It's Right There

by CoffeeDrinker

[Complete] Luke/Lorelai. She looked him in the eye, she saw something there, and she realized she felt the same way. (Update: As of 10/31/14, the story is back to its original M-rated version)

5. Parts 24 to 28

"It's Right There – parts 24 – 28"

. . .

PART 24

. . .

After dinner the next night, Luke and Lorelai walked hand in hand through the center of town. They walked up into the gazebo, and as Luke sat down on the bench, Lorelai walked over to the railing and looked out at the town.

"It's a beautiful night," Lorelai commented.

"Yup," Luke replied.

Lorelai inhaled deeply. "Smells like spring."

"Well, probably because it is spring," Luke pointed out.

"Yes, but it doesn't always smell like the season that it is," Lorelai explained. "But right now, it definitely smells like spring." She inhaled deeply again and smiled.

Luke stood up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and kissed her neck just below her ear. Lorelai placed her hands on top of his and closed her eyes as she leaned back against him.

A few seconds later, Lorelai turned around and hugged him tightly. She rested her chin on his shoulder as his hands moved gently up and down her back. Her eyes wandered around the town, glancing at the people walking by. Suddenly she lifted her head up. "Luke," she said with a sly smile. "Turn around and stare straight ahead."

Luke narrowed his eyes at her, then slowly turned around.

"Okay, what do you see?" Lorelai asked, tapping him excitedly on the shoulder.

Luke shrugged. "I see people in line for the movies," he said, gesturing toward the theater.

"Yes, anyone you recognize?" Lorelai asked.

Luke squinted at the line of people in front of the theater. "Uh, looks like Rory and Lane," he said. He turned around and looked at Lorelai. "That who you mean?"

Lorelai nodded and smiled. "You know what that means," she said in a singsong voice.

Luke raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "What does it mean?"

Lorelai put her hands on his collar and pulled his lips to hers. She pulled back and kissed across his cheek to his earlobe, which she nibbled on gently before she whispered, "It means that there's a big old empty house just begging for someone to use it."

A smile slowly formed on Luke's lips. "Ah, I get it now."

"You catch on quick." Lorelai smiled and grabbed his hand. "Let's go."

. . .

In Lorelai's bed later that night, Luke lay on his back, thinking to himself with his eyes closed. As Lorelai returned from the bathroom, she grabbed Luke's t-shirt from the floor and pulled it on, then climbed back into bed. She brushed her hair out of her face, then rested her head against his arm, using his bicep as a pillow. She draped her arm across his stomach and snuggled up close to him.

He opened his eyes and kissed the top of her head, then leaned back against the pillow. "You know what I was just thinking?"

"Wait, let me guess." Lorelai stared up at the ceiling for a moment, deep in thought. Finally she turned to him and said, "Were you thinking about how the idea to make Oreos with that half peanut butter/half chocolate cream filling is just incredibly wrong and should be considered a violation of the whole Oreo cookie standard of ethics?"

Luke stared at her momentarily before he said, "Uh, no."

"Oh. Well, it is," Lorelai said. "I mean, I like peanut butter and I like chocolate cream, but on an Oreo? No way." She shook her head. "That's not what makes an Oreo an Oreo. It's supposed to be two chocolate cookies with white cream filling – not chocolate filling or peanut butter filling, white cream filling. Now, I know they try to get all cutesy and stuff around the holidays by dyeing the cream filling to make it festive colors, but that's okay. I admit, I protested it at first, but after realizing that it tastes pretty much the same, I was okay with it. But when they go out and change the taste of the filling completely, that's when I have to put my foot down. That's where I draw the line. That's where I say, that is no longer a real Oreo." She sighed loudly.

Luke stared at her with wide eyes and an amused smile on his face. He let out a small laugh and shook his head slightly. "As much as I disapprove of your obsession with junk food, you're really adorable when you get all worked up over it."

Lorelai smiled and kissed him, then rested her head back against his arm. "So what were you thinking about?" She placed her hand on his chest.

He placed his hand on top of hers. "Well. . . I was just thinking about how. . ," Luke started. He paused a moment before he sighed. "Forget it, it's not important."

Lorelai lifted her head up and looked at him curiously. "Luke, what is it? I'm sure it's important. And even if it's not, who cares? Did you not just hear my cookie rant?"

Luke let out a small laugh. "True."

Lorelai smiled and patted his chest. "So, come on, what is it?"

Luke shrugged slightly. "It's nothing, really." He stared up at the ceiling as he said, "I was kind of just thinking about us and. . .about how things were before we got together and. . ." He brought his gaze down to her and finished, ". . .and about how much better my life is now."

Lorelai's eyes widened as a chill ran through her body. She tilted her head and smiled at him, then ran her fingers gently over his face before she leaned in and kissed him. She smiled through the kiss, then pulled back and said, "Same here. I love you."

Luke smiled. "Love you, too."

Lorelai rested her head against his chest. They were quiet for a few seconds before Lorelai said, "Wow, my guess was really far off."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, it was. Next time I'll try to think about cookies so you'll be right."

Lorelai lifted her head up and smiled at him. "Aw, thank you."

He smiled as he stroked her hair. "You're welcome." Luke glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "The movie's probably almost over. Rory's gonna be home soon."

Lorelai glanced behind her and checked the clock. "Yeah, we should go downstairs."

Luke reached down and entwined his fingers through hers. "Yup."

"You wanna stay and watch tv or something?" Lorelai asked. "It's not really that late yet."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I'll stay for a little while."

A few minutes later, they got dressed and walked downstairs. Lorelai gestured to the couch and said, "Sit down. You want a beer?"

"Yeah, sure," Luke replied. He wandered over to the couch and sat down.

Lorelai walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers from the fridge. She opened them, then pulled open a cupboard and stared into it for a moment, looking for something to snack on. From the living room, she heard Luke mutter loudly, "Dammit, what's with this stupid thing?"

Lorelai grabbed a bag of cookies and the beers, then walked into the living room. She saw Luke pointing the remote control at the television, pushing a button repeatedly. She smiled and said, "What's the problem there, Ozzy?"

"The remote's not working," he said with an annoyed sigh. "The television won't turn on."

Lorelai set the beers on the coffee table, dropped the cookies on the couch, and took the remote from him. She slapped it on her thigh, then pointed it at the television and pushed the power button. The television turned on, and she handed the remote back to Luke. "Sometimes it just needs a slight beating," she explained. "You know, like kids."

Luke smiled. "Interesting." He patted the seat next to him and she sat down. Luke put one hand on her thigh and held the remote in the other. He flipped quickly through the channels, finally stopping on a baseball game.

Lorelai immediately groaned. "Noooo." She grabbed for the remote.

"Wait, let me just find out the score," Luke said, holding the remote out of reach.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "You can find out the score in the paper tomorrow, you don't need to know it now. Why don't you just put – ooh, who is that?" she asked, pointing to the batter.

Luke smiled. "Uh, Mike Piazza," he said.

"Mmm, he's cute," Lorelai said, raising her eyebrows. "Keep this on. I'm suddenly enjoying those tight uniforms. Wow, look at that guy's. . .hmm."

"Okay, okay." Luke playfully covered her eyes with his hand. Lorelai giggled and pushed it away. She reached up and gently stroked the side of his face with her finger. They stared at each other for a moment, then Luke turned off the television and tossed the remote onto the couch next to him. Lorelai crawled onto his lap so she was facing him. She put her hands on his neck and stroked his sideburns with her thumbs as she leaned forward and kissed him deeply.

He placed his hands on her waist as he took her lower lip into his mouth and sucked on it gently. Several seconds later, Luke pulled back and they smiled at each other, then he lowered his mouth to her neck and placed several kisses on her soft skin. Lorelai closed her eyes and moaned softly as he started sucking lightly on her neck.

When he pulled back from her, he stared at her body for several seconds. He ran his hands over her shoulders and down her arms, then ran a finger along the low-cut neckline of her tank top. "Freckles," he said.

Lorelai raised her eyebrows and gave a small smile. "What?"

He nodded toward her chest. "You have a lot of freckles on your chest."

Lorelai glanced down at them, then gave him a curious look. "Uh, yes, I do," she agreed.

Luke shrugged and ran his fingers over them. "I just think they're cute."

Lorelai smiled. "Oh yeah? When I was younger, I begged my mom to let me get them removed because I thought they made me look really ugly. As you can tell, she obviously didn't go for it, so then I tried to rub them off with lemons like Jan did, but that didn't work either."

Luke smiled. "I'm glad it didn't work. I like them." He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her hungrily as Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck.

A few seconds later, Lorelai heard a cough. She pulled back from Luke and glanced toward the front entryway, where Rory stood staring at them with a small smirk. Panting slightly, Lorelai smiled and said, "Hey hon." She slid off of Luke's lap and onto the cushion next to him.

Rory smiled. "Hey Mom. Hey Luke."

Luke gave a slightly embarrassed smile. "Hey Rory. Uh, how was your night?"

"Good. Lane and I went to the movies," Rory said. "How was yours?"

"Great," Luke replied, nodding. "We, uh, just went out to dinner."

Rory nodded and folded her arms across her chest. "Mmhmm. And what are you two crazy kids up to now?" she asked with a sly smile.

Lorelai let out a high-pitched giggle and spoke in a high voice. "Well, Mom, Luke was having trouble breathing, and so. . .um, I had to give him. . . uh, CPR and stuff, but he's doing much better now."

Luke rolled his eyes. "We were just gonna watch some tv if you wanna watch with us," he told Rory.

Rory smiled. "Nah, it's okay. I think I'm gonna read a little and get to bed early."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, are you sure? It'll be fun. We can pick something really sappy like Steel Magnolias and see how freaked out Luke gets when we both start bawling."

Rory smiled. "Maybe next time."

"Can't wait for that," Luke mumbled.

Lorelai smiled. "'Night hon."

"'Night," Rory said. "'Night Luke."

"Goodnight," Luke said. "Don't forget, Danish Day tomorrow."

Rory smiled. "I won't, Mom has it written on all the calendars." Rory turned around and walked toward her bedroom.

Luke smirked and turned to Lorelai, who gave him a sly shrug. "What? It's like a holiday in this house," she said.

He smiled and kissed her, then turned the television back on. Seeing that the baseball game was still on, Lorelai groaned. "Ugh, how long are these stupid games?" She propped her feet up on the coffee table.

"Usually like three hours," Luke said.

"Geez. How much longer is this one gonna be on?" she asked.

Luke checked the scoreboard in the corner of the screen. "Let's see, it's in the third inning, so we got about two more hours."

Lorelai let out a small laugh. "Oh my God. Say goodbye to the hot guys, this is so not what we're watching," she said, grabbing the remote from him. She started flipping through the channels. "No, no, no, no, no, - ooh! Saturday Night Fever." She dropped the remote on her lap.

Luke put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer. "Are you gonna come to the softball game on Saturday?"

Lorelai turned to him and shrugged. "I don't know. When is it?"

"Nine," Luke said.

Lorelai gasped. "In the morning?" She made a face. "Oh man, I don't know."

"Yeah, I know it's early. You don't have to go if you don't want to," Luke said with a shrug. "It's no big deal."

Lorelai stared at him for a second, then smiled and said, "No, I'll go."

Luke turned to her and smiled. "Yeah? You don't have to, you know."

"I know. I want to," she insisted. "Ooh, will you bring me coffee and a muffin for breakfast?"

Luke's initial impulse was to tease her by saying no, but the hopeful pout on her face immediately made him laugh. He nodded and kissed her, and they both turned to face the television.

. . .

The next morning, Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner and sat at the counter. Jess was at a table pouring coffee, and soon he walked over to them and poured them each a cup. "Thanks," Rory said.

"Yeah, thanks," Lorelai said.

Jess nodded toward them and placed the pot back on the coffee maker.

Lorelai took a sip of her coffee, then smiled at Rory and asked, "How many more to go?"

Rory smiled and said, "Mom, I already told you this morning, fifty days."

Jess turned around and said, "Fifty days until what?"

"Fifty days until my last day of school, including weekends," Rory explained.

"Geez, have you been counting down since the first day?" Jess asked. "I thought you liked school."

"I do like school, that's not what we're counting down to," Rory said.

"Yeah, we're counting down to the day when you guys move in," Lorelai said.

Jess narrowed his eyes at her and held up a hand in front of him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. The day when what?"

"The day when you guys. . ." Lorelai's voice trailed off as she realized that Luke hadn't told Jess yet. "Um. . . nothing." She took a sip of coffee.

"We're moving in with you guys?" Jess asked.

Before she could answer, Luke walked out from the kitchen and smiled at Lorelai and Rory. "Hey."

Lorelai bit her bottom lip nervously. "Uh, Luke?" She nodded toward Jess.

Luke looked at the three of them curiously. "What's going on?"

"We're moving in with them?" Jess asked him.

Luke's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, yeah, we're. . .uh, gonna be moving into Lorelai's house. I was gonna tell you soon."

"Yeah, that would've been nice," Jess said, rolling his eyes. "But then again, people seem to enjoy just packing me up and sending me places without asking me if I actually wanna go."

"I'm not packing you up and sending you someplace, I'm packing the both of us and the both of us are moving," Luke said. "There's a difference."

"It's gonna be cool," Rory said. "You'll have your own room and everything."

"Yeah, really, it'll be good," Lorelai added. "Better than that cramped apartment you guys are sharing."

"I like that cramped apartment," Jess muttered. He took a few deep breaths and stared into space for a moment with his lips pursed. Finally he turned to Luke and said, "Why can't you just go? Why do I have to go too?"

Luke narrowed his eyes at him. "What?"

"What?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, what?" Lorelai asked.

"Yeah. You move into their house with them and I'll keep the apartment for myself," Jess said.

Luke let out a laugh. "You've got to be kidding me. You are not responsible enough to have your own apartment. Out of the question."

"Hey, I spent the whole weekend living by myself and I was just fine," Jess pointed out.

Lorelai and Rory both leaned forward on the counter and watched the discussion intently.

"Jess, that was three days, not a full time thing," Luke said. "Forget it." Luke grabbed the coffeepot and walked out from behind the counter. Jess followed him as Lorelai and Rory turned around on their stools and watched the conversation continue. "You've been here for almost nine months, and out of those nine months, you've done maybe four responsible things. How can you even think that you deserve your own place?"

Jess followed him from table to table as Luke refilled the customers' coffee mugs. "Hey, I can be responsible when I want to be. If I had my own apartment, it'd give me a reason to be responsible."

Luke scoffed and turned around. "I'll believe it when I see it."

"Well, then give me a chance to make you see it," Jess said. Luke didn't say anything. Jess looked down at the floor and shifted his feet. "Please?"

Luke sighed loudly and walked back to the counter. Jess followed him with his hands shoved in his pockets. Luke set the pot down on the counter and stared at the wall. Lorelai and Rory stared at Luke, waiting for him to say something. Jess stared down at the floor. They were all silent for almost a minute. The conversations of other customers floated around them, but the four of them said nothing.

Finally, Luke turned to Jess. "Okay."

Jess looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Yeah, what?" Lorelai asked, just as surprised. "Uh, Luke, what are you doing?"

Rory nudged her. "Shh, mind your own business," she said quietly.

"I said okay," Luke repeated. "I'll give you a chance to prove you're responsible enough to have your own place. I'll think about it today and we'll set something up, get some rules worked out."

Jess nodded. "Good, thank you."

Luke looked at his watch. "And it starts with school. You will not miss anymore days this year," Luke said sternly. "Understood?"

Jess groaned. "Fine," he mumbled. He grabbed a book off the back counter and walked toward the door.

They all watched him leave the diner. When he was gone, Lorelai turned to Luke. "Luke, I don't know about this," she said warily.

Luke ignored her. "What kind of Danish do you want?"

Lorelai tilted her head and said, "Luke, are you sure this is the best idea?"

Luke pursed his lips. "Lorelai, we'll talk about it later," he said sternly. "Now, what kind do you want? I have things to do."

Lorelai sunk down on her stool and sighed. "Blueberry," she muttered.

"Me too, please," Rory added quietly.

Luke quickly placed their Danishes in front of them and then walked into the kitchen.

Lorelai picked a piece off of hers and shoved it into her mouth. "Do you think it's a good idea?" she asked Rory.

Rory shrugged. "I don't know. I know he can be responsible if he wants to be."

"He's too young," Lorelai said, shaking her head. "He's not ready for this."

"He's almost eighteen," Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, well, just because the birth certificate says he's almost eighteen doesn't mean he acts like he's almost eighteen," Lorelai said.

Rory took a sip of coffee, then said, "I'm a little confused."

"About what?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, I'm sure the idea of him moving in with us wasn't exactly something you were looking forward to. And here he gets this great idea so he won't have to. . . . so I'd think you'd be happy about it," Rory said. "But you're against it. I don't get it. I mean, usually you. . . " Rory's voice trailed off and she took a bite of her Danish.

"I what?" Lorelai asked curiously. "Only think about how things affect me?" she suggested.

Rory shrugged. "I don't know, kind of. But I don't mean it in a bad way," she added quickly. "Well, it probably sounds like I do, but really, it's just how - "

Lorelai waved her off. "I know, I know. But this is different. There're just so many other things to think about besides myself here. Crazy, I know, but it's true."

