A/N – This is a new story and I'm actually really excited and proud of it. As of right now, it will most likely be two chapters. they'll both be pretty long, though.
Thanks for reading and please review!
Disclaimer – The usual… I don't own Gilmore girls or any of the characters (obviously) but you already know that.
Also, I have another Gilmore girls story. It's called Falling for Forever and I'd love if you'd read it and review!
Okay, sorry that was a lot. Let's get into the story!
"Luke, I'm leaving…"
Luke remembered those words like it happened yesterday. Five years ago, Lorelai left. Right after the wedding – the wedding he invited her to as his date – she told him she was leaving. He had just realized that Lorelai was perfect for him. He listened to sappy self help tapes and read books about love and he realized that Lorelai was the one for him. She had been there the whole time. Sure, at times, he liked her, and he always saw a future with her, but when he was finally ready to have that, to have that future, she left. It's been five years since he had seen her, five years since he had talked to her… Five miserable years.
"I had a really great time tonight." Luke told her.
"Me too." Lorelai smiled up at him.
"Yeah?" He asked, taking a step closer.
"Yeah," Lorelai responded seductively.
Luke put one hand on her waist and pulled her closer. His other hand rested on her cheek, as he pulled her in for a kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him back softly. He loved the feeling of her soft lips, and she loved the feeling of his freshly shaven stubble, but after a few seconds, Lorelai pulled away.
"I'm sorry," she said, putting her hand up to her mouth and taking a step back.
"What? Why?" Luke asked.
"I… Luke, I'm leaving." Lorelai closed her eyes, waiting for a response.
"What?" Luke asked quietly, staring at the ground.
"I'm leaving."
"Lorelai…"
"I'm going to New York."
Luke couldn't look at her. "How long will you be gone?" He asked, still staring at the ground.
"We're selling the house…"
"What?" Luke's eyes snapped up to Lorelai's. He looked over at the Gilmore house, the crap shack, the place where he had fixed so many problems; so many messes.
"Rory's at Yale, and I'll be in New York… we can't keep the house."
Luke stayed silent for a moment before he finally spoke again. "So you're not coming back?" He asked with a disappointed tone. His eyes frantically searched the yard for anything to distract him from looking at Lorelai.
"I don't know…" Lorelai's eyes turned glassy. She could tell Luke was hurt, and she hated seeing him that way.
"Why?" He asked again, focusing on the chuppah he made her when she was engaged to Max.
"Everything here is just too much. I can't deal with it all. And I've got a lot of opportunities in New York. I needed a change and I'm deciding to make it."
Luke sighed. "When do you leave?"
"Two days."
Luke's eyes shot back to her again. "Were you even going to tell me?" His tone was more harsh now.
"Luke, of course." Lorelai put her hand out to touch his shoulder, but he pulled away.
"Two days." He repeated. He had looked back down to the ground.
Lorelai nodded and Luke started to walk away.
"Luke!" She called out to him, hoping he'd turn around so they could talk about it more.
He put his hand up to say 'I need to be alone' or 'don't come after me' or 'give me space.'
Luke always thought about Lorelai when it snowed. It had been five years since he saw her last, and he shouldn't even be thinking about her anymore. He had moved on, and he was sure that Lorelai had moved on in New York with all those 'GQ'd up' up guys that she seemed to like so much.
"Luke? Come inside honey," Katie called out. Luke was sitting on the steps of her house as it snowed around him.
"I'm fine…" he said.
"Luke, as your girlfriend, I really want you to stay alive. Come on, you'll freeze out here." She held her hand out to him.
Luke took her hand and stood up, following Katie into her house. They watched a movie and Luke made dinner. Luke usually loved being with Katie, but on this night, the first snow of the season, he couldn't help but be a little bit sad.
Once Katie had gone to sleep, Luke pulled a letter out of his wallet. The letter Lorelai gave him the day she left.
Luke,
I'm not really sure what to say. I'm leaving, but you already know that. And I told you I'm leaving because everything here is too much for me and I need a change. I promise, you are not part of the reason I'm leaving. You're one of the only reasons I have stayed this long.
The Inn… well, Sookie and Michel can handle the Inn. They'll find another amazing person to run the Inn. I know this is terrible timing, but I really need to leave. I can't stay here.
Anyways, I just want to say thank you, Luke. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Thank you for feeding me, thank you for fixing things around the house, thank you for always being there for me to talk to, thank you for giving me coffee even though it will kill me, thank you for being my friend. Thank you for caring so much about Rory.
About this kiss, um, it was really unexpected. I didn't plan for that to happen, and I'd never want to hurt you like that on purpose. It was a great kiss. No, not great. Luke, it was so incredibly amazing and I'm sorry that we won't be able to do it again. I'm so, so sorry, Luke, you have no idea.
I know I should tell you all this in person, but I'd get too emotional and I'd forget what I wanted to say… I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just didn't know how. I'm sorry for all the crap I've put you through… crap that was probably all my fault or crap that I totally over exaggerated.
God, how many times can I say sorry in one letter. I guess one more.
Luke, I love you for all these things and more, and I'm so sorry, but I have to go.
-Lorelai
Luke pulled this letter out every so often and read it. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get over Lorelai Gilmore.
When she first left, he'd sit on the stairs of her front porch with the letter in his hands, waiting and hoping he'd see her car pull up in the driveway. He hoped it was just some sick joke, but it wasn't. She was really gone.
After that night, the wedding night, Luke never spoke to Lorelai again. She didn't come in the diner for coffee or anything. She slid the letter under his door when he was sleeping. He couldn't even call her after she left because she got a new phone. Even if he could call her, he wouldn't know what to say.
Luke got out of Katie's bed and went downstairs. He wrote a note so she wouldn't be worried when she woke up.
I've got an early delivery tomorrow so I need to stay at the diner tonight. I'll see you soon.
-Luke
When he got back to the diner, he tried to sleep, but he couldn't. This time of year, winter, was always hard for him.
The next day, Luke opened up the diner.
"Luke, this isn't right," Kirk complained.
"What?"
"You didn't make my sandwich right."
"I don't care."
"Well can you ple-"
"No." Luke responded loudly before he walked away back into the storage room.
"Aw poor Kirk," Babette said.
"Poor Luke." Ms. Patty replied. "This time of year is always so hard for him."
"Oh I know. He's always so grumpy."
"That poor thing. It's been 5 years and he still can't get over her."
"Well he lives with his girlfriend." Babette pointed out.
"Oh please. He's no where near as happy with little Katie as he was with Lorelai. And he wasn't even dating Lorelai! Man, he loved that girl." Patty rambled on without realizing Katie had just entered the diner. When Patty saw her, she lowered her voice. "Plus he still keeps all his stuff in his apartment upstairs."
