Hi, friends! I'm back with a one-shot that takes place between 4.19 Afterboom, and 4.20 Luke Can See Her Face. So that means no more Jason or Nicole. Huzzah! Read on...
The air was warmer than usual on this particular spring day in Stars Hollow. Lorelai was walking arm-in-arm with her daughter taking in the sights as they headed into town. Rory squirmed as Lorelai kept gleefully pinching her to make sure she was, in fact, real. Rory had been a hard one to track down lately, but she'd needed a quiet place for the weekend in order to start prepping for finals.
Everything felt right. Lorelai had Rory back, albeit for a short time. Gypsy was muttering about the engine she was checking. You could hear muffled rock sounds coming from Lane's new apartment. The gazebo stood as proudly as ever.
And Kirk was in a clown suit.
"Uh, Kirk? What's with the Bozo getup?" Lorelai asked once they got closer to his location, right beside the high school on the diner side.
"I'm going to walk the tightrope as a clown. I'm just getting a feel for the suit."
"Care to elaborate?" Rory chimed in.
"I thought it was pretty self-explanatory."
"It was," said Lorelai, "except for the bajillion questions I still have. A, why a clown? B, won't your clown shoes trip you up? C, where is this tightrope even at?"
"It will be between the diner and the high school."
"No, Kirk, no. No way can you do this."
"Taylor thought it was the best location."
"Taylor put you up to this?"
"He said my performance will be the highlight of the festival."
"What festival?" Rory asked.
"The Peanuts and Pizazz Festival!" Taylor boomed as he suddenly appeared near them, clipboard in hand. "Have you not heard yet? Litchfield has a moderate-sized circus coming through their town. We lost the bidding to have it come here, so we're doing the next best thing. We're having a circus-themed festival to draw the crowds over this way."
"So…a circus, then." Lorelai deadpanned.
"No, a circus-themed festival. In fact, I was planning to see if you'd be available to perhaps help out with a few additional costumes?"
"I guess so."
"Wonderful! One more thing I can check off my list."
"But, you can't let Kirk do the tightrope, Taylor. It's suicide."
"Relax, we'll have something inflatable he can land on. It will be perfectly safe. Can't you just picture it?" He gestured upward in the space between Luke's and the high school. "Kirk as a clown, way up high like that? His fall will be spectacular! The crowds will love it."
Lorelai stood with her hand near her eyes to shield the sun, staring up towards the diner. "Huh."
Taylor grinned. "She's getting the vision. Come with me, Kirk, we have more areas to measure for the booths."
"Uh, Mom?"
Lorelai blinked as she looked at Rory, trying to pull herself out of her trance. "Yes?"
"You've been staring up at the diner for almost a full minute. Taylor and Kirk are already over by the church. Where did you go?"
"Luke's Diner has extra floors."
Rory glanced up. "Ok, please don't tell me that after almost two decades of living here you're just now realizing that."
"No, of course, I've been aware of it, but it never really hit me before. As much as we've come here over the years, there's still a lot of this building we've never seen!"
"But all the buildings have upper floors, Doose's, the bookstore, Al's. What does it matter if we haven't seen all of Luke's building?"
"Because Luke lives here, so he must use them for something, but he's never mentioned anything about it before. What do you think is up there?" Lorelai asked excitedly.
"Hopefully a huge vat of coffee, because I think I need that much right now," Rory said as she opened the door to the diner, causing the bells Lorelai found so comforting to jingle.
"Ooooh, that would be amazing! Ok, time to speculate," Lorelai said as she followed Rory in. The diner was packed from the breakfast rush, but they managed to find a table on the left side of the diner by the window.
"Speculate what?"
"What's upstairs! Come on, we'll make it a game. I'll go first. Maybe Luke is hiding a bunch of anvils, and that's where all the anvils went!"
Rory groaned. "I thought that bit was dead, buried, and decomposing."
"What's with the 'tude, Oscar?"
"Sorry, Mom, I'm just stressed about finals. I know I've been grouchy but I don't mean to be."
"And you're going to ace your finals because you're smart and hard-working, I'll be ridiculously proud of you, and you'll have a free summer. Where's the problem?"
