<h4>Chapter 35 - Bold Moves</h4>
<strong>Chapter 33</strong>
After the apuse finally died down, Charlie paid the bill and turned to us with a grin. "Lori and I are going to take a little walk," he said casually. "This ce stays opente, and the night''s still young."
I gave him a knowing nod. "Have fun."
Rory and I found a quiet couch near the back of the restaurant, away from the crowd. We sat down, side by side, the buzz of the dining room fading into background noise. The soft hum of conversation and clinking sses made the moment feel strangely intimate.
"That was really good," Rory said, turning toward me. Her eyes were warmer now, more open. "You''ve got a great voice. And was an incredible music"
"Thanks," I said. "You didn''t seem too impressed at first."
She shrugged with a smirk. "I was reserving judgment. You kind of surprised me."
"Good. I like surprising people."
We sat in silence for a few seconds, just letting the moment breathe.
"So," I said, turning toward her, "you really want to be a journalist?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "Always have. I want to write things that matter. Stuff people remember."
"That''s pretty amazing," I said. "And I believe you''ll do it."
She looked at me, eyes searching. "You''re kind of hard to figure out, you know."
I smiled. "Good. Makes life more interesting."
We were close now. Not ufortably so—but just enough.
Rory''s eyes flicked to my lips, and mine did the same.
And before I could second-guess it, I leaned in and kissed her.
It wasn''t long or dramatic. Just a gentle, quiet kiss.
And she kissed me back.
Softly, simply—like it had been waiting there all evening.
When we finally pulled away, Rory blinked, a little dazed.
"I, uh... wasn''t expecting that," she said, barely above a whisper.
"Neither was I," I replied, lying through my teeth.
She smiled then, genuinely. Her eyes lingered on mine.
And I kissed her again.
This time, it wasn''t the chaste, unsure kiss of before. It was bolder, more certain. Her hand found mine, and the world beyond that couch seemed to fade.
Whatever tomorrow held, I knew this moment would stay with me.
———
Hours passed. Charlie eventually returned to the restaurant, strolling in with that smug, satisfied expression he wore so well.
Rory and I were still on the couch, kissing like the rest of the world didn''t exist. Charlie spotted us, paused, and smiled proudly—like he''d just won a bet with himself.
He pulled out his wallet and discreetly slipped a tip to one of the waiters. "Thanks for letting them have their moment. Here''s another tip," he said.
The waiter nodded, ncing toward us. "Of course. But we do need to close soon."
Charlie chuckled and walked closer, stopping a few feet away. We didn''t notice.
He cleared his throat once. Nothing.
Then again, louder.
Still nothing.
Finally, he gave an exaggerated series of coughs.
Rory and I broke apart, both turning in mild surprise.
I looked up and grinned wide. "Hey, Uncle Charlie."
Rory blushed and didn''t say a word.
Charlie just raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Time to wrap it up, Romeo."
As we exited the restaurant, we walked out in silence, the night air cool and refreshing. Rory gave me a quick kiss before stepping into the hotel elevator. I watched the doors close, then turned to find Charlie still beside me.
He looked at me. I looked at him.
No words were exchanged. We simply nodded.
Then, without any prompting, we both started doing the infamous Peter Parker dance from Spider-Man 3—shoulder rolls, finger guns, and everything (even if the movie was not release yet)
"Okay, what the hell are you two doing?" n''s voice broke through as he stepped out of the hotel lobby, staring at us like we''d lost our minds.
We just grinned and high-fived each other.
n folded his arms, confused. "Seriously. Where have you been?"
Charlie gave me a yful tap on the shoulder. "We just found a quiet ce to eat," he said with a wink.
———
Later that night, Iy on my hotel bed staring at the ceiling.
Huh. She''s going to have the same moral dilemma I did.
When Rory finds out I''m twelve... Yeah, that''ll be a moment.
And then it hit me.
I kissed a fifteen-year-old.
I groaned and covered my face with both hands.
"Great. Now I''m the problem."
I turned over and sighed. For all my intelligence, all my nning... nothing could prepare me for this weird gray area.
Age didn''t feel real to me anymore. In my head, I''m older. But to the world—including Rory—I was younger.
And if I''m going to hell for this... at least Uncle Charlie and my parents will be there too.
Pause.
Well... knowing my grandmother, by the time I get there, she''ll probably be the one running the ce.
———
The next day, high above the clouds on a ne back to Stars Hollow, Rory sat beside her mother, Lori.
They had been quiet for most of the flight, lost in their own thoughts. Then Lori finally turned to her daughter with an uneasy expression.
"Rory... I don''t know how to say this to you," she said slowly.
Rory blinked. "Okay... what''s going on?"
Lori winced. "Jake... he''s... well, he''s actually twelve years old."
"He was TWELVE???" Rory screamed, her voice echoing through the cabin.
Everyone on the ne turned to look.
Rory sank into her seat, face flushed with disbelief and horror.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "I kissed a twelve-year-old..."
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