This is set about two months from this past episode "I Louvre You"..
Lorelai is dating Jason, and Luke and Nicole are together and still
married.
Lorelai stood up, angrily, and ran for the door, not believing her ears. "You're telling me.. you were working WITH your father? Not against him as you had everyone---- myself included, remember me? girlfriend you claim to tell everything to----believe? You were working FOR your father, which implies that you were working AGAINST my father? I was.. what, I was just part of the plan?"
"Lorelai," Jason started-----
"Oh, no, buddy, this is where I talk and you listen. I.... so you used me?"
"No, I didn't... that sounds so dirty."
"Well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but that is JUST what that is! You USED me, as part of the plan to make everyone believe that you couldn't POSSIBLY be working AGAINST my father, but instead, against his COMPETITION, aka YOUR father! You were working for my father, dating his daughter, and no one would ever think you weren't being honest, when in reality you were being the OPPOSITE of honest! You were being mean!"
"Mean's not really the opposite of----" Jason trailed off, noticing her look.
Lorelai put on her best fake smile, as if she were a ten-year-old schoolgirl. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Stiles, is it time for our grammar lesson? JASON! Dating you has put an even bigger rift in my relationship with my mother, which was beyond fragile, it was more like 'look at it, and it might break' and that was THEN, forget now, and... I find out that this was all.... a scheme. To win us all over? To lull us into a false sense of security so you could give your daddy information that would help him beat mine? If you wanted to be a double-crosser, FINE.. but WHY did you drag me into it? You trampled on my feelings, my mother's feelings, and tomorrow, when my dad finds out about this, his too. Did we DO something to you when you were little, that you have this Montegue-Capulet need to make us all suffer? Do you hope that your doings will lead us all to suicide? Is that what you want? Although this is a horrible analogy, because if this WERE Romeo and Juliet, you'd be on MY SIDE!"
And with that, Lorelai was out the door.
Meanwhile, at Luke's-----
Luke was taking a much needed break from working, as Nicole had shown up for dinner. She was telling him a story about her day, and she was laughing.... and he felt good, just watching her talk, so into her story. He was enjoying this feeling of having someone who wanted to tell him anything and everything. A first call in the morning, and a last call at night. He sipped his water and listened, while his mind was thinking about this. As the meal went on, the conversation turned a little more serious.
"You know, Luke, we've been dating for awhile now, and it's been nice. And.. you know we're still married. And neither one of us is making a move to proceed with the divorce," Nicole started, as Luke just nodded in agreement. "And I don't know. This might work. Permanently. Do you agree? Even a little?"
Luke thought it over, and realized that he did agree. He liked her a lot, maybe even loved her. They got along, she loved him, and it was nice to have someone full time who wanted and needed him as well. "Yeah," he finally muttered.
"Do you ever think about children?"
"As like, a collective unit?"
"No, as like... your own children. Having children. Or at least one."
He had actually been thinking about it lately, he realized. He knew he wanted children. Or at least one. "I think about it, sure."
"I just think you and I might wanna revaluate our relationship. This could be the real thing, Luke, and I really want for both of us to do what we can to make it work."
In that moment, he completely agreed with her. He was starting to think he'd otherwise always be alone. And having her for all these months, he knew he didn't want to grow old alone. "Okay," he said, urging her on.
"Well," she trodded forth, cautiously. "We have to make sure we're doing everything we can to make the other person happy, right?"
"Right," he answered. It sounded right to him.
"Okay, so... are there any things that I do, or people I talk to, or things I say or anything else, that annoy you, or you'd like to be away with?"
Luke thought about it. He searched his mind. If they were gonna be together forever, this was the time to let her know about things he didn't like. "Okay, well, you know those conventions and seminars and dinners you're always taking me to?"
"Yes, of course."
"I hate them. I hate getting dressed up. I hate talking to all those boring lawyers... uh, no offense... And I hate the event. It's like I never knew three hours could actually seem like ten. Ten," he finished.
"Okay. No more dinners for you. Is that all?"
He thought about it. "Yeah, I guess."
"Alright, well, if we're gonna make this work, I will not ask you to any more stuffy occasions. Now let me think... Okay, I've got one thing too" she said, making the word "one" last for three seconds too long. "Lorelai."
He looked confused. "Lorelai? Lorelai's not an occasion."
"No," she said, trying to find a nice way to put this. "Okay, Luke be honest. Have you ever had feelings for Lorelai?"
He started to protest, but she put a hand up. "Luke, this is ME you're talking to. I'm not shining a bright light in your face demanding the truth, I just want a simple, honest answer. I'm always honest with you."
"Yes." He shifted uncomfortably and lowered the volume of his voice. He leaned in conspiratorially, as if they were government officials talking about the actual existence of extraterrestrials. "At one point, yes."
