Chapter 197
"So…time for the tour?"
"Please," Rory nodded.
Paris stood up, and then paused for a second, looking at Rory. "Do you want to hold her again? You don't have to, but…"
"Yes," Rory said. Then, stumbling, "I mean, if it's okay, I'm not sure if I'll do it right…"
"You'll do it right," Paris reassured her. She carefully handed Rory the baby, and Rory cradled Simone, automatically supporting her head. She was surprised that she wanted to, and that Simone seemed so comfortable with her and lying in her arms. Paris smiled.
"She likes you."
"She's not situationally aware."
"She likes you. Don't try to be humble, it's not a good look on you, Gilmore." Rory smiled, and she followed Paris down the hall to the entryway.
"Okay, let's start the tour where you came in and should have gotten it in the first place," Paris joked, rolling her eyes, "This is where you come into the apartment."
"Apartment or condo?"
"Technically co-op," Paris said, "The paperwork was a nightmare. But I've always looked good on paper. Anyway, I wanted it to feel pretty open and welcoming."
Rory nodded, noticing the white calla lillies in a blue vase on a table in the entryway, the casual hooks where coats were hung, with a small shoe rack underneath. The place felt a little less modern than Paris' last home- the walls in this entryway were a soft grey, there were lamps providing warm light, and a rug under their feet.
"It does," Rory nodded, "It's a different style than your place in Boston."
"Yep. A world apart," Paris said, gesturing for Rory to follow her, "I wanted it to feel like home for her. You know, when she gets older. Anyway, we'll go to the dining room next."
"Your co-op has a dining room?"
"Yes. It's small, but we do have one. This is typically where Doyle works, though he's been using my office since Marie was born," Paris said, a look of irritation on her face, "Anyway, I prefer a round dining table. We typically eat in the kitchen though." Rory nodded. Paris lead her to another room.
"This would be my office," Paris said, gesturing to the room they'd entered. It was spacious, airy, and bright- with large windows and lots of sunshine. There was a long table that looked more like a dining table than a desk, but that held a large Mac monitor, two laptops, and various office accoutrements. There was a gorgeous flower arrangement at the side of the desk- a combination of yellow roses and some blue, white and green companion flowers. Rory looked at Paris curiously.
"Your mom sent those," Paris smiled, her face lighting up, "They got here yesterday. She's amazing."
"Yeah, she really is," Rory nodded, "They're pretty."
"She has good taste."
"This is a really nice office."
"It's not finished yet," Paris said, gesturing to an empty corner, "I'm putting a leather chair and ottoman there, with a little side table and lamp. And on that wall, I'm going to put a loveseat. I don't work from home that often, but I'll probably do so a little more while Simone is so young, so I'd like to make it as comfortable and welcoming as possible."
"You'd let her come in here when you're working?"
"I didn't think so at first either," Paris admitted, "But now it's hard to imagine having her away from me."
"Also, where are all your books?"
"That's a long story. But the answer is storage. I need to have custom shelves built, and that was one thing I couldn't have done in time for us to move in. So it's an ongoing project." Rory nodded.
"Anyway, next room," Paris said, picking up one of the laptops, "Actually, give me a moment."
"…Paris?"
"Okay, I'm done."
"Did you seriously just go put his laptop back in the dining room?"
"He's getting too comfortable. Particularly since he's not even working most of the time he's using it in there," Paris said, rolling her eyes. Rory looked at her appealingly. "I still don't want to talk about it."
"Okay, okay," Rory gave in, "Next room."
"Next room is the kitchen, which you've seen. I'm not a big cook, but I keep a lot of healthy food around to snack on and stuff. We do order in a lot for dinner, but the other meals are really healthy. Mine especially now, since I'm gonna be breastfeeding for a while."
"I'm surprised you are."
"Again, me too. It just…a lot of it felt right. I'm trying to follow those cues. It's advice that Lorelai gave me actually," Paris said, looking at Rory. Rory nodded.
"That sounds like her."
"She's been amazing. She's pretty much the best support you could have. Anyway, this door leads to the left hall, which brings us to the powder room."
"How many bathrooms are in this place?"
"3. This one, the master suite one, and the one between the guest room and the nursery."
"Wow."
"Yeah, we got lucky with the place," Paris said, "And the location is very cool, even if it's not really convenient for my work. But…anyway. Powder room, mostly for guests and entertaining. Which leads me to…here, hand me the baby and go grab your stuff." Rory nodded, passing Simone, who was still sleeping peacefully, back to Paris. Rory went to the entryway and grabbed her bags, following behind Paris as she led her into another room.
"This is the guest room. So really, your room, since you're the first guest we've had," Paris said. Rory looked around, impressed. The walls were a pale blue, and the furniture was soft grey. It felt soft and soothing, and above all serene.
"Paris, this is amazing."
"…I wanted it to feel comfortable. There's still work to do. I don't love the bones of the apartment. But…"
"…it's amazing, Paris."
"I'm glad you like it," she smiled at Rory, who grinned back. Rory set down her bags near the foot of the bed, and then followed Paris to continue the tour.
"Okay, so now we've got another bathroom- this one is shared between the guest bedroom and Simone's room," Paris said, showing Rory a small but nicely put-together bathroom with a rain shower. "And now…the nursery. I'm actually going to set her down in here for a moment. We have one bassinet in our bedroom and another in here. I know it sounds excessive, but it's really been a godsend. I'm honestly thinking of getting one for the living room just so I can rest my arms."
Paris set Simone down gently, and immediately, Simone woke up and started crying. Paris smirked.
"She prefers to be held. And honestly, I prefer holding her," Paris admitted, picking Simone back up, "But hey, it was worth a shot."
"Paris, this room is…" Rory looked around, bewildered. The room was a soothing eucalyptus green, and the furniture was a pretty dark wood. There was a very comfortable looking rocking chair, which Paris was presently sitting down in with Simone, and a lot of practical things that Rory could only sort of take in one at a time- a changing station, a bottle warming station, some equipment that looked like it might be for pumping. There was art on the walls. Most of it was just abstract and really pretty. One print, however, had words.
"If your Nerve, deny you- Go above your Nerve."
"Emily Dickinson," Rory said almost automatically. Paris raised her eyebrows.
"You know the poem? It's not a common one."
"…it's one of my favorites. Paris, that's beautiful. This is…I've never seen anything like it."
"I wanted it to feel like her home, you know?" Paris said, looking around, smiling and glowing in the midst of her clear joy, "This is the happiest place in the house. Because it's hers."
"…I never imagined you like this," Rory admitted, "I'm so happy for you. Wait…are those books? She has books and you don't?" Rory asked incredulously. Paris laughed.
"I couldn't not have books for her as soon as she was born. I'd never forgive myself. And I'm pretty sure you'd immediately lose your mind."
"I mean…"
"Rory…"
"Okay, I would have been furious," Rory laughed, walking over to the full-sized bookshelf stuffed with books, "God, you have so many."
"But never enough."
"Very true."