A/N Thanks for the positive reviews, I got a little extra time today so I
thought I'd work on the second chapter. I'd like to formally apologize for
writing Our Lady Of Peace instead of Our Lady Peace, I've just recently
gotten into a few of their songs and I wasn't too clear on the name, for
future reference however I do make mistakes like that and its not out of
disrespect its out of just not knowing, so please don't be upset w/ me for
doing stuff like b/c I write really fast and don't always check every
detail over. Anyway on with the show!!!
*2 days later.
Grade and Rory's apartment *Grace is sitting on the couch reading a magazine, Rory is in her room, where's she's spent every free moment she's had in the last two days, attempting to loose herself in her books.
Grace gets up and pours herself some coffee.
"Hey, Ror? I just made some more coffee." Grace calls to her friend.
Quietly Rory shuffles out of her room. Her friend is standing in the kitchen with a fresh mug in her hand waiting for Rory to take her seat at the counter.
Rory sits down as Grace places the mug in front of her.
"Feeling any better?" Grace asks, already knowing the answer.
Rory sighs deeply and then rubs her face with her hand, "How could I feel better?" She says hoarsely.
"Maybe if you talked about it.."
"No, I can't. It's too...horrible." Rory cringes as the thought of the other night.
"Stuff like this happens-
"Not to me!" Rory shouts.
"Alcohol gets the best of us sometimes." Grace says, sympathizing with her roommate. "And Jess is a guy, and sometimes even the really great ones can be weak and take advantage."
Rory pushes her coffee mug away, resting her head on the counter she mumbles to herself.
"What?" Grace asks trying to make sense of Rory's words.
Rory groans lifting her head up towards her friend, "I said he didn't take advantage!"
"Honey, I know Jess was your friend, and this doesn't make him any less of a nice person but what he did is taking-
"He didn't do anything."
"Rory,.."
"It was my fault."
"You were upset he was leaving you were drunk..."
"No, I wasn't"
"See this is what I me-wait, what do you mean you weren't drunk?" Grace says taking a seat next to Rory. "You told me you had three drinks."
"Well yeah but only the first two had alcohol in them." Rory says sadly. "After the second one I was feeling tipsy so I ordered the last one without alcohol."
"Ok....so if you weren't drunk than how did this all happen?" "Well, there I was sitting with Jess and some pretentious jerk started yelling at me for some opinion I gave and Jess stood up for me, and I don't know something about his tone of voice and the way his muscles tighten as defended me made me move closer to him."
Grace nods as Rory continues.
"And then all of a sudden I started to sweat, and my stomach did that flip sort of thing."
"Ah the dreaded flutter, throws people off all the time" Grace says knowingly.
"It was more than a flutter, Grace and when it happened I got scared so I walked away to get another drink, but then when I got back and gave him his beer I sat where I was before that guy turned around and yelled at me, and after a minute, Jess pulled me closer to him without even looking at me or stopping his conversation. And like suddenly sitting next to him with his arm around me, everything stopped, there was a buzzing in my ear and I heard nothing but his voice, felt nothing except for his heart beating and instead of being freaked out by it, it all just made sense."
"What do you mean made sense?"
"Well, while I was sitting there I just kept hearing you, and Lane, and my mom's voices telling me he same thing over and over. About how into me he was, and how he's really grown up, and that I should make a move, and then sitting there I felt really stupid that I'd never noticed how amazing he was, well I did when I was 17 but that was when I was 17....a lot ahs happened since then..."
"Rory, you're babbling."
"Sorry, it's just sitting there I felt ashamed that I'd never made a move and I really wanted to, but I knew that Jess would overanalyze the whole thing if I told him about it and he'd end up feeling guilty...and it's go nowhere, so when we left I was still a little buzzed and Jess being the overreacter that he is thought I was drunk so I made my move...."
"Rory!"
I know, I'm a horrible person, but he was being so sweet and I got to the car and there he was and I just kissed him."
"Did he kiss you back, well I should hope he did eventually but I mean initially did he kiss you back?"
