Disclaimer: blah blah not mine
"So..Jess..right?" Jess looked up from the counter to see Alexis. He sighed and nodded. She smiled and leaned on the counter, obviously trying to display her cleavage for him. Noticing her actions, he made a point not to look there.
"Can I get you anything?" He was obviously not interested in small talk.
"How about some dinner, want to join me?" She looked up at him, fairly confident.
"Already ate. What would you like?" He noticed her confidence being replaced with determination.
"Well what time do you get off tonight?"
"Are you going to order? Do you need a menu? Do you want to here specials? This is a diner... those are your options." Luke who had been observing this interaction form the other side of the counter was trying to contain his laughter. Jess glared.
"What's wrong Jess? Got a girlfriend? Wife?" She put on an innocent smile before adding, "boyfriend?"
"Didn't you say you were here in between jobs? Maybe you should focus on finding a job instead of finding a date."
Just as he turned walk away, she called after him. "Who do you think you are? That is none of your business. You walk around here acting all arrogant, but I know your just as lost as I am."
This struck a nerve with Jess and he walked back over to her. "What are you looking for in me? One night? That's about all I'm good for. I'm not being arrogant, I'm being honest. You need to figure out your life and I'm just going to be a distraction, a waste of time."
"You don't know me. If you did, maybe you'd know I need a distraction right about now."
Unable to bear the confusion in her eyes, he looked out the window. Outside, he saw Rory and Mike. They looked so perfect he wanted to throw up. Instead he turned to Alexis and said, "Don't say I didn't warn you." With that he turned to a surprised Luke and excused himself.
--
The next morning Rory and her mother met at Luke's for coffee. Just as they ordered, Jess walked in the door. Luke raised his eyebrows but didn't say a word. Rory's face paled slightly. She tried to cover it up quickly, but Lorelai noticed.
"Spill it."
"What?" Rory tried to look normal. This was the last thing she wanted to discuss.
"Why the reaction?"
Rory sighed. "He's just getting home." Noticing that Lorelai didn't seem to get what she was saying, she continued. "He was out with Alexis last night, and he's just getting home now."
"Wow. She moves fast. Didn't she just get here like yesterday? Come on Rory, he might have just gone out on an errand. He probably didn't stay over."
Rory didn't appear comforted. "He was wearing that last night. I saw them leaving the diner."
"Why does this even matter? You're engaged, to a wonderful man. Why do you care what Jess does?"
Rory knew she was right. She shouldn't care. It was just so complex. "Well you know me and Jess talked and we're supposed to be friends now. I am purely looking out for my friend who seems to have begun relations with the town slut."
"Can she be the town slut yet? She's only been here a day. I think there's some kind of residency requirement for that."
Rory smiled. "Soooo not the point."
---------
After work, Rory had an urge to stop by Luke's and see if she could get Jess alone for a few minutes. She smiled when she saw him at the counter.
"Hey Jess," she greeted as she sat at the counter.
He smiled and handed her coffee. "Where were you?" He gestured to her clothes.
"Oh, um I was at work. I work at a paper, um in Hartford. So um how about you.. what did you do today." What she really meant was last night.
"Nothing. Helped Luke out for awhile. Read some." He knew what she wanted to know but he wasn't going to make this easy on her.
"So I noticed you and Alexis went out last night. How'd that go?" She stared out the window as she asked it. She didn't know if it was her place to ask.
Jess smirked at her. "It went."
Just as she was about to continue, her phone rang. "Oh that's Mike, I really should be getting home now. Um... it was nice talking to you."
As she left Luke emerged from the back room. "She seems concerned."
"Well it's not really her place. She's engaged."
"So you and Alexis..."
"Are nothing. We went out. That's it. I wouldn't start planning the wedding."
Luke sighs and goes back to the kitchen. ____
Rory goes straight to Mike's apartment. She takes out her key and lets herself in. He had called and told her to meet him there in half an hour. She was five minutes early. After all the time she had spent there, she still felt uncomfortable at his place. They were just so different. His apartment was so... adult. She always wanted to just hide a Hello Kitty towel in the middle of all his white towels, just to see his reaction. She never did it though, because maybe she was a little scared that he wouldn't understand. Her cell phone jolted her out of her thoughts.
"Hello?"
"Hey sweetie. Listen, I'm soooo sorry but I have to work late tonight. My boss told me that they are having a really important meeting that I have to stay for. I'll make it up to you?"
"Yeah, sure. Love you, bye." She sighed and hung up the phone. 'I guess it's back to Luke's.'