Rory nodded, and they continued eating in silence as Lorelai thought things over. A few minutes later, they were both finished eating. Lorelai pulled some money out of her purse and dropped it on the counter, then stood up. "You ready?"

Rory glanced at the money. "You're just leaving it there? You're not gonna say goodbye to Luke?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Nah, I'll see him later." She started walking toward the door.

Rory stood up and followed her out of the diner. As they walked toward the bus stop, Rory said, "You know, you shouldn't be mad at him."

"I'm not mad at anyone," Lorelai replied.

"Then why didn't you want to say goodbye to him?" Rory asked. "It's a fairly odd occurrence when you leave that diner without saying goodbye to him, so something is obviously wrong."

"He was busy," Lorelai said with a casual shrug. "No big deal, I'll see him later. Rory, I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"

Rory rolled her eyes. "Because he's doing something that you don't want him to do and you don't have a say in it."

Lorelai scoffed. "That's not true. I didn't say I didn't want him to do it, I just said he needed to think it over some more."

"Yeah, well, that means that you obviously don't think it's a good idea," Rory pointed out.

Lorelai sighed as they reached the bus stop. "Oh look, the pretty bus stop, how nice." Lorelai gave Rory a quick kiss on the cheek. "Have a good day."

"You too," Rory said. She sat down on the bench as Lorelai walked down the sidewalk. "Don't be mad at him!" Rory called. Lorelai exhaled loudly and kept walking toward the inn.

. . .

That afternoon, Lorelai walked into the diner. Caesar was at the cash register, and Lorelai walked up to him. "Hey, is Luke here?"

Caesar nodded. "Storage room."

"Thanks," Lorelai replied. She walked around the counter and made her way to the storage room. She knocked lightly on the doorframe and said, "Hey."

Luke, who was unloading a box, looked up in surprise. "Hey." She walked into the room and sat on a small table. They were silent for a moment before he narrowed his eyes at her and asked, "Are you mad . . .about this whole Jess thing?"

Lorelai shook her head. "No, I'm not mad."

Luke nodded. "Good, because I've given a lot of thought to this, and I think that if he takes the time to prove that he can be responsible, I think he should get to have the apartment. I mean, he's up there by himself most of the time anyway, except at night. And I'm here in the diner almost all the time, so I'll always be around anyway. I don't see why it wouldn't work out."

Lorelai took a deep breath, holding back the criticisms she wanted to express. "Mmhmm," she said, nodding. "Did you come up with some guidelines or something?"

"Yeah, you wanna hear them?" Luke asked.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah."

Luke pulled out his order pad from his waistband and flipped to the back. "Okay, first, like I said this morning, he can't miss any more school. You know, unless he's really sick or there's an emergency or something. Plus, he has to pass all of his classes."

"Got it, good start. Next?" Lorelai prompted.

"Okay, this one's the most important one. He has to get a real job," Luke said. "Not that working here isn't a real job, but I mean a job where he doesn't work for a relative. A job where he works for a stranger and will have to prove himself responsible to keep it."

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Ooh, good rule."

"Then, once he's had the job for two months, he can have the apartment," Luke continued. "Now, depending on when he gets the job and depending on the exact date that I move in with you, he may have to move in, too. You know, just for a few days or even a few weeks so he can meet the two month minimum."

"Yeah, he's gonna have to because Rory's last day is less than two months away, so there's no way he can meet the minimum if you move in that weekend," Lorelai said.

Luke nodded. "Right, exactly." He looked down at his pad and continued, "Okay, so, he must keep the job, not only to continue proving his responsibility, but also because he will have to pay me rent and he will have to buy his own food. He wants to live by himself, he's gonna have to do all of his own things – cleaning, laundry, cooking, everything." He paused. "I mean, I'll probably help him out a little with money for clothes and necessities, at least in the beginning."

Lorelai nodded. "Right, those things can get expensive."

"But he has to buy everything else himself. If he loses the job, he loses the apartment and he'll move into your house with us. That's that," Luke said.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Wow, I'm impressed. Those are really good rules, Luke."

Luke shrugged. "There are a few other smaller ones, but those are the main ones." He paused a moment, then shrugged and said, "I just think this'll be good for him. It'll make him realize that he can do something, that he can be someone. It'll make him see that I believe in him enough to give him a chance, you know?"

Lorelai smiled. "I know. You know, I don't think he realizes how lucky he is to have you. I hope he appreciates it someday." Lorelai leaned forward and kissed him. "I'm lucky to have you, too."

Luke smiled. "Right back atcha." He folded his pad and stuck it back into his waistband.

Lorelai smiled. "You have no idea how sexy that is."

Luke raised his eyebrows. "What? This?" he asked, pointing to the pad.

"Yeah," Lorelai replied. "It promotes dirty thoughts."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Everything for you promotes dirty thoughts. You can take the simplest thing and turn it into a sexual innuendo. You could probably turn this visit to the storage room into something dirty."

Lorelai giggled and pointed at one of the shelves. "Well, there's a whole shelf of pickles right there."

Luke smirked. "See? You have problems."

Lorelai gasped. "I hope you're not insinuating that I have an obsession."

"Actually, it's more like an insatiable addiction," Luke said.

Lorelai scoffed. "Oh man, look who's talking, mister touchy-feely over here. If I'm an addict, then so are you."

"You're much worse than I am," Luke said.

Lorelai shook her head slightly. "I don't think that's true, but you should consider yourself lucky. Most guys would love to have a so-called sex addict for a girlfriend."

"I do love it," Luke said, smiling. "I'm not complaining, I'm just stating a fact."

"Mmhmm," Lorelai said, nodding. "And I'm not complaining when I say you're just as much into it as I am."

Luke sighed, then asked, "Look, what is the point of this conversation? You love it, I love it, we're damn good at it, let's leave it at that."

"Oh, no no no," Lorelai said, wagging a finger at him. "I'm not going until you admit that you're just as much into it as me."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'm just as much into it as you," he said. "Happy?"

Lorelai smiled. "Yes, thank you."

Luke nodded and walked over to a box of mayonnaise jars. "But I could go longer without it than you could," he muttered. He pulled out a jar and placed it on the shelf.

Lorelai gasped and let out a laugh. "Oh my God, what?"

Luke smiled and shook his head. "Nothing."

"I heard you, Lucas," Lorelai said. "You're implying that I'm more of an addict by saying you could abstain longer than me."

Luke shrugged. "That's not what I said. I just said that I could go longer without it, meaning that I have better control about it than you do."

Lorelai stared at him with a smirk and tapped her fingers on the table. Finally, she said, "Care to make it interesting?"

Luke narrowed his eyes at her. "How so?"

"A friendly little bet between alleged sex addicts to see who can go the longest without it," Lorelai said, raising her eyebrows. "You in?"

"You're kidding me," Luke said with a laugh.

"You watch Seinfeld," Lorelai said, smiling. "I'm sure you've seen that episode where they bet to see who can go the longest."

Luke shook his head slightly. "You're crazy. You haven't had enough sugar today or something. Go eat a cookie."

She ignored him. "This bet will be just like that one, but in addition to forgoing solitary acts of pleasure, there will be no mutual acts either." She smiled and nodded.

Luke rolled his eyes. "This is stupid. We're not doing this. I'm not entering into this bet with you."

"And if you win," she continued. "I'll give up coffee and junk food for a week."

Luke snickered and walked over to her. "Yeah right. And what would you get if you win?"

"Hmm, you would have to. . . ." Lorelai thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled. She grabbed his shoulders and pulled him close to her, and whispered something into his ear.

Luke pulled back and let out a small laugh. "You're out of your mind. No way, forget it, absolutely not. Go back to the inn, just forget this conversation ever happened. Pretend you haven't seen me all day."

Lorelai leaned forward and raised her eyebrows. "Well, I think we found out who's more of an addict." She smirked at him. "Scared you're gonna lose?"

"No, I'm not scared," he said, rolling his eyes. "This is just. . .stupid. And anyway, even if I was to agree to this ridiculous bet, my incentive to win isn't half as strong as yours. You giving up junk food doesn't do anything for me," he pointed out.

Lorelai shrugged. "So then think of something else you would want."

Luke paused for a moment, biting his lip while he thought. He stared at Lorelai, who stared back at him expectantly. Finally, a sly smile appeared on his lips.

Lorelai smiled. "What? You think of something?"

Luke nodded. He leaned forward and whispered something into her ear.

Lorelai let out a gasp of surprise and she pulled back from him, a sly smile on her face. "Wow, that's a little. . .hmm." She thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, deal."

Luke laughed. "I didn't say I'd do it."

Lorelai giggled. "Come on, Luke, I really wanna see which one of us can last longer." She paused a moment. "Will you do it if we put a time limit on it?"

Luke sighed. "Like, what, a week?" he asked.

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "A week? Everyone can go a week. That's nuts. I was thinking more like three weeks."

"Two," he countered.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Fine, two weeks. That's gonna be too easy, but we'll see what happens."

Luke pursed his lips and folded his arms across his chest. "So, if we both last two weeks, then it's called off, right?"

Lorelai nodded. "Right. You in?" She extended her hand.

Luke exhaled loudly and shrugged, then shook her hand. "Okay, whatever. Two weeks." He shook his head slightly and mumbled, "Why do I let you talk me into things like this?"

"Because I'm adorable and you love me," Lorelai replied. She clapped excitedly and said, "Okay, two weeks, starting now. No cheating, be honest. If you go out and hire a hooker on the side, you have to tell me."

Luke smiled. "I will. Now get out of here." He pointed to the door.

She frowned. "You're kicking me out? Why?"

"Because you're wearing a skirt," Luke pointed out.

A slow smile formed on Lorelai's lips. "Ah, I nearly forgot your fetish for legs." She giggled and stood up. "Ooh, this'll be fun. I have to make sure I have two weeks worth of skirts cleaned and ready to wear."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Just leave now, thank you."

She smiled and leaned toward him. Before she reached him, she pulled back and said, "Wait, should we ban kissing?"

Luke pressed his lips against hers and kissed her deeply. He pulled back and said, "No."

Lorelai smiled and ran a finger over his cheek. "Bye."

"Bye," Luke replied. He smiled as he watched her walk out of the storage room, then he turned around and went back to unloading boxes.

. . .

PART 25

. . .

That night, Lorelai changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed. She put her hands behind her head and stared up at the ceiling, then turned toward the nightstand and checked the clock. She thought for a moment, then reached over and grabbed the phone. She dialed quickly, stifling a yawn as she brought it to her ear.

"Hello?" Luke answered.

"Hey," Lorelai said. "You weren't sleeping yet, were you?"

"Nope, not yet," Luke replied. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Lorelai said. "Is Jess asleep?"

"Yup, he's been out for an hour already," Luke said. "I guess all that reading tires him out or something."

"So what happened?" Lorelai asked. "Did you go over all the rules with him?"

"Yup," Luke replied. "I laid it all out for him. I told him exactly what he had to do to get and keep the apartment, and told him if he didn't wanna follow the rules, then he could just forget about it."

"And?" she prompted.

Luke sighed. "And then he turned around and walked out of the diner without saying a word."

Lorelai let out a small laugh. "Guess he wasn't too fond of the rules."

"Guess not," Luke said. "But then, two hours later, he walks through the door, stops at the counter to tell me he'll do it, then goes upstairs for the night."

"Huh," Lorelai said, surprised. "So he's gonna get a job?"

"Guess so," Luke replied. "We'll see what happens."

"Yup," Lorelai said. She thought for a moment, then said, "You know, if he can't – oh, wait, never mind."

"What?" Luke asked.

"Nothing," Lorelai replied. "I was gonna say that if he can't find a job, then maybe I could find him something at the inn, but then I remembered that you wanted him to work for someone who didn't know him, and he and I aren't exactly strangers."

"No, you're not," Luke said. "But thanks for offering."

"You're welcome," Lorelai said. They were both quiet for a few seconds before Lorelai smiled to herself. "Hey, you know what we were doing at this time last week?"

Luke thought for a moment, then smiled. "Hmm, yes I do."

Lorelai giggled. "I believe it was around this time that we were entering the first phase of our all-night lovemaking extravaganza."

"Yes, it was," Luke replied quickly. "Now stop it."

"Stop what?" Lorelai asked slyly.

"You're trying to bring it up so I'll start thinking about it and wanna cave in and lose the bet," Luke said. "I know you, Lorelai. I know what you're trying to do."

Lorelai smiled, then forced a gasp. "Luke, I can't believe you think I'd try to get you to falter. You know I'm not like that. Not little old me. Not the little old me who's lying in bed naked right now, running her hand up and down her thigh."

Luke laughed. "Very clever." There was a slight pause before he asked, "You're joking, right?"

Lorelai giggled. "I guess you'll never know."

Luke groaned quietly. "Are you gonna be like this for two weeks?"

"Hmm, probably," she replied.

"Should've known," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Okay, I'm going to bed now. See you tomorrow."

"'Night," Lorelai replied.

. . .

The next night, Lorelai and Rory stood in front of Emily and Richard's house. Lorelai was about to ring the bell, then suddenly turned to Rory and said, "Remember, don't – "

"Don't mention the moving in," Rory finished, rolling her eyes. "I got it, Mom. You told me fifty times on the way here that you want to tell her when Luke's with you, I know. I won't say anything."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay, good, thanks." She pushed the doorbell, and a few seconds later, Emily pulled open the door. "Hi Mom," Lorelai said.

"Hey Grandma," Rory said.

"Well, hello girls," Emily replied, smiling. "Come in, come in." Lorelai and Rory walked inside. They hung up their purses on the coat rack, then followed Emily into the living room. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Uh, yeah. White wine, please," Lorelai replied.

"Coke's fine," Rory replied.

"Oh, honey, Grandma doesn't like cocaine, remember?" Lorelai told Rory. "We'll make a stop on the way home and get your fix."

"Stop it," Emily said sternly. She walked to the bar as Lorelai and Rory sat next to each other on the sofa. "So, tell me about Boston," Emily said.

"Oh, it was great," Rory replied. "Dad showed me around the city, and we took an official tour of Harvard with a real tour guide. That was much more informative than Mom pointing to things and saying, 'look at that big old building'."

Lorelai wagged a finger at her. "Hey, I showed you where the coffee stand was, that's all you need to know."

Rory rolled her eyes. "And I got to see Dad's place and spend some time with him, so that was nice."

Emily handed them their drinks, then sat across from them on the other couch. "And his girlfriend – I suppose you got to spend time with her too?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, but she let Dad and I have some time together without her, too, so that was fun."

Emily smiled. "I bet it was." She turned to Lorelai. "And how about you?"

Lorelai took a sip of wine and shrugged. "How about I what?"

"Well, how was your trip?" Emily asked.

"Oh. Great, it was great," Lorelai replied, smiling. "We went to the aquarium and the batting cages and . . . you know, just relaxed."

"Mom stayed at a hotel with a spa," Rory added.

Emily raised her eyebrows. "A spa, how lovely."

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, it was great. We had fun." She patted Rory on the knee. "Though I missed my little angel here."

Rory smiled. "Please, you probably forgot you even had a daughter."

Lorelai gasped. "Not true!" She wrinkled her nose. "Okay, maybe once or twice, I'm sorry."

Rory smiled. "That's okay. I forgive you."

Lorelai sipped her drink. "What about you, Mom? You said Dad took you out?"

Emily smiled and nodded. "Yes, he took me to a very romantic Italian restaurant. I forget the name of it. Something – ino's. Gardino's? Angelino's?"

"Maraschino's?" Lorelai suggested. "Been there, great cherries."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Well, whatever it was called, it was very romantic. Candlelight on all the tables, a live band playing soft music while you eat, very private tables."

Lorelai smiled. "Sounds great."

"Yes, it was lovely," Emily agreed. "Speaking of which, where is your father?" She stood up and walked toward the hallway calling, "Richard, the girls are here! For goodness sake, would it kill you to be on time for dinner just once in your life!"

Lorelai and Rory glanced at each other and smiled. As Emily returned to the living room a few seconds later, she said, "He'll be out in a moment. Shall we head to the table?"

Lorelai and Rory stood up and followed Emily to the dining room. "Uh, Mom," Lorelai said, clearing her throat. "Is it okay if I bring Luke with us to dinner next week?"

Emily sat down in her chair and raised her eyebrows. "Well, I suppose that would be all right, yes. For any particular reason?"

Lorelai shrugged as she slipped into her seat. "Not really, he just wants to come. You know, he knows that these dinners are for you and Dad to spend time with me and Rory, so he doesn't want to intrude on that, but he'd like to come occasionally."

Emily smiled. "How nice." She opened her napkin and spread it open on her lap. "Of course he can come."

Lorelai smiled at her. "Good, thanks."

. . .

The next morning, Rory knocked on Lorelai's door. "Mom, are you up?" she called. When there was no answer, she pushed opened the door and walked in. "Mom, it's 8:30."

Lorelai lay on her stomach, her face buried in the pillows and her body covered with blankets. "So?" she mumbled. "It's Saturday, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," Rory said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Then what the heck are you doing waking me up?" Lorelai muttered. She waved her away. "Go back to bed."

