Title- Better In Time
Summary- Rory and Luke talk about the aftermath of 'Say Something'. Implied Java
Authors Note- A quick one-shot that popped into my head and I couldn't get out. Will be posting another chapter for my other story soon.
The diner had been quiet, Luke noted as he shuffled through the days receipts. Not that many people had come in and all that did were wearing those annoying blue ribbons. He hated those ribbons; they reminded him of what he had lost. But she had lied to him, she didn't trust him. He always liked to think they told each other the important things; that they confided in each other. Apparently it was all one-sided.
His internal musings had him angered suddenly and he was so caught up in the angsty feeling in his stomach that he missed the bells ringing over the door.
Soon enough there was a blue-eyed brunette sitting on a stool in front of him, staring in slight concern. "Luke?"
Her small, timid voice brought him out of his reverie as he looked up suddenly, startled to some extent. "Rory," he stated, the surprise evident in his tone. "What are you, um, doing here?"
"Just got the sudden need for a cup of Luke's coffee," she explained, shrugging shyly. "If that's okay, I mean. It looks like you were closing up. Oh, you were getting ready to close, weren't you? I'll just get going then and I'll see around," she rambled, collecting her purse off the seat beside her.
"No, stay, have some coffee, its fine." He said quickly, motioning for her to sit back down.
She paused, her face full of uncertainty. "Are you sure? Because I could just go," she told him hesitantly, gesturing out the dark diner door.
He smiled quickly in reassurance, "Rory, its fine," he appeased, grabbing a mug from underneath the counter and setting it in front of her previous seat. "Here," He watched her out of the corner of his eye as she timidly took small steps over to the counter.
"Thanks," she mumbled, taking the mug and watching it as the coffee poured out of the pot, slowly.
"So any reason for the late night stop other than a coffee craving?" he wondered casually, busying his hands with the rag, gliding it across the counter.
"Not really, just checking up on mom." She admitted, watching as he stopped all movements and tensed his body, eyes staying focused on the rag in front of him.
"Yeah?" he asked, starting to move slowly again. "How's she, um, holding up?" he asked uncomfortably, evading all looks Rory was sending him.
She sipped her coffee slowly, tracing the rim with her fingers. "Not so good, she finally got out of the house, though. She locked herself up in her room for three days strait." She admitted softly, knowing she struck a chord with him.
"Three days, huh?" he wondered, not even bothering to act careless. It was obvious he was truly concerned; how could he not be? They had been friends for years before this and then after getting closer to her than ever in the last couple months, he just couldn't turn it off.
She nodded silently, closing her eyes sympathetically. "You know my dad's an ass, right?"
He was stunned at her bluntness. And her cussing. He didn't think that he'd ever heard a curse uttered past her lips. Remembering her question, he suddenly nodded, agreeing easily. "I know," he muttered, scrubbing forcefully against the counter.
"He shouldn't have done what he did. I warned him not to, too. It was the only thing I'd ever asked him in my entire life, to stay away from mom and not but into her life. But no, he had to go and screw everything up." She told him, tears stinging her eyes. "I just feel like it's my fault, somehow." she admitted, biting her lip sadly.
His vigorous scrubbing subsided immediately and he nervously walked over to her. "Rory," he interrupted softly, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. "This is not your fault, okay? There was no possible way that you would know this turned out like it is." he soothed, trying not to sound uncomfortable.
"But I lied to you the day after she spent the night at my dad's house for her. It was my fault," she insisted, swallowing uneasily.
"Listen, you were just looking out for her, if she wanted to, she could have told me. I gave her a chance to tell me later on that day," he told her softly. He gently turned her in her seat so they both faced out the window. Draping an arm around her shoulder, he pulled her to him comfortingly. "I don't was you to think that you had anything to do with this and I know your mom wouldn't either. Whatever happened between me and your mother had nothing to do with you, understand?" he asked, sounding firm.
"But it's so unfair," she said, choking out the words. "You waited for her for so long and then suddenly my stupid dad has to show up, breaking the one deal we ever had, and ruin everything. You guys were great together. I can't even remember a time when she was more contented."
He sighed, each word affecting him more than the other. He knew it was true. He couldn't remember being that happy for years and then he suddenly had to end it, end the greatest thing that had happened to him in years. "It just wasn't meant to be," he told her, barely able to get the lie past his lips.
She scoffed in disbelief. "You know that's not true, Luke." she frowned. "You and mom are meant for each other. She needs you and I know you need her too. You just need to put aside your differences and talk." she suggested, her voice strained in hope and misery.
"Rory," he sighed, shaking his head. "It's just not that easy," he told her.
