Not Dreaming
A/N: This was never supposed to be more than a short story. But apparently some people wanted to know more. So, here is a second part of it. Thanks to all of you who reviewed, you know who you are.
Chapter 1. Thanksgiving Hugs
Last time they spoke on the phone Luke had asked him if he planned on coming up over Thanksgiving. He had gotten an invitation from Liz a couple days earlier, but hadn't been planning on coming. Not that he had that much against his mother; they were actually pretty good at the moment. But he just couldn't stand T.J. and he wasn't sure if he was up for going back to Stars Hollow again. He was well aware of how popular he was in the small town and dealing with its inhabitants wasn't exactly his idea of a good time.
It was the slightly hopeful tone he picked up in Luke's voice that made him give in. He didn't want to disappoint Luke and that's how he found himself driving into his personal version of hell on a beautiful autumn afternoon. To be honest he didn't really hate the town, but it made him uneasy to think about everything he'd done wrong while staying there. He wished he could somehow change the past. But wishing never solved anything before, so instead he took a deep breath as he drove past the welcoming sign and into town, mentally preparing himself for what was to come.
It was now two days ago he walked into the diner, shocking everyone in the room. After his entrance and Lorelai's impulsive hug there had been a moment of silence before everyone started talking at once. They discussed the meaning of his visit, speculated about the reasons behind Lorelai hugging him and tried, without much success, to hide their glances as they waited for Rory's reaction. Some of the patrons decided to spread the word around town and left the diner in a hurry, no doubt in search for Miss Patty or Babette.
The person responsible for the turmoil in the first place soon recovered from the shock of Lorelai's behavior. He shook his head slightly, a small smirk lingering on his lips, and made his way up to the counter. He was greeted by Luke with yet another hug and a smirk that told him his uncle was happy to see him.
Meanwhile Rory had sat on her stool at the counter, coffee forgotten, trying to sort her feelings out. She hadn't expected him to turn up in her life quite this soon after his last departure. Sure he had told her they'd catch up sometime, but she was definitely not counting on him coming to Stars Hollow of all places. When the initial shock had passed a feeling of happiness settled over her. And then he smiled at her, that amazing smile she had only seen a handful times in the past and that always made her melt. At that moment it felt like she was back in high school, a feeling she wasn't quite ready for. Her mother hugging him had only managed to increase her confusion even more.
That afternoon, as she walked the well known road to Luke's, Rory had realized she felt free and really happy for the first time in months. She had finally talked to her mom after months of minimum contact. They had made up and started to patch up their relationship again. She had moved out of her grandparents place and back into her old room in the Crap Shack. It still felt a bit odd with Luke living there, not to mention Paul Anka. But she was getting used to it. She was still astonished that her mom had managed to find a dog that fit her so perfectly with all of its quirks and strange habits. And even stranger was that it was still alive.
She was even getting her motivation for writing back. For the first time since the fateful meeting with Mitchum Huntzberger she once again had faith in her dream and knew what she wanted to do. She was going back to Yale in the spring and she had already gotten a job at the Stamford Eagle Gazette. Lorelai would be proud of her for how she handled that situation.
Her only problem now was Logan. And he wasn't even a problem since he wasn't around to be one. She hadn't heard from him since their argument after Jess' departure from dinner two weeks ago. And she wasn't really sure what she would have done if he had been there. She was angry at him for how he acted that night and in the past weeks she had started questioning how well she actually knew him.
Then there was Jess. She was so proud of him; he finally got his life together and made something of himself. And not just anything. He wrote a book. She still felt giddy at the thought of it. And now here he was again, standing in front of her. She suddenly noticed he was looking at her and seemed to be waiting for something. Coming out of her daze she realized he must have said something to her. She'd been too caught up in her thoughts to notice and she felt her cheeks coloring the tiniest bit under his inquiring gaze.
"Hi Jess," she said and hoped no one would ask about her behavior.
The following two days they hadn't exchanged more than a few words. They had both been busy, Rory trying to figure out the remaining questions in her life and Jess was doing everything he could to avoid T.J., who seemed to turn up everywhere he went. After too many questions neither of them wanted to answer or knew the answers to for that matter they had both felt the need to escape the town and its inhabitants.
They were now sitting next to each other on the bridge, their bridge, looking out over the water. Neither seemed to know how to start and neither really wanted to break the comfortable silence. It felt so good just sitting there; it reminded them of how things had been in the beginning, before everything got so complicated. They continued to sit in silence, once in a while sneaking a glance at the person next to them. Finally Jess couldn't take the silence anymore and surprised Rory by being the first to talk.
"I'm sorry, for everything," he told her quietly, deciding to get it over with. He wasn't sure how to explain what he was sorry for, so instead he opted for letting her interpret his words. When she didn't respond he glanced over at her and was met by her blue eyes looking back at him.
"I know," she told him after what seemed like an eternity. She broke her gaze away from him, turning back to the water. "I should be thanking you, you know," she continued, surprising him in turn.
He watched her curiously, trying to interpret the look on her face to get a clue to what she was talking about when she didn't elaborate the statement. She seemed to be struggling with something, battling with herself over weather or not to continue.
"I read your book," she finally blurted out and looked a bit surprised as if that wasn't what she originally intended to say. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw the slightly amused look that lighted up his brown eyes. Looking a bit closer she could see he was trying hard not to show the eagerness and worry he felt as he waited for her to continue.
"Four times," she continued with a smile and almost laughed as he visibly relaxed beside her. "I even wrote in the margins," she confessed eliciting a laugh from him.
They didn't really resolve anything that night; they just talked about anything that came to mind. They were friends again, or at least on their way there, and that was the most important thing for the moment. All the bad memories and unresolved issues could wait a while longer.
The next day he went home again. She stood outside of Luke's and watched him drive out of town, but this time she didn't feel angry or hurt doing so. Instead she felt hopeful. They were friends again and she liked the sound of that. Right before he left he had scribbled down his address and phone number on a piece of paper and given it to her. "In case you'd want to reach me," he had told her as he held the note out to her. He'd still looked a bit uncertain, but she had smiled brightly at him and promised to call soon.
As he drove past the sign this time he smiled to himself. Things had gone a lot better than he had expected when he entered the town three days earlier. He had somehow managed to keep his encounters with T.J. to a minimum and hadn't been overcome with the urge to leave the town and never come back even once. Then again, he hadn't really expected to run into Rory during his stay. There had been a small hope in the back of his mind that she would be there, but after the last time he saw her he didn't want to get his hopes up. But she had been there and she had looked happy, like she knew what she was doing again.
He smiled again as he recalled Lorelai thanking him as she hugged him. Never in a million years had he thought he'd see the day Lorelai thanked him for something, and meaning it, not to mention hugging him.
With a smile still playing at his lips he turned the music up and continued driving through the night. Connecticut was soon behind him, followed by the lights of New York. Gravity started playing as New Jersey changed to Pennsylvania and he began to see the end of this night's driving. He listened to the words, trying to decide if Tool was better or not. In his mind he was already planning his next trip north. Christmas wasn't that far away and this year he was actually looking forward to it for a change.
