Title: Breathe
Author: Silver Blood
Summary: Literati. Set after Last Week's Fights, This Week's Tights.
Disclaimer: I own nothing. Not the characters, nothing that has previously appeared on the show. They are property of ASP. I also own none of the chapter titles, or the story title. They are property of Greenwheel.
Author's Note: Please review!
Chapter One: I Played the Fool Today
His eyes are closed, but she can see the pain clearly on his face. She's pushing him away, and he's close to giving in. He's close to leaving. She touches his lips softly, a whim she couldn't resist. It doesn't matter. He's still fading. Slowly, she loses focus. Soon he'll be gone, with the resonating image of his pain living on. Possibly forever.
Rory quickly sits up in bed. Her heart is thudding. It's been a long time since she dreamt of the chocolate eyes and pained soul of Jess Mariano. She supposes it's only natural, since they'd spoken earlier that night.
She shivers in the cold darkness. She doesn't stop to wonder why she had to pull of the road on the drive home in order to let the tears out. She doesn't wonder why she still thinks about how it felt to have his arms around her. Rory won't let herself.
Rory is a good girl. She's nineteen, a virgin. She goes to Yale and makes amazing grades. Her mother is her best friend without a doubt. She takes care of herself and does the right thing. She's too responsible to get involved with someone who has already broken her heart. Especially if that someone left her without a word. Especially if that someone is Jess Mariano.
Rory Gilmore is in denial.
His eyes are closed, but he knows she's watching him. She's injuring him, purposely causing him pain with her searing words. She's trying to get him to leave, and his heart is urging him to flee. He feels a soft touch on his lips, undoubtedly her fingers, but it's too late. He reaches out to grab her, to hold her, but all that's left is emptiness. She's faded away, leaving only the empty space in his heart that's he's grown so familiar with.
Jess slowly opens his eyes. They come into focus and he sees knees and a pair of shoes in the light of early morning. He lifts his head stiffly and massages the back of his neck. He knows there's an imprint of the steering wheel on his forehead, proof that he'd fallen asleep weeping over it the night before. Salty, useless tears, but tears nonetheless.
His neck is stiff. His chest is constricted tightly, like someone is constantly punching it. He blames Rory for everything he's feeling. He knows it's his fault. He closes his eyes and swears he feels butterfly light touches on his chest; Rory's touches. He shivers and turns the key in the ignition. As he drives past the sign he feels dread in the pit of his stomach.
Welcome to Stars' Hollow, my ass.
Love Always! Please review!