Rory woke the next morning with tears in her eyes. She wasn't sure what she had been dreaming or how long she had been crying, but when she opened her eyes to the morning sun in her window, her vision was blurry and her pillow was damp. But what confused her most was the fact that she felt lighter, less tense than the day before.
Sitting up, she wiped her face with a bittersweet smile on her lips. She had been brooding the entire day before and she had hated it. She hated wallowing. Today she was going home. Home to Lane and Luke and her grandparents. For the first time in weeks she was going to sleep in her own bed. This was not a time to pout.
Sleepily stumbling across the hall to the bathroom, she let the hot shower loosen her tight muscles and sooth her blotchy face. She took extra time to enjoy the fragrance of her aunt's body wash as it wafted around her in the steam. It was one more thing she would have to leave this morning.
Stepping out of the bathroom, she greeted her mom and aunt who were already sipping mugs of coffee at the kitchen table.
"Morning Sunshine," Lorelai said cheerily. "How'd you sleep?"
"Not quite sure," Rory replied honestly. "Not too bad."
"Well, you can sleep in the car if you want," Lorelai assured her. "I slept like a baby."
"Good for you," Rory chuckled. "So what's the schedule for today?"
"Well," Lorelai said, "Grace said she'd make breakfast, so while she's doing that, you can finish packing. After that we'll hit the road by noon, stop at your grandparents' on the way back to the Hollow, and get home in time for dinner at Luke's."
"Sounds like a plan," Rory agreed. "I have to call Jess and let him know when we're leaving."
"Okay hun," Lorelai said. "Just do it in your room because if you guys get all cutesy over the phone, you might ruin my appetite."
"Like that's even possible," Rory shot back teasingly as she grabbed the cordless and headed into her bedroom, or at least for her last few hours in town it was.
She punched in his number and waited for him to pick up, folding clothes as she did so.
"Hello?" she heard Liz's voice on the other end.
"Um, hi," Rory said nervously. "May I please speak to Jess?"
"Hold on," Liz mumbled irritably. Rory heard her yell out to Jess and waited for him to pick up the extension.
"Rory?" he answered.
"How'd you know it was me?" she asked, smiling at the idea that he was waiting for her call.
"Who else would I be expecting this morning?" he asked.
"I dunno," she replied stuffing a few shirts into her suitcase.
"So what's up?" he asked.
"I'm having breakfast with everyone here and then we're taking off at noon," she replied.
"Okay," he sighed. "I'll be over there in about an hour."
"You wanna come for breakfast?" she asked him.
"I don't want to intrude," he replied.
"I just invited you," she chuckled. "I'm sure it'll be no problem."
"Okay," he said and she could hear the smile in his voice. "I'll be over in ten minutes."
"See you then," she said and hung up the phone.
Walking into the kitchen, she greeted her recently conscious cousin and turned to where her aunt was making scrambled eggs.
"Is it alright if Jess comes for breakfast?" she asked her.
"No problem," Grace replied. "I was actually planning on it. It is your last day in town, so him being around every second is kind of a given."
"As long as you two don't get all gross and cute on me," John cut in as he grabbed an apple off the counter. "I might have to hurl up my breakfast, and it doesn't taste nearly as good coming up."
"Gross!" Rory grimaced. "Anyway, I have to go get dressed. I'll try not to be too sickeningly cute."
"That's all I ask," he replied biting into the apple.
Disappearing into her room, Rory changed and finished packing. She put her suitcases, backpack, and laptop case by the front door and took a last look around the room. There was nothing of hers left there. She was even taking half of the books off the shelf with her. Grace had insisted since John didn't read them and she no longer had the time.
"Rory!" Lorelai called her into the living room. "Come out here and help your poor aunt Grace butter toast so I don't have to!"
"Coming!" she smiled. God, how she'd missed that woman, and only God knew why.
A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door. Rory was in the middle of setting the table so John went to let Jess in.
"Hey lover boy!" Lorelai called from the living room as Jess came in. "Rory's helping with breakfast right now, so you can stay here and entertain me."
