CHAPTER 6
Best Man. Jess cannot bring himself to admit that his bachelor of an uncle is getting married. He knew that Lorelai would eventually make Luke realize that he needed her. He sighed to himself. Somehow it gave him some twisted hope that he wouldn't end up in the world alone.
He slowly turned to his uncle and watched him clench his teeth. Luke was right. He had to let Rory go. However, trying to forget what he felt for her would sting. He took another drag from the cigarette. Yep, it's gonna hurt a lot.
"You're serious, aren't you?" Jess asked. There was some irony to the whole situation. "I'm not getting 'Punk'd' or anything, right?"
"Punk'd? What the hell is that?' Luke asked Jess, bewildered.
Jess coughed up some smoke. "You'd be alright, Uncle."
"So does that mean you're taking me up on the offer?" Luke was hopeful.
"What the heck," Jess said flipping the cigarette butt on to the slowly moving river that flowed beneath them. "Sure."
Luke couldn't be any happier. Smiling, he warned his nephew, "And don't mess anything between Rory and Tristin. Otherwise, you'll see a side of me you don't ever want to see."
"What's the harm of stirring the pot?" Jess snickered.
"That's what I was afraid to hear," Luke groaned.
oooo0—0oooo
Lorelai waited until Luke and Jess came back. While the chatter behind her became loud and obnoxious, she retreated to the backdoor staring at the window that led her eyes in search of Jess and her fiancée.
She sighed, thinking about the events that just transpired. Told her parents about the wedding. Check. Announced to the town of Stars Hollow that she and Rory were headed for the altar. Check. Thanked Christopher for being supportive of it all.
Still not done.
She retrieved the cell phone from her front pocket and scrolled down her phone list until she got to Christopher's name. It's not like she needed to. She just always remembered his number, no matter how many times he moved, no matter where he was, she always knew how to get in touch with him. She always deluded herself thinking that it was because she needed to know wherever he was when and if Rory needed him in an emergency. He had always been her life jacket in the sea of confusion and uncertainty. It's about time she learned to let go.
She dialed the numbers slowly. She heard the message go off and for that short time, she was speechless. Not knowing what to say, she hung up.
"Damn it!" she scolded herself, staring at the illuminated phone. Seconds ticked. Again, she dialed the number. She heard the small digital beeps as her mobile speed dialed Christopher's apartment home phone. When the voice mail picked up, she greeted the familiar voice. "Hi Christopher…"
oooo00oooo
"I am tired," Paris announced, sitting back on the diner chair. "Who would've thought that planning a wedding is so overwhelming?"
"Only each and every girl that ever planned a wedding?" Rory teased her as she pulled up a seat next to Paris. "You know, you didn't have to do this. Thank you."
"I think this is the part I am missing out on since I have a planner," Louise sighed as Logan rubbed her shoulders.
"This gives us an opportunity to go shopping," Madeline chimed in, raising her eyebrows to Rory and Lorelai.
"Who needs an occasion to shop?" Louise drolled.
"Yeah, who does?" Lorelai quipped as she slipped back into the room unnoticed.
The almost empty diner happily chatted away until the diner men came back.
"Where'd everybody go?" Luke asked when he and Jess surveyed the room. All he saw was a half eaten cake, bags upon bags of presents for Rory and confetti and empty drink cups and plates haphazardly stuffed in trash bags, more than likely courtesy of Sookie and Lorelai. He figured that he and Jess didn't stay out that long. However, the glowing orange orb on the rooftops proved him otherwise.
"Apparently, everyone got liquored up and decided to get busy," Lorelai replied, tipping something that appeared alcoholic to her coffee.
"Well, how many did you drink?" Luke inquired, trying to steal the cup she cradled and hid from him.
"Not enough," she replied mysteriously.
"Rory?" Luke tried to ask for assistance from her daughter.
"Don't look my way," Rory weaseled her way out of the argument. "I was minding my own business."
"Uh-huh, like mother, like daughter," Luke responded.
"I'd like to stay but duty calls," Tristin sighed. He leaned over to give Rory a peck on her cheek. "My parents are throwing me a graduation party and I want to disappoint them by showing up."
"Can't be that bad, Tristin," Lorelai said. Somehow, between Luke trying to steal Lorelai's cup and giving her a lecture, he ended up wrapping his arms around her waist, allowing her to lean up against him. "Oh, I forgot. You're Hartford bred. What was I thinking?"
"You want me to go with you?" Rory asked, her hand still lingering on his.
"Not tonight. It might get ugly," he sadly admitted. Turning around, he tried to get Graham's attention. "You coming?"
"The job of being wingman never ends," Graham grimly responded. He walked to Madeline and gave her a goodbye kiss. "Pray I make it out of the DuGreys in one piece."
"We'll send the cavalry after you guys!" Madeline promised, kissing him with a resounding smack.
"Road trip!" Logan shouted. "I'm invited, right?"
"Why is it that it's only the guys invited? I wanna go," Louise pouted.
"Trust me, it won't be pretty," Tristin swore.
"Why do I feel like you're attending a funeral?" Rory crinkled her forehead. She stood up, straightening her shirt.
"Have you ever attended a DuGrey function? It is comparative to a memorial service," Graham commented. "But as soon as it ends, we could come back and TP Taylor's yard."
"You do have the power of making me feel more secure about staying away," Rory smiled, hugging the brunette. "Don't hurry back on my behalf. It's been a long day for all of us."
