Luke stood behind the counter as he watched Lorelei and Rory Gilmore talking by the window. To many it would look as if Luke were watching Lorelei, pining for her, as many people thought. Yet recently he found his taste favoring a certain quite, studious, sweet, but still crazy Rory Gilmore.
His infatuation first started when she was fifteen. It wasn't like he had creepy, stalker feelings for her, but he did notice all of her best qualities. He even wondered why he couldn't find a woman just like Rory. She was sweet, kind, dependable, loving, and smart as a tack and not just in the book sense, and she was good looking. So what was the problem? Why couldn't he find someone like her? Of all the people in this world wasn't there at least one other woman like Rory Gilmore? But then he realized one thing; she was one of a kind.
It wasn't until lately that he had started having the dreams, that his infatuation had taken a new level of sickness. Now, not only did he want someone like her, he wanted her. In ever sense of the word he wanted Rory Gilmore. The only thing that bothered him was the level of his feelings. Were they superficial or was there something in them? Did he love her the way she deserved to be loved? Or was he the creepy old guy that was in to little girls? The only thing that kept him sane was the realization that he only thought of Rory this way and no one else. If he had he might just kill himself.
Looking at him Rory smiled and motioned for Luke to come over. Sighing he walked over to them and asked in his gruff growling manner, "What do you want?"
Rory grinned evilly at Luke and asked; "Luke… do you think you could help me with a problem?"
"Sure Rory," Luke replied after a minute of surprised silence, "What do you need?"
"I was wondering if you could help me get rid of a guy that is bothering me," Rory replied.
Glaring Luke growled, "Who's bothering you and do I need to kill him?"
Rory laughed and shook her head giving him the lopsided grin she only saved for him, the one that made his heart stop and said, "No nothing like that. I just need you to act like…well I need you to act like my boyfriend."
There was a quite, awkward silence that was only broken by Lorelei choking on her coffee. Finally he said, "You want me to act like your boyfriend?"
"Sure if it isn't too much trouble," Rory replied unsure of herself.
"Honey what is going on?" Lorelei asked in between coughs.
"I've been telling you about it mom," Rory replied, "Logan Hauntsburger won't leave me alone. Ever since I did that piece on the death brigade."
"So what does that have to do with Luke," Lorelei asked.
"What's the death brigade?" Luke asked right after Lorelei.
"The death brigade is a club of idiots who like to do death stunts," Rory replied, "I did on myself and let me tell you I was scared stiff."
"What did you do?" Luke bit out.
Giving Luke a guilty smile she said, "I jumped off a bridge with nothing but an umbrella and an evening gown on."
"Rory," Luke breathed trying to keep his composure enough not to yell at her, it didn't work, "You could have been killed, broken a leg, been mangled beyond repair…"
Rory cut him off saying, "I know Luke. Mom has already yelled at me for it. You don't have to."
Luke nodded and turned away. He didn't like Rory cutting him off like that. Like his feelings for her safety didn't matter. Finally he said, "Why do you need me to be your boyfriend?'
"I kind of told Logan you were," Rory replied, "Like I said he keeps bugging me, and I do not want to date that snob. I told him I couldn't because I was already seeing someone. I tried to leave it at that, but he started laughing and saying that I needed a man not a boy. I told him I was dating a man. He asked me who, and the first thought I had was you. So naturally he didn't believe me, but nothing was going to come of it until Yale decided to throw a big ball and Logan made the comment about finally meeting my boyfriend and…well…help?
She was starting to run her words together in her nervousness, but Luke understood her perfectly. Sighing he said the first thing that came to his head, "What about your grandparents?'
"What about them?" Rory asked while Lorelei was still in shock.
"Well… if you come in with me they'll find out by someone there they know. If they are not there themselves, after all it is a Yale ball."
"I don't care," Rory replied, "I'll explain it to them later. I just don't want Logan to bother me anymore."
Sighing again Luke said, "Where do I go to rent a tuxedo?"
Squealing Rory launched herself out of her chair and straight at Luke. Giving him a huge kiss on the cheek, and hugging him. Luke tried not to look pleased.
"Thank you so much Luke! I so owe you!"
"Yes, yes you do," Luke replied with the smile he reserved only for Rory, and usually only when they were alone and he tried to be charming. Then as quickly as it came he went back to being gruff and said, "So what do you want?"
Rory ordered for her and her mother and sit back down as Luke went to fill in the orders. Grinning from ear to ear.
Later that night Luke set in his favorite chair before the TV, and groaned. How did he get himself into messes like this?
Lorelei was setting in the living room watching Rory as she read a book and sighed. She had been unusually quite since Rory ordered their food, thinking of reasons why Rory would ask Luke and why Luke would agree. There was only one she could think of, and she hated it. Looking at Rory she nudged her with her foot.
"What?" Rory asked looking up.
"Rory," Lorelei said looking at her daughter in the eye, "Are you in love with Luke?"
Rory didn't say anything for a second. Finally she said, "Yes." And went back to her book. Lorelei sighed again and stared at the television. This was big, no this was huge, and yet she had taken it quite well. Sighing she nudged Rory again and asked, "Why?"
Rory had hoped her mother would just leave at that, but she didn't expect it. This was very big, huge even, and she knew that Lorelei would have to know every thought, feeling, and dream. Sighing she replied, "Because he is sweet, thoughtful, kind, smart, and giving. He looks damn good in a backwards baseball cap and plaid, and he makes the best freaking cup of coffee ever."
Lorelei sighed and shook her head. Finally she answered, "He's too old for you."
"What's too old?" Rory asked with a shrug. Finally Rory said, "Asher Fleming is too old, but Luke isn't. Besides Mom I'm sick to death of guys my age. All they want to do is have sex; they don't want to try at anything. The only one person my age that is remotely like Luke is Marty, but I don't love him. And trust me I've tried. I want a good man, a kind man, and if I have to date someone old enough to be my father then I will."
"What about your dreams?" Lorelei asked, "What about traveling?"
"I'll still do that Mom," Rory replied, "Besides Grandpa leaves grandma for weeks at a time to do his job. I can do the same thing."
"Luke may not like that," Lorelei replied.
"You're assuming that Luke loves me," Rory replied, "Which he doesn't… not yet anyway."
"What do you mean?" Lorelei asked, "What… did you lie to him?"
"No," Rory replied, "Everything I told him is true. But that doesn't mean I can't woo him."
"Men usually do the wooing Rory," Lorelei replied with growing alarm. Poor Luke he just didn't know what was going on.
"I don't think you should do this," Lorelei went on, "This is a bad idea. Luke isn't the type of man to be wooed. He must do the wooing. Besides Rory don't you think he might only be doing this because he can't say no to you? Maybe he really doesn't want to do this, maybe he's just being nice."
"No doubt," Rory replied, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let him get away. And you can either support this and help me or leave me alone. Unless of course you love him, then I'll back off."
Lorelei shook her head, "I'm good with Jason. Actually I'm thinking about moving Jason in here. Ever since I talked him out of suing dad, he's been talking about opening a joke shop."
"Jason and a joke shop?" Rory said, "Could be good, or it could be really bad. There is no in-between here."
"That's what I told him," Lorelei replied, "He knows. He just doesn't care. He really wants to do this, so he is going to do this."
Rory laughed and went back to her book. Finally Lorelei said, "Please don't do this kid."
Rory just hugged her mother and whispered, "Mom I have to. Please understand, and don't make me leave you."
Lorelei sighed and watched as Rory went to bed. She really didn't think this was going to end well, and she hoped she was wrong.