AN: Hello, my beloved readers! How are you today? Still enjoying the smutty stories I write for you? Here's this week's chapter. Let's take a trip down memory lane, shall we?
Hello and Goodbye
This time she came alone. She was drawn to the place. The place where it all had started. Lorelai had already said goodbye with Rory, but this wasn't the same. She had to come back to say goodbye alone. So here she was, not nearly six o'clock in the morning. It was going to be a beautiful, sunny day. Lorelai could tell. There were no clouds in the sky, the sun was just rising. One last time she walked through the lobby, taking in every little detail that was already filed away in her head.
The last time Lorelai had to say goodbye, it hadn't come as unexpected. And most of all, it hadn't meant as much to her as it did now. Leaving the Independence Inn behind probably was as significant as moving out of your parents' house is to most people. She held her arms close to her body, hugging herself to lessen the pain. Yet again, she felt the uncertainty that the future would bring. The big difference to then, almost 18 years ago, was that Lorelai had been so busy with work and bringing up Rory, that she hardly had given the chance of failing much thought. Now on the other hand, she felt like it was a real threat. One last look into the dining room, and Lorelai felt very sad. Seeing Mia's life's work in a state like this, it almost tore Lorelai apart.
Now came the hardest part. The potting shed. She had dreaded coming back there, put it off for as long as she could. She had even made up a sad little lie to convince Rory not to make one last trip down the slope.
She audibly exhaled, and shut the door of her home. Very slowly she walked down the path to the pond. It still looked so beautiful. The grass was higher than Mia ever would have allowed, but it still looked charming, and it was filled with so many memories. Some people were particularly proud of their first own car, even if it was just a clunker. Lorelai was just as proud of her first own home with Rory. Carefully, almost anxiously, she opened the door to the potting shed.
Lorelai heard the familiar squeaking of the door as she gave it a little push. She stood on the doorstep, her shoulder leaning on the frame. Images of a four year old Rory splashing water out of the bathtub were flashing before her eyes. She smiled softly. It had been such a carefree time. Soft summer nights at the pond with Sookie while Rory was sleeping on a blanket next to them, a couple of kisses with Pedro the pool boy after their one date in the year after she had come here.
The first step into the shed almost never happened. But just like she did with the door a few moments before, Lorelai gave herself a push and entered. She walked around the room and sat on the lone chair that stood where the bed used to be. She compared the room to the different states she had seen it in. At first, it was a usual potting shed with pots, soil in bags, and different fertilizers for the rose bushes, azaleas, and magnolias.
Gradually, it became a home for the young Gilmore girls. Mia had given them one of the Inn's beds when she had remodeled the rooms, a new potting shed for all the equipment was built a few yards away.
With a heavy heart she thought about how fast the years had gone by. In less than 24 hours she'd be in Europe with Rory. One of Lorelai's own dreams from her adolescence became one she had shared with Rory over the years, and many nights at the potting shed were spent imagining the many European cities they would visit some day. Lorelai had imitated the foreign accents and taken Rory on sightseeing tours. They only were so lucky to watch TV when the Inn had a couple free rooms, or when Mia wanted them safe and warm when the harsh Connecticut winters were too cold to be spent in a shed without insulation.
Lorelai stood up from the chair. With a sigh she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She opened her eyes again and walked to the wall. She let her fingers wander over the rosebud wallpaper. A bittersweet smile crept over her lips.
"Goodbyes are the worst", she whispered.
"That they are", a male voice said.
Lorelai winced at hearing the voice of the intruder. She quickly turned around. "Luke? What are you doing here?"
"I, uh, went for a run, not really having a certain destination in mind. Um, I guess, I kinda wanted to end up here to say my goodbyes, too, you know."
Only then did Lorelai notice that he wasn't wearing jeans and flannel, but gray sweatpants and a darkblue hoodie instead. The hat was gone, too. He had on running shoes.
"Who's taking care of the diner?", she asked.
"Ceaser. He'll open today. It's my morning off", Luke replied, and entered the potting shed.
"You got up at what, 5:30 in the morning on your day off?", she wanted to know, her knitted brows showing how foreign that concept was to her.
"Well, yeah, it's 45 minutes later than I normally do. It's getting warmer outside, so I only get to do a run either early, or later at night."
"But it's early!", she remarked, her astonishment still very visible on her face.
"So I've heard. But hey, you're up as well", he said, hoping to learn more about her reason to be there.
"Rory's still asleep. I came back. Alone. We were here yesterday before the party at the Crap Shack. I wanted to say goodbye to the potting shed. Rory and I only went to the main building yesterday. I, uh, I think I didn't want her seeing me like this."
