Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for your lovely responses to the last chapter and to my story in general! Thank you for reading! Have I told you all enough how much I love and appreciate you? you're amazing, seriously, thank you.
i'm not sure what happened with this chapter, my brain decided we wanted to explore Jess's story more? not the most exciting but i hope you like it anyway! I promise the next will be juicier (and it's mostly done already!)
enjoy xoxo
disclaimer: i own nothing
Howling wind and rain startles Rory awake one early morning. Her eyes snap open to see a flash of lightning outside the bedroom window. She sighs sleepily and turns from her side to rest herself against Jess's body, but she is met with just his impression in the sheets. She frowns and sits up. But as she throws her comforter back to get up and look for him, the bedroom door opens. The room is dark from the storm, but she can easily smell the fresh coffee he made, and she can make out his muscular form as he walks shirtless to her side of the bed.
"I figured it wouldn't be long before this woke you up," he hands her a cup of coffee, his voice an inviting murmur of gentleness and warmth. She smiles up at him and reaches out to hold a hand against his face.
"I don't think I'll ever get tired of waking up to your morning voice and your stubble, and especially your coffee making skills."
He grins as she removes her hand to sip the coffee he brought her. He leans down and places a kiss on her head.
"I'm not great at waking up before you on weekdays. Have to make up for it on the weekends."
She scoots over in the bed and pats the space next to her.
"Right, as if you didn't secretly set my coffee maker to automatically start a pot of coffee every weekday at seven am for me."
He smiles bashfully and ducks his face from her view as he sits down on the bed.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"I didn't even know it could do that!"
He laughs and wraps an arm around her shoulders.
"I'm surprised your mom never showed you how to do it. Seems like the one kitchen appliance trick she would know."
Rory shakes her head, "No, mom would say that making the coffee is part of the morning ritual. But I am grateful for all of your kitchen skills."
"And I'm grateful that you don't have any, so you'll always need me," he jokes, kissing her on the side of the head.
"Hey, I'd still keep you around without the kitchen skills! But we would spend so much money going out to eat all the time if you didn't have any so it's a major bonus."
"I see, so it's not my cooking skills that pulled you in, but they don't hurt."
"Exactly, just like Marilyn Monroe says in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. 'You wouldn't marry a girl just because she's pretty, but my goodness, doesn't it help?'"
"Is that the one where her character's name is Lorelei?"
"Yes, and yes my mother is bothered that her parents didn't use that spelling of her name."
"What about you? She had the opportunity to change it when she named you."
"Now that would just be confusing."
"Right, because so many people address you as Lorelai. I can see how the spelling would become a problem."
Rory giggles at that and burrows herself into his body more, careful not to spill her coffee. They sit nestled together, listening to the storm outside. He places a sweet kiss to her head every once in a while, and she traces lines on the hard muscle of his leg with her free hand. She thinks about how nice the last two weeks together have been. It has all felt like a dream since he told her he's ready to be serious while showing her the beautiful home they will live in together. This line of thought brings to mind a question she meant to ask that "first" night as a couple but got sidetracked by the yacht story and Jess's endless Bonnie and Clyde jokes.
"Speaking of Lorelais, I've been wanting to ask about that conversation you had with her and Luke. About us moving in together."
He kisses her head again and mumbles, "what about it?"
"What did Luke say? What did she say? I just love that you and my mom are like friends now. And that she and Luke are so supportive. I need to know everything!"
He chuckles and squeezes her gently against him, "Okay, I'll tell you."
"Jess, you seem like you're doing well. I think it's great that you're going to take the next step in your relationship with Rory. Now, I know you hate it when I ask you these types of questions, but how do you plan to engage in self-reflection and monitor your emotions once Rory is home? You've had a decent amount of free time over the last few months to work through some of the stuff you've been through. But that doesn't mean those challenging thoughts and feelings are not going to come back. And they will come back more frequently the less you attend to them. I know Rory's been gone a long time and I'm sure you will be filling much of your free time with her now. So. What's your plan?"
Jess runs a hand through his hair as he thinks over his therapist's words. She's right, he does hate it when she asks him these questions - or gives him 'homework' as he likes to call it. But he also recognizes it as a promise he's making more to himself than to his therapist, so he knows it's worth it to at least think about.
"Rory does have a full time job and so do I. So, it's not like all of my time will be with her."
She fixes him with a look, "you know what I mean, Jess. Tell me how you're going to check in with yourself. It's not homework, as you call it. And you don't even necessarily have to do it,
I mean hopefully you don't need to. But we have a few minutes left today, so I do want you to think about it."
He sighs and crosses his arms over his chest.
"You know I'm a writer. Writing helps me a lot, and I plan to continue to make time for my writing even when Rory is home. And she won't have any problem with that, she loves when I write."
