A/N:Insert Strong Bad voice:
Like a Phoenix, from the ashes
...she rises again!
Star Crossed Lies and Other Hidden Feelings
By GilmoreGirl1979 (the Reigning Quote Queen)
Provider of Quality FAN FICTION
Summary -Luke tells a lie (NO surely not!). He tells Rachel that he and Lorelai are together since Rachel concluded as much from Lorelai's weird behavior before at the diner (I have to go stand in a closet comment…) Let's see what happens….
Rating: let's say PG-13 because well, I can't write smut… I break into girlie giggles … because it's so absurd… me… writing smut… it's funny, especially to those who know me well….
R/R: yes please I love reviews; I wanna marry them (as previously stated, I have strange passions.)
Hi! This is your friendly disclaimer: WITH THE FIRE AND THE JUMPING AND THE HOOPS! Once again, and I get tired of cutting and pasting this… I don't own (DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!), No Harm No Sue.
NOW FEATURING: LittleSid as ONE of my amazing new BETAs (that's right I have SPARES!)! Let's give her a hand folks, she helped me with 3 fics in two days! That's dedication my friends…
LUVZ: we all miss you…
Hello my little crack whores (and other shout outs): read in the reviews
OY, WITH THE INCESSENT A/Ns ALREADY:
A/N: WITS IS BACK AND FF net is gonna be in trouble… HEY NA HEY NA if they try to take it away again!
A/N: I'm gonna say 85 of the first five chapters… were written in October 2005, and then it was put on the back burner cause a little thing called WITS Quite took over… and I kept having my doubts… and my beta was unavailable.
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Chapter 2:
A Lumpy Couch and A Rough Night
Luke burst into the Gilmore house, knowing they never locked the door, and met his "girlfriend" in her kitchen. "What the hell was that?"
Lorelai was sitting at the kitchen table and looked up from her magazine, "Honey you're home," she said sweetly. Lorelai had been keeping vigil outside of Rory's door, hoping the teen would come out and want to talk.
Luke had ample time to get himself worked up over their situation. Luke internally fumed while he helped change the sheets on his bed for Rachel, while he made sure Rachel had fresh towels, and as he discretely packed an over night bag when Rachel was unpacking her toiletries in the bathroom. How long is she staying anyway? "You think you're so damn funny!" he growled at Lorelai again.
"Will you keep your voice down … think of Rory," Lorelai shot a glance at Rory's door and she shoved Luke into the living room. Poor thing is shell shocked from what happened, probably embarrassed, probably crying herself to sleep.
"Why? Why would you offer my place to her like that? You run an inn for Pete's sake."
"I thought it would look better if we couldn't keep our hands off each other."
"… but she's gonna think … we're… that we are… " He couldn't even say it, much less dare to hope or imagine it would ever really happen.
Trying to clean up where his thoughts were going, "Together? Exactly the point."
"But …"
"Luke, what are you so mad about? You asked me to do you a favor and now I think I'm going beyond the call of duty…" Making Rachel think you are getting some…from a babe like me, "It will be all right. Isn't this what you wanted? Her to leave?"
"Well, yeah…"
"Okay, then leave everything to me."
"Famous last words," he rolled his eyes.
"Look, all you have to do is just play along, this was your idea remember…"
"Yeah, I know…" actually it was Rachel's idea.
"Okay first thing… where do you want to sleep?"
"What?"
"Well, Rachel is at your place … so you're sorta homeless."
Don't I know it. "The couch," he said quickly
Lorelai was starting to feel guilty for not thinking this sleeping arrangement thing through when she suggested it to Rachel, and for putting Luke in this situation, on top of her concern for Rory's broken heart. "No, I'll take the couch. I offered up your bed like that … please take mine."
Words he never thought he'd hear from Lorelai Gilmore. "The couch is fine…" He wasn't so much uncomfortable with sleeping in her bed… just the idea of sleeping in a bed she had shared with God knows who. The thought of Lorelai with someone else pained him, but he buried that feeling to stay focused on the moment.
"I wouldn't recommend that…"
"What?"
"It's lumpy and while that gives a couch character… what if you get a kink in your neck tomorrow…
…you'll be grumpy and not the charming sweet spoken Luke we know and love…"
"I'll deal," he said quickly.
"Luke, what if Rachel stops over in the morning? And she sees you on the couch…"
"Why would she stop over?"
"Well, to check out the competition," she said, pointing to herself, "Duh. See how I look first thing in the morning… see if she stands a chance. "
"Then we can say we had a fight…"
"About her?"
"Sure" he shrugged, wanting this conversation over with.
