Chapter Nine
The days between the book launch and Christmas went by swiftly and very uneventfully. There had been no more run in between Rory and Jess, by the combined efforts of both. Yes, there had been close calls, with Luke's being a staple for the both, but in the few days leading up to Christmas, they had fallen into a groove in which they successfully avoided each other.
It was too good to last, they both realized. The peace just couldn't stay…that is not how it works in Star's Hollow anyway…
"We're late," said Amber irritated as Jess climbed into their car.
"We're not late," he stated starting the car.
"We're late," said Amber again, indicating to the time on the car radio, "Aunt Lorelai said dinner was at seven thirty. I checked with her five times. She left the inn ages ago.
"Dinner is at her house, she had to leave to get ready, plus this is not New York. This is Star's Hollow, and there is no such thing as traffic is Star's Hollow. We'll be there is two minutes."
Amber huffed and crossed her arms as they drove of, "Fine, but I'm counting."
"Fair enough."
Not long later Jess parked his van in front of Lorelai and Luke's house.
"So, what's my time?" asked Jess, teasing his daughter. She scowled at him and muttered,
"You won this time, Mariano, you won this time…." They both climbed out of the car and walked up to the door. Before they could even knock it was thrown open by Luke.
"You're late," Luke reprimanded. Amber gave Jess and shrewd look that he successfully ignored. 'They're here,' Luke called leading them into the kitchen where the table and counters were stuffed with various types of food. Chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, biscuits, two types of salad, gravy, soup, and a whole lot more of unidentified things that though they might of looked disgusting, were going to be fabulous, because everything Sookie cooks is fabulous.
Lorelai began to pester Luke as he reentered the kitchen, standing too close behind him as he stirred something on the stove.
"Can I help?" she asked.
"No," answered Luke gruffly, turning to grab salt off the table.
"Can I help?" she asked again.
"No," said Luke, trying to ignore her as she trailed him as he carried to dishes to the opposite side of the room.
"Can I help?"
Luke turned and glared, "Get away from me women!"
Jess mockingly flinched in the doorway, "Wow, Luke, that was harsh."
Lorelai was unfazed and stole a spoon out of one of the dishes, licking the food off it. Luke turned and glared at him, "She's been doing this to me all day. I can't take it anymore. I just want to take this spoon," said Luke grabbing the spoon Lorelai was licking out of her hand and electing an indignant, 'Hey,' from her, "And stab it through my heart to end the pain. And every time I said she could help, she wouldn't want to or get all upset about it…" Luke trailed off, throwing the spoon in the sink.
"Jeez, Luke, take a chill pill…seriously," said Jess as his uncle ended his rant. Amber snickered.
"Oh, I'm sorry Luke," said Lorelai sincerely as he tried to cool down and went to restirring something on the stove, "But seriously, can I do anything to help?"
Luke growled in frustration, putting his head in his hands.
"Mom, you are too mean," said a new voice entering the kitchen. Rory had just walked out of her previously closed bedroom, having heard the commotion outside.
"He makes it too easy," complained Lorelai. A tense moment filled the room as Rory noticed Jess and Amber standing in the doorway. Lorelai noticed it, it was very…strange. Like those vibs she was getting a few nights ago when she could not get to sleep.
"Oh, Rory, you haven't met Amber yet," said Lorelai, breaking the silence. "Amber this is my daughter Rory. Rory, Amber."
"Nice to meet you," said Rory with a fake smile plastered on her face, even though she had met Amber before, years ago. Almost nine years ago, when she was a newborn.
"You too," replied Amber. Another awkward silence.
"So, Mom, where are we eating?" asked Rory.
"We're going to do a crazy buffet style thingy in here," answered Lorelai, indicating to the kitchen table and counters covered in various kinds of food, "And eat in the dining room. Nothing formal though. And then party like it's 1999."
"Luke, how much alcohol has Mom consumed by now?"
"None, surprisingly."
"But that is all going to change," muttered Lorelai wickedly. They all ignored her.
"Hey, where's Sookie and Jackson?" asked Rory, "Aren't they the type to be in the kitchen?"
"Maybe they're doing something naughty in the bathroom," suggested Lorelai.
"Oh God, I have to get that image out of my head!' exclaimed Jess, wrinkling his nose in disgust.
"They're not," said Luke, now used to Lorelai's antics, "Sookie started freaking out about the food spread. Jackson took her out on the back porch for air when she started hyperventilating."
"So their doing something naughty on the porch?" asked Rory.
"Both of the Lorelai's, out of my kitchen now!"
Lorelai was laughing as Rory pushed her through the doorway, "Such a high strung guy."
