"So what do you wanna do after we finish eating?" Jess wouldn't
admit to it in a million years but he was excited that Rory was there with
him in New York City. Things like this just don't happen every day, Jess
thought. He had to show her that no one, especially Dean, could make her
feel things and do things like when she was with him. He was determined.
"Straight to your apartment and then to bed." Rory said, also determined. Jess had just taken a bite out of his pizza and he made a funny noise that was like a groan and his eyes widened. He couldn't talk because the food in his mouth. Jess swallowed.
"Rory I know you feel bad but-"
"No I don't think you do. Right now I am sitting here eating this pizza, but I feel terrible. I can't even think straight. I can't even enjoy this really great amazing pizza because all I can think about is my mom." Rory spoke fast and with emotion.
"So now you are just going to wallow in your guilt? Lock yourself up in a tower and throw away the key? How bout self flagellation?" Jess then tried to get the image of Rory with a whip in her hand out of his head.
"Don't you think I should feel guilty?"
"Yes but I don't think you should punish yourself. You'll have plenty of time for that later, trust me. But if you sit at my place and just think about how you screwed up you will only feel worse."
"I want to feel worse. I deserve to feel awful and guilty. What do you think I should do Jess? Go to a party? Smash windows? Nothing is going to make me feel better!"
"Actually I was thinking a museum." He ignored the smashing windows comment.
"A museum?"
"Yeah, I think you will like it."
"Well...which one?" Jess smiled. He already knew he was convincing her.
"The Met." Jess grabbed another slice of pizza and took a bite.
"The Met as in the Metropolitan Museum of Art?" Sometimes Jess said things that came out of nowhere, but they were so perfect at that moment that Rory had trouble believing it.
"The very one."
"Convince me."
"What?"
"Convince me. Tell me why I should go, and then I'll decide." She leaned back and waited. Jess took a sip from his soda, wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned in on the table with both elbows. Then began.
"First of all, when are you going to get another opportunity like this? It's not like you come to New York all the time or even occasionally. This could be your only chance in the next five years to see one of the world's best museums, which brings me to my second point. The Met is arguably one of the best museums in the country, some say in the world. You will be seeing priceless works of art from some of the best artists that human kind has ever produced. Also, it is economically beneficial as well. It costs absolutely nothing, unless you want the head set with the commentary but that is a total rip off. And lastly, you have ditched school today and are in lack of your daily dose of education. This museum trip to the Met can solve that problem. No longer will this day be the day you ditched school and came to see me, but it will be more like a field trip."
Jess looked at Rory expectantly for an answer. He thought he did pretty good except for that coming to see me remark.......it kind of slipped out.
"Are you done?"
"Yep."
"Well Jess that was a nice speech. Eloquently spoken and your arguments were clearly made."
"Thank you."
"It was so good, in fact that I am beginning to wonder if you were you ever on the debate team."
"Do I look like a mass-debater to you?" It was a common term for the debate nerds. Jess knew it was too vulgar for Rory's virgin ears, which Jess was sure that she was, but he couldn't help it. He liked making Rory blush, which she did. Rory looked down smiling. She had also heard that slang for people in the debate club but she had never used it before.
"No Jess you don't look like someone on the debate team." She looked at him still smiling. She suppressed the urge to laugh.
"So......" Jess searched for something to fill the sexual tension, ".......did my arguments convince you?"
"Yes they did." Rory smiled.
"Good, let's go to the museum."
"Then we will get back to your apartment to wallow in my guilt and shame?"
"I promise that tonight, we will reach the human maxim on wallowing."
"I think we need to stop saying 'wallowing.'"
"Agreed."
999999999999999999999999999
"Jess?" They were standing on the platform waiting for the train to come. It was rush hour, people going home or going out, very crowded.
"Yeah?" Jess looked at Rory standing next to him. He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was serious and her eyes, they had this pleading look in them.
