---
Jess looked up when he heard the door opening. He usually never cared who came and went in the diner- after all, he was just an employee- but Luke had asked him to keep an eye on things while he was working upstairs. Not that he usually cared what Luke asked him to do. So maybe it was his conscious that made him look up, or perhaps fate, or even a stiff neck from reading behind the counter for too long, but for whatever reason, Jess looked up when he heard the door opening. And boy was he glad he did.
Kirk held the door for Lorelai. Had she not been so preoccupied with the inevitable (ie: Luke) she would have noticed Kirk's chivalry, perhaps even smiled at him. But no, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore was too preoccupied with Luke's reaction.
"Oh, I'm going to get that table!" Kirk said, pointing to the corner table as he darted past the townsfolk who had just vacated it. "Lorelai, over here!" Kirk called loudly, and waved his arms.
Lorelai put her head down and opened a menu to hide behind. Jess smirked and walked over to wipe down the table.
"Lorelai...Kirk..." he greeted them. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Luke?" he asked, directing his question at Lorelai.
"Oh, I'd like an iced tea please," Kirk said, oblivious to Jess's comment. "Would you like anything Lorelai?"
"Uh, yeah. Coffee. Lots. Thanks." Lorelai said through gritted teeth, and closed the menu, putting it down between herself and Kirk. "So, Kirk..."
"Lorelai." Kirk sighed. "This is great, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah. It is." Lorelai replied, looking around the diner casually. Luke wasn't in sight. "So, tell me about yourself."
While Kirk was telling Lorelai about his family history (he really did have twelve brothers and sisters, although he was the only one who still lived at home), the coffee arrived. Lorelai drained the entire cup in one fell swoop, and demanded another.
"Hey, kid!" Lorelai called to Jess, cutting off Kirk as he was describing his childhood dreams, "do you think we could order any time soon?"
"Hold your horses!" he called back, and returned to his book. Lorelai sighed, and was so busy staring at a spot above Kirk's head that she didn't notice Luke standing by their table.
"So, what can I get you two?" Luke asked, grinning toothily down on them.
Lorelai jumped, and noticed Luke's eyes were twinkling. "Uh, I'll have a cheeseburger with fries and extra gravy."
"Right-o..."Luke said, writing down her order as slowly as he could. This was just too good to be true. "Kirk? What can I get ya, buddy?"
"I'll have a ham on rye. No cheese."
"Of course. And would you like that in squares or triangles?" Luke smirked at Lorelai, who scowled back.
"Could you do half and half today?"
"Anything for the Romeo of the day!" Luke proclaimed, and chuckled, looking back and forth at Lorelai and Kirk. "Okay, I'll just be going then..." Luke turned around and barely made it to the back before he burst out laughing. Lorelai glared in his direction, but Kirk was too devoted to Lorelai to notice.
"Lorelai, I was wondering..."Kirk started, "I mean, I know it's too early to tell, but..." he cleared his throat loudly, "if, umm...you would go out with me again. Sometime in the future. Not this week, because you probably have plans, but maybe-"
"We'll see," she said briskly. "So, why don't you finish telling me about your...uh...dreams."
"Oh, great! When I turned six..." Kirk prattled on and on and on. He didn't just talk about his childhood dreams either. He progressed from five to twelve, and then began his teenage dreams, his teenage life, his teenage relationships (of which there weren't many). By the time the food arrived (carried by Jess, noted Lorelai) Kirk had told her about his school hood problems, as well as his aspirations to be a dentist.
"So, Lorelai," Kirk said later that evening, "I don't know much about you."
"Oh," Lorelai said, shrugging. "There isn't much. I moved here when I was sixteen, I work at the Inn, I have a daughter named Rory...that's about it."
"Oh, there must be more!" Kirk said as he cut up the remains of his sandwich into bite-size pieces. "What about your family? Your Mother and Father live in Hartford, don't they?"
Lorelai smiled tightly at Kirk, "Yes."
"Do you see them often?"
"Every Friday," Lorelai said, scowling into her burger. She hadn't bargained for this.
"Yes, your Mother said something about Friday Dinners..."
"Oh, did she?" asked Lorelai, slightly uneasy.
"Yes, she did," Kirk said, remembering the conversation. "She said I was welcome to come to dinner...not this Friday, because they would be in Martha's Vineyard, but next Friday. Then I told her that I couldn't, because I have to take my Mother to bingo on Friday nights, and then she told me that she would arrange something that would suit-"
"She did, huh?" asked Lorelai, slamming down her fork. "Could you excuse me, just a minute?" Without waiting for an answer, Lorelai got up, stormed behind the counter, and practically ran up the stairs into Luke's apartment.
