"The movie tonight needs to be light and fun." Rory said as she knelt in front of the shelf of DVDs and tried to pick one for them to watch. "After the last few nights I need to watch something without scares."
"Dirty Dancing?" Lorelai said as she came in from the kitchen carrying a large bowl of popcorn.
"No the jump scene!" Rory cast her mother a glare. "I'm always afraid she won't make it, or Johnny will drop her!"
"Summer Vacation?"
"No!" Lorelai said too quickly making Rory turn to face her. "I watched it the other night with Luke, on our date." Lorelai looked away and tried to push the memories of that date aside to save herself from blushing.
"Okay fine, how about batteries not included?"
"Perfect!" She put the movie in and pressed play then came over to the couch and lounged back then rested her legs on the outside where they rested against her mother who had her legs across the couch on the inside.
"Hang on, pause the movie for a sec." Lorelai sat up and crossed her legs in front of her.
"Why?"
"I want to talk to you about something."
"Uh oh…" Rory paused the movie then sat up too and mirrored her mother's pose.
"Luke asked me to go away with him for a few days."
"Oh!" Rory clapped her hands together. "That's great! When are you going?"
"It's not definite yet."
"Why don't you want to go?"
"I do of course I do, but I wanted to talk to you first."
"Why? I told you already mom, I'm really happy for your guys, just do what you want to do!"
"If we leave on Monday, we won't be back till Wednesday, maybe Thursday."
"Oh I see, and you don't think I can stay here on my own for that long?" Rory rolled her eyes.
"No I'm pretty sure you are more than capable of staying here on your own for a few nights."
"You do?"
"I think you are capable. But I'm not letting you stay here on your own that long."
"Where were you thinking of shipping me off to?"
"Hartford?" Lorelai said tentatively.
"Oh mom!" Rory fell back into the arm of the couch. "For three days?"
"You'll be in school for most of the time."
"Can't I stay with Lane?"
"Three says is a long time for a sleep over with non-family, sweetie."
"What if I stay with grandma on Monday, but Lane on Tuesday night?"
Lorelai looked at Rory who was watching her back. When Lorelai sighed and nodded her head Rory squealed with delight and leaned forward and hugged her mother.
"Look, I'll call Mrs Kim in the morning and if she green lights it then its fine with me."
"Thank you."
They resumed their movie watching position and Rory pressed play. "Where are you going?" she asked as she reached for the popcorn and balanced the bowl on her stomach.
"I don't know."
"Oh a secret trip?"
"I just hope it's not in a tent."
Rory laughed. "I think Luke knows you better than to bring you some place you won't have a feather soft mattress, hot running water and various sources of food to eat."
"I hope so."
They settled into an easy silence when the credits ended and the movie began but it was shattered by the shrill ring of the phone. Lorelai moaned and reached her hand over to the coffee table which was about four feet away.
"I can't reach." She stated.
"Get up and answer it, you know its Luke," Rory said.
"But my legs are on the inside, you should get up and get it."
"It's not for me!"
Rory lifted her legs and kicked her mother off the couch then lightly kicked her in the ass to propel her towards the phone. Lorelai fell onto the floor with a squeal then crawled away from the reach of Rorys foot before scurrying over to the table to grab the phone.
"Hello?"
"Lorelai, it's me, Luke," he said into the phone and she smiled.
"Hey Luke," she stuck her tongue out at Rory and carried the phone up to her room to talk with him privately. "You know I recognise your voice, you don't need to tell me your name when you call."
"Yeah I know I guess I'm just making sure."
"In case I agree to go out on a date before I realise I'm talking to my boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?" he said and she could hear him smile.
"Yeah, um, boyfriend."
"I can hear you blushing."
"Shut up, no you can't."
"You're blushing Lorelai Gilmore. I wish I was there to see such a rare sight with my own eyes."
"I wish you were here too but for whole other reasons."
"Monday." He reminded her pointedly.
"Oh I spoke to Rory. All systems go."
"Great! Oh and I was thinking, if she wants to swing by tomorrow evening and talk about her project, I really don't mind."
"Really?"
"Of course not, it's Rory, I don't want to have secrets from her either."
"She'll really appreciate that." She fell onto her bed and lay back on her pillow. "So tell me about your day."
"It was so-so."
"Oh?" she heard him chuckle.
"I had a visitor after lunch who ravaged me in my apartment that was a highlight. Other than that it was usual diner stuff. Kirk driving me mad, Taylor doing his best to make me kill him, Miss Parry groping me and Babette grilling me for answers about you."