"I'll be done in a second!" Rory assured Jess, shooting her mother a look, to which Lorelai feigned innocence. "Oh don't give me that look!" Rory told her laughing.
"So," Lorelai said to Jess as he sat in the chair across from her, "Rory told me about last night."
"It wasn't that big of a deal," he said looking a little embarrassed.
"It meant a lot to her," Lorelai told him, her voice serious with a hint of warning, but soft so Rory couldn't hear. "She's going to miss you, Jess. And if you care about my daughter at all, you will not make any promises you can't keep. If you're planning on picking up a replacement tomorrow at the mall, do not let her leave thinking otherwise."
"I don't want to hurt your daughter," he said, his eyes sincere. "I don't think it's possible to find a replacement Rory. And as I told her before, I know that this long distance thing probably won't work, but I'm willing to try."
Lorelai smiled. "Good boy," was all she could come up with to say.
"Breakfast is ready," Rory called from the kitchen.
They all sat at the table, Jess sitting on one side of Rory while Lorelai sat on the other. Grace and John just watched the three with amusement. Jess was holding Rory's hand under the table, their fingers intertwined, and Lorelai was trying really hard not to make a comment. So many things came to mind, but she knew Rory would probably kill her for bringing up some of those things.
"So," John spoke up as the silence got unbearable, "What are you guys doing when you get home?"
"We have to stop by my mother's house on the way home," Lorelai said with a hint of dread, "because if we didn't I'd probably be headed for the guillotines as soon as she found out. After that, we'll probably just get unpacked, head to the diner, and maybe throw a welcome back party."
"You're going to throw your own welcome back party?" John asked. "Isn't someone else supposed to do that?"
"But no one in town throws parties like Mom," Rory cut in, giggling a little. "Seriously, it's crazy. The cops have split a couple of them up."
"Really?" Jess asked skeptically. "I could never picture that."
"It was only twice!" Lorelai protested. "The Halloween Party was a false alarm because I mistook that guy in the costume as a real officer."
"So that leaves the New Years party in '98, the Christmas party in 2000, and my tenth birthday party," Rory pointed out, counting off on her fingers. "That's three."
"Why were there cops at your tenth birthday party?" Jess was intrigued now.
"It was nothing," Lorelai told him quickly. "Nothing we have to talk about anyway."
"You'll have to tell me about that some time," he whispered in Rory's ear, drawing an amused grin from her.
"Oh definitely," she whispered back.
"Hey," John cut in. "No whispering at the table. I'll think you're being too cute and barf all over the place."
"Nice visual," Jess replied taking another bite of his eggs.
"Agreed," Rory said. "If I wasn't born with a stomach that could hold turpentine, I might be grossed out by that."
"New topic," Grace suggested. "Does Rory still have a spot at Chilton?" she asked Lorelai.
"Chilton?" Jess asked Rory subtly.
"My prep school," she replied.
"Ah, the plaid skirt place," he smirked.
"Quiet you," she warned playfully.
"Yes she does," Lorelai was saying. "My mother made sure her place was held, even if she had had to come in during the school year. She does come in handy sometimes."
"Definitely," Rory agreed. "She and Grandpa did, after all, pay for your treatment and our mortgage payment while we were gone."
"Oh, that little thing," Lorelai said nonchalantly. "We could have lived without a house for a little while. We could just move in with Sookie. Thought that might get a little awkward when Jackson came over."
"We're stopping this here before you start saying very wrong things," Rory held up a hand in a signal for stop.
"Yes please," the others agreed before everyone went back to their meals.
About an hour later, everyone was standing outside where the Gilmore jeep was all ready to go. All that was left was goodbye.
"So you'll call when you get settled?" Grace asked as she and Lorelai embraced.
"We will," Lorelai replied.
"And feel free to visit us again anytime," Grace told Rory as they hugged. "Let's not make it quite as long as last time."
"Promise," Rory replied. "And don't worry; I'll make sure Mom calls."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Lorelai whined.
