Chapter 18: How Do I Live
Wednesday.......
[Dean]
Again, Dean was under the sink fixing another pipe Wednesday morning. He'd gotten there and hour ago and he was nearly done. He'd also called about a few apartments in Chicago, but none were available. He heard Lorelai and Sookie come into the kitchen.
"Sookie, you have to start picking fights with Michel," Lorelai said. "I know how much you enjoy it and frankly so do I, but he is really not in a good mood today."
"Sorry," Sookie said. "I just can't resist."
"Well, you're going to have to," Lorelai said. "Anyways, did you want to make any food for the party on Friday night?"
What party? Dean thought. He shook his head. It didn't matter. It was none of his business. He tried to stay on task, but he couldn't.
"Sounds good," Lorelai said when Sookie finished the list. "They're all Rory's favorites."
"So, how is she?" Sookie asked.
"She is up to her waste in boxes," Lorelai said. "I still can't believe she's going through with this."
Going through with what? Dean thought. What was going on?
"She moved to Hartford, you know," Sookie said.
"I know, but this is different," Lorelai said. "She's moving to New York."
What? Dean almost sat up bolt right, but he realized he was lying down under the sink. Rory was moving? When?
"I don't even have time to get used to the fact that she's leaving," Lorelai said. "I mean, she's going Saturday."
"You're really going to miss her, aren't you?" Sookie asked.
"Yeah," Lorelai said. "But, kids move away, right?"
"Maybe we should move to the guest list," Sookie said.
"Right," Lorelai said. "I invited everyone in town, except for a few people. I'm still a little if-y on them."
"Who?" Sookie asked.
"Well, one person," Lorelai said.
Me, Dean thought. Who else would she be if-y on?
"Ah," Sookie said. "The one person."
"You know who I'm talking about, right?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Sookie said. "The certain person who's 6"2 with the grunge haircut."
"Sookie, there's a game show with your names on it."
"Thank you. So, why are you if-y on him?"
"Well, I know Rory's trying really hard to get over him, but I think they should at least say good-bye. I want to invite him, but if I do, Rory might get mad at me."
There were a few minutes of silence. Dean didn't move because he was afraid that he would make some noise. He didn't want Lorelai and Sookie to know he was there since they obviously forgot. They would probably fire him.
"I think you should invite him," Sookie said.
"Really?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Sookie answered. "I think Rory would want to say good-bye to Dean and vice-versa."
"Okay, I'll invite Dean," Lorelai said.
Again, there were a few minutes of silence.
"Hey, I called him here for two jobs today," Lorelai said. "I wanted him to fix the air conditioning system and fix the pipe under the sink. Do you remember which one I wanted him to do first?"
"Huh," Sookie said. "Well I see a pair of very large legs under the sink."
"Oh," Lorelai said. "Dean, how much did you hear?"
"Not much," Dean lied.
"Did you fix the pipe?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Dean said, coming out. "All done."
Lorelai was sipping coffee and Sookie was stirring something in a bowl. He couldn't tell if they were upset with him or just sad that Rory was leaving.
"So, you'll come?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'll be there."
"Seven o'clock," Lorelai said. "Don't be late."
Lorelai left the kitchen and Dean went back to fixing the pipe. He couldn't believe Rory was really moving. I guess I don't have to move now, Dean thought. But, still. It was Rory's town, not his. But, she was going. He didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay, but she wouldn't. I can't believe I have to say good-bye, Dean thought.
[Rory]
Rory taped up yet another box. Half her room was packed. There were some boxes that were already packed from when she moved out of Noah's apartment. Some of those were unpacked. But, this time it wasn't so easy there were still more stuff.
Rory moved over to the closet and started packing her stuff. When her closet was completely empty, she came down to her three boyfriend boxes. Oh, my god, Rory thought. From ages sixteen to twenty-two I only had three boyfriends.
She decided to leave the Jess and Noah boxes there, but the Dean box was undecided. If she took it, she would never get over Dean. But, if she didn't take it, she might regret not taking in case she wanted to look at it. This is like Sophie's Choice, Rory thought.
