Chapter 10

"Who’s following us?" Rory wanted to know, turning around.

Tristan squinted. "Hey, isn’t that your friend?"

"Jess?" Rory asked. Her hand flew to her mouth and she stifled a laugh. "Jess is following us!"

"And why is that funny?"

"You’d really have to know him more to get it," Rory answered. "Can you let us out here, please?"

The cab driver slowed the car and Tristan paid him. He and Rory got out just as Jess’s cab pulled to a stop behind them.

"Do I get to meet the famous Jess I’ve been hearing so much about?"

Rory nodded as Jess walked over to them.

"Hey."

Rory bit her lip. "Hey."

"Isn’t this just a Kodak moment?" Jess said sarcastically.

"Where’s Lex?" Rory returned.

"I hate to interrupt, since I’m having so much fun listening to you two, but I’ve got to get back to Hartford. See you later?" Tristan asked Rory. She nodded. "Alright, bye Mary." Tristan nodded at Jess and walked off.

"Why does he call you that?"

Rory smiled, not bothering to answer. "So where is she?"

"Jealous?" Jess smirked.

"No, you?" she shot back.

He locked eyes with her for a long moment before saying anything.

"Of what?" he finally asked.

Rory grinned. "Nothing. So are you staying here, or what?"

"I haven’t decided yet."

"Because," Rory continued, "there’s that party for Tristan I told you about earlier...I’m going, and I was wondering if you wanted to go too?"

Jess flashed her a half smile. "Sounds like fun. Think we’ll run into Dean there?"

Rory frowned. "No, he doesn’t like Tristan."

"Gee, but he seemed like such a likable guy," Jess said dryly.

"He has his moments," Rory replied. "Well, shall we?"

Jess bit his lip, looking at her. Her face grew hot as she held his gaze. He looked like he wanted to kiss her, but now wasn’t the time. He smiled, leading the way to the bus stop.

"You know, I really hadn’t planned on going back so soon," Jess told Rory.

She looked up. "Good thing I came after you, then," she responded.

Jess sighed. He really didn’t want to leave New York. He wanted to pack his things in Stars Hollow, jump on a bus to New York, and pick up where he left off. He could do that—easily. The only thing that was stopping him was Rory. Not physically stopping him, of course. But the way he felt when he was around her—

"Hey, aren’t you coming?" Rory asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Jess took a deep breath. He was about to leave New York—again. Leave his hometown for where? Boringsville, Connecticut. Had he lost all common sense, or what?

"I’m coming," he finally replied, picking up his suitcase.

* * * *

"Rory!" Lorelai called as Rory and Jess got off the bus. She hurried over to them, Luke following slowly behind her.

"Hey Mom." Rory laughed as Lorelai wrapped her in a fierce hug.

"Hey sweets. Hey Jess."

Jess nodded wordlessly at her.

"Jess," Luke said gruffly, when he caught up to them.

"Luke."

"You staying this time?"

Jess blinked. Did he really have to decide at that very moment, before he even set his suitcase down? He thought quickly. Stars Hollow...or New York. Luke...or his mom. His friends back home...or Rory. Just when he thought he knew what he wanted to say, he looked over at Rory. She was trying to disentangle herself from Lorelai’s arms. Lorelai let her go, and Rory turned to Jess with a small smile.

"I think so."

The four of them all headed back to Luke’s, where things immediately returned to normal. Luke stood behind the counter, subconsciously flirting with Lorelai, and Jess got stuck pouring the coffee and busing the tables.

Rory watched Jess go from table to table, half-heartedly offering refills, and her heart skipped a beat.

Suddenly, she couldn’t wait until Tristan’s party later that night.

Later that day, Lorelai and Rory sat at their kitchen table, talking about the day’s events.

"I can’t believe all that happened just today," Rory said.

Lorelai nodded, sipping her coffee. "And to think, I almost had to go on a roller coaster with my parents today. Good thing you were sick."

"But I wasn’t sick."

"Shh. You were," Lorelai insisted.

Rory grinned. "Oh, okay."

"So Tristan showed up?"

"Yeah."

"And...You’re going to his party tonight?"

"Right. But not with him."

"So you asked Jess?"

"Yeah..."

"What did he say?"

The doorbell rang, cutting off Rory’s answer. Lorelai grinned.

"That’s him?"

Rory kissed her mom on the cheek. "I’ll be home by midnight," she promised, grabbing her purse.

"Alright, bye sweetie," Lorelai called. "Oh, and I’ll be expecting details later. Don’t forget anything. This is Jess’s first Chilton party, and I don’t want to miss a thing. In fact, take pictures if it is at all possible."

