"What the hell is wrong with me?"

Lorelai sighed and blew a bit of hair out of her face. She was tired and cranky and didn't know why.

"Why does it matter what I wear? It's just Luke, right? Right, and I don't need to dress up for Luke, do I? I mean, it's just a movie...with Luke. No big deal, right?" She stared into her closet. "Great Lorelai, now you're talking to yourself too. Next stop, Star's Hollow Loony Bin."

She slammed the closet door and flopped down on her bed. "Where's Rory when I need her?" Luke was picking her up in 20 minutes and she still wasn't dressed. "Why is this such a problem? Luke sees me everyday, he doesn't care what I wear!" She groaned and closed her eyes. "Oh screw this!" She grabbed the phone and punched in some numbers.

"Hello?"

"What do I wear?" Lorelai cried into the phone.

"Lorelai? I..uh..."

"Oh, sorry Jackson, is Sookie home?"

"Yes she is, just a minute."

Lorelai heard fumbling around and a baby cry and a moment later Sookie picked up the phone.

"Lorelai?"

"Sookie, what do I wear?"

"To where, sweetie?"

"Tonight, with Luke? C'mon Sook, keep up!"

Sookie gasped. "Oh right, that's tonight! What are you going to wear?"

"Sookie! He's going to be here in..." she looked at her watch, "15 minutes! I don't know if this is such a good idea anymore..."

"Lorelai, calm down. You're nervous, that's normal."

"I am not nervous, it's just Luke, Sookie. It's no big deal. I am definitely not nervous. Definitely. Oh god, I'm nervous! Why am I nervous?"

"I think you know why. It's Luke. You guys have been dancing around each other for years and finally it's all starting to come to a head. You're meant to be together."

"Sookie, stop. That's not true, and I wish you would stop saying that. Luke is not in love with me, and I am not in love with him. We're just.."

"Just friends, I know." Sookie finished for her. "I've heard that before...the whole town has heard that before. But we can also see what you both can't. You know the saying "Love is blind"? Well, in your cases it's really blind. Wait, can one be really blind? I mean, you're either blind or you're not, right?"

"Sookie, just drop it. Okay, maybe there's something between Luke and I, but we're not 'meant to be'. There's no such thing. Whatever happens between us will happen. Fate has nothing to do with it."

"Wow, you're even starting to sound like Luke. You know what that means! Pretty soon you'll be finishing each others sentences and dressing alike...oh, it's so exciting!" Sookie giggled into the phone.

"Oh my god Sookie, stop it right now! You've lost your mind! Luke and I are never going to be like that! And besides, could you see me in flannel? It's so not me...Oh my god, Sookie, what am I going to wear? He's going to be here in 10 minutes!"

Sookie stopped giggling." Okay, calm down and breathe. You're just going to a movie, right?"

"Right, and then probably to the diner afterwards."

"Okay, then you want to be comfortable. Wear some jeans and a comfy, yet sexy top. I know you have lots of those. And just relax. Like you said, it's just Luke. You'll have fun."

"Okay, you're right. Thanks Sookie. I really gotta go."

"Okay sweetie, call me later."

"I will, Bye." Lorelai hung up the phone and walked over to her closet. "Hmmm...comfy, yet sexy. I can do that."

---

Ten minutes later Lorelai walked downstairs just as the doorbell rang. "Hmmm...he's punctual. We can work on that." She opened the door.

"Hey, am I late?" Luke stood on the doorstep in a blue button-up shirt that he had tucked into his jeans. Comfy, yet sexy, Lorelai thought.

"No, you're right on time. Try harder next time." She smiled and moved away from the door. "Come in, I'll just get my purse."

Luke walked in to the living room with his hands in his pockets. Lorelai noticed that he was being kind of quiet. Well, quiet for Luke, anyway. Is he nervous? No way, he can't be nervous! Can he? She thought. "So.." She called from the kitchen, "What movie are we seeing?"

"Apparently they're having a Salute to Stallone week, and tonight is Cliffhanger, I think."

