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“So, here.”
“Wow, more keys.”
“I didn’t know where we stood, so I got you your own room.”
“Where’s your room?”
“Right across from yours.”
“Show me.”
You kiss him. He doesn’t hesitate, he leads you upstairs.
When you get inside his room, a choreographed chaos ensues. Both of you can’t get rid of each other’s clothes fast enough, you can’t get enough of shared passionate kisses. You tumble to the bed together in a heap, eager to explore each other one more time, one last time.
You get lost in the sounds and smells, but mostly in the touches and kisses, purposeful and exhilarating. Before you know it, you are joined as one, performing a duet of nature’s oldest dance.
You remember you got off the pill a month ago. He is not wearing a condom. As you look into his eyes, you see nothing but the unspoken love he feels deeply for you. You know that your eyes mirror his. You realise that you don’t care that you are not being safe. This night of indiscretion could result to something, someone, a little piece of you, and a little piece of him, too. You find that you love that idea, surprisingly. To hell with the consequences.
You both tumble off the edge, satiated and content. When you become your individual selves again, you lie side by side, and you see that the look in his eyes is still there, burning more intensely than ever. It gives you a certain kind of peace.
***
You wake up to the smell and feel of him, masculine and hard against your soft feminine form. You linger in bed for a few minutes, savouring his nearness. A pinkish glow from the window catches your eye. You get up and don a robe, sit by the window bench, and admire the view and the private concert the warbling birds are treating you to. It’s cold and you wrap your arms around yourself. The scene in front of you reminds you of new beginnings. You know that one is ahead of you, even though you know something has to end as well.
***
“There, just like that,” he says, framing you with his hands, creating a mental picture of you in his mind.
You smile a little at him and he smiles back. Both your smiles can only be described as bittersweet. He turns to go. You remember the time he did just that, although it has been almost ten years ago. This goodbye feels just as final as that one.
***
You feel sick to your stomach. It has been a few days and this bug did not want to go away. There is a niggling thought in your mind that you know what is happening to you.
You make an excuse to your mother that you have to go to Hartford. In a generic pharmacy, you purchase three pregnancy kits. You are dying to take the test, so you go to the public bathroom. You wait a few minutes. There they are, two pink lines. You are pregnant, just as you thought. You stay in the bathroom for almost two hours, drinking water and juice, and take the test two more times. Two pink lines also appear on the other sticks.
Your world has just turned upside down.
***
You meet with your father at his office to gain some clarity. What he says hurts you to the core.
***
“Mom.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m pregnant.”
Your mother is shocked, but she quickly gets over it. She comforts you and says that she will support you and help you and the baby in every way she can. You thank her and say you love her so much.
You stay for a few days after the wedding. When your mom and Luke leave for their honeymoon in Italy, you leave Stars Hollow as well. Palo Alto seems like a good place to go.
***
You settle in quite nicely in this new city. You continue to write your book. You get a job teaching literature at a university and rent a charming apartment. Being away has brought you a new sense of freedom and confidence. You feel that you can do this on your own, just like your mother before you. You don’t realise until now that you are a strong, independent woman.
***
A month after your move, you receive a phone call from your father. He says he’s sorry about what he said to you. He says he loves you. You know he’s found out from your mom that you are pregnant.
Out of guilt, he offers to buy you a house and wouldn’t take no for an answer. You say you’d think about it and reassure him that you don’t harbour ill feelings towards him.
***
A month later, you go to a barbecue at a colleague’s place. As you are driving home, a house in the neighbourhood catches your eye. It has a white picket fence all around it. It looks a little bit like your home in Stars Hollow, with a front porch that is just as big. There is a ‘for sale’ sign near the white gate. You copy the contact number of the house agent and drive home.
You go to an open house one weekend. The house is just the right size for you, three bedrooms and a bonus room that could serve as your study. It feels like home. When you go to the backyard, your breath hitches.
In one corner, near a vegetable patch, is an avocado tree. Your eyes well up with tears as you think of him.