"I think so, and then he told me he couldn't because I was drunk." Rory says as tears gather in her eyes.
"So, how did you go from being to drunk top kiss to...."
"Well see I really only had two drinks, Jess had a few more and I think me kissing him really threw him off so when I protested coming here he just drove to his place...so then when we got there he walked me to his room set me up in there and then walked into the living room to sleep on the couch."
"Wait he slept on the couch, so the you really didn't-"
"No, we did." Rory sighs, "Ok, I guess with everything going on and him rejecting me I got really upset and I started to cry, after a few minutes he came in and sat down and told me not to cry, and he, he held me." Rory sobs.
Grace's eyes soften on Rory's frail form that is crumpling before her. "Rory you don't have to finish.."
"No, I want to....I can't keep this inside anymore."
Grace nods for her to continue.
"So he spoke in this really soft tone and said, "You know it's not worth crying over, you've had too much to drink and anything that would have happened tonight if I'd kissed you a second longer would end with you hating me and being ashamed of yourself and I don't want that."
And then I said, "It is worth crying over because here I am losing my best friend and he doesn't even feel the same way about me."
And then he held me closer and said, "Ror, you're crazy to think I don't care about you, I've wanted to kiss you just about every time we've gone out together for the past 5 years, it's just not right for me to take advantage of that because you're not thinking clearly."
"And then I told him that I really did want him and the alcohol had no affect on me and then I don't know I think I kissed him, and then this time he didn't pull away."
"Oh Rory." Grace says sympathetically.
"But he was right, I did regret it in the morning and I sort of hated him a little bit too, not because of what happened but because of the way I acted. I guess that I was just sick of myself and the fact that I would do that, I mean I should have told him the truth....and then I got to thinking that he didn't pick up on the fact that I wasn't drunk and he, he.....well, you know because he thought I wasn't thinking clearly."
"Rory, this is Jess we're talking about; he's not your average guy....he really cares about you."
"I know, I know! I just, I was scared of what he'd think of me so I went along with the fraud I'd created..and now he's gone....and I can't even tell him the truth!"
Grace puts her arms out pulling Rory into a hug, "Honey how do you know he's gone?"
"I called his apartment and the message came on saying the apartment was for rent."
"Doesn't he have a cell?"
"The service has been shut off that too."
"Rory, stop crying, we'll find him ok. You can make things right.."
*New York.
*Matt's apartment.
Jess is sitting at the window staring out into space.
"Come on, it's been 3 days since you got here, do you think you can leave the window now, I mean girls don't come after guys who don't leave a forwarding address." Matt says flatly.
Jess turns towards his friend, "I know, I just, I don' know what I was thinking...how could I, I....."
"You love her don't you?" Matt says shocked by his usually candid friend's openness.
"Well it doesn't matter now does it, she probably things I'm just some sex- crazed ass hole who saw his opportunity, I was stupid to believe her....I mean she.....she's amazing and what am I? just a writer....how could she love me? I didn't even get my masters and she's at Yale graduating with honors." Jess shakes his head in disgust.
"Come on don't be too hard on yourself, it'll be ok everything will blow over, just like it did 6 years ago...."
"That was different, breaking a wrist is one thing.....but what happened that night....well you don't forgive that."
*Stars Hollow Luke's Diner
"Luke's" The gruff voice of Luke Danes barks into the phone.
"H-hi Luke."
"Hi Rory, um you know it's only 2:30 you're mom's not here yet...but I, uh I can call her."
"No, that's ok I really just wanted to talk to you."
"Oh ok, um about what?" Luke asks uncomfortably.
"H-have you talked to Jess?"
"Oh, yeah he told me about leaving."
"H-he did?"
"Yeah he called me the other day, told me he was leaving a week form tomorrow, but he couldn't talk because he was taking a certain lady out to celebrate." Luke says amuzed.
"Oh, yeah.." Rory says quietly.
"Is something the matter?" Luke asks taken back by Rory's subdued voice.