"Really?" Babette asked quietly. "Hasn't he been staying there for over a year?"
Patty nodded and the two of them looked over at Katie who was now sitting at the register.
When Luke came out of the storage room, he saw her.
"Hey!" She said happily.
"Hi." Luke responded, giving her a quick kiss. He realized where she was sitting – the stool next to the register - Lorelai's spot. It never really bothered him when people sat there, but right now, it did. "Can you move over a stool?" He asked.
"Yeah, why?" She asked, scooting over.
"Oh, uh, no reason."
Katie brushed off his response and asked him a question. "Would you say you live with me?"
"Yeah, I guess." Luke shrugged.
"Don't you think you should really move in? Like, bring all your stuff from your apartment over."
"Do you want me to?"
"Of course," she responded, noticing he seemed distant today.
"Then yeah… I'll bring my stuff."
"Okay… I have to head off to work. I'll be back tonight," she said, giving him another kiss.
"Okay."
"I love you."
Luke smiled. "Yeah. You too."
Katie gave Patty and Babette a glare as she walked out the door, and Luke started wiping down the counter.
"Luke you-"
"Shut it Kirk."
"Geez, you really get cranky when it snows." Kirk responded.
"What?" Luke asked.
"Since Lorelai liked the snow and now she's gone and snow reminds you of her. You get cranky."
Luke wanted to yell at Kirk, but he knew deep inside that Kirk was right. It had been five years, but it still got to him. Luke left his towel on the counter and went upstairs.
In New York, Lorelai was working hard. She trained/taught one of those business classes that her and Sookie always made fun of. She had become everything she never wanted to be. She got up every day at the same time and taught the same thing every day. After her classes, she'd either go home and watch tv, hang out with Rory (which wasn't too often because Rory graduated from Yale and was off doing her journalism things) or go on some crappy date.
Lorelai didn't like big city dating. She didn't like setting up times and meeting at restaurants and deciding whether or not she ever wanted to see the man again. She liked dating back in Connecticut. Chance encounters and unscheduled lunches. She liked seeing the man every day and knowing where to find him.
Lorelai went on tons of dates in New York, but no guy ever made it past a third date. She just couldn't find that man.
Her first year in New York was fun. She was exploring, she saw all the sights. But once she got into a routine. It was boring, and lonely. None of her neighbors were nice, and the city was too big to get to know everyone. Stars Hollow was great, everyone knew everyone and it was never lonely. There was always something going on, and there was always another person to talk to, no matter what. New York wasn't working out.
"Hello?" Rory answered the phone.
"Let's go."
"What?"
"Rory, lets go back." Lorelai responded.
"Really?" Rory asked, excited.
"Yes. Rory let's go."
"Ahh! Mom! What about New York. What about your job?"
"I quit today. Rory I'm done here. I hate it here."
"I know you do. You're really going back?"
"Yeah. I got the invitation to Sookie's baby shower the other day-"
"Wait, Sookie is having another kid? I thought they couldn't…"
"Well she's pregnant so… anyways, I got the invitation and I started thinking. Why am I here? There's nothing keeping me here. I don't know if I'll stay in Stars Hollow, but I know I can't stay here."
"When are you leaving?"
"I'm flying to Hartford tomorrow."
"I'll meet you there. I'm working on a new piece right now and I can write it from wherever."
"Do you think it's changed?" Lorelai asked.
"The Hollow? Nah, it never changes."
Neither of them were sure though. Lorelai had been gone for 5 years and Rory had only been back a few times to see Lane. Since her mom left, Rory really never had much reason to go back to Stars Hollow. While she was at Yale, she pretty much stayed on campus. She only visited the Hollow every once in a while to see Lane, and that's all she did. She went straight to Lane's house, and straight to Yale.
"When's the shower?" Rory asked.
"It's on Saturday."
"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, Mom."
"I love you."
"Love you too."
The next day, Lorelai got off her plane. She waited in the airport for a few hours for Rory.
"Mom!" Rory called out.
"Rory!" They ran to each other.
"It's been too long."
"Let's never go months without seeing each other again."
"I'm good with that," Rory responded, hugging her mother. "Are you excited?" Rory asked, pulling away.
"For what?"
"To be back. To see Sookie and Michel and Luke and Patty."
Lorelai's stomach clenched when Rory mentioned Luke. Lorelai never told anyone about the kiss or the letter she left. She kept it inside all these years, and she had no idea what was going to happen when she saw him again. She wondered if the townspeople of Stars Hollow knew about the kiss, of it Luke never told anyone either. She decided to change the subject. "Yeah. Yeah, I called Sookie and she said we could stay at the Inn."
"Really? That's awesome. I'm so excited to see it. I mean, you left the day it opened and Sookie and Michel have been running it for years. Ooh, I wonder who replaced you!"
"Rory!"
"Sorry."
"Lets go," Lorelai said, grabbing her bag.
Rory and Lorelai made their way out of the airport.
They decided to stop by Emily and Richard's first.
"Well, hello Lorelai. Rory." Emily greeted at the door.
"Hi Mom." Lorelai responded with a fake smile.
Emily led them into the living room where Richard was already sitting.
"Hello Lorelai. Rory it is lovely to see you." Richard greeted.
"Hi, Grandpa." Rory smiled.
"What brings you here, Lorelai?" Emily asked bluntly.
"Why do you assume I want something every time I come over?" Lorelai asked.
"Well you haven't seen us in five years, Lorelai. And then you call us out of the blue and say you're coming to visit. What did you expect us to think? At least Rory comes to see us," Emily said in her usual accusatory voice.
"Mom, Rory lived less than an hour away from you. I was in New York. I couldn't come for weekly visits."
"Oh please Lorelai."
"Emily!" Richard tried to stop the fight.
"You hate us and you only visit when you need money, and on holidays, and for Friday dinners. I bet you couldn't wait to move far, far away and never have to come to dinner again." Emily stood up and talked down to Lorelai.
"Mom! I'm here now, okay? I'm not here for money, and I don't think any national holidays are today, so, can we just start over?"
Emily sat back down in her chair. "Fine."
The rest of the night wasn't bad, but it wasn't good. They talked about life and New York and Yale and journalism. They talked about Emily and Richards upcoming vacations. The night was sort of boring. None of the conversations really meant anything. It was kind of refreshing.
At the end of the night, Richard gave them money to pay for a cab up to Stars Hollow.
It was around 9:00 when they got there. Rory made sure to text Lane and right when they got there, Rory went to help out and say hi to Lane and Zack's kids. Lorelai headed straight to the Inn to see Sookie.
