SPOILERS - None.
SUMMARY - Same as the other chapters
DISCLAIMER - The WB, Amy Sherman-Palladino, et al owns it all.
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Chapter Two
The plane touched down in Hartford at 10:00 pm. As I walked to the car rental counter I pulled out my cell phone. In my mind, I can picture Luke doing his closing chores. I scrolled to his number on my speed dial. Strange that I had programmed his number into the phone when I got it over three years ago. It's not like I had intended to call him so many times that it would warrant me adding him to my speed dial. Hell, I had NO intention of ever calling him. Maybe it was a memory thing. If I put it in the phone I wouldn't have to write it down anywhere or try to memorize it. Or maybe that I just didn't have many numbers to program into the phone and I felt like I had to put SOMEONE in there. Weird. It rang three times before I heard a familiar gruff, "Luke's - we're closed."
"Hey Uncle Luke," I said casually as I walked toward my rental car.
"Jess? Is that you? What the hell are you calling me for?" he said sounding more surprised than angry. "Where are you?" he added.
"Actually, I'm in a rental car in Hartford," I answered, waiting for a response.
"Huh. Are you coming here? Are you in trouble or something?" he asked. I laughed.
"I see my 'huh' has stuck with you, eh?" I said with a chuckle.
"And I see your ability to dodge questions hasn't left you," he answered back. Dodger. That's what she used to call me.
"Well, yeah, if that's okay, I'd like to come see you, and no, I'm not in any trouble," I said sheepishly, feeling and sounding like an 18-year old again.
"Well, yeah, sure, um, yeah, come on over. I'll stay here a while and wait for you. You can stay in the apartment upstairs if you want. I, um, don't live there anymore." he trailed off.
"Don't worry Luke. I heard about you and Lorelai from Lizzie."
"Oh, and did she tell you." he started to ask.
"Yeah, you guys are getting married, I heard," I interrupted. Luke coughed nervously.'
"This coming weekend, in fact," he stated.
"Huh," I answered, but my stomach did a flip flop. That would mean that SHE would be in Stars Hollow. But I made sure that my voice didn't show it.
"Listen, Jess, um, I was going to have Randy stand up with me. But, um, if you were maybe thinking about staying around a few days.I know this is totally last minute and all.but I was thinking," he hesitated. I could tell by his rambling that he was happy to hear that I was coming. "I'd really like for you to be my best man, I mean, if you want to," he stammered.
"I'd love to, Uncle Luke," I answered immediately. "I'll see you in about 30 minutes," I said and turned off the phone. That means that I'll probably be paired up with her all day. I'll get to touch her, hold her, dance with her. I held my breath. She must be the maid of honor, right? Or matron. Maybe she's married by now. Damn it for not keeping in touch with Luke to get updates on her. Damn me for not contacting her once I got my shit together. Five years. A long time. She's been out of school for a year now. Probably climbing her way up the corporate ladder at CNN. Busy. Living in Atlanta. Not thinking about me at all. Stop it! Stop being so insecure! I'll just have to morph back into the old Jess. Cool. What did I used to say? 'Like Frank at the Sands." Yeah. That was it. My brain raced with memories and before I even realized it, I was driving up to Luke's diner.
The main lights were off but I could see that there was one light on in the kitchen in the back of the diner, and another light on upstairs. It was probably the light next to my old bed. The bed that she and I use to lay on together. The one where I dreamed of her. Where I wanted to give myself to her. Ugh. I wonder if I should sleep on the couch instead. No, we had lots of make-out sessions there too. Maybe I can sleep in Luke's old bed. No memories there, except for when I used to check to be sure he was asleep before I'd sneak out of the apartment to meet her at her house or at the bridge. The bridge. I wonder if it's still there, still the same. Hell, this is Stars Hollow, what am I thinking, of course everything is still the same. Nothing ever changes here. Except Luke's with Lorelai. She is gone. I left. I guess not everything is the same after all.
Maybe Kirk got a real job, a real life, a girlfriend. Anything's possible. I mean, hey, I made something out of myself, so there may be some hope for Kirk, right? I smiled at the thought of it.
