The Other Gilmore

After the Wedding

Finn smiled slightly, wanting more than anything to be able to hold her in his arms again, but he knew that it would take time. "I'll talk to you soon?"

"Yeah. Talk soon."

"Why'd Finn call?" Jess asked as Frankie hung up the phone.

"Rory's boyfriend, Logan, is in the hospital right now, and she kicked Finn and Colin out because they were joking around and she's stressed."

"What did he want you to do about that?"

"Talk to her, I guess. But I'm not involved in that anymore, and I'd rather not get on Rory's bad side when she's in 'fixer' mode."

Jess chuckled. "Yeah, she can be intense."

"Exactly. Anyways, enough about things that we can't control. When do you head back to Philadelphia?"

"Tonight," he said was sad sigh. "But, I've got the rest of the day."

Jess and Frankie spent the afternoon together, watching movies, reminiscing, and enjoying each other's company. They hadn't spent a day just relaxing together in a long time, and it felt nice being with one another again.

That evening, once Jess was all packed up, he threw his duffle bag in the trunk of his car with a sigh and turned to face Frankie. "I'll call you."

She nodded, shuffling her feet in the grass. "Okay."

"I mean it, I'll call you."

"I know you will."

"And let me know when you're back in New York."

"I will. I'll keep you posted on my journey," she said with a smile.

"Good." He gazed at Frankie for a moment, then pulled her into his chest, holding her close.

"Thank you for coming. It meant a lot," said Frankie, her voice muffled slightly by his jacket.

"You know I'd do anything for you."

She smiled and pulled back, standing up on her toes to kiss him. "Talk soon?"

"Talk soon."

Frankie smiled and waved sadly, watching as Jess drove out of Stars Hollow.

The following morning, Frankie and Kayla took the train back to New York.

"I can't believe we only have a few more weeks of this semester. It's gone by so fast," Kayla remarked as the train sped through Connecticut.

"I know, it's crazy. I feel like just yesterday we started college. We're almost seniors."

"Weird how time flies, isn't it?"

"Definitely."

"So, are you and Jess back together?"

Frankie chuckled, gazing out the window. "People keep asking and I don't have an answer."

"You guys didn't talk about it?"

"Nope. Wasn't on the itinerary."

Kayla cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "He drove all the way from Philadelphia to surprise you, spent the night at your house, then drove back the following day, and you didn't talk about the implications of that?"

"Nope."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, we just didn't."

Kayla rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I don't know what I'm gonna do with you, Frankie."

"Why?" she asked, laughing. "We're just...we're just taking things as they come."

"So you did talk about it."

"No."

"Then how do you know that's what you're doing?"

"Because I do."

"That's not a good enough answer. If you want something from him, you need to tell him that, and be clear about your expectations. He's left you multiple times, Frank. If you two want this to work, he needs to earn it."

"Kayla, we haven't even discussed what we are. Right now, I'm not expecting anything from him. I enjoy his company, and I enjoy spending time with him. We have fun, and I like that."

"Well, if you want something more, you need to let him know."

"I don't know what I want, Kay. I don't. Everything's just...up in the air, but that's okay. I don't need to figure it all out right now, and I don't want to. I'm 21. I went through something traumatic last semester, and before I consider jumping into another relationship, I want to figure out who I am now. Just because I like being around Jess, doesn't mean something's going to happen."

Kayla nodded in understanding, deciding to drop the subject. "Alright. Fair enough."

The last few weeks of the semester were crazy. Frankie was rehearsing for final performances, as well as studying for finals, so she didn't have a lot of time to check in with anyone. One evening, while she was reviewing for an exam the following morning, she received a call from an unknown number. Confused, Frankie answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Francesca Gilmore?"

"Yes, this is she."

"Hello, Francesca. I'm calling from the Pennsylvania Ballet. A representative from our company saw you perform in the New Dances production about six months ago, and we wanted to talk about a possible position here for you."

Frankie blinked, stunned, and stuttered her words. "You...You want...You saw..."

The woman chuckled, taking Frankie's stammering as a good sign. "We would love it if you could come to Philadelphia and meet with us. I understand that you're in the midst of finals right now, but when school is over and you have some time, come see us. I'll give you my number now. All you have to do is call me to let me know when you'd like to stop by."

Frankie frantically looked for a pen, jotting down the number, then thanked the woman and hung up the phone. She sat there, unmoving, for what felt like hours, when she heard a knock on her door.

"Can I come in?" Kayla called from the doorway.

Frankie nodded, and Kayla cocked her head, watching her friend stare blankly at the wall.

"What's up with you?"

The girl just handed her best friend the slip of paper, eyes wide.

"Pennsylvania Ballet. Okay? What's thi – oh, my God. Is this a ballet company?"

Frankie nodded.

"They called you?"

She nodded again.

"Just now?"

A nod in response.

"Frankie! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! What? Are you serious?"

A wide smile spread across Frankie's face, and she leaped out of her chair, screaming and jumping wildly with Kayla.

"What's going on?" Jacqueline shouted, rushing into Frankie's room with Penny right behind her.

"Frankie just got a call from the Pennsylvania Ballet! They want her!"

Jacqueline and Penny screamed, joining in the celebration. The rest of the night was spent drinking wine and dancing around the living room, everyone in that small apartment in Brooklyn celebrating Frankie's amazing opportunity.