"So, you've told me. She sounds very supportive of you, and you of her. I don't at all doubt that you two are capable of a having a healthy, fulfilling relationship. I just want to make sure that you're not committing to her and jumping into a big life change with the expectation that everything is going to be better from here on out. There will still be difficult times."
He nods, "Trust me, I know it's not a band aid and I don't expect it to be. I'm doing this because I feel ready, and I think she is too. I can finally be the person that she deserves, and I don't see any reason to wait longer. As you said, I'm not fixed forever but you've given me the tools to deal with it as it happens. Plus, I still plan to see you every two weeks for now. Unless you are firing me as a client. I know I can be a pain in the ass, but I'm not that bad, am I?"
She grins and laughs, "No, I'm not firing you. And you're not a pain. I'm happy to hear that you will keep to this schedule with me. So, I will see you in two weeks then."
"Two weeks. Thanks Dana, I'll see you then."
As Jess closes his laptop, the door to Rory's old bedroom opens.
"Oh! Sorry Jess, I didn't realize you would be in here," Lorelai apologizes, hand on her chest.
He shrugs, standing up from Rory's desk, "The internet at Luke's was down so he told me I could come here. Sorry I assumed you would be at work until later."
"You and me both, but it was a slow day today and Michel got annoyed with me questioning all of his interior design choices for the new spa. Which, I'll admit, I was doing purely for entertainment purposes. I have no problem with his choices, the man does have style. Anyway, he purposely spilled coffee on my top to send me home for the day! I was just coming in here to steal one of Rory's old shirts. I didn't feel like walking allll the way up those stairs," Lorelai rambles as she walks into the room and starts going through the closet, "Hey, you think Luke has any experience with installing elevators? Oh, or maybe I should get one of those seats, you know those ones they advertise for older people, that you sit on and buckle in and they take you up the staircase! You think those are expensive?"
Jess smirks, "Did that coffee Michel spilled on you go directly to your bloodstream?"
"No, that would be the line of coke I snorted on my way home," she jokes, grabbing a shirt and turning back to face Jess. She gives him a look with a raised eyebrow, shaking the shirt towards him.
"Mind if I have some privacy? Because remember the stairs and the me not liking exercise? I need to change in here."
"Ah," Jess nods, picking up his laptop and stepping out of the room, "sorry."
She closes the door but shouts through it, "I know you miss Rory, but it's a little inappropriate to try and sneak a peek at me. We don't look that much alike you know!"
He scoffs in disgust, "Jesus Lorelai, don't even joke about that!"
"What? Not funny?" she opens the door and cringes slightly at his horrified look, "Sorry, I told you I'm bored. I lose all sense when it comes to a certain point."
"So, you entertain yourself by trying to traumatize me?"
"Wow, I'm not that bad!"
"Okay I am no longer engaging in this conversation. Do you know if Luke will be home soon?"
Lorelai nods, "he should be. I called him on my way home to tell him I'm done early. He said he's right behind me."
"Do you mind if I stick around? I want to talk to you both about something."
She looks at him curiously but nods, "Yeah, of course. Have a seat. I'll grab us a snack."
"I'm not hungry," he shakes his head, taking a seat at the kitchen table.
"Too bad, I am. Don't make me eat alone," she begs as she grabs a box of Oreos and sits down at the table. She takes one out and pushes the container towards Jess. He rolls his eyes and takes one. She gives him a satisfied smile before eating hers.
"So…how was your day? Did you have business meetings that you needed internet for? I feel like you don't even use your computer for editing. I know you like to print the manuscripts you work on, I've seen Luke's apartment since you've moved in. And, I gotta tell ya, seeing all that paper would give Al Gore a heart attack."
Jess laughs but breaks into a genuine smile. Knowing that she cares about him and his life, pays attention to him and his habits like a friend or relative would, it's still something he is getting used to. But it doesn't feel bad at all.
"No, no business meetings today. The guys have a strict no 'real work on Fridays' policy."
Lorelai hums in agreement, "You know, I love that. That's a genius concept. It would probably be hard to enforce at an Inn though."
"I can imagine Fridays would typically be busy there."
"Yes, they would. Typically. However, we're kinda in that weird space between summer ending and fall beginning. You know, families getting back into routines and such. Businesses tend to do their traveling during regular business days. So yeah, horribly slow day this particular Friday. In fact, I don't think I did do any real work today. So ha ha to capitalism!"
"That's right, stick it to them Aunt Lorelai."
Her smile drops into a mild scowl.
"You menace. What were you doing here on your computer then? Should I tell Rory you Skype with other women in your free time?"
"Why would you tell her that?"
"I may have head some voices in there before I opened the door."
"Then why did you act like you didn't know I was there?"
"I didn't want to creep you out by just standing outside the door!"
"You realize you make zero sense sometimes, right? You're a little self-aware, I hope?"
"A little," she pinches her fingers together to indicate this amount, then grabs another cookie, "So, you cheating on Rory?"
