A/N: Another chapter so soon! I'm trying really hard to keep them coming for you guys so I hope you like this one too! Thank you for all of your reviews once again! They mean so much! :)
Jess tossed his bag down on the ground as soon as he entered his apartment. He just drove home from Stars Hollow, after a week of helping bang down the wall in Lorelai's living room. Luke asked Tom to get right to work ever since Jess had informed his uncle that his friends needed him back at work because they were talking to new writers.
His apartment was quiet. He didn't even have much besides what he needed. Jess kicked his bag aside and went straight to the kitchen, grabbing a beer out. He looked around from the view of his kitchen and sighed. It was sad to see how this was all he had by now. Most people his age were married, parents, divorced, in AA, jail...not that he wanted to be in jail. But this was all he had.
His cell phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket to see it was Chris. "Yeah?"
"You back yet, man?" He asked.
"Hello to you, too," Jess smirked. "I just got home."
"Good," Chris said. "Then get your ass over here."
Jess let out a laugh. "Excuse me?"
Chris didn't let on to Jess' joking tone. "The writer got the days mixed up. They came here now instead of tomorrow."
Jess nodded, making a face he was glad his friends couldn't see. "So you want me now?"
"Please," Chris sighed. "We could really use it."
"I'll be right over," Jess told him and hung up. He sighed, looking around his apartment. It was just as he left it after Luke's call, before he went to Stars Hollow. He put the beer back in the fridge and pulled his keys out of the door, locking it behind him.
His work wasn't far from him. Jess parked his car across the street and got out, shutting the door behind him. His keys jangled in his pocket while his phone vibrated in the other. It was probably Chris calling if he was there yet so he didn't need to check. Chris would know within a few seconds anyway.
There was a tall man standing by Chris and Matt. Jess wasn't sure he had ever seen him before but figured that was the writer who rushed him out the door as soon as he got home. Introductions were fast and they soon fell into an easy conversation about what they do at Truncheon and what would happen if they published this man.
Over an hour and a half later, the man shook all three of their hands and walked out with a publishing deal. Jess sighed and ran his hands through his hair while Chris and Matt high-fived at getting another author for the company.
"Now that I'm here," Jess said to his friends. "I might as well work."
"Oh, thank God," Matt laughed. "We have papers for you to look through."
"Papers?" Jess questioned as he walked to his desk. There was a huge pile on top of it. "What is this?"
"That is the new book from Garrett," Chris explained. "He said he wanted us to ask you if you'd edit for him. Something about Directly Darkly inspiring it."
Jess nodded. "Huh."
"Is that a yes?" Chris asked.
"I think its a huh," Matt answered.
"Its a 'I'll think about it'," Jess replied.
He sat down at starting looking through the pile. Chris walked to the front to talk to people who just walked in. Matt, on the other hand, stood in front of Jess' desk with an expectant expression on his face.
Jess ignored him and keep looking through the pages until he couldn't anymore. "What the hell are you looking at, man?"
Matt shrugged. "Did you see her?"
"See who?" Jess asked even though he had a feeling if who he meant.
"You know who," Matt urged.
Jess decided to pretend he didn't know he knew. "Jen?"
"Not Jen," Matt shook his head. "But what, you've seen Jen?"
"She lives two blocks from here," he told him.
Matt shrugged again. "So?"
Jess shrugged himself. "So, I see her from time to time."
"Okay," Matt held a finger up. "We will get back to that later but first, I need to know if you saw, you know, her."
Jess sighed. He really wouldn't let it go. "Rory?"
"That's the one!" He clapped his hands together and pointed at Jess. "I knew you knew who I meant."
"And you should know to mind your own business," Jess told him.
Matt just laughed. "Well? Was she there? Did you two have long-awaited moments where you stared into the other's eyes and felt like you missed out in what could have been?"
"No."
"Seriously?"
"No as in not talking about this or her," Jess continued. "Of fucking course I saw her, Matt. Her mom is married to my uncle. I went down there for my uncle. Kind of hard to not see her then."
"And that's it?" Matt pressed on.
"That's it," he sighed. Jess didn't want to get into it, especially when he himself didn't know what to think about it. It was a week since he saw rory. A week since that kiss. A week since he left that message. Rory still hadn't called back, either.
He definitely did not want to get into it.
Matt stared at him for a moment than gave up. "Okay, fine. Don't tell me."
