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Rory's POV (once again, tell me if I should change it…)
Once Lane had finally stopped babbling about the hot mysterious sexy guy as she referred to Jess, I made my way over to the library so I could study in peace. I still felt this throbbing ache in my temples which reminded me never, and I mean never to drink again. Vodka was hell sent, it made you do things you wouldn't do in ordinary life, like having sex with a stranger. Though I kind of felt bad, it left an exciting aftertaste in my mouth. Sex. With a stranger. It wasn't that I had cheated on Logan, after all, I had broken up with him the night before; I had, hadn't I? The words started to blur in front of my eyes and I took this as a sign that I needed to get food. I sighed and contemplated about whether to go home and risk the fact that I wouldn't find anything to eat in our kitchen except a half full bag of chips or if I actually should dare catching food poisoning by eating in the Yale dining hall. I finally decided on the latter. I got up and gathered my things and walked over to the dining hall where various students were seated, chatting happily about the important and non important things in life. My mood dropped when I realized that I had no one to sit with, I mean, I had friends, but most of them didn't go to Yale, I was living with my best friend who had this crazy idea in her head about becoming a famous rock star, which I didn't doubt at all she would achieve one day. I made a note to myself to remind her that I wanted to be mentioned in the credits, along with Jesus, right above David Bowie for inspiring her. I smiled to myself as I remembered the good old days when Lane and I would be sitting in my house, listening to music and mocking said Bowie in his tights. That what it had been about then, our dreams, our goals in life, only interrupted by my crazy mother, who as surprising as it might sound was my best friend as well.
I loaded my plate with all kinds of stuff that Luke would not approve of and sat down at the nearest table. Normally I would be sitting with Logan and his friends, but that was so not an option anymore, I mean really, it hadn't really been one to start with. Sure, it had been fun at first, but along the way I had realized that that was all it had been about. Fun, action…. I wanted more, I don't know, I think I might be a sucker for romance.
I heard footsteps approaching and I instantly looked up. Speak of the devil. There he was, Logan, stone cold expression, his blonde hair sticking up as if he just had gotten up.
"Well, well, well, look who's here, Ace." His voice was laced with sarcasm and bitterness, but deep down inside I knew that he was hurt; hurt, because for the first time, he got rejected by a girl.
"Logan" I acknowledged his presence, after all we had been together for almost six months.
"You know, I was wondering when you would come around, calling me, begging me to take you back…." I took a deep breath.
"What makes you think I want you back, Logan?" I asked and looked him straight in the eye.
He seemed as if he was thinking about what I had said, but suddenly sat down next to me and spoke up.
"Come on, Rory. I get it, you wanted to scare me here for a minute, it had been fun at first, but now it just gets ridiculous." I sighed.
"It's over, Logan. I told you last night and I stick to my decision." He chuckled slightly.
"Yeah, right." I looked at him unbelievingly. He didn't take me serious, now that I thought about it, had he ever? I shook my head and got up, trying to get away from Logan.
"You know what? I gotta go, see ya!" I turned on my heels and left the dining hall in a hurry.
Once outside I went straight to the coffee cart, I needed caffeine, maybe an axe as well, just in case.
"One coffee to go, please, and make it strong." The guy behind the cart didn't even blink; apparently he was used to that.
When I finally was handed a cup that contained the elixir of life as my mom would put it so nicely, I turned around and bumped into someone, splashing the coffee all over my white shirt.
"Shit. Shit. Shit.shit." I exclaimed and I even surprised myself with my choice of words, not noticing the hot liquid on my skin.
I finally looked up and another exhausted "shit" escaped my mouth while I was staring into deep brown eyes. Jess, no, a smirking Jess.
"Well, I tend to piss people off apparently." Was his reply to my outburst? Silence. Long silence.
" I, I mean, not, I didn't mean you, it's just that I really needed that coffee, you see I am 80 percent caffeine and 20 percent sugar and …." I looked down, suddenly not knowing what to do with my hands.
"And you really needed that coffee?" he finished my sentence, ever so slightly mocking me at the same time. I chuckled.
"Yeah, I really needed it." When I wouldn't continue, he started to turn around.
"Hey, Jess?" why the hell did I call him back? He turned around once again; an expecting expression on his face, the early spring sun caught in his eyes and made them nearly green in shape. I walked over to where he was standing and fumbled with my hands.
"I…" I took a deep breath.
"You?" his expression was unreadable.
"I just want you to know, that … I mean, the thing is, I normally don't act like that. You know, last night, it was a first for me actually." When I realized what I had said, I started again, interrupting his thoughts.
"No, that came out totally wrong. It wasn't my first time, I mean, I lost my virginity to my married ex boyfriend a long time ago, I just meant that I normally just don't …. I don't know, would sleeping around be the right term?" I ran out of breath and turned a million shades of red, I started sweating. Jess stared at me with an amused smile on his face.
I rubbed my temples.
"Oh boy, I didn't just say what I think I said, right?" two million shades of red.
"Yep, you did. "He smirked at me but stopped when he sensed my discomfort. I turned around, ready to run and never look back.
"I have to go die now, sorry." I mumbled under my breath.
Now it was his turn to call out my name.
"Hey Rory?" I contemplated just ignoring his voice, I had already made a fool out of myself, but something forced me to turn around to face him. I expected a knowing smirk, but his face was blank. He extended his hand.