"Bye little cuz," John said pulling her into a brotherly hug. "Take care of yourself. Stay away from big scary men with knives."
"You too, John-John," she smiled, about ready to tear up.
Rory turned to Jess, the part she had been dreading most.
"Well," she said with a bittersweet tone, "I guess this is it."
"I guess it is," he replied, his eyes burning into hers. "Goodbye Lorelai Gilmore."
"Bye Jess," she said, closing the distance between them.
She meant for the kiss to be short and sweet, a kiss to reflect the relationship, but she couldn't make herself pull away. He cupped her face in his hand, wiping away the single tear running down it with his thumb. Finally, reluctantly, he pulled away, backing away from her before he could do anything he might regret, like ask her to stay. So he just stood there, feeling empty, as she got into the passenger side of the jeep and drove out of sight.
Rory looked around at the familiar Connecticut town. It seemed like a lifetime since she'd been home though it had only been three weeks. They drove through the center of town on their way back to the house and several people stopped to wave to the well-known jeep. No doubt their return would be around town in minutes.
Pulling into the driveway, they let out a deep contented sigh. Home at last. All they had to do was move.
"My butt's asleep," Lorelai complained.
"We only left Grandma's a half hour ago," Rory reminded her.
"Yeah," Lorelai replied, "but I was driving for three hours before that and we only stayed at Grandma's for a hour, so the driving from before transferred over so I was driving for three and a half hours, and then there's the time when I had to deal with my mother, so that adds to the stress levels, and now my butt's asleep."
"Wow," Rory said, slightly awed. "That may have been the longest sentence I've ever heard you say. But Grandma wasn't that bad today, so that doesn't add into the stress without proper citation."
"The comment she made about us not calling first," Lorelai pointed out. "The thousands of times she asked me how I was. The twenty minutes she spent telling me how my condition is probably from all the junk I eat and the coffee I drink. I swear, put some flannel and a backwards baseball cap on her, and I'd think she was Luke."
"She's just concerned," Rory reasoned. "That's just how she expresses herself. So I will give you that, but I am going in the house. If you'd like to join me, you're more than welcomed to."
"You're mean," Lorelai whined and they both got out of the jeep and went into the house.
As soon as they opened the door, they were assaulted by a wave of memories. It was the smell mostly. The smell of home. Hair spray, Lorelai's perfume, and the slight scent of burnt fabric from Lorelai's last cooking attempt were permanently seared into the place, suspended there since the girls' last visit. Those scents were always in that house, and that's how they liked it.
"I'm going to unpack," Rory said heading for her room. "Call aunt Grace."
"Okay hon," Lorelai replied. "Meet me out here in thirty for Luke's."
"Okay."
Rory went into her room and began to put away her clothes and books. Her room was exactly as it had been when she'd left, and walking back into it almost seemed wrong. She felt as if she were disturbing something, some kind of sacred space. This room was everything that represented her, and yet it wasn't anymore. She had grown up a lot on her trip, and now this room felt like someone else's.
Pulling one of the books out of her backpack, she saw something fall out of it onto the floor. Picking up the strip of photo paper, she smiled at the photo booth pictures she and Jess had taken at the carnival. She scanned over them reverently, her eyes lingering on the last one. His arm was around her and their heads rested against each other as they smiled widely, caught in the bliss of the new relationship. Sighing deeply, Rory walked over to her vanity mirror and pressed the pictures into its frame.
"Mom," she called, "are you done with the phone?"
"Yeah, feel free," came her reply.
Rory poked her head out the door and grabbed the cordless off its cradle. Dialing his number, she waited for the line to pick up.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Hey," she sighed, sitting on her bed.
"Hey," he replied. "How was the drive?"
"Not bad," she said. "Mom drove her normal break-the-sound-barrier speeds, so we made great time."
"I can see why roller coasters don't faze you," he chuckled. "So how are you doing back in Green Acres?"