When Lorelai got there, she didn't even think. She went straight towards the kitchen. She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"What are you doing?" The girl asked.
"Oh, I was going to see Sookie." Lorelai responded.
"You have to be an employee to enter the kitchen."
"Honey, I built this place." Lorelai responded, she was too tired to deal with this, and to be honest, a little tipsy.
"Wait. You're Lorelai?" She asked.
"Yeah. And who are you?"
"I'm Katie. I'm the manager here now."
"Ahh. Well, Katie. Can I go see my pregnant best friend now?"
Katie moved out of the way and Lorelai entered the kitchen.
"SOOKIE!" She yelled.
"AHH! LORELAI!" Sookie came up to her and gave her a huge hug.
"It's been so long!"
"I know! You need to visit more often."
"Hopefully," Lorelai responded.
"So, tell me, tell me all about New York!"
"Well, its crowded, it stinks, and the people there are really rude."
"Oh." Sookie winced.
"Yeah. Now tell me all the gossip!"
"Okay. Kirk and Lulu are engaged." Sookie thought for a moment. "Actually that's really the only thing that's changed. It's the same ol' Stars Hollow with a new scandal everyday that everyone forgets about after a week."
"Really?" Lorelai asked. "No new street lights? No new businesses?"
"No." Sookie shook her head.
"Okay, what about my replacement. How's she?"
"Oh she's great. She's really sweet and nice to all the customers. I wouldn't say we're friends or anything but she's nice to everyone. Michel hates her though."
"Well, Michel hates everyone." Lorelai laughed. "Okay, new subject. How far along are you?"
"Seven months." Sookie replied happily.
"Seven? Damn Sook, we need to talk more."
"Yes we do." Sookie agreed.
"Where is Michel?" Lorelai asked.
"Um, he should be around here somewhere. He usually comes in around 10:00."
"Oh, ok."
Lorelai and Sookie continued to talk for hours until Rory came back. Around midnight, they finally went upstairs to their room.
Meanwhile Luke finished packing up all his stuff from his apartment above the diner.
"Okay," he said to Katie as he came down the stairs.
"You ready?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Okay lets go."
Luke packed up the truck and they drove over to her house. On the way, she couldn't help but bring up Lorelai.
"So, do you remember the woman that used to own the Inn?" Katie asked.
Luke's stomach clenched. He never talked about Lorelai. He especially never talked about Lorelai to Katie. "Um, you mean Lorelai?"
"Yeah, yeah," Katie said, eyeing him, searching for a reaction. Like always had a great poker face though, and no one really ever knew what he was thinking.
Luke never told her about Lorelai, but she has heard story after story from the townspeople about how perfect him and Lorelai were for each other and about how happy he used to be.
Luke didn't want to ask, but he had to. "Why?"
"Oh, it's just because she's here, in town."
"What? Lorelai's here?" Luke's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yeah, I think she was drunk, and she yelled at me to get the hell out of her way so she could talk to Sookie."
Luke laughed.
"What?" Katie asked.
"Sorry," Luke said when he stopped laughing. "That's just definitely a Lorelai thing to do."
"Oh…" Katie said, looking down at the floor.
For the rest of the night, Luke pretended like he didn't care that Lorelai was back. But really, all he wanted to do was find her, and talk to her. He had no idea what he would say to her after all these years, but he just had to see her. What if she was married, though? What if she had another kid? What if she was pregnant? Wait, she couldn't be pregnant if she had been drinking. He couldn't deal with all these thoughts and questions. He was pretending to sleep all night, but he was wide awake the whole time, with thoughts rushing through his brain.
When the alarm finally went off in the morning, Luke got up and rushed to get ready.
"Hey," Katie said when she came up to him in the bathroom.
"Hey."
"You look really tired," she pointed out.
"I didn't sleep too well," he said, looking down at her.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"I have to go to work." Luke bent down and gave her a kiss, and then walked off.
"Okay…" she said softly to herself and the, now empty, bathroom.
At the diner, Luke couldn't focus. Every time the bell on the door rung, he'd look up hoping it was Lorelai. But, of course it wouldn't be her. She never came in this early. She probably wasn't even awake. No one was talking about her, not Taylor, not even Babette or Ms. Patty. Somehow, he finally wasn't the last one to get the information.
"What time is it?" Rory asked when she woke up and saw that Lorelai was already dressed.
"Um, 7 ish."
"How are you awake?"
"I had to get up early for my job. I'm kind of used to it now." Lorelai shrugged.
"Well I'm glad I make my own hours," Rory said, plopping back down on the pillow.
"No, get up. We have to go get a present for Sookie. The baby shower is tomorrow." Lorelai started to pull Rory out of bed.
"Why didn't you just get her one while we were in New York?"
"Oh, I didn't think about that." Lorelai paused for a second. "Now, get up because we have to go to Hartford because all the baby stuff here will already be sold and I don't want to get the same gift as someone else."
"Fine, but only if we get Luke's first." Rory got out of bed and went into the bathroom.
"Oh. Okay." Lorelai responded quietly.
"It's been way too long since I had Luke's coffee." Rory called out from the bathroom. "How did you last five years without it?"
"I don't know." Lorelai called back to her.
When Rory was ready, they went down to the lobby.
"Hi guys," Katie greeted.
"Um, hi," Lorelai responded. "This is my daughter, Rory."
"Hey."
"Hi, I'm Katie."
Katie and Rory shook hands.
"You must be the new manager," Rory said.
"Well, it's been 5 years, but."
"Oh, well yeah. Wow." Rory thought about how long the Inn has actually been running. It still seems so new.
"Um, can we go talk to Sookie?" Lorelai asked.
"Sure." Katie didn't want non-employees in the kitchen but she could also tell that she didn't want to make Lorelai mad.
Lorelai and Rory came into the kitchen.
"Hey Sook." Lorelai called out.
"Hi babes!" Sookie came up and hugged both of them.
"What do you want?" Lorelai asked.
"What?"
"For the baby. What do you want?"
"Oh I don't care," Sookie said.
"Mom! You can't ask her what she wants. We have to surprise her." Rory gave her mom a soft punch on the arm.
"Ugh. Fine," Lorelai said with a fake disappointed tone. "We're headed out, we'll be back in a few hours."
"Okay, bye guys."
Lorelai and Rory went to stop by Luke's and get some coffee. Lorelai wasn't sure what to expect. Would he be sad? Would he be happy? Would act like he didn't care even though he did? Lorelai did always have a hard time reading him. She could never tell exactly what he was thinking. Sometimes she thought, maybe she could read him, but she just ignored it. She refused to accept what she thought he was thinking.
Before she knew it, they were standing outside the diner. Lorelai looked inside and didn't see Luke. Ms. Patty gasped when they walked in.
