Disclaimer: I am tired of saying this, no I don´t own them.
Anyhow, thank you so much for your reviews, they made my day.
girlie girl (): I am glad you like it, thank you for dropping a note.
Xh4z3L3y3sx: I feel so honoured that you like this, since I totally adore your stories.
collisionkiss: Hey, your review made me laugh, thank you and I love you for reviewing.
RogueHoney: you review, you're mentioned, that's how it works lol, I am not so sure myself if the last chapter had a hell of a meaning or not, I think it will come up again.
Chelsgg71091: your reviews always make me smile, I like them a lot. I'm glad you think I capture Rory and jess in the right way. Keep reading!
Nessquik13:the idea just plopped into my head, it´s nice that you liked the concept. You are one of my most loyal reviewers and I want to thank you for that.
Kylie1403: thanks for your reviews; I wanted to make it realistic and it wouldn´t be realistic if the trust issue wouldn´t come up once a while. Thanks for reading.
Music4mysoul: thank you so much for your reviews, you are great.
iluvmylowandbaseball : thank you so much for dropping a line, i appreciate it very much, keep reading please. and what´s with your name ? i like but i really don´t get it lol...
Jess's POV:
I had one hell of a day at work, it seemed like people started playing a game called: who's gonna be able to piss Jess off the most. First of all my boss wouldn´t leave me alone: it was like: Mr. Mariano, do this, do that, don´t take a break we need this article, hey, why are you drinking a soda instead of working. I was on the verge of telling him to shut the fuck up but I really needed this job and despite my complaints I really liked this. Making a living of the one thing you like the most wasn't quite the most painful thing.
Anyhow, I was sitting at my desk, the words blurring together on my computer screen and I tried my best to concentrate. I rubbed my temples in order to get this damn headache to disappear. I was tired and the fact that Tate seemed to have decided to not let us sleep through one fucking night didn´t help either. Just as I was regaining some concentration again, my secretary, Karen, pushed the door to my office open. She had the best timing ever. When I wouldn´t look up at the sound she cleared her throat rather loudly. I forced my eyes away from the screen and silently asked her what she wanted.
" Jess?" We were, ever since she started working here, on first name basis, she was only a couple of years younger than me anyway. I let out a breath, sighing deeply.
" Whatever it is, no! " Karen chuckled slightly and I couldn't help but think that I liked her laugh.
She was very pretty, nice figure, curvy and she was wearing clothes that left nothing much to the imagination. Not exactly my taste, but I could understand why my co-workers had trouble getting their work done whenever she was around. She smiled at me, showing a perfect row of teeth.
" Don´t be so pessimistic, Jess. Anyhow, you seem tired and I was wondering if you wanted to grab a cup of coffee later." silence. Did she just ask me out? I was searching my brain for the last time someone asked me out. I think that maybeit had been rory when I had come back from California the time when she and I had been broken up. Sounded kinda pathetic, didn´t it?
Flashback
I was in the Stars Hollow bookstore, it was my first day back from the west coast and I was sitting against the wall, reading a book. I think it might have been " Oliver Twist". I was trying to convince myself that I had to go see her. I feared the encounter with her; after all, I had left, only leaving a note to her. I'll be back, I promise. Just need to clear my head." Now, that I thought about it, it was extremely arrogant of me to think that she would take me back. I was a screw up and I succeeded brilliantly to screw up the one thing that meant the world to. Our special bond.
I heard the bell above the door, announcing the arrival of another customer. Suddenly I felt cold and I had to shiver despite my thick coat and the gloves I had on my hands. The air in the little backroom stopped circulating and I started to feel dizzy. " Breath" I told myself, as the automatism of my bodily functions seemed to stop. In… out…. In…. out….in….. I shivered again and I realized that it didn´t have to do anything with being cold. She was here. I could feel it, as I always could predict when she was around. The hair of my arm stood up, and my heart was beating loudly. People must have noticed it.
I heard footsteps coming closer and I desperately wanted to disappear; I wasn't ready yet. I wasn't ready to face her and her accusations although she had any right to be mad at me. I had been an ass. Not only to her, but also to everyone that meant anything to me, including Luke.
She rounded the corner and all hope that maybe she wouldn´t see me vanished when I heard her take a surprised breath. I didn´t dare to look up but I knew that she deserved so much. She deserved yelling at me and I knew for sure that I deserved being yelled at with full force.
She took in the stack of books lying next to me on the floor. When I heard her voice, I was prepared for the worst. I deserved it. I finally looked up and I observed her face.
" Well, aren't we hooked on phonics?" what? Was this some weird mind game she was playing with me here? Were the hell was the yelling? I tried to control my breathing again as I said.
" Yeah, I read a lot, do you read?" Remembering the exact conversation we had the day we first met.
" Not anymore, it hurts too much." Her reply hit me deeply.
" Huh." I didn´t know how to reply to that. Would now be the perfect moment to apologize and to admit that I had been a total jerk?
" I haven't seen you around here, are you new in town? " Now I began to understand what she was doing. She was giving us a second chance. Why? I had no idea.
" I just moved back from the west coast, I spent there the last couple of months."
" Really? Interesting. Would you like to grab a cup of coffee or something I'd like to hear more of that? And I really need my caffeine fix, I'm addicted, my ex boyfriend always used to make fun of that." ex boyfriend?
" Sounds good, there is really a lot that I have to tell you."
Flashback end
We started dating again the very same day, we both felt like it would be worth it and as it turned out it had been. We both knew that we still had a lot of work ahead of us and that it would take some time to get over the separation and the meaning behind it, but that's what we both wanted, we wanted it to work.