"I'm Jess. I saw you spilled your coffee earlier and I wondered if you wanted to get a new one. I know a place." I dropped my head and let my hair fall into my face, covering the astounded expression on my face. Two could play the game. I shook his hand, and the warmth of his skin spread through my body.
"Jess, huh?" I smiled and he smiled back and we silently agreed on starting all over again.
"Isn't that a girl's name?" I continued and welcomed his chuckle as the warm feeling continued to float through my entire body.
"Well, I am man enough to overlook this comment. So what do you think? Coffee?"
I nodded my head.
"Sounds good enough." And we started to leave the campus together.
We were walking closely, but not as close so that our arms would touch.
"So, I didn't quite catch your name." he broke the silence and I was grateful for the distraction.
"Oh, sorry, I'm Rory. Rory Gilmore. Lorelai to be exact, my mom named me after her, while being high on Demerol. I still don't know what she had been thinking, but she always says that men do it all the time, so why shouldn't she, right? I mean, she is …." Jess once again interrupted my rant.
"Breath, Rory, breath." We fell in a comfortable silence.
When we reached the small café, Jess held the door open for me and let me enter first, placing his hand on the small of my back as I brushed past him. This time I couldn't deny the shiver that shot through my body.
We sat down at a small table in the back and occupied our hands with the menu.
We both ordered a cup of coffee and stared at our hands. I finally decided to take this into my own hands.
"So, Jess, I haven't seen you around, you're new at Yale?" he nodded, playing with the napkin in front of him.
"Yep, I transferred." I chuckled.
"Not a man of many words, huh?" he smirked.
"That's part of my mystery." I leaned back in my seat and met his gaze only for a second; I couldn't hold back the smile that was starting to spread all over my face.
"So, transferred? Where from?"
"UCLA" I laughed.
"You don't strike me as a Californian guy, not to mention LA." He seemed to be deep in thoughts.
"My Dad lives there, I stayed with him the last couple of years." He hesitated as if he wasn't sure if he should share this with me.
"That's nice." Silence.
"Depends on your definition of nice, but okay." I nodded, letting go of the subject.
"So, Mariano, huh?" too late I realized that I had destroyed our pretending game, I wasn't supposed to know his last name. I shot him a look to see if he had realized it. He smirked, he had realized, but he didn't catch up on it.
"Yep, Mariano." I nodded.
"Sounds Italian." Now it was his time to nod.
"It is." Simple, short answer and I was dying to find out all about this mysterious guy sitting in front of me. He looked at me and continued.
"My grandfather is Italian, from Palermo." My eyes lit up.
"Oh, I've been to Palermo, it's beautiful there, isn't it?" suddenly he seemed less tense.
"Yeah, I spent my senior year of high school with my grandparents in Palermo, you know, getting to know the roots." I laughed.
"My mom and I travelled around Europe before I started Yale, the whole package, Backpacks and youth hostels. We had so much fun. We stayed in Palermo for about three days and then we went back to Paris." I stopped before I started ranting again.
"Sounds like fun. Although the idea of spending more than a week with my mother doesn't sound too appealing to me." I congratulated myself silently, he was opening up.
"My mom is my best friend, she had me when she was sixteen, I guess it has to do with this whole age thing. I grew up having my best friend around all the time, well there was the one time when she pulled the mom card but other than that…" I trailed off, being satisfied with myself. Suddenly my cell phone started ringing, suffragette city floating through the room.
I shot an apologetic glance in Jess's direction and picked it up.
"Rory? Where are you?" my mom and she sounded stressed.
"I'm having coffee, what's up, mom?" Jess leaned back in his seat as if he was trying to give me some privacy.
"Rory, it's Friday, ring any bell?" oh shoot!
"Oh shoot, mom, I totally forgot, I'm on my way, promise me not to kill Grandma while you're alone with her, Rory's gonna be there soon."
"Hurry though, I might not be able to keep that promise, and Luke is depriving me of coffee, short, I am desperate." I chuckled and ended the conversation. Jess looked at me questionably.
" sorry, I totally forgot, I'm having dinner with my grandparents tonight, well not just tonight, but every Friday until the day I die, and I was having fun talking to you and I forgot about it, but now I have to get there, cause my mom wouldn't be able to stand dinner alone with her parents, and .." Jess's chuckle interrupted me.
"Rory, it's okay." Is it I asked silently?
"I'll find a way to entertain myself." This statement got to me, what if he was referring to last night's entertainment, what if he was spending the night with some girl. Would he take her out for coffee tomorrow as well? But most importantly, why did I even care? As if he was reading my mind, he continued.
"I have to study anyhow, Professor McGillan is a bitch." I let out a relieved sigh, trying to sound nonchalant. I searched in my purse for my money, but Jess just shook his head.
"it's on me." I got up and gathered my things.
"thanks" and before I knew it, I was leaning over him, kissing him lightly on the cheek.
"see ya, Jess Mariano, it was nice meeting you." Before he had the time to respond I ran out of the café.
All the way to Hartford I was smiling like a maniac. Mom would be proud of me.
So, what do you think? Good, bad, review guys, it'll make my day. seriously I'm not the one to beg normally, but well, normality is overrated, right? Thanks for reading. Oh, I forgot to point out, that English wasn't my native language, not even second, so please be gentle. But review please!