"Lorelai! Rory! Sweeties, come here!" Patty got up and hugged them. "Oh we've all missed you so much!"
When Luke heard their names and the big commotion, he came out of the storage room. Both Rory and Lorelai were facing away from him and they didn't see that he was now behind the counter.
"We've missed you all too." Rory said.
"Hey Kirk," Lorelai greeted when she saw Kirk at a table with a menu up, trying to hide himself.
"Lorelai," he said without looking at her.
"What's wrong Kirk?" Lorelai asked.
"You made Luke sad and now he's mean to me."
Lorelai's stomach clenched again. "Kirk," she said, sitting down. "Come on, Kirk, look at me." Lorelai pushed his menu down. "There you go," she said when his eyes met hers.
"What?" Kirk asked.
"You're engaged!"
Kirk let out a small smile.
"Ahh there it is!" Lorelai said, referring to his smile. "I knew you had it in you."
Kirk smiled again. "Welcome back."
"Why thank you, Kirk."
"Luke!" Rory yelled, running up to him.
Lorelai turned around quickly and watched Luke take her daughter into his arms for a big hug.
"Hey, kid," he said, looking down at her.
"Hey, Luke," Lorelai said with a smile as she walked over to them.
"Lorelai." He greeted her with a head nod and a nervous smile.
Rory and Lorelai sat down at the counter, and Luke's heart started beating faster when he saw Lorelai in her usual place next to the register. He made sure to check to see if she was wearing a ring. She wasn't.
"God, this place hasn't changed a bit," Rory noticed.
Luke handed them two cups and then started to pour the coffee. Lorelai checked to see if Luke was wearing a ring. He wasn't.
"No speech?" Lorelai asked.
Luke looked up at her and then started to spill the coffee.
"Luke!" Rory yelped when the hot coffee spilled into her lap.
"Oh! Sorry!" Luke pulled the coffee pot away and grabbed towels. He handed them to Rory and she started to pat herself dry.
"Can we?" Lorelai asked, looking over to the stairs.
"Yeah, yeah go run it under cold water." Luke said referring to the stain.
"Thanks." Rory went up to Luke's apartment and Lorelai followed.
"Woah," Lorelai said when they opened the door. Everything in the apartment was gone except for the furniture.
"Yeah." Rory replied, looking around.
Lorelai shook out of her thoughts. "Okay, come on." Lorelai led Rory over to the bathroom sink where she took off her pants and started washing them.
"I'm going to head back down…" Lorelai stated.
"Okay, bye Mom," Rory said, scrubbing at her pants under the faucet.
Lorelai walked back down the stairs and found Luke wiping down the counters.
"Well, that was different," she said, sitting back down at her usual spot.
"What?" He asked.
Lorelai looked up at the ceiling and he realized what she meant.
"Oh, um. Yeah. I moved. Uh, yesterday," Luke said nervously.
"Really? Where?"
"It's just outside of town. Only a few minutes away."
"Oh," Lorelai responded.
Luke grabbed another cup and filled it with coffee for Lorelai.
"Sorry about that."
"Oh, she'll be fine. We were going to catch a bus to Hartford but I guess we have to stop back at the Inn, now."
"Wait. You don't have the Jeep?" Luke asked.
"No, it's still in New York." Lorelai could tell Luke was uncomfortable, and so was she.
"Oh, so, you're not staying?" Luke asked.
"I don't know, I might. I uh, I quit my job. I'm totally unattached. I could go anywhere I want, I guess," Lorelai said, realizing how scary that sounded. She had no where to go. She didn't want to go back to her apartment in New York, and she wasn't sure if she'd stay here. She was totally free, and it scared her.
"How did you get here?" He asked.
"We flew."
"Why? It's faster to drive." He pointed out.
"The Jeep isn't doing so well anymore, and flying is fun."
"You're crazy." He rolled his eyes.
"I know." Lorelai flashed him a smile.
"I can drive you and Rory back to the Inn," Luke said. Lorelai raised her eyebrows and Luke clarified. "I mean so Rory doesn't have to walk back with coffee stained, wet pants."
Lorelai leaned back a little, realizing how close they were. "Oh, um. Okay."
Luke gave her a nod and then went around to check on everyone else in the diner.
"So…" Patty said to Luke in a knowing voice. "What now?" She gestured to Lorelai.
"What do you mean?" Luke asked, annoyed.
"I mean, now that Lorelai's back." Patty gestured to Lorelai up at the counter.
"Nothing." Luke replied gruffly.
"Nothing? But Luke, you have to tell her you love her." Patty replied.
"No. And keep your voice down," he said, looking back to Lorelai to see if she heard anything. "Patty I have a girlfriend," he said quietly.
"Oh please. That girl is nothing compared to Lorelai. Come on, Luke. You know it. No one will ever be as perfect for each other as you and Lorelai."
"Aw geez," Luke said, walking away from Patty.
"Think about it!" Patty called to him.
"No!" He yelled back.
He hadn't told anyone about the kiss either. Well, except for Kirk. Somehow, Kirk got it out of him. No one knew what happened, they just knew that Lorelai leaving broke him. Luke was broken, and he still wasn't fixed. He got better at hiding it throughout the years, and he was slowly healing, but everyone in town knew that Luke missed Lorelai.
He went back to the counter and started wiping it down again.
"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked.
"Nothing," Luke replied harshly. He looked up and everyone at the diner was staring at him. "Sorry," he said, his voice getting softer. "I'm just. Dealing with a lot right now."
"Oh, okay," Lorelai said with a sigh. "I'm sorry too."
"Why?" He asked, looking up at her.
"The way I left. It wasn't right, I'm sorry."
He looked into her eyes sadly but before he could speak, the bells on the diner door rung and in walked Katie.
"Hey," she said sitting a stool away from Lorelai. She leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Luke's lips.
Lorelai's eyes widened and she looked at Luke. Why didn't he tell her? Did Luke move because he was moving in with Katie?
"Uh, Lorelai, this is Katie…" Luke trailed off. "My girlfriend," he added quietly.
"Yeah, we've met," Lorelai responded. She looked over at Katie who seemed uncomfortable, and then back at Luke who seemed confused and nervous. "Um, I'm going to go check on Rory." Lorelai went back up the stairs.
"Hey…" Katie said, snapping Luke out of his thoughts.
"Oh, sorry. Hi," he said.
"What was that?" Katie asked.
"What?"
"You never let people go up to your apartment," she pointed out.
"Yeah, well they're different."
"What?"
"No, I mean. Lorelai and Rory have been up there tons of times. Rory and my nephew Jess would hang out up there and… um… I actually have no idea why Lorelai came up there all the time." Luke looked around nervously.
