III
The next morning, despite his trying to be quiet, Luke woke Lorelai up at 5:30 again.
She jumped out of bed and met him in the hall, "go back to bed," she ordered.
"Good morning to you too," Luke replied.
"Go back to bed," Lorelai repeated, "it's not like you have anywhere to go today, I'm going to teach you the joys of sleeping in."
She led Luke firmly back to his room and pushed him onto the bed. Luke tried to get up but Lorelai wouldn't allow it, "stay," she ordered before going back to her own bed.
Luke rolled around uncomfortably in bed for an hour. He heard Lorelai get up and listened to her wander around the house. She talked to herself; he realised with a laugh. Or was that the toaster she was talking to? Sleeping in definitely wasn't for him. Luke lay around, bored, for a while longer until he could finally take it no more and got up to have a shower.
Lorelai was in the kitchen, having finished her conversation with the toaster, thinking she should have let Luke get up and make her some coffee when she heard an angry voice, "LORELAI!"
Uh, oh, that didn't sound good, she thought, following the voice upstairs.
"LORELAI" Luke yelled again.
"I'm coming, keep your... shirt on," Lorelai finished ruefully. Luke was glaring at her from being the bathroom door, wrapped in a towel.
"Lorelai, what happened to the hot water?" Luke growled.
"I have no idea," she replied innocently.
"Cos when I had a shower first the other day there seemed to be enough water for both of us."
"I may have had a slightly longer shower than you," Lorelai admitted.
"So you practically tie me down this morning, forcing me to 'sleep in' for the first time I can remember and then you use all the hot water.."
He looked really annoyed. Lorelai took a couple of nervous steps back, fairly confident that Luke wouldn't chase her down wearing only a towel.
"Well what am I supposed to do now?" he demanded.
"Lots of deodorant," she suggested, "gotta go, I'll be late for work. Town meeting tonight, remember?"
Luke groaned at the thought, "okay, I'm going to check on the builders today."
"Great, I'll meet you at the diner when you finish work," Lorelai said cheerfully.
Luke felt the strangest urge to throw something at her, but there was nothing appropriate on hand. Damn.
That evening, Lorelai and Luke tried to sneak into the town meeting, but Taylor spotted them.
"You're late!" he announced.
Everyone turned to look.
"It's her fault!" Luke stated.
"Sorry, I'm corrupting him," Lorelai said as they slid into a couple of seats in the empty back row.
"Do you think we should let them sit back there all alone?" Miss Patty asked.
"Huh?" asked Luke.
"I'm sure they can control themselves for the duration of the meeting, Miss Patty," said Taylor.
"Okay, just remember this isn't the back row of the movies," Miss Patty wagged a finger at Lorelai and Luke.
Kirk turned around and held up his camera, "but if you do give me enough notice to warm up the flash."
Lorelai put a hand on Luke's arm to stop him from attacking Kirk, "we'll try to restrain ourselves," she promised.
"Right," Taylor said, "first item on the agenda, the first annual Stars Hollow Karaoke Contest will be held on Sunday night. Miss Patty has kindly agree to host the event."
"I wish they wouldn't call it that," Luke grumbled softly to Lorelai.
"Call it what?" she whispered back.
"First annual," said Luke, "it implies we'll be subjected to this hell again next year!"
Taylor cleared his throat and glared at Luke and Lorelai, "something you'd like to share with us all?"
"Yeah, this karaoke idea is even nuttier than the basket thing!" Luke spoke out.
"I should have known better than to expect Mr No-town-spirit to like the idea. What about you Lorelai?"
"No, I think it'll be fun! Well, funny at least."
"Traitor," Luke hissed.
"I'm just sorry Rory can't be here to witness the birth of a new Stars Hollow tradition!" Lorelai declared.
Taylor looked at her suspiciously, "well that's good to hear. Any other comments?" he asked.
After the meeting, Luke and Lorelai were walking home.
"So the diner's reopening tomorrow?" Lorelai asked Luke.
"Yep," he replied proudly.
"Is it gonna be like when you were doing renovations last time, with customers having to pick plaster out of their food?"
"Probably," Luke admitted, "but I can't afford to leave the place closed."
"Plus you can't stand the idea of a vacation from work. You're problem is you don't know how to relax," Lorelai punched him playfully in the arm.
"Hey!" Luke complained, "you're really abusive, you know that?"
"I am not!"
"Yes you are! It's dangerous living with you!" he began listing all the things she'd done to him in the past week, "you started a tea towel fight, you're always pushing me around, you hit me with a shoe..."
"That was an accident!" Lorelai protested, "I threw the shoe at the insect, your head just got in the way!"
Luke just shook his head, "this is what I have to put up with!"
