Luke's Diner, 4am
After several hours of uncomfortable silence interrupted periodically by increasingly less awkward attempts at conversation, the painting is done.
Lorelai is sprawled on the floor, leaning back on her hands, legs out in front of her. Luke is moving about collecting brushes and rollers and dumping them into a bucket of paint thinner.
"I thought we were never going to get done with those shelves!" Lorelai groans.
"Ha! So you admit that painting has its downside."
"No, I admit nothing of the kind."
"But you just said..."
"Luke," she begins patiently, "your shelves, if you hadn't noticed, have all these little cubby holes, making them complicated and time-consuming to paint. I was simply making an observation."
"Observation, huh? It sounded more like a complaint to me."
"Well, that's because you haven't had 27 cups of coffee, my friend."
"Huh?"
"Your aural interpretation skills are obviously impaired by the lack of caffeine."
"That makes perfect sense," he mutters.
"Of course it does."
"So, I didn't just hear you complaining about painting the shelves?"
"Right."
"So you enjoyed painting the shelves?"
"Well... sort of."
"That's what I thought."
"Well, see... the detail work isn't awful, but my true love of painting comes from those sweeping strokes with the roller."
Luke smirks, raises his eyebrows, and utters a single word.
"Dirty."
"Hey! No fair... that's mine!" She rises to her feet, blushing.
"Whatever you say," he mutters, going into the back with the bucket.
He returns to find her draining the last of the current pot of coffee into a mug.
"Jeeze! Haven't you had enough of that stuff?"
"Never!" She clutches the mug protectively to her chest.
"I was gonna take the rest of the paint in the back, but now I'm afraid to leave you alone. I'll probably come back to find you licking my coffee pot."
"Dirty!" Lorelai gasps in a breathy voice. She sticks her tongue out at Luke and then smiles. "See, it's better when I say it."
Luke shakes his head and goes back around the counter to collect the paint pans.
"I can't talk to you when you're like this."
"Like what?" she asks brightly.
"Strung out on coffee."
"Ah-ha! That's a lie." Lorelai points an accusing finger. "I'm always strung out on coffee and you've never had any problems talking to me before." She takes a sip from her mug and looks at him expectantly.
Luke straightens up, a paint pan in each hand, and rolls his eyes at her.
"Of course I have... I just hide it well."
Lorelai pouts as Luke walks past her to take the pans in the back. She is still pouting when he returns.
"What?"
"You can talk to me."
"Really?" he asks. "You sure about that?"
Lorelai is obviously uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I'm sure. We should talk. Tell you what... let's get this place ready for your breakfast rush and then we can sit, have some coffee..."
"No more coffee! I will not be responsible for..."
"Fine," Lorelai interrupts. "No more coffee. Help me with this tarp."
Luke doesn't move. He is looking at her with a suspicious glint in his eye.
"I've never seen you give up on the coffee thing so easily." His eyes narrow. "What are you up to?"
"Luke! I can't believe that you would suspect my motives. I'm wounded." She tries to keep a straight face, but can't completely hide her grin.
He sighs and holds out his hand.
"Give me the tarp."
Just under an hour later
"You know," Lorelai says as they move the last table into place, "it's probably just as well that we didn't sully this table. Taylor would be scandalized at how close this came to turning from a family diner into a den of..."
"Stop!" Luke throws up his hands. "I don't need another reason to second guess myself."
Lorelai moves over to him and takes his hands.
"No. It was good that you stopped things before they went any..." She stops when she sees the look that comes into Luke's eyes. "Stop. I'm not saying what you think I'm saying."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you were right... and you might want to mark this day on your calendar since you're not likely to ever hear me say that again." She pauses, smiles. "I would have freaked out... not because I didn't want it, but because I wouldn't have had a chance to think about the fact that I wanted it before I got it." Another pause. "Am I making sense?"
"Do you ever?"
"OK... so do you think you might kiss me now before I change my mind and decide that you're too surly to play with?"
