Wild Goose Chase
Luke had been thinking about marriage for a while now. Not with just anyone of course. When Lorelai was there, with him, asleep in his bed, he felt better – hell, he slept better. Every morning, just before the alarm went off, he would reach out to feel for her. He loved to run his fingers through her hair and make sure that one stubborn piece of hair never got in her eye, and would always make sure to kiss the top of her forehead. Some mornings they would make love in the soft day light. When she wasn't next to him, he felt emptiness in his stomach and he would often start off the day in a crabby mood. Then, when she walked in later for coffee, his awful mood was gone and all was right in his world.
Try as he might, Luke could not put a finger on why he loved her. All he knew was that he did love her completely. There were plenty of things that he loved about her, but none of them were the exact reason as to why he had fallen so hard for this woman. Her caffeine addiction drove him crazy (nobody needed that much caffeine) and nobody but Lorelai could eat the way she did and not weigh 400 pounds. However, Luke had come to the conclusion that figuring it out would ruin the mystery of Lorelai.
Looking back now, he didn't know how he made it through those awful weeks when they were apart, after the "break up". She wasn't there when he woke up in the morning. She didn't come in for coffee and take him out of his mood. He had felt as though his life would never be the same. And then the town: how they had made a big deal out of it. Kirk was the only exception—his insistence on coming back to the diner regularly, even when Luke's cooking had become less than edible, had almost kept him afloat.
The night that they got back together was magical. They kissed at the door and then made love and then talked and then made love again. They resolved some of their issues and then, like no time had gone by, they fell back into their regular pattern. Some nights she would stay with him, some nights they would stay apart but he would always see her in the morning. She was his beautiful, crazy, caffeine addicted woman, and hopefully always would be.
The pattern had gone on long enough. Luke no longer wanted Lorelai as his girlfriend; he wanted her as a wife. He had waited eight years just to kiss her and hold her in his arms. He wasn't going to wait eight more years with the way things were. Lorelai called it "a middle". All Luke knew was that he didn't know when he had been happier. He guessed that it had been sometime before his mother died, but that was the past, Lorelai was his future.
Now that he had decided he wanted to ask her right away. He had a plan but he would need Rory's help. One afternoon he called her at Yale.
"Hey, Rory - this is Luke"
"Hi, Luke. How are you?" Rory sounded surprised that he was calling her.
"I'm great. Listen... um ...can I talk to you?" Luke stammered, nervous about what he was going to ask her.
"Okay, I'm listening."
"I'm going to ask your mother to marry me, and I need your blessing before I do it. And then I want your help picking out a ring for her."
Rory couldn't believe what she was hearing. Luke was asking her for permission to marry her mother.
"Of course you have permission" Rory said, now close to tears
"I need your help picking out the ring. My sister knows a guy in New Haven who is an antique jewelry salesman and he can make an original ring, and I thought that you could help me sort the good from the bad."
"Oh Luke, I'm so happy. She's going to say yes. You know that right? I've never seen my mother so happy."
"Rory, please, lets not get ahead of ourselves."
"Oh okay, of course. Not getting ahead of ourselves would be good" said Rory stammering.
"Does next Tuesday work for you? Luke asked"I made an appointment, but I can change it.
"Oh no Luke that works fine for me" responded Rory.
"Great, I'll see you then."
"Luke?"
"Yes?"
"I couldn't be happier that you're going to be my step-father."
"That means a lot, Rory. He hesitated before continuing. And, this really needs to be kept a secret, okay?"
"I know, I will Luke, I promise."
After they hung up Rory had to pinch herself. She loved Luke and now he was going to be her step-father. He had always been a father figure to her. He was there when she broke her arm, when she had a scraped knee, when she went to Chilton and when she graduated from junior high. Every birthday, Christmas and Thanksgiving, Luke was right there to make coffee for her mother and act like a father to her. She loved her father, but Luke was there. Luke made her mother so happy. How was she ever going to keep this a secret
About the time Rory was 16, she realized that while she was off setting the world on fire, her mother would be at home and alone. She would have the inn and Sookie and all her friends, but Rory knew that her mother wanted more. She wanted the perfect picture: kids and a husband home every night. Rory had thought that Lorelai was happy with Max and then her dad and then her dad again and then Jason. Every time things went bad, she would cry and then pick her self back up again and carry on like nothing had happened. But then when Luke and Lorelai started dating and then broke up, she couldn't just pick herself back up and go on like nothing had happened. For Lorelai it was more then just heartbreak, it was losing her best friend and Rory thought that was even harder for her than losing him as a boyfriend.
"I think white gold would be best for the ring. A lot of her jewelry is white gold" Rory suggested.
"Okay," said Luke. "Is the princess cut better then opal shape or the marquee shape? I personally like the marquee shape, but what do you think?"
"I think the marquee shape is good too, but umm I think also that my mother would like the vintage look of art deco."
I agree, but this isn't like anything I couldn't find at Zale's, the point of this ring is that it's unique. Luke said, more to the jeweler then to Rory.
"Well, I do have this," said the jeweler, holding up a brilliant antique art deco diamond engagement ring. "The ring it self is 1.18 carats and is 18 carat white gold. I have a letter of authenticity. There's not another ring like it in the United States. The lady that brought it in was from Europe and said that it was family heirloom.
Luke and Rory looked at each other both smiling.
"It's beautiful," breathed Rory almost on the edge of tears.
"I'll take it," said Luke. "That ring looks like Lorelai."