He gives her an incredulous look, "you don't seriously think I would do that. You must have me confused with one of her other exes."
Lorelai matches his stern face.
He reiterates, "I know what I have, and I wouldn't compromise it. I wouldn't do that to her. And anyone that would, or has, is a waste of space."
Lorelai stares at him a little longer, then breaks into a big smile.
"I know. But I am nosy. Have I annoyed you enough into telling me yet?"
Jess releases a breath and rolls his eyes, "it was my therapist. We have video sessions every couple of weeks."
Her face softens. "Jess, wow. That's…great. Really."
He half shrugs and takes another cookie.
"Sorry for prying. I really didn't expect that. But it explains a lot."
He shoots her a questioning look.
"You have been handling stuff with your family so well given the circumstances. I wondered how. It's because you're smart enough to take care of yourself too. I think that's really great."
"It's just therapy. It's no big deal."
"Jess," she asserts, "it's a huge deal. I know, I tried it. It requires some serious, and sometimes painful, self-reflection along with digging into traumatic stuff that you'd rather bury under an ocean of concrete. You have to be real strong and real dedicated to being a healthy person to put yourself through that. Be proud of yourself."
He looks away from her and before he can think of a response, they hear Luke enter through the front door.
"Sorry, I would have been here sooner, but I had to wait for Kirk to finish fixing the internet. I didn't want him up in the apartment by himself," he walks into the kitchen and nods towards Jess.
"Kirk fixed the internet? I know his skills run the gamut but, the internet?" Lorelai asks skeptically.
"There were a lot of YouTube videos involved. But he only asked me to pay him twenty bucks so whatever," Luke mumbles, quickly kissing Lorelai before he starts to take stuff out of the fridge.
"You staying for dinner Jess?" he asks over his shoulder.
"Maybe. It depends on how this conversation goes," he replies, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. Lorelai catches his nervous movement and smiles gently.
"What conversation?" Luke asks, turning to face them with his hands on his hips.
"I want to talk to you and Lorelai about something. It's nothing bad. I just…want your opinion."
Luke scrutinizes him, then looks at Lorelai who nods towards the chair next to her. He sighs and takes the seat. He gestures for Jess to talk.
"I think you both are somewhat aware of…how I feel about Rory. And how she feels about me."
Lorelai grins, "more than somewhat."
He shoots her an appreciative look.
"Before this stuff with Liz, and before Rory got her job and started traveling, we kind of shared the extent of our desires for our relationship. We both were ready for something…real, until the wrenches got thrown in and we had to put it on pause."
"You're not proposing already, are you?" Luke breaks in, apprehensive look on his face. Lorelai stifles a laugh. Jess rolls his eyes.
"No, Uncle Luke, I'm not proposing to a woman I haven't been able to see since February, after both of us have had one of the most tumultuous years of our lives. Not to mention hers involved the inconsiderate, self-serving ex that made a great example of how well a surprise proposal would go with Rory. Give me a little credit."
"Is that all you got today? Waste of space, inconsiderate and self-serving? I can think of some stronger words for Logan if you're interested," Lorelai offers, "like pigheaded, jerk face, cocky captain douchebag."
Jess bites back his laughter, "I promised Rory I would try to be more respectful of him. So please don't tempt me."
Lorelai's jaw drops in disbelief.
"You really have changed. You're more mature than me even."
Luke shoots her a look, "Jess has always been more mature than you in some ways. Even when he was a teenager."
"Man, you make one too many dirty jokes and suddenly the hoodlum is more mature than you!"
Luke places a hand on her leg under the table, "I like your immaturity. It's cute."
Her look of disbelief turns into a flirty smile, "You think I'm cute?"
Jess rolls his eyes but the small grin on his face is proof of his amusement. He clears his throat, and they break eye contact to return their attention to him.
"Sorry. So, we have established you're not proposing."
"Right. Not proposing. The author of one of the books Rory helped me edit, his name is Jay, we've become pretty close. He's French and he wants to move back home. He has a condo in the city that he offered to lease to me and Rory for a really good price. A really good price anywhere, not just in New York. And Rory would love it. It has a fireplace, and bookshelves, and brick walls, and it's a little closer to her job, it's safer than where she lives now, and it's just…I won't say I can't see us living anywhere else, because I would live in a hut if Rory asked me to. But, I think she would love it and I want to surprise her with it when she comes home."
He looks between Luke and Lorelai, taking their softened features as a good sign.
"I'm going to ask Rory if she's ready to live together. Me and her. In that apartment. As soon as her lease is up."
Lorelai breaks into a wide smile.
"Jess, that's beautiful."
His shoulders relax, "Yeah? You think it's a good idea?"
She nods and pats his hand on the table, "I think it's a great idea."
His lips perk up. He looks over to Luke who has his tamed, but proud smile on his face. Arms crossed over his chest as he leans back in the chair.
"You've made it to the other side."