Luke moves closer to her, arms going around her waist.
"Only if you get back onto that table." He gives her a conspiratorial grin. "I want to make sure to save it for Taylor later."
She smiles, arms coming around his neck.
"Oooh... plotting to torment Taylor. You know how to get a girl really hot!" she teases.
"Come here."
Luke's mouth stops just short of hers, and he pulls back to look into her eyes.
"I thought I'd really messed up."
She nods, returning his gaze.
"So did I... but," she continues proudly, "you will note that I did not take off running into the night."
He smiles, leans in.
"I took that as a good sign."
"So did I... kiss me."
"We aren't finished with this, you know."
"What!? Luke Danes actually wants to talk? So this is what it's like to have a Rod Serling moment." He rolls his eyes. "Alright... we aren't finished, but we are putting it on hold long enough for you to kiss me, if you can ever manage to get around to it."
He considers for a moment, then nods.
"OK."
"Are you planning to kiss me, or what?"
He kisses her, pulling her close.
"So," he murmurs against her lips, "where exactly does this leave us?"
"Well..." She pauses for another quick kiss, "I suppose we should talk, possibly during a date."
"Sounds good to me. What are you doing tonight?"
"Sleeping."
"Good idea. What about tomorrow?"
"Going on a date?"
"Seven?"
"Seven-thirty."
"Done."
"I should warn you, though..." Another kiss. "I don't fool around on the first date." An evil smile, then she continues in a small, innocent voice, batting her eyelashes as she speaks. "You'll have to be patient with me... after all, I want to be sure I don't make any mistakes."
Luke rolls his eyes.
"Here it comes."
"What?" she makes an admirable attempt at sounding innocent, but the giggling ruins the effect.
"How long?"
"I'll have to let you know... I haven't decided yet." Still giggling.
He kisses her once more then lifts her down from the table.
"Go home, get some sleep."
"Sleep? Are you kidding? I won't be able to sleep after all that coffee you let me drink. I'll be up for hours."
"But if you stay here, you'll just bug me for more coffee."
"I know! It's a dilemma."
"Let me guess... you're staying here."
"You know me too well. I thought maybe a little later, I'd call Rory so she could come down and bug you for coffee, too."
"Exactly the way I want to spend my morning when I've had no sleep."
"I thought so. See how attuned I am to your needs?"
"Go home."
"No. I can't miss Taylor, and you know he'll come in first thing. I have to be here to make sure you remember to give him the best table."
She raises her eyebrows suggestively and earns a reluctant grin from her companion.
"OK, now that I"ve made you smile, do I get some more coffee?"
"No coffee for you today. You've already had your quota for the week."
"That is so unfair!" she pouts. "And after all I've done for you. Ingrate!"
"I'm just looking after my interests."
"Huh?"
"If you get no sleep today, you'll be cranky tomorrow and the dating thing won't go so well... and who knows? You might decide you've made a mistake, and..."
"Hey!" She is about to go on, but stops.
He smirks at her but says nothing. She rolls her eyes.
"Alright, how long?"
"I'll have to let you know... I haven't decided yet."
"I'll just drink Rory's coffee."
"I can always cut her off, too."
"You wouldn't!"
"Try me."
"Well, then I can't possibly go out with you. How could I date a man who would abuse my beloved child in such a heartless manner?"
Luke rolls his eyes.
"I'm going upstairs to change now."
"Oooh... can I come?"
"Sorry. I don't change on the first date."
"You're no fun!"
"I'll work on that."
"OK, I'm going home for a shower and inferior coffee. I'll be back in half an hour." She points a finger at him. "Don't you dare let Taylor through that door until I get back, got it?"
"I'll see what I can do."
He follows her to the door to let her out. She walks through it and then turns around to face him.
"Luke?"
"Yeah."
"Thank you."
He smiles.
"You're welcome."
"Luke?"
"Yeah."
"I expect coffee when I get back here."
"I know. We'll see."
He steps back and closes the door, heading upstairs with a smile on his face.
