The Message
She couldn't remember ever having been as nervous to go into the diner as she was now. She could have thought that it was because she hadn't been there in awhile, but that wasn't it. She knew what she was going to do as soon as she walked in, and while she desperately wanted to do it, she wasn't entirely sure how she'd be received.
She heard the usual clamor of the diner as she walked in. In a way, it was comforting. When she heard his voice over the general roar, her heart skipped a beat. She smiled confidently, but she could feel her hands trembling.
She picked a table, and sat down. She heard his voice getting nearer to where she was sitting. She watched him apprehensively, both wanting and not wanting him to notice her.
"Caesar, you're overcooking the bur…" he saw her and cut off. The diner seemed to go silent. She wasn't sure if it actually had gone silent or if she was just blocking out all of the other sounds. Both were entirely possible. "Lorelai," he said.
She smiled nervously. "Luke."
"You haven't… I mean… It's good to see you here."
"Is it?" she hadn't been sure he'd want to see her here again, where he couldn't get away. "Good."
"Yea… so… coffee?"
"Of course." He started to turn away, but she stopped him. "Wait, Luke?"
He turned back to the table. "Yeah?"
"I've… I've missed you." He smiled, but before he could say anything, she continued. "A lot. I've missed you a lot. I don't even mean just seeing you, or drinking your coffee. I've missed you being around."
Luke looked confused. "Yeah, I've missed you too," he said.
"That's not…" she trailed off, out of words, seldom a problem in the world of Lorelai Gilmore. She stood up, thinking she'd leave. She couldn't do it, he wasn't getting the message. "I'm sorry," she said as she turned toward the door.
As she turned she felt a strong, warm hand on her shoulder. She turned back around to see what he wanted, and he bent down to kiss her. She kissed him back, and then he gently put his hands on her shoulders and held them just far enough away from him for them to be able to see each other's faces. "I know," he said. She smiled. He had gotten the message.