𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐓𝐘-𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄. . . 𝘝𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘏𝘰𝘱𝘦
❝ "I was scared you wouldn't come back. ❞

  CHARLIE WAS THE ONLY GILMORE RELATIVELY EXCITED TO GO TO HER GRANDPARENTS' PARTY. Though, everything went downhill after Rory tried to reassure her Luke would come back soon.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Lorelai questioned, eating a burger she admitted wasn't as good as Luke's.

"That Luke is gone."

"Hon. . ." The woman frowned, "It is not your fault."

"He'll be back soon anyway, with Jess," Rory smiled reassuringly, "And then everyone will have forgotten about the whole thing."

"Yeah, everyone but me." Charlie flopped back into her seat, "Have you seen the way people are looking at me? It's like I kicked a puppy and stomped over everyone's flowers."

"People just like to gossip," Lorelai sighed, "We all know it's not your fault."

"Kind of is."

  Lorelai pursed her lips, wishing for nothing more than to be able to reassure her daughter, in even the slightest way.

"It'll be fine in a week," Rory turned in her seat, "Everyone will be talking about something else and Taylor will let you back in the market."

  Charlie clenched her jaw, raising an eyebrow at her sister's expression. She made the choice, leaning back in the seat, that it just simply wasn't worth it.

↬

"Charlie!" Emily smiled as her granddaughter stumbled through the crowd, "Oh, you look beautiful."

"Thanks, Grandma."

"What's that on your arm?"

"Oh, uh, just a cast."

"Just a cast?"

"It's fine, really," Charlie attempted to calm the woman down, "It's just a hairline fracture, the cast is overkill."

"What happened? When?"

"Just last week." Emily looked dumbstruck as Charlie shrugged, "I got into a car accident."

"Why didn't anyone call us?"

"I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Charlie admitted quietly, "I've gotten enough grief to last a lifetime."

"I thought you were a spectacular driver?" Emily still seemed shocked at the entire situation, "Was it their fault? Oh, I hope you made sure they'd pay for-"

"It was my fault, honest. I was out with my-" The girl faltered, Emily's expectant look on her, "I was out getting ice cream with. . . my boyfriend and there was a dog so I swerved and-"

"Charlie, you've got to stop doing that."

"Doing what, what's she doing?" 

  Charlie folded her arms as Emily fired off the questions, the teen simply waited to see if her Mom was going to out her just as her Dad did.

"Charlie wasn't driving."

"No, but-"

"Who was driving?" Emily questioned quickly "Charlotte, who was driving?"

"Oh, it's back to Charlotte now?" Neither adult seemed amused, "Jess was driving."

Then all hell seemed to break loose. Emily began berating Lorelai for not keeping Jess away from Charlie, especially for letting the girl date him. But when Emily began speaking lowly of Jess, the girl had enough.

"Where are you going?" Emily called out as Charlie began walking away.

"Don't know, don't care."

"Charlotte!"

"He's not a bad person," Charlie whirled around, eyes pricking with un-shed tears, "Everyone thinks he is but he's not. The accident wasn't his fault, I yelled, I told him to look out, and now he's gone because of me!" She furiously wiped the traitor tears that had fallen, "Don't have to worry about anyone keeping me locked up in a tower, I apparently already drove him away."

"Charlie-"

"Just leave me the hell alone."

Charlie didn't falter. Tears began falling rapidly, but the girl simply shoved through the crowd and ditched the elevator for the stairs. Lorelai had been calling her name, but Charlie's head had been engulfed in a bubble that didn't let any noise in.

She made it to the sidewalk, struggling to catch her breath. Instinctively, the girl pulled out her phone and called the second person on speed dial.

It went to voicemail.

"Hey," Charlie let out a shaky breath, pushing her hair away from her face, "Uh, I know you probably hate me and I'm really sorry I got Jess into trouble," She laughed humorlessly, "I just, I don't know who else to talk to. My Mom is. . . and Rory. . . God, I just miss you and Jess." She let her head lull back, staring into the dark, starless sky, "Sorry for calling. . . Have fun fishing."

The teen's plan was rather simple. She'd catch a bus back to Stars Hollow and go to bed instantly. That changed when her phone rang a second before she got onto the bus.

"Hello?"

"Are you okay?"

  "No."

  "Where are you?"

  The ride back to Luke's was quiet. Only when they parked did Charlie speak up.

  "Is he here?"

  Luke unclipped his seatbelt, turning to Charlie whose worried eyes were already on him.

  "Yeah."

  She let out a breath of relief.

  "Can I. . ?"

  Luke nodded with pursed lips, quickly exiting the truck for Charlie to follow. His keys jangled as he unlocked the diner, informing Charlie that the boy was upstairs.

  Then, he quickly busied himself with an unimportant mug.

  The girl knocked gently on the apartment door, daring to crack it open despite a lack of response. Her lips twisted to the side, spotting Jess Mariano curled up on the couch, softly sleeping.

  "Hey, Mariano," Charlie whispered, refusing to move much further than the doorway. "Jess, hey."

  The boy rolled so his face was buried in the couch, making Charlie sigh irritably.

  "Jess," She said in her full voice, taking a step towards the couch, "Hey."

  The boy rolled again, this time poking a single eye open.

  "Angel."

  "Hi," Charlie greeted as the boy sat up slowly, "Sorry, I know it's late--"

  "Don't apologize," Jess said quickly, ruffling his hair briefly, "I. . . I'm sorry."

  Charlie's lips tugged up gently, taking cautious steps towards him. 

  "You picked purple."

  "It beat out the other colors," Charlie nodded, showcasing the cast, "Can I sit?"

  Jess nodded, scooting over to give the girl more room to sit.

  They lingered in silence for a while. Neither knew what to say or how to start, not after everyone's reactions, not since their days of silence.

  "I was scared you wouldn't come back."

  Jess felt his heart sink-- not out of fear, but out of pain. 

  Because, in fact, he had almost left.

  "It sounds stupid, now that I'm saying it," Charlie mumbled, her cheeks turning hot, "I mean you made a promise, right?"

  But Jess just nodded, deciding what mattered more than his wavering was that he had come back.

  "Yeah," He finally said, "Yeah, I made a promise."

  "Hey, you know it's not your fault, right?" Charlie asked abruptly, Liam's words circling her head, "The accident, I mean, you can't--"

  "I know, Angel," He said, squeezing his eyes shut, "Trust me, I got enough lectures to last a lifetime."  

  She smiled small, pulling her feet beneath her as she began asking about their fishing trip. It didn't take long for them to slip back into familiarity, for Charlie to laugh as Jess explained with a sigh all about his uncle's seriousness surrounding fishing.

  All they both knew in that moment, was they were quite happy Jess Mariano had returned to Stars Hollow, and there was just enough space for his name on Charlie's bright purple cast.

( AUTHOR'S NOTE. )
Really sorry about the lack
of updates! Trying to rework some
plot here, and I like the choices and
where the story is going, it is a 
little stressful lol