Is There More?
Author: Knowhere
Chapter 4: Family Business
Rating: Pg-13
Disclaimer: I've forgotten to put this in the earlier chapters, but I hope that your deductive skills are good enough to figure out that I don't own anything mentioned in this story except for a couple fictional characters that I've conjured up.
AN: Don't worry Lits, this fic will soon progress in a manner you'll appreciate.
Summary: AU. College life is a journey of ups and downs; are Rory and Jess ready to take on what life is about to throw at them including a prospect of a new relationship, or will they choose the path of friendship like they did years ago? Literati.
The double date went pretty well; the restaurant was immaculate and the food was delicious. It wasn't too weird or too fancy that the portions were the sizes intended for birds, and the best thing about it was the dessert—the chocolate mud pie was the size of my face; it was so big that I had to share it with Jess. I would have shared it with Tyler but he doesn't really like the taste of chocolate; and to the Gilmore book, that's a big fat check mark in con section of dating; but not eating chocolate isn't going to stop me from dating him. What a silly reason.
So, for the first time ever I actually spent more than a minute with one of Jess's dates. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't like to get to know the women that he spends time with, it's just that Jess has never really had a steady girlfriend. I've just never had enough time to actually talk with them. When Jess introduced his date to me I could barely contain my laughter, and he could tell; by the look in his eyes I could see that he silently begged me not to crack a joke. I mean, if Jess dates a girl name Jessica, how can you just expect me to sit around and not tease him about it? Well, I was fairly lady-like and politely refrained from any comment that could be deemed 'too offensive' about her name until Jess and I got home. Besides the name, there wasn't anything else that was comical about that girl. Not that she wasn't the funny type, she just didn't have any substance in her. I mean, what was she made of—just that expensive makeup that was heavy on her face and the credit card that has her daddy's name on it? Why does Jess always pick the ones that can't hold their own in a conversation? It's not like girls like that aren't out there, there're plenty of nice, fun girls that he would enjoy spending time with. Oh well, who am I to really go and rant about my best friend's dates? This Jessica person probably won't last much longer when Jess realizes that all she wants is a boyfriend that drives a foreign car and has money coming out of the wazoo, which by the way, Jess is neither. I've got a pool going with my Mom about how long this one will last, I give it about one more week; Mom thinks it'll end in about three days. We'll see who wins; there's a cup of coffee for the winner.
I won the next week and Mom promised me the biggest cup that she could find the next time we get together.
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Tyler and I have been together for about five months now and I still find the relationship new and exciting. I never thought that I could find someone, besides Jess, that could fit in so perfectly with my personality. I've told Mom everything there is to tell about Tyler and she's pretty excited to meet him; I plan on taking him with me when I go back to Stars Hallow next weekend. I can't wait to be back sitting on one of Luke's stools with a big cheeseburger and a huge cup of his coffee. My mouth waters at the thought of it. Musing in my room, I don't even notice that I've been staring at my open text book for the last thirty minutes. It's Saturday night and normally I would be out on a date but Tyler said that he had some family business to take care of; not that I mind, it's not like we have to hang around each other 24/7.
I hear a soft rapping at my door and Jess pops his head in. "Hey Ror. Whatcha doing?"
Pouting I reply, "Nothing, I'm stuck here tonight."
Lying down next to me on my bed he sighs, "Yeah, me too."
Raising an eyebrow I tease, "Oh really? You don't have a pretty young thing to escort tonight? Wow, that's a first."
Grabbing out, he tackles me and I land right in his lap as he begins to tickle me for that little crack I made about his dating life. Finally after a couple of minutes at my surrender, he relents and lets me catch my breath. "You want to do something with me? We could go out to a movie or something."
Brightening up already I jump up from my bed and grab some clothes on my way to the bathroom while yelling back at him, "Yeah, let's go eat. I'm starving."
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Strolling along the street of New York with Jess at my side is one of my favorite things to do. After a quick bite at the little diner that reminds us of home, we took a quick browse at Barnes and Noble; well, it wasn't really that quick, more like two hours. As we're walking along I find that I feel completely safe just with my arm looped through his. New York might not be the safest city around but with Jess I don't feel anything less than secure. Walking aimlessly with no apparent conversation is one of our many pastimes. People don't really understand why we enjoy it so much, but we do; we both like to people watch and we like to get lost in our own little worlds while doing so. Whenever we do one of these walks, we just amble along and barely talk while we reflect upon our days.