That night, you call your father to say that you found the perfect place to call home.
***
It’s been four months since you came to Palo Alto. You now have a baby bump that you can’t hide. You’ve been feeling a lot better, that’s why you felt like you could go to a teachers’ conference in Texas.
At the airport, you meet an old friend. Finn acts like his old self, but you can’t ignore the fact that he keeps looking at your baby bump. He tells you that his flight to Australia will leave in just 10 minutes.
You exchange pleasantries, albeit rather hurriedly. He comments about your pregnancy, you give him a small lecture on the ups and downs of being pregnant. He has the decency not to ask you who the father of the baby is, and the decency not to mention the baby’s father at all.
He really has to go, the speakers blare that his flight is boarding. You say your goodbyes and promise to meet up when he gets back from Australia.
You know that the cat’s out of the bag now.
***
A few days later, you drive home to your house, exhausted. You’re happy you can finally spend the rest of spring break in the peace and quiet of your own home.
When you get out of the car and step onto the porch, you notice that something is amiss. You place your cream-coloured travelling bag right beside a familiar black one near the front door.
Your heart is pounding as you go to the backyard. It cannot be.
You see him under the avocado tree, like a mirage transported from your dreams. He is looking up at the branches laden with fruit, but he turns to meet your eyes when he hears you coming.
“Ace, I introduced myself to your neighbour and he reckoned I could wait here for you,” he says as he moves towards you. He takes in your appearance. You can’t tell from his eyes whether he’s angry at you or not.
“Logan, you’re here.” Your voice trembles a bit.
“A little birdie told me about this.” He gestures his hand towards your pregnant belly.
“Finn.”
“Yeah, he called me up a few days ago. How have you been?” He combs a hand through his hair. You realise he is just as nervous as you.
“Better now that I’m in my second trimester—”
“Rory, don’t toy with me,” he cuts you off. “Is the baby mine?”
You nod, tears pricking your eyes. In a flash, he closes the distance between you, hugging you tightly to his chest.
“Thank God!” You feel him let out a sigh of relief. “When Finn told me about your pregnancy, I wanted the baby to be mine.”
He releases you from the hug but kisses you passionately instead.
“What about Odette?” you say to him when the kiss ends.
“We broke up. We couldn’t keep up the charade any longer.”
You feel a surge of hope rise within you. “And the dynastic plan?” you ask breathlessly.
“Screw the dynastic plan. From now on, I’m making my own plans.”
He takes something out of his pocket and your heart skips a beat. He kneels down on one knee.
“Rory, I have been a complete ass. I’m so sorry. I should have told you how I felt when we saw each other in Hamburg. I love you, Rory. I was in love with you these past years when we were apart. During the whole Vegas deal, I was in love with you even if I didn’t say it. You are it for me. I will never love another woman, only you. And now that you are carrying my child, I don’t know how it could be possible, but I love you even more. I want to be with you forever. Rory Gilmore, will you marry me?”
He opens the blue velvet box and you see the same engagement ring from when he proposed before. Tears are streaming down your face as you look at him. You are surprised that he is on the verge of tears himself. You have to end his agony.
“Yes.”
In one swift motion, he takes you in his arms and spins you around. Both of you are laughing now, your tears becoming happy tears. He finally puts you down and slips the diamond ring on your finger. He kisses you again, this time tenderly, full of love. You look into his eyes afterwards and see his undying love for you. You know that your eyes mirror his.
“Let’s go inside, Ace. Logan Jr. must be tired from all that travelling.”
“You mean Lorelai IV, Huntzberger.”
“Well, whatever the baby’s sex is, he or she is very much loved. He or she is a little piece of you and me.” His eyes are serious when he says this and you nod.
“Hey, I’m hungry. You want to make some guacamole? We have lots of avocados.”
You both laugh as you walk towards the house.
Before you go inside, you stop by the doorway because the rosy tint of the sky catches your eye. You have only realised now that it is twilight. This time of the day reminds you of endings, but you know that your lives together are just beginning.