Author's Note: Someone commented about Starry Night not being in the Met
and I didn't know that. I guess that only highlights the fact that I am
not a New Yorker and have only been there once on a vacation a few years
ago. I hope that doesn't influence how you read the story however. Just
take note that if there are streets or names that don't exist or I don't
get right, it's because that this is truly fiction. Also, feel free to
review as harshly (or warmly) as you want. I am a big girl and can take
it.
Furthermore, I am updating the next chapter after this almost immediately because they are both kinda slow, but I think necessary for the story. I hate those fics that move too fast and are just unrealistic and end up losing credibility. Rory and Jess won't kiss and suddenly be a couple, or they won't kiss and now say "I love you." Anyhoo... here is chapter six...................Rory and Jess in the museum and some kissin'.
Jess looked at the rather large photograph in front of him. It was of a life size black-and-white photograph of a bathrobe hanging on the back of a door. His first reaction was that it was bullshit, this wasn't art. A life size picture of a bathrobe shouldn't be in a museum.
What talent did that take?
But Jess didn't move away. He stood in front of the bathrobe for long time thinking about it. The bathrobe made him feel very sad for some reason which he didn't understand. It was just a bathrobe, but something how it was just hanging there untouched. He kept staring at it.
When Jess did come out of the trance he looked at a few more photographs by the same artist. It was all everyday objects that looked different in the black-and-white photographs. Things like toasters and toilets and empty beds that suddenly had meanings beyond their obvious use. Some of it was provoking, like the bathrobe............but others were just weird to Jess and he rolled his eyes at it.
He looked around the exhibit for Rory to see what she thought of it only to conclude that she must have already moved on. He walked into the next room on the right, because that was the general direction they were moving in, but she wasn't in there either. Jess went into the room across the hall holding armors of kings in glass cases. No Rory. He felt a panic stir within him.
His feet moved quickly from room to room scanning for her. He tried to get all the possible scenarios of things that could happened to her out of his head, but Jess was a dark person and he was born and raised in the city, so they stayed in his head... tormenting him. It was only about 6 or 7 minutes that he went from room to room looking for her.
But time spent in fear is agonizingly slow.
He found her alone in a room he hadn't noticed before. It was a much smaller room compared to the other exhibits, connected to a huge room containing classical sculptures and windows. And in a single moment his faith in humanity was restored. Sitting in a soft blue glow was Rory, with her back to him. He almost didn't want to disturb her. But he did.
Rory was sitting on a bench opposite a huge stained glass window that was an entire wall. It was an intricate design of a flowing river. It was amazing. Jess imagined a man working on it his whole life, like a mediocre Michelangelo. The room had nothing else in it, just a bench opposite a beautiful window. The room was lit only by the window, which created the blue glow that mesmerized both Jess and Rory.
He said nothing and sat down next to her on the bench. When he got closer he realized that she was crying.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's stupid." Rory heard Jess approach her and sit down. She tried to hide her eyes but couldn't. She wiped the tears away and sniffled.
"Did something happen?" All the dark scenarios and possibilities were still fresh in his mind.
"No...I...I don't know why I'm crying. It's just that it is so beautiful in here and today has been very..................very emotional. You probably think I am such a baby." Rory's eyes looked like sapphires to Jess. They were drawing him in and he didn't have anything to hold on to.
"There HAS been a lot of tension today." Jess scooted closer to her and rubbed away her tears with his thumbs on both hands.
"Tension?" Rory instinctively closed her eyes when he touched her face.
"Yeah, with everything that has happened..." Jess didn't pull his hands away when he was done. He let them remain on her skin, waiting for her to pull away from him, like always. He was so close that he could see all her light freckles and the blue light on her long dark eyelashes. He was hypnotized.
But she didn't pull away. Rory opened her eyes and locked them with Jess. Without realizing it Rory gave him silent permission. Jess knew the look she was giving him, although Rory didn't. He leaned in and brushed his lips to hers. It was a gentle kiss full of tenderness.
He just wanted a taste.
The moment had been too good, the blue light and the closeness of their faces. When he pulled away after a few moments she felt abandoned immediately, then she felt guilty. And the guilt was much stronger. Jess stood and faced the opposite empty wall, diving his hands in his pockets.
"Why did you do that?" As soon as she said it, Rory knew she probably shouldn't have. That the statement implied guilt and wrong-doing on his part. But she wasn't thinking clearly.
"Because I have been wanting to for a long time." Jess was still facing the wall, regaining control. He clenched his jaw and tried to get her lips off of his in his mind. But they were still there, as was the soft look. He thought seriously of slapping himself. He had lost complete composure.
"Your lips are soft," Rory said as she stood.
Jess turned to face her after she spoke. It was too good. He noticed the blush in her cheeks and want in her eyes. They were standing on opposite sides of the room, with the beautiful stained glass window between them.
