Chasing Aphrodite
Chapter 2: Tattoo It on My Heart
Disclaimer: Don't own. I'm not ASP. I'm not her husband. I'm not one of her writing minions. I'm just a girl with a laptop and a Literati dream.
A/N: WOW! I don't know what to say! Nearly 50 reviews for one chapter? I'm just flabbergasted and really, really flattered. I hope I do you all justice and give you a story you'll enjoy. I'll do my best, and all I ask is that you keep reviewing. It really made me happy and drove me to write as fast as I could, given my very little free time. You all rock! This chapter is dedicated to Jules because I can't believe I forgot her in the first chapter. She deserves not only a dedication but a plaque, a trophy, a statue, and an honorary monument. She's a great beta, a wonderful writer, and the best friend a person could ask for. Thanks for everything, darling. Becka
"I mean, why is that?" Rory asked animatedly, causing Jess to smirk. She had been babbling ever since they'd sat down side-by-side on the bridge about an hour ago, and she was showing no signs of stopping. "You never hear about the Folger Shakespeare Library. It's always 'Smithsonian this' and 'Library of Congress that,' which isn't to say that they weren't great because they were everything their reputation suggests. I just happen to prefer the hidden treasures our nation's capital has to offer."
"Of course," Jess agreed with mock-seriousness.
"I'll admit, at first, I was a little disappointed," Rory stated, gesturing into the air. "I had read great things about 'The Pen's Excellencie' exhibit, and it closed a few weeks before we got there. The new exhibit is based around the Folgers, which doesn't seem as exciting at first, but as it turns out, they were pretty amazing."
"How do you figure?" Jess asked.
"They devoted their entire lives to creating this collection of Shakespearean works. It was their passion. Literature brought them together, and it kept them together."
His eyes traced over her face. "Huh."
Rory glanced at him, noticing his intense expression. "What?"
"Nothing," he answered, slowly shaking his head for emphasis.
Not buying it, Rory blushed and turned her gaze back to the expanse of water beneath them. "I'm talking too much," she admitted.
Taking a peek at her out of the corner of his eyes, he smirked. "Nope," he disagreed. "It's just we've been sitting out here for quite a while now while I've patiently listened to you talk about everything you didn't have time for on the phone." She looked over at him, locking her eyes with his. "We can't put it off forever, you know," he finished.
She blinked uncertainly. "What?"
"My gift," he teased. "I'm really starting to suspect you didn't get me anything."
"Oh," Rory said, surprised at his answer. "Uh… actually, I did get you something."
"Yeah?"
"Yep," she recovered, smiling at him. "And you're gonna love it."
When she made no movement, he spoke. "Well, don't leave me in suspense."
Her smile turned into a grin as she reached into the pocket of her jacket. Meeting his eyes, she held out an envelope.
He gave her a curious look and took it. Peering inside, he grimaced. "Gee, you shouldn't have," he joked, pulling out a cheap, brightly colored, Shakespeare tattoo.
"It screamed 'Jess,'" she explained. "I had to get it."
He nodded. "I bet it did."
"My mom always wanted me to date a guy with lots of tattoos."
"Yeah?"
"Yup," Rory nodded, giving him a satisfied smile.
"You do know I'm never wearing this, right?" he asked, looking at her.
Leaning towards him, Rory gave him a quick kiss. "We'll see about that," she whispered.
"You're gonna have to do better than that."
She smiled and captured his lips again, drawing the kiss out this time. "Better?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"Much."
She grinned.
"But I'm still never wearing this."
Not sure whether to smile or frown, she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. "Fine."
"C'mon, you did not honestly think I would wear that."
She shrugged, grateful he couldn't see the grin on her face. "I thought you liked me. My mistake."
"Oh, sure!" he exclaimed. "Bring out the heavy guns."
She shifted her head on his shoulder and peered up at him. "Don't you like me?"
"Nope," he stated. "Not if you expect me to wear that."
"I'm the only one who'll see it," she bargained. "I promise. No one else will ever know."
"Stop," he ordered, his tone light.
She responded with an exaggerated sigh then lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders.
"Cold?"
She shook her head, but he drew her closer anyway. They sat like that for a while, looking out over the water.
"This is our first time here as a couple," Rory pointed out, intertwining her fingers with his.
He looked down at their hands and sighed, remembering the last time they'd been at the bridge, the night before he'd left for New York.
