The Forgotten Gilmore

Chapter Forty-Eight: Secrets and Suprises

The next morning, the dorm was buzzing with energy. Lily, full of energy after a good night's sleep, bounced around the common room, showing off her freshly painted nails to Alessia and Riley.

"Look! They're still perfect!" she declared proudly, waving her hands in front of their faces.

"They are perfect," Riley agreed, giving her a wink. "You've got a future as a nail artist."

Alessia laughed, glancing at Lily. "Maybe you'll get me next time."

Lily's eyes lit up. "Can I? I'll make yours match Riley's!"

Before Alessia could respond, there was a knock at the door. Riley glanced over at Alessia, and she shrugged, heading over to open it. Beau stood there, leaning against the doorframe, trying and failing to look casual.

"Hey, is Lily up?" he asked with a smile that was clearly aimed at Riley more than anyone else.

"Yeah, she's showing off her nails," Alessia replied, stepping aside to let him in.

Beau's eyes flicked over to Riley, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Morning," he said, the word loaded with a private meaning that only Riley seemed to catch.

"Morning," Riley replied, his tone casual, but there was a certain spark behind his eyes.

Beau crouched down to Lily's level. "Hey, squirt, how's it going? You didn't cause too much chaos, did you?"

Lily giggled. "Nope! I was super good. And I made Riley and Alessia play all my games!"

"Oh, I bet you did," Beau said, ruffling her hair. "Mind if I hang out for a bit?"

Alessia waved him off. "Of course, hang as long as you want."

Beau didn't need any more convincing. He slipped onto the couch next to Riley, their knees brushing. They exchanged a quick look-one that Alessia completely missed as she was busy tidying up the mess from breakfast.

Beau leaned over and whispered, "Meet me in the hall in five?"

Riley fought the urge to grin too widely. "Deal."

For the next few minutes, they all chatted about nothing in particular. Lily was in her own little world, explaining a new game she'd invented. Alessia was half-listening, while Riley kept stealing glances at Beau, waiting for their opportunity.

When Lily was sufficiently distracted, Riley stood and stretched. "I'm gonna grab a soda. You want one, Beau?"

Beau nodded casually. "Yeah, sure."

They both disappeared into the hallway, where the second they were out of sight, Beau pulled Riley into a quiet corner, his lips crashing against Riley's in a hurried, breathless kiss. They both chuckled, muffling the sound of their laughter between kisses.

"I've been wanting to do that since I got here," Beau murmured against Riley's lips.

"Same," Riley whispered back, pulling him closer. "I hate having to sneak around."

Beau grinned, pressing one last kiss to Riley's mouth. "We'll figure it out. But for now..."

His breath fanned across Riley's lips, teasingly close but not touching, his eyes locked on Riley's as if waiting for permission. The charged space between them pulsed with heat, and just when Riley couldn't take it anymore, Beau closed the gap.

Their lips met again, slow and deliberate this time, but just as intense. Beau's hand slid into Riley's hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss, while Riley's fingers gripped the front of Beau's shirt, tugging him closer until there was no space left between them.

The hallway felt too small, too quiet for the way their lips moved together, each kiss more urgent than the last.

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Just as they sat back down, another knock came at the door. Alessia moved to answer it, her expression shifting to one of surprise as she opened the door to find Logan standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers.

"Logan?" Alessia asked, completely caught off guard.

"Hey, Harvard." Logan said, flashing her his signature charming smile. "I was in the area and thought I'd stop by. These are for you."

Alessia blinked, clearly flustered. "Flowers? For me?"

Logan shrugged casually. "Yeah, thought you'd like them. I was hoping you'd let me take you out to lunch today. What do you say?"

Alessia hesitated for only a second before nodding. "Uh, yeah, sure. Let me just grab my stuff."

She shot a quick look at Riley, who raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. "You two will be fine, right?"

Riley gave a thumbs up. "Yeah, no worries. We'll hold down the fort."

As Alessia grabbed her coat and purse, Logan lingered by the door, giving her a small smile as she joined him. "Ready?"

She nodded, still looking slightly flustered by the whole thing. "Yeah. Let's go."

With a final wave to Beau and Riley, Alessia stepped out with Logan, leaving the two boys alone with Lily once more.

As soon as the door closed, Riley let out a small laugh. "Well, that was... unexpected."

Beau grinned, leaning back on the couch. "Logan's definitely not subtle."

"Nope," Riley agreed, glancing toward Lily, who was now deep in concentration on a puzzle.

Beau leaned closer to Riley, their arms brushing again, though this time there was no need to sneak. He kept his voice low, not wanting to interrupt Lily's focus. "We should do something later," Beau said softly, his voice carrying just the tiniest hint of suggestion.

Riley smirked, giving him a sidelong glance. "Oh, yeah? What'd you have in mind?"

Beau's smile widened. "Well, now that you mention it..."

But before Beau could finish, Lily popped up from her puzzle, a wide smile on her face. "I figured it out!" she declared proudly, holding up the completed puzzle.

Beau and Riley both smiled, turning their attention back to Lily. But as they sat there, side by side, both boys knew they'd be stealing another moment together as soon as they could.