I remember how I couldn't help but smile to myself as I watched Luke storm down the driveway with Jess casually in tow. My bedroom window was open, and I distinctly heard the words "I don't have to explain anything to you".

I realized that they were headed back to the diner, where Luke would soon phone my mom and tell her what he'd seen. It was weird, but I wasn't scared.

I stayed at home all day until my mom came home right before dinner.

"I'm starved," she said, and started yammering on about Buffalo and how great it had been.

"Did you actually learn anything?" I asked, wondering why she hadn't brought up the Jess situation.

"Nope, I was too busy being distracted by the buffalos. By the way, there was this one who I named Corky, and I hope you don't mind but I brought him home."

Maybe he hadn't told her. "Uh huh," I said, looking through the fridge for anything edible.

"He's just the cutest thing, he looked at me, and did the little pouty lip thing and I just couldn't say no." She was digging through her suitcase for something.

"Do buffalos even have lips?" He hadn't told her.

"Ah, here it is," She grinned and pulled a shirt out of her suitcase. "This is me and Corky." The shirt had a picture of her beaming next to a buffalo in a cage.

"Let me get this straight," I said, "You went to the zoo, got your picture taken next to a buffalo, and got it printed on a shirt?" I inwardly sighed with relief. I was fine, as long as we didn't run into Luke.

"Not the zoo!" she said, digging through a cupboard. "It was Corky, one of the many buffalo that roam the city streets of Buffalo distracting young ladies from their business classes! By the way, have you noticed that we have no food? C'mon, we're going to Luke's."

"Uh," I stalled, "Why don't… you just sit here and relax after you long journey… I'll go down to Doosey's and grab something,"

"Nah, it's okay," she said, pulling on her coat, "I miss my coffee-man,"

She grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door.

Shit.

"So, little lady, did anything shocking and eventful happen in town while I was away?"

"Not that I can think of…" She knows, doesn't she?

"Good, they kept their promise,"

"Who did?" I asked.

"Oh, you know, the town folk. They said they wouldn't let anything shocking and eventful happen while I was gone,"

"Oh."

"You're awfully chatty tonight," she said, still walking briskly.

"Me? I'm just… tired,"

"Well, good thing we're at Luke's! Coffee!" she grabbed my arm again and yanked me up the steps and into Luke's Diner, where Luke stared at me from behind the counter.

"Coffee?" he grunted.

"Yes, please, good sir. I, a fair maiden, am in desperate need of caffeinated fluid,"

I couldn't look at Luke. But I could tell his eyes were on me.

He cleared his throat. "Rory. Could I have a word with you?"

Lorelai shot us both curious looks, but I followed him behind the counter and halfway up the stairs.

"Rory, about… what I saw…"

I stared at my feet.

"I… I've decided not to tell your mother,"

My head snapped up. "What? Why not?"

"Just… never mind. It doesn't matter." He started back down the stairs. He stopped and turned back. "But I suggest you tell her before she finds out herself,"

He walked back into the diner and I heard my mom ask, "What was that about?"

He gave her some bullshit about me tutoring Jess. I sighed and walking up the stairs to Jess and Luke's apartment. I opened the door and found Jess lying on the couch with a book in his hand. When he saw me come in, he sat up and grinned.

"Rory," he said. "Luke's not going to tell your mom,"

"I heard," I said, "But he didn't say why not,"

"Well, let's just say that I have a little... information that would make him awfully embarrased if it got out," he winked.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, but never mind that, no one will ever know if you don't want them to." We stared at each other in silence.

"Jess…" I began. "I don't… I don't want this to be awkward." But it was.

"Why should it be?" He grinned. "Beside the fact that every time I look at you, I'll imagine you naked."

I blushed. "Do you want to go out somewhere?"

"I'd like that," he said. "Just out of curiosity, have you broken up with Dean yet?"

I sighed as he stood up and grabbed his jacket. "He's still out of town. But I swear I'll tell him first thing when he comes back."

"Okay. Let's go."

We walked down the stairs and past mom and Luke, who were too caught up in their own conversation to notice up slip past. We walked through town talking casually until we somehow ended up at the bridge. We sat in our favourite place, in the middle of the bridge with our feet dangling justabove the water.

Jess put his arm around me, and I leaned into him and sighed contentedly.

He turned his head to me and looked into my eyes, smiling. This was a side of Jess that I hadn't really noticed before. The passionate, caring side that I had seen the shadow of at times, but had never really emerged.

He leaned down and kissed me on the lips. The taste of his lips set me on fire, and I gently pushed him down on the dock. I sat, straddling him, playing with his lower lip between my teeth. The content moans coming from him encouraged me.

"...Rory? What the -" A male voice made me jerk my head around.

SHIT.

"JESS??? WHAT THE FUCK?!?"

It was Dean.