Lorelai stood outside the diner, glancing through the window at Luke who
seemed to be doing inventory behind the counter. The lights were dim, and
the chairs were all piled on top of the tables. The floors had been swept
clean and mopped, and she was contemplating going in. Finally, she nodded
her head as though she had just won an argument with herself, and opened
the door, the bell clanging above her.
Luke glanced up at her and smiled, setting aside the paperwork. "Hey. . ."
Lorelai grinned. "Um, there's a strange boy at my house right now, and I need coffee."
"This strange boy. . . is he there to see you or Rory?"
"Rory. He's the boy that has been tormenting her to no end. But he's very cute!"
Luke grunted. "So the pedophile in you shines through."
"Hey, I didn't say I wanted to jump him or anything, I just said he was cute --- cute. Not even hot. Just cute." Lorelai laughed. "Rory is so oblivious to her feelings for him. She's obviously in deep for this guy. Now, she won't admit it to me, but I can see it in her eyes, and she talks about him all the time."
"Maybe you shouldn't make assumptions when it deals with a person's love life. You could get yourself into a lot of trouble," Luke said, wagging his finger. He took a pot from the shelf underneath the counter and started brewing a fresh pot. "You're only getting one cup."
Lorelai shook her head. "Nuh uh. And you know why? Because you looove me--- ," Luke's head shot up at this. "---and you said earlier you would give me all the coffee I could ever dream of because you looove me!"
His face seemed to flush. "Uh, what? I never agreed to those terms."
Lorelai giggled. "Relax, I'm only joking. You have Nicole, and I have. . . well, myself."
"You have yourself? What happened to Alex?"
"Alex? Hmmmm. . . well he just wasn't my type, you know. He was moving to fast, too soon. He wanted to move in with me! I was shocked, I was appalled, I couldn't believe it, I was floored-,"
"I get it," Luke cut in gruffly. "He was moving to fast, so you ended it."
Lorelai nodded her head affirmatively. "Yes."
Luke shrugged. "It doesn't seem too fast to me. You were seeing him for what, six months?"
"Well, that is the difference between you and me. You like to move faster, and I don't."
"I think you're scared."
Lorelai laughed, but it seemed forced. She sniffed. "Scared? Lorelai Gilmore doesn't do scared."
"You sound like a biker. And I think you're lying."
"Well that's your opinion! I'm not scared, Luke. Who do you think you are, judging me? You don't know anything about that side of my personal life. No matter how good of a friend you are to me, you have no right to tell me I'm lying when I tell you that he was just moving too fast for me. I was uncomfortable --- not scared, but uncomfortable. I knew I didn't want to marry him, so what would be the point in letting him move in with me? It wasn't going anywhere." Lorelai's eyes welled up, but she swallowed deeply, trying to force away the lump in her throat.
"Hey," Luke said, reaching his hand out, and setting his lightly on top of hers. "I'm sorry. You're right; I had no reason to say that. You're personal life is your business, and not mine. I just want you to be happy."
"Well I am. I'm happy to be free, I'm happy that I'm not lying to myself anymore. I'm just.happy." Lorelai sighed, looking down at his hand that was still on top of hers. She squeezed it, assuring him that she wasn't mad.
Luke uncomfortably brought his hand away, and poured her a cup of coffee. An awkward silence followed as Lorelai spun around on her stool, taking small sips from her mug, off in her own world. 'Why did I get so worked up? He was just trying to be honest with me, and I bit his head off. Man Lorelai, get a grip. . .' "So, uh, how is Nicole anyway?"
"Oh, good, good." Luke's gaze shifted from hers, and he grabbed a rag and started to wipe it down.
"Luke, the counter is already spotless," Lorelai commented, taking the rag gently out of his hand. "And you're doing that shifty eye thing that Rory does when she isn't being completely honest. What's up?"
Luke stared at her momentarily before taking the cloth back and resuming his cleaning. "Nothing," he shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding her eyes. "I just. . .I've been thinking a lot lately about Nicole and how things have been going between us, and. . ."
". . . and?" Lorelai prompted.
Luke hesitated. "I think I am going to ask her to marry me."
"Oh!" Lorelai exclaimed, choking on her coffee.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked, moving around the counter to help her.
Lorelai backed away, setting her cup of coffee on the counter and grabbing her coat. She pulled it on over her body and started walking backwards towards the door. "Wow, and I thought Alex was moving quickly!"
Luke groaned. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "You didn't want to tell me? Luke, I'm your close friend."
"I know you would say something about me moving too fast, and I would feel bad about it, and start doubting my decision. Well, no. I'm asking her to marry me. I mean, why not? I love her, and there has been no other woman in my life besides her for quite some time. I think we'll happy together."
"I think so too, but getting married, Luke? That is such a big step. . . You haven't even been living together. Do you think you can just adjust to that? It's a big step, and what about Jess? Where will you live? That apartment can't hold three people without anyone going insane!"
"Jess is leaving. He's going back to live with his mother in New York." Luke sighed, running his hand through his hair. 'This is not how this was supposed to go.' He thought to himself.
".Oh," was her reply. "Well listen Luke; this has been a great chat. I think I'd better get back to Rory and make sure she isn't tiring her huge brain out with all that studying. Listen, have a good night, and have a nice life with Nicole."
Lorelai left the diner, and he watched her walk quickly down the sidewalk in the direction of her home. He ran his hand over his face, rubbing his tired eyes, and then slammed his fist on the counter. 'I'm making the right decision. I love Nicole. I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. . . . Don't I?'
