Hey guys, chapter two for ya. Most of the story line is taken from Raincoats and Recipes, a little bit of the dialogue too, but I've added mostly my own dialogue and changed a bit of the story line. I hope you enjoy it and I would really, really appreciate if you took just one minute to say 'liked it' or anything like that haha. Let me know if I should continue. Anyway, thank you sooo much for reading and please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything affiliated with Gilmore Girls.
Chapter: 2
"What did he want?" Lane stared at her with wide-eyes, completely attentive and captivated.
"He wanted me to come take a ride with him." Rory said somewhat awkwardly, her nose scrunching in a confused manner.
"Oh my God! Did you do it?" Lane munched on a chip, her eyes never once leaving Rory's face.
"Yes." Rory shook her head with a disbelieving scoff, astonished at her own confirmation.
"Yes? You said yes? Okay, you can not just drop a bomb like that and then not painstakingly divulge every last miniscule detail!" Lane's mouth hung open as she stared at her best friend in shock.
"It was so…bizarre. I mean, at first, I was so upset. He bailed on me twice, you know?" Rory huffed in indignation. "And we were driving around and Jess was being Jess and for a while I just wanted to rip his head off."
"That's understandable." Lane said with a solemn nod.
Rory paused thoughtfully before continuing quietly. "We kind of had it out for a few minutes, just throwing around insults, but eventually things calmed down and we actually talked for once and…I don't know, it wasn't too bad I guess." She concluded with a sigh, staring down at her lap.
"So what…are you guys, like, back together now or something?" Lane asked slowly.
Rory scoffed incredulously. "No. Definitely not."
"Are you still hating each other?" Lane asked confusedly.
"No, not that either." Rory sighed in frustration. "I don't even know what we are or what we're doing or what I'm doing or…it's just all so…confusing." She huffed and ran a hand through her hair.
"Sounds like you're not over it…or him." Lane said gently with a sympathetic look for her friend's disgruntled expression.
"I thought I was." Rory replied quietly. "I should be. This is so…" She stood up and paced the room irately. "He just disappears and then suddenly deigns to show up whenever he feels like it's most convenient for him, not even caring that he's wrecking everything that I've built for the past year." She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back against the wall, resting her head against it with a dull thud.
Lane looked at her pensively, watching Rory's face contort into an array of emotions before settling on a blank stare. "Chip for your thoughts?" She stood and extended a Pringle to her.
Rory took it silently and munched on the end absentmindedly. She took another moment to gather her thoughts before starting. "When I first met Jess, I thought, 'What could be better than this? He's smart, good taste in books and music, so cute.' But Jess is great one minute and then the next…" She trailed off and bit off a larger portion of her chip. She swallowed tensely before consuming the other half.
"It's part of why he's cute. He's unpredictable." Lane said definitively while she handed Rory another chip.
"I guess." She said with a sigh. "But I'm tired of unpredictable. I'm tired of not knowing what he's feeling or thinking. It was cute for a while, and I do still love his spontaneity, but I can't deal with that all the time. I can't handle not knowing what his next move is going to be or where I fit into his life. Unpredictability is cute for the little things, but in the long run…"
"Well, I think you do know how he feels about you. At least you have that." Lane said quietly.
"Yeah. I have that." Her heart palpitated uneasily as she recalled his words from three months ago.
After a moment Lane hesitantly asked, "So you're saying there's no change? He's exactly the same?"
Rory thought it over for a moment. No, he wasn't exactly the same. After all, he had opened up to her, albeit a small amount, but still…it was different. "No, I think he's a little different. He told me where he'd been for the last year."
"And you choose to tell me this now?" Lane asked excitedly, pulling Rory back to the couch.
"He was in California with his dad."
"Woah, wasn't expecting that one." Lane blinked a few times. "I didn't even think he knew his dad." She said hesitantly.
"He didn't. I guess he just…showed up one day at the diner." Rory shrugged.
"Wow. So he's been there for a whole year?"