Rory's mind had drifted there as well. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it immediately, choosing instead to lift his hand and place a small kiss below his knuckles. As she lowered it back to her lap, she chanced a quick glance at him. He was looking at her with that serious expression again.
Sensing that she was about to read his thoughts, he leaned forward and kissed her, effectively cutting off any such efforts on her part. She let out a small breath, and he drew it in. After a long moment, he felt her lips curve against his mouth, and then she pulled away. Peering in the direction of the town square, her eyes lit up. "Is that polka music?"
Focusing his attention on the music, Jess scowled.
Rory looked back over at him and grinned. "That is polka music. I thought the band was from New York."
He shifted back to a more comfortable position. "Yeah, well, they have polka bands in New York."
"And how would you know that?" Rory teased.
"My mom's been married more than once. I've heard my share of New York polka."
Rory giggled. "Did you dance?"
"Hell no!" he exclaimed.
She smiled knowingly but didn't push the issue.
"You're missing the whole festival," Jess pointed out.
She smiled at him and burrowed closer again. "I know."
"Taylor would not approve of your blasé attitude."
"Taylor wouldn't approve of a lot of things I do these days," Rory replied, placing a gentle kiss on his neck. "I guess he'll just have to deal with it."
Jess looked down at her and smiled. "I guess so."
They fell into a comfortable silence, listening to the jaunty polka music as it mingled with the gentle lapping of the lake.
It lasted about twenty seconds before Jess whispered, "Rory?"
"Mm-hmm," she mumbled.
"This music is killing me."
Peeking up at him, she noticed the pained look on his face and laughed. "C'mon," she offered, standing up.
He shook his head. "Look, you know I like you, but you are not dragging me into that."
Rory leaned down and gave him a long kiss. "Trust me."
He hesitated for another second. Then, reluctantly, he stood up and wrapped an arm around her waist, letting her lead the way.
-
As they approached the town square, the music got louder, mixing with the loud chatter of the townspeople as they enjoyed the food, games, and company the festival had to offer. Rory felt Jess tense slightly by her side, causing her to look up at him.
"This is the only way to get to the other side of town," she reminded him.
Jess looked around. Everywhere, there were streamers, ribbons, and balloons. Games and food booths were set up throughout the square, not a single one without a long line of patient Stars Hollow residents waiting for their turn. In the gazebo, the New York polka band proudly strummed their instruments, looking like they couldn't think of a more fun gig to play. It was like some kid's giant piñata had blown up in the sky, raining its contents down on the town below. Jess shook his head. "How is it that he manages to make each one of these worse than the last?"
Rory tore her eyes away from the gathering and grinned at him. "You and Luke really bonded while I was gone, didn't you?"
"What?"
"You sound just like him," she teased.
"I do not," Jess argued. "Anyone could see this town is insane."
"And yet the only two people refusing to participate are you and Luke."
"So what? Occasionally, Luke has a good idea. It doesn't mean anything."
"Okay, Mini-Luke," Rory mocked.
"Don't call me that!"
"Fine, you aren't Mini-Luke. Want to prove it? We could stop and play a game."
"Are you kidding?" Jess asked. "You've been going to these your entire life. Are you seriously telling me that you haven't figured out they're rigged?"
Shooting puppy dog eyes at him, she pouted. "Don't you want to win me a stuffed animal?"
"So you can be attached to it for about half a day and then let it gather dust under your bed?" He shook his head. "Nope, not really."
Rory stepped in front of him and wrapped her arms around his waist, stopping him from walking. "You're cute when you act like Luke."
"Yeah? Well, you're kinda reminding me of Lorelai right now."
"Thank you," Rory smiled.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but it's not really turning me on," Jess quipped.
"Hey!" she protested.
"You should be happy about that," he stated. "If I found your mom attractive, we'd have a serious problem. But apparently, since you think Luke is cute…"
"I did not say that!" Rory disagreed.
"No, it's good that I know. But have you told Lorelai? 'Cuz I have a feeling she'd have an opinion."
Rory opened her mouth to argue again but stopped herself. "Fine, twist my words all you want," she said instead, giving him a peck on the lips. "My original statement stands. Now let's keep walking before the music does you in."
They only got a few feet before Lane spotted them from among the crowd and hurried over. "Rory!" she squealed, pulling her best friend into a long hug. Jess took a step back, letting them get reacquainted.