After several hours of uncomfortable silence interrupted periodically by increasingly less awkward attempts at conversation, the painting is done.
Lorelai is sprawled on the floor, leaning back on her hands, legs out in front of her. Luke is moving about collecting brushes and rollers and dumping them into a bucket of paint thinner.
"I thought we were never going to get done with those shelves!" Lorelai groans.
"Ha! So you admit that painting has its downside."
"No, I admit nothing of the kind."
"But you just said..."
"Luke," she begins patiently, "your shelves, if you hadn't noticed, have all these little cubby holes, making them complicated and time-consuming to paint. I was simply making an observation."
"Observation, huh? It sounded more like a complaint to me."
"Well, that's because you haven't had 27 cups of coffee, my friend."
"Huh?"
"Your aural interpretation skills are obviously impaired by the lack of caffeine."
"That makes perfect sense," he mutters.
"Of course it does."
"So, I didn't just hear you complaining about painting the shelves?"
"Right."
"So you enjoyed painting the shelves?"
"Well... sort of."
"That's what I thought."
"Well, see... the detail work isn't awful, but my true love of painting comes from those sweeping strokes with the roller."
Luke smirks, raises his eyebrows, and utters a single word.
"Dirty."
"Hey! No fair... that's mine!" She rises to her feet, blushing.
"Whatever you say," he mutters, going into the back with the bucket.
He returns to find her draining the last of the current pot of coffee into a mug.
"Jeeze! Haven't you had enough of that stuff?"
"Never!" She clutches the mug protectively to her chest.
"I was gonna take the rest of the paint in the back, but now I'm afraid to leave you alone. I'll probably come back to find you licking my coffee pot."
"Dirty!" Lorelai gasps in a breathy voice. She sticks her tongue out at Luke and then smiles. "See, it's better when I say it."
Luke shakes his head and goes back around the counter to collect the paint pans.
"I can't talk to you when you're like this."
"Like what?" she asks brightly.
"Strung out on coffee."
"Ah-ha! That's a lie." Lorelai points an accusing finger. "I'm always strung out on coffee and you've never had any problems talking to me before." She takes a sip from her mug and looks at him expectantly.
Luke straightens up, a paint pan in each hand, and rolls his eyes at her.
"Of course I have... I just hide it well."
Lorelai pouts as Luke walks past her to take the pans in the back. She is still pouting when he returns.
"What?"
"You can talk to me."
"Really?" he asks. "You sure about that?"
Lorelai is obviously uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I'm sure. We should talk. Tell you what... let's get this place ready for your breakfast rush and then we can sit, have some coffee..."
"No more coffee! I will not be responsible for..."
"Fine," Lorelai interrupts. "No more coffee. Help me with this tarp."
Luke doesn't move. He is looking at her with a suspicious glint in his eye.
"I've never seen you give up on the coffee thing so easily." His eyes narrow. "What are you up to?"
"Luke! I can't believe that you would suspect my motives. I'm wounded." She tries to keep a straight face, but can't completely hide her grin.
He sighs and holds out his hand.
"Give me the tarp."
Just under an hour later
"You know," Lorelai says as they move the last table into place, "it's probably just as well that we didn't sully this table. Taylor would be scandalized at how close this came to turning from a family diner into a den of..."
"Stop!" Luke throws up his hands. "I don't need another reason to second guess myself."
Lorelai moves over to him and takes his hands.
"No. It was good that you stopped things before they went any..." She stops when she sees the look that comes into Luke's eyes. "Stop. I'm not saying what you think I'm saying."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that you were right... and you might want to mark this day on your calendar since you're not likely to ever hear me say that again." She pauses, smiles. "I would have freaked out... not because I didn't want it, but because I wouldn't have had a chance to think about the fact that I wanted it before I got it." Another pause. "Am I making sense?"
"Do you ever?"
"OK... so do you think you might kiss me now before I change my mind and decide that you're too surly to play with?"
Luke moves closer to her, arms going around her waist.
