Paint Me a Picture
The following afternoon, the Dragonfly lobby was a bustle of activity as Lorelai picked up the phone which had been ringing off the hook all day. "Dragonfly Inn, Lorelai speaking," she said distractedly.
"Hey, it's me," Luke said with a smile in his voice.
"Oh, hi," she said, immediately softening her tone. She pushed her hair behind her ear and said, "How are you? How are things?"
"Well, things are what they are," Luke said cryptically. He heard a commotion on the other end of the line and asked, "Are you busy? Do you need me to call you back later?"
"Crazy day," Lorelai answered. "We have our first paying guests checking in, and things are a little hectic," she explained.
"I'll call you back," Luke said quickly.
"No, no! Just let me, hang on, just let me get to my office," Lorelai said as she tucked the phone under her chin, grabbed a stack of paperwork and opened the door to her office. She stopped dead in her tracks when she found a large chow sitting in her desk chair as if he were taking a meeting. "Michel!" she yelled.
"Own!" Luke said as he pulled the phone from his ear.
"Oh, sorry, there's a dog at my desk," she grumbled. She held the phone away from her as she turned and yelled again, "Michel! Get your Stairmastered butt in here now!"
"Really, I can call you back," Luke said anxiously.
"No, I do not want you to call me back. I want Michel to get his stupid dogs off the premises," Lorelai said through clenched teeth. When Michel appeared in the doorway Lorelai whirled and said, "I am not going to say this again. Get your dogs out of here, and never bring them back again. If you think you can't do that, then we will work out a repayment schedule for whatever money you have invested here. Am I being clear enough for you, or do you want a translator?" Lorelai snapped.
"Chin Chin is only here because I have to take him to the vet on my break," Michel answered pathetically. "Come baby," Michel called to the dog. "Come away from the mean lady," he said in a hurt tone and spun on his heel, the dog following him out of the office.
"Luke? Are you still there?" Lorelai asked as she closed the door behind them.
"Uh yeah," Luke said hesitantly.
"Sorry," she said shortly, her temper still simmering.
"I really should let you go," Luke said nervously. "You're busy."
"You don't want to talk to the crazy, mean lady?" Lorelai asked as she dropped into her chair with a pout.
Luke chuckled and said, "I'm afraid you'll yell at me."
Lorelai smiled and said, "Wouldn't be the first time."
"And probably not the last," Luke added. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.
"What?" Lorelai asked suspiciously.
"Whatever has put you in such a charming mood today," Luke clarified.
"Oh well, let's see. We've already had one small kitchen fire because this new staff is not as good as following behind Sookie as the old staff was. The people who made our first reservation showed up. We gave them the best room in the place, but the guy's wife thinks she's staying at the Plaza. I mean, she out snootied, Michel, and that's not easy to do," Lorelai told him with a frown. "The water pressure still sucks in some of the rooms, Cletus keeps nosing the lock off of his stall and wandering around the grounds, leaving these really nice calling cards behind him, which someone tracked up onto the porch and through the lobby," she listed, her voice edging toward hysterical.
"Wow. The place seems to be falling apart," Luke said gently. "I probably should have thought harder about that investment, huh?" he said, trying to cajole a laugh from her.
"Too late now, I've already spent it," Lorelai grumbled.
"I'm sorry that things aren't starting out well," Luke said sincerely.
"Icing on the cake," Lorelai said as she blinked back the moisture in her eyes. "I mean, why not? My inn is falling apart after one day, my kid hates me and my guy has taken off," Lorelai said pathetically.
"Your guy?" Luke asked quickly.
"I mean, a guy, you know, the guy that, uh," she stammered helplessly.
"I hope you mean me," Luke said in a gruff voice. "Otherwise, I'm burning up daytime minutes for nothing," he said, trying to sound like his heart wasn't trying to leap from his chest.
"Well, yeah sure," Lorelai said cautiously.
Lorelai could almost hear his smile as he said, "Good. I like the sound of that."
Lorelai couldn't help but smile as she said, "I notice that you missed the taking off part of the statement."
