You guys are incredible! My little story that could has turned into something wonderful for me to share with you. I hope you enjoy this last part. I loved writing it! Here is the 4th and final part. Enjoy!
A week later, Lorelai was still reeling from her encounter with Luke. She was so excited to see what the future held for them. But the waiting was harder than she thought it was going to be. She knew she had made the right choice. She needed Luke's marriage to be put behind him before they could really start. She knew how he felt and she believed he really did love her. But she didn't want either of them to go into this with any regrets or concerns.
This was much too important.
She knew that she relied on Luke for a lot. But the week away from him was proving how much more she needed him than she ever realized. Her daily routine of going into the Diner was missing and everyone around her could see the side effects. It wasn't just a caffeine withdrawal because she was able to get coffee other places.
She was in full Luke withdrawals.
Standing in what would be her future office, she was trying to concentrate on her to do list that seemed to be growing by the moment. She was frustrated on many levels and she seemed to be reading the same line over and over again. Growling, she tossed her pen across the room and let it clatter to the floor.
"Whoa." Sookie said as she walked into the room, "What's your damage Heather?"
Lorelai sighed and ran a hand through her hair, "Oh. Sorry Sookie. Just a little stressed out."
Sookie walked into the room and held out a cup of coffee to her, "I've been noticing that. We're all stressed but something is very different with you. What's going on?"
Lorelai shook her head and looked down at her list again, "Nothing. Just want to make sure everything gets done on time. We still have so much to do."
"And it will get done." Sookie assured her, "Does this have anything to do with your Grandma or the break up with Jason?" She asked.
Lorelai froze for a moment but shook her head, "No." She looked at her list and tried to change the subject, "Have you decided what you want to make for the Test Run yet?"
Sookie narrowed her eyes at her, "Does this have something to do with Luke?"
Lorelai stumbled and dropped her second pen, "What? Luke? Why are you asking about Luke?"
"Jackpot." Sookie said leaning against the desk the movers had placed in her room, "Spill it."
Lorelai shook her head again, "There's nothing to spill Sookie." She lifted the cup to her lips but missed by an inch, "Except for my coffee apparently."
Sookie laughed, "Oh come on. I'm your best friend. I know you Lorelai. You've had your head in the clouds for days and Michel mentioned you've been oddly on time lately which can only mean one thing…"
Lorelai wiped up her spilled coffee, "What? That I'm just trying to open a new business and be prompt for once?"
"No, that you are skipping your morning visit to Luke's." Sookie said, suddenly she gasped and stood up, "Oh my God! Did you sleep together the night he drove you home from the funeral?"
Lorelai jumped and spilled her coffee again, "What? No! No we didn't sleep together Sookie! He's married!"
Sookie rolled his eyes, "To the snob in the suit? Like there is any chemistry in that relationship. Beside's I've been telling you for years that he only has eyes for you."
Lorelai blushed and mopped up more of her coffee, "Sookie…"
"You really didn't sleep together?" Sookie asked curiously, Lorelai shook her head, "Well did you kiss? Something happened!"
Lorelai sighed and looked back at her friend, "We haven't kissed no. But we almost did twice…" She smiled, "Something happened…"
Sookie squealed and clapped her hands together, "Oh. My. God! Lorelai this is amazing! You have to tell me everything! I've been waiting for this to happen forever! Do you know how awesome this is? You're not going to die alone anymore!"
Lorelai laughed, "Gee thanks for the boost of confidence in my Sook."
Sookie rolled her eyes and shoved her friend, "Tell me everything!"
Lorelai sighed and started to tell the story, "Well...the day after the funeral he came over and we got into a fight a little bit. He talked about Jason and how he should have been there for me and I brought up Nicole and we just sort of bickered. And then all of a sudden we were almost kissing and I stopped it before it could go too far."
"What? You stopped it? Why on Earth would you stop it? Didn't you want to kiss him?" Sookie asked.
"Well yes of course but it's complicated Sookie. Even if I didn't care so much he is still legally married. I want this to be done right. Which is exactly what I told him that night when I went to talk to him at the Diner. And…" Her face flushed again.