"So..Jess..right?" Jess looked up from the counter to see Alexis. He sighed and nodded. She smiled and leaned on the counter, obviously trying to display her cleavage for him. Noticing her actions, he made a point not to look there.
"Can I get you anything?" He was obviously not interested in small talk.
"How about some dinner, want to join me?" She looked up at him, fairly confident.
"Already ate. What would you like?" He noticed her confidence being replaced with determination.
"Well what time do you get off tonight?"
"Are you going to order? Do you need a menu? Do you want to here specials? This is a diner... those are your options." Luke who had been observing this interaction form the other side of the counter was trying to contain his laughter. Jess glared.
"What's wrong Jess? Got a girlfriend? Wife?" She put on an innocent smile before adding, "boyfriend?"
"Didn't you say you were here in between jobs? Maybe you should focus on finding a job instead of finding a date."
Just as he turned walk away, she called after him. "Who do you think you are? That is none of your business. You walk around here acting all arrogant, but I know your just as lost as I am."
This struck a nerve with Jess and he walked back over to her. "What are you looking for in me? One night? That's about all I'm good for. I'm not being arrogant, I'm being honest. You need to figure out your life and I'm just going to be a distraction, a waste of time."
"You don't know me. If you did, maybe you'd know I need a distraction right about now."
Unable to bear the confusion in her eyes, he looked out the window. Outside, he saw Rory and Mike. They looked so perfect he wanted to throw up. Instead he turned to Alexis and said, "Don't say I didn't warn you." With that he turned to a surprised Luke and excused himself.
--
The next morning Rory and her mother met at Luke's for coffee. Just as they ordered, Jess walked in the door. Luke raised his eyebrows but didn't say a word. Rory's face paled slightly. She tried to cover it up quickly, but Lorelai noticed.
"Spill it."
"What?" Rory tried to look normal. This was the last thing she wanted to discuss.
"Why the reaction?"
Rory sighed. "He's just getting home." Noticing that Lorelai didn't seem to get what she was saying, she continued. "He was out with Alexis last night, and he's just getting home now."
"Wow. She moves fast. Didn't she just get here like yesterday? Come on Rory, he might have just gone out on an errand. He probably didn't stay over."
Rory didn't appear comforted. "He was wearing that last night. I saw them leaving the diner."
"Why does this even matter? You're engaged, to a wonderful man. Why do you care what Jess does?"
Rory knew she was right. She shouldn't care. It was just so complex. "Well you know me and Jess talked and we're supposed to be friends now. I am purely looking out for my friend who seems to have begun relations with the town slut."
"Can she be the town slut yet? She's only been here a day. I think there's some kind of residency requirement for that."
Rory smiled. "Soooo not the point."
---------
After work, Rory had an urge to stop by Luke's and see if she could get Jess alone for a few minutes. She smiled when she saw him at the counter.
"Hey Jess," she greeted as she sat at the counter.
He smiled and handed her coffee. "Where were you?" He gestured to her clothes.
"Oh, um I was at work. I work at a paper, um in Hartford. So um how about you.. what did you do today." What she really meant was last night.
"Nothing. Helped Luke out for awhile. Read some." He knew what she wanted to know but he wasn't going to make this easy on her.
"So I noticed you and Alexis went out last night. How'd that go?" She stared out the window as she asked it. She didn't know if it was her place to ask.
Jess smirked at her. "It went."
Just as she was about to continue, her phone rang. "Oh that's Mike, I really should be getting home now. Um... it was nice talking to you."
As she left Luke emerged from the back room. "She seems concerned."
"Well it's not really her place. She's engaged."
"So you and Alexis..."
"Are nothing. We went out. That's it. I wouldn't start planning the wedding."
Luke sighs and goes back to the kitchen. ____
Rory goes straight to Mike's apartment. She takes out her key and lets herself in. He had called and told her to meet him there in half an hour. She was five minutes early. After all the time she had spent there, she still felt uncomfortable at his place. They were just so different. His apartment was so... adult. She always wanted to just hide a Hello Kitty towel in the middle of all his white towels, just to see his reaction. She never did it though, because maybe she was a little scared that he wouldn't understand. Her cell phone jolted her out of her thoughts.
"Hello?"
"Hey sweetie. Listen, I'm soooo sorry but I have to work late tonight. My boss told me that they are having a really important meeting that I have to stay for. I'll make it up to you?"
"Yeah, sure. Love you, bye." She sighed and hung up the phone. 'I guess it's back to Luke's.'