A/N:: Hey ;) There has been a little confusion over the flashbacks...They all kinda go together, b/c, you know, they are all memories. So the letter Rory wrote in Chapter 2 was the one Dean stole in Chapter 3. Just thought I'd clear that up. ;) Thanks for the reviews, you guys are great. And to Alex, sorry I didn't send it to you first to PR, but yur not on, and I wanted to get it up. Sorry, lol ;)

Chapter 4

The next day, Rory was a nervous wreck. She was driving herself crazy worrying about the date. It really shouldn't have been such a big deal, but for some reason it was. This couldn't be good for her stress level. She almost called Shea to cancel their date. In the end, she called Lane instead.

"Hi, this is Lane. I'm not here, so leave me a message! Rock on."

After the beep, Rory laughed. "Nice message. Short, sweet, and to the point. Anyway...That date I told you about before is today. I'm getting all worked up like usual and I am thinking of canceling. I was hoping you could talk me out of it, but...I guess you can't if you're not--"

"Rory! I'm here! Don't hang up!" Lane cried.

"Ah. Hi," Rory smiled. "So--help!"

"Oh my god, Rory, you are not bailing. You are going on this date with this guy, his friend, and his friend's girlfriend, whether you like it or not. And I don't want to hear anymore about it. You're going, that's it."

Rory sighed. "But what if he's boring?"

"Then you can steal the other guy from his girlfriend and leave with him, and--"

"Do you really think I would do that?"

Lane was quiet for a moment as she thought about it. "No, I guess not. I, on the other hand--"

"Wouldn't do anything either," Rory finished for her.

Lane sighed. "You're right. But you're still going on this date, right?"

"Okay, you talked me into it," Rory said with a smile. "I mean, I guess..."

"Remember--if the other guy is cuter...Steal 'em away."

"That's what I love about double dates," Rory responded. "You always have that option."

"So, hey, I have to get going. I'm meeting Dave in an hour."

"That's right...Happy anniversary. Any idea where you are going?"

"No, he said it was a surprise."

"Oh. Is that good or bad?" Rory asked.

"If it's a surprise from my mom--bad. From Dave...so far so good."

"That's good, then," Rory told her friend.

"Yup," Lane agreed.

"Okay, well...I'll call you tomorrow? I really have to start getting ready."

"Sure. I want to hear all about your date!"

"Right back atcha," Rory replied. "Bye."

She hung up the phone and bit her lip, holding up the outfit that her mother had let her borrow. It wasn't too revealing, was it? She wasn't so sure. Was it appropriate for a first date? She asked herself a few similar questions, and picked out a few more possible outfit choices before quickly changing into the one she had originally planned to wear. The plunging neckline was lower than she remembered. And the skirt...?

'Stop!' she ordered herself. 'Don't think too much, remember?'

And, thankfully, after that thought, the doorbell rang. Ready or not, there she went. She opened her apartment door to find Shea's welcoming smile greeting her. She couldn't help but smile back, blushing a little as he looked her over.

"Ready?" he asked.

Rory glanced around the apartment, putting on her earrings. "Yeah--oh, wait, my purse!"

She hurried over to the coffee table, grabbed her purse, and then they were off.

"Where are your friends?" Rory asked as Shea held open the passenger side door for her and she slid in.

"They're meeting us there," Shea answered. He ran around to the driver's side and hopped in. "Sarah's going to be about twenty minutes late, though. She's got a dance competition."

"That's fine," Rory told him.

They spent the car ride to the restaurant getting to know each other better. They asked about siblings, parents, favorite types of music, etc.

By the time they reached the restaurant, they felt more at ease with each other. Rory was even starting to like this guy, though she certainly didn't dislike him before. Anyway, he wasn't so bad.

"You ready?" Shea asked, snapping her attention back to the present. He was holding the car door open for her. Blushing, Rory stepped out.

"Thanks."

They walked in comfortable silence until they reached the entrance of the restaurant.

"I think you're going to like them," Shea told her, noticing her hesitate.

Rory nodded, letting him walk before her. She didn't know what his friend looked like, so she couldn't exactly help him search for him. That was okay, though, because Shea seemed to already have spotted who he was looking for.

