THANK YOU ALL FOR THE BEAUTIFUL COMMENTS! I wanted to finish this chapter last night but I was studying for a midterm, which I think I kicked butt on. Woohoo! So, since I didn't finish the chapter last night, I stayed up till 1am to finish it for you guys. LoL… love me? I have a feeling you literati fans especially will enjoy this chapter!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything but the character of Michael… although I wish I owned the character of Jess… lol

"Wow. So it has been a busy couple of years for you," Jess said after Rory finished her story.

"Yeah, a really long couple of years."

"So, this Michael guy… do you love him?"

"Um, yeah, I mean, of course. I've been with him for almost two years now," Rory answered as she fidgeted.

"Uh huh," Jess answered with a laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No Jess, what? Why did you laugh?"

"You don't seem so sure of yourself there."

"Well, I am. I mean, yeah, we have our problems, but we work through them like every other couple. He's safe for me, Jess. I never have to question what is going to happen to us."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for a few moments, then Jess reached out and took Rory's hand. Rory would have pulled back if it didn't feel so right. Instead, she looked up into his eyes.

"I missed you, Ror."

Rory gave him a small smile. They stared at each other for a moment and then Jess moved a little closer. An alarm went off in Rory's head and she turned away. "It's getting late."

Jess sighed. "Yeah. Come on. I'll walk you home." He got up and held out his hand.

Rory took it and he pulled her up. They started walking towards her house.

"So, what made you come back," Rory asked suddenly.

"Well, I was talking to Luke one day, and he told me he needed some help at the diner. So, I, uh, finished school in New York and moved down here."

"You went back to school?"

"Uh, yeah, finished High School and a year of college."

"Wow. I'm really proud of you Jess."

"It's not Yale or a University or anything. I just went to a community college."

"It doesn't matter. You went to college! Do you know how much of an accomplishment that is?"

"Stop. It's not a big deal."

Rory waited a moment and then started laughing.

"What?"

"Some things never change."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing." They arrived at Rory's house and walked up the steps. "So, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"I guess we'll see."

Rory smiled for him one more time and turned to open the door.

"Ror?"

Rory turned around and was about to reply when she felt Jess' lips on hers. She tensed up right away, but relaxed after a moment. She seemed to melt into his arms and for once in about a year, felt safe. She wasn't even thinking about the black and blue marks on her body. She felt perfect. But then, she remembered Michael and pulled away. She felt a little dizzy and held on to the door to steady herself.

"What was that for?" she asked.

Jess smiled. "Just wanted to remind you what unpredictable feels like," he said as he started walking down the steps.

Rory thought about this for a second. "Hey Jess." Jess turned around from his halfway point on the walkway and raised an eyebrow. "I missed you too."

Jess smiled again and turned to walk back to the diner.

Rory finished brushing her teeth and noticed she was smiling, for no reason at all. 'Okay, maybe there's a reason,' she told herself. 'STOP IT! You have a boyfriend! A boyfriend you love and who's predictable and who you can see yourself marrying.'

A bruise on her arm started hurting, a reminder of what she goes through because she's dating Michael. She lifted her sleeve and brushed her hand over the bruise. Her smile was gone and there were now tears in her eyes. A tear rolls down her cheek as she thinks of the last time Michael hit her. She had smelled perfume on his shirt… perfume that wasn't hers and she confronted him about it.

"Rory… come on! The movie is starting and you're missing the previews!"

Rory quickly wiped away her tears. "I'll be out in a sec!" She pulled down her sleeve and splashed her face a couple of times before opening the door. She had a lot to think about tonight.

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