The morning rush had dissipated. Jess had been somewhat entertained by Lorelai and Luke's usual antics and the time went by quicker than he would have expected. Lorelai hadn't given him any shady looks or made any death threats so he figured Rory mustn't have told her about last night. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing, time would tell though right, he told himself. He couldn't help his head from lifting every time the bell over the door rang and he couldn't contain the disappointment that grew every time it wasn't Rory walking through it. Jess decided to take advantage of the lull and called out to Luke that he was taking his break. He didn't feel like seeing anyone so he headed up to the apartment. The words on the page jumbled and he quickly gave up trying to read, throwing the book across the room in a fit of frustration. It knocked a glass off the table and when Luke entered the room a few minutes later he found Jess sweeping up the broken shards.

"Everything okay up here?" Luke asked. "I thought I heard a crash and thought..."

"Just knocked a glass of the table, no biggie, I'll buy you a new one." Jess responded defensively.

"So I guess this had nothing to do with it?" Luke stooped to pick up the book laying open in the floor near the fridge.

"Huh, I wondered where that got to," Jess finished cleaning up the glass and busied himself wrapping it up in an empty cereal carton before putting it in the bin.

"Jess, we had a deal when you came back here and I'm a little concerned about your behaviour these last few weeks. If I didn't know better I'd say it had something to do with Rory being back but you're with Shane now so I assume..." Luke trailed off, already feeling like he'd crossed the line and said more than he'd intended to. He couldn't help but feel concerned for his nephew.

"I'm not with Shane anymore," Jess admitted, avoiding his uncle's eyes.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that?" Luke didn't know quite what to say.

"Don't be, I'm not." Jess assured him, sounding just like the Jess that had stepped off the bus the first time around.

"So, is this about Rory then?" Luke asked.

Jess just shrugged and picked his book up from where Luke had placed it on the table and made for the door.

"Jess, wait." Luke's hand was firm on his shoulder, preventing him from leaving. "Sit down. Now. Talk." He turned Jess around and directed him towards the dining table, pushing him into one chair as he took his own seat next to him.

Jess sat there, turning the pages in his book, pretending to read while Luke stared at him. Luke decided it was a lost cause and rose from his chair. Just as he reached the door Jess began to speak.

"I came back here for her," he admitted aloud what his uncle had already suspected.

Luke silently took his seat back at the table and waiting for his nephew to continue.

"You told me to leave her alone but I didn't. I went there, to the inn, to Sookie's wedding. I just wanted to see her, to talk to her, nothing more. I knew she was with Dean but she came to see me. She skipped school and came all the way to New York just to see me and I had to come back and find out what that meant. She kissed me then she told me not to say anything then she ran away, to Dean, to Washington. Away from me. I came back here for her and she just left me here."

"But that was months ago Jess." Luke pointed out, confused as to where this conversation was headed but also realising how rare it was for Jess to even open up like this in the first place.

"We had a massive fight last night."

"A fight?"

"At Doose's"

"You and Dean?"

"No, me and Rory."

"Okay..." Luke waited for Jess to continue.

"She wrote me a letter. While she was in DC, she wrote me a letter and last night she gave it to me. She wants to be with me but she's still with Dean and here I am, sitting like some chump waiting for her to break up with him."

"And that's why you threw the book?" Luke asked.

"Just kinda happened. I didn't mean it, I'll replace the glass."

"I don't care about the glass Jess, I care about you." Luke could see his nephew's posture slackening. Sensing that the conversation was over he rose from the table for the second time and headed for the door.

"You know where I am if you need to talk again." He exited the apartment leaving Jess alone with his thoughts once again.