"Absolutely perfect"
--☆--☆--☆--
The Gilmore morning ritual was not complete without a trip to Luke's. Every morning the Gilmores were sitting at a table in their favorite diner, drinking the best coffee in the world, eating their favorite comfort food. It was a tradition.
Which is why the Gilmore women were sitting at a table together, Lorelai telling them a story while the girls thought about the food that they'd order in a couple of minutes.
"So then he starts ripping my 20 dollar bill into a million pieces I'm thinking to myself, "there is a store full of people. Why am I the one on-line with the crazy magician?"' Lorelai asked her daughters, stopping when Rory yawned. "Okay, I'll cut to the end. He couldn't put it back together and had to pay me in quarters."
"Very good story," Rory told her.
Lorelai let out a sigh looking at her oldest daughter. "You look tired."
"I just haven't been sleeping very well," Rory told her.
"How come?" Lorelai asked her.
"I have a lot on my mind."
"Anything I can do?" Lorelai asked as Cassie tilted her head to see the tired look on her sister's face.
"Flag down the coffee."
"Arm going up now," Lorelai lifted her arm, waving Luke over to them. Rory yawned again, causing a worried look to appear on the faces of her mother and sister. "Honey, you gotta wake up."
"We should play," Cassie suggested and that automatically made Rory's face light up.
"One, two, three?"
"I'll go first," Lorelai said excitedly and they all looked out the window.
"And... one," the Gilmores turned just as an older man passed by the window they were sitting by. After taking a moment to look at him the twins turned to their mother, waiting for her answer.
"Pass," Lorelai decided.
"Why?" Cassie asked her, glancing from the window to her mom.
"Because I'm not Anna Nicole Smith. Next."
They all turned looking out the window again to see who the next guy would be. "And... two," Rory said as a younger guy on a skateboard road by.
"Pass."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not Mary Kay LeTourneau," Lorelai answered.
"Okay," Rory sighed and the three girls looked out the window again.
Luke approached them, coffee in his hand. His head tilted to the side, wondering what the Gilmore women could be up to now. "What are you looking for?" He asked as he ducked down to get a better look.
"My new husband," Lorelai answered, looking at the man that stood behind her youngest daughter.
"She's already passed up two perfectly good prospects," Rory informed him.
"But I'm feeling pretty good about number three," Lorelai said confidently.
"Do I want to know?" Luke asked as he poured coffee into each of their mugs.
A bright smile appeared on Cassie's face, "Hey, Luke came to the table does that make him number three," She offered.
"No," Luke quickly replied.
"You don't even know what we're doing," Lorelai told him.
"The safest answer in anything involving the three of you is no," Luke told him and Cassie had to nod, he was right.
"We're playing 'one, two, three,' he's yours."
"I didn't ask."
"You can take the first guy that walks by, or if you pass, assuming there's somebody better, you can take the next guy that walks by. But if you don't take him, you're automatically stuck with the third guy," Rory explained to the diner owner.
"Got it?" Lorelai asked.
Luke shook his head, "I'm not playing."
"Well of course not, it's still my turn," Lorelai reminded him.
"Okay, guy number three is crossing the street right now," Rory said, getting everyone's attention back, even Luke's.
"Why am I looking?" He asked, realizing he had ducked down to get a better view.
"Because it's like a train wreck," Lorelai told him, not taking her eyes off the window. Three smiles appeared on Luke, Cassie, and Rory's face all while a look of utter horror appeared on Lorelai's face. "Oh no!"
"Our new daddy," Cassie joked with a bright smile on her face.
"Not Kirk," Lorelai shook her head as Kirk peered into the diner through the window.
"Maybe he'll buy us a pony," Rory hoped.
"I wanna go back to the old guy!"
Luke laughed as he walked away going to the door just as Kirk walked through it. "Congratulations man," Luke said, patting him on the shoulder.
"Uh... thank you?" Kirk cautiously walked further into the diner, turning when he heard the Gilmore girls laughing in the corner. "What?"
"Nothing," Lorelai answered with a straight face.
"Okay, did someone put the kick me sign on my back again?" Kirk asked them, only causing the girls to laugh again. "It wasn't funny last week, it's not funny now," Kirk told them as he headed back towards the door. "I have asthma!" He yelled before storming out the door.
"Quick, Mom, he's getting away," Cassie said, pointing to Kirk who was now running across the street.
"Oh no! Kirk come back! I love you," Lorelai said, feigning a high pitched voice. "Drat! Okay, it's your turn," She said looking at Rory.
"What about me?"
"You already have a boyfriend," Lorelai reminded her.
"Oh yeah," Cassie smiled, thinking about the tall curly haired boy she'd see later that day.
"Okay my turn," Rory reminded them and they all looked out the window again. "And... one."