"You told me to wake you up for the softball game," Rory reminded her. "It starts at nine." Rory pulled the covers off of her.

Lorelai groaned loudly and blindly grabbed for her covers. When she couldn't find them, she reluctantly sat up. She squinted into the brightness of the room, then rubbed her eyes. "Why did I have to fall in love with some who likes sports? Why can't he like shopping or knitting or gardening or anything that doesn't involve me having to sit outside on bleachers on a Saturday morning?"

Rory smiled. "Okay, so basically you wish Luke was just like that gay guy who has his own decorating show?"

Lorelai laughed. "Hey, if it means I get to sleep in on the weekends, why not?"

Rory rolled her eyes and smiled. "Because Luke's too much of a manly man to ever be converted." She stood up and walked over to Lorelai's dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans and tossed it on the bed.

Lorelai picked them up and shook her head. "No, hand me the low-rise ones. I need to show skin."

Rory narrowed her eyes at her. "You need to show skin at a softball game?"

Lorelai nodded and smiled. "Don't ask." Lorelai tossed her jeans back to Rory.

Rory shook her head. "I won't." Rory threw her the low-rise ones and put the other pair back in the drawer. She walked over to the closet and pulled out a T-shirt. She turned around and held it up. "This okay?"

Lorelai nodded and climbed off the bed. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned loudly.

Rory tossed the shirt on the bed. "Okay, meet me downstairs. Hurry up." She walked down the steps.

Twenty minutes later, Lorelai walked downstairs as she was pulling her hair up into a ponytail. Rory was on the couch waiting for her. "Ready?"

Lorelai nodded as she yawned. "Yup."

Rory stood up. "Okay, let's go."

. . .

By the time Lorelai and Rory arrived at the park, the game had already started. As soon as they sat down on the bleachers, a voice from behind them said, "Lorelai?"

She turned around and saw Kirk sitting two rows behind them. "Yeah?"

Kirk held out a white paper bag and said, "Luke told me to give this to you the minute you got here or else I would be permanently banned from the diner."

Lorelai smiled and took it from him. "Thanks."

He turned and picked up two takeout cups. "And these, too."

Lorelai smiled and took them. "Thanks." She turned around and handed one to Rory, then squinted toward the field, using her hand to shade the sun from her eyes. "Do you see Luke?" she asked Rory.

Rory stared out into the field. "No." She glanced at the bench of players. "He's by the bench. His side must be up."

"Up where?" Lorelai asked.

"Up to bat," Rory said, rolling her eyes. "Do you know anything about softball?"

"No, and I'm perfectly happy staying that way," Lorelai said. She glanced at the bench, smiling when she saw Luke talking to another player. She stood up and waved to catch his attention. He glanced toward her, and smiled and waved at her before turning back to his conversation.

Lorelai sat back down. "Okay, he knows I'm here. That's the extent of my duties as girlfriend, right?"

"Right," Rory said, nodding.

"Good. Do you see Dean?" Lorelai asked.

"Yup, he's right over there," Rory said, pointing into the field. She waved to him. "Okay, he saw me. My job's done, too."

"Wow, we're the best girlfriends ever," Lorelai remarked. She opened the bag and pulled out a muffin. She handed it to Rory, then pulled out the second one.

Rory took a bite of her muffin. "Mmm, that's good. Is this how he got you to come to the game, by bribing you with food?"

Lorelai scoffed. "No! I offered to come, then politely asked him if he could bring me breakfast."

"And he just said yes?" Rory asked, surprised. "He just automatically agreed to bring you junk food?"

Lorelai took a sip of her coffee before she smiled and said, "I pouted."

"Ah." Rory smiled and nodded knowingly. "No man can resist the pout. It's a woman's greatest weapon." She bit into her muffin.

"That it is," Lorelai agreed. "Have you been working on yours?"

"Mmhmm," Rory said with her mouth full. She swallowed her food, then showed Lorelai her pout.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Very impressive for such a young age!"

Rory smiled. "Well, you are the best pouter in all of Connecticut, so I must have some of those genes."

. . .

An hour later, as the game finished up, they wandered over to the fence and waited for the guys to walk off the field. Dean walked over talked to them for a few minutes, then he and Rory left.

Lorelai walked over to the bench, where Luke was the last person left gathering his things together. Lorelai tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around and smiled when he saw her. "Hey."

"Hey." Lorelai smiled. Luke dropped the bat he was holding, then put his hands on her waist and pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, and grimaced at how damp his shirt was. "Ew, okay, just another reason to hate sports. What's with the massive amount of sweat?"

Luke laughed and pulled back from her. "Sorry."

She smiled and kissed him, then pulled back and said, "I'll live." She leaned in and kissed him again.

As they broke apart, he glanced at her outfit. He ran a finger over her exposed stomach and smiled. "Wearing my favorite pair of jeans, are we?"

Lorelai giggled. "Oh, are these your favorite? I had no idea."

Luke smiled and rolled his eyes. "Right." He turned around and finished putting his things into his bag, then they started walking toward the diner.

Lorelai put her hands in her pockets. "So, any news on the 'Jess looking for a job' front?"

Luke shrugged. "He said he filled out a few applications, but he didn't tell me where. I just. . ." Luke sighed. "I hope it's not too hard for him to get something. I know a lot of people probably won't wanna give him a chance."

Lorelai nodded. "Hopefully he'll find something."

"How was dinner last night?" Luke asked.

"Good, it was good," Lorelai said. "My mom said it was okay for you to come with us next week."

Luke nodded. "Okay, good."

"Yeah, but you're gonna have to pass the secret test to get in," Lorelai said. "Now, I'm not sure what it'll be this time, but the last time it involved live chickens and Christmas wrapping paper, so be prepared for anything."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Where do you come up with this stuff?"

Lorelai smiled. "Just pops into my head." They continued walking for a few seconds before Lorelai glanced at him and asked, "Is that the hat I gave you a long time ago?"

Luke glanced upward. "Uh, yeah. It's the only one I've worn since you gave it to me."

Lorelai smiled. "Really? You've been wearing only that hat for the past two years?"

Luke nodded. "Yup."

"You've washed it, I hope?" Lorelai asked.

He smiled. "Once or twice. You can't wash a hat too many times because it doesn't always come out the same, so I try to keep the washings to a minimum."

Lorelai nodded. "Huh. Learn something new everyday." They had reached Luke's truck, which was parked right in front of the diner. Lorelai leaned against the door. "So that makes two new things I've learned today."

"Oh yeah? What else did you learn?" Luke asked. He put his bag in the back of the truck, then turned to her.

She grabbed his arm and pulled him over so he was directly in front of her. She smiled and lowered her voice. "That watching you play softball is not a good thing to do when we're in an abstinence contest."

Luke let out a laugh. "Watching me be physically active turns you on?"

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Oh, you have no idea," she said. She kissed him, then pulled back and said, "And it makes me hungry. Got any more muffins?" She gave him a hopeful smile.

Luke rolled his eyes and walked toward the diner. "Come on."

Lorelai smiled and followed him. "Oh, did I mention I have business class today?"

"You still go to class?" Luke asked, surprised. "You haven't gone in awhile." He pulled open the door and they walked inside.

"Yeah, we had a few weeks off because my professor was sick or dying or something like that, so he mailed us all of these packets to read and work on," Lorelai said. She groaned as she sat down at the counter. "It was a lot of work. You'd think if he was really sick he wouldn't want to have to come back and grade all of this stuff, but apparently he didn't think of that."

Luke, who had gone behind the counter, washed his hands at the sink. "Yeah. So how many more classes are left?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know, two or three, I think. Then I graduate and never have to worry about it again," she added with a smile.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "You're graduating?" He set a muffin in front of her.

"Thanks," she said, reaching for the muffin. "Yup, this is the last class I need for my degree."

"That's. . .wow, that's great." Luke smiled at her. "Really great. I'm proud of you."

Lorelai smiled shyly toward the counter. "Thanks."

He pointed toward the staircase. "Okay, I'm gonna go take a shower and get changed. Will you be here when I get back?"

Lorelai checked her watch. "Mm, probably not. I have things to do before class."

"Okay, I'll see you later then," Luke said. He leaned over the counter and kissed her cheek. "Bye."

"Bye," she replied. "Thanks for breakfast."

He smiled and nodded, then headed up to his apartment. Lorelai finished her muffin and walked out of the diner. As she passed the bookstore, Jess walked out. She stopped and said, "Hey."

He nodded toward her. "Hi."

She gestured toward the bookstore. "Doing a little shopping?"

He shook his head. "Nah."

"Oh, just browsing?" she asked.

"Nah," he replied.

"Uh, shoplifting?" she joked.

He shook his head. "Applied for a job," he mumbled.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Really? That'd be a great job for you since. . .you know, you like to read."

Jess shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't really think that guy likes me, so. . ."

"Who? Andrew?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know who it was," he replied. "It's kind of hard to find a job in this town when all the people hiring already hate you."

"Aw, not everyone hates you," Lorelai insisted. "I'm sure you'll find something."

He shrugged. "We'll see." He pointed toward the diner. "I gotta get to the diner for the lunch shift."

Lorelai nodded and stepped out of his way. She bit her lip as she watched Jess walk to the diner, then she turned toward the bookstore. She stared at the door for a moment, then took a deep breath and walked inside.

She walked up to Andrew at the counter. "Hey."

Andrew smiled. "Lorelai, hi. Can I help you with something?"

"Uh, yes, actually you can," she replied. She pointed toward the door. "Um, you know Jess, he just left here?"

Andrew rolled his eyes. "Yes, I do," he said dryly. "The kid thinks I'll hire him after all the trouble he's caused in this town."

"Yeah, see, that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Lorelai said. "See, what I'm about to say is probably going to make me sound crazy, but I just need you to listen to me with an extremely open mind, okay?"

Andrew folded his arms across his chest. "I'm listening."

. . .

That night, Lorelai and Rory walked into the diner and sat down at the last empty table. "Ugh," Lorelai said, glancing around. "It's so crowded. That means the service won't be as good."

"I don't know, we seem to get really good service here no matter how crowded it is," Rory commented.

"Yeah, it must be because we're such loyal customers," Lorelai said.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Yeah, that must be it."

Lorelai smiled. "I can't think of any other reason." She glanced up and saw Caesar walking toward them with two cups of coffee. He set them on the table. "Thanks."

"Burgers?" he asked, taking out his order pad.

Lorelai nodded. "Yup, two please."

He scribbled it on his pad and said, "Coming right up."

"Thanks," Lorelai replied. As Caesar walked away, Lorelai took a sip of coffee and said, "Guess Luke's cooking."

"Probably," Rory agreed.

"Oh my God, you know what I saw on tv yesterday?" Lorelai said. "There was this show and it had this cool segment that showed you how toothbrushes are made. Do you know they stick all of those bristles in one by one? They have this huge machine that does it super fast. It was really cool to watch."

Rory nodded. "Sounds interesting. What show was it on?"

Lorelai looked down at her coffee cup. "Uh, I don't remember."

Rory smiled. "You do too. Come on, what was it?"

Lorelai looked up and wrinkled her nose. "Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood."

Rory laughed. "Oh my God!"

"I was flipping through the channels and I saw the toothbrush thing and it was cool. I didn't realize what show it was on!" Lorelai insisted.

Rory shook her head slightly. "I can't believe that. That's so funny."

"What's so funny?" a voice asked. Both girls looked up and saw Luke standing at their table. Lorelai smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. "Hey."

"Hi," Lorelai said.

"Hey Luke," Rory said. "Mom was watching Mr. Rogers yesterday."

Lorelai frowned at Rory. "It was only for a few minutes," she told Luke. "They had a cool segment on toothbrushes."

Luke gave her an amused look. "Whatever keeps you entertained," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai stuck her tongue out at Rory. "See, he doesn't care what I watch. And Mr. Rogers is cool, anyway. He shows segments like that all the time. I remember one time he showed how a box of crayons is put together, how they're all molded and stuff. That was cool. Oh, and one time he showed how paper is made."

Rory laughed. "What, do you watch it everyday?"

Luke laughed. "Yeah, watching it once was okay but now it's starting to scare me."

"Do you have a secret shrine to Mr. Rogers in your closet?" Rory asked, smiling.

Lorelai sighed loudly. "Forget it, you don't understand. Mr. Rogers is feeding me knowledge about the world, knowledge I might need in the future. You never know, one day I might be on a game show and I could be asked how a toothbrush is made and I'll know the answer and I'll win a million dollars and I'm going to remember that you two were making fun of me and I won't share any of it with either of you." Lorelai frowned at them.

Luke put his hand on Lorelai's shoulder. "Okay, no more mocking. Although I'm now considering buying sweaters like his just to get your attention."

"Okay, okay," Lorelai said, putting her hands over her ears. "It's done, over, not funny anymore. New subject."

Luke smiled. "Actually, I have to get back to work now anyway."

"Okay," Lorelai replied. "See you later."

"Bye Luke," Rory said.

Luke started to walk away, then turned back to Lorelai and said, "Uh, stop in the kitchen to see me before you leave, okay?"

Lorelai nodded, and he turned and walked back into the kitchen. A few minutes later, their meals were brought out. When they finished eating, Lorelai paid for them, then walked into the kitchen and glanced around, looking for Luke. She finally spotted him near the back door. She walked over to him and said, "Hey. We're just about to leave."

He turned around and smiled at her. He took her hand and led her out the back door. He gently pressed her up against the building and kissed her hungrily. She was surprised by his intensity, but eagerly kissed him back. A soft moan escaped her throat as she brought her hands up around his neck. He pulled back from her for a few seconds to catch his breath, then immediately pressed his lips back against hers. Several seconds later, he pulled back from her and both of them were out of breath.

Lorelai smiled through her panting. "What was that?"

Luke took a few deep breaths. "That was the most I can do without losing this contest," he said. "Which I'm pretty sure is gonna be the death of me."

"Ah, getting a little antsy already, huh?" Lorelai said, smiling slyly.

Luke answered her by leaning in to kiss her again.

She moaned softly through the kiss, then pulled back. "Okay, okay. I'm getting out of here before I do something I shouldn't do in a back alley."

He smiled and stepped back from her. They stared at each other momentarily before they leaned toward each other and kissed again. Lorelai smiled through the kiss and said, "Okay, now I'm really going."

Luke smiled and took her hand. They walked through the door, and he led her through the kitchen and into the diner. "Bye," Luke said.

"Bye," she replied. She walked out from behind the counter and over to Rory at their table. "Ready to go?"

Rory nodded and stood up. "Yeah. What did he want?"

Lorelai smiled and glanced toward him at the counter. "Oh, he just wanted to tell me something." She waved toward Luke as she and Rory walked out of the diner.

. . .

On Monday night, the doorbell rang. Lorelai pulled open the front door and smiled as she saw Luke. "Hey." She looked at his black T-shirt and smirked. "Mm, trying to make me cave by showing off your muscles?"

Luke smiled as he stepped inside. "Maybe."

"You're shameless," she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward her for a kiss.

Luke pulled back from her and scoffed. "I'm shameless? What about you wearing the shortest skirt known to man yesterday?"

Lorelai gasped. "It was hot out!"

"And eating a banana in the most seductive way possible," Luke added.

Lorelai giggled and led him into the living room. "Okay, so I'm shameless, I'm sorry."

"Where's Rory?" Luke asked.

"Library," Lorelai replied. They sat down on the couch. "What do you wanna do?"

Luke smiled. "What do I want to do?" He took her hand and stroked it with his thumb.

Lorelai smiled. "Oh, sorry, I know what we both want to do. Let me rephrase that – what should we do?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. Watch something?"

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Nah, I've been watching stuff all afternoon. Let's just hang out and talk."

Luke nodded, then nonchalantly adjusted his sleeve so his tattoo showed.

Lorelai laughed. "Subtle." She ran her finger over the tattoo. "Would you ever get another one?"

"I don't know. What do you have in mind?" he asked.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe you could get 'I love Lorelai' tattooed on your butt?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "See, what would be the point of that? Then you'd be the only one who'd see it, but you already know that I love you, so it'd be a waste of money. If you're gonna get a tattoo that tells people something, it has to be somewhere that other people would actually see it."

Lorelai gave him an amused smile. "Ahh, I get it. So maybe your forehead might be a better spot."

Luke nodded. "Yup, exactly. 'I love Lorelai' is going right here." He ran a finger over his forehead. "Tomorrow morning, I'll run out and get that done."

Lorelai laughed. "Good, good. Can't wait to see that. Ooh, maybe I'll come with you and get a matching 'I love Luke' one. Only I can get it on my butt because, unlike your butt, everyone sees mine."

"Right, because of your hobby of roaming the streets naked," Luke said knowingly.

"Exactly." Lorelai smiled and stood up. "Let's go for a walk and get some ice cream or something."

Luke rolled his eyes and stood up. "How about we stop at the market and get some fruit instead?"

Lorelai giggled. "You're cute." She kissed him, then pulled back and wrinkled her nose. "But no."

She turned and walked toward the door. Luke followed her out onto the porch and they walked toward the center of town.

"So, uh, seriously, how are you holding up?" Lorelai asked. "Come close to caving at all?"