"Luke, I know about your thing with Lorelai."
"What? What thing?" Luke asked even though he knew exactly what she was talking about.
"You had a thing with Lorelai."
"What? Lorelai and I never had a 'thing'," he said with air quotes. "Who told you this?"
"The whole town!" Katie said, raising her voice. Everyone in the diner turned to look at them.
"The town is stupid," Luke said loudly so they would all hear him.
"Come on Luke, I know you like her." Katie lowered her voice again.
"Fine. I liked her, but that was 5 years ago. She left, and I moved on. Okay?" Luke said to Katie, but he didn't give her time to answer. "I moved on!" He yelled to everyone in the diner. He noticed that the people in the diner weren't looking at him anymore, they were looking at Lorelai and Rory who had just come down the stairs. Rory's pants were wet, but it was Stars Hollow. Weird things always happened in Stars Hollow, plus they all saw Luke spill on her.
"Um, we're going to go," Lorelai said, not making eye contact with Luke or Katie. She latched onto Rory.
"Wait, I was going to dr-" Luke started to speak but Lorelai cut him off, still not making eye contact.
"We can walk," she snapped back.
"Mom, it was kind of a long walk here," Rory pointed out.
"Well we walked it to come here, we can walk it back."
"Yeah, but my pants are wet."
"Well, that'll cool you off on the way."
Lorelai kept walking fast without looking back. Soon, the diner was out of sight.
"Mom, what was that?" Rory asked.
"That was Luke, and Luke's girlfriend."
"Really? Luke is dating her?" Rory asked, surprised.
"Yeah."
"Wait." Rory realized they were getting off topic. "No, I mean the thing about you."
Lorelai sighed and stopped walking. "We kissed," she said bluntly.
"What?" Rory asked excitedly.
"Luke and I, the night of the wedding. He kissed me, or I kissed him. I don't know. But then I left and I never saw him again. I wrote him a letter, but that was it. No contact."
"Mom! Why would you do that?"
"Do what?"
"Leave! Luke liked you for years and years and I'm guessing he thought you finally liked him too and then you left."
Lorelai started to feel bad. "I had already planned on leaving, Rory. The kiss, it was unexpected."
"Why didn't you tell him you were leaving?"
"I didn't know how!" Lorelai yelled, tears filling her eyes. "Okay? I didn't know how. I didn't want to hurt him, and I hate seeing him upset. I didn't want to upset him before his sisters wedding, so I waited until after, but then we kissed." She wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye with her sleeve.
"Okay…" Rory realized that this hurt Lorelai. "Well, what did you immediately think when I said we should go to Luke's?"
"I wondered if he'd be mad or sad or if he wouldn't care. I wondered if he was in a relationship or if he was the same ol' loner we knew and loved."
"Mom, is he the reason you didn't date anyone in New York?" Rory asked.
"I dated!"
"Seriously… is he the reason you didn't have any serious relationships?"
"No. Well, yes and no. Here, I had Max, I had Chris, and there was Luke. Here, were nice men and I knew them and we had fun. In New York, it was impossible to get to know anyone. You'd have to set dates and hope nothing came up. Back then, I could see anyone whenever I wanted to. Even if I didn't want to. New York was just too much."
"Mom…" Rory said knowingly.
"I don't know, okay? I don't know. All I know, is whenever someone mentions his name, I get a huge lump in my throat and a knot in my stomach, okay?"
"Yeah," Rory replied sadly. They kept walking back to the Inn.
Meanwhile, Babette came bursting into the diner. "They kissed!" She yelled at Patty.
"What? Who kissed?" Patty asked. Everyone in the diner, including Luke and Katie were listening.
"Luke and Lorelai. Right before she left. They kissed." Babette said, out of breath.
"What?" Everyone gasped, turning to Luke.
"You kissed her?" Katie asked.
"Yeah, you kissed her? I had absolutely no idea," Kirk said unconvincingly.
Luke gave him a glare and then turned back to Katie. "It was 5 years ago! Why does it matter?"
"It obviously matters to you."
"No, it doesn't. Lorelai and I, we don't work. I don't care what this stupid town says, but Lorelai and I just can't happen, it won't happen," Luke said, emphasizing the 'stupid' so people would hear him. "Wait, how did you know about that anyway?" Luke asked Babette.
"Oh, it was sad. Lorelai and Rory were out there talking about it. I was just walking by so I decided to listen. Oh! She also said she wrote you a letter. Where's the letter? Can we read it?"
"No!" Luke replied loudly.
"It's in his wallet. Check his back pocket," Kirk called out.
Luke gave him another glare before Babette stuck her hand into his back pocket, being a little more touchy than she needed to be. "Hey!" He said, pushing her away.
"I got it!" Babette called out, holding the letter in the air.
She handed it to Patty who started reading. "Luke,
I'm not really sure what to say. I'm leaving, but you already know that. And I told you I'm leaving because everything here is too much for me and I need a change. I promise, you are not part of the reason I'm leaving. You're one of the only reasons I have stayed this long.
I just want to say thank you, Luke. Thank you for everything you've done for me. Thank you for feeding me, thank you for fixing things around the house, thank you for always being there for me to talk to, thank you for giving me coffee even though it will kill me, thank you for being my friend. Thank you for caring so much about Rory.
About this kiss, um, it was really unexpected. I didn't plan for that to happen, and I'd never want to hurt you like that on purpose. It was a great kiss.
I know I should tell you all this in person, but I'd get too emotional and I'd forget what I wanted to say… I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, I just didn't know how. I'm sorry for all the crap I've put you through… crap that was probably all my fault or crap that I totally over exaggerated.
Luke, I love you for all these things and more, and I'm so sorry, but I have to go.
-Lorelai."
By the end, Babette was crying, and Luke's eyes started to tear up.
"Doesn't mean anything, huh?" Katie asked sadly. He kept the letter in his wallet, he almost cried when it was read. Of course he still cared about Lorelai.
"Katie, wait…"
"I'll see you at home," she said, leaving the diner.
Luke looked around the diner at all the townspeople watching him.
"Luke, you can't deny it," Patty said.
"Deny what?" He asked even though he was pretty sure he knew what she was going to say.
"You're in love with Lorelai. Luke, you've been in love with that woman for over 10 years. Now's your chance, take it. Fight for Lorelai. Make her stay in town." Everyone nodded along with Patty's statement.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Lorelai has never wanted me before, and she doesn't want me now. I have a girlfriend, an amazing girlfriend, and I'm not going to screw that up for a chance with a woman I haven't seen in 5 years." Luke stormed over and grabbed the paper from Patty's hands before going upstairs to his empty apartment. Now, he really regretted moving in with Katie. He doesn't have a place to escape from all he townspeople. There were chairs and there was a bed, but there was nothing to do, and there were no sheets.
