Chapter 153
The rest of the night passed peacefully, with easy banter and light conversation. Nothing that pushed or challenged. For once, Paris was grateful for that.
Rory spent most of the night easily bantering with the others, mostly Paris and Hannah, who seemed to actually be getting along very well. That was definitely different from how Paris usually interacted with Rory's other friends. For Paris, she seemed genuinely relaxed and friendly.
Rory had known Paris would have no issue keeping up with the Truncheon men, and honestly expected them all to get along great from the get-go. But it was a relief that Paris was doing well with Hannah too. Rory wondered if it was intentional, or if Paris had really just become more relaxed over time, or through her pregnancy.
She tried to put the other concerns about Paris out of her mind, noting that they weren't her business and that Paris was clearly doing what she needed to to work through things. At least Paris got to have a little bit of a relaxing night before she headed home tomorrow. Paris hadn't told her much- whether she'd go home-home or whether she'd be getting a hotel room, whether she'd spoken to Doyle, really much of anything, other than to mention that she'd be staying at the Inn the next weekend for a pre-baby staycation. Rory had been very encouraging about this, and thanked her mom privately in a text for extending the offer. Rory felt bad that her mom had seen the worst of her in that situation, and seen how much she was struggling to support Paris, but she was glad that Paris had Lorelai to lean on too.
Rory had also been thinking about how tiny the apartment was, more and more often, especially with the constant influx of company. There was no question that she and Jess were lucky to have this many people that loved them, and wanted to see them as often as possible. But it was really wearing on them to share that tiny space with others. They didn't feel right sending people this close to them to a hotel- Jess and Rory were in full agreement on that. But they hadn't really seriously ever broached the topic between them of moving. That was a serious thing, and there had already been so much change over the last few months. It did seem, however, like it was becoming more and more unavoidable.
Paris and Hannah were getting along great- sharing some of their literary tastes, having a long and detailed discussion about different childhood educational philosophies (Hannah as a proponent of the Reggio Emilia school of thought, where Paris leaned more traditionally Montessori) and even about Boston, where Hannah had briefly lived during her master's degree studies. Paris also felt like she clicked very naturally with Jess' friends, the other Truncheon men, who were witty and sharp and fun to be around, but very relaxed. She felt a little overdressed and over-coiffed in this social space, to be honest. But she also felt very incredibly at home- the way that her friendship with Rory had always made her feel, and that she'd felt every single time she'd been in Lorelai Gilmore's presence. She felt good about it, and felt good about her baby having her in that space, and being in that space with her. Paris idly thought it might be good to bring more of that energy into her life. She knew that Terrance would likely agree. She'd ask him, but he was on his (sixth? seventh?) stint in rehab, and this was one of those locations that wouldn't let him keep his phone.
They all sat around, eating pizza and making conversation, until late in the night. Hannah and Chris talked about some tentative wedding ideas. They wanted to get married sooner (maybe as early as May?) and keep it small and intimate. They were considering eloping (Paris expressed her support for this plan as Rory argued against it, noting how much she wished she could have been at Paris'. That stung Paris, but she continued arguing her position well, and gently reminded Rory that it kept the day about her and Doyle, which is what they'd wanted. Rory felt comforted and said she understood. But they both knew that it would always be sad that Rory hadn't been there.). They were talking about doing it out of town, somewhere meaningful to them both, or somewhere in nature. Chris had grown up in San Diego and it was somewhere they both loved, though ultimately didn't want to live that far away from New York and their people. The idea was floated of San Diego being their location. The only party to the conversation who wasn't enthused was Matt, who noted how much he hated California (to which Paris said, "Get in line", earning herself a smile from Matt and an eye roll from Rory, who also hated California but still felt an internal pressure to be polite about things that Paris seemingly never really felt).
"Matt, why are you trying to rain on our parade?" Chris asked teasingly, after his third or fourth eye roll.
"I mean, I'm happy for you. Really. But not everyone's this excited about marriage. Obviously Mr. and Mrs. Brady here are, since it's unquestionable they're heading rapidly down that road themselves…" At this, Jess blushed and Rory protested, but Matt continued, ignoring them completely, "And our special guest of the evening has already succumbed to the institution herself. But not everyone in the world wants that."
"I mean, I certainly didn't, for a long time," Paris noted, internally musing her agreement. Marriage had been a hard choice for her, which explains why she'd dated Doyle for so long before finally making it. She didn't see it as the imperative some did, but at a certain point it was just simpler, more logical…it happened to be the thing they decided to do. But Paris still had her moments where she wondered, if society weren't built the way it was, if it's what she would have done. She certainly thought Matt was making a fair point.
"Well, not all of us change our mind."
"I thought things were going well with Jane," Rory said. Matt rolled his eyes.
"They are. Things are going great with Jane," Matt said matter-of-factly, "And that doesn't change the fact that marriage isn't something I see for myself right now."
"Does she know that?" Chris asked.
"Chris, we've been dating for a couple months. It's not something we talk about constantly. But yeah, she knows that's my general position."
"And she's okay with that?" Hannah asked, a little incredulous. At this, Paris rolled her eyes.
"Why wouldn't she be? They're just starting out on their relationship, things are casual, and realistically, as Matt pointed out, not every person wants marriage. It's definitely a dealbreaker for some people. But it's certainly not for all people." Matt looked at Paris, nodding gratefully.
"But if you love her, why wouldn't you want to marry her?" Rory asked. Then, realizing her question's implications, she turned Scarlett. "Eventually, I mean. In the appropriate time, and situation, if you felt inclined." Jess smirked, taking her hand.
"We get it."
"Shut up," she muttered, still blushing.
"That's the point, though, Rory," Matt said, "First, I have not said I love her. We aren't there. But even if I do or did or will, my feeling is that I don't feel inclined towards marriage. It's not personal, about her. It's about the institution. Also, we're a fucking independent press. How am I the only one questioning a socially entrenched institution that's caused a lot of problems and pain throughout history?"
"But, you know, congrats on the engagement," Paris interjected drily, earning a giggle from Hannah and a smirk from both Matt and Chris.
"Thanks. We're really looking forward to entrenching ourself in historically toxic institutionalism," Chris replied, smirking at Matt, who rolled his eyes, "But okay…point taken. You don't have to subscribe to it. But I'm sure glad she does." Chris gestured at Hannah, who kissed him on the cheek, smiling. Matt rolled his eyes, but smiled good-naturedly.
"And I really am very happy for you. And so is Jane. She sends her regards and her congratulations."
"Well, we hope sometime soon she'll be able to share them with us in person. Is she allowed to leave the hospital, or have they chained her to one of the beds?"
"I promise, if she's chained to a bed, it's not in a hospital, and I wouldn't be sitting here with all of you" Matt said, raising an eyebrow. He earned himself a "Gross!" from Rory, a "Too far, man" from Jess, and an outright snort from Paris. He smiled at Paris. "Finally, someone appreciates my dark, dirty, disturbing sense of humor. Rory, you should bring Paris around more often."
"Maybe I should," Rory agreed, sharing a smile with Paris that conveyed a sentiment they both knew the meaning of.