Luke glanced up at her and smiled, setting aside the paperwork. "Hey. . ."
Lorelai grinned. "Um, there's a strange boy at my house right now, and I need coffee."
"This strange boy. . . is he there to see you or Rory?"
"Rory. He's the boy that has been tormenting her to no end. But he's very cute!"
Luke grunted. "So the pedophile in you shines through."
"Hey, I didn't say I wanted to jump him or anything, I just said he was cute --- cute. Not even hot. Just cute." Lorelai laughed. "Rory is so oblivious to her feelings for him. She's obviously in deep for this guy. Now, she won't admit it to me, but I can see it in her eyes, and she talks about him all the time."
"Maybe you shouldn't make assumptions when it deals with a person's love life. You could get yourself into a lot of trouble," Luke said, wagging his finger. He took a pot from the shelf underneath the counter and started brewing a fresh pot. "You're only getting one cup."
Lorelai shook her head. "Nuh uh. And you know why? Because you looove me--- ," Luke's head shot up at this. "---and you said earlier you would give me all the coffee I could ever dream of because you looove me!"
His face seemed to flush. "Uh, what? I never agreed to those terms."
Lorelai giggled. "Relax, I'm only joking. You have Nicole, and I have. . . well, myself."
"You have yourself? What happened to Alex?"
"Alex? Hmmmm. . . well he just wasn't my type, you know. He was moving to fast, too soon. He wanted to move in with me! I was shocked, I was appalled, I couldn't believe it, I was floored-,"
"I get it," Luke cut in gruffly. "He was moving to fast, so you ended it."
Lorelai nodded her head affirmatively. "Yes."
Luke shrugged. "It doesn't seem too fast to me. You were seeing him for what, six months?"
"Well, that is the difference between you and me. You like to move faster, and I don't."
"I think you're scared."
Lorelai laughed, but it seemed forced. She sniffed. "Scared? Lorelai Gilmore doesn't do scared."
"You sound like a biker. And I think you're lying."
"Well that's your opinion! I'm not scared, Luke. Who do you think you are, judging me? You don't know anything about that side of my personal life. No matter how good of a friend you are to me, you have no right to tell me I'm lying when I tell you that he was just moving too fast for me. I was uncomfortable --- not scared, but uncomfortable. I knew I didn't want to marry him, so what would be the point in letting him move in with me? It wasn't going anywhere." Lorelai's eyes welled up, but she swallowed deeply, trying to force away the lump in her throat.
"Hey," Luke said, reaching his hand out, and setting his lightly on top of hers. "I'm sorry. You're right; I had no reason to say that. You're personal life is your business, and not mine. I just want you to be happy."
"Well I am. I'm happy to be free, I'm happy that I'm not lying to myself anymore. I'm just.happy." Lorelai sighed, looking down at his hand that was still on top of hers. She squeezed it, assuring him that she wasn't mad.
Luke uncomfortably brought his hand away, and poured her a cup of coffee. An awkward silence followed as Lorelai spun around on her stool, taking small sips from her mug, off in her own world. 'Why did I get so worked up? He was just trying to be honest with me, and I bit his head off. Man Lorelai, get a grip. . .' "So, uh, how is Nicole anyway?"
"Oh, good, good." Luke's gaze shifted from hers, and he grabbed a rag and started to wipe it down.
"Luke, the counter is already spotless," Lorelai commented, taking the rag gently out of his hand. "And you're doing that shifty eye thing that Rory does when she isn't being completely honest. What's up?"
Luke stared at her momentarily before taking the cloth back and resuming his cleaning. "Nothing," he shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding her eyes. "I just. . .I've been thinking a lot lately about Nicole and how things have been going between us, and. . ."
". . . and?" Lorelai prompted.
Luke hesitated. "I think I am going to ask her to marry me."
"Oh!" Lorelai exclaimed, choking on her coffee.
"Are you okay?" Luke asked, moving around the counter to help her.
Lorelai backed away, setting her cup of coffee on the counter and grabbing her coat. She pulled it on over her body and started walking backwards towards the door. "Wow, and I thought Alex was moving quickly!"
Luke groaned. "See, this is why I didn't want to tell you."
Lorelai's eyes widened. "You didn't want to tell me? Luke, I'm your close friend."
"I know you would say something about me moving too fast, and I would feel bad about it, and start doubting my decision. Well, no. I'm asking her to marry me. I mean, why not? I love her, and there has been no other woman in my life besides her for quite some time. I think we'll happy together."
"I think so too, but getting married, Luke? That is such a big step. . . You haven't even been living together. Do you think you can just adjust to that? It's a big step, and what about Jess? Where will you live? That apartment can't hold three people without anyone going insane!"
"Jess is leaving. He's going back to live with his mother in New York." Luke sighed, running his hand through his hair. 'This is not how this was supposed to go.' He thought to himself.
".Oh," was her reply. "Well listen Luke; this has been a great chat. I think I'd better get back to Rory and make sure she isn't tiring her huge brain out with all that studying. Listen, have a good night, and have a nice life with Nicole."
Lorelai left the diner, and he watched her walk quickly down the sidewalk in the direction of her home. He ran his hand over his face, rubbing his tired eyes, and then slammed his fist on the counter. 'I'm making the right decision. I love Nicole. I love her, and I want to spend the rest of my life with her. . . . Don't I?'