"I agree," said Rory. "Have you thought of how you're going to ask her?"
"I have an idea" said Luke trying not to give away too much. "But just make sure your home on the weekend of the 15th."
"You do have a plan!" exclaimed Rory. "How are you going to do it Luke? I have a right to know. I helped picked out the ring in you have in your poc-"
"Calm down Rory," said Luke, trying not to laugh. "Yes I have a plan and your mother is not going to expect it and I want it that way.
"But"
"You will find out, I promise," Luke said with a wink.
Lorelai hated waking up in the morning. It was her least favorite thing of all to do. When her alarm went off at 6:30, she moaned a little and reached for Luke like she always did, hoping to settle into her favorite spot on his chest, but realized sleepily that he wasn't there this morning. He must have had to open the diner. Already her day was starting off crummy. She didn't get her first daily dose of Luke.
The transition from friends to boyfriend had been surprisingly easy. He had always been in her life, but always in a supporting role as a friend. Now that Luke had a staring role as her boyfriend, she was beginning to truly see how he had always just fit into her life. However, lately Luke had been acting very weird, even for Luke standards. He was almost nervous around her. He often seemed to be avoiding eye contact with her. Then last week, in the middle of the afternoon, he had just disappeared. When she called the dinner to see if he could come and fix something at the inn, Cesar had said that he wasn't there. He didn't pick up his cell phone and she didn't talk to him until the next morning. When she asked him about it, he just smiled and blushed and mumbled something about a bank appointment.
As Lorelai wandered around the kitchen engaged in her regular morning activities her eye caught on a piece of paper tacked to the refrigerator. Pulling it off, she read.
Lorelai,
An exciting day lies ahead for you, and I thought you could use some coffee to get you through it. Don't worry about the inn today; it's all been taken care of. Your next stop: the chuppah.
Love,
Luke
Curious, Lorelai grabbed her purse and keys and went out to the chuppah that Luke had made for her. Once again there was a note attached to the chuppah, this time with a thermos filled with what Lorelai presumed to be coffee. Lorelai filled her cup with coffee and began read her note.
This note read:
Lorelai,
The day I gave you this, I was hoping we could still be friends. I'm glad we are and I'm glad you kept it. I hope in comes in handy someday. You next stop: Sniffy's Tavern
Love,
Luke
"Comes in handy," She thought. "For what?" Curious as to what he was doing, she tried calling him at the diner. He didn't pick up. She tried calling his apartment. He didn't pick up. She tried calling his cell phone. He didn't pick up. So she did what the note told her to do and went to Sniffy's Tavern
When Lorelai arrived she was seated at the table where she and Luke had sat at on their first date.
"Is Buddy or Maisie here?" Lorelai asked, hoping for some answers.
"No, Miss, I'm sorry. They're not. I do, however, have this -- it's for you."
"Wait, don't go. Who gave this to you?" she asked the waiter, trying to get some answers.
"Miss, I was told that if you asked any questions not to answer them, but Buddy gave me instructions if that helps you at all."
"Hey, I thought you guys weren't open for breakfast?" asked Lorelai.
"Oh were just trying it for a while, Maisie thinks it will be good for business."
He gave her a folded up note and a coffee, into which she poured and added sugar before opening the note.
Lorelai,
Well here you are at Sniffy's Tavern. I know you remember this place .The Champagne, Maisie and Buddy and the horoscope. I still have it in my wallet. But now it's next to that picture we took when we were in New York and its still bringing me good luck. Your next stop: the Gazebo.
Love,
Luke
Lorelai, now filled with emotion left Sniffy's Tavern. Why was Luke sending her on this wild goose chase? On her way back into town she called Rory.
"Hey, kid. How are you?"
"I'm great, Mom."
"That's great." Still overwhelmed, Lorelai went full-speed ahead and told Rory the story of all that Luke had done for her. "So," she asked when she had finished, "any idea why Luke is sending me on this goose chase?"
"I don't know," Rory said, smiling because she had been expecting a call like this today.
When Lorelai arrived at the gazebo, she saw a picnic basket. She opened it to find more coffee and another note in Luke's familiar handwriting. Once again, Lorelai poured herself some coffee and opened her note.
Lorelai,
A few years ago, you and I had a picnic in this gazebo. You had begged me to save you from the double pathetic. And I did. I wanted to kiss you right then and there and tell you that I had feelings for you. But I didn't. I was scared that you wouldn't feel the same way. I was scared that you didn't feel the same way and that it would spoil a friendship. I don't know what would've happened then, but I know what has happened since then, and I'm so grateful for all of it, for where it took us. And now your surprise awaits you. Go to Luke's.
I love you
Luke
Lorelai's heart was beating fast in her chest.
"Is he…no," she thought.
When she walked into the diner, it was completely empty, except for Luke standing there behind the counter.
"Lorelai," he began, tentatively at first, but with growing confidence and an unmistakable smile, "I love you. I love you more than I thought it was possible. Will you marry me?"
And then it hit Lorelai. She realized why Luke had been acting weirder then usual lately. The lump in Lorelai's throat was huge and she realized that everything he had done for her on this day was from his heart. At that moment she knew that she wanted to be with him for the rest of her life.
"Yes, Luke. I will marry you."
Luke removed the ring from its box and gently put it on her finger.
"Rory helped me pick it out. It's a one-of-a-kind ring. You can't find another one like it anywhere. Somehow that seemed appropriate."
She smiled through the tears as he swept her up into a warm embrace and settled into her favorite spot, ready to stay there forever.