"Mom!" Rory called from her room, "Where's my shirt?"
"Uh... honey? You're gonna have to be a little more specific!" Lorelai called back downstairs.
"The black one! The one with the off the shoulder thingy. . ."
"Uh. . . that's your shirt?" Lorelai called.
"Yes, Mom. It is!" Rory stepped out of her room in boxers and a t-shirt, the clothes that she had grabbed after taking a shower while she was doing her hair and makeup. She watched as the shirt in question came flying down the stairs and into her hands.
"Thank you!" she called, and she walked back into her room. She took off her t-shirt and pulled on the black shirt. She stepped into a kahki skirt and black sandals. She was trying to get as much wear out of her black before it was too hot to wear. She took one last look in the mirror and tucked a strand of hair that had escaped from her claw clip behind her ear.
"All right, Mom. I'm ready." Lorelai came downstairs clad in jeans and a t- shirt with folders and papers in her arms.
"Where are you going?" asked Rory.
"Well, you won't be here, so I decided to go to Luke's and get me some coffee and work there.
"Um. . . Mom? Think a second. I'm going to Jess' graduation."
"Yeah?"
"Luke is Jess' uncle."
"Yeah?"
"Luke isn't going to be at the diner. He's going to be at the graduation with me."
"Oh! The Armageddon has arrived! Luke isn't in the diner!"
"Mom? Are you OK?"
"Yeah, sweets. I'm fine. I'll just chill here and work." Lorelai set herself up at the kitchen table,
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I have stuff to do for work anyways. Don't worry babe."
"All right. Well. I'm having dinner with Jess, so I dunno, order something or go to Luke's or something. Don't starve."
"Who is the mother here?" Lorelai asked, her hands placed indignantly on her hips.
"You are Mommy-dearest. Don't stay up too late eating candy and calling boys!" Rory joked, walking out the front door.
"Be nice to your mother!" Lorelai called as she left.
*****
Rory was early, as always, so she decided to walk. She and Luke had planned to meet at the diner and go together so that they wouldn't have to sit alone: Luke didn't know any of the parents, and all of Rory's friends were in the ceremony, and she didn't really feel like sitting with her old classmate's parents.
When she got to the diner, the door was opened, but Luke wasn't there. Rory, taking after her mother, stepped behind the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee to go before she walked up the apartment stairs. She stopped halfway, feeling like she was invading if Jess wasn't there.
"Luke?" she called up the stairs tentatively.
"Yeah?" he said, opening the apartment door, awkwardly trying to button the cuff button of the blue shirt he was wearing over his black pants. Rory smirked when she noticed that he wasn't wearing a baseball cap. He was trying to look nice. He was so proud that Jess was graduating.
Rory had half a mind to ask Luke if he needed help with his cuff buttons, but he had finally fumbled them closed. As he locked the diner, she was glad. That would have been awkward.
The two walked in comfortable semi-silence. Neither was much of a talker. They got to the school and found seats in the auditorium, where the ceremony was being held.
They both waited anxiously until the ceremony finally started. Rory couldn't help but notice how much tackier this ceremony was than the one at Chilton, and then she felt terrible for thinking it.
The one thing that wasn't tacky were the grins on the faces of Luke and Jess as "Jess Mariano" was called and Jess came up to receive his diploma. He tried to hide how happy he was, but Rory could tell. He took his diploma, and then, almost as an afterthought, he moved the tassle from his cap from one side to the other. Rory didn't notice she was crying until she saw a tear marr the surface of her skirt.
*****
Rory had asked about a thousand and a half times if Jess was sure that Luke didn't want to take him to dinner. Jess kept telling him that it was just awkward. They would have nothing to talk about. Besides, he was much happier to spend the evening with you. "You're prettier than he is."
"I should hope so."
Rory met Jess at the entrance of the auditorium. She had already seen Lane come out and hugged her and taken pictures with her before Mrs. Kim had whisked her off to meet and greet with all her Korean relatives. A few minutes later, Jess came out.
He hadn't shed his robes yet, and Rory insisted on getting a picture of he and Luke together. They both grumbled, but they smiled for the picture. Then Luke insisted that he take one of Jess and Rory. Rory thought all the picture-taking would seem tedious and annoying to Jess, but after Luke took their picture, Jess took the camera from him and held it out to someone, asking if they would mind taking a picture of the three of them. Afterwords, Jess looked embarassed at having shown so much open emotion, and with barely two syllables he excused himself to go change.