Jess raises an eyebrow in confusion, but then remembers the conversation they had above the diner after Christmas. He smiles and nods.
"I think so. Don't you? Or do you want me to stick around here through the end of the year just in case?"
Luke quickly shakes his head and waves his hand in denial.
"No. Not at all. As long as you feel ready, then do it."
"I'm ready."
Lorelai gives him a knowing smile and nods slowly, "Yes you are."
"And Rory is too. It's not too soon. Right?" he asks somewhat nervously, mostly directed at Lorelai. She takes a deep breath and leans forward on the table.
"Jess, it surprisingly doesn't pain me at all to tell you that you know Rory just as well as I do. If not better. I think you know the answer to that question."
His eyes widen slightly at her statement. She gives him a grin and squeezes his hand gently.
"It's time for you guys to really be together. You deserve it."
Luke nods to show his agreement. Jess relaxes completely and leans back in the chair.
"Thank you."
"So, you staying for dinner? I'm making chicken pot pie," Luke asks, as he gets up to start cooking.
"Sure. If you don't mind."
"We don't mind," Lorelai answers, "Now, when do you plan to tell Rory?"
"I'm not sure. She probably has to give a month or two notice for her lease, so I think the sooner the better."
"Well," Lorelai gives him a mischievous grin, "if you don't mind waiting a little, I'm planning something extra special for her birthday…"
Jess recounts most of the conversation to Rory, keeping Lorelai's plans for her a secret. The smile on her face grew wider with every sentence, the heat in his chest blooming in time with it. He thinks briefly about the past, and how Rory always wanted him to open up more as teenagers. He wasn't able to then, but he wonders if it would have felt as good as it does now to make her this happy by just sharing with her. It still doesn't come as easy, and it still sometimes feels like he is breaking off pieces of his heart and entrusting her to keep them safe. But the difference now is that he knows she will. She will protect them fiercely and hold them close to her own heart. And he will do the same for her.
"So, you guys are moving in together officially at the end of November? But he's been staying at your place for the last couple of weeks so what's that about? A trial run?"
The judgment in Paris's voice is loud and clear over the phone. Rory rolls her eyes as she continues to sip her coffee at her desk.
"What's your problem with my situation? Jess and I have been waiting for this for so long, I mean years I'm sure if you want to psychoanalyze my subconscious."
"If I had more than thirty minutes on my lunch break today, I would do just that. But as it is, my temporary assistant is sharp as a foam finger and misinterpreted the time I set aside for myself as time that can be used for a consultation for a couple that has no business meeting directly with me in the first place."
"Are you mad because they aren't celebrities?"
"Worse, they're reality television stars. People that shouldn't be reproducing in the first place."
"The Kardashians are doing pretty well."
"Even they have slightly more to offer the world than this 'situation'."
"Oh! Is that a clue? Is it Mike from Jersey shore? You're right, he probably shouldn't reproduce."
"You know I can't divulge that type of information. I'm just saying you guys are going from not seeing each other for months and not having constant contact to living together? And he chose the place you will live without you. Doesn't that bother you? You're the pros and cons Queen, I would think you'd like to be consulted. If it's supposed to be a place you share it should be a shared decision."
"Paris," Rory huffs, "I know this word may not be in your vocabulary, but I trust Jess. Trust. As in when he makes choices and decisions, I know they are good ones."
"You're right, I don't know the meaning of the word and I'm surprised you still do after Logan. And not just the baby thing. The whole entire Logan experience."
"What is your concern? Can you just tell me instead of whatever it is you're doing? Jess isn't Logan, not even close."
"I know, I know. I don't want you to give up any of yourself for a man again. You did it with Logan and with Dean," she argues, then mutters, "Not with Jess though which I guess I should take as a good sign."
"Yes, you should," Rory insists, "and you know he helped me find myself again. I appreciate your care and concern Paris. But maybe you can be happy for me now? That's what I was looking for when I called you."
Paris sighs, "I am happy for you, Gilmore. You are doing way better than you were a year ago. I'm not going to give Jess all the credit because you're a fully capable person, but I do know he helped. And your sex life has never been better, which is important to me as your friend and as a doctor."
"And how would you know that?"
"Please, I was around for both Dean and Logan. I know they weren't totally satisfying you. And Jess loves you, actually loves you. Not like he wants to mold you into his pretty little wife."
"Yes."
"He does love you, right? He didn't say it and then run away again?"
"Yes. Well, he hasn't said it out loud, but I think he does."
"Wait, please tell me that at least you have?"
"I did! Well, not out loud. It was clear in the chapter I wrote for him."
"Oh Jesus Gilmore, so you haven't said it either? And you're basically living with him? What are you waiting for?"
