Gilmore Girls: Wish Upon a Snow

Chapter 37

"You need a facial. Your skin looks terrible," Paris said matter-of-factly, closing her menu with a definitive snap.
Rory made a face at her from across the table. They were at ChopChop, waiting patiently for their server. Paris had her phone in one hand and her tablet in the other and was wheeling her eyes around the room so quickly that she was making Rory sick. The previous day had been strange at home with Lorelei as they had both been avoiding talking about their issues- Rory's issues with Logan, Mitchum, and Odette, and the very obvious absence of Luke.
"Paris, stop. What are you even doing?" Rory asked, drumming her fingers on the menu and attempting to follow Paris' gaze.
"I told you I have that meeting," Paris snapped.
"In two hours!" Rory retorted.
"Whatever. I'm hungry, alright? So! Are you going to tell me or am I going to have to weasel it out of you?" Paris asked, putting both of her electronics down on the table and folding her hands on top of them.
"Tell you what?" Rory asked thickly. She had been steadily working her way through the complimentary bread basket the waitress had unceremoniously dropped on the table fifteen minutes before.
"That you're pregnant," Paris replied simply.
Rory inhaled sharply, causing her to begin to cough on the bread. She reached quickly for her water, gulping it down and fanning her face with her hand.
"Enough with the histrionics," Paris said, waving her hand dismissively.
Rory swallowed the thick lump of baguette with the help of her near-empty water glass. Coughing, she grabbed her napkin to wipe her eyes where they had started to water.
"How did you know?" Rory choked out.
"Rory," Paris said haughtily, "I'm in the business of being pregnant. I know these things. Come on. So what is the deal? Sperm donor?"
Rory shook her head.
Paris leaned suddenly across the table, her eyes narrowed. "Is it Lorelei's? Because I swear if she went to a different fertility specialist..."
Rory shook her head again. Paris sat back in her chair, looking somewhat relieved. She waved at Rory to continue.
Rory sighed. "I don't know who the father is," she said defeatedly.
Paris looked momentarily horrified.
"You don't know at all?" She whispered, her hand over her mouth.
"Oh! No. I have it narrowed down," Rory replied, grimacing as she realized her statement did not come out quite the way she wanted it to.
"Narrowed down? Narrowed down to what?" Paris asked, picking up her phone.
Rory gazed around the restaurant, taking stock of the other diners.
"That's not what I meant," she began but was interrupted as the server came striding up. Paris gave her a once-over and began ordering. She was being so kind to the waitress and so unlike the typical Paris, laughing at the waitress' rather canned jokes, that Rory's mouth hung open slightly as she watched.
"And what are you having, ma'am?" The waitress asked sweetly, turning to Rory.
"The grilled chicken Caesar," Rory replied, scanning the waitress' face, looking for some sign of recognition. She wasn't someone that Rory knew.
The waitress walked away.
Rory looked at Paris, puzzled. "Since when are you nice to anyone? Did you know her?"
Paris looked up from her phone where she had been typing furiously since the waitress had walked away.

"No," Paris said suddenly, glancing up from her phone, "I don't know her but did you see the hips on her?"

Rory was the one who looked horrified this time. "What?"

"Excellent birthing hips. I am going to leave her my card," Paris said seriously before snapping her attention back to Rory as Rory gagged at her comment, "Anyway, back to you. So what do you have it narrowed down to?"

Rory sighed. "Jess and Logan," she said quietly, fiddling with her straw.

Paris nodded, her lips pursed and eyebrows raised. "Wow," she remarked, "It's almost like I have been suddenly transported back to our freshman year at Yale." She smiled wistfully, trying to be sarcastic.

"I know, I know. You don't need to tell me. I'm not proud," Rory muttered.

Paris leaned back in her seat, studying Rory with a serious expression on her face. "When I found out about Logan, I was not pleased. As someone who is in the rather unfortunate situation of their relationship ending, that is. You should have waited," Paris said quietly, judgment coming across clearly in her words.

Rory nodded sadly. "I don't know why I did it, honestly. I don't think that I know how to have a functional relationship."

Paris laughed. "You definitely do not. Look at Peter."

"Paul," Rory corrected her, eyeing the bread basket again.

"Whatever, Rory, listen to me. I want to tell you this as a friend. You are never going to be happy unless you learn how to let things go and give in sometimes. You don't always have to be in complete control of your relationships. You have been looking very...entitled lately. You just take what you want, everyone else be damned. I was hoping that you would learn from me having to be on the couch for so many years for the exact same reason. You literally could not stand me because I was so out for number one and yet here you are, doing the exact same thing. Why do you think that is?"

Rory leaned against the table, stunned.