Firstly, I'm a bit concerned with this story. I hate to sound needy, but I haven't received as many reviews as expected (by myself and others) and I'm wondering if the quality of the story is the reason. Please, if you have any suggestions to help me make this a better story, review.
Chapter 9 – Back Where You BelongI let you go, now I'm changing my mind.
Rory dashed through the house, changing hurriedly and throwing on a pair of shoes. She couldn't help the grin on her face as she sprinted out the front door; something about the way Jess spoke to her made her feel as if he knew her. Really knew her.
When he'd quoted Goldman—Or, if you wish, Morgenstern, she recalled)—her face had felt as though it was going to split from smiling. He remembers, she'd thought happily.
One night, the two of them were discussing guilty reading pleasures and she'd admitted that the Princess Bride was secretly one of her favorites.
Of course, when he'd confessed that he'd once read and actually enjoyed the Harry Potter series, Rory had doubled over in laughter, gasping for air. He'd pretended to be angry and stormed away, but Rory had simply laughed more and convinced him to return by promising to never tell a soul.
Besides, she'd told him cheekily, everyone enjoyed those books. He was just like everyone else. He'd silenced her with a passionate kiss, and the memory ended there.
Feelings of happiness and nostalgia washed over Rory as she silently laughed at the silly memory. Shaking her head to push the final moments of the memory way, she quickly made her way to the diner.
Reaching for the door, Rory paused. All of these pleasant thoughts about Jess combined with negative ones about Logan were cause for concern and she knew it.
You and Jess are friends. Nothing more, she reminded herself. You're just feeling strange with Logan being so far away and Jess being so close.
Feeling better, Rory opened the diner door and walked in excitedly, hoping that she hadn't missed the 'tuna melt meltdown'.
"Kirk! I swear to God, if you do not stop arguing with me, I will break Luke's record!" Lane's screeching voice reached Rory's ears as her eyes met up with Jess's amused ones.
A hush overcame the commotion of the diner as Lane's words registered with the diner's patrons.
No, Rory thought happily to herself. I'm right on time with front row seats.
Kirk stared at Lane with a dismayed expression. "But only Luke kicks me out. No one else has ever kicked me out of this diner."
"Well, I suggest you hand over three dollars and get out of here before I do something I regret!" Lane sounded so much like Luke that Rory giggled as she made her way to the counter where Jess watched.
"How long has this been going on?"
"About 25 minutes, though Lane occasionally storms away to serve other customers. I'd do it myself, but I don't want to miss the action," Jess answered, a familiar smirk appearing.
"And whose plates would those be?" Rory asked teasingly.
Jess glanced down at the plates in surprise. "Damn! I was supposed to—"
"Jeez, Jess. Are you planning on bringing our food up on anytime?" Luke's gruff voice interrupted.
Jess, whose face had been apologetic a second before, suddenly wore a smirk as he raised his hand in mock surrender. "Oh, sorry Hagrid. Please don't use your magic umbrella against me. I promise to be good."
Luke wore a mingled expression of irritation and confusion and Rory suspected that he didn't completely understand the reference. However, it reminded her of that silly conversation once more.
"Kirk! For the final time, hand over the 3 dollars!"
"But, I didn't order cheese so I shouldn't have to—"
Luke paused at the sound of Lane and Kirk arguing and surveyed the situation. He quickly walked around the diner counter and bellowed, "KIRK! Out. NOW!"
The quarrelling pair smiled gratefully at Luke and Kirk unceremoniously rushed out of the diner. Lane sighed and moved over to serve other customers.
"Jeez, Uncle Luke. Way to take away all the fun," Jess complained loudly as Luke seized the various plates.
"Just run the diner, would you? Rory, keep an eye on him for me," Luke responded as he made his way upstairs.
Rory smiled furtively as she leaned over the counter toward Jess. "Hagrid? Magic umbrella?"
"Hey, you promised."
Rory blinked her eyes innocently. "Promised what?"
"You know what."
"I'm really sorry, Jess, but if I can't remember the promise, how can I keep it?" she replied sweetly.
Lowering his voice, he muttered, "That I read the Harry Potter series, and actually enjoyed it."
"Oh, I'll keep your secret… Draco."
A few more patrons came in the diner door and Jess groaned as he put the cleaning rag away.
"That's what I love about this place," Rory said with a grin. "Service with a smile."
"Rory!" Lane rushed forward and the two unreservedly embraced.
Once they broke apart, Rory asked, "How's married life?"
"Oh, well… It's good…" Lane glanced at Jess.
"Fine, fine. Enjoy your girl talk, Mary-Kate and Ashley," Jess said good-naturedly, walking around the counter to the customers who had recently entered.
"So… details? You are now a married woman. How does it feel?"
"Oh, Rory, I never, ever thought I would say this, but I'm glad that waiting till marriage was the one thing that stuck. Being with Zach is…"
"Incredible? Amazing?"
"Beyond incredible. Beyond amazing. Indescribable. Lane Kim has finally entered the world of the sexually active," Lane announced triumphantly. "And she even did it her mother's way. I feel like Jessica Simpson after she finally married and had sex with Nick Lachey."
"Aww, Lane. Your many years of rebellion ultimately ended up in obedience to Mama Kim and Papa Joe!"