Rory grinned in response, walking to the front door. She opened it and smiled shyly at Jess. "Hey Jess."

"Hey."

She stepped outside and headed over to her car. She got in, let Jess in, and they were on their way.

* * * *

"That sure was some day we had, huh?"

Rory nodded, glancing over at Jess. "And it’s not over yet."

"What were you thinking when you got on that bus?"

Rory was quiet for a moment. She tried to think of the right words to say, to sum up all of the emotions that she had been feeling. "Well," she began slowly. "I guess I wasn’t thinking."

"Huh."

"I mean, I knew I couldn’t let you..." she trailed off, afraid of revealing too much. "I mean—" she tried again.

Jess chewed on his lower lip. "I know."

"Oh—good."

"Are there going to be a lot of people there?" Jess asked, changing the subject.

"Probably."

Now Jess was quiet.

"What?" Rory demanded.

"Nothing. Just wondering why I agreed to come in the first place. It’s not my scene. Rich people, fancy parties—"

"You’re coming because I asked you and you said yes."

"Oh—right."

Jess groaned as the house came into view. It looked as big as his school. Rory pulled into the long, narrow driveway lined with cars. She glanced around, looking for a place to park.

"See anywhere?"

"Uh...yeah, there," Jess pointed.

Rory drove to where he pointed and frowned. "They’re going to get it," she sighed, watching a car speed over to the space and turn into the spot.

"Jerk," Jess muttered.

Rory gasped as she got a better look at the car.

"What?"

"That’s Dean’s car!"

"Easy!" Dean exclaimed. "You’d think this was your first time driving."

"I know how to drive. Someone tried to get the spot, so I had to speed up to get it. There are no other parking spots, and I don’t feel like driving around until someone decides to leave."

"Okay, I got it."

"Relax, dude. Remember you’re here to have a good time. Forget about that girl you were going out with."

"It’s not that easy, Jake," Dean muttered, following his friend up to the house. "Just be glad you’re single."

"Hey, you keep forgetting that you are too," Jake said in exasperation. "You’re going to find the girl of our dreams here. This I promise you."

"Unless Rory is here, I highly doubt it."

"You’re a lost cause," Jake sighed. "I don’t know why I bother." He nodded at some friends and turned to two attractive girls passing them. "Time to party!"

Dean took a deep breath and followed his friend.

"Rory."

"What?" she responded, her eyes scouring the room.

"Stop. Stop looking for Dean." Jess’s hands clenched at his sides.

"I’m not..." Rory trailed off. "Ooh, there he—oh, no, that’s not him."

Jess threw up his hands. "Rory," he said more firmly.

She fixed her eyes on him, looking at him expectantly, yet somewhat impatiently.

"I...nevermind."

"What?" she pressed.

He looked at her for a moment. "Why exactly did you ask me to come here with you?"

Her cheeks turned pink. "I...don’t know. I liked hanging out with you."

"Why didn’t you ask Dean?"

"I couldn’t. He and I broke up."

Jess took a step back. So that’s it. No ‘I’d rather be here with you’, no ‘He’s nothing to me’, or even ‘I thought of you first.’ The reason she asked him to this party was because she didn’t think she was allowed to ask Dean, since they broke up. Second choice again.

"Jess? What’s wrong?"

‘I can’t believe I let this stupid small town get to me so much. I can’t believe I let her get to me so much,’ Jess thought angrily.

"I don’t belong here. I’m leaving."

Rory grabbed Jess’s hand as he turned away, her heart jumping to her throat. No! He can’t do this to me again! He just can’t!

"Don’t," she cried, on the verge of tears.

"Why?" Jess asked. He stopped, but didn’t turn around. He shrugged off her hand.

A weird sense of déjà vu came over Rory and she remembered the first time she and Dean had broken up. She felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Her old feelings were coming back. She felt the hurt all over again. Was she really about to let this one go?

Rory choked back her old feelings and pushed them to the back of her mind.

"Because I—" Rory swallowed. Don’t say love, do not say love! She willed herself. "I—" Just show him.

Torn between what she should and shouldn’t do, Rory finally just grabbed Jess’s hand again and pulled him over to her. His eyes widened at her forcefulness. Before he had time to say anything, Rory kissed him. Right there, in the middle of the crowd of dancers. The kiss only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like forever. Like time stopped. When Rory pulled away, Jess was more than a little disappointed. He didn’t know how to respond. All he wanted to do was kiss her again.

"Rory—"

"Jess—"

They both stopped, smiling at each other.

The moment was broken when Tristan spotted them and walked over.