Just Pretending... Right?
by Sarah Dawson
Chapter Five: It Wasn't Supposed To Mean Anything!
Spoilers: Nope, pretty sure.
Pairing: L/L
Disclaimers: Once again, not mine. It's not gonna change, sorry to disappoint ya!
A/N: Okay, just a note; I usually hate it when authors just put the same author's note in each chapter, but technically it doesn't matter because really I've already posted this chapter and I'm just editing. So ha! And this is useful information!
Just to catch you up, this takes place in some make-believe season where Luke, Lorelai and Rory aren't dating anyone and well, since they're practically the only people in the story, that's all you need to know. Yeah, and the whole story's just undergone a huge change, so if you're a bit confused as to why everything's different... there ya go. Actually, for a clearer explanation, see next chapter. ~sarah~
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"Luke?" Lorelai called as she walked into the diner that morning. Taking a quick look around, she snuck behind the counter grabbed the coffeepot and a mug. "Ha!" she exclaimed loudly at her victory, then shushed herself.
"Lorelai, step away from the coffeepot!" Luke called from the kitchen. "Don't you remember what I told you?" He said accusingly.
"Um, no?" She tried, hurriedly pouring herself a cup.
Luke appeared at the counter and glared at her. "Customers do not go behind the counter." He ordered, crossing his arms.
"But I'm not an ordinary customer!" Lorelai protested, trying to sneak away with her coffee.
"No, you're the crazy woman who steals from the diner, so put the coffee down!" He frowned and grabbed the pot and mug away from her.
Lorelai pouted. "Can I have a cup if I sit at the counter like a good little girl?" she asked sweetly.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine. Sit down." he instructed, turning to put the coffee pot up.
She stuck her tongue out him and plopped herself on a stool. "Meanie."
"Junkie." He grumbled as he placed her coffee on the counter before turning back to delivering to the other tables.
As she nursed her coffee, she watched Luke thoughtfully. "Rory's a very smart kid," she said aloud to herself. "Hardly ever wrong, too."
"What was that?" Luke asked, coming behind the counter to refill her coffee.
Lorelai glanced away from him quickly. "Nothing. As nothing as... absolutely nothing. It was nothing." she lied, wincing at her attempt to brush it off.
He looked at her suspiciously. "Okay." he said as he walked off with a weird look in her direction.
'So what if Rory's right? What if I do have the hots for Luke?' she thought a bit worriedly. 'Wait. Is that so bad? Or good--No! It's Luke! Ugh!' She slapped her forehead.
"Hey Luke?" she called as he rushed by to kitchen.
"Yeah?" he yelled from the back.
She took a deep breath, not sure what she was going to say. "Do you need any help?" she sighed finally.
Luke walked behind the counter and wiped his hands on a rag. "That'd be great." he answered sincerely. He thrust two orders into her hands and motioned to a table in the corner. "Just don't confuse the customers, okay?" he instructed, only half-joking.
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After the diner emptied out, Lorelai groaned and half-collapsed on the counter. "That was a thousand times more exercise than I get in a week. I deserve at least a pot of free coffee!"
Luke rolled his eyes and flipped the coffee pot on. "I'll give you a cup, but I'm not going to help you kill yourself."
"Ugh. Same old, same old." She muttered, eyelids drooping.
Luke set a mug on the counter and filled it to the top. Lorelai sprang awake. "Ooh, coffee!" she cried happily.
Shaking his head, Luke went over to the last two customers in the diner and took their money before they left, then walked back to the counter.
There was an awkward silence, neither one wanting to bring up the previous night.
"Um, Luke, Mindy called my mother who called me and they wanted me--us--to come to this, uh, tennis match at the club, and they kind of suckered me into it, and made me promise to bring you too." Lorelai blurted out, and then tried not to look surprised at herself. No, they hadn't! What was she talking about??
Luke looked wary. "Like last night?" he prompted.
Lorelai frowned slightly. "Uh, yeah?" she answered, confused.
He gave a sigh. "I guess." he replied gruffly. "If we have to."
"Hmm, right. 'Cause we have to." She trailed off. Okay, well it's this afternoon at, um- um. Well, here I'll call you with the time, okay? Bye!" she rushed out of the diner, dying to talk to Rory.
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"RORY! Rory, are you up, because I did a really REALLY stupid--well, maybe stupid--thing and I have to have your help!" She shouted as she ran into the house, panting heavily.