Downstairs, everyone was talking about what they expected to happen, and what they wanted to happen. Bets were even being placed. Kirk was coming up with merchandise options. Well, you couldn't really call it merchandise because it would be free, but he was trying to decide between two things. T-shirts, or bows. He decided on bows because some people had to wear uniforms to work, and you can put a bow on a uniform, but you couldn't wear a t-shirt over a uniform. He was going to make two colors of bows. Red for Lorelai, and yellow for Katie. If someone wanted Lorelai to end up with Luke, they'd wear a red bow. Red, because Lorelai had a fiery personality and nothing was ever dull or boring around her. If someone wanted Luke to end up with Katie, they'd wear a yellow bow. Yellow, because Katie always seemed happy and outgoing and sweet. Kirk decided to go home and get started.
"Hey, Sook," Lorelai greeted when her and Rory walked into the kitchen after their shopping trip. "You're going to love your present!" Lorelai said in a sing song voice. "Rory's is okay."
"Hey! Mine is practical, and will be used way more often than yours."
"Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that," Lorelai said to Rory. "Sookie, we haven't seen Jackson yet."
"You haven't?" She asked, stirring soup with a wooden spoon. "Ooh! Idea!" Sookie flung the spoon up in the air and splattered soup on everything behind her. "Oops," she said softly. "Okay, idea. You guys should come over to dinner tonight!"
"Sook, we wouldn't want to intrude…" Lorelai trailed off.
"No, no, no! You wouldn't be intruding! You two are welcome any time!"
Lorelai looked at Rory and she shrugged.
"Okay." Lorelai smiled at Sookie.
Sookie looked over to Rory for an answer.
"Yes, we'll come over."
"Oh yay!" Sookie wrapped her arms around the both of them. When she pulled away, Sookie became more serious. "Have you seen them?" Sookie asked Lorelai.
"Seen what?"
"The bows?"
"No. What bows?"
"Oh, the whole town is wearing bows. Red if they want Luke to end up with you, or yellow if they want him to end up with Katie."
"Oh God," Lorelai responded, putting her head in her hands. "I'll go talk to him."
"Who?" Both Sookie and Rory asked.
"Kirk." Lorelai stormed out of the Inn.
When she got to the town square, she saw Kirk on the steps of the gazebo with two boxes. A box of red bows, and a box of yellow bows. There were a lot more yellows left than there were reds, which means, most of the townspeople were wearing red, including Kirk.
"Kirk!" She yelled.
He jumped and knocked over the boxes, spilling all the bows onto the ground
"Stop this," she said when she was closer to him.
"What?" He asked.
"The bows,"she answered, pointing to all the bows he was picking up from the ground.
"Why?"
"Because it's not right, Kirk! It's mean. It's not okay for me, it's not okay for Katie, and it is definitely not okay for Luke. He has the right to choose whoever he wants, and the opinions of the town shouldn't change that. He has to feel it."
"So you're saying there's a choice?" Kirk asked.
"What?"
"You're saying you're in the running. Meaning you like Luke! Which means you want to be with him! Which means you want him to pick you!"
"No! Kirk! Stop!" LorelaI called out, but it was too late. He was already running around town yelling.
"Lorelai likes Luke!" And "Lorelai's in the running!"
Luke came outside when he heard all the noise. He couldn't make out what Kirk was saying, so when he saw Lorelai, he decided to go over and ask.
"What the hell is he yapping about?"
"Oh, uh," she said quietly. "It's nothing."
"It doesn't seem like nothing," he said, looking over at Kirk who was starting to slow down because he was getting tired. "And what are those?" Luke asked, pointing to the bows.
"Wow, news still gets to you last." She looked up at Luke and then back to the bows. "Ask Kirk. I was trying to get him to stop but I don't think that's going to happen."
"Lorelai…" he said, noticing she wouldn't look him in the eye.
"Ask Kirk." She started to walk away slowly but was stopped when he grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"Lorelai," he said softly.
Tears started to well up in her eyes. "Ask Kirk," she repeated. She pulled away and went somewhere out of sight where she burst into tears. Why was she being like this? Why was she so emotional? Could she like Luke? No. No. It's been 5 years. She couldn't like Luke. She planned on coming home, and everything would be normal. Her and Luke would just be friends again, like before. They'd talk and laugh and he'd refuse to give her coffee. He'd think she was annoying and her eating habits were disgusting and she'd think he was a grumpy loner. Everything was supposed to be normal. But now, she was realizing, things were never going to be normal again.
Lorelai then realized where she was. She was on the bridge. One of Luke's favorite spots to go to think. She decided to leave, but then she heard someone's voice.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Jess?" She looked up.
"In the flesh." He sat down next to her. "What's up?" He asked.
"I don't know. I have absolutely no idea."
"He's an idiot."
"What?"
"Luke. He's an idiot. He loves you, and he wants to be with you. He's just scared."
"Jess…"
"He called me. He was freaking out. He said you were here, and he was freaking out. He doesn't know what to do, so I came."
Lorelai looked around nervously. "He's in a relationship," she said, looking down.
"It's an extreme version of me and Rory and Shane. Rory left, I got with Shane, Rory came back, I ended up with Rory."
"Luke is serious about Katie. You didn't even care about Shane. Plus you and Rory lasted like what, two minutes?"
Jess looked down quickly, and Lorelai realized what she said. "Oh, sorry."
"No, it's fine. It's true. I made a mistake with Rory. I screwed up, and I lost her… forever. Trust me, Luke won't risk loosing you."
Lorelai smiled. "Just so you know, I don't hate you. I hate a lot of the things you did to my daughter, but I don't hate you. You're a good kid."
They were both silent for a while until Lorelai spoke again.
"She's not with him."
"What?"
"Rory. She's not with Logan anymore."
"Okay…"
"Jess, I know you always thought you weren't good enough for Rory, and I know I had a big part in that, but you are. With everything that happened, you've done really well for yourself. Now's your chance, don't miss it."
Jess looked down. He wasn't sure what to say. "Luke missed his chances with you plenty of times. He's not going to miss it now."
Lorelai smiled at Jess. "Well this is different," she said with a slight chuckle.
"Yeah." He laughed, because he knew what she meant. She meant it was different that they actually had a conversation and exchanged more than a few sentences. It was different, because they actually had a meaningful conversation. "Well, I better go find Luke."
"Yeah."
