The Ebb and Flow

Chapter 7: A New Relationship

Author: Knowhere

Rating: R

Disclaimer: Nothing.

AN: Enjoy! (That is all I have to say...)

Summary: Literati. The ebb and flow of a relationship. Charted from its beginning infancy, to its development, and further into its maturity. Due to the age difference, Jess and Rory begin their relationship solely as a friendship. AU.

"Hey." Jess smirked down at her when she just rolled over and buried her head into her pillow.

"Go away."

Sitting down on the edge by her shoulders, he swung his legs onto the bed and sifted his fingers into her hair. "Come on, get up."

Rory batted his hand away, annoyed. "I mean it, go away."

Jess chuckled. "You're cute when you're irritated."

She rolled onto her back but inched the covers up around her shoulders. Rory was well aware that she wasn't wearing a bra under her tank top. "Why are you here?" She sat up but kept the sheet wrapped around her upper body.

He eyed her actions curiously and reached out to trial his fingers down her bare arm. "You afraid I'm gonna see something new?"

Rory bit her lip from laughing but gave Jess a glare nonetheless. "You haven't seen me."

"Hm," Jess bent down to kiss her lightly. "True." He kissed her jaw and palmed her shoulder, steadying her as she swayed when he sucked lightly on the skin on her neck. "You're all warm and sleepy. I like it."

Rory giggled and looked to her door. "Jess! Stop." She hissed under her breath. "My mom's probably just waking up. She could be right outside in the kitchen"

"You've told her about us."

"Yes, I told her, but she's still not going to appreciate you being in my room first thing in the morning." She pushed him away but he just grinned and kissed the other side of her neck, licking along her vein.

"Ah, I see." He smoothed her hair down. Jess chuckled at the sight of her bird's nest of hair. It really was a mess. "I have to drive up to the city today and take care of some lease agreements with Paul."

"Oh." She lay back down. "You leaving right now? It's like the crack of dawn."

"It's only eight o'clock."

"Tomayto, tomahto."

"The appointment's at one, so yeah, I'm leaving now. I also have some business to take care of at school. I need to meet with my advisor to make sure everything's in place for me to graduate in the spring."

Rory rubbed her eyes. "Can't I come with?"

He scooted down from his sitting position until he was on his side, his head propped up by his palm. "I would love for you to come but you promised your mom you would go shopping for dorm room stuff, remember?"

"Oh, right." Rory edged closer and rested an open hand over his steady heart. "You coming back tonight?"

"I'll try but I can't promise you anything."

She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the moment. After she visited him up in New York with the news that she had received a scholarship to the school, it was practically a done deal that they would be together. They agreed that they wouldn't flaunt anything around town and for all appearance's sake, their relationship remained unchanged. He visited a few times and they had lunch at the diner, nothing out of the ordinary save for a few heated glances exchanged between the two of them. No one in town noticed or said anything when their conversations would momentarily stop while they burst into random laughter.

But Jess insisted that she tell her mom and he told his parents as well. His dad just snickered and his mom hugged him with a knowing smile. Lorelai didn't take it as well but Rory smoothed things over. It helped that Jess wasn't able to spend too much time in Stars Hollow since finals had rolled around. Other than that one time where they rushed to get home because they lost track of the hour steaming up the windows in his car, Jess always had Rory at home in time for her curfew. Lorelai eventually came to accept that her daughter was old enough to make her own choices, especially since they were now preparing to move Rory into the dorms at the end of summer.

Given that they didn't have the opportunity to spend a lot of time together, coupled with the fact that they were mostly seen in public, their physical relationship didn't escalate much. They never went as far as getting to a bed and the most horizontal they got was on his family couch one rainy day watching a movie. They ended up just snuggled and he fell asleep with Rory's warm and comforting weight on top of him. Clothing also stayed on. He didn't push and seemed content with the kisses they shared. Rory was glad that Jess was purposely letting her set the rhythm of that aspect in their relationship.

Although they were certainly comfortable enough to finish each other's sentences, know when the other was in a bad mood, and what kinds of foods they liked and disliked, it was the touching and kissing that was brand new to them. Perhaps it was because they knew each other like the backs of their hands that they took things so slow in developing the physical. They were content to be with each other watching a movie and they weren't nervous about not touching the entire time. It didn't bother either of them if they sat at Luke's through the lunch rush and only filled up half the time with conversation.

There was some times where things did get heated. Just last week he took her to eat in Hartford and the sight of her flimsy summer dress wound him up all throughout dinner. They held hands as they walked around and when he stopped the car in the typical Stars Hollow high school make out point, Rory had giggled but slid willingly into lap. The steering wheel behind her didn't allow for much movement even though the seat was pushed all the way back. But they didn't care. Their kisses weren't chaste, with their tongues sliding and hands roving. She pressed down into his erection and he felt her heat clearly even through his slacks. Jess had reclined the seat and his hot palms constantly lifted the hem of her dress, inching higher and higher as she held his face and kissed him.