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. "Not really. But, I mean, it's only been a few days. Ask me later this week, I'm sure I'll have a different answer. What about you?"

Lorelai smiled. "It's been pretty easy so far. Should be simple enough to last the whole two weeks."

Luke laughed. "You're pretty confident."

"Yes, I am," Lorelai said with a shrug. "I mean, I've gone way longer than two weeks without it before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but this is different," Luke said. "When you're in a relationship and it becomes a consistent habit, you just get so used to it. I think it's gonna be harder to go without it as the days add on."

Lorelai shrugged. "I guess we'll see."

"Yeah, we will," Luke said.

They reached the ice cream stand and stood at the end of the line. Luke pulled out his wallet, but Lorelai pushed it away. "Don't worry about it, I got it." As they moved up in line, she pulled some money out of her pocket. "Do you want anything? I think they have frozen yogurt."

"Nah, I'm good," Luke replied.

Lorelai shrugged. "Okay." She turned to the window and ordered. "Um, one scoop of chocolate chip mint in a cone, please." Luke wandered over to a bench as Lorelai paid for her ice cream. She grabbed a few napkins and sat next to him.

She tasted the ice cream and moaned happily. "Mmm, that's good. Wanna try it?" she asked, holding the cone out to him.

He shook his head. "No, thanks."

She pushed the ice cream against her mouth, leaving it all over lips. She smiled and asked, "How 'bout now?"

Luke hesitated for a moment before he leaned forward and kissed her, licking the ice cream off of her lips. He pulled back and glanced around uncomfortably.

Lorelai giggled. "No one's watching you, stop being paranoid. How was it?"

He picked up a napkin and wiped his lips. "Tasty."

Lorelai smiled and nodded, then licked her ice cream cone. She encased her lips around it and sucked on it lightly, swirling it around in her mouth. After several seconds, she glanced over at Luke and noticed him staring at her intently. She pulled the cone away from her lips, then smiled and said, "What?"

Luke swallowed hard and shrugged. "Nothing."

She looked at the ice cream cone, then back at Luke. She smiled and nodded knowingly. "Ah, I see." She seductively ran the tip of her tongue over the ice cream. "You like this?"

Luke smiled and turned his head away. "Wow, look at that nice fire hydrant," he said, pointing toward the street.

Lorelai laughed and rubbed his thigh. "Ah, poor Luke's trying not to cave."

Luke stared straight ahead. "You know, I was thinking about only serving turkey burgers at the diner from now on."

Lorelai gasped. "Okay, okay, I'm stopping!"

Luke turned to her and smiled. "Thought that would do it."

Luke wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned against him. She bit into her cone and chewed it slowly as she watched the people walk by. A couple walked by hand in hand. When they passed, Lorelai whispered, "We're much hotter than them."

Luke nodded. "Yup."

Lorelai took another bite of her cone. When she was finished chewing, she turned to him and smiled. "Hey, you know what?"

"What?" he asked.

She leaned toward him so that their faces were just inches apart. "Only forty-six more days to go."

Luke smiled and kissed her. "I know. Excited?"

Lorelai nodded. "Very. You?"

"Yup," he replied. He smiled and kissed her again. "Love you," he said softly.

She smiled and said, "Love you, too." They stared into each other's eyes momentarily before she pulled back and said, "Wow, we have to re-enact this scene after this contest thing is over because that was the perfect pre-sex scenario."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, it was nice," he agreed. He stood up and said, "You ready?"

She shoved the last piece of cone into her mouth and mumbled, "Mmhmm." She wiped her mouth with a napkin and threw it in a nearby garbage can. She laced her fingers through Luke's and they started walking down the sidewalk.

. . .

PART 26

. . .

On Wednesday night, Lorelai and Rory were sitting at a table in the diner. They had finished eating and were in mid conversation when Luke walked over and sat down with them. Rory looked at him and said, "Luke, please tell her to just do it."

He turned to Lorelai. "Just do it," he said sternly.

Lorelai took a sip of coffee, then smiled at him. "Just do what?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know." He turned to Rory. "Just do what?"

"Go to her graduation ceremony," Rory said. "It's in two weeks, and I know she wants to go but she needs some convincing. Tell her to go."

Luke turned to Lorelai. "Why wouldn't you want to go?"

Lorelai shrugged. "It's community college, it's nothing big."

Luke's eyes widened. "Nothing big? It's huge, Lorelai. Community college is just as important as any other college."

"Plus, she's never even been to a graduation ceremony before," Rory pointed out.

"Not true," Lorelai said. "The Bayside High School graduation ceremony was so realistic I felt like I was right there sitting next to Zack and Slater as they sang the school song." She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you used to make me watch that with you."

"Okay, number one, fictional graduations don't count, and number two, you're going," Rory said.

"Yes, you're going," Luke said. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

Lorelai glanced down at the table for a moment, then looked up and sighed. "You really think I should go?"

Rory and Luke both nodded.

Lorelai sighed softly. "Okay, I'll go, but if I trip and fall while I'm walking on stage and it turns out to be the most embarrassing night of my life, I'm blaming the both of you for the rest of your lives."

Luke smiled. "Fair enough."

Lorelai took a sip of coffee. "Oh, I almost forgot. I have a favor to ask you."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Will you have some time within the next few days to come to the inn and fix the railing on the back porch?" Lorelai asked. "There are a couple of places where it's sorta wiggly and I can't really afford a lawsuit."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, but don't you have a handyman?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Please, my handyman doesn't even know how to hold the hammer right."

Luke smiled. "Uh, you might wanna get a new one then. Just a tip."

"I'm working on it," she replied. "So you can do it?"

"Yeah, I'll get to it this weekend," he replied.

Lorelai smiled. "Thank you."

Luke smiled and nodded. "You're welcome." He leaned back in his chair. "So, what are you guys doing tonight?"

"I'm going over to Sookie's. We're gonna start working on the bridesmaid dresses," Lorelai said.

"I really like the color you guys picked out," Rory said.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Me too. That green is so pretty. Did I show it to you yet?" she asked Luke.

He shook his head. "No, not yet."

"You'll like it," Lorelai said, smiling. "The dresses are gonna be beautiful."

Luke smiled. "I'm sure they will be." He turned to Rory. "So, are you helping with the dresses tonight, too?"

Rory shook her head. "Nope, Lane's coming over and we're gonna hang out."

Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Not gonna trash the place, are you?"

"Probably," Rory replied, nodding. She smiled and took a sip of coffee.

Lorelai nodded. "Okay, just don't break the television. I wanna watch the E! True Hollywood Story about the Brat Pack tomorrow night."

"You've seen it like ten times already," Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, but I find it completely fascinating to watch how those guys screwed up their lives," Lorelai said. "You can never see that enough."

"True," Rory agreed. She took a sip of coffee and stood up. "Okay, I'm leaving. I'll see you tonight, Mom. Bye Luke."

"Bye, hon," Lorelai said.

"Bye," Luke said.

Rory walked out of the diner. Lorelai glanced at the counter and saw Jess walk into the kitchen. "Uh, so what happened with Jess? Did he find a job?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, yeah, actually, he did," Luke said, smiling. "He's working at the bookstore."

Lorelai smiled. "The bookstore? Wow, that'll be great for him."

Luke nodded. "Yeah, I think so, too. I mean, he doesn't seem too thrilled with the idea right now, you know, having to work and stuff, but I think once he gets into a routine, it'll be fine."

"Yeah, it'll be good," Lorelai said, nodding. She pulled some money out of her purse and dropped it on the table. "I should get to Sookie's." She stood up.

"Yeah, and I should get back to the kitchen." Luke stood up and walked her to the door. They kissed goodbye and she walked out of the diner.

. . .

That Friday night, Luke joined Lorelai and Rory at Emily and Richard's house. When they had finished eating, the five of them moved into the living room for drinks. During a lull in the conversation, Lorelai looked at Rory and gave a slight nod.

Rory nodded and cleared her throat. "Uh, Grandpa? Do you think we could go look at the books in your study? I saw one I wanted to borrow the last time I was in there. Maybe you could help me find it?"

Richard stood up. "Why, certainly, Rory. Follow me." As Rory followed him out of the living room, she glanced back at Lorelai, who gave her an appreciative smile.

Lorelai reached down and grabbed Luke's hand. "Uh, Mom, we want to tell you something."

"Yes?" Emily said, looking at them expectantly. She suddenly gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God! You're engaged again!"

Luke's eyes widened. "What?"

"No, Mom, that's not it," Lorelai said quickly, waving her off.

"Oh, then what is it?" Emily asked. Suddenly, she pursed her lips and put a hand in the center of her chest. "You're pregnant." She glared accusingly at Luke.

Luke's eyes went even wider. "What?" he said loudly. "No, no, she's not pregnant!" His face tightened and he turned to Lorelai. "You're not, right?" he whispered.

Lorelai smiled and shook her head. She turned to Emily and said, "That's not it either, Mom, but you're doing a good job of scaring the heck out of Luke. Care to take another stab at it?" Lorelai asked.

Emily took a sip of wine, then placed her glass on the coffee table. "No, why don't you just tell me, Lorelai?" She folded her hands and placed them on her lap.

Lorelai glanced at Luke and took a deep breath before she turned back to Emily. "Uh, Luke and I are going to live together. He's gonna be moving in with Rory and I in June." She swallowed hard and bit her lip as she waited for Emily's reaction. Sensing her nervousness, Luke slipped an arm around Lorelai's waist, reassuring her that he was right there.

Her lips pursed, Emily nodded slowly. "Mmhmm." She took a deep breath and stared down at the coffee table.

Lorelai rolled her eyes and sighed. "What, Mother? What is it? Just say what you want to say."

Emily shrugged. "This is your life, Lorelai, and you can do whatever you want with it. I have nothing to say."

"Yes, you do," Lorelai said loudly. "You have to have something negative to say – do you know why? Because I'm happy about this, and whenever I'm happy about something, you always, always, always find something negative to say! So, go on, say what you want to say!"

Luke put his hand on Lorelai's knee and rubbed it gently, which she understood meant that she needed to calm down. She took a few deep breaths before she continued. "Look, you always say that I never share things with you about my life, right? That I always try to shut you out from what's going on, right? Okay, so here I am, sharing the most important thing in my life with you, and I'm just asking you to try and be happy for me. . .for us."

Emily's face showed little emotion. She blinked her eyes slowly several times, then said, "You've only been together a short while. You don't move in with someone this quickly, especially when there's a child involved."

Lorelai scoffed and started to respond but Luke cleared his throat and said, "Uh, you should understand that this is not exactly something we're rushing into. We've thought about it and discussed it a lot, especially about how it'll affect Rory. We've talked with her about it, and we wouldn't be doing this if she wasn't completely comfortable with it." Luke paused a moment before he added, "And it's not something we'd even be talking about if we didn't think it would be. . .permanent." Luke turned and smiled at Lorelai, who had been staring at him as he spoke.

Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand and laced her fingers through his. She smiled at him, then turned to Emily. "Exactly. Um, so the bottom line is that we're doing this whether you're happy for us or not, Mom. It'd just make things . . .nicer if you were."

Emily was quiet for a moment. She glanced back and forth between Luke and Lorelai, then shook her head slightly. "I still think it's way too soon."

Lorelai sighed loudly. "Okay, well, that's not really – " She stopped talking as Richard and Rory entered the room.

"Sorry about that," Richard said. He walked over and sat down next to Emily. "What did we miss?"

Rory, who was holding a book, sat down next to Lorelai. "Did you tell her?" she whispered. Lorelai nodded.

"Richard, Lorelai was just explaining how Luke's going to be moving in with them in June," Emily said.

Richard raised his eyebrows. "Is that so? Well, I must say, that makes me feel a little better."

Emily gasped. "Excuse me?"

"Yes, it's not safe for those girls to be living all alone," Richard said. "Something could happen."

Lorelai smiled. "We've been living alone for sixteen years, Dad. Nothing's happened so far."

"Yes, but it's always safer to have a man around," Richard said.

"Oh, Dad, I forgot to tell you, you got call earlier from the women's liberation movement," Lorelai said. "They want to have a few words with you."

Luke smiled and stood up. "Okay, we should get going."

"Thanks for the book, Grandpa," Rory said, standing up. "And thanks for dinner, Grandma."

Lorelai stood up slowly. "Yeah, thanks for dinner."

Luke shook Richard's hand. "Sir, good to see you again."

"Yes, same here," Richard said.

Luke turned to Emily and extended his hand. "Dinner was great, thanks."

Emily shook his hand. "Yes, thank you for coming."

Lorelai took Luke's hand and led him to the front door, and Rory, Emily and Richard followed. They exchanged goodbyes and the three guests stepped out onto the porch. The door closed behind them and they walked slowly to the Jeep. They climbed in and Luke started the engine.

"So, Grandma didn't really –," Rory started.

"Not right now, hon," Lorelai said, shaking her head. She leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

"Okay, sorry," Rory replied quietly.

Luke looked at Rory in the rearview mirror. "Going to Dean's house, right?"

Rory nodded. "We're gonna watch a movie."

Luke nodded and pulled out of the driveway.

. . .

Forty-five minutes later, they pulled up in front of Dean's house. Lorelai stepped out of the car to let Rory out, and Rory gave Lorelai a kiss on the cheek. "See you at home."

"Bye sweets, have fun," Lorelai said.

Rory lowered her head to look into the Jeep. "Bye Luke."

"Bye, have fun," he replied.

As Rory walked toward the house, Lorelai climbed back into the car and stared out the passenger side window. Luke stared at her momentarily but didn't say anything. They drove back to her house and pulled into the driveway.

Luke turned off the engine and turned to look at her. She sat staring at the house with her arms folded across her chest. Finally, he asked, "You okay?"

Lorelai turned to him and smiled. "Mmhmm."

Luke took a deep breath. "Are you . . . changing your mind?"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "What? No, not at all! Why do you think that?"

"Because I just don't get why you seem so upset when things weren't really that bad tonight," Luke said.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not upset, exactly; I'm just thinking about things." Lorelai was quiet for a few seconds as she stared out the window. She turned back to Luke and said, "I was just thinking about how nice it would be to actually tell my mother something and to have her just. . .be happy for me. You know, without all the criticism and snarky remarks and everything. Just to see her smile and be happy for me, that's what I want."

Luke reached for her hand and stroked it with his thumb. "Don't give up on that idea. It might happen someday."

Lorelai scoffed. "I doubt it." She shook her head slightly and muttered, "Why couldn't she just smile and say, 'that's nice, Lorelai' or 'wow, congratulations. I'm happy for you.' I just don't get her."

Luke sighed. "Look, this moving in idea – we're both happy about it, right?" he asked.

Lorelai smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

Luke shrugged. "So, then, it doesn't matter how your mom feels about it. Instead of worrying about her, think about yourself for a change."

Lorelai laughed. "Wow, no one's ever commented that I don't think about myself enough."

Luke smiled. "Forget everyone else and just concentrate on what this means to you. Think about how great it's gonna be for us. That's what I do." He leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "I mean, you know what I love to think about?" he asked softly. "I think about how, when I wake up in the morning, the very first thing I'm gonna see is you. You have no idea how happy that makes me."

Lorelai tilted her head and smiled at him. "You're so sweet. That makes me happy, too," she said softly. She took his face in her hands and pressed her lips gently against his. She pulled back slightly and stared into his eyes. "You have really nice eyes. The first time I realized that you cared for me, it's because I saw it in your eyes. They told me," Lorelai said.

"Oh yeah?" Luke asked. "What are they telling you now?"

Lorelai smiled. "They're telling me that I should kiss you again."

Luke smiled. "I think you should listen to them."

She leaned forward and kissed him, gently at first but then with more intensity. She parted his lips with her tongue and ran it over his, beginning a rhythmic swirling in their mouths that made a soft moan escape her throat. As the kiss deepened and her arousal increased, Lorelai suddenly pulled back. Panting heavily, she said, "There's still a week left."

Luke rolled his eyes and groaned. "I told you to make it only one week. Maybe you should listen to me next time." He leaned forward and kissed her again.

She eagerly returned the kiss until both of them were breathless. She finally pulled back and said, "Oh my God, you have to leave."

Luke's chest was heaving as he asked, "What? Why?"

Lorelai leaned forward and whispered, "Because I'm so turned on right now I'm about to explode."

Luke pulled back and gave her a sly smile. "Oh yeah?"

"Yes. That's why you have to leave right now, because I refuse to lose this contest and who knows what'll happen if you stay."

Luke smiled and leaned toward her, but she pushed open her door and climbed out. He grabbed the keys out of the ignition and climbed out, too. He quickly walked over to her side, but she turned and ran toward the house. "Stay away from me!" she called laughingly over her shoulder.

Luke chased her up the porch and caught her by wrapping his arms around her waist. He turned her around and pressed her up against the front door. His lips immediately went to hers in a passionate kiss that made her body thrive with excitement.

When they finally broke apart, Lorelai playfully pushed Luke away from her. She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to control her arousal. She opened them and smiled. "Okay, here's the game plan." She pointed to him and said, "You're going to go home before a wild sex-obsessed spirit takes over my body and does something she shouldn't do." She pointed to herself and said, "And I'm going to go inside and take the coldest shower in the world. Any deviation from this game plan will result in you being severely injured by my high heels."