"It's just been a stressful semester. It was more work than I've ever done before, and it was so hard to get in touch with you, and then Gran dying…everything has just felt chaotic lately."
"You don't have to tell me. This has been the craziest season of my life, and that includes getting you potty-trained. But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything."
Rory smiled. "I wouldn't, either."
"She smiles!"
"Yeah, yeah. Ok, I'll play."
"Really?"
"Yep. How about a secret collection of Star Trek figurines?"
"Nice one! Maybe it's haunted."
"Exercise room?"
"Or there are seamstresses that work up there that create an endless supply of flannel shirts for him!"
They both giggled as Luke approached the table. "Hey."
"Look, Rory! People do work here after all!"
Luke rolled his eyes. "There are plenty of other places to eat if you don't like it here."
"Man, everyone's extra grumpy today."
Luke sighed. "Sorry for the wait. Caesar called out today because he's sick, and we're slammed. So do you know what you want yet?"
"Pancakes with extra bacon," Rory piped up.
"Same for me, and keep the coffee flowing."
"You got it," and he was off.
"Huh, Luke doesn't seem like himself," Rory said.
"How could you tell? He's just as grumpy as ever."
"I don't know. Maybe it's post-divorce blues?"
Lorelai stiffened a bit as she was reminded of Luke's joke of a wife, now ex-wife, and what she'd done to Luke. "Maybe, but you know what's weird? Luke hasn't seemed that broken up about it."
"He's probably putting up a front."
"I can usually tell when he's hiding something, though. And when I've asked him how he's doing since the divorce, I can almost hear the relief in his voice. I mean, come on, it never really felt like they were married in the first place. And after what she did, maybe he really is relieved."
"Maybe. Let's hope so."
In a flash, Luke delivered their plates and was gone again without a word. They dug in, with Lorelai occasionally peppering their conversation with more guesses as to what was upstairs. She couldn't figure out why she was so curious about this, but it wouldn't stop nagging her. It was a nice diversion from the constant overload of last-minute details for the Dragonfly that she'd been saddled with lately. Her brain hadn't been able to shut off at all.
But there was more to it. She knew Luke lived pretty modestly, but he'd crammed his entire life into his little apartment, and expanded into the building next door for Jess instead of using the space further up. So something was up there, something that kept him from using it for Jess, and himself apparently.
The breakfast crowd slowly died down, and Rory headed over to Lane's for a little bit before she settled down to study. Lorelai lingered with her coffee until she felt Luke had a few minutes to spare then sauntered to the counter.
"More coffee?" he asked gruffly.
"Always, but I've got a question for you, too, if you have a minute."
Luke glanced around the quickly emptying diner and nodded. "Ok, shoot."
"So, I know this is none of my business—"
"Never stopped you before," Luke interrupted.
"But I was wondering what your upper floors are used for."
"What?"
"The ones above your apartment. I've never heard you mention anything about that space before, and I was wondering if you use it for anything, since you own the building."
"Ah, yeah, you know, it's for odds and ends, stuff like that. Here, let me get ya that coffee," Luke said as he topped off her cup.
"But is it odds or is it ends?"
"It's just stuff. It's just extra space up there, no big deal."
"But Luke—"
"No, Lorelai, that's it. That's all you need to know."
"I just want to know—"
"Lorelai, stay out of it. You were right. It's none of your business so drop it."
"Fine, it's dropped like a bad habit."
"Good."
"You know, I just remembered, I really need to take care of some Dragonfly stuff this morning while Rory is busy. I gotta go."
"Lorelai…."
"I'll see you later, Luke."
She grabbed her belongings and made a hasty exit.
"Now he's hiding something," she whispered to herself.
A few days passed and all returned to normal. Lorelai continued to show up at the diner like nothing had happened, when she could spare a moment anyway. They were getting closer and closer to the Dragonfly's opening date, and there was still so much more to be done.
"Oh, Luuuuuuke?" Lorelai singsonged as she entered the diner.
Luke walked out of the kitchen. "Hey. How's the inn?"
"It's possible we just might pull this off."
"You will definitely pull this off. Stop selling yourself short."
