NOBODY SAID

CHAPTER TWO

Jess mentally smacked himself as he felt his chest do a triple Mc-Twist with a frontside fakie.  His slender hands trembled at Rory’s confused gaze as he pulled his champagne glass away from him.

She started towards him slowly, afraid that he might not be real.

With a puff of determination, he straightened up to meet her.

This was it.  The moment he was dreading was finally happening.  Now, what he would do next was just beyond him.

But Rory’s “Be Impulsive When You See Jess” Syndrome, which introduced itself during an oddly similar encounter, once again kicked in.  He saw a shivering smile grace her lips before she suddenly threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

He wanted to hug her back so bad, and he was about to.  However, as Rory’s arms made contact with his skin, a picture of her with Dean flashed into his mind.  Dean and Rory. 

Kissing.

He stiffened.

He didn’t mean to be so harsh, and it was no surge of anger that went through him; just a quick jolt of pain followed by a lingering feeling of sadness.

Rory was on the verge of delivering a soliloquy about her missing him so much when she felt him go rigid in her arms.

Slowly, she pulled back and looked at him sadly.

Jess was stoic as he heard her hoarsely say, “It’s still not the same, is it?”

He gave no instant reply, but instead looked away and rubbed the back of his neck where the feeling of Rory Gilmore hung on him.

Quietly, he opened his lips, “It’ll never be the same, Rory.”

Rory stared at him and felt the sharp pang in her nose every time she was about to cry.  With tears ironically making her eyes dance, she nodded subtly, understanding his response.

“I’ll see you around.”

She forced a smile, “Yeah.”

Again, Jess took a deep breath and walked away, yet again, from Rory Gilmore.

“Alcohol in a party with minors involved?  You should be ashamed, Luke.”

Luke quickly straightened from a box of beer on the ground when he heard a familiar voice.  He whipped around and saw Jess by the storage room doorway, leaning on its wooden frame with his arms folded in front of him.

“Hey.  Jess.  We kind of ran out of…”  A slight pause as Luke realized what his nephew was wearing.  “Is that a suit?”

Jess smirked and pushed his weight against the doorframe to saunter towards his uncle.

“I think so.  I’d hate to think that this was actually the new style of bikinis or something.”

“Jess.”

“You must admit that fashion these days has become quite… odd, which is truly an understatement, Luke.”

“Why the hell are you in a suit?”

“You don’t like it?”

“No, I’m just wondering why you come with it.”

“Package deal, Lucas.”

“Luke.”

“Jess.”

“Jess, where did you get the Goddamn suit?!”

“HRM.”

“You’re a tax man?”

Jess rolled his eyes at the picture of him behind an H&R Block desk stacked with tax forms and bills and other tax-y whatnot.  “Hotel and Restaurant Management, Luke.”

“Busboy?”

“Owner.”

“I see.”

“I see you do see.”

“We’re… we’re still starting out, so we’re no Bellagio.”  Jess smirked again, “Yet.”

Luke gave him a suspicious glare, “You don’t run one of those Las Vegas Ho-Jo’s, do you?”

“No.  But we’re working our way up to Motel 69 status.”

Luke rolled his eyes, “Who is this ‘we’?”

“Me.”

“Who’re the other people?”

“What other people?”

“The ones you keep mentioning.”

“I haven’t mentioned anyone else.”

“So, you just take pleasure in referring to yourself in the plural form?”

“Maybe.”

“Jess.”

He bit his lip.  “My fiancé.”

Luke’s eyebrow shot up and his eye started to twitch, “What?”

Jess breathed an exasperated sigh, “Do I really have to say it again?”

“You’re wearing a suit, you run a Bellagio-esque hotel, and you have a fiancé?!”

“In a nutshell, pretty much.”

“Good God.”

“Wedding’s in eight months.  Black-tie,” Jess said, contrasting Luke’s disbelief as he calmly handed him an invitation. 

“You’re giving me an invitation for a wedding that’s eight months away?”

Luke furrowed his eyebrows as he opened the card.  With wide eyes, he looked up at Jess.

“Hell.  No.”

His nephew’s eyes darted everywhere except at him. 

“Jess, do you hear me?  I won’t be your best man.”

“You can bring Lorelai, if you want.”

“No.”

“Free room at Motel 69.”

“Jess…”

Luke’s heart suddenly went to his throat when Jess raised his eyes to meet his.

“Come on, Luke.” He pleaded lightly, “Please?”

Luke never saw so much despair in Jess.  Ever.

With a frustrated sigh, he rolled his eyes and nodded, “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Jess didn’t smile, but a pleased look washed over his features, making him look like he was ten years old again, and not twenty-four.

“Thank you.”

“That room better have a mini-bar.”

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