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Rory lay in the bed upstairs in the diner. She hugged on Luke's pillow, then stood up and walked to the other side of the room. She got into Jess's room, and sat on his bed. After a few minutes Rory got up, grabbed a blanket, and walked downstairs. She walked out of the diner, and over to Jess's car, with the blanket wrapped around her.

He was asleep. He looked so… Jess. Why was she so hooked on him still? Wasn't this the guy who broke her heart? The guy who left her. Yes. This was the same one. He wasn't Dean, no, he was much… better than Dean. Despite what everyone else thought he was the one she was madly in love with. It ripped her heart out to think about loving him, but she did. She did.

Rory couldn't take it anymore. She turned around, and walked back to the diner. When she got up to the door, she turned the doorknob. It was locked. She wiggled the knob, and she shoved on the door as hard as she could. She kicked the door, and even punched the door.

When she finally realized that she wouldn't be getting into the diner she walked back over to the car. She tugged on the handle, and realized it was locked, too. So she tapped on the window, gently. So gently that he couldn't even hear it. Rory tapped a little louder.

Jess woke up. After he blinked a couple times to adjust to the darkness, he looked to his window. He saw a dark figure, with short hair. When she stepped back a tad he saw who it was. The streetlight shone brightly on her eyes.

He sat up, and waited a minute before opening the door, "I thought you told me to stay away from you… I was going to do just that. You coming to my car makes that difficult."

Rory rolled her eyes, "Shut up, smart ass. I locked myself out of Luke's. I hate to do it but, can I sleep in here with you?"

Jess laughs, slightly, "Why don't you sleep at… O I don't know… YOUR house."

Rory sighed, jumping up and down slightly, "Because I have nothing on my feet, its freezing cold, and my house is too far. Just scoot over please."

Jess scooted over, and let her in, "Now shut the door, you're letting all the cold air in."

Rory shut the door, "Thank you."

Jess nodded, "Don't mention it. Now… you have a blanket, so share."

Rory gave him a totally Lorelai look, like a 'are you crazy?' look, "Then what will I have?"

Jess shrugged, and scooted towards the back of the seat, and then he patted the empty place beside him, "Sleep here."

Rory nodded, and reluctantly lay down beside him. She put the blanket over both of them, and turned to face the opposite direction. She was so used to lying like this with him. Usually with his arm around her, pulling her close to him, while he kissed her neck, jaw line, shoulder, anything he could get to. This time it was different. This time one of his arms was her pillow, and the other was by his side, not touching her, and of course he is not kissing her. She wishes he was in some weird way, but he's not.

A part of her wants to grab his arm and firmly wrap it around her. Hell, a part of her wants his lips pressed against hers. She shifts a little to get comfortable.

Jess looks at her and takes a deep breath. It is taking all of the energy he has not to touch her, kiss her, or anything. After a moment he asks, "You hate me, don't you."

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes, "No."

Jess wanted to believe it… and even if it wasn't true, he didn't want to hear the true response, but he pushed, "O really? Because telling me to stay away from you isn't something you tell to someone you love… like." He said the last part quickly, trying to fix his mistake. Love? Ha. She didn't love him, he knew she didn't. If she did he was surprised.

Rory let the mistake slide, "You hurt me, Jess! What did you expect me to do?"

Jess sighs, "I don't know…" he says it so quietly.

Rory doesn't say anything else. She wipes the tears that are rolling down her cheeks, leaving black ribbons running down her face.

After trying desperately to ignore the wetness he feels dropping on his arm, he whispers, "I'm sorry."

Rory shivers and takes a deep breath, taking in what he had just said. To her, him saying 'I'm sorry' was almost as good as him saying, 'I love you'. Since she knows the day Jess says 'I love you' is the day temperature drops in hell, she just settles with 'I'm sorry.'

He waits for a response, and then he gets nothing. So he just lies there, and listens to her breathing.

Rory trusts her voice, now. Trusts her voice not to crack, and leave any evidence that she had been crying. She told herself not to cry over him, and she didn't want him to get bigheaded with the fact that she was crying over him, "I don't know if I can forgive you, Jess."

Jess nods, "I can understand that."

Rory opens her mouth to say something, but the tears take over once again. Leaving her drowning in emotions. She waits for this burst of tears to stop then she says something, "You left me! You could've told me good-bye. I saw you on the bus! You could've said something… anything. You said you'd call me!" she burst out into tears at this point, nit being able to control it.

Jess feels a sharp squeeze where his heart is supposed to be, "I did call you."

Rory lets a sound like a whimper escape her lips, "What?"

Jess pushed her hair out of her face, "At your graduation… that was me on the phone."

Rory rolled her eyes, "As if I didn't know… I meant really call me, Jess. You know actually talk to me."

Jess sighs, "What was I going to say, Rory?"

Rory wiped her eyes, "I don't know! You could've told me not to cry over you! You could've told me to move on, or that I wasn't the reason you left! You could've told me anything."

Jess bit his lip, "I am selfish, Rory. I didn't want you to move on. I could've dealt with you not crying over me, but I don't want you to move on. You are not the reason I left. You're the reason I came back, and stayed for as long as I did."

Rory sniffed back some tears, "I didn't totally pine over you, you know?"

Jess looked out the window, "You didn't?"

Rory shook her head, firmly, "No. I went on a date."

Jess felt like time stopped, like his heart stopped beating, "Was it successful?"

Rory laughed bitterly, "No. Because of you. God Jess! You are in my mind constantly. I see you everywhere! Everything I do reminds me of you! I can't date, because I compare him to you and if even the slightest thing is different I walk away. I hate that! I hate you, because of that!"

Jess was silent for a long time, taking in what she just said, "I thought you said you didn't hate me."

Rory swallowed back a new batch of tears, "I don't want to, Jess, but everything you did hurt me. You treated me like crap. Dean was right."

Out of everything she had just said, the last three words hit him the hardest, "Dean?"

Rory nodded, "Yes. Dean. As in Dean Forrester. As in guy I dumped for you, the monosyllabic jerk!"

The words hit Jess hard, "You regret it don't you?"

Rory wiped her eyes, "That's what I hate the most. I don't regret any of it. The late night walks to the bridge, the books, the heated make-out sessions, and the movie nights. Although I regretted agreeing to watch Almost Famous." She smiled slightly.

Jess nodded, "Did I really treat you like crap?" it came out as a whisper.

Rory nodded slowly, "Yea… but I don't regret any of it. You were great one minute, and then the next… it was like you didn't want to be with me. Like you wanted Shane back."

Jess cringed, "Don't ever think I would pick any girl over you Rory."

Rory closed her eyes, "Ok."

Jess closed his eyes, "Goodnight, Rory."

Rory was already halfway asleep.

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Hollowgirl22 – Hey! Thanks for the review… this update came fast, but I got bored and wanted to write it.

BabyGlover – Thanks for the review… I love them!

Litizreal – Thank you!

Curley – Q – I thought so too Thanks for the review!

Carpe-diem-girl – LOL… I am cooking thanksgiving right now for my dad's house… I just wanted to write this! Thanks for the review!

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End of the beginning – Thank you, Bailey!