Disclaimer: See first chapter!
A/N: So I lied a little about the whole 2 days thing. I didn't realize I had no clue how I wanted to approach the Rory and Jess thing and I still don't think I did a good job, but you can be the judge of that. So, enjoy!
Luke stormed out of Miss. Patty's where the town meeting was being held, and he walked right across the street to the diner where Jess was. He decided he was going to talk to Jess without the sarcasm and the unwanted comments!
"JESS!" Luke walked up the stairs to the apartment and found Jess on his bed reading with his headphones on. "Jess!"
"What?" Jess asked annoyed, after he took his headphones off.
"You and I got to talk, NOW!"
"Uhuh"
"Why'd you do it?"
"I'm sorry what did I do?"
"You know what you did."
"No, I don't enlighten me, please."
"I'm not fooling around anymore Jess."
"What are you talking about, anymore? This is the only thing I've done since I got here!"
"Exactly! But, you don't help in the diner all you do is sit around flirting with Rory and reading!"
"Excuse me? I do not flirt with Rory!"
"Oh ok, of course you don't."
"Hey, if what I do with Rory is flirting then what you do with Lorelai is worse than flirting."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on, you can not be that blind! You like her, she likes you and you flirt every time she's in here!"
"Whatever you say Jess." Luke said right before he stormed out of the room. Jess just laid back down with an amused smirk on his face and continued reading.
--- Luke's – in the diner ---
When Luke got downstairs he noticed Rory and Lorelai sitting at the counter with pie and coffee.
"Where the hell did you get that?"
"Um, it's a diner, your diner more specifically, what do you think?" Lorelai told him with that 'duh' voice.
"But the only way you could have gotten it is if you went behind the counter. You know you aren't supposed to go behind the counter, Lorelai! How many times…" Luke said and then started to rant about how it's his diner and people are supposed to obey his rules, but Lorelai quickly cut him off.
"Yes, but we heard you up there yelling at that wonderful coffee giving nephew of yours and we knew it would take awhile."
"I don't care; you don't go behind the counter!"
"Fine, Lucas! We got to go anyways, come on Ror. Bye Lucas."
"Bye Luke," Rory said as she walked out behind her mother.
-- Streets of Stars Hollow –
"What's with the vow of silence have all of sudden decided to be a monk?"
"I can't be a monk, mom, I'd be a nun, I am a girl."
"That's just a technicality. But seriously, Hun, what's up?"
"Nothing, I just…I don't know, I guess I was hoping Jess would be in the diner."
"Aww, did you want to see you're Jessie Poo?" Lorelai started to make kiss faces and Rory's eyes went wide.
"MOM! We are in the middle of town someone's going to hear you!"
"Oh right. Sorry, sir" Lorelai said as she mock-saluted Rory.
-- The next day –
"Mom leave me alone!" Rory said as she turned to face the other way in her bed.
"But we have to get up and go to Luke's."
"But it's so early."
"Exactly!" Lorelai stated triumphantly.
"I'm sorry, what?" Rory sat up in a rubbed her eyes, because now she was confused.
"We want to go early because if it's early Jess won't be up and you won't be all shy and school girl-like during breakfast."
"Mom, come on I do not act like that when Jess is around! Besides we have plans later on anyways."
"Oh so you're gonna find out if he likes you?"
"Maybe."
"Oh come on, do it Ror." Now, Rory was out of bed, she figured it was no use her mom was up and had her mind set on going to Luke's.
"Fine mom, maybe I'll do it today. Now, can you leave so I can get ready?"
"Ok, I'm giving you 10 minutes."
"Whatever."
-- Luke's –
"…then the teacher told the class no it's cuac, cuac not quack, quack." Lorelai laughs. Rory just looks confused. "Why aren't you laughing?"
"'Cause that wasn't funny."
"Yes it was!"
"Hey Luke," Rory said quickly trying to avoid the pointless argument.
"Hi Rory, um, Jess wanted me to send you up when you got here."
"Oh, um, he's up already?"
"Yeah, I told him he needed to get up and start working the morning shifts this week."
"Oh, well, I guess I'll go up then?"
"Yup, you know where to go."
"I'll be right back mom, Thanks Luke."
-- The Apartment –
Knock. Knock.
"Come on in." Jess yelled not looking up form his book.
"Hey, how'd you know it was me and not some serial killer?" At her voice he put the book down.
"A serial killer wouldn't have knocked and he probably wouldn't have gotten past Luke."
"Right, that does make sense." Rory stood there nervously which confused the hell out of Jess. "So, um, Luke said you wanted me to come up."
"Oh, yeah, I actually had this book for you and I was wondering what you wanted to do later."
"Oh cool what book? And later I was thinking maybe hit this new bookstore my grandfather told me about and then go read at the bridge or something."
"That sounds good and I'll just show you the book later. We can meet here so you can get a coffee before we go at like 1-sh I guess."
"Ok, well, I'm gonna go back to my mom before she eats all my breakfast. Bye."
"See ya, Rory." Once she left he sat back down on the couch and tried to read but couldn't focus. That was a little weird. She was acting like she was nervous or something. Why would be she nervous?
