Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's left such kind reviews and to KinoFille and Lula Bo for the beta.
A back-up gift for Rory? Who does he think he's kidding?
But he needs that, needs the pretense so that he doesn't get his hopes up. Needs the out to protect himself. Because she hasn't been into the diner. She'd have come in if it meant something, right?
And then she actually does come in, later in the day. Luke had run up to his apartment for a moment and when he returns, Lorelai has already been caught up in what is obviously an interrogation by Patty and Babette.
"No, no, no. It's just karaoke," she protests, her voice strained. "You know, I got swept up in the lyrics and the moment. It didn't…" Her voice trails off when she sees him, her expression helpless. She ducks her head, throwing Luke a glance before turning back to the two women and stammering, "It was-"
"Morning," he cuts in, not sure if he's saving her or saving himself from hearing what she's about to say. "What can I get you?"
He can almost swear the look she flashes at him is grateful, but he tells himself that she's just relieved not to discuss it. Patty and Babette exchange a knowing look before turning away to whisper among themselves, their voices just low enough that he can only assume that he and Lorelai are still the topic of conversation. Trying to ignore them, he turns his attention back to Lorelai.
"Coffee, please," she says with a shy upward glance. "And, um, thanks."
"No problem," he says automatically, though it seems clear that she's not simply thanking him for the coffee. That maybe, just maybe, she appreciates his intervention. They look at each other for a moment longer than necessary, and he lets himself be encouraged by the small smile she gives him before dropping her gaze to her clasped hands.
"It's just," she starts hesitantly, "the town…"
"Is nuts," he finishes. He's not completely sure what she's trying to say to him – it sounds oddly like an apology – but pointing out that they live in a loony bin is always a safe place to take a conversation. He has a sense that she's being cautious rather than intentionally evasive, but he's still having trouble navigating the subtext.
Of course, once they've veered away from whatever it is that they aren't saying out loud, Lorelai lets out a breath that is half relieved sigh and half amused chuckle and says lightly, "Yeah, Taylor's suggestion that we have a week-long festival dedicated to garlic scapes would seem to bear that out."
He responds in kind and they spend the remainder of her visit joking awkwardly about what would happen if Kirk ever challenged Taylor in the race for selectman. And yet again they avoid any mention of exactly what had gone on the other night.
As they do during the next few days when she makes brief stops into the diner for coffee and the occasional muffin.
Late one night, when he's taking out the trash after finally getting the girls' softball team out of the diner, he sees Lorelai in the street gazing up at Kirk, who is hanging in the Lucite box in all of his idiotic glory. She says she's out walking to clear her head and he can't help but wonder if she's got the same thing on her mind that he has on his. If she's thinking about whether they're just going to pretend the whole karaoke thing never happened. And because he's feeling a little frustrated with the not talking, he asks her and finds that she's not thinking about them at all, that she's out here pondering the fact that Rory's punk boyfriend proposed.
But maybe she is thinking about the two of them at least a little bit, since their exchange takes a personal turn, becoming more about the failings of their own engagement than about whether or not Rory is going to accept the proposal. He's very close to calling her on it, so they can finally stop talking around things, but she's leaving and looking ever so slightly pissed, and the only excuse he can think of to keep her from leaving is to give her Rory's gift.
Staring in the drawer though, after he picks up the box with Rory's earrings, the other box stares back, mocking him for being afraid of the subtext. And so he takes the necklace, slipping the slim box into his back pocket.
Once outside, he hands her Rory's box first, "I got this for Rory."
"Oh." She's surprised.
"Yeah," he says, "I just thought it would be better if she got it on the day of her actual graduation."
"Oh, that's…that's…that's nice," Lorelai stammers. "Well, I…"
Before she can make her exit, he pulls the other box from his pocket and hands it to her. She takes it, staring down at the box before lifting her head and eyeing him curiously. "That one's for you," he says, gesturing toward the box.
Her eyes go wide. "Why?"
He shrugs. "I saw it and it looked like you."
She looks at him dubiously then back down at the box.
"Open it," he says gently.
Giving a little nod, she slides the ribbon off the box. When she lifts the lid he watches her expression soften. "Luke, it's beautiful." She fingers the necklace gently before looking up and holding his gaze. "Why?" she asks softly. "What does it mean?"
Taking a deep breath, he asks, his voice a little unstable, "What did, you know, the other night? What did that mean?" It's not entirely fair, he thinks, turning her question back on her, but he needs to know what she's thinking. And he might finally be ready to hear it, regardless of her answer.
She cringes slightly, letting out a nervous chuckle and saying with forced brightness, "You mean my sudden and sadly not unprecedented lack of restraint in front of the whole town?"
"Whatever you want to call it," he says wryly.
"It means…" She sighs, putting the lid back on the box and slipping the ribbon down around it. She's still looking down, toying with the end of the ribbon when she continues. "It means there are…feelings." She's mumbling by the end, but not so much that he can't hear what she's saying. Her smile is uncertain when she glances up at him and he can't help smiling warmly in response, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"That's what this means too," he says with newfound confidence, pointing at the box in her hand.
He hears her sharp intake of breath and looks up to see her shoulders rising and falling as she takes in and lets out air. Her voice, when she speaks, is small, hesitant. "What do we do now?"
"You go see Rory graduate. We'll worry about the rest later."
"But there's just so much," Lorelai says sadly. "There were feelings before and…well…"
"Hey," he interrupts softly, "we've got time to figure it out." He gestures toward the diner behind him. "I'll be here."
"Yeah?" she asks cautiously.
"Yeah." He nods. "Tell Rory congratulations for me?"
"Of course. And this," she pauses, holding up Rory's gift, "is so thoughtful. She'll really appreciate it."
He cocks his head to the side as the corners of his mouth involuntarily turn up into a shy smile. "Good."
"Well, good night, Luke." Lorelai gives a little wave as she turns to go.
"Good night, Lorelai."
To be continued
Author's Note: Just in case you're curious about garlic scapes: