Care

Construction at the diner was in full swing by the next week. Jess had been temporarily relieved that they wouldn't have to move, and that Luke didn't seem to be harboring any thoughts about shipping him and his things off. However, it was now impossible to get any quiet in the apartment before the sun went down, and working in the diner had become downright hazardous. He had taken to wearing a hard hat during his shifts, and when he saw Rory and her mom sit down at the table where three people had previously been hit by falling drywall, he went to get an umbrella. When he came back, Rory was the only one at the table. He opened the umbrella without a word and handed it to her. She took it, confused.

Irritated, Luke said, "Oh, you are really funny. You and Tom should put an act together."

As he walked away, though, Jess heard Luke tell Rory to leave the umbrella open and smirked. As he dropped off the Gilmores' food and kept their coffees full, he overheard Lorelai complaining about getting roped into a weekend with her mother. He wondered what Rory's plans would be with an empty house for the next two days. She and her mother had a reputation for not being exactly domestic, and as he'd discovered himself, the contents of their fridge were often hazardous. Rory would need food, and he was desperate to get out of the diner for a few hours. So, later that afternoon, he put in a huge to-go order.

"Geez, who is that for?" asked Luke.

Jess avoided answering honestly. "Didn't ask. They asked if it could be delivered, though, and I said yes."

Luke looked at his nephew and raised his eyebrows. "We don't deliver," he said shortly.

"No, but I said that we do so that I could volunteer to take it and get out of this mess."

Luke rolled his eyes but didn't protest.

Jess packed the food up as it came out of the kitchen and placed it carefully in a big box. When he had everything together, he started toward Rory's. Halfway there, he was desperately wishing he had a car. He had put in a very large order to keep Rory, and hopefully himself, fed and he was struggling with the box. He made it to her house, somehow, and he shifted the box carefully to one side to knock on the door. Once inside, he convinced Rory to let him stay, but his hopes for a one-on-one conversation were dashed when the blonde girl he'd seen once or twice before came in from the living room. Much to his displeasure, Rory immediately invited her for dinner, and a few minutes later, they sat around the table to eat. There was a brief silence before Jess asked what they'd been studying. Electrochemistry wasn't the most stimulating topic of conversation, so Rory changed the subject.

"So, uh, Jess, did you finish The Fountainhead?"

She smiled as Jess's groan peaked Paris's interest. They argued about Ayn Rand's stance on capitalism and communism, laughing at the irony of her final years. Jess started in on the Beats which made Paris roll her eyes. Rory, enjoying the conversation immensely, took up the role of referee as Jess and Paris discussed the merits of Kerouac and the rest.

"Typical guy response," Paris was saying. "Worship Kerouac and Bukowski, God forbid you pick up anything by Jane Austen."

"Hey, I've read Jane Austen," said Jess defensively.

"You have?" asked Paris, taken aback.

Rory enjoyed the surprise in Paris' voice as it matched her own feeling. She'd begged Dean to read Jane Austen, but he'd refused. As they continued to talk, the phone rang. Jess figured he knew who had called by Rory's sudden change in demeanor as she walked back into the kitchen. She had completely ignored his obvious lie about disliking poetry, which had been an attempt to draw her back into the conversation, and now had his coat in her hand.

"Who was on the phone?" Jess asked.

"No one," Rory lied.

"No one wouldn't happen to be heading over here now, would he?"

"Jess," Rory pleaded.

"What's going on?" asked Paris.

"Nothing," lied Rory again.

"Dean's on his way over, and Rory doesn't want him to find me here," Jess answered.

"Why?" asked Paris.

"Yeah, why?" seconded Jess with a knowing tone in his voice.

"You know why," said Rory.

"We're just eating dinner," said Jess truthfully.

"Jess, I'm asking you as a friend, just please leave now," Rory begged.

Jess thought he could sense actual fear in her voice, so he asked her if she really wanted him to leave and watched her face closely as she answered.

