Late Christmas gift I suppose.
-
He is sitting on the floor, the remote resting idly in his hand, his back pressed up against the arm of the couch. He can hear her in the kitchen, moving around and reaching for glasses and he is struck by the domesticity of the moment.
The entire day he had felt like he was in some sort of weird dream. They (as in him) had made an elaborate breakfast consisting of anything and everything they thought of. As he had flipped the pancakes in the pan he had closed his eyes and listened to her hum quietly beside him. She hummed and he felt like he was somewhere warm and safe, he felt like he had finally come ho-
A burst of laughter comes from the kitchen and he turns his head so quickly a bone cracks in protest. He smiles before he even sees her and when he turns the corner his grin is stretched (lopsided) across his face.
She is sitting on the ground by the refrigerator, clutching a (now) empty jug to her chest. Red liquid surrounds her as she laughs wildly. She looks up at him with her Aztec eyes and tries to sober her laughing but when he looks at her pointedly, she cracks up laughing again.
He takes a step towards her, making sure to stay out of the circle of kool-aid and holds out his hands. She lets out another giggle and reaches two red covered palms up to him like a five year old being carried up to bed after falling asleep on the couch.
He pulls her up carefully, feeling heat spread from his palms up his forearms as she clutches his hands tightly. She lets out a small shriek as she slips in the kool-aid and his hand immediately falls to her lower back, bringing her body closer to his. She hits in to him abruptly and their hips mesh together.
She looks at him carefully and he reaches up, one hand still on the small of her back, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. He can feel her let out a small breath against his cheek and he can feel his heart hammering in his chest. She rests her hand on his white t-shirt and it immediately leaves a pink handprint over his heart. She looks at it and her cheeks turn the color of her colored stain and she lets out a small giggle.
"Woops, sorry about that."
Her voice is quiet and he doesn't think she is because neither of them has moved and now he can feel her heart in the hand that he is still holding and it seems to match his, which he feels is oddly significant.
"It's okay. I kinda like it."
She giggles again and quirks an eyebrow. "Jess Mariano." And the way she says his name he can't help but let his head fall a little forward. "Likes the color pink."
She tilts her head back and lets out another belt of raucous laughter and he so badly wants to kiss the exposed skin of her neck and that frightens him because he hasn't had that urge in a very lone time (four hours).
The doorbell rings and he hesitantly releases her. She is still giggling and reaching for the paper towels as he makes his way to the front door. He is looking at the forgotten coffee cup on the key table as he swings open the door, reaching in his back pocket for his wallet to pay for the enormous amount of pizza they have ordered.
When he turns his head he is hit immediately with the past and he just wants to laugh at the irony of the situation because of all the things to possibly happen, this is perhaps the oddest. He never thought he would be in this situation again when he left the town and the people in a beat up car years ago. He never thought he would be in this situation when he came to her dorm and promised her he was changed and asked her to run with him.
He stares for a period of time he considers to be impolite but polite has never really been a consideration when it comes to them.
"Hey Dean."
Dean seems to have forgotten where he is because his eyes are huge and his jaw is hung open and he is looking at Jess like he has just been told a giant earthworm is planning to destroy the world at any moment. A typical reaction.
Rory comes prancing out of the kitchen with her pink hands and runs up behind Jess, wrapping her arms around his waist and planting two more pink colored handprints on his stomach. He remains stock still as Dean's eyes grow larger. Noticing the tension, Rory pokes her head over Jess's shoulder.
"Oh."
Her hands drop from his waist and she does an awkward shuffle step around him, stepping partially in front of him, almost as if she is protecting him. He bites back a laugh at this because she comes up to Dean's neck and she is not exactly the epitome of "the protector".
"Hey Dean." And her voice squeaks and this finally seems to shake Dean's gaze from Jess's face and he looks down at Rory, swallowing hard.
"I thought you were home alone." It isn't a question as much as a statement of fact and Jess watches as Rory fumbles with her hands and he is reminded of shared dinners and a single solitary ice cream container. He is reminded of the regret in her eyes and he is angry because so much has changed. They are grown up, damnit, and it shouldn't be like this anymore.
He is just about to point this out when he notices the fumbling hands turn to crossed arms and her hip juts out as she strikes the definitive defensive stance.
"Jess brought me coffee."
"What is Jess doing here?" Again. Pointed questions and the look of mistrust.
"What are you doing here?" He can't help it. The eighteen year old isn't so far gone in him.
"Delivering her dinner."
"Our dinner."
"Her dinner"
"Finally made delivery boy?"
"I own the place."
"And apparently you have done very well for yourself seeing as you deliver the pizzas. Is your scooter parked out front?"
Dean takes a step forward and Rory moves completely in between them. "Enough." Her voice is calm and quiet as she lays her hand on the pizza boxes, removing them from Dean's hands.
"You can't be serious Rory? I thought you were done with this. I mean come on, at least before you had the excuse that you were young."
She is silent and he can't see her eyes but he knows what the look like because her shoulders are tense and the knuckles on the pizza box are white.
"Please leave."
"Rory, come on."
"What did you think you would get when you came here Dean? Why did you decide to deliver my pizza? You thought I was alone? What? Did you think I would invite you in? Maybe we could bond over some dinner, and what? I would do you?"
Jess looks down at the top of her head surprised. Obviously some pent up frustration (and other things) brewing.
Dean is quiet, his eyes dark. He opens his mouth to say something but she takes a step forward, causing him to back up and shut his mouth.
"At least I have the excuse that when me and you were together, I was young."
She slams the door shut and turns around, meeting his eyes, the pizzas clutched with white knuckles. She stares at him calmly for a second before bursting out again in that uncontrollable laughter. She pushes past him and shuffles in the kitchen. He spins around and smiles after her, his hands shoved in his pockets.
He chuckles and shakes his head slightly, wondering what would have happened if years ago she had yelled back in the ballroom in her red dress that lit up her lips. He obviously underestimated her (vastly).