"I'm not! That's not…." She starts to vehemently argue, but when she can't come up with a good defense, she quietly admits, "I don't know. I wanted to say it when he showed me the apartment. It's so sweet that he planned all of that out and it feels so good when he talks and thinks about our future together. But it didn't feel right saying it there in a space that wasn't ours yet, that had none of our history."
"So, you want to tell him…where? Your two-bit town?"
"Rude, and I don't know! Honestly I think I want him to say it first. These last few weeks have been amazing, I've mostly been on cloud nine. But there is a little voice in the back of my head that says I'm nervous that it's too good to be true. My mom says I need to stop and just accept the good. Especially since there really has already been enough bad."
"Now that's the Rory I know. See? You don't trust anything completely either. It's probably why we graduated top of our class."
"No, no. It's not that I don't trust him completely. It's more than I'm worried he's jumping into it all too fast to avoid dealing with other hard stuff in his life. He dealt with helping to heal his alcoholic mother who totally wrecked his childhood. He took care of his ten year old sister when her parents failed to. He's essentially held the role of son, brother, dad - all around caretaker - for the benefit of the woman that failed to take care of him as a child. He said he's been seeing a therapist, but I'm still a little worried about him. Do you think that's crazy?"
"No, I think that's the most sense you've made this whole conversation. It sounds possible that he's trying to skip to the good part of his life. Like he's reading Tolstoy and thinking 'surely these hundreds of pages of details are unnecessary to the plot' and wham Anna Karenina's throwing herself under a train and he doesn't understand why. But your relationship is Anna in this scenario and his unprocessed trauma is the train."
"That analogy does not quite track. No pun intended."
"You know what I mean. And you wouldn't be blameless either. What have you done for yourself since your grandfather's death, the affair, the miscarriage, besides grieve and then throw yourself into work?"
"Paris," Rory groans, "I'm fine."
"Yeah I'm sure your boyfriend is telling himself that too."
Rory doesn't respond. She stays silent aside from tapping the side of her coffee cup.
"Tell me Gilmore, have you seen pictures of the happy little Huntzberger family? They've been in a few society pages and magazines."
Rory sighs.
"My grandmother sent me a picture she received after the baby was born. She thinks its forehead is too big, but I happen to think he's very cute. And I told Logan as much. I texted him to say congratulations."
Before Paris can reply, the office phone on Rory's desk starts ringing.
"Paris, I have to go."
"Of course you do, we were finally getting to the good stuff."
"It's nothing! He is a friend that had a baby, so I treated him as such. I'll call you later."
"Sure, a friend that was supposed to have two babies. One with his wife and one with you."
"Bye Paris!" Rory quickly ends the call and picks up her office phone.
"Rory Gilmore."
"Miss Gilmore, a Mr. Jess Mariano is here to see you."
She smiles against the receiver.
"You can send him up, Bianca. That's my boyfriend."
"Aw, wait until you see what he has for you. Sending him there now!"
Rory hangs up her phone with a huge grin and stands up from her desk and walks to meet him at the elevator. The doors open a couple minutes later, and she's greeted by Jess holding a large coffee and a box of cookies from her favorite bakery.
"Wow! What brings you over to Manhattan?"
"Just came to see my girlfriend. I heard she likes these cookies."
"She's madly in love with them actually!"
"You've officially made me jealous of food," Jess smirks. He steps toward her and hands her the coffee. Then puts his hand behind her head and leans in for a kiss. She blushes and pushes his chest.
"Jess! I'm at work."
"So?"
"Making out at work is highly unprofessional."
He chuckles, "Who said anything about making out? Just a quick kiss. Promise. Nobody is around."
Rory turns her head around to make sure he's not messing with her and then quickly leans in for a kiss.
Jess looks over her shoulder as they break apart and waves. She jumps and spins around but finds no one there. She spins back around and glares at him.
"That's not funny."
He smiles and pats her on the arm, "I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself. The withering stare is just so darn cute. So where does my favorite reporter work?"
"Oh yeah you haven't been up here before," she grins and grabs his hand, "Come on, I'll show you my desk. But no funny business or else."
"Yes ma'am."
He follows close behind, quietly admiring her as she greets every person they pass by name and quickly introduces him to all of them. They walk up to a section of cubicle style desks, and she finally stops at one all the way in the back.
"This is it!" she exclaims, then says quietly, "I totally lucked out having the corner. I only have two neighbors, so I don't get as easily distracted."
"You? Easily distracted? Just the other day, I called your name across a book store many times and never successfully broke your concentration."
She giggles at that, "That's different. This is work and it does require collaboration, but it does not require Pete interrupting my flow to tell me about all the Grindr dates he went on while I was gone."
"Maybe that's his messed up way of flirting with you."
Rory laughs, "You don't know what Grindr is, do you?"
"Should I?"
"No, no that's okay. Stay under your social media rock. I like my men like I like my authors: reclusive."
"Funny," he shakes his head, then looks around her space. There's a picture of her and Lorelai and another of her and her grandparents. There are a couple of framed quotes, and one of them catches his eye.
