Chapter three! much longer as promised.
Reminder that passages in italics are flashbacks.
enjoy :) xoxo
disclaimer: i own nothing
She awakes the next morning to a knock on her bedroom door. She doesn't know when she fell asleep, all she remembers is sobbing and clinging to Colonel Clucker for hours.
"Guess who's back?"
"Mom?! I thought your flight got in tonight?"
"No, it's Slim Shady. Lorelai will be back later.."
Rory sits up on her bed to assess the state of herself and everything around her.
"So…can I come in? Promise I won't challenge you to a rap battle!"
Rory rips off her hospital bracelet from the day before and shoves it in a drawer nearby.
"Uh, yeah come in!"
Lorelai opens the door and she looks like she rolled right out of the resort and came home.
Rory laughs, "Mom did you get off the beach and come straight here? You're wearing a cover up and that hat! Scarlett O'Hara wouldn't even wear it. I can't imagine people on the plane were very happy about that."
"Aw, I missed you too honey!" Her mom sits next to her on the bed and puts her arms around her, "and yes pretty much. One second me and Luke were sipping cocktails on the beach, and the next there's a hurricane warning! Well I couldn't take the chance of being delayed and getting back to my mini me, and of course my mini me's mini me late, so we went straight to the airport and paid way too much money for a sooner flight."
"You didn't have to do that, I would have been fine!"
"Oh so you want your mother dearest to get swept up by a hurricane? Wow they sure grow up fast, we were friends just last week!"
Thinking about the last conversation they had, Rory looks out the window avoiding her mother's gaze.
The morning after the wedding, Lorelai met Rory at Luke's for coffee. Rory had stayed in a room at the Inn to give them privacy, especially after Lorelai made multiple drunken jokes about the various places she wanted to 'consummate the marriage' around the house. Including one frightening idea to use the porch to give a show to the 'voyeurists of Stars Hollow'.
"So, Logan?" this is the first thing out of her mother's mouth as she sits down at the most secluded table Rory could find in the diner. Rory opens her mouth but catches the person walking over to them, "Jess!"
Lorelai looks bewildered, "Jess? You said Logan! When did you and Jess even, oh oh! Jess! Hi Jess." She catches on as the dark haired man appears at the table. He nods.
"Hi Ms. Gilmore. Or is it Mrs. Gilmore-Danes? I could always call you Aunt Lorelai." She rolls her eyes in response, Rory is chuckling across from her.
"Lorelai is just fine Jess. What are you doing here?"
"I slept upstairs last night. I couldn't take another night on one of the many decrepit couches at Liz's."
"What are you doing in the diner? I thought you said you had to leave early this morning?" Rory asks, pulling at the end of her sleeves. The image makes Jess feel seventeen again, but instead of a scowl the thought brings a smile to his face.
"I just said that so I could avoid a "family breakfast" involving TJ and mimosas. Instead figured I would help out this morning in case Luke needed extra sleep. It sounded like Lorelai was going to be putting him to work last night."
"Oh, I did!" Lorelai exclaims with a mischievous grin, "but my man is a man of endurance and strength. And he was still able to get his cute ass out of bed this morning for work despite my best efforts!"
"Ugh, mom my ears!"
Jess turns to Rory, "I hope for your sake you ended up staying at the Inn. Or do you need a lobotomy?"
"I stayed at the Inn but since this woman is my mother, I'll take the lobotomy anyway."
"Hey!" Lorelai fakes offense, "I haven't traumatized you that much."
"What is much?" Jess looks at Rory and they share a secret smile, "How about some coffee instead of the lobotomy? If you drink enough of it, I bet it will have the same effect."
"Coffee, yes please. Then, we need lots of space if you don't mind. Like you're Canada and we're Australia kinda space. And yes, I picked those on purpose because you're all dark and cold like the Great White North, and we're all sunny and fun and cute like koala bears! Anyway, we need uninterrupted time together." Lorelai replies, and meets Rory's eyes, "Right honey?"
Rory looks away from Jess, "Sorry. We do need to talk. But I don't agree that you're like Canada."
Jess waves them off, chuckling at Rory, "I'll bring the coffee pot over and disappear so fast Houdini will come back from the grave to ask for tips," he turns to Rory, "I'm probably going to leave before you're done with your mom. Call me and we can get a plan together for what we talked about." Rory nods in response and Jess leaves the table.
