Time After Time - A Gilmore Girls Fanfic #1

Chapter 16

"I thought we agreed to stay friends?" Jess asked.

Rory looked up at him, knocked back by the ominous expression on his face. "We did, but..."

"But what? Isn't that enough for you?"

Rory's heart thudded out of her chest. She hadn't known what to expect when she'd made her grand speech, hadn't even planned to say anything until the words started spilling out of her mouth, but she'd hoped for a different reaction. Perhaps a little more smile and a little less grimace. Regardless, she had just given a speech about being a fighter and couldn't very well back down now. Time to walk the walk. "No, that's not enough for me," she said.

"Well, you don't have much of a choice."

Rory squared her shoulders and nodded, fighting the urge to avert her eyes. "I do. And I'm choosing you."

He stood stock still, acting as if her words didn't affect him, but his flaring nostrils gave him away. "Rory..."

She waited for him to declare he was done, that it was all too complicated, but he didn't say anything at all. Hope buoyed her, filled her lungs with air. "Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow?"

His eyebrows drew together, his dark eyes flying over her face. He didn't speak for what seemed like hours until, finally, "What time?"

She let out a breath. "I'll let you know. I'm not the kind of girl who lives by a schedule," she said with a grin.

He was still for a moment, then the corner of his mouth tugged up. "Guess I'll sit at home on a Saturday night and wait for your call then."

"Do that," she said and turned to leave. She took two steps, changed her mind, and whirled back around. "Six thirty," she added then left.

"Did something good happen or is this pregnancy glow?" Lorelai asked as mother and daughter walked to the diner that sunny Saturday morning. "Wait, don't tell me. You had a really good Alexander Skarsgard dream, right? The one where he's wet and shirtless in the jungle, with the V prominently showing?"

"No, but now I wish I had," Rory said.

"Don't underestimate the V. Many men have carved their careers out of that area of the body. Ryan Reynolds, Joe Manganiello, Chris Hemsworth, Channing Tatum. The power of a chiseled hip is infinite."

Rory laughed. "There was no V involved," she replied. "I just got the call from my realtor. My offer was accepted."

Lorelai stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, her mouth dropping open. "Honey, that's amazing. Congratulations! That's way better than a V."

"Yeah, I can't believe it. I'm going to be a homeowner." She shook her head, still a little shaken by the news. It was all becoming so real—the house, the baby, the growing up.

"It'll be great," her mother said, squeezing her hand. "Luke and I will help."

"Thank you, but please don't feel like you have to." Rory turned, realizing they were standing in front of the diner. Through the window she could see Jess walking around, setting plates in front of customers. "Hey, where's Luke?" Rory asked her mother.

"Jess sent him home," Lorelai said.

Rory watched as Jess maneuvered around tables with practiced efficiency. "Why?"

"We don't know. Jess just came downstairs this morning and said he was giving Luke the morning off to relax."

"Huh." A smile grew on Rory's face as Jess wrote down an order and stuck the pad of paper in his back pocket. "So what's Luke doing right now?"