"No, only for a couple months. He's back in New York now."
"Well that's definitely a lot closer than California." Rory shot her a scathing look that said 'don't go there' but Lane ignored her. "What? I'm just being practical here. In the off chance that you guys do get back together-"
"Very off chance." Rory interrupted petulantly.
"Then," Lane carried on in an exaggerated tone, overriding Rory's declaration. "I think you'd much rather he was only two hours away as opposed to two days."
"Well it doesn't matter how far away he is because we're not back together."
"Oh, so you're not even considering the possibility?" Lane arched an eyebrow and gave her an incredulous look.
"No." Rory answered unconvincingly. She hesitated before conceding. "Okay, maybe a little. A very little." She emphasized her last words at Lane's devilish grin.
"Uh huh." Lane said in a 'yeah right' kind of manner.
"Besides, I don't even know when the next time I'll see him will be." Rory said defensively.
"You expect me to believe you spent two hours with your quasi-ex/possible-future-boyfriend and didn't acquire one single way of contacting him?"
"He is not my possible-future-boyfriend." Lane's penetrating stare forced her to crack. "Okay, I may have gotten his phone number." She mumbled discontentedly.
"Have you called him?"
"No, it's only been a few days. And even if I did call I would have no idea what to say. 'Hey, thanks for that great chat about your entire year spent not with me. I guess it really sucks how you live over two hours away and we're never ever going to see each other. But we can still make it work right?'" Rory continued sarcastically. "'Oh yeah, and that other thing where you bailed on me twice and I'm still really mad at you and haven't forgiven you, that's just the icing on the cake.'"
"Rory." Lane said with a dry chuckle. "Don't you think you're being a little unfair? I mean, you said he changed right? Well maybe you should give it some time. One tiny conversation isn't going to automatically give you guys a clean slate. If that's even possible."
"I know." Rory grumbled childishly. "I'm just so confused. One minute I want to kiss him and the next I want to shove his head in a toilet."
"Ew, swirly. Very unpleasant." Lane's face puckered.
"I'll give it time." Rory said with a nod.
"And whatever you do, don't blow up at him on the phone." Lane pointed a finger at her. "You can't lose your head or you guys will never work anything out."
"Believe me, I know." Rory said sarcastically.
It was quiet for a moment; both wrapped in their own thoughts before Lane's mind suddenly stopped on something very peculiar. "Hey what's up with you and Dean lately?"
Rory's stomach felt like it had dropped out. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know, it just seems like you guys have gotten very buddy-buddy lately." Lane eyed her apprehensively. "You haven't been thinking…"
"I don't know." Rory groaned and dropped her head into her hands.
"Wow." Rory could hear Lane's dumbstruck tone. "Your life has suddenly reached soap opera levels of boy crazy."
"Seems like I've been here before." Rory said bitterly, lifting her head out of her hands.
"I am getting a sense of déjà vu." Lane nodded. "But it was never this intense."
"He's married Lane." Rory mumbled.
"I know." She agreed solemnly.
"One's married and the other is flaky and lives over two hours away." Rory dropped her head back onto the couch. "I hate soap operas."
"They are the Marlon Jackson of daytime television." Lane looked at Rory thoughtfully. "You do realize out of those two scenarios that only one is a real possibility…right?"
Rory looked down at her hands, too ashamed to meet her friend's eyes. "Yeah, I do. It's just that lately…it seems like I've been smudging that line a bit." She swallowed tensely. "It's so easy to fall back into everything. With Dean everything was so…safe. He was so nice to me. I think I really messed that up, you know? I didn't appreciate it."
"Dean was very dependable." Lane agreed but she couldn't subdue the uneasy feeling in her stomach. "But like you said, he's married. Off the market. And, easily falling back into a guy that was safe and dependable…that doesn't really sound like…"
"Anything." Rory agreed tiredly. "It just felt good, being noticed and thought of. Feeling loved. That's not anything to base a relationship off of but it's still nice." She stared at the wall with an anxious expression. "Comforting. And with this past year at Yale…"
"I guess you've needed that." Lane concluded.