"I really…wanna avoid a fight with Dean," Rory said slowly, almost regretfully.

He nodded and said, "Okay, I'm going."

"Thank you," she said.

"Ow!" feigned Jess. He couldn't help but try to drag it out.

"What?" she asked, exasperated.

"Ugh, I just twisted my ankle. I better go lie down," he said dramatically.

"Jess!" She put her hands on his chest, and a thrill shot through him. She kept pushing him towards the door as he teased her. As it turned out, though, they were too late; Dean was standing in the yard when they came outside. After a brief standoff, Jess walked away, torn between disappointment at the abrupt end to the conversation he, Paris, and Rory had been having and worry about leaving Rory alone with an angry Dean. As he walked back home, she was all he thought about. He knew that the chemistry between them was obvious, but he could tell she struggled to face that reality head-on. He also knew that Dean was her first boyfriend and intuited that, as the golden child of the town, she was reluctant to hurt anyone's feelings. However, knowing these things did little to assuage his discontent. On one hand, Dean reminded him of several of his mother's nastier boyfriends, and he longed to send him packing. On the other hand, he was deeply curious about Rory and longed to get to know her better. He wanted to see which parts of her books were underlined; what stood out to her? What made her cry? What made her laugh? He wondered if she was as curious about him. He spent the evening absorbed in these thoughts and fell asleep with them still spinning in his mind.

Jess helped Luke open the diner but quickly became overwhelmed by the din of construction and customers. He placed the Gilmores' order when they came in and then found an out-of-the-way spot behind the counter to lean and read. He was absorbed in putting notes in the margins of Slaughterhouse-Five when he heard Rory's voice thanking Luke for the care package. Jess's head popped up in alarm. As Luke asked what Rory was talking about, Jess considered quickly the best way to intervene.

"Hey, Luke, I think they hit the water line again," he said.

"Oh, what?" said Luke, walking away to berate Tom, the contractor who was remodeling the apartment upstairs.

Rory stared at the back of Luke's head for a few moments, rapidly putting two and two together.

"Huh, interesting," she said, a note of satisfaction in her voice. "I don't think Luke knew anything about the food last night."

"That'll be twelve-fifty," he said matter-of-factly. He doubted she would respond to his evasion tactics, but there was no way he was going to admit to anything.

"Which means you lied about why you came over," she continued.

"I don't have any quarters. I'm gonna have to give you nickels."

"Now, why would you lie about something like that?" she asked slyly.

"Here's your change. Come again soon," he said.

"You wanted to come over," she said, answering her own questions.

"I have to get back to work," said Jess in a last-ditch effort to get her to stop gloating.

"You're squirming", Rory observed. "I've never seen you squirm. It's entertaining," she teased.

He couldn't help but enjoy the happiness in her voice. He put his book down on the counter and leaned forward, smiling.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

They chatted over the counter until Lorelai came to call Rory home.

Construction was close to being finished by the next week, but before Luke and Jess could put the diner and the apartment back together, Luke got a call informing him that his uncle Louie had passed. He mentioned it to Jess, whose brain immediately kicked into overdrive. A death in the family meant a funeral that more family would be invited to which meant…Liz. Luke was going to call to ask her to come to the funeral if he hadn't already. He decided quickly to stay out of sight as much as possible until the funeral was over.

The next morning, as he was getting ready as slowly as possible and watching I Dream of Jeannie in an effort to procrastinate more effectively, he heard a knock on the door. He knew it wasn't Luke. Liz? He froze. Then he heard Rory's voice.

"Jess, open up! I know you're in there," she barked.

Jess crossed the floor and opened the door quickly.

"My, aren't we bright-eyed and bushy-tailed." It was 6:30, and she'd come to see him.

"Luke needs you downstairs," she said disapprovingly.

"Why?" he asked, affecting indifference.