The weird thing was though that things never seemed to be easy in our relationship, we fought a lot, at first about teenage stuff but as we grew older, the topics of our fights changed. We grew up together and not in this " we met when we were four and were best friends ever since" but we formed our personalities together, we matured together and the end of this path was still a long way down the road. We'd grow old together.
" Jess? You still here?" Karen's voice broke the spell I was under.
" Huh, yeah, but frankly I don´t know how to answer that question. Do you mean like on a… " She interrupted me.
" Like on a date? Yeah, I meant it like that." she was smiling at me
" Huh, maybe I should tell you that I am engaged and that I have a kid. I'm getting married in October. " Karen's expression became unreadable.
" Wow, I didn´t know that, why didn´t I know that? " I knew that she didn´t really want me to answer that question.
" Look, Jess, just forget it, ok? I don´t want things to be uncomfortable between us, just, let's just forget that I made a total fool of myself. Man, you can´t blame a girl for trying, right? And I just thought… ah, let's just forget that!" I silently nodded signalising her that it was okay and that things indeed wouldn´t be weird.
" I should get back to work. Papers, telephone, yeah I really should just get my job done. I get paid for that, right? Well anyhow, call me if you need anything." she was about to turn around when the office door war once again pushed open. The first thing I saw was two wheels, and then the stroller attached to those wheels. A second later an exhausted rory popped her head in, smiling and talking to Tate.
" Look, kiddo, this is where daddy works, nice office, huh? No, please, don´t start crying, please Tate, no." Tate grimaced but reconsidered his actions apparently when he put his thumb into his mouth and started sucking it contently.
" Hey Rory, what a surprise." I got out of my seat, approached her and gave her a peck on the lips, and then I leaned down to Tate and stroke his head. His blue eyes seemed to be staring right into mine and I couldn't help but enjoy the fuzzy feeling in my chest.
" Rory, I'd like you to meet Karen, my secretary." I introduced them as I put my hand on the small of her back. Rory extended her hand and greeted Karen.
" Karen, Jess has told me so much about you, nice finally meeting you." Karen shook her hand stiffly.
" Well, jess has not told me a thing about you, but it´s nice meeting you nonetheless. And congrats on your engagement." she added while examining Rory's ring. I looked at rory who gave me a questioningly glance.
Karen left the office shortly after and rory took my seat at the desk.
" What was that all about? She didn´t seem to be as nice as you always told me she was."
I took Tate out of his stroller and went over to where Rory was sitting.
I leaned down and gave her a long kiss on the lips, just as she was about to slip her tongue in, I broke it and whispered.
" Long story." I reconsidered and elaborated a bit.
" Now, not really a long story. She just asked me out and I declined. End of story."
" Okay." this was Rory's only reply but I knew the minute she'd tell Lorelai about it I wouldn´t be able to live it down.
" I missed you today." Rory mumbled as if she needed an excuse to see me. I smiled at this.
" Weird coincidence, I missed you too." and with that I closed the small distance between our lips once again, kissing her passionately, and at the same time trying not to crush Tate.
She was running her hands up my thigh and that was the moment when I had to pull back, so things wouldn´t get out of hand.
" As much as I really enjoy this, we shouldn't continue, I don´t know if I had the control to not take you right here if we went any further and having Tate in my arms and a secretary just outside the door…" Rory giggled.
" That would be quite a show, huh?"
" Rain check?" I asked, trying to get the image of Rory naked out of my head.
Rory pouted.
" I don´t know, I might not be in the mood later."
" Hey, lemme worry about how I get you in the mood again, okay? I have my ways." I wrinkled my brows suggestively.
" Now, that I gotta see." I knew that Rory tried really hard not to burst out laughing.
" Now, Mrs. Mariano to be, how about you let me get my work done. The sooner I am finished here the sooner I'll be home." I placed Tate in his stroller again as Rory started to gather her things.
" Hey jess, the reason why I came by in the first place is, that my grandparents want you to join dinner the next time. I haven't been at their place much lately and you haven't at all since last Christmas." she pointed an accusing finger at me.
" And here I thought you missed me." I pouted and continued.
" So they didn´t really believe you when you told them I had caught the bird flue, huh?"
Rory shook her head and placed one hand on my chest.
" I missed you but I also wanted to tell you in person about the verdict. They want you there, period."
" Man, I should have stayed with Shane, I didn´t even have to meet her parents."
Rory looked shocked for a minute but then saw my smirk and shot:
" That's because you didn´t love her." I held up my hands.
" I surrender, I try to play nice but I really can´t promise a damn thing rory, and they hate me."
" They don´t hate you, they just hold a great dislike towards you, hey they still don´t like the fact that Mom is dating Luke, so just don´t let them get to you." I glared at her.
" Nice way of encouraging me, Ror. But okay, I will go, but one word against our relationship and I'm gone. Are we clear?" Rory smiled and threw her arms around me, holding me tightly.
" Yes, we're clear. The minute they start insulting you, I'll grab Tate and we're out of there. I gotta stick up for you!"
Softly I pushed her out of the door and sank into my seat again. I looked at the clock on the wall, it said 2pm and it already felt like it had been the longest day ever. Oh the things that had yet to be done.
So what do you think? Good? Bad? I ´m not really satisfied with it, but I wanted to post it anyhow, I thought I would be nice to see some other people besides jess and rory and with the introduction of Karen and the dinner next week… well, I don´t think that Karen will make a reappearance, but I thought I would be nice to have jess interact with other people, anyhow: REVIEW PLEASE!
And yes, I don´t take the bird flue thing lightly and the things that happened in Turkey are horrible, so don´t be mad at me for this, I just couldn't come up with something different.