A/N: Here we go again! Thanks so much to those who take the to leave reviews - it really does mean a lot. You may notice that Logan and Francie are extra annoying in this fic - full disclosure (if you hadn't guessed!) that's just to make it easier to get rid of them later :P In the meantime, more online chat with our favourite not-quite-a-couple...

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 5

How weird is it that my greatest comfort right now is writing to a guy I never met?

Jess never did answer that question, though CoffeeGirl84 had posed it to him three weeks ago now. They had continued emailing back and forth, not quite as regularly as before, because she got busy, and Thanksgiving got in the way and all. Still, he had plenty of opportunities to answer her question. With the way the subject of their conversation tended to bounce around, a lot of unimportant little things fell by the wayside without anyone really noticing. Still, that question had stuck in Jess' head and wouldn't let go.

He was sure it only played on his mind so much because he felt exactly the same way about her. She really was a source of comfort and stability for him, in spite of the fact he didn't know her name, had never seen her face, could actually pass her on the street and never even know it. That last thought occurred as he moved down a busy sidewalk, glancing into the faces of every woman that went by, wondering idly if they were her. Any one of them could be, and that was assuming she was a woman, as she said. Jess felt a little weird imagining that it all might be a scam of some kind, that his CoffeeGirl84 might in fact be a CoffeeDude.

Shaking his head, Jess let that idea slip right away. No, he knew her well enough to know she really was female. He couldn't make a list if specific things she said that proved it, and anybody online could lie, of course, but he just knew. Somehow, deep down, he was so sure she was genuine. She had to be, because if she wasn't... Jess couldn't even begin to contemplate it.

Arriving at Truncheon, he stared at the locked door and heaved a sigh. It used to be his favourite place in the world, it still was in a lot of ways, but at the same time, there was a feeling of dread each morning that he opened up, or arrived later to the not-quite-smiling faces of Matthew and Chris. There may as well be a countdown clock over the front door, telling them how long they had until the whole venture ended, when the dream shattered and the store and business that had saved them all, in different ways, would wink out of existence, as if it had never been there at all.

Steeling himself, Jess pressed forward into the book shop, determined to make the best of however long they all had left. Some days, they still got a decent amount of interest, turning enough profit to keep their heads above water. Today proved to be much the same, which was good, or so Jess would like to think.

When he went out at lunch-time, to stretch his legs and breathe the cold New York air more than anything else, the sight of Huntzberger Books Superstore, heaving with customers, all bright lights and lower prices, it gave him pause for thought once more. He wanted to be positive, but that kind of thing never did come easy to Jess. He had his reasons and they were multiple. Too much disappointment in his childhood, an absent father and a useless mother, left to his own devices before he was even out of high school, dropping out and not knowing which direction to take. He learned to live by his wits, to work wherever somebody would take him on, make as much money as he could, sleep in whatever safe space he could find.

Truncheon had been like a miracle, coming along at just the right time to save him from disaster. The guys read the scruffy mess of a manuscript he had been carrying in his backpack for months and determined to publish it, giving a place to sleep and a meagre income if he was willing to take the job. The rest was history.

The store might be history soon too. If Jess was the type, he would cry, but he wasn't, so he didn't. Instead, he waited his time until the store was closed, took himself home, pulled out his laptop and contemplated his email inbox. He had nothing from her in the last couple of days and hoped that didn't mean anything bad. Too afraid to ask, he just started a new message and wrote out all that he was feeling to the one person who always understood, no matter what.

How weird is it that my greatest comfort right now is writing to a woman I never met? I don't even know if you remember asking me almost the exact same question a while ago, but it's been on my mind since then, because I feel the same way. Maybe it's so easy to talk to each other because of everything we don't know. Everybody else is too close, too familiar, too affected by what we say or think or do. We can't hurt each other or have too much impact on each other's lives, because we're not really in each other's lives, not physically, not literally.

See, that came out a lot more sad than I meant for it to. Like neither one of us is even a real person, as if we might as well be talking to some computer programme, or just yelling out into the void. That's not how I see it and I'm pretty sure you know that. It's just a weird situation, but I'm not sorry that I'm in it, you know?

Jess paused there, considered what he had written, almost deleted it all and started over. His finger hovered over the backspace for way too long before he moved it away and continued to type.

I'm having this problem and I can't really talk to anyone else about it. I'm not exactly swimming in family and friends (that's not the problem and I don't want you to feel bad for me, since it's largely my own choice) and anybody I would usually go to with something like this is too close to this particular problem to ever bring it up with them. I just don't really know where to go for advice, and obviously, I thought about asking you, but that would mean getting kind of personal, and we have rules about that, so I guess I'll just keep trying to figure it out by myself. Maybe I'm just looking for you to tell me it'll all turn out okay in the end, since your philosophy seems to be that most things usually do. I never really had a person in my life before that always sees the bright side the way you can. It's strange but I don't hate it.

Work had been crazy. Rory was sure she had never been so busy in her whole life, or certainly, not since she nearly killed herself with one too many classes her first year at Yale anyway. When she wasn't up to her eyes with actual work, Logan seemed very keen to be close. She knew part of it was him making up for other absences, for missing Thanksgiving, for being more interested in the big store opening than her for a while. Not that Rory needed him to try that hard in their relationship anyway. It had been a long time since she put in the effort herself.