Luke glanced around the fairgrounds and said, "Unfortunately, I am all too aware of that part." He sighed and said, "I have bad news."
"No. I don't want any more bad news," Lorelai moaned.
"I'm sorry," he apologized again. "Liz and T.J. are a little worse off than I thought," he said as he took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair.
"Oh no," Lorelai said sympathetically.
"Yeah. They each broke and arm and a leg. Pretty severe breaks. T.J. hurt his back too. Liz has pins holding her arm together. They're gonna be down for a while," Luke explained. "Anyway, I think I might be gone more than a week," he finished with a grimace.
"Oh Luke, I'm sorry. Are they in a lot of pain?" she asked.
Luke chuckled and said, "They're both fairly doped up, which is right up Liz's alley."
"Oh man, that has to suck," Lorelai said. "I remember when I broke my leg. It was bad, and that was a pretty clean break," she recalled.
Luke smiled at the memory and said, "Yoga kills."
"Not my most graceful moment," Lorelai said with a chuckle.
"Anyway, I thought I should call and tell you," he trailed off.
Lorelai pressed her lips together and said, "Well, as much as I hate the news, I'm glad you called."
"So, can I call you tonight?" Luke asked, as anxious as a teenager.
"You'd better," Lorelai said sternly.
Luke smiled his relief and asked, "What time?"
Lorelai glanced at the stack of paperwork on her desk and said, "I might be working pretty late. Why don't I call you when I get home?" she asked.
"I thought you wanted me to call you," Luke teased.
"You did. I'll just be returning your call," Lorelai justified primly.
"I'll talk to you later," Luke said softly.
Lorelai smiled into the phone and said, "Later," before pressing the end button.
XXXX
orelai puttered around her bedroom later that night, trying to shed the day as she shed her clothes. The afternoon had actually improved after her conversation with Luke. Things were still going wrong, and she barely made a dent in the mountain on her desk, but somehow, it didn't seem so bad now. All afternoon, she kept glancing into the hallway where he started ranting at her. She had to tear her eyes away from the doorway when she caught herself staring at the spot where they had kissed. She kept replaying what Luke had said to her that night over and over in her head, just now having a chance to process it.
She hummed softly as she left her clothes in a heap on the floor and strolled to the bathroom in her underwear. She quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth, and went back into the bedroom in search of sleepwear. As she pulled her favorite oversized t-shirt from her drawer, she caught sight of the portable phone she had tossed onto the unmade bed. She paused and frowned at the worn old shirt in her hand. She quickly pushed it back into the drawer, and pulled out a pair of pink short pajamas with a scalloped neckline. Chuckling at her silliness, Lorelai pulled the pajamas on, and flopped down on the bed, reaching for the phone. She hit the on button and realized that she had left the card with Luke's cell number downstairs on the desk. She frowned at the phone, trying hard to recall the number, but gave up after a minute. She heaved a huge sigh and padded downstairs to retrieve it. She hurried into the kitchen and filled a glass with water, before dashing back up the stairs again.
She settled back against the headboard muttering, "8602941986, 8602941986, 8602941986," as she dialed. "1986, should have been in the class of 1986, 8602941986," she murmured as the phone rang in her ear.
"Hello?" Luke answered breathlessly.
"Running a marathon?" Lorelai asked with a smile.
"Just back from running T.J. around," Luke answered.
Lorelai nodded and asked sweetly, "Did he want you to dry his armpits again?"
"Let's not talk about T.J.'s armpits," Luke grumbled. "Hey," he said, his voice softening as he dropped into his camp chair.
"Hello to you," Lorelai answered.
"Your day get any better?" Luke asked.
Lorelai shrugged and said, "Yeah, a little." She smiled and said, "Better now."
Luke chuckled and asked, "You just get home?"
"Not too long ago," Lorelai answered. "Hey, I have to ask you something. It's been bothering me all afternoon," she said with a frown.
"What's that?" Luke asked cautiously.
"When you were yelling at me, you know, Saturday night? You said something that I thought was kind of weird about how you invested in the inn," she said cautiously.
"Um, yeah," Luke said as he winced a little.
