Lorelai sighed in contentment as she entered Luke's for her morning coffee. Rory was away on a Chilton camp and so she reminded herself to enjoy the time alone.
Sitting down on the usual seat at the cafe table, Lorelai eyed Luke.
His mouth was turned downwards and his face was screwed into a scowl.
She smiled to herself as his eyes lightened when he saw her, walking over with the coffee pot.
"So who killed the clown?" Lorelai smiled, mischievously.
Luke pressed his lips in a straight line before taking a deep sigh.
"Well, notice anything different about my appearance today, Lorelai?" His eyes showed his irritation.
Lorelai smiled to herself, noticing his untamed hair standing out more than usual.
She gasped.
"Your hat! Where has Luke gone!" She looked around the cafe,mockingly.
He pursed his lips in amusement.
"Yeah, well I lost it last night, after a walk near the forest. Must have blown off in the snow. How did I not realise? It was my favourite hat." He grumbled, incoherently.
"Hmm. Well maybe it'll turn up." She smiled, drinking the last of her coffee as she scurried out the door to go to work. Luke smiled to himself, watching her leave. Something about Lorelai just made him happy.
Lorelai was distracted throughout work, constantly disheartened by how sad Luke looked. She thought of looking for the hat herself, but the snow was getting deeper by the hour and a storm was due to hit in the evening.
The day came to an end, and Lorelai cursed herself internally for not bringing her coat, as she braced the bitter winds on the way to her car.
The temperature was getting lower. She needed coffee to warm up and perhaps she could cheer Luke up.
Walking into the diner, his eyes lit up, momentarily breaking through his dull expression.
Lorelai smiled.
"How was your day sunshine?"
Luke smiled ironically and poured her a cup of coffee,
"You finished later than normal?" He pondered.
Lorelai glanced at the clock. It was 7pm! The day must have completely escaped her.
"Yeah, wow! We had so many new clients today though which kept me on my toes."
Lorelai sipped her coffee gratefully and shivered slightly.
Luke's eyes narrowed. "Lorelai, there's a freezing,windy storm on the way and you choose today of all days to not bring a coat to work." He frowned, concerned.
He motioned for her to sit closer to the fire and she followed, smiling gratefully as she sat at the opposite end of the diner counter, losing herself in thought as she watched Luke serve the customers.
Lorelai felt a tug of sadness on her heart as she thought of how disheartened Luke was about losing his hat, earlier. He'd done so much for her, maybe this was something she could return the favours to.
As Luke served the last few customers of the day, Lorelai decided to plan her escape. The forest was just across the end of the street where Luke lost his hat, however she would have to walk, as her little car wouldn't be able to get through the thick snow.
She was sure the hat wouldn't be far and would be covered on the walk trail and she'd be back in 10 mins tops.
She quickly stood up, preparing herself to face the cold, as she navigated through the chatting customers to the door. She saw that Luke was still distracted.
She bumped into Mrs Patty.
"And where are you going in such a hurry Lorelai?" She smiled.
Lorelai continued to exit the diner muttering back, "I'm seeing a snowman about a hat!"