Luke laughed. "I never knew women were so violent until I met you." He pulled the keys out of his pocket and handed them to her. "Okay, I'm going. I'll call you later."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay."

They stared at each other for a second. Finally, Luke stepped toward her and kissed her. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair as she eagerly kissed him back.

They broke apart and Lorelai quickly turned around and tried to unlock the door. "Oh my God, oh my God," she muttered as she fumbled with the keys. "Ignore the temptation, ignore the temptation." She finally pushed open the door and stepped inside. She let out a sigh of relief as she turned around to face him. "Bye."

Luke gave her an amused smile. "Bye." She smiled and shut the door, and Luke turned around and walked home.

. . .

That night in her bedroom, Lorelai was watching television. When the phone rang slightly after ten, she immediately picked it up. "Oh my God, what took you so long?" she answered.

"Uh, sorry, I didn't know you were expecting me," came the nervous reply.

Lorelai grimaced. "Oh, sorry Dean. Hold on." She cupped her hand over the phone. "Rory, it's for you!" she yelled.

"Okay!" Rory called back. A few seconds later, she called, "Got it!"

Lorelai hung up the phone with a sigh and slumped back against the headboard. A few minutes later, Rory appeared at Lorelai's door. "Mom, call Luke. He called when I was on with Dean."

Lorelai sat up quickly. "Okay. Are you off now?"

Rory nodded. "Yup, it's all yours. I'm going to bed."

Lorelai smiled. "Okay. 'Night hon."

"Night." Rory turned around and walked down the steps.

Lorelai stood up and closed her bedroom door, then turned off the television. She sat back down on the bed, picked up the phone, and dialed Luke's number.

"Hello?" Luke answered.

"Hey," Lorelai said. "How was your night?"

Luke groaned. "The longest night of my life and it's all your fault."

Lorelai gasped. "My fault? How is it my fault?"

"I'll tell you why it's your fault," he replied sternly. "You're the one who came up with this stupid contest idea and then you're the one who had to pick the worst thing in the world for me to do if I lose, making me one hundred percent determined to win the aforementioned stupid contest, and you're the one who had to be all flirty tonight and get me all. . .with the. . .and the. . ." He groaned, then sighed loudly.

Lorelai laughed. "So you're mad because you had a loaded weapon with no opportunity to fire it?"

"Yes," he replied grumpily. "Ugh, I can't wait for this week to be over."

"Me either," Lorelai replied.

"If we both want it to be over, why don't we just call it off?" Luke asked.

"Because. . .it's a contest, we have to play it out," Lorelai said. "We started it, we have to finish it."

Luke groaned. "We started it, we have to finish it," he repeated mockingly. "Yeah, well, just remember that a week from now when you're at my funeral. Cause of death, lack of sex."

Lorelai laughed. "I don't think you can die from that. You think you're gonna make the week?"

"Yes, I am," he replied confidently. "You?"

"Absolutely," she replied.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked.

"I have class in the afternoon, but I'll be at the inn in the morning," Lorelai said.

"Oh, right. Maybe I'll come by and work on the porch railing," Luke said. "I have to get my tools and stuff together. I'm not sure where I put my . . ."

He kept talking, but Lorelai didn't hear what he said. She closed her eyes and just listened to the sound of his voice. After several seconds, she heard him say, "Lorelai? Lorelai?"

She opened her eyes and stammered, "Uh, what . . . yeah. . . sorry, I'm here."

Luke let out a small laugh. "Did you hear anything I said?"

"Not really," she admitted.

"Oh, great, thanks," he said with a laugh. "Love you, too."

"Luke, have you ever listened to your voice?" she asked, smiling. "It's like the sexiest voice in the world. You should be a late-night DJ for a radio station. You could be all. . ." Lorelai deepened her voice. "And coming up in this next half hour, thirty minutes of commercial free love songs to get you in the mood." Lorelai giggled. "Oh my God, people would tune in just to hear you talk."

Luke laughed. "I'll look into that if this diner thing doesn't work out."

"Good, you should," Lorelai said. "I could sit here all night and listen to you read the phone book."

"Okay, well, the day we run out of conversation topics, that's what we'll do," he said. "All right, I'm gonna go now. I gotta take a shower before bed. Which means in about three minutes, I'm going to be completely naked."

Lorelai smiled. "I'm not caving," she said firmly.

"With water cascading all over my body," he continued.

"Not caving," she repeated.

"Now to give you the full visual effect, first I'm going to lather up my strong, muscular chest," Luke said.

Lorelai leaned back against the headboard and closed her eyes, trying to picture it. "Mm, then what?"

"And then I'll probably move onto my arms," Luke replied. "Gotta make sure those biceps are nice and clean."

Lorelai smiled to herself as the image became clearer. "Then what?" she asked quietly.

"Then I'll probably do my stomach," he replied. "And then move down to my lower body."

Lorelai swallowed hard and her breathing started to increase. Several seconds later, she opened her eyes and said, "Oh God, I really have to go."

Luke let out a small laugh. "Goodnight."

. . .

The next morning, Lorelai walked into the inn and set her things in her office. She walked out to the front desk and grabbed a stack of papers. She turned to Michel. "Are these from this morning?"

He glanced over at them. "Yes, I put them there thirty minutes ago, which was when you said you'd be here, but of course you weren't because you have never shown up on time on a Saturday morning ever."

Lorelai smiled and said, "So they're from this morning, thank you." She flipped through the papers and separated them into piles. She handed a stack to Michel. "Confirm these orders." She glanced around the lobby and tried to look out the back window. "Do you know if Luke's here?"

"I saw him earlier walking around with a toolbox," Michel said.

"Is he still here?" Lorelai asked.

Michel snickered. "What do I look like, his babysitter? How should I know?"

Lorelai made a face at him, then walked into the kitchen and over to the coffee maker. She poured herself a cup, then turned around and walked over to the counter. "Hey Sookie."

Sookie, who was standing at the stove, turned around and smiled. "Hey. What's new?"

"Nothing much," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "Just a normal day of coming to work and trying not to kill Michel, and then going to school and trying not to kill my evil professor who insists on calling me Laura."

Sookie giggled. "Sounds fun." Suddenly her smile faded and she clenched her teeth together. "Ooh, I saw Luke a little while ago. Is he okay?"

Lorelai's eyes widened. "What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" she asked, concerned.

Sookie shrugged. "He just seemed like he was in a really bad mood."

Lorelai frowned. "Aw, I wonder why. He didn't mention anything?"

Sookie shook her head. "Nope, I didn't even talk to him. I saw the look on his face and kept my distance. Is everything okay with you guys?"

"Yeah, everything's great, everything's perfect," Lorelai said. She took a sip of coffee. "I'm gonna go see if he's still here and see what's up. I'll see you later."

"I hope everything's okay," Sookie said sincerely.

Lorelai nodded. "Thanks." She turned and headed into the lobby. She walked over to the front desk and set her mug down, then started walking toward the back door to find Luke. However, as she glanced out a window, she saw him walking toward the front of the inn. She turned around and rushed to the front door. She pulled it open just as Luke was reaching for the handle from the other side.

Startled, he jumped back. "Geez," he grumbled.

"Hey, what's the matter?" she asked, grabbing his hand. "Sookie said you're in a bad mood."

Luke set his toolbox down on the porch, then stepped into the lobby. "Are you busy right now? Do you have a few minutes?"

"Yeah, is everything okay?" she asked, concerned. "Luke, what's wrong?"

"Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" he asked, glancing at the people in the lobby.

Lorelai nodded. "Yeah, come into my office." She led him across the lobby to her office. She pushed open the door and gestured for him to go in first. She followed him inside and locked the door.

She turned around to face him. "Luke, what's up?"

Luke stepped up to her and pressed his lips against hers. Lorelai was surprised, but kissed him back eagerly. When he finally pulled back, he asked, "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"What?" she asked curiously.

Luke brought his mouth to her ear and whispered, "Take off your clothes."

Lorelai let out a surprised laugh. "What?"

Luke smirked. "There's no way in hell I'm going another week," he said, shaking his head.

Lorelai held up her hands in front of her. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"You're caving?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes," he said.

"You're giving up the contest – this is your official resignation from the contest?" she asked with a surprised smile.

"Yes! That's it, it's over, it ends right now," he replied firmly. "Now stop talking."

He leaned in to kiss her. She pulled off his cap and tossed it across the room, then ran her fingers through his hair. He wrapped his arms around her waist and ran his hands up and down her back. He lowered his mouth to her neck and sucked on it lightly, and she moaned softly toward the ceiling. "Luke. . .," she mumbled. "Luke, we can't do this here. Michel's right outside."

He took her hand and pulled her across the room to the opposite wall. He pressed her up against it, then ran his tongue across her neck and up to her ear. "How much time do you have? I won't need much." He took her earlobe in his mouth and sucked on it gently.

Lorelai smiled. "Yes, I can tell." She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back slightly. They stared at each other for a moment as Luke's hands slowly moved to the hem of Lorelai's skirt. He clutched the fabric in his fingers and stared at her hopefully, waiting for her reaction. She glanced down at them and swallowed hard, her heart racing with excitement. She closed her eyes briefly, then brought her gaze up to meet his. After a few seconds, she gave him a sly smile.

Luke tilted his head to the side. "You sure?" She bit her lip and nodded quickly.

Luke smiled. He hiked her skirt up around her waist and ran his hands over her legs. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Luke gently caressed her inner thighs, trying to build up her arousal. "Oh God, I had almost forgotten how good that feels," she muttered.

She opened her eyes and her hands immediately went to his belt. She quickly unbuckled it, then undid his jeans and pulled them down halfway. She used her foot to push them down around his ankles. He hooked his pointer fingers on the waistband of her panties and slowly pulled them down her legs. A surge of arousal shot through her body as he slipped them over her shoes and dropped them on the floor. She pushed down his boxers, then pulled him tightly against her, their mouths crashing together passionately.

Feeling him against her thigh made her legs start trembling with anticipation. His hand moved to the back of her left thigh. He lifted her leg up, and she rested her foot on the arm of an adjacent chair, giving him better access to her. As he entered her, she let out a loud gasp and both of their mouths dropped open. They stood still for several seconds, both of them getting used to the intense feeling of pleasure that they hadn't felt in so long.

"Ugh, God, I'm glad we're not going a whole other week," she muttered, leaning in to kiss him. Luke kissed her back hungrily. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as he began pushing into her. Lorelai broke the kiss and threw her head back with a loud moan. She clenched her teeth together firmly, trying hard to control the volume of her groans. Luke, who was releasing a loud grunt with every thrust, pressed his face against her shoulder to muffle them.

As Luke continued his rhythmic thrusts, Lorelai's lower body started to feel numb from the intense stimulation. She leaned all of her weight against Luke's body for support. She grasped onto him tightly, digging her nails into his back as the pleasure became overwhelming. "Oh my God, oh my God," she panted.

It wasn't long before they reached their peaks and they tried to stifle the loud groans that accompanied their orgasms. As Luke groaned into her shoulder, Lorelai buried her face against his chest and moaned loudly. They stood that way for several seconds, both of them heaving to catch their breaths.

They finally picked their heads up and smiled at each other, and Luke kissed her deeply. He leaned his forehead against hers and said, "That was great."

"Mmhmm," she moaned softly, nodding in agreement. "Best quickie I ever had."

Luke smiled and kissed her again, then slowly pulled out of her. He pulled up his boxer shorts and jeans as Lorelai pulled on her panties.

She shook her head slightly toward the floor. "I can't believe we just did that."

"Think anyone heard us?" Luke asked as he zipped up his jeans.

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know." She spun around. "There's nothing on me, right? I don't wanna pull a Lewinsky."

He looked her over. "Nope, you're good." He fastened his belt.

Lorelai picked up his cap and handed it to him. He pulled it on, then put his hands on her waist and pulled her into an embrace. She giggled into his ear. "So this is why you were in a bad mood?"

"Yup," he replied.

"I thought you were gonna make it the whole week, no problem," she said, smiling.

"Yeah, so did I," Luke said, rolling his eyes. "Until I went to sleep last night and you paid me a little visit."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "What?" she asked, confused. Suddenly she smiled. "Ooh, somebody had a little erotic dream, did they?"

"Yes, they did," Luke said. "And let me tell you, I was about to come over your house at six o'clock this morning, that's how bad I was."

Lorelai giggled. "Wow, must've been some dream." She kissed him. "You do realize what this means, don't you? You caved first."

Luke sighed loudly and nodded. "I know, I know." He rolled his eyes.

"When are you gonna do it?" she asked excitedly.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Sometime."

"Well, you have to tell me, you know, because it's pretty essential that I'm there too," she said with a laugh.

"Yes, I know," Luke replied. He thought for a moment, then shrugged and said, "Okay, how about the night of your graduation?"

Lorelai's eyes widened and she smiled. "Mm, good present," she said. "Okay, deal. No backing out. We have a verbal agreement."

"Trust me, I know if I don't live up to it, I'll never hear the end of it," Luke grumbled.

Lorelai smiled. "Just making sure." She grabbed his hand and led him to the door. They walked out into the lobby, both of them glancing around awkwardly as they walked toward the front door.

As they walked out onto the porch, Luke pulled her into a hug and kissed her neck. "Okay, I'm going to the diner. I already fixed the porch rail."

"You did?" she asked, surprised. "Great, thanks."

"You're welcome," he said. He bent over to pick up his toolbox, then kissed her. "Bye."

"Bye. I'll come by after class," Lorelai said. She perched herself on the porch railing and watched him walk to his truck. She smiled and waved to him as he pulled away, then walked back into the inn.

. . .

PART 27

. . .

A few days later, Lorelai stood in the video store staring at a shelf of videos. Luke walked up behind her and let out an exasperated sigh. "Come on, how long does it take you to pick out a movie?" he grumbled.

"I can't make up my mind," Lorelai whined, turning around to face him. "What did you pick out?"

Luke held up a video. "Raging Bull."

Lorelai smiled. "Aha! I know what goes with that. We can have a theme." She walked over to another shelf and picked out a movie, then walked back over to Luke and held it up. "The Burning Bed," she announced, smiling proudly.

Luke rolled his eyes. "So the theme is wife beating?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I didn't say it was a happy theme," she said, walking toward the front of the store. She stopped at the rack of junk food and grabbed several items, then proceeded to the checkout counter.

After they had paid, they walked outside and headed toward Luke's. "This'll be fun, doing something at your apartment for a change," Lorelai said. "We never hang out there."

"Yeah," he replied, looking away distractedly.

Lorelai followed his gaze to the gazebo. She stopped walking and grabbed his arm, and he turned to look at her. "What are you doing?"

She smiled and turned him around to face the gazebo. "There it is."

He sighed loudly. "Yes, I know."

"It's pretty, isn't it?" she asked, gesturing toward it. "Such a beautiful, wooden, symbolic structure if I've ever seen one. So many important annual town events, all of which you disapprove of, take place in or near that gazebo. It's also a very popular meeting place because of its prime location in the center of town. People say, 'Hey, where do you wanna meet me later?' and often the reply is, 'Oh, how about by the gazebo?'" She paused and folded her arms across her chest. "You know, I'd say it's probably Stars Hollow's greatest landmark."

Luke rolled his eyes and turned to face her. "Are you done?"

"No, not quite finished yet," she replied, turning him back around. "Now, I want you to take a good, long look at that gazebo." She paused. "Are you taking a good, long look?"

Luke exhaled loudly. "I'm taking a good, long look," he replied in an annoyed tone.

She smiled. "Good. I like your enthusiasm, by the way." She leaned close to his ear and said quietly, "Now you're honestly going to tell me that you've never, not once in your entire life, glanced at that gazebo and thought to yourself. . . " Lorelai lowered her voice to a whisper. "'Man, I really wanna have sex in there.' You've never, ever thought that?"

Luke's face reddened slightly and he glanced around uncomfortably to make sure no one was around them. He slowly turned around to face her. He pursed his lips and said sternly, "No, I haven't."

"Not once?" Lorelai asked, raising her eyebrows. "This is putting aside the fact that you hate public displays of affection and would probably never follow through on your thoughts, but you've never even thought about what it would be like to just . . .do it. . .in the gazebo? Not even a teeny, tiny minuscule thought about it?" She squeezed her thumb and forefinger together. "Not even this small of a thought?"

Luke shook his head. "Nope."

Lorelai persisted, "Really? You've never just casually walked by and – "

Luke groaned and threw one hand up in frustration. "Okay, maybe I've thought about it!" he said loudly. "Are you happy? Yes, fine, I've thought about it."

Lorelai gasped and a small smile appeared on her lips. "I knew it!"

"But I never would've considered doing it!" he insisted.

"I know that," she said, nodding.

He rolled his eyes and glanced back toward it with a loud sigh. "But yet, one week from tomorrow, that's where I'll be, living out my worst nightmare."

She giggled. "I know that, too."

He groaned loudly and turned back to face her. "Why are you so into this?"

"Because, Luke, it's so completely erotically exciting," she said, rubbing her hands together eagerly. "And we definitely need more excitement in our lives."