"Huh, oh no, I just wanted to make sure Jess told you. We kind of had a fight so we haven't really talked since the other night"
"Oh ok...."
"Um, well I should go I have class in the morning."
"Right. Anything else you wanted to talk about?"
"No, uh actually yeah tell my mom that I'm skipping my class Thursday so I'm coming home for the weekend."
"Ok.." Luke answer suspiciously, noticing the small sobs in between sentences. "I'll have your mom call you when she gets here."
"Thanks Luke." Rory says quietly hanging up.
Luke stares at the phone for a minute with concern and then dials a number, a voice on the other end picks up as Luke's eyes become determined, "Ok, what the hell did you do?!"
"What?" Jess' voice is broken and worn.
"Oh and I'm sure you're going to say you had nothing to do with it?"
"With what?"
"You made her cry you know."
Jess sighs realizing that Rory must have told Lorelai what happened, and in turn the message was passed on to Luke. "Look there's not point in me denying anything since you've already taken sides, whatever she said is true, She was drunk I took advantage.."
"Wait, you..."
"Yes."
"Yes what?" Luke asks angrily.
"Whatever Lorelai told you, I did." Jess says annoyed at Luke's dragging the issue out.
"How would Lorelai know what happened if Lorelai's been at work?" Luke says in total confusion.
"Wait, do you mean, you talked to Rory?"
"She called here." Luke confirms.
"And she told, she told you?"
"While I'm sure she didn't want to, I think she was looking to talk to her mom but since I was here..."
Jess is voice is now truly angry, "I just can't believe she would tell you THAT."
"Jess...."
"No, I mean it's one thing to scream at me and hate me for it, but it's another to run around telling my relatives that we slept together."
"She didn't....wait a minute, what?!"
"Rory told you we slept together." Jess barks back. "You know I thought she'd at least let
"Jess!"
"this stay between us...."
"Jess!" Luke screams.
"What?" he says huffily.
"She didn't tell me anything, except that you had a fight....and now I know why."
"Oh..........oh! Luke you know, maybe I should explain....."
A/N Sucky ending to a chapter but oh well strapped for time I just figured I had to write this part to move the plot along, definite action in the next chapter. Hope you liked it r/r.
*2 days later.
Grade and Rory's apartment *Grace is sitting on the couch reading a magazine, Rory is in her room, where's she's spent every free moment she's had in the last two days, attempting to loose herself in her books.
Grace gets up and pours herself some coffee.
"Hey, Ror? I just made some more coffee." Grace calls to her friend.
Quietly Rory shuffles out of her room. Her friend is standing in the kitchen with a fresh mug in her hand waiting for Rory to take her seat at the counter.
Rory sits down as Grace places the mug in front of her.
"Feeling any better?" Grace asks, already knowing the answer.
Rory sighs deeply and then rubs her face with her hand, "How could I feel better?" She says hoarsely.
"Maybe if you talked about it.."
"No, I can't. It's too...horrible." Rory cringes as the thought of the other night.
"Stuff like this happens-
"Not to me!" Rory shouts.
"Alcohol gets the best of us sometimes." Grace says, sympathizing with her roommate. "And Jess is a guy, and sometimes even the really great ones can be weak and take advantage."
Rory pushes her coffee mug away, resting her head on the counter she mumbles to herself.
"What?" Grace asks trying to make sense of Rory's words.
Rory groans lifting her head up towards her friend, "I said he didn't take advantage!"
"Honey, I know Jess was your friend, and this doesn't make him any less of a nice person but what he did is taking-
"He didn't do anything."
"Rory,.."
"It was my fault."
"You were upset he was leaving you were drunk..."
"No, I wasn't"
"See this is what I me-wait, what do you mean you weren't drunk?" Grace says taking a seat next to Rory. "You told me you had three drinks."
"Well yeah but only the first two had alcohol in them." Rory says sadly. "After the second one I was feeling tipsy so I ordered the last one without alcohol."
