AN yes i do not know about what landmarks are in Philadelphia, but here we go another chapter to keep you guys busy
Rory sat at the small table, in her equally small kitchen and grinned. She loved her small apartment, from the living room to the bedroom. The best thing about the apartment was the view from her living room window, overlooking Washington Square. She spent every Saturday afternoon sitting on the bench while she read her favorite book.
But she also loved her new job; she had finally had the job she craved. The Philadelphia Journal was a small syndicate paper which had a 200,000 circulation. Her first assignment was covering a very public book signing; the editor was so enamored with her humorous editorial he made it a weekly feature.
Rory still called her mother at least once a day, missing Star's Hollow with her mother's anecdotes. But she was going to prove to Jess that she was serious, a weekly anonymous package with a book that meant something particular to him. Every week she dropped off the package and waited in the coffee shop across the street, watching as small smile lit on his face.
The first time she saw him since the wedding, she wanted to throw herself in his arms. But he needed someone who was serious, patient and she really didn't want to alert him too soon.
Crossing the street and across the park, she entered the small quaint coffee shop that reminded her so much of Luke's. Ordering her ritual cup of coffee, she smiled and dropped her money onto the counter.
Jess was bored, so he decided to take a different route that morning. Grabbing a tea from the diner on the corner of his street, taking the long walk to the bookstore. Standing by the bus stop he glanced across the street and stopped suddenly, there in the early morning sunshine.
There she was standing with not a care in the world, her chestnut hair alighting like strands of fire ready to burn holes through his soul. Holding a cup of coffee she delicately sipped, unaware of what feelings she was stirring. Jess stood transfixed as she checked her watch, every movement in slow motion allowing him to savor every second.
Jess held onto the strap of his book bag, and carefully kept her in view as he followed her. He was surprised when she walked into the newspaper building. Jess stood outside on the busy sidewalk, staring through the window trying to catch a last glimpse of her.
Philadelphia Journal mocked him from the window, he took a step back. She was living in Philadelphia, here in the same city as him. He suddenly felt the small shift in balance but a gigantic effort on her part.
Pulling on the door he had to find out for certain, walking towards the reception he smiled encouragingly at the young woman.
"Can you tell me, if a Rory Gilmore works here?" The receptionist smiled and tapped a few buttons on her keyboard.
"Yes here she is, 6th floor editorials."
"Thank you." Jess smiled and walked towards the elevator.
Entering the lift with only the annoying instrumental music to keep him company, he was suddenly thrown into a flurry of activity. Elevator doors opened and people rushed around carrying files, keyboards tapping loudly over the small hum of the office.
Jess turned left and wandered down the corridor, ducking suddenly when he spotted Rory moving to sit down at a nearby desk. Cursing under his breath he rolled his eyes, as she sunk behind the wall that led to her desk.
"Rory, hey! How was your weekend?"
"Very nice, I finished that book I was stuck on." Lisa rolled her eyes and placed the coffee on her desk.
Lisa was a 5"2 blond southern photographer that was on a retainer for the paper. Even helping on the occasional publicity section, she had met Rory in the first week and instantly connected. It wasn't long before Lisa found out the real reason Rory moved cities.
"So, did you see him?" Lisa grabbed a nearby chair and sat down.
"Yeah, I saw him on Friday. He was just leaving the book store."
"And?" Rory grinned at Lisa's excitement.
"Yes he was carrying the book."
"How long are you going to let this continue? I mean from what you've said he's not really going to talk to anyway. I mean he's got to know it's you right?"
"It's complicated; I want him to understand that I'm dead serious. I never showed him before, and now I have the perfect solution."
"Just tell him you love him, It's too much work for one man." Lisa sipped on her coffee.
"I told him I loved him, but I knew it had to be more. Moving may seem drastic to you, but it may just the gesture he notices. And Jess is a little if not complicated; he has to know I'm not going anywhere." Jess smirked and lowered his head; carefully he made his way out of the building.
Three weeks later Rory made the secret walk to the bookstore, the brown package was held tightly under her arm. Standing in front of the book store as daylight began to creep over the horizon; she looked up into the dull morning sky and grinned. Looking down that when she noticed the doorstep was not bare, a similar looking package but her name was emblazoned in black marker.
Placing her package on the doorstep, she picked up the one in her name and ripped off the wrapping. Removing the small book she flipped through the pages grinning, every section was marked in his handwriting.
