In The Forgotten Gilmore, Alessia Gilmore grapples with adolescence in Stars Hollow, a town where gossip flows as freely as coffee at Luke's Diner. Overshadowed by her mother Lorelai's bond with twin sister Rory, Alessia finds solace in her irrevere...
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The dorm was buzzing with the kind of energy only an eight-year-old could bring. Lily had taken over the common room floor, surrounded by markers and paper, working on a new "masterpiece" that involved at least five shades of pink and a very imaginative scene involving a castle and a unicorn. Alessia watched from the couch, half-amused, while Riley, sitting nearby, was snacking on chips and lazily flipping through his phone.
"Are you sure you want your nails done again?" Alessia asked, glancing over at Lily's tiny hands. "Last time you were over it in ten minutes."
Lily huffed dramatically. "That's because you picked that blue polish. It was way too boring."
Riley chuckled, glancing up. "Obviously. Who even likes blue?"
Lily grinned, clearly pleased with Riley's agreement. "See? He gets it."
Alessia shook her head, picking up a soft pink nail polish. "Okay, we'll do pink this time. But you have to sit still."
As Lily plopped down next to her, Alessia started painting her nails, her brows furrowing slightly as she noticed one of Lily's nails was chipped again. "Lily, your nails are breaking so easily. Have you been playing rough?"
Lily stared at her hand and shrugged. "I dunno. Mom says it's 'cause I'm growing fast or something. She keeps telling me to take vitamins."
"Well, your mom's right," Riley chimed in, tossing another chip into his mouth. "You gotta eat those gummy vitamins. I swear they taste like candy. And look at me, I'm practically invincible."
Lily giggled at that. "You're not invincible. You're just... really tall."
Riley feigned offense, leaning back. "Hey, height counts for something. But you'll see-start eating those vitamins, and you'll be towering over me in no time."
Lily nodded, her earlier concern forgotten as she watched Alessia carefully apply the polish. "Okay, but only if they taste like candy."
Alessia smirked, blowing lightly on Lily's nails to help them dry. "Deal."
Once her nails were done, Lily looked at them, grinning. But then her eyes lit up as she turned toward Riley, her voice full of excitement. "Now you need to match! Alessia, paint Riley's nails pink too!"
Riley raised his eyebrows in mock horror. "Me? Pink?"
Lily gave him the most determined look an eight-year-old could muster. "Yes! You said pink was way better than blue. Now we have to match."
Alessia grinned, picking up the bottle of nail polish and wiggling it in front of Riley. "Come on, tough guy. Can't say no now."
Riley sighed dramatically, holding out his hand. "Fine, but just one hand. I have a reputation to uphold."
Lily giggled uncontrollably, watching as Alessia began painting Riley's nails. "We're gonna look so cool!"
Riley looked at his nails and smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure Beau's gonna love this."
