The Aftermath - A Gilmore Girls Revival Fan Fiction

Chapter 65

Rory's POV

I sat at the desk of the hotel, laptop in tow, comparing and contrasting the three available homes that we toured yesterday in Stars Hollow, but I kept coming back to the first house.  My pro/con list was getting bigger and bigger for each, and I felt I knew in my heart which was the right choice, but it also needed the most work and I just wasn't sure I was up for all of that.

A ting! interrupted my thoughts, so I glanced down at my phone to see a text from an unknown number.  I furrowed my brows, nearly disregarding it completely before something about the message caught my eye – it was a riddle – and it was very specific.  Some like me hot, some like me cold, some like me mild, but you like me bold.  Where in Stars Hollow can you get the very best?  Come find me.

Intrigued, I instantly thought of Luke's, which anyone who knew me would know that no coffee would ever compare to Luke's – and especially not in Stars Hollow.  I was a little nervous about not knowing who was sending the messages, but knowing that I was going into familiar territory helped some.  Besides, I needed to make amends with my mom and Luke anyway – I'd treated them terribly – and I felt that starting with Luke would probably be the smarter choice.  But who sent the message in the first place?  Was it Luke?  Surely not.  Was it my mom?  Maybe, but why would she send it from an unknown number?  I decided it was best to just hightail it over there and hope for the best.

The ringing of the bell sounded as I walked through the diner door, and suddenly all eyes were on me as the other customers looked up from their meals.  I've been quite the spectacle these days – one of the drawbacks of living in such a small town – everyone knows mom and I aren't talking, everyone knows I got pregnant by a millionaire and that he broke his engagement to a French heiress to slum it with me instead, that I'm both grieving and still expecting...  Suddenly I wondered why we were even considering moving to Stars Hollow permanently anyway.

"Hey, I've been waiting for you!  You're getting a late start to the day, aren't you?" Lane asked, coming up to me.

"Oh, Lane!  Of course it was you.  Did you get a new number or something?" I asked.

"No, why?  What was me?" she asked.

"The text – that wasn't you?" I asked.

"What text?  No, I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go shopping tomorrow.  I've got a wedding to go to and I need your opinion on an outfit to wear" she said.

"Oh...  Uh, yeah, that should be fine, Logan won't be back until tomorrow night.  Although you do know that tonight's New Year's Eve, right?  Not so not many places will be open tomorrow..." I reminded her.

"Oh shoot, you're right.  I totally forgot about New Year's" she dismissed with a curious smile.  "Anyhoo, I brought you a cup of coffee" she said.

I loved my best friend – she knew me so well!  "Thanks, but why's it in a to-go cup?  And why does it have the name Ronald written on the side?" I asked in confusion.

"Oh!  Wrong cup!  This one's for you – and I don't know, just thought you'd need to head back out quickly" she said with a smirk as I read the side of this cup.  "See ya later, Rory!"

"I've seen festivals of plenty, and weddings galore.  Here in the center of town, it's never a bore.  Come find me?" I read out loud and looked around the diner but no one was looking at me anymore.  Not a single eye to make contact with.  "This is so bizarre" I decided as I realized where I was supposed to go.

I walked up the wooden staircase and inside the structure to look around.  I saw a small white box sitting on top of one of the benches.

What the hell? I thought to myself as I looked around, but I didn't see anyone else around, so I investigated the box.  Opening the lid, I gasped in surprise as I found a blueberry muffin with another message written on the inside of the lid.