Rory's hair had made a dark curtain around the two of them and they broke the kissing to concentrate on what was happening between their laps. His hands on her hips moved her back and forth, rubbing the seam of his crotch against her, simulating the act of sex. Rory had felt his harsh breathing against her cheek but focused all her energy on rubbing against him. She exploded with a whimper and a bite on his neck and Jess held onto her while she collapsed into his chest. He shook his head at the thought of them going at it in his car but was thankful that they didn't take it all the way. Jess remained hard and not fully satisfied but it was better than going home with a wet spot right on his pants. After all, he was staying at home for the summer. He had taken her home that night with a wide smile on their faces and when he saw her the next morning at Luke's, he was delighted to see her flush a deep pink.

"Do you have to leave right now?" Rory shifted closer, positioning herself halfway on top of him.

Jess smirked. "Well, maybe I can spare a couple of minutes." Her blanket had fallen away with her movements and his sneaky fingers plucked at her tank top strap. It didn't escape him that she wasn't wearing a bra. They had left the window open and the morning chill hadn't died down yet.

Rory glanced down and saw what he was smirking at. "Pervert," she swatted him with a giggle.

"Hm, say that again," he pulled her higher on his chest. "I could learn to love it."

Rory heard the noise of the coffee spot sputtering and knew that her mom would be down soon for her morning cup. She gave him a quick peck, ignoring his protesting groan and rolled off the bed. "Get out of here. Shoo, my mom will be down soon."

Jess chuckled. "Since you asked so nicely." He threw a leg over her windowsill. "I'll call you later."

"Is this a good class to take?" She held up the college course book.

He peered down and squinted at the item she was pointing to with her highlighter. "I don't know; I haven't heard of it."

"Hm, they recommend it for freshmen in the English department." She chewed on the pen cap. "I'll put it on the 'maybe' list."

Jess toyed with the end of her ponytail, enjoying the shade that the tree provided and the warm weight of Rory's head in his lap. "Did your dad call?"

Rory's hands stilled but she didn't turn or make an effort to look at Jess. "Yeah."

"And?" He knew she was agitated and soothed her by rubbing the base of her skull.

"And nothing." She bent a page in the catalog to mark it. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"You never want to talk about your dad." He kept his voice even, knowing that they were wading into dangerous territory.

"Then you should know better to ask in the first place." Her tone was clipped.

"Rory," he chided her.

She rolled off her back and off his legs, sitting up Indian style. "Don't use that tone with me, Jess. I'm not a little kid you need to comfort. Not right now."

"Okay." He kept his posture relaxed against the tree, but he looked expectantly at her.

She buckled under the weight of his patient stare. "What do you want me to say? He missed my graduation. He only just called the other day. That's it."

"All right."

Rory wasn't placated by his easy acquiesce. "Why would you bring it up now?"

"Seemed a good a time as any."

She scowled. "It's never a good time."

Jess reached over and rubbed away the tension spot between her brows. "Maybe that's the problem."

Rory swatted away his hand, annoyed that he was being so calm and rational. "I'm going home." He got up to his feet but Rory cut him off. "Alone."

Jess stood and scrutinized her, recognizing her need for space. "Okay. I have things to do as well. Mom's been asking me to fix the sprinklers."

Further annoyed by his acceptance of her brush off, Rory left even though she knew she was unnecessarily taking out her anger at the situation with her dad on Jess. "Fine. See you later." When she saw that he wasn't going to try to give her a quick kiss or anything, it bugged her even more as she saw the understanding in his eyes. The smug bastard knew that she wanted him to kiss her, but that she was also too wound up in her own anger to admit it.

Jess watched the emotions play across her face, wondering if she knew she was so easily read. Probably not. "I'll see you tomorrow for coffee."

Rory stalked away, fuming at herself for being angry. She hadn't wanted to fight, damn it. Walking across the street from the park she almost ran into someone in front of Doosie's. "Hey, you okay?"

A pair of hands steadied her and she looked up to see Dean. "Oh, hi. Yeah, thanks."

Dean stared off into the distance and Rory turned to see that Jess was leaning against the side of the gazebo, a slight smirk on his face as if he didn't care that his girlfriend just literally ran into her ex-boyfriend. Already annoyed with herself and with Jess for bringing up a topic that he knew she didn't want to talk about, Rory was further goaded with seeing that semi-smile on Jess's face. While she knew that there was nothing going on between her and Dean anymore, she still stewed at the fact that Jess didn't look the tiniest bit threatened.

"I heard that you and Jess are together." Dean motioned to Jess across the street.

"You heard right." Rory's tone was just a shade into sarcasm. The town wasn't exactly buzzing with the news, but it wasn't a rare sight to see the two of them holding hands in Luke's diner or around the park.

"So that's the reason you broke up with me?" Dean's voice was too accusatory for Rory's tastes.

"No, it was because you gave me an ultimatum. And if I remember correctly, you were the one doing the dumping, not me."

"He's too old for you."

Rory scoffed, her mood already beyond testy. "Doesn't seem to be a problem when he's kissing me."

Dean's face was shocked. "Jesus, Rory."

Rory heard her words and blushed violently. "Sorry. I didn't mean to say that to you." She started to walk away but turned back around. "But it's none of your business anyways. So I'm not that sorry. We've been broken up for a while, Dean. I wasn't going to pine away forever."

