His words stirred a memory - her speaking to Lane about how Dean felt safer than Jess, more secure while Jess had been more unpredictable (which had been thrilling and scary in a way). It was like when he had asked all those years ago to leave with him; her negative had not been born because of a lack of feelings but rather out of fear. Fear of him changing his mind and leaving her again, because she had been sure of that her heart wouldn't have been able to handle being left behind again.
But he had changed. He was still in many ways the boy with a crooked smile and a love for books that had made her fall for him. Yet she wasn't scared of him leaving anymore because now she could affirm that she could count on him. "What happened at Kyle's party was not okay, but we were young and I think that we can agree on that miscommunication was a big part of our problems. I couldn't find a way to make you open to me. To be honest, me comparing you with Dean as much as I did likely didn't make things easy for you," she said. A touch of understanding in her blue eyes, because over time she had learned that even if he was the one that left, she was partially to blame in how events developed. Rory smiled at him in a way that said without words that she agreed with him - that he had grown up. Rory also had changed over the years. In some things for the better in others for the worse she guessed, but that was life; change and development.
Should he have broken the silence? Jess wasn't sure. Maybe Rory needed the time to process the room and their engagement. Maybe she just wanted to stand in silence. But she talked and he listened. He nodded. He sighed. "No, it wasn't okay. It wasn't okay at all. I promise that won't happen again. I should've told you. Kissing seemed easier than talking back then and I didn't know how to tell you I failed. Letting you down seemed like the worst thing I could do. Letting everyone down did and I…was and I couldn't process it," he replied. "And it's okay. He was your first. No one is comparable to firsts. But, I have news for you, I'm not Dean. I never will be either. I hope that's okay. I don't really want to be. If you ask me he had the funnier hair. That's what his kid sister told me, wasn't it? Ah, what did that squirt call me hair? I can't remember. I think it was funny…" He hadn't thought about that moment for a long time, but that moment made him smile a little. They were so young and naive back them.
"I think that by now you have made up for everything so don't worry about it Jess," she said leaning her head against his arm. "We are masters of bad timing, but in the end we got it right and despite of all the hard moments it was worth it. This is worth it," she said as her lips curled in a content smile as she felt his fingers entwining with hers.
He kissed the top of her head and pulled her close. She was warm and soft in the best possible way. Her curves fit his curves (did he have curves). This was home. This was life. This was everything. "I am always going to be here for you. I will always protect you and love you and respect you. That is my vow," he promised. He said those words with absolute sincerity. "No, correction we were masters of bad timing. Not anymore. I am not going to waste any more time. This place is the start of us mastering the right time. And this place makes me happy, happier than I could ever imagine." He kissed her on the head again and pulled Rory a little closer. "As long as they're happy tears I'm okay with it. I stocked the room with tissues. One of the drawers is full of them."
"This place makes me happy because of the people that is here; you, mom, Luke, the friends that I have made," she said quietly "If you keep saying all these nice things I am going to get emotional and you will have to deal with me hugging you while crying." She said as a joking warning as she felt her feelings stir at the words coming from her boyfriend (well now fiancé). Her voice thick with emotion.
A slight blush appeared on her cheeks. "You are right I guess. Did you really like the hair? Maybe I can someday give that hairstyle a shot again, for a special occasion," she said shyly. "Yes, I mean Paris was at times a bit overwhelming but I really miss her." Said the brunette with a touch of nostalgia in her voice; Lane, Paris her grandparents…people who had been very important in her life and which she missed dearly, if she was honest.
"Maybe I want to give my incredibly good looking fiancé a cooking surprise someday that doesn't involve accidentally triggering the fire detector," she said with a chuckle. "I don't doubt it. They really love each other don't they?" She said, it had taken them time but in the end love has given both her mother and Luke a chance, which seemed to be the definitive one.
Jess raised his eyebrow and the smile turned into an open-mouth grin. "Are you sure that's such a good idea? You ended up in the ER, remember? So maybe I should cook for my beautiful fiancé. I heard that women think it's sexy when a guy cooks or is 'Galmour' wrong?" he joked, squeezing her shoulders. "They do. I think they love each other almost as much as we love each other."
"I can imagine it, the loner vibe, the leather jacket and the hair style. I bet that you had girls swooning over you Mariano," she said teasingly before biting her lip shyly when he asked about the outfits. "Uhm, I am quite fond of when you wear clothes that remind me to the teen years, like when the other day you were wearing that band shirt with a some jeans that really look good on you." She admitted speaking fast before changing the topic. "But you kind of look good on everything so I guess that it's just a silly personal preference."
They then talked of lighter things. A goofy smirk played with the corners of his lips. "You always look beautiful, but yeah. I liked it. Well, I loved it. It showed off your eyes and I love your eyes," he agreed. He didn't know what else to say about Paris. He'd liked her the couple times they had hung out. She was smart and had good taste in books, but she did not compare to Rory. No one could. "I wouldn't want to date her, though. Only you. You were my first, you know. I mean you were my first girlfriend."
In the quiet, he looked around this room. He'd poured his heart and soul into making it perfect for her. He tried to bring in elements of her room back in Sleepy Hollow – the curtains, the wood, the books. He remembered a writing desk in the hallway, too. But didn't know if this was right for Rory; he worried it was too feminine and didn't match her taste. "If you don't like the space we can change it," he whispered. "I should've asked first. I'm sorry for not asking first. I wanted to be romantic."
"You keep saying that, yet I loved it," she said looking expectantly at the book. "I think that I am going to like this one, too."
Did they? He really didn't notice. "I don't know about that. I think I was a little too intense for most girls and my affinity for obscure literature was a bit of turn off I think. Besides, I didn't really have any eyes for anyone else. Just you. It's always been you and it always will be you until I am 90-years-old and in a wheelchair. Maybe even after that," he explained. "Well that's easy. I think I can keep on doing that. Except for our wedding you'll get something different. A suit. How's that? Maybe a top hat and tails, too? What do you think?"
Before handing it to Rory, he studied the cover. It was so simple, two streaks of color (blue and pink) in the middle of a butter-yellow circle with a navy background – two figures standing in the moonlight. "I think you will too. It's about us. It's our story, Rory," he whispered, kissing her on the lips. "Oh….I, uh asked your mom. I asked her if I could marry you."