Stromboli - Part 4
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"Chemistry will be the death of me." Lane Kim sighed, closing her textbook before flopping onto her bed.
"C-mon, just study for a few more minutes, I promise that you'll get it this time." Rory reassured her while opening up the book again. "Okay, just explain to me what the-"
"Lane!" Mrs. Kim shouted, walking up the stairs into Lane's bedroom. "Lane, I thought I told you that you had to go to bed an hour ago." She turned to face Rory. "Rory, what are you still doing here?"
"I'm sorry Mrs. Kim, but we just got caught up in something." Rory apologized.
"Can Rory stay the night?" Lane asked her mom while sitting up on the neatly made bed and folding her hands together.
"No, you got an B- in Chemistry and I told you, not until you bring it up to an A, will I even consider it. Now, go home Rory." Mrs. Kim motioned her hands toward the door and gestured for Rory to leave.
She nodded and stood up. "Right away." She smiled and tossed the thick- paged chemistry book onto Lane's lap. "Study, so I can come over next week." She said and waved good-bye to her friend before walking out of the room.
When Rory got to her house, she heard loud, uncontrollable laughter coming from inside as she walked up her driveway.
She whispered to herself. "What the heck?" Rory smiled suspiciously as she pressed her ear up against the wooden door of the house. When she heard Luke's voice, a tiny gasp escaped from her lips and she let out a confused giggle. She opened the door slowly and quietly before peering inside. As soon as she walked into the living room, she saw popcorn flying through the air and Lorelai's unmistakable happiness floating through the room.
"What are you two crazy kids up to?" Rory smiled as she made her way nearer to them.
Quick on their feet, they turned to face her. Luke cleared his throat and gave Rory an unsure smile. "Oh, hey, Rory. We were just..um...uh."
"Watching a movie." Lorelai finished for him then added in a hushed voice. "You missed it, Luke was laughing." She whispered in a quiet giggle.
"Wow, interesting." Rory agreed and sat down on the couch next to her mom.
Lorelai nodded. "I know, I was scared at first, too, but I'm getting used to it now." Lorelai smiled over at Luke, who was rolling his eyes. "He sounds kind of like a goose."
"What?" Luke asked.
"You know, one of those big, tone deaf, squawking geese that poop all over your yard in the summer. Oh God, they are so annoying at night." Lorelai shuddered.
"I do not sound like a goose." Luke retorted, slightly smiling, while getting up from the couch. "Well, I should get going. Thanks for the movie, it was surprisingly good."
"Of course it was." Lorelai grinned.
Luke shook his head. "Bye. See you tomorrow morning."
"Hmmm, maybe not. I might be up all night laughing at your goose impersonations. Now, try not to laugh too hard tonight or you'll annoy the neighbors." Lorelai added while laying down against the arm of the couch.
"Well, if I don't see you for breakfast, I'll see you at dinner." He smiled and grabbed his coat. "Bye."
Lorelai waved good-bye to him as Rory did the same. As soon as the front door closed, Rory gaped at her mom.
Lorelai looked at Rory curiously. "What? Do I have popcorn in my teeth or something?"
A slow smile appeared on Rory's face as she leaned in closer to her mom. "Why was Luke here?"
"We were just watching a movie." Lorelai said again while sitting up.
"Hmmm...you guys don't do that very often. Why the sudden need to watch movies with Luke?"
"You know, just because." She smiled falsely and started cleaning up the mess they had made.
Rory squinted her eyes curiously. "Just because?"
"Just because." Lorelai repeated.
"Is there anything going on with you two that I should know about?" Rory grinned and followed Lorelai into the kitchen where she was throwing out some garbage.
"No, there is nothing going on. We both had a bad day, that's all. In fact, Miss. Nosy, all three of us were gonna watch that movie but when we got here there was no you so we had to watch it alone."
Rory just smiled, unconvinced, and started making some coffee.
"What? You don't believe me? Go ask Luke, I was looking for you all over the house to watch it with us."
"Well, it didn't look like you were pining away for my existence when I got home." Rory smiled and poured her and Lorelai some coffee. "I could hear you guys laughing all the way down the street."
Lorelai frowned. "Could not."
"Could to."
"Could not."
"Yes, I could. You were having a good time with Luke, just admit it." Rory told her and gave her a knowing look.
"Well, maybe you heard him honking but you certainly did not hear me, I was being quiet."
"You would lie to your own daughter? Your own flesh and blood?" Rory gasped and shook her head. Then she grinned and talked loudly in a sing-song voice. "You've got a crush, you've got a crush."
"I do not!"
"My mom's liar, my mom's a liar." Rory laughed then looked a bit more serious. "You need to tell him, Mom."
"Tell him what?"