I locked my car after getting my bag out (reflex for living in New York City for so long, I don't think I need to lock it in Stars Hollow) and entered the empty diner. It looked exactly the same, it smelled exactly the same. A mixture of burgers and bacon. And grease. Ugh. Luke was sitting at the counter having a beer with his back to me until he heard the jingle of the bell over the door. He turned and smiled. I couldn't help but return the smile. Damn, it was great to see him. He's the closest thing I'd ever have to a father. I walked in and he stood, first extending his hand to me, then pulling me into an awkward hug once our hands were clasped. He patted me on the back. "Damn good to see you, Jess!" he said with more enthusiasm than I was used to.
"Uh, thanks" I said with surprise. "It's great to see you too, Luke," and I really meant it.
"Do you want a beer?" he asked, gesturing to the small fridge he kept below the counter.
"Sure, sounds good," I said. I was tired and not in much of a mood to talk, but the thought of going upstairs, to all of those memories, was scaring the shit out of me. Luke handed me a beer and sat down on the stool next to me.
"So, how was your flight?" Luke asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was never good at small talk. Neither was I. I just nodded. "You want something to eat?" he asked, gesturing to the kitchen.
"No, I'm okay," I answered. Good old Luke. Food was the one thing that he could relate to.
"I read your book, you know. And I actually subscribe to the Sunday New York Times now!" Luke said with a smirk.
"Huh," I answered, with joy in my heart. If Luke read my book, that means that Lorelai has read my book, that means that SHE read my book. Oh God!
"I'm really proud of you, boy, you've come a long way," he added.
"Yeah. Well, Luke, you had a lot to do with it. I'm sorry for what happened. I hope you know that," I said sincerely.
"Yeah. I know, you did what you had to do," he paused. "I guess you know, um, that she's here," he said slowly, checking my profile for a reaction.
"Yeah, I figured," I answered, hoping that my expression wasn't betraying me. It's been a while since I've felt a need to use my 'Stars Hollow face'.
"She's doing real good. Graduated with honors from Harvard, working as a political correspondent for CNN in Washington," he said proudly, as if he was describing his own daughter, not his fiancée's daughter. We sat in silence for a minute, drinking our beers, both lost in thought.
"Married?" I finally asked, breaking the silence, finally relieving the pressure of the question that was building up inside of me until I thought I would explode.
"No," he said quietly. More silence. " A couple of boyfriends during college, but nothing serious, now she's too busy with work, or so she says." I nod. More silence. It's now become deafening. "How about you?" Luke asked, pretty much knowing the answer.
"The same, a couple of girls during college at NYU, but nobody stuck around," I answered. More silence.
"I don't think she's ever gotten over you, Jess," Luke stated simply. My heart stopped. Did he just say what I thought he said? He sighed and stared at his beer bottle.
"I don't think I've gotten over her, either," I answered, surprised to hear myself say it out loud. I've never said out loud before. I didn't want to believe it, but here it is. It's out there now. Luke just nodded and looked at me sympathetically. We both finished off our beers.
"So...how about we all it a night, huh? I put a light on up there for you and cleaned up a little. We can get you fitted for a tux tomorrow, okay?"
"Sounds good. 'Nite, Luke," I said, picking up my bag as I headed towards the apartment steps. Luke threw the two bottles in the garbage and headed out the front door, locking it on the way out. I stood at the bottom of the stairs. Okay, deep breath. I climbed the stairs slowly, laughing at myself for being so melancholy. I walked into the apartment and noticed the light next to Luke's bed was on. I looked around. Most of Luke's stuff was gone. I guess it was at Lorelai's now that he lived there. I glanced over to my old bed. There was a pillow and a stack of sheets on it, but the bed was stripped. I looked over and saw that Luke had made his bed, even turned down the sheets back. I smiled at that. He knew. He knew I couldn't sleep in that bed. Or on that couch. Wow. I didn't give Luke as much credit as he deserved. I kicked off my shoes and stripped down to my boxers. I took my toiletry bag into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, then turned off the lights and climbed into bed.
I lay there, wide-eyed, listening to the absolute silence that is Stars Hollow at night. The next few days are going to be pretty interesting, to say the least. It sure isn't going to be like the week I had originally planned when I was at the airport with a drink and a book a few short hours ago...
