Chapter 36: The City That Never Judges (Hopefully)
Chapter 34
After the chaos on the plane and whatever emotional tornado Rory was currently riding back to Stars Hollow, things felt a bit calmer on our end. We were back to enjoying our final days in New York City.
The next morning, we all headed out to explore more of Manhattan. Evelyn had taken the liberty of booking a private city tour—one of those open-top buses. She insisted we see "the important stuff" before heading off to Barbados.
Charlie sat beside me on the top deck, sunglasses on, breeze in his hair, grinning from time to time like he'd just come from a victory lap.
Alan sat on the other side of me, squinting into the sun, and eventually leaned toward us. "Okay, what the hell did you two do last night?" he asked, clearly sensing something.
"Nothing," I replied quickly.
Charlie nodded in agreement, way too cheerfully. "Yeah, Alan, we were just enjoying vacation. You know, sightseeing, good food, cultural enrichment..."
"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England," Alan muttered, eyeing us both suspiciously.
Charlie gave a mock bow and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."
I leaned toward Charlie and whispered with a grin, "Always knew he'd go with Queen instead of King."
Charlie choked back a laugh, shaking his head while Alan, oblivious, kept grumbling about sunscreen and overcharging New York cafes.
As the tour continued, we passed Central Park, the Met, Times Square—everything felt cinematic. I watched the crowds, the architecture, the sheer pulse of the city. For someone who never got to see this in his first life, New York was living up to every expectation.