Lane pulled away and smiled. "Hey Jess."
"Lane," he acknowledged.
She turned back to Rory and gave her a quick appraisal. "You look unscathed. I'll have you know that I tried to warn your mom she shouldn't have bet against you."
Rory gave Lane a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"She lost the pool. We had a little wager going on whether or not you'd survive your time with Paris. Thanks to you, the new Vandals album is mine."
"Glad I could help, but what if you'd lost?"
"Well, then, I was supposed to 'take care' of the 'Jess problem'," Lane finger-quoted. She glanced around Rory at Jess. "Sorry, Jess. I promise I was going to make it as painless as possible. I figured some high-quality but lethal drugs in your soda would do the trick. Not that I gave it much thought," she laughed nervously.
"Of course not," Jess mocked.
"Hey, on the bright side, Rory here saved your life," Lane reminded him, patting her friend on the shoulder. "You owe her. It isn't easy to survive Paris."
"I'll be sure to thank her," Jess promised, smirking at his girlfriend.
"So, Rory," Lane began. "How was the trip? I want details."
"Hey Rory," Jess interrupted, shifting uncomfortably. "I'm gonna go. We can meet up later."
"Oh, shoot!" Lane exclaimed. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have interrupted."
"No, it's okay," Rory assured her, though not particularly convincingly.
"No, really. You two haven't seen each other in weeks, and despite being a couple, you haven't really been a couple yet, so I should just go and let you be a couple. Not that talking on the phone doesn't qualify as being a couple," she quickly amended. "I mean, there are lots of people who only talk on the phone and still qualify as couples. But you two don't have to worry about that because here you are, together, being a couple. If I'd leave, that is, which I am. Right now." Smiling at them both, she started to walk away. Then, abruptly, she turned back around. "I promise this won't always be this awkward. I'm still adjusting."
"It's okay," Rory reassured her.
"Jess is shorter," she explained. "I actually almost have to look him in the eye when I talk. It's a little disorienting. Not that you're short, Jess. You're not," she declared, appraising him. "What are you, six feet?"
"About 5'9," he supplied.
"Oh, well, you still have time to grow."
"I'll try to remember that," Jess smirked.
"I was going, wasn't I?" Lane asked, nodding vigorously. "Am going, actually. Gone. I'm gone," she finished, darting off before she said anything else.
As soon as she was gone, Rory turned back to Jess. "Sorry about that."
"Don't worry. I still have time to grow," he joked.
She stepped forward and kissed him. "I like you how you are."
"Good thing," he teased, wrapping his arm back around her waist.
She rested her chin on his shoulder and smiled. "See, perfect height."
Amused, he shook his head. "I'm convinced, I promise."
Rory nodded, and they started winding through the festival again. "My mom didn't really order a hit on you, you know."
"Well, she tried, but she lost the bet," Jess reminded her.
"She had only nice things to say about you while I was gone."
He shrugged. "I just stayed out of her way."
"And she thought that was very nice."
Jess looked over at the crowd. "What are the odds we'll get out of here before someone else sees you're back?"
"Feeling possessive, are we?" Rory teased.
"Nope. Just like I'm stuck in a bad episode of The Lawrence Welk Show."
"See, now that's not possible. The Lawrence Welk Show was genius. They still repeat it on TV sometimes, you know?"
"Consider me warned."
"Ooh!" Rory exclaimed, bouncing a little. "That could be your first movie night with me and Mom! She'll be so excited!"
"Just hide the knives," Jess deadpanned.
"I told you she didn't really bet your life," Rory repeated, making a note to scold Lane for the suggestion.
"Not from her. From me. Every once in a while, I might get this crazy urge to gouge out my eyes."
Rory smiled up at him. "Just as long as you can still hear the pretty music," she tormented, taking his hand from her waist to hold it in hers.
"Rory!" a voice called from the crowd.
"Oh great," Jess moaned, recognizing it as Kirk's.
Rory glanced in Kirk's direction and saw him winding his way through several lines of people. She hesitated.
"Please keep walking," Jess said just loud enough for her to hear.
She looked at him. "What? I can't just ignore him."
"Rory!" Kirk called desperately. "Wait! Is that you? Are you alive? All limbs intact?"
"I promise you, you can ignore him," Jess stated, trying to pick up their pace.
She frowned. "Jess."