"I have plenty of excitement in my life," he mumbled.

"Please," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes. "The most exciting thing you've done today involved a new shipment of mustard." She turned him around to face the gazebo. "Just close your eyes and picture it, Luke. You and me in the middle of the night. . .everything's quiet around us except for the crickets chirping. . . the gazebo's sparkling with twinkle lights – it'll be so romantic."

He turned around to face her. "Yeah, you're right. You and me, lying on the dirty wooden planks – can't think of anything more romantic than that," he said sarcastically.

"Duh, we'll bring blankets," Lorelai said, rolling her eyes. "Hell, why don't we go all out and drag your single bed out here? We'll try to make it as comfortable as possible for you so you'll think that you're in your apartment and not naked in the middle of the town square."

Luke exhaled loudly and pointed toward the diner. "Okay, this is the very last thing in the world I want to think about right now, so I'm gonna go home and start the movie. Come up when you're done babbling." He walked past her and headed toward the diner.

Lorelai stood for a moment with her hands on her hips, staring at the gazebo. Finally, she turned and followed him, calling, "Maybe we could even hang up your frilly curtains to make it feel more like home!"

. . .

Two nights later, Rory and Lorelai walked into the diner after their weekly Friday night dinner. Luke looked up from the counter as the door opened and immediately noticed the unhappy looks on their faces. Lorelai sat down at a table while Rory walked up to the counter. "Two coffees please," she mumbled.

He placed two empty mugs on the counter. "What's wrong with you two?" he asked, glancing toward Lorelai's table. "Was there a fight at dinner?"

Rory shook her head. "More like, in the car on the way home."

Luke's eyes widened slightly. "So, it's between her and you, not your grandmother?" Rory looked down at the counter and nodded. He turned around and retrieved the coffeepot. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

Rory swallowed hard. "I sorta did something that I shouldn't have done."

"You?" he asked, surprised. "You did something wrong?"

Rory nodded. "You know how the other day Mom said that she didn't want my grandparents at her graduation?"

Luke nodded as he poured the coffee.

"Yeah, well, I really thought that they would wanna come. . .so I sort of invited them. . .tonight at dinner," Rory explained. "Mom was so mad. You should've seen the look she gave me, Luke." She shook her head slightly and sighed. "I'm so stupid," she muttered.

Luke bit his lip as he glanced from Rory to Lorelai. "Uh, so what happened? What did your grandparents say?"

Rory shrugged. "Well, Mom went along with it and pretended that she wanted them there, so they said they would come. I'm not sure if they really want to, or if they just said that. . but, they're coming. And mom's mad at me now." Rory sighed. "I just thought that they should be there. I mean, it's her college graduation, Luke."

Luke nodded. "I agree with you, I think they should be there, too." He glanced at Lorelai, who was resting her elbows on the table and her chin in her palms, staring out the window. "I'm gonna go talk to her. Stay here at the counter," he said to Rory. He leaned into the kitchen and called, "Caesar, come cover the counter, I'm taking a break." He turned back to the counter and picked up one of the mugs, then brought it to Lorelai's table. He placed it in front of her and sat down. "Hey."

She turned to him and gave a small smile. "Hey." She took a sip of coffee, then nodded toward Rory and said, "She told you what happened?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, she did."

Lorelai groaned and shook her head. "Luke, I couldn't believe she did that. I didn't want them to be there, I didn't want to stir everything up all over again, I didn't want them to start thinking about how - "

"It's my fault," Luke interrupted loudly.

Surprised, Lorelai became silent. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you talking about?"

"Me, it's my fault," he repeated, pointing to himself. "I told Rory to invite your parents. I told her to make sure that they knew about it so they'd be able to come if they wanted to. I didn't think she'd do it right in front of you, though. I thought she'd do it privately. But, yeah, I told her to do it."

Lorelai sat back in her chair. "You did what?" she asked, partly stunned.

"Look, I'm sorry, but don't be mad at her," he said. "She was just doing what I asked her to do. If you wanna be mad at someone then you should be mad at me."

Lorelai scoffed. "Luke, why would you go behind my back and tell – "

"Because I don't think your parents should miss this," Luke interrupted. "All parents want to see their child graduate, including yours. And they didn't get to see you do it from high school. . . don't you think they'd want to see it from college? They at least deserve the opportunity to decide whether they want to come or not."

Lorelai shook her head toward the table, then looked at him. "I can't believe you did that. That wasn't your decision to make."

"I know it wasn't," he replied. "But it was the right one."

Lorelai pursed her lips and gestured toward Rory at the counter. "So why didn't she tell me it wasn't her idea?"

Luke glanced toward the counter. "Oh, . . . uh, because she probably didn't want you to be mad at me," he replied with a shrug. Lorelai exhaled loudly and stared down at her coffee mug for several seconds. "Are you mad?" he asked. Lorelai didn't look at him; instead, she started fidgeting with her bracelet. Luke sighed. "Okay, I guess so. Sorry."

Lorelai looked up toward the counter and called, "Rory!" Rory turned around and Lorelai waved for her to come over. Rory picked up her mug and walked over to the table. She sat down across from Luke.

"Uh, I told her what happened," Luke said to Rory. "Everything's straightened out."

Rory narrowed her eyes at him. "What?"

"Yeah, you know, I explained how I told you to ask your grandparents to come and that she shouldn't be mad at you for asking them," Luke said, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head slightly. "And how you probably didn't tell her it was my fault because, you know, you didn't want her to be mad at me."

Rory glanced at Lorelai, who shrugged. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get all crazy on you and . . . " Her voice trailed off and she sighed loudly. She patted Rory on the arm. "Sorry."

Rory was silent for a moment as she glanced back and forth between Luke and her mom. She cleared her throat and waved her off. "Oh, no, that's okay," she said quickly. "Don't worry about it. You didn't know." She forced a smile.

Lorelai nodded and stared down at her cup. Luke stood up. "Okay, listen, we'll talk about this some more later, but I gotta get back into the kitchen. Uh, Rory, thanks for trying to cover for me."

Rory looked up at him. "Oh. . . yeah, you're welcome."

Luke put his hand on Lorelai's shoulder. "Uh, I'll call you tonight."

"Fine," Lorelai replied dryly, not looking up at him. Luke walked slowly toward the counter and disappeared into the kitchen.

Rory stared at Lorelai for several seconds. "You're mad at him?" Rory asked hesitantly. When Lorelai didn't respond, Rory sighed. "They accepted the invitation, they want to come, Mom," Rory said. "They want to see you graduate. It all worked out. . . so why are you mad?"

"Uh, I don't know, maybe because you went behind my back and made something happen that I specifically requested not happen," Lorelai said angrily. She exhaled loudly and placed her palms on the table. "Okay, sorry, I know it's not your fault, you were just listening to Luke. Ugh, I can't believe he did that." She took a sip of her coffee, then pushed the cup away from her. "I just wanna go home. Are you ready?"

Rory nodded. "Yeah, I'll pay and meet you outside."

"Thanks," Lorelai said. She stood up and walked out of the diner.

Rory stood up and walked past the counter into the kitchen. She glanced around the noisy room, finally spotting Luke chopping something at the counter. "Luke," Rory called.

Surprised, he looked up quickly. He put his knife down and walked over to her, wiping his hands on a dishtowel. "Yeah?"

"You didn't have anything to do with me asking them to come," Rory said, shaking her head.

Luke nodded. "I know."

"But now she's mad at you for no reason," Rory pointed out. "You know how she holds grudges forever. Why would you voluntarily engage her wrath?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know – you had good intentions, and I just . . . I didn't want her to be mad at you."

Rory sighed. "But I feel bad just letting her think it's your fault when it's not."

"Listen, it's no big deal. I was gonna try to talk her into inviting them anyway, so she probably would've gotten mad at me eventually," he said with a shrug.

Rory exhaled slowly and shrugged. "Well. . . thanks, I owe you one. I'll try to talk to her about it so she's not as mad."

Luke waved her off. "Don't worry about that. I can handle it."

Rory nodded. "Okay, well. . .she's waiting for me outside," she said. "I told her I was paying. Here." She handed Luke some money, then turned around and walked toward the doorway to the diner.

"See you later," Luke said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Rory suddenly stopped, turned around, and quickly walked back to Luke. Without hesitation, she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Luke was surprised, but quickly pulled his hands out of his pockets and hugged her back loosely.

"Thank you," she said, pulling back from the hug.

He cleared his throat and nodded a few times. "You're welcome." She smiled at him and walked out of the kitchen, and Luke walked back to the counter.

. . .

Later that night, Lorelai and Rory were both sitting on the couch reading when the phone rang. Lorelai picked up the cordless phone and checked the built-in caller ID, then replaced the phone on the coffee table. "Don't answer it," Lorelai said, returning to her reading.

"Who is it?" Rory asked.

"Luke," Lorelai replied, not looking up from her book.

Rory narrowed her eyes. "Why aren't you answering it?"

"Because I don't feel like talking to him right now," she replied.

"So answer it and tell him that, don't let him keep calling all night," Rory said.

Lorelai looked at her and pursed her lips. "Well, in order for me to make it known to him that I don't feel like talking to him right now, I'd have to talk to him, and since I just said I don't feel like talking to him, it'd make more sense for me to just not answer it and let him assume that I don't want to talk to him, okay?"

Rory huffed loudly. "Fine, fine, forget it."

The phone rang two more times before the machine picked up. Rory stared at Lorelai, who was biting her lip and staring up at the ceiling as Luke's voice echoed throughout the room. "Hey, it's me. Uh, I'm guessing that you're either out somewhere, or you're already in bed, or you're still mad and avoiding my calls. Either way, I guess I'll talk to you later. Bye." Luke hung up.

"Mom, call him back," Rory urged.

Lorelai sighed loudly. "Rory, please stay out of it," she said sternly.

"But he didn't do anything wrong," Rory persisted.

Lorelai scoffed loudly. "He didn't do anything wrong?" she exclaimed. "Going behind my back and telling my daughter to do something that he *knew* I didn't want you to do is not something wrong? I'm pretty damn sure that if you looked up the phrase 'something wrong' in that stupid eighty pound dictionary that your dad gave you, you'd find that as one of the definitions."

"We were only doing what we thought was best for you," Rory said. "If your parents weren't at your college graduation, you would regret it one day."

"So what?" Lorelai said loudly. "That's for me to worry about – not you, and certainly not Luke!"

"Yes, but – " Rory started.

Lorelai held up her hand and Rory stopped talking. Lorelai took a deep breath. "Rory," she said calmly. "I really need you to drop this right now. This is between me and Luke, not you. God, I don't even wanna go to this stupid graduation anymore," she muttered as she went back to reading her book.

Rory sighed loudly. She tried to concentrate on her book but her mind kept drifting. The words blurred on the page as she thought things over. Finally, she turned her book upside down on her lap and picked up the phone. Lorelai looked up from her book and watched Rory as she dialed a number.

"Luke's," Luke answered.

"Hey Luke," Rory said.

Lorelai gasped loudly. "Oh my God, what are you doing?" she hissed through clenched teeth. "Hang up the phone, Rory."

"Rory, hey," Luke replied, surprised. "Uh, is something wrong?"

"Yes, something's wrong," Rory replied, glancing at Lorelai, who was staring at her angrily. "Mom is completely wigging out about this whole graduation thing and she's really mad at you and she doesn't even wanna go anymore and . . .I have to tell her the truth."

"Rory, don't," Luke replied quickly. "That'll make it even worse."

"What truth?" Lorelai asked in the background.

"No, Luke, it's not fair that she's mad at you when you didn't do anything," Rory said. "I have to tell her."

"Rory, we'll work it out, it's fine," Luke insisted.

"Sorry Luke, I'm gonna tell her right now," Rory said. "I just wanted to let you know that Mom will call you back later tonight. Bye." Rory hung up before Luke could respond. She tossed the phone on the couch and looked over at Lorelai, who had a bewildered expression on her face.

Lorelai folded her arms across her chest. "Rory, what's going on?"

. . .

Later that night, Lorelai dialed Luke's apartment. After a few rings, a voice answered, "Hello?"

"Jess, is Luke there?" Lorelai asked, aimlessly twirling a finger in her hair.

"Hold on," Jess replied. A few seconds later, Luke came to the phone. "Lorelai?"

"Hey." Lorelai sighed softly. "Rory told me everything."

Luke groaned. "Geez, okay, so you're probably even madder at me now, right? Look, I'm sorry for lying but I just didn't want you to – "

"Luke," Lorelai interrupted. "Forget it. Rory and I talked everything out – it's over, it's done, let's just forget everything."

"So. . .you're gonna go to the ceremony, right?" Luke asked.

"Mmhmm," she replied.

"Good, that's good," Luke replied.

They were both silent for a moment before Lorelai cleared her throat. "Um, it was really nice of you to try to. . . protect her like that," Lorelai said. "I mean, I'm not exactly happy with the whole 'lying to me' part, but the idea of you trying to take the blame for her was just. . . it was really sweet." She paused a second before she added, "It was very dad-like."

"Yeah, well . . .you know," Luke said.

Lorelai smiled. "Very well said."

"Thanks," he replied. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Rory and I are hitting the mall," Lorelai said. "I'm gonna buy a new outfit for the ceremony – unless you think I should be rebellious and go nude under my gown. What do you think?"

Luke laughed. "Well, you might get cold," he pointed out.

Lorelai smiled. "Good point. All right, I'll see you tomorrow, then. Love you."

"Yeah, I love you, too," he replied. "Night."

. . .

That Thursday night, Lorelai and Luke were among the first to arrive at the college. They followed the signs to the check-in room, and after she got her cap, Luke watched while she picked out a gown. She held out her purse to him. "Here, can you hold this?"

Luke stared at it for a second, then shook his head. "Uh, no."

She let out a small laugh. "No?"

"I'm not holding a purse. Put it over there," he said, pointing to a row of folding chairs behind her.

She rolled her eyes at him and set the purse on a chair. "Typical man," she muttered. She pulled on a gown and zipped it up. "How do I look?"

He nodded approvingly. "Good. Very. . . uh, smart." She took off the gown and folded it over her arm. Luke glanced at his watch. "This thing doesn't start for over an hour. What are we gonna do?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I don't know. Walk around? I can give you a tour." She picked up her purse and walked toward the door. "Ooh, I'll show you the burrito machine, and if we have time later, I was thinking maybe we could try to steal it and install it in my bedroom. Then, when you move in, we'll fill one half with burritos, and the other half with something healthy for you, like. . .I don't know, lettuce or something." Luke rolled his eyes as he followed her down the hall.

. . .

An hour later, they returned to the check-in room, which was now filled with people. Lorelai glanced around the crowd and saw Sookie, Jackson, and Rory standing in the corner. Lorelai walked over to them. "Hey guys." She hugged Rory tightly. "Hey you!"

"Hey Mom," Rory said. "Where's your cap and gown?"

Luke held them up as Lorelai handed her purse to Rory. "Here, hold this, please." She took her cap and gown from Luke and pulled them on, then touched up her makeup. Several minutes later, she announced, "Okay, time for some pictures. Rory, camera's in my purse." They took several pictures before an announcement was made for the graduates to line up and for the guests to take their seats in the auditorium.

. . .

After the ceremony, Lorelai made her way around the crowded room until she found Luke. He kissed her on the cheek and hugged her tightly. "I didn't trip!" she said excitedly. "Did you see me not trip?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I saw. We all let out a collective sigh of relief."

She pulled back from him and saw Rory standing right behind him. "Ah, I graduated!" she exclaimed, pulling Rory into a hug.

Rory laughed. "I know, I know! Congratulations!" They hugged for several seconds before Lorelai noticed her parents standing nearby.

Lorelai pulled back from Rory and smiled. "Mom, Dad, I'm glad you guys came."

"Yes, it was lovely," Emily replied. "Congratulations, Lorelai."

"Yes, congratulations," Richard added.

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks." She turned to Rory. "Camera?"

Rory pulled it out of Lorelai's purse. "Right here."

"Mom, Dad – would you mind?" Lorelai asked. They glanced at each other and shrugged, and Lorelai stepped between them. Rory took the picture, and Lorelai turned around and smiled at them. "Hey, we're gonna go get some dinner to celebrate. Do you guys wanna come?"

"No, no, we don't want to intrude," Emily replied, waving her off. "You go on ahead."

"Aw, come on, Grandma, it'll be fun," Rory said.

"No, thank you," Emily replied. "But if the graduate has any special requests for dinner tomorrow, call us in the morning and let us know."

Lorelai smiled. "Will do."

Emily nodded. "Richard, are you ready?" Richard nodded. "We'll see you tomorrow then. Night everyone." They exchanged goodbyes, and Emily and Richard walked out of the auditorium.

Lorelai hugged Sookie and Jackson. "Thanks for coming, you guys."

Luke put his hand on Lorelai's back. "All right, let's go eat."

"Yeah, I'm starving," Rory said.

"Me too," Lorelai said, rubbing her stomach. "I worked up quite an appetite moving that tassel from one side to the other."

. . .

After dinner, Luke drove Lorelai and Rory home. Rory walked into the house as Luke and Lorelai sat on the bench on the front porch. Luke cleared his throat. "Um, I got you a little graduation present."

