Lorelai blows in like she always does, a tangle of dark curls, blue eyes and some crazy colored scarf that she bought god knows where.
"Ding dong, girl friend is here, need coffee will travel." She sits down with a flurry of energy and slaps the table top with the flat of her hand.
Luke obliges with a wry little smile, pouring her a cup and shaking his head.
"I still don't understand how you can drink this crap at 8 o'clock at night."
"Uh! Sacrilege from such a handsome mouth. I shouldn't expect anything less."
He ignores her mock look of wide-blue-eyed shock.
"You went shopping, I see." He glances at the orange bag she brought in with her from the cold.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious with a hot butt. Wanna see what I got?" she croons sweetly.
He doesn't even respond, he just makes some sort of hand gesture that implies that he knows she is going to show him anyway.
"It's a doggy Paul Anka t-shirt for Paul Anka. It will be like Ryan Gosling wearing a t-shirt of Macaulay Culkin wearing a t-shirt of Ryan Gosling wearing a T-shirt of Macaulay Culkin! T-shirtception! Wooo!"
"I tried to follow that. It didn't work."
She holds it up. "Look at it! It is SO cute. Paul Anka is going to look so adorable in it." She gives a little squeal.
"I'm not sure if that dog likes wearing clothing. I mean I don't think dogs are meant to wear clothing, It isn't natural. I mean dogs have fur, so why would they need a shirt..."
"Paul Anka, wearing Paul Anka? Doggie Paul Anka, what are you wearing? Paul Anka! Ooo edgy. C'mon, you know you love it." She slurps her coffee. "Hmmm donut. Need a donut."
"As you wish." He half sarcastically quips and quickly grabs one from behind the counter.
She bites into it and suddenly pouts.
"Stale?"
"No." she sighs, "Rory."
"What? Did I miss something."
She sighs and looks at him doe eyed. "I haven't seen her in months, Luke! Months! I know she is off tramping around the world like she is supposed to be and like I wanted her to do, but I miss her. And eating donuts with her...and movies...and Paul Anka...and...she called me today and she had THE voice."
"THE Voice?"
"The Hi mom, I'm fine, I just interviewed Kim Kardashian's butt and am scheduled to go to a city whose name I can't pronounce next week in a country whose name is even longer and I just had a fling with the hot office boy and ohhhh I'm so carefree look at me, I'm fine! Which translates to "Hey Mom I am really not fine at all." Yep, something is wrong. I don't know what. But something is definitely wrong and she doesn't want to tell me."
Luke pulls out the chair across from her and turns it around, draping his legs over it so his chest hugs the back.
He reaches across the table and puts his hand on top of hers.
"Has it ever occurred to you that maybe she misses here, and you too?"
"But she is globe trotting! Seeing the world, just like she always wanted. And Stars Hollow is Stars Hollow. Just our tiny little corner of Connecticut. She always wanted to get out, see other places. She was always too big for this town." She blows her hair in front of her face and pushes the donut away.
"Hey, how about next time she is in the city, we head to New York? Yeah, we could even rent a limo and go if you want...make a real day out of it...and..."
"Luke." Lorelai tries to interrupt, her eyes softening as she looks at him.
"We could go to the place that you said you liked that one time and..."
"Luke." Her eyes soften further and she gives a puff of a sigh.
"Actually I'll call her and schedule something myself if you..."
"Luke."
He looks at her and a brief flash of déjà vu washes over him.
"Luke, I'm ready."