Lorelai laughed and said, "I just thought it was a little weird. I mean, you loaned me the money, you didn't even want to talk terms, you didn't want to approve anything, I had to force you to take a tour of the place, and then suddenly you're getting all possessive of your investment," she said. "Anyway, you mentioned it again today…" she trailed off awkwardly.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't really thinking about the money," Luke admitted as he hung his head and rubbed the back of his neck.
Lorelai smiled smugly and asked, "So it wasn't the inn you were territorial about?"
Luke chuckled and said, "I think I made that pretty obvious shortly after I said that."
"I guess so," Lorelai said coyly. "Hey Luke?" she called.
"Yeah?" he answered.
"What book?" she asked gently. Luke sighed and rubbed his hand over his face, debating how much he wanted to own up to. "You mentioned something about doing just what the book said," Lorelai reminded him as he remained silent on the other end of the line.
"I did," Luke admitted, closing his eyes and thanking God that she couldn't see him squirming.
"What did you mean?" she prodded.
Luke drew a deep breath and said, "Okay, I'm gonna tell you this, but so help me, Lorelai, if you mock me for it." He paused as he tried to come up with a suitable threat. "You will never get coffee from me again," he finished with a nod.
"Wow, harsh," Lorelai breathed.
"Are we agreed, or would you rather just drop it?" Luke asked impatiently.
"Agreed, no mocking," she promised.
"You swear?" Luke asked.
"Cross my heart and hope to die," Lorelai said as she crossed her chest.
"Don't say that, I hate that," Luke said quickly.
"I promise," Lorelai amended.
Luke leaned over, planting his elbows on his knees as her cradled the phone with his shoulder, he rubbed his palms together nervously and said in a low voice, "The book you saw Jess reading was mine." He closed his eyes and waited for the burst of laughter he was sure to come, but Lorelai was silent. "Lorelai?" he whispered.
"I'm here," she answered. She looked around her bedroom, suppressing a giddy laugh as her heart began pounding. "So, it's yours?" she asked, stalling for time as she tried to process it.
"You said there were a lot of Dr. Phil books in our futures," Luke reminded her.
"Wow, I never really thought that you would go buy one," Lorelai whispered as she realized how much he had already invested in trying to date her.
Luke sighed and said, "I couldn't wait anymore. I had to act. I had to do something."
"For me?" she asked incredulously.
"Well, you were always meeting some guy, dating someone, or getting over someone," Luke said gruffly.
"And when I wasn't you were," Lorelai said with a nod. "Or getting married," she added caustically.
"Yeah," Luke said as he stared at his knees.
"This is a pretty heavy conversation," Lorelai said, trying to lighten the mood a little.
Luke smiled and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but this might be a little easier if we didn't know each other so well."
"Maybe," Lorelai admitted.
They were quiet for a moment and then Luke said, "Thanks for not mocking me."
"You're welcome," Lorelai said with a grin. "It was really hard," she admitted with a giggle.
"I'm sure," Luke said dryly.
"Thanks for making the effort," Lorelai said sincerely.
Luke chuckled and said, "Turned out to be worth it."
"I'm glad you think so," Lorelai flirted. She caught herself and giggled as she asked, "Do you find this weird at all?"
Luke shrugged and said, "A little." He hesitated before asking, "Is it bad?"
Lorelai shook her head even though she knew he couldn't see her. "No, that's what's weird." She smiled as she settled back into her pillow and said, "So where are you?"
"Somewhere north of Bangor," Luke answered.
Lorelai gasped and said, "Bangor? Dirty!"
Luke chuckled and said, "You're worse than a fifteen year old."
"But much prettier," Lorelai answered. "So, how is it there?" Lorelai asked.
Luke shrugged and looked around the darkened fairgrounds. "It's pretty. Lots of trees, rivers, stuff," he said with his usual expansiveness.
"Oh, perfect for you," Lorelai said with a smile. "So where are you now? At a hotel?" she asked.
Luke snorted and said, "Oh no. I'm camping."
"Camping?" Lorelai asked. "You mean in tents and stuff?" she demanded.