"And what?" Sookie asked quickly, "If you didn't have sex then what else could there be?"
Lorelai shrugged, "I told him I loved him…"
Sookie gasped and put a hand over her mouth, "Oh my. You've never said that to any guy before."
Lorelai nodded, "I know. And…"
"And?" Sookie asked leaning into her, "And what? And what?"
"And he told me he loved me too…" She said with a soft, happy smile on her face.
Sookie squealed again and began to jump up and down, "You're in love!"
Lorelai put her hand out, "Shhh! Don't say it so loud! We haven't exactly made this thing public knowledge yet."
"Well why the hell not?" Sookie asked angrily, "If you love him and he loves you then what's the hold up?"
Lorelai shrugged, "I told you. I want his marriage to be legally over before we really jump in. I just feel like it's important. Luke is a lot more sensitive than people realize. I don't want him stressed out about anything. If we're going to try then we need to be on the same page. I mean this is big Sook. We've been friends for so long that the possibility of losing our friendship scares me. I need to make sure it's done right if we're going to have any chance."
Sookie stood up straighter and looked directly at her friend, "Wow."
Lorelai blushed again and fidgeted nervously, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Sookie smiled softly and leaned across to her, "I've never heard you like this. I mean normally you just jump into a relationship head first. You're really thinking this one through which means you really do love him."
She bit her lip and nodded, "I do Sook. I've tried to pretend I don't but there's been this shift between us lately and this feeling has gotten stronger and stronger. And when he showed up for me the other night and Jason wasn't there...it put it all into perspective. Ya know? He's the one. He's the guy I've been waiting for and he's actually been there all along."
"I always knew that if you two just stood still long enough you'd see what's right in front of you." Sookie said softly, "Honey I am so happy for you. This is really good."
Lorelai nodded, "I think so too. I mean I hope it is. It feels good...and it feels big. It feels really big."
"This is right." Sookie said squeezing her hand, "You'll see." She smiled and pulled at her arm, "Come on. I'll get you some more coffee and we can start to plan the outfit you will wear on your first date. How slutty do you want to go?"
"Sookie!" Lorelai said pushing her as they walked along, "You're the worst."
Sookie laughed as they walked, "The guys been waiting for seven years...you gotta give him something."
Lorelai just laughed as they walked towards the kitchen and wondered how long it took for a Divorce to finalize these days…
Another week had passed and Luke was still waiting for the paperwork to be finalized. It had been two weeks since Lorelai had been in the Diner and his patience was running thin. He knew why she wanted to keep her distance and if he was being honest with himself, her reasoning made him love her more. She was looking out for him and that meant the world to him. But that didn't mean that being without her wasn't hard, especially when he knew they were finally going to take that next big step.
Sighing, he picked up an empty plate and started to walked towards the counter. He groaned when he saw Kirk sitting and counting how many fries were on his plate, "Kirk I told you to stop doing that."
"I just want to see how consistent you are with your fry amounts from day to day." Kirk said with a shrug, "It's research."
"They should research why you're so damn annoying." Luke grumbled as he threw the empty plates in the dish pan behind him.
Babette and Patty laughed as they climbed up on their stools, "I'd be careful Kirk. Luke's mood is worse than usual these days." Patty said.
Luke glared at them, "You two gonna eat or sit here and gossip all day?"
"Oh the man is ice cold today." Babette said with a smile, "I wonder if it has anything to do with the absence of the blue eyed beauty? How long's it been now Patty?"
"About two weeks since she showed her face here." Patty said shaking her head, "What'd you do Danes?"
Luke glared at her, "I didn't do anything. She's just busy getting the Inn ready for the opening."
Babette nodded slowly, "Right...so this has nothing to do with you running out of her house exactly two weeks ago like a bat out of hell?"
Luke groaned and leaned against the counter, "You miss nothing. You got cameras around or something? How do you know everything?"
"Patty and I pay people. We have eyes everywhere." She teased leaning into him, "So what's the deal? You finally give into your desires and make a move on the gal?"