"Ok....so if you weren't drunk than how did this all happen?" "Well, there I was sitting with Jess and some pretentious jerk started yelling at me for some opinion I gave and Jess stood up for me, and I don't know something about his tone of voice and the way his muscles tighten as defended me made me move closer to him."
Grace nods as Rory continues.
"And then all of a sudden I started to sweat, and my stomach did that flip sort of thing."
"Ah the dreaded flutter, throws people off all the time" Grace says knowingly.
"It was more than a flutter, Grace and when it happened I got scared so I walked away to get another drink, but then when I got back and gave him his beer I sat where I was before that guy turned around and yelled at me, and after a minute, Jess pulled me closer to him without even looking at me or stopping his conversation. And like suddenly sitting next to him with his arm around me, everything stopped, there was a buzzing in my ear and I heard nothing but his voice, felt nothing except for his heart beating and instead of being freaked out by it, it all just made sense."
"What do you mean made sense?"
"Well, while I was sitting there I just kept hearing you, and Lane, and my mom's voices telling me he same thing over and over. About how into me he was, and how he's really grown up, and that I should make a move, and then sitting there I felt really stupid that I'd never noticed how amazing he was, well I did when I was 17 but that was when I was 17....a lot ahs happened since then..."
"Rory, you're babbling."
"Sorry, it's just sitting there I felt ashamed that I'd never made a move and I really wanted to, but I knew that Jess would overanalyze the whole thing if I told him about it and he'd end up feeling guilty...and it's go nowhere, so when we left I was still a little buzzed and Jess being the overreacter that he is thought I was drunk so I made my move...."
"Rory!"
I know, I'm a horrible person, but he was being so sweet and I got to the car and there he was and I just kissed him."
"Did he kiss you back, well I should hope he did eventually but I mean initially did he kiss you back?"
"I think so, and then he told me he couldn't because I was drunk." Rory says as tears gather in her eyes.
"So, how did you go from being to drunk top kiss to...."
"Well see I really only had two drinks, Jess had a few more and I think me kissing him really threw him off so when I protested coming here he just drove to his place...so then when we got there he walked me to his room set me up in there and then walked into the living room to sleep on the couch."
"Wait he slept on the couch, so the you really didn't-"
"No, we did." Rory sighs, "Ok, I guess with everything going on and him rejecting me I got really upset and I started to cry, after a few minutes he came in and sat down and told me not to cry, and he, he held me." Rory sobs.
Grace's eyes soften on Rory's frail form that is crumpling before her. "Rory you don't have to finish.."
"No, I want to....I can't keep this inside anymore."
Grace nods for her to continue.
"So he spoke in this really soft tone and said, "You know it's not worth crying over, you've had too much to drink and anything that would have happened tonight if I'd kissed you a second longer would end with you hating me and being ashamed of yourself and I don't want that."
And then I said, "It is worth crying over because here I am losing my best friend and he doesn't even feel the same way about me."
And then he held me closer and said, "Ror, you're crazy to think I don't care about you, I've wanted to kiss you just about every time we've gone out together for the past 5 years, it's just not right for me to take advantage of that because you're not thinking clearly."
"And then I told him that I really did want him and the alcohol had no affect on me and then I don't know I think I kissed him, and then this time he didn't pull away."
"Oh Rory." Grace says sympathetically.
"But he was right, I did regret it in the morning and I sort of hated him a little bit too, not because of what happened but because of the way I acted. I guess that I was just sick of myself and the fact that I would do that, I mean I should have told him the truth....and then I got to thinking that he didn't pick up on the fact that I wasn't drunk and he, he.....well, you know because he thought I wasn't thinking clearly."
"Rory, this is Jess we're talking about; he's not your average guy....he really cares about you."
"I know, I know! I just, I was scared of what he'd think of me so I went along with the fraud I'd created..and now he's gone....and I can't even tell him the truth!"
Grace puts her arms out pulling Rory into a hug, "Honey how do you know he's gone?"