"All part of the Renaissance experience, according to T.J.," Luke grumbled. "Of course, they're laid up in a hotel in Bangor for a little while, which I get to help pay for, by the way," he added with a bitter laugh. "But, I do get to go pick them up in the morning and bring them here so that they can hobble around and tell me what to do, how to speak and what to wear," he complained. "And then, after all of that fun, I get to drive them back to their hotel and fetch their dinner for them before I sleep with the crickets," he added with mock enthusiasm.
"Better than sleeping with the fishes," Lorelai said with a grin. "Well, you like camping," she said helpfully.
"For a day or two, not for weeks," Luke said with a laugh.
"Weeks," Lorelai said softly.
"Yeah," Luke answered, regret tingeing his voice.
Lorelai sighed and said, "So describe it to me."
"Describe what?" Luke asked.
"Where you are, what you're doing, what you're wearing. Are there tights involved? "Cause if there are, I need pictures," she teased.
"We're at a county fairground, I'm talking to you on a forbidden cell phone, and I will never wear tights," Luke answered sternly.
"Air pants," Lorelai corrected with a giggle. "Come on, Luke, paint me a picture," she cajoled.
"I'm no good at that," Luke protested.
"I want to be able to picture you," she said with a pout.
"You do, huh?" Luke asked, a pleased smile creasing his face.
Lorelai picked at her comforter and said, "Well, yeah. I never see you outside of Stars Hollow. What's Luke like when he steps out from behind the counter?" she teased.
"Oh, he's a wild and crazy guy," Luke chortled.
"Well I know that," Lorelai said dryly. "You're not planning on eloping again are you?" she asked.
"Never gonna live that down," Luke mumbled, hanging his head.
"Well, it was a pretty big thing," Lorelai said with a frown. "Why did you?" she asked.
Luke looked up at the sky and said, "Well, the stars are out. It's a pretty clear night. The place is packed with all of these nut jobs in stupid clothes saying things like 'Huzzah' and 'Good morrow' and apparently, they drink a lot of grog and ale," Luke started.
Lorelai laughed and said, "Dodging the bullet again."
"I don't have any good answers for that," Luke said quietly.
Lorelai nodded and asked, "So, you're sitting outside? On a log or something?"
Luke laughed and said, "On a camp chair. But, it's cooler up here. I had to put my jacket on," he told her.
"Do you sleep in a sleeping bag?" she asked.
"Yeah, but not on the ground, I have a cot," he explained.
"Oooh! You should get one of those air bed things they show on TV," Lorelai suggested.
"Nah, the cot is fine," Luke answered.
"So, it's pretty, and there are a lot of stars out?" Lorelai asked as she snuggled down deeper into the bed.
"Yeah, you'd like it," he said shyly.
"You think?" Lorelai asked doubtfully.
"I think so," Luke answered.
"So what do you do there?" Lorelai asked.
Luke shrugged and said, "I'll help run the booth. Sell jewelry and stuff."
"I can't picture you selling earrings," Lorelai giggled.
"Well, they need help," Luke said with a defensive edge in his voice.
"I know they do," Lorelai soothed. "You're good that way."
"What are you doing?" Luke asked.
"Nothing, just talking to you," Lorelai said with a smile.
"Where are you?" he asked.
"In my room," Lorelai answered. "Is this gonna go to a weird place?" she asked with a laugh.
"I just wanted a picture too," Luke answered. "No weirdness."
Lorelai laughed and said, "I guess I don't need to describe it to you, you've been in my room more than any guy I have ever known."
Luke chuckled and said, "I can probably describe it to you."
"Go ahead," she invited.
"Let's see, clothes on the floor, clothes on the chair, clothes spilling out of the hamper. Makeup and hair stuff all over the dresser, pictures of you and Rory shoved into the frame of the mirror, bed unmade," he listed.
"You're very observant," Lorelai said with a laugh.
Luke chuckled and said, "Well, like you said, I've been there a few times. I usually have to climb over the piles to get to whatever I'm fixing."
"Yeah, sometimes, they attack," Lorelai said ominously.
"I have feared for my life in the past," Luke agreed.
"So do you stay there, or does the fair thing move around?" Lorelai asked.
