This Crazy World

Part 14

Jess entered the apartment and stopped right inside the door, leaning against it and let his weight close it with a muted thud that resounded surprisingly loud through the quiet apartment.

"Whoa," came a surprised response from around the corner of the apartment.

Jess froze. "Crap," he muttered under his breath and closed his eyes.

Some shuffling could be heard through the apartment and then a tired looking Luke appeared. "That you Jess?" he asked, a frown on his face.

"Yeah," Jess confirmed. "I'm sorry I woke you up. I thought you'd still be at Lorelai's, and it was dark up here…" He trailed off with a shrug.

"Rory showed up," Luke said slowly. "She seemed upset, so I thought it best to give them some space."

"Right," Jess muttered, stalking over to the kitchen, grabbing a beer from the fridge and quickly uncapped it, taking a big gulp.

"You ok?" Luke asked, watching him concerned.

"Just peachy."

"I can see that," Luke scoffed.

"I'm fine," Jess insisted and downed the rest of the beer. "I'm going to bed," he added, setting the bottle down on the counter a little more forcefully than necessary.

Luke watched as he stalked over to his bed and kicked off his shoes before lying down fully clothed on the bed, and something dawned on him. "Oh," he mumbled.

"What?" Jess snapped.

"You ran into Rory, didn't you?" Luke asked carefully.

Jess didn't say anything, but visibly stiffened where he lay, and Luke sighed.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked, walking through the kitchen and rounded the fridge.

"Not really," Jess sighed.

Luke watched him silently for a while, waiting to see if he changed his mind, and finally nodded. "Ok, good night then," he said, hesitating before turning around.

"Luke?" Jess called just as Luke was starting on his way back and sat up on the bed.

"Yeah," Luke called back, turning around once again.

Jess looked up and hesitated before he spoke. "Did she say anything before you left?"

"No, not really," Luke said slowly. "Why?"

Jess shook his head. "Nothing," he mumbled, "just wondering."

Luke frowned and pulled out one of the kitchen chairs, sitting down. "Something happen?"

Jess contemplated telling him a slightly edited version of their meeting, but decided against it. He didn't even know himself what had really happened. "No," he said instead, "we didn't even talk."

"Ok," Luke nodded, leaning back on his chair in silence, waiting to see if there was anything else.

"I think I might have figured it out," Jess said quietly, staring down at the floor.

Luke gave him a puzzled look. "Figured what out?"

With a shrug Jess looked up at him briefly, giving him a cynical smile.

"Oh," Luke mumbled, remembering their conversation in the boat.

"Yeah," Jess muttered. "Didn't exactly make things easier."

Luke just nodded, watched him with a concerned wrinkle on his forehead. There wasn't really anything to say.

They sat in silence for a couple minutes until Jess finally let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm going out," he said, getting up from the bed and put his shoes back on.

Luke looked over at him with a frown. "But you were just out."

"I need some air, I just…" Jess cut himself off. "I'm leaving when I get back."

"Oh." Luke's frown deepened.

Jess sighed and dragged a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry to cut this visit short," he said awkwardly. "I just have to think, and I can't do that here. Not with…" He trailed off with a vague gesture out the window.

"Yeah," Luke said slowly, standing up. "Don't worry about it."

"Thanks," Jess nodded and left the apartment, closing the door behind him quietly before slowly descending the stairs.

He walked aimlessly through town, letting the now chilly air clear his mind and eventually found himself back at the town square. He stood by the gazebo for a couple minutes, looking back at the dark diner and the glaring red traffic light outside. Then he smirked to himself and crossed the street.

When Luke woke up in the morning Jess was gone, together with all of his things, the only thing left of him a short message hastily scribbled on an old envelope lying on the kitchen table.

A/N: If you want to know more about what happened between Jess and Rory that night; read my story Still Wondering.