TITLE: With Luke
SUMMARY: Retelling of 'Raincoats and Recipes'. JavaJunkie all the way. I suck at summaries, so trust me when I say that the story is much better than I say.
DISCLAIMER: I own none of this. This is one of my favorite episodes, so I wrote about it. Doesn't mean I own it. Moving on.
A/N: I have had this written for weeks and am just getting around to posting it now. ENJOY!
And let the story begin…
One day, you wake up smiling, feeling ready for anything life can throw your way. Little do you know, but a lot of stuff will be thrown at you today.
You throw on a cute outfit and walk to the diner to get your daily caffeine fix. You smile when you see Luke behind the counter, pouring coffee and talking to a regular.
You've never really noticed Luke before. He is one of your best friends, and he gives you coffee every day, but you've only thought about dating him a few times. Okay, you've thought about dating him many times, but you will only admit that you've considered the possibility.
Once or twice.
But now, after the wedding, you can't help but notice him. He's very handsome. Not Johnny Depp or Orlando Bloom in Pirates of the Caribbean drop dead gorgeous; but more of a rugged, mountain man kind of handsome. After a little while, you realize that he has always been this way, whether he is in his trademark plaid flannel and baseball cap ensemble or 'GQed' up to go on a date with another woman. Whether he was fixing something around your house or arguing with you about your eating habits, you know that you've actually been noticing him the entire time.
And now, after the wedding, the walk home, and the movie invite, you think you might be with Luke.
As you walk in the diner, you notice the small, almost unnoticeable smile that appears on Luke's face. You return the smile and sit at your usual seat at the counter. Without waiting for you to ask, Luke comes up and pours you a cup of coffee and you drink it gratefully. He shakes his head at your caffeine addiction and you laugh to yourself, because you know that even after eight years of friendship, you will always be a mystery to Luke Danes.
He comes back over to you and you plead for another cup of coffee. He reluctantly agrees after a minute, like you knew he would. After pouring it in a to-go cup, as per your request, you ask him if he will be coming to your Inn's test run that evening. When Luke confirms it, that yes, in fact, he will be coming, you notice butterflies in your stomach and a smile playing on your lips. You play it off and say good-bye as you walk out the door.
You head over to the Dragonfly and as you walk inside, you smile at how well it was turning out. You can't help but think that the test run will go off without a hitch. You go into the kitchen to go over a few things with Sookie about the test run, but end up gossiping and chattering about the upcoming night.
You leave Sookie to go over the room assignments with Michel and are slightly surprised when you find out that Luke is in the room next to you and Rory. You don't want Michel to see your shock and end up babbling on about lucky numbers. He gives you a weird look but goes along on his way. As the test run gets closer, you and Sookie both find many things to freak out about, from the menu to having no doors on any of the guests' rooms.
A few hours before guests are expected, Rory shows up to help out. You are not only happy to have your daughter home for the summer and helping you out tonight, but you are also glad to have someone else to take your mind off of Luke.
A little while later, guests are arriving, and just then, you get a message that the doors are being put up. You and your staff rush out to greet the townspeople. You see Kirk, Lulu, Patty, Babette and Taylor, among others, but Luke is nowhere to be seen. You feel something in the pit of your stomach, and are sad at the fact that he's not there.
You try to focus on the Inn, and it's pretty easy to do since it is going great. The doors are being put up as the guests enter, Kirk has only scared Michel, Taylor has only complained twice, and Patty has only hit on four people.
Then Luke shows up.
You see him right away, smile at Rory and go over to him. You greet him and he smiles back and gives you a beautiful bouquet of flowers.
You've never known Luke as a flowers type, but are happy that he thought of you. You turn to get his key at the reception desk and run straight into a door.
His door, actually.
You wave Rory over to give Luke his key. He gives you a concerned look but goes on upstairs.
You show Rory the flowers, a goofy grin plastered on your face. She laughs and goes back to the desk.