"Hmm, not one of his better movies, I have to say. Whatever happened to Rocky?"

"That was last night, and the night before, and the night..well, you get the picture."

"Right, Rocky overload, got it. Thank you for sparing me." She walked back into the living room and smiled.

"Anytime. You ready?"

"Honey, I was born ready. Let's go!"

---

Two hours later they walked out of the bookstore and Lorelai slipped her arm in Luke's. She didn't notice Luke smile to himself. "Well, that was two hours of my life I'll never get back." Lorelai said.

"Well, you're not alone there. We wasted those two hours with the rest of these fools too. Only they didn't do it while eating the entire contents of the snack bar."

"Hey!" Lorelai faked shock. "It wasn't the entire contents..it was only half."

"Oh, sorry, my mistake."

"But you know what would go great with the aftertaste of all that candy?" Lorelai looked at Luke hopefully.

"No, but I'm sure you'll enlighten me."

"Coffee from Luke's Diner!" Lorelai grinned.

Luke rolled his eyes. "I should have seen that coming. Your dentist must be a very rich man."

"Well, he's not poor, lets just say that."

Luke sighed. "Fine, let's go."

"Hah!" Lorelai laughed as she pulled him towards the diner.

Luke fumbled in his pocket for his keys while Lorelai fidgeted beside him. "Come on Luke, I need coffee!"

"Hold on! You won't die if you don't get coffee in the next two minutes."

Lorelai scoffed. "And how do you know? I might! There is a first time for everything, my friend!"

"Just trust me, you won't be the first. I'm not that lucky."

"Yeah, well make sure you put that in the eulogy, will ya? Right after the song and dance number, but before the parade."

"Right, I'll be sure to do that." Luke found his keys and opened the door.

"You're a mean date." Lorelai pouted.

"Do you want your coffee or not?" Luke asked from behind the counter.

"You're the best date ever!" Lorelai skipped over to a stool and sat down. "Gimme."

"Geez, nice manners." Luke scowled at her.

"Just pour, Coffee Boy."

"Boy..?" Luke smirked at her.

"Well...uh...ok..Coffee...Man." Lorelai blushed.

Luke turned his back to her as he prepared the coffee. He smiled to himself. He enjoyed teasing her and loved the look she got when he surprised her. She's not the only one who can flirt. He thought.

"So I'm the best date ever, am I?" He turned back towards her and grinned.

"Don't get too cocky, I don't have much to compare it to. And actually, you're more like, Top 5 anyway."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, well, you'll have to do better next time."

"Next time? So, you wanna do this again?"

"Oh, well, umm....we could, if you wanted to...I mean, not the same thing, because there's no way I'm sitting through that movie again, but something along the date-like lines, sure. I mean, if you want to." Lorelai looked at her hands resting on the counter.

"I want to," Luke said softly. "Tonight was nice."

Lorelai looked up into Luke's eyes. He was smiling as he reached forward and covered her hands with his. "Lorelai..." He started. All of a sudden he heard a splashing and sizzling sound behind him. He turned and noticed that he had forgetten to put a pot under the coffeemaker. "Dammit!" He grabbed a pot and shoved it in place. "Now I have to clean this up."

"Um, Luke, could you make that coffee to go? I really should get home. I promised Rory I wouldn't be too late." Lorelai avoided his gaze.

"Oh...uh..yeah, sure. It'll just be another minute." He grabbed a towel and busied himself with cleaning the mess of coffee so Lorelai wouldn't see the dissapointment on his face.

When the coffee was finished, Luke poured some into a takeout cup for Lorelai and handed it to her. "So, I'll see you for breakfast? "

"Oh, I can't. I have to be at the inn early. But I might see you for lunch though. With the Opening on Thursday, I'm going to be really busy for the next few days. But I'm sure we'll run into each other..." She still hadn't looked at him.

"Yeah, I'm sure." Luke scowled. What is going on with her? He thought.

"Okay, well...Thanks for the coffee, and the movie...and just...well, thanks. See ya." Lorelai quickly glanced at Luke, opened the door and walked out, heading for home.