𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘-𝐅𝐈𝐕𝐄. . . A Luke Danes Nightmare
❝ I feel like this is a fever dream. ❞

  CHARLIE GILMORE HONESTLY just wanted pancakes. It was too early in the morning to be thinking, she only had two cups of coffee in her system and not nearly enough food, and when her mother suggested Luke's, Charlie jumped at the idea.

  What she hadn't anticipated was her mother having to go on a hunt for the diner owner, being left alone in a mid-morning rush of people who talked far too loud.

  And then that familiar voice ripped through it all like a freshly sharpened blade.

  "Pea!"

  Charlie grabbed her coffee cup, grumbling as she trudged upstairs towards the apartment, lazily pushing the door open only for her eyes to double in size.

  It looked like Hurricane Jess had stopped by for a visit-- packing boxes littered the room, half-exploded leaving clothing and books alike scattered amongst the once neat space.

  "So," Charlie noted to a fuming Luke, "Jess's stuff finally came."

  He glared.

  "Look, can you make pancakes?"

  "Wait you can make pancakes?"

  "That taste just like Uncle Luke's," Jess smirked, emerging from the bathroom.

  "I cannot believe you've kept that from your own mother."

  "You've been in there for two hours," Luke pointed an accusatory finger at a not-so-phased Jess.

  "Yeah, well, my hair just ain't bouncing and behaving today."

  "There are other people living here, too, you know."

  "Huh." Jess retrieved three books and his denim jacket, "You learn something new every day." The boy pulled the door open, only faltering to give Charlie a questioning look, "You coming?"

  "Oh, so you did see me here." 

  Jess shook his head with a small smile, Charlie maneuvered around the boxes to follow the boy downstairs.

⌁

  Jess and Charlie usually were out and about, but after walking laps around the town what felt like five times, they chose to do something calm. Like reading books while blasting rather angry music.

  Charlie hated the chaos that was their apartment, it looked like a hoarders episode but she wasn't going to say anything to Jess. Or to Luke. She knew the intervention would come soon enough, as Luke was not a messy man.

  The teens were on Jess's still makeshift bed, both reading books silently and simply enjoying the other's company. Jess would look at Charlie every time she'd laugh about something, he never asked as not wanting to disturb her, but he'd just simply watch her facial expressions change as she read.

  At some point, they had fallen asleep which is how Luke found them. He didn't really know what to say, they weren't tangled into each other, just sleeping peacefully side by side, books on their stomachs. 

  The teens were awoken by Luke tossing clothes up, landing on their legs and feet. Charlie was in a sleepy daze, momentarily forgetting where she was.

  "Woah! Jeez! What the hell!"

  "I can't stand it! I'm going crazy! This place is awful! I can't live like this anymore."

  "Just relax."

  "I can't relax, I can't sleep. I'm having nightmares about being chased around by boxes with arms, and they tackle me and pile clothing on top of my face and secure it around my head with packaging tape, and I'm just lying there choking while you're sitting in the corner, laughing, putting gel in your hair with a switchblade!"

  "Maybe you should go see someone for that."

  "Oh, and you've dragged Charlie into this!" Luke threw his hands in up, "Who knows what you two were doing, you can't be up here alone with her—!"

  "Should I be putting a tongue depressor in your mouth right about now?"

  "We're moving. Tomorrow."

  "What are you talking—"

  "I'm talking about you and me going out, getting a paper, and finding a new place to live!"

  "But I—"

  "No buts!" Luke argued, "10:00 tomorrow morning I want you up, washed, moussed, and ready to leave, end of story. Now go back to bed." Jess didn't move, "What?"

  "I need the music on to sleep."

  Luke started the music again, Jess sighed, falling back against the mattress and pulling Charlie with him. The man glared, harsher than Jess or Charlie had ever seen it.

  "Right," Charlie mumbled, climbing out of the bed and shuffling after Luke.

