Chapter 6 – The Other Option Falls Through

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Deciding to heed Sookie's words, Luke went back to his apartment. The diner repairs were completed, but he didn't feel like opening the diner for a few more days. He needed the solitude to sort through his thoughts and his feelings.

When Anna first suggested that he had dinner with April and her, he jumped at the chance to spend a few more hours with his daughter. Plus, he thought it would only be for everyone's good if he and Anna got along well, for April's sake. He didn't know how to tell Lorelai though, so he decided to put of telling her.

The first dinner was cordial, though uncomfortable. April was used to spending time with her parents separately, but this was her first time spending time with both of them together. It felt very strange to her, and she couldn't help wondering if Lorelai knew about it. She knew her dad was engaged to Lorelai, even though he never formally introduced them and he never really told her outright that she was his fiancée. She found out from the other townies, who told her that the love story of Luke and Lorelai was one for the ages. Frankly, she didn't care to hear the details of how they got together, but she did know they were serious.

During the second dinner, Anna got Luke to drink a few beers with dinner to loosen him up. Then, Anna started to reminisce about the time they were together, making April extremely uncomfortable. She would change the subject every time, bringing up stories about her school or her friends, but Anna would change the subject back to her and Luke's past immediately after.

When her mom suggested a third dinner, April refused at first. She said she didn't really dig the whole "nuclear family bonding time" that her mom was trying to push. She told him Luke thought it was a good idea that they all get along and spend time together. She had doubts as to whether that was true, but she finally agreed reluctantly. Her mom got even more flirty during dinner, and April got more and more annoyed and stayed silent most of the time. Luke seemed to pick up on April's mood and didn't talk much either. He seemed unaware of Anna's blatant flirting.

During the fourth dinner, April bluntly asked Luke as soon as he sat down for dinner, "Hey Luke, Lorelai knows you're here with us, right?" Luke turned red and stammered a reply that she didn't quite catch. Anna gave her a dirty look and started flirting again. Luke went back to being Mr. Monosyllabic Man on Anna, but kept asking April questions about school and swimming any other topic he could think of. April hoped her mother would get the idea and just lay off her dad.

Imagine her surprise when Luke showed up at their house one night when she was alone with a babysitter. He looked haggard and mixed up. "Hey kid, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a moment," he said.

"Uh, sure Luke. What's up?"

"Your mom is not here?"

"No, but someone's here with me. Our neighbor's teenage daughter comes in to look after me when Mom has to go somewhere at night."

"Okay good… Well…"

"What is it?"

"I don't know how to ask this, but how do you feel if your mom and I started dating again?"

April's face fell. "Lorelai?" she asked.

"Out of the picture," Luke said flatly. "Didn't work out."

"Because of me? Or mom?"

"No sweetie, of course not… We just… It just didn't work out."

"You do know mom is on a date tonight, right?"

"She's seeing someone?" Luke asked, surprised. By the way Anna's been kissing him and talking to him every time they were together, he assumed she was single and completely unattached.

"She has a long-time boyfriend. I met him, I don't know, maybe twice or thrice. But the guy she's on a date with tonight is someone else. Someone she met recently."

"She has a boyfriend, and she's seeing someone else?" he asked incredulously. "And she tells you this?"

"Of course not. But I hear things. I see things. I can figure things out for myself. I don't need people to explain things to me."

Luke sat back, not knowing what to say. He couldn't believe this was happening. He didn't have feelings for Anna – not at all. She could never hold a candle to Lorelai. But he somehow felt obliged to at least try to see if it would work with her. He's been guilty about having these thoughts before when he was still with Lorelai, but now that they've broken up, he figured it was the perfect time to see where things could go.

"Luke, when you and my mom were together thirteen years ago, were you like, I don't know, exclusive?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I've never really casually dated anyone to be honest. Why do you ask?"

"And did you never wonder why I had to take DNA samples from three different guys to figure out who my father was?"

Luke was confounded. This never occurred to him before. "Are you saying…"

"I'm saying that my mom was sleeping with two other guys when you guys were together, Luke," she said bluntly. "She's always been like that. I've never known her to stick with one guy. I mean, she's my mom and all and I love her to death, but… I don't know."

Luke stood up like he was electrocuted. "I have to go April. Please… don't tell your mom about this conversation. Can we… can we forget this conversation ever happened?"

April looked at him with pity in her eyes. She hasn't known Luke for a long time, but she knew he was a good man. Everyone in their charming little town of Stars Hollow told her so. "For all it's worth, I thought Lorelai really loves you. I mean, she dropped everything to help you out with my party, right? I hope you guys work things out. I'd love to see her again."

"Yes, yes… I… I have to go. Bye April… See you next week." Luke all but ran back to his truck and sped away, back to Stars Hollow.