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( 𝘨𝘪𝘧: 𝘫𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘴𝘰𝘯 )

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𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗡 𝗔 𝗦𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗝𝗢𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗘'𝗦 𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗔𝗟 𝗗𝗔𝗬.

Not.

While Rory had been out all day golfing with her grandfather and Lorelai was busy working at the inn, Jolene had been stuck practically by her self. At first, she snooped around their house, so different to the Gilmore Manor. And that didn't take her very long, and soon she was sprawled on their couch, flicking through channels on their TV.

Kim payed her a call, the only entertainment Jolene had all day, as the girl told her how her and Johnny had made up ( Jolene could practically hear the smile on her face ).

Soon enough, the hours had trickled by, and it was time to meet the two family members in Luke's Dinner. It didn't take Jolene long to find it ─ Stars Hollow was rather small and easy to find your way round. 

Rory was already sat there, glancing up as Jolene tiredly flopped herself on the table. "What's with the ridiculous hat?"

"Don't you like it?" Rory mused sarcastically, pulling a funny face. "Emily gave it to me."

Jolene raised an eyebrow. "You know, for a woman with plenty money, she lacks taste sometimes."

Rory snorted in agreement.

"Where's your mother?" A man approaching the table asked Rory, his cap on the other way round and flipping his small notebook open.

"She's on her way. The inn's busy with a wedding." Rory replied, leaning her arms on the table.

Luke hummed ( though it leaned more towards a grunt ) before flicking his eyes at Jolene, wary eyes observing her. Tossing her hair instead of squirming, Jolene returned his gaze. "I'm Jolene Gilmore."

"Great – another one." Luke grumbled sarcastically. "I assume you'll be having coffee?"

"I'm not a coffee person."

Luke gaped at her, unsure of whether she was serious. When she didn't budge, he nodded appreciatively. "Glad to see there's at least one sensible person in the family."

"Hey!" Lorelai pouted, hearing his words as she pushed her way through and took a seat. "Is this how you talk about me behind my back?"

"And much worse." He resigned himself to pouring the newcomer a mug of coffee before leaving the trio of girls round the table.

Lorelai smiled at Jolene who returned the gaze unimpressed. "So, how was your first day at Stars Hollow?"

Jolene raised an eyebrow. "Do you really want me to answer that honestly?"

"Damn, are you really that into tennis?" Lorelai peered towards her.

Squirming, Jolene sighed – it wasn't often people understood her passion and sole focus on that. "Look, would you get Rory to stop reading?"

"Touche." Rory immediately agreed, and Lorelai glanced between the two stubborn teenagers before throwing her arms in the air.

"Fine!" She relented. "There's a tennis court in my inn–"

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" Jolene immediately jumped up, sudden joy overtaking her as she gave her sister a quick hug. Realising what she had done, she cleared her throat and slimed back into her seat. "That never happened."

Lorelai grinned, sharing a look with an equally amused Rory. "Ah, is this the way to your affection then?"

"Oh shut up." Jolene blushed, flickering her gaze to Rory. "What about Rory's golfing?"

"Rory, poor girl." Lorelai directed her focus elsewhere, making Jolene slouch in relief as Rory threw her a glare. "How was golfing with my dad? Well, no need to tell me. Look, I even brought you some cake from Sookie to cheer you up."

"Thanks." Rory muttered, accepting the cake meekly. "Actually, it was quite a good day."

"Quite a good day?" Lorelai mocked. "You never say quite."

Rory waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh, shush. Me and grandad had lunch, then went in the steam room."

Lorelai peered at Rory, waiting for her daughter to laugh. When she didn't, she glanced at Jolene. "I think we need to get her a boyfriend – she enjoyed golfing."

Jolene had to bite back a laugh at Rory's horrified look as her eyes creased in amusement. "I'm sure Mary as many prospects."

"I hate the both of you." Rory muttered, hiding her face in her arms as Lorelai and Jolene plotted against her.

"No prospects in your friend group?"

"Well, Johnny is single, I suppose." Jolene mused, posing with a thinking face. "But he's like, hopelessly in love with Kimberley and thinks no one notices."

"Ah, denial," Lorelai joked. "Never a good look. But Rory could be his rebound!"

"I'm leaving." The blue-eyed Gilmore announced, ignoring her mother as she departed from the table on a huff.

Jolene winced. "Too far?"

Lorelai grinned.

"Never."

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𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗔𝗧 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 𝗪𝗔𝗦 𝗠𝗨𝗖𝗛 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗧𝗘𝗥. 

Jolene woke up in the spare room with a grin, and practically skipped down to breakfast ( though it mostly consisted of coffee and toasted pop tarts ).

Getting ready, she had packed her tennis gear just in case, and strutted towards the inn as the sun glared from right above. Her smooth legs swished against the white skirt, a thin layer of sweat caressing her arms that peaked beneath her tank top.