"Grilling you? What did she want to know?"
"Everything."
"What did you tell her?"
"Nothing." He laughed again. "What about you, how was your day?"
"I spent the morning with Sookie, catching up and hanging out. Then I went to the diner and molested the owner. That was fun."
"And after?"
"I went shopping. I needed some stuff for my trip."
"Oh? What kind of stuff?"
"You'll see." Then after a beat he added, "I miss you."
"Me too." They were both silent for a moment. Content to listen to each other's breathing. "Tomorrow is going to be tough." She admitted.
"No it won't, I'm going to be out of town for most of the day."
"Where are you going?" she asked and immediately regretted it. She wasn't sure if they were at a place where they could demand to know each other's whereabouts.
"Seeing as I'm going to be away from the diner for a few days I need to tie up some stuff with my deliveries, I want to go see my solicitor and I have some other stuff I need to take care of too."
"Sorry Luke, I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business."
"It is your business." He said his voice steady and strong. "You're my girlfriend. I'm your business. Stuff I do is your business. Especially if it keeps me away from you and if I didn't think it was your business, I'd let you know. Ok?"
Lorelai chuckled.
"So are you and Rory gonna watch another horror tonight?"
"No, not tonight. Tonight we're watching Batteries not included."
"Sounds dirty."
"Luke! It's a kid's movie!"
"Doesn't sound like it with that title."
"Well it is. Don't you dare ruin that movie for me!"
"Sorry," he was chuckling. "Look I'll let you go, watch your movie, hang out with Rory."
"Okay."
"Goodnight Lorelai."
"Goodnight."
Lorelai waited until she heard the dial tone of the disconnected call then jumped off the bed and hurried down the stairs. Rory was lying on the couch, the movie was paused and she was reading a school book.
"Hey!" Lorelai said and she jumped on the couch with gusto.
"Luke?"
"Yeah and guess what?"
"What?" she lowered her book and looked at her mother.
"Luke said that if you wanted to ask him about the project, ask him about his time in Uni he was totally fine about it."
"Really?"
"Yeah, he said you should swing by the diner tomorrow evening and he'll be there."
"That's great!" She scurried off the couch and raced towards her room.
"Hey, where are you going?! What about the movie!"
"I can't watch the movie now! I have to prepare."
"To talk to Luke?!"
"Yeah, I don't want him to think I'm an idiot! I have to study green construction, I don't know anything about it."
"Isn't that why you would be talking to him?"
"Yeah, but I still need to study."
Lorelai rolled her eyes, reached for the popcorn and lay back down to press play on the movie as Rory closed her bedroom door.
Luke was up and driving out of town before she even stirred. He didn't have all that much work to do for his diner but was more interested in getting their trip set up. He had arranged everything to arrive by lunch time and sped along the highway to get there and set it all up.
Lorelai surfaced before noon and came downstairs in her PJs only to find Rory still studying, but this time on the couch.
"Still with the books? Oi!"
"I just want him to think I'm smart."
"Honey," Lorelai sat on the arm of the couch. "He already thinks you're smart! If I know Luke he's terrified of you asking him something he won't know!"
"Just a little bit more, then I'll stop."
"You been up long?" Lorelai said as she walked to the kitchen.
"Long enough to make coffee."
"That's my girl."
"Grab some poptarts while you are in there!"
"Way ahead of you!"
When Lorelai returned with a plate full of poptarts and fresh coffees they lounged on the couch, chatting idly and eating brunch. When all the tarts were gone and the coffee was gone cold she sat up and brushed the crumbs off her.
"Shouldn't you be packing?"
"Yeah I'm going up now to pack and get ready."
"Get ready?"
"Bathe up, lather myself in creams and shave all the parts that haven't seen the light of day in years."
"Eww Mom!"
"Grooming is a very essential part of the seduction."
"Mom please, I can't hear this, Go call Sookie with those details."
Lorelai ruffled her daughter's hair and raced upstairs laughing. She grabbed a small case out of the bottom of the wardrobe and opened it on her bed. She grabbed all the lingerie she purchased the day before and carefully folded it in. She didn't think she would have enough time to wear it all but that wasn't what was important. She went to another press and grabbed her two piece royal blue swim suit and tossed it into the case along with enough underwear to last. She went over to her wardrobe and opened the doors and stared at the mounds of clothes folded into shelves and hung up on the racks. Her first battle was to find what she would wear when he picked her up. Her hands ran across the materials and colours but nothing jumped out at her.