Lorelai made a sudden game show buzzer noise, "AARRGH, I'm sorry, that answer is incorrect, but please accept your lovely parting gifts. Think Luke, if she thinks we were fighting over her, Rachel will take that to mean you want her back or that our relationship isn't solid." After a moment Lorelai reconsidered... "We could... share my bed?" Gilmore, what are you doing?
"What?" Luke couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"For authenticity," she emphasized, "Come on… No need to be shy. We are two mature adults."
Luke had to chuckle at mature being referenced to Lorelai, and let out a deep sarcastic "Right."
She ignored it, "And besides we have been friends for years… it's really not that unusual…just pretend we are… on a road trip… and we could only get a room with one bed…" Yeah road trip, she tried to put herself at ease.
In what circumstances would we ever go on a road trip? "We are already pretending one thing… and you want me to add another?"
"Luke, come on… it's just easier this way…"
"You really want me to … sleep with you?"
WOW! Want and sleep are such strong words. Suddenly uncomfortable at the obvious dirty reference, "I don't …want, I'm just … trying to be a good friend and help out."
"What if you and Rory go upstairs? …"
"Rory…is well she's sort of settled… for the night."
"Huh?"
"Rory…" Now it was time to try to delicately explain… "Had a bit of a rough night … If she wakes up in the morning and finds a man in our house she might … further freak."
"What happened?" Luke was now concerned for the town's angel.
"Well… her and Dean … they…" and Lorelai took a deep breath.
Oh God… The suspense was killing him and a million worst case scenarios went through Luke's head, all ending with him killing Dean Forester. Did he sleep with her? Force himself on her…?
Lorelai still couldn't believe it," … broke up."
"What? Why?" Luke raised his voice again, not as bad as I thought but… okay, still may have to kill him.
"Shhhhh" and Lorelai checked Rory's door, "… I don't know, she won't tell me," Maybe he…wanted to… Oh God…? Lorelai thought with a gulp, even though Rory denied that scenario, Lorelai's own worst cases were flying through her head.
"I tell ya, I knew that kid was trouble," Luke fumed.
"Luke," Lorelai warned.
"What, he thinks he's gonna find better than Rory?"
"Luke, don't."
"What?"
"Whatever you are thinking, planning, plotting … don't," Lorelai said sternly.
"I'm not thinking anything," but yet again he was an unconvincing liar.
"Well, I can tell you are in protective mode and while that's really very sweet, it's totally unnecessary," well just yet it is, till mommy gets some more facts " I just don't want to make a big deal about this until she's ready to talk about it okay…"
"Fine."
Lorelai narrowed her gaze on him.
"I'll behave myself, I promise," Even though he gave his word, Luke still felt the need to help or do something for Rory. He remembered the horrible feeling of being dumped too, recalling more acutely with Rachel back in town. Luke's heart went out to the teen, "… how is she?"
Touched by his concern Lorelai eased, "She just broke up with her first boyfriend… she's… in a bit of denial right now… shock really, I mean your first love is intense." Thinking of Chris ever so briefly, and Lorelai began to wonder if Luke had those same intense memories with Rachel. She wondered if Rachel was even Luke's first love, or first time. Stop thinking about Luke's sex life. She wondered if it was really right for them not to try again, and wondered if the diner man would be alone forever.
"Is there anything I can do?" Luke offered.
"I'll let you know," she whispered, smiling that Luke was always eager to lend a hand. Lorelai suddenly realized that Luke had work the next day and remembered how late it was. She was still unsure how the night would play out with their new sleeping arrangements, but like always Lorelai just dove on in, "Okay, so … shall we…?" gesturing toward the stairs.
Hesitantly Luke agreed, "Fine."
"You don't sleep … you know … naked, do you?" she asked seriously as they went up the stairs together.
"What? Of course not!"
"Well I don't know…" Now noting his overnight bag, "you have everything you need."
"Yeah, but it does look kinda funny me having to bring stuff to my girlfriend's house? That according to someone is like a second home to me?"
"I'm sorry, I may have spread that on a little too thick."
That's not the only thing, Luke thought their brief kiss.
"If she asks tell her it was laundry day or something," Lorelai waved the detail off.
They entered Lorelai's room together and just stared at the bed for a minute.
"So? What side do you want?" Lorelai asked.
"I really don't care. What side do you want?"
"Well, I tend to … favor the left," Lorelai seemed to realize.
"My left or your left?"
"Uummm, this left," as she sat on the side beside the door. "Are, ummm, do you want to … change?" suddenly realizing Luke may have to undress in front of her.
"Oh ummm, yeah… I'm gonna … you know… in the bathroom."