"That you like him." Rory took a huge gulp of her coffee before throwing it into the sink. "I'm going to bed, see you in the morning." She smiled slyly before kissing Lorelai's cheek. When she started for her bedroom, she heard Lorelai's voice again.
"You really think he likes me?" She asked quietly in slight disbelief.
"Yeah, I do." Rory strolled back over to where her mom was staring into space and squeezed her around the shoulders tightly. "Don't worry about it."
Lorelai nodded her head and smiled weakly up at her daughter. "I-I won't. Night sweets."
"Tomorrow." Rory said again, referring to her mom telling Luke she likes him. "Tell him tomorrow, I'll eat breakfast at home for once."
"That's not safe, you know. You're highly allergic to home-cooked meals." Lorelai grinned at her excuse for Rory having to go to Luke's.
"What?"
Lorelai turned around to face Rory in shock. "You mean I never told you? That's why we eat out so much, you could die from home-cooking. Please, Rory, for the sake of your own survival, come with me tomorrow."
"Mom, you are going into Luke's tomorrow....without me. Case closed."
Lorelai nodded. "Yes, Mommy."
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Lorelai walked sluggishly through the town, heading for Luke's. When she reached the glass door, her heart skipped a few beats and she seriously considered going back home and telling Rory that Luke's had burned down to the ground in a tragic demise.
She sighed deeply then muttered to herself. "I can't do this." She shook her head and pushed the door open, taking a seat at one of those cornered tables near the back of the diner, far away from the counter. Deep in concentration, she didn't notice Luke standing behind her.
"Where's Rory?"
His voice startled her and she whipped around nervously, knocking a few menus onto the floor.
Luke eyed her suspiciously and bent down to retrieve the menus. "You okay this morning?" He asked her.
"Oh, yeah, fine. Fresh as a daisy." She said quickly, grinning falsely, while fiddling with the end of the table cloth.
"If you say so. You want coffee?" He smiled wryly, knowing the answer.
"Yeah, and a muffin. Thanks." She spoke quietly and then continued to not look at him.
After watching him walk away from the table, she buried her face in her hands and shook it mournfully.
"Oh man, what was Rory thinking?" She whispered to herself, barely audible.
She sat there, pondering the question, waiting for Luke to return. What would she say to him?
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*I'm so slow with the actual "getting together" part, but, it will come soon. Probably not in the next chapter though. I LOVE reviews! They make me SO happy and feel special!*
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"Chemistry will be the death of me." Lane Kim sighed, closing her textbook before flopping onto her bed.
"C-mon, just study for a few more minutes, I promise that you'll get it this time." Rory reassured her while opening up the book again. "Okay, just explain to me what the-"
"Lane!" Mrs. Kim shouted, walking up the stairs into Lane's bedroom. "Lane, I thought I told you that you had to go to bed an hour ago." She turned to face Rory. "Rory, what are you still doing here?"
"I'm sorry Mrs. Kim, but we just got caught up in something." Rory apologized.
"Can Rory stay the night?" Lane asked her mom while sitting up on the neatly made bed and folding her hands together.
"No, you got an B- in Chemistry and I told you, not until you bring it up to an A, will I even consider it. Now, go home Rory." Mrs. Kim motioned her hands toward the door and gestured for Rory to leave.
She nodded and stood up. "Right away." She smiled and tossed the thick- paged chemistry book onto Lane's lap. "Study, so I can come over next week." She said and waved good-bye to her friend before walking out of the room.
When Rory got to her house, she heard loud, uncontrollable laughter coming from inside as she walked up her driveway.
She whispered to herself. "What the heck?" Rory smiled suspiciously as she pressed her ear up against the wooden door of the house. When she heard Luke's voice, a tiny gasp escaped from her lips and she let out a confused giggle. She opened the door slowly and quietly before peering inside. As soon as she walked into the living room, she saw popcorn flying through the air and Lorelai's unmistakable happiness floating through the room.
"What are you two crazy kids up to?" Rory smiled as she made her way nearer to them.
Quick on their feet, they turned to face her. Luke cleared his throat and gave Rory an unsure smile. "Oh, hey, Rory. We were just..um...uh."
"Watching a movie." Lorelai finished for him then added in a hushed voice. "You missed it, Luke was laughing." She whispered in a quiet giggle.
"Wow, interesting." Rory agreed and sat down on the couch next to her mom.
Lorelai nodded. "I know, I was scared at first, too, but I'm getting used to it now." Lorelai smiled over at Luke, who was rolling his eyes. "He sounds kind of like a goose."
"What?" Luke asked.
"You know, one of those big, tone deaf, squawking geese that poop all over your yard in the summer. Oh God, they are so annoying at night." Lorelai shuddered.
