"Luke." She flopped down at the counter arms flopping down and head falling forward to look intensely into his eyes.
The coffee cup banged down loudly in front of her and, scowling, he grabbed the pot, each movement exaggerated and hostile.
"What." He stated, eyes flicking up at her as he bustled behind the counter.
She smiled sweetly and bounced, playful, at the sound of the coffee pouring into the cup. Luke stopped, cup full, and his glare fell hard onto her smiling face, lingering intently for just a moment.
"How'd it go with Jess today? He didn't screw up?"
"No," Lorelai smiled, voice surprised. "He did a great job. And -" She drew in a sharp breath, "I misjudged him, Luke. I'm sorry."
His eyebrows shot up, eyes quickly flashing to her face, wiping the counter, turning again to look at her before -
"Really?" The word deadpan, Luke's form continued dependably moving about. "What made you decide this."
"I ... " She looked at him, gulping coffee. "Talked to him. He said things, I said things -"
"Yeah, I know what talking is."
"And - I misjudged him. He made me think, though." She chirped, looking at him and smiling sillily.
"Oh. God. No." He half-smiled.
"What'd you talk about?" He paused and looked her full in the face, eyes softened.
"I dont know, really. He talked I listened. Weird, huh?" Luke smiled, glancing to the side, out at the dark window, and then back to her eyes.
"About what?"
"Rory. Me. Life. I dont know. He was right. Rory's got her own life now, her own brain. And, God, I dont know ... what I'm gonna do without her."
"Lorelai. You aren't losing her. You two are closer than any two people I've ever seen."
"But she'll leave, Luke. I know ... I'll always have her in my life but."
She gulped coffee and looked at him, her face suddenly open - no sculpted smiling or laughing eyes, but vulnerable and honest - "She's leaving. My whole Life has been defined by Rory. It's not like i can just say, 'oh well i got that little thing done with, now back to the prescribed plan.' I can't just join the rest, live a normal life. I'll be alone for the first time ... Ever. Since i was a young girl crying in her adolescent bedroom. I dont know how to make a life after Rory goes to college."
He nodded, listening intently as he walked over to the door and flipped the sign to closed. He flipped the lights, leaving only the counter area lit.
"You'll be fine, Lorelai."
She closed her eyes, and let the sound of his voice - monotone yet colorful - fall over her, the sound of her name so deliberate and comforting.
"You don't have to be alone. You'll find someone. And - and even if you don't, you've got the whole town. Sookie. The inn. Babette and Morey's antics. Miss Patty, Kirk and Taylor to laugh at. Me. You're not alone. They wouldn't leave you alone even you wanted them to. And you'll never kick your coffee addiction, so I'm sure you'll spend half your day annoying me as always."
He looked straight at her now, walking back across the diner and sitting on the stool next to her. "I know you'll miss Rory. And you can't predict how life will work out. But your life doesn't end. C'mon Lorelai, you haven't done anything the normal way so far, no one's expecting you to live the normal life from now on. It'll ... evolve, and all you have to do is just keep going as it does."
She leaned her head on his shoulder as though tired, and smiled up at his expressionless face and tender eyes.
"Thanks Luke," she said smoothly shutting her eyes.
"Now gimme more coffee," with a sudden wide grin. He laughed and looked away.
"You know. Jess said he respected me - more than most people in this town at least. The thing that scares me most is that I can relate to him. I mean, everyone hates him, he doesnt fit in. And he and Rory -. The only reason we're not Jess is because - we're different here, we're the weirdos but we still belong here. We need this place for our weird-ism, Luke, ever think about that?"
"Weird-ism? I think your use of the word 'we' is a little presumptuous, Gilmore."
"Gilmore?"
He shrugged, "Thought I'd try something new. Lorelai sounded far too nice."
"I'm serious, Luke. You don't exactly conform to this town. Not that this town has any sane standard of normality, but i think you know what i mean."
"Okay."
"We're both a lot like Jess. Except that people accept us, don't hate us on impulse. That's the main difference. This is our place, whether we like it or not, but Jess - he doesnt have that. It was stupid of me to judge him."
"Yeah. But it was normal."
She looked at him and groaned, "Oh, God, you mean i'm susceptible to the same lack of judgment as normal people?"
"Normal people who love their daughters more than anything, yeah." His eyes met hers. "I'm glad you're giving him a second chance."
"Not so much a second chance as realizing my own stupidity and bias. God, Luke, I feel like such a bitch. I mean, he did some stupid things, but he's a kid. I just don't want to be one of those people that blames a kid forever for the mistakes they made."
"You're not a bitch," he chuckled, and slid a piece of pie her way. "But you are leaving as soon as you finish that."
"Meanie."
He caught his breath - Would have been so easy to say "love you" jokingly at that moment. What the hell was that impulse? He had feelings for her, but they would pass, with time. Just a stupid preoccupation with the way she smiled, and these moments of rare companionship when she came for her coffee fix. If he were Lorelai maybe he'd stick his tongue out at her, but instead he halfsmiled, and disappeared into the kitchen to clean up a bit before closing. Why did she have to invade his world at night, that vulnerable halfreality of darkness and empty diner? It wouldn't feel so weird in the daytime. He sighed, audibly.
