"Better impatient than rude! I was tempted to just barge right in after the knock," Rory called in reply, laughing quietly where she stood.
She knew that Rae had probably been cleaning. The place was always pretty tidy when Rory came over, and Rory had a funny feeling it wasn't because Elliot was secretly the tidiest man alive. If there had been a way to tell her friend she didn't care about any messes, Rory would've. But it wasn't exactly something that came up naturally, so Rory never got to it.
When Rae opened the door, Rory was already prepared for a hug, and she gave her friend a good, proper squeeze to convey how much she'd been missed. Not just because of the trip she'd taken, but everything before that, too. The way time had been wasted with angry, bitter emotions after they got back. Rory had missed her then, though it had taken some time to realize as much. The hug lingered because of all the extra emotion tucked into it, but when she pulled away, she was grinning.
"Oh, you know. Mending fences, discovering long-lost brothers, changing diapers. My life's pretty dull," Rory replied, chuckling quietly. "You're the jetsetter of the two of us. Next vacation isn't to Alaska, I hope."