Chap 8 - I Always Loved You
The door opened and Laura appeared. "Hi, can I help you?" she asked like it was her house.
"Is this...Jess...are you...this house is..." Rory couldn't think straight.
"I thought I heard the bell ring," Jess voice came from the back of the room and Rory panicked.
"I'm sorry, I'm going now," she said to Laura but Jess arrived in the doorway just in time.
"Rory?"
She sighed, "Hi Jess"
"What are you doing here?"
"Don't worry, I'm leaving"
"No, wait," he said and then turned to Laura, "can we talk later?"
"Sure, call me," Laura replied, she picked her purse and went to the elevator knowing it wasn't time to ask anything.
"Well, I guess I'm going too"
"Rory let me explain to you-"
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Jess. You're just my boss"
"Yeah, you're right. But still I want to explain this to you"
"But I don't want to listen. I think it's pretty clear"
She started to walk away but he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.
"It's not because I'm your boss that I want to explain myself to you. Was she here? Yeah, she was. But nothing happened. Nothing. Has she ever tried to have something with me? Yes, since I know her. Yes, she tried to get into my pants, as odd as it may sound. Yeah, it's true. And if I wanted I would have had her a long time ago. But I didn't. I don't. And she's still in the paper cause I know she needs the job and she is good writer. So stop it, okay?"
"You didn't have to explain yourself to me. I wouldn't tell anyone in the office what I saw"
"I wanted to. And I don't give a damn if you do or don't tell someone what you saw. They don't have anything to do with my life. And besides, what would they do? Just gossips. I'm their boss, they can't fire me"
"So why do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Tell me what had, what hadn't happened?"
"Cause you have to do with my life. At least I wish you did. And I knew that if you went away thinking that I had something with Laura you wouldn't have anything to do with my life. Maybe never again"
She looked away.
"I missed you"
"I missed you too"
"But I still miss you"
"I know what you mean. Me too"
He pulled her close and hugged her.
"You want to come in? I can make you some coffee"
"How can I refuse? You said the magical word," she said smiling kinda sadly.
He laughed. They entered his apartment and went to the kitchen to make some coffee and tea.
He cleaned his throat, "Hmmmm, can we talk? I mean really talk"
"I'd like that"
There's an odd silence
"So...are you dating someone?" he asked
"No," she paused, "you?"
"No. So, what do you do after, hum, I went, we...you went to Yale?"
"After you came to New York I went to Yale. Nothing much happened. I dated some guys. I graduated. I spent a month in Stars Hollow before come to New York to look for a job"
"How's Stars Hollow?"
"The same. Luke said to say 'hi' to you if I found you. Mom said 'hi' too"
"How she knew you'd find me?"
"She didn't, but she sensed it. Besides, I told her when I saw you in the interview. And she told me to say 'hi' to you"
"So, you talked to your Mom about me?" he raised an eyebrow
"Hum, yeah. And what do you did after you came to New York?"
"Found old friends, started college..."
"Girlfriends?"
"Some"
"Oh"
"I thought a lot about you, Ror. Actually, I've been thinking a lot about you...especially lately"
"Me too", she paused looking down, "The day before I went to the interview I read the note you wrote in back of a picture of us, we're hugging-"
He cut her of, "I know the picture. You hadn't read it before?", he asked somewhat dryly.
"No"
"Why? What happened that made you read it?", he asked looking down.
"I was unpacking and I found it...and, I don't know. I guess I thought it was just time to move on, but first I had to read it"
"So, you're moving on five years later?"
"Never is too late," she answered in a lower voice, looking away.
"Good, cause I haven't moved on yet. But I don't think I really want to"
"You didn't? You don't?"
"No", he paused, "How far did you go with your moving on thing?"
"Not too far. I found you and things changed . . . again"
"Changed how?"
"I don't want to move on anymore, I don't to go anywhere. To tell the truth I don't even want to leave even this apartment. I just wanna be here...with you"
He closed the distance between them and kissed her softly. It wasn't really a kiss. They were just brushing their lips at each other. They're just feeling each other presence, each other body. Like they had to get used to it again, or if one could hurt the other just by the touch.
He started to kiss her jaw and her neck and went to her ear and whispered breathless, "The picture...all of it was true. I always loved you"
Tears dropped from Rory's face as she hugged him and kissed him saying, "I love you so much." Jess broke the grip and looked deep into her eyes. He took her hand and led her to his room, always looking in her eyes.
Just after they went to his room she slammed the door behind her. They had spent too much time separately. She couldn't live even a moment without him anymore. And neither could he.
