Disclaimer: The world is a turbulent place. Things are always changing in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, things on fan fiction don't quite change so easily. What am I trying to say? I still don't own anything. (Especially not the dialogue ripped right off the show.)

A/N: Hmm… I could've sworn this was supposed to be longer. Guess it's still short. Okay, I know the chapters have been really skimpy so far, so maybe I shouldn't have broken the whole story into so many parts… Nonetheless, I hope you guys still read the fic, and enjoy it! Reviews are, once again, truly appreciated…

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Jess literally did not sleep that night. He was consumed by thoughts of Rory, thoughts of Luke. Reading did nothing; everything he had with him seemed to hit too close to home, and sent his mind right back to Stars Hollow. He was feeling an itch; he knew that following on his next instinct would only screw things up even more.

He spent the hours till dawn sitting out on the fire escape, smoking the last of his pack. When the sky lightened, he retreated into the apartment again, his mind still in a haze. He got into the shower, hoping to clear his mind and wash away the previous night's feelings, but the only solution he could think of lay in the place he least wanted to go to right now.

He knew he had no choice. It was either face her, or risk doing something far worse. He forced himself to leave the apartment and head down there again, single-mindedly focused on reaching his destination, and not veer off onto another foolish detour like the night before.

Meg's wasn't due to open for another two hours, but he knew she would already be there. A questioning look greeted him at the door, concern mingled in her face when she noticed the heavy eyebags.

"Jess, hon, is everything all right?"

He wordlessly entered the store, as Meg stood watching him. He couldn't look her in the eye, not now. "It's… Yeah, there's… Everything's fine."

Meg gently touched his arm, trying to make the boy look at her. "Jess, what's wrong?"

Jess flinched at her touch, still averting his eyes. "Nothing, everything's fine. It's just…" God, Jess, just do it already. He steeled himself, then looked at her. "Can I have the day off?"

Meg looked at him, and knew it was what he needed. "Of course, hon, it won't be a problem."

He'd turned away from her, unable to keep up the pretense for much longer. He wandered into the aisles, looking for what he wanted… needed. His eyes spotted it soon enough, right in the shelf where he'd left it. He picked up the copy of Wolfe, and faced Meg again. "Meg, y'mind if I--"

"Sure, go ahead."

He gave her a small smile, then walked past her, studiously avoiding her stern, concerned gaze as he fished out a ten and a five which he left on the counter, before leaving.

* * *

He was so lost in Wolfe's words that he never thought back on his words from the night before. If he had, it might have occurred to him the unwitting impact that his farewell might have had on her. An observer might have even construed it to be a carefully conducted litmus test, to find out for once and for all how she felt about him.

But it was not. Her voice had intoxicated him, just as the words before him did so now, and he had drifted, not realising what he'd said. So when he heard her voice again, he almost thought he had imagined it, being jerked out of his reverie so abruptly, that he barely had time to register the events, to question the peculiarity of it all, before turning to see her face, and be lost in her presence once more.

* * *

It was like an afternoon in paradise. Just the two of them; no annoying townsfolk watching them, no crazed mother set to charge him at any moment, no uncle ready to pull the reins and crack the whip-- just him and Rory. In fact, it should have been an afternoon in paradise-- yet it wasn't. He didn't want to say anything, just wanted to enjoy the company of a friend, but it still nagged at him in the back of his mind, throughout the afternoon. He didn't want to ask it, for fear of her answer, yet it was for that same reason that the question refused to go away.

He finally mustered the courage to ask, but it was only after she had got on the bus. Coward.

"Why did you come here?" He didn't even think she could hear him, but she evidently did, and opened the window.

"What?"

So she hadn't heard his words. Oh, just do it, Mariano! "I said, why did you come here?"

"Well--"

"I mean, you ditched school and everything. That's so not you. Why'd you do it?"

He waited for her response, his eyes searching hers for the answer. "Because you didn't say goodbye." Huh.

"Oh. Bye, Rory."

"Bye, Jess."

He had a LOT of thinking to do.

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A/N: Once again, would love to hear your thoughts… Come on, now! Don't be shy! Click the lovely button below! :0)