"Ha ha," she said dryly. "I dunno. We haven't gone out yet. We're just getting unpacked, but we're going to Luke's pretty soon. The entire town probably knows we're back by now. They probably already have the party arranged."
"Sorry I'm missing it," he said. "And call me if you need bail or anything. I've heard about those wild parties you guys throw."
"You'll be the first on my list," she replied smiling. Then after a minute, "Well, I should probably be going. Long distance and all."
"Yeah," he replied. "I have your number, so I'll call you pretty soon. You can fill me in on the world according to Rory."
"Okay," she said. "Bye."
"Bye."
She put the phone down before she could say anything else. She didn't want to get all weepy over the phone. She was home. It was time to start enjoying it.
With that in mind, she picked up the phone again and dialed another number.
"Kim's Antiques," Mrs. Kim picked up. "Everything is half off."
"Hello Mrs. Kim. This is Rory. May I please speak to Lane?"
"Lane is studying for Sunday School," Mrs. Kim said shortly.
"Five minutes?" Rory pleaded. "It's very important that I speak to her."
After a moment, Mrs. Kim answered, "Five minutes. I'm counting."
Rory heard a few words being exchanged on the other end, and then her friend's voice filled her ears.
"Hey Rory," Lane said excitedly. "Wow, I haven't talked to you in almost a week."
"I know," she said apologetically. "I've been busy the last few days, but I'm going to make it up to you."
"How?"
"By buying you a burger at Luke's," she replied with a smile.
"But how are you . . ." Lane's voice trailed off as realization struck. "Wait . . . you're . . . and Lorelai . . . when did this happen?" She was practically screaming now.
"About fifteen minutes ago," Rory laughed. "Mom just showed up at the apartment the day before yesterday and said that we were going home."
"So where are you now?" Lane asked.
"At home," she replied. "But we're headed to Luke's in fifteen. Wanna join us?"
"I am so there," Lane replied, her voice showing how ecstatic she was. "We have so much to talk about."
"Oh yeah," Rory agreed. "So I'll see you there?"
"Yep. Bye." They both hung up.
Finishing her unpacking quickly, she met her mom in the living room and they headed out the door to their favorite diner.
"Luke!" Lorelai called loudly, just for tradition's sake. "Look who's back in town and looking for a nice, hot, steaming cup of ambrosia."
"Lorelai?" Luke said coming out of the kitchen, a tiny smile on his lips.
"Who else?" she asked in her normal conceited manner. "The world does revolve around me after all."
"Shut up and give me a hug," he said coming over to them and throwing his arms around the two girls. "My gosh, it's been so quiet around here without you two."
"Well we can't have that," Lorelai replied as they separated and the girls sat at the counter.
Luke walked back around the counter and got them both mugs of fresh coffee, which they sipped eagerly. It had been far too long since they'd had this good of coffee.
"I have no idea how I lived for so long without this stuff," Lorelai sighed.
"Amen to that," Rory concurred. "The coffeehouse in New York was nothing compared to this."
"Same with London," Lorelai grimaced. "You would think I could find a decent cup of coffee in a city like that, but no! It's England for God's sakes. They have their own designated time for tea."
"That's tea," Luke pointed out. "And you never explained why you were in England and she was in New York."
Rory looked down into her coffee, unable to come up with a response. She wasn't sure if her mom would want anyone to know still. Before she could think of anything, Lorelai spoke up.
"I was getting treatment," she said bluntly, making Rory look up sharply. Obviously her mom didn't mind.
"What do you mean?" Luke looked worried.
"I was going through an experimental treatment for cancer," she said, completely unashamed.
Luke was struck speechless, his mouth hanging open in an expression of trepidation and surprise. "Cancer? Are you okay?" he asked finally. "I mean, how bad is it?"
"The specialists have it contained," she replied. "They say there's a good chance that the doctors in Hartford can get rid of it completely."
"Wow . . . um, wow," Luke obviously had no idea what to say. "Um, that's great."
