I have nothing…nothing…nothing…nothing…Including the rights to Gilmore Girls.
Rusty
The nights were endless and dark. The days were cloudy and damp. He waited for her to call. For her to walk through the diner door smiling and begging him for a cup of coffee.
But she hasn't come in. He hasn't seen the charming smile that he first fell in love with. And she hasn't asked him for a cup of coffee for five months, two weeks, and four days. Since the day she left him to see the world. To see if she was truly missing something in her life.
See the pyramids along the Nile…Watch the sunrise on a tropic isle…
He hears her voice almost every other day. She calls him to tell him of the wonders she has seen. The places that she only dreamed of as a child, coming to life, presenting themselves as backdrops in her own personal movie. He notes how exited she is. She's been to Egypt, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Innsbruck, and Madrid. Her passport is almost full, and she tells him that it doesn't leave her purse unless she has to hand it to someone in customs. She is living the dream that she had all but given up on. And he continues to love her so much that he has to let her go, has to let her roam.
Just remember darling all the while…
You belong to me.
She tells him that she loves him. That she thinks about him whenever she drinks a cup of coffee or eats a highly unhealthy dinner.
When she was in Scotland she bought him a kilt and sent it FedEx, over the massive never-ending ocean all the way to his tiny little diner in the humble state of Connecticut. She commented on their love of plaid and said that he would probably be one of the most fashionable men in the country. That they'd make him their own personal Brad Pitt.
He could only laugh at this and feel the need to quit wearing his usual attire. Because it only caused him to think about her further.
See the market place in old Algiers…Send me photographs and souvenirs…
He has a picture that she sent to him, tacked to the wall behind the counter. She had written that it was taken in Athens near the Parthenon. Her beauty, even within the capsule of a picture, mesmerized him. He felt like a moth drawn to the flame, only to find himself being burnt.
In the picture, she has a pink flower in her hair as she half smiles at the camera. She told him in the letter she sent along with the picture, that one of her female colleagues had taken it for her. They were both a little tipsy and were talking about men. She had mentioned Luke to her, and how they hadn't seen each other for months. Her colleague then suggested that they take a picture to send to him, and that they should ask him to send one back, to see if he was in any way different. She did it only because she found herself curious, wondering if Luke had changed at all. But then she realized that it was Luke, and that he had barely changed in twenty years and that five months couldn't have made that much of a difference. Little did she know that he wasn't even close to being the same Luke he was when she boarded that private jet and lost sight of him as she left the ground.
She probably wouldn't even recognize him. He had grown out a beard long and curly brown. He stopped wearing flannel and instead wore long sleeve thermal shirts and zip up sweatshirts. He didn't wear the signature backwards blue baseball-cap anymore either. Many people in town noticed how he didn't even bother with appearance anymore and Taylor yelled at him on many occasions to shave his beard saying that it wasn't sanitary. And as he shoved Taylor out the door he reasoned that it was his diner and his rules.
And now, looking at her picture, seeing her tanned freckled skin, and her crystal blue eyes, he wonders if she found someone better suited for her, someone willing to personally show her the world, rather than someone who just let her be, do her thing, and waited for her to return.
Just remember when a dream appears…You belong to me.
The first few weeks after she left, he found himself angry, upset, he cried at night, and yelled at people during the day. He wanted so much for her, but he had to give up a piece of himself to let her find what she was searching for.
Her first stop was Dublin. As she stepped off the plane she was awe struck by the beautiful green hillsides and the endless blue skies. It was more than she had imagined, it was more than any picture book could ever reveal. She was in love. But days later after a few endless meetings, and the constant movement, she found herself aching for the man she loved. She spent the first few nights, locked in her hotel room, calling Luke and divulging her insecurities that were presented when she started her job. She revealed her lonesomeness and void without him near. And before she drifted off to slumber she whispered words of love and admiration, thank you's and goodnight's.
I'll be so alone, without you…Maybe you'll be lonesome too…
And months later, they lost contact.
She hadn't called for days. He hadn't gotten a letter. She didn't return his messages. He decided to give up. She had found what she wanted…and it wasn't him.
Fly the ocean in a silver plane…See the jungle when it's wet with rain…
Just remember until your home again…
You belong to me…
Soon, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and before he knew it he found his birthday fast approaching. He was turning 39…alone.
And one day, glancing at his calendar, he became aware that it had been three weeks, and he still hadn't spoken with her. No contact whatsoever. All he had heard was that was that she was in Berlin, because she had called Sookie the previous day, to let her know her whereabouts.
It was at that time when he decided to let go, to forget.
And I'll be so alone without you…Maybe you'll be lonesome too…
Then one night, while he was fast asleep in his cold and empty apartment, he woke up to his phone ringing. He hesitated to answer it, but did none-the-less.
"Hello?"
"Luke?"
"Lorelai?"
"Hey…"
"Hi."
There was a deafening silence for a brief moment and before he could speak he heard her hang up.