The inn was full of life. People bustled in and out in preparation for the wedding that was being hosted on the grounds. Bouquet of flowers pushed by, purple silk hung from the ceiling and chandeliers, and a waft of peaches floated by.

Dodging people left and right, Jolene finally found the reception desk with a man standing behind it. When he purposessly ignored her, Jolene pressed the bell repeatedly until he met her gaze.

"Yes?" his thick french accent drawled slowly, as if he'd rather do anything else rather than attend her.

Surprised, Jolene cleared her throat. "Uh, I'm looking for Lorelai Gilmore? She's my sister. Older sister."

"I'm not a pigeon."

Confused, Jolene frowned. "Okay?"

Glancing her up and down, he gave a small hum before turning on his heel with a tut, disappearing down the hallway in what Jolene hoped was a search for Lorelai.

Patience testing her limits, Jolene tutted as she drummed her fingers on the desk, curious eyes observing the room as she waited. But as someone approached her, she raised her gaze to not find Lorelai, but a stranger whose gaze searched for a victim before finding her.  

"I need you to try this and tell me what you really think." waving a creamy orange substance on a spoon, his dark hair was plastered to his forehead as he pursed in concentration. 

Jolene opened her mouth to tell him to leave her alone, but by doing that he stuck the spoon in her mouth. She frowned, anger bubbling inside of her as she got ready to scream at him ─ before the flavour trickled in. Her dark eyes widened at the taste of unknown substance overtaking her senses.

He scanned her expression, nervous jump in his step. "It's bad, isn't it? It's the worst thing you've ever had."

"No," she quickly interrupted, swallowing the soup. "It's actually the best thing I've ever had."

His insecure look passed through confusion before settling on suspicion. "Really? So there's nothing to correct?"

"I mean, it could do with a little more salt─" he immediately whipped out a small notebook, scribling on it absentmindedly. "But otherwise, it tasted like heaven. What's your secret?"

"As if I were to ever tell," he muttered, closing his notebook.

"Ah, Grayson!" Lorelai bounded over, a sweet smile gracing her pale features as she gestured between the two. "I see you've met by sister, Jolene. Jo, this is Grayson St James, the chef's son. Gray, can you show Jo where the tennis courts are? I've got my hands busy with this wedding."

Glancing through his dark hair, Grayson suddenly realised who he had been talking to ─ with her smooth skin and the ambition in her eyes, he suddenly felt conscious of the food stains on his shirt and the flour mingled in his hair, and a blush that peppered his cheeks did not go unnoticed by Lorelai. "O─oh, no, I'm sorry Jolene prefers someone of more expertise to show her around─"

"Nonsense." Jolene smoothly interrupted, swinging her legs of the chair. "Besides, you owe me a favour, after basically forcing me to try your soup."

At his lack of response, Lorelai clapped her hands while raising her eyebrows. "Right! Well, I'll leave you two to it. Jo, I'll see you later, yeah?"

As Lorelai departed, Grayson awkwardly avoided the young Gilmore's curious gaze as he swung his arms uncomfortably. "Okay then . . . follow me."

He led her outside through the spectacular views of purple silk draped over chairs, and swans being placed in the small pond beneath the bridge. And yet the whole way he did not speak a word, causing Jolene to send him a few glances before deciding to break the silence herself.

"So . . . is cooking your passion?"

He glanced back at her, surprised by the smooth texture of her voice. "Uhm, yeah, I guess. My mom's a chef at the inn ─ I guess I got it from her."

She nodded, kicking over some blades of grass. "That must be nice ─ connecting to your mom on such a level."

Staring at her curiously, he slowed down until they were walking side by side. "Do your parents not support your passion?"

"They do," she quickly corrected him, before hesitating on how to phrase her next sentence. "But . . . don't you ever feel like no one will truly understand your determination to achieve what you want?"

Humming in agreement, Grayson held his arms behind his back. "Yeah, I guess I'm lucky with my mom. But being so passionate is always going to set you apart from others, no matter what. And sometimes, it can be too much . . ." 

Jolene stared at him, her pace faltering ─ no one had ever truly been able to understand the weight of expectations, of fear of failure, of passion, true passion. And yet here was a boy, her same age, blurting out the words she had struggled to say for so long. 

Bashfully ignoring her stare, Grayson halted near the tennis courts. "And here you go ─ your beloved second home. Lorelai mentioned how passionate you are about tennis. Do you think you're a good player?"

She grinned in amusement before catching his blank, questioning look, and she realised that he knew hardly anything about her ─ and it was refreshing. "Something like that, yes."

"Well, enjoy." he awkwardly hovered for a few seconds, unsure of what to do before swivelling on the heels of his feet and stalking back to the safety of his kitchen. 

Getting back to the inn, Grayson threw the tennis courts a last glance, watching her small figure in the distance swing and strive as if it were a dance ─ and he couldn't help but be slightly mesmerised. 

stream joshua's ep!!!

also i apologise for the wait, university consumes a lot more time than expected