171Disclaimer: don't own it, never had and never will, considering it is now ended. None of the characters are mine, except Jess' girlfriend, though technically she's like Shane so...
This is the first chapter of my first multi - chap fic. It's basically like a prologue, just getting to know the setting of the story. Hope you enjoy!
Completely tired and drained, Rory sat on the hard seat of the grimy bus, her face plastered against the window. She had learned from the beginning of this job that her mother's advice about window seats was probably the most valuable thing she had passed down to her. That and obviously, her coffee addiction. And now she was going home to her. After a long and exhausting 24 months, she was finally going to see her mother again – and for such a joyous, long awaited occasion.
She had been a bit nervous asking her boss for some time off, even though it was well deserved and needed; and when she did, she was pleasantly surprised. Her boss had not only granted her a month's leave – two extra weeks than she'd asked for – she'd also promoted Rory. Apparently Rory's dedication and unique writing style had set her apart from the others of her year.
Elated form the meeting, Rory had called her mother the first second she could to deliver the wonderful news. Her soon to be step father had been with her mom at the time, and it was his idea to postpone their honeymoon by two weeks so they could spend more time with Rory.
More than anything that had touched Rory. She had always harbored a soft spot for Luke, despite the fact that her own father was back in her life. Luke had been the father figure during her childhood and teen years, and even now, something she would never forget. He was the one that got protective when Rory was old enough to date. He was the one who had set up a table for her on her sixteenth birthday. He was the mad who she'd shared the news of her college acceptances. He had always listened and been there for her. Not Christopher. Luke's quiet tokens of love had had a bigger effect on her than Christopher's over then top, lavish gifts. And she couldn't have been happier to finally be able to call him 'father,' even if there had to be a 'step' before the word.
The security and perfectness of her mother's love life got Rory thinking about hers, rather, the lack of it. After declining Logan's proposal, she had thrown herself into her work, not stopping to think about him, and politely ignoring the guys she met along the way. She found, to her surprise, after a few weeks of Logan free thoughts and memorabilia that she could openly talk about him without it hurting. She had thought that Logan was the one for her, but saying no to him had been easier than she'd expected. She loved Logan, but he was a part of her college years, years she would forever treasure. She couldn't picture herself growing old with him. She didn't fit with him as perfectly as Lorelai and Luke did.
She'd find the one, though there was this nagging suspicion that she had already met him; a suspicion she chose to ignore. Yet, without even thinking about it, she knew. She knew who was always there for her. She knew who had given her time. Who treasured her, and thought about her – his books told her so. Who knew her better than anyone else: not physically, because that would definitely be Logan, but rather mentally, and emotionally. And even though she knew, she would ignore, because they had hurt each other too much. Their relationship always ended with broken hearts and tears. And dealing with a broken heart due to him, was more painful than anything else, so she chose to avoid it.
Shifting from the uncomfortable position, her eye caught the familiar streets of Hartford, and Rory's heart did a joyful summersault. In a few minutes, she'd be home. Home after all was where her heart was; and it had always been Stars Hollow.
The bookstore was a great success, and now that they had broken even, the profit along with the money from his books had bought him a new car. He's realized the value of a car after his first trip promoting his book and he swore he'd never use public transit again. The trip from Stars Hollow to California had been bad; but being a rebellious teen at the time, it had been the right thing to do. Not any more though – he had grown and matured – which meant a car, that had brought him to Stars Hollow last night, safely, fast, and most importantly, in great comfort.
His newfound adulthood had been a huge asset to his uncle Luke, who didn't have to pressure him too much to be his best man. He had agreed, though reluctantly. Not because he didn't want to do it – au contraire – he was honoured and pleased that Luke had picked him, though he would never show it. No, the reason he was hesitant was his uncle's, fiancée's, maid of honour; or daughter; his ex; the love of his life – which ever way you wanted to put it – would be there.
He'd pined for Rory for ages. He'd told her he'd loved her, something he'd never told anybody. And yet, she was always out of his grasp. He'd told himself to wait, to give it time, to start over; which was why when she had stepped through the door of his store, his heart flipped. For a change, just like he'd hoped, she had come to him. He'd been subtle, all while letting his intentions known – the Jess Mariano way.
He had thought she had come for him. And when he led her to believe that she had broken up with him and fixed her life, he was sure. So he kissed her. He had dreamed about her lips for years, and to finally feel them pressing back against his own was literally, a dream come true. Imagine how heartbroken he had been after, when she pulled away and said that she loved him. He, he who had pined for her, had loved her more than life itself, was being told that she was in love with someone else. And despite all that, he had managed to tell her that she could claim something had happened between them. Phrasing his hopes, his dreams in a way that it would benefit her relationship with him.
Ever since that day, he had given up. He could never really smother the flame that continued to burn for her, but he could at least hide it, so that it would never light him up again, never warm him up again. He moved on to the best of his abilities. He let out his emotions through his writing, an extremely beneficial move, considering the sales were now hirer. The angst and emotional writing suited the serious black and white picture at the back of his books. Apparently, his editor said, that the readers related to him now.
He'd also taken the ultimate step forward: he had gotten a girlfriend. He'd tried serial dating at first, but found that whoever he happened to go out with resembled Rory someway; whether it be in looks, talents or personality. So he had gone for the complete opposite: a Shane clone. Some would call him pathetic, he'd call himself smart. A girl who didn't want too many strings attached, who was in it only for the sex, and for the benefits of having a 'boyfriend,' was the ideal way to get his mind off Rory. Sure, he did feel guilty at times, especially when she repulsed him by throwing herself at him, or other guys for that matter. Still, it was a relationship and he had grown used to it.
Opening his eyes to Luke's familiar apartment décor, with the little touches of his cousin and soon aunt to be, he decided he might as well get up and enjoy the few Rory free days he had in Stars Hollow before she arrived and everything got awkward. He would never admit it, but he was secretly fond of this town, and loved coming back. The craziness had been a home to him like no other place had, not even Philly. His mother had offered to let him stay with her, actually insisted, but he'd declined, knowing he wouldn't be able to stand a day with his step father, let alone live with him. He liked TJ mainly because he knew he wouldn't hurt Liz, but as they say, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. And in this case, more than a little of TJ for a guy like Jess was like hell.
Dragging himself out of bed, as he'd planned to help Luke in the diner, and then stop by to visit his mom and Doula, he sleepily stumbled into the washroom and proceeded to take a quick shower. Dressing himself hurriedly so he would have time to tend to his hair, which had gone back to the way it was during his teen years. After 15 minutes of teasing and gelling, he finally decided he was ready and braced himself for the reaction of the town – after all, they hadn't seen their hooligan in six years.
He walked down the stairs to the diner, and pulled back the curtain when he was greeted with a beautiful sight. He had known he would have to face her eventually, but this was too soon. He was going to prepare a little speech for her, so that they would be on good terms, but he was going to deal with that later. He couldn't believe that he had miscalculated the obvious. He swallowed nervously as he stepped into the diner, looking straight at her.
Completely relaxed, she turned towards the rustling of the curtains, and her body tensed. She hadn't expected him so soon. She wasn't prepared.
And just when she was about to turn away, his eyes bore through hers as brilliant blue met chocolate brown for the first time in ages.
So there it is. My first mini cliff. What do you think? You'll be seeing more of Jess' girlfriend - I was debating whether to make her nice or evil, but decided to go for evil for the reasons provided above.
Review Please:))) makes me happy!
fishyfin1