Lorelai bumped up against him, "you love it, you know you do."
He stretched an arm over her shoulder, "yeah it has its moments."
Lorelai ducked away, "pew, don't get too close, I know you haven't showered since yesterday!" she joked.
"You're gonna regret you said that," Luke warned, grabbing her arm and pulling her into a bear hug.
"Luke, what will the town say?" Lorelai pretended to be scandalized, "public displays of affection in the middle of Stars Hollow?"
He quickly released her and looked around nervously, but luckily no one seemed to notice.
"So what should we do tonight?" Lorelai asked, "I think we've seen enough movies, I'm feeling more adventurous tonight, wanna go egg Taylor's house?"
"How old are you?" Luke asked.
"How old are YOU?" she countered.
"Okay, I'm just a grumpy old man."
"You are not, Luke," Lorelai insisted.
"That's what I feel like sometimes. Not when I'm with you though."
"I do have a strange talent for bringing out the immaturity in people."
"No argument here."
Lorelai stopped in front of Doose's Market and burst out laughing.
"What?" Luke asked.
Lorelai shook her head, "I was just thinking about the irony of buying eggs from Taylor's store then throwing them at his house."
"Come on, I'm taking you home."
"I'm sorry daddy!"
By the end of the week, the diner was open and Luke and Lorelai had a regular schedule. Living together was working out pretty well until Friday morning when Luke crashed into Lorelai at the bottom of the stairs. She was wearing only a skirt and bra.
"Lorelai!" he complained, shielding his eyes, "what are you doing?"
"The top I want is in the laundry," she explained, "what's the problem?"
"I live here now, you can't run around half naked!"
"Luke is a prude," Lorelai teased, prising his hands away from his face, "if it doesn't bother me I don't see why it should bother you."
"You'd be comfortable if I walked around in my underwear?" He asked.
"Yes please," she joked before running off to find her top.
Luke scowled. He'd show her.
That afternoon Luke left the diner early so he'd be home before Lorelai. He sat on the couch wearing only his boxers. When he heard the front door open, Luke turned his head, "hey Lorelai, I've been-" he stopped abruptly.
"Hi Luke," Rory said as she entered the house, followed by Jess. Both were carrying bags.
"Hi Rory, hi Jess," Luke choked, "I'll just go put some clothes on."
Rory and Jess looked at each other, a little stunned, as he bolted out of the room.
TBC.... heehee...
The next morning, despite his trying to be quiet, Luke woke Lorelai up at 5:30 again.
She jumped out of bed and met him in the hall, "go back to bed," she ordered.
"Good morning to you too," Luke replied.
"Go back to bed," Lorelai repeated, "it's not like you have anywhere to go today, I'm going to teach you the joys of sleeping in."
She led Luke firmly back to his room and pushed him onto the bed. Luke tried to get up but Lorelai wouldn't allow it, "stay," she ordered before going back to her own bed.
Luke rolled around uncomfortably in bed for an hour. He heard Lorelai get up and listened to her wander around the house. She talked to herself; he realised with a laugh. Or was that the toaster she was talking to? Sleeping in definitely wasn't for him. Luke lay around, bored, for a while longer until he could finally take it no more and got up to have a shower.
Lorelai was in the kitchen, having finished her conversation with the toaster, thinking she should have let Luke get up and make her some coffee when she heard an angry voice, "LORELAI!"
Uh, oh, that didn't sound good, she thought, following the voice upstairs.
"LORELAI" Luke yelled again.
"I'm coming, keep your... shirt on," Lorelai finished ruefully. Luke was glaring at her from being the bathroom door, wrapped in a towel.
"Lorelai, what happened to the hot water?" Luke growled.
"I have no idea," she replied innocently.
"Cos when I had a shower first the other day there seemed to be enough water for both of us."
"I may have had a slightly longer shower than you," Lorelai admitted.
"So you practically tie me down this morning, forcing me to 'sleep in' for the first time I can remember and then you use all the hot water.."
He looked really annoyed. Lorelai took a couple of nervous steps back, fairly confident that Luke wouldn't chase her down wearing only a towel.
"Well what am I supposed to do now?" he demanded.
"Lots of deodorant," she suggested, "gotta go, I'll be late for work. Town meeting tonight, remember?"
Luke groaned at the thought, "okay, I'm going to check on the builders today."
"Great, I'll meet you at the diner when you finish work," Lorelai said cheerfully.
Luke felt the strangest urge to throw something at her, but there was nothing appropriate on hand. Damn.
That evening, Lorelai and Luke tried to sneak into the town meeting, but Taylor spotted them.
"You're late!" he announced.
Everyone turned to look.
"It's her fault!" Luke stated.
"Sorry, I'm corrupting him," Lorelai said as they slid into a couple of seats in the empty back row.