She shook her head and shut the closet door. She wasn't taking the Dean box with her. It was going to stay with the Jess box and the Noah box. It was pointless to take it.
"Pizza delivery!" a voice called from the kitchen.
"You got a job delivering pizza?" Rory said, joining her mom in the kitchen. "Oh, my god! This is what you've always wanted!"
"I know!" Lorelai said. "My life's dream has family been met! Now I can quit that pesky job at the Inn!"
Rory chuckled as she sat down at the table and helped herself to a slice of pizza. Lorelai sat down and joined her.
"After this, I thought we would catch that flick at the movies," Lorelai said.
"What flick?" Rory asked.
"The flick we want to see," Lorelai said.
"There are a lot of flicks that we want to see and we end up waiting for them to come out on video," Rory said. "Besides, I can't really stay for long. I still have a lot to pack."
"You're kidding," Lorelai said. "Half your room is already packed from when you moved out of the Mormon's house."
Lorelai's new nickname for Noah was the Mormon.
"Well, I'm taking all my stuff this time," Rory said.
"Even your stuffed animals?" Lorelai asked.
"No not them," Rory said. "I'm taking my computer, though."
"Okay, when we're done eating, I'm helping you pack," Lorelai said. "No arguments."
"Fine," Rory said, taking a large bite of her pizza.
"You've got some mail," Lorelai said, throwing a letter down on the table in front of Rory.
It was from her publishing company. Rory took a deep breath and then opened the letter.
"OH, MY GOD!" Rory yelled. "THEY'RE GOING TO PUBLISH MY BOOK!"
Lorelai and Rory shrieked.
"THIS IS PERFECT!" Lorelai yelled.
"I know," Rory said. "We have a little something else to celebrate at the party now. Can we go over the details?"
"Oh I forgot about that," Lorelai said. "Everything's all settled for the party. Sookie made all of your favorite foods and everyone is invited."
"Great," Rory said.
"I almost forgot to tell you," Lorelai's voice dropped to a serious tone. "I invited Dean."
Rory's hand with the pizza froze halfway to her mouth. She didn't know what to say to that.
"What?" was all Rory could manage.
"I can uninvite him if you want," Lorelai said.
"Why did you invite him?" Rory asked.
"Because I invited the whole town," Lorelai said. "If I didn't invite him it would just be mean. Plus, I thought it would be good if you guys at least made up so that it wouldn't be awkward when you came to visit."
Rory sighed.
"I'll uninvite him," Lorelai repeated.
Rory wanted to uninvited him. She didn't want him there because she wanted to see him. But, seeing him reminded her of what could've been and it pained her too much to think about it. But, she couldn't uninvited him. It would be rude. He would have to come.
"No," Rory said. "Don't uninvite him. It would be rude to do that. I'll just avoid him."
"Honey, you can't do that," Lorelai said. "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then, I'll talk to him," Rory said.
After they ate, they finished packing up Rory's room. She never thought she would get done, but she did. All they had to do tomorrow was load Luke's truck. She was going to borrow it for the move and then on that Sunday, Lorelai and Luke were going to come in and help her unpack and then take the truck back.
Before Rory went to bed, she went into her closet and got out her old boyfriend boxes and stuffed the Jess box and the Noah box in the back of the front closet. She hesitated on the Dean box. She took it back into her room and looked at every item. The CD, the dresses, the pictures, the cornstarch, and the bracelet. She loved this stuff. Even if it reminded her of Dean, she would kill to have this stuff with her. She hid the box in her empty closet and got into bed and turned out the light.
But, Rory couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Dean. She was really going to miss him and tomorrow she would really have to say good-bye. Forever.
"How do I live without you?
I want to know,
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?"-Lean Rimes
To Be Continued........
A/N: I know it's a corny song. Leave me alone! No feedback on song choices! Chapter 19 is coming soon.
Wednesday.......