"Rory! I dyed my hair purple! I got drunk at a party and called my mother to let her know I was drunk. I moved out of my house and lived with two boys in a band. I married a non-Korean who will never, ever be a doctor. I've watched every single one of Kevin Smith's movies and am planning on seeing the new one in theaters! That is not obedience, my friend. Those are incredible, courageous acts of mutiny."
"Kevin Smith, Lane?" Jess asked mockingly as he handed an order to Caesar and began working at the till.
"Don't tell my mother," she responded instinctively, causing Rory and Jess to laugh.
---
As Lorelai heard Luke's feet moving up the stairs, she snuggled into the bed. Of all the scenarios she had imagined when telling Luke, she could have never imagined this would have worked out as well as it had.
Not that things are fixed. But he's willing to let me fix it, and that's all I need to make things right again, Lorelai thought determinedly.
The door creaked open and Luke looked like a vision with a burger and fries.
"Hey, you look like you could do with a little food," Luke stated quietly.
Lorelai nodded, moved out of the bed, and sat down at the table.
They began eating in silence; Lorelai was surprised that her food was cold but too hungry to really care about it.
After five minutes of silence, Luke said, "It's a zoo with Jess, Lane, and Rory running the place. I'm sure you'll start to feel the flames of the entire place burning down in a few minutes."
"Don't worry, they're good kids."
"Yeah, even Jess now. He's changed a lot since he last lived here."
"Really now? What will Stars Hollow do without its James Dean?"
Luke smiled at her, though it looked slightly forced. "Oh, he's still got an attitude. It's just less… abrasive. Still makes fun of me whenever he can. He even called me Hagrid downstairs. Something about an umbrella."
Lorelai glanced at Luke in surprise. "Why would he call you Hagrid?"
An awkward pause filled the apartment as Luke looked everywhere but Lorelai. Finally, he replied, "That's what April's friends call me. Hagrid. I guess it's a good thing, I don't know."
Lorelai smiled thinly. "Well, that certainly explains some of the comments at the party. And don't worry, it is a good thing."
"How would you know?"
"Oh, one night Rory and I rented all of them. They were cute. Sometimes unrealistic and relatively clichéd, but cute. Plus, Rory and I had a blast deciding which of the Harry Potter children were going to be the hottest."
"You are sick, you know that?" Luke said jokingly, enjoying the banter.
"It's what you love me for," Lorelai quipped and Luke's face was immediately impassive.
Quietly, Lorelai muttered, "I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay," Luke said, his voice strong. "It's true."
Luke reached out his hand to cover Lorelai's and squeezed it for a second. The two shared a private, hopeful smile before returning to their meal in silence.
---
"Oh, c'mon Lane," Rory said. "What could Mama Kim do? You're married and live outside the house."
"How could you doubt her power after witnessing it for so many years?"
"She's the only woman I ever called 'ma'am,'" Jess said as he moved toward them once again, causing Rory and Lane to snicker.
"See, she has that kind of power. She can make the town Biff become George McFly!"
"Order up," Caesar called from the kitchen.
"Hey, I was not Stars Hollow's Biff. Marty, maybe, but not Biff. And she didn't make me into George McFly. All I did was call her ma'am," Jess replied indignantly as he balanced the plates in his hands.
As Jess walked away, Lane shifted closer to Rory. "So, what's up with you?" she asked pointedly.
"Things are good. I miss Logan, but I'm happy to be in Stars Hollow again. Glad it's summer."
"Oh spare me the Data/Lore/B4 talk, Gilmore. I meant you and Jess."
"Data? B-4 what?" Rory asked confusedly.
"Oh, Trekkie reference. I'm sure Luke would have appreciated it," Lane responded absentmindedly. "Anyway, what is up with you and Jess?"
"Me and Jess? There is no me and Jess. A me and Logan, but no me and Jess. We're just friends."
"Humph," Lane muttered, glancing at him suspiciously.
"Hey Lane, break's over. Go serve someone," Jess called as he crossed the diner toward Rory.
Lane sighed and pushed herself off the counter. "Oh, fine. Rory, call me."
"Okay."
"Hey, you want to go for a walk later tonight?" Jess murmured once Lane had moved away.
He stood extremely close to Rory and Jess's cologne almost made Rory want to swoon. That was something she'd never enjoyed about Logan; he always smelt rich, of suede, expensive alcohol, and even more expensive cologne.
Jess's intoxicating scent, on the other hand, smelled natural and strongly reminded Rory of worn leather and something else she couldn't identify. She inhaled deeply, momentarily forgetting where she was.
"Like the way I smell, Rory?" Jess interrupted in an entertained voice, a smirk present as always.
"Sure," she returned calmly, though she avoided his gaze.
"So how about that walk?"
The fluttery feeling in Rory's stomach intensified, and she suppressed it as best she could. She evenly stared at him and casually answered, "Okay. Why not?"
---
A/N: Okay, so I know this wasn't as much "Lit" as some readers were expecting but I've come to a realization: I don't like stories that rush feelings, particularly as one person moves to another, which is my eventual goal. Therefore, I am going to take this relationship as slow as I need to, especially because I want to develop a strong foundation of friendship in addition to the intense physical and emotional attraction that Rory and Jess share.
Additionally, I wanted to demonstrate that Jess brings out the old Rory's best characteristics: she's slightly awkward, rather shy, and yet, independent and incredibly intelligent too.
Finally, I thought the song was particularly appropriate; both the Gilmore girls are back where they belong, Lorelai with Luke at the diner, and Rory with Lane and Jess at the diner.