-- The diner –
"Rory, you're back! But wait you didn't bring your coffee giving friend with you."
"Sorry was I supposed to?"
"You weren't until Luke started withholding coffee from me!"
"Do you want to die at age 40?" Luke butted in.
"Who cares at least I'll die happy!"
-- The Crap Shack –
So, when they got back to the house Rory went to her room to try to pick out clothes herself, and Lorelai went to watch a movie in the living room.
"Mom!"
"What, Rory? This is my favorite part."
"I can't find anything to wear!"
"Well, I told you I'd help but you said 'no I can do it all by myself mom'."
"I lied, I need my mommy." Rory mock-whined.
"Ok, ok if you insist."
15 minutes, half a can of hairspray, a dab of lip gloss and some eye-liner later, Rory was ready! Lorelai picked out a casual outfit. It was a pair of her favorite jeans and a T-shirt that said 'reading is sexy', obviously Rory's (A/N: like the one she wears in season 5).
"Okay, mom, I'm going!" Rory yelled to her mom who was upstairs getting ready to work at the Inn late.
"Alright, sweets, see you later."
On her way to the diner, Rory thought about if she wanted to tell Jess or not. She knew that if he felt the same that would be her ultimate high, she just wished she had some way to know before she made a fool out of herself because if he didn't well, that would suck and she wouldn't know what to do.
--The diner---
"Hey Luke! Where's Jess?" She asked when she walked in.
"I'm right here, Miss Rory!" Jess said popping out form behind the curtain.
"Well, get me my coffee, coffee boy and we can leave."
"Well, I could have sworn you were Lorelai for a second there."
"I'll take that as a compliment, mister."
"Take it however you want."
When Jess got her, her coffee, they were on there way to the bookstore in Hartford.
In the car on the way to the bookstore they talked about everything and anything. They had a long heated debate on whether or not The Clash was better than The Ramones or vice versa, when they finally go to the bookstore.
---"A Novel Idea" Bookstore, Hartford, CT---
"Oh, Jess come here look at this book!" Rory called, from the American Literature section.
"I'm coming." He turned into the aisle and saw Rory looking at a purple book. "So, what am I looking at?"
"This." Rory said as she handed him the book.
"Hm, the Bluest Eye. I don't think I've ever heard of it."
"Me either, but it sounds very interesting."
"You gonna get it?"
"I might."
"Well, let me know, so I can read it when you're done."
"Oh, I see, so you use me to get to my books, huh?"
"Oh of course Rory, but I think it also has to do with the company." Jess said stepping a little bit closer to her. He just stared into her eyes while she stared in to his. But, then they heard someone cough behind them and they jumped farther apart. It was so guy who looked like he worked there.
"Can I help you o with something?" The annoying bookstore guy asked.
"Nope." Jess replied clearly annoyed. So, the guy turned and walked away.
"Well, I'm about ready to go back and read at the bridge, what about you?" Rory asked Jess.
"Yeah sure let's go check-out."
---The Bridge---
Rory and Jess had been reading peacefully sitting next to each other for about 2 hours when the sun started to set and it began to get cooler. Jess was the first to finish his book and he looked to see how much more Rory had left and found her face looking very distraught.
"Hey, you ok?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, it's just this book, it's horrible."
"Why? What's it about?"
"It's about a young black girl who gets raped by her father and impregnated by her father. And her parents constant beat each other… It's just awful."
"Wow. Who wrote that?"
"um, Toni Morrison."
"Hm, I don't think I've ever read anything by her before."
"Yeah me either." They smiled at each other, which was a rare thing to see from Jess, but they got lost in each other for a moment as their heads seem to have a magnetic pull, that was slowly pulling their lips together. When, their lips finally touched, Rory felt like there were fireworks going off and Jess, well, he was shocked beyond belief. The kiss only lasted about 30 seconds because Rory pulled back and of course, freaked out, you know what Rory does best.
"Oh my god, we just… we…"
"Kissed." Jess said trying to help her out.
"Yeah, but that wasn't how it was supposed to happen! I was supposed to tell you I liked you as more than just my friend, my buddy, my pal, I wasn't supposed to kiss you!"
"Whoa! Rory slow down! And say that again, slowly."
"I... I... can't, not right now. I'm sorry." She said as she got up and ran down the street. Jess tried to get up and chase after her fast enough it was no use. She wasn't even headed in the direction of her house, so he had no idea where to find her.
Oh my god Rory Gilmore just kissed me. Yes, she freaked out but she kissed me and I think said she liked me as more than a friend. I can't believe she just got up and ran off.
Oh my god I just kissed Jess. I need to stop running he isn't going to find me anyways. When Rory got to the park she went and sat on a bench that was slightly hidden by trees and took out her cell phone. She quickly dialed the Inns number.
(On the phone)
Lorelai: Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking.
Rory: Mom… Rory said into the phone near tears.
Lorelai: Babe? What's wrong?
Rory: I just messed up. Meet me at home in 15, please!
Lorelai: Absolutely.