Title: (Chapter 4) Shy Boys and Doppelgangers
Author: Gluglug
Spoiler Warning/Timing: Third Season, post-Haunted Leg
Rating: PG (for language)
Summary: Part one of the big date.
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all characters are property of The Dubba Dubba Dubba WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Amy Sherman- Palladino. They don't belong to me, just borrowing. =========================================================================
Luke and Lorelai exited her house and walked to the curb. Luke couldn't resist asking, "What's the paper bag for?"
"Every girl needs a paper bag on a date, didn't you know?"
"Whatever, forget I asked."
"Smart man." Lorelai looked around for Luke's pickup. "I hope we're not walking, I've got on heels, you know."
"Cute shoes, by the way. No, I rented a car for tonight - I didn't want to drive you around in a pickup. It's over there."
Lorelai noticed a white sedan. "A Volvo? How suburban - you've got to be kidding. That's the car that Christopher drives."
Luke hoped that renting the car wasn't a mistake. As much as he loved his truck, he wanted to try to live up to Lorelai's expectations. "Sorry, I didn't realize. This isn't going to traumatize you for the rest of the night, is it?"
Lorelai regretted her comments. "I'm sorry. Everyone knows you're not supposed to complain about your ex and your date's car, but here I am. I've managed to break both cardinal rules of "Dating for Dummies" and we haven't been outside my house for five minutes! You might as well turn me around and take me back inside!"
Luke sighed. "Lorelai, try to enjoy yourself, ok? Do it for me? Just pretend the car's a different brand. You know, a Cadillac or."
Lorelai forgot about her faux pas and rapped a bar of Blondie's "Rapture," "Lincoln, too, Mercury and Suburu? Hey, how about a Jaguar? I've always wanted a ride in a Jag."
Luke opened the car door for her in relief. "Your Jaguar awaits, my lady."
Luke opened the driver side, got in and buckled his seatbelt. He noticed that Lorelai hadn't buckled up yet.
"Aren't you going to buckle up? I'm not driving until you do."
Lorelai looked at him seductively. "Why don't YOU buckle me in?"
"Make you a deal - if you buckle up now, later I'll help free you from your restraints?"
Lorelai fastened her seatbelt. "Restraints, dirty!"
Luke started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Oh before I forget, there's something for you in the glove compartment. Open it?"
Lorelai opened the compartment and pulled out a CD case with the words "Luke and Lorelai, 4-Eva," scribbled in black magic marker with a heart around it. It looked like it was lifted off the back of a high school notebook.
"Jess burned it for our date tonight."
"Really, Jess did this? Was it his idea?"
"Well, it was my idea, because I know that you and Rory eat, sleep and breathe music. But since Jess is the music expert in the family, I figured he'd do a good job. And, well I have a diner to run and didn't have the time to put it together."
"Well, I don't see a track listing, how do we know he didn't decide to torture us with Michael Bolton and Celine Dion?"
"Lord, I hope not. I gave him specific directions - to choose chick bands from the 80s, and mix in a few obscurities that only you would know. Why don't you pop it in?"
She took the CD out of the case and put it in the player. Track one was "Shy Boy" by Bananarama. "Shoop Shoop, ah-ha..."
"Oh My GOD!" Lorelai's squeals sent Luke swerving.
"Geez, are you ok? I don't want to lose control of the car!"
Lorelai touched his arm. "Oh Luke, I didn't mean to scare you! It's just that I love this song and I think that it's perfect for us. Tell Jess that all is forgiven!"
Luke listened to the lyrics. "You think I'm shy?"
"Hello? Who asked whom out on this date?"
"Point taken. But I'm NOT shy."
"It's ok to be shy, Luke...I'm shy sometimes."
"When? While sleeping? Lorelai, you're the most extroverted person I've ever met!"
"Well, I was much shier as a kid. Kind of like Rory, you know, quiet. But when I got older and had Rory, I realized that if I was gonna get anywhere in life, I'd have to be a lot more aggressive with people. I think sometimes I overcompensate."
"I think the caffeine's responsible, frankly. I had no idea you were shy."
"See, there's stuff we don't know about each other after all..So where are we going?"