"I understand. Must be pretty tough on ya", he said with a worried, yet understanding tone in his voice.
"Harder than anything I have done in my life."
"So, when are you leaving?", he asked casually.
"We have to be at the airport at 2pm. And you?", she asked.
"I, uh, I'm actually staying", he said uneasily.
"You are? What about the cruise?"
"Um, I'm not going."
"Why?"
"Nicole and I broke up last night", he said, avoiding her eyes.
"Really? I'm sorry, Luke", Lorelai said as she took a step into his direction.
"It's OK. I actually intended to go, but then, she changed everything."
"What do you mean?"
"We were supposed to go on a cruise to Alaska, but then she changed it into a seven country cruise. Without even telling me. I mean, who does that? We've barely spent an entire night together, and now I'm supposed to spend two weeks with her on a ship heading to locations I didn't even pick?", Luke said, half-desperate, half-angry.
Lorelai watched him closely. She could comprehend the sentiment. "You think we've been too long on our own to live with someone? Have we lost the ability to let someone in?", she asked him, and herself.
She could see the wheels spinning in his head. "I don't know", he replied slowly. "To be honest, I think you're fine, but I'm not so certain about myself."
"How do you figure?", Lorelai wanted to know.
"It's just a feeling. You have Rory, you know how to live with someone, and how to make compromises."
"Well, I'm her mother, I do have a bit more power, and don't have to compromise."
"But that's not who you are. You always have treated Rory as an adult, she had her say, too."
"I guess. Why do you think it's too late for you? You lived with Jess after all", Lorelai remarked.
"Not much compromising there. He just left when he didn't like my decisions. You remember when Rachel was here, and you went shopping?"
"Yeah."
"Do you remember what I said after putting on the clothes you had bought for me?"
"You said that I liked my men all GQ-ed up", she said.
"Exactly. Now all I wear are those clothes. I even had to go to the mall by myself, and buy some more."
She looked at him with eyes like saucers. "You went to the mall?"
"Yes, so?"
"I'm sorry. You went to the mall?"
"That's what I just said", he said annoyed. "Lorelai, I didn't feel like myself around her. Wearing black slacks, going to musicals, going on a cruise? That's not me. Why couldn't she love me for who I am?", he asked sadly.
"Oh Luke", Lorelai said, closing the distance to him, pulling him in for a hug. He hugged her back, letting his head fall onto her shoulder.
As they both let go, Lorelai said to him, "I know how you feel. I mean, I made an effort to learn to fish, just because I didn't have the balls to say to the guy that I'm not an outdoorsy person. I was desperate for a date, and lied to him, Luke. You just changed your appearance. And just to be clear, you do look good in any clothes."
He pretended he didn't hear her last comment, and asked, "Are you still seeing him?"
"Alex? No. We didn't exactly break up. It just happened. He didn't call, I didn't call", Lorelai added with indifference.
They both fell silent for a long while. Luke walked around the room, looking closely at the walls. Lorelai walked to the door, facing the pond.
"It looks so peaceful", she said as her eyes went over to the pond. She steppeed out, Luke followed her with long, slow strides.
"Grass is a little high", he commented.
"Yeah."
"Did I ever tell you about the time when I first mowed the lawn here?", Luke asked, turning towards her.
"You mowed the lawn here?", Lorelai asked astonished.
"I think I was 16, summer break before my junior year. I was desperate to buy a car, and my dad told me if I found a summer job, he'd match what I'd make", he said, replaying the conversation in his head.
Lorelai nodded, curious to learn more about his past.
"So, I came to Mia to ask her if she had a job for me. Of course my dad had already asked her, but she played hard to get with me. I guess she was havin' a little fun, but in the end, she laughed, and said that the job was mine."
Lorelai smiled. "Well, unlike me, you didn't have a cute one year old on your hip to persuade Mia."
Luke replied her smile. "I guess not. I recall coming into the potting shed to get the lawn mower. After three months I could buy a '60s Buick."
"Wow, I can't picture you in anything else than your truck. It kind of defines you, or part of you", Lorelai remarked.
"Wanna walk around the pond?", he asked.
"Sure, I still got a little time before I have to do some last minute packing", she said.
"And by last minute you mean you haven't started yet, right?", he said with a knowing grin.
"You know me too well", Lorelai answered as she started walking to the pond.
"Did you ever wonder why Mia never introduced us? You and Rory lived like what, nine or ten years here before we even met?"
