A/N: Since I can't PM to reply, special thanks to Nancy for all the lovely reviews she leaves. Now, hope y'all are ready for lots more cuteness and maybe an unexpected truce in this new chapter ;)
(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)
Chapter 7
"Look at you, all giddy about heading to the diner." Lorelai grinned across at Rory as they walked across town square. "Seriously, that must have been some date you guys had Saturday night."
Not that she even needed to wonder. After all, Rory had given her mom chapter and verse on the magical first day she and Jess had shared. Obviously, she didn't need details when they hit the make out stuff, but everything else had come off like something out of a romantic young adult novel. Lorelai had to admit she was almost jealous. Sure, she was a little old for the YA angle, but the romance, the effort shown by the guy, all that stuff, it was something she would love to have for herself, truth be told.
"Be honest, you did not expect it to go well," said Rory smartly. "You thought Jess would screw up."
"I did not!" Lorelai insisted, hand on her heart as if she had been struck there, not that her fake indignation lasted long - it was too much effort! "Okay, so yes, I did think maybe Jess would opt for some cheap ass venue for your date, but not because he's a bad guy, exactly. I just happen to know that Luke doesn't pay him the big bucks for waiting tables in the diner is all. Besides, for all your fancy meal plans, you did end up picnicking, at night! Not exactly a traditionally classy way to date."
"I agree," Rory admitted, "but it actually was so romantic, I didn't mind it at all, and hey, thanks to Jess proving to be the gentleman you never thought he could be and laying his jacket down for me to sit on, your dress didn't even get spoiled," she said with a look. "Seriously, Mom, it was so good, you should've been there."
"Uh, I'm pretty sure that would've cramped everybody's style, more than a little," Lorelai replied with a look of her own, unsure how she felt about the way Rory started blushing profusely.
It was the only part of being best friends with her daughter that was awkward, having to give any thought at all to her baby girl sucking face with a teenage boy and trying her best not to be entirely freaked out at the very idea. Shaking off the unpleasant imagery, Lorelai tried to focus on just how giddy Rory was about the new guy in her life.
"Sweets, you know I am more than happy to hear that your date went so great, even if it is the hundred and forty-seventh time you told me already."
"Oops. Sorry." Rory looked a little guilty, yet the big grin remained. "I just never thought I could feel this way about somebody else. I mean, somebody not..."
"Dean," Lorelai said for her. "Yeah, that whole first love thing is a real kick in the butt, but it doesn't mean you can't feel plenty of great things for somebody else, obviously. Of course, it sucks for Dean that you had to break up with him, but trust me, babe, he will get over you. It won't be easy, I'm sure on that, but he'll get there," she insisted, her arm around Rory's back, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "And in the meantime, focus on you and Jess, and how deliriously happy that little hoodlum makes you."
Rory looked ready to be affronted by Lorelai's choice of words but soon let it go when she saw the grin on her mother's face. She was kidding, this time, anyway. Sure, there had been times out of number before when Lorelai meant to be insulting about Luke's nephew, but today was not one of those days. Clearly, he was willing to do his best to be a good guy, for Rory's sake, if nothing else. Lorelai couldn't exactly argue with that.
As they walked into the diner together, she made a point of flashing Jess a smile, letting him know she wasn't about to tear his head off for any potential slight to either her or her daughter, then her eyes shifted over to where Luke was stood behind the counter and a shiver ran through her whole body.
Lorelai wasn't entirely sure what to do with that, though she could guess why she was suddenly having such a big reaction to Luke's presence. Something had kind of sparked between them on Saturday night. It wasn't the first time she ever noticed it, but perhaps the first occasion when she had felt like maybe it wasn't quite as stupid an idea as it had seemed before.
When she last felt something like that with Luke, she had been engaged to Max. Before that, Rachel had been in the picture. There always seemed to be something or someone in the way of whatever might be between them, and yet, right now, she couldn't think of a single one.
"Mom?"
Lorelai turned to see Rory sat at the table, realising too late that she had walked right on by and was now standing stupidly in the centre of diner floor, not close enough to the table to sit, not close enough to the counter to place an order.
"Oh, right. I was just... Um, pick out what you want, sweets. I'm having the emergency coffee jones this morning."
Turning away from the puzzled expression on Rory's face, Lorelai went right up to the counter, expecting to talk to Luke. She got a real shock when she realised he had pulled the old switcheroo, disappearing out back as Jess stepped into his place.