"No hints this time, we'll be there in about 10 minutes."
The next song played, "I know what boys like" by the Waitresses
"I love this song, too! Jess is definitely redeeming himself. You know, it's a shame the singer died young, I think she had cancer. She had a great attitude. Lorelai sang along, "MM-Hmm SUCKER!"
Luke was glad that the CD was a success and that things were going well so far. "Hey, you have a nice voice. Just keep the volume down, ok? I don't want to get in an accident."
"Well, if we do, we'll just blame Jess, right?"
Luke remembered another car accident supposedly caused by Jess and gave her a sarcastic laugh. A few minutes later, he pulled into a small parking lot next to CAFÉ LUCIA.
Lorelai noticed the name. "This isn't the restaurant run by your doppelganger, is it?"
Luke exited his side, went around and opened her door. Lorelai was smiling wickedly at him. Silently, he reached down and released her buckle. He took her hand, locked the car and they entered the café.
A middle aged Italian woman greeted Luke at the door with a hug and a kiss.
"Lucas! Good to see you, it's been too long! What a handsome gentleman you've become."
Luke blushed at the attention. "It's good to see you, too. Maria, this is Lorelai Gilmore."
"So this is Lorelai. You're a beauty!"
Lorelai was embarrassed, who was this woman? "Hello."
Maria shouted to the rear of the café. "Antonio, Lucas is here!"
A middle aged Italian man approached them and hugged Luke. "Lucas -great to see you! Is this your lady friend I've been hearing about?"
Luke felt like he was introducing her to his parents. "Antonio, this is Lorelai."
Lorelai extended her hand and Antonio kissed it.
"What a lovely young woman." He gave Luke a wink. "You should hang on to this one! Come to the back room, I've saved a romantic table for you."
Lorelai and Luke followed Antonio to the rear of the restaurant. Lorelai noticed the décor - a farmhouse decorated with fairy lights and flowers, it was intimate and charming.
Antonio seated them next to a fireplace and handed them menus. "It's not too hot for you?"
"No, it's ok, Lorelai?"
She nodded and Antonio left the table.
"So, Lucas...um I didn't know you were related to the Sopranos? Sorry, that was mean. They seem sweet. How do you know them?"
"Well, Antonio is an old buddy of my dad's from his Army days. After they were discharged, my dad started the hardware store and married my mom. Antonio married Maria and they opened this place. While I was in high school, when I wasn't helping out my dad at the store, I worked here. I bussed tables, took orders, and learned to cook. I learned all about the restaurant biz from Antonio. When my dad died, Antonio encouraged me to open my own place. He's kind of like a mentor to me."
"Luke, I had no idea. So, who's Lucia?"
"Antonio and Maria's daughter - she now lives in Rome with her family. Lucia was a hostess here her summers away from college. I was besotted with her, but she wasn't interested in me, a high school boy. She was tall and slim with long wavy dark hair - I guess I tend to be attracted to women who resemble her."
Lorelai blushed and looked at the menu. "So, what's good here?"
"You actually want my suggestions?"
"Sure, you know this place."
"I've always liked the grilled salmon."
"I'll have the same."
Luke was surprised that she agreed so easily. "You sure you don't you want the lasagna? Too much cheese for my taste, but it's good."
"No, I'll have the fish. Gonna live a little!"
"Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you to share a salad with me? The tri-color with vinaigrette is very good."
"Well, I don't know, sharing a salad, isn't that a third date kind of thing? But I'm easy, let's do it!"
"Really? If I order the salad, you'll eat it?"
Lorelai lowered her voice to a seductive whisper. "Maybe I'll take a nibble."
Antonio returned to the table with an order pad. "Are you two ready?"
Luke had to tear his eyes from Lorelai's and cleared his throat. "Yes. We'll share with the tri-color salad and we'll have two grilled salmons."
"Excellent. Drinks?"
"I'll have an iced tea and bring two glasses of water for the table. Lorelai?"
"I'd like a glass of white wine, please."
"I'll be back in a minute with your drinks and salad."
Lorelai watched him disappear into the kitchen. "So I should thank Antonio, then? You know, we'd probably never met if there was no Luke's Diner."
