‘Do you think Riggs will be OK?’ Joanie said, unwrapping the steaming packages. Joanie’s eyes were red and puffy, so Lorelai knew she’d had a weep when she hadn’t been looking. Lorelai was close to crumbling herself. They both needed to take their minds off the day’s events.
‘He’s with his dad now. Wesley will take care of him, and we can check in on him too. We need to be there for him, without overwhelming him. Let him know we’re here if he wants to talk, without making him feel pressured into it.’ Lorelai rubbed her forehead. The memory of Riggs’s first death would be forever etched in her mind, a constant reminder that you never truly knew what was going on inside someone’s head. ‘Shall we talk about something else? Distract ourselves, just for a little bit? It’s been an intense day.’ Lorelai made this request for Joanie as much for herself.
Joanie thought for a moment and then turned to Lorelai with a tired smile. ‘How about we talk about the fact thatsomeone has a date? I need to knoweverything. What are you going to wear? How are you feeling about Grayson? How are you feeling about the idea that you may be able to change someone’s death, that your kisses aren’t the end of the world, after all?’
Lorelai groaned. ‘It’s not a date! And I meant let’s talk about something light-hearted. Or at the very least sit in silence and watch a film or something?’
‘I want to talk about you and Grayson. Wenevertalk about you, Lollie!’
‘I don’t have anything to say!’ Lorelai stuffed a handful of chips into her mouth.
‘Of course you do! You’ve got an actualsuperpower,Lollie.’
‘Please don’t call it that.’
‘Do you know how many kids dream of having what you have?’
‘No, they do not. Kids dream of being super strong, flying or becoming invisible. They don’t dream of seeing blood and broken bones and people in pain every time they have a kiss. Whatever I have, it is not a superpower.’
‘But itis!You could start a business. Charge people money to tell them how they’re going to die,’ Joanie said.
‘I don’t think so.’
‘It would be like being a doctor. You might be saving people’s lives!’ Joanie said, pointing a chip at Lorelai.
‘You’re ridiculous.’
‘I think it’s a great idea.’
‘I’m not doing anything until I know more.’
‘So does that mean you are going to do some research?’ Joanie asked.
‘I think I might have to,’ Lorelai said slowly. ‘I’m just not sure what that would look like.’
Joanie brushed the crumbs off her lap. ‘Talk me through it,’ she said. ‘What do you already know?’
Lorelai thought for a moment, before speaking. It felt so strange to be talking about this. ‘Well… I saw Riggs die in two separate ways in the space of what, thirty seconds? One self-inflicted, one natural. But it looks like we stopped the first vision from coming true. So if fate can be changed even after I’ve kissed someone, that might mean I’m not the onesealingtheir fate, I’m merely a witness to it before it’s even happened. Outside forces can still intervene even after I’ve kissed them.’
‘That’s what I said. You gave Riggs some hope so that caused his fate to change.’ Joanie nodded in agreement. ‘So, you’re more like a psychic?’
‘That doesn’t feel accurate, but I guess that’s the best word to describe me, at least for now. It’s just very specifically tuned into death and I can only see those things when I kiss someone.’
‘You don’t seem excited about this.’
‘I’m not.’ Lorelai shook her head.
Joanie rolled her eyes. ‘Are you kidding me? Not even a little bit?’
‘No!’
‘You’re not even a smidge excited that there’s something about you that sets you apart from every other human?’
Lorelai tried to think about the best way to articulate what she was feeling. ‘Am I excited about the idea of watching lots of unsuspecting people die? No. It doesn’t sound like a very fun thing to do. But—’ Lorelai hesitated ‘—I can’t ignore this anymore. My kisses with Riggs showed me that I might be able to change fate, and that’s a huge responsibility. I need to know if it was a one-off.’
‘And if it isn’t a one-off?’ Joanie asked, reaching over to squeeze Lorelai’s hand.
‘That I don’t know.’ Lorelai stared down at her food, her appetite suddenly gone.