The Gilmores grew quiet when Dean Forester walked past the diner. Rory's face grew sad, the happy mood she was in a second ago being ruined by that one boy. Cassie hated it. She hated him. Even though Rory had told her countless times not to hate him, she still did. Cassie would probably alway hate him.
"So we should order," Lorelai suggested, breaking the momentary silence.
"Yeah," Rory nodded her head. "Ordering's good."
--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--
Cassie and Josh had their own weekly tradition. Once a week Josh would come down to Stars Hollow and spend time with the Gilmore Girls. They would go to Luke's or bookstore or just hang out at the park, it didn't really matter what they did, they just wanted to spend time together.
And today was that day. Josh had driven the twins home, dropping Rory off outside Lane's house while he and Cassie took his car to the Gilmore house. They were laughing about god knows what as they walked into the house. Their bags were dropped on the floor as they walked into the kitchen together.
Josh walked over to their fridge while Cassie went to cupboards. Upon opening them they realized there was absolutely no food in the Gilmore house. In fact it made Josh laugh. This is the only house he's been in where the only food in the fridge was a box of leftover pizza, some whipped cream and apple juice, and everyone was perfectly content by it.
"So I'm thinking we go out and get food," Cassie smiled sheepishly as she turned around, leaning her back against the counter.
Josh closed the fridge before turning around, "I agree." He walked over to Cassie, his hands resting on either side of her. Cassie could feel butterflies forming in her stomach and Josh wasn't even doing anything, he was just standing there. "What are you thinking about?"
"The fries I'm gonna eat when we get to Luke's," Cassie answered and Josh laughed. She wasn't exactly lying but she wasn't telling him the answer he had been expecting.
"Let's go then," Josh stepped away and held his hand out to her.
The two of them walked through town hand in hand. They were still in their Chilton uniforms so they stuck out among the rest of the Stars Hollow teenagers. But frankly they didn't care, they didn't even notice. They were too busy talking about movies and television shows they wanted to watch together.
The only thing that made them stop talking was when they saw Rory sitting on the curb outside the market. Josh let go of Cassie's hand before she pulled away from him. She walked over to her sister sitting down beside her.
"This is a new reading spot," Cassie observed as Rory looked up at her.
"I'm just waiting for Lane," Rory answered as Josh sat down beside Cassie.
"You're waiting for Lane?" Cassie asked her and Rory nodded. "Outside the market?" Rory nodded again.
"Why can't you go in the market?" Josh asked, leaning forward slightly to look over at Rory.
Rory looked over at Cassie, wanting her sister to answer for her. "Dean works in the market," Cassie answered.
"Really?" Josh looked like he was going to stand up but before he could a bag of chips fell into Rory's lap.
"Salt and vinegar," Lane told her. "Hey," She smiled at the couple and they both smiled back as they stood up from the curb.
"Thank you," Rory said.
Lane handed her a paper bag, "Here's your gum, your soda, your New Yorker, and your dental floss."
Rory reached into the bag, frowning for a second. "Aw, they didn't have the minty kind?"
"They were out."
"And guess who bought the last one," Cassie said in a sing-songy voice making Rory frown again. "You aren't getting it."
"You're dating a floss thief," Rory told Josh. That made him smile as he put his arm around Cassie's shoulder, and Rory looked down. Cassie moved away from him, it was a small move but Josh noticed, and it confused him.
"We're going to Luke's, want anything?" Cassie asked and Rory shook her head. The group of four split, Rory and Lane going in one direction, Cassie and Josh going in another.
"What happened?" Josh asked her, noticing that Cassie moved closer to him again.
"I felt guilty," Cassie answered but Josh didn't understand.
"For what?"
"That I'm happy and Rory isn't," Cassie elaborated and it started to make sense to the Dawson boy. "She hasn't been happy for months and it's only getting worse."
Josh stopped walking and Cassie stopped with him. "You shouldn't feel guilty for being happy."
"Come on, I'm hungry," Cassie kept walking, deciding to avoid finishing the conversation. Cassie walked into Luke's first, bringing a smile to the owner's face. But of course it fell the second he saw the boy in a blue uniform following her.
He watched as Josh slipped his hand into Cassie's making her look up at him. She smiled at him, saying something that Luke couldn't hear. They walked to a table in the corner of the diner. They were smiling again, laughing at something. Luke walked over to them the sight of him making Cassie smile, especially when he poured coffee into her mug.
"Here," Luke looked down at the young girl, ignoring her boyfriend. But he actually poured coffee for him this time. "Hungry?"
"Do you have to ask?"
"Right," Luke nodded and only then did he look over at Josh. "You want anything?"
"Uh yeah, I'll have-"
"Sorry we're out of that," Luke cut him off and before anyone could say anything else he was walking away.
Cassie laughed quietly while Josh just sat there stunned. "He really hates me."