"Thanks, Luke, but until our first guests arrive, I'm going to question everything, including my sanity, and whatever comeback is forming in your head right now, keep it to yourself, please."
Luke smiled.
"Anyway, that's why I'm here. I found some extra pictures that will go great in the inn, but Tom and the guys have more than enough to do already, so I figured I'd hang them myself.
I was wondering if you had a level I could borrow."
"You know, I could hang them up for you."
"I do know that, and that's sweet of you, Luke. But I kinda want to do this myself. Plus, you have done so much already, and I'm sure I'll have more to ask of you soon. Let's let this one go."
"Ok, if you're sure. I should have a level in Bert. You can go up and check if you want."
Lorelai gasped and placed her hands over her heart in dramatic fashion.
"What? What's wrong?"
"You identified your toolbox as Bert! You've never done that before!"
"Geez."
"I did it! My influence has finally infiltrated your mind!"
Luke sighed. "God help us all."
Lorelai thought she caught a hint of a smile on Luke before she vanished behind the curtain.
She found Bert in no time, and sure enough, there was a level lying near the top. Grabbing the tool, she put Bert back and closed the door behind her. Her eyes glanced over to the stairs and she froze, suddenly remembering her recent obsession. Lorelai hadn't given the upstairs much thought since that day she asked Luke, mostly because she'd just been too bombarded with tasks. But now here she stood, right at the gateway to a hidden realm, and no one to stop her. She felt a shiver of excitement run through her.
No, this is wrong. I don't need to snoop around.
But it's just one quick peek.
Luke doesn't want me to know what's up there.
You don't have to tell him!
He'll know. Somehow he'll know.
You're good at persuading him. Flip your hair a few extra times and he'll buy whatever excuse you tell him.
Ugh, I really want to know. Luke was just being Luke. There's nothing up there that can be too crazy.
That's my girl! Go take a look!
How am I your girl? You're me!
Aaaargh!
She shook off that big bag of weird posing as her brain and quietly made her way up the stairs towards the third floor. She forgot the shot of exhilaration that came with sneaking around. It was a semi-regular feeling she'd had during her teen years when she'd mastered where every good spot was for sneaking out of her parents' house.
When she reached the floor, she saw a door in the same position as Luke's apartment door downstairs. What are the odds that it's locked and all this was for nothing?
But when she put her hand on the knob, it surprisingly turned.
With just a tiny creak, the door opened, revealing a large, spacious room.
It was filled to the brim with furniture.
Rather beautiful furniture, Lorelai couldn't help but notice.
There were headboards, a dining table, nightstands, dressers, end tables, a china hutch, sofas, bookcases, etc. It was enough to furnish a whole house. She could tell it was older, but yet it had a rather timeless look as well. The pieces still gleamed, their rich mahogany shining in the dimly lit room.
But why was all of this here? This was Luke's big secret? He was a…a furniture hoarder?
She walked in a little further and found her hand gently running along the top of one of the tables, feeling the smoothness, letting herself get lost in the possibilities of why Luke had thousands of dollars of furniture being neglected in his spare room. All she could come up with was more questions.
"Hey!" a voice barked, nearly rocketing Lorelai to the ceiling.
She turned to find a very unamused Luke standing in the doorway, his arms folded over his chest.
"Luke, I'm sorry. I know, I shouldn't be up here."
"I can't believe this! I told you to drop it, Lorelai. Actually, I can believe it, because when do you ever listen?! Lorelai just does whatever she wants to do! You know, I came up to the apartment to check on you, thinking maybe you hadn't been able to find the toolbox. When I didn't see you, I just knew. I knew you had come up here, Lorelai. How can I trust you now?"
Ouch. That last arrow went straight to her heart. She couldn't bear the thought of Luke not being able to trust her.
"No, Luke, you can trust me. I promise. Look, I didn't realize how serious you were, ok? When we were talking about what's up here, I thought maybe we were just doing one of our bits where I harp on something and you get all annoyed about it but it doesn't really mean anything. It's just our routine. And I forgot about it anyway until about five minutes ago, and it was like, like the curiosity just took over, you know? I wasn't going to come up here, but it was like I couldn't help it. Just a quick peek and that was it. I really am sorry. You're right, this is your stuff and I had no right to invade your space."