She expected the answer. "Well see? This is the problem. Nothing can ruin a relationship like unrequited love in the way."
"What are you talking about? Unrequited, as in NOT ever requited as in won't ever be requited. What's the problem? I'm with YOU, not her."
"Right, but there's this Lorelai-tension because you liked her, but never got to be with her. It would be totally different if you two dated and it didn't work out and now you were friends, but this.. I can't ignore the 'what if' air that is always between you two. And since we're being honest- --- I don't like it."
He sat back and took this in.
"I'm sorry Luke. I mean, you two may never get together, and 'what if' is always there, but I can't raise a family with a man who has a close friend who shares a 'what if' air with him."
"You lost me on the whole 'what if air' thing."
"Luke, you know what I mean."
"I guess."
"Do you want a family? Wife? Kids?"
He really did. "Yeah," he said, barely audibly.
"I will give you everything. The world, the stars, the moon, my life, a life for us, fatherhood, EVERYTHING.. all I want.."
She hesitated, licking her lips, and he looked up at her a little fearfully.
"I'm not asking you to wipe her out of your existence completely. Could you just maybe.. have less of her IN your existence? Have her keep a little distance, not be here ALL the time?"
"You want less Lorelai."
"Yes. Less Lorelai... A lot less."
He stood up and walked angrily over to the counter. His silence was agreement, she knew that. He wasn't about to say "yes I will hurt a friend for US," but if he wasn't gonna do it, she'd know by now. She knew he wouldn't talk to her for the rest of the night, though, and she decided to leave.
As Nicole was walking out the door, an eager-for-coffee-looking Lorelai was walking in. "Hi Lorelai," Nicole said, putting on a fake smile, which Lorelai had grown accustomed to. Lorelai smiled genuinely back, looking a little sad and distant. "Hey, Nicole."
Luke watched the exchange in fear. Now his heart was in his stomach, and his palms had gone sweaty. He busied himself with a few orders when he noticed Lorelai bound over to the counter and plop herself down.
Lorelai was done with being mad, and just wanted coffee now. She waited patiently, hoping to get some perspective on all this from Luke, and also to just share with her friend the injustice of it all.
Luke poured coffee for a customer at a table, took a deep breath and headed back to the counter. He poured what he feared might be the last cup of coffee he would pour to Lorelai, his hand shaking just a little.
"Listen," he started, before she could tell him anything about her day. And then he proceeded to pound on her already battered heart.
Lorelai stood up, angrily, and ran for the door, not believing her ears. "You're telling me.. you were working WITH your father? Not against him as you had everyone---- myself included, remember me? girlfriend you claim to tell everything to----believe? You were working FOR your father, which implies that you were working AGAINST my father? I was.. what, I was just part of the plan?"
"Lorelai," Jason started-----
"Oh, no, buddy, this is where I talk and you listen. I.... so you used me?"
"No, I didn't... that sounds so dirty."
"Well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but that is JUST what that is! You USED me, as part of the plan to make everyone believe that you couldn't POSSIBLY be working AGAINST my father, but instead, against his COMPETITION, aka YOUR father! You were working for my father, dating his daughter, and no one would ever think you weren't being honest, when in reality you were being the OPPOSITE of honest! You were being mean!"
"Mean's not really the opposite of----" Jason trailed off, noticing her look.
Lorelai put on her best fake smile, as if she were a ten-year-old schoolgirl. "Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Stiles, is it time for our grammar lesson? JASON! Dating you has put an even bigger rift in my relationship with my mother, which was beyond fragile, it was more like 'look at it, and it might break' and that was THEN, forget now, and... I find out that this was all.... a scheme. To win us all over? To lull us into a false sense of security so you could give your daddy information that would help him beat mine? If you wanted to be a double-crosser, FINE.. but WHY did you drag me into it? You trampled on my feelings, my mother's feelings, and tomorrow, when my dad finds out about this, his too. Did we DO something to you when you were little, that you have this Montegue-Capulet need to make us all suffer? Do you hope that your doings will lead us all to suicide? Is that what you want? Although this is a horrible analogy, because if this WERE Romeo and Juliet, you'd be on MY SIDE!"
And with that, Lorelai was out the door.
Meanwhile, at Luke's-----
Luke was taking a much needed break from working, as Nicole had shown up for dinner. She was telling him a story about her day, and she was laughing.... and he felt good, just watching her talk, so into her story. He was enjoying this feeling of having someone who wanted to tell him anything and everything. A first call in the morning, and a last call at night. He sipped his water and listened, while his mind was thinking about this. As the meal went on, the conversation turned a little more serious.
"You know, Luke, we've been dating for awhile now, and it's been nice. And.. you know we're still married. And neither one of us is making a move to proceed with the divorce," Nicole started, as Luke just nodded in agreement. "And I don't know. This might work. Permanently. Do you agree? Even a little?"
