Attachment Issues // Jess Mariano

CHAPTER 22:

"And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you." - The Chaos of Stars.

Jess awkwardly stands in front of her dorm room, ready to knock on the door. Before he can, though, it swings open and a man with a jacket similar to his own on his arm stills in surprise.

"Can I help you?" He asks.

"Yeah, uh... I'm here to see Delilah." Jess says awkwardly.

"Sure, what's your name, man?" He asks, leading the man into the slightly messy dorm room. "Delilah!"

Delilah rushes out of her bedroom in a pretty red dress, ready to go to a party with Logan, though that doesn't seem to be how it'll work out. Instead, she stills, seeing the man in her living room. "Jess..."

"Hello again, Miss Gilmore."

"What're you doing here?" She questions as Jess walks towards her, unable to help himself as he presses his lips to hers.

"I'm ready. I've got my shit together, I'm ready." He says. Before either knows what he's doing, he's falling to his knees, pulling out a small box from his pocket. "I love you, Delilah."

"Jess." She says his name like a prayer, watching with tears in her eyes as he opens up the box, revealing a ring.

"I've known you since you were sixteen, Delilah Gilmore, and I've loved you almost as long. I've loved you since that christmas eve when we watched that movie and you snuggled up into my side like you didn't know you were driving me insane. I've loved you since you jumped into my arms after the stupid basket thing and i've loved you since you defended me at that stupid town meeting. I've loved you since you toilet-papered Taylor's market and hell if I haven't loved you since you showed up in my life."

"Jess."

"So here I am. I've got it together, Delilah, I've got a job, I published a book, I've got an apartment in Philadelphia. I talked to your dad and Tyler and Rory and your mom and Colin, I even talked to Luke. Here I am, asking you to marry me. I'm ready now, I've seen it all and I've seen how painful it was to be away from you. Marry me, Delilah. Marry me or run away with me or whatever you want to call it, just tell me you'll be with me."

"Oh my god..." She breathes out, tears streaming down her face. "Jess, oh my god."

"Marry me, Delilah."

"Jess..."

"Marry me, be my wife, live with me. I love you, Delilah Gilmore, so much it hurts sometimes."

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you, Jess." She says, falling to her knees in front of him, grabbing his shoulders.

Before he can stop himself, he's pulled her into a tight hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek, her nose, her jaw, her neck. "I love you so much." He says.

"I love you too."

"Say it again."

"I love you, I'll marry you, everything. I love you so, so much."

And with that, he presses his lips to hers in a bruising kiss, letting the world slow to a standstill around them. He places the cool metal of the ring on her finger, barely letting go before she's got her hands tangled in his hair.

"I love you, Miss Gilmore."

"Mariano."

Logan was not exactly happy to see all of this go down, obviously, as he makes his way to the bar immediately.

---

Jess Mariano has never been as happy as he is right now, watching the girl he loves waving her hand out of the passenger side window of his rental car. They're on the way to Stars Hollow, to announce their engagement to their families.