Chapter Eleven

Rory

I tried my very hardest to keep from lunging at Jess as we passed by him. Joe gave me an odd glance as he pulled the seat out for me and mouthed, "What's up?"

I gave him a haphazard shake of my head as both a reply to his question and probably an attempt to clear my psychotic head at the moment. He shrugged and I sat down.

My view was just peachy. Sitting across Joe's mom, I could clearly see the side of his head through her and Mr. Bancroft's shoulders. He shifted for a moment and then looked straight at me. I kind of lost myself for a moment there, with the way he was staring at me.

I almost smiled at him, but then I remembered we were here with different people, and though mine was a phony date, his was not.

I shot him a death glare and if the Bancrofts weren't here I was sure I would have growled at him.

"So, Rory," Mrs. Bancroft started, breaking my staring contest with Jess immediately, "would you happen to be related to Richard and Emily Gilmore?"

I nodded politely, "They're my grandparents."

A small streak of enlightenment passed through her face, "That would make you little Lorelai's…" she drifted off, realizing the rudeness of her comment and gave me an apologetic smile.

"Do you interact with them often?" I asked.

Mr. Bancroft took this one, "Oh, a few meetings here and there, coffee, boorish talk. Although we haven't been seeing much of your mother since she was, I think, fifteen or sixteen."

The conversation kept its dead-slow pace well into the main course. I couldn't help but feel bad for my mom as both Joe's parents kept sliding veiled insults into the conversation once in a while. I glanced at Joe, seemingly bored by it all. However a small trace of a furrow in his brow told me that he didn't appreciate the mini-attack they were doing to my mother.

Without thinking, I put my hand on his and squeezed my message: Thank you for caring.

He shifted his eyes at me and offered a smirk. I quickly let go as another picture of Jess smirking entered my head. Sprinklers. Water everywhere. That stupid neighbor with the scary house and scary wife. The board games. I could hear the Bancrofts talking in the background, but ignored them. Dean's Unabomber tendencies, I had mentioned. Jess saving me. And then saving me again by turning the water back on.

"Rory?" I heard Joe call, awakening me from my reverie. "Did you hear me?"

And in a flash I knew I had made the biggest mistake of zonking out at the worst opportune time. Joe was looking at me intently, holding up a diamond ring. I glanced around the room, and almost half the people in there were staring at me.

Including Jess.

He had asked me already, and I was thinking about Jess Stupid Mariano.

"YES, I WILL MARRY YOU!"

All the attention suddenly flicked from my side of the room to Jess's. Right in front of Jess were Paris and Jaime kissing, blatantly ignoring him. He looked uncomfortable for a moment, with all eyes awkwardly gawking at him, waiting for his reaction as his apparent date had just gotten engaged to another man, right in his face. He watched in discomfort as Jaime led Paris out the door. But as soon as they were out of sight, I could have sworn he rolled his eyes.

I felt Joe nudge me, "I'm not expecting that kind of enthusiasm from you, Rory, but…" And he offered me the ring again.

The Bancrofts had long forgotten about Jess and were now looking at me with something close to hope.

"I can't…" I suddenly forgot what I was supposed to do. I looked at Joe, panicked at the fact that I was letting him down. I had already missed him asking me the question, and now my mind was at a blank.

Joe, seeing my trouble, decided to take things into his own hands. "It's him, isn't it?"

I looked at him questioningly, "What are you talking about?"

"Your ex. You're still not over him," he said, quite loudly. The room was once again focused on me. Including Jess. What the hell are you doing, Joe!?

"I am totally over Jess!" I cried.

"Then why do you keep looking at him? You've been stealing glances at him for the whole duration of the meal, for God's sake!" The way he yelled that reminded me of the way Dean yelled at me the night that we broke up. We had an audience there, too. This seemed to become a pattern with boyfriends, Jess and me. Hm.

"There you go again, daydreaming about him!" Joe pointed an accusing finger at Jess, who was silently watching us from the other table.

There was a collective gasp from our audience, "You're ex-boyfriend is here?!"

"Yeah, I am," Jess suddenly swept in, standing, "I'm the guy who just got jilted by his girlfriend a few minutes ago? And now apparently, still the love of Rory Gilmore's life. Hi, I'm Jess."

"Sit down!" I commanded, half yelling at him.

The confident and happy smirk on his face disappeared, and was replaced by hurt. Or anger. I wasn't quite sure. However he shoved his hands in his pockets, gave me a curt nod, and calmly walked out the door.

"Rory?" Joe once again called my name. I looked at him as he pushed his chair back for me to stand. "I suggest you do something wild."

He helped me stand up and led me to the side of the table, which had a clear pass through straight to the door. With a chivalrous gesture, he spread his arm out in front of him and bowed. I smiled. And with one simple word from him, "Go," I was moving.

And God help me, I was actually chasing Jess. I looked back mid-run, "I'm sorry, Joe!" I tossed with a wobbly voice.

He gave me a small smile and a salute, "You owe me!"

"Jordan!" I heard his mother chide. But that was all I heard because I was already out the door by the time Mrs. Bancroft's chastising had begun.

Jess

I put my hand to my face, not knowing what to do. I had to get out of here. It was sheer stupidity that brought me here, with the hope of Rory Gilmore still actually being in love with me.

I headed to my apartment. My rent's about to be up, anyway.

***

When I got there, Ma-Huen still hadn't come home. Perfect. I'd just needed a Post-It and I was out the door.

In the middle of packing (really, I shouldn't have unpacked in the first place, but of course Rory would make me think otherwise), I heard the door open.

"I'm leaving, Ma-Huen. The rent for the month's all covered."

"Why did you come in the first place?"

I froze in the act of folding my boxers. I recovered, though, and just started stuffing everything in my bag, anything to get the packing done faster so I could get out of here.

"Jess," Rory pleaded, "why do you keep doing this?"

I turned quickly, almost losing my balance, but gladly, I didn't (or my whole delivery would have been thrown off). I looked at her for a moment, "If it wasn't obvious, I'd seriously doubt your capabilities as a Yalie, Rory."

"So you did come for me."

"I always loved you for being astute."

The word came upon me without the slightest effort, an act that would, I'm sure, be the cause of my ultimate demise.

"You loved me?"

I turned and was about to head out the door, but she stopped me by splaying each hand over each of my shoulders. I suddenly remembered the time she did exactly that. I think it was the first time she touched me voluntarily—I was at her house, eating (the first time I was also introduced to Paris's loudness and identity), and Dean the Bean had called, saying he was coming over with cute little packs of ice cream.

I stared at her hands, which were gripping me with little force, but it was enough to stop me from walking out the door. I looked up at Rory. She looked hopeful yet somewhat afraid.

"Do you still?" I gently threw at her.

She looked at me for a moment, and then let go. I pursed my lips; taking in what he actions meant, hitched my bag up my shoulder again and started walking.

Suddenly my bag was ripped off my back, nearly toppling me backwards with its weight. "What the hell?!"

But the answer didn't come in words. It came in the most intimate embrace I've ever been welcomed to. The word came after, in a slight whisper strong enough to have killed me, "Yes."