Of course, she thought about emailing NYC360. In the quiet moments, she meant to do it, but there usually just wasn't enough time or enough brain capacity left by the hour of the day when she might actually have had a little time. Today, finally, she found a half-hour window, when Logan had gone off on his next business trip - to France, she thought, but couldn't be certain - and she finally had her To Do lists down to a dull roar. She was absolutely determined to reply to the message she just about managed to skim through at lunch-time but so far had only written a line or two in response. She got a surprise when she found her online friend had sent another email since then.

I don't want to bug you, and if you're done with this whole thing, you can tell me, that's fine, but I'm just checking in. Hope you're doing okay.

The timestamp was the thing that caught Rory's attention most. Just three minutes before she logged on. That meant there was every chance he was sitting at his computer right in that moment, just the same as her. Rory's eyes strayed to the instant messenger icon and she found herself pushing the cursor over to it, her finger then hovering a moment above the trackpad.

She could click it. She could just say hi, apologise for not being around, assure him she still very much wanted to talk with him, it was only that she had been super busy, that was all. It would be the easiest way to say everything she wanted to, the best way to ask if he still had that problem he was struggling with and offer to try to help.

She probably shouldn't. He was the one who mentioned their agreement not to get too personal, but they didn't have to do that. Chatting live versus chatting by email didn't have to change the content of what they typed at all.

Taking a deep breath, Rory bit down on her lip, threw caution to the wind, and opened up the instant messenger. Quickly, she typed.

Hi. Is this okay?

Then there was nothing to do but wait on the response. The seconds ticked by, probably no more than ten, before his reply appeared.

More than okay. Nice to have you back online.

Rory felt her face stretch wide with a grin and knew it was dumb. She didn't even know this guy. He could literally be anybody, and yet, his telling her he was glad she was there put a warm glow in her chest. Knowing he was actually there, live and in-person in a way he never had been before, that gave her another warm feeling entirely, though she chose not to think too much about it.

CoffeeGirl84: Sorry for the radio silence, I've been super busy.

NYC360: No problem. Corny as it sounds, I just missed you is all.

CoffeeGirl84: Trust me, I missed you too, and when I finally saw your email, I felt awful for not answering in so long. You clearly needed someone to help you out and I just wasn't here.

NYC360: You're fine. Clearly, you have a life, which is good. Anyway, I'm not exactly dying or anything. It's just this whole thing is kind of a big deal and I don't really know what I'm going to do about it. It's really not on you to try to fix it.

CoffeeGirl84: I know, but I'd like to try, if you want to tell me about it.

With her finger tapping on the edge of the computer for a moment, Rory knew the next thing she had to ask was going to be so uncomfortable, even though there was no real reason why it should be.

CoffeeGirl84: Is it a romance-related problem?

NYC360: Definitely not.

Rory sighed with genuine relief, not because she was bad at dating advice (though she wasn't the greatest, truth be told) but because it was easier to pretend that there was no romance in his life to even have a problem with. That probably wasn't the case at all. He could be happily married or in a really great relationship, though it seemed unlikely he would be. Surely, if he were, he would be taking his troubles to his partner rather than her. Not that it mattered right now.

CoffeeGirl84: So, is it a work thing?

NYC360: It is. I have my own business and it's in some trouble. Competition's always been an issue, but it's gotten worse lately. I just don't know if we can keep our head above water for too much longer.

CoffeeGirl84: I'm sorry.

NYC360: Not your fault.

Something twisted in Rory's stomach, thinking how plenty of other people's business problems absolutely were her fault, or at least partially the fault of the company she worked for. Squashing competitors, or swallowing them whole, or both. Shaking it off, she concentrated only on her friend's issues. Her own could wait for another day.

CoffeeGirl84: Isn't there anything you can do? I mean, if you've been doing well before now, whatever the competition is suddenly doing to get one over on you, can't you fight back?

NYC360: I guess there are some things we could do. The guys I run the place with have been brainstorming, but it's a lot to think about, a big ask to stand up and take on so much. I like a quiet life. We start making a big deal out of this and it's going to get messy.

CoffeeGirl84: You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. That's a saying for a reason. I mean, obviously, if you want to give in and go quietly, that's entirely your decision, but from the way you're talking about this, it clearly means a lot to you. From the things you said to me before, you're not big on confrontation, but you know you're own mind and you can handle yourself in a fight.

NYC360: That's all true.

CoffeeGirl84: Then if you want my opinion, I say go for it. Fight to keep what you have, what you love. You could just win, and even if you lose, at least you'll know you gave it your best shot. In the end, isn't that what matters most?

When no reply came for a full minute after that, Rory started to worry she had said the wrong thing. Maybe when he said he wanted her advice, that wasn't what he was expecting. Maybe she had gone too far. She reconsidered when, finally, he answered.

NYC360: You're right. Thank you for telling me what I should've known already. Seriously, it means a lot, so thanks.

Rory's grin was back full-force as she typed her next reply.

CoffeeGirl84: You're more than welcome :)

To Be Continued...