"What can I get you?" he asked right away. "I mean, besides the coffee," he added, immediately reaching for the pot and a large cup to fill for her.
"Right, yes, coffee." Lorelai nodded once, suddenly wishing she had just stayed at the table with her daughter. "Um, I guess it'd make better sense if you took mine and Rory's order together. You know, over at the table. I just came up here because..."
"Because until two seconds ago, Luke was standing here?" Jess guessed, smirking just a little too much.
"Oh, well, sure, that, that might have been the reason." Lorelai floundered a little, reaching for her coffee and taking a long drink, more to give herself some thinking time than anything else. "Because, you know, he said he was going to come to my graduation tomorrow and I just wanted to check that he knew what time to be there."
"What time is it?"
"Six-thirty. I thought it was six, but apparently no, it's six-thirty, so I just wanted Luke to know that. Yeah, Sookie and Jackson are coming, at six-thirty, and Rory, obviously."
"Obviously."
"Right, so yeah, six-thirty. If Luke doesn't come back any time soon, maybe you could tell him for me?"
"Sure, I could do that," Jess agreed easily.
The smirk was gone by then, the smile looking a little more genuine, yet Lorelai was half-convinced he was thinking smirky thoughts.
"Hey."
"Oh my God!" Lorelai jumped so much when Rory popped up beside her, she almost tipped right off the stool - as it was, she spilled a little coffee in her lap. "What are you doing?"
"Um, countering it with you, because you didn't come back to the table," said Rory, as if her mom were being the densest person on the planet. "I'm sorry but you're over here and Jess is over here, so it seemed a little silly for me to be all the way over there."
"I really agree." Jess nodded. "Hey."
"Hey, right back," she replied, leaning over the counter to share a very quick kiss with her boyfriend, no doubt because Lorelai was right there. "So, as promised, I gave For Whom The Bell Tolls my best shot again yesterday, and what do you know? Old Ernest isn't half bad when you really give him a chance."
"Now maybe next time I recommend books to you, you'll actually listen."
"I promise I will."
They were grinning at each other like fools, and even though Lorelai wanted to fake throwing up or say something in a cutesy voice to make them both blush, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. They actually were kind of sweet together, if not entirely nerdy right along with.
"So, I was thinking," she said, getting the attention of both daughter and daughter's boyfriend at the same time. "Maybe some night soon, we could hang out?"
"We could?" Rory echoed, frowning a little as she looked from Lorelai to Jess and back again.
"Sure, we could," she insisted. "I mean, you guys are doing the whole dating thing now, and since Jess dropped the 'tude, and I left my judgement at home, we get along okay, right?"
"I guess," he said uncertainly.
"So, we should all hang out. Maybe rent a couple of movies, order in all the best take-out. What do you say?"
Maybe it was a stupid idea. Lorelai was already beginning to regret the suggestion, but deep down, she knew this was the right thing to do. After all, she had Dean over at her house all the time when he was dating Rory. It seemed only fair to offer Jess the same courtesy. Besides, she meant what she said about him not seeming so heinous of late and she was really trying with him. How bad could it be to spend an evening together, just the three of them, with mockable movies and junk food?
"Jess?" Rory prompted, looking more than a little hopeful as she gazed at him.
"If you want to," he said, shrugging his shoulders, "and obviously, if Luke doesn't need me here."
"Let's ask the man himself," Lorelai suggested, just as he reappeared from behind the curtain. "Luke? Which nights off does Jess get this week?"
"Oh, I don't know," he admitted, shaking his head. "Obviously, I need him to cover when we're all at your graduation tomorrow..."
"At six-thirty," said Jess, smiling just a little too much.
Lorelai rolled her eyes but didn't say a word about that. "So, Friday is also out, because dinner with the 'rents, and Saturday, because these two will want to go on a real alone-time date," she said, gesturing between them.
"Sunday is when I catch up on studying," Rory noted.
"And, would you believe, me too," said Jess with a look that Lorelai recognised all too well.
She had felt very similar about studying, back in the day, but she had buckled down for the sake of those who loved her and wanted her to do well. Such it was for Jess, apparently. He did his best because Rory wanted him to, and maybe a little bit for Luke, but probably only a very little bit. Not that it mattered, just hearing talk of studying put a smile on Luke's face that Lorelai was glad to see.
"So, that leaves, what? Thursday maybe?"
"Thursday sounds good." Rory nodded, turning that hopeful look on Jess again.