Luke thought it over, and realized that he did agree. He liked her a lot, maybe even loved her. They got along, she loved him, and it was nice to have someone full time who wanted and needed him as well. "Yeah," he finally muttered.
"Do you ever think about children?"
"As like, a collective unit?"
"No, as like... your own children. Having children. Or at least one."
He had actually been thinking about it lately, he realized. He knew he wanted children. Or at least one. "I think about it, sure."
"I just think you and I might wanna revaluate our relationship. This could be the real thing, Luke, and I really want for both of us to do what we can to make it work."
In that moment, he completely agreed with her. He was starting to think he'd otherwise always be alone. And having her for all these months, he knew he didn't want to grow old alone. "Okay," he said, urging her on.
"Well," she trodded forth, cautiously. "We have to make sure we're doing everything we can to make the other person happy, right?"
"Right," he answered. It sounded right to him.
"Okay, so... are there any things that I do, or people I talk to, or things I say or anything else, that annoy you, or you'd like to be away with?"
Luke thought about it. He searched his mind. If they were gonna be together forever, this was the time to let her know about things he didn't like. "Okay, well, you know those conventions and seminars and dinners you're always taking me to?"
"Yes, of course."
"I hate them. I hate getting dressed up. I hate talking to all those boring lawyers... uh, no offense... And I hate the event. It's like I never knew three hours could actually seem like ten. Ten," he finished.
"Okay. No more dinners for you. Is that all?"
He thought about it. "Yeah, I guess."
"Alright, well, if we're gonna make this work, I will not ask you to any more stuffy occasions. Now let me think... Okay, I've got one thing too" she said, making the word "one" last for three seconds too long. "Lorelai."
He looked confused. "Lorelai? Lorelai's not an occasion."
"No," she said, trying to find a nice way to put this. "Okay, Luke be honest. Have you ever had feelings for Lorelai?"
He started to protest, but she put a hand up. "Luke, this is ME you're talking to. I'm not shining a bright light in your face demanding the truth, I just want a simple, honest answer. I'm always honest with you."
"Yes." He shifted uncomfortably and lowered the volume of his voice. He leaned in conspiratorially, as if they were government officials talking about the actual existence of extraterrestrials. "At one point, yes."
She expected the answer. "Well see? This is the problem. Nothing can ruin a relationship like unrequited love in the way."
"What are you talking about? Unrequited, as in NOT ever requited as in won't ever be requited. What's the problem? I'm with YOU, not her."
"Right, but there's this Lorelai-tension because you liked her, but never got to be with her. It would be totally different if you two dated and it didn't work out and now you were friends, but this.. I can't ignore the 'what if' air that is always between you two. And since we're being honest- --- I don't like it."
He sat back and took this in.
"I'm sorry Luke. I mean, you two may never get together, and 'what if' is always there, but I can't raise a family with a man who has a close friend who shares a 'what if' air with him."
"You lost me on the whole 'what if air' thing."
"Luke, you know what I mean."
"I guess."
"Do you want a family? Wife? Kids?"
He really did. "Yeah," he said, barely audibly.
"I will give you everything. The world, the stars, the moon, my life, a life for us, fatherhood, EVERYTHING.. all I want.."
She hesitated, licking her lips, and he looked up at her a little fearfully.
"I'm not asking you to wipe her out of your existence completely. Could you just maybe.. have less of her IN your existence? Have her keep a little distance, not be here ALL the time?"
"You want less Lorelai."
"Yes. Less Lorelai... A lot less."
He stood up and walked angrily over to the counter. His silence was agreement, she knew that. He wasn't about to say "yes I will hurt a friend for US," but if he wasn't gonna do it, she'd know by now. She knew he wouldn't talk to her for the rest of the night, though, and she decided to leave.
As Nicole was walking out the door, an eager-for-coffee-looking Lorelai was walking in. "Hi Lorelai," Nicole said, putting on a fake smile, which Lorelai had grown accustomed to. Lorelai smiled genuinely back, looking a little sad and distant. "Hey, Nicole."
Luke watched the exchange in fear. Now his heart was in his stomach, and his palms had gone sweaty. He busied himself with a few orders when he noticed Lorelai bound over to the counter and plop herself down.
Lorelai was done with being mad, and just wanted coffee now. She waited patiently, hoping to get some perspective on all this from Luke, and also to just share with her friend the injustice of it all.
Luke poured coffee for a customer at a table, took a deep breath and headed back to the counter. He poured what he feared might be the last cup of coffee he would pour to Lorelai, his hand shaking just a little.
"Listen," he started, before she could tell him anything about her day. And then he proceeded to pound on her already battered heart.