"No, you just jumped right into his arms."

"Listen you," she started to poke a finger at him, "Just because—"

An arm encircled her. "Come on, Ror. Let's go." Jess's voice was calmly whispered into her ear.

Rory didn't struggle as the weight of what just happened between her and Dean finally flooded her awareness. She started to shrug off Jess's arm but he already knew her well enough to take it away. "Oh god, I didn't just say that to him."

Jess chuckled. "I think you're going to have the town gossip mill running overtime with that little scene."

She whirled around, coming to a stop at the intersection. "You're not jealous at all, are you?"

"You say it like it's a bad thing." Jess smirked and tugged on her hand when the street was clear. "I don't have anything to be jealous of, right? Listen, Rory. You can have your own set of friends. In fact, I know you do and you can be friends with whomever you want. You don't have to spend every waking moment with me. I know we'd get tired of each other. We both need time alone and we know it. It's always been like that between us. Plus, I know I don't need to be jealous." He didn't drop his smirk. "You're not the cheating type. You'd be too nervous at being caught."

Rory punched his shoulder. Hard. "I can't believe you're making fun."

He rubbed his shoulder good-naturedly and shrugged. "It's true though. Just like how you know I wouldn't cheat on you. I'd break up with you first." He chuckled.

She finally saw a bit of the humor in his statements. And she saw the truth. "Gee, thanks."

Judging by the slight change in tone, he knew she was done being angry. "Come here." Jess slung his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a brief kiss. "You still wanna go home? Or do you want to watch me struggle with the sprinklers and look like I entered a wet t-shirt contest?" He wagged his eyebrows with a hint of a leer.

Rory smiled. He always did know how to coax a smile out of her. "Only if I get to be the one to hose you down first."

"I'd say you were just flirting with me." He laced their fingers together and changed their direction to his house. "Can I hose you down as well?"

"No, pervert."

"See, I told you I could learn to love that name." He laughed when he felt her nip his shoulder through the t-shirt.

Rory eyed her new roommate warily as she watched her set up a fake Zen garden by the nightstand. Rory whispered, "I'm kinda afraid to spend the night here by myself."

Jess looked up from where he was setting up her stereo and gave Rory an expression of concern. "You really?" He kept his voice low. "You can come stay with me if you want." Apparently his voice wasn't low enough because Rory's roommate turned around and gave them a curious look. Jess snickered.

Rory shook her head and set the time on her alarm clock. "No, I wasn't being totally serious. Besides, I have to get used to it. I can't hide out forever."

"You have everything you need here. Even Howard." Placing the otter in her lap, Jess patted her thigh and went out to get the last of her boxes.

"Your boyfriend?" The blonde girl spoke up from across the room.

Rory smiled softly. "Yeah."

"He's cute."

"I think so."

"If you ever need…you know, space," she gestured toward Rory's bed, "just let me know and I can sleep out on the couch."

Rory internally winced at the implied vulgarity of the statement. "Uh, thanks. Ditto, I guess."

"I'm nervous."

"You're going to be fine."

She sipped her coffee and let him lead her across the lawn with her hand tucked snugly in his. "What if I get lost?"

Jess rolled his eyes. "You studied the map of the campus like it had the meaning of life hidden in it. And you made me quiz you on it!" He smirked at her. "You'll be fine."

"Will I see you afterwards?"

He smiled at her nervousness and tugged her into the building. "Yes. I'll be waiting right outside, impatient to hear every last detail."

Rory snickered. "Now I know you're mocking me."

They stopped in front of a classroom and Jess leaned against the wall, bringing Rory to shuffle her feet between his. He kissed her lightly. "You okay?"

She looked down at her messenger bag. "Do I have everything? Paper, binder, pens, schedule, list of textbooks." Rory rifled through the front pocket. "Oh, I forgot gum. What if I have coffee breath?"

Jess chuckled. "Here." He slipped her a little tin of Altoids.

"You're the best." Rory fluttered her eyelashes with exaggerated gestures.

"That's what they all tell me."

She stepped away from his embrace. "I better get in there. I don't want to be stuck with a bad seat."

Jess let her ramble on. "I'll see you later."

"And how was your first day?"

"Good. Not as painful as I feared." Rory grabbed another slice and bit into it, savoring the gooey cheese. "You?"

Jess switched the radio station on his stereo by remote. "Fine. It's weird knowing that it's my last year."

"Excited?"

"I suppose."

Rory leaned into Jess's shoulder, her foot nudging his. "I like having dinner in bed."

Jess smiled and kissed her gently, chuckling when he tasted pizza on her lips. "Hm pepperoni…sexy."

She laughed. "I think I just heard Paul come home."

"Oh yeah?" Jess reached down to put the pizza box on the floor and rolled on top of Rory, pinning her in place. "Let him get his own girl." He nibbled at her lips. "You're mine."

Rory pushed up into his chest jokingly. "You don't own me."

His eyebrow lifted playfully. "Okay then, wanna own me?"

"Weirdo."

Jess laughed. "How 'bout you say that to my face?"

Rory framed his jaw with her hands and brought him down for a kiss.

AN: Writing notes posted on forum.

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