"I guess they stay put for a week or two, depending on the area, and then they move to the next town," Luke explained.
"Will you be down by the coast?" Lorelai asked.
"I don't know. Why?" Luke answered.
"There's this place on the southern coast. Barnacle Billy's. They have the best lobster you've ever tasted, and you can sit on the deck, look at the view," she trailed off.
"I've never had lobster," Luke told her.
"Never? Really? Man, you'd really like it, and this place is really fun," Lorelai told him.
"I'll have to check it out if we get down that way," Luke said with a nod.
They were quiet for a moment and then Lorelai said, "I suppose I should let you go. Let you get ready for bed, or cot as the case may be," she said with a little laugh.
"I'm glad you called," Luke said in a deep, sexy voice.
Lorelai shivered a little and whispered, "I'm glad I did too."
"So, I'll call you?" Luke asked.
"Call me," Lorelai answered quickly.
"Goodnight, Lorelai," Luke said gently.
"Goodnight Luke," she said with a sigh. "Sweet dreams."
"You too," Luke answered before he closed the phone and squeezed it in the palm of his hand. He looked back up at the stars and gave a happy sigh as he pushed himself up out of the chair and walked toward his tent.
Lorelai smiled and rolled onto her side. She placed the phone on the other pillow and snuggled down to go to sleep, all alone in her too quiet house with the lamp still lit.
XXXX
Michel pushed open the kitchen door and said in his usual monotone, "Phone for you."
"Oh!" Lorelai said as she hopped off of her stool. "Who is it?" she asked as she crossed the room.
"I am not your secretary," Michel sniffed. When Lorelai shot him a glare he relented and said, "Your mother," as she took the phone from him.
"Hi Mom?" Lorelai said into the phone.
"Hello Lorelai," Emily said coolly.
"You made it okay?" Lorelai asked anxiously.
"Yes, everything is fine. I'm sorry we didn't call sooner, but we were so jet lagged that we fell asleep and didn't wake up until late. I tried to call last night, but I kept getting a strange busy signal," Emily said. "Don't you have that horrible call waiting on your phone?" she asked imperiously.
"Oh, yeah, well, sometimes Rory blocks it if she doesn't want to be disturbed," Lorelai said with a frown, making a mental note to check the phone when she got home.
"I was afraid something was wrong with your telephone line. You didn't forget to pay your bill did you?" Emily asked snidely.
"No Mom," Lorelai said with a sigh. "May I speak to Rory, please?" Lorelai asked impatiently.
Emily rolled her eyes and said, "Lorelai I called you. You don't get to ask to speak to Rory when I am the one placing the call." Emily covered the mouthpiece with her hand and mouthed to Rory 'Your mother,' to which Rory responded with a shrug as she gathered her toiletries from her suitcase.
"Fine, Mom. How was your flight?" she asked politely.
"The flight was fine, Lorelai. We're going to the Lourve today. I would let you speak to Rory, but she just stepped into the shower," Emily said as she watched Rory disappear into the bathroom. She shot a worried look at the closed door and then asked, "Is everything alright with you two?"
"Fine, Mom. Everything is fine," Lorelai said quickly. She closed her eyes and tried to squash the sharp pain in her gut, unwilling to admit, even to herself, that she hadn't expected Rory to call.
Emily sighed and said, "Well then, I'll ask Rory to give you a call later. Will that be alright?" she asked.
"Perfect," Lorelai said with an uneasy smile.
"And Lorelai, please check your telephone line," Emily said again.
"I'll climb up the pole the minute I get home," Lorelai assured her.
"I don't know why I bother," Emily said under her breath. "Very well, we'll talk to you soon, Lorelai."
"Bye, Mom. Thanks for calling," Lorelai said as she hung up. She tossed the phone down on the counter with a clatter and dropped back onto her stool with a huge sigh, plating her chin in her palm.
"Everything okay, Kitten?" Sookie asked as she placed her hand on Lorelai's shoulder.
"What? Oh, yeah," Lorelai said, trying to straighten up and smile.