"I think we would've met eventually - Stars Hollow is a small town. Besides, I don't think I would've NOT noticed you."
Lorelai blushed again, for all her bravado she suddenly felt shy. "Um, so what do we talk about now?"
"First date stuff, you know - jobs, families, hobbies, plans for the future.."
Lorelai had an idea. "Hey, let's pretend that we don't already know any of that stuff. That you just, um, noticed me one day in Stars Hollow and I agreed to go out with you."
Luke thought this role playing game could be interesting. "Ok, Lorelai, tell me about your family."
"Well I'm a single mom, I hope that's ok. Some guys don't want someone with kids."
"Not a problem here. How many?"
"I have a daughter, Rory, she's almost 18."
"You don't look a day over 18, yourself. Did you have her young?"
"Flattery will get you everywhere! I had her when I was 16."
"Must've been tough. Where's her father?"
Lorelai looked at him with a pained expression. "In Boston with his pregnant ex-girlfriend, but that's another story."
"Does this guy go around getting all of his girlfriends pregnant?"
Lorelai chuckled ruefully. "Seems that way, doesn't it? Well, anyway my parents wanted me to get married but I refused. So I left home and started my own life. Moved to Stars Hollow, got a job at the Independence Inn, had Rory and raised her. Now I manage the Inn."
"Sounds like you've worked really hard, you should be proud. Tell me about Rory."
"Well, she's the best kid in the world and she can consume huge quantities of coffee in a single sitting. She's also beautiful, smart and has great taste in music."
"Like mother, like daughter."
"I'm starting to like you! Keep this up and you might get a second date!"
Luke smiled. "So, is Rory going to college?"
"She's applied to all the Ivy leagues, something I never got the chance to do. But we have our hearts set on Harvard. She's wanted to go there ever since she learned to talk!"
"You seem very close to her. It will be hard when she goes away to school, huh?"
"We're freakishly close - she's my best friend. It'll be like losing a limb when she leaves."
Seeing her wistful expression, Luke reached over to take Lorelai's hand. At that moment, Antonio and a table attendant arrived with the salad and drinks.
Antonio sensed his timing. "Sorry to interrupt." He served the drinks and the salad. "Enjoy!"
Luke grumbled. "He's not getting a big tip tonight!" He tore into his salad, he was hungry. "This is delicious salad. You did say you were going to take a bite?"
Lorelai looked at him skeptically. "Delicious and salad are two words that should never reside in the same sentence." She put a radicchio leaf in her mouth. "Wow, Luke this is good." She tore into the rest of the salad.
Luke watched her in amazement - he had never seen her eat anything other than junk food. "Ok, that's it - what have you done with Lorelai, you evil doppelganger!"
She shot him a mischievous look. "You caught me! I've locked her in the storeroom with the real Luke. They're having hot and heavy sex right now."
"Now that I've that visual in my head, you're going to have to work really hard to remove it!"
She grinned wickedly at him. "Why would I want to do that?"
"You are an evil woman."
A few minutes passed and Antonio served the entrees. "Can I get you anything else?"
Luke smiled across the table. "We're good, right Lorelai?
Lorelai smiled back. "We're good. Thanks, Antonio."
A while later, Luke and Lorelai finished their dinner. They both cleaned their plates, with the exception of a small piece of fish.
Luke took his last sip of iced tea and sat back in his chair. "Do you want dessert?"
"I'm stuffed. I couldn't eat another bite, and since when do you indulge in dessert?"
"I live a little, sometimes. They have this thing called a gelato medley. It's delicious."
"I'll take a rain check, we'll get it next time."
"So they'll be a next time, huh?"
"Well, play your cards right and there's a VERY good chance that there will be."
Antonio returned to the table. "So kids, can we get you dessert? Coffee, tea?"
"He said the magic word - coffee!"
"Ok, let's get it to go, it's getting late. Antonio, bring us a carry out tray with one coffee and a peppermint tea?"
A minute later, Antonio returned with the tray and check. "Was everything to your liking?"
Lorelai smiled up at him. "Oh, yes. It was wonderful! Thanks for making me feel at home."