Rory looked up at the table they were heading toward and she stopped dead in her tracks. There, merely ten feet away, sitting at a table looking at a menu, sat Jess Mariano. Her heart skipped a beat as she waited for him to look up.

"Hey, man," Shea said. Rory cowardly stepped behind him just as Jess looked up.

"Hey. Where's..." Jess trailed off, realizing he didn't even know Shea's date's name. "She?" he finally finished.

"Right--" Shea glanced around. He grabbed Rory's hand and walked her in a circle around him so she now stood directly across from Jess.

Jess's eyes widened slightly, and he took a deep breath.

"Jess, this is Rory. Rory, this is Jess, my best friend."

It took all of Rory's energy to put a smile on her face and keep quiet. Inside, she felt dizzy.

Jess held out a shaky hand and she grasped it, giving it a quick shake before pulling away. In that brief few seconds their hands touched, a jolt of electricity shot through Rory's veins. She wondered if he felt it too.

'Oh god, what is he doing here?' she wondered. 'And what are the odds that I hook up with his best friend?'

"Rory. Are you okay?"

Rory shook her head to be rid of the questions. "Just fine," she lied, sitting down across from Jess.

"Good."

Rory nodded, looking down. She glanced up again, however, when she felt Jess's gaze on her. "Are you okay?" she asked.

Jess smirked, going back to reading the menu. A waitress came over and asked if they knew what they wanted.

"Give us a few minutes," Jess told her. She nodded, quickly walking off.

"Shouldn't we wait for Sarah?" Shea asked.

'Sarah. Right...the girlfriend,' Rory thought. She looked at Jess.

His eyes flicked over to her, before going back to Shea. "She said to start without her."

"Okay." Shea opened his menu and started mulling over the possibilities, oblivious to the tension surrounding him.

Rory locked eyes with Jess again. He sighed, his gaze sweeping over her face. He had a thoughtful expression on his face, and Rory stared back at him, almost in a daze. She snapped out of it, guiltily, when Shea noisily shut his menu, announcing he knew what he wanted.

Boy, was he lucky.

* * * * *

"So, Rory, how long have you lived here?" Jess asked, taking a sip of his drink.

Rory sighed. "About a month," she replied, playing along. If he wanted to act like he didn't know her, fine. So would she.

"Huh."

Suddenly a girl appeared before them, and everyone looked up.

"Sarah," Shea smiled. "This is Rory. Rory, this is Jess's girlfriend, Sarah."

"Hi," Sarah said, a warm smile on her face.

Jess watched Rory's reaction, but her face showed no emotion.

"Hey," Rory responded politely, watching with a twinge of jealousy as Sarah bent down to give Jess a kiss hello.

"Why didn't you guys order?" Sarah asked, sitting down next to Jess. She scooted her chair closer, and Rory dropped her eyes to her menu. She had to remind herself that she was here with Shea, not Jess.

"We asked for a few minutes, and..." Shea looked at his watch. "That was twenty minutes ago."

"Oh. Well, then." Sarah waved her arm at a passing waiter.

He stopped, holding a try full of food. He waited expectantly for her to say what she wanted.

"Hi," she started, after a long moment, "we're ready to order."

The waiter cleared his throat. "Um, I'm not your--"

"Like now," Sarah added. She smirked at the waiter. "We have been sitting here a lifetime."

He forced a smile on his face. "I'll be right with you." And with that, he walked off.

"Yeah, sure," Sarah mumbled. She proceeded to stop ever waiter until she found the right one.

"Are you alright?" Jess asked once they had ordered.

"Fine," Sarah said flatly.

"Did you..."

"I got third."

"Oh." Jess frowned. "Well, that's still good. You'll get it next time. For now, you can just--"

"What? Next time? I can't go next time. Only the top two people move on. By placing third, I just moved back a step. A big step."

"It'll be okay--"

"No it won't! God, I can't believe this. You're just trying to shut me up. Do you even care that I just lost my spot? You could at least--"

"Calm down, damn. We'll talk about it later." Jess didn't know what he did wrong, but he sure as hell didn't feel like fighting. Especially in front of Rory...and Shea.

