Ring Ring…..Lorelai quickly found her phone and smiled slightly when she saw the caller id….
"Hi Luke, how's the trip? April enjoying it?"
"Hi Lorelai, yeah the trip is going well. April seems to like having me here, apparently I am a Hagrid although I have no idea what that means. Anyway the trip is being cut short due to an issue at the next stop, so I should be home the day after Lane's wedding"
"Oh ok! Looking forward to seeing you…oh and erm….tell April I said hi….you know, if you want?"
"Ok, bye Lorelai"
"Bye Luke".
Another awkward phone call over, Lorelai hated Luke being so distant not just in distance but emotionally too. She missed him but she knew it was a feeling she needed to get used too.
The day of Lane's wedding arrived and as arranged by Rory Christopher was a last minute stand-in date for Lorelai. Lorelai was glad to have her old friend there, she needed some company. The drinks were flowing and Christopher and Lorelai moved on from wine to Tequila shots. Rory was showing her mom photos on her phone and accidentally showed Lorelai the photo of her with April. Rory could see how upset her mom was, but Lorelai pretended she was ok and ordered 4 more shots. The band had finished playing and karaoke was full now in swing- lots of the wedding guests took turns singing and a very drunken Lorelai signed herself up. She sang "My Happy Ending" By Avril Lavinge. I mean its Avril Lavinge's world, were just living in it after all. Towards the end of the song Lorelai began to cry, dropped the mic and walked off the stage. Christopher and Rory followed her, she was stumbling drunk. Christopher put her arms over his neck and picked her up. He carried her all the way to her house and just as they were arriving at the Crap Shack Luke's truck pulled into the driveway.
"What the hell is going on here?" Luke barked,
"Lorelai has had a lot to drink at Lane's wedding, I'm just going to get her inside and get her to bed…" Christopher replied, Rory was opening the door for her dad,
"Like hell you are, here let me I am her fiancé" Luke made his way towards Lorelai and went to try and manoeuvre Lorelai from Christopher's arms.
"Her fiancé huh? I really wouldn't get used to that title pal. Let me put her in bed and I think you and I need a little chat" Chris said, his arms getting painful from carrying Lorelai for so long.
"Luke, please let Dad help her. She needs to get to bed, please….." Rory asked Luke. Luke reluctantly let Christopher carry Lorelai upstairs and put her in bed. Luke watched every move. Rory removed her mom's shoes but left her in the clothes she was wearing. Once Lorelai was settled in bed Luke, Christopher and Rory made their way to the kitchen table. Luke was visibly angry.
"Right will someone please tell me what the heck is going on" Luke asked,
"Mom ran into Mrs Kim this morning and she said that mom couldn't go to the wedding if she didn't have a guy to go with her, you know a single woman of a certain age, so I messaged Dad and he was free so offered to help out" Rory explained,
"I bet he did" Luke scoffed,
"Luke, what the hell are you doing to Lorelai? In the 30 something years I have known her I have never seen her like this, she is miserable. She's not herself, she's lost a lot of weight, she doesn't banter back anymore and the Lorelai I used to know would not have humiliated herself in front of her entire beloved town…" Christopher added
"What do you mean humiliated herself? Why the hell is this my fault?" Luke looked over to Rory.
"Erm….mom was drinking a lot today and then she decided to have a go on the karaoke machine and she kind of….well….here I videoed it…." Rory handed her phone to Luke who watched the video, he became really upset. Seeing his beautiful fiancée break down like that and knowing he was the cause was almost too much. He hated himself for what he'd done to Lorelai. He had been completely oblivious to how she was feeling. How could I have been so stupid he thought to himself?
"Look Rory, I am so sorry. I was so focused on April that I didn't even realise what was happening with Lorelai. I'm going to make it up to her and you, I promise. I am going to go upstairs and check on her now". With that Luke left the kitchen and went upstairs to be with Lorelai.
Downstairs Rory got some blankets and a pillow for Christopher, he fell asleep on the sofa and Rory went to bed.
Luke got into bed beside Lorelai and watched her sleep for a couple of hours, unable to sleep himself. Eventually Lorelai stirred, she felt someone in the bed behind her, confused she turned over…
"Luke, what are you doing here? I thought you didn't get home until later today?"
"We got back earlier than expected so I thought I would come straight here to see you. Listen Lorelai, I am so sorry. I messed up, I really did. I should have realised just how much you were hurting…"
"Luke, we've had this conversation before. In Martha's Vineyard. I told you exactly how I felt, but as soon as we got home and Caeser mentioned April, you instantly went back on your word Luke. Telling me what times I was and wasn't allowed in the diner, the diner that is my favourite place in the world beside my inn and I wasn't allowed to go there. Do you realise how much that hurts me? You told me you we're all in Luke and stupidly I believed you but I'm out Luke. I can't do this anymore and I won't do this anymore. I'm out".
Luke grabbed Lorelai round the waist and wouldn't let go, he began sobbing and repeatedly apologising. Lorelai was shocked, she'd never seen Luke cry like this before but for the first time on months she knew she had to out her own feelings first even though it was killing her.
"You need to leave Luke….please? Don't do this to me. It's too late" she handed him back her engagement ring.
Reluctantly Luke pulled himself off Lorelai, stood up, kissed her on the cheek and uttered a final apology. Once he left the room Lorelai broke down and he could hear her crying from downstairs and even outside the front door. Luke went to his apartment – devastated and angry with himself. He knew he had to make this right with Lorelai, if only he know how.
A couple of days had passed Christopher went back to Boston, Rory went back to Yale and Lorelai wallowed. She stayed in bed, couldn't face seeing or speaking to anyone. She let herself cry, she let herself feel the pain inside……
On day 3 she was woken up by a knock on her front door, she managed to drag herself out of bed, feeling weak, and made her way to the front door. She opened the door was surprised to see Luke's truck and Rory's car both in the drive way. Rory was still sat in her car with someone in the passenger seat but Lorelai couldn't quite make out who it was…
"What's going on? What are you doing here Luke? What is Rory doing here?" Lorelai asked,
"Lorelai listen, I am sorry. I have been thinking about everything, non-stop thinking and its like, it's not even real to me, it's like my life isn't even real to me unless you're there and you're in it and I'm sharing it with you. And uh... I don't know what I was waiting for and I don't know what I was scared of, but I'm not, I'm not scared and I'm not waiting, I'm here please. I have a truck full of stuff, I have Rory and April in Rory's car. Lets elope Lorelai, today please…..i love you. I am in love with you please……marry me today?" Luke was pleaded with Lorelai, she had never seen him look so desperate.
Her mind was spinning, the love of her life was standing in front of her begging her to marry him, the one and only thing she wanted this past year, could she forget the hurt he caused her? She could see how sorry he was, how in love with her he was.
"Yes ok, I will marry you Luke but please don't break my heart again…. I am trusting you" she replied.
She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately- with all the passion that she had been holding back.
"So is this a yes?" Rory shouted from the car,
"It's a yes!" Luke shouted back. Rory and April opened their car doors and Rory ran straight into Lorelai's arms and April did the same with Luke. They were all full of smiles. April made her way over to Lorelai "I'm really happy you're going to be my step-mom Lorelai", she said sheepishly. Lorelai opened her arms to hug April and replied "me too kid, me too".
"Come on mom, let's go and get you ready to get married" Rory said.
An hour or so later Luke and Lorelai in Luke's truck were followed by Rory and April in Rory's car and made their way to Maryland to become the new Mr and Mrs Danes.