"You knew all along that Luke would want me to be his best man, didn't you?"

"Yes," Rory says with a smirk.

"Why did he choose me? I'm the good for nothing nephew that left without saying good bye," Jess said lightly.

"You shouldn't think of yourself like that, you are so much more than good for nothing."

After Rory says this they fall into a silence that both feel like breaking but can't think if they really want to or not.

Finally Rory says, "Honestly, you want to know why?"

"Of course."

"Okay I'll tell you. For one thing he really doesn't have any friends and it was a choice between you, T.J., and Kirk."

"Really now, he'd rather have me stand up there with him than Kirk," Jess says sarcastically.

"Yup, and I'm glad he chose you because I really couldn't stand spending the evening stuck with T.J. and quite honestly Kirk freaks me out a little. Then again, I don't think Kirk would be Kirk if he didn't freak you out even just a little bit."

"I think you're right about that."

"And no offense, but your step-father is…….. I have no words to describe T.J."

"I think the way Luke put it when they first met was he's a grown man with an etchasketch."

"Fitting."

"Yeah. So, anything exciting happening in your life? I mean besides this job that you're here in Philly for."

"No, I haven't exactly had that much opportunity to have anything exciting happen since graduation. What about you, anything going on in your life?"

"Working on another book. I'll be sure to send you a copy when it's published."

"Oh, you don't have to do that."

"I want to. You'd probably like it. I don't know. Might remind you of high school. It's a love story."

"You're writing a love story, I'm surprised. So, what's it about?"

"A troubled teen who falls for the town princess. Only not so much drama as what we went through."

"I think it's sweet. Our history would make a very good book. I'm glad that you're working on something. I can't believe that we're both here like this. I mean, we're both really successful, and we're doing what we both want to do. Plus, mom and Luke finally decided to listen to everybody."

"I'm surprised that so much has gone right for me. I mean, when Liz sent me to Luke, I was in so much trouble. Then, I met you and things started to go right, but then I had to go and mess things up by leaving. I ran into my dad in California. He had a girlfriend and she had a daughter named Lilly. The first time I saw her, she was reading in a cupboard. Then I left California and started traveling around the country. Then I got a call from Liz saying that Luke stole my car. So I went back to Stars Hollow, not intending to do anything except get my car back. I ran into you so many times before I was able to leave. I'm sorry I just left after saying that I love you."

"It hurt me when you left like that."

"I know, I can't do enough to let you know that it killed me to just walk to my car and drive away, but you weren't saying anything and I seriously felt like an idiot for even opening my mouth."

"Okay, let's get off the topic of the I love you and walk away debacle. So, what happened after that?"

"Well, I decided to stop travelling and lived in New York. Then Luke came and somehow managed to convince me to go back to that hell hole of a town and walk my mother down the aisle. Then I went to your dorm at Yale right after the wedding and practically begged you to leave with me." He hesitated before finishing what he was going to say. "In a way I'm glad that you said no because look where I ended up. If you had said yes, then we wouldn't be here like this. At the time that I started to write the subsect, I was honestly thinking that maybe if it was good enough, then maybe I could win you back. Then I decided just to write and let everything fall into place. I mean, everything happens for a reason, right? You saying that you didn't want to be with me was probably one of the best things that could have happened."

Neither one of them could believe that he was being so honest. Even when they had dated he would never open up like this, not even to her.

"I guess you're right. I felt so upset when I said no to you and you had left. I just panicked. I'd never been in a situation like that and I was scared and you had hurt me so much," Rory said slowly and quietly, trying to hold back tears.

"What do you say we get out of here. I mean, look at you, you're about to start crying. And I don't think that the middle of a diner is the place to have this kind of conversation."

"Yeah. Let's go."

They got up and paid for their food. Even though Rory would have paid for her own Jess wouldn't let her. So after he had paid the bill they walked outside.

"So, where do you wanna go? My apartment or your hotel room?"

"How about my hotel room. I mean you live above Truncheon and wouldn't your roommates get kind of curious if they saw you with and ex girlfriend upstairs by ourselves?"

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Then let's go."

They went back to Rory's hotel room only to find Sarah there.

"So, where do you want to go now?"

"I have absolutely no clue. Maybe we should ask her to leave."

"Are you sure, I mean, she seems like the type to start rumors, her and Ms. Patty would get along perfectly."

"Relax. I'll talk to her."

"Okay."

Rory walked into her room and said, "Can you leave? I mean, Jess and I need somewhere to talk things out privately and you're here so can you please leave?"

"Why can't you go to his apartment?"

"He has like two or three roommates that live there. Getting rid of one is easier than getting rid of two or three."

"Okay, I kind of need to go and make a phone call to my boyfriend back at home and I can't get reception in this room."

"Thanks, Sarah."

"Oh, no problem."

Sarah walked out of the room and Jess walked in.

"So, where do we start?" Rory asked.

"You were saying how upset you were after I asked you to come with me after my mom's wedding."

"Oh, yeah. As soon as you walked out that door I felt my heart breaking. It was like the day that mom told me you were gone all over again."

This time she couldn't hold back the tears, she just let them fall not caring that the reason for them had happened so long ago. Jess walked over to her and put his arms around her. He started rubbing his hand up and down her back trying to comfort her.

They stayed like that for a while. Finally Rory's phone rang and she had to answer it.

It was her mom on the phone wanting to know every detail of her day.

"Hey, mom. What's up?"

"I was just wondering what your day was like. Jess didn't do anything to make you cry did he? I can tell that you've been crying, I can hear it in your voice."

"Relax, we just got into a sensitive subject. I'll tell you later what it was. He's still with me, he took an entire day off work just to be with me and sort some things out."

"Okay. Well, call me when he leaves, okay?"

"I will."

Rory hung up the phone and went to sit on her bed. Jess followed her lead sitting next to her on the bed.

"So, about what happened yesterday before you left," Jess said.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, it just did."

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that I liked it. What about you?" Jess said this quietly.

Rory doesn't say anything for a while before saying, "Yes, I did like it. But it didn't mean anything. I mean, I don't have those kinds of feeling for you anymore."

"I called you the day you graduated from Chilton, I didn't say anything, but you knew it was me. Do you remember what you said that day over the silent phone call?"

"No, I don't. I probably should remember but I don't," she answered truethfully.

"You said that you may have loved me, but you just needed to let it go."

"I did?"

Just by looking into his eyes she knew that that had been the extent of what she had said, she also knew that he wouldn't lie to her about what she had said. He just slowly nodded his head yes.

They sat in silence for a while just trying to soak in what had been said today.

Finally, Rory unable to stand the silence anymore asked, "Read to me?"

"What do you want me to read?"

Without noticing what book it was she grabbed something out of her book bag and handed it to him.

"My book? Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Even with knowing why I even started writing it?"

"Yeah. I mean, it's a good book, why stop reading it because the author started writing it to try to win my heart? Which he didn't have to do, because he already had it."

She didn't realize what she had said until she saw the look on his face. The expression was full of love and passion. She felt like she wanted to kiss him to no end right then and there.

No faster had she thought this then he had leaned over and crushed his lips to her. She was surprised, but didn't pull away like she normally would have, instead she deepened the kiss by pulling him closer. They continued until the need to breath became evident.