"Is that…from The Subsect?"
Rory follows his line of sight and smiles softly. She turns to him and nods.
"The work is never done, and it's when we stop that we won't recognize who we become."
Something crosses her mind as she repeats the words, imploring her to consider them against the conversation she had with Paris. But she's quickly brought out of her thoughts by his voice.
"I…don't know what to say. Why that quote?"
She turns her eyes back to the frame and shrugs slightly, "It's a beautiful reminder that we are all works in progress and always will be. And it helps me remember that it's not about being perfect, it's about caring and putting in the effort. Which is something you showed me during two really difficult times in my life."
His eyes wander over her. He matches her soft smile and runs his hand down her arm.
"It's a lesson I needed too. I should have tried to fix my life instead of running away from it."
"I know the feeling."
He nods, then discreetly holds her hand in his, "And I should have tried harder in our relationship. That's what I'm trying to do now…think you can leave work early?"
She looks at him curiously.
"Depends. What's going on?"
"Matt's family is having a birthday party this weekend for his daughter Ava. He invited us. Well, me, and then I asked for a plus one and he asked for all the details and well now you're invited too. Your presence is most likely preferred over mine truthfully."
She smiles but it falters, "Matt and Chris don't hate me?"
"What?" Jess asks, in genuine surprise, "Why would they hate you?"
She shrugs, "It was horrible what I did to you in Philadelphia. And they're your friends and they were there that night."
"They don't hate you, Rory. They barely know you. Yes, they were there that night and yes, we are friends, but I would never say anything bad about you. Did you think I did?"
"No. I don't know. Sorry. I know you probably think it's dumb that I care what other people think, but they're your friends. I want them to like me."
"I do not think that's dumb. I do think that anyone that doesn't like you is dumb," he offers her a tame smirk and it makes the side of her mouth perk up, "our past is complex, and that's what Matt and Chris know, and they understand. They also know that you've inspired a lot of my writing and that I've…cared for you since I met you. Trust me, they haven't been throwing darts at your face all these years. They are excited to meet you again, they're thrilled that we're together."
"Really?"
"Yes. So thrilled in fact that I am not a hundred percent keen on doing this because I know they will embarrass me. But, you're my girlfriend and they're my friends and you deserve to know each other. You deserve to have access to all parts of my life. That's what people in relationships do. Right?"
She grins and nods, "So, we're going to Philadelphia for the weekend?"
"We are. We just have to go back to your place first. I was going to pack a bag for you. I called your mom for advice and her advice was to let you pack yourself or you would be stressed that I forgot something."
"She knows me so well," Rory smiles wide, "Okay let me call my boss really quick and then we can go."
He nods and waits patiently for her call to finish. She hangs up and grabs her purse and work bag.
"Let's go. You do know where the best cheesesteak is in Philly, right? I'm not going in with a rookie?" she teases as they walk towards the elevator.
"Of course, but a true Philly expert knows that it is completely subjective and so he has planned to take you on a cheesesteak tour over the next few days."
She gasps and smiles wide.
"You are talking dirty to me right now, Mariano. I get to try multiple cheesesteaks? And judge them myself? Can I make pros and cons for each one?"
He kisses the side of her head as the elevator doors close, "I would be disappointed if you didn't."
"This is going to be a great weekend."
"I'm not looking forward to Matt and Chris needling me," he mutters, then more clearly states, "but if you're this happy all weekend, it will be worth it."
"Aw, Jess," she smiles softly, touched by his words.
"And I booked us a hotel room. The guys both offered to let us stay with them, but I didn't think you'd want them to hear you screaming my name at night."
She rolls her eyes, "You can't just be sweet, can you?"
"I like to keep it balanced. Who doesn't love sweet and spicy?"
"Dirty boy."
"Only for you."
She ducks out of the elevator behind him, trying not to squeal from the giddy energy buzzing through her. Their relationship feels similar to when they were teenagers in the ways of affection and their electric connection. But the added bonus of their maturity and openness with one another has put her feelings on another, otherworldly, level. There is no doubt that Jess feels it too as he stops her before they descend the subway steps with a gentle hand on her cheek and a deep kiss that conveys his own excitement. All doubts and concerns from her phone call with Paris are rendered invisible by blinding bliss.
The weekend is perfect. Jess planned everything so well, she never at any point gets tired of eating junk food because of all the walking around historic sites in between. And Matt and Chris do love her. They agree that they've never seen Jess so easygoing, even as they make multiple attempts to try and embarrass him. He won't say it out loud but he's too happy to be surrounded by people that genuinely care for him and like him for who he is to be bothered by their bullshit.