"No, that's just Luke," Cassie informed him. "You should've seen when he tried to beat up Dean."
"He did?"
Cassie nodded, taking a sip of her coffee and Josh just nodded his head. He realized long ago that Luke was essentially Cassie and Rory's dad. The man loved them like a father did and would protect them like a father would.
Luke eventually brought them over a plate of fries to share. The two teenagers thanked him and Luke said a quick "you're welcome" before returning to work. Every now and again he'd look over at the teenagers, watching as the amount of fires left on the plate grew smaller and smaller.
The Danes man noticed two things when watching them. Number one, they never stopped talking. Whether they were discussing school or debating which hairstyle Rachel Green wore best in the show Friends, they never stopped talking. Not for one minute. And number two, every couple minutes Josh would move a little bit closer to Cassie, and everytime he did her smile would grow a little bit more.
Josh paid for their fries and coffee and the two of them left. Josh's arm was around Cassie's waist and they walked out of the diner. All Josh could think about was how much he loved being around Cassidy Gilmore. She wasn't just his girlfriend, she was his best friend, she was the best part of his day. He never wanted to spend a day without her.
"Cassie."
"Yeah?" Cassie stopped walking when Josh did. She looked up at him with a confused look in her eye, wondering what he was thinking. "What?"
The Dawson boy looked around the town, seeing if there was anyone around watching them. Lucky enough there wasn't. For the first time in Stars Hollow history there wasn't anyone snooping on the Gilmore women.
Josh grabbed Cassie making her laugh right before he kissed her. There they were, standing in the middle of the sidewalk, kissing like they were only people in the world. Josh's hands were holding the side of Cassie's face, keeping her close to him. Her arms went around his waist, wanting him to be closer.
The kiss was breathtaking, it was better than any kiss they shared before. This kiss changed something in both of them.
Josh pulled away first, "We should keep walking right?"
"Yeah, we can keep walking," Cassie replied, still slightly out of breath.
"Okay," Josh nodded his head, "let's keep walking."
"Walking's good," Cassie said but they didn't move, they were still standing in the middle of the sidewalk holding onto each other.
Josh lowered his hand from Cassie's face, sliding it back into her hand. They started walking but all either of them wanted to do was kiss again. Both of them were thinking about it, in fact it was driving them mad.
Because they couldn't just stop and kiss in the middle of the street again. No, Miss Patty's exercise group was now doing laps around the gazebo. And neither Cassie nor Josh wanted to give them a show. So they continued to walk, their hands intertwined as they both stole glances at each other.
The sun had begun to set and a cool breeze blew through the town. By the time they got back to the Gilmore house it was nearly dark.
"Mom?" Cassie called out when they opened the front door. "Rory?" There was no response from either of them. "They're out."
"Huh," Josh looked over at Cassie, an interesting thought crossing his mind. And it didn't take a Chilton genius to know exactly what he was thinking.
"You're terrible," Cassie laughed softly.
"Yes, I am," Josh nodded, walking over to Cassie who had moved to the opposite side of the room. Cassie stepped forward, Josh's hands easily finding her waist to pull her towards him. "Hi."
"Hi," Cassie smiled up at him.
Josh took one his hands away from Cassie's waist, using it to brush a strand of hair away from Cassie's face. Cassie could feel her heart rate picking up, the butterflies in her stomach reappeared. They both felt the energy shift in the room, and Cassie knew what might happen. But she wasn't freaked out like she was a month ago when this could've happened.
This time Cassie was the one that kissed Josh. She pulled him in, putting her lips on his. Josh let out a quiet groan and Cassie could've sworn it was the best sound she ever heard. All Josh could focus on was how soft Cassie's lips were against his.
Josh's eyes opened a little, he wanted to see the look on Cassie's face when they pulled away for air. He memorized every piece of her, the feeling of her against him, what she looked like before they kissed again. Everything about her was perfect to him.
Their feet started moving, taking them towards the stairs. Cassie's back hit the rail, making the two of them laugh. Josh's hands moved lower and Cassie's breath hitched in her chest. And just for a second the panic creeped in. Josh pulled back before she could, noticing what happened.
"Is this okay?" He asked her and Cassie nodded her head, but it didn't seem like she was listening. "Talk to me."
"I've..." Cassie paused for a moment, "I've never, you know..."
"Oh," Realization hit the Dawson boy. The two of them never really had that talk, and Josh now wishes they did.
"Is that okay?"
Josh smiled at her, "Cassie, do you really think I'd care about something like that?"
"I don't know," Cassie looked down, feeling a little embarrassed now. "Some people think it's weird."
"I don't," Josh told her. "You're the same Cassie that I lov-" Josh stopped talking, realizing the word he was about to say. Now he was the one that had a rush of panic, but Cassie didn't really notice, she was still a little embarrassed. "Hey," He used a finger to lift Cassie's chin, making her look at him. "I will wait as long as you want me to. Days, months, years, I don't care, I'll wait."