Fly the ocean in a silver plane…
See the jungle when it's wet with rain…
It was his birthday and no one even knew. No one said anything to him. In fact Taylor picked a fight with him and Kirk annoyed him more than usual. He just pretended it was any other day. He worked hard, and kept himself distracted.
He closed up early, sending customers away when he found he just couldn't keep up the façade anymore. He cleaned up and went upstairs to drink himself to sleep.
Six beers later he began to doze off.
On his back with an arm slung over his eyes to keep out the light emerging from the hallway, his mind was set in motion and he entered a dream.
He saw Lorelai in a snow-white sundress, a crimson red flower in her hair, lying in the thick emerald grass looking up at him. He then saw himself; he looked ten years younger, no beard, no bags under his eyes. He seemed to look as youthful as he felt when he gazed at the women below him.
"Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm pregnant."
His eyes widened.
"You're what?"
"Pregnant."
He captured her lips with her own and pulled the flower out of her hair, twisting it in his fingers in front of her face, watching as the pedals become uniform in front of their eyes.
"Luke?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you, too."
Then the clouds came and the sun was gone, and the world was painted in grays, and blacks, and when he looked down again, Lorelai was gone and he was face down on top of grass that looked and felt like cement. He called out for her.
"Lorelai?"
The rain began to fall. The trees disappeared. Soon, he was completely alone with the rain, the sky, and the hard colorless grass beneath his feet.
He woke up suddenly, springing into a sitting position, his hand over his heart.
He thought he heard the feint sound of a bell jingling.
He brushed it off and closed his eyes again, throwing his arm over his face once more.
He made a mental note, to turn off the hall light, next time.
He began to fall asleep once more when he heard her call his name.
"Luke?"
He figured it was all in his mind. He hadn't heard her voice in so long he believed that he would never again.
"Luke?"
He opened his eyes. Just to make sure he was dreaming…but he wasn't.
In front of him was the raven-haired beauty that he had been in love with for what seemed like his whole life. She was dressed in a business suit. Her hair pulled back into a low ponytail. She seemed older than he remembered her; she used to look so young. He was sure she didn't wear T-shirts with whimsical sayings and peace signs on them anymore. She was a world traveler. She was an adult. He wished that she wasn't.
"Luke? I…"
She looked down at the floor before pulling her ponytail out and letting her hair cascade around her face. He wanted nothing more then to run his fingers through her soft dark tresses.
Just remember until your home again…You belong to me…
He still couldn't speak. He was in too much shock to do so. The woman that he had yearned to see for almost six months was standing right in front of him, and he couldn't say a god damned word.
She finally looked at him again. Her indigo eyes were glowing in the darkness through the thick curtain of hair hiding almost all of her delicate features.
She brought her hands up and began to remove the blazer she wore, button by button until she slid it off and let it fall to the floor. She wasn't wearing a shirt underneath and she was now standing in his little apartment in a clearly expensive brassiere.
He sat up, startled by her actions and began to protest when she slid out of her pants, and kicked off her shoes, before moving to stand at the foot of the bed.
He tried to say something, anything. But he felt as if his tongue was lodged in his throat. He swallowed hard. It was still stuck.
She began to crawl onto the bed and up his body until she was face to face with him.
He was floored by the tender look she gave him while she pushed a strand of hair away from his forehead.
"You grew a beard."
She stroked the hair on his face and when she reached the ends, gave the bead a good tug.
"Very Grizzly Adams."
Her index finger slid along the softness of his lower lip.
"Happy Birthday, Luke."
Even though he wanted to yell at her, tell her hated her, tell her that he never wanted to see her again, make her hurt as much as he did while she was gone, despite all pf that…he felt the beginning of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Lorelai…"
"Shh…"
She let her finger silence him before she gave him a light peck on the lips.
"I love you…and I'm never leaving you again."
Her finger fell off of his lips and she let her hand rest upon his broken heart.
She snuggled into his side and he pulled the covers over her half naked body.
"I love you, too. You know that?"
He felt her nodding into his side as he closed his eyes.
They began to drift into sleep when he heard her whispering in his ear.
"I belong to you."
The End.
A/N: I know it jumps around a lot and there are different tenses…But I do that for a good reason. It's a reflection of their feelings. They are both unsure, afraid, trying to figure out where to go. It's not structured so that it flows.
I hope you all get what I'm trying to show here.
Oh, and the song…Most important part. "You Belong to Me" was performed by Bob Dylan, Patsy Cline, Jason Wade, and Vonda Shepard, just to name a few. And it was written by Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart & Chilton Price.
Definatly one of my favorite songs. I recommend that you listen to it. I play it on my gutair almost everyday!
Tell me what you thought of this story. I'd like to get some feedback. If you think it could use some more work I would be more than willing to rewrite.
And fear not, I'm working on chapter 3 of "A Tale of Poes, Fire, and Luke" already and it should be up sometime either tonight or tomorrow!
Thanks for reading!
Rusty