Jess stays by Rory's side at the birthday party. Not suffocating her with nonstop check ins but asking just enough times if she's okay being surrounded by kids. He doesn't care when his friends make jokes about him being attached to her, but when they invite him to talk over a cigar and whiskey, Rory urges him to go, promising that she will be fine. He reluctantly leaves her side, and the three men end up in Matt's pseudo bar in the garage. Jess takes the small glass of whiskey Matt offers him but declines the cigar.
"I haven't smoked cigarettes in years, why would you offer me a cigar?"
Matt shrugs, "I don't know, it's not the same. You know, take a couple puffs, drink some whiskey, pretend you're some sort of mafia man or old movie star type and then choke a little bit and put it out and go back to being Danny Tanner."
"It's celebratory," Chris adds, puffing out smoke.
"Still not interested."
"Come on," Chris pushes, holding his cigar out to him, "you're in a relationship with, clearly, the love of your life. Matt's little girl is three years old. And Mabel is pregnant, we just had our week twelve checkup the other day."
"That's great, congratulations," Jess grins and tips his glass to Chris who clinks his to it.
"Thank you. We are really excited. I'm also scared, but I'm not telling Mabel that."
"Your first is scary as fuck," Matt confirms, "but just at the beginning. You'll always be a little scared but eventually the excitement shadows it. And you have me to bounce all your questions off of. It'll all be fine, man."
"Yeah, I know you're right. It's going to be worth it no matter what."
"Exactly," Matt nods and then thoughtfully states, "what a difference a decade makes, huh? You think if we went back in time and told our young, broke, desperate for any woman to give us the time of day, selves that our lives would be like this in only ten years we would believe it?"
"I was not desperate for any woman to give me the time of day," Jess adamantly clarifies.
"No, you were probably desperate for one particular woman to give you the time of day. And now she's giving you more than that. Am I right?"
"Maybe. But anyway, the other things…I don't know. We were young and we were broke, but those things didn't matter as much to me then. It was enough to be in business doing something I loved, and not having to rely on anyone else in my life. Things are different now but just as rewarding. In other ways."
"Yeah, we were happy doing our thing. You're right," Chris shrugs, "but if you told me I would actually be excited for a positive pregnancy test in ten years, my sense of self would completely crumble."
Jess and Matt burst into laughter at that.
"Oh, I remember your grand plans to be a bachelor until fifty so you can sleep with a woman in every country and write a poem about each affair. How many did you end up with before meeting Mabel, by the way?" Jess asks, cheekily sipping his drink.
"I am not going to justify that with a response."
"He didn't make it out of North America," Matt stage whispers.
"It's not my fault that Mabel came to us with her artwork after I only ever visited Canada! Her attitude, talent and that beautiful face quickly made bachelor life seem fruitless. I have no regrets."
"The attitude," Jess chuckles, "I've been on the receiving end of it quite a few times. Good luck with your kid. If it's anything like her, you've got your work cut out for you."
Chris smiles wide, "I know. I'm so excited."
"Chris, you take loving a challenge to a whole different level. I will never understand that, but I'm happy for you," Matt replies, then turns to Jess, "speaking of kids, Rory was killing it with Ava's older cousins. They had like their own little club in the corner of the backyard for a while there. What was that about?"
Jess smiles and takes another sip of his drink.
"One of them came up to her and asked her who she was and what she did. When she told them she's a reporter, they all came flocking over to ask her a million questions. Not surprising, she's definitely a great role model. But very entertaining."
"That's sweet. She must have the patience of a saint too."
Jess nods, "She does."
Chris smiles, "You seem good, Jess. You're not cranky or quiet. You've hardly complained about us giving you shitty manuscripts to work on. I would go as far as to say you're happy."
"I'm not sure there's a word for what I feel. But it's definitely good."
"How adorable," Matt teases but then turns solemn, "and how is your family? Still okay?"
He shrugs, "So far, so good. I check in with Luke and with Doula a lot. No issues."
"Good. You love that little girl, huh?"
"She's my sister. Of course I love her."
"It's not that simple for everyone. She's lucky to have you. Does she like Rory?"
"She loves Rory. And it's mutual," Jess smirks, "you should hear the giggling when they're together. It's like hanging out with dolphins."
"That's cute. It's probably like having an older sister to Doula."
"I know it's early in this particular saga of your history with Rory, but do you think you guys will do the family thing?" Chris asks curiously, cigar smoke billowing from his hand. Jess looks away and rubs his hand on the back of his neck.
"That's a delicate subject."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I mean, do you want to have kids?"
Matt nudges Chris's arm, "Dude, remember how long it took me and Audrey to have Ava? You don't just ask questions about people's family plans. You don't know what's going on behind the scenes."
"Shit, you're right. Sorry Jess."
Jess shakes his head and waves him off.
"Don't worry about it. I know you guys have babies on the brain," he smirks at them over his whiskey glass.
"Yeah but doesn't mean you do. My bad."
He shrugs, "it's just that, Rory…she went through something last year. So, it won't be a conversation we have any time soon."
