A/N: Mmm, I think I like this chap. It says a lot about Lorelai's respect for Luke, and despite that things aren't working the way she wants them to, she still loves him this much… =D How much? Read on and find out!

Lorelai expected things to be awkward when she walked into the diner for her usual morning coffee. Nobody made coffee like Luke, and while she had to swallow her pride in order to walk into the diner, it seemed worth it for the taste of her obsession.

He spotted her straight away and crossed the floor to where she had picked a table by the window, as far away from the counter as possible. He stood before her, a notepad and pen in his hand, looking down at her and prepared to take her order.

"Hi," he greeted simply.

"Hi," she replied if only to be polite.

"So… what can I get for you besides coffee?"

"Um… I don't- er… French toast…"

"Coming up," he said. He turned to walk away.

"Luke?" her voice resembled that of a strangled cat – the complete opposite of what she was going for.

He stopped and looked back at her. "Yeah?"

"I want to come to the wedding…" she said.

"You do?" he frowned. Hadn't Rory said that she loved him, and didn't want him to get married at all? He was feeling closed-in by his own emotions regarding the coffee junkie. Now he was confused by her comment. But he tried not to show it. "Er… yeah, okay. Good. Good."

She nodded. "Good." As far as Lorelai was concerned, she was his friend first and foremost, and if that meant agreeing to sit in a church while he exchanged vows with some other woman that wasn't her, then so be it. It was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

"So you're coming…" he confirmed.

"I am," she stated.

"Alright," she forced a smile.

"Okay," the moment she had agreed to do so, she felt ill. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes and she didn't understand why. She was doing the best she could. She was being happy for her friend, and she was making an effort to show him that. So why did it hurt so much?

She was too afraid to answer the question.

"I'm gonna go," she announced standing from the table.

"What about breakfast/"

"Can I have it to go?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I'll hurry it along."

"Okay," she said. She watched him walk away, and couldn't help noticing how miserable she looked. If he was getting married and his fiancée was happy, then why wasn't he? Did Luke harbor feelings for him like everyone said he did? And if that was true, then why was he going through with the wedding.

Rory's words pounded like a hammer against her head. You're in love with him and you don't want him to marry Alley. Was her daughter right?

Lorelai sighed heavily as she waited for her breakfast, and when he returned a few minutes later, it was on the tip of her tongue to say something. He handed her the food. "It's on the house," he offered with a weak smile.

"Oh, thanks Luke."

He turned to walk away, and her mouth opened before she had a chance to stop it. "Don't!" she stated.

"What?"

Lorelai stared at him, surprised by the word herself, but she didn't want to take it back. She had come this far, said this much, all she had to do was finish her sentence…

I am mean enough to leave you on a cliff-hanger. Is she going to chicken out?

Reviews are appreciated! =D