"Because he's on the phone with someone, and Caesar's off today, and the place is packed, and he needs help," she said quickly.

He had walked away before she'd gotten halfway through her sentence and started to stare at the TV again.

"I'll be down in a minute," he said lazily. He liked pushing her buttons.

She huffed and walked into the apartment after him, saying, "No, now."

"I'm in the middle of something," he said, gesturing at the TV.

Just as he'd hoped she would, she walked up to him and put her hand on his back, shoving him towards the door. He really liked pushing her buttons. She pushed him all the way downstairs and into the diner, continuing to badger him about his responsibilities as he intentionally walked as slowly as possible in an attempt to keep her hand between his shoulders. He had felt bad about hiding out in the apartment, knowing that his uncle needed help, but he decided suddenly that if neglecting Luke gave Rory an excuse to get close to him, he would be even more ornery and cantankerous than usual. To that end, after school, he headed for the bridge to read instead of going to the diner, knowing that Rory would be there to notice his absence. He had a feeling she would know where to look for him.

"Hey!" he heard her shout.

"Hey, yourself," said Jess, who had stopped reading when he heard footsteps approaching the bridge. He glanced up at Rory and saw she had put on her stern face again.

"What are you doing?"

"Reading."

"Why?"

"Well, it's such a nice day out–" he began.

"Luke needs you. Again. And you're not there. Again," Rory interrupted.

"He's a big boy. He can handle it," he responded nonchalantly.

"No, he needs you. Come on, get up," she said, grabbing his arm.

"Fine," he said and stood up slowly.

"Hurry up. Let's go," she said, pushing him across the bridge.

By the time they were approaching the diner, she had lost patience with him dragging his feet. She grabbed his shirt and started to actively pull him towards the diner.

"Hey, watch the shirt!"

"Cork it!"

He repressed a smile, happy to have her coming to find him and happy that she was taking his mind off of other, more stressful things.

He was aware, however, of the effect that Louie's death was having on Luke, so he did not argue when Luke asked him to go to the town meeting with him. Besides, he was curious which of the freaky townspeople would have a meltdown this month. The fact that Rory would be there was a fringe benefit.

When they walked in, he and Luke sat down in an empty row of chairs, and Jess was relieved that Luke saved the two seats next to them for the Gilmores as people started to arrive. He couldn't believe the bizarre things this town thought worthy of meetings. He and Luke were mocking Taylor when Lorelai and Rory finally arrived. Jess and Lorelai had gone back to largely ignoring each other. Although he felt that there was less animosity between them, he suspected that she was aware of his feelings for Rory, that she still much preferred Dean, and that she was keeping tabs on the way Rory was nevertheless finding ways to flirt with him, Jess, instead. He was interrupted from these thoughts by Rory's voice interrogating him acidly about why he was there. He quipped back at her, wishing they could see each other away from such large crowds of people.

The next day, Luke headed out early to go to Louie's funeral. Jess tentatively asked if his mother would be making an appearance and felt a mix of confusing emotions when Luke told him that his mother had never even returned his call, although he recognized that the most obvious one was relief. As the door shut behind Luke, he rolled over and was trying to go back to sleep when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, dear," someone purred from the other end of the line. "This is Miss Patty. Do you know when Luke will be back from Louie's funeral?"

"Uh…he just left. How long do funerals last if only one person goes?"

"Hmm, okay, sweetheart. Can you come unlock the door downstairs?"

"Wh–now?"

"Yyyyes…"

"Uh, yeah, okay."

Jess snapped the phone back down on the receiver and trudged downstairs. He came to a sudden halt when he saw the motley group that had gathered outside the door. He was acutely aware that he was still in his pajamas and approached slowly, wondering how much time he'd have to escape after he unlocked it. He was betting on none. He took a deep breath and unlocked the door. It opened, and there was immediate noise. He spent twenty minutes allowing himself to be bossed around by Miss Patty until finally, worried about what time Rory would be arriving, he brusquely drew Patty's attention to the fact that he was still in a t-shirt and sweats. She looked him up and down in a way that made him deeply uncomfortable but allowed him to go upstairs to change. He took as long as possible and dawdled in front of the TV until he was sure there was a large enough crowd downstairs to keep him far away from Miss Patty.

