Author's Note: Enthusiastic responses! Thanks!! Ok, here's Chapter 1. I would like to have at least... um... let's say 15 reviews before I will post chapter 2. I hate having to threaten to withhold chapters, but I'm not the most confidant writer, and I need feedback to know that people actually care. Feel free to make suggestions. I won't necessarily listen to you, but hey, I might. And if you find any typos, please point them out? Thanks. One more thing: Guess what? Rory and Jess didn't get together after their adorable kiss! Confused? Well, me too. Because originally they were going to. And then... the characters told me to do something else. Don't be mad... trust me, they will be together cuz they are PERFECT!! Alright, read on...

Chapter 1:

Rory's feet hit the edge of the bridge as she sat on it, thinking about... well, life in general. Most of her thoughts were centered around her best friend in the entire world, Jess Mariano, and this bridge, the sight of so many of their good times together. She remembered when she was 10 years old and he had held her for hours, as she cried over her father. Christopher had once again failed to show up for a birthday party, and Jess, being the loyal friend that he was, comforted her. Or when she was 12, and had done poorly on a test at school. She had been hysterical, claiming that Harvard would never accept someone who got a C- on a test. While Jess would never understand her obsession with school, he understood what a big deal it was, and had brought her to the bridge with a carton of ice cream and stayed with her for hours until she felt better. Or three years ago when they were 13 and had shared their first kiss. Rory smiled at the thought. Once they had left the bridge that day, it was an unspoken agreement that the kiss was a private thing, something that shouldn't be brought up again. Rory hadn't even told her mom. Jess and Rory had remained as close as ever, but had never went down the path of a relationship.

She didn't know why. The purpose of her musings on a rainy Friday night was all centered around something else. She was 16 now. She was 16 and had never had a boyfriend. Jess had never dated anyone either, for that matter. Her birthday had been just last night, and Jess had distracted her all day with lunch and hours walking around the bookstore while Lorelai set up her party. They spent every second that they could with each other. Rory went to Chilton, and Jess remained at Star's Hollow High, but it hadn't affected their friendship at all. Why didn't she date? She could have a boyfriend right now, she knew. Tristan Dugrey had expressed obvious interest in the past, and she found herself attracted to him. She could say yes next time he asked her out. But she didn't.

Lorelai had a theory that people were afraid to approach Rory with Jess always hanging around, and vis versa. Any outsider would assume the two were dating with the way he always had his arm around her, was always hugging her and kissing her forehead. The 16 year old high school students looked very much in love. Lorelai had learned very early that one of the few off-limits for teasing topics was Jess. She couldn't tease Rory about liking him, or couldn't claim that Jess was in love with her. Rory would undoubtedly take it too seriously, and Lorelai had given it up. Instead, she observed from afar the two completely oblivous teenagers, waiting for the day when they would see what was right in front of them.

Rory had a suddenly frightening thought. What if all these thoughts were one-sided? What if Jess was going to find a girl, fall in love, and forget all about her? A single tear slipped down her cheek.

"Rory? What happened?" Jess said, panic and worry lacing every word as he sat down and quickly pulled her into his arms.

She tried to hide her tears, but she knew it was too late. She just shook her head and buried her head in the crook of his neck, throwing her arms around his neck. Jess's hand came up and gently brushed through her hair. He propped his chin against the top her her head and pulled her as close as he could. He was very confused, seeing as everything had appeared just fine with Rory just a few short hours ago when they said goodbye to each other at the diner. But after fruitless hours lying wide awake staring at his ceiling, he decided that sleep wasn't coming to him, and had escaped to the solace of the bridge, only to find that he wasn't alone. His sleepless nights lately had centered around the far from platonic feelings he was having for his best friend. But she was off-limits, because he wouldn't risk what they already had. Besides, she was sure to start dating someone else soon. It was inevitable.

Some how they had lowed themselves so they were lying down on the bridge, and the two had fallen into a peaceful sleep, cuddled up under the blanket of the trees and of the night.

"Hey. Lunch?" Jess said into the phone when Rory picked up.

"Weston's?"

"Sure. See you in ten?"

"Yeah," Rory hung up the phone and grabbed her jacket, heading out the door with a yell over her shoulder: "Lunch with Jess, I'll call,"

"Bye, hun," came Lorelai's distracted voice as she went over some paperwork with the Inn.

When she arrived at Weston's, she saw Jess leaning against the counter, his arms folded in front of him and his eyebrows raised. "Are you going to tell me what last night was about?" he said, somewhat accusingly.

"Shouldn't we sit down?" Rory asked, looking for an available table. Jess smoothly pulled out a chair for Rory and plopped down in the one across from her.

"Hey, you are not getting out of having this discussion with me, Ror. Talk," he said when she tried to avoid the topic by intensely studying the Weston's menu, which she had long ago memorized.