"What's that about?"
Rory shrugs, "It's a work thing." Jess drops the coffee pot and two cups at their table and then backs away while mimicking magic with his hands. Rory giggles but sobers quickly at the serious look on her mother's face.
"So. Logan?"
Rory looks down at the table and starts tracing circles; busying her hands has always helped her think better.
"You know how I sort of was having an affair with him?"
Lorelai nods, "Boy do I. If I am remembering correctly, I very harshly called him the 'guy you can't quit'. Not to make assumptions but…was I right?"
Rory's shoulders slump, "No. Yes. Sort of. I don't know. I did the right thing Mom I swear, I broke it off with him. I told him it was wrong. I know we don't belong together. It was just…"
"Comforting." Rory is surprised to hear Lorelai say that. She wasn't expecting her to understand especially after everything Lorelai had said to her after both Rory's fiascos with unavailable men. She reaches across the table and takes Rory's hand.
"Yes, it was comforting. But wrong. So I broke it off. But in typical Logan fashion, he couldn't go out without a freaking bang."
"Dirty!"
"Not that! Well, yes that. But not what I meant. He turned Stars Hollow into a life and death brigade fantasy land, and him and his friends showed up to show me one last night of…debauchery. One last night all together, pretending like we were still in college. It all seemed innocent and even thoughtful and sweet. How could I say no?"
Lorelai gives her a sympathetic smile, "You couldn't." Rory bites her lip and tries in vain to keep her tears at bay.
"It was not supposed to end up turning my world upside down. I don't even understand how it happened. I've been on the pill since I was 17."
"Maybe a mistake on Logan's end?"
"I don't know. Maybe. We were tipsy but I think I would have noticed if he forgot to…you know."
"And you only did it once that night? Don't give me details. Just trying to logistically stack the odds against two Yale graduates failing to use protection."
"Well you always said once is all it takes isn't it?" It comes out scathing, and she regrets it as soon as she sees her mother recoil.
"I'm not judging you Rory! I just want the facts!"
"The facts are that Logan essentially whisked me back into bed with him one last time and left me with a parting gift that's ticking like a bomb! And he has no idea. And I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because telling him sucks and keeping it from him sucks too! Any way you look at it, sucks. And I'm sure there's a better word for it but my brain is not operating beyond an elementary vocabulary right now because, hello, I'm freaking pregnant!" She whispers the last part, mindful of their location.
"Rory," Lorelai squeezes her hand to get her to look her in the eyes, "I know we haven't talked about this sort of stuff because well the situation never came up but…you have options you know."
Rory shakes her head, "I know. I thought about it. I want to keep it. It makes no sense, but I do want it."
"It doesn't have to make sense to anyone but you babe. But if you are going to have this baby…you know what you need to do."
"So…did you make any phone calls while we were gone? Send any emails? Texts? A nice handwritten letter signed by Jerry Springer that says 'you're the daddy!' Oh or Skype? Is that still a thing?"
Rory just shakes her head.
"Honey…the longer you wait the harder it will be."
"I just wasn't ready. Can we talk about this later? I haven't had my allotted coffee yet."
Rory goes to stand up but Lorelai tugs on her arm, "Rory? Are you okay? You look a little um…how do I say this nicely…have you seen Snooki's mugshot?"
"That's supposed to be nice?"
"Well, I didn't directly say you look like a hot mess!"
"Gee, thanks!" Rory stands up, pulling her hair quickly into a bun.
"Sweetie…you look like you either cried all night or ate so much Taco Bell that your face swelled up from all the sodium. What's going on?"
Rory crosses her arms and keeps her gaze away from her mother. She doesn't know why but she just cannot bring herself to have this conversation with her. She isn't ready for the pity or the questions, or even her mom's comforting embrace. She wants to deal with it alone for a little longer. It's her problem, she got herself in the situation in the first place and she can see her way out alone. Maybe she's punishing herself or maybe she just needs more time to figure out her own feelings.
She forces a smile, "I'm okay mom. Just a little emotional lately. Nothing some coffee and a cherry danish can't fix. It is cherry danish day, right?"
Lorelai sighs but concedes, "For you, I'm sure Luke would make any day cherry danish day."