"Rory, you better come out here! I actually ran from Luke's just so I could talk to you!" she called, throwing her purse down on the table.
Rory walked sleepily out of her room, rubbing her eyes. "Mom. Voice. Loud. Stop. Please." she murmered, curling up at the kitchen table.
"Oh my God, I did this really, really stupid thing and I need your help. You have to call Grandma and find a way to make her make me go to a tennis game this afternoon and bring Luke!" She explained, searching for the phone everywhere.
"What?" Rory asked in confusion, still not fully awake. "In case you do not recall, first you woke me up at 6:00, and then you came in here yelling at 9:30, right when I was fully back asleep. I deserve an explanation before you make me talk to Grandma!"
Lorelai sighed and sat down heavily in the chair next to her. "I don't know exactly what I did, but the diner was really busy, so I came in and I helped Luke for a few hours, and then there was really awkward pause, and I was thinking about what you said, and somehow I sort-of asked Luke out! But not really, because I confirmed that it would be just like last night, when we were just pretending." she mumbled, avoiding Rory's eyes.
"Ah-ha! So you do have the hots for Luke!" Rory exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her mother.
"No! It's not that! I think he drugged my coffee! Besides, he's my friend, and I invited him to a tennis match this afternoon on the pretense that my mother made me do it, and so now we have to find out if there actually IS a tennis match this afternoon!" Lorelai defended herself.
Rory laughed. "My mommy's in love with Luke!" She said in a sing-song voice.
"No, I'm not! But I am his friend, and I enjoy spending time with him, therefore my invitation was merely so I could enjoy our friendly-spent time together!" Lorelai announced, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"So why do I have to call Grandma?" Rory asked suspiciously.
"Hello, she hates me, and if I tell her flat-out that I need her help because I want to spend time with Luke, she'll go all... Emily on me!" Lorelai retorted.
Rory sighed dramatically. "The things I do for you!" she said with a shake of her head.
Lorelai dialed the number and handed her the phone. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she mouthed silently.
Rory waved her off. "Oh, hi Grandma, it's Rory."
"Rory? Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, Grandma, I was just calling to ask... how last night went. Mom's still asleep." Lorelai winced and Rory shot her a desparate look.
"Oh, well, it went fine. Are you fond of the ice-man?" Emily asked suspiciously.
"Um. Yeah, I am."
Emily's voice softened. "That's good. They seemed happy."
"Oh. Well, that's, that's good. Really good." Rory replied lamely. Lorelai looked anxious and motioned for her to wrap it up.
"Yes, it is. Now was there something you wanted, dear?"
"Oh! Yes! Well, I have this project for school. And, um... It's on tennis...?" She trailed off, at a loss for words. Lorelai nodded energetically.
"Oh, really? Did you know there's a tennis team at the club?"
Rory gave her mom a thumbs-up. "Oh, really? Are they playing anytime soon?"
"Actually, yes. What a coincidence. There's a game this afternoon at three, if you'd like to come."
"Oh, that'd be great! Uh... should Mom come?"
"Well, you'll probably need a ride there, so yes."
"Oh, okay then. Umm..." Rory couldn't think of a way to bring Luke up, so she paused.
"Tell your mother to bring that boyfriend of hers. I didn't get to talk to him that much last night."
Lorelai and Rory high-fived. "Oh, okay! So, three, at the club?"
"Yes. Don't be late." Emily instructed.
"Alright, bye Grandma."
"Bye Rory."
Rory hung up the phone and turned to her mother. "Mission complete. There's a game at three this afternoon. Now, I had to tell her I needed to learn about tennis, so I'll bring Lane and we'll leave you and Luke alone." She smirked.
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. That is totally not necessary. However..." she suggested hopefully.
"Yes, Mom, I will bring Lane, distract Grandma, and leave you alone with the diner man. Happy?" Rory said, raising her eyebrows.
Lorelai frowned. "Huh. I guess so."
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TBC... Huh. That was like a mini-chapter. Oh, well. I wanted to separate it completely from the tennis match. Anyways, next on Just Pretending Right? includes all of the following:
-Britney Spears and Mandy Moore duke it out at the Hartford tennis match.
-Lorelai's dad Richard gets drunk and knocks Luke out.
-Rory has a crazy desire to become just like Mindy and starts secretly stalking her.
-Kirk follows Lorelai and Luke to the tennis match and professes his undying love for... Luke!