"Oh! Did she get mad and slap you?" Patty asked, "I've always envisioned Lorelai to be a little feisty like that if she has to be. I bet in the bedroom she's a tiger…" Patty growled.
Luke's face grew ten shades of read and sighed, "Okay, that's it. Are you going to eat something or not? If not...please take your gossiping ways elsewhere."
"Chicken salad on wheat." Patty said nodding towards him.
"Reuben on rye." Babette answered back, she smiled, "You okay though?"
He nodded, "Yeah...I'm good." He smiled walked towards the kitchen, "And don't whisper about me when I walk away!"
Both women laughed, he only shook his head and went to the kitchen to get their lunches ready. God he missed Lorelai...this was harder than he thought it would be.
Three days later, Lorelai was strolling through the aisles at Doose's Market late one night. She was tired of pizza and Al's pancake world but she wasn't sure what she could make that would be at all edible. Sighing, she turned the corner without looking and gasped when she hit what felt like a hard wall.
"Oh!" She gasped and stepped back, "I'm so sorry. I wasn't loo-" She paused and blushed, "Luke. Hi."
He swallowed hard and took in her appearance, somehow she looked more beautiful than ever, "Hey. Hi. Uh...hi."
She giggled at his nervousness, she was happy to know he felt it too, "Sorry. I wasn't really paying attention."
Luke shook his head, "No problem. Neither was I. You okay?"
"Me? Yes! I'm fine. Of course I'm fine." She said laughing nervously, "All good. Totally a-okay."
Luke smirked, "Okay…"
She fidgeted slightly, "Um...so, how are you? How's the Diner? Everything going well? Business is good?"
Luke smiled, "Coffee orders are a little less these days but yeah business is pretty good…"
She blushed and looked down, "Oh good. Good that's good...I'll have to tell the rest of the town to drink some more of that delicious coffee of yours."
He smiled, "Okay." He shrugged before whispering hopefully, "Or you could just come in and order some."
Her head snapped up and she smiled softly, she felt an ache in her heart she tried to ignore "Luke…"
He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah. I know...I know."
She nodded and shrugged, "Still no word from Blodgett, Sage, Albet, Pettruccio, Stein, Lemming, and Stein?" She asked in what she hoped was an amusing yet curious voice.
Luke chuckled in disbelief, "You remembered all that?"
She shrugged and felt her cheeks flush again, "I may have researched them to see if it would help to move the process along…"
Luke smiled, "Well at least I know this is killing you too."
She sighed and looked at him, "It's been hard yeah...didn't realize how much you were ingrained in my life Danes."
"I know." He said softly, "I mean I know you're in my life, a huge part of it but life's a lot quieter these days."
She smiled, "Well you might want to enjoy the quiet while you can. Because once you get the okay, your life is going to be pretty loud all the time."
He smiled, "I think I can be okay with that."
She brushed some hair behind her ear, "Good. That's good…" She took a deep breath, "So um...obviously we don't know how long this is all going to take but I'm glad I ran into you. I wanted to ask you something."
He nodded, "Okay. Shoot. What's up?"
She smiled, "Well the Inn is just about finished and we decided we wanted to have like a test run with our friends before we officially open. I am hoping that…" She paused and looked down again, suddenly it felt to afraid to meet his eyes, "I'm hoping that maybe you'll be there? You have the best room in the place since you have invested in it and Sookie will make fabulous food." She looked up at him and shrugged, "I know things are a little weird right now but I just can't imagine you not being there for this."
Luke felt his heart start to pound, "Lorelai of course I'll be there. This is a huge deal for you. I wouldn't miss it for the world."
The smile on her face grew and she reached out to touch his arm, she gasped when she did and pulled her hand away, "Oh good. Good. I'm-I'm glad. That's-that's great."
He could feel the part of her arm that she had touched begin to tingle, "Good. Great. Looking forward to it…"
She swallowed hard, "Um. So...I'll give you more details later. And uh...if anything on your end changes you'll-"
"You'll be the first to know." He said with a knowing smile, "Don't worry about that."
