Chapter 4: "Those Old Feelings"

Rory shook her head. She couldn't be in that store anymore, not with him. Too many memories and feelings she had long tucked away were racing back. She had put too much energy into forgetting Jess Mariano to have all the emotions screaming inside her again. As she turned to run out of the store she hit a display and the shelf next to her came tumbling down, but she didn't care. She kept running up the street down another street until she felt there was sufficient space between her Jess Mariano.

Logan was not far behind her. He still wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew whoever that guy was Rory was not very happy to see him. He never knew Rory was such a fast runner and when she finally came to a stop he was glad.

Rory sank down to the cold pavement of the New York side walk. People were giving her strange looks as they stepped around her quivering frame. She new Logan was right behind her so she wasn't surprised when he sat down next to her to comfort her. She wanted to lean into him and let him know that she would be ok, but she wasn't.

"Talk to me Ace, who was that guy?" Logan questioned

Rory wanted to talk to Logan about Jess. She just didn't know how he would react. She had never told him about Jess. Due in large Part because it hurt Rory too much when she talked about him. She had tried to create a new life without him. She didn't want to admit to anyone especially Logan that she had ever loved a man who treated her the way Jess had, but she had, and judging by her reaction she still did. This was something she was going to try her hardest to keep from Logan.

"No one I'm ok." Rory spit out not so convincingly.

"Come on Ace people don't run away from no one"

"He was just a guy I used to know in Stars Hollow. He had always been really mean to me, and I guess all those years of taunting just came back to me and I needed to get out of there."

Logan wasn't sure that was true. There was definitely something more then that bothering Rory, but she was too upset now to push it. He would let it go for now.

"Ok let's go home." Logan said as he grabbed her now outstretched hand to pull her up off the cold side walk.

It had been a week since Rory's encounter with Jess. Logan hadn't brought it up since their last conversation on the sidewalk. She was happy about that because she was not in the mood to talk about what really happened between Jess and herself. Logan had been gone all day, as he had been since they got to New York. His internship kept him from being home with Rory during the day. At first it had bothered Rory to have no one around, but now she was enjoying it. She had a lot of time to think, and catch up on reading. Unfortunately it also gave her time to think about him too.

Rory looked down at the book in her hand. She had taken it out of her pile of books the day after she had seen him. However, she hadn't taken the book out to read it again. She took it out because it reminded her of Jess. She turned the page in "Howl" and looked down at the familiar writing. She loved how he was always able to put his thoughts in the margins for her. When they had been dating he would make notes just for her, telling her parts that either reminded him of her, or things he thought she would like. She had loved the fact that they both loved reading and sharing books.

She looked up at the clock on the wall. It read twelve. It would be hours before Logan got home, and Rory couldn't take it anymore. She was done running away from Jess Mariano. She put her book down on the side table and marched out the front door. She needed to talk to him. It was the only way she would really get over him, and be able to move on with Logan. She needed closure.

The bell above the door rang out as Rory stormed through it. She was on a mission and no one would stop her. When she saw him at the back fixing a display she felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach, but this time she ignored them and continued on her pursuit of him.

"Jess, we need to talk." She said.

Jess was completely thrown back by her. He thought he would never see her again after what had happened in the store just a week before. He knew he had hurt Rory when he talked to her the way he had, but he was never good with dealing with his emotions. He never meant to yell at her or make her feel bad. He was glad she came back so they could really talk.

"Ok, so let's talk." Jess shot back.

Rory had gone to the store with every intension of getting over him. However, her plans shifted as she saw him standing over her. His eyes were looking into hers, and gone was the anger she had seen a week ago. In its place was the old Jess. The one she had fallen for. Suddenly she was seventeen again and all she wanted to do was be with him. Without thinking she leaned forward and captured his lips.

Jess knew he should protest. She had left him with a broken heart. She had turned him down, but right now clear thoughts were clouded by the feeling of having her in his arms again. He had dreamed for so long about this moment. He could smell her hair and the familiar taste of coffee on her tongue was sending him back in time. For that moment in time they were both seventeen again, and in love.

Rory gripped the edge of his shirt and deepened the kiss leaning into him more. Her other hand found a spot in his hair. She was overcome by him. Her senses were in overdrive, His smell, his touch, and the feeling of his lips playing with hers. She could feel his hand under her shirt caressing the small of her back. When his other hand began to lift up the front of her shirt to play with her stomach it reminded her of how Logan touched her. Logan, she had forgotten about Logan. The boyfriend she was crazy about. As realization hit she jumped away from Jess.

"I..I..have a boyfriend" She said in a sad reluctant tone.

Jess shook his head. He figured that guy she had been in with was her boyfriend.

"It's ok we shouldn't have done that anyway, we should have talked first." He said

"Yeah, we should have. We still should."

"Yeah" He said sadly.

"Meet me tomorrow, at the coffee place two stores down." She said.

"I have to work until three."

"Well meet me there at three." She said. It was going to be tricky to figure out how to get around Logan, but she had too. She needed to know what was going on. All she knew was that the first time in months she had been happy. For the first time in a long time she knew where she wanted to be and it was when jess was holding her.

Jess watched as her form retreated from the store. He smiled to himself. He didn't know what was going to happen, but he couldn't wait to find out.

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I was so excited to see people are actually reading my story! Let me know what you think of this one.