"I don't know what I am doing." There was a panic in her voice that Jess had never heard before. Rory was talking about everything. Jess knew he had to say the right thing then - that this was one of those absolute key moments that they would both always remember.
"No one does Rory." Jess' voice was sincere.
"But I always thought .....that I......that I knew." Everything that Rory ever knew was disappearing. Like she was awaking from a dream. It was too much; the meanings behind the entire day were flying at her all at once.
"We wouldn't be human if we didn't get lost every once in a while."
"So you think I'm lost?" Rory didn't like the idea of Jess thinking of her like she was a lost little kid. Like he was so worldly and she was the little lamb that he had to protect. Dean treated her like that sometimes, so did her mom. Part of the reason she liked Jess was that he treated her like an equal.
"Not like that. Just that no one really knows what they are doing, and people who say they do are probably lying or selling something."
"Oh." Rory looked away from Jess and at the train approaching. She was letting his words sink in. She guessed that was Jess' philosophy. To roll through life and experiences and to just see what happens. But she wasn't like that. Rory was always organized, always had a plan. She didn't like what she was feeling right then. She didn't like feeling lost.
"But on the other hand....." Rory turned toward Jess and listened closely, ".......there are some things that you just know and you can't explain it. But you know that if you let it slip by, that you will regret if for the rest of your life." Jess stared hard at Rory. She opened her mouth to speak no words came out and she closed it again dumbly.
She understood........exactly what he was saying.
"I know exactly what you mean." She spoke softly. The train arrived with a powerful wind that caused Rory's hair to blow in her face but she barely noticed. Jess took her hand in his and held it there, intertwining their fingers.
Rory felt her blood burn and flow through her at once. It was as if her entire body was centered on the contact she had with Jess, even if it was just their hands. Jess was watching the reaction on her face. She was so easy to read. Her hand was small, delicate like her. And her skin was smooth against his own rough skin.
Still holding hands he led her on the train and they both sat in silence, both too concerned with ruining the moment and saying the wrong things. When Jess started rubbing circles on Rory's palm she closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying the sensation. Jess didn't want the train to stop. He was perfectly content to ride with Rory leaning against him and holding her hand, forever.
That was all he ever wanted.
"Straight to your apartment and then to bed." Rory said, also determined. Jess had just taken a bite out of his pizza and he made a funny noise that was like a groan and his eyes widened. He couldn't talk because the food in his mouth. Jess swallowed.
"Rory I know you feel bad but-"
"No I don't think you do. Right now I am sitting here eating this pizza, but I feel terrible. I can't even think straight. I can't even enjoy this really great amazing pizza because all I can think about is my mom." Rory spoke fast and with emotion.
"So now you are just going to wallow in your guilt? Lock yourself up in a tower and throw away the key? How bout self flagellation?" Jess then tried to get the image of Rory with a whip in her hand out of his head.
"Don't you think I should feel guilty?"
"Yes but I don't think you should punish yourself. You'll have plenty of time for that later, trust me. But if you sit at my place and just think about how you screwed up you will only feel worse."
"I want to feel worse. I deserve to feel awful and guilty. What do you think I should do Jess? Go to a party? Smash windows? Nothing is going to make me feel better!"
"Actually I was thinking a museum." He ignored the smashing windows comment.
"A museum?"
"Yeah, I think you will like it."
"Well...which one?" Jess smiled. He already knew he was convincing her.
"The Met." Jess grabbed another slice of pizza and took a bite.
"The Met as in the Metropolitan Museum of Art?" Sometimes Jess said things that came out of nowhere, but they were so perfect at that moment that Rory had trouble believing it.
"The very one."
"Convince me."
"What?"
"Convince me. Tell me why I should go, and then I'll decide." She leaned back and waited. Jess took a sip from his soda, wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned in on the table with both elbows. Then began.