"There's nothing to tell," Jess argued.
Matt pouted. "I thought we were friends, man."
"Shit, you're using that?" Jess laughed. "I'm not falling for that, Matt."
His pout quickly disappeared. "You will tell me. Maybe I'll get you drunk and you'll spill your guts."
He started walking away and Jess started laughing then shouted. "You better buy me dinner first!"
Matt laughed too now and Jess got to work on Garrett's pages. He got about a fourth done when Chris came back in because someone asked for him. Jess left his desk and went to talk to the customer. He was stunned when he saw who stood there. It wasn't a customer.
It was Rory.
...
Jess stood still with his hands crossed in front of him, one hand holding his other wrist. He felt very formal in his suit and at the front of a church. He looked beside him at Luke and remembered why he had to do this.
Lorelai walked in with Rory at her side, a bundle in her arms. Behind them trailed a not pleased but also not displeased Emily Gilmore and her husband, Richard Gilmore. Jess took a deep breath and looked at his uncle. Luke gave a similar expression to how Jess felt.
The four of them walked to the two men. Lorelai kissed Luke on the cheek when she reached her husband. Rory hugged him and gave Jess a small smile. He tried his best to return it. Emily turned to her son-in-law. "Where is the priest?"
"I think he stepped away for just a few minutes," Luke answered. "He should be right back."
Richard nodded. "That's good. We have a few moments then."
Emily was about to tell him she must rather the christening start then do small talk when the priest walked in. Everyone turned all professional and did as the priest asked. Rory and Jess took their place as god-parents and soon enough, the small ceremony was over. Jess was relieved to be out from under Emily's glare.
Once they were outside, Lorelai passed Evan to Luke who tucked him inside his car seat. Rory was about to come talk to Jess when Richard started speaking to him. "Hello, Jess."
"Mr. Gilmore," Jess nodded and shook the older man's hand.
"Nice to see you again," he said. "Will we see any new books from you?"
"Soon," Jess nodded.
"Very good to hear, young man," he smiled at him. "Its better to keep going even once you've had success."
"Richard!" Emily said.
Jess watched as Richard nodded to him thrn went to his wife. She looked angry and it probably had to do with him. Rory took that opportunity to say hello.
"That was really nice," she smiled.
"What?" Jess smirked. "Your grandfather's a good guy."
"I didn't mean that," she told him. "Well, yeah that was but in there."
She nodded towards the church, to where they had just christened Evan. He shook his head. "That was nothing."
"No," she smiled. "It was something. I'm glad you did it."
"Luke asked," he said as if that explained everything.
"But you didn't have to," she countered.
"I know," he said. "But the kid...I don't know. I feel like it won having you and got the short stick with me."
"Stop that," she shook her head.
"What?"
"Talking like you're not good enough."
Jess smirked. "Is this where the pom-poms come in?"
She smiled slightly. "No pom-poms. Jess, you are good enough."
"I'm not," he disagreed. "But thanks for saying it."
She was about to argue more on it but Luke came up to them, holding his wife's hand. "We're gonna head to the restaurant now. You ready to go?"
"I think I'm gonna head out, actually," Jess said to his...aunt. Just thinking that made him shudder.
"What?" Luke asked. "Why?"
"Work," he covered.
Rory looked at him. "They can't wait?"
"Nah," he said. "They're lost without me."
"Okay," Lorelai said. "Thank you for coming."
"No problem," he nodded at the two blue eyed women and hugged his uncle goodbye. After a moment by Evan in his car seat and a bye to the elder Gilmores, he was in his car and speeding out the lot. Rory watched until he was out of sight.
On the drive home, Jess blasted every rock song he could find. He skipped past Guns of Brixton and every song that reminded him of her. He really wish it was simpler to let her go, to get her out of his life. A part of him missed that time he was having a crap life because he didn't have to come back and see her as much as he was lately.
When he got home, he didn't technically go home. Instead, he knocked on a familiar door and it opened right away. Jen smiled at her boyfriend and he just kissed her, trying to forget the pain he felt every time he was around Rory.
...
"What are you doing here?"
Rory tried to smile. "Luke said you came home."
"Yeah, I do," Jess just stared at her. He looked over at Chris who finally got the hint to give them privacy. "That doesn't explain why you're here, though."
"I came because of your message," she explained.
He was silent for a moment. Jess wasn't sure what to say. "You could have called."