She giggled and nodded, "Great. Okay then…" She looked beside her and grabbed a box of macaroni and cheese, "I should get home…"
He watched her walk away, "Remember to take the fake cheese filling out of the package before putting it in the pasta."
She turned and stuck her tongue out at him, "I'm not that incompetent you jerk."
He smiled, "Just making sure. You seem a little flustered…"
She blushed again and laughed, "Don't you have a Diner to run?"
He shrugged as she continued to step back, "My most annoying and demanding customer hasn't been coming in. The rest of them can wait a little while longer."
She smirked, "Well your most annoying and demanding customer is going to require massive amounts of boysenberry pie when she comes back in. You might want to start baking."
He nodded and gave her an affectionate smile, "You got it."
She gave him a nervous wave and walked back towards the counter so she could check out. Luke waited until she had left before resuming his shopping. He looked down at the part of his arm that she had touched, it was still burning and he couldn't wipe the smile from his face. He felt a hand on his back and turned to see Patty smirking at him.
"Still nothing you want to share with me?" She asked with a knowing smile.
Luke cringed, "Geez Patty…"
She smiled and put a finger to her lips, "My lips are sealed with this one Luke. I've been waiting to long for this to happen to let anything ruin it."
He smiled thankfully, "Thanks Patty…"
She winked, "You got it."
When she left, Luke took a deep breath and wondered how the hell he was going to get through the rest of this waiting game.
Another two weeks without Luke had passed and Lorelai's frustration and stress from building the Inn was becoming too much. She was overwhelmed and exhausted. She wanted to see Luke. She needed him to tell her that everything was going to be okay. He was always the one who was able to pull her back down to Earth. The opening was in two days and she felt like she was working on overdrive.
She was standing in her kitchen trying to sort through her large lists when there was a knock on the front door. With a sigh, she turned and walked over to see who it was. She perked up when she saw it was Luke standing on the other side. Her heart started to pound in her chest hopefully.
"Hi." She said with a surprised smile, "Um...what are you doing here?"
He held up a folder, "I'm divorced."
She stood up straighter and smiled, "You're divorced." She paused and put a hand over her mouth, "Sorry. I shouldn't' look so happy. I should-"
"You should definitely look happy." He said with a laugh, "I'm beyond happy. I'm thrilled actually."
She laughed nervously, "That's so wrong...and yet-"
"And yet so right." He said letting the folder fall down to his side, "Lorelai-"
The sound of her cell phone interrupted them and she cringed, "Oh no. Just...I'll call them back." She sighed when she realized it could be about the Inn, "Actually um…I'm expecting a call from Tom. But...shoot. I-"
He shook his head, "Answer it. I'm not going anywhere."
Her heart soared in her chest as she flipped open the phone,s he smiled at him as she spoke into the receiver, "Hello?" Luke watched her face fall quickly, "What do you mean my doors got lost? Tom! We have guests coming in two days! I need to have doors!" She turned and paced back to the kitchen suddenly lost in a fury of stress, "Where the hell are they?"
Luke heard her yelling all the way to the kitchen, he stood there nervously trying to figure out what to do. Should he leave? Or should he go in the house and wait for her to get off the phone? I mean this was supposed to be the start of their relationship right? He knew she was stressed. This was a lot for her to get done. He heard her freaking out in the kitchen and he smiled realizing that tonight wasn't going to go as well as he had expected. But nothing in their relationship ever really did.
Taking a deep breath, he walked into the house, shut the door behind him and decided to prove to her once again he was in this for the long haul. He took his coat off and walked into the kitchen where he saw her scribbling something furiously on the the piece of paper in front of her. Despite her stress level, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. He reached into the cabinet where he knew she kept her coffee and started to make a fresh batch for her. Despite the fact that it was past 8pm, he knew that she was probably going to be up late tonight.