Sarah narrowed her eyes, jumping up angrily. "I'm leaving. I'll see you later."

She stormed off and Shea and Rory looked at Jess, who sat with his arms folded.

"What? I'm not going after her. Not this time."

"What about the feeling, Jess? The fact that you haven't gotten it yet must mean something."

Jess was quiet, so Shea got up.

"Fine, I'll go after her. Rory, sorry to leave like this, but she's one of my best friends. I'm going to make sure she's okay. She's probably just sitting out in her car."

"Go ahead. I think that's sweet of you to go out there."

Jess rolled his eyes as Shea hurried off in the direction Sarah had gone.

"So."

"So," Rory echoed, staring at the table.

"So you live in Hudson."

"Thanks for the update."

Jess smiled. "Anytime."

"What was he talking about with 'the feeling'?" Rory asked, out of nowhere. "Usually when you're with someone, you hope to feel something, not hope you don't."

"It's nothing," Jess said quickly.

"Okay."

"So are you and Dean married yet?"

Rory's head shot up. "Dean? God, we broke up right after I left for Harvard."

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Huh."

"Nice to hear that's still your favorite word," Rory commented in a teasing voice. "But, yeah, Lane and Dave are married..."

"Dave?"

"From her band? They have a CD out...You should hear it."

"I have it."

"Oh."

"Is it just me, or is this a little awkward?" Jess asked after an uncomfortable silence.

"Try a lot."

"I missed you, Rory," Jess declared, leaning forward.

"Jess--" Rory started.

Just then, Shea came back and Jess sat back in his seat again.

"She okay?" He felt obligated to ask.

"She'll be fine. She's just stressed over this competition thing."

"I know how she feels," Rory blurted out, her face turning red as they turned to her. Jess's eyes sparkled mischievously.

* * * * *

Once they had finished eating and paid the check, the three of them headed outside. Jess started to head in the direction of his car, but Shea stopped him.

"Sarah took your car," he explained. "You have to come with us."

"What? Why the hell didn't she take her own car?" Jess demanded.

"She had gotten dropped off by friends."

"I knew I shouldn't have given her my extra key," Jess mumbled, following them to Shea's car.

The ride to Rory's apartment was relatively quiet. Once the car stopped, Shea jumped out and opened her door for her. They walked to the entrance of the apartment building and Jess involuntarily leaned forward, watching them. He was just glad it was too dark for them to see him.

Rory laughed at something Shea said and nodded. She gave him a hug, and disappeared inside the building.

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Jess stood up from the bench he had been sitting and reading on. He knew that the dinner crowd would be coming soon to the diner, so he decided to go back and actually help out.

As he was nearing the diner, however, he saw Rory and Dean, hand in hand, coming out the door. Jess stopped, hoping they hadn't seen him. Rory gave Dean a kiss, taking off in the direction of her house. Dean continued walking until he spotted Jess. He crossed the street and stopped in front of him.

"I believe you have something of mine?" Jess asked.

"And that would be?"

"An envelope. I don't know what's in it, but I saw that it was addressed to me, and I saw you take it."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Wow. Whatever Rory wrote sure couldn't have been good, if you have to steal the letter, which is what I'm assuming it is, and deny taking it. I'd be curious to read it. Do you happen to have it on you?"

"As a matter of fact I do," Dean replied. Then, without warning, he punched Jess in the stomach.

Jess doubled over as the wind was knocked out of him. He lunged at Dean, but only got one good punch in before Dean got the advantage again.

"Stay away from Rory," Dean warned icily. Then he turned and walked off, leaving Jess staring after him.

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A/N:: Hey, sorry for the long wait for this chapter [compared to the other ones, at least]. And sorry if I disappointed you w/ the date...I imagined it a *lot* better, but when it came down to writing it, I...kinda drew a blank, I guess. Anyway, don't forget to review. I'll try not to take as long to type up the next chapter, which I already have written. The more people that review [& the faster you review], the more motivated I will be to type up the next chapter and put it up. Get it?? LoL. ;)