"Rory I-"
"Let's meet in the gift shop when the museum closes, alright?" Unable to take the intensity of his gaze and of the moment any longer Rory did what she usually did in those situations. She turned and ran away from him.
Jess wanted to run after her but decided not to. In retrospect he thought it was a poor choice to kiss her. Now she would probably reject him and they still had the entire night together. They had always avoided stating openly what they felt for each other and now the denial or dance would continue. Or worse she states flat out she doesn't want him.
Jess thought he made it obvious how he felt. He wanted her. He wanted her from the moment he met her. The flirting, the witty banter, the looks, the sparks... .............she had to know. But it wasn't clear to him how she felt. She had a boyfriend, she had a stable nice life that didn't include him. After the car accident he thought she would probably want him to leave, that was his main motivation for returning to New York City. Her.
Jess' mind returned to the fateful car ride where she told him to keep going. That she wanted to just keep riding with him. It was a simple decision that implied so much. And she had come to see him here. It had to mean something, he thought. And the looks she gave him right before they kissed, he recognized what was in her eyes. She...............it had seemed to Jess...............that she...............wanted...........him..................as much.
Jess looked back at the window. At it's beauty and the light pouring through it. It was a good kiss he decided. That much he was sure of. But now he was full of want. Everything he felt was multiplied. He didn't know how he would survive if she told him it was a mistake.
(99999999999999999999999
Huddled in the girls bathroom crying was Rory. She felt guilty, ashamed of herself. The same thoughts repeated in her mind again and again paralyzing her.
I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it.
Rory felt consumed with passion and self-loathing at the same time. She didn't know what to do. She told herself that she didn't understand what she was feeling for Jess or anything really. Everything was overwhelming her.
But really she did know.......that was excuse she told herself to rationalize the situation she was in. To excuse herself for being such a coward about everything.
She had kissed someone else that wasn't her boyfriend. She cheated on Dean. She was a cheater. Rory had never even cheated on a paper or a test before. Once on an essay on the American Revolution she cited fifteen sources even though the paper didn't require a bibliography because she felt bad about using the historians' opinions. She had gotten an 'A' and her teacher told her he was proud of her.
The memory made Rory wince.
Rory knew what she needed. She needed her mother, her best friend. She was so lost, so confused that she gathered the courage to call her. Even though she was terrified at what her mom would say to her, what she would think of her, the feeling of self-hatred was so great that it didn't matter. She walked to where she checked her bag, Jess' jacket, and Belinda. Determined to face the music and call her mother.
Furthermore, I am updating the next chapter after this almost immediately because they are both kinda slow, but I think necessary for the story. I hate those fics that move too fast and are just unrealistic and end up losing credibility. Rory and Jess won't kiss and suddenly be a couple, or they won't kiss and now say "I love you." Anyhoo... here is chapter six...................Rory and Jess in the museum and some kissin'.
Jess looked at the rather large photograph in front of him. It was of a life size black-and-white photograph of a bathrobe hanging on the back of a door. His first reaction was that it was bullshit, this wasn't art. A life size picture of a bathrobe shouldn't be in a museum.
What talent did that take?
But Jess didn't move away. He stood in front of the bathrobe for long time thinking about it. The bathrobe made him feel very sad for some reason which he didn't understand. It was just a bathrobe, but something how it was just hanging there untouched. He kept staring at it.
When Jess did come out of the trance he looked at a few more photographs by the same artist. It was all everyday objects that looked different in the black-and-white photographs. Things like toasters and toilets and empty beds that suddenly had meanings beyond their obvious use. Some of it was provoking, like the bathrobe............but others were just weird to Jess and he rolled his eyes at it.
He looked around the exhibit for Rory to see what she thought of it only to conclude that she must have already moved on. He walked into the next room on the right, because that was the general direction they were moving in, but she wasn't in there either. Jess went into the room across the hall holding armors of kings in glass cases. No Rory. He felt a panic stir within him.
His feet moved quickly from room to room scanning for her. He tried to get all the possible scenarios of things that could happened to her out of his head, but Jess was a dark person and he was born and raised in the city, so they stayed in his head... tormenting him. It was only about 6 or 7 minutes that he went from room to room looking for her.
But time spent in fear is agonizingly slow.
He found her alone in a room he hadn't noticed before. It was a much smaller room compared to the other exhibits, connected to a huge room containing classical sculptures and windows. And in a single moment his faith in humanity was restored. Sitting in a soft blue glow was Rory, with her back to him. He almost didn't want to disturb her. But he did.
Rory was sitting on a bench opposite a huge stained glass window that was an entire wall. It was an intricate design of a flowing river. It was amazing. Jess imagined a man working on it his whole life, like a mediocre Michelangelo. The room had nothing else in it, just a bench opposite a beautiful window. The room was lit only by the window, which created the blue glow that mesmerized both Jess and Rory.