I'm somewhat sad to think that our walks used to take place at least once every three but since I started dating Tyler we haven't been able to take our walks often. I'm a little bit upset at myself for allowing me to fall so deeply in this new relationship. Sure, things were new and exciting with Tyler, but that doesn't give me the right to abandon my friendship with Jess. Boyfriends may come and go, but what I have with Jess is binding. Lost in thought I don't realize that my face is reflecting my thoughts until Jess asks me what's wrong.
Tilting my head to look up at him I try to smile and brush it off, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about random things."
He doesn't usually give up so easily on trying to find out what's really wrong but I think he senses that I'll talk when I want to, so we just keep on walking. About five minutes later I slow down and when he accommodates my change of pace by shortening his strides I frankly ask, "Jess, do you think I've been a good friend since I've been seeing Tyler?"
Somewhat shocked he wonders, "What would make you think that you aren't being a good friend?"
"I don't know. I've just been thinking; you know that these kinds of relationships don't happen often in my life and even though I am happy, I don't want you to think that I can just replace you. You've always had girlfriends while we've been friends, but you've never let that get in the way of us hanging out. I don't want you to feel left out or anything like that." I try to explain my point without sounding arrogant like I'm rubbing it in his face that I have a steady relationship and he doesn't. We stop at a park bench to sit down and I try to relax as he puts his arm around my shoulders.
Without misunderstanding my point he quickly points out, "I've never felt left out Ror. Sure, there are times where I wanted to hang out or just do something with you but you were out, but I don't hold that against you. You have a boyfriend and we can't just always hang with each other every moment anymore; but don't worry about my feelings, I know that you're happy and I'm happy for you."
Leaning my head on his shoulder I whisper, "Thanks Jess."
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Getting back up I notice that it's getting late and we start our trek back towards our apartment. I'm feeling a lot better now that I've had that chat with Jess and I've decided that I'll try to make more time for him. I've missed spending time with him, talking to him, and just being with him. Tyler is a good boyfriend, but he couldn't ever fill Jess's shoes as my best friend. I'm feeling more and more confident in my relationships as we walk by a little coffee house that I've never noticed before. Curiously, I peer inside and I think I might have to check that out and see the quality of coffee that they serve. My thoughts on my beloved java are interrupted when I become aware of a familiar face inside the establishment sitting there with a pretty blonde. I think for a second that my eyes are playing a trick on me; that can't be Tyler sitting inside, he told me that he was in Vermont at a family gathering. Calming myself, I try to not jump to conclusions and I take a couple deep breaths to soothe the doubt and anger that I feel bubbling in the pit of my stomach. I'm sure that there is some logical explanation for this.
"Everything okay?" Jess can sense that something's up but I don't want him to get into his 'protective mode' until I know for sure what's the deal with Tyler and that blonde. Just because he lied about being somewhere doesn't mean that he's cheating on me, and I don't want Jess to just run in there and get to the bottom of it for me. I'm a grown up now and I can handle my own situations, good or bad.
"Yep, everything's fine." What else can I do but pretend that I'm fine? But deep inside I know that I'm far from anywhere but fine. Have I made a huge mistake for letting myself fall like I did?
AN: Thanks for reading. Tell me what you think. I definitely know where I'm taking this, so just sit back and relax as the plot unfolds.
FYI: For those who have reviewed and asked about whether we'll officially 'meet' Jess's girlfriend(s) or Tyler, the answer is that their interactions will be limited. From what you can see this is told from Rory's point of view and this story will only concern her relationships; there won't be a time where this will detour to Jess's life. Don't worry, Jess will soon be playing a much larger role in coming chapters. Staying true to its Literati fashion, boyfriends and girlfriends will play a role in both their lives but things that don't mainly concern Rory will be told through her words as if she were having a conversation with the reader. However, I do love that people are interested enough to put in their opinions and/or ask questions about character development.