"First of all, when are you going to get another opportunity like this? It's not like you come to New York all the time or even occasionally. This could be your only chance in the next five years to see one of the world's best museums, which brings me to my second point. The Met is arguably one of the best museums in the country, some say in the world. You will be seeing priceless works of art from some of the best artists that human kind has ever produced. Also, it is economically beneficial as well. It costs absolutely nothing, unless you want the head set with the commentary but that is a total rip off. And lastly, you have ditched school today and are in lack of your daily dose of education. This museum trip to the Met can solve that problem. No longer will this day be the day you ditched school and came to see me, but it will be more like a field trip."
Jess looked at Rory expectantly for an answer. He thought he did pretty good except for that coming to see me remark.......it kind of slipped out.
"Are you done?"
"Yep."
"Well Jess that was a nice speech. Eloquently spoken and your arguments were clearly made."
"Thank you."
"It was so good, in fact that I am beginning to wonder if you were you ever on the debate team."
"Do I look like a mass-debater to you?" It was a common term for the debate nerds. Jess knew it was too vulgar for Rory's virgin ears, which Jess was sure that she was, but he couldn't help it. He liked making Rory blush, which she did. Rory looked down smiling. She had also heard that slang for people in the debate club but she had never used it before.
"No Jess you don't look like someone on the debate team." She looked at him still smiling. She suppressed the urge to laugh.
"So......" Jess searched for something to fill the sexual tension, ".......did my arguments convince you?"
"Yes they did." Rory smiled.
"Good, let's go to the museum."
"Then we will get back to your apartment to wallow in my guilt and shame?"
"I promise that tonight, we will reach the human maxim on wallowing."
"I think we need to stop saying 'wallowing.'"
"Agreed."
999999999999999999999999999
"Jess?" They were standing on the platform waiting for the train to come. It was rush hour, people going home or going out, very crowded.
"Yeah?" Jess looked at Rory standing next to him. He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was serious and her eyes, they had this pleading look in them.
"I don't know what I am doing." There was a panic in her voice that Jess had never heard before. Rory was talking about everything. Jess knew he had to say the right thing then - that this was one of those absolute key moments that they would both always remember.
"No one does Rory." Jess' voice was sincere.
"But I always thought .....that I......that I knew." Everything that Rory ever knew was disappearing. Like she was awaking from a dream. It was too much; the meanings behind the entire day were flying at her all at once.
"We wouldn't be human if we didn't get lost every once in a while."
"So you think I'm lost?" Rory didn't like the idea of Jess thinking of her like she was a lost little kid. Like he was so worldly and she was the little lamb that he had to protect. Dean treated her like that sometimes, so did her mom. Part of the reason she liked Jess was that he treated her like an equal.
"Not like that. Just that no one really knows what they are doing, and people who say they do are probably lying or selling something."
"Oh." Rory looked away from Jess and at the train approaching. She was letting his words sink in. She guessed that was Jess' philosophy. To roll through life and experiences and to just see what happens. But she wasn't like that. Rory was always organized, always had a plan. She didn't like what she was feeling right then. She didn't like feeling lost.
"But on the other hand....." Rory turned toward Jess and listened closely, ".......there are some things that you just know and you can't explain it. But you know that if you let it slip by, that you will regret if for the rest of your life." Jess stared hard at Rory. She opened her mouth to speak no words came out and she closed it again dumbly.
She understood........exactly what he was saying.
"I know exactly what you mean." She spoke softly. The train arrived with a powerful wind that caused Rory's hair to blow in her face but she barely noticed. Jess took her hand in his and held it there, intertwining their fingers.
Rory felt her blood burn and flow through her at once. It was as if her entire body was centered on the contact she had with Jess, even if it was just their hands. Jess was watching the reaction on her face. She was so easy to read. Her hand was small, delicate like her. And her skin was smooth against his own rough skin.
Still holding hands he led her on the train and they both sat in silence, both too concerned with ruining the moment and saying the wrong things. When Jess started rubbing circles on Rory's palm she closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder, enjoying the sensation. Jess didn't want the train to stop. He was perfectly content to ride with Rory leaning against him and holding her hand, forever.
That was all he ever wanted.