[Dean]
Again, Dean was under the sink fixing another pipe Wednesday morning. He'd gotten there and hour ago and he was nearly done. He'd also called about a few apartments in Chicago, but none were available. He heard Lorelai and Sookie come into the kitchen.
"Sookie, you have to start picking fights with Michel," Lorelai said. "I know how much you enjoy it and frankly so do I, but he is really not in a good mood today."
"Sorry," Sookie said. "I just can't resist."
"Well, you're going to have to," Lorelai said. "Anyways, did you want to make any food for the party on Friday night?"
What party? Dean thought. He shook his head. It didn't matter. It was none of his business. He tried to stay on task, but he couldn't.
"Sounds good," Lorelai said when Sookie finished the list. "They're all Rory's favorites."
"So, how is she?" Sookie asked.
"She is up to her waste in boxes," Lorelai said. "I still can't believe she's going through with this."
Going through with what? Dean thought. What was going on?
"She moved to Hartford, you know," Sookie said.
"I know, but this is different," Lorelai said. "She's moving to New York."
What? Dean almost sat up bolt right, but he realized he was lying down under the sink. Rory was moving? When?
"I don't even have time to get used to the fact that she's leaving," Lorelai said. "I mean, she's going Saturday."
"You're really going to miss her, aren't you?" Sookie asked.
"Yeah," Lorelai said. "But, kids move away, right?"
"Maybe we should move to the guest list," Sookie said.
"Right," Lorelai said. "I invited everyone in town, except for a few people. I'm still a little if-y on them."
"Who?" Sookie asked.
"Well, one person," Lorelai said.
Me, Dean thought. Who else would she be if-y on?
"Ah," Sookie said. "The one person."
"You know who I'm talking about, right?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Sookie said. "The certain person who's 6"2 with the grunge haircut."
"Sookie, there's a game show with your names on it."
"Thank you. So, why are you if-y on him?"
"Well, I know Rory's trying really hard to get over him, but I think they should at least say good-bye. I want to invite him, but if I do, Rory might get mad at me."
There were a few minutes of silence. Dean didn't move because he was afraid that he would make some noise. He didn't want Lorelai and Sookie to know he was there since they obviously forgot. They would probably fire him.
"I think you should invite him," Sookie said.
"Really?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Sookie answered. "I think Rory would want to say good-bye to Dean and vice-versa."
"Okay, I'll invite Dean," Lorelai said.
Again, there were a few minutes of silence.
"Hey, I called him here for two jobs today," Lorelai said. "I wanted him to fix the air conditioning system and fix the pipe under the sink. Do you remember which one I wanted him to do first?"
"Huh," Sookie said. "Well I see a pair of very large legs under the sink."
"Oh," Lorelai said. "Dean, how much did you hear?"
"Not much," Dean lied.
"Did you fix the pipe?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Dean said, coming out. "All done."
Lorelai was sipping coffee and Sookie was stirring something in a bowl. He couldn't tell if they were upset with him or just sad that Rory was leaving.
"So, you'll come?" Lorelai asked.
"Yeah," Dean said. "I'll be there."
"Seven o'clock," Lorelai said. "Don't be late."
Lorelai left the kitchen and Dean went back to fixing the pipe. He couldn't believe Rory was really moving. I guess I don't have to move now, Dean thought. But, still. It was Rory's town, not his. But, she was going. He didn't want her to go. He wanted her to stay, but she wouldn't. I can't believe I have to say good-bye, Dean thought.
[Rory]
Rory taped up yet another box. Half her room was packed. There were some boxes that were already packed from when she moved out of Noah's apartment. Some of those were unpacked. But, this time it wasn't so easy there were still more stuff.
Rory moved over to the closet and started packing her stuff. When her closet was completely empty, she came down to her three boyfriend boxes. Oh, my god, Rory thought. From ages sixteen to twenty-two I only had three boyfriends.
She decided to leave the Jess and Noah boxes there, but the Dean box was undecided. If she took it, she would never get over Dean. But, if she didn't take it, she might regret not taking in case she wanted to look at it. This is like Sophie's Choice, Rory thought.