"Do you think we should let them sit back there all alone?" Miss Patty asked.
"Huh?" asked Luke.
"I'm sure they can control themselves for the duration of the meeting, Miss Patty," said Taylor.
"Okay, just remember this isn't the back row of the movies," Miss Patty wagged a finger at Lorelai and Luke.
Kirk turned around and held up his camera, "but if you do give me enough notice to warm up the flash."
Lorelai put a hand on Luke's arm to stop him from attacking Kirk, "we'll try to restrain ourselves," she promised.
"Right," Taylor said, "first item on the agenda, the first annual Stars Hollow Karaoke Contest will be held on Sunday night. Miss Patty has kindly agree to host the event."
"I wish they wouldn't call it that," Luke grumbled softly to Lorelai.
"Call it what?" she whispered back.
"First annual," said Luke, "it implies we'll be subjected to this hell again next year!"
Taylor cleared his throat and glared at Luke and Lorelai, "something you'd like to share with us all?"
"Yeah, this karaoke idea is even nuttier than the basket thing!" Luke spoke out.
"I should have known better than to expect Mr No-town-spirit to like the idea. What about you Lorelai?"
"No, I think it'll be fun! Well, funny at least."
"Traitor," Luke hissed.
"I'm just sorry Rory can't be here to witness the birth of a new Stars Hollow tradition!" Lorelai declared.
Taylor looked at her suspiciously, "well that's good to hear. Any other comments?" he asked.
After the meeting, Luke and Lorelai were walking home.
"So the diner's reopening tomorrow?" Lorelai asked Luke.
"Yep," he replied proudly.
"Is it gonna be like when you were doing renovations last time, with customers having to pick plaster out of their food?"
"Probably," Luke admitted, "but I can't afford to leave the place closed."
"Plus you can't stand the idea of a vacation from work. You're problem is you don't know how to relax," Lorelai punched him playfully in the arm.
"Hey!" Luke complained, "you're really abusive, you know that?"
"I am not!"
"Yes you are! It's dangerous living with you!" he began listing all the things she'd done to him in the past week, "you started a tea towel fight, you're always pushing me around, you hit me with a shoe..."
"That was an accident!" Lorelai protested, "I threw the shoe at the insect, your head just got in the way!"
Luke just shook his head, "this is what I have to put up with!"
Lorelai bumped up against him, "you love it, you know you do."
He stretched an arm over her shoulder, "yeah it has its moments."
Lorelai ducked away, "pew, don't get too close, I know you haven't showered since yesterday!" she joked.
"You're gonna regret you said that," Luke warned, grabbing her arm and pulling her into a bear hug.
"Luke, what will the town say?" Lorelai pretended to be scandalized, "public displays of affection in the middle of Stars Hollow?"
He quickly released her and looked around nervously, but luckily no one seemed to notice.
"So what should we do tonight?" Lorelai asked, "I think we've seen enough movies, I'm feeling more adventurous tonight, wanna go egg Taylor's house?"
"How old are you?" Luke asked.
"How old are YOU?" she countered.
"Okay, I'm just a grumpy old man."
"You are not, Luke," Lorelai insisted.
"That's what I feel like sometimes. Not when I'm with you though."
"I do have a strange talent for bringing out the immaturity in people."
"No argument here."
Lorelai stopped in front of Doose's Market and burst out laughing.
"What?" Luke asked.
Lorelai shook her head, "I was just thinking about the irony of buying eggs from Taylor's store then throwing them at his house."
"Come on, I'm taking you home."
"I'm sorry daddy!"
By the end of the week, the diner was open and Luke and Lorelai had a regular schedule. Living together was working out pretty well until Friday morning when Luke crashed into Lorelai at the bottom of the stairs. She was wearing only a skirt and bra.
"Lorelai!" he complained, shielding his eyes, "what are you doing?"
"The top I want is in the laundry," she explained, "what's the problem?"
"I live here now, you can't run around half naked!"
"Luke is a prude," Lorelai teased, prising his hands away from his face, "if it doesn't bother me I don't see why it should bother you."
"You'd be comfortable if I walked around in my underwear?" He asked.
"Yes please," she joked before running off to find her top.
Luke scowled. He'd show her.
That afternoon Luke left the diner early so he'd be home before Lorelai. He sat on the couch wearing only his boxers. When he heard the front door open, Luke turned his head, "hey Lorelai, I've been-" he stopped abruptly.
"Hi Luke," Rory said as she entered the house, followed by Jess. Both were carrying bags.
"Hi Rory, hi Jess," Luke choked, "I'll just go put some clothes on."
Rory and Jess looked at each other, a little stunned, as he bolted out of the room.
TBC.... heehee...