I'm so, so sorry for the delay in updating!
Life's been pretty messed up lately, but now I'm back on track and the updating will go back to its usual frequency!
Jess twirled his cup of coffee and stared at the table. She was running late. Of course she was. Mrs. Huntzberger probably didn't care about such trivial stuff as other people's time. Not that he had any other place to be right now.
He looked up as the bell above the entrance to the café sounded and she stepped inside. He ignored the irritating feeling of butterflies in his stomach when he raised his hand to draw her attention towards his table.
She sat down at the chair across from him and placed her order with the waitress that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere next to the table.
"So…" She waited until the waitress had left them and then she smiled at him across the table. "…I take it you've changed your mind about my…" She paused, searching for the right word. "…suggestion?"
Jess closed his eyes and took a deep breath. What had he gotten himself into by suggesting this meeting. "Not really" He answered and watched as the smile was replaced with an expression of confusion.
"No?" She knitted her eyebrows together.
"No…I…" He waited as the waitress appeared with a hot beverage in her hand and watched as she placed it on the table in front of Rory. When she disappeared again he picked up where left off. "I just wanted to talk"
"Talk" She repeated and nodded to herself.
"Yes, talk" He repeated as well to make sure his intentions were coming across clearly.
"Okay" She took a sip of her beverage. "So, how've you been?" She smiled politely across the table and Jess sighed.
"Are you happy?" He blurted out without even taking a moment to think about how to phrase the question.
"Excuse me?" She bore her blue eyes into him and he squirmed but didn't budge. He'd already taken the plunge – he might as well press on.
"Are you happy?" He repeated. "This life – is it making you happy?" He examined her face as he waited for her answer, but she didn't give anything away.
"Of course I'm happy" She sounded greatly offended. "What kind of a question is that?"
Jess shrugged. "The suggestion you proposed the other night…" He still watched her intently, and he had to give it to her – Mrs. Huntzberger didn't even flinch. "…might lead one to thinking you weren't exactly satisfied with your life"
She scoffed. "That's why we're here? Because you think I'm unhappy in my marriage?" She chuckled to herself before she looked up to meet his eyes again. "You thought you'd come riding in on your white steed and save me?"
"No" Jess shook his head. "No. I was simply looking out for a friend"
"Really?" Her eyes were filled with disbelief.
"Yes" He wasn't sure whether it was him or her he was trying to convince of his honorable intentions.
"Who put you up to this?" She asked as she leaned back in her chair. "Luke?"
"Don't know what you're talking about" He denied, keeping his gaze stern into hers as he tried to keep himself from giving anything away.
"My mother?" She continued her interrogation, having taken no notice of his denial. "Did my mother convince you that I was unhappy and miserable and in desperate need of saving?"
"Your mother doesn't like me" He honestly replied.
"Maybe not, but I'm thinking her disapproval of the way I've chosen to lead my life probably trumps the dislike she's feeling for you"
"Listen…" Jess sighed and stood up from the table. "…Yes, I asked you to join me for coffee today because I thought you weren't happy, because I thought that you had changed into something you didn't really want" He ran his hand through his hair before he continued. "You helped me out by believing in me when no one else did and I thought I'd repay you that favor today by making you realize how ridiculous this change is"
Rory scoffed and looked the other way and Jess shrugged his shoulders. "But obviously, you're in no need of my help and I'm sorry for making you take time away from your schedule , which I'm sure is very busy, to come to this meeting" With that he turned around and left the café.
That was it. That was the first and last time he would ever let himself get roped into Lorelai's drama. Rory didn't need his help. Whatever was going on between her and Lorelai it was their business to take care of
He was stepping out of it. He was taking his hands off it. He was throwing in the blanket. He was done. Yep. That was it. No more.
With that newfound determination he started walking in the direction of his apartment. He made it about half a block before he heard someone calling his name behind him.
"Jess!"
He frowned and slowed his steps.
"Jess, wait up!"
He came to a stop, turned around and sighed when he saw Mrs. Huntzberger tripping along behind him.
"What?" He asked when she was within hearing distance. He sounded irritated and he felt it too. He had made up his mind already and he was sticking to his decision to stay out of it no matter what.
She didn't say anything until she had caught up with him. She stopped inches away and fidgeted nervously with her hands as she looked at him with shifting gaze. "Maybe you were right" She spoke quietly and Jess could literally feel his determination melting away.