She raised her eyebrows and smiled. "The burrito machine?" she asked excitedly.

He laughed and shook his head. "Sorry, no." He pulled a rectangular velvet jewelry box out of his suit jacket and handed it to her.

She smiled at him and opened it up. Her eyes widened and she let out a small gasp. "Oh my God." She pulled out the small diamond solitaire necklace. "Luke, this is . . .wow, this is just . . . beautiful." She shook her head slightly. "You really didn't have to get me something like this."

"I know," he replied. "Do you like it?"

She smiled. "Are you kidding? I love it, but . . .this looks so expensive," she said, staring at it in awe. She fingered the silver chain, then gasped. "Oh my God, that's why I haven't seen Jess around lately – he's not working at the bookstore; you sold him to pay for this, didn't you?"

He smiled and took it from her. "No, I didn't have to. It was free."

She raised her eyebrows. "So, you're telling me you stole this?"

He smiled. "No. Here, lift up your hair." Lorelai obliged and Luke fastened the necklace around her neck.

She released her hair and looked at him expectantly. "So, where'd you get it?"

"Actually, it belonged to my mom," he said.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "What?"

Luke nodded. "Yup. And before my dad died, he gave it to me and told me to keep it somewhere safe, that one day I would find someone special and that I should give it to her." He shrugged. "So I just did."

Lorelai felt a chill run through her body. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away and smiled. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, kissing him deeply. "Thank you," she whispered, bringing her arms up to hug him.

"You're welcome," he said. She leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder. Luke stroked her arm as she stared up at the sky.

After a few minutes, she said, "Only a few more hours to go. You ready?"

Luke groaned. "Please, I'm not gonna think about it until five minutes before it happens." He exhaled loudly. "I can't believe we're gonna do this. You do realize that it's illegal, don't you?"

"Only if you get caught," she said with a shrug. "Otherwise, it's just fun."

"Right, real fun," he said sarcastically. "Why couldn't you think of something more. . .private to do?"

Lorelai sighed. "Come on, Luke – a bet's a bet. You agreed to the terms ahead of time, so you can't complain when the time comes for you to carry them out. I wouldn't be complaining like this if you had won," she pointed out.

Luke laughed. "Please, you would be complaining twenty-four hours a day and you know it."

She turned to him and scoffed. "I would not!" she exclaimed. "I would've complied fair and square. It's very rare that I have to actually utilize my graceful losing skills, but I do have some. Plus, your terms weren't that bad," she said. She kissed him and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "If you're nice, I might even just let you do it for fun."

Luke shook his head. "I didn't really want to do it."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

Luke shrugged. "I mean, I couldn't think of anything I wanted that could compare with the. . . extremity of your terms, so I just sorta. . .threw that suggestion out there," he said.

Lorelai gave him a sly smile. "So that whole 'tying me to the bed' fantasy. . . you didn't really want to do that?"

Luke laughed. "No! I mean, come on, could you honestly ever picture me doing something like that?"

Lorelai laughed and shook her head. "No, not at all – that's why I was so surprised that you came up with it. I thought you had some weird S&M fetish I didn't know about, or had some secret life like the guy in American Psycho."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Please, this is me we're talking about. You know I'm not into stuff like that. I just . . .couldn't think of anything," he said with a shrug.

Lorelai nodded and asked, "So you wouldn't have made me do it?"

"Nah, just knowing that you had lost would've been good enough payment for me," he said, smiling. "And then I probably would've reminded you of it everyday for a few months."

Lorelai laughed. "Such a gracious winner you would be," she said, rolling her eyes. She kissed him, then pulled back and stared at him for a second. Finally she said, "You don't have to do it."

"What?" Luke asked, confused.

"Tonight, the whole gazebo thing, you don't have to do it," Lorelai said, shaking her head. "I mean, I think it's exciting, but I don't want to make you do something that's gonna make you miserable. Just forget about it."

Luke was quiet for a moment, staring at her doubtfully. "Wait, you're serious? I really don't have to . . ." His voice trailed off.

Lorelai smiled and waved him off. "You've definitely suffered enough just worrying about it. That's enough payment for your caving in."

Luke was still uncertain of her motives. "Are you sure? Is that it, or do you want me to do something else instead?" he asked hesitantly.

"Nah, that's it, let's just forget about it," Lorelai said. "You caved first and then you put yourself through two weeks of hell worrying about the circumstances – so I think that's fair enough." She kissed him.

Luke pulled back and let out a sigh of relief. "My God, that makes me feel so much. . ." He paused and narrowed his eyes at her. "Wait – did you plan it like this?"

She looked at him curiously. "What?

"Was it your plan to pretend to be all into it and drive me crazy for two weeks and then call it off at the last minute?" he asked.

Lorelai laughed. "No, not at all, I really wanted to do it. I still wanna do it," she added with a shrug. "But you don't and I don't wanna make you." He stared at her dubiously, and she smiled. "Really, truly, I didn't plan to drive you crazy. I really wanted to do it," she insisted. "Rory and I already have a whole separate plan devised to drive you crazy, but it doesn't go into effect until you move in."

He smiled and kissed her. "Okay, good." He put his arm around her and pulled her closer, and she rested her head against his chest.

. . .

Later that night, Luke walked quietly up the steps of Lorelai's porch. He picked up the turtle and removed her spare key, then let himself into the house. He walked slowly up the steps and pushed opened Lorelai's bedroom door.

He stared at her for a moment as she slept peacefully on her side. He sat down next to her and rubbed her back. "Lorelai," he said softly. "Lorelai, wake up."

She groaned and opened her eyes slightly, then craned her neck to look back at him. "Luke?" she said groggily.

"Yeah, come on, get up," Luke whispered.

She turned her body so she was facing him with her eyes half open. "What time is it?"

He glanced at his watch. "It's almost three."

She slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes, then reached out and pinched his arm. "Ow," he said, pulling his arm back. "What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to see if this is a dream," she muttered, "because that's the only feasible way to explain why the hell you're here at three in the morning."

He pulled the covers off of her. "Come on, we're going to the gazebo."

She raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"You heard me, come on," he said, standing up.

"Luke," she said, shaking her head. "I said you don't have to go through with it."

"I know you did," Luke said. "But a bet's a bet and I lost and I'm following through on it."

"Luke, just forget about it," she said, falling back against the pillow. "I'm not making you do this. Go home."

He leaned over her and said, "Look, you said yourself tonight that you really wanted to do this, right? Okay, well, since this is probably the only time in my life that I'll ever be out of my mind enough to even consider it, this is the only chance you'll ever have to make it happen. Now, you have twenty seconds to get up before I walk out of here and never mention it again."

Lorelai stared up at him and let out a low sigh.

Luke stared at his watch. "Fifteen seconds left," he informed her.

She covered her face with her hands. "Luke, are you sure you – "

"Ten seconds," he interrupted.

Lorelai removed her hands from her face and rested them on her stomach.

"Five seconds," he said, tapping his watch. "Uh oh, time's running – "

Lorelai sat up quickly. "I'm up, I'm up!" A smile slowly formed on her lips. "Let's go."

. . .

PART 28

. . .

Lorelai glanced down at the tank top and sweat pants that she had been sleeping in. "Should I change first?" she whispered.

"No, you're just gonna take 'em off anyway," he pointed out. "Just grab some shoes." He walked over to the door and leaned against the frame with his hands shoved in his pockets.

Lorelai walked over to her closet and grabbed a pair of sneakers, then sat on the edge of the bed and pulled them on. She glanced at Luke. "You look worried," she said with a smile.

Luke shrugged and shifted his feet. "I'm fine."

She stood up and walked over to him. "You know, you don't have to do this," she reminded him.

Luke nodded. "I know. You ready?"

"Let me just use the bathroom first," she replied. "I'll meet you downstairs."

He wrinkled his nose. "Maybe you can try to get rid of that morning breath."

She laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand. "Hey, this is just my 'middle of the night' breath. My morning breath's much worse." She walked into the bathroom as Luke walked downstairs.

Lorelai walked down a few minutes later and found Luke waiting by the front door. She kissed him, then pulled back and asked, "How's that?"

He smiled. "Much better." He pulled open the door and walked out onto the porch. She followed him, quietly pulling the door closed behind her. As they walked across the front yard, Lorelai suddenly stopped walking. "Wait, wait, wait. What about blankets?"

Luke continued walking. "It's taken care of. Come on." She walked quickly to catch up to him and grabbed onto his hand. As they neared the town square, Luke said, "All right, we need to talk about a game plan."

Lorelai let out a small laugh. "A game plan?"

"Yes, a game plan," he said seriously.

"What, like, we're doing some sort of invasion and we need to have a strategy?" she asked with a laugh. "Did you draw a diagram of the gazebo with pictures of little naked people that show us where we're supposed to lie down? Ooh, do you have an itinerary all planned out of what time we should do each thing?" she asked, smiling. "Like, 3:15, remove shirt, 3:16, squeeze the right breast – stuff like that?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Will you get serious? I mean, it's loud enough when your voice echoes throughout a bedroom, but now it'll be echoing throughout the. . .entire. . .town. . .square." He enunciated the words slowly.

Lorelai laughed. "Okay. . . I . . . understand," she replied, mocking his tone. "Geez, you think I don't realize that we're outside, that I'm gonna be screaming at the top of my lungs or something? I know how to control myself."

"Yeah, but sometimes you. . ." His voice trailed off as the gazebo came into sight. "Okay, shh, let's keep it down."

Lorelai smiled. "Aw, it looks so pretty at night," she whispered. She linked her arm through his as they approached the gazebo, which was sparkling in twinkle lights. They stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked at each other. "You ready?" Lorelai asked, smiling.

Luke nodded. He took her hand and led her up the steps into the gazebo. Lorelai saw a couple of blankets on one of the benches. Luke reached for one and spread it on the ground, and Lorelai spread the other one on top of it.

Luke glanced around at the town surrounding him. When he was thoroughly satisfied that no one was around, he exhaled slowly and said, "So, uh, should we just. . ." He gestured to the blankets on the floor.

Lorelai quickly nodded and smiled. "Yeah, let's get to it." She took off her sneakers as Luke did the same. They stepped toward each other, meeting in the center of the blanket.

Luke brought his hands up to her face and guided her lips to his. Their mouths immediately opened and a light groan escaped Lorelai's throat as their tongues began gently swirling over each other. As they kissed, Luke slid his hands from her face all the way down to the small of her back, and he pulled her closer against his body. His hands slowly headed down past her waist and stopped on the firmly rounded curves just below it. Lorelai's hands were just as active as she slid them up under his t-shirt and ran them over his back.

As their lips finally separated, Lorelai glanced down at his hands, then smiled at him. "Aw, this is the first time you've ever squeezed my butt in public – should we write that down somewhere?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Lorelai?"

"What?" she replied.

He brought his lips close to hers and whispered, "Be quiet." He kissed her, and Lorelai wrapped her arms around his neck and eagerly kissed him back. She took off his cap and threw it on the ground, then ran her fingers through his hair.

They pulled apart from each other and Lorelai brought her hands to the bottom of his t-shirt. She saw Luke glance around uncomfortably. "No one's around, Luke," she assured him. She pulled the shirt up over his head and dropped it on the ground, then ran her hands over his chest and stomach. She leaned forward and kissed across his chest before she began sucking lightly on his neck.

Lorelai felt Luke's fingers on the bottom of her tank top, and she pulled back from his neck to let him pull it up over her head. A surge of excitement ran through her body and she giggled quietly. "Luke, we're standing topless in the center of town."

Luke smiled and pulled her into a hug. The feeling of his bare chest against hers immediately sent a chill of arousal through her body. As Luke pulled back from her, he ran his hands over her chest and squeezed her breasts. She closed her eyes and began breathing heavily as he circled her nipples with his thumbs. He took them between his fingers and pinched them, forcing a moan out of her lips.

Lorelai opened her eyes and said, "Hold on." She grabbed Luke's hands, and as she sat down on the blanket, she pulled him down with her. She pulled the clip out of her hair and tossed it aside, then lay flat on her back. "Okay, continue."

Luke leaned over her and placed his mouth on one of her breasts, sucking on it as his tongue ran over her nipple. He took the hardened center between his teeth and tugged on it lightly, causing her to groan loudly. "Ugh, God, that feels good," she muttered. Luke moved to the other breast and did the same thing, and again, Lorelai responded with groans of approval. As he moved back and forth between her breasts, she closed her eyes and ran her fingers through his hair.

As his mouth left her breasts, she let out a groan of disappointment as they yearned for more contact. Lorelai placed her own hands on her breasts and squeezed them, tugging at her nipples and building up her stimulation. He ran his tongue down to her stomach and encircled her navel, placing kisses over her flat midsection. As his hands moved to the waistband of her sweatpants, Lorelai opened her eyes and looked at him. He was staring back at her with uncertainty, waiting for her encouragement to continue.

She smiled and gave him a small nod. His hands slowly pulled both her sweatpants and panties down her legs, and Lorelai's heart started racing with excitement. He pulled them off and tossed them aside. Lorelai's chest was heaving up and down as her arousal intensified, and she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths to try to control it.

Luke, who was kneeling in between her legs, stared at her body with a glazed look in his eyes, as if he'd never seen it before. Lorelai watched him for several seconds, then finally whispered, "Luke." He blinked a few times and broke out of his daze, swallowing hard to control his arousal. He brought his gaze to meet hers and they smiled at each other.

Lorelai held her arms out and motioned for him to come closer. He crawled forward and leaned over her body, and she pulled him down for a kiss. As his denim-covered groin pressed against her bare skin, her entire body quivered. She ran her fingers over the curves of his shoulders and arms as they kissed.

When their lips broke apart, he sat back up on his knees and ran his hands slowly over her body. He started them at her shoulders and ran them down over her chest toward her stomach, then over her thighs and down to her ankles. He ran his hands back up her legs and they lingered on her thighs, gently rubbing and squeezing them.

Luke ran one finger along the crease of her inner thigh, and Lorelai swallowed hard at the sensation. He did the same thing on the other thigh, and this time Lorelai let out a soft moan as he came closer to touching her where she was waiting to be touched.

Luke pulled her legs wider apart, then adjusted them so her knees were bent and her feet were flat on the floor. Lorelai watched as he put his mouth on her knee and kissed his way down her leg toward her thigh. Her legs were trembling from the intense arousal as Luke approached her center, which was already wet with anticipation. As she had hoped, his lips didn't stop when they reached the end of her thigh. They continued downward and Luke ran his tongue around the outside of her slit.

Lorelai clenched her eyes shut tight as she muttered "Oh God!" in a breathless whisper. Luke continued teasing her with his tongue, avoiding her swollen lips that were more than ready to be penetrated. She jerked her pelvis, trying to make contact with his mouth, but he quickly pulled back. She squeezed her breasts tightly and groaned with frustration as she opened her eyes. "Luuuuke," she urged through her heavy breathing. He was staring at her with a sly smirk on his face, and he shrugged nonchalantly. Lorelai swallowed hard. "Luuuuke, pleeease," she begged breathlessly. "Pleeeeeease!"

Luke succumbed to her begging by leaning forward and placing his mouth between her legs. His nose brushed against her lips lightly and she moaned loudly with approval. Her sex was throbbing with anticipation. He kissed up and down her slit before he finally extended his tongue and licked it. Lorelai gasped loudly as her body shivered with pleasure. He used his tongue to separate her swollen lips and he forced it inside of her opening, where it was immediately surrounded by her juices.

"Ohhhhh God, Luuuke," Lorelai moaned, her nails digging into her breasts as she squeezed them roughly. Her lower body jerked with pleasure as he began moving his tongue inside of her. She moved her hands to his head and clutched his hair tightly between her fists. His tongue moved rapidly inside of her, swirling in her juices that were now running down his chin.

Luke slowed down the motions of his tongue and ran it up to her most sensitive spot. As his tongue grazed her clit, Lorelai's mouth dropped open and her body jerked from the intense pleasure. He ran the tip of his tongue over it, encouraged by her groans of approval. He licked it slowly, trying to deliberately build up her stimulation without letting her reach her peak.

While Luke's plan to hold her off was working, Lorelai's frustration was building. "Luke... please... harder," she panted, her lower body wiggling from the intense sensations. She pushed his head between her legs, hoping that it would encourage him to pleasure her with more pressure. Instead, he removed his tongue and pulled back from her.

"Luuuuke," she whined. She covered her face with her hands and sighed disappointedly. Luke stood up and glanced around, then undid his belt and pulled his jeans down. Lorelai removed her hands and stared up at him, his arousal apparent through his boxers. As he kicked his jeans aside, Lorelai sat up and kneeled in front of him. "Where are my manners? It's my turn to reciprocate," she said quietly. She smiled as she pulled down his boxers. "Oh, hello there, Chester."

Luke groaned as he stepped out of his boxers. "Naming it's one thing, but you will not talk to it."

Lorelai giggled and took hold of him with her hand, and Luke exhaled loudly toward the ceiling of the gazebo. As she lightly moved her hand up and down his shaft, he swallowed hard and closed his eyes. "Oh my God," he mumbled.

