𝖇𝖆𝖗𝖇𝖎𝖊 ‣ ʲᵉˢˢ ᵐᵃʳⁱᵃⁿᵒ

𝟓 ‣ the dark days

He had no idea where the random boost of energy had come from, or how long it'd last, but he knew it was a good thing. Maybe he was actually settling down in Stars Hallow, or maybe he was just excited to talk to Hartley in first period English class—the one time a day he got to see her.

"Jess, you're spilling," Willow Parker's voice broke him from his thoughts, and he quickly noticed the overflowing coffee mug in front of her.

"Sorry, Willow," he mumbled, grabbing a cloth from behind him and wiping under the mug.

     "Since when do you apologize?" Rory asked from her spot leaning against the counter to Willow's right.

     "Since I apologized," he drawled, tossing the dirty cloth in the sink behind him.

The bells above the door rang out, alerting him of a new customer, and a loud 'I'm free!' followed, alerting him that it was none other then Kanan Kaur (certified drama queen™).

     Willow spun in her seat, an ecstatic grin on her face, and opened her arms wide for him. Kanan came crashing into her, his muscles tightening around her waist as he lifted her off of the stool. The sight was enough to put a smile on stony-faced Jess's lips, which was enough to put a smile on Rory's by association.

     Kanan placed Willow back down and slid into the seat to her left in one swift motion, before ringing the bell on the counter.

     "Excuse me, Waiter?" He called out with glee in his voice.

     "What do you want, Kan?" Jess sighed, the corner of his mouth upturned.

     "A green tea and a coffee with two sugars, one cream, and a dash of vanilla to go, please," he ordered.

     Jess complied, but not without sending Willow—who's face had suddenly turned solemn—a confused look. When he was finished with the drinks, he turned back around and placed the cardboard cups in front of Kanan.

     "So, who's the coffee for?" Jess queried, knowing from passed orders (and Lorelai Gilmore's relentless bullying) that Kanan only drank tea.

     "Lee," he answered simply, allowing Jess to subconsciously memorize her coffee order. "I haven't seen her in a week and I have some serious gossip to catch her up on."

     Whatever it was weighing Willow's lips down into a frown caused her to finally crack under the pressure, as she blurted,

     "Jorge called this morning,"

     Kanan, Jess and Rory all looked towards her, the former's brows drawing together. The three waited intently for context, making Willow squirm.

     "The Dark Days started," she said cryptically, eyeing Jess with uncertainty.

     Kanan's and Rory's faces dropped, the 'Dark Days' clearly weren't a good thing.

     "What's that supposed to mean?" Jess questioned, a brooding look on his features.

     "I don't know if we should..." Willow trailed off, glancing between her two friends, "it's not really our secret to tell."