"Jess", Rory said shyly.
"You packed almost all your things!", he exclaimed.
"I didn't know where we were going!", she argued. "And I still have no clue."
Jess smirked. A moment later, he had an unreadable expression.
"Daytona Beach," Jess said.
"What?", Rory asked, not sure she had heard right.
"Daytona Beach. That's where we're going."
"We're going to drive to Daytona Beach, Florida?"
"Yes."
"I thought we would only leave for a week!", she said, horrified.
"I changed my mind. You'll need your bathing suit", he said, hiding a smile.
"I didn't bring it. I wasn't supposed to go swimming in Washington, you know", Rory said somewhat sarcastic.
"Then, we'll have to buy one", Jess simply declared.
"How much money do you have?", she asked him.
Rory didn't have much money left. She hoped that Jess had thought about bringing enough money…
"Enough", he replied vaguely.
Rory sighed. She would never get a precise answer from him. In a way, she didn't care; she loved Jess' mysterious side.
"Jess, you do realize that if I'm not back at my hotel dorm room in two weeks, I'll be in big troubles, right? I don't want troubles", Rory declared.
Jess stared at Rory for a full minute. His dark eyes were amazing. She could lose herself in them.
"Then, why did you accept? Why did you say 'yes'?", he wanted to know.
"'Cause I wanted to…"
"Great, so we're almost gone."
He took Rory's suitcase and put it in the car. Rory made my way to the passenger side. When she got in, she couldn't help but hold her breath. The inside of the car looked actually great!
"Wow! How did you manage this?", she asked, pretty surprised.
Lorelai had described Rory an old car. Well, it was an old car but it didn't look like one.
"I had some free time; I worked on it", Jess said. Then, it hit him. "How could you notice the changes I made if you weren't supposed to know I had a car?", he asked Rory.
She smiled. The answer was so obvious.
"Mom", she replied softly.
"Oh. Why did I bother to ask?", he said sarcastically.
Rory laughed.
"You're the one who should answer that", she said.
He smirked.
"My mistake."
Rory smiled again. Jess was being his old himself as if nothing had ever happened. What if he wasn't interested in her as a potential girlfriend for him? What if he wasn't interested in her at all?
*Stop it! Stop torturing yourself…
Now wasn't the time to think about that. She decided to enjoy every moment she would share with Jess. If it wasn't going to last, then she wanted it to be wonderful and unforgettable.
Jess, who had been silent while Rory was thinking, turned to her. He started the engine and gave her a sly smile.
"So, you trust me in a car?", he teased.
"Not sure…", Rory said with a smile. "You… a car… bad memories", she added.
"Your mom wouldn't approve you being in a car with me, you're aware of that?", Jess asked.
"Totally."
Jess was surprised, but not that surprised. It was like he had always knew that Rory was tired of being the Town Princess and wanted to fight against that title. Jess would be there to support her, help her, but he wouldn't push her. He wanted her well-being, her happiness, her love. Yes, he loved her, but he couldn't tell her, not yet.
Why not?
It was complicated. He had never told someone the three words: 'I love you'. He could feel it, but he didn't think he would ever be able to say those words. He wasn't good at these things and he wasn't ready yet.
"Where are we going to sleep?", Rory asked Jess who seemed lost in his thoughts.
He had only been driving since like five minutes, but Rory wanted to have some details about their so called 'road trip' to Daytona Beach.
"Here", he replied.
"Here? You mean, in the car?", Rory asked in disbelief.
He laughed.
"No! I mean, here in Washington. We'll find another hotel, have a good night sleeping and drive all day tomorrow", he said.
"Oh. Sounds good to me."
Rory still wasn't sure of what she was doing here. She could get into troubles, but she didn't really care about that. Of course, she didn't want troubles, but she wanted to feel free. Rory was doing something that nobody expected her to do. But she knew that this freedom wouldn't last. Eventually, she'd have to go back to her hotel dorm room and face whatever would happen.
Rory shook her head to get rid of all these thoughts. She needed something to distract her. She searched for her purse and took her copy of Oliver Twist. She smiled. It was the perfect time to read it.
"Hey Dodger? 'Mind if I read while you're driving?", Rory asked him.
Jess looked surprised. Rory thought she could tell why… Their car accident… It all started when she told him to drive 'cause she wanted to read Shakespeare. But they weren't going to get into another car accident. No.
"Go ahead", he finally replied.
"Thanks."
Rory opened her book to where she had last finished reading it a while ago: to the page 339.
" "Here there was another laugh, and another cry of silence. "Now then, where are the witnesses?" said the clerk. "Ah! that's right," added the Dodger. "Where are they? I should like to see 'em." "
She stopped and took a deep breath. Jess was smiling.
"You know, you have the right to breathe more often", he teased.
"Shut up and listen", Rory replied.
"As you wish, my lady", he said.
Rory turned her attention back to her book.
"This wish was immediately gratified, for a policeman stepped forward who had seen the prisoner attempt the pocket of an unknown gentleman in a crowd, and indeed take a handkerchief therefrom, which being a very old one, he deliberately put back again, after trying it on his own countenance. For this reason, he took the Dodger into custody as soon as he could get near him, and the said Dodger, being searched, had upon his person a silver snuff-box, with the owner's name engraved upon the lid. This gentleman had been discovered on reference to the Court Guide," Rory said but didn't finish the sentence as Jess spoke.
"and being then and there present, swore that the snuff-box was his, and that he had missed it on the previous day, the moment he had disengaged himself from the crowd before referred to. He had also remarked a young gentleman in the throng, particulary active in making his way about, and that young gentleman was the prisoner before him", Jess finished.
Rory was amazed. He had finished the entire page.
"That's approximately what's in the book", Jess said.
He's being modest, Rory thought. That wasn't exactly like him.
"Approximately? Jess, those are the exact words as in the book", Rory exclaimed. "How did you remember this?", she asked, curious.
"Don't know, don't care. I just did." That was his answer.
Rory stared outside by the window, thinking of how it could be possible. She didn't notice that Jess was hiding a smile.
"You better look around and find an hotel or a motel soon if you don't wanna sleep in the car", Jess told me.
"Will do. Thanks for reminding me though. I seem to be the one who got the idea of a road trip", Rory said, teasing him.
"Oh but you did… you did, Rory", Jess muttered.
She didn't understand the meaning of his sentence, so she asked him about it.
"Nothing", he quickly added. "There's an hotel there", he said and nodded at a building.
"Hotel Lombardy… It looks like it'll cost a lot to spend a night there…", she said but Jess didn't listen to her.
"Let's go see if they still have an available room", he said cheerfully.
An? An like in One? One room?
"Yeah, let's go..", Rory replied.
They headed to the hotel and it took her breath away. It looked like the northern part of Italy. Rory had seen some pictures in a book. Jess asked for a room and there was only one available. With only one bed. Was it what he had wanted all this time?
"I'll sleep on the couch", Jess said in her ear.
Rory nodded shyly. The man gave them the card and they took the elevator. Once in their room, Rory laid down on the bed and immediately fell asleep.
Jess approached her slowly and softly touched my face.
"I love you", he murmured.
He had said the words he had been waiting so long to say… but no one would hear them but him.
****
Thanks for reading! I'm writing the next chapter so I should put it on this week-end.
Sarah