Jess stood up and walked away, leaving Lorelai on the bridge. She looked out into the sparkling water. It was dark outside, but it was only 8:00. Instead of sitting there, Lorelai decided to go back to the Inn. She didn't want to deal with any of the townspeople and she especially didn't want to risk seeing Luke.
When she got to the Inn, she noticed Katie was standing at the front desk. Lorelai tried to walk past her without her noticing, but when they locked eyes, she knew she had to speak up.
"Oh, hi, Katie. I wasn't expecting you here right now."
"I took an extra shift."
"Oh."
They both stood there in the empty lobby in silence. Lorelai tapped her foot and looked around the room as Katie pretended to flip through the guest book.
The awkward silence finally broke when Lorelai spoke again. "Look, I know you probably know about the bows. I promise, I tried to get Kirk to stop giving them out. I definitely did not tell him to make those and I'm so against it. And, I'm sorry about the whole town. You and Luke are in a relationship, a serious relationship, and I get that. I totally understand, and I'm not going to try to ruin it."
Katie looked up at her and gave her a slight nod.
"Look, Luke and I had our chance. We had a ton of chances, and it never happened. He's with you, and he's an amazing guy. He's not going to break your heart."
"Yeah…" Katie said, unconvincingly. "You seem like a really nice girl, I just. I don't know. From what I've seen, everything the town has been telling me for the last 5 years is true. He's happier when you're here."
"Look, we were friends then, and we're friends now. Nothing between me and him has changed."
Katie looked around the room nervously. "You kissed him?"
"What?" Lorelai asked.
"Before you left, apparently you guys kissed."
Lorelai looked down. "Um, yeah."
"And you're saying you're just friends?"
"Yeah?"
"Why should I believe you?"
"What?" Lorelai shook her head.
"From what I've seen, neither of you want to be just friends."
Lorelai was silent for a second. "Katie, it's just weird. I left right after it happened. Luke and I were just friends for 8 years before that. It was just a nice night, we were at a wedding, I had just gotten out of a relationship, Luke had just gotten a divorce, it meant nothing. We were both just lonely and there for each other." Lorelai reassured Katie even though she didn't believe what she was saying. Of course it meant something, it was Luke.
"Okay." Katie let out a little smile, showing she believed Lorelai.
Lorelai smiled back to her.
"Do you want some coffee?" Katie asked her.
"Oh, you don't know me yet, so you still had to ask. For future reference, I will never say no to coffee. Coffee is my life, coffee is my religion."
Katie let out a laugh. "I'm more of a tea kind of girl."
Lorelai's stomach dropped when she heard that. 'A tea kind of girl'. Luke was a tea kind of guy. They were tea kinds of people.
"Um, the coffee is this way," Katie said, pulling Lorelai out of her thoughts.
Lorelai smiled and followed Katie into the kitchen. Sookie wasn't there, she was at home.
The next morning, Katie walked into the diner. Her and Luke hadn't talked since the mini-fight. When she got home from work that night, he was asleep, and he was gone when she woke up.
She went up to the counter and sat at the center stool. Luke was busy rushing around to tables. When it finally slowed down, he went over to talk to Katie.
"Hey," she said.
"Hi."
"So, I talked to Lorelai…" Luke stopped her before she could finish her sentence.
"What? When? Why did you talk to Lorelai?"
"She came into the Inn last night and we talked," Katie said as she leaned back, intimidated by Luke's tone.
"Oh." Luke looked at her to continue.
"Anyways, sorry. I just got really upset with the apartment thing and the letter and the kissing. Lorelai explained that it meant nothing and you guys have always been just friends and always will be just friends. I'm sorry I overreacted."
Luke's eyes darkened. It meant nothing to her? That kiss meant nothing to Lorelai? It meant everything to him.
"Oh, right…" he said softly.
Katie looked up and smiled at him. "So we're good?"
He struggled to get a smile out. "Yeah, were good."
"Okay I have to head back to work. Lunch break." Katie grabbed her purse and walked out after giving Luke a quick kiss on the cheek.
Luke froze in time. He stood there at the counter, frozen. Everyone moved around him, but he couldn't see or hear them. He zoned out. How could that kiss mean nothing to Lorelai? He waited eight years to kiss her. He waited through Chris and Max and Alex and Jason. But what about the letter? Didn't that mean something? She said it was an amazing kiss. She said she was sorry they wouldn't have a chance to do it again. Didn't that mean something? She told Katie it was a mistake, but her letter told Luke it was great. Luke didn't know what to think now. He was so confused. All he knew, is that he's in a bad situation.
The night before, after Lorelai had coffee with Katie, it was time to go over to Sookie's. Her and Rory were going to have dinner at Sookie's. Lorelai showed up before Rory, and Jackson was taking care of the kids, so Sookie and Lorelai had time to talk.
"You had coffee with her?" Sookie asked with a nervous look.
"Yeah. It was weird. She's really nice though, I really like her."
"Well that's good, I guess. Right?" Sookie asked.
Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, I guess so. I probably won't have coffee with her again because, I don't know, it's just weird."
"Well, you were friends with Rachel."
"Yeah, but remember what Luke was like during that? He was always nervous and on edge. He wouldn't come near either of us if we were together."
"Yeah, that was weird."
"I don't know. I guess we'll just see what happens."
"Yeah." They were both silent for a while, hoping Rory would knock on the door. Sookie finally spoke up again. "Do you want to be with Luke?"
"What? No." Lorelai looked around nervously.
"Lorelai, you have to be sure. You need to be all in or all out. I love you and I love Luke and I don't want to see you hurt him again."
"What?"
"After you left. He was miserable. He'd sit on your porch all night. He was grumpy and hostile, for months. Years, even. He still gets like that sometimes."
Lorelai looked guilty and confused.
Sookie decided to speak again. "I'm just saying, he's in a relationship, so if you want him, you have to be all in. If you aren't sure, stay out of it. Even if you think you might want to be with him, stay out until you're sure. Because if you don't stay out of it, he'll go for you, and if you back out, that'll be the worst thing you could ever do to him."
"Yeah, I know." Lorelai sighed.
Just in time, Rory knocked on the door.
The three of them and Jackson are a nice dinner full of laughter and happiness. After, Jackson went upstairs to check on the kids and go to bed. The girls stayed downstairs and talked for a while.
They were about to leave until they realized it was just past midnight. Sookie let them stay downstairs in the living room on the couches.
In the morning, Lorelai woke up with a cramp in her neck. She slept on one of Sookie's chairs in the living room and Rory took the couch. Lorelai fluttered her eyes open and rubbed the back of her neck with one hand. As she saw up, her eyes scanned the room. Rory was still asleep, and there was no noise which means the kids, Sookie, and Jackson were also asleep.