"Mia once told me about a friend's son she was going to visit, but that he was way too old for me. Years later, I figured it had to be you. Rory and I were very isolated at the inn. We lived in our little corner of the world. It wasn't until Sookie started working at the inn about five years later that I finally had a real friend. She had a car, and us three girls started to go out a little bit. She sometimes drove us to Hartford to my parents or let me borrow it when Chris was in the area. I only got to take an interest in the town when Rory started school, and later when we bought our house. I guess a single mom and the town loner ran in very different circles", she said with a smile.
"Hey!", he said as he bumped his hip into hers. "I'm not the town loner. And I'm not that much older than you either!"
"I know, but I was like 22 when Rory started school. Did you want to befriend a single mom when you were 27? 27 year old single guys are sowing their wild oats!"
"Yup, sounds just like me. I was a regular Don Juan", he remarked sarcastically.
Lorelai giggled at the thought. They walked the rest of the way in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. When they had circled the pond, and were back in front of the potting shed, they faced each other.
"I better get going. So, I guess that's it, the end of an era", Lorelai stated, her eyes flooded with sadness.
"Definitely the end of an era. Come here", he said and hugged her. "You take care of yourself and Rory, OK?", he mumbled in her hair. He placed a kiss on her temple. Lorelai deeply inhaled his familiar scent.
"You're not even sweaty", she said.
"What?", he said with knitted brows, loosening the grip around her arms and back.
"You said you went running. It's like two miles from the diner to the inn, and you're powder dry!"
"Guess what, I didn't do it for the first time. I have some stamina!", he defended himself.
"Dirty!", she joked.
"You're nuts. I'm gonna miss you", Luke said, and surprised himself by planting a soft kiss on Lorelai's lips.
She blinked a few times, trying to get accustomed to the swarm of butterflies in her stomach. She got up on her tiptoes, and gave him a peck on the lips. Luke looked her in the eyes, and wet his lips with his tongue. Lorelai watched the action, then cupped his neck to pull him down a little, and pressed her lips once again on his. This time she let her tongue trail around his soft lips until he granted her access to his mouth. Lorelai carefully and slowly let her tongue enter his mouth. She moaned softly at the sensation of the velvety feeling. Luke opened his mouth wider to deepen the kiss, his hands slowly claiming her back.
When they parted for oxygen, Lorelai swallowed, then said, "You're perfect the way you are."
Luke let the words sink in. "Far from it."
"Maybe I should rephrase it then. Perfect for me?", she asked shyly.
His heart pounded against his chest. "God, I hope so", he said and pulled her body against his. He kissed her passionately. When Lorelai opened her eyes after a while, she blinked heavily. The sun had risen, and warmed the air. She opened her jacket and Luke could see her pajama top underneath. Wordlessly, they took off their clothes, shared hungry kisses, and explored each other's bodies. "Are you sure about this?", Luke asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.
Lorelai nodded, knelt down, and arranged their shedded clothes on the grass. She lay down, and tugged on his arm, signaling him to join her. Luke lay next to her, and showered her entire body with soft, tender kisses. When her moans became louder, and the touch of his hands on her sex and her breasts became too much to bear, Lorelai buried her hands in the moist grass above her head. "I need you now, Luke", she said, her voice thick with desire.
"I can't believe this", he replied.
He positioned his erection over her entrance, and kissed her gently. She moaned softly as he slid his manhood into her wet heat, her hands firmly wrapped around his biceps. "I can't believe how good you feel", she said as she kissed the tip of his nose.
Luke's thrusts were long and slow, savoring each moment inside of her tight walls. He groaned everytime he reentered her, feeling overwhelmed by the feeling of her warm sex. "My god, Lorelai", he said between his pants. Fueled by her moans, he picked up the speed a bit. Soon he felt her walls becoming tighter, and he let his own orgasm build up. Lorelai ripped out the grass above her head, chanting his name. He saw her eyes clouded with lust, and let her walls stimulate him until he followed her over the edge. She whimpered when he pulled his half-flaccid penis out.
"I'm gonna miss you too", she said, adding, "You know, you could come to Europe with us. Ceaser doesn't know you're staying, right, and I'm sure it won't matter to him where you're going."
"Maybe. Let me think about it. So does it mean you want us to be together?", he asked hesitantly.
"It most certainly does. Wow, I never thought I'd ever have sex outdoors", she said, shaking her head.
"Are you an outdoorsy person after all?", Luke asked impishly.
"For sex like that? Definitely!", Lorelai replied with a smirk.
Did you enjoy it? Then leave me a review. Reviewers are my favorite readers. I probably won't be able to post a one-shot, or a new chapter for my story It's About Time in the next week. We have a death in the family, and I'll be gone for the funeral. Anyway, have a nice weekend!