"I called his apartment and the message came on saying the apartment was for rent."
"Doesn't he have a cell?"
"The service has been shut off that too."
"Rory, stop crying, we'll find him ok. You can make things right.."
*New York.
*Matt's apartment.
Jess is sitting at the window staring out into space.
"Come on, it's been 3 days since you got here, do you think you can leave the window now, I mean girls don't come after guys who don't leave a forwarding address." Matt says flatly.
Jess turns towards his friend, "I know, I just, I don' know what I was thinking...how could I, I....."
"You love her don't you?" Matt says shocked by his usually candid friend's openness.
"Well it doesn't matter now does it, she probably things I'm just some sex- crazed ass hole who saw his opportunity, I was stupid to believe her....I mean she.....she's amazing and what am I? just a writer....how could she love me? I didn't even get my masters and she's at Yale graduating with honors." Jess shakes his head in disgust.
"Come on don't be too hard on yourself, it'll be ok everything will blow over, just like it did 6 years ago...."
"That was different, breaking a wrist is one thing.....but what happened that night....well you don't forgive that."
*Stars Hollow Luke's Diner
"Luke's" The gruff voice of Luke Danes barks into the phone.
"H-hi Luke."
"Hi Rory, um you know it's only 2:30 you're mom's not here yet...but I, uh I can call her."
"No, that's ok I really just wanted to talk to you."
"Oh ok, um about what?" Luke asks uncomfortably.
"H-have you talked to Jess?"
"Oh, yeah he told me about leaving."
"H-he did?"
"Yeah he called me the other day, told me he was leaving a week form tomorrow, but he couldn't talk because he was taking a certain lady out to celebrate." Luke says amuzed.
"Oh, yeah.." Rory says quietly.
"Is something the matter?" Luke asks taken back by Rory's subdued voice.
"Huh, oh no, I just wanted to make sure Jess told you. We kind of had a fight so we haven't really talked since the other night"
"Oh ok...."
"Um, well I should go I have class in the morning."
"Right. Anything else you wanted to talk about?"
"No, uh actually yeah tell my mom that I'm skipping my class Thursday so I'm coming home for the weekend."
"Ok.." Luke answer suspiciously, noticing the small sobs in between sentences. "I'll have your mom call you when she gets here."
"Thanks Luke." Rory says quietly hanging up.
Luke stares at the phone for a minute with concern and then dials a number, a voice on the other end picks up as Luke's eyes become determined, "Ok, what the hell did you do?!"
"What?" Jess' voice is broken and worn.
"Oh and I'm sure you're going to say you had nothing to do with it?"
"With what?"
"You made her cry you know."
Jess sighs realizing that Rory must have told Lorelai what happened, and in turn the message was passed on to Luke. "Look there's not point in me denying anything since you've already taken sides, whatever she said is true, She was drunk I took advantage.."
"Wait, you..."
"Yes."
"Yes what?" Luke asks angrily.
"Whatever Lorelai told you, I did." Jess says annoyed at Luke's dragging the issue out.
"How would Lorelai know what happened if Lorelai's been at work?" Luke says in total confusion.
"Wait, do you mean, you talked to Rory?"
"She called here." Luke confirms.
"And she told, she told you?"
"While I'm sure she didn't want to, I think she was looking to talk to her mom but since I was here..."
Jess is voice is now truly angry, "I just can't believe she would tell you THAT."
"Jess...."
"No, I mean it's one thing to scream at me and hate me for it, but it's another to run around telling my relatives that we slept together."
"She didn't....wait a minute, what?!"
"Rory told you we slept together." Jess barks back. "You know I thought she'd at least let
"Jess!"
"this stay between us...."
"Jess!" Luke screams.
"What?" he says huffily.
"She didn't tell me anything, except that you had a fight....and now I know why."
"Oh..........oh! Luke you know, maybe I should explain....."
A/N Sucky ending to a chapter but oh well strapped for time I just figured I had to write this part to move the plot along, definite action in the next chapter. Hope you liked it r/r.