"No, no, no, no, no!"

"Don't say 'no' just to make me stop talking or make me go away. Only say 'no' if you really don't want to be with me."

Rory paused. She forced herself to look Jess in the eye, with every intention of saying no. "Okay," she heard herself saying.

"Really?" Jess asked, hardly daring to believe it.

"Yes. Let's go." Rory was having trouble catching her breath, but she was exhilarated. For the first time in her life, she was making a huge decision without weighing all the pros and cons. She wasn't considering the considering all the possible consequences, or worrying about what it would mean. "Do it. Come with me. Don't think about it," he had said, and that's just what she was doing.

As Rory was following Jess in her own car, she fished her cell phone out of her pocket. "Mom?" she said when she was connected.

"Hi, hon!" Lorelai greeted her daughter brightly. "Listen, what time can I expect you tomorrow?"

"I wanted to talk to you about that." Rory swallowed hard. Leaving with Jess had been so easy; it was telling her mom that was the hard part.

"What's wrong?" Lorelai was on her guard immediately.

"Well, nothing's wrong…" Rory began. "I'm, um, I'm not coming home…this summer."

There was a pause and then, "Why not?"

"Don't be mad, please, Mom?" Rory wished she and Jess were not in separate cars – she wanted support from him right about now.

"I'm not mad. Just tell me." Lorelai's voice was even and controlled.

Rory took a deep breath before answering. Her palms were sweaty and her mouth felt dry. "Jess came to see me tonight."

"He did."

"Yeah…and he asked me to spend the summer with him." Though the time hadn't been specified, Rory wouldn't allow herself to think beyond the summer. Besides, telling Lorelai about the summer would be hard enough without having to say anything about beyond that, especially when she didn't know herself.

"And you're going," Lorelai finished for her daughter. "Are you sure about this, hon?"

Rory smiled as she looked at the car in front of her. "No. I'm not sure. But this is something I know I have to do – so that I can be sure. I don't want to be the what-if girl."

"Okay." There was reluctant acceptance in Lorelai's voice. "Just – be safe. I'll miss you."

"I love you, Mom. I'll call you every day, I promise."

Jess stopped in front of a slightly run-down building, and Rory pulled up behind him. "Here we are," he announced, meeting her at her car door. "Home sweet home," he added sardonically. He looked toward the backseat of Rory's car which was filled with all her boxes. "Do you want to bring in your stuff now, or…"

"I'm kinda beat," Rory told him. "It's been a long day." She pressed her hands together, trying to stop the butterflies in her stomach.

As Rory followed Jess up the dingy staircase and down the narrow hall, she remained silent, trying to absorb everything. She studied him. He was the same Jess that she remembered – same voice that sent a charge through her – same walk, always tight, on his guard. Easygoing was never a word that described Jess. He was different, too, though. His hair hung limply around his face as if he couldn't be bothered to put gel in it anymore, and she could see the tails of his dress shirt sticking out from under the leather jacket. He looked thinner; she could see it in his face. And even though the voice was the same, the tone was different – more earnest and less sarcastic. Am I crazy? She thought to herself. What was I thinking just going off like this with him? Jess chose that moment to reach for her hand. He squeezed it briefly, then dropped it. It made all the difference in the world.

Once they were inside the small apartment, Jess pulled Rory into his arms. As she laid her head on his shoulder, her nervousness ebbed away. This was the right choice. Jess pulled away slightly, keeping his hands on her hips, and kissed her on the forehead. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Just tired." When she saw the single bed against the wall, she realized that she hadn't thought about sleeping arrangements. She wanted to be with Jess, she was certain of that – but what about all the details? What did he think was going to happen with them in this new arrangement? Was he expecting anything right away?

Jess followed her gaze. "I'm sorry the bed's so small…I'm just lucky to have this place just for me…usually I live with three other guys, but a friend of mine's out of town for the summer and he's letting me use this place while he's gone," he explained. "If you want, I'll sleep on the floor."

