LITTLE VISIT 2: FRIDAY EVENING

***

Rory sat in the lobby of the New Haven bus depot. Through the bank of windows lining the length of one whole wall, she could see a bus from Hartford pull up to the boarding dock. She checked her watch for probably the thirtieth time, and, as she'd expected, it was shortly after five-twenty. Jess would be on that bus, she knew.

Rory stood up and wandered over to the door. She fought the urge to chew her nails as she waited for him to step off the bus. Probably thirty people filed off before Jess finally emerged. When his feet hit the ground and he caught sight of her through the glass wall, she knew her tentative smile matched his.

Jess entered the lobby. "Hi."

"Hi. You have any bags?" she inquired.

"Nope, just a short visit."

"Oh. Right." The two stood there a moment, as a few more passengers entered the station, a good number of them rushing past Jess and Rory into the waiting arms of family and friends. Rory glanced at one such happy reunion and it occurred to her that it would be very nice to give Jess a hug, to hold his rugged, solid body in her arms. She hesitated for a moment, once again gazing into his amused eyes. Finally she gave in, wrapped him in her arms and held him tightly, placing her cheek on his shoulder. "Hi."

He returned the gesture. "Hi again."

When they'd slid out of one another's arms a short time later, she asked, "So, where to now?"

"I'd play the part of the tour guide, but I've never been here before."

"Well, how about dinner?"

"Sounds good."

"OK. Let's go." She led him outside to her car, making small talk along the way. She would take him to the coffee house on campus that she frequented. The atmosphere was casual there, and its kitschy décor alluded to a bastardized version of Luke's hardware store-turned-diner.

Shortly after their entrees had been set before them, Jess asked her what she'd been doing to keep busy in New Haven. Rory was chattering away as the two of them finished up their meals. "…And every second Wednesday, I volunteer at the shelter for a couple hours. I figured it would be important for me to see some of the things that go on there, you know, to prepare me for what I might find as a foreign correspondent."

"You'll do just fine, I'm sure." His smile seemed sincere.

"Thanks." But Rory knew she still had a ways to go before fully shedding her naïveté.

"You still have a complex about what I said to you two years ago?" Jess asked with sarcastic disbelief. "Rory, I didn't know you as well then as I do now. Foreign affairs are definitely not too rough for you. You're the strongest, most intelligent person I know. You'll make your dreams come true."

Rory smiled and glanced down at her silverware. "What about you?"

"Me?" He sighed. "I haven't made anything of myself yet. I'd like to be a writer, but so far, I haven't written anything that I like."

Rory cocked her head to the side and smiled. She could so picture Jess as an author. "Are you working on anything right now?"

"Nope," he smirked. She could tell from his expression that he was, but she just smiled at him and didn't press for details.

The waitress came then to whisk their empty plates away. "Thanks, Diane," Rory said to the young woman.

"You're welcome, Rory. Have a good night."

"On a first name basis with the staff here, I see," Jess commented when the woman had taken a bill out of her apron and headed off with their dishes.

"Yeah well, I have a thing for people in the food service industry. They supply my basic human needs for survival." Rory took the final sip of her coffee.

Jess snorted, and that was when she remembered he worked in the food service industry. Before she could mumble something about not having a thing for him - and possibly embarrassing herself further in the process - he asked, "So, shall we go?"

"Yeah." Somewhat relieved, Rory glanced at the bill and, reaching into her purse, pulled out a few bills, tossing them on the table. Following her lead, Jess did the same and, leaving some for a tip, carried the money to the till.

"What do you want to do now?" he asked as they waited for change. When he received it, he gave it to her.

"You should come see my apartment," she suggested. "It's tiny, but it's kinda nice. My mom's the only person who's seen it so far."

"Lead the way. You can give me a tour of your place."

She laughed. "Yeah that should take all of about thirty seconds."

Back at the apartment, some ten minutes later, Rory was saying, "And here, of course, is the kitchenette, and the bathroom is just right over there. What do you think?"

"Hmm…" he murmured. "Thirty-two seconds."

"Thirty-two? Hey, I guess my apartment is bigger than I thought. What a bargain."

"It's nice. I like it."

"You do?"

"Yeah. It's all a person really needs."

"Yeah. Well, make yourself comfortable. Would you like some coffee?" she inquired as she set about preparing a pot. She glanced back at him.

As Jess sat down on the couch, he contemplated and replied, "Well… why the hell not?"

"Excuse me? It's coffee. You do not reply to that question with anything less than an ecstatic response. Have I taught you nothing?"

"You've been away so long, I guess I've reverted to my old unhealthily healthy ways. Due to a matter of proximity, Luke has had a greater influence lately."

Rory gasped. "Oh no! That will not do."

"You'll just have to teach me again."

"That I will. Tonight your coffee will be black, Mister."

"I'm really in for it now."

"I'll make you an addict yet," she agreed. Placing her own mug under the steady stream of coffee, she poured a cup for Jess first, from the half full decanter. "Here you go. Drink up," she ordered.

Jess took a sip. "Holy geez. That's strong."

"It's not as good as Luke's but I make do." She retrieved her own cup and sat next to him on the couch.

The two, tanked on coffee, sat for the next few hours, talking. Many times Rory caught herself smiling at him. And, interesting conversation not withstanding, more than a few times she caught herself not hearing what he'd said; she'd been following the outline of his face with her eyes instead.

She really liked Jess.

Quite some time later, he brought her back to Earth with a simple sentence. "Well, the last bus leaves for Hartford in about a half hour. You'll give me a ride back to the station, right?"

Rory frowned, realizing she was very sorry for the visit to end. She'd had so little human interaction lately and it was lonely living by herself. The visit from Jess had been like a breath of spring air, awakening her from the autumn of her heart.

She knew after dropping Jess off at the station, she'd return to an empty apartment, and she was in no hurry to partake of that experience. "Your bus ticket is open-ended right?"

"Of course."

"Well… why don't you just stay here tonight; head back tomorrow. Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"No, I have the weekend off. But…" He raised an eyebrow at her. "You sure?"

"Sure. Why not?" But as soon as she asked, she inwardly answered her own question. In her tiny apartment all she had was the one fold out bed. Rory faltered a moment. "Although, I only have the one bed… the one we're sitting on right now."

"Maybe I should just go home tonight," he smirked.

Rory suppressed her nerves. Really, what did she think would happen? "Oh why not? Stay. We're both adults, right? It's no big deal."

"Right," he agreed. "OK. If you're sure, then I'll stay here tonight."

"I'm… sure."

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