"You're welcome. I hope we'll be seeing you again, Lorelai."
Luke handed Antonio a credit card. "Thanks Antonio, great food, as always."
After using the restrooms, Luke and Lorelai walked to the front of the restaurant to say goodbye to Maria. On their way out the door, Lorelai noticed a picture of a young woman with dark wavy hair. She figured that must be Lucia. It was true - she did resemble her a bit. Once outside, Luke took her hand to walk back to the car.
"So what's next?"
"Ok, here's where I need your input - there's a jazz club a few miles away, if you want to listen to some live music. Or we could drive down to Long Island Sound. It's a bit far, but there's a nice stretch of beach that I'd like to show you. It's chilly tonight, but I brought blankets."
Lorelai weighed her options. She wasn't much of a jazz fan, and sitting in a crowded smoky room didn't appeal to her. On the other hand, a romantic walk on the beach with Luke? No contest.
"Such a good boy scout, always prepared. Well, the club sounds nice, but I don't want my hair to smell like an ashtray. Let's go to the beach!"
Luke was glad she chose the latter. He wasn't into jazz either, but it sounded like a good idea. "Good choice, you're right about the smoke. Let's go."
"Luke, wait. Before we get in the car, I want to tell you something."
Luke was having a wonderful time, it was going better than he had imagined. He hoped it wasn't going to come crashing down on him. He held his breath, "What is it?"
Lorelai sensed his anxiety and wanted to put it to rest. "I'm having a really good time and I've wanted to do this all night."
She leaned in and kissed him. It was like their first kiss in the diner, except Lorelai's tongue began to part his lips. Luke knew that if they continued to kiss, they'd never make it out of the parking lot. He broke away.
"I'm having a good time, too. But if you keep kissing me like that, I'll be too distracted to drive and besides I don't want to drop these hot drinks all over us."
She grinned at him. "Understood. Let's go."
Luke handed her the drinks and they got in the car. They left the parking lot of CAFÉ LUCIA.
A/N: I know that Maria and Antonio don't really exist in Luke's back story. I thought it would be a nice idea for him to have a surrogate family living nearby, since his parents are dead.
Author: Gluglug
Spoiler Warning/Timing: Third Season, post-Haunted Leg
Rating: PG (for language)
Summary: Part one of the big date.
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all characters are property of The Dubba Dubba Dubba WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Amy Sherman- Palladino. They don't belong to me, just borrowing. =========================================================================
Luke and Lorelai exited her house and walked to the curb. Luke couldn't resist asking, "What's the paper bag for?"
"Every girl needs a paper bag on a date, didn't you know?"
"Whatever, forget I asked."
"Smart man." Lorelai looked around for Luke's pickup. "I hope we're not walking, I've got on heels, you know."
"Cute shoes, by the way. No, I rented a car for tonight - I didn't want to drive you around in a pickup. It's over there."
Lorelai noticed a white sedan. "A Volvo? How suburban - you've got to be kidding. That's the car that Christopher drives."
Luke hoped that renting the car wasn't a mistake. As much as he loved his truck, he wanted to try to live up to Lorelai's expectations. "Sorry, I didn't realize. This isn't going to traumatize you for the rest of the night, is it?"
Lorelai regretted her comments. "I'm sorry. Everyone knows you're not supposed to complain about your ex and your date's car, but here I am. I've managed to break both cardinal rules of "Dating for Dummies" and we haven't been outside my house for five minutes! You might as well turn me around and take me back inside!"
Luke sighed. "Lorelai, try to enjoy yourself, ok? Do it for me? Just pretend the car's a different brand. You know, a Cadillac or."
Lorelai forgot about her faux pas and rapped a bar of Blondie's "Rapture," "Lincoln, too, Mercury and Suburu? Hey, how about a Jaguar? I've always wanted a ride in a Jag."
Luke opened the car door for her in relief. "Your Jaguar awaits, my lady."
Luke opened the driver side, got in and buckled his seatbelt. He noticed that Lorelai hadn't buckled up yet.
"Aren't you going to buckle up? I'm not driving until you do."
Lorelai looked at him seductively. "Why don't YOU buckle me in?"