She shook her head and shut the closet door. She wasn't taking the Dean box with her. It was going to stay with the Jess box and the Noah box. It was pointless to take it.
"Pizza delivery!" a voice called from the kitchen.
"You got a job delivering pizza?" Rory said, joining her mom in the kitchen. "Oh, my god! This is what you've always wanted!"
"I know!" Lorelai said. "My life's dream has family been met! Now I can quit that pesky job at the Inn!"
Rory chuckled as she sat down at the table and helped herself to a slice of pizza. Lorelai sat down and joined her.
"After this, I thought we would catch that flick at the movies," Lorelai said.
"What flick?" Rory asked.
"The flick we want to see," Lorelai said.
"There are a lot of flicks that we want to see and we end up waiting for them to come out on video," Rory said. "Besides, I can't really stay for long. I still have a lot to pack."
"You're kidding," Lorelai said. "Half your room is already packed from when you moved out of the Mormon's house."
Lorelai's new nickname for Noah was the Mormon.
"Well, I'm taking all my stuff this time," Rory said.
"Even your stuffed animals?" Lorelai asked.
"No not them," Rory said. "I'm taking my computer, though."
"Okay, when we're done eating, I'm helping you pack," Lorelai said. "No arguments."
"Fine," Rory said, taking a large bite of her pizza.
"You've got some mail," Lorelai said, throwing a letter down on the table in front of Rory.
It was from her publishing company. Rory took a deep breath and then opened the letter.
"OH, MY GOD!" Rory yelled. "THEY'RE GOING TO PUBLISH MY BOOK!"
Lorelai and Rory shrieked.
"THIS IS PERFECT!" Lorelai yelled.
"I know," Rory said. "We have a little something else to celebrate at the party now. Can we go over the details?"
"Oh I forgot about that," Lorelai said. "Everything's all settled for the party. Sookie made all of your favorite foods and everyone is invited."
"Great," Rory said.
"I almost forgot to tell you," Lorelai's voice dropped to a serious tone. "I invited Dean."
Rory's hand with the pizza froze halfway to her mouth. She didn't know what to say to that.
"What?" was all Rory could manage.
"I can uninvite him if you want," Lorelai said.
"Why did you invite him?" Rory asked.
"Because I invited the whole town," Lorelai said. "If I didn't invite him it would just be mean. Plus, I thought it would be good if you guys at least made up so that it wouldn't be awkward when you came to visit."
Rory sighed.
"I'll uninvite him," Lorelai repeated.
Rory wanted to uninvited him. She didn't want him there because she wanted to see him. But, seeing him reminded her of what could've been and it pained her too much to think about it. But, she couldn't uninvited him. It would be rude. He would have to come.
"No," Rory said. "Don't uninvite him. It would be rude to do that. I'll just avoid him."
"Honey, you can't do that," Lorelai said. "What if it doesn't work?"
"Then, I'll talk to him," Rory said.
After they ate, they finished packing up Rory's room. She never thought she would get done, but she did. All they had to do tomorrow was load Luke's truck. She was going to borrow it for the move and then on that Sunday, Lorelai and Luke were going to come in and help her unpack and then take the truck back.
Before Rory went to bed, she went into her closet and got out her old boyfriend boxes and stuffed the Jess box and the Noah box in the back of the front closet. She hesitated on the Dean box. She took it back into her room and looked at every item. The CD, the dresses, the pictures, the cornstarch, and the bracelet. She loved this stuff. Even if it reminded her of Dean, she would kill to have this stuff with her. She hid the box in her empty closet and got into bed and turned out the light.
But, Rory couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Dean. She was really going to miss him and tomorrow she would really have to say good-bye. Forever.
"How do I live without you?
I want to know,
How do I breathe without you?
If you ever go,
How do I ever, ever survive?
How do I, how do I, oh how do I live?"-Lean Rimes
To Be Continued........
A/N: I know it's a corny song. Leave me alone! No feedback on song choices! Chapter 19 is coming soon.