A/N: Yay! You liked it. hehe. I'm so glad. Also glad because one of my favorite Lit authors liked it. (look at me giddy!) Anyway... hope I don't disappoint from here onwards...

** Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of Gilmore Girls. If I were that all powerful then Jess would be staying put! So, in summation... Please don't sue me!**

Luke watched Jess suspiciously. He was knocking over glasses and dropping things and it was mainly because he spent all his time watching the door.

"Hey, Tweedle Dum." He sighed finally, unable to watch Jess drop another pancake on the floor.

"Huh?"

"Yeah, you." He said, grabbing Jess by the collar of his shirt and dragging him behind the counter.

"What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"What are you talking about?" Jess sighed.

"You're like ClutzMan, the anti-Luke!" He said under his breath.

"I just got a lot of things on my mind."

"Well, try and put your mind on your work, and maybe you'll feel better."

"Thanks for the advice." Jess said sarcastically.

Rory stepped into the diner and smiled nervously at Jess.

"Hi." She said uncertainly.

"Hi." He nodded. "I'm on break." He said to Luke, motioning for Rory to follow him upstairs.

"Thank the lord. Maybe now people can stop eating off of the floor!" Luke said as Rory and Jess disappeared behind the curtain.

Jess led Rory up to the apartment above the diner and let her in. Neither of them spoke. Rory walked to the middle of the room and stood waiting for Jess to say something. He stayed by the door, looking at anything but her.

"Uh… should I speak first?" She asked hesitantly.

"Do you know what you want to say?"

"Kind of…"

"Then yeah, you should probably go first." He nodded.

"Ok." She took a deep breath and looked around the room. "About… the kiss last night. Or… Kisses. I think there was more than one."

"There was." He sighed, looking at the floor.

"Ok, about the kisses last night." She paused. "You know what… I think that's all I got so far." She blushed and he couldn't help but smile a little.

"I guess it's my turn then." He said, still standing by the door, afraid to get to close to her. "We shouldn't have kissed."

"Oh." Her face fell and she looked away.

"I… am really sorry." He sighed. "I just can't… Dean's like…"

"Your best friend." Rory nodded.

"Yeah. I guess he is." Jess nodded.

"I understand…" She started.

"It's not just that." He said, taking a step forward.

He thought for a minute and decided it was best to just say what he was thinking instead of trying to buffer it.

"You're probably the closest friend I've ever had." He said quietly. "And I don't want to screw that up."

"Me either." She said, taking a step towards him. He backed away. "Jess…"

"I think it's safest if I stay over here and you stay over there." He said apologetically.

"Ok."

"I'm sorry."

"I know, you already said you were." She sighed.

"Well… I am." He shook his head. "I can't believe I screwed this up so badly." He laughed bitterly.

"I kissed you." She offered as a consolation.

"The first time." He said, looking her in the eyes. "You kissed me, and I kissed you back. Then I kissed you…"

"And I kissed you back."

"We shouldn't have." He repeated.

"Ok." She said, trying to stop herself crying. "I'm getting the feeling that you think this is the biggest mistake you ever made."

"Rory, it's not like that…"

"Then how is it?" She said, letting the tears spill over and run down her cheeks.

"Rory…" He pleaded, looking down at the floor.

"I know Dean is your best friend. And I know he likes me. And I know you don't want to hurt him. Neither do I." She cried.

"Which is why we shouldn't have…"

"But I don't want him, I want you."

Jess closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Please take that back." He murmured.

"What about you?" She asked.

"What about me?" He sighed. He didn't matter.

"What do you want?"

"I want to not hurt two of the best friends I've ever had. That'd be a good start."

"Jess…"

"I can't have this conversation with you, Rory." He shook his head. "Not right now."

"When?" She asked.

"I don't know."

"This isn't going to go away." She insisted.

"Maybe if we pretend it never happened, it will."

"Jess, come on…"

"What? Have you got any other ideas?" He asked, frustrated with himself and the situation he'd put them all in.

"Yes. I tell Dean I don't like him the same way he likes me, and that I like you."

"Because…?" Jess paused, waiting to hear the reasoning behind her plan.

"Because if he cares about your feelings as much as you do about his, then he'll put aside whatever it is he feels for me and let us be together."

Jess shook his head.

"What?" She asked. "You don't think he will?"

Jess started pacing by the door.

"Well then what?" She stopped and looked at him. "Oh." Her eyes took on a sad look of realization.

"Oh, what?" He frowned.

"I don't want Dean." She looked down at her shoes. " And you… don't want me." She nodded slightly.

"Rory…" He started gently.

"It's ok… I get it." She said, hurrying over to the door.

Although every part of him was desperate to stop her leaving, he found himself moving away from the door and giving her unopposed access to it.

"I'll see you around." She said as she hurried down the stairs.

Jess ran his hand through his hair and banged fist against the doorframe.
He stood for a minute trying to get everything straight in his mind and figure out what the least painful solution was.

He walked over to the window and peered out of the blinds, watching Rory walking across the street.

All rational thoughts left his mind and he impulsively ran to the door, down the stairs and out of the diner before Luke could protest.

"Rory!" He shouted as he ran after her.

She blinked back tears and quickened her pace, she didn't know if she was more humiliated, hurt or heartbroken.

"Rory, wait!"

He dodged other people and carried on running after her.

"Please Jess… just…" She was cut off as he abruptly pulled her into the bookstore and over to the back row of shelves, where it was quiet.

He was out of breath and didn't know if he could kiss her for more than a second or two, but he pulled her to him anyway and kissed her deeply.

They pulled apart slightly, Jess breathless from running and Rory breathless from crying, both breathless from their kiss.

"It's definitely not because I don't want you." He whispered and she laughed softly.