simple as 'continue soon, please.' In case you guys are wondering, this fic takes place directly after the episode 'Eight O'Clock at the Oasis' which is in the third season. If anyone has any other questions feel free to drop me an email. Thanks.
~
Rory's mouth hung open as she watched her boyfriend stare at her accusingly, his gaze angry and hurt. She quickly stepped away from Jess, opting not to do anymore damage than had already been done. Her hands fell to her side, and for a moment nobody spoke.
Finally, Dean's voice cut through the air like a knife. "Rory, how could you...?" he began, his voice wobbling.
"Let me explain-" Rory tried, but the look on his face made her cringe. There was such pain there, and she knew she had been the cause of it.
"Don't say you can explain. There's no explanation you can give for what I saw. You were kissing another guy. Jess, to be exact."
She looked into his eyes pleadingly. "I never meant to hurt you-"
"Save it, Rory," Dean seethed. "All this time we were in a relationship, all this time you professed to LOVE me, you were really leading me on all along. You never really loved me. I wish I could have seen that sooner."
"I did love you! It's just that, as time wore on, it evolved into a different kind of love. I was no longer IN love with you, but I cared about you very much, which is why I was trying not to hurt you."
"Then maybe you shouldn't have kissed Jess," Dean said bitterly. "Maybe you should have told me of these newfound feelings you suddenly developed so I wouldn't have to watch my girlfriend in the arms of another guy. Do you have any idea how much that hurt me? DO YOU?"
Tears were streaming down Rory's face now, as the truth of what he was saying finally struck her. She wished she could of done things differently, but now it was too late; the damage had been done. "I'm sorry," she said simply, not knowing what else to say.
Dean turned and sulked away, his head bowed, starring ahead wordlessly. Rory watched him go, knowing there was nothing she could do but wanting to do something just the same.
"Are you okay?" Jess asked quietly, sometime later, breaking the awkward silence that had fallen between them.
She looked up at him, tears forming in her eyes, and nodded her head slowly. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just didn't think it would hurt this badly."
"He'll get over it eventually. I know it sounds pretty harsh, but it's the truth. Until then, there's not much you can really do."
"Do you think he'll ever speak to me again?"
Jess shrugged his shoulders. "Hard to tell. Maybe, maybe not. I wouldn't worry about it either way."
"Jess!"
"Sorry, sorry." He smiled apologetically at her. "I guess I was bitten by the green bug, huh?"
"Why?"
"Well, he IS your boyfriend-"
"Ex-boyfriend," Rory stated, finally finding the courage to say those words. Actually, they felt rather good on the tip of her tongue now that she had said them.
"Right. Anyway, the point was he still means an awful lot to you either way, and I guess I got kind of jealous, okay?"
"Why Jess Mariano, actually confessing to some sort of insecurity?" Rory teased, pretending to sound shocked. "I'm surprised, to say the least."
"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in."
Rory socked his arm playfully, feeling a smile tug at the corners of her lips. After the somber conversation she just had with Dean, it felt good to smile. Really good. "Come on, I guess we should get inside," she added, finally feeling the chill of the harsh afternoon air on her wet skin. She hadn't realized it until now, but she was freezing.
"Yeah, I guess I better get going. Better put on something decent," he said, turning to look down at his wet clothes.
"No, you don't have to go. My house is just up the street. You can change into one of my old sweatshirts or something."
"Welllll..." Jess's voice trailed off. "If it wouldn't make you too uncomfortable-"
"No, it wouldn't make me uncomfortable. Why would it?" Rory asked, raising her eyebrows.
Jess simply shrugged his shoulders. "Well since we're now an item - or whatever, I just thought maybe you wouldn't want to be alone with me without parental supervision."
Rory rolled her eyes at him, beginning to walk up the path towards her house. "Who are you and what have you done with Jess?" she joked.
Upon arriving at her house, Rory quickly headed towards her bedroom and changed into some jeans and a sweatshirt, and drying her hair with a towel that lay crumpled in the corner.
When she came out, she saw Jess sitting at the kitchen table, tossing the saltshaker from one hand to the next. She gave him a skeptical look. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Well, it looks like something's wrong. You're acting so fidgety."
He put the saltshaker back down on the table. "I'm fine."
"You sure about that?"
"Positive. So when is your mom coming home?"
Rory strained to remember. "In a few hours. I think she's working late at the Inn or something."
"Oh."
"Why?"
"I was just thinking she wouldn't like it very much to come home to find me sitting at her kitchen table." A troubled expression pained his face, and Rory figured there was something still bothering him.
"I don't think she'd really mind," Rory told him, but even as she said those words, she didn't really believe them. It's true that Lorelai might not care if Jess came over for a visit, but what if she found out that she and Jess were an item? What then?
"Somehow I doubt that."
"You're so cynical."
Jess smirked at her; a gesture that sent shivers down her spine. "You kind of have to be in today's world."
"Now you're sounding old fashioned," she commented with a wry smile, bending down to give him a peck on the lips.
As they continued to chat, Rory couldn't help the nagging doubt that was still forming in her mind, ever present. She knew that her mom was going to go through the roof when she found out about her relationship with Jess. Hell, half the town would. It wouldn't do to keep the relationship a secret, either, because that could only lead to trouble.
But she was going to have to make a decision soon, one way or the other.