---
Jess looked up when he heard the door opening. He usually never cared who came and went in the diner- after all, he was just an employee- but Luke had asked him to keep an eye on things while he was working upstairs. Not that he usually cared what Luke asked him to do. So maybe it was his conscious that made him look up, or perhaps fate, or even a stiff neck from reading behind the counter for too long, but for whatever reason, Jess looked up when he heard the door opening. And boy was he glad he did.
Kirk held the door for Lorelai. Had she not been so preoccupied with the inevitable (ie: Luke) she would have noticed Kirk's chivalry, perhaps even smiled at him. But no, Lorelai Victoria Gilmore was too preoccupied with Luke's reaction.
"Oh, I'm going to get that table!" Kirk said, pointing to the corner table as he darted past the townsfolk who had just vacated it. "Lorelai, over here!" Kirk called loudly, and waved his arms.
Lorelai put her head down and opened a menu to hide behind. Jess smirked and walked over to wipe down the table.
"Lorelai...Kirk..." he greeted them. "Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee? Luke?" he asked, directing his question at Lorelai.
"Oh, I'd like an iced tea please," Kirk said, oblivious to Jess's comment. "Would you like anything Lorelai?"
"Uh, yeah. Coffee. Lots. Thanks." Lorelai said through gritted teeth, and closed the menu, putting it down between herself and Kirk. "So, Kirk..."
"Lorelai." Kirk sighed. "This is great, isn't it?"
"Uh, yeah. It is." Lorelai replied, looking around the diner casually. Luke wasn't in sight. "So, tell me about yourself."
While Kirk was telling Lorelai about his family history (he really did have twelve brothers and sisters, although he was the only one who still lived at home), the coffee arrived. Lorelai drained the entire cup in one fell swoop, and demanded another.
"Hey, kid!" Lorelai called to Jess, cutting off Kirk as he was describing his childhood dreams, "do you think we could order any time soon?"
"Hold your horses!" he called back, and returned to his book. Lorelai sighed, and was so busy staring at a spot above Kirk's head that she didn't notice Luke standing by their table.
"So, what can I get you two?" Luke asked, grinning toothily down on them.
Lorelai jumped, and noticed Luke's eyes were twinkling. "Uh, I'll have a cheeseburger with fries and extra gravy."
"Right-o..."Luke said, writing down her order as slowly as he could. This was just too good to be true. "Kirk? What can I get ya, buddy?"
"I'll have a ham on rye. No cheese."
"Of course. And would you like that in squares or triangles?" Luke smirked at Lorelai, who scowled back.
"Could you do half and half today?"
"Anything for the Romeo of the day!" Luke proclaimed, and chuckled, looking back and forth at Lorelai and Kirk. "Okay, I'll just be going then..." Luke turned around and barely made it to the back before he burst out laughing. Lorelai glared in his direction, but Kirk was too devoted to Lorelai to notice.
"Lorelai, I was wondering..."Kirk started, "I mean, I know it's too early to tell, but..." he cleared his throat loudly, "if, umm...you would go out with me again. Sometime in the future. Not this week, because you probably have plans, but maybe-"
"We'll see," she said briskly. "So, why don't you finish telling me about your...uh...dreams."
"Oh, great! When I turned six..." Kirk prattled on and on and on. He didn't just talk about his childhood dreams either. He progressed from five to twelve, and then began his teenage dreams, his teenage life, his teenage relationships (of which there weren't many). By the time the food arrived (carried by Jess, noted Lorelai) Kirk had told her about his school hood problems, as well as his aspirations to be a dentist.
"So, Lorelai," Kirk said later that evening, "I don't know much about you."
"Oh," Lorelai said, shrugging. "There isn't much. I moved here when I was sixteen, I work at the Inn, I have a daughter named Rory...that's about it."
"Oh, there must be more!" Kirk said as he cut up the remains of his sandwich into bite-size pieces. "What about your family? Your Mother and Father live in Hartford, don't they?"
Lorelai smiled tightly at Kirk, "Yes."
"Do you see them often?"
"Every Friday," Lorelai said, scowling into her burger. She hadn't bargained for this.
"Yes, your Mother said something about Friday Dinners..."
"Oh, did she?" asked Lorelai, slightly uneasy.
"Yes, she did," Kirk said, remembering the conversation. "She said I was welcome to come to dinner...not this Friday, because they would be in Martha's Vineyard, but next Friday. Then I told her that I couldn't, because I have to take my Mother to bingo on Friday nights, and then she told me that she would arrange something that would suit-"
"She did, huh?" asked Lorelai, slamming down her fork. "Could you excuse me, just a minute?" Without waiting for an answer, Lorelai got up, stormed behind the counter, and practically ran up the stairs into Luke's apartment.
---