"Really?" She asked him, not really believing him.
"I will happily and proudly wait," He told her.
Cassie smiled then leaned up and kissed him again. Josh's hand went back to her waist, wanting to make sure Cassie was comfortable. But then she did something he wasn't expecting, she moved his hand back down.
He pulled away again, giving her a look. "Cassie, I mean it, I'll wait."
"I know," She responded with a smile on her face. "I don't want to."
"You don't?"
"No," She answered, "I want this. I want you."
"Are you sure?"
"Josh," She laughed softly, she looked up at him watching as he tried to read the expression on her face. He wanted to be 100% sure that she wasn't just saying this for him. "I'm sure."
This time when they kissed Josh moved slowly. He let Cassie take the lead, letting her decide just how much she wanted. They moved up the stairs, and down the hall towards Cassie's room. Josh carefully laid Cassie down on her bed, asking her again if she was okay.
"Yes," She said breathlessly.
Josh was now hovering above her, they were still moving slowly. Cassie moved her hands down, going for Josh's shirt. He pulled back, pulling his shirt off.
Cassie's eyes widened, her smile was bright and beaming. "Woah."
Josh laughed, loving the reaction she had. "You're perfect, you know that?" Cassie sat up, pulling her own shirt off. Josh's eyes moved down, "Absolutely perfect."
Cassie's hands went behind her back, but before she could do anything else her bedroom door opened.
"Cass- Oh my god!" Rory yelled then walked out of the room, slamming the door shut.
"Crap," Cassie and Josh both jumped up, quickly putting their shirts back on.
"I should probably go, right?" Josh asked, a worried look on his face.
"Probably yeah," Cassie nodded, her expression matching his.
Even though he was panicking, Josh calmed himself enough to look over at Cassie. He grabbed her hand, stopping her from going to the door. "We're okay, right? You aren't going to start avoiding me because of what might've happened?"
"We're okay," Cassie assured him and Josh smiled, nodding his head. "But now you have to go before Rory tells my mom who will surely want to have the talk."
"Yeah I should go," Josh agreed then they both went downstairs.
Josh ran for the door, grabbing his backpack on his way out. Cassie waved to him from the door, waiting until he was in his car before she went to Rory's room. Cassie knocked on the door, pushing it open.
"Hey," She said quietly, looking at Rory who was sitting on her bed with a book in her hands.
"I'm busy," Rory told her.
Cassie walked over to her, grabbing the book from Rory's hand. "Not anymore."
Rory rolled her eyes, scoffing when Cassie sat down on her bed. "What do you want?"
"Just thought I'd... check in," Cassie replied.
"You want to know if I'm going to tell mom," Rory told her, she knew her sister too well.
"Are you?"
"Am I going to tell mom that my sister is stupid and terrible at making decisions? Maybe, I haven't made my decision yet," Rory replied and Cassie was a little surprised by Rory's answer.
"What?"
Rory shook her head, she didn't want to talk anymore. She just wanted to be left alone. "Can I have my book back?" She asked, trying to reach for the book but Cassie pulled it away from her. "Real mature," Rory scoffed.
"Nothing happened upstairs," Cassie told her.
"I don't care," Rory replied, still using an annoyed tone of voice. "You can make stupid decisions, it's not my problem. Oh wait, it will be my problem because I'm the one that will be aunt at seventeen after you get pregnant."
"I'm not gonna get pregnant."
"Well Mom said the same thing and look what happened?" Rory gestured between the two of them and Cassie shook her head.
"Okay, I get it," Cassie held her hands up, trying to end the argument.
"Clearly you don't," Rory told her. "If you did get it then you wouldn't be jumping into bed with Josh."
Cassie scoffed quietly, doing her best not to get mad at Rory. "I didn't just jump into bed with Josh. He's my boyfriend. You must've at least thought about it when you were with-"
"Well I didn't," Rory interrupted her sentence, she still didn't want to talk about him.
"Okay, sorry."
"Are you in love with Josh?" Rory asked, looking up at her sister.
Rory still hadn't told Cassie or Lorelai the real reason she and Dean broke up. Neither of them knew that Rory couldn't say the words 'I love you' to him. Neither of them understood just how pain Rory was in, now that Dean had left her. Every day since their breakup Rory has kicked herself for not being able to say I love you.
"Rory come on," Cassie laughed, not sure if she wanted to answer the question.
For a moment Rory wondered if Cassie held the same fear she had when Dean said 'I love you' to her. She wondered if they were both broken, two girls who could never say 'I love you'. That was certainly a depressing thought for Rory.
"Do you love him?" Rory asked her again. She stared at her sister, waiting desperately for an answer. But when Cassie her mouth Rory's jaw dropped.