A new Lit-fic from me. Because I'm really creative this week-end ;) !
Some years after season 4. Don't know if Rory really dropped out of Yale. Think whatever you wanna think. It's not necessary for this...
I hope you like it! And please give me reviews! 'Cause they really make my day:)
Enjoy reading!
So, here he was…Working in a photo shop, selling photos and films...Great!
But what did he expect? He didn't graduate, so he didn't study...What did he expect from his life?
Jess stood at the counter and looked outside the shop window. It was autumn in New York. Everyone wore long coats and colorful scarfs and the whole town looked so...freezing.
"Hey Jess! Get out of my way!", John exclaimed and rushed around the corner.
Jess got ripped out of his thoughts, made one step back, crashed with John and the box filled with photos, John was carrying, fell down to the floor and the photos spread all over the floor.
"Great job, man!", John sighed, got down to his knees and started to pick up the photos.
Jess sat down next to him "I'll help you."
"You're supposed to dream at night, Jess, not at work!"
"Yeah, I know...I'm just a bit confused today! I'm sorry..."
"Hey, it's okay...Oh my god...look at this!" John held a photo under Jess face. "Isn't she gorgeous?"
Jess frowned and looked at the photo...His breath caught.
"Wow, here are more of 'em. Wow, she's really cute!"
"Where did you get them?", he asked.
"Well, they were in this box... I think the owner wants them back all together so we should try to find all of them and put them back...Hey, what's wrong?"
"I—uh—nothing...I'm okay...Let's just get those photos togehter...", he said, a bit shocked.
He knew the girl on this photo. He knew her so well and it hurt to see her again though it was just a photo. It was the girl he loved. The girl he left. The girl who had obviously begun a new life. Without him.
"So, get back to work! I've to birng these films to the lab. I'll be back in half an hour."
Jess nodded. "Alright."
"And focus on your work, dude!"
Jess smiled a bit and watched his fellow leaving the shop.
He didn't know what to think. His eyes always went back to this box, standing beside his feet. He was so confused! It really was her. Hopefully I won't be here when she wants to get her photos, Jess thought.
It was five years and some months ago when he had seen her the last time. He wasn't able to resist, anymore. He bent down and grabbed for the box.
He wasn't sure either to grab the photos and look at them or just not to think about it anymore. He decided to look at them.
He saw her. Happy and smiling. He saw her running on the meadow in a park. Her hair was a bit longer again. He always liked it that way. Her eyes were still the same. Or maybe even a bit more intense. He saw something in her eyes that made him shiver.
He saw love.
On the next photo she sat with a tall blonde guy on a bench near a fountain. He knew this place. It was Washington Square Park. He sighed. It had been 'their' place some years ago. It hurt to see her happy and apparently she loved this guy. But he should be happy for her. She finally found what she was looking for. She found what he hadn't been able to give her.
On the next picture she lay on a sofa. Obviously she didn't know that the guy was going to take a picture from her. She just lay there and read a book. Jess sighed. He was glad that she still did read. Everytime he bought a book he always thought of her and what she would have thought about it.
There were more photos from her and her obviously new boyfriend but Jess wasn't interested anymore.
He had seen her, and that she was happy and that she had a wonderful life. That was everything he ever wanted. He just wanted her to be happy...and obviously she was.
He sighed and took the photos back into the box.
He began to arrange them but he couldn't stop thinking about her. He still begged that he would not be in the shop when she'd come to get them.
He was still lost in his thoughts as the doorbell rang. He looked up and saw the blonde guy from her photos.
"H-Hi—" Jess stuttered. He cleared his throat and tried again "Hi, how can I help you?"
"Hi, uhm...I wanted to get our photos...I think the name's Huntzberger?"
'Huntzberger? What name is this? Huntzberger?' Jess thought amused.
"Uhm..okay...I'm sorry Mister, but there are no photos for Huntzberger."
"So I guess she used her name...That'd be G—"
The doorbell rang agian. "How long do you wanna stay in there?", a cheerful girls-voice asked.
Jess looked up and his breath caught again.
The blonde guy turned around and said: "There you are! Did you use your name?"
"Uhm...Yeah...Yes...Uhm..." She looked as confused as Jess was.
"Ace, are you alright?" The guy asked and went to her.
She shook her head a bit and answered. "Uhm...Yes, of course! So, what do you think, I get the photos and you buy some coffee?"
The guy smiled. "Okay. I'll be right back!" He said and gave her a little kiss.
There was an awkward silence after the blonde guy had left the shop. Finally she took one step forward and came to the counter.
"Hi.", she said quietly and smiled at him with caution.
"Hi.", he simply answered. He was still in shock to stand with her face to face.
"So, it's been a long time."
"You want your photos? Gilmore, I guess?", he quickly said and searched through the box.
He knew that her pictures were there. He saw them some minutes ago. Why wasn't he able to find them now? Fate just wants to play a trick on me, he thought angrily.
She just nodded.
"Ah there they are!", he said loudly and handed her the photos in an envelope.
She just smiled shyly.
"That'd be...4,50 please." He still avoided to look at her. It had been hard for him to look at her photos but it was even more harder to look at her in reality.
She searched in her pockets for some coins and payed for the pictures.
He just took the money. "Thank you for you visit. Have a nice day!"
He turned to the right side and started again to arrange the pictures. But she didn't go away. He got nervous.
With the envelope she tapped onto the counter nervously.
"You look good.", she shyly started.
He looked up. "Yeah, you too."
She smiled at him. Oh how he had missed her smile and her deep blue eyes!
"I miss you." She suddenly said.
His heart stopped for a moment. She missed him?
It was hard for him to look at her. "I think your boyfriend is waiting."
"Oh-yes..uhm...so it was nice to meet you...again."
"Yeah, it was..." He didn't know what to say. "Goodbye Rory."
"Goodbye Jess." She turned to the door, opened it but suddenly stopped.
She turned around again to face him. "Call me?"
Jess just nodded.
She smiled one last time and left the shop.
"Still dreamin'?"
"What?" He turned around. "Ah, you're back. Great...So..."
John laughed. "Go home Jess. Go home and sleep a little. I can handle this by myself."
"Sure?"
"Yeah, sure. In two hours I can close the shop and I think for these two hours I can be on my own. And I think you really need some time for yourself."
"Good. Thanks, John."
"No problem, man!", he said twinkling.
"Great. So I guess I'll see ya tomorrow?"
"Yeah, you will."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
He took on his jacket and left the shop. He looked into the direction she went some minutes before. He turned around and went straight into the other direction.
He took a deep breath. It was over. Yeah this episode of his life was over now. He could move on now.
He put his hands deep into his pockets and smiled.
Yeah, from now on he'd live his new life!
THE END