In the heart of Harvard, Alessia Gilmore is ready to embrace her second year and the independence it brings. After a summer spent reconnecting with friends and discovering herself, she's determined to step out of her twin sister Rory's shadow and ca...
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The bell above the door at Luke's Diner jingled as Alessia stepped in, a blast of familiar warmth hitting her immediately. The smell of coffee and grease clung to the air, the sound of clinking mugs and quiet chatter making her feel, if only for a moment, like she could relax.
She slipped onto one of the stools at the counter, glancing over to find Luke wiping down a mug with his usual look of focused grumpiness. He glanced up, eyes narrowing slightly, but then softened with a hint of surprise when he recognized her.
"Alessia," he said, eyebrows lifting. "Didn't expect to see you around here. Thought you'd be off at... fancy Harvard things."
She smirked, shrugging. "Took a little break from all that fancy stuff. Had to check if you were still wearing that same old baseball cap."
Luke rolled his eyes, adjusting the cap unconsciously. "This cap's just fine. Works just as well as it did the last hundred times you made fun of it."
"Hey, if it's still working, who am I to judge?" she teased, a playful spark lighting her eyes. "But if it's anything like your coffee, it's probably got a few years on it."
He grunted, but there was a hint of a smile hiding behind his usual scowl. "Speaking of things that'll kill you, all the junk you eat is probably taking you to an early grave."
Alessia rolled her eyes, leaning over the counter. "Please, Luke. You know I'm keeping you in business. Besides, who else would be here to pester you?"
He let out a short chuckle, shaking his head. "Fine. I'm giving you the usual. Just... don't tell your mom it's on the house. I'd like to keep some kind of reputation around here."
"Your secret's safe with me." She tried to keep her tone light, but there was a softness in her eyes. Moments like this were rare, and she hadn't realized until now how much she'd missed them.
A few minutes later, Luke slid a plate of pancakes with extra whipped cream and a side of fries in front of her, watching as she dug in with a satisfied grin.
"Thanks, Luke," she said between bites, and he just waved her off, grumbling something about "getting back to work."
Finishing up, she left a quick note on a napkin that just said "thanks" with a doodled smiley face, knowing he'd find it later.
As she got back into her car, Alessia drove slowly down the streets of Stars Hollow, soaking in every familiar corner, every turn of the road that held some piece of her childhood. Her hands rested on the wheel as she passed a house painted in soft blues and grays. Isabella's house.
It hit her like a wave, that hollow ache she'd been pushing down for months. Isabella, her best friend since kindergarten, who'd sat with her through scraped knees, high school heartbreaks, and endless inside jokes. The same Isabella who'd died in a car crash just a few months back, gone in a way that still felt impossible.
Alessia's grip on the steering wheel tightened, her throat burning with unshed tears. The house looked so much like it always had-quiet, unassuming, like nothing had changed. But everything had.
Sitting there, staring at the house, she whispered, "I miss you, Bella," a soft, broken sound she wasn't sure anyone else would ever hear. She let herself feel it for a moment, the sorrow and the anger and the gaping emptiness left in Isabella's place. And when the weight became too much, she took a shaky breath, wiped her eyes, and drove away, carrying that grief with her like a shadow.