"Yeah," Lorelai said, ignoring his discomfort. "So Rory was staying with his aunt in New York while I got treatment in London. And I think she did quite well for herself there." She smiled wickedly into her coffee.
"What's that mean?" Luke asked as Rory blushed ten shades of crimson.
"Rory got a boyfriend," she said in a singsong voice.
"Really?" Luke asked. "What happened to Dean?"
"Rory, you wanna field this one?" Lorelai asked her.
"Not especially," Rory replied, but continued anyway. "Dean and I weren't working. He came by about a week before I had to leave and blew up at me for not paying enough attention to him. So I just stopped returning his calls. I'm not quite sure where that leaves us not, but it's definitely not together."
"Well then," Luke said looking up sharply, staring at the door, "should I be throwing someone out right now?"
Rory heard the tone in his voice and turned around. There in the doorway was Dean, staring at her with something between surprise and relief. Before she could even react, he came to her and threw his arms around her.
"Oh my God, Rory, I've missed you so much," he said.
"Uh, hi Dean," was all she could come up with.
"So what's going on?" he asked her as he pulled away. "How long have you been back?"
"About an hour," she replied. "Dean . . ."
"You wanna go for a walk?" he asked her.
She looked at him, the hopeful expression on his face, and let out a long, slow breath. "Sure," she replied. "I think there are some things we need to talk about anyway."
"So," he said as they left the diner, "how have you been?"
"Good," she replied, and then pointedly, "things were good in New York."
"Well, you're home now, so things can be even better." He went to take her hand, but she avoided it by stuffing hers in her pockets.
"Listen Dean," she started uncomfortably, "about what happened before I left . . ."
"Say no more," he told her. "I understand that you were upset. We both were. All is forgiven."
"Forgiven?" she asked with disbelief. "What do you mean everything is forgiven?"
"You running out on me, never calling me back," she replied casually, not sensing her indignance. "Don't worry about it. I'm not going to dwell on that kind of stuff."
"You're forgiving me for running out on you while you were yelling at me for no reason?" she stopped and turned to him, her voice holding an accusatory tone.
"It wasn't like—" he tried to counter.
"What gives you the idea that I want your forgiveness?" she asked harshly. "Or that I have anything to be forgiven of?"
"You—"
"You come to my house, complaining that I'm not spending enough time with you," she said walking a few feet away and then turning back in a livid pacing motion. "You put me down for being inattentive, and then you don't even notice that I might be upset about something. God, does everything in this world revolve around you?!"
"You didn't—"
"Do you want to know what was wrong with me?" she asked, facing him once again. "Do you want to know why I was leaving? My mother has cancer, that's why!" She didn't mind telling him now. The news would be around town by the next day since Babette had been in the diner when Lorelai had told Luke.
Dean's face softened, the rigid expression melting away at her words. "Oh Rory, I'm—"
"Don't you dare say you're sorry!" she cut him off. "For you to be sorry, you would actually have to care about someone other than yourself!"
Rory began to walk away, but he grabbed her, trying to make her stop. She winced as his fingers wrapped around the bruise on her upper arm, reminiscent in her recent assault. Seeing her pain, he let go, confusion and concern in his eyes when he saw the bruise.
"Another thing you were too wrapped up in yourself to notice," she answered his unspoken question coldly before walking away, leaving him in the center of town at the mercy of the ever-watchful town gossips.
"Are you okay honey?" Lorelai asked as she reentered the diner.
"Fine," Rory replied shortly. "Did you order food?"
"It'll be here in a second," she replied, sympathy in her voice because she could already see in her daughter's demeanor what had just happened.
"Good, thanks," Rory said, her voice softening. "I really need cheese fries right now."
As if on cue, Luke came out of the kitchen with their order. "Two burgers with cheese fries," he said setting the plates down in front of them and topping off their coffees as they dug in.
"Oh," Rory said between bites, "could you get another burger. I owe one to—"
"Rory!" she heard her best friend's voice and turned just in time to be bear hugged. "I've missed you so much!"