Rory turned back to him and smiled. "I missed you," she said softly, "more than I wanted to." She cleared her throat. "Don't be silly," she told him in a normal tone. "I think we can manage to sleep in the same bed." Jess grinned at her, and she felt her knees weaken as they always had when he smiled at her. Before the tension took over, she spoke again. "Can I borrow a t-shirt and shorts tonight? All my stuff's packed away in different boxes and I don't feel like digging."

"Yeah, no problem." Jess suddenly realized his arms were still around her waist and he let go abruptly. "Do you want anything? Are you hungry?"

Rory shook her head. "No, I ate." That seemed like it had been a lifetime ago, when she had been in that bar with Dean…yet she remembered being with Jess as if it had been a day instead of a year. Everything came pouring back to her, from her going to see him in New York and him moving back to Stars Hollow, form their first kiss at the wedding to their last one in Kyle's bedroom. She remembered finding out about him leaving – and how she felt. "We'll talk tomorrow?" she requested.

Jess was caught off guard by her question. She had been so quiet all evening – he was beginning to wonder if she regretted her decision. Now she wanted to talk. That had never been his strong point. But communication was important, the book said and as cheesy as it has seemed, the book actually had a few valid points. So, he decided, if she wanted to talk, they would talk. "Sure," he agreed. "We'll talk." Now she was staring at him with those big blue eyes that always seemed to see right through him.

"I just want to know – I mean, can I ask…" Rory paused, trying to get her thoughts together. "Jess, did you mean what you said to me in January?"

January. He had only come back to get his car – but when he saw her, he had to tell her how he felt. He had tried to avoid her, but the postage-stamp sized town didn't allow it. Maybe it was fate. Didn't matter. Either way, he'd known he had to talk to her before he left. He had never said those words to anyone before – not even to Liz (that he could remember). Did he mean it? Probably more than either of them could fathom. "Yeah," he said thickly. "I meant it." And there were those eyes of hers again, searching him.

"Okay then," was all she said. She gave a hint of a smile and kissed him on the cheek.

As Rory lay in bed, Jess' arms tight around her waist, her mind finally began to process what was happening. She wondered if he was feeling the same as her. Part of her was nervous – terrified, to be exact – but the other part of her was feeling so peaceful. Having his arms around her like this, feeling his body right up against hers, made her feel so safe. "Jess?" she whispered, so quietly that it was barely audible.

"Yeah?"

"Don't hurt me again." The statement was part request, part plea, and part command.

"I promise." He was being given a second chance, and not just by Rory. There was no way in hell he was going to screw this up again.

Rory stirred awake when she smelled coffee. She opened her eyes and looked around, trying to remember where she was. When her gaze landed on Jess standing at the coffeemaker, the previous night's events came back to her all at once. "Hey," she said, slightly shy.

Jess turned at the sound of her voice. "You're awake," he observed, bringing a mug of coffee over to her.

She took it gratefully and sighed as she felt the warm liquid go down. She was beginning to feel more like herself. A tiny smirk played on Jess' lips as he watched her. She stopped, the mug halfway to her lips. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing." Jess shrugged, amused. "It's just funny to watch you drink coffee. It's like you're having a love affair with it or something."

"I am," Rory replied in a serious tone. "It's been going on for years – at least nine."

"So I've got competition for your affections?" Jess kidded lightly.

"Oh no, of course not!" Rory assured him. Jess sat back, pleased with himself. "There's no contest," she continued. "I'd pick coffee over you any day!" she finished with a grin.

Jess caught her expression and attacked, tickling her sides. "Watch the coffee!" she cried, attempting to put down the mug. She stretched a little more and managed to place it on the bedside table. Soon enough, they were both laughing hysterically as they rolled around on the bed and the coffee was forgotten for the time being. Their eyes met and Jess ceased the tickling as the mood changed. "Hey," she whispered.

"Hey," he returned in the same tone, gently brushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. She was so pretty, just lying there next to him, wearing his t-shirt and her hair a mess -- so he kissed her.