"Luke?" he checked with his uncle.
"That's fine by me," he agreed easily.
"Okay then, that's all figured out," said Lorelai, clapping her hands together. "Tomorrow night, grad, Thursday night, movies and take-out, and pray that Friday just evaporates from the calendar before we ever get there."
"And in the meantime, I'm guessing you want bacon, eggs, pancakes?" said Luke, looking unsurprised when Jess showed him the pad with the Gilmore girls actual order on it. "Yep, thought so. I'll be back," he said, heading for the kitchen to prepare their breakfast.
"Thanks, Arnold!" Lorelai called behind him, already knowing he probably wouldn't get the joke, but hey, at least the kids laughed.
As Luke finally left for Lorelai's graduation, with more than enough time to spare for the six-thirty start time, Jess heaved a sigh. Between the three outfit changes and all the extra instructions, he really didn't think his uncle would ever just go and leave him alone. Jess also came incredibly close to making some comments about Luke and Lorelai that no doubt would have landed him in hot water.
It was kind of ridiculous to him, the way those two beat around the bush with each other. Even a blind man could see there was something between them. Luke did so many favours for Lorelai and she was always looking to have him included in stuff she did, from the Bracebridge Dinner last Christmas to her graduation today. Seriously, they may as well have a heart-shaped neon sign over them every time they were within ten yards of each other!
Not that Jess needed to worry about that for the time being. He was hoping that since Luke was gone, he may be able to fit in reading the next chapter of his book before another wave of customers showed up. Sitting down at the end of the counter, he glanced around to check nobody was in need of anything, then settled down to reading for as long as he could. Two pages in, the bell sounded over the door and he sighed, pushing a marker in-between the pages and looking up. Jess immediately wished he hadn't.
"Just great," he muttered, moving behind the counter and facing the guy head on. "What can I get you?"
To be fair, Forester didn't look any more thrilled about being there than Jess felt himself. It was to be expected, after how things had gone down. The ex and the current boyfriend were not likely to get along, that was pretty normal, but even before Rory made the choice she did, there had never exactly been any love lost between Dean and Jess. He doubted there ever would be.
"Just so you know, I wouldn't be here if not for Taylor insisting on it."
"I figured." Jess nodded once. "So, what does he want?"
Dean placed the order in as few words as possible and Jess pulled together the items as fast as he could. The quicker this particular interaction was over, the better they were both going to like it, that much was clear.
"That'll be six seventy-five."
Holding out a ten-dollar bill, Dean stood looking out of the window while Jess took the money and opened up the register. He was forced to pay attention when it came to putting out his hand for the change. In spite of himself, Jess couldn't help but say something, just as their forced interaction ended.
"You know, none of this was my idea," he said, shaking his head. "I never once asked Rory to break up with you. I seriously never thought for a second that she was going to pick me..."
"But she did," Dean said for him, looking as grim-faced as you'd expect a dumped man to be.
"If you're waiting for me to feel bad about that, it's not gonna happen," said Jess definitely.
"Obviously not." Dean rolled his eyes. "If you're waiting for me to be okay with all this, that's not going to happen either... but Rory made her choice. Knowing her, it took a lot of serious thinking and pro-con lists. She wouldn't make a decision that big lightly, which means... which means she must really care about you."
Jess didn't have an answer to that, knowing as he did that Forester had a point, but pretty certain that any comment he made about it would only make this situation worse.
"Look, you don't owe me anything, and obviously we're never going to like each other or be friends or anything. Believe me, that's fine by me, but just... just do me one favour, okay? Treat her how she deserves to be treated. I know I always tried to."
It took a bigger man to admit that he tried to treat his girlfriend right, rather than insisting he always did. Nobody was perfect after all. Plus, Jess had to respect the fact that Dean was bowing out gracefully, not making a big deal, not being threatening or stupid about this whole thing. Jess honestly wasn't sure he could be so cool if the positions were reversed. He hoped he would, but when it came to Rory, he doubted it somehow.
"I'm not doing that as a favour to you," he said, shaking his head. "I'm doing it because... it's Rory," he explained, shrugging his shoulders, knowing he needed to give no other explanation or assurance.
Forester understood. He maybe wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but that he got. Nodding once to prove the point, he picked up the bag of food for Taylor and swept on out of the door. Jess watched him go, then returned to his stool and his book. If he was sweating a little for a good five minutes afterwards, that was just pure coincidence.
To Be Continued...