"Yeah." Rory bit her lip.
"So what are we pursuing? Have we reached a consensus?" Lane asked.
Rory pursed her lips in thought. "Well I guess it's pretty obvious that the Dean ship has sailed. I just need to move past that feeling."
"And the Jess ship?"
"I think the crew has scurvy." Rory mumbled miserably.
Lane giggled uncontrollably. "What does that even mean?"
"It means…it's not okay now…but maybe with some time-"
"And fruit." Lane blurted.
"And fruit," Rory cracked a smile, "we'll be able to breathe the same air without drudging up the past."
"So it's more of a rowboat?"
"With only two crew members. Rowing from Connecticut to England."
Lane nodded with a pensive expression. "How long do you think it takes to get from Connecticut to England in a rowboat?"
"I'm guessing a while. Especially if the crew is rowing in opposite directions." Rory said with a sigh.
"Okay, this conversation is getting way too metaphorical." Lane said with furrowed eyebrows.
"Yeah." Rory agreed with a frown.
"Just so we're clear…the Dean thing really has blown over? You can tell me, you know. If you're still thinking about it." Lane eyed her carefully.
"I think it has. I just really missed that feeling. I can't say that I'm one hundred percent sure it's over until I see him…but I don't think I want to pursue anything. I'd rather not be labeled a home wrecker if you don't mind."
"The day you're labeled a home wrecker is the day I tell Mama Kim I've converted to Satanism."
Rory climbed the stairs to the Dragonfly Inn slowly. Looking up, her stomach immediately felt unsettled. She figured now was as good a time as any to do this.
"Hi." She said to Dean quietly. He placed a very heavy looking wooden door on the floor.
Breathing heavily he responded curtly. "Hey." He shifted uncomfortably, his eyes avoiding hers at all costs. "I have to get this upstairs."
"Can't we talk?" She asked a little desperately.
"What about?" He asked snippily.
"The other night." She replied quietly.
"Whatever. I don't care." He shuffled like he was about to pick the door up again so she scrambled for something to say.
"Why are you so mad?"
"I'm not mad. I'm working." He responded unconvincingly.
"I left you three messages. You didn't answer any of them. You blew me off at Luke's today. You won't look me in the eye."
"I have to go." He said with a disgruntled sigh.
"Why won't you just talk to me?" She said in exasperation.
"Because you told me to leave Rory!" His voice sounded hurt.
"I had to." She looked at the floor, not ready to reveal everything that had transpired after his departure. That would officially be the end of any potential future they had. Oh, who was she kidding? What future?
"Why did you have to?" He asked with a sneer.
"I needed to talk to him about some things." She shook her head and looked back up.
"Right. Did you tell him to leave too?" He asked with bitter sarcasm, grinding his teeth as he clenched his jaw.
Rory bit her lip and looked at the wall. She blew out a slow breath before whispering, "Not exactly."
"What does that even-" He stopped suddenly and his fists clenched in disbelief. "You're back with him aren't you?" He laughed humorlessly.
"No, I'm not back with him."
"Then what the hell is this Rory? You didn't tell him to leave, but you're not with him, so what is this?" He gestured widely with his hands, clearly fed up with her vague responses.
"I don't know okay?" She said huffily, growing irritated by his 'victim' persona. "We just talked for a few hours, that's it. Then he went back to New York. I haven't heard from him since Saturday."
"I don't like him." Dean blurted suddenly.
"I know." She said with a confused expression.
"And I…I don't want you to be with him." He looked at her intensely.
She licked her lips uneasily. "Dean you're married." She said quietly. He leaned forward and her heart beat increased rapidly, slamming against her ribs. Her bottom lip dangled helplessly as she froze in place. Just as he was an inch from her face she stuttered out, "D-don't."
He stepped back as though he'd been slapped and looked at her with burning eyes. Whether from lust or fury she couldn't be sure.