She went over to her bedside table and grabbed the phone. "Sookie!" she cried into the phone as soon as she picked up. "I need your help."
"What's wrong honey? What's happening?"
"Come round to mine. Help me pack!"
"Huh?!"
"C'mon, I need you to help me pick out clothes to seduce Luke on our trip!"
"I think the less clothes you have the better for this task!"
"Please!"
"Okay, okay, I'll be right over."
Lorelai jumped into the shower and washed her hair. By the time she dried off and pulled on a terrycloth robe she heard Sookie climbing the stairs singing a song about afternoon delight.
"What have you got so far?" Sookie said as she came into the room and peeked into the case and saw the contents. "Hmm, definitely going to need more than that."
"He didn't tell me where we're going…should I bring a dress for going out?"
"No, definitely not. This is Luke, if I know Luke I'm thinking it's going to be a cabin in a remote location."
"A cabin?" Lorelai looked at her sceptically.
"What are you going to wear for the trip?"
"I don't know."
"How about your red summer skirt? He loves you in that!"
"He does?"
"Yeah, definitely. With your flats and a navy halter top."
"Oh me likes!"
"Now for the rest of the time…"
"How can he expect me to pick a functional wardrobe for three days when he won't tell me the destination?"
"Maybe he thinks you won't be needing any clothing."
"Sookie, help me out here."
"Okay, okay I'm being serious though. I really think you need to pack light."
"Sookie, you're not helping…"
"There are three things you need to bring aside from the garments already in your case."
"What, what do I need?"
"Your black dress. The one that ties at the side and crosses your chest."
"Oh I like that dress."
"Also bring the black pumps with the leopard skin print on the inside."
"Yes!" Lorelai dove into her wardrobe to get the dress and shoes then laid them out on the bed. "What else?"
"Your black v neck long sleeve that will go great with your soft denim jeans, your butt looks great in those."
"Great," Lorelai said as she fished it out of her wardrobe and lay it out over her dress on her bed. "And the third thing?"
"That red top with the spaghetti straps and the black chiffon shawl to go with it."
"Got it." Lorelai placed that out on the bed too then started to fold everything into the case. "Wow…" she said when she had them all in. "I don't think I've ever packed as light as this."
"Don't forget boots, grab your boots too, in case it's a little more rustic than you expect."
Lorelai made a face but grabbed her boots and put them in too.
Sookie laughed. "I bet you don't even use half of this stuff."
"Hopefully not."
They spent the rest of the day hanging out at the house. Watching movies, chatting and sipping fruit cocktails Sookie somehow managed to pull together from the meagre contents of their fridge. When Rory came into the living room with her school bag on her back Lorelai called out to her to ask where she was going.
"Luke's to talk about my project. He said he would be back by now and I should call in to chat."
"Ok, have a good time. Tell him I said hi!"
Rory left them talking and walked to the diner. She spotted him sitting at the counter as she crossed the street but when she got to the door she found it locked. She knocked lightly and smiled when he turned to see who it was. As soon as he spotted her he jumped up and hurried over to open the door.
"Hey Luke, are you closed? Am I too late?"
"No, come in, sit down. I closed the diner but it's always open for you." He ushered her in and closed and locked the door behind them. "Are you hungry? Want me to fix you anything?"
"No, I don't want to put you out. I can grab something on my way home."
"Please, let me cook you something," he said as he went behind the counter. "I was about to make something for myself anyway."
"Okay, sure. What are you making?"
He looked at her and wondered what he could make for her that wasn't a basket of chilli fries or something deep fried. "How about a turkey sandwich cream cheese and smoky bacon?"
"Sounds great."
"Coming right up." He went into the kitchen and she started to pull her books out. When he came back out with two sandwiches and sat on the high stool next to her she was ready to go but pushed her books aside to await his invitation. He placed one plate in front of her and looked over at the books she had piled on her other side. "So, you have a project?"
"Yeah," she said as she lifted up one half of her sandwich and bit into it.
"And Lorelai said I might be able to help?"
"Yeah, she mentioned about your college um,…your time in Boston."
"Want me to tell you about it?" he put his sandwich back on his plate and rubbed his lips with a napkin.
Rory nodded. "But only if you want to."
"I went to BAC for a couple of terms short of 4 years."
"Wow…"
"I studied architecture and green energy design."
"Wow that's amazing."
"But I didn't graduate." He said and he ducked his head and looked away.
"Mom mentioned it was to do with your dad getting ill."