Luke just sighed.
"Honest, Luke, I will never do anything like this again. Forgive me?"
"Yeah, ok, apology accepted."
"Thank you, Luke."
He turned to go, expecting her to do the same.
"Luke?"
"What?" he clipped.
"As long as we're up here, do you mind telling me why you have enough pieces to furnish a village?" She held up her hands to stop his potential protest. "I know, I don't deserve to know after what I did. If you need to let this stay a secret, I promise you I will keep it one. I swear, not even Rory will find out. But I'm not asking as Nosey Rosie. I'm asking as your friend. I'm here if you want to share anything."
Lorelai could see Luke's features soften at her words. He heaved a deep sigh and pulled down a couple of chairs so they could sit. She promptly sat down, eagerly awaiting an explanation.
"You're right, you know. You don't deserve to know. But, ever since you brought this up the other day, I've felt bad about not being honest with you. I mean, if you can't share stuff with the person you're closest to, then who can you share stuff with, right?"
I'm the person he's closest to? He means now that Nicole's out of his life, right?
Luke wrung his hands, looking thoughtful.
"All of this is my parents' furniture."
Lorelai gasped, and immediately covered her face with her hands. "Ok, now I officially feel like the worst human on the planet."
"Good."
Lorelai looked up and caught the smirk on his face, and she couldn't help but smile, finally feeling some of the angry tension dissipating.
"It was after my dad died that I sold the house I grew up in. I knew I couldn't stay there, and Liz didn't want it. Getting rid of the house didn't seem to bother me, but for some reason, the furniture was a different story."
Luke paused, and Lorelai, without another thought, slowly reached out for his hand. She wrapped her fingers around his in support, feeling a surprising rush of warmth flood her body from the contact.
"When I saw the sofa, I saw the nights we watched TV together. When I saw the dining table, I saw all of the Sunday dinners my mom would cook for us. When I saw the bookcases, I saw all of the books my mother loved to read. Rory reminds me a lot of her when it comes to books."
Lorelai squeezed his hand a little tighter.
"My dad actually made most of these pieces, back when my parents first got married. They didn't have a lot of money, but my dad knew how to build, and all the love he had for my mom he put into this furniture. It was truly a labor of love."
Lorelai could hear the slight catch in his voice and found her own emotions rising to the surface.
"Liz thought I should sell it all and put the money towards the diner, which I was about to open at the time, and for all she knows, that's what I did. But when it came time, I just couldn't do it. I guess I'm the sentimental one in the family," Luke said with an empty laugh.
"I get it, Luke. I totally understand why you couldn't get rid of all this. It makes perfect sense."
"I got a couple movers to help get it all up here, and that was that. I never told anybody about it."
"Jess?"
"No, he doesn't know. He never cared enough to be that curious, unlike another brunette I know."
Lorelai smiled. "He cared, you know."
"Yeah, maybe. You know, I hadn't even come up myself since all of that, until the other day when you brought it up. I thought I'd come take a look, remind myself of what I was saving here. Guess I forgot to lock the door back."
"Lucky me."
Luke smiled a bit. "Yeah, lucky you."
"So, you loved your family and wanted to preserve your childhood. Honestly, it's nothing to hide. But thank you for sharing this with me. It means more than you know. I won't tell anyone, not even Rory."
"You're welcome. And you can tell Rory. It's fine. But," Luke hesitated, looking torn whether to say what was coming next. "There is a little more to it."
"Really?"
He stared into her eyes for a minute. Her breath hitched and she found herself drowning in his stare, completely unnerved. Whatever was coming, he seemed completely unsure on whether or not to proceed.
"It's ok, Luke. We've gotten this far in the story."
"Well, I also saved the furniture for another reason."
"What?" she asked, barely above a whisper.
"For my future family."
Lorelai nearly jumped at his words, and she wondered why she was unraveling so quickly. Get it together, fast!
"What?" was the best she could up with.
"You know the Twickham house?"
