Title: as time goes by
Pairing: Luke/Lorelai
Word Count: 782 (Part 2 of 5)
Rating: PG
Spoilers: spans from a couple of years pre-series to mid-season one
Summary: Five times Luke and Lorelai kissed (or wanted to) before Raincoats & Recipes.

ii.

"Come on, Luke."

"No."

"It's for a good cause!"

"No, it's for the Stars Hollow Midsummer Solstice Festival. The last thing this town needs is another ridiculous excuse to wrangle everybody into celebrating something stupid. It's already full of crazy people – does it really seem like a smart move to get everybody dressed up in flowy clothes, chanting and holding hands and spinning in circles and sacrificing goats or whatever the hell you do at a solstice? Nobody here has ever felt the need to celebrate a solstice until now, and I don't see why all of a sudden the whole damn town needs to start. It's completely and entirely—"

"Is there something you're not telling me?" Lorelai cuts in, tapping her fingernails impatiently against the counter of the kissing booth.

"Like what?" Luke asks, agitated.

"Oh, I dunno," she says coyly. "You just seem really, really against the idea of me kissing you."

He lets out a sigh of frustration. "It's not that. It's just—"

"Say, do you have any gentleman friends I should know about?" she asks, eyes gleaming wickedly.

"Oh, come on—"

"Listen to a lot of Babs in your spare time?" she persists, grinning.

"Lorelai—"

"Okay, here we go. Andrew!" she calls. "Andrew, get over here. Andrew'll show you how it's done."

Andrew wanders over, looking vaguely apprehensive. As well he should.

Lorelai fixes a bright, Stepford-esque smile on her face. "Hello, Andrew! Would you like to buy a kiss to support the funding of the Stars Hollow Midsummer Solstice Festival?"

"Sure would, Lorelai," Andrew answers dutifully.

"Excellent!" Lorelai chirps. "Now, you give me that five dollar bill, and prepare to have your world rocked."

Andrew passes her the money, and she gives him a quick peck on the lips.

"See?" she asks, turning back to Luke. "Harmless."

"You're kissing guys for money," he points out. "Doesn't that make you feel like a hooker?"

"Uh, no," she says, rolling her eyes. "Hookers don't kiss on the mouth. Haven't you seen Pretty Woman?"

"No."

"No?" she repeats, her mouth falling open in a perfect 'o' of shock. "Well. That is another discussion for another time. But don't think I'm going to forget about that one, mister."

"I don't dream that big," he retorts.

"Tell you what," she says, "If you're gonna keep insisting on being freaked and stingy, you can just pay two fifty for a kiss on the cheek. It'll be over before you know it."

"Fine," Luke sighs. "But this is ridiculous. And when this festival ends in the lights catching one of the trees on fire and Kirk throwing up on somebody's shoes, I reserve the right to say I told you so."

"Duly noted," Lorelai says with a nod.

He pulls out his wallet, making sure to look extra-irritated as he does it.

"You better prepare yourself, Luke Danes," Lorelai declares merrily, "because yours is going to be a changed life! This kiss is going to cause you to completely reevaluate every aspect of your whole existence – I'm talking spiritual enlightenment here."

"Can't wait," he says tonelessly, slamming the money down onto the counter.

"All right, pal," she replies, beaming. "Now get down here so I can—"

"Excuse me," a flat, familiar voice interjects. "He wasn't in line."

"What?" Lorelai asks, her eyes darting away from Luke.

"You just called him over," Kirk reports. "Technically, he wasn't in line. I was."

"It'll just take a second, Kirk," Lorelai says shortly.

"But I have my money out and everything." He brandishes two twenties as evidence.

Lorelai's face freezes. Luke can't really blame her.

"Say," she says hastily, her eyes locked on the twenties, "it's just about time for my lunch break! Gypsy, you can take it from here, right?"

Without waiting for an answer, she slides out of the booth. Her fingers latch onto Luke's arm, and she drags him away with speed so impressive it's a little bit scary.

"Bitch," Gypsy mutters behind them.

"You're a very cruel woman," Luke informs her as they head for the diner.

"Oh, you mean because I ripped you off?" she asks innocently.

"Yeah," Luke deadpans. "That."

"Well, don't you worry, Mr. Danes! I will see to it that you get your money's worth."

"Oh really?" he asks warily.

"Really," Lorelai confirms solemnly. "From this point on, I officially owe you two dollars and fifty cents' worth of air-kisses."

"Air kisses," he repeats flatly.

"Oh, yeah! Like a kiss on the cheek, but much more embarrassing," Lorelai explains cheerfully.

"Great," he mutters.

And so she blows him kisses when she comes into the diner every morning for a straight week. Which is ridiculous.