Luke noticed Jess as he entered the diner. And Jess, as well, noticed Luke. He was a little surprise – he half expected Luke to be sitting up in his apartment with his head choked under a pillow, crying his heart out. He knew it wasn't very likely, but he sure didn't expect to see Luke working like nothing happened.
But on the other hand, it was Luke.
"Where have you been?" Luke asked as Jess took off his coat.
"Around."
"Where's "Around"?" Luke was tired of Jess's constant evasiveness.
Jess raised his eyebrows at his uncle, doing a circling motion with his forefinger.
Luke grunted. Jess smirked.
"You didn't even tell me you were going out. You left the diner unattended!" Luke lectured.
"Caesar was here." Jess replied as he looked around for his order pad.
"Caesar's limping all over the place!"
"Fine," Jess sighed, "But why am I to blame, weren't you here?"
Luke's face fell, "Only half the time."
Jess looked at him and sighed. Maybe Luke did watch Chick Flicks, ate ice cream and wept. "You've gotta talk to Lorelai," He shook his head.
"Why, so she could cancel on me again?"
Jess didn't say anything. He sighed again and prepared to walk up.
"Where are you going?" Luke called after him.
"Relax," and he disappeared.
-
Lorelai walked into the house, her coat covered in pure white snow, carefully closing the front door behind her. As she hung her coat, she felt how cold the house was, and not only temperature-wise.
She passed through the living room, looking around for her daughter, and she wasn't there. She headed for the kitchen, glancing into the open door of Rory's room, and she wasn't in there, either, nor was she in the kitchen. Lorelai sighed and boiled a pot of coffee, when she noticed a familiar figure through the kitchen door.
She crossed her arms and went outside. Without a word said, she went to stand besides her daughter, who was staring into space with a cup of coffee with her hand.
"What're you doing?" She asked, staring at the ground.
"Watching the snow." Rory replied, hugging the cup with her two gloved palms.
Lorelai raised her eyes from the ground, and watched the snow fall and pile on the ground. "I'm sorry."
Rory kept staring at the snow.
Lorelai sighed. "You were right, I was wrong."
And Rory kept on staring away.
"Rory?"
"Fine." Rory stated impatiently.
Lorelai frowned, looking at her daughter. "Fine," She replied, looking away. Lorelai awaited in silence, anticipating a word, any word, to come out of her daughter's mouth. "Well?" She tapped her foot on the ground, nervously, "Aren't you going to apologize back?"
"Apologize about what?" Rory asked, her gaze still fixated on the dropping snowflakes.
"About the way you talked to me earlier."
"You started," Rory deadpanned.
Lorelai raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
Rory just sighed.
"Fine." Lorelai said and turned to the door.
"Mom." Rory called, still not moving. Lorelai turned, armed crossed, waiting rather impatiently to hear what her daughter wants to say to her next. "You were right."
That confused her.
"I don't think I can handle this." Rory shook her head.
"Handle what?" She frowned.
"Jess." Rory lowered her face, tearing her gaze away from the sight of snow. "You know what I told you before, about you… not being able to accept the fact that things with Jess might change for the better?"
Lorelai just watched her.
"I think I might have projected my own feeling on you when I said that."
"When did you have the chance to test this theory?"
"I saw him at Luke's earlier," She sighed, putting her cup of coffee down, "I was obnoxious."
"Good girl." Lorelai muttered.
"Mom!" Rory exclaimed, meeting her eyes.
Lorelai sighed, looking away. "Sorry." Jess did do a little something to help her, she remembered. She should learn how to treat him better… or at least, not as bad.
"He didn't do anything wrong. Well, besides serving me cold coffee, but…"
"To me, that's one hell of a crime." Lorelai commented. Rory glared at her, and Lorelai raised her hands to surrender.
"I don't know what to do," She shook her head, "At least I guess I won't have to see him at your wedding," She said, sadly.
Lorelai stuck her hands in her pockets. "Jess came over to my office a couple of hours ago."
Rory's eyes widened, "What?"
"He came to talk to me about something to do with him being a big bad wolf and me hunting him down with a rifle." She squinted, "No, wait."
"I'm still confused about the Jess coming to your office thing."
"The big bad wolf decided I'm the wicked witch of the East and came to like, eat me."
"You're using too many fictional characters, I can't keep up."
She sighed, "He came to talk to me about Luke," She shrugged, "He came, he talked, he left."
"You didn't kick him out?"
"I tried, the nag just wouldn't go away."
Jess came over to speak with her mom? That really confused Rory. Maybe Jess is really not the guy she thought he is, the guy she really wanted him to be so she could feel better about being mad at him.
"I'm calling the wedding back on."
Rory was too busy thinking, and Lorelai noticed. "Rory?" She asked, and then snapped her fingers close to Rory's ear.
"What?" Rory jumped.
"I'm calling the wedding back on."
"Really?" Rory smiled.
Lorelai nodded, her eyes darting to the ground. "I was stupid. Stupid and nervous, not the best combination."
"You weren't stupid, just nervous. And evil." Rory half-grinned.
"Do you think he'll agree to take me back?" Lorelai crooked her face.
Rory frowned, "Why wouldn't he?"
"Because I'm stupid and evil."
"You were just nervous, I'm sure he'll understand."
"And agree to sell his soul to the devil? I bet."
"Just go to him, mom."
Lorelai took a deep breath. "Okay." She said, and walked towards the kitchen.
But then she turned around and hugged her daughter. "I'm sorry, kid."
"I'm sorry, mom." Rory hugged her mom back, then pulled away. "Now, go!"
"Fine!" Lorelai started backing away, and then entered the kitchen, closing the door behind her.
Rory turned away to watch the snow again. A moment later, the door opened and a hand came through it, gripping Rory's. "You're coming with me." Lorelai said, pulling Rory through the door. Rory sighed and followed.
-
They stood in the dark, a few feet away from the diner, watching Luke clean the dimly lit diner. One was nervous, the other was nervous because the other was nervous.
Lorelai clenched her fists and let out a few short breaths.
"It's going to be fine." Rory tried to calm her mother down.
"Yeah." Lorelai didn't move.
"Luke loves you."
"Sure," She still didn't move.
"You have to go talk to him now." Rory turned to her mom.
"Can't you do it for me?" Lorelai narrowed her eyes.
Rory sighed, "Okay, if you don't go to him by yourself, I'm going to have to push you."
"But," Lorelai cried, "I'm… cold, and…"
Rory pushed her mother lightly, and she gasped. "Traitor!"
"Go!" Rory insisted, and Lorelai had no choice but to move forward.
Rory stood in silence, only the chirp of crickets was heard in the background, using as a soundtrack. She watched her mom walk terrified all the way to the diner. She saw her enter, and saw Luke turning to look at her. She saw them standing apart, and then she saw them getting closer. She saw her mother speaking, and she saw Luke listening. She thought she even saw her mother's eyes watering. And then she saw them embrace.
The sound of footsteps broke the silence and she turned to see where the noise is coming from. From a distance, she saw Jess slowing down, stopping as he noticed what was happening inside the diner.
He felt like he was being watched. He looked around, catching Rory looking at him, but she turned her glance away the moment he realized she was watching. He looked down at his feet. She glanced at him the moment he decided to glance at her. The acknowledged that they were looking at one another, and none of them tore his glance away.
She was trying to get to know him better by that glance; he could've felt her trying to read him.
A part of him was afraid she might succeed. He looked away, and a moment later, so did she.