The coffee cup banged down loudly in front of her and, scowling, he grabbed the pot, each movement exaggerated and hostile.
"What." He stated, eyes flicking up at her as he bustled behind the counter.
She smiled sweetly and bounced, playful, at the sound of the coffee pouring into the cup. Luke stopped, cup full, and his glare fell hard onto her smiling face, lingering intently for just a moment.
"How'd it go with Jess today? He didn't screw up?"
"No," Lorelai smiled, voice surprised. "He did a great job. And -" She drew in a sharp breath, "I misjudged him, Luke. I'm sorry."
His eyebrows shot up, eyes quickly flashing to her face, wiping the counter, turning again to look at her before -
"Really?" The word deadpan, Luke's form continued dependably moving about. "What made you decide this."
"I ... " She looked at him, gulping coffee. "Talked to him. He said things, I said things -"
"Yeah, I know what talking is."
"And - I misjudged him. He made me think, though." She chirped, looking at him and smiling sillily.
"Oh. God. No." He half-smiled.
"What'd you talk about?" He paused and looked her full in the face, eyes softened.
"I dont know, really. He talked I listened. Weird, huh?" Luke smiled, glancing to the side, out at the dark window, and then back to her eyes.
"About what?"
"Rory. Me. Life. I dont know. He was right. Rory's got her own life now, her own brain. And, God, I dont know ... what I'm gonna do without her."
"Lorelai. You aren't losing her. You two are closer than any two people I've ever seen."
"But she'll leave, Luke. I know ... I'll always have her in my life but."
She gulped coffee and looked at him, her face suddenly open - no sculpted smiling or laughing eyes, but vulnerable and honest - "She's leaving. My whole Life has been defined by Rory. It's not like i can just say, 'oh well i got that little thing done with, now back to the prescribed plan.' I can't just join the rest, live a normal life. I'll be alone for the first time ... Ever. Since i was a young girl crying in her adolescent bedroom. I dont know how to make a life after Rory goes to college."
He nodded, listening intently as he walked over to the door and flipped the sign to closed. He flipped the lights, leaving only the counter area lit.
"You'll be fine, Lorelai."
She closed her eyes, and let the sound of his voice - monotone yet colorful - fall over her, the sound of her name so deliberate and comforting.
"You don't have to be alone. You'll find someone. And - and even if you don't, you've got the whole town. Sookie. The inn. Babette and Morey's antics. Miss Patty, Kirk and Taylor to laugh at. Me. You're not alone. They wouldn't leave you alone even you wanted them to. And you'll never kick your coffee addiction, so I'm sure you'll spend half your day annoying me as always."
He looked straight at her now, walking back across the diner and sitting on the stool next to her. "I know you'll miss Rory. And you can't predict how life will work out. But your life doesn't end. C'mon Lorelai, you haven't done anything the normal way so far, no one's expecting you to live the normal life from now on. It'll ... evolve, and all you have to do is just keep going as it does."
She leaned her head on his shoulder as though tired, and smiled up at his expressionless face and tender eyes.
"Thanks Luke," she said smoothly shutting her eyes.
"Now gimme more coffee," with a sudden wide grin. He laughed and looked away.
"You know. Jess said he respected me - more than most people in this town at least. The thing that scares me most is that I can relate to him. I mean, everyone hates him, he doesnt fit in. And he and Rory -. The only reason we're not Jess is because - we're different here, we're the weirdos but we still belong here. We need this place for our weird-ism, Luke, ever think about that?"
"Weird-ism? I think your use of the word 'we' is a little presumptuous, Gilmore."
"Gilmore?"
He shrugged, "Thought I'd try something new. Lorelai sounded far too nice."
"I'm serious, Luke. You don't exactly conform to this town. Not that this town has any sane standard of normality, but i think you know what i mean."
"Okay."
"We're both a lot like Jess. Except that people accept us, don't hate us on impulse. That's the main difference. This is our place, whether we like it or not, but Jess - he doesnt have that. It was stupid of me to judge him."
"Yeah. But it was normal."
She looked at him and groaned, "Oh, God, you mean i'm susceptible to the same lack of judgment as normal people?"
"Normal people who love their daughters more than anything, yeah." His eyes met hers. "I'm glad you're giving him a second chance."
"Not so much a second chance as realizing my own stupidity and bias. God, Luke, I feel like such a bitch. I mean, he did some stupid things, but he's a kid. I just don't want to be one of those people that blames a kid forever for the mistakes they made."
"You're not a bitch," he chuckled, and slid a piece of pie her way. "But you are leaving as soon as you finish that."
"Meanie."
He caught his breath - Would have been so easy to say "love you" jokingly at that moment. What the hell was that impulse? He had feelings for her, but they would pass, with time. Just a stupid preoccupation with the way she smiled, and these moments of rare companionship when she came for her coffee fix. If he were Lorelai maybe he'd stick his tongue out at her, but instead he halfsmiled, and disappeared into the kitchen to clean up a bit before closing. Why did she have to invade his world at night, that vulnerable halfreality of darkness and empty diner? It wouldn't feel so weird in the daytime. He sighed, audibly.