She sighed heavily. "It's hard to tell you what happened because I'm not really sure myself. I just have... this feeling. It's like something is about to change, and I can't tell if it's good or bad, but I'm perfectly happy the way things are. I have my mom and my grandparents, Chilton and you, and I don't need anything else. It's stupid. I know. I shouldn't base my happiness on a feeling."

He stared at her for a minute, unsure if he should voice his own view on the topic. Finally, he spoke, his voice unusually quiet and meek. "I feel it too."

"It's scaring me, Jess," Rory admitted.

Jess nodded in response. "Hey, after we eat, let's check out Sophie's Music Shop, I was talking to Lane at school and she said they had some new stuff in."

Rory smiled at his weak attempt to change the subject. "Sure, let's go."

School the next Monday was a stressful one for Jess, as he was harrassed by his so-called friends once again about "The Rory Issue," as they liked to call it. Apparently they were all a bit more dense than Lorelai, and had not grasped that Jess didn't like being teased about this particular topic.

"Hey, man, if you're not going to ask her out, why not ask someone else?" Zach asked, nudging Jess playfully as they made their way to lunch. Jess sighed. He didn't make friends easily, and he knew he should be grateful to have Zach and Brian to talk to at school, when Rory wasn't around, but that didn't stop him from wanting to slap them.

"I just don't want to, Zach. Drop it, please?" he said, in an attempt he already knew would fail.

"Hey, Jess, what about her?" Brian asked in his nasal voice. "She's totally in to you."

Jess followed Brian's gaze to a ditzy bubbly blonde who was leaning against her locker and chewing gum in a way that made Jess want to gag.

"Um. No, thank you," he said, forcing his way ahead of his two friends and stepping into the lunch room.

"Oh, come on. Everyone is in to Shane. If I wasn't already dating my own beautiful girlfriend," Zach paused to smile and wave at Lane across the room, walking toward her, "I would totally ask her out," he finished, turning his attention back to Jess, who was rolling his eyes.

"I'm not looking for a girlfriend right now, thanks for the suggestion," he said harshly, leaving his two friends behind as he walked to the lunch line. The truth was, Jess wished he was interested in someone like Shane. He wished he could ask her out. But every time he thought about it, Rory's face popped into his head. And suddenly, startlingly, this thought made Jess mad. Why should Rory stop him from having a girlfriend? What right did she have to always get into his head at the worst possible moment? He paused, and then did an about-face and marched straight back out the cafeteria door.

"Hey, Shane?" he asked, stepping up to her.

"Hey, Mary." A voice startled Rory out of her book, which she was reading during lunch.

"Tristan," she said as a way of greeting. Tristan sat down across from her and played somewhat nervously with his hands.

"Mare... why don't you like me?" he asked. Rory looked up, startled, giving him her full attention by snapping her book shut. He wasn't pouting, or looking upset, he was genuinely curious for the answer.

"I don't- not- like you, Tristan," she said, sighing.

"Well it seems like you do," he said, daring her to disagree.

To his surprise, she didn't even try. "I know. And... I'm sorry about that. It's just..." but she couldn't find the words to complete the sentence.

"Hey. Let me take you out. Please. One date, that's it."

"I-" she should say yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. "No. I'm sorry, Tristan, I really can't."

"Hey," Jess said attempting a weak smile as Rory walked in the door to the diner.

She was instantly alerted. "What's up?" she asked, her eyebrows wrinkled with concern.

"Ah, nothing... just a long day at school," he said, and then mentally slapped himself. A long day at school?! Just tell her about Shane. Do it! Come on!

"Rrrright..." Rory said, not buying his lies. "Jess, come on, what's going on?"

"I... I got into an argument with Zach today," he said. Well, it technically wasn't a lie. He had had an argument with Zach. Guilt wove through him tightly and clamped around his stomach, making it plunge uncomfortably as Rory rolled her eyes.

"You guys will make up. Now relax," she said.

How could he lie to his best friend? To the person who meant more to him than anyone else? Rory must have detected that there was more to Jess's unhappiness than he was willing to show. Instead of pushing the subject, as she desperately wanted to, she simply stepped behind the counter at Luke's Diner and placed a hand on the side of his face, willing him to look into her eyes. "Jess?" she said softly. "You know I love you, right?"

His eyes closed as the guilt strangled him. Tell her the truth, Jess! His conscious was screaming at him. "I know. I love you too." Dammit. Tell her!

Author's Note: Well? I don't really like this chapter very much, but I had to set up a time-frame and everything... The last chapter was merely a prologue of a cute Rory/Jess moment that will be brought up again very soon in a chapter coming up. I know they're not together yet, but I tried to portray how much they really cared for one another. Both really want to be with the other, but both assume that the other is in it only for the friendship. And stay tuned to learn more... Is Jess going to stay with Shane? And will he tell Rory? (Wow... sounds like a soap opera. haha.) Ok... 15 reviews for Chapter 2, folks! Thanks for reading!