"I tried," she said. "But it felt so fake, you know? I wanted to explain to you how we don't have to be awkward but anyway I said it didn't feel right. I wanted to talk face-to-face."
Jess crossed his arms. "I don't really understand where you're going with this. Is it awkward or is it not?"
She shook her head. "Its not. I don't want it to be."
"Rory..." He sighed. Her blue eyes waited for him to continue. "I don't want it to be, either. But this, right now, this feels awkward."
"I know." Her voice had sounded defeated. "This is exactly what I didn't want."
He sighed and looked down at his feet until finally bringing his eyes back up to Rory. She was looking behind him though. Jess turned to see what she was looking at to find Matt watching. "Maybe we should find somewhere else to talk."
"That might be a good idea," she agreed.
Jess motioned for her to go upstairs and she walked ahead. He put his hand on her back until she walked up. When she got upstairs, Rory stood there not sure what to do. He pointed to the room he once vacated because he knew it would be empty.
"You can sit," he told her.
Rory just nodded, looking around the room. There was a bed and a nightstand. There was a chair and a dresser drawer too but the room was blank. "Who's room is this?"
"No one," he answered. "It was mine a long while ago. Now its just for when someone stays over as just a guest."
"Okay." She just stood in the doorway while Jess sat on the bed.
"Seriously, Ror," he laughed. "Sit. Its not helping it not feel less awkward if you just stand there."
She laughed too. "You're right. I'm not doing good at this, am I?"
"I don't think anyone's good at this," he told her which helped ease her nerves a little.
"Jess?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry," she said in a low voice.
He shook his head. "I should be sorry. I think I was the one who leaned first."
"I can't even remember who did," she smiled. "But I should have pulled away at least. I'm sorry I let it go that far."
"Rory," he laughed. "Its not like we...had sex on the street. We kissed. Nothing new."
She tried not to blush at the way he whispered the sex part of the sentence. "Okay. Good."
"Did you mean it?"
"Mean what?"
Jess took a deep breath, desperate to word this right. "That you do want to be friends."
"Of course," she answered without hesitation.
"Then we will," he said. "The kiss...forgotten. We are just friends."
She wasn't sure why that made her feel so terrible but she nodded and pretended it didn't. "Okay, deal."
He reached his hand out for her to shake and at first she laughed then shook it. Rory stood up and Jess did too, holding his hands out in front of him. "No hugs. We know what happened last time."
Her eyes widened. "I thought we were -"
"Pretending it didn't happen," he finished. "I know. I had to make one more joke though. Sorry."
She smiled. "Its okay. I should get going anyway."
Suddenly what was so obvious hit him. "What are you doing here anyway? I mean I know why you said but did you drive here from New York City just to talk to me?"
"No," she replied. "I sent in my articles yesterday for work and they gave me a couple days off so I'm going to see mom after this."
"Okay," he accepted.
"I'm glad we had this talk," she smiled at him.
He smiled back. "Me, too."
"Bye, Jess."
"Bye, Rory."
Their words felt eerily familiar to their tones when they said goodbye after she skipped school. Before he could register much else, she was walking out the room and down the stairs. His phone vibrated in his pocket and Jess took it out to see what it was.
There was two missed calls. One message was from Luke, telling him how working with Tom was. The other was from Rory. She called but didn't leave a message like Luke had.
She was the one who called him when he got to work earlier.
...
Rory got into her car and looked up at the building she had just gotten out of. She felt a sense of déjà vu as she pulled out of her space and drove away. Her phone rang when she was fifteen minutes away. She out it on speaker and answered.
"Hey, mom."
"Loin fruit!" Lorelai exclaimed. She heard Evan repeat her words in the background and laughed. "How are you?"
"I'm good," she answered. "Busy."
"Aw, hun," her mother said. "Being back in New York means a lot of work huh?"
"A real lot," she said. "I'm actually going to get coffee right now. My boss gave me a few minutes so you called at a good time."
"Ha!" Lorelai gasped. "I knew I had psychic abilities!"
"You do," Rory laughed. "I have to order soon. I'm right at the door, okay, mom?"
"Okay, sweets," she said. "Call me back as soon as you can?"
"Of course."
They said their goodbyes and Rory shut her phone. She didn't want her mother call back when she already felt guilty about the lies she had just told. She felt the urge to pull over and get her mixed emotions out but instead, she just kept driving home.