When he came back downstairs, he noticed Rory chatting with her mom and Luke. He grabbed a plate and had started to serve himself some food when he heard Rory's voice next to him. She teased him mercilessly about finally being part of the town, and he found himself having to pretend to be offended.

After Louie's wake ended and Luke's friends had helped clean up, he and Jess were left alone in the diner. They made their way towards the counter and leaned back against it, facing the windows and watching everyone wander home. Jess heard Luke sigh quietly.

"So…I'm uh, I'm sorry...about your uncle," said Jess, awkwardly. He didn't know how to do this and wasn't good at it, but something was pulling it out of him.

"Oh, yeah…thanks."

"And…for, y'know…bailing on you this week or whatever."

"Ah, don't–don't worry about it," Luke said quickly.

There was an uncomfortable pause.

"I just kinda freaked when I thought Liz might be coming." The words tumbled out quickly, and Jess was hoping that Luke would just leave it.

He did, but only for a moment.

"So she wasn't…I mean, she didn't…when you were living with her, she didn't…take great care of you."

Jess clenched his teeth together before responding. "That's one way to put it."

"Yeah…I–I'm sorry."

"Not your fault."

"No, but…" Luke sighed heavily and decided this was a big enough step for now, for both of them. "Y'know what, why don't we just try to put the apartment back together."

Jess trudged upstairs after Luke. As Luke began to tackle the dusty kitchen, Jess put on Global A Go-Go, one of his mellower albums, and then grabbed a broom. Things had been so crazy the last couple weeks that he hadn't had a chance to really appreciate what all the construction had accomplished. The apartment had almost doubled in size. The wall they had knocked down on the left had opened up enough space to make two small bedrooms, which would leave enough room on the right side of the apartment to spread out the office furniture from the sofa and TV. They still only had one bathroom, but Jess now had his own room. This thought lifted his spirits considerably. He stepped inside it with the broom and dustpan and shut the door behind him. As he heard the door click, he experienced a rush of emotion that he didn't recognize immediately. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and focused on sweeping the floor. When he finished, he went into what would be Luke's room and did the same. He continued in the kitchen and living room while Luke cooked dinner, and after they ate, they moved Luke's bed and Jess's mattress into their corresponding rooms, uncle and nephew alike looking forward to sleeping with their door shut.

The next morning, they went to get Jess a desk, a dresser and a twin bed and frame. While they were out, Luke offered to buy Jess a larger bookshelf, too, since the small one they'd bought before had become practically useless since Jess's stuff had arrived from New York. Jess' throat suddenly felt tight, and he couldn't stop himself from picturing his mom's apartment. His things had always just been piled up on the floor. Much like at Luke's until very recently, he hadn't even had a room to himself. Liz's place was so tiny that what should have been a living room doubled as his bedroom. Being that close to the apartment door meant that he had, on numerous occasions, witnessed his mother stumbling in in the early morning, usually with a new guy she'd picked up and whose reaction to seeing him varied usually from indifference to anger to embarrassment.

He cleared his throat quickly and said, "Yeah, sure."

They spent the rest of the afternoon assembling furniture and arguing with each other in the process. One hesitant conversation wasn't going to solve everything all at once, after all. But Jess appreciated Luke helping to make room for Jess's things around the apartment. At the end of the day, sweaty and tired, they looked around.

"Not half bad, huh?" asked Luke.

"Definitely less maze-like," said Jess.

L uke went to shower and when he came back out, he heard Jess snoring once again in his new bedroom. Lying down in his own bed, Luke found himself feeling hopeful for the first time that this might work out okay.