When he came back, Luke had already gone back to open the diner. Jess was dressed in black pants and a dress shirt. The two of them walked over to his car and got in. Jess put on the radio, and the two didn't really say much before they got to the restaurant Jess had picked: a little Italian place.
They got out and walked into the restaurant. Jess gave his name, and they were escorted to a table. They looked over the menu, and they finally laid them down. "What are you having?" asked Jess.
"Um. . . I think I'll have the bruschetta and fettucini alfredo."
Jess summoned the waiter. When he arrived, Jess ordered in Italian and handed the waiter their menus. After the waiter had left, Rory just gaped at him. Jess reached for a piece of bread and dipped it in olive oil, allowing the excess to drip. He popped it in his mouth and chewed slowly before he acknowledged Rory's expression.
"What?" he asked, innocently.
"I didn't know you spoke Italian."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me Gilmore," he said, with a smirk.
"Where did you learn?"
"Where did you think Mariano came from? Ireland?" He smiled and chuckled. Rory just shook her head and took a sip from her water glass.
Jess watched her as she smiled contentedly to herself for a few minutes before he called her on it. "What are you so smiley about?"
"You. Graduating."
"Aw. . . shucks."
The two continued with their easy banter until long after they had stopped eating their shared dessert and Rory had finished off a cup of coffee, "Only one," Jess had insisted, "Or you'll never sleep." Rory had pouted, but Jess stood fast.
He drove her home and pulled into her driveway. They shared a quick kiss. "I love you," Rory murmured, her lips brushing against his as she spoke. "I love you," he whispered back. They shared one more kiss before Rory got out of the car. She smiled to herself as she walked up to the front door.
"That was perfect," Lorelai said from the couch, not moving her eyes from the TV.
"What was?" Rory asked.
"The amount of time from when that car pulled into the driveway to when your door closed."
"Night Mom."
"Night babe."
Rory walked into her room and began to undress. The entire time they had been in the restaurant, they had not once brought up the subject of sex. Rory was still on the pill and she still planned on sleeping with Jess. That wasn't the point. The point was that the part of their relationship that she had been sure would be gone once they had made this decision to sleep together was still there. The friendly banter that had started when she and Jess were just friends.
"Mom was right," she whispered aloud to herself, "That was perfect."
"Uh... honey? You're gonna have to be a little more specific!" Lorelai called back downstairs.
"The black one! The one with the off the shoulder thingy. . ."
"Uh. . . that's your shirt?" Lorelai called.
"Yes, Mom. It is!" Rory stepped out of her room in boxers and a t-shirt, the clothes that she had grabbed after taking a shower while she was doing her hair and makeup. She watched as the shirt in question came flying down the stairs and into her hands.
"Thank you!" she called, and she walked back into her room. She took off her t-shirt and pulled on the black shirt. She stepped into a kahki skirt and black sandals. She was trying to get as much wear out of her black before it was too hot to wear. She took one last look in the mirror and tucked a strand of hair that had escaped from her claw clip behind her ear.
"All right, Mom. I'm ready." Lorelai came downstairs clad in jeans and a t- shirt with folders and papers in her arms.
"Where are you going?" asked Rory.
"Well, you won't be here, so I decided to go to Luke's and get me some coffee and work there.
"Um. . . Mom? Think a second. I'm going to Jess' graduation."
"Yeah?"
"Luke is Jess' uncle."
"Yeah?"
"Luke isn't going to be at the diner. He's going to be at the graduation with me."
"Oh! The Armageddon has arrived! Luke isn't in the diner!"
"Mom? Are you OK?"
"Yeah, sweets. I'm fine. I'll just chill here and work." Lorelai set herself up at the kitchen table,
"You sure?"
"Yeah. I have stuff to do for work anyways. Don't worry babe."
"All right. Well. I'm having dinner with Jess, so I dunno, order something or go to Luke's or something. Don't starve."
"Who is the mother here?" Lorelai asked, her hands placed indignantly on her hips.
"You are Mommy-dearest. Don't stay up too late eating candy and calling boys!" Rory joked, walking out the front door.
"Be nice to your mother!" Lorelai called as she left.
*****
Rory was early, as always, so she decided to walk. She and Luke had planned to meet at the diner and go together so that they wouldn't have to sit alone: Luke didn't know any of the parents, and all of Rory's friends were in the ceremony, and she didn't really feel like sitting with her old classmate's parents.