"I do not sound like a goose." Luke retorted, slightly smiling, while getting up from the couch. "Well, I should get going. Thanks for the movie, it was surprisingly good."
"Of course it was." Lorelai grinned.
Luke shook his head. "Bye. See you tomorrow morning."
"Hmmm, maybe not. I might be up all night laughing at your goose impersonations. Now, try not to laugh too hard tonight or you'll annoy the neighbors." Lorelai added while laying down against the arm of the couch.
"Well, if I don't see you for breakfast, I'll see you at dinner." He smiled and grabbed his coat. "Bye."
Lorelai waved good-bye to him as Rory did the same. As soon as the front door closed, Rory gaped at her mom.
Lorelai looked at Rory curiously. "What? Do I have popcorn in my teeth or something?"
A slow smile appeared on Rory's face as she leaned in closer to her mom. "Why was Luke here?"
"We were just watching a movie." Lorelai said again while sitting up.
"Hmmm...you guys don't do that very often. Why the sudden need to watch movies with Luke?"
"You know, just because." She smiled falsely and started cleaning up the mess they had made.
Rory squinted her eyes curiously. "Just because?"
"Just because." Lorelai repeated.
"Is there anything going on with you two that I should know about?" Rory grinned and followed Lorelai into the kitchen where she was throwing out some garbage.
"No, there is nothing going on. We both had a bad day, that's all. In fact, Miss. Nosy, all three of us were gonna watch that movie but when we got here there was no you so we had to watch it alone."
Rory just smiled, unconvinced, and started making some coffee.
"What? You don't believe me? Go ask Luke, I was looking for you all over the house to watch it with us."
"Well, it didn't look like you were pining away for my existence when I got home." Rory smiled and poured her and Lorelai some coffee. "I could hear you guys laughing all the way down the street."
Lorelai frowned. "Could not."
"Could to."
"Could not."
"Yes, I could. You were having a good time with Luke, just admit it." Rory told her and gave her a knowing look.
"Well, maybe you heard him honking but you certainly did not hear me, I was being quiet."
"You would lie to your own daughter? Your own flesh and blood?" Rory gasped and shook her head. Then she grinned and talked loudly in a sing-song voice. "You've got a crush, you've got a crush."
"I do not!"
"My mom's liar, my mom's a liar." Rory laughed then looked a bit more serious. "You need to tell him, Mom."
"Tell him what?"
"That you like him." Rory took a huge gulp of her coffee before throwing it into the sink. "I'm going to bed, see you in the morning." She smiled slyly before kissing Lorelai's cheek. When she started for her bedroom, she heard Lorelai's voice again.
"You really think he likes me?" She asked quietly in slight disbelief.
"Yeah, I do." Rory strolled back over to where her mom was staring into space and squeezed her around the shoulders tightly. "Don't worry about it."
Lorelai nodded her head and smiled weakly up at her daughter. "I-I won't. Night sweets."
"Tomorrow." Rory said again, referring to her mom telling Luke she likes him. "Tell him tomorrow, I'll eat breakfast at home for once."
"That's not safe, you know. You're highly allergic to home-cooked meals." Lorelai grinned at her excuse for Rory having to go to Luke's.
"What?"
Lorelai turned around to face Rory in shock. "You mean I never told you? That's why we eat out so much, you could die from home-cooking. Please, Rory, for the sake of your own survival, come with me tomorrow."
"Mom, you are going into Luke's tomorrow....without me. Case closed."
Lorelai nodded. "Yes, Mommy."
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Lorelai walked sluggishly through the town, heading for Luke's. When she reached the glass door, her heart skipped a few beats and she seriously considered going back home and telling Rory that Luke's had burned down to the ground in a tragic demise.
She sighed deeply then muttered to herself. "I can't do this." She shook her head and pushed the door open, taking a seat at one of those cornered tables near the back of the diner, far away from the counter. Deep in concentration, she didn't notice Luke standing behind her.
"Where's Rory?"
His voice startled her and she whipped around nervously, knocking a few menus onto the floor.
Luke eyed her suspiciously and bent down to retrieve the menus. "You okay this morning?" He asked her.
"Oh, yeah, fine. Fresh as a daisy." She said quickly, grinning falsely, while fiddling with the end of the table cloth.
"If you say so. You want coffee?" He smiled wryly, knowing the answer.
"Yeah, and a muffin. Thanks." She spoke quietly and then continued to not look at him.
After watching him walk away from the table, she buried her face in her hands and shook it mournfully.
"Oh man, what was Rory thinking?" She whispered to herself, barely audible.
She sat there, pondering the question, waiting for Luke to return. What would she say to him?
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*I'm so slow with the actual "getting together" part, but, it will come soon. Probably not in the next chapter though. I LOVE reviews! They make me SO happy and feel special!*