A Year in the Life of Jess Mariano

Part 9:

October 8th: Rory's Birthday

"Hi, Sweetie!"

Jess rolled his eyes and grinned at his mother as he stepped into her home in Stars Hollow.

"Thank you so much for coming to help," Liz said, waddling along behind her son. Being six months pregnant was as much fun as she remembered it to be…which was none at all. "I know you've got a lot to do, with the store and all."

"It's Sunday," Jess reminded her. "I told you I can spare Sundays."

Liz smiled. "Well, TJ and Luke are already upstairs, getting ready to paint, so head on up."

"You gonna be okay down here?" Jess asked her, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't worry about me!" she said, giving him a light, playful shove. "Carrie's comin' over, and we're gonna watch some movies…make some popcorn…do girls things."

He nodded. "Good."

"You want anything?"

"Beer'ed be nice."

"No can do," Liz shook her head. "Don't have any."

He gave her a confused stare.

She smiled. "There's soda in the fridge."

Jess nodded slowly, and patted Liz on the shoulder before heading to the kitchen. He grabbed a coke from the fridge and then hopped up the stairs, swinging into the first room on his right. The floor was covered in tarp, and Luke and TJ were painting opposite walls a light shade of green.

"Isn't pink supposed to be for girls?" he asked them.

"Don't be sexist, Read," TJ scolded. "This is a perfectly nice color for your little sister."

"Never said it wasn't," Jess replied, walking in. He pulled off his jacket and put it in the hallway before taking up a paint brush. "Which wall am I doing?"

Luke pointed to the one in-between the two men.

He started to put an even coat of paint on it without a word.

"How's Philly?" Luke asked.

"Fine," Jess nodded. "Got a secretary recently…Matt's sleeping with her."

"Good for him," Luke smirked.

"You sleepin' with anybody recently?" TJ asked.

"Nope," Jess replied.

"Ever gonna have sex again?" TJ asked.

"Yep."

"I'd start workin' on that if I was you," TJ said. "That libido ain't gonna last forever."

Jess flinched at the word "libido" and shook his head. "I'm not too worried."

Luke shook his head. "TJ, never say libido ever again."

"Libido!" TJ cried.

"Fuckin' shit," Jess muttered.

"Hey!" TJ cried. "Watch that mouth."

"You just said libido!"

"Knock it off, you two," Luke snapped. "Just paint, will ya?"

"What about you, Luke?" TJ asked. "You ever gonna have sex again?"

"I think I just had an aneurism," Jess muttered.

"Nah, you'd be dead by now," TJ replied. "So, Luke?"

"I don't know, okay?" Luke snapped.

Jess stayed silent for a moment. "You miss her."

"Don't go there."

"It's true."

"Miss who?" TJ asked.

"Miss whom," Jess corrected.

"It doesn't matter whether I miss her or not," Luke said. "She made her call."

"And it was a bad call," Jess replied. "I think she knows that."

"Who knows?" TJ asked.

"Doesn't mean she didn't do what she did," Luke muttered.

"Have you tried talking to her?" Jess asked.

"Why should I?"

"Because you love her."

"Doesn't matter."

Jess shook his head. "If you say so." He sighed and put down his paint brush. "I'll be right back."

Luke watched him leave the room. "You better not be going out to smoke! I'll kill you if you are!"

Jess waved a dismissive hand and walked down the stairs.

"Hey, you," Liz smiled from the couch she gestured to the woman painting her toenails. "You remember Carrie, don't you?"

Carrie smiled. "Hi, Jess."

Jess nodded. "I'll be right back."

"Something wrong?" Liz asked.

"Nope. Just gotta do something." He walked out of the house and pulled out his cell phone. He didn't make a habit of using text messages, but it made more sense then and there.

"Happy birthday, Gilmore," he typed. "-Jess."

He waited a few moments, and was rewarded with the light "ding" letting him know someone had replied.

"Thanks, Dodger," it read.

He nodded and shut his phone as he walked back inside.