Trying to put him at ease, "Luke, we are two adults, and I've seen you at the lake… there is nothing to be embarrassed about. Unless you're wearing… boxers with dancing burgers on them … Are you wearing boxers with dancing burgers on them?" she laughed briefly then realized she was actually trying to picture Luke in his boxers… stop that!
"It's just… "
"… Just what?"
"It's you," he said a little too honestly.
"Me?" and Lorelai tried to understand what significance that had.
"Well … yeah … you are my best friend and in one night I'm asking you to pretend to be my girlfriend and now I have to strip down and sleep next to you all night? And you always find a way to have a laugh at my expense…" how can I trust you not to stick my hand in water or put make up on me while I'm sleeping… he would have listed these concerns out loud, but he didn't want to give Lorelai any ideas.
I'm his best friend? The comment distracted her from any dastardly pranks she could have played. "Hey, I'm a little uncomfortable too." I've never had a man stay over here before… and Lorelai pulled back her side of the covers, "And if I do something humorous it's just to break the obvious tension here…. Just stay on your side and I'll stay on my side. Deal?"
"Fine. I'm just gonna …," pointing to the bathroom and heading out to get him self in check again.
Lorelai settled herself on her side of the bed. As she stared at the ceiling, her hands folded on her stomach, and she began to debate if she needed to set up a pillow barrier to separate herself from Luke. Please… It's Luke she dismissed the idea as totally unnecessary. Lorelai could hear him brushing his teeth; do boys wash their faces at night? Not being familiar with the bedtime beauty rituals of boys. Her earlier thought was true;Lorelai had never had a boy stay over with her before… in her bed … all night. Granted, Max had camped out on the couch that one night over the winter when he was snowed in the Hollow, which is how she had the first hand account that it wasn't that comfortable to sleep on. He only slept downstairs because Lane had surprised them and spoiled the mood for what they had originally intended, So not the same situation here. She thought of Max … again, and that small lonely ache was in her heart again.
Lorelai was brought back to the here and now when Luke turned off the bathroom light and came into the bedroom. He was wearing grey sweatpants and a tight fitting t-shirt. Lorelai let out a small gasp seeing for the first time… his tattoo? Don't remember that from the lake. Maybe you weren't looking before, a husky voice said from some where in side of her, no doubt a result of her founder's punch chug. Lorelai watched as he searched for a home for his things, not really knowing where to put his stuff, but he decided on the chair by her sewing machine, on "his side" of the room. She found it funny how he hung his ball cap on the back of the chair. That's the cap I gave him for Christmas…isn't it? Luke glanced at her, then to his side, and paused for a moment, making the conscious decision to get in bed with Lorelai. She felt the shift of the mattress as he lay down with her and it became all too real. I'm sharing a bed with Luke. Miss Patty, eat your heart out.
Lorelai fought to keep herself relaxed and not let him know just how weird it was for her to have a boy in her room. There is a boy in my room. "Good night, Luke," That sounded normal … right?
"Night," he said quickly, staring at the ceiling. He had an arm tucked behind his head, his other resting on his stomach over Lorelai's comforter that smelled like her perfume.
Luke was spending the night with Lorelai Gilmore.
Not what he expected when he got up this morning. Not what he expected when he let Rachel believe her own assumptions about how close Lorelai and he were. Much like he didn't expect Lorelai to kiss him to help sell the story. It was brief but he kept playing it over in slow motion in his head. Her hand on his cheek, her coffee flavored lips on his, her blue eyes gleaming "I'll see you at home…" man … she is good even I'm starting to think we're together; after all he was in her bed. Luke shook away the memory, it was nothing. She did it to convince Rachel, nothing more, but he began to wonder if he could trust himself unconscious with Lorelai only 2 feet away… all night long.
Unable to stand the silence, Lorelai spoke, "Wow, it's quiet."
"It was…" Luke commented dryly, then he had to ask, "You don't talk in your sleep, do you?" that would have been his own private hell, although he was a deep sleeper so he may not even notice.
"Not that I'm aware, I've never had a bed buddy here to tell me one way or another..." I'm gonna find ya … I'm gonna getcha, getcha, getcha…
"Bed buddy?"
"You know, a sleepover companion. You will tell me if I talk in my sleep, won't you?"
"Sure, but…" He didn't know how to ask, or know if he actually wanted the answer. "You've never had a guy over here before?"
"Nope, you're the first. And believe me, of all the guys I thought I may share this bed with… you weren't on the list. No offense."
"None taken," He said simply to make her feel better, but deep down he had always figured she would never see him that way. Which is why you've kept your mouth shut for so long; Wait a minute…"Didn't Rory's dad come back a while ago…"
"Just because we slept together to create Rory doesn't mean he hops into bed with me whenever he visits. He was on the couch…" she defended herself , and tried to clear what Luke must have thought of her and that situation out of his head, but I did … sleep with Chris on my parents' balcony… unfortunately, she regretted again.