Luke bit his bottom lip as Lorelai leaned forward and wrapped her lips around the tip of his hardness. His mouth dropped open and a low groan of pleasure escaped his throat as her tongue swirled over him. As Lorelai began moving her lips up and down his shaft, he placed his hands on the back of her head and grabbed her hair, tugging on it lightly. "Oh God, Lorelai," he muttered, his face grimacing with pleasure. As his stimulation increased, his breathing became heavier and his grunting became more constant. When he felt himself getting too close, he tapped her on the shoulder and she quickly pulled back from him.

Lorelai lay down on the blankets and Luke kneeled between her legs and leaned over her. He kissed her passionately, darting his tongue into her mouth aggressively. Their mutual arousal was overwhelming and Luke wasted no time entering her. Lorelai's mouth dropped open with the initial entry, and a content smile slowly formed on her lips as she took him in completely.

Luke started thrusting into her forcefully, aware of the fact that it wouldn't take long for them to reach their peaks. He pushed himself deep inside of her, grunting loudly with every thrust. Lorelai responded with moans of approval as she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"Oh. . . God. . . Luke," she muttered in between her deep breaths. "I'm so close." She rocked her hips to meet his rhythmic thrusts, which Luke increased as he felt his own peak approaching. Lorelai's moans were constant and increasing with volume, and Luke tried to stifle them by kissing her.

A few seconds later, her orgasm fast approaching, Lorelai pulled away from Luke's lips and closed her eyes. "Unh. . . unh. . . unh. . ." She let out a short moan with each thrust until a more powerful one poured out of her mouth when her body began writhing in pleasure. As her muscles tightened around him, it drove him to the edge and Luke groaned against her neck as he released himself inside of her.

They were still for a moment as their chests heaved to catch their breaths, then Luke finally lifted his head up and kissed her cheek. He kissed down her chest to her stomach before bringing his mouth back up to her lips and kissing her passionately. Her eyes were still closed, and her arms were wrapped loosely around him. As he pulled back from the kiss, Lorelai finally opened her eyes.

Lorelai smiled up at him and ran her hand through his tasseled hair. She put her hands on his shoulders and pulled his face close to hers. "That was incredible," she whispered. He nodded in agreement and rolled off of her onto his back. She reached down and grabbed his hand, then shook her head slightly. "Wow." She turned to him and smiled. "You were soooo into that."

Luke shrugged and gave a sly smile.

Lorelai let out a small laugh. "I thought it was gonna be a quick 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am' sorta thing so you could get outta here as fast as possible – but ... wow." She shook her head. "It wasn't."

Luke shrugged and cleared his throat. "Yeah, well. . . if you're gonna do something illegal, you might as well go all out."

Lorelai laughed quietly. "Good point." She turned onto her side and ran a hand over his chest. "Thanks for doing it even though you didn't have to."

Luke nodded. "And don't mention this to anyone, I mean it," he said sternly. "Not even Sookie."

Lorelai grimaced and clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oops."

Luke's eyes widened and he sat up quickly. "You already told Sookie about it?"

Lorelai lay back down on the blanket and giggled. "Man, I'm so good at getting you to freak out."

Luke huffed loudly. "You know, one of these days you're gonna do something like that and I'm gonna have a heart attack, and then you'll have to live with knowing that you're the one who killed me."

Lorelai rolled her eyes as she pulled him on top of her. She kissed him deeply as her hands roamed his body. Luke broke the kiss and sat up with a yawn. "Let's go, I'm about to fall asleep." He reached for his boxers and pulled them on.

Lorelai sat up and gathered her clothes. She dressed quickly and pulled on her shoes, then sat on the bench and watched Luke finish dressing. She yawned loudly, then said, "Don't forget your hat." She pointed to it on the ground.

He walked over and picked it up, then picked up her hair clip and walked it over to her. She pulled her hair back and clipped it up, then patted the bench next to her. Luke looked at it questioningly. "What are you doing? Let's just go home."

"Sit down," she said, patting it again. "Just for a few minutes."

Luke yawned as he sat next to her. She leaned against him and he put his arm around her. As his hand rested on her arm, he felt how cold she was in her tank top. He reached down and picked up one of the blankets and pulled it over her. "Here."

She pulled her knees up to her chest and adjusted the blanket over her body. "Thanks." She closed her eyes and sighed. "Let's just sit here for a few minutes," she muttered, leaning her head on his shoulder.

Luke checked his watch. "It's almost four," he pointed out.

"Just a few minutes," she repeated, her eyes still closed. She snuggled up against him.

Luke sighed. He glanced around for a few seconds, then rested his chin on her head. "Just a few minutes," he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

. . .

Luke opened his eyes and squinted into the brightness, and it took him a second to realize where he was. He glanced around the town square and saw a few people already walking on the sidewalk. His eyes widened and he checked his watch, then tapped Lorelai repeatedly on the shoulder. "Lorelai, get up! It's after six!" Lorelai responded with an annoyed groan. He shook her shoulder and repeated, "Lorelai, it's after six, get up!"

Lorelai sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Jesus, what's the prob – " She glanced around and saw people looking at them as they walked by. She slowly turned to Luke with wide eyes. "Oh my God." She slapped his arm. "You let us fall asleep! You were supposed to stay awake!"

Luke scoffed. "Me? This is not my fault! I was the one that was ready to go two hours ago!"

Lorelai glanced around. "All right, there aren't too many people up yet. We can leave now and no one will know why we were here." She glanced down at her outfit. "Thank God I wore normal clothes to sleep and not my real pajamas."

"I should've known it would turn out like this," he muttered, glancing around. His eyes widened and he lowered his voice. "Great, Patty's standing in front of the studio. Dammit, she's the last person we need finding out about this!" He thought for a moment. "All right, if she asks, we'll tell her that we got up early this morning and went for a walk, then fell asleep on the bench."

Lorelai scoffed. "What? Everyone in this town knows I hate physical activity. They'll never believe that I got up early to walk."

"Yeah, well, make it sound believable," he replied, "because it's all we got." He glanced down at the blankets, then picked them up and shoved them behind the bench. "Pretend they're not ours."

Lorelai rolled her eyes and stood up. "Come on, let's go already." She glanced toward the dance studio, and saw Patty in the doorway looking at them. "Okay, Patty has her gossip antenna up," she said quietly. "We may need to invoke phase one of the highly implausible 'we were taking a stroll' strategy."

They walked down the gazebo steps, and Luke started walking toward the diner as Lorelai headed toward her house. When she noticed he wasn't following her, she stopped walking and turned around. "Where are you going?" she called, walking back toward him.

Luke turned around and gestured toward the diner. "To open up."

"I have to walk home by myself?" Lorelai asked, surprised.

"Uh, yeah," Luke replied, narrowing his eyes. "So?"

Lorelai frowned. "You're not even gonna walk me home?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Hey, I was ready to walk you home two hours ago before your stupid 'let's just sit for a few minutes' idea," he reminded her. "But right now, I have other things to do." Lorelai folded her arms across her chest and pouted. Luke quickly turned his head away and started walking toward the diner. "You're not getting me with that stupid pout this time," he called, waving her off. "Go home."

Lorelai smiled to herself and turned around, almost bumping into Miss Patty. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lorelai exclaimed, stepping back. "Sorry, Patty. I didn't see you there."

"Oh, that's okay, dear," she replied. She glanced past her toward Luke. "What are you two doing up so early?"

"Oh, uh, we were just, you know, taking an early morning stroll," Lorelai said, nodding. "Yup, that's right. You know, last night was my graduation and I decided that the very first thing I'd like to do on my very first complete day as a graduate was to take an early morning stroll. You know, to . . . be, uh, a little more active as I. . . make my way in the world. . .yeah. . ." Her voice trailed off and she glanced down at the ground. "Boy, those are great shoes. Are those new?"

Patty stared at her curiously. "Well, first, congratulations on your graduation."

"Thank you." Lorelai smiled.

"Second, no, I've had these for two years, but thanks for noticing," Patty said, glancing down at her shoes.

Lorelai wrinkled her nose. "Um, and the third?"

"The third is that I've known you for over a decade and you've never taken an early morning stroll ever," Patty said, shaking her head. "In fact, I believe I've heard you go on several rants about why people who take early morning strolls should be ashamed of themselves. Something about how if God wanted us to walk in the morning, he wouldn't have given us comfy beds with warm blankets. Is that right? I can't remember the exact words." She clasped her hands in front of her and gave Lorelai a suspicious smirk. "You're hiding something."

Lorelai glanced at her bare wrist and said, "Oh, look at the time. I better get home and get ready for work." She started walking quickly down the sidewalk.

. . .

An hour later, Lorelai and Rory were walking toward the diner. Lorelai reached up and felt for her necklace. "Geez, I keep worrying that I'm gonna lose it."

"I can't believe he trusts you with it," Rory said.

Lorelai scoffed. "Excuse me, I'm very responsible, thank you. I've kept you alive for this long, I think I can take care of an inanimate necklace – which, by the way, goes great with these earrings," she said, turning her head to the side. "Doesn't it?"

Rory nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it almost looks like they came together."

They reached the diner and Lorelai pulled open the door. As they stepped inside, they saw Miss Patty talking to Luke at the counter. Seeing the annoyed look on his face, Lorelai groaned. "Hon, can you go get us a table? I'll be right there," she said to Rory.

"Uh, sure, yeah," Rory replied.

Lorelai walked over to the counter. "Hey, what's going on?" she asked.

Luke nodded toward Patty. "She doesn't believe me when I say that there's nothing strange about us taking a walk."

"I know you're hiding something," Patty said.

Luke sighed. "For the last time, we're not hiding anything, okay? Jesus."

"Oh, I've done my research, and I can bring in several witnesses who spotted the two of you asleep on the gazebo bench early this morning," Patty said.

"Okay, first, it's not a trial, so I don't think witness testimony will be required," Lorelai said. "And second, what does that prove?"

Patty shrugged. "I don't know, but I'm sure some further research will piece it all together. Don't worry, you two, I'll figure it out eventually and you won't have to hide whatever it is you're hiding."

Lorelai sighed loudly. She shrugged and glanced at Luke. "Luke, we should just tell her."

Luke's eyes widened. "What? Absolutely not!"

Lorelai nodded. "She's gonna find out eventually." She turned to Patty. "You're right, we're hiding something."

Luke leaned forward on the counter. "What the hell are you doing? Do not do this, Lorelai," he said sternly.

Patty rubbed her hands together and grinned. "I knew it, what is it?"

"Well, Luke and Jess are gonna be moving in with Rory and I soon." Lorelai glanced at Luke, whose face softened as he let out the breath he had been holding.

Patty gasped and squealed excitedly. "I knew it, I knew this would happen eventually!"

Lorelai smiled and lowered her voice, "Yeah, so we got up early this morning to talk about how we're gonna bring it up with Rory, because we're not sure how she's gonna react. . .you know, to a new living situation."

Patty nodded knowingly. "Oh, I understand."

"Yeah, so it'd be great if you could just keep this info out of the gossip mill until tomorrow, okay?" Lorelai asked. "We don't want her to hear it from someone else first."

Patty nodded. "Oh, of course, dear."

Lorelai smiled. "Thanks." She turned to Luke. "Uh, two coffees and two orders of pancakes."

"Coming right up," he replied, giving her an impressed smile.

Lorelai smiled and turned to Patty. "Bye Patty." She walked over to Rory's table and sat down with a loud sigh. "Okay, here's the deal – we just told Patty about Luke and Jess moving in, and you have to pretend that you didn't know about it before today."

"Okay, got it," Rory replied. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on?"

Lorelai shrugged. "There's nothing to tell. Luke and I went for a walk this morning, and because Patty has never seen me walk in the morning before, she automatically thinks we're hiding something, so I had to tell her some gossip so she'd leave us alone."

Rory nodded. "Got it." She paused and narrowed her eyes. "You went for a walk?"

Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Yes, new subject please."

Rory glanced over at the counter. "Did you order? I'm starved."

"Yup, pancakes," Lorelai replied.

"Ooh, good," Rory replied.

. . .

When they had finished eating, Rory left for the bus stop and Lorelai walked up to the counter to pay. She handed the money to Luke, then yawned and said, "I'm not gonna make it a whole day without falling asleep."

Luke shook his head. "Me either."

"I think I'm gonna try to get out of work early," Lorelai said. "I'll probably be home after three if you wanna come over and hang out. We can watch tv or something before Rory and I go to dinner."

Luke shrugged. "Maybe. I'll see how it is around here."

Lorelai nodded. "Okay." She leaned across the counter and kissed him, then smiled through the kiss. "Bye."

"Bye," he replied.

. . .

That afternoon, Lorelai and Rory sat on the living room sofa watching tv, surrounded by bags of junk food. Lorelai shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth, then groaned at the television. "I hate when she does that."

Rory nodded. "I know, Mom, I know."

"She's so. . . .ugh. . ." Lorelai made a face and shook her head in disgust.

"Mom, he's cute, people are gonna flirt with him," Rory pointed out. "You just have to deal with it."

Lorelai pouted. "But he's my pretend boyfriend, not hers."

"I know," Rory replied sympathetically.

"She's so incredibly dense," Lorelai said. "Can she not see that she's just annoying the hell out of him? Ugh!"

Rory sighed. "Mom, would you like me to write to the show and personally ask Hildi to stop flirting with Ty?"

Lorelai nodded sadly. "Yes, thank you."

"I'll get right on it," Rory said as the doorbell rang.

"Come in!" Lorelai yelled. The front door opened and soon Luke entered the living room. Lorelai smiled up at him. "Hey."

"Hey Luke," Rory said.

"Hey," he replied. He glanced down at the junk food and made a face. "What the hell is this? It looks like a vending machine exploded."

Lorelai smiled and pushed some of the bags aside. She patted the cushion and he sat down next to her.

"Maybe we should put this stuff away," Rory suggested. "We have to leave for dinner soon." Rory gathered up the bags and carried them into the kitchen.

Lorelai picked up the remote and changed the channel. Her eyes widened and she yelled, "Ah! Rory, hurry up!"

Luke pulled his head away from her. "Jesus, that's my ear!"

Rory rushed into the living room. "What, what is it?"

Lorelai pointed to the television. "Look what's on!"

Rory looked at the tv as she sat back down on the couch. She clapped excitedly. "Oh, yesss!"

Luke looked at the screen and rolled his eyes. "What the hell is this. . .you're excited about a stupid cartoon?"

Lorelai and Rory both gasped loudly. Lorelai shook her head disappointingly. "Luke, this is not a stupid cartoon. This is a cartoon for which all other future cartoons should be measured against." She gestured dramatically to the television. "This. . . is Spongebob Squarepants."

Luke stared at her in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me," he said, rolling his eyes. He turned to Rory. "Okay, I can understand it coming from her because she's crazy – but you, too?"

Rory smiled and nodded. "She got me hooked on it, Luke. It's hilarious. Even you'll find some of it funny, I promise you."

Lorelai grabbed his chin and turned him to face her. "Luke, come on, just watch it for five minutes and if you really hate it, then we'll change it."

Luke sighed. "Five minutes."

"I guarantee that you'll like it," Lorelai said, smiling. "Even if you're too manly to openly laugh at it, you'll definitely be giggling on the inside."

He folded his arms across his chest. "I don't giggle," he replied dryly.

. . .

As the show ended, Lorelai and Rory both turned to Luke, who had a small smile on his face. Lorelai and Rory smiled at each other. "I think we've got a newly converted Spongebob fan," Lorelai said.

"I think so, too," Rory agreed.

Luke laughed and shrugged. "Okay, so you were right, some of it was funny. Stupid, but funny." He stood up and stretched his legs. "You guys want a drink?" he asked, walking toward the kitchen.

"No, thanks, I'm good," Rory replied.

Lorelai stood up and followed him. "Do you wanna come with us to dinner? My parents probably won't mind."

He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water. "Nah, I have to get back to the diner for the dinner rush."

Lorelai nodded and leaned against the counter. Luke walked over and stood in front of her. He ran a finger along her necklace chain, then fingered the diamond. "It looks good on you."

Lorelai reached up and touched it. "Thanks," she replied, smiling. She took his hand and led him out the back door. They walked along the porch toward the front of the house and sat on the bench. Luke took a sip of water, then offered the bottle to Lorelai. She took a sip and handed it back to him. "Thanks." She leaned back against the bench and stared straight ahead for a moment. "Luke, why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked, confused.

"Last night, the gazebo – why'd you do it if you didn't want to and you didn't have to?" Lorelai asked.

Luke shrugged. "Because I . . ." He exhaled slowly. "I don't know. There was this annoying little voice in my head saying that I don't ever do anything fun or exciting."

Lorelai smiled. "*My* annoying little voice?"

"It sounded remarkably similar to yours, yeah," Luke replied, smiling. "And. . . I don't know – you really wanted to do it, and I didn't think anyone would be up anyway, so, I just. . . I don't know . . .tried it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "So does that mean – "

"No," he interrupted. "It doesn't mean we can do it again."

Lorelai smiled and shrugged. "Okay, okay, sorry." She leaned against him, slipping one arm behind his back and draping the other across his stomach. "Thank you."

Luke kissed her. "You're welcome."

. . .