They collectively decide they should both make themselves more presentable before walking the streets in town. Rory doesn't need to look in the mirror to know she's doing a great Lindsay Lohan impression. She turns the shower on scalding hot and gets in. As she's roughly scrubbing off the last 24 hours, she feels a small cramp and looks down to see a clot of blood flowing towards the drain. Her heart sinks at the sight. But she only gives herself a minute to cry. She needs to keep pretending, for her mom and Luke. For herself. No matter how difficult.
She walks arm in arm with her mom heading towards Luke's, passing by shops including Kim's antiques. She winces; she never got to tell her best friend. She averts her eyes from the store and looks around her hometown. The Americana of it is making her nauseous for the first time in a long time, probably since the confrontation with Lindsay in the middle of the square. There are kids every where, since when did these people get so prolific? She swallows every time she sees a woman holding a baby or playing with a small child. She has to look away from baby strollers. She feels like she is suffocating, this town is mocking her. Shoving in her face everything that was within 7 months of her grasp. She wants to run and that thought leads her to the realization that this is how Jess felt. He didn't have this life and it was shoved in his face at every corner. The grief in her stomach doubles.
When they sit at the counter at Luke's, he comes over with two mugs of coffee and leans in to Rory to whisper, "one cup a day only, right?"
Rory gives him a wobbly smile, "right." He taps her hand with a wink, then turns to Lorelai. They begin flirting and bantering next to her, but it's muffled and distant to her as she thinks about her future. It feels incredibly empty. Logically, she knows she can still do everything she had planned. Write the book. Move to New York. Freelance as needed.
But none of it feels right. She is a person who thrives off rules, due dates, deadlines. Sure, she's smart and has decent self-discipline, but having no timeline makes her feel like a ship with no compass. She has all the equipment with no sense of direction. She needs the guidance, the structure. Perhaps that's why she excelled so much in High School yet struggled in the beginning at Yale. College leaves so much more responsibility on the student than professors, and she felt like she was one in a million there compared to the small, private Chilton. And now as an adult without a standard job telling her when and where to be on a daily basis, she flounders. She is just flying in the wind waiting for someone to pull her down and give her a purpose. The baby was the deadline. It forced her to outline the next, at least, year of her life. Now it's gone, and she's lost. Grieving and lost.
She is able to corral her spiraling thoughts enough to pull out at least one useful fact: she has to get out of Stars Hollow. She needs to be somewhere where she is anonymous, just another face in the streets. And there's that thought again: that's how Jess felt. That's why he couldn't stay here. It both anguishes and pleases her that she suddenly understands her brooding teenage love more deeply. Not that she ever condemned him for his ambivalence towards this place, but she never really got it. Until now. It almost makes her want to do something ridiculous like leave and drive to him immediately and talk through every difficult thing they have both experienced. Something tells her he would have the insight she craves. And she thinks she would be welcome based on their conversations at the wedding.
"Champagne for the maid of honor?" Rory turns to see Jess holding a glass in her direction. She shakes her head but smiles, "No thanks. I want to remember every moment of tonight." He nods and sits in the empty chair beside her.
"Strong woman resisting an open bar while surrounded by family and a hundred psych ward patients," he takes a long sip of champagne. Rory laughs but stares at his hand on the glass, she has a dream like flash of those hands on her face as he kisses her earnestly. She blushes and tries to push away her romantic thoughts, quietly blaming pregnancy hormones.
"You forget that I started Friday night dinners before legal drinking age. I've had training."
His lips quirk up but he doesn't respond. He looks her face over as he continues to sip his drink. His presence always could undress her soul, and she is certain that he sees past the pageantry. But she won't address it, and she's noticed that he won't either. Maybe he feels he needs to make up for his lack of tact as a teenager; he loved to pry into her life before they dated. Certainly trying to wear down her resolve that she didn't have feelings for him. So if he's not doing it now, does that mean he isn't interested in her that way anymore? The thought squeezes her heart, and she internally berates herself because she doesn't deserve him. He's become a kind, caring, successful adult and she is an unmitigated disaster. Oh how the tables have turned since their first time around.
"So," he finally says after a few minutes of silence, "you excited about the book?"
"Yes! Was jumping at you like a toddler not evidence enough of that?"
He laughs; she loves hearing it.
"Good." She is surprised to feel his hand on top of hers. She meets his eyes. "It's nice to see that indelible sparkle in your eyes again."
She blushes at that. He brings his other hand over his eyes, "god, that was sappy. Maybe I should switch to whiskey." Rory giggles and squeezes his hand. He removes the hand from his face and bashfully looks into her eyes again.