Lorelai got up and looked around the kitchen. She looked in the fridge and skimmed through the pantry. Damn cook, Lorelai thought. Since Sookie was a cook, she didn't have any ready-made food available. All she had was fresh fruit, and fresh vegetables, cream, milk, flour, and everything else she needed to make meals. Everything had to be prepared. There were no pop-tarts, no candy. Sookie didn't even have Slim-Jims. Lorelai never liked Slim-Jims, but if she was hungry enough, she'd eat anything.
She waited around for half an hour, but no one woke up, so she decided to go to Luke's. Coffee was a necessity at the moment.
When she got outside, she realized what she looked like. She was still wearing last nights wrinkly clothes and her hair was tangled. She went back to the Inn to freshen up.
Luckily, Lorelai didn't see Katie at the Inn. She went upstairs to her room and took a quick shower, but she didn't wash her hair. When she got out of the shower, she just put a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt on. She brushed out her curly hair, put on a little bit of makeup, slid on a pair of sandals, and walked out the door.
Since they still didn't have their cars, Lorelai had to walk to the Diner. On the walk, she passed Katie. Neither of them spoke, but Katie offered Lorelai a sincere smile and an energetic hand wave. Lorelai waved back and smiled back.
Luke snapped out of his thoughts when the unmistakable sound of the bell on the diner door rang. In walked Lorelai. Luke turned around quickly, poured her a cup of coffee, and then walked away from the counter to go check on other customers.
Lorelai sat down at her usual spot where the cup of coffee was waiting. She watched Luke as he hurried around the diner. He was clearly nervous, she just didn't know why.
When he couldn't find anything else to keep him busy, he grabbed a towel, and started wiping down the counter. He tried his hardest to avoid eye contact with Lorelai, but it didn't work. He could feel her staring at him and he had to look up.
"What?" He asked grumpily.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing." He turned and started wiping the counter down again.
"You missed a spot," Lorelai said jokingly.
"What?" He took a step back and looked at the counter until he heard Lorelai chuckling and he knew she was messing with him. "Ha. Real funny." He got back to wiping.
"No, really. What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Luke."
"Nothing's wrong." He made the mistake of looking up, and he caught her eyes. It's like they stared deep into his soul. He felt exposed and vulnerable.
"What's wrong?" Lorelai asked sincerely and seriously.
Luke paused for a second, put the rag down, and stood back with his arms crossed. "It didn't mean anything?"
"What?"
"When we kissed," he started quietly so a minimal amount of people could hear him. "It didn't mean anything to you?"
"Luke…" Lorelai looked down into her cup.
"No. Tell me. Because that kiss meant everything to me, Lorelai. And then Katie comes in here and tells me how you were blabbing to her all night about how it meant nothing to you and you don't care about me at all." Now, Luke's voice was raised and he didn't care who heard.
"Luke, you know that's not true."
"Actually I don't. From what I've seen, everything she said is true."
"Luke, no it's not!"
"So?"
"So what?" Lorelai asked.
"You still haven't answered my question."
Lorelai looked down again. "Of course it meant something to me."
Luke kept a poker face, but inside, his heart started beating faster and he was getting goosebumps.
"Everything I wrote in that letter is true." Lorelai said.
Luke still remained silent. Lorelai looked around at the diner people listening in. She didn't see Patty or Babette, but Kirk and Taylor were both there with their eyes fixed on Luke.
Luke realized they were watching, so he grabbed Lorelai's hand and pulled her to the stairs and up to his apartment.
"Tell me the truth," he said.
"Luke, it was all true. It was an amazing kiss and I wanted it to happen. It was just bad timing. And now you have a girlfriend and it's too late. I only told her it didn't mean anything because I didn't want to be the reason you guys broke up."
Luke looked around at the empty room and knew she was right. "I don't need you to get involved in my relationship."
"What?"
"You didn't need to have coffee with her and start talking about me, Lorelai."
"Luke, that's not what happened at all!" Lorelai stepped away from him.
"What happened?"
"I went back to the Inn and she was there. I told her I tried to get Kirk to stop handing out bows and that what the town thinks doesn't matter to you."
Luke remained in silence, so Lorelai continued.
"Then she started talking about the kiss and she was mad so I said it didn't matter, and she calmed down. Then, she asked if I wanted coffee, and you know I'll never say no to that. That's it, that's all that happened. I like her, Luke. She's really nice, and I'm glad you found her." Lorelai's voice started to get softer. It hurt her to say this stuff, but it was true.
Luke was torn. One part of him realized she was right, Katie is an amazing girl and she's so great for him, but another part of him knew Katie was wrong for him, because Lorelai was right. He couldn't decide. Katie is an amazing girl who has never hurt him and never will. Lorelai is an amazing girl that he has pined over for more than 10 years, but she has hurt him countless times, and there's no way to tell if she'd hurt him again. Either settle and be happy with Katie, or risk getting hurt to be even happier with Lorelai.
As they both stood silent in his empty apartment, Luke looked Lorelai up and down. She was standing in a timid position with her arms crossed. She almost seemed scared of him, and that broke his heart. She was always so confident and dominant around him, and the past couple days she's been here, she's seemed distant and apprehensive.
Lorelai watched Luke. She could see the little wheels spinning in his head, but she couldn't figure out what he was thinking. She watched his bright blue eyes travel up and down. Suddenly, without warning, he stepped forward and grabbed her waist.
"What are you doing?" She asked, pulling away.
"Will you just stand still?" He pulled her closer, and then placed a hand on the back of her neck.
He passionately pressed his lips to hers and kissed her. When they were both out of breath, he pulled away.
He decided. It was scary, but it was Lorelai. It had to be Lorelai. It has always been Lorelai. Sure, there were probably better ways to do this; less distressing ways, but in this moment, he wanted to kiss her. He needed to kiss her.
To his surprise, after he pulled away, she took a step towards him.
"What are you doing?"
"Will you just stand still," she repeated. She had a little smile on her face when she repeated his words. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands fell to her waist and pulled her impossibly close. When their lips pressed together again, everything around them faded away. It was just them, and no one else. They were the only two things that mattered, and they got lost in the feeling.
Okay, there's the end! Tell me what you liked and what you didn't like please! There will be atleast one more chapter.
Please read my other story too! Falling for Forever. It's about Luke and Lorelai, and it's set around season one. It's an AU so I got rid of some of the things that happened in season one but I kept others. Anyways I hope you like both of these stories!
Also, let me know in your reviews if you'd like me to read any of your stories.
Thank you for reading!
Oh, also, since I had them kiss at her house after the wedding, technically the first kiss at the Inn opening never happened, so that's why I used that scene for the end of this story.
(Btw, over 11,000 words. Go me!)