End of Chapter Two.
Chapter Two
The plane touched down in Hartford at 10:00 pm. As I walked to the car rental counter I pulled out my cell phone. In my mind, I can picture Luke doing his closing chores. I scrolled to his number on my speed dial. Strange that I had programmed his number into the phone when I got it over three years ago. It's not like I had intended to call him so many times that it would warrant me adding him to my speed dial. Hell, I had NO intention of ever calling him. Maybe it was a memory thing. If I put it in the phone I wouldn't have to write it down anywhere or try to memorize it. Or maybe that I just didn't have many numbers to program into the phone and I felt like I had to put SOMEONE in there. Weird. It rang three times before I heard a familiar gruff, "Luke's - we're closed."
"Hey Uncle Luke," I said casually as I walked toward my rental car.
"Jess? Is that you? What the hell are you calling me for?" he said sounding more surprised than angry. "Where are you?" he added.
"Actually, I'm in a rental car in Hartford," I answered, waiting for a response.
"Huh. Are you coming here? Are you in trouble or something?" he asked. I laughed.
"I see my 'huh' has stuck with you, eh?" I said with a chuckle.
"And I see your ability to dodge questions hasn't left you," he answered back. Dodger. That's what she used to call me.
"Well, yeah, if that's okay, I'd like to come see you, and no, I'm not in any trouble," I said sheepishly, feeling and sounding like an 18-year old again.
"Well, yeah, sure, um, yeah, come on over. I'll stay here a while and wait for you. You can stay in the apartment upstairs if you want. I, um, don't live there anymore." he trailed off.
"Don't worry Luke. I heard about you and Lorelai from Lizzie."
"Oh, and did she tell you." he started to ask.
"Yeah, you guys are getting married, I heard," I interrupted. Luke coughed nervously.'
"This coming weekend, in fact," he stated.
"Huh," I answered, but my stomach did a flip flop. That would mean that SHE would be in Stars Hollow. But I made sure that my voice didn't show it.
"Listen, Jess, um, I was going to have Randy stand up with me. But, um, if you were maybe thinking about staying around a few days.I know this is totally last minute and all.but I was thinking," he hesitated. I could tell by his rambling that he was happy to hear that I was coming. "I'd really like for you to be my best man, I mean, if you want to," he stammered.
"I'd love to, Uncle Luke," I answered immediately. "I'll see you in about 30 minutes," I said and turned off the phone. That means that I'll probably be paired up with her all day. I'll get to touch her, hold her, dance with her. I held my breath. She must be the maid of honor, right? Or matron. Maybe she's married by now. Damn it for not keeping in touch with Luke to get updates on her. Damn me for not contacting her once I got my shit together. Five years. A long time. She's been out of school for a year now. Probably climbing her way up the corporate ladder at CNN. Busy. Living in Atlanta. Not thinking about me at all. Stop it! Stop being so insecure! I'll just have to morph back into the old Jess. Cool. What did I used to say? 'Like Frank at the Sands." Yeah. That was it. My brain raced with memories and before I even realized it, I was driving up to Luke's diner.
The main lights were off but I could see that there was one light on in the kitchen in the back of the diner, and another light on upstairs. It was probably the light next to my old bed. The bed that she and I use to lay on together. The one where I dreamed of her. Where I wanted to give myself to her. Ugh. I wonder if I should sleep on the couch instead. No, we had lots of make-out sessions there too. Maybe I can sleep in Luke's old bed. No memories there, except for when I used to check to be sure he was asleep before I'd sneak out of the apartment to meet her at her house or at the bridge. The bridge. I wonder if it's still there, still the same. Hell, this is Stars Hollow, what am I thinking, of course everything is still the same. Nothing ever changes here. Except Luke's with Lorelai. She is gone. I left. I guess not everything is the same after all.
Maybe Kirk got a real job, a real life, a girlfriend. Anything's possible. I mean, hey, I made something out of myself, so there may be some hope for Kirk, right? I smiled at the thought of it.