"It was sweet, Jess. No need to go all Hemingway on me. And for the record, I do feel a little bit of that unshakable confidence I had at sixteen. It's a nice change." He looks like he wants to ask her to elaborate but instead offers a small smile.
"And have I thanked you yet for the idea by the way?"
He laughs and puts his hand on his chin, pretending to think. "Hmm. I want to say you thanked me after we talked at the gazette, then texted me to thank me again a week later, then thanked me this morning, and I'm assuming the toddler jumping was a thank you too, but I could be wrong."
"Well let me clear that up for you," she laughs but then holds his gaze and states with sincerity, "thank you Jess."
He holds eye contact as he brings her hand to his lips for a brief kiss, "you're welcome Rory. It's the least I could do for you. You've always had those pom poms on hand for me."
She smiles and holds his eyes for a moment longer but then breaks contact and turns to take a sip of her water.
"Now, can we talk business real quick or are you too inebriated to remember this conversation tomorrow?"
"Business? I'm just sober enough. No time like the present."
"Tell me if this is way out of line but, do you think your company would be interested in publishing it? I don't know if it's going to be any good, but if it is you deserve to profit off it in some way. But I guess there's also the chance that it's complete trash and your coworkers will never forgive you for doing your old friend a favor."
"Rory," he stops her rambling, "I would love to. And I'm sure my partners would too, but I do have to talk to them about it first." She smiles at him hopefully. He returns the smile but it's gone in a second as he says, "What would you want to do about editing? I'm sure you don't want me to do it."
"Of course I would! I love your mind, I still read your margin notes in my books and the few you've left behind at Luke's." He smirks and it makes her blush. Did she really just say that?
She quickly recovers, "don't get all cocky, you know I've always liked hearing your thoughts. So what do you say?"
"I'll get the guys on board, I'll sick teenage Jess on them if I need to."
"You would break out torture tactics for me? I'm a lucky lady!" It's meant as a joke, and she delivers it with a big smile, but the look Jess is giving her is heavy.
"You deserve to be happy." She wavers and her body shakes slightly under his intense gaze. He doesn't give her a chance to reply. "We can hash out the potential details tomorrow if I see you before I leave. I'll just need a copy of what you have so far."
"Easy."
"The guys will want to read at least some of it, and we are backed up with manuscripts right now. Might take some time to get an answer."
Rory nods, "Totally understand."
"But if you want a second set of eyes or someone to bounce ideas off of in the meantime, you can call me."
"Thanks Jess, I really appreciate it."
"Rory," she meets his eyes with a questioning look, "that goes for anything, you know. Doesn't have to be book related."
She gives him a grateful nod, but looks away quickly as she feels her eyes watering. Jess pats her hand and stands up, "dance with me."
"Earth to Rory!"
She shakes away her thoughts, "yeah mom?"
"Me and Luke asked what your plans are today? You want to do some shopping?" She gives an over exaggerated wink. Rory looks away and takes a sip of her coffee.
"Um I can't. I have some phone calls to make."
Lorelai slumps a bit, "Phone calls? They can't wait? We just got home, I haven't seen you in a week. Can you make them while we shop?"
"Not really. I'm sorry mom. I need to have access to my calendar and a computer."
She notices Luke put his hand on Lorelai's, effectively stopping her from making Rory feel guilty.
She sulks, "Okay. What are your calls about? Need any help?"
"Thank you," she gives her a soft smile, "but I can handle it. I need to schedule some apartment tours for this week in Queens. It would be great if I can get moved in somewhere before the end of the year."
Lorelai blinks as her jaw drops a bit, "Really? You're still going to move to Queens? Are you sure that's the best idea?"
"Yes, I have to mom. As much as I want to be like you…I need to find my own Stars Hollow. And New York isn't that far."
She can hear the panic in her mother's voice, "But Rory! You haven't even told you know who. And and…even I had help! You can't just…how can you? Aren't you writing a book? You can do that here! I'm sure Luke can give you the apartment!"
Lorelai's criticism is making Rory feel overwhelmed and frustrated, and thankfully Luke notices and cuts in, "She's right, New York isn't that far. And we have two cars so we will always have a way to get to her. And Jess is there."