Various landmarks he thought of interest, including dates at the Washington Park with a time. Her heartbeat raced against her chest, he must want her to meet him.
Jess stood in the dark of the book store, his eyes trained on the door. For the past two weeks he had been watching her, following her routine. He knew the exact time she would arrive at the book store, and it was time he let go a little bit. He watched her pick up the package, her expression moving from confusion to excitement.
He smirked as she held the book tightly against her chest, the small smile on her face as she walked away.
Rory arrived at work with a sudden bounce in her step; she waved over to Lisa who was deep in conversation. Rory sat down at her desk and switched on her computer, Lisa arrived cautiously and perched herself on the edge of her desk.
"Hmm, there's something different about you today. Unless it's the permanent grin plastered to your face, come on your scaring the interns."
"Maybe, it the fact that I got my own surprise package this morning." Rory reached into her bag and pulled out the small book.
"A guide to Philadelphia, I don't get it." Lisa looked up confused.
"Jess had this thing, that he would write notes in the margin of any book he had read before. This book not only has margin notes, it has his favorite places." Lisa flipped through the pages noticing neat little notes on every page.
"So he left you notes, so what?" Rory sighed loudly, her aggravation showing clearly.
"Remember a few weeks ago, and you asked me if he knew it was me. With all our past he knows it's me, he wouldn't have gone to all this trouble. And the fact that he has written on every single page, he mentions his favorite places with dates and times like he's expecting me to turn up."
Lisa looked closely at the page, the tiny scrawl written against a small picture of Washington Park Square.
"His writing is like a uni bombers, how can you tell that this what he's getting at. Are you sure you're not reading too much into this?"
"I know Jess, and I'll always be wondering if I don't try." Lisa shrugged her shoulders, wondering if her slightly naive friend was right.
Rory stood in her bedroom and checked herself in the mirror; one week after receiving the book she tested her theory. Passing a diner three blocks from the book store, she stood and stared through the window.
He was sat in a corner booth, his face buried in a book. What was more surprising was that when the young waitress approached his table, he ignored the flirtatious banter. Rory smiled to herself and walked away unaware of Jess smirking, as he watched her walk away.
Now Saturday morning and she was finally going to go to the park and try and talk to him, she arrived earlier than Jess allowing herself a few moments of courage.
An hour later and Jess still hadn't turned up, she felt disappointed and stupid with herself. Maybe Lisa was right? Maybe she did read too much into the book.
Closing the book she shoved it haphazardly into her bag, pushing herself away from the bench she stood up. She turned to leave the park when she was tapped lightly on the shoulder, spinning around she was faced with the guy from the book store.
"Rory, right?"
"Uh, yeah that's me." Throwing her bag strap on her shoulder.
"My names Matt, I work with Jess. He said you might be here."
"Yeah, obviously he's trying to prove a point. I mean he could have come her himself, instead of sending someone else to do his dirty work. He could have said it to my face that I'm an idiot."
"Hang on; it's not what you think. He had a family emergency, his dad had a heart attack and he went to California."
"A heart attack, is he going to be okay?"
"Not sure, anyway he asked me to give you this." Matt handed over the envelope; she stared at the piece of paper held in his hands.
Matt rolled his eyes and looked somewhere else as she stared at the envelope in her hands, taking a deep breath she opened the letter and unfolded the piece of paper. Matt slyly glanced over at Rory, he watched the emotions playing over her face and he felt sorry for her.
Flashback The previous day
Jess carefully carried the pile of books and began placing them back onto the shelves, the phone rang and Jess looked up noticing that Matt had rushed for the counter.
"Jess?"
"What's wrong?"
"I can't tell, the woman's sobbing so loudly I can't make it out." Jess rushed to the phone and listened quietly, placing the receiver back in its cradle.
"My dad had a heart attack; I have to go to California."
"Sure, don't worry about a thing." Jess grabbed the phone and made arrangements.
Matt had seen Jess's dad a couple of times, they would never heal the rift but they had come to a compromise.
"Listen, do me a favor? I want you to give this to Rory. She'll be at Washington Park Square." Jess wrote down on a blank piece of paper, and inserted it into an envelope.
End Flashback
Rory suddenly smiled and re-read the note , looking down at the sentence that spoke a thousand words.
'You were right, it is worth saving'