"About what?" He asked, sounding a little less harsh than before, but still not letting go of all his hostility and anger.
She shrugged. "About my life"
Jess sighed. She looked so small and vulnerable where she was standing in front of him. It was if she was a completely different person from the woman that had been sitting across the table from him only moments ago.
He shook his head. "I can't help you" He turned and started walking again. Whatever this was, he had promised himself not to get involved in any more drama.
He heard the clatter of heels against the sidewalk as she followed him. "You said you wanted to repay the favor" She argued, her voice on the verge of desperation.
He stopped abruptly and she almost bumped into his back. "What do you want from me?"
"Talk" She bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "I just need a friend"
The determination he felt only minutes ago seemed to have disappeared altogether and he sighed. "You wanna go back to the coffee shop?"
She shook her head. "I'd rather talk somewhere private" Jess rolled his eyes and started walking again, he wasn't buying into that. "Not like that" She caught up with him yet again and grabbed his arm. "It's just…there's always someone out there watching, waiting to get their hands on some juicy gossip"
"I live only two blocks away" Jess offered, still not sure he wanted to go through with this. But she looked so different now, so honest and insecure.
"I know" Her grip on his arm turned into a light touch that sent shivers down his spine as she drew her hand back.
"You want something to drink?" Jess asked as they awkwardly stood in his hallway.
"Sure" She offered a smile and he returned it with a smirk as he led her into the apartment and headed towards the kitchen.
Jess peeked his head into the fridge. "I have beer and water" He looked up. "Sorry I don't have anything fancier"
She smiled again. "Beer is fine"
Nodding, Jess grabbed to beers out of the fridge, opened them and handed her one and took a sip out of the other.
"I have a couch in there" He pointed towards the living room and they went in there and sat down next to each other onn the couch and then an awkward silence ensued.
"So…" Jess started in an attempt to break the awkward silence. "Anything in particular you wanted to talk about?"
He watched her body heave as she took a deep breath. "I don't know. I just feel so lonely, you know? Like I have no one to talk to"
"You have Logan" Jess stated, even though he hated taking his name into his mouth.
She made a sound that sounded like something in between a scoff and a sob. "Yeah. I have Logan. I and whoever of his female colleagues that gets the honor of warming his bed on his numerous business trips"
Feeling slightly nauseous at even the thought of defending Logan, Jess still gave it a try. "You don't know that"
She glared at him. "You think you know him better than I do?"
Jess shrugged, not knowing what to say to that.
"You don't" She concluded.
Jess nodded, because she was right. He certainly didn't know Logan any better than she did. After all, he was her husband.
"I have needs too, you know" She suddenly blurted out and turned to face him, obviously agitated.
Not knowing what to say, Jess reached for his beer and took a sip.
"Only because my husband is too busy seeing to other women's needs, it doesn't mean that my needs have disappeared" She explained while gesturing angrily.
Jess cleared his throat. How did you respond to that? He so wasn't the person she should be talking to about this.
"I understand that" He forced his voice to sound normal, although it was hard. Hearing Rory talk about her needs that her husband wasn't seeing to stirred up very contradicting feelings of both jealousy and want.
"Do you?" She moved inches closer and Jess could feel her breath on his skin as she talked. "Do you know what it feels like when your entire body is aching to be touched?"
Jess swallowed. He could very well relate to that feeling, yes.
She crept closer, she was almost on his lap now, but he couldn't find the strength to push her away. He was mesmerized by the feeling of having her so close. Not like that night in the limo. No, this was different. This wasn't Mrs. Huntzberger, this was Rory. His Rory.
"I just want someone to love me" She whispered, dangerously close to his ear and that's when he lost all the control he fought so hard to maintain.
He grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer to him into a straddling position and attacked her mouth with his.
She answered his kiss with passion and as in a haze he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close as possible. It felt so good. He had forgotten how amazing it felt to kiss her. How soft her lips were.
He left her lips for a moment and ventured down to see if the skin on her neck still was as soft as he remembered it to be. It was and he lost himself in reminiscing on all of those special spots that he discovered when they were merely teenagers and making out were all they were allowed to do.
It was a good thing that Jess was all too lost in his reminiscing to see the smug smile on Mrs. Huntzberger's lips as Jess moaned against her neck, seemingly having lost every last shred of self-control.