He met her eyes. "If you ignore him this one time," he swallowed, not believing he was about to say this. "I'll wear the damn tattoo."
Rory's face immediately lit up. "Ignore who?" she asked innocently, allowing Jess to hurry her away from the festival.
"Rory! Wait!" Kirk called after them, just reaching the place where they'd been. He looked over at a group of people standing nearby. "Did you see her? Rory Gilmore? Was that her?" He peered after them. "I have a very nice Ewok gumball machine riding on this," he explained. He glanced at another group. "Rory Gilmore? Anyone?"
-
Feeling small in front of the imposing house she grew up in, Lorelai took a deep breath and reached out to ring the doorbell. However, before she had a chance to press the button, the door flew open, and her mother appeared before her.
"Lorelai!" Emily exclaimed. "There you are!"
"Mom!" Lorelai replied, surprised. "You answered the door."
"Of course I did. What? Did you think I wasn't capable?"
"No, I always suspected you were capable. But you do know that, generally, people wait for that ringing sound, right? Sort of a ding-dongy noise."
Emily stepped aside and let her in. "I know what a doorbell is, Lorelai. I saw you coming up the walk. Come in! Take off your coat!"
Lorelai eyed her mother suspiciously as she shrugged over her jacket. "You're awfully eager tonight."
"Oh," Emily cheered, leading Lorelai into the other room. "That's because I just had the most marvelous idea. Drink?" she asked, holding up a decanter.
Lorelai was about to answer when her father walked into the room. "Lorelai, welcome!" he greeted her. "Your mother just had the most marvelous idea."
"So I keep hearing," Lorelai acknowledged. "I think I'll definitely have that drink, Mom, thanks."
Emily smiled and filled some glasses. Then, after handing one to Lorelai and one to Richard, she took a seat on the edge of the sofa and beamed at her daughter. With an equally startling grin on his face, Richard sat beside Emily.
Lorelai knocked back her drink and set the empty glass on the table. "Okay, I'm ready. What's going on?"
"How's August?" Emily asked. "You are still with him, aren't you?"
"Yes, Mom," Lorelai hesitantly replied. "I'm still with Gus."
"Oh, fabulous! Your father and I were talking, and we wanted to take him up on his offer."
"What offer would that be?" Lorelai asked, not liking the sounds of this.
"Why, to visit his restaurant, of course! McCullough's, isn't it?"
"You want to visit Gus's restaurant?"
"Yes, it's been forever since your father and I had some good Irish cuisine, isn't that right, Richard?" Emily asked, glancing at her husband.
"I think it may be a first, in fact," Richard agreed. "It's hard to find good Irish food," he explained to Lorelai.
"I see," Lorelai nodded. "Well, I'll talk to Gus, but McCullough's generally has a long waiting list so I don't know if he cou—"
"Oh, don't be silly, Lorelai. The man's dating you, isn't he? Surely he could get us all a table."
"I guess I could ask," she offered weakly.
"We were thinking tomorrow," Emily continued. "Since we somehow managed to confuse the day of Rory's return from DC, we figured she could come along. That way, we'll still get to see her this week."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes," Emily nodded, looking at Richard. He nodded in agreement.
"You want to have dinner at McCullough's with Rory and me and Gus, tomorrow?" Lorelai repeated, processing the information.
"She's skipping, Richard," Emily teased. "Should we jostle her?"
Richard laughed.
Lorelai gaped at them. "Wow! Whatever they're growing in Martha's Vineyard these days, I want a double shipment."
"We just had a wonderful time, that's all," Emily explained, smiling at her husband.
"I can see that," Lorelai nodded.
"So what do you think? Will tomorrow work?"
"I guess, yeah, maybe," Lorelai stammered. "It's just… I'm already here tonight, and I didn't exactly plan on having two dinn—"
"Oh, we thought you might say that," Emily replied. "So there's no dinner tonight. You can go home as soon as we settle this matter."
"Oh," Lorelai accepted.
"You'll give Gus a call then?"
"Yeah, Mom, I'll give Gus a call," Lorelai agreed, shell-shocked.
"Excellent," Emily exclaimed, rising from the sofa. "It was lovely seeing you tonight, Lorelai. Just call us with the details."
Awkwardly, Lorelai stood up and nodded.
"Should I walk you out?" Emily offered.
"No, Mom, I'm fine," Lorelai assured her.
"All right. Good-night then."
