AN: Today's chapter is perhaps not the most perfectly divided one, and short, as essentially I'm picking off where I should've just made the chapter longer yesterday. But so be it. Times are crazy right now workwise and with the impending move.
Chapter 163
April 28th, 2022
Rory had never truly been a fan of pools, but things had changed since she became pregnant for the first time and her daughter turned out to be a real shark in the water - in a good way. Perhaps Em got that from Jess who never really admitted how good he was at sports until he just one day showed up and did it effortlessly. He'd also taught Em to swim from early on. It also didn't hurt that this pool was something she knew how to minimize the 'yuck' factor on, knowing exactly when it had been cleaned and when there were the least people in it. The pool did essentially belong to her mother.
The Inn Annex, which had opened right around when she'd become so heavy she didn't really want to move around much - summer of 2017, was a two story building, its first floor offering an interesting, almost homey, interior. Each sitting room - and there were many - were decorated differently but equally eclectically, showing a much more vibrant side of Lorelai's tastes than the Dragonfly. It served for a different clientele, even if the clients could use services of both units. Rory had spent a lot of time during those past few months in this very same pool, cooling off and attempting reduce her aches during the last stretch of her last pregnancy.
Rory and Em had just gotten their keys for the locker room and were getting dressed for swimming. Lorelai was there with them, having decided to spend a day with her girls just the same, but of course playing hooky for her wasn't as easy, as the entire morning she'd gotten several work calls and even showing her nose at the Inn Annex meant her employees had a million things to discuss with her.
"Come on, Em. Sit still now. Let's get your bathing suit on," Rory urged, seeing the girl so excited that she almost could've climbed the walls of that dressing room.
"Wow, this is such a fabulous suit - I want one," Lorelai commented, having bought the girl this particular bathing suit a few months ago. "Why don't they make things like this for adults, I don't get it," she complained as if nothing was wrong, given the earlier revelation, looking at the light pink tropical bird print one piece that had a ruffle sleeve on one side. It wasn't over the top childish at all, but quite flattering.
Em finally complied, leaving Rory pretty soon as the only one that hadn't yet gotten her bathing suit on. She pulled out her navy-colored shoulder tie one piece, and began to put it on, while Em and Lorelai were already waiting by the pool door.
"I don't think this is going to work," Rory said, looking like her breasts were just about to overflow from her neckline. It felt very tight around her belly too. It was a wonder she'd gotten it on in the first place.
"They have two-pieces at the register out front, '' Lorelai advised, being a quick solution-oriented thinker.
"I think I'll have to…," Rory replied dissapointedly, feeling entertained by this little miscalculation at the same time. She'd need to get new clothes. A lot of them. Another thing to ther to-do list. "You guys go ahead," she urged, and Em happily jumped in her place, and they did.
Rory pulled off the bathing suit, feeling like she couldn't be inside it for a minute longer, the squeezing around her breasts just had been too much. Thankfully, there were robes, really nice ones, and she wrapped one of them tightly around her body, hoping she'd just be a second.
When she got to the counter up front she realized there was an entire wedding party there to check in. Not an ideal situation.
So she stood there just casually trying to mind her own business, when she suddenly heard a voice she couldn't quite place at the beginning of that line, several people ahead of her, so she couldn't really see to the beginning of the line either.
Rory went through her head trying to place the tone. It was a vain, an uptight kind of voice, male, definitely not someone she thought highly of - but where had she heard it?
As the line moved ahead, the person in front of her dropped some pamflet out of her back pocket. It was an elderly woman and Rory saw no reason why she couldn't be polite in this case and she bent to pick it up.
It was however as she picked it up, and handed it to the lady that her robe slipped open. For some reason it took her a moment to realize it. And she only really did when her eyes met the owner of the voice she'd heard before. Trip Cavanaugh.
Rory froze, having exposed herself.
Rory blushed, pulled her robe back tighter, and smiled apologetically to them, desperately hoping she wouldn't have to make small talk with Trip, whom she remembered from the all-male Yale party. Thankfully, the man was joined by a significant other - some leggy blonde - wrapping her arms around his arm to join him. But the way that man smiled at Rory definitely gave her the creeps, clearly indicated he'd enjoyed the view a bit too much. The thought made Rory shiver.
The entire wait, Rory held onto her robe especially tightly now, until she finally managed to buy herself a two piece suit, with a much bigger upper piece than she was used to buying, leaving her wondering how she just couldn't catch a break.
She eventually made it to the pool, feeling rather self conscious about her bathing suit option. Her boobs looked enormous in that push up bra and the bottom part was quite low cut. The latter was good for the belly, but exposing a lot more than she usually liked to show, her scars included.
Em was happy to see her as she climbed into the water, though she could definitely tell Em was observing her midsection more carefully than usual. This made her cautious. The water felt divine, just gliding over its surface without a care in the world felt just what she needed. After a while, Lorelai got called out of the pool to answer a phone call, and she reluctantly did, leaving Em and Rory alone.
Rory was at the low end of the pool, watching Em playing around on with a few pool noodles, genuinely feeling like today was going a lot better already. At least Em was smiling at her, and didn't seem jealous. It felt good, promising.
What really surprised her though, was when she stood on her feet, her belly coming out of the water, wanting to move back towards the lower end of the pool for a few more casual breast strokes, when Em stopped her in her path.
"Mommy?" Em asked.
"Yes, sweetie?" Rory replied, standing still.
"Is that the baby in your belly?" Em asked. The girl hadn't seen her mother too much without clothes covering her, and this particular bathing suit really showed it in great detail.
"Yeah, it is," she replied.
Em's hand touched her belly, tracing it as if studying it, and stopped at one of her scars.
"Is the baby going to hurt you?" she asked. Em knew that those little scars Rory had on her abdomen were from having her, but Rory and Jess had tried to be very careful in explaining to her in a way she wouldn't think it had been her fault. She'd tried to explain that Em came first and the scars later, which technically was true. But on top of that Em had seen childbirth in TV, and most movies didn't really make it sound very nice either.
Rory didn't really know what to reply. Sure it could hurt her, but she wanted to assure, even if it mean lying, that it wouldn't. It was in that moment of confusion, mixed with absolute clarity, that Rory suddenly got pulled out of her dream.
She was still in her bed, big and soft, but less empty, Em snuggled up against her, her little hand resting on her belly. Em wasn't asleep, but observing her as she'd slept.
"Aren't we going to school today?" Em asked, her hand moving now from her belly to her cheeks, gently pushing a stray hair out of her face.
Rory jolted, realizing what time it was. They'd overslept.
But she let her head fall back on her pillow, not wanting to be pulled out of her momentarily serene bubble.
Loki was at the foot of the bed, his back against the back of her thighs, which she knew probably meant she'd been too late at taking Loki out in time, considering his calmness. But strangely enough she wasn't mad or upset at all - it was nothing that couldn't be cleaned.
The only thing she did do, was text Max's assistant along with apologies that she was feeling under the weather.
It was only then as the message beeped indicating it had been sent she realized that she'd dreamt the whole thing with her mom and Jason, and thank god, with Trip Cavanaugh as well. But it was kind of incredible, how vivid and detailed the dream had been - down to the smell of the pool or feel of the water. Those lovely pregnancy hormones seemed to be at work yet again.
AN: I almost feel I should be apologizing for tricking you :)
