Disclaimer: I own nothing although maybe someday….

Author's note: Thank you so much for the constructive criticism, it is really appreciated. I am more of an essay writer so fiction is a little difficult for me. However these were the only two chapters that were written that way. The rest is mostly dialogue form.

The sun was beginning to set on this beautiful day as two soul mates and former lovers reunited.

"I don't mean this to sound crude, but would you like to come back to my place? We could talk or something."

"Ya…or something" she replied suggestively

Jess was taken aback by her forwardness and was speechless.

"Come on Jess, I was just playing along". With that she grabbed his hand and started dragging him along.

"Uh…Rory, you don't know where I live"

Rory blushes a little. "Oh ya, that's true…, kind sir please lead the way".

"Most certainly milady". He takes her hand and places a butterfly soft kiss on it.

She smiles and intertwines her fingers with his and continued walking. They continued walking in comfortable silence until Rory could not cast aside her curiosity any longer.

"So what have you been up to?" she asks feigning casualness

"Well after I made a complete ass of myself in your dorm room, I "

"No Jess, I am the one who was foolish. I know it took a lot of courage for you to that but I was scared you would leave me again and then I didn't want to give up school for nothing…it doesn't make much difference now". She mumbled this last part hoping that he wouldn't hear her because for some reason she didn't want him to be disappointed in her.

Unfortunately he did hear her and stopped walking to face her. "What do you mean it doesn't make much difference?"

"Well you see" she began sheepishly "I don't actually go to Yale anymore; I dropped out."

There was complete silence as Jess tried to process this information. It was as if all of New York traffic stopped as this revelation was made. His reply was simple.

"Why?"

He couldn't understand why Rory who always loved school and had big dreams of becoming an overseas correspondent would all of a sudden give up those dreams. Sure he wasn't one to judge and he wasn't judging her… he was simply surprised and a little sad for her because he could tell that she was distraught.

"It's a long story…"

"I've got nothing but time for you" he stated

She didn't particularly want to share with him the circumstances surrounding her decision but she knew that if he was going to start opening up to her, she would also have to come clean.

"Can we maybe wait until we get to your apartment?"

"Sure"

"In the meantime maybe you can tell me what you've been up to" she continued

"Well as I was saying, when I left your dorm room I realized three things. One was that in that moment I had nothing to offer you. Second was that I was not happy with my life and in order to have a relationship with you I should have a better life and finally that I would do anything to get you to change your mind about being with me. You see, you made me want to be a better person for myself as well as for you so I finished my high school and got my G.E.D. After that I enrolled at a community college which I attended for a year and with good grades and a recommendation from my lit teacher I was accepted to Columbia in English literature. I've decided to be a writer since it's the one thing I can really do well and I am happy with that decision. I just wanted to thank you because if I had never met you, I probably never would have discovered what I am capable of. Oh…this is me."

They had reached his building but he noticed that she wasn't following him inside. When he turned around to look at her and saw she had tears in her eyes.

"What is it? Did I say something wrong?"

"That's not it."

"What is it then?"

Did she want to tell him that with that little speech he made her fall even more in love with him but at the same time it broke her heart to know she would disappoint him because she was not that girl anymore?

"Jess, I love you and what you said was beautiful but I'm not that girl anymore. I am the girl who dropped out of Yale and doesn't know what to do with her life. I am the girl who is not speaking to her mom because she is too disappointed to even look at me."

She could no longer continue and just began sobbing uncontrollably.

Jess who could not just stand there and watch this beautiful girl's eyes cloud over with such intense pain just went over to her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Shh, please don't cry. It's going to be okay…you can figure it out in time. I'll help you if you let me. I love you Rory"

She stopped crying and looked up into his eyes. "I love you too"

He leaned down and gave her the sweetest kiss which was not meant to be passionate but to convey everything he felt for her. She kissed him back in the same way, full of hope for things to come.

She was drained from all the crying and just rested against him so he picked her up gently and carried her up to the apartment and subsequently inside.

"Hey aren't you only supposed to do that when we get married?" she asked sleepily

"Let's just call this practice"

"Why? You want to marry me Mariano?" With that she fell asleep on the couch

"You have no idea" he replied to her sleeping form

She had never told him what happened exactly. He would have to ask her tomorrow.

A/N: Please review, I greatly appreciate criticism.