He watched her plop into her chair and whimper, "Okay fine. But...Tom if these doors aren't there by the time my guests get there I'm going to have a complete nervous breakdown. I'm talking pulling my hair out and knocking over that gorgeous bannister you love so much!" Luke reached for a coffee mug and continued to listen to her, "Yes. Yes. Okay. Fine. I'll...I'll be there by 7 tomorrow morning. Yeah. Alright. Bye Tom. Call me if anything changes."
She sighed and put her head down on the table in front of her. Luke suddenly realized that she was so stressed out she probably forgot that he was even there. He waited patiently to let her calm down a bit before letting her know he was still there. However, he didn't have to say anything. The smell of coffee pulled her from her trance, he laughed when she sat up and sniffed, "Do I smell coffee?"
"Making you a fresh batch." He said quickly.
Lorelai jumped and put a hand on her heart, "Oh my God! Luke! I didn't know you were here!"
He smiled knowing she was mentally and physically exhausted, "I am. Did you sleep at all last night or eat anything today?"
She groaned and put a hand over her eyes, "I think I slept for an hour or so. I ate half a poptart earlier and what I think was a slim jim out of the bottom of my purse when I went to the bank."
Luke frowned, "Lorelai...you're going to make yourself sick." He sighed and walked to the fridge, "Do you have anything edible in here?"
Lorelai waved a hand at him, "I don't have time to eat. But-" She paused suddenly and then swung around, "Luke you're here!"
He turned back to her and frowned, "We just established this. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"
She shook her head, "No! No I mean you're here! You're' here and you're…" Her face flushed with emotion and the corners of her lips curled up again, "You're officially divorced. You're a single man. Back to being a bachelor. On the market…"
He stepped closer to her, "Hoping I won't be single or a Bachelor for too much longer."
She felt the warmth rush from her toes to the top of her head, "No? Got someone in mind you might want to make a move on?"
He nodded slowly and walked towards her, "You could say that. You could even say I that I've had my eye on her for a long time…"
She blushed, "Luke I-" Her phone rang again and she groaned, "Damn it…"
Luke smiled, "Go answer it. I'll find something to make for you."
She pouted, "But we-"
He shook his head, "We have plenty of time...answer your phone. Maybe your doors are back on track again."
She smiled as she reached for her phone, "Hey Luke?"
He opened the fridge and turned back to her, "Yeah?"
"This is going to be good, isn't it?" Her smile sent a rush of emotion through his body.
He nodded, "I think so. Yeah. It's going to be really good."
She nodded quickly and turned back to the table to grab her phone before it went to voicemail. She sat back down at the table and took her pen out again to help herself stay on track. Luke pulled out a box of pasta and smiled as he watched her work. She was in her element and he was exactly where he wanted to be. Beside her…
Later that night, Lorelai had fallen asleep on the couch surrounded by a pile of notes about the Inn. Luke had sat with her and kept her company, brought her more coffee when she needed it and calmed her down each time a new crisis occurred. He watched her sleep for a moment and hated to wake her up, but he knew she would be more comfortable in her bed. He just hoed she would actually go back to sleep if he did wake her up.
"Lorelai…" He whispered as he leaned in to play with her hair, "Lorelai wake up. You fell asleep on the couch."
She groaned, "Mmm…"
He laughed, "Lorelai, you'll be more comfortable upstairs in your bed. Come on. Wake up."
She smiled but still didn't open her eyes, "Trying to get me in bed before you take me out on a real date buddy? I don't put out before a man at least buys me dinner…"
Luke laughed, "Lorelai don't even. You know I'm not-"
She yawned and sat up, "I'm just kidding." She sat up slowly and smiled at him, "What time is it?"
"Late." He said with a sad smile, "You should get to bed."
She looked over at the clock on the wall, "Oh God. 12:30? Luke what are you still doing here. You should go home."
He smiled, "I wanted to make sure you were gonna be okay…"
She beamed at him, tilting her head to the side she leaned in, "There you go again taking care of me…"
He smiled and tugged at a lock of her hair, "And I always will."
She took a deep breath and whispered, "So...you're really divorced?"
He nodded, "I am. Nicole faxed me everything and called for good measure to make sure I got it. She wished us luck…"
Her face flushed, "So...she knows about us then?"