I locked my car after getting my bag out (reflex for living in New York City for so long, I don't think I need to lock it in Stars Hollow) and entered the empty diner. It looked exactly the same, it smelled exactly the same. A mixture of burgers and bacon. And grease. Ugh. Luke was sitting at the counter having a beer with his back to me until he heard the jingle of the bell over the door. He turned and smiled. I couldn't help but return the smile. Damn, it was great to see him. He's the closest thing I'd ever have to a father. I walked in and he stood, first extending his hand to me, then pulling me into an awkward hug once our hands were clasped. He patted me on the back. "Damn good to see you, Jess!" he said with more enthusiasm than I was used to.
"Uh, thanks" I said with surprise. "It's great to see you too, Luke," and I really meant it.
"Do you want a beer?" he asked, gesturing to the small fridge he kept below the counter.
"Sure, sounds good," I said. I was tired and not in much of a mood to talk, but the thought of going upstairs, to all of those memories, was scaring the shit out of me. Luke handed me a beer and sat down on the stool next to me.
"So, how was your flight?" Luke asked, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. He was never good at small talk. Neither was I. I just nodded. "You want something to eat?" he asked, gesturing to the kitchen.
"No, I'm okay," I answered. Good old Luke. Food was the one thing that he could relate to.
"I read your book, you know. And I actually subscribe to the Sunday New York Times now!" Luke said with a smirk.
"Huh," I answered, with joy in my heart. If Luke read my book, that means that Lorelai has read my book, that means that SHE read my book. Oh God!
"I'm really proud of you, boy, you've come a long way," he added.
"Yeah. Well, Luke, you had a lot to do with it. I'm sorry for what happened. I hope you know that," I said sincerely.
"Yeah. I know, you did what you had to do," he paused. "I guess you know, um, that she's here," he said slowly, checking my profile for a reaction.
"Yeah, I figured," I answered, hoping that my expression wasn't betraying me. It's been a while since I've felt a need to use my 'Stars Hollow face'.
"She's doing real good. Graduated with honors from Harvard, working as a political correspondent for CNN in Washington," he said proudly, as if he was describing his own daughter, not his fiancée's daughter. We sat in silence for a minute, drinking our beers, both lost in thought.
"Married?" I finally asked, breaking the silence, finally relieving the pressure of the question that was building up inside of me until I thought I would explode.
"No," he said quietly. More silence. " A couple of boyfriends during college, but nothing serious, now she's too busy with work, or so she says." I nod. More silence. It's now become deafening. "How about you?" Luke asked, pretty much knowing the answer.
"The same, a couple of girls during college at NYU, but nobody stuck around," I answered. More silence.
"I don't think she's ever gotten over you, Jess," Luke stated simply. My heart stopped. Did he just say what I thought he said? He sighed and stared at his beer bottle.
"I don't think I've gotten over her, either," I answered, surprised to hear myself say it out loud. I've never said out loud before. I didn't want to believe it, but here it is. It's out there now. Luke just nodded and looked at me sympathetically. We both finished off our beers.
"So...how about we all it a night, huh? I put a light on up there for you and cleaned up a little. We can get you fitted for a tux tomorrow, okay?"
"Sounds good. 'Nite, Luke," I said, picking up my bag as I headed towards the apartment steps. Luke threw the two bottles in the garbage and headed out the front door, locking it on the way out. I stood at the bottom of the stairs. Okay, deep breath. I climbed the stairs slowly, laughing at myself for being so melancholy. I walked into the apartment and noticed the light next to Luke's bed was on. I looked around. Most of Luke's stuff was gone. I guess it was at Lorelai's now that he lived there. I glanced over to my old bed. There was a pillow and a stack of sheets on it, but the bed was stripped. I looked over and saw that Luke had made his bed, even turned down the sheets back. I smiled at that. He knew. He knew I couldn't sleep in that bed. Or on that couch. Wow. I didn't give Luke as much credit as he deserved. I kicked off my shoes and stripped down to my boxers. I took my toiletry bag into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, then turned off the lights and climbed into bed.
I lay there, wide-eyed, listening to the absolute silence that is Stars Hollow at night. The next few days are going to be pretty interesting, to say the least. It sure isn't going to be like the week I had originally planned when I was at the airport with a drink and a book a few short hours ago...
End of Chapter Two.