"Oh, me too," she replied, tears coming to her eyes as she clutched Lane even tighter to her. "I have so much to tell you."
"Well," Lane said as they split apart, "you can start by telling me what just went down between you and Dean in the town square."
Rory looked around and pulled Lane into a booth a little farther away from everyone. "How far has it reached?" she cringed a little at the thought.
"It should be international by nightfall," Lane replied. "It was pretty public."
"Yeah," Rory said almost apologetically. "He just made me so mad, acting like I did something wrong by walking out on him. Like I'm supposed to beg his forgiveness like he owns me."
"He was wrong," Lane assured her. "It's not like he was Prince Charming during that last conversation."
"I know," Rory said incredulously. "I just couldn't keep assuring him. At some point he needed to learn to trust me, and he never did."
"Well, his loss," Lane concluded. "So what happened to your face?" she asked motioning to the cut and bruise that were still fairly visible beneath her makeup.
"I'll tell you later," she replied. "Right now, I think Luke has your burger."
"Mm, yes please," Lane said emphatically as Luke brought it to their table. "Mama's been heavy on the tofu lately. She said that I'm looking too happy and must be eating too many sweets."
"That woman needs a tranquilizer," Rory sighed.
"Do you know where I could get one strong enough?" Lane joked.
"So why have you been so happy?" Rory asked, and Lane smiled widely.
"I'm gonna be a drummer!" she squealed quietly.
"What?" Rory asked.
"You know that new store that was moving in and we couldn't figure out what it was?" Lane said. "Well, it was a music shop, and I went in there and fell in love with this drum set. So after major pleading, the owner is letting me practice on them there two nights a week while Mama is out."
"Very cool," Rory chuckled. She missed this kind of stuff.
"So," Lane said when she was done with her burger, "you wanna do something now? Hang out, catch up?"
"Can I hang out with Lane for a while?" Rory asked her mom.
"No problem," Lorelai replied. "You too go gossip. I'll stay here and make up for all the coffee I didn't drink in London."
"She's going to keep me up for the next three days," Rory whispered to Lane as they said goodbye and left.
***Twenty minutes later in Lane's closet, Switchfoot playing on the CD player***
". . . so then the guy ran and Jess walked me home," Rory finished the story to a riveted Lane.
"He saved your life," she sighed. "He saved your life after you ran away and avoided his calls. That's so sweet."
"He did," Rory smiled bittersweetly. She missed him already.
"It's kind of funny," Lane said. "You did to Jess the same thing you did to Dean."
Rory thought a moment. "How is that funny?" she asked.
"Well," Lane replied, "Dean made it out to be your fault. Jess saved your life. How different is that?"
"Still not really seeing the funny," Rory said. "But I see your point. And then after, Jess apologized for the whole thing. He kind of babbled on about not meaning to scare me and wanting to be friends even if I didn't want more."
"But you did want more," Lane cut in.
"Yes," Rory smiled, "and that led to the kissing part."
"You kissed him?!" Lane was practically screaming, and then realized what she was doing and stopped, knowing that Mrs. Kim could be anywhere. "You kissed him?!" she said again quieter.
"I did," Rory admitted. "And that led to the whole hand-holding relationship-y thing, but then Mom came back."
"Oh," Lane's face dropped. "So what then?"
"Then we agreed to try a distance thing," Rory replied, "And that's where we are now."
"That sucks," Lane said. "That really sucks."
"Yeah, it does," Rory agreed. "But there's nothing else we can do."
"Well, I hope it all works out," Lane said. "He sounds like a great guy. I mean, at least you have a guy."
"You'll find one," Rory assured her.
"Not if Mama has anything to do with it," Lane said dejectedly. "If she had her way, I would already be engaged to some Korean Dr. Ross wannabe."
"But Dr. Ross isn't that bad," Rory teased.
"Wannabe is the key term here," Lane emphasized. "Unlike these guys, Dr. Ross also had a personality."