He nodded, "She does. She told me not to wait to long to tell you."
Lorelai reached across to him and took his hand, "You're divorced."
Luke nodded and stared down at their joined hands, "Yes I am." She looked back up at him and their eyes met for a moment, when she started to lean in he leaned back, "Lorelai wait."
Her eyes opened wider and she cringed, "I-I just thought that-"
He nodded and squeezed her hand, "I really want to but...you're right. This should be done right. I want to take you out, hold the door open for you and all that."
She smiled, "That sounds nice. Except there's just one problem…"
He frowned, "What's that?"
"Well for one I'm about to open a new Inn which means my time is going to be pretty limited, especially for the next few days. And two, I'm getting really impatient." She said with a laugh.
He smiled, "I am too. But...I'm not going anywhere. We can wait until after the opening, okay? You're going to need a night off so I'll take you out and spoil you. Then I'll walk you to the door at the end of the night…"
Her eyes sparkled, "And you'll finally kiss me?"
He nodded, "Yes. I'll finally kiss you."
She groaned and pushed his chest back, "Ugh I hate that you're being so sweet and romantic. Stop it. Be grumpy and sarcastic so it's easier to let you walk out the door."
He laughed again, "I'm sorry. I'll try and treat you like shit from now on."
"I'd appreciate that." She said with a giggle as she put her feet down on the floor, "But seriously...you should go."
"Want me to walk you upstairs?" He asked as he watched her stand up.
She smirked and looked back him, "Nope. Because if you do I'm not letting you out of the room before I've had my way with you."
Luke swallowed hard, "You're cruel. You know that, right?"
She smiled and walked towards the staircase, "And yet...you keep coming back for more."
Luke smiled, "Will I see you in the Diner now that I'm a free man?"
She nodded when she got to the bottom of the stairs, "You'll see me tomorrow. I'm gonna need the coffee to get through the next few days."
"You mean to help calm your nerves about the Inn?" He asked.
She shrugged as she stepped up, "Sure that...and the fact that I won't be able to sleep until we can finally go out." She turned and smiled, giving him a small wave, "Goodnight Luke. Thanks for taking care of me."
He watched her walk up the stairs and fought every urge to chase her up to her room and have his way with her, "Goodnight Lorelai…"
He waited until he heard her bedroom door close behind her before gathering his things and walking out of the house. He turned back and looked up at her bedroom window. He saw her dancing around her room and he couldn't help but laugh, he was hoping she was celebrating this new journey they were about to take together. It was about damn time…
The day of the test run, Lorelai had been working like a mad woman to get things done. Rory tried to keep her calm but she knew that it was no use. Until the night was over, Lorelai was going to be a bundle of nerves. She was helping her Mom check guests in when she noticed Luke step through the front doors with a bouquet of flowers in his hands.
She smiled and nudged her Mom, "You're boyfriend's here."
Lorelai followed her daughter's gaze and took a deep breath, "Luke."
Rory smiled and pushed her, "Go ahead. I got this."
Lorelai put a hand on her stomach and tried to soothe the butterflies, she pulled at her shirt and walked over to him, "Hey. Hi. You came."
He smiled, "Sure. I RSVP'd." He held out the flowers, "These are for you."
She smiled and took them in her hand, pulling them closer to smell them, "Luke they're beautiful. Thank you."
He smiled, "The place looks great...how are you holding up?"
She let out a shaky breath, "Only three minor panic attacks and one large one so far. So I think I'm doing okay."
He smiled and reached for her hand, "Lorelai you can do this. Okay? The place really does look amazing and it's all because of you."
She laced her fingers with his and felt her heart beat faster, "Luke I-"
"Lorelai I need to speak to you about the height of the fence outside. I'm not sure it's up to standard. We'll have to measure it of course and change it if necessary." Taylor's voice echoed through the room, ruining their moment.
She sighed and looked directly at him, "Why haven't you killed him yet?"
He smiled, "I'll work on it today."
Lorelai nodded, "I'd appreciate that." She sighed and shrugged, "I should go. But...we'll talk later?"
