Season one.

You resembled Lorelai in ways people in Stars Hollow noticed immediately. The similarities showed in your expressions, the shape of your smile, the way your features settled when you weren’t thinking about anything in particular. It was something the town commented on often, the same way they commented on weather or local gossip. In a place as small as Stars Hollow, familiar faces always carried meaning.

Luke’s Diner was part of your daily routine simply because it was part of Lorelai’s. Every day started there—Lorelai pushing open the door with her usual burst of energy, coffee already on her mind, Rory following with her backpack and books. You went with them, falling naturally into the rhythm of the morning. The sounds of dishes, chairs shifting against the floor, and Luke muttering under his breath framed the beginning of each day. The atmosphere was steady: warm lights, steam rising from mugs, and the low hum of early conversations.

Your room sat at the top of the stairs, tucked into the quieter part of the house. Rory’s room was downstairs, closer to the kitchen, the front door, and the flow of movement. The house always had a lived-in feel—books stacked on tables, laundry baskets half full, and the smell of Lorelai’s rushed attempts at breakfast fading by mid-morning. The space held the patterns of your family: the way footsteps sounded on the stairs, the way conversations echoed from room to room, the way nights wound down with the TV murmuring in the background.

When Rory transferred to Chilton, the household schedule shifted. She left earlier in the mornings, her books arranged in precise stacks, her uniform hanging neatly on her closet door. Lorelai adjusted to the early wake-ups with dramatic sighs and exaggerated commentary that filled the kitchen. You continued going to Stars Hollow High for now, following a schedule that kept you and Rory on different paths during the day.

Friday night dinners at your grandparents’ house became part of the weekly routine as soon as Rory started at Chilton. The evenings were formal from the moment you stepped through the door. Emily kept the house immaculate—polished wood, perfectly arranged flowers, carefully planned meals. Conversation at the table shifted between polite questions, pointed remarks, and the occasional tense silence. Over time, the visits became more structured and predictable, the tone less confrontational than in the earliest weeks.

Dean appeared in the house more often once he and Rory started spending time together. When he stopped by, he always greeted you when he walked in, usually with a short comment, a quick acknowledgment, or a small question about whatever you happened to be doing at the time. He had an easy presence that fit naturally into the Gilmore home’s noise and pace.

Rory and Dean spent a lot of time together—walking through town, talking on the couch, studying, wandering out for food. Their conversations filled the downstairs area when they were around. You saw them often in passing: Rory leaning forward while she talked, Dean listening closely, the two of them settling into the easy rhythms of early dating.

Meanwhile, your own routine remained connected to the heart of Stars Hollow. You saw familiar faces at school, passed by town events being set up in the square, and overheard bits of gossip as you walked down the streets. Miss Patty and Babette always had comments ready whenever they saw you, sometimes about Lorelai, sometimes about Rory, sometimes just about life in general.

The house shifted slightly with every new change—Rory’s schoolwork spreading across the table, Lorelai rushing between work and home, Dean visiting after school—but the overall rhythm stayed steady. Mornings began at Luke’s, afternoons unfolded in town or at school, and evenings ended with the soft glow of the living room light spilling across the floor.