"Make you a deal - if you buckle up now, later I'll help free you from your restraints?"
Lorelai fastened her seatbelt. "Restraints, dirty!"
Luke started the car and pulled away from the curb. "Oh before I forget, there's something for you in the glove compartment. Open it?"
Lorelai opened the compartment and pulled out a CD case with the words "Luke and Lorelai, 4-Eva," scribbled in black magic marker with a heart around it. It looked like it was lifted off the back of a high school notebook.
"Jess burned it for our date tonight."
"Really, Jess did this? Was it his idea?"
"Well, it was my idea, because I know that you and Rory eat, sleep and breathe music. But since Jess is the music expert in the family, I figured he'd do a good job. And, well I have a diner to run and didn't have the time to put it together."
"Well, I don't see a track listing, how do we know he didn't decide to torture us with Michael Bolton and Celine Dion?"
"Lord, I hope not. I gave him specific directions - to choose chick bands from the 80s, and mix in a few obscurities that only you would know. Why don't you pop it in?"
She took the CD out of the case and put it in the player. Track one was "Shy Boy" by Bananarama. "Shoop Shoop, ah-ha..."
"Oh My GOD!" Lorelai's squeals sent Luke swerving.
"Geez, are you ok? I don't want to lose control of the car!"
Lorelai touched his arm. "Oh Luke, I didn't mean to scare you! It's just that I love this song and I think that it's perfect for us. Tell Jess that all is forgiven!"
Luke listened to the lyrics. "You think I'm shy?"
"Hello? Who asked whom out on this date?"
"Point taken. But I'm NOT shy."
"It's ok to be shy, Luke...I'm shy sometimes."
"When? While sleeping? Lorelai, you're the most extroverted person I've ever met!"
"Well, I was much shier as a kid. Kind of like Rory, you know, quiet. But when I got older and had Rory, I realized that if I was gonna get anywhere in life, I'd have to be a lot more aggressive with people. I think sometimes I overcompensate."
"I think the caffeine's responsible, frankly. I had no idea you were shy."
"See, there's stuff we don't know about each other after all..So where are we going?"
"No hints this time, we'll be there in about 10 minutes."
The next song played, "I know what boys like" by the Waitresses
"I love this song, too! Jess is definitely redeeming himself. You know, it's a shame the singer died young, I think she had cancer. She had a great attitude. Lorelai sang along, "MM-Hmm SUCKER!"
Luke was glad that the CD was a success and that things were going well so far. "Hey, you have a nice voice. Just keep the volume down, ok? I don't want to get in an accident."
"Well, if we do, we'll just blame Jess, right?"
Luke remembered another car accident supposedly caused by Jess and gave her a sarcastic laugh. A few minutes later, he pulled into a small parking lot next to CAFÉ LUCIA.
Lorelai noticed the name. "This isn't the restaurant run by your doppelganger, is it?"
Luke exited his side, went around and opened her door. Lorelai was smiling wickedly at him. Silently, he reached down and released her buckle. He took her hand, locked the car and they entered the café.
A middle aged Italian woman greeted Luke at the door with a hug and a kiss.
"Lucas! Good to see you, it's been too long! What a handsome gentleman you've become."
Luke blushed at the attention. "It's good to see you, too. Maria, this is Lorelai Gilmore."
"So this is Lorelai. You're a beauty!"
Lorelai was embarrassed, who was this woman? "Hello."
Maria shouted to the rear of the café. "Antonio, Lucas is here!"
A middle aged Italian man approached them and hugged Luke. "Lucas -great to see you! Is this your lady friend I've been hearing about?"
Luke felt like he was introducing her to his parents. "Antonio, this is Lorelai."
Lorelai extended her hand and Antonio kissed it.
"What a lovely young woman." He gave Luke a wink. "You should hang on to this one! Come to the back room, I've saved a romantic table for you."
Lorelai and Luke followed Antonio to the rear of the restaurant. Lorelai noticed the décor - a farmhouse decorated with fairy lights and flowers, it was intimate and charming.
Antonio seated them next to a fireplace and handed them menus. "It's not too hot for you?"
"No, it's ok, Lorelai?"
She nodded and Antonio left the table.
