Literati Headcanon Scene
Scene: Jess had just finished reading the part of Rory’s novel that was about him…
—
“So?”
Jess set the last piece of paper down and tried to swallow but his throat was dry. Without answering, he pushed away from the table and went to the fridge. “Want a drink? Beer or water?” he asked, turning his back on Rory while he gathered his thoughts.
“Water please.”
He grabbed a bottle of water and a beer and took them over to the table, setting the former in front of her. Then he opened his beer and sat down.
“You’re being eerily quiet,” Rory said with a nervous catch in her voice. “If I were a cartoon character, I’d be chewing on my nails right about now.”
Jess stared at his drink, his mind still racing with everything he’d just read. The writing itself was technically perfect—this was Rory after all—but it was what she’d revealed that had him so troubled. “I’m… processing.”
“If it’s too personal, I’ll change it,” Rory said. “Or if you want, I can omit—”
“No,” he said, his head snapping up. He blew out a breath, trying to remain calm. “Don’t take me out of your story.”
She nodded. “I didn’t mean take you out entirely. I meant just omit the part about your parents.”
“Oh.” He wasn’t that insecure boy anymore; at least, he didn’t think so. Still, a part of him had been so sure she’d have no qualms about erasing him from the book and, in turn, from history.
She flashed him a sad sort of smile. “Jess, if I took you out, my story would be woefully incomplete.”
--- "Time After Time" by June Gray (available on wattpad).
