Under the Mistletoe

I don't like the holiday parties. They're too hot, due to the fire burning, everybody is wearing some scratchy wool sweater (for the Gilmore vintage ugly sweater contest), which makes the room smell like mothballs. And no one is allowed outside, because it's cold and dark, and Luke rarely shovels past the driveway and walking path. How she cons him into shoveling every year remains a mystery.

Traditionally the party is split in three places. Sookie is alone in the kitchen whipping up some festive feast which always have pun based names (sugar plum snowflake cookies, Grinch green bean casserole, roast beast roast beef, spearmint elves, you understand). One half of the living room is covered in adults, where Taylor gets drunk from one candy cane martini which is enough vodka for four candy cane martinis; a Miss Patty Specialty. Babette and Maury walk around, drunker than Taylor, singing carols and getting others to join before they move away. Mrs. Kim who is there to get everyone to pray and remind everyone Christmas is for Jesus, stands right next to the tree by the TV cabinet. Lane is always next to her passing out flyers to their church. Lorelai always has some kind of decorate your own ornament contest for her tree and everybody votes on the best (winner gets a Sookie Cherry Pie—my favorite and the only reason I'm still here) this is where the adults are, and the kids do the mini activities upstairs. This includes festive movies, board games, and coloring, and quiet room for the babies and the really young kids. The teens (which I guess I count as being sixteen, but again I'm only here for pie) are on the other side, by the window. Where the couch has moved. Most of them sit around in a circle talking, laughing while eating plates of food, or standing and enjoying themselves. Waiting for the ugly sweater contest (winner got a certificate for one free meal at Lukes, another con which I don't know how she gets), which everyone was required to take part in. Lorelai runs around being the ever gracious host, shinning red cheeks in her elemental chaos, ensuring everyone has a good time. Which always includes convincing Mrs. Kim to leave early without Lane. Letting Luke leave halfway through to get ice and not nagging him when he showed up with half an hour left in the party with nine bags of ice. Letting Miss Patty and Babette sing Gilbert and Sullivan on the karaoke machine.

The house was also decorated over the top, I'm talking red and green streamers, wreaths on every wall, tinsel on everything, colored lights and fake snow, even mistletoe under the front door so couples can kiss each other, parents can kiss their kids, the lone patron gives Lorelai a peck on the cheek (unless it's Kirk) before they're allowed to enter.

I'm standing under the archway, leaning against a would-be door jam. I'm not a wallflower, I'm a people watcher. I wait, observe and hang back until I'm comfortable, then I enter a conversation. I've always been this way. I have an empty cup to blend in, but I don't really need it. People don't usually pay attention to me. I keep my head down, and don't make waves. And I'm fine with that, generally. The only problem today is Jess, Luke's nephew. He keeps entering into conversations with people that I'm going to talk too, keeping me in the archway. It's not that he's mean or rude, he just has to be the smartest person in the room, and I would talk to the people I want to after he leaves, but they always break apart after he's done with them.

I'm watching a couple of people I know from Stars Hollow High, not exactly my friends. I'm friendly with them, and they don't look too intimidating. I gather my strength, a deep breath and square my shoulders. I manage two steps away from the archway before I clip Jess's left side with my right shoulder. Crap.

"Watch it," He snaps, an apple fumbles out of his left hand, but he catches it smoothly with his right. Where'd he get an apple? The kitchen? No one's allowed in the kitchen without Sookie's okay.

"Sorry. I-… sorry." I stumble over my words as I take two steps back underneath the archway. Alert leaves my body, and I know I'll be comfortable returning people watching when he leaves.

Jess walks away, and I breathe a sigh of relief. And almost immediately he's back, in front of me.

He points, "I didn't push you under this thing did I?"

"Oh… no."

"Then why are you still under this?" He narrows his eyes. His voice curious, almost demanding to know the answer.

"I'm just watching."

"Why?'

"I'm just waiting for a spot in conversation to open up."

"Why not just join one?" He demands.

"I'm not really that kind of person." I admit.

"Why not?"

"I don't know… I just like… I don't know… looking for people who want to have a conversation rather than imposing myself on them… I guess."

"Oh," he nods his head once, "That's cool, I guess." He turns and walks away.

And before I can scan the room again he's back.

"Why do you that?" He bites into his apple.

"Huh."

He swallows his bite, his Adams apple bobbing. "Look for people who want to talk."

"Oh, uh… I don't know. I just do."

"So you just wait until, people look like they're interested in having a conversation or they're having a conversation that looks interesting and you join."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?"

"I mean, why you do that." Jess asked again, biting into his apple another time. He didn't bite around the apple like I did. He took one or two bites, until he reached the core, and turned the apple and took another bite.

"I just do. I've always done that. Why do you care anyway?" I spoke with a surge confidence.

"Don't worry about it."

"Okay, so leave then."

Jess turned his head, "It's…just nice. Okay? Nobody takes the time to consider other people before themselves. I just wanna know why you do that." He took a final bite of his apple.

"A lot of people do, you're just not paying attention to them."

"What do you mean 'a lot of people'? Name one."

"You ever notice when there's a hurricane or something bad like that."

"Yeah sure." He tossed his apple onto the table by us.

"And the news always talks about, like, volunteer firemen and search and rescue who spend, like, all their time rescuing people." That counts.

"That doesn't count." Jess crossed his arms.

"Yes it does!"