  "Wait," Both turned back to Jess, "I need Charlie to sleep too."

  Jess smirked, dodging a shoe Luke chucked at his head. The man led Charlie downstairs, away from his troublesome nephew.

↬

  "Jess is doing what?"

  "Jess is cleaning our gutters, why is that so weird?" Lorelai popped a piece of popcorn into her mouth as she fell onto the couch.

  "Because you hate Jess."

  "I don't hate him," Lorelai defended, faltering under Charlie's unimpressed stare, "Your sister is making me give him a chance."

  "Oh."

  The girls hadn't spoken about Jess Mariano since Rory's confession, which Charlie found peace in. Hoping her sister had actually taken her advice for once in their lives; but of course, this was too good to be true.

  Charlie Gilmore realized one truth as her mother's worried expression asked a million unspoken questions.

  She had to talk to Rory. Own up to these feelings haunting her. 

  As it was, Charlie had always let Rory walk all over her. She hardly argued, wanting nothing but the best for Rory. But today, with this, with him-- Charlie would stand her ground.

  Because Jess Mariano was worth it.

↬

  Charlie Gilmore couldn't stop worrying about Jess Mariano at her house alone with her mother. She'd promised Luke that she'd help cover the diner while he was out looking for apartments, but that gnawing feeling refused to sleep.

  The diner was eerily silent, there were a few customers milling around but it wasn't as lively as usual. Luckily, by lunchtime, Cesar saw how terribly bored she was and allowed her the rest of the day off.

  The Crap Shack was relatively quiet, except for the unusual small talk.

  "Rory?"

  "Wrong kid!"

  "Charlie!"

  "I would've been worried if there was a third option," Charlie sighed, walking into the kitchen. 

  She began to shrug her jacket off, these habitual instincts kicking in until she spotted Jess munching on an egg roll at her dining room table.

  He had to hide as smile as she halted, dumbstruck, jacket hanging from one arm along with her phone and keychain.

  "Hey."

  "Hello."

  "You look confused."

  "I am confused."

  "We were just having lunch," Lorelai explained, "Did you eat at Luke's?"

  "Nope, I don't like the way Cesar makes burgers," Charlie mumbled her eyes never leaving Jess who was very amused at the situation.

  "Mom!"

  "Here— right here, what?"

  Lorelai rushed towards the front door where a very distressed Rory stood, leaving Charlie and Jess in the kitchen.

  "Were you and my Mom. .  being civil?"

  "I think I like surprising you," Jess grinned.

  "I feel like this is a fever dream."

  "Oh, you dream about me?"

  "That's not—" Charlie groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

  "Hey, your sister's been. . . weird today." Charlie raised her head as he spoke slowly, "Got really worked up, she was talking about getting along with your Mom. . . if I cared about her. . . it was just. Weird."

  "Yeah. . ."

  "I said something, what'd I say?"

  "Nothing, you didn't say anything," Charlie reassured.

  The duo fell into an awkward silence they'd never been in before. Jess had joked about it before, he liked teasing Charlie about anything and everything and Rory was just a part of that.

  But now it really felt like he was in the middle of them and he didn't want to be. Jess knew exactly who he wanted to be by, and he didn't particularly enjoy the other interfering and causing tension between all three of them.

↬

  "Luke, oh thank God, please make me a burger I'm dying!"

  The man turned, anger still radiating, only to find Charlie dramatically slumped over the counter.

  "Oh, okay, no burger, wanna talk about it?"

  Luke huffed, tugging his jacket off and making one lap around the diner before settling behind the counter. Charlie bit her tongue to keep from making a comment about him being like a dog.

  "No apartment, Taylor wants me to take down the hardware sign, I have no idea—"

  Luke stiffened as thin arms wrapped around his middle. Charlotte Gilmore was hugging him, it wasn't the first time but normally it was when Charlie was panicking, but this time it was Luke who needed it.

  "The sign isn't going anywhere."

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
Jess and Charlie <333