Sookie eyed her friend carefully, but said nothing. She turned back to the batter she was mixing and asked casually, "So, have you heard from Luke?"
"What?" Lorelai asked, shaking her head a little to clear it. "Oh, Luke, yeah. I talked to him last night," Lorelai said, her lips curving into an unconscious smile.
"Good talk?" Sookie asked with a grin.
"Yeah," Lorelai said simply.
"Good," Sookie said with a decisive nod.
"I'm gonna go back. To work," Lorelai said awkwardly as she slid from her stool and jerked a thumb toward the front.
"Oh, okay," Sookie said, a little taken aback by Lorelai's sudden need to flee.
"Paperwork," Lorelai mumbled as she escaped through the door. She went into her office and closed the door behind her. She leaned up against it and tried to fight back the tears that burned behind her eyes. "Damn it, Rory," she whispered. She angrily wiped the tear that escaped with the heel of her hand, stalked over to her chair, and sank down into it slowly. She stared blankly at the piles of paper on her desk, and failed to choke back the sob that escaped her. Lowering her head to the desk, she cushioned her forehead on her arms as she finally let it all go. A few minutes later, she heard a light tapping on the door and sat up quickly, wiping her face with the palms of her hands and drying them on her pants. She took a deep breath and turned away from the door as she called, "Yeah, come in."
"Hey," Sookie said as she poked her head in the door. She held her fingertips over the mouthpiece of the phone and whispered, "There's a cute boy on the phone for you."
Lorelai held her hand out for the phone, typing nonsense into her computer with the other hand as she tried to keep her face averted, and appear busy. When her fingers curled around the cordless, she managed to flick a glance at Sookie and offer a weak smile as she said, "Thanks Sook."
She waited until Sookie had closed the door behind her before pressing the phone to her ear and saying, "Hey," in a slightly raspy voice.
"Hey, you getting a cold?" Luke asked, the concern evident in his tone.
Lorelai tried to clear her throat a little and said, "Oh, no. Allergies, I think."
"Oh," Luke said shortly. "So, are you having a better day today?" he asked.
Lorelai's eyes darted around her office as she tried to muster up some lighthearted response, but came up empty. "Better? Well, yeah, I guess so," she answered finally.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently.
"I'm fine," Lorelai said quickly. "Uh, just busy," she said shuffling some papers on her desk.
"Oh. Okay then. I'll let you go," Luke said, obviously disappointed.
Lorelai sighed and asked, "Call me tonight?"
"Sure. I'll call later," Luke said shortly. "Hey Lorelai?" he asked in a softer tone.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"If you need to talk, I'm here. I mean, I'm not literally there, but I can listen. You don't have to tell me what's wrong if you don't want to, but I want you to know that you can. If you want," he told her awkwardly.
"Okay. Um, thanks. So, I'll talk to you then," Lorelai said, trying to sound more upbeat.
She disconnected and dropped her head to her arms again as she sucked in deep gulping breaths and tried to get a grip.
XXXX
Lorelai was curled on the couch, watching Letterman's monologue and eating Ben and Jerry's from the container when the phone rang. She quickly pressed the on button and said, "Hello?"
"Is this a better time?" Luke asked in a deep voice.
"Hey," she said with a smile in her voice. "Sorry about earlier," she offered lamely.
"I totally understand," Luke assured her.
Lorelai glanced down into the container as she stabbed the ice cream with her spoon. "Have you ever told someone something, that you knew was right, but they still got mad that you told them, and then you wished that you could take it back, and maybe they would, you know, not be so mad?" she blurted.
Luke paused for a moment and then said, "I think everyone has done that."
"Rory is so mad at me," Lorelai whispered into the phone, tears choking her voice.
"She'll come around," Luke assured her gently.
"It's never been like this," Lorelai said brokenly. "I mean, I'm heartbroken. My kid ran off to Europe with my mother to get away from me," she said, choking on a sob. "And I don't know what's worse, that she hates me so much that she had to run away, or that she ran away with my mother of all people," she said with a bitter laugh.
Luke got up and walked into his tent. He sat on the edge of his cot and asked, "Can you tell me what happened?"