"But it could be, if you let it. All you have to do is just-" she stopped, noticing the pained look in his eyes. "I just, I've missed knowing that you'll always be around, looking after her, being there for her, for me," she admitted shyly.
"Listen, just because me and your mom are over doesn't mean that we can't still talk. I don't expect you to just give up my coffee cold turkey," he joked, trying to lighten the conversation.
"That's good to know," she smiled, ducking her head bashfully. "'Cause it'd get weird, not seeing you anymore."
He nodded in agreement, shifting his arm back to his side as he stood up, slowly making his way back behind the counter.
She held out her mug expectantly, watching silently as he complied without protesting. "You know, you were always more of a dad then he was." she told him, sipping her warm liquid slowly.
His eyes widened in surprise, his movements stilled momentarily.
She took his silence as a chance to go on. "Like when most kids wished their parents would get together, I wished my mom would hook up with the local diner owner, thinking about how cool it would be to have an unlimited supply of burgers, fries, and pie."
He chuckled briefly, walking over to the pie container.
"And then a couple years ago, mom told me she wanted to date you," she smiled, laughing quietly as he stared at her with widened eyes. "It wasn't in those exact words, but it was implied. At first I was elated and then something snapped in me and I suddenly thought what would happen if you two broke up. I told her not to, that it was a bad idea."
He nodded slowly, trying not to smile as he set the plate full of pie in front of her. Lorelai thought about being with him before, it was a nice thing to know if it wasn't under the current circumstances.
"And then when you two finally got together, I wasn't worried it would get messed up, I thought that you two went through enough to realize that all you needed was each other, as cheesy as it sounds." She took a bite of pie, staring up at him reverently.
He smiled at her sadly, placing his hand over hers reassuringly. "So did I," he admitted, squeezing it briefly before going back to closing up the diner.
She seemed to contemplate her next words, as if choosing to blurt them out or keep them to herself. Eventually, she turned to face him as he bustled around the diner, keeping himself busy. "Mom did too," she told him, watching him for a sign that she crossed an invisible line.
He just sighed, as if he knew she was going to say it. He began to protest, but eventually caved in, listening to her thoughts and beliefs.
"She's never been this depressed over a man before, Luke. Three whole days she wouldn't get out of bed, crying incessantly. She barely ate anything. She doesn't want to get over you, to move on and go through life without you. She wants to be with you all the way. You know my mom runs from any sign of commitment, but she wants her middle." she told him, hoping he'd have some type of response.
"What is a 'middle'?" he wondered, acting as if everything she said had no affect on him whatsoever.
She took another bite of pie. "She said that she doesn't just want a beginning and an end with you, she wants the whole thing." she explained slowly, hoping he'd understand what she was saying.
He began putting the chairs on top of each table, her words echoing in his head. Lorelai wanted a middle. With him. Lorelai wanted a middle with him. "Oh," he said at a loss for all other words.
"See, Luke, she really wants this. When I first saw her the day you guys broke up, she was crying in her bed and told me you were 'the one'. Lorelai never ever admitted anything that close to commitment about anyone. You're special, and not the eating the paste kind of special," she added, thinking briefly back to Logan.
Luke looked up, suddenly lost in confusion. "Eating the paste?" he wondered, smiling bemused.
She slightly blushed, ducking down to take another bite of pie. "It's nothing. Just, promise me you won't make her wait," she asked, pouting faintly.
He continued walking around, putting up chair after chair. When Rachel had left years ago, she warned him not to wait too long. Now Rory was telling him not to wait, to make the significant step back towards reconciliation. He looked back up at her, noting that she had finished off her pie and was downing the rest of her coffee. "I won't," he assured her, hoping she heard his barely audible response.
"You promise?" she asked in a sudden child-like voice, looking up at him with her big, blue eyes.
He grinned softly in reassurance. "I promise,"
She smiled at him, standing up and grabbing her purse. "That's good to know," she told him genuinely. The father-daughter moment was broken by the ringing of a cell-phone. She glanced down into her purse, retrieving the phone and flipping it open hesitantly. "Hey," she said quietly into the phone.
Luke walked over to the counter, taking her old coffee mug and dirty plate away, silently mouthing that it was on the house.
She smiled at him thankfully. "No, mom, I don't sound echoey. There must be something wrong with your phone." Rolling her eyes, she waved good-bye to Luke, wishing him good luck as she walked out the door, feeling a weight lifted off her shoulders as she stepped out into the cold air. Everything would get better in time, he promised it would and Luke never broke his promises.
I just think they don't include many Rory/Luke moments. What'd you think of it?