"Old Man Twickham's house? Sure, he's been dying ever since I moved to Stars Hollow."
"Well, all my life I've loved that house. They don't make them like that anymore."
"It is a great house."
"Yeah, and I figured when I finally got married and settled down to have a family, that would be the house. And this furniture would look great in that house. It's classic. I've just always had that in the back of my mind."
Lorelai nodded.
"I mean, it doesn't have to be the Twickham house. It doesn't have to be this furniture. If whoever I ended up with wanted something different, well, I guess I'd be open to that, too."
"So, did Nicole not like the furniture, then?"
Luke stood, putting his hands on top of his cap. "I, uh, never got around to telling her."
Lorelai's mouth dropped to the floor, and she stood as well. "What?! Luke, that was your wife! You had the wife, and you didn't tell her? Why? You had the person you were supposed to settle down with."
"Nicole wasn't the person I was supposed to settle down with."
Lorelai froze.
He continued, "I knew that pretty early on, but I just figured I'd made this commitment so I had to see it through. It was the honorable thing to do, except it really wasn't, because we both dragged this marriage out way longer than we should have. We were kidding ourselves. It wasn't real. It wasn't worth fighting for. It was a sham. We should never have gone on that cruise. I should never have asked her out."
"Oh, Luke."
"Besides, this isn't her taste, anyway."
Lorelai felt a laugh bubble out of her. "No, I guess not. Let me guess, mid-century modern?"
Luke looked surprised. "Actually, yeah, how'd you know?"
"Well, I hate mid-century modern, and, uh…."
"You hate Nicole?" Luke supplied.
"Well, I certainly don't like her!"
"I always figured you didn't."
"So you really don't have post-divorce blues, then?"
Luke nearly chuckled. "What? No, definitely not. It's a relief. A clean slate."
"A fresh start."
The two of them couldn't seem to break eye contact as they stood facing each other. Maybe this room really is haunted, because I'm feeling the weirdest sensations! Lorelai thought.
She cleared her throat, daring herself to ask one more question. "So, what else is in your Twickham fantasy?"
Luke groaned. "It's not really a fantasy, just a possibility, an idea."
"What else?" she pressed.
"I don't know, I guess maybe a kid or two?"
"Really? Mr. No-Patience-For-Jam-Hands?"
"Yeah, maybe. I could come home from the diner at the end of the day, and they could tell me about what they did at school, and when they went to bed, my wife and I could have a fire going in the fireplace. The Twickham house has a great backyard. We could play catch outside with the kids. They could ride their bikes around town. I could fix up the office as a library for…for, um, anyone who wanted to read there. The kids could read in there because I'm sure they'll be smart. Watch me end up having some brainiac kid that I can't even understand."
Lorelai found herself melting at his words. That picture looked beautiful, and she found herself wanting it, too, or at least some variation of it.
The whole package. And what a package it would be.
But stop! This is Luke's fantasy! You are not a part of it! Why are you flipping out over this?!
Lorelai found her voice, and she squeaked, "That sounds…really nice. And if I didn't mention it yet, the furniture is really beautiful."
Luke took a step closer. "You mean that? You really like it?"
"Yeah, I do."
Lorelai could feel a force pulling them closer, and she felt powerless. Something was shifting, and she knew he was having the same experience. There were nearly touching. Luke reached out to pull her closer.
Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing!
They quickly jumped apart as Lorelai realized it was her own stupid phone ringing in her purse. Since the moment was already ruined, she went ahead and answered it. "Hello," she answered shakily.
"Hey, Lorelai, it's Tom. Listen, I need you to get back here if you can. There are a couple of issues that popped up while you've been gone."
"Got it, Tom, and sorry to make you wait. I'm heading back right now."
She looked at Luke as she put the phone away. Normally she could get a pretty good read on him, but right now his waters were way too murky. He looked as jumbled as her insides felt.
"So, that was Tom," she tried to say light-heartedly. "I've got to head back. An inn owner's work is never done! Um, thanks for the level."
She began to leave when she heard him say "Lorelai", almost pleading.
"Later, Luke, I promise." She left without looking back, for fear if she did, she wouldn't be able to leave at all.