Yeah, right. Anyways, stay tuned! sarah
by Sarah Dawson
Chapter Five: It Wasn't Supposed To Mean Anything!
Spoilers: Nope, pretty sure.
Pairing: L/L
Disclaimers: Once again, not mine. It's not gonna change, sorry to disappoint ya!
A/N: Okay, just a note; I usually hate it when authors just put the same author's note in each chapter, but technically it doesn't matter because really I've already posted this chapter and I'm just editing. So ha! And this is useful information!
Just to catch you up, this takes place in some make-believe season where Luke, Lorelai and Rory aren't dating anyone and well, since they're practically the only people in the story, that's all you need to know. Yeah, and the whole story's just undergone a huge change, so if you're a bit confused as to why everything's different... there ya go. Actually, for a clearer explanation, see next chapter. ~sarah~
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Luke?" Lorelai called as she walked into the diner that morning. Taking a quick look around, she snuck behind the counter grabbed the coffeepot and a mug. "Ha!" she exclaimed loudly at her victory, then shushed herself.
"Lorelai, step away from the coffeepot!" Luke called from the kitchen. "Don't you remember what I told you?" He said accusingly.
"Um, no?" She tried, hurriedly pouring herself a cup.
Luke appeared at the counter and glared at her. "Customers do not go behind the counter." He ordered, crossing his arms.
"But I'm not an ordinary customer!" Lorelai protested, trying to sneak away with her coffee.
"No, you're the crazy woman who steals from the diner, so put the coffee down!" He frowned and grabbed the pot and mug away from her.
Lorelai pouted. "Can I have a cup if I sit at the counter like a good little girl?" she asked sweetly.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Fine. Sit down." he instructed, turning to put the coffee pot up.
She stuck her tongue out him and plopped herself on a stool. "Meanie."
"Junkie." He grumbled as he placed her coffee on the counter before turning back to delivering to the other tables.
As she nursed her coffee, she watched Luke thoughtfully. "Rory's a very smart kid," she said aloud to herself. "Hardly ever wrong, too."
"What was that?" Luke asked, coming behind the counter to refill her coffee.
Lorelai glanced away from him quickly. "Nothing. As nothing as... absolutely nothing. It was nothing." she lied, wincing at her attempt to brush it off.
He looked at her suspiciously. "Okay." he said as he walked off with a weird look in her direction.
'So what if Rory's right? What if I do have the hots for Luke?' she thought a bit worriedly. 'Wait. Is that so bad? Or good--No! It's Luke! Ugh!' She slapped her forehead.
"Hey Luke?" she called as he rushed by to kitchen.
"Yeah?" he yelled from the back.
She took a deep breath, not sure what she was going to say. "Do you need any help?" she sighed finally.
Luke walked behind the counter and wiped his hands on a rag. "That'd be great." he answered sincerely. He thrust two orders into her hands and motioned to a table in the corner. "Just don't confuse the customers, okay?" he instructed, only half-joking.
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After the diner emptied out, Lorelai groaned and half-collapsed on the counter. "That was a thousand times more exercise than I get in a week. I deserve at least a pot of free coffee!"
Luke rolled his eyes and flipped the coffee pot on. "I'll give you a cup, but I'm not going to help you kill yourself."
"Ugh. Same old, same old." She muttered, eyelids drooping.
Luke set a mug on the counter and filled it to the top. Lorelai sprang awake. "Ooh, coffee!" she cried happily.
Shaking his head, Luke went over to the last two customers in the diner and took their money before they left, then walked back to the counter.
There was an awkward silence, neither one wanting to bring up the previous night.
"Um, Luke, Mindy called my mother who called me and they wanted me--us--to come to this, uh, tennis match at the club, and they kind of suckered me into it, and made me promise to bring you too." Lorelai blurted out, and then tried not to look surprised at herself. No, they hadn't! What was she talking about??
Luke looked wary. "Like last night?" he prompted.
Lorelai frowned slightly. "Uh, yeah?" she answered, confused.
He gave a sigh. "I guess." he replied gruffly. "If we have to."
"Hmm, right. 'Cause we have to." She trailed off. Okay, well it's this afternoon at, um- um. Well, here I'll call you with the time, okay? Bye!" she rushed out of the diner, dying to talk to Rory.
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"RORY! Rory, are you up, because I did a really REALLY stupid--well, maybe stupid--thing and I have to have your help!" She shouted as she ran into the house, panting heavily.
"Rory, you better come out here! I actually ran from Luke's just so I could talk to you!" she called, throwing her purse down on the table.
