Rory and Lane decided, when the rain stopped, to take a chance on Lorelai and run to Luke's. They saw both Luke and Lorelai leaving the dinner, Lorelai leaning on Luke's arm, her head thrown back as she laughed. Rory stopped, put her hand on Lane's elbow.
"Look at her: she's laughing," Rory said.
"She's Lorelai," Lane responded. "She laughs a lot."
"It's been a hard few weeks for her. She hasn't said much, but I know. Let's let her go. She sounds like she's having fun."
The two friends stood a moment. Lane turned to Rory with a smile. "You ever think they'll go out?"
Rory burst out laughing. "If they do, they should sell tickets!" She stopped. "Well, for some of it, anyway."
"Ew," Lane said.
"I know. Quick, say something that will make me forget."
"Naked Kirk."
"That's worse!"
Lane grabbed Rory's wrist and pulled her towards the diner. "Come on. We'll eat grilled cheese sandwiches and talk about which girls we knew in high school are likeliest to get fat."
As she walked with Lane, Rory watched her mother turning the corner, walking companionably with Luke. She smiled and felt warm—her mother hadn't really forgotten her, and if she had, it didn't matter. She'd see Lorelai later that evening, or on the weekend, or the following week when she came home to study. Things didn't change in Stars Hollow, and that was constant. She thought about what Lane said again, "there's more me to be," and sighed. If she thought about it hard enough and long enough, perhaps she'd see what that meant. She'd figure it out. Meanwhile, she sat at one of the stools behind the counter and chatted with Lane about what Taylor would do about the ruined foliage in the town square.