"I just did what anyone else would do." He spoke with a shrug.
"I dunno about that Luke, you're a pretty special guy." She awkwardly lifted a hand and punched him in the shoulder and he looked over at her and smiled.
"Anyway, its been a few years since I worked on anything, but I tried to keep up with any green developments, so tell me about your project and I'll see if I can be of any use to you."
Rory took the invite and started to tell him about her project.
By the time Rory came home, Lorelai was alone on the couch, curled up and reading by the light of the lamp by the coffee table. Rory dropped her book bag by the door then walked over to the couch and slumped into the soft cushions.
"How did it go?"
"Amazing!" Rory rolled her head over to face her mother who had an undefinable look of pride on her face. "He knew everything about green energy in construction and he was so passionate about it too. I mean I know grumpy Luke and his monosyllabic responses, ranting Luke and his never ending tirades and smiling Luke and his still monosyllabic responses… but this was different. This was passionate Luke, I've never seen him like this before."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." She smiled and listened as Rory kept telling her about it loving that her daughter and her boyfriend were connecting so well. She had never really let Rory meet her other boyfriends, afraid to let them get close to her in case she became attached, and with her track record with men she didn't trust that it would all work out. But it was different with Luke. This time they already knew each other quite well. They already cared about each other and she could safely say that her time with Luke, how he made her feel was unlike any other man she had ever been with. This felt stronger, she couldn't put her finger on why but she had an idea that maybe the years of friendship had rooted a connection between them that wouldn't be so easily broken.
"So, I'm going to go to bed." Rory said around a yawn.
"You'll stay in hartford tomorrow night?"
"Yeah. Grandma wants to take me to some function after school." She said with a sigh.
"I'm sorry honey," Lorelai leaned forward and stroked her daughters arm. "I cleared it with Mrs Kim and she said you could stay there on Tuesday night and maybe even Wednesday if I'm not back."
"Okay mom. What time is Luke picking you up tomorrow?"
"I don't know actually, I'm going to go call him now."
"Okay, well I'll see you for breakfast."
"Goodnight love."
"Night." Rory stood and kissed her mother as she walked past then went into her room. Lorelai switched off the lamp light and went up to her room. She undressed and washed up for bed then climbed into the cool sheets and grabbed the phone off the nightstand.
He picked it up on the first ring.
"Lorelai."
"You knew it was me again," she said with a chuckle.
"Of course."
"So I hear your study session with Rory went well."
"Did it?" she could picture him standing in his living area scratching the back of his neck as he frowned and shook his head in disbelief.
"Yeah, she was raving about you when she came home."
"I'm glad I could be of some help."
"Gold star sir. So tell me about your day?"
"I was out all day, got home only a few minutes before Rory came over. Now I'm packing then I'm going to collapse in bed and try to conserve my energy for tomorrow."
"Any hints on where you are taking me?"
"No. Not a single one."
"C'mon Luke, I had awful trouble packing! I know I'll have forgotten something."
"Trust me, you will be fine. You will look amazing, you always do, and if you do find that you need something you haven't packed I'll buy you a new one."
"So we'll be going somewhere where there are shops?"
"I'm not telling." He insisted. "How about you tell me about your day?"
"My day was far less productive than yours. I lounged around the house with Sookie. She helped me pack actually. Then we watched movies, ate junk food, talked incessantly about you then when Rory came home she talked incessantly about you too and then I came to bed."
"You're in bed huh?"
"Yeah," she felt a smile creeping across her lips. "I'm wearing-"
"No! Stop right there Gilmore!" he spoke loud and sharply to cut her off. "One more line and I'll be in my truck and out the door faster than you can handle."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah and then I'll be too tired to do anything tomorrow."
"Geez, I know I'm good but I won't wipe you out for two days!"
"I've been thinking about you all day." His voice was low and he was clearly straining to keep control of his voice and his words.
"Oh yeah? How?"
There was a long pause on the phone as if how was debating with himself whether to continue. Then she heard him take a deep shaky breath. "I've been thinking about how exactly I will fuck you when I get you to…our destination."
His words were wrapped around a smile and they came through the phone line and covered her like a silk sheet. "And what did you decide?"
"You'll see," he responded with a chuckle.
"Luke!"
"How about this, before I get myself into trouble we say goodnight and I'll pick you up tomorrow at about 11."
"I've got a better idea. How about myself and Rory come in for breakfast tomorrow, then we can leave from yours afterwards."
"Okay, sounds good."
"Goodnight Lorelai."
"Night."