"So, Lucas...um I didn't know you were related to the Sopranos? Sorry, that was mean. They seem sweet. How do you know them?"
"Well, Antonio is an old buddy of my dad's from his Army days. After they were discharged, my dad started the hardware store and married my mom. Antonio married Maria and they opened this place. While I was in high school, when I wasn't helping out my dad at the store, I worked here. I bussed tables, took orders, and learned to cook. I learned all about the restaurant biz from Antonio. When my dad died, Antonio encouraged me to open my own place. He's kind of like a mentor to me."
"Luke, I had no idea. So, who's Lucia?"
"Antonio and Maria's daughter - she now lives in Rome with her family. Lucia was a hostess here her summers away from college. I was besotted with her, but she wasn't interested in me, a high school boy. She was tall and slim with long wavy dark hair - I guess I tend to be attracted to women who resemble her."
Lorelai blushed and looked at the menu. "So, what's good here?"
"You actually want my suggestions?"
"Sure, you know this place."
"I've always liked the grilled salmon."
"I'll have the same."
Luke was surprised that she agreed so easily. "You sure you don't you want the lasagna? Too much cheese for my taste, but it's good."
"No, I'll have the fish. Gonna live a little!"
"Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you to share a salad with me? The tri-color with vinaigrette is very good."
"Well, I don't know, sharing a salad, isn't that a third date kind of thing? But I'm easy, let's do it!"
"Really? If I order the salad, you'll eat it?"
Lorelai lowered her voice to a seductive whisper. "Maybe I'll take a nibble."
Antonio returned to the table with an order pad. "Are you two ready?"
Luke had to tear his eyes from Lorelai's and cleared his throat. "Yes. We'll share with the tri-color salad and we'll have two grilled salmons."
"Excellent. Drinks?"
"I'll have an iced tea and bring two glasses of water for the table. Lorelai?"
"I'd like a glass of white wine, please."
"I'll be back in a minute with your drinks and salad."
Lorelai watched him disappear into the kitchen. "So I should thank Antonio, then? You know, we'd probably never met if there was no Luke's Diner."
"I think we would've met eventually - Stars Hollow is a small town. Besides, I don't think I would've NOT noticed you."
Lorelai blushed again, for all her bravado she suddenly felt shy. "Um, so what do we talk about now?"
"First date stuff, you know - jobs, families, hobbies, plans for the future.."
Lorelai had an idea. "Hey, let's pretend that we don't already know any of that stuff. That you just, um, noticed me one day in Stars Hollow and I agreed to go out with you."
Luke thought this role playing game could be interesting. "Ok, Lorelai, tell me about your family."
"Well I'm a single mom, I hope that's ok. Some guys don't want someone with kids."
"Not a problem here. How many?"
"I have a daughter, Rory, she's almost 18."
"You don't look a day over 18, yourself. Did you have her young?"
"Flattery will get you everywhere! I had her when I was 16."
"Must've been tough. Where's her father?"
Lorelai looked at him with a pained expression. "In Boston with his pregnant ex-girlfriend, but that's another story."
"Does this guy go around getting all of his girlfriends pregnant?"
Lorelai chuckled ruefully. "Seems that way, doesn't it? Well, anyway my parents wanted me to get married but I refused. So I left home and started my own life. Moved to Stars Hollow, got a job at the Independence Inn, had Rory and raised her. Now I manage the Inn."
"Sounds like you've worked really hard, you should be proud. Tell me about Rory."
"Well, she's the best kid in the world and she can consume huge quantities of coffee in a single sitting. She's also beautiful, smart and has great taste in music."
"Like mother, like daughter."
"I'm starting to like you! Keep this up and you might get a second date!"
Luke smiled. "So, is Rory going to college?"
"She's applied to all the Ivy leagues, something I never got the chance to do. But we have our hearts set on Harvard. She's wanted to go there ever since she learned to talk!"
"You seem very close to her. It will be hard when she goes away to school, huh?"
"We're freakishly close - she's my best friend. It'll be like losing a limb when she leaves."
Seeing her wistful expression, Luke reached over to take Lorelai's hand. At that moment, Antonio and a table attendant arrived with the salad and drinks.
