Love Me Softly - Gilmore Girls -

Chapter Seventeen

"As much as I love running away from an angry parent, why did we?" I ask we're at least a block away with Rory still clutching the purple album and Lane just as curious as I am for why we ran.

"I...I don't know," Rory responds. 

"Is there somewhere we can go where she won't find us?" I ask, not wanting her to think too hard about why she ran. At least not while the adrenaline is still pumping. 

"Umm, yeah. Follow me."

Lane and I glance warily at Rory, the behavior is startling for us both, but we follow her lead. 

Speaking softly Lane turns to me, "How long have you known?"

I sigh, not entirely ready for this conversation, "Since I was little."

"So," she starts to ask, and I answer knowing where she's headed with this, "Yes, I knew when I met her."

"Why?"

"I'll tell you when we get to where she's taking us." 

Lane nods, willing to wait as Rory hasn't registered our conversation as we trail behind her. We follow her down hidden paths away from Main Street. The path soon turns into a trail in the woods before opening to a beautiful lake. 

She takes a seat on the bench sitting to the right of the trail opening, the purple album lying in her lap. Lane and I take seats on either side of her and wait for her to start speaking. She slowly reopens the page with my name on it.

"How long have you known?" she asks, her voice void of emotions so I am unable to gauge if she's angry with me.

"A while," I whisper.

"When I started at Chilton?"

I nodded, I can hear the slight anger now and I can't be sure it's directed at me. 

"Is that why you became my friend?" Her voice is laced with hurt, and I am physically taken aback by it. 

"Partly," I admitted softly, "I wanted to know my sister as a friend before our birthday."

"Why didn't you tell me?" The hurt in her voice is amplified and I flinch from the intensity. 

I sigh, looking at my hands folded in my lap, "I wasn't allowed to."

"Dad?"

"No," I answer quickly, "He wanted to tell you more than I did."

"Who?"

"Oh umm," I worry about how my answer will make her react, "Lorelai." And now we wait. 

Rory pauses before speaking quickly, "So she was hiding a sister from me. I didn't want to believe it. I mean, I wanted to have a sister, but I didn't want to believe Mom would keep you hidden. Why did she?"

"You'd have to ask her"

"You don't know?" Lane asks, and I feel awful for forgetting she was witnessing everything that was happening. 

I shake my head in response, still not looking up to face either of them. 

"So you couldn't tell me?" Rory asks, her voice still soft and hurt. 

"Yes," I answered sadly, "And I'm sorry I didn't. I wanted to. You have to believe me." At this, I finally look up and catch the sight of Rory's crystal blue eyes. Not a trace of anger in them, which caused me to let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. 

Rory reaches over to grab my hand, squeezing lightly before answering, "I believe you."

I could cry. She believes me.