Attachment Issues // Jess Mariano

CHAPTER 4:

"I couldn't heal because I kept pretending I wasn't hurt." - Unknown

The next night, Rory and Delilah walk side by side into the venue, both toting large dress bags whilst Lorelai walks behind them, admiring her daughters with tears in her eyes.

"This place is huge" Rory says in awe, looking around the venue. "Do we have to walk down those stairs?"

Delilah glances up in confusion, catching sight of a large staircase with a fancy banister. Neither twin had ever been particularly graceful, thanks to their mother's genes, and a shiver goes down both girl's spines at the thought of tripping and falling.

"I'm afraid so." Lorelai confirms, stepping forward to stand by Delilah, who's too distracted to care. "Unless you wanna make a really memorable entrance and just slide down the banister, which I totally encourage by the way."

Before either girl can say anything about their mother's joke, though, a stressed out woman with a clipboard rushes towards them. "You are..."

"Lorelai and Delilah Gilmore." Rory tells her, though there's a waiver in her voice that Delilah recognizes well as fear.

"...Late." She finishes curtly.

"Sorry, my fault. Took me a while to get pretty. Not all of us are sixteen anymore, you know what I mean?" Lorelai jokes.

"You both are to head up the stairs. The preparation room is on the right." The woman says. Delilah rangers her dress bag closer to her chess so as not to trip on it on the way up the stairs.

"Look for the toxic cloud of Chanel and final net." Lorelai says as Rory takes her sister's hand and they begin their trek up the stairs.

It's been a long time since the twins held hands and though Rory is distracted, Delilah can't help but smile anxiously at the knowledge Rory wants her for comfort.

"Hang your dress there, put your makeup on over there." The woman instructs, placing Rory at the first available mirror before doing the same with Delilah a few rows down.

"Listen up ladies! Everyone must be beautiful and ready to go by 7:30!" And with that, the rude woman leaves and Delilah lets out a sigh of relief. She digs through her makeup bag gently, going for concealer and a little bit of foundation to cover up her freckles and the bags under her eyes.

A little bit of highlighter, lipstick, mascara and a terrible experience with an eyelash curler later, Delilah is ready to go. Other than her dress, and her hair, and her oncoming anxiety attack that's bursting around the seams to explode in her. With shaking hands, she rakes her curly hair back into an orderly waterfall of curls and finally, she places the headpiece she'd bought on her head.

So, one crazy half-hour later, Delilah stands in line beside Rory, waiting for Ty to come meet her. Finally, he shows up with his hands stuffed in his pockets and the slight smell of a cigarette clinging to him. Somehow, though, knowing he's nervous too makes it a little easier for Delilah as she takes his arm.

"Are you ready for this? It isn't too late to back out." He whispers, leaning close to her so she can hear him.

"I'm okay... just don't let me trip, alright?"

"Anything for you, sweetheart." He says. Delilah turns, though, just in time to see Chris walk up to Rory, his eyes never even landing on his second daughter. The twins.

"Now presenting, Delilah Hope Gilmore, daughter of Christopher Hayden and Lorelai Gilmore." The woman says as Delilah and Tyler walk down the steps together. Several people clap loudly, though the sound doesn't seem to meet the younger girl's ears. Desperately, she looks around for the only people she knows in this rich world of people, but Lorelai Gilmore isn't there.