Without another word she quickly turned away from him and bounded down the stairs before shakily bursting onto the porch.
Rory flipped through her CD collection absentmindedly. She was staring at a small scrap of paper on her nightstand, focusing to the point where all the numbers blurred into a mass of gray. She shook her head and sighed, trying to place her attention back on the music selection.
Feeling her phone vibrate against her thigh she grumbled at the new distraction before withdrawing it from her pocket. "Hello?"
"Hey."
Her eyes widened and her breath stopped short. She held the phone away from her ear and looked at the screen.
"Hello?" He repeated uneasily. "Rory?"
She held the phone back up to her ear and breathed deeply. "I think I might be telepathic."
He furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"
"I have been staring at that stupid scrap of paper for ten minutes now and the moment I finally look away to get some work done is the moment you decide to call."
"Wouldn't that be telekinesis?"
"I don't know." She replied in aggravation. "All I know is that it has to do with the mind, it's some kind of sixth sense, and I have it."
"Bruce Willis would be proud."
"They should give me an Oscar." She sighed and began flipping through her CD's again, supporting the phone with her shoulder.
"So what's up?" He asked slowly.
"Nothing much. Just grabbing some music."
"For?" He lay back against his mattress, folding one arm behind his head.
"The Dragonfly Inn's official test run." She said in a falsely serious voice.
"Oh yeah, Luke mentioned something about that. How's it going?"
"Pretty good. Everyone gets to follow their own personal door to their room." She picked up a David Bowie CD and added it to her growing collection.
"I'd take a nice piece of oak over the mini bar any day."
"I think its cedar."
"Well in that case." He smirked momentarily as the conversation lulled.
"So, what about you? Traipsing about the city I suppose?"
"There's not much to traipse when you've lived here for sixteen years."
"Humor me." She deadpanned.
"Well, yesterday I toured the Statue of Liberty for the first time. Absolutely mind blowing. And today I was thinking about going to Times Square but I couldn't make it. Man, was I bummed." He replied sarcastically but smiled when he was rewarded with her stifled giggle.
"I cannot picture you taking a tour of anything, much less the Statue of Liberty. Did you get a souvenir torch?" She asked teasingly.
"They were all out." He replied dryly before picking up on her first train of thought. "But luckily you'll never have to. I toured it when I was five."
"Field trip?" She asked knowingly.
"First one." He replied with a nod.
"Hmm." She mumbled thoughtfully. "Are there pictures?"
"It's doubtful." He replied cryptically.
"Meaning?"
"I torched 'em when I was eleven."
"Jess!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "That is so typical. Am I the only one who hasn't burned their baby pictures?"
"Doesn't mean you haven't wanted to." He said pointedly. "You were probably too afraid of getting caught."
She blushed at her predictability and the fact that he could easily recognize it. "I happened to be an adorable baby."
"I've seen proof." He grinned lopsidedly as he heard her splutter.
"I can't believe my mom even showed you those. She hates you." She stated factually, knowing he wouldn't take offense.
"Apparently not as much as she hates you. She practically pulled 'em out the minute my foot hit the hardwood."
"Hmm, you've got me on that one."
He snorted. "Please, Lorelai could never pass up an opportunity to brag about her angel child."
"True."
"The opportunities are so few and far between, she's really gotta seize the moment." He replied sarcastically.
"It's become her life's work." She said with a mocking sigh. A moment later she heard a loud rap against the kitchen door.
"Door?" Jess asked as he heard the insistent tapping.
"Yeah, could you hold on for a sec.?"
"Sure."
Rory held the phone against her chest as she opened the door.
"Dean. How'd you know I was here?" She blinked rapidly trying to recover from her shock.
Jess's jaw tensed considerably as he heard the muffled name pass through the speaker.
This story probably feels like it's going at a snails pace, but I want to make it very realistic, so it might stay that way haha. I don't want to rush anything between the two of them. Anyway, thank you so much for reading and please review!