Lorelai scoffs, "Great, Jess is there! So he can can crash a car with my daughter and my -"
"Mom!" Rory interrupts her in a reproachful tone, "I am going to be fine. Please, please try to understand. This will always be my home but…I need to be on my own. I need to know I can do it."
Do what is the question. Lorelai surely thinks she is talking about the baby. Rory is talking about merely existing and moving forward with her life. The two Gilmores stare at each other, waiting for the other to back down. Luke squeezes Lorelai's shoulder and she sighs.
"Sure. I understand."
Rory takes her hand, "Thank you," she looks at Luke, "and what do you mean Jess is in New York? Like for the weekend?"
"No, no. He's lived there for a few months now. In Brooklyn. He's sort of a representative for his company in New York City, something like that. But anyway, he's there if you need anything. I'll threaten him if he says otherwise."
Rory laughs, "I don't think that's necessary. I think I'll give him a call and see if he knows of a place for a middle aged woman without steady income and no references."
"Hey you're not middle aged! That would make me old." Lorelai exclaims.
"Use me as a reference if you need to Rory, I'm happy to vouch for you."
"Thanks Luke! I'm going to go start my phone calls. I'll see you at the house later."
She takes Jess's hand and he leads her to the dance floor.
"I would never have taken you for the dancing type.," Rory says, as she puts her arms around his neck, his hands resting at her waist.
He shrugs, "Maid of honor, best man. It's tradition. And it sounded like your mom can use all the tradition she can get at this wedding."
Rory laughs, "So it's for my mom? That's sweet."
"Hey, I don't want her bad karma intruding on my life. It's all very self-serving."
Rory nods mockingly, "Oh, I'm sure." She hears the first chords of "Eternal Flame" start and laughs. Jess gives her an inquiring look, "What?"
"This just reminds me of something that happened my first year at Chilton. It was around when I first started there and I was assigned a group project with Paris, Madeline and Louise," she looks at him, "You remember me talking about them right?"
"Romy and Michelle come to mind."
She laughs, "Yes, that's them. Anyway, my mom knew that I didn't really have any friends and that Paris was giving me a hard time. So when Sookie showed up with four great seats to The Bangles in New York, my mom decided to give them to us so we could 'bond' and become better friends. Her and Sookie bought nosebleeds for themselves."
"That's very Lorelai. You're lucky, all my mom ever gave me and my friends were half finished beers. And she didn't give them so much as we would take them."
Rory gives him a look but says, "Well I'm sure that had the same effect on teenagers as tickets to The Bangles. We went to the show and immediately Madeleine and Louise made friends with two guys sitting near us. They disappeared with them halfway through the show to party. After the concert, we told my mom and we had the address of the building they were at. Mom and Sookie went up every floor of the apartment building and banged on doors until she found the them. Of course, the guys were overage and plying Madeleine and Louise with alcohol. Mom blew up, I'm sure there's still a dent in the wall of that apartment from her explosion. The whole thing was crazy."
"This sounds like something that should go in the book."
"Yeah, I think it will. It's a great example of how cool Lorelai is, but that she's also an amazing and caring parent. She believes in fun, but safety too. She was concerned that the book would make her look neglectful and inadequate as a mom…I don't know how she could ever think that." Jess nods, he dances his fingers on her waist and it sends goosebumps all over.
"So, what's been going on with you Jess? Still love your work?"
He nods, "It never gets old reading and dissecting ideas, and helping writers refine their voices. Well, that's not true. It does get old when I constantly have to make the same edits every time a writer gives their manuscript back to me. Some people can't see past their own ego."
"Some people just don't like to be told what to do. Even if it's for their own benefit."
"Those people probably shouldn't write books," he smirks. She laughs and takes an appreciative look over his face, his body.
"You seem happy, Jess."
He gives her a small smile, "I've been worse. How about you? What's going on in Rory Gilmore's world besides the book?"
Her mouth instinctively turns to a frown and she has to resist looking away from him. He is too good at reading her, and she can't let her news out like this; not here, not now.
"Not much. Though I am thinking about moving to Queens."
"Queens?" His eyebrow raises, eyes slightly bigger. She can't quite make out his facial expression, she mistakenly takes it as judgment.
"Yes, Queens is cool!"
"I didn't say it wasn't. Queens is very cool. Just didn't expect to hear that. I thought maybe you would stick around here to finish the book."
She looks down, "No, I need to start getting my life together. I feel like a kid here." She looks back up and meets his soft look.
"I get that."