Rory walked sleepily out of her room, rubbing her eyes. "Mom. Voice. Loud. Stop. Please." she murmered, curling up at the kitchen table.
"Oh my God, I did this really, really stupid thing and I need your help. You have to call Grandma and find a way to make her make me go to a tennis game this afternoon and bring Luke!" She explained, searching for the phone everywhere.
"What?" Rory asked in confusion, still not fully awake. "In case you do not recall, first you woke me up at 6:00, and then you came in here yelling at 9:30, right when I was fully back asleep. I deserve an explanation before you make me talk to Grandma!"
Lorelai sighed and sat down heavily in the chair next to her. "I don't know exactly what I did, but the diner was really busy, so I came in and I helped Luke for a few hours, and then there was really awkward pause, and I was thinking about what you said, and somehow I sort-of asked Luke out! But not really, because I confirmed that it would be just like last night, when we were just pretending." she mumbled, avoiding Rory's eyes.
"Ah-ha! So you do have the hots for Luke!" Rory exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at her mother.
"No! It's not that! I think he drugged my coffee! Besides, he's my friend, and I invited him to a tennis match this afternoon on the pretense that my mother made me do it, and so now we have to find out if there actually IS a tennis match this afternoon!" Lorelai defended herself.
Rory laughed. "My mommy's in love with Luke!" She said in a sing-song voice.
"No, I'm not! But I am his friend, and I enjoy spending time with him, therefore my invitation was merely so I could enjoy our friendly-spent time together!" Lorelai announced, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"So why do I have to call Grandma?" Rory asked suspiciously.
"Hello, she hates me, and if I tell her flat-out that I need her help because I want to spend time with Luke, she'll go all... Emily on me!" Lorelai retorted.
Rory sighed dramatically. "The things I do for you!" she said with a shake of her head.
Lorelai dialed the number and handed her the phone. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she mouthed silently.
Rory waved her off. "Oh, hi Grandma, it's Rory."
"Rory? Is something wrong?"
"Oh, no, Grandma, I was just calling to ask... how last night went. Mom's still asleep." Lorelai winced and Rory shot her a desparate look.
"Oh, well, it went fine. Are you fond of the ice-man?" Emily asked suspiciously.
"Um. Yeah, I am."
Emily's voice softened. "That's good. They seemed happy."
"Oh. Well, that's, that's good. Really good." Rory replied lamely. Lorelai looked anxious and motioned for her to wrap it up.
"Yes, it is. Now was there something you wanted, dear?"
"Oh! Yes! Well, I have this project for school. And, um... It's on tennis...?" She trailed off, at a loss for words. Lorelai nodded energetically.
"Oh, really? Did you know there's a tennis team at the club?"
Rory gave her mom a thumbs-up. "Oh, really? Are they playing anytime soon?"
"Actually, yes. What a coincidence. There's a game this afternoon at three, if you'd like to come."
"Oh, that'd be great! Uh... should Mom come?"
"Well, you'll probably need a ride there, so yes."
"Oh, okay then. Umm..." Rory couldn't think of a way to bring Luke up, so she paused.
"Tell your mother to bring that boyfriend of hers. I didn't get to talk to him that much last night."
Lorelai and Rory high-fived. "Oh, okay! So, three, at the club?"
"Yes. Don't be late." Emily instructed.
"Alright, bye Grandma."
"Bye Rory."
Rory hung up the phone and turned to her mother. "Mission complete. There's a game at three this afternoon. Now, I had to tell her I needed to learn about tennis, so I'll bring Lane and we'll leave you and Luke alone." She smirked.
Lorelai rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. That is totally not necessary. However..." she suggested hopefully.
"Yes, Mom, I will bring Lane, distract Grandma, and leave you alone with the diner man. Happy?" Rory said, raising her eyebrows.
Lorelai frowned. "Huh. I guess so."
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TBC... Huh. That was like a mini-chapter. Oh, well. I wanted to separate it completely from the tennis match. Anyways, next on Just Pretending Right? includes all of the following:
-Britney Spears and Mandy Moore duke it out at the Hartford tennis match.
-Lorelai's dad Richard gets drunk and knocks Luke out.
-Rory has a crazy desire to become just like Mindy and starts secretly stalking her.
-Kirk follows Lorelai and Luke to the tennis match and professes his undying love for... Luke!
Yeah, right. Anyways, stay tuned! sarah