"No," Lorelai said softly.
"Okay," Luke said slowly. "Can you tell me how you figure into it?" he asked cautiously.
"I was trying to reason with her," Lorelai explained. "I was trying to make her open her eyes. I wanted her to face up to the consequences of the choices she was making," she rambled. "I played the Mom card, and she trumped it," she said raggedly. "She packed her bags, grabbed her passport and ran off to Europe with Emily Gilmore."
Luke sat for a moment, trying to absorb what she was telling him. "Okay, well, these choices that she's making, can they hurt her?" Luke asked finally.
"Physically? No, I mean, not really. That is if she's not lying to me," Lorelai said with a frown.
"Will they hurt someone else?" Luke asked.
"Same answer," Lorelai said blankly.
"So, it's more of an emotional hurt?" Luke asked slowly, trying to puzzle it all out.
"Yeah," Lorelai answered.
"That's a tough one," Luke said as he tossed his hat aside and ran his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath and said gently, "You know, you can't protect her from everything."
"I know," Lorelai admitted softly.
"Some things, she's just going to have to figure out for herself," Luke said as he stretched out on the cot, propping his arm under his head.
"I know that too," Lorelai said.
Luke smiled sadly and said, "Doesn't make it any easier on you, I know."
"No," Lorelai whispered. "I mean, I know what I said was right, but right now, I'd rather be wrong," she said as she wiped her wet cheeks.
"I understand," Luke told her.
"I'm sorry to dump all of this on you," Lorelai apologized.
"I asked you to," Luke pointed out. "I just wish I had an answer for you," he said regretfully.
Lorelai smiled and asked, "You'd fix me?"
"You're fine," Luke said confidently.
"I don't feel fine. It's like I'm riding this never ending roller coaster and the sadistic carnie won't let me get off," she said with a chuckle.
"That would be a nightmare," Luke said with a smile.
"It's been a hell of a few days," Lorelai said with a rueful chuckle. "My inn opens, my best friend kisses me, my daughter runs away, then he runs away, and I'm here all alone," she said sounding incredibly pathetic even to her own ears. She closed her eyes and said, "And, apparently, I'm really loving this pity party I'm throwing."
"I didn't run away," Luke said firmly. "I would glad give Liz my arm to come back there, but T.J., he gets nothing," he said with a small laugh.
"I know. I'm sorry," she apologized quickly. She bit her lip and tried to figure out where to go from here. "You know, maybe we should try this again tomorrow," she suggested.
"What? The talking?" Luke asked, surprised.
"Yeah, I'm not very good company tonight," Lorelai said softly.
Luke chewed the inside of his cheek and said, "That's fine, if you don't feel like talking."
"I just, I think I just need to take a hot bath and go to bed, you know? Try again tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day," she said with a chuckle.
"Are you going to be okay?" Luke asked.
"I'll be fine. Really," she assured him.
"You'll call if you need to talk more?" he asked.
"If I need to, I will," she said with a nod.
"Alright then," Luke said, trying to mask his disappointment. "Goodnight, Lorelai. I hope that you feel better about things tomorrow," he said sincerely.
Lorelai smiled and said, "I think I already do. Thank you."
"Anytime," he answered.
"Goodnight, Luke," she said softly before she clicked the off button.
Luke closed the phone and lifted his other arm up under his head as he stared blankly at the canvas roof of the tent and listened to the crickets chirp. He tied to puzzle out the dilemma Lorelai had found herself in, searching for an answer. Now he understood her distraction. He felt a little guilty about the relief that flooded him, for now he knew that it wasn't about what happened on the Dragonfly's porch. He couldn't help but smile as he thought that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance for him after all.
Lorelai's lips curved a little as she switched off the TV, and turned off the lamp. She climbed the stairs slowly, and went into the bathroom to start the water running in the tub. She poured a generous amount of bubble bath into the running water and stripped out of her sweats, sinking down into the scented bubbles with an "Ah," of pleasure. She pressed her head back against the cool tile, and pushed the bubbles around the surface of the water as she let her thoughts drift to the scruffy man camping out in Maine who kissed her three days ago.