Chapter 6: Arrangements
Forty minutes later, Lorelai was back at the kitchen table, reading a magazine, when she heard Luke coming down the stairs. When he entered the room, she wasn't surprised to see him with a duffle bag in one hand, and a garment bag hung over one shoulder.
Luke stood silently, for a moment, before bashfully saying, "I decided that I would go to Dayton."
Lorelai felt nauseous at the thought of Luke going away, but she smiled at him and replied, "I figured you would." She picked up a piece of paper from the table and said, "I already made your reservations. You fly out from Hartford tomorrow morning at 10:25. You have to change planes in Pittsburg, so you should get in sometime around 3pm. Then you fly back Sunday morning at 11:20. You've got car and hotel reservations in Dayton. All the information is there complete with maps I printed from the Internet."
Luke gave Lorelai an impressed nod as he glanced at the paper and said, "You have been busy. "He leaned out and kissed her on the forehead, then said, "You're something special, you know that?"
Lorelai tried to appear bashful as she said, "Yeah, I know."
They stood silently till Lorelai asked, "If you want, I'll go with you. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah," Luke sighed, "but I think this is something I need to do myself."
"I figured. Want me to drop you off, and pick you up at the airport?" Lorelai asked, fighting a sick feeling in her stomach.
"I'll just park the truck at the airport. No need you missing work."
"It's no problem."
"I know, but that's okay."
Lorelai stepped up to Luke and hugged him, and said, "I love you, you know."
He dropped the duffle bag and used the arm to return the hug, "I love you too." After a few moments of quiet hugging, Luke continued, "But, I think that once I get back from Dayton, that I'll be staying at the apartment over the diner for a while. I think I need some time alone."
Lorelai stepped back from him with a sad look on her face, but she nodded and said, "Yeah, I figured you'd do that too."
"You know me pretty well, don't you?"
"I try," Lorelai shrugged.
Luke took a deep breath then said, "I want you to know that it's not you, it's me. I just need to figure some things out."
"I know."
"And I want you to know that I appreciate how much you've tried to help me these past few days," Luke said. "And I know this hasn't been easy to know that all this is because of another woman."
Lorelai looked at Luke's duffle sitting on the floor as she replied, "I won't lie, it's been hard, but I do understand. I mean if I was in your place, I would probably be handling things a lot worse."
Once again Luke wrapped his arm around her pulling her tight, while she buried her cheek on his chest. Eventually Lorelai pulled away. She grabbed Luke by the hand and pulled him into the living room. She opened the desk drawer, reached in and pulled out a cell phone. "Here, I want you to take this." Luke started to protest, but she said, "I know you hate them but this is the reason I bought it for you. Just in case. And there is free long distance so you can call me from Dayton and let me know that you made it and how you're doing."
Luke again started to protest, but Lorelai pouted and said, "Please."
"Alright," Luke conceded.
"Cool, maybe we can have phone sex," Lorelai teased.
After the phone and charger were secured in Luke's luggage, she walked Luke to the door, kissed him, and said, "Don't forget, I love you."
"I love you too," Luke said, before he turned and walked through the door.
She stood in the door, tears flowing freely, watching him get into his truck. Once he was in the truck, he noticed her standing in the door, so he waved goodbye. A moment later, he started the truck and drove off. She stood there for a while watching the direction that the truck had gone.
When she finally closed the door, she was thinking about the possibility that she might lose Luke. The thought turned her stomach. She tried to fight off the feeling, but a moment later she was in the bathroom emptying the contents of her stomach, while she continued to cry.
Forty minutes later, Lorelai was back at the kitchen table, reading a magazine, when she heard Luke coming down the stairs. When he entered the room, she wasn't surprised to see him with a duffle bag in one hand, and a garment bag hung over one shoulder.
Luke stood silently, for a moment, before bashfully saying, "I decided that I would go to Dayton."
Lorelai felt nauseous at the thought of Luke going away, but she smiled at him and replied, "I figured you would." She picked up a piece of paper from the table and said, "I already made your reservations. You fly out from Hartford tomorrow morning at 10:25. You have to change planes in Pittsburg, so you should get in sometime around 3pm. Then you fly back Sunday morning at 11:20. You've got car and hotel reservations in Dayton. All the information is there complete with maps I printed from the Internet."
Luke gave Lorelai an impressed nod as he glanced at the paper and said, "You have been busy. "He leaned out and kissed her on the forehead, then said, "You're something special, you know that?"
Lorelai tried to appear bashful as she said, "Yeah, I know."
They stood silently till Lorelai asked, "If you want, I'll go with you. You know that, don't you?"
"Yeah," Luke sighed, "but I think this is something I need to do myself."
"I figured. Want me to drop you off, and pick you up at the airport?" Lorelai asked, fighting a sick feeling in her stomach.
"I'll just park the truck at the airport. No need you missing work."
"It's no problem."
"I know, but that's okay."
Lorelai stepped up to Luke and hugged him, and said, "I love you, you know."
He dropped the duffle bag and used the arm to return the hug, "I love you too." After a few moments of quiet hugging, Luke continued, "But, I think that once I get back from Dayton, that I'll be staying at the apartment over the diner for a while. I think I need some time alone."
Lorelai stepped back from him with a sad look on her face, but she nodded and said, "Yeah, I figured you'd do that too."
"You know me pretty well, don't you?"
"I try," Lorelai shrugged.
Luke took a deep breath then said, "I want you to know that it's not you, it's me. I just need to figure some things out."
"I know."
"And I want you to know that I appreciate how much you've tried to help me these past few days," Luke said. "And I know this hasn't been easy to know that all this is because of another woman."
Lorelai looked at Luke's duffle sitting on the floor as she replied, "I won't lie, it's been hard, but I do understand. I mean if I was in your place, I would probably be handling things a lot worse."
Once again Luke wrapped his arm around her pulling her tight, while she buried her cheek on his chest. Eventually Lorelai pulled away. She grabbed Luke by the hand and pulled him into the living room. She opened the desk drawer, reached in and pulled out a cell phone. "Here, I want you to take this." Luke started to protest, but she said, "I know you hate them but this is the reason I bought it for you. Just in case. And there is free long distance so you can call me from Dayton and let me know that you made it and how you're doing."
Luke again started to protest, but Lorelai pouted and said, "Please."
"Alright," Luke conceded.
"Cool, maybe we can have phone sex," Lorelai teased.
After the phone and charger were secured in Luke's luggage, she walked Luke to the door, kissed him, and said, "Don't forget, I love you."
"I love you too," Luke said, before he turned and walked through the door.
She stood in the door, tears flowing freely, watching him get into his truck. Once he was in the truck, he noticed her standing in the door, so he waved goodbye. A moment later, he started the truck and drove off. She stood there for a while watching the direction that the truck had gone.
When she finally closed the door, she was thinking about the possibility that she might lose Luke. The thought turned her stomach. She tried to fight off the feeling, but a moment later she was in the bathroom emptying the contents of her stomach, while she continued to cry.