everlasting • gilmore girls

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛

"There are only two kinds of men: ones who betray you sooner and ones who betray you later."
— Rebecca Roanhorse, Black Sun
(I loved this book.)

◯     ◯     ◯     ◯

Lorelai sneezing into her hand for the seventh time since Jo had joined the small family for breakfast. Pulling out a tissue, Rory hands it to her ill mother. 

"Thank you. Ugh, I hate having a cold." Lorelai said, her voice sounding stuffy.

Rory pats her arm in a consoling manner. "We know you do." Rory said.

"It's bad enough being sick, but anyone can have a cold."

Jo's chuckles vibrate onto Nathan's chest as she sits leaning into his side as his arm rested around her. "You want an impressive illness?" She asked the older woman.

"Exactly!" She said nods before frowning. "Once, I'd like to be able to say, 'I'm not feeling so good. My leg is haunted.'"

"There's a reason why you take one packet of TheraFlu." Nathan said, diagnosing her crazy from all the medicine. Rory and Jo chuckle as Lorelai waved him off.

Luke came to their table with arms full of food. He quickly set down Rory's and Nathan's pancakes in front of them and a quinoa breakfast bowl for Jo. Since she had been hanging a lot recently around Lorelai, he wanted to make sure that Jo had a healthy immune system.

Moving to Lorelai, he set her soup in front of her. "This is the third day you ordered soup for breakfast." he stated in observation out, as Jo picked at her breakfast with curiosity. "You know what helps rid a cold?"

"Endless vague questioning?" Lorelai asked smartly.

"A healthy immune system." He said, resting his hands on his hips.

"My second guess."

"You know how you get a healthy immune system?"

"Remember when you hated me, that was fun, wasn't it?"

"Is it eating nothing but crap and blowing out your brain cells with coffee?"

"No." Rory answer with a mouthful of pancake.

"Is that why you forcing poor Jo to eat that?" Lorelai asked, looking at Jo's breakfast with distaste. Truthfully, Jo felt the same way but was too scared to hurt Luke's feelings.

Luke rolled his eyes. "It's nutritious and delicious, right, Josie?"

Jo's head snapped up to Luke, looking at her with expecting eyes. Not having the heart to hurt him, she had no choice but to lie. "Uh, yeah yeah, it delicious!" She said, not realizing her knee bouncing from nerves until Nathan rest his hand on it, rub circles with his thumb to calm her.

Luke smirked smugly at Lorelai. Look back at Jo, "Try it then." She asked with a raised brow.

"Mom." Nathan said, slightly annoyed.

"It's fine, Nate." Jo said, placing a hand on his arm to stop him. He sent her a sympathetic look as she turned to Lorelai and sent her a glare. Looking down at her breakfast, she lifts her spoon and scoops up a spoon full of quinoa and blueberries. Nervously, she put the spoon to her lips and chewed down on the stomach-churning textures. Looking him to her uncle, she held an expression of disgust and gave him a false smile. "It is so good, Uncle Luke." she said with fake enthusiasm, trying not to think to the feeling as she swallowed.