"Good-night, Lorelai," Richard added.
Throwing one last glance at them over her shoulder, Lorelai mumbled good-night, retrieved her coat, and walked stiffly out the door.
-
Smiling back at Jess as he stepped in through the door behind her, Rory flicked on a light and walked into the living room.
"Sit," she ordered, pointing at the couch.
He shook his head. "I wasn't serious. It was a joke."
"Sit," she repeated.
"I thought you had a sense of humor," he retorted.
Rory grinned and walked over to her boyfriend. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him to the couch and forced him to sit. "Wait here," she demanded.
He watched as she darted out of the room. "What are you doing?"
When she didn't reply, he sighed and waited. A moment later, she hurried back in, carrying a washcloth and a small bowl of water.
"What's that for?" he asked, eyeing them suspiciously.
Not answering, she sat down beside him and extended her palm. "Hand it over."
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Jess…"
Leaning towards her, he pulled her into a kiss. After a long moment, he released her lips, and she let out a small gasp for air. He smirked.
"Don't make me search your pockets," she threatened, recovering from his distraction.
His smirk grew. "Doesn't sound so bad."
She narrowed her eyes at him, and finally, he reached into his pocket and handed her the tattoo.
Instantly, her face brightened. "Where do you want it?"
He raised an eyebrow at her, and she rolled her eyes. "I'll choose," she decided. She looked him over, appraising the situation. "Take off your jacket."
To her surprise, he removed it without protest, revealing long sleeves underneath. She frowned. "Well, that won't work," she sighed.
Face expressionless, he met her eyes. "I could take it off."
She blushed. "No, don't do that," she said quickly. "It's fine. I'll just…" She looked him over again. Then, deciding, she reached out and rolled up his sleeve, revealing his wrist and then his lower arm. "Put it here," she finished. Without another thought, she peeled the plastic off the tattoo and laid it on his arm. Then, she dampened the washcloth and pressed it on the tattoo. He sighed deeply, drawing her attention.
"Don't be a baby," she reprimanded, grinning from ear to ear. "It'll take less than a minute."
"Great," he muttered.
After thirty seconds, he started tapping his foot impatiently.
"It's almost done," she promised.
"There will be payback, you know."
Rory smiled and lifted the washcloth off. "There!" she cheered, eyeing her handiwork.
Jess looked down at his arm. "That is the ugliest thing I've ever seen."
Her face fell. "No, it isn't. It looks cute."
He trailed his eyes up to her face. "You're warped."
"And you're branded," Rory teased, running her fingers over the tattoo to make sure it was sticking.
"You're very territorial," he chided as Rory lifted her hand and moved to put the washcloth on the table. In a quick movement, he gently reached out and stopped her, enfolding her hand in his. She met his eyes, and then just as quickly, he was pulling her closer and tracing the fingers of his free hand along the slight dip in her chin and then up to the angle of her jaw.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
He smiled. "Thanking you for saving my life."
She barely had time to exhale before his hand found her hair and his lips were on hers.
Instinctively, she leaned in closer, and he deepened the kiss, releasing her hand and wrapping his arm around her waist. His other hand played lightly with the hair behind her ear, causing her to shiver. He smiled and moved his lips along her cheek to her neck, caressing the warm skin he found there. Before she knew what was happening, she felt him guiding her back against the other armrest until she was partially reclining. He was just shifting to find her lips again when the phone rang. He froze.
Like a splash of cold water, the phone brought Rory back to her senses, and she gently shoved him away and hurried to pick it up. "Hello?"
Still trying to figure out what just happened, Jess repositioned himself on the couch and leaned his head against its back. When he heard Rory say "Paris?", he groaned and closed his eyes.
-
Phone still to her ear, Rory walked into her room and shut the door. "What's going on?"
"He hasn't called," Paris anxiously told her.
"Who?" Rory asked.
"Jamie!" she exclaimed.
Rory sat on her bed. "It hasn't been that long," she patiently replied.
"Our date ended at 11:34 last night. It's been exactly twenty hours and six minutes since he last saw me."
"Okay," Rory said hesitantly. "That's still less than a day."
"That's twenty hours and six minutes he could've spent realizing that he never wants to see me again."
"Paris, that's ridiculous."
"Not according to Ellen and Sherrie," Paris contended.
Rory's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Who are Ellen and Sherrie?"