When she got to the diner, the door was opened, but Luke wasn't there. Rory, taking after her mother, stepped behind the counter and poured herself a cup of coffee to go before she walked up the apartment stairs. She stopped halfway, feeling like she was invading if Jess wasn't there.
"Luke?" she called up the stairs tentatively.
"Yeah?" he said, opening the apartment door, awkwardly trying to button the cuff button of the blue shirt he was wearing over his black pants. Rory smirked when she noticed that he wasn't wearing a baseball cap. He was trying to look nice. He was so proud that Jess was graduating.
Rory had half a mind to ask Luke if he needed help with his cuff buttons, but he had finally fumbled them closed. As he locked the diner, she was glad. That would have been awkward.
The two walked in comfortable semi-silence. Neither was much of a talker. They got to the school and found seats in the auditorium, where the ceremony was being held.
They both waited anxiously until the ceremony finally started. Rory couldn't help but notice how much tackier this ceremony was than the one at Chilton, and then she felt terrible for thinking it.
The one thing that wasn't tacky were the grins on the faces of Luke and Jess as "Jess Mariano" was called and Jess came up to receive his diploma. He tried to hide how happy he was, but Rory could tell. He took his diploma, and then, almost as an afterthought, he moved the tassle from his cap from one side to the other. Rory didn't notice she was crying until she saw a tear marr the surface of her skirt.
*****
Rory had asked about a thousand and a half times if Jess was sure that Luke didn't want to take him to dinner. Jess kept telling him that it was just awkward. They would have nothing to talk about. Besides, he was much happier to spend the evening with you. "You're prettier than he is."
"I should hope so."
Rory met Jess at the entrance of the auditorium. She had already seen Lane come out and hugged her and taken pictures with her before Mrs. Kim had whisked her off to meet and greet with all her Korean relatives. A few minutes later, Jess came out.
He hadn't shed his robes yet, and Rory insisted on getting a picture of he and Luke together. They both grumbled, but they smiled for the picture. Then Luke insisted that he take one of Jess and Rory. Rory thought all the picture-taking would seem tedious and annoying to Jess, but after Luke took their picture, Jess took the camera from him and held it out to someone, asking if they would mind taking a picture of the three of them. Afterwords, Jess looked embarassed at having shown so much open emotion, and with barely two syllables he excused himself to go change.
When he came back, Luke had already gone back to open the diner. Jess was dressed in black pants and a dress shirt. The two of them walked over to his car and got in. Jess put on the radio, and the two didn't really say much before they got to the restaurant Jess had picked: a little Italian place.
They got out and walked into the restaurant. Jess gave his name, and they were escorted to a table. They looked over the menu, and they finally laid them down. "What are you having?" asked Jess.
"Um. . . I think I'll have the bruschetta and fettucini alfredo."
Jess summoned the waiter. When he arrived, Jess ordered in Italian and handed the waiter their menus. After the waiter had left, Rory just gaped at him. Jess reached for a piece of bread and dipped it in olive oil, allowing the excess to drip. He popped it in his mouth and chewed slowly before he acknowledged Rory's expression.
"What?" he asked, innocently.
"I didn't know you spoke Italian."
"There's a lot of things you don't know about me Gilmore," he said, with a smirk.
"Where did you learn?"
"Where did you think Mariano came from? Ireland?" He smiled and chuckled. Rory just shook her head and took a sip from her water glass.
Jess watched her as she smiled contentedly to herself for a few minutes before he called her on it. "What are you so smiley about?"
"You. Graduating."
"Aw. . . shucks."
The two continued with their easy banter until long after they had stopped eating their shared dessert and Rory had finished off a cup of coffee, "Only one," Jess had insisted, "Or you'll never sleep." Rory had pouted, but Jess stood fast.
He drove her home and pulled into her driveway. They shared a quick kiss. "I love you," Rory murmured, her lips brushing against his as she spoke. "I love you," he whispered back. They shared one more kiss before Rory got out of the car. She smiled to herself as she walked up to the front door.
"That was perfect," Lorelai said from the couch, not moving her eyes from the TV.
"What was?" Rory asked.
"The amount of time from when that car pulled into the driveway to when your door closed."
"Night Mom."
"Night babe."
Rory walked into her room and began to undress. The entire time they had been in the restaurant, they had not once brought up the subject of sex. Rory was still on the pill and she still planned on sleeping with Jess. That wasn't the point. The point was that the part of their relationship that she had been sure would be gone once they had made this decision to sleep together was still there. The friendly banter that had started when she and Jess were just friends.
"Mom was right," she whispered aloud to herself, "That was perfect."