Chapter 23

"No, the doors actually need to fit into the door frames..." Lorelai said, the phone plastered to her ear. "Yes, Tom, I am aware that I am not a contractor – but look damn good with a hammer," she tried to joke, though her pleasing grin went away as Tom the contractor replied in his usual demeanor. "Look, if the doors don't fit now, then I'm okay with you taking your time to get them resized, or whatever the term may be – I'm no Bob," she joked with a feeble laugh, "No, like Bob the Builder – uh, never mind," she said waving a hand in the air as dismissal, regardless of the fact that she was in her kitchen at home and that he was at the Dragonfly. "So when will the doors be ready...? May 5th? But that's one day before the grand opening!" She brought her flat palm down to her leg. "Cuttin' it kinda close, don't ya think?" Lorelai sighed. "Okay, Tom... Thanks... Buh-bye."

Lorelai sighed and hung up the phone. She dropped her head into her hands and groaned.

"Mom, have you seen my cellphone?" Rory asked as she swiftly entered from the living room.

Lorelai looked up and frowned at her daughter. "Well don't you look all fancy and pretty."

Rory pouted, looking over her shoulder at her mother. "Opposed to my usual ugly duckling self?"

"No," Lorelai said with an admiring grin. "Just a little more pretty than your usual bedazzling self."

"Hm." Rory turned back to the table which her laptop was on, downloading CD's.

Lorelai poked her tongue out behind her daughter's back then took a seat next to the standing Rory. "What is with you losing everything lately, by the way?"

Rory frowned at her mother, then looked back down at her computer. "Have you seen it, or not?"

Lorelai nodded her head. "No," she said with a grin.

Rory shrugged, clearly not very interested in her phone. She started tapping her fingers nervously against the table and Lorelai noticed.

She narrowed her gaze and leaned her head away. "Wait a minute..."

Rory didn't respond, knowing Lorelai would begin her speech before she would have the chance.

Lorelai raised a judgemental brow. "Is Jess coming over...?"

"Uh... No?" Rory lied, trying to maintain her innocence.

"Rory!" Lorelai groaned as her body went stiff as a board.

"What?" Rory asked, turning around to face her, standing up straight.

"Why'd you have to tell me that?!" Lorelai grimaced like a four-year-old.

Rory frowned at her, confused. "What, would you rather I lie to you?"

"Yes!" Lorelai jabbed a finger in the space between them. "No – I take that back."

Rory stared at her, more confused. "So... I should tell you...?"

"Uh... Yes?" Lorelai said with a smile, then rolled her eyes. She sat down and opened up a bottle of water.

"Mom."

"Sorry, it's just... weird."

"What's weird?" Rory asked with a laugh.

Lorelai said nothing, just stared.

"Oh, come on," Rory said, glaring. "I thought you and Jess were getting along!"

Lorelai sighed in a very melodramatic way. "Yeah, well, the Nazis got along with the Jews at one point too..."

Rory took the time to stop and glare. "Mom. You can't seriously be comparing Jess to a Nazi."

Lorelai's lips went thin, pretending to contemplate the statement.

"Mom!"

"What? I was kidding!" She grinned cheekily until she saw how her nervous daughter's glare didn't disappear. "Wow, you're really not in a kidding mood, right now, are you?"

"Really? What was your first clue?" Rory practically squeaked. Her peaches and cream complexion began blushing red – partially from anger, but mostly from nervousness.

"Well, you look fantastic," Lorelai said with a kind grin.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Can you please refrain from the sarcasm?"

Lorelai gasped, "I was not being sarcastic!"

"Then shall we wait for the second sign of the apocalypse?" Rory asked sarcastically, brow raised, looking stiff as a board.

Lorelai's nose scrunched up. "You're mean."

"Hm." Rory shrugged before turning back to her computer, tapping nervously again.

Then there was a knock on the door.

Jess tapped nervously on the wheel of his crummy excuse of a car. He shrugged his shoulders, trying to get comfortable.

He had changed his shirt four times; showered twice; and hadn't been able to read a thing all day. Jess settled for a plain red t-shirt with a long sleeved white sweater underneath. He tugged nervously at the neck of his clothes. Suddenly he was very well-aware of how much gel he had managed to put in his hair. Great – she can't go anywhere near his hair, now... It would be like washing your hands in vat of oil...

After that nervous moment, he thought about Rory and how she was doing right now. For a second, he prayed that she was as nervous as he was, then he realised she must be. It was Rory, for God's sake! She may be confident when it comes to arguing Plato verses Aristotle, but when it came to relationships, she was a naive fourth-grader – if that.

Jess looked in the car mirror above him to look at his hair. Then, when he realised what he was doing, turned it away, glared ahead and muttered "Geez" under his breath. As Rory's house approached he found the corners of his mouth curling into a smile.

When Jess parked in the driveway, behind both Rory and Lorelai's car, he sat – postponing the entering of Lorelai Gilmore's house as much as possible. Eventually, when he was aware of how pathetic and ridiculous he was being, got out of the car, looking sexy (and generally angry) in his casual shirt, blue jeans and vans. He twirled the key ring around his finger while taking deep breaths.

Jess considered knocking on her window instead of the front door, but decided to be a man, and knock. Plus... things were going sort of okayish with him and Lorelai for once...

"Geez, one more cliche with a side of apple pie and I'll be the all-American boy..." He muttered in a deep voice under his breath as he reached the top step of the porch.

Jess slowed his walk down almost to the state of complete stillness as the vision of the door came bigger into view.

He curled his hand into a fist and brought it up to the door, hesitated for what seemed like hours, then gained the courage to knock, gathering up enough strength to hide the nervousness he was feeling. And he knew that once Rory would open the door and that he would see those beautiful blue eyes, perfect skin and warm smile that he would feel better – or he would feel nothing out of complete happiness and shock.

He waited, fiddling with his sleeves for Rory to open the door and smile at him, one of the only people who would.