Attachment Issues // Jess Mariano

CHAPTER 6:

"Every day I get lost in that 'something about you.'" - Perry Poetry

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry." Delilah stutters, finding Jess sitting on the couch when she wakes up. "I took your bed."

"It's alright, Angel, I wanted you too." He says, standing and walking over to sit on the mattress in front of her. "How are you feeling?"

"Not great. I just can't believe I flipped out like that."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"I sort of just... I snapped. They were talking about how we're just trouble and how you've done all of this terrible stuff... and I just... I yelled at them. I told them that they know nothing about you, or me. I told them that you're really smart and that I want to go to Yale..."

"You will go to Yale, Lilah. You know that."

"I know, I just... sometimes I think I'm just fooling myself. I mean, there's nothing special about me... I'm not rich or particularly pretty or smart... I just don't know what they'd see in me."

"They'll see just how brave and courageous and amazing you are. And if they don't, I'll write so many letters Yale won't know what hit 'em." He says, placing his arm over her shoulders shyly. She lays her head on his shoulder immediately, bringing butterflies to his stomach. Jess has never had a real friend before, let alone a friend like her. A friend whom he really, really cares about...

"Thank you, Jess. Just... thank you."

So, that night, Delilah falls asleep with a new sense of... something. She's never had someone to care for her like that, someone without the responsibility to care about her, to talk to her and to listen to her feelings.

And maybe, just maybe, Jess could be that for her. And maybe she's that for him, too.

---

"So, breakfast at Lukes?" Ty asks the next day, smiling happily at his niece as she pulls on her jacket.

"Sure, I'd like that. I was gonna hang out with Jess anyway."

The walk there is short, as always with the pair laughing and joking together. It used to be that they spent a lot of time together, but they haven't gotten to see each other as often since Ty started his new job at the Stars Hollow Bookstore and Delilah met Jess.

"Luke, where's my toast?!" Rory shouts as the pair walk into the diner together, the younger rushing to sit at the counter whilst Ty sits down beside his other niece.

Jess places a mug in front of her immediately, pouring her some coffee with a small smile on his face.

"It's gonna take a while, my big toasters' broken so I got stuck with this dinky one." Luke explains. Jess turns around, pressing the slide down on the 'broken' toaster, making it turn on.

"How'd that happen?" His uncle questions, though Jess just goes back to work silently. Luke continues to mess with the toaster, making the boy sigh.

"You're gonna break it."

"It was broken before." Luke says confusedly.

"Well it must've got better."

"Inanimate objects don't usually get better. Did you fix this?"

"Please."

"Jess?"

"I have no idea what you're babbling about. I don't fix things."

"But yesterday-."

"I've got stuff to do. Lilah?"

"Coming!" She agrees, watching him pack up a pair of donuts as she stands and grabs her purse. He wraps an arm over her shoulder as they walk out together, making Ty chuckle.