Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"Rory," Lane said, her tone cautious yet laced with excitement. They were sprawled out on the couch in the Gilmore living room, the TV humming quietly in the background with some rerun neither of them was paying attention to.
"Yes?" Rory asked, looking over at her friend with a slight tilt of her head.
Lane fidgeted with the hem of her sweater, clearly working herself up. "I need to ask you for a favor. A big one."
Rory turned to her, intrigued. "Lane, I already agreed to never bring up the time you accidentally spilled hot chocolate on Mrs. Kim's hymnals. What could possibly be bigger than that?"
Lane rolled her eyes but powered through. "You know Dean?"
"My boyfriend? Yes, I'm familiar," Rory said, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.
"Great," Lane said quickly, like she was checking off a mental list. "So, remember when I told you about Dean's friend Todd? He's really cool, right?"
"Good," Rory said, her expression giving nothing away as she processed this.
Lane shifted in her seat, her excitement starting to show. "Well, I was thinking... you, Dean, me, and Todd... a double date. What do you think?"
Rory raised an eyebrow, skepticism creeping into her voice. "A double date? I don't know, Lane. Neither of us really knows him."
"Please?" Lane's voice was pleading now. "I need this. I need to get over you-know-who."
"Voldemort?" Lorelai called out from the kitchen, but the two girls ignored her.
Rory didn't need any further explanation. She knew exactly who Lane was talking about. Her giant crush on Matt Thompson had been an ongoing saga, and no matter what Lane tried, it never seemed to go away.
As if on cue, Ronnie and Matt walked through the front door. "Hey," Ronnie greeted, stepping into the living room. "What's the gossip?"
Lane's eyes immediately locked onto Matt. He looked as handsome as ever, and she couldn't help but feel a flutter in her stomach when he caught her staring and gave her a small, knowing smile.
Rory noticed the look and decided to play it cool. "We're going on a double date."
Matt raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Who's the lucky guy?"
Lane cleared her throat. "Uh, Todd."
Matt exchanged a look with Ronnie, then raised an eyebrow. "Interesting choice."
Ronnie smirked mischievously. "Hey, maybe Matt and Angelica can join you."
Matt groaned, rubbing his forehead. "I told you we'd stop bringing that up."
"I will do no such thing," Ronnie teased, her grin widening.
Lane felt a knot twist in her stomach as she watched Ronnie and Matt's effortless banter. How could they be so comfortable together? So in sync? It made her want to scream. She hated how easy it was for them to flirt, to joke. She wished she could have that with Matt—her Matt.