"Hey, hey, if I didn't know any better you're trying to steal my fiancée!" Tristin playfully bantered with his cousin.
"Maybe she knows who's better quality," Graham responded, returning his cousin's tease. He squeezed Rory and kissed her on the cheek. "Alright, let's go."
"Leave the light on for me," Tristin whispered in Rory's ear before kissing her one last time.
"I promise," she guaranteed him back.
Logan, Tristin and Graham headed out of the door, waving goodbye to everyone.
"I guess we should follow the guys' lead and motor out of here," Louise helped Paris police the last of the scraps of paper on the tables.
"Call us if you guys actually paint the town red?" Madeline requested, hugging Rory.
"Will do," Rory promised.
And just like that, the last of the girls left, too.
"And then there was four," Jess responded.
"Is it okay if I give Luke an update of all the things we've discussed?" Lorelai asked, dragging Luke towards the office apartment.
"Do you have to be so obvious?" Rory teased. She started picking up what was left of the empty cups needing to be tossed in the dishwasher.
"Lorelai," Luke growled, warning Lorelai.
"Get it done and over with it, Luke," Jess said, wiping the tables down.
"It will be a long discussion, Jess. Can you walk Rory home?" she teased. She was already halfway the staircase pushing Luke in front of her.
"I'll make myself scarce," he responded.
And then there were two.
"So," Jess tried to alleviate the sudden tension that filled the air. "I guess 'Congratulations' are in order?"
Rory's cheeks flushed. "Yeah. Thanks."
"Okay, set me straight here," Jess stopped wiping the table. "You're getting married to the blondie, right?"
"Yes, Jess. I am marrying Tristin," Rory chuckled softly.
"Huh," he let out. "Does he treat you well?"
Rory deposited the washable dishes on the countertop. "He's alright."
"Alright? The Rory I know won't settle for mediocrity," Jess scoffed at her.
"Tristin is someone who helped me figure out who I was," she said dreamily. "He stuck by me no matter how much I pushed him away."
Jess felt a little guilty about that statement. "In other words, he's not me."
"I didn't mean it that way," Rory rushed to correct her answer.
"You don't have to defend yourself," Jess replied softly. He was aware of his shortcomings.
"It's not like that," she sighed. She took one of the chairs she already had put up on the table and sat on it. "So many things happened."
"And I didn't help make matters any better, right?" Jess implied.
Rory had to think back and remember when she last saw him. It was before the whole Lindsey event. It was before she got involved with Dean. The last she saw of him was when he asked her to run away with him. Jess was the only person she was grateful and sad to see walk away from her that fateful summer.
"Jess, you know I did love you," she whispered in the half lit room.
"I know," hurt crept into his voice. "It took me a long time realize it, though."
Snapshots of him chasing her around town to tell her that he loved Rory filled his head. He conned himself into thinking that Rory would take him back after he read Luke's self-help book. Seeing her with Dean in front of her dorm room was still a painful memory for him. He was off the market, for heaven's sake. Was he that pitiful to her?
Rory stood up and shoved her thumbs on her back pockets. "Hey, do you want to go grab some ice cream? My treat."
"We driving?" he humored her, recollecting one event that wasn't so funny then.
"No," she protested. "I think we'll take this opportunity to stroll back to the shack. Besides, you won't probably be able to skip town anyway. Mom's got Luke good and the soonest you might be able to sneak in to get your bag would be midnight."
He froze momentarily before looking back at her in amazement. Her prediction of him leaving town the moment he walked her home was uncanny.
"Thanks for the warning," he grumbled, shrugging into his old army jacket as he followed her out. He took one last look around the Diner before turning the light off and closing the door behind him.
oooo00oooo
Christopher was tired when he walked into his brownstone. Gigi snored lightly on his shoulder. Slowly and silently, he laid her in her bed, taking off her shoes and her spring coat. He stroked her face lightly before laying a goodnight kiss on her forehead.
"Good night, princess," he whispered to the slumbering child.
He walked out of the little girl's room and turned on the stereo system for background noise. David Benoit's 'When The Winter's Gone' filled in the small space. As soon as he grabbed himself a cup of coffee, he played the messages on his answering machine: five all in all.
"Hi, Christopher, it's your mother…" he heard the matronly voice. He pressed delete before he could hear the whole message. The second one was from her again. He repeated the action. The third was from Emily Gilmore. Before he could hear another syllable of her annoying timbre, he deleted her message. The fourth message was filled with silence. All of a sudden, there was a vice grip around his heart. He knew it was from her. When her shallow breathing came on, silent tears ran down his cheek. A click went off before the fifth message came on.
"Hi Christopher," he heard Lorelai's wobbly voice. "I just want to thank you for not making it hard for me to tell my parents that I'm… we, Rory and I, are getting married."
She paused.
"I am scared, Christopher. Everything is different with Luke. It wasn't like with Max that I was doubtful. This thing is so—surreal. I know that this sounds stupid but I wish you could hold my hand through this. I want some reassurance that I'm doing the right thing."
"I do," he cried out like she was listening to him.
He could hear her sob through her cell phone. He, too, was sobbing as her voice trembled in the message.
"Anyway, uhm, I have to go but I, ah, just want to say thanks again. And that no matter what happens, I love you and I'll always be grateful for what we have."
"We love you, too," he sobbed back to the empty room.
"Give a hug and kiss for Gigi for me. I hope to hear from you guys soon," she said hurriedly. "Bye."
Christopher rubbed the tears blocking his vision. "Goodbye."