Antonio sensed his timing. "Sorry to interrupt." He served the drinks and the salad. "Enjoy!"
Luke grumbled. "He's not getting a big tip tonight!" He tore into his salad, he was hungry. "This is delicious salad. You did say you were going to take a bite?"
Lorelai looked at him skeptically. "Delicious and salad are two words that should never reside in the same sentence." She put a radicchio leaf in her mouth. "Wow, Luke this is good." She tore into the rest of the salad.
Luke watched her in amazement - he had never seen her eat anything other than junk food. "Ok, that's it - what have you done with Lorelai, you evil doppelganger!"
She shot him a mischievous look. "You caught me! I've locked her in the storeroom with the real Luke. They're having hot and heavy sex right now."
"Now that I've that visual in my head, you're going to have to work really hard to remove it!"
She grinned wickedly at him. "Why would I want to do that?"
"You are an evil woman."
A few minutes passed and Antonio served the entrees. "Can I get you anything else?"
Luke smiled across the table. "We're good, right Lorelai?
Lorelai smiled back. "We're good. Thanks, Antonio."
A while later, Luke and Lorelai finished their dinner. They both cleaned their plates, with the exception of a small piece of fish.
Luke took his last sip of iced tea and sat back in his chair. "Do you want dessert?"
"I'm stuffed. I couldn't eat another bite, and since when do you indulge in dessert?"
"I live a little, sometimes. They have this thing called a gelato medley. It's delicious."
"I'll take a rain check, we'll get it next time."
"So they'll be a next time, huh?"
"Well, play your cards right and there's a VERY good chance that there will be."
Antonio returned to the table. "So kids, can we get you dessert? Coffee, tea?"
"He said the magic word - coffee!"
"Ok, let's get it to go, it's getting late. Antonio, bring us a carry out tray with one coffee and a peppermint tea?"
A minute later, Antonio returned with the tray and check. "Was everything to your liking?"
Lorelai smiled up at him. "Oh, yes. It was wonderful! Thanks for making me feel at home."
"You're welcome. I hope we'll be seeing you again, Lorelai."
Luke handed Antonio a credit card. "Thanks Antonio, great food, as always."
After using the restrooms, Luke and Lorelai walked to the front of the restaurant to say goodbye to Maria. On their way out the door, Lorelai noticed a picture of a young woman with dark wavy hair. She figured that must be Lucia. It was true - she did resemble her a bit. Once outside, Luke took her hand to walk back to the car.
"So what's next?"
"Ok, here's where I need your input - there's a jazz club a few miles away, if you want to listen to some live music. Or we could drive down to Long Island Sound. It's a bit far, but there's a nice stretch of beach that I'd like to show you. It's chilly tonight, but I brought blankets."
Lorelai weighed her options. She wasn't much of a jazz fan, and sitting in a crowded smoky room didn't appeal to her. On the other hand, a romantic walk on the beach with Luke? No contest.
"Such a good boy scout, always prepared. Well, the club sounds nice, but I don't want my hair to smell like an ashtray. Let's go to the beach!"
Luke was glad she chose the latter. He wasn't into jazz either, but it sounded like a good idea. "Good choice, you're right about the smoke. Let's go."
"Luke, wait. Before we get in the car, I want to tell you something."
Luke was having a wonderful time, it was going better than he had imagined. He hoped it wasn't going to come crashing down on him. He held his breath, "What is it?"
Lorelai sensed his anxiety and wanted to put it to rest. "I'm having a really good time and I've wanted to do this all night."
She leaned in and kissed him. It was like their first kiss in the diner, except Lorelai's tongue began to part his lips. Luke knew that if they continued to kiss, they'd never make it out of the parking lot. He broke away.
"I'm having a good time, too. But if you keep kissing me like that, I'll be too distracted to drive and besides I don't want to drop these hot drinks all over us."
She grinned at him. "Understood. Let's go."
Luke handed her the drinks and they got in the car. They left the parking lot of CAFÉ LUCIA.
A/N: I know that Maria and Antonio don't really exist in Luke's back story. I thought it would be a nice idea for him to have a surrogate family living nearby, since his parents are dead.