"Only if you get back onto that table." He gives her a conspiratorial grin. "I want to make sure to save it for Taylor later."
She smiles, arms coming around his neck.
"Oooh... plotting to torment Taylor. You know how to get a girl really hot!" she teases.
"Come here."
Luke's mouth stops just short of hers, and he pulls back to look into her eyes.
"I thought I'd really messed up."
She nods, returning his gaze.
"So did I... but," she continues proudly, "you will note that I did not take off running into the night."
He smiles, leans in.
"I took that as a good sign."
"So did I... kiss me."
"We aren't finished with this, you know."
"What!? Luke Danes actually wants to talk? So this is what it's like to have a Rod Serling moment." He rolls his eyes. "Alright... we aren't finished, but we are putting it on hold long enough for you to kiss me, if you can ever manage to get around to it."
He considers for a moment, then nods.
"OK."
"Are you planning to kiss me, or what?"
He kisses her, pulling her close.
"So," he murmurs against her lips, "where exactly does this leave us?"
"Well..." She pauses for another quick kiss, "I suppose we should talk, possibly during a date."
"Sounds good to me. What are you doing tonight?"
"Sleeping."
"Good idea. What about tomorrow?"
"Going on a date?"
"Seven?"
"Seven-thirty."
"Done."
"I should warn you, though..." Another kiss. "I don't fool around on the first date." An evil smile, then she continues in a small, innocent voice, batting her eyelashes as she speaks. "You'll have to be patient with me... after all, I want to be sure I don't make any mistakes."
Luke rolls his eyes.
"Here it comes."
"What?" she makes an admirable attempt at sounding innocent, but the giggling ruins the effect.
"How long?"
"I'll have to let you know... I haven't decided yet." Still giggling.
He kisses her once more then lifts her down from the table.
"Go home, get some sleep."
"Sleep? Are you kidding? I won't be able to sleep after all that coffee you let me drink. I'll be up for hours."
"But if you stay here, you'll just bug me for more coffee."
"I know! It's a dilemma."
"Let me guess... you're staying here."
"You know me too well. I thought maybe a little later, I'd call Rory so she could come down and bug you for coffee, too."
"Exactly the way I want to spend my morning when I've had no sleep."
"I thought so. See how attuned I am to your needs?"
"Go home."
"No. I can't miss Taylor, and you know he'll come in first thing. I have to be here to make sure you remember to give him the best table."
She raises her eyebrows suggestively and earns a reluctant grin from her companion.
"OK, now that I"ve made you smile, do I get some more coffee?"
"No coffee for you today. You've already had your quota for the week."
"That is so unfair!" she pouts. "And after all I've done for you. Ingrate!"
"I'm just looking after my interests."
"Huh?"
"If you get no sleep today, you'll be cranky tomorrow and the dating thing won't go so well... and who knows? You might decide you've made a mistake, and..."
"Hey!" She is about to go on, but stops.
He smirks at her but says nothing. She rolls her eyes.
"Alright, how long?"
"I'll have to let you know... I haven't decided yet."
"I'll just drink Rory's coffee."
"I can always cut her off, too."
"You wouldn't!"
"Try me."
"Well, then I can't possibly go out with you. How could I date a man who would abuse my beloved child in such a heartless manner?"
Luke rolls his eyes.
"I'm going upstairs to change now."
"Oooh... can I come?"
"Sorry. I don't change on the first date."
"You're no fun!"
"I'll work on that."
"OK, I'm going home for a shower and inferior coffee. I'll be back in half an hour." She points a finger at him. "Don't you dare let Taylor through that door until I get back, got it?"
"I'll see what I can do."
He follows her to the door to let her out. She walks through it and then turns around to face him.
"Luke?"
"Yeah."
"Thank you."
He smiles.
"You're welcome."
"Luke?"
"Yeah."
"I expect coffee when I get back here."
"I know. We'll see."
He steps back and closes the door, heading upstairs with a smile on his face.