"Sorry," Luke wondered how much longer he needed to participate in this uncomfortable small talk/pillow talk.
"Well, with Rory, dating was and is, sort of hard. I never wanted to bring a guy home and you know, set a bad example for her. Or have her get too attached to someone if it didn't work out, and boys and girls, we know just how horribly that could work out, or not as the case may be," She said more for herself and since she had tried dating a teacher, she said to her imaginary class, while she was thinking of Max again. God, I miss him.
"We do?" Luke was now curious. What didn't work out?
"Oh well, umm," CRAP! Now I have to explain, Lorelai really didn't talk about her love life with Luke, that's something you discuss with a girlfriend, not a boyfriend, that is a friend who happens to be a boy. With a deep sigh, Lorelai made clear "I sorta tried dating …" she didn't want to say it; it was kind of embarrassing, especially with how it ended up, making out in his classroom. "I tried dating one of Rory's… teachers. And it blew up in my face. I embarrassed myself and Rory by extension and … it was just all around bad." Reminding her self of what a bad idea it would be to pick up the phone and call Max, Or to take my car out to his apartment. Talking it out with Luke just reconfirmed her resolve. Dating Max bad stuff for Rory.
"Oh," was all Luke could say, glad to get a first hand account of her relationship status, but pained that she still seemed upset by the failed relationship. And a little annoyed that she would still date anyone but the local diner owner, even Rory's teachers could catch her eye, but put on flannel and a ball cap, and you are invisible, unless you have a fresh pot of coffee, and he twitched his thumb bitterly uncomfortable with the conversation, wondering if Lorelai and Max spent the night together, here, in this very bed. But she said I was the first…
"I mean, it's my own fault, I knew it was a bad idea. But I went ahead anyway. I was … selfish." Feeling a little exposed and vulnerable to Luke, yet somehow, it was always easy to open up to Luke. So, Lorelai figured since they were sharing anyway. "Luke?"
"Yeah?"
Lorelai rolled over to prop her head on her hand so she could analyze Luke's reaction to her probing, "Are you sure you don't want Rachel back?"
After what she did to me, he firmly said "Positive."
"Okay," Lorelai would accept that for now, "I'm just saying… because I don't want you to … regret this… what if your happiness lies with Rachel and you turn your back on it?"
Luke sensed she may not be over the teacher yet, and was vicariously advising him on her mistakes, "Well, she's done it to me a dozen times before."
"But she came back again."
"And she will leave again. Mark my words," he predicted.
"Okay," Only because you are lying to her this time, and she settled back into her side.
The silence didn't last long as Lorelai's advice gnawed at Luke, and with an outburst asked, "What would you have me do? I was in it, I was always here, I wanted her, but the last time she left it was pretty final, a blatant statement that she didn't want me or the Stars Hollow life, or anything I had to offer … I mean how many times am I supposed to just let her walk all over me?"
Lorelai was surprised again by his raw passion, and was now so damn curious as to what exactly Rachel did the last time she left town. Another silence fell on the pair, both uncomfortably staring at the same spot on the ceiling, thinking of the others words, wondering what and whom their bed buddy was thinking of. Finally, after about 10 minutes of real quiet Luke burst out, "Geez, how do you sleep up here?"
"Very comfortably?" Lorelai confessed dryly.
Luke was searching for any excuse to get of the room, thinking of who was here before him, "But this bed it's so…"
Lorelai rolled over to look at him "what?"
"Big?"
"Are you saying you'd be more at home on the couch?"
"Well … yeah… maybe" I'd be away from you messing with my head…
"Luke… you don't have to… "
"Lorelai look we don't need authenticity, this is … fake," he had to remind himself.
"Luke, I think it's better if you stay up here."
"Why?"
"For Rory's sake, she might freak if she sees you on the couch. I didn't get a chance to tell her our little scheme… and I'm not sure how receptive she is at the moment to a boy first thing in the morning."
"I'll take my chances." And Luke whipped the covers off his body and went downstairs for the couch.
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"That was all God given talent..." why thank you Luke!
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R/R: PLEASE, I like to better myself. To quote The Princess Bride,
"...Remember this is for posterity, ... so be honest."
Please be specific with R/R; name one (or as many as you can think of or want to mention..…) at least specific thing you liked
Please! It makes me feel good...inside (Dirty!)
Hence the Rant option below.
Insert Rant here V
A/N: if not completely satisfied with this chapter, please return unused portion for a full refund …