He said nothing and sat down next to her on the bench. When he got closer he realized that she was crying.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. It's stupid." Rory heard Jess approach her and sit down. She tried to hide her eyes but couldn't. She wiped the tears away and sniffled.
"Did something happen?" All the dark scenarios and possibilities were still fresh in his mind.
"No...I...I don't know why I'm crying. It's just that it is so beautiful in here and today has been very..................very emotional. You probably think I am such a baby." Rory's eyes looked like sapphires to Jess. They were drawing him in and he didn't have anything to hold on to.
"There HAS been a lot of tension today." Jess scooted closer to her and rubbed away her tears with his thumbs on both hands.
"Tension?" Rory instinctively closed her eyes when he touched her face.
"Yeah, with everything that has happened..." Jess didn't pull his hands away when he was done. He let them remain on her skin, waiting for her to pull away from him, like always. He was so close that he could see all her light freckles and the blue light on her long dark eyelashes. He was hypnotized.
But she didn't pull away. Rory opened her eyes and locked them with Jess. Without realizing it Rory gave him silent permission. Jess knew the look she was giving him, although Rory didn't. He leaned in and brushed his lips to hers. It was a gentle kiss full of tenderness.
He just wanted a taste.
The moment had been too good, the blue light and the closeness of their faces. When he pulled away after a few moments she felt abandoned immediately, then she felt guilty. And the guilt was much stronger. Jess stood and faced the opposite empty wall, diving his hands in his pockets.
"Why did you do that?" As soon as she said it, Rory knew she probably shouldn't have. That the statement implied guilt and wrong-doing on his part. But she wasn't thinking clearly.
"Because I have been wanting to for a long time." Jess was still facing the wall, regaining control. He clenched his jaw and tried to get her lips off of his in his mind. But they were still there, as was the soft look. He thought seriously of slapping himself. He had lost complete composure.
"Your lips are soft," Rory said as she stood.
Jess turned to face her after she spoke. It was too good. He noticed the blush in her cheeks and want in her eyes. They were standing on opposite sides of the room, with the beautiful stained glass window between them.
"Rory I-"
"Let's meet in the gift shop when the museum closes, alright?" Unable to take the intensity of his gaze and of the moment any longer Rory did what she usually did in those situations. She turned and ran away from him.
Jess wanted to run after her but decided not to. In retrospect he thought it was a poor choice to kiss her. Now she would probably reject him and they still had the entire night together. They had always avoided stating openly what they felt for each other and now the denial or dance would continue. Or worse she states flat out she doesn't want him.
Jess thought he made it obvious how he felt. He wanted her. He wanted her from the moment he met her. The flirting, the witty banter, the looks, the sparks... .............she had to know. But it wasn't clear to him how she felt. She had a boyfriend, she had a stable nice life that didn't include him. After the car accident he thought she would probably want him to leave, that was his main motivation for returning to New York City. Her.
Jess' mind returned to the fateful car ride where she told him to keep going. That she wanted to just keep riding with him. It was a simple decision that implied so much. And she had come to see him here. It had to mean something, he thought. And the looks she gave him right before they kissed, he recognized what was in her eyes. She...............it had seemed to Jess...............that she...............wanted...........him..................as much.
Jess looked back at the window. At it's beauty and the light pouring through it. It was a good kiss he decided. That much he was sure of. But now he was full of want. Everything he felt was multiplied. He didn't know how he would survive if she told him it was a mistake.
(99999999999999999999999
Huddled in the girls bathroom crying was Rory. She felt guilty, ashamed of herself. The same thoughts repeated in her mind again and again paralyzing her.
I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it. I am a bad person. Dean. Mom. I wanted it.
Rory felt consumed with passion and self-loathing at the same time. She didn't know what to do. She told herself that she didn't understand what she was feeling for Jess or anything really. Everything was overwhelming her.
But really she did know.......that was excuse she told herself to rationalize the situation she was in. To excuse herself for being such a coward about everything.
She had kissed someone else that wasn't her boyfriend. She cheated on Dean. She was a cheater. Rory had never even cheated on a paper or a test before. Once on an essay on the American Revolution she cited fifteen sources even though the paper didn't require a bibliography because she felt bad about using the historians' opinions. She had gotten an 'A' and her teacher told her he was proud of her.
The memory made Rory wince.
Rory knew what she needed. She needed her mother, her best friend. She was so lost, so confused that she gathered the courage to call her. Even though she was terrified at what her mom would say to her, what she would think of her, the feeling of self-hatred was so great that it didn't matter. She walked to where she checked her bag, Jess' jacket, and Belinda. Determined to face the music and call her mother.