By the time Lorelai got home that night, she was exhausted. Besides putting out proverbial fires all day at the inn, Luke's revelations had left her emotionally drained. All she wanted to do was curl and sleep for the next three days, but first, she had to make a phone call.
"Hello?" Rory answered.
"Listen, kid, I know you're studying, but is there any way I could persuade you to take a few moments to talk to your amazing mom?"
"Who is this?" Rory teased.
"It's a little early to be losing the old noggin' already, isn't it?"
"Blame Yale. They overworked my brain."
"That deserves a tuition refund."
"Grandma and Grandpa will love that."
"See, this was working until you brought them up."
"To answer your original question, yes, I was taking a study break anyway. What's up?"
"Can you see me living in the Twickham house?"
"Are you applying to be his live-in nurse or something?"
"No, I mean like after he dies."
"He's been dying since I was a baby. I'm pretty sure he's going to outlive us all."
"It does look that way."
"Mom," Rory began, her tone becoming more serious. "What's this all about? You're not planning on moving somewhere else, are you?"
Lorelai caught the panic rising in her daughter's voice. "No, I'm not. I don't think I am. I just, well, I don't really know how to explain this."
"Just try. I'm all ears."
And Lorelai began pouring out everything Luke had told her, knowing she had his permission. Rory expressed shock and awe in all the right places.
"So, Mom, you're telling me you want to be the one to live with Luke in the Twickham house and have kids playing in the backyard?"
"I don't know, Rory. All I know is it sounds…nice."
"Yeah, it does."
"I'm not even sure if I could ever part with this house, though. I love this house. Maybe Luke would like living here. There isn't much extra room if we have kids but maybe we could—"
"Mom!"
"What?"
"Do you hear yourself? You finally admitted your feelings! You want to be with Luke!"
Lorelai found herself deeply exhaling, finally having a name for what had nagging her all day, all week, the past eight years.
"Yeah, I do," Lorelai stated quietly.
"Finally!"
"Are you ok with this? You used to not want me to even consider dating him."
"Mom, I've seen how important you are to each other. You both run to each other and support each other, and he already treats me like a daughter. It's right, Mom. You have my stamp of approval."
Lorelai grinned, starting to feel the possibility becoming closer to a reality. "Thanks, Rory. I should let you study."
"And I don't care if I'm taking a final, you call me the second there are more details, except not too many details, because ew."
Lorelai laughed. "I will, sweets. Talk to you soon."
The oven was on the fritz again.
Luke had his head in the diner oven, trying desperately to get it working again or he was going to have a lot less to offer his customers today. Caesar was handling all the cooking duties and it was getting crowded back there. Fortunately, they had a lull, so Luke hoped he had enough time to get this done.
Except he needed some air.
"Caesar, I'll be back in a little while. Can you hold down the fort?"
"Sure thing, boss."
He was going to head up to the apartment and maybe fix a sandwich when something bright on the coffee maker caught his eye. It was a neon pink post-it, with the message "Meet me up on the third floor."
He glanced around, knowing she wasn't down here, knowing she'd snuck past both her and Caesar. There was only one couple in the place, sitting far away by the window, so he figured nobody else saw the note. He quickly stuffed the note in his pocket and ascended the stairs.
He hadn't seen her since she'd left the third floor yesterday. Hoping she'd come in this morning, Luke found himself restless all day, wanting a chance to…to what, he didn't know. He felt he'd revealed way too much, and hadn't been able to gather her reaction when she had left. The fact that he'd come so close to actually holding her without getting that chance had left a very real ache inside of him.
Luke found her nearly in the exact same spot as he did the day before, looking as beautiful as ever.
"You know, just because you now know about this room doesn't mean you can just come up here whenever you feel like it."
He expected a quippy comeback at that, but all she did was purse her lips together.
"This Twickham house future of yours, well, you said it wasn't Nicole you saw that future with. But, who do you see this future with? Does she have a face?"
Luke could feel his eyes bugging out. He felt caught out. She knows. "Lorelai…."
"Please," she whispered. "Tell me, Luke."