"And that must be why you're glued to her today," Matt pats him on the back, "I get it, man. I really do."
"I know you do. I appreciate you opening up to me back then because it allowed me to be more helpful to her," he throws back his glass and finishes his whiskey, "and as for having kids, I've never been deluded enough to think that's up to me. I'm not the one that has to home and birth a whole baby. But of course a family with Rory would be incredible. It's beyond the wildest dreams I ever had of her. I still can hardly believe we are where we are now. And I'm not taking it for granted. I will be just as happy with her as I am now in twenty years if nothing is different."
His friends stay quiet after this declaration, sipping their drinks and smoking their cigars. Eventually, Chris turns to Jess with a big smirk on his face.
"You are so in love."
Jess rolls his eyes and stands up.
"Thanks for that observation, Sherlock. I'm going to go back to Rory, make sure those cousins didn't kidnap her or anything," he stands up and starts to walk away.
"Oh, they're harmless," Matt insists, "by the way, I read what you sent me. Your short stories. Are they biographical?"
Jess stops by the open garage door and turns to him with a half shrug.
"Somewhat. What do you think? Too bleak?"
"For you personally, yes. I'm amazed that you're not more of a sociopath," Matt mutters the last part, "but as a book? I think you're on to something. I'm not sure about commercial success, but it will definitely do well on the indie market."
"You know I don't give a fuck about that. I just care that you guys would want to publish it."
"We will, definitely. It's a "we" thing Jess, we're all partners in this. Anything you want to publish, we are good with."
"Yeah, to be honest, when you brought Rory's book to us, I didn't even read more than the first chapter. I knew that if you said its good, it's good," Chris chimes in.
"Don't tell Rory that. She would have a conniption. She's all about fairness."
"I would never. I can tell she's a bit of a perfectionist."
"You don't know the half of it," Jess mutters, "I do want to keep someone looking at it though, do you mind if I continue to send you stuff as I go? That way you can tell me if I'm just Bronte enough or if I'm at risk of someone throwing me into a psych ward."
"It would be my pleasure to read about your life. I'm shocked you even want to share that stuff with me," Matt replies.
"I'm, uh," Jess starts, searching for the words, "starting to see the benefit of opening up. To the right people. The book would be published as total fiction, of course."
"That's great Jess. Really. I suspect we have Rory to thank for this change?" Chris asks, a soft, knowing smile on his face. But he's not bothered, and he's not going to deny what's true.
"You have Rory to thank for all the best parts of me," he calls behind him as he turns to walk towards the backyard. He finds Rory at a table, surrounded by Ava's cousins again. She has her phone out and seems to be showing them photos. The wide smile on her face, and the total fascination on the faces around her, has him pausing with pride swelling in his chest. He doesn't want to interrupt just yet, instead he stands back and sneaks a picture of her with his phone. He sends it to Lorelai:
-Your daughter is recruiting young reporters.
She replies before he gets his phone back in his pocket:
-That's our girl! Wish I had a Rory to look up to when I was that age.
He smiles warmly at her words. Our girl. Spending all that time in Stars Hollow and around Luke brought him and Lorelai a lot closer. She helped him with Doula, whether it was spending time with her or fielding questions that only a woman can answer, she was there. And on days that he could tell Luke was drained, she always came through with her effervescent energy and affection to replete him. Seeing their relationship more closely made him race towards his future with Rory faster. He couldn't wait to have that, a reliable relationship with his person that shines where he's dull, and to be the person she relies on to calm her storms.
He's pulled from his haze of thoughts by Rory calling his name. Smile still on his face from Lorelai's text, he goes to her. One of the girls asks him to take a picture of all of them with Rory, so they can tell everyone they met a real international reporter. They all beam at the camera, but he only has eyes on her. Pride and happiness radiate off her, and he knows as soon as he gives the phone back that he's ready to take her back to the hotel and listen to her talk about absolutely everything while he kisses her all over. They say their goodbyes and as soon as they are in the car, she starts bursting with words.
"That was so cool! I would have totally been one of those kids at that age, I can't believe I get to be this person to them, to anyone at all! This was a benefit I didn't even think of when I took this job. Jess, do you know how amazing it would be if any of those girls becomes a journalist one day because of me? I'm going to need Matt to keep me updated on them for the rest of my life. I am so honored that they wanted to hear all about my travels and my work!"
He reaches out and takes her hand in his as he drives them back to the hotel. He listens intently to every single word, tame smile on his face as she goes on and on. His chest feels fuzzy with happy emotions. But he does have one forlorn thought; that it's a shame she didn't get to have the baby she was supposed to have, because he has no doubt her child would look at her every day the way that those kids did.
PS I live in philly area (suburbs). I don't like beef but my favorite chicken cheesesteak is from Steve's Prince of Steaks. in case anyone will be visiting there soon now you know ;)
and do you love Jess and Lorelai's friendship as much as I do? i hope so