She responded instantly, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She deepened the kiss, pressing her whole body to his. Kissing Jess was like no other feeling in the world and as soon as his lips touched hers again, she knew this was right. Something last night had told her to take this chance and now she couldn't imagine not being here with him.

Finally, they broke apart. "Wow," she whispered shakily.

Wow was right. Jess could feel it too. He jumped up and ran a hand through his hair. "Um, why don't I run down the corner and get some muffins? Or donuts." He grimaced, knowing how stupid he sounded. "You can shower," he pointed to the bathroom, "borrow another t-shirt, whatever…"

Rory creased her brow and frowned. "Jess…"

Jess relaxed slightly and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "We'll talk," he promised. He locked eyes with her for a brief second, and that said more than words ever could.

When he came back, Rory was sitting cross-legged on the bed, reading. Her hair was wet; she was wearing her jeans and his t-shirt. She looked up and smiled at him when she heard the door open.

"You look like you feel better," he commented, setting the packages down on the counter.

"I do," she agreed, putting the book down.

Jess sat down next to her and reached across to see the book. "Bridge to Terabithia," he read.

Rory gave him a searching look as he studied the cover and pretended not to feel her eyes on him. "It was shoved in the corner – in the back," she told him. Her smile was teasing. "You weren't ashamed of it, were you?"

He looked at her, putting his hands up in defense. "I can't be held responsible for where certain books want to be." There was just a hint of a smirk behind the serious tone. "Once I caught Hamlet up on a noose in the bathroom. I got there just in time."

Rory smiled. "You know, it's funny, but something about that book reminds me of you."

"Hamlet?"

"Terabithia."

"Oh." Jess was silent for a moment. He had always seen some of himself in Jess Aarons, too. That had been what he loved the most about the book, and what caused him to read and re-read it about sixty times since he first laid eyes on it. "Maybe it's just the name," he suggested out loud. How did she do that? It was uncanny, how they thought the same... and also he was more than a little thrown off that she knew him so well to pick up on that immediately.

Rory watched the silent Jess. As well as he claimed to know her (and he did – when she was willing to admit it), she knew him too, better than almost anyone. Luke probably knew him slightly better, but she hoped that this summer they would grow closer and learn things about each other that they hadn't had a chance to before. Was it just the first name that Jess Aarons and Jess Mariano had in common? Maybe, but she doubted it. There was something more there, she sensed. Something that he wasn't quite ready to share with her yet. "Maybe," she agreed, letting him shrug it off. "What did you get for breakfast

"Cops' special." Jess got the bag from the counter. "Dozen mixed donuts and coffee."

"I get the cruller," Rory announced. "Oh, and the Boston crème!"

"I said mixed! There's glazed, plain, chocolate, and powdered. That's all."

"Liar." Rory laughed, reaching for the box. It felt so natural to be back with Jess, laughing and teasing and having fun. Last night she had been so worried—now she couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"So," Jess said between bites, "I was thinking I'd show you around today, take you to some places I usually go."

"That sounds good," Rory said. "You don't have to work today?"

Jess shook his head. "Not yet. I might get beeped during the day."

Rory's eyebrows shot up. "Beeped?" she repeated, amused.

Jess rolled his eyes and shifted in his seat, sighing loudly. "I'm a messenger," he said with a slightly defensive tone.

"I was just asking," Rory muttered. What was the big deal? she wondered. So he was a messenger, she didn't care.

Jess sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Forget it, it's no big deal. Why don't we…get your stuff before we go out?"

"Fine," Rory answered flatly.

He closed his eyes briefly. He could tell the change in the mood, and he knew he had caused it somehow. "Rory…" He trailed off. He didn't want to fight with her so soon.

Rory searched his face. He was trying, she could tell. So he didn't want to talk about work. There would be much more important things to push him about. "It's okay," she told him, and gave him a smile to reassure him.

He returned her smile, kissing her forehead. "Come on." He stood up, offering her a hand. "We'll go to the bookstores first."