He nodded, "Absolutely."
Lorelai nodded and looked over at Rory, "Rory can check you in."
He smiled, "Okay. Go ahead." She started to walk away but he called out to her, "Hey Lorelai?"
She stopped and turned back to him, "Yeah?"
"You look beautiful." He said in a soft, sweet voice that sent shivers down her spine.
She giggled nervously and stepped back, bumping into the wall behind her, "Oh!"
He laughed, "Watch where you're going okay? Don't want our first date to be in the Emergency room."
She smiled and blushed before turning back to follow Taylor outside. Luke took a deep breath and watched her go before walking over to the front desk. He smiled at rory and tapped the top of the desk. "Hey Rory."
Rory smiled knowingly at him, "Flowers were a nice touch."
His face flushed and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "So...you know what's going on then?"
Rory nodded, "I do. And if this is the part where you ask for my permission, you have it. Don't worry. You're the only one that's never needed my permission."
He stood up a little straighter and smiled softly, "You know how much I care about her right? And you?"
She nodded, "I do. I've always know that Luke. I'm glad you two are finally giving this a shot." She reached for his room key and smiled, "Don't let her give you too much shit, okay?"
Luke chuckled, "I'll try." He took the key, "Did the doors come in?"
Rory nodded, "Just got installed ten minutes ago. You're all set. Room 7, up the stairs on your left."
Luke nodded, "Sounds good. Try and keep your Mom calm okay? She's got nothing to worry about."
Rory smiled, "Trust me...her demeanor just changed a whole lot since you walked in the door. She'll be fine now."
Luke smiled, swung the key around on his finger and then turned to walk towards the stairs. He could hear Lorelai talking to Taylor outside and he felt his heart jump in his chest. This was good. Things were headed in the right direction…
Later that night, Lorelai had put out every potential fire that came her way. She dealt with Taylor with ease. Helped Babette and Patty figure out the correct way to wear their robes after they gave him an eyeful. She dealt with her parents outbursts and news of their separation as calmly as possible. He waited until the majority of the guests were in their rooms before going back down stairs. Kirk was in his room but instructed Luke to keep listening for anything that sounded out of the ordinary. But when it came to Kirk...everything was out of the ordinary.
He walked down the stairs and looked around for any sign of Lorelai. They had caught each other's eyes throughout the day but nothing serious had happened between them. He heard a noise coming from the front porch so he walked towards it and opened the the door. He smiled when he saw Lorelai as she sat down on top step.
"Hey…" He whispered softly, he smiled when she turned towards him, "Everyone's asleep."
She beamed up at him, "Yeah? Good. That's good…" She leaned against the porch rail, "Maybe I'll finally be able to sleep too."
Luke smiled and walked over to her and sat beside her, "That would be good. You deserve it."
She took a deep breath and turned her body towards his, "Sorry about the robe incident…"
He smiled, "Doing my best to forget it ever happened."
She laughed and then reached over to take his hand, "I'm really glad you're here…"
He squeezed her hand, "I wouldn't have missed this for the world." He leaned in, "You did it Lorelai. You really did it. I told you you could and you did. I'm so proud of you."
She bit her lip and looked down at their joined hands, "I would never have been able to do this without you. You know that right?"
He nodded, "You would have. You can do anything you put your mind too Gilmore."
She smiled, "You've always thought to highly of me."
"No. You just don't see how incredible you are." He said with a shrug, "I'll do my best to get you to see what I see."
She scooted a little closer to him, "You taking me out tomorrow?"
He nodded, "If you want me too."
"I want you too." She said with a smile, "I really, really do."
"That's good." He said looking deep into her eyes, "I'm glad. Pick you up at seven?"
"Where you taking me?" She asked hopefully, "I need to know what to wear."
He shook his head, "It won't matter what you wear. You'll look amazing in whatever you wear. You always do."
She groaned, "You're killing me here Luke…"
He frowned but laughed, "What'd I do?"