They continue looking at each other until the song ends a moment later. Their bodies break apart as "White Wedding" by Billy Idol starts. Suddenly Lorelai is at their side,
"Come on Rory, dance with me!"
"I'm not sure this is a good wedding song. Isn't this song about his girlfriend wanting to marry someone else?"
Lorelai rolls her eyes and turns to Jess, "Debbie Downer over here is ruining my fun," she turns back to Rory, "Come on! We used to dance to this together in the potting shed! Oh you can put that in your book. Except one time we were dancing and since, you know, the bath tub was basically in the living room, you tripped and fell backwards into it. Definitely don't include that part!" Lorelai is dancing as she babbles, and Rory laughs and finally gives in, "Okay okay. I'll dance."
Jess good naturedly shakes his head at the two Gilmore women's antics, then nods towards Rory, "I'll catch you at the dessert table after?"
"Oh, you sure know how to sweet talk a woman. Grab as many chocolate covered cherries as you can! See you there!" She grins wide at him, and he watches her and Lorelai imitate eighties dance moves across the floor until they reach Lane and pull her in.
He finally releases the excited smile he was holding back. He walks towards the dessert table, which is more the size of a stage than a table, and finds the cherries. As he fills a plate for Rory, his mind wanders to what his life might be like if she moves to New York. It throws gasoline on the already burning flame inside of him; he's getting ahead of himself but he can't help picturing how right everything could be. He always felt that they would do well anywhere outside of Stars Hollow. Maybe he finally gets to prove them both right…
"Hey," Jess's voice comes over the phone placed against Rory's ear as she walks home from Luke's.
"Jess. A little birdie told me you LIVE in Brooklyn."
"I always thought the wildlife in stars hollow had cartoon like characteristics," he pauses, "I bet they help you get dressed in the morning too."
She can feel her neck heat up. Why did that sound like he was thinking more about her being undressed…and why did that thought bring a small flutter to her stomach. Before she can respond, Jess is chastising himself, "Jesus I'm sorry. That sounded…I don't know, but definitely not appropriate."
"It's okay. You're not the first person to say that to me."
"You've got my attention."
"Nothing weird. Just Paris. Okay she is weird, but nothing sexual! Anyway, Jess! You live in Brooklyn?"
"I do." She can tell he is biting his lip, most likely because he expects a Gilmore rant is about to come but now she is distracted just thinking about his lips and doesn't respond. Because of her silence, Jess speaks,
"Is that a problem? I know it has a major hipster reputation but I swear I live in the least gentrified part. I have to walk at least four blocks to reach a coffee shop that serves caffeinated creations beyond hot and iced coffee."
She laughs, "the only problem is that you didn't tell me! Remember I told you I'm looking to move to Queens? Now you may not be google maps but you're also not Christopher Columbus when it comes to direction so you MUST know that Brooklyn is a short subway ride from Queens! Or a long walk! Or a medium size drive with traffic!"
He sighs, "Yes. That's true."
"Okay. So. Why didn't you say anything?"
"I don't know Rory…we just became…friendly again, at least I think. I didn't want to freak you out. I like being friends."
"Freak me out? This is the best news I've had in the last 24 hours!" she admonishes him, then says more quietly, "I don't know if you could tell lately but I could use a friend. Preferably one that doesn't live in Stars Hollow because I need to move out of here as soon as possible."
"You finally get the whole Stepford Wives vibe?"
"Oh, more than you know. But anyway, i'm planning to look at apartments, or maybe closets depending on the cost, to live in Queens this week. Any chance you would be interested in helping me with that, friend?"
She can hear his smile as he responds, "I would be happy to."
"Thank you! I'll give you the details once I figure it all out."
"Go ahead, you get to planning our perfect day in Queens, Gilmore."
"I'm walking to my computer as we speak, I can't wait!
"And hey, I know you'll want to try every coffee shop there, I'm not going to fight that. But, do you think you can spread them out throughout the day so I don't have a heart attack before I get to call you my neighbor?"
She laughs, "Deal. Bye Jess."
She waits for him to respond, and after a beat he says, "By the way, I can tell you need a friend. I just didn't know if the friend you need is me. But I'm here for you. Bye Rory."
He hangs up, leaving her staring at her phone with a peaceful smile.
Moving out of her hometown is just what she needs, she thinks, and living near Jess…well, that makes it feel ten times better.