"Okay, Gilmore, I know Stars Hollow is barely one step above Nowhereville, but your town might want to consider getting with the times."
"Who are Ellen and Sherrie, Paris?"
"They wrote 'The Rules'," Paris said irritably.
Rory suppressed a smile. "Please tell me you didn't buy that."
"It was on sale!" Paris protested.
"And you're actually taking it seriously?"
"They make some good points, and the more I think about it, the more they're probably right," Paris stated.
"About what?"
"About me and Jamie. It's one of the top ten rules. If he hasn't called, it isn't because he's too busy or because he lost your number, it's because he isn't interested."
"I saw how Jamie looked at you, Paris. He was interested," Rory promised.
"In that moment, maybe, and that is a very unlikely maybe, but maybe he was interested. But then we had dinner, and I spoke, and I probably offended him. I've been told I do that sometimes."
"Give him a few more days."
"Why?" Paris protested. "So I can get my hopes up? You're enjoying this, aren't you? You're probably cuddling with Jess right now while I'm sitting here alone. I bet the two of you are laughing because you know Jamie isn't going to call."
Rory glanced at her closed door and frowned. "That isn't true."
"Just tell me he isn't going to call, so I can move on with my life," she ordered.
"I'm not going to do that," Rory stated.
"Why?"
"Because he's going to call," Rory repeated. "He could be trying right now."
"Oh my God! Do you think he is?" Paris asked, sounding panicked. "You're right. Jamie could be trying to call right now, and I'm sitting here on the phone with you. I have to go."
Rory smiled. "Bye, Paris."
"Bye," Paris hurried, disconnecting the call.
-
Rory set the phone on her bed and stared at the closed door. Then, taking a deep breath, she pulled it open and walked back out into the living room. Jess was sitting on the couch, reading a paperback. He looked up when she walked in.
"Hey," she said awkwardly. "Sorry about that."
"Everything okay?" he asked, returning the book to his back pocket.
"Yeah, it was just Paris. She's freaking out about Jamie."
Jess nodded.
There was a long silence, and Rory nervously shifted her eyes away from his. They fell on his arm, and she noticed he'd pulled his sleeve back down over the tattoo. She folded her arms over her chest, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Jess. His face grew serious. "What's wrong?"
She shook her head. "Nothing."
"Okay," he accepted. "Do you want to watch a movie or something?"
Rory looked anywhere but at him. "We probably shouldn't. My mom's going to be home soon. She's at dinner with my grandparents, and she'll probably try to get out of there as soon as possible."
"Okay," he nodded, grabbing his jacket off the floor. He walked around the table towards her, gave her a quick kiss, and then headed for the door.
"Jess, wait," Rory called.
He stopped and turned to face her.
"I forgot something," she explained. "I'll be right back." Before he had time to say anything, she rushed out of the room, leaving him confused.
Less than a minute later, she reappeared, a wrapped package in her hands. When she reached him, she held it out.
As he took it, his eyes locked with hers. "What's this?"
"Your gift."
He looked at it in bewilderment. "I thought I already got my gift."
"That wasn't your real gift," Rory replied. "I wouldn't just get you that." When he still didn't move to open it, she encouraged him. "Go on and open it."
Looking down at the package, he carefully began to unwrap it. Slowly, the paper peeled away to reveal a medium-sized brochure. He flipped it over and read the title, "A Literary Map of Metropolitan Washington DC."
"When I was in the Folger, I just kept thinking how much more fun it would've been if you had been there too," Rory explained. "So this is for next time, when we go together. It shows you where all the big literary landmarks are, where authors lived and were buried, that kind of thing. I know it isn't much but…" she trailed off.
He looked at her. "I like it."
"Really?" she asked, wanting to believe him.
"Yeah," he nodded. She smiled, and he reached out and laid his hand almost imperceptibly on her hip. Then, he took a tentative step forward and kissed her. She lifted her hand and let it slide into his hair, holding him in place. When they finally needed a breath, he released her lips and rested his forehead against hers. "Thank you," he whispered.
"You're welcome," she whispered back.
He stepped away, reluctantly letting his hand fall from her waist. "Your mom's home."
Puzzled, Rory glanced at the door and then back at him. "I didn't hear anything."
"Trust me," he answered, giving her a knowing smile and heading for the door.
As he walked out a second later, she heard him greet Lorelai, and a moment after that, her mother stepped inside.