Luke stares at the boat as memories of his father race through this mind. Lorelai was right; he didn't really want to give the boat away. Luke was grateful to have Lorelai in his life. He was happy that their relationship had developed into… something he couldn't really put into words. He remembers that she had said it best: "I don't have very many people in my life who are in my life permanently forever. They will always be there for me. I will always be there for them, you know?" She wasn't sure if he was one of those people, but he assured her that he was. Since they started dating, Luke felt like they had become even closer, that they understood each other in the best possible ways.
Luke clears his head and finally stops staring at the boat. He turns and starts walking out of Lorelai's garage.
"Oh, Luke, I didn't expect to find you here." Lorelai says.
Luke glances at her. He doesn't know what to say to her. He isn't in the right mood to be around her right now. He doesn't want to bring her down.
"Oh, you were looking at the boat." Lorelai says, sounding a little sad.
Luke just nods. Lorelai looks at his face then whispers: "Oh, hon. I'm sorry you're sad." He's surprised when she reaches out and pulls him into her arms. He gives in and lets her hold him; he rests his chin on her shoulder. Lorelai rubs his back and whispers, "It's okay." in his ear. She holds him a little longer until he pulls back.
"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to see me like this." Luke tells her.
"Luke it's okay, really. I want to be here. I'm here for you, through thick and thin." Lorelai gives him a small smile.
Luke manages to give her a small smile in return.
"Do you want to come inside?" Lorelai asks.
Luke knows she's just wants to try to make him feel better and he appreciates it.
"Okay." He says simply. He follows her into the house. Once they get inside, they take off their coats and shoes. Luke follows her to the kitchen.
"Do you want some tea?" She asks as she takes a couple mugs out of the cupboard.
"Sure." He replies. Lorelai makes a tea for him, adding the amount of milk and sugar that he likes. She also makes a coffee for herself. She puts the mug down in front of him.
"Thanks." He says.
"You're welcome." She replies. She sits down at the table, across from him. "Luke?" She says to get his attention.
"Yeah?" He asks softly after sipping his tea.
"Um, I think you should think about the good times with your dad… tell me about a happy memory." She looks at him, her lips pressed together.
Luke takes a deep breath, "Well, I do remember this one time we went fishing. I was around ten years old; it was a few months after my mom died… I didn't want to go fishing, but my dad kind of forced me to go. I complained the whole day and we didn't catch a damn thing, until we were just about to call it a day and leave. My dad hooked a fish and he told me to take his rod, I did and it took me a while, but I reeled it in. It was a pretty big fish, and my dad seemed like he was really proud of me. It was the first time I remember felling happy since my mom died. And my dad, he let me reel in the fish that he hooked. He just wanted to see me smile again."
Lorelai's eyes brighten and she gives him a tentative smile. "That's nice. I can tell he loved you."
Luke nods, "Yeah. I'm grateful for the years I had with him. I know he would have… liked to see me have a kid or two though. Jess was only a little kid when he died, and we didn't really see much of him and Liz."
Lorelai just nods. They sit in silence as they finish their drinks.
"Hey, Luke, do you want to stay here tonight?"
"I'm not very good company right now, but if you want me to, I'll stay." He answers.
Lorelai smiles softly, "I want you to."
They go upstairs and once they're in Lorelai's bedroom, she opens up a drawer of the dresser and pulls out a pair of his sweatpants.
"You left them here, remember?" She says. He just nods and takes them from her. She leaves to go to the bathroom and he changes his clothes while she's gone. When Lorelai gets back, Luke is already in the bed. She gets in next to him.
"Thank you, for everything." Luke tells her.
She reaches out and gently touches his cheek. "You're welcome."
He pulls her closer and kisses her forehead. "Goodnight." He whispers.
"Night," She responds and she moves over to turn off the bedside lamp. Once she lies down, he reaches out and pulls her closer. She turns to face him then kisses his chin and his cheek. He smiles and kisses her lips gently. They fall asleep facing each other, with his arm around her waist.
The next morning, Lorelai wakes up and reaches for Luke without opening her eyes. When she doesn't feel him next to her, she opens her eyes. "Luke?" She calls out, her voice barely above a whisper. She gets up and walks out of the bedroom. On the way down the stairs, she smells food cooking. When she gets to the kitchen, she sees Luke at the stove. He turns the stove off, turns to her and says:
"I know, you want to have breakfast at the diner, but I thought it would be nice to have breakfast alone. I'll stop cooking if you really want to go to the diner."
Lorelai smiles, "No, hon, its fine. You're right, being alone is nice… how are you feeling?" She asks a bit hesitantly.
"I'm alright." He replies, his voice calm.
Lorelai walks up to him and wraps her arms around his middle.
"I said I was fine." He tells her. He reaches up and runs his hand down the length of her hair.
"I know. I just wanted to give you a hug. Don't you want affection from your girlfriend?" She teases him.
He smiles and wraps both arms around her. She giggles a little and kisses below his ear. He pulls back a little and pecks her lips. She steps back and smiles, "Good morning."
"Morning," he responds.
Luke finishes cooking breakfast and they sit and eat together.
Author's note: Thank you for reading. Please feel free to leave a review.