It was time, though, wasn't it? In spite of being married, he'd felt his bond with Lorelai grow exponentially this past year. Even if she didn't feel the same, he couldn't keep this up much longer anyway.
"It used to be Rachel, for a long time, but not anymore."
"And now?"
He took a deep breath. "It's you."
She just stared.
"Who am I kidding? It's always been you, Lorelai."
She nodded.
"And look," he rushed on, "I know it's crazy, and you're with that Jason guy, and our timing has never been great, but you asked, and that's my honest answer. It's you. You're the only one I see a future with."
Tears began to form in Lorelai's eyes while Luke looked on with alarm. He gathered her in an embrace while she released her emotional exhaustion.
"Hey, it's ok, Lorelai. It's ok if you don't feel that way. But you need to know that I will still be here for you, and Rory, no matter what does or doesn't happen with us."
"No, Luke, that's not it. I need to tell you, well, first you need to know I broke up with Jason."
"What? When?" He gently released her.
"Over a week ago, although I should have done it way before then. I only agreed to go out with him to annoy my parents, but then we kept our relationship a secret from them the whole time! He never supported me or my dad during Gran's funeral. I mean, that right there should have been the final straw."
"I would've been there, but I didn't know until afterward."
"I know you would've been there. I never questioned that. But the real kicker was when all the cats were let out of the bag a couple of weeks ago. My parents found out about me dating Jason, his dad was going to screw over my dad, but then my dad found a way to screw over Jason instead. So now Jason wants to sue my father. I can't date someone who wants to sue my own father. So, I ended it. Haven't looked back."
"Ok, but—"
"And I'm tired of secrets. There was so much hiding and sneakiness with Jason. I can't take it anymore. So it's my turn to be honest now, ok?"
"Ok."
Lorelai put her hands on his forearms. "Yesterday, when you were describing all these dreams you had, it was like something inside of me woke up, something I've been suppressing for a really long time. Over the years I denied it, mocked it, played dumb about it, but the truth is, Luke, I see my future with you, too."
Shock registered on Luke's face. "Really?"
"Yeah, and who knows where we'll end up? We can make whatever future we want, but we won't know unless we give this thing a try, and I'm guessing you want to try?"
"Dear God, yes."
Lorelai grinned. "Good."
"Yes, good."
Luke moved in closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her securely, relishing the feeling of being this close.
"You sure you don't need more time? I mean, you did just get divorced."
"I don't need more time," Luke answered, his voice huskier than normal, "We've been waiting eight years. I'd say that's long enough."
She put her arms around Luke's neck. "So I guess my snooping was good for something after all."
"I wouldn't go that far," Luke said with amusement.
"Oh, come on, you lo-, like my shenanigans."
"Sometimes. Speaking of shenanigans…."
He finally closed the gap between them, meeting her lips with his. It started out sweet but quickly deepened. He began to move his hands up and down her back, and her hands found his cheeks, gently caressing his stubble. All their pent-up passion poured out of them, and they completely melted into each other.
When they finally came up for air, he leaned his forehead against hers. "Worth the wait," he breathed.
"Definitely," she said, stroking his cheek. "There's just one more thing that would make this even more perfect."
"What's that?" he asked, breathing in her scent.
"If you tell me what's up on your top floor."
"Someday," he promised, and leaned in to kiss her again.
Before anyone asks, I don't even know what's on Luke's top floor. I figured I'd leave that up to all of you! This story came like a whirlwind after I'd recently made a Tumblr post ( theawkwardanglophile) wondering what would be on those upper floors of Luke's, and then my brain just snowballed from there. I love how this story came together. It was so refreshing to just write freely again, because A Tale In Prose of Fire has left me extremely stuck lately. For those who have been waiting patiently for my next chapter, please don't give up yet! I have not abandoned that story, and there will be lots more ahead. For now, I hope this story is a good fix at least. Please review if you enjoyed it! Reviews truly make my day!
Also, a side note: I realize that Luke's grandmother's bedroom set is a) hideous and b) in a storage unit, however I figure that could still work even with this story. Maybe he inherited that much earlier. I'd like to think that Lorelai would like his parents' furniture a lot more, though.