Leaps and landings

57

Celeste slept better than she had in weeks that night, only mumbling something affirmative in response after Jess kissed her and whispered that he was going to Luke's to have breakfast with April before her flight out, having ordered breakfast in bed for Celeste, that already stood waiting on the tray stand by the bed.

The fluffy snow had turned mostly into ice outside overnight and the wind had turned chilly, and Jess raised up his coat collar as he stepped outside. His hair was a little messy and he hadn't bothered to shave that morning, feeling much more like his old self in Stars Hollow as he walked across the town square towards Luke's. Strangely enough in a way it was comforting to slip into that old role for a moment. He saw April enter just in front of him, hastening his step.

"Hey, April," he greeted friendlily, as the door chimed.

"Good morning," she replied, placing her red parka onto the chair, before taking a seat.

Caesar came to take their orders in a snap, knowing the two knew the menu by heart.

Jess nodded in greeting and added, "Coffee and eggs, scrambled."

"April?" Caesar asked.

"I'll have oatmeal with blueberries, please," she said.

"So, New York, ah?" Jess began, wanting to not sound too abrupt with the suggestion he'd been thinking about all morning, as he stared at the ceiling, not wanting to wake Celeste, who he figured, needed the sleep.

"Yeah, I figured I needed to experience the world a bit before I finally decided on a graduate school," April said. "I was almost set on continuing at MIT but I wasn't sure on the major, and so now I've done a couple of shorter internships and a few courses that I can transfer to my graduate degree once I decide on it," she added. She hadn't put all of her eggs in the same basket, getting a undergraduate degree as a double major, but as she enjoyed both of them near-equally, she hadn't felt ready to make the final cut without seeing what sort of work there was out there in either.

"Keeping busy, I see," noted, saying "Thanks," to Caesar who brought him his coffee.

"So I was thinking that if it's okay with you I'd come on the 4th, my internship starts on the 7th," she began, explaining her schedule.

"Yeah, about that," he began, hesitating for a moment how to phrase what he wanted to say.

"It's still okay that I stay, isn't it? When Luke suggested it, I thought it sounded a little too good to be true," April panicked for a moment.

"Luke suggested it? I thought you asked him to ask me.... Ah, nevermind," Jess reacted, feeling a little confused but realizing it didn't really matter.

"I was almost going to turn the internship down because I wasn't sure how I was going to pay for a place, a room even," April explained.

"April, it's fine that you stay. But I'll be honest with you - I feel like Luke's overcompensating or something and I just think it's not right for him to pay for you. So maybe we can make some sort of a deal with you instead," Jess explained.

"What were you thinking?" she asked.

"Do you think you could find a way to pay for your share of the utilities? Get a part time job? Or maybe help out with the baby... if that's something you could see yourself doing?" Jess suggested.

"Yeah, of course, I was planning on getting a job anyways. I've been doing waitressing and data entry jobs, stuff like that for the past three years anyways, and I used to babysit in New Mexico all the time when I was younger," April agreed.

"And once you can, and you still want to stay there, we'll talk again about rent?" he added.

"Yeah, of course. I really don't like being a charity case...," April replied, like it was obvious.