You check around the Inn and make sure that everything is going right. Next thing you know, it's dinner and you go to the dining room to make the rounds.
You gaze around the room, and even though you see Luke, you head over to Rory and Jackson. You talk for a minute or two, during which you get compliments from both of them.
A little while later, you say that you'll talk to them later and go to check on other guests. You start towards Luke's table, but stop and do a double take as you see Tom in a suit. You've only seen him in Luke-like attire the entire time he has been working on the Inn and are shocked to see him dressed up.
As soon as you are done talking to him, you see Luke again, and are equally stunned that he is dressed up as well, with no flannel or cap in sight. The first thing that goes through your mind is how handsome he looks. Then you realize that he is sitting with Babette and Patty looking extremely uncomfortable. You see that both women are wearing their robes and think that you might know why Luke is staring at his salad silently.
You walk on over to their table where Patty and Babette question you about your robes and their material. Babette continues to explain that her robe slipped earlier, and ever since, Luke had been acting odd and just staring at his plate.
Luke glances up at you and a sheepish grin crosses his face, confirming what Babette had just said. You can't help but smile back and he holds your gaze for a minute. You break the eye contact and turn to leave, telling the two women to go easy on him.
You go into the kitchen and meet up with Sookie and Michel to go over the checklist of stuff you had to do that night. You realize that this Inn thing is going to work and smile at your friends as you leave the room.
You go towards the reception area but stop short when you see a familiar figure standing in the library.
Jason Stiles.
Ex-boyfriend and the man who is suing your family. Oh goody.
After trying to get him to leave, he attempts to convince you that you belong with him, which you quickly deny multiple times. He says that he won't leave until you talk. You just shake your head and walk away, unable to get him to leave.
Fifteen minutes later, you find yourself walking back through the dining room with a plate of food for Jason. (Sookie's idea, not yours.) Rory stops you and makes sure that you knew that Jason was in the next room. You nod, tell her that you're taking care of it and walk out of the room.
You glance back for a second and see that a majority of the guests are still downstairs playing board games. Rory and Tom are playing backgammon, Babette is kicking Luke's butt at Yahtzee, and Kirk and Lulu are finishing up Life, among others.
You give Jason the food and walk away, ignoring his attempts to talk to you. You go towards the main desk and are stopped by one of the last people you want to see right now.
Emily Gilmore.
Infuriated mother. Not a good combo at the moment.
She shouts at you, blaming you for multiple things, complaining and begging for a new room. You tell her that you don't have another room, but she persists and says that if you don't give her a room that she will just sit in the lobby for the entire night. She turns to go towards the couches and finds Jason. She asks him if he has a room and then who joins them?
Richard Gilmore.
Father and the man Jason is suing.
The night just keeps getting better.
After coldly greeting Jason, he informs Emily that he packed and they should leave.
You stand there, dumbfounded at the soap opera like scene in front of you. Your parents storm out, and then Jason has the nerve to ask you for their now vacant room.
You can only shake your head and you walk away. You go to your office for a few minutes and as you leave it, you hear two male voices and cautiously walk into the reception area to find an angry, pacing Luke.
You walk up to him noting that he is the last one up. You try to start a conversation, but before you know it, Luke is in the middle of a rant.
This man you've known for eight years is standing in front of you, going on and on about flowers, a book, Jason, and actions speaking louder than words.
Suddenly, he takes a deep breath and steps towards you. You step back and ask him what he's doing. He replies with only five words –
"Will you just stand still?"
And he kisses you.
You are surprised, but then you relax, and when he pulls away, you can see a little anxiety in his eyes.
He steps back and this time you advance towards him. The roles are reversed, and now he is asking you what you are doing.
You respond with his successful words.
"Will you just stand still?"
You kiss him, and there's no doubt about it.
You are with Luke, and there is no other place in the world you'd rather be.
PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!
-Heather