Rory and Lane laughed and continued in with their conversation, carrying it on until Mrs. Kim told them that Rory had to go home so Lane could go to sleep. And with a hug, a goodbye, and a promise to meet up the next day, Rory departed and started on her way home.
She was just walking up her driveway when she heard a voice behind her.
"So what happened?" Dean asked as he walked up.
"What do you mean?" Rory asked, her voice tired.
"Why are you all bruised up?" he clarified, his voice soft.
"That's my business," she replied. I'd rather not have it all over town by tomorrow."
"I won't tell anyone," he said coming closer, almost invading her space. "I just want to know. No matter what Rory, I don't like seeing you hurt."
She sighed, knowing that there was no real reason for her to tell him, but wanting to get it out anyway. "I was mugged," she replied finally, her voice flat and holding no real emotion.
"Mugged," he echoed, his eyes concerned.
"Yeah," she continued, "I was walking home one night and got lost, and some guy pulled me into and alley and took my wallet and watch at knifepoint."
"Oh my God, Rory," he said going to put his arms around her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm standing here, aren't I?" she replied backing out of his embrace. "A friend of mine found me, scared the guy away. He took me home and made sure I was okay."
"He?" Dean sounded a little worried at the simple pronoun.
"Yes, he," she replied, taking a breath before her next statement. "His name is Jess, and we're together now."
"Together," he looked angry at this new information. "You're gone three weeks and you've already moved on?"
"I was tired of this, of this fighting," Rory said. "I needed a change, and Jess and I just fit. He reads the same kind of books as I do, listens to the same music, watches the same movies. He understands my insane obsessions better than anyone besides Mom and Lane ever has. And he was there when I needed him."
This last comment wasn't meant to be personal, but Dean took it that way anyway.
"And I wasn't," he said it like an accusation, his voice rising. "Rory, I was there for you for three entire months, and then after we got back together. I was there any time you needed me; all you had to do was ask."
"No," she told him harshly, "you weren't. You were in your own little adolescent delusion where my life revolved around you, and it doesn't. I needed more than someone who wanted to spend every minute of the day holding my hand and wanting to make out. I needed someone I could really talk to when things were tight, and I never felt comfortable talking to you like that."
"Is that my fault?" he demanded. "What did I ever do to make you think that you couldn't talk to me?"
"Nothing," she said finally, her voice filled with exhaustion. "You did nothing. I just never felt like you would care about my problems when you were so caught up in the perfect relationship you imagined we had."
"Rory—" he tried to hold her again, and again she pulled away.
"I'm with Jess now," she said softly but firmly. "And you can accept that or not, but it's not going to change the fact that I'm not with you."
Before he could reply, she turned and walked into the house, finally collapsing onto her bed and falling into a restless sleep.
Jess turned over in bed the next morning, ready to beat the phone into silence. He hadn't gotten to bed until the early morning hours, and the sleep he'd gotten had given him no peace. But instead of killing the contraption, he picked up the receiver. It could be important . . . or her.
"Hello?" he said drowsily.
"Hey man, what's up?" he heard John on the other end.
"Not my patience level," he replied smartly. "What do you want?"
"Just wanted to know if you wanted to do something today," John said. "Shoot pool or whatever."
"Not really up for it," Jess told him. "I'm on very little sleep."
"Work?" John asked sympathetically.
"Yeah," he replied. "I took off the day before last because Rory was leaving, so I had to cover an extra shift for someone."
"I see," John said. "Just call if you wanna hook up. And don't go all broody on me either, 'cause I'll kick your ass right out of this funk you're in."
"I am not in a funk," Jess protested with irritation.
"You are in a major funk," John asserted. "Ever since you found out about Rory leaving, you've been walking around all sad-faced and puppy-eyed. Really, man, when did you go soft?"
"I'm hanging up now," Jess replied.
"Okay, but think about what I said," John cut in. "I love my cousin. She's great, but you cannot let a girl get you down like this. You have to snap out of it."
"Bye John."
"See ya later."
Jess hung up the phone and rolled over again, but for some reason, couldn't go back to sleep.