"No it doesn't."

"Yes it does!" I insisted.

"No it doesn't." He insisted, "That's people feeling guilty. They're not helping because they want to. It's survivor's guilt."

"You don't know that for sure."

"Yeah, I do."

"You can't, I mean why else do people become volunteer firemen and search and rescue."

"Glory?"

"Nuh-uh." He smirked, "Name one person here."

"They entire town is here." I reminded.

"Yeah, and you said that a lot of people are good. Name on person here. Prove yourself right."

I frowned and scanned the room, "Whenever Lorelai throws a party she invites the whole and plans stuff for everyone."

"Lorelai likes to party, try again."

"Miss Patty lets everyone dance at her studio, and offers scholarships to students who can't afford full price." I watched as she tricked Taylor into drinking another four shots of vodka.

"Miss Patty still makes money off those students." I could feel his eyes bare into me.

"Taylor always offers jobs to Stars Hollow High students." I watched as Taylor's cheeks turned redder than the fire.

"Taylor owns half the town."

"Babette and Maury adopt kittens and foster strays all the time." I watched as Maury put his arm around Kirk and started singing another carol.

"That's cats, not people. Try again." He insisted with a smirk.

"Mrs. Kim volunteers at every town event."

"Mrs. Kim is proselytizing. Look just admit defeat and start a conversation with someone who doesn't want to talk to you. It's easy I do it all the time."

I watched as Luke rushed past a bunch of people in order to get to his coat for half-time ice.

"Luke," I said quickly.

Jess frowned, his eyes narrowed. "What about Luke?" His voice had a hard edge to it. Dangerous territory, I had to be careful.

I swallowed. "Luke took you in, right? At least that's the rumor."

"He didn't have a choice." His voice still hard, "People don't know what they're talking about, and you shouldn't listen to gossip—"

"He had a choice. He could have said no." I said. Silently praying the rumor was right. "People talk." I reminded as his brow furrowed.

Jess's nostrils flared.

"But he said yes, because you needed him to step up." I heard Sookie yell that no one was allowed in the kitchen.

Jess set his jaw, but he stopped furrowing his eyebrow. Jess opened his mouth to rebut, but I interrupted before he could.

"People do nice things all time, just because you're not paying attention doesn't mean they don't." I rushed.

"EVERYBODY!" Lorelai stopped the party. She was speaking into a megaphone. "THAT MEANS YOU BABETTE!"

Everybody stopped and turned the hostess who was glowing under the eyes of the party goers.

"Okay good, because I think I broke this thing and now I can't turn it off." She said into the megaphone. She gave the megaphone to Kirk (who looked dejected—it had to have been his megaphone) and stepped on the middle table.

"Please check the check the ceiling for the secret mistletoe!"

"Oh, no." I groaned.

"What? What's the secret mistletoe?"

"Every year Lorelai hides a bit of mistletoe on the ceiling and the two people standing under it have to kiss. And this year I forgot to check the ceiling."

Jess turned his chin up and scanned the ceiling. His head and body turning as he searched. "Don't look up." He smirked.

"That's not funny." I crossed my arms.

"Look if you don't believe me."

"Why? So I can check if the mistletoe spells 'gullible'?"

"Who's under the mistletoe?" Miss Patty hiccupped. "Cause it's not me this year."

"Oh! Oh! It's me and Maury!" Babette slurred, reaching for Maury.

"No, it's not Babette. I know where it is!" Lorelai garnered a laugh with that one.

"It's non me, and 'ze sad chien, again is eet?" Michel asked, glancing sadly Lorelai.

"Who's the sad dog?" Jess asked me.

"Kirk. It was two years ago and a conversation about who got the last Rudolf the Red Velvet Cupcake. It did not end well. Lorelai has Polaroids." I whispered.

"Really?"

"She takes pictures of the funny ones."

"You think she'll take pictures of us this year?"

"Shut up it's not us."

"Look up and prove me wrong."

"This year it's under the archway! Who's under the archway?" Lorelai said gleefully!

Crap.

"We are!" Jess raised his hand.

Double crap!

"Oh it's not Polaroid worthy." Taylor said.

Thank god!

"Okay!" Lorelai clapped her hands gleefully, "I'm gonna count down from three and on one you're going to kiss!"

"What happens if we don't?" Jess asked.

"Then I get the camera and you wearing the party pooper hats!"

No! No! NO! Not the hats!

Jess turned to me, "I'm not wearing a hat."

"Oh goody!" Babette burped, "Young love."

"Ready?" Lorelai started.

Jess put both hands on my shoulders.

"3!" The crowd cheered.

He stepped closer to me and the mistletoe above me was now under both of us.

"2!" Giggles interrupted the one syllable word. My stomach knotted up.

"1! Kiss!"

Jess gently pressed his lips to mine, both sets of eyes closed. Three seconds later and the party started whooping, and giggling, and cheering.

And then he and I pulled away. I felt my cheeks redden and I smiled at him sheepishly.

"There," he said, "That wasn't so bad was it?"

"No." I admitted. "Thanks for not running away, though."

"People do that?"

"Kirk tried and he ended up shattering his knee and Lorelai's glass coffee table. She still made him kiss Michel while the ambulance took him away."

"So I guess the kiss counts as a nice thing people do that I don't notice, huh?"

"Yeah… I guess so."

He smirked.

---

Happy Holidays!