The door opened and Laura appeared. "Hi, can I help you?" she asked like it was her house.
"Is this...Jess...are you...this house is..." Rory couldn't think straight.
"I thought I heard the bell ring," Jess voice came from the back of the room and Rory panicked.
"I'm sorry, I'm going now," she said to Laura but Jess arrived in the doorway just in time.
"Rory?"
She sighed, "Hi Jess"
"What are you doing here?"
"Don't worry, I'm leaving"
"No, wait," he said and then turned to Laura, "can we talk later?"
"Sure, call me," Laura replied, she picked her purse and went to the elevator knowing it wasn't time to ask anything.
"Well, I guess I'm going too"
"Rory let me explain to you-"
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, Jess. You're just my boss"
"Yeah, you're right. But still I want to explain this to you"
"But I don't want to listen. I think it's pretty clear"
She started to walk away but he grabbed her arm and pulled her close to him.
"It's not because I'm your boss that I want to explain myself to you. Was she here? Yeah, she was. But nothing happened. Nothing. Has she ever tried to have something with me? Yes, since I know her. Yes, she tried to get into my pants, as odd as it may sound. Yeah, it's true. And if I wanted I would have had her a long time ago. But I didn't. I don't. And she's still in the paper cause I know she needs the job and she is good writer. So stop it, okay?"
"You didn't have to explain yourself to me. I wouldn't tell anyone in the office what I saw"
"I wanted to. And I don't give a damn if you do or don't tell someone what you saw. They don't have anything to do with my life. And besides, what would they do? Just gossips. I'm their boss, they can't fire me"
"So why do you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Tell me what had, what hadn't happened?"
"Cause you have to do with my life. At least I wish you did. And I knew that if you went away thinking that I had something with Laura you wouldn't have anything to do with my life. Maybe never again"
She looked away.
"I missed you"
"I missed you too"
"But I still miss you"
"I know what you mean. Me too"
He pulled her close and hugged her.
"You want to come in? I can make you some coffee"
"How can I refuse? You said the magical word," she said smiling kinda sadly.
He laughed. They entered his apartment and went to the kitchen to make some coffee and tea.
He cleaned his throat, "Hmmmm, can we talk? I mean really talk"
"I'd like that"
There's an odd silence
"So...are you dating someone?" he asked
"No," she paused, "you?"
"No. So, what do you do after, hum, I went, we...you went to Yale?"
"After you came to New York I went to Yale. Nothing much happened. I dated some guys. I graduated. I spent a month in Stars Hollow before come to New York to look for a job"
"How's Stars Hollow?"
"The same. Luke said to say 'hi' to you if I found you. Mom said 'hi' too"
"How she knew you'd find me?"
"She didn't, but she sensed it. Besides, I told her when I saw you in the interview. And she told me to say 'hi' to you"
"So, you talked to your Mom about me?" he raised an eyebrow
"Hum, yeah. And what do you did after you came to New York?"
"Found old friends, started college..."
"Girlfriends?"
"Some"
"Oh"
"I thought a lot about you, Ror. Actually, I've been thinking a lot about you...especially lately"
"Me too", she paused looking down, "The day before I went to the interview I read the note you wrote in back of a picture of us, we're hugging-"
He cut her of, "I know the picture. You hadn't read it before?", he asked somewhat dryly.
"No"
"Why? What happened that made you read it?", he asked looking down.
"I was unpacking and I found it...and, I don't know. I guess I thought it was just time to move on, but first I had to read it"
"So, you're moving on five years later?"
"Never is too late," she answered in a lower voice, looking away.
"Good, cause I haven't moved on yet. But I don't think I really want to"
"You didn't? You don't?"
"No", he paused, "How far did you go with your moving on thing?"
"Not too far. I found you and things changed . . . again"
"Changed how?"
"I don't want to move on anymore, I don't to go anywhere. To tell the truth I don't even want to leave even this apartment. I just wanna be here...with you"
He closed the distance between them and kissed her softly. It wasn't really a kiss. They were just brushing their lips at each other. They're just feeling each other presence, each other body. Like they had to get used to it again, or if one could hurt the other just by the touch.
He started to kiss her jaw and her neck and went to her ear and whispered breathless, "The picture...all of it was true. I always loved you"
Tears dropped from Rory's face as she hugged him and kissed him saying, "I love you so much." Jess broke the grip and looked deep into her eyes. He took her hand and led her to his room, always looking in her eyes.
Just after they went to his room she slammed the door behind her. They had spent too much time separately. She couldn't live even a moment without him anymore. And neither could he.