Thank you for all your reviews. I was having some uploading problems and some formatting problems and the fact that it takes years and years to replace chapters, so for those of you who actually read the first chapter with all that coding mess, I commend you. And for those of you who thought I made it too easy on Jess, I never said it was over. *eviiiil laughter* All I have to say is, 'It was the soup!' *wink*
Chapter 3 – Windows and Towels
When Rory woke she was in Jess's bed.
"Crap!" she said as she gained consciousness. I fell asleep! How could I have fallen asleep! Damnit! Right as she was about to scream Jess's name, she spied him asleep on the couch. I can't wake him. Its better that I leave now, before he tries to explain this to Mom.
Rory ran out of the apartment and down the stairs and as she approached the house, she realized she still didn't have the key. Then she saw that her window was half way open. Saved! As she climbed through the window, she was started by a voice.
"Rory!" Lorelai's voice practically broke the sound barrier, and Rory bumped her head against the wall. "What happened?"
Rory was in total shock and pain after hitting her head. Should I make a run for it? How fast can she run in slippers? "Mom. Let me explain."
"Okay, explain."
Rory didn't understand. She expected some yelling, some 'Mom, please!'s and some 'I was worried sick.'s, but all she got was 'Okay, explain.' What was going on?
Then Rory heard the back door bang shut. "Mom? Why is our door opening and closing by itself?"
"It didn't want to hear the yelling?"
Rory just stared at her mother. Somebody was over last night.
"Um… it had tickets to the circus...invisible gnomes are taking over the house?"
Rory ran for the door but Lorelai stopped her. "Just, let it go."
Lorelai let go and went upstairs and Rory lied down on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
When Jess woke up, he saw that Rory was gone. At first he was about to go out and look for her, but then he realized she must have been fighting with her mother, and it would probably be best if he stayed in the apartment and started writing his will. He dug his hands in his pockets but then pulled out Rory's key. What the…how did she…? Cool it Mariano, just… try to relax. He sat down on the couch and started twirling the keychain around his finger. Then he started picking up all the video tapes they had watched and putting them into their covers. 'Please Lorelai, we were safe. We sat at least three feet away from the TV.'
Lorelai came downstairs into Rory's room and sat on the bed. "Are you coming with me to breakfast?"
As soon as Lorelai said breakfast, Rory realized that she hadn't seen Luke in the apartment all last night.
"It was Luke!"
"Yeah."
"Luke, you and… Luke?"
"Umm… yeah?"
"Okay Mom, I know this entire town thinks that he's crazy about you, but I was dead positive you…"
Lorelai didn't know what to say. She was caught between embarrassment, and the fact that her own daughter had been up to no good that night as well. Rory could see how vulnerable Lorelai was, so she backed down.
"Let's go, Mom." Rory got up off the bed and Lorelai followed her out the door.
As they entered Luke's they sat at different tables.
"This is surprisingly familiar." Lorelai said. "I'll move this time." As Lorelai got up and moved across from Rory, Rory could hardly look at her. Sure, she'd decided she was going to cut her mother a break, but it was too weird. Everything that had happened the entire morning was all floating around in her head, and it was the worst feeling in the world. God. I need some food.
"I'm going upstairs." Rory couldn't take it; she couldn't be around Luke or Lorelai. She had to find Jess.
As she opened the door to the apartment, she never could have imagined what she saw. Jess was looking into his dresser with no clothes on. His hair was wet, not spiky for once, and Rory just stood there, not knowing what do to. Should she close the door quietly and pretend she'd never come in? Would she get caught? Should she say something? Why doesn't he lock his door? As Rory folded her lips together, contemplating what to do, Jess turned around.
"Oh geez!" My god she's sneaky.
"Uhh, surprise?"
"Surp…" He looked down and saw what Rory had been watching for the last minute or so. Holy crap, I have no cloths on. He ran into the bathroom. "Rory? What are you doing up here?"
"Looking for you, and apparently I found you and some of your friends."
"This isn't funny."
"You're right, I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Let's try to lighten the mood here. "See anything that interested you?"
"Jess!" she said as she rolled her eyes. He's just as cocky without cloths on, who would have guessed.
Jess smirked and walked out with a towel around his waist. He would have worn a shirt, but there were no other cloths in the bathroom. Rory's eyes were immediately drawn to his chest muscles. She'd never realized how fit he was, then again, she'd never seen him naked before. Jess couldn't stop smiling. He took one arm and flexed his muscles and the other with a cocky smirk, and it wasn't long before Rory blushed.
"Impressed Ms. Gilmore?"
"Why do you do that?"
What? "I'm confused."
"Why do you always catch me off guard like that?"
"Well it's not every day I get to take advantage of the fact that you have really bad timing."
Rory grinned. She then picked up one of his shirts and threw it at him. "Get dressed." …not that I'm not enjoying this.
Jess took the shirt and walked over to Rory. She pulled the shirt over his hand and watched as each cluster of hair came through the top, and then his face. As they lost all focus on everything that had happened last night and what was going on around them, they kissed. And they needed it, because things were uneasy and because they desired certainty in their mess of a world. And when they broke from the kiss, Jess grabbed his boxers and pants, kissed Rory again and said "Will you be here when I come back fully clothed?"
"It depends on what's going to happen when you come back."
"Rory. I don't think we should do this now."
"What?"
"How can I be sure that you aren't going to freak out again?"
"Freak out?"
I'm such an idiot. "Never mind, forget it."
"No, don't forget it Jess. I don't understand why you underestimate me Jess. You think I'm some innocent little small town girl whose naïve and doesn't know what I'm getting myself into. You misjudge me. I am ready, Jess. More ready then I've ever been, I was ready last night, but it was the wrong place to share that experience with you, okay? I want our first time to be special and if you keep doubting me, I don't know how we are going to make that happen."
"I didn't know."
"Well… now you know."
"So are you telling me that you were planning for us to eventually get there?"
"Well, I was at least considering it. I mean… we can't control ourselves."
"Oh, that's just you, you see, I can control myself, but you can't take your eyes off me."
"Oh really?"
"Yes." he said as he smirked. "Really."
"So if I happened to casually brush my arm down your chest, you could resist?" she said as she took the action of her words. He kept a straight face but he began to get goose bumps.
"Yes."
"And if I lean into you closely…" she said as she did, "you wouldn't get tense?"
His heart started beating faster and pretty soon, Rory would know exactly how he was getting on edge.
"And…"
"Rory, stop."
"What? Why?"
"It's early, I have to work, and if we start doing this now, I know I won't be able to stop. And if I don't get down there within the next few minutes, Luke will come up here and most likely find us in a compromising position, and is that how you want to make our first time special?"
"Well…" she sighed contemplating what he has said, "no. You're right."
"I am right."
"Can I at least have one kiss to tide me over." she pleaded and pouted.
"You can have all the kisses your heart desires if you let me get downstairs now."
"Fine, but you will pay." she teased.
"Well I'll sleep with one eye open." he said as she walked out of the apartment, closing the door.