Jess and Amber stayed in the kitchen, sitting at the crowded table, however, but neither offering a helping hand, not that Luke would have accepted it now anyways.
"Hey Luke, aren't TJ and Liz supposed to be here?"
"Yeah, but they'll probably be late. I swear, Liz must have never learned to tell time." Just then the doorbell rang, "Speak of the devil," muttered Luke, "I'll get it." He excited the room, leaving the father and daughter pair alone.
"Well, that was a lot of fun packed into a ten minute period," commented Amber dryly.
"A typical Gilmore holiday."
Amber drummed her fingers in the table as they sat in silence, "So back their, that was the famous Rory?"
"Oh…yeah," answered Jess, trying to sound nonchalant.
"You didn't say hi to her, you haven't seen her for years."
"We had run into each other a few times already, since we got here."
"You didn't mention it."
"Nothing to mention."
Amber nodded, a little suspicious, "So you guys were friends?"
"Yes."
"Just friends?"
"We were friends," he restated emotionlessly.
"Friends…with benefits?"
Jess gave Amber a look, "You are too young to be saying stuff like that." Amber just shrugged.
At that moment Liz embraced them both from behind, shocking them. "Jess! Amber! I haven't seen you since-"
Jess finished for her, "This morning."
"But it seemed like so long."
"Okay everyone's here," exclaimed Lorelai, entering the kitchen, "Let's get some food and take this love fest to the dining room. Rory, get Sookie and Jackson off the porch, but cover your eyes. You don't want to see anything, if you know what mean."
"Lorelai, I heard that," yelled Luke from another room."
"High-strung guy," commented TJ as they all started to fill their plates with food.
Diner was a rather rambunctious affair. If Emily Gilmore had been their, she would have been very upset. It was not proper. It was not well planned. It was not well mannered, but no one there cared.
Several conversations were going on at once, colliding every now and then in a confusion. Amber had been quite at first, preferring to sitting back, listening, and observing than being involved in the slightly drunken conversations. For one, she was the youngest person there by years, and second, she barely knew these people. She had meet Lorelai, Luke, and Liz only about a week ago, Sookie a few times at the inn, and TJ, Rory, and Jackson today.
"So Amber, do you like reading?" asked Rory, suddenly, bringing Amber into the spotlight.
"Oh-yeah, a lot. Why'd you ask?"
"I just know Jess is a reading freak, I would expect it passed on to the next generation," answered Rory. It was a feasible answer, but in truth, Jess had mentioned in an e-mail to her once, long ago.
"Look who's talking, calling me a reading freak," commented Jess coldly.
"Well at least I don't enjoy boring stuff, like Hemmingway," said Rory playfully, then directed toward Amber, "Tell me you haven't read Hemmingway."
"Not lately."
Rory glared at Jess, "You forced her into it, didn't you."
"Ernest Hemmingway is a genius," defended Jess.
"Ernest Hemmingway was a boring, long-winded drunk!"
"Yeah, well, Ayn Rand is a psychopath."
Rory gasped and looked offended, "She was a genius."
"If by genius you mean-,"
Amber cut her father off, "Why don't you guys just agree to disagree."
"Never," they both said at the same time getting a chuckle out of Amber and Rory, and a smile out of Jess. Rory and Jess's eyes met over the table. They had jut shared in an argument they would have had on old times, happier times. Though her face and trained to happy, her eyes were pained, Jess assumed his were too. This peace they were sharing was superficial, fake, fragile, temporary… it was hurtful too.
They had both relapsed into memories of a time they were friends, and then more than friends. It sparked old feelings again, like when they had been on the bridge. It reminded him of every unadulterated, pure thing they used to have…and had lost.
Jess tore his eyes out of the connection he had had with Rory's. He didn't know she was still staring at him, eyes locked, thinking about the same things. Her façade fell for a second, as she bit the inside of her bottom lip to steady her emotions.
Rory finally turned her eyes from Jess to her unknowing daughter, "So, Amber, have you read your father's books…"
Luke sat back in his chair, already stuffed with food wondering where his wife put it away as she served got up to get fourth's. He was silent as he looked at the people, the family, surrounding the table, bubbling with conversation and laughter.
It had seemed that Rory and Amber, who were sitting opposite of each other, had gotten into a spirited conversation that Jess quipped into every now and then. One of them must have said something funny because the two girls laughed simultaneously. Their laughter was uncannily similar, so were their smiles. Luke's eyes flickered between the two of them a few times, from Amber to Rory, to Amber to Rory.
There was something there, but Luke wasn't sure what. He did notice that their eyes were exactly the same. Could it be that…? No, it was crazy thought.