"RORY!" Jess and I broke apart, and both looked up to see who it was. And it just so happened to be a very pissed off looking Dean, storming towards us.

I stiffened. This wasn't how this was supposed to happen. I was going to talk to Dean about everything, but not like this. The look on his face was one of pure rage. I was actually a little scared of what he might do. I've never seen someone look so livid in all my life.

"Rory! What the hell is going on?! I've been trying to reach you all damn day, and I find you here, with him, of all people!" Dean's face was turning the shade of a tomato, and Jess instinctively pulled me behind him, to protect me from whatever Dean might do. However, that only made things worse. "Get your hands off of her Jess! She's not your girlfriend, she's mine!" The way he said "mine" made me feel like a piece of property being squabbled over.

"Jess," I started slowly. He turned his head toward me, but still keeping Dean in his line of sight, just in case. "Why don't you go back to the diner? I need to talk to Dean alone." The look on his face was clear. He was worried. He didn't want to leave me alone with Dean. Not because he feared I might not go through with ending things between us, but because he was scared Dean might try something. He looked at me, pleading not to make him leave, but I knew I wouldn't be able to do this with Jess here. "Jess, please? I'll see you later, okay?"

He looked at me one last time, before nodding his head, "Okay. I'll see you later." And with that, he turned around, threw Dean a final glare, and walked off.

"Rory, what the hell was that? You told me you needed space, that you wanted to be alone. Well being with Jess, is not being alone. You know I don't like him." He was glaring down at me, waiting for an explanation. And as much as I wanted to lie to him, and not hurt him. I couldn't do it. It wasn't fair to anyone involved. Not to Dean or Jess. And it wasn't fair to me. I deserved to be happy. And I have to do what's going to make me happy. With that thought, I took a deep breath, and took two steps back, so I could see Dean better, but also because I was still a little afraid.

'Dean… I don't know what to say. I just need to be honest with you." The look on his face, seemed to hint like he knew what was coming, but he stayed silent. "I…I don't think I can be with you anymore…I've felt this way for awhile now. I just…I'm struggling so much to make you happy, and do what you want, that I've lost sight of what makes me happy, and what I want."

"Rory, don't lie to me. This is because of Jess, and we both know that. He's lying to you, Rory! Why cant you see that?! He just wants you because I have you!"

"Dean you don't have me! I don't belong to you! And you've tried to control my friendship with Jess from the beginning. And yes, Jess has something to do with this! But not why you think. Yes, I care about him, and yes, I want more from him then friendship. But this is because of you! We have nothing in common, Dean. We're totally different, and I don't want to hurt you, I really don't, but I cant keep worrying about you. You've let your apparent competition with Jess get in the way of our relationship, even before he and I became friends. You've been after him since he moved here. And I cant do this anymore." I sucked in a deep breath, and looked back up at Dean to see his reaction.

"Rory, are you going to be with him?"

"I don't know. I want to be, but I'm honestly not sure if I can deal with another commitment right now. I need to focus on my mom and what I'm going to do now, more then anything. But eventually, yes I will probably be with him. Dean… I really am sorry, and I know that probably means nothing right now, but I really didn't want to hurt you."

I looked back up at Dean, and he looked determined. I wasn't sure what was about to happen, but I figured he would be upset, not this.

"I'm sorry about your mom, and I know you're going through a lot right now. And that's why I'm not going to take this to heart. I think you're confused, and Jess is taking advantage of your vulnerability. So I'm going to give you your space to figure things out. But I'm not giving up. I'm still going to be there, until you realize that I'm the one for you." He finished with a deep breath. I was in complete shock. I wasn't expecting that at all. All I could think, was that he has completely lost his mind. And I know that sounds harsh, but there was nothing else I could think. What do you say to that? I saw him lean forward, and I tried to lean away, but unfortunately he's much larger then me, and he leaned forward more and kissed me on the cheek, turned and walked back up the bridge, toward his house. I'm not entirely sure how long I stood there, in complete and utter shock, but I finally remembered Jess, and took off walking towards the diner.

I walked through the diner door, and saw Luke behind the counter, he looked up and saw me, and then pointed toward to curtain, silently telling me that Jess was upstairs. I gave him a grateful smile, and took off toward the apartment. When I got to the top of the stairs, I could hear the muffled sound of City and Colour pouring out of his speakers. I was kind of surprised that Jess would be listening to Dallas Green strumming his guitar while he belted out "The Girl". I smiled to myself, somehow hoping he was listening to that song because of me. I didn't bother knocking, I silently opened to door and let myself in. I looked to the left to see Jess lying on his back, eyes shut, just listening to the music. He made no move to hint that he heard me enter the apartment. So I quietly shut the door and tip-toed over to the bed. I silently moved on top of him, so I was straddling his hips. His eyes shot open in surprise and looked up at me. His mouth forming a little "o" mirroring the shock his was obviously feeling. I smiled down at him. He regained his composure and gave me his signature crooked smirk. Then he got a sort of evil glint in his eye, and before I could protest whatever it was he was thinking, he flipped me over, so he was now straddling me, and dug his fingers into my sides, and began tickling me. I thrashed around shouting at him to stop in between gasps for air. My laughter filled the room, and I squirmed and wiggled trying to get away from his prying fingers. Finally he stopped, and looked down at me, his face suddenly serious.