She pouted, "You're making me work much too hard for this first kiss Danes. I thought you actually wanted this. You're starting to make me feel insecure here…"
He rolled his eyes, "You're the one that established the waiting thing to begin with."
She sighed and shook her head, "Well you should never listen to anything I say ever again okay?"
"Easy enough. I block out the majority of what you say anyway. It's mostly all gibberish." He teased.
She scoffed, "Seriously doubting this you liking me thing mister."
He smiled, "I never said I liked you…"
She paused and felt her heart burst in her chest, "No. I guess you didn't...you uh-" She blushed and looked down, "You said that you…"
Her voice trailed off and he leaned in to whisper, "I said I love you."
She closed her eyes tightly and lifted her face so she could see his eyes, "Yeah. You did."
Luke leaned in closer and tried to remember how to breathe, "And you...mentioned that you just might possibly lo-"
"I love you too." She said searching his eyes, "I love you too…"
He took a deep breath and leaned in even closer until their lips were just inches apart, "Lorelai I-"
"Ahhhhhhhh!" A scream from inside made them jump apart and off the steps.
"What the hell?" Lorelai asked as the front door burst open and a naked Kirk came rushing past them. "Is he naked?"
Luke groaned, "I'll be right back! Just-just stay right there!"
Lorelai watched them go trying to wrap her head around what was happening. She watched Luke run after Kirk and couldn't help but laugh to herself. She was starting to wonder if she was ever going to get that damn kiss…
Twenty minutes later, Lorelai was sitting in her office going through Taylor's stack of comment cards. She rolled her eyes at a few of them and wrote herself notes when she agreed with something he said. She was interrupted by a knock on her door, she looked up and felt her heart surge in her chest when she saw Luke. She gasped when she him holding up Kirk.
"Oh no…" She said with a sigh as she stood up, "What happened?"
"He fell butt first into Taylor's rose bushes." He said with a sigh, "I'm gonna bring him upstairs and make Lulu deal with it. I've seen enough of his butt for one day…"
She laughed, "Do you need help?"
Luke shook his head, "No. I'll save you from seeing this." He paused, "But I would like you to go back on the porch and wait there for me."
She smiled, "Why's that?"
Luke smiled as he stepped back, "Because I'm tired of waiting for that first kiss…"
She gasped when he turned with Kirk and walked him towards the stairs. Feeling her heart beat faster and the butterflies return to her stomach, she tried to keep herself calm. Her feet stumbled below her but she instructed them to keep walking until she got to the front door. She opened it and leaned against the door frame, but that was as far as she could make it. She put a hand on her stomach and told herself to breathe in and out slowly. And suddenly he was standing in front of her and everything she had ever wanted was being offered up to her.
She braced her hand on his chest when he leaned in, "What are you doing?"
He smiled and put his hands on her hip, "Would you just stand still?"
She gasped once more before his lips finally descended on hers. She moaned softly and quickly wrapped her arms around his neck feeling like all the pieces were finally falling into place. She clung to his sweater and deepened the kiss knowing that the wait was more than worth it. Luke was thinking the same thing as he held her close and reveled in the feel of her lips against his. After years and years of waiting he finally had her right where she belonged.
They pulled away for a moment to catch their breath but never took their eyes off of each other. She smiled softly and leaned in closer before he whispered, "What are you doing?"
She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek, "Would you just stand still?"
Luke chuckled and pulled her against him again and felt her arms wrap tightly around him. There was no going back from here and as far as he was concerned that was the best feeling in the world. This was where he was always supposed to end up.
They were meant to be.
Well there you have it folks! That's the end of this tale! I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading and reviewing. I have appreciated it more than you know! I wanted to keep a few things the same from our beloved couples first kiss. Hence why I kept the "Will you just stand still?" line. Loved ASP's take on it. One of my most favorite episodes. Hope you enjoyed this twist.
To those celebrating tomorrow - Happy Thanksgiving!
To those binge watching the Revival Friday with me on Friday - May Netflix support us all and not crash! ENJOY! I will post more in "If You Ever Want to Fall In Love" by Sunday or next week! :)