"So… what happened with Dean?" He asked, quietly, almost as though he was afraid of the answer.

"Well…I broke up with him…" His eyes lit up, and as much as I didn't want to mention what else had happened, I didn't want to keep things from Jess. "And before you get too excited, he didn't seem to take it all that well."

Jess' eyes got darker then. "What did his do? Did he hurt you?!" He began frantically searching my arms and face for any sign of damage.

"Jess! He didn't hurt me. He didn't touch me. He just… well, I'm not quite sure how to say this cause I'm still a little shocked myself, but he said that he's not giving up. He said that you're taking advantage of my vulnerable state right now, and the only reason you want me, is because he had me. He said that he's going to give me space cause I'm confused and I don't know what I want, but that he wont wait forever, and he's going to be there until I realize he's the one for me…" I trailed off not sure I wanted to mention that Dean tried to kiss me, but I took a deep breath, and finished, "and then he leaned in and tried to kiss me, but I turned my head and he got my cheek, and then he just walked off." I looked back up to Jess, hoping he wasn't mad at me for letting Dean kiss me. I could rage in Jess' eyes. He looked thoroughly pissed off. He sat up, and got off me, and moved so he was sitting on the foot of the bed. He leaned forward and put his head in his hands. I wasn't too sure what I should do, so I moved so that I was sitting next to him, and stayed quiet, to give him time to gather his thoughts. He let out a frustrated sign, before looking back up at me.

'Rory, you don't believe that, do you?" I gave him a confused look, which he caught, and answered, "About me trying to take advantage of you. You don't think I would do that to you, right?" My eyes widened in surprise. How in the hell could he think that.

"Jess, of course not. I know you wouldn't do that to me. And you know, Dean's wrong. I'm not confused. I mean, maybe about my mom, and what this means for me. But the one thing I am sure about right now, is you. I trust you. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. And I don't want you to think that I'm only with you because I'm looking for comfort right now. I don't want you to think that when I move past this, I'm going to leave you and go back to Dean. Cause that will never happen. I swear. I really care about you. You and Luke are the most important people in my life now…" I reached over and grabbed his hand in mine, hoping he knew that I was being completely honest with him right now.

Jess looked relieved. "I care about you too, Rory. And at the risk of sounding like a controlling jerk, I really want you to stay away from Dean. I just… he's obviously not going to give up, and I don't want to risk him doing anything to you, out of desperation to get you back. Just please, promise me you'll stay away from him?" Just looked at me, with wide eyes, begging me to just agree.

"Okay. I wont go near him. I trust your judgment, and if you think it's best for me to keep my distance, then I will." I felt him relax, and start to stroke my hand with his fingers. He looked up at me again, except this time, he looked at me with loving eyes, and he slowly leaned in, giving me time to say no, and gave me a gentle kiss. He pulled away just as quickly, and looked into my eyes.

"Hey Jess? I'm really tired, and I'm not sure I can go back to my house right now. Could I just stay here with you, maybe?"

"Of course. Come on." He got up, pulling me up with him, and walked to the side of the bed, pulling back the comforter and sheets, motioning for me to climb in. I did, and he climbed in next to me, pulling the blankets up over our bodies. I scooted over in the bed, until my entire body was touching his, and laid my head on his shoulder. He put his arm around my waist, and pulled me closer. We just lay there, silently drifting to sleep. But then I remembered something, and I moved my head so that my mouth was next to his ear.

"Hey Jess?" I whispered.

"Hmmm?" he responded groggily.

"Am I 'The Girl'?" I asked quietly.

I heard him let out a light chuckle. And say, "Yeah Rory. You're The Girl. You've always been The Girl." He leaned down and kissed my forehead. And that's the last thing I remember, before falling asleep, with a smile on my face.

A/N: So sorry I take forever to update. I feel like a slacker. Feel free to punch me in the face if you ever meet me. Oh and the song "The Girl" by City and Colour is freaking amazing. Go listen to it. I love Dallas Green's voice. It makes me cry. So that's it for now. I have a pretty solid idea about where I want this story to go, and I promise I'll try my best to update in a more timely manner. Thanks to all who review. You guys seriously make my day.