Chapter 21: Professional Advice
When Luke finished brushing his teeth, he returned the cap to the toothpaste and his toothbrush to his shaving kit. He walked out of the bathroom checking his watch. He noted that he had ten minutes before the girls were supposed to arrive, so he walked to the dresser where his cell phone lay.
He picked up the phone to call home, but before he could turn on the power, there was a knock at the door. He put the phone back on the dresser and crossed to the door.
He opened the door to see Colleen and Regina standing there. Colleen looked comfortable in a pair of jeans and a yellow blouse. Regina, on the other hand, was dressed to kill, in a tight, bright red mini-dress with spaghetti straps, and matching red high heels.
Regina had the sides of her curly auburn hair pulled back and clipped in back. Luke couldn't help but think that Rachel used to wear her hair exactly the same way. Regina looked so much like Rachel that it caused an ache in Luke's heart, because he missed her so badly.
Luke continued to stare at Regina, but was shocked from his reverie when Colleen said, "We're a little early, Luke. I hope that's not a problem."
"What?" Luke asked. "No. You're fine. I just need to grab my wallet and keys and I'm ready to go. Come on in if you want."
Luke turned around, leaving the door open so the women could follow. As Luke reached for his wallet and keys, he heard Regina ask, "Do you mind if I use the ladies' room?"
"Sure. It's right over there."
"Thanks," Regina said before she headed for the restroom.
As Luke put his wallet in his pocket, Colleen said, "This is a nice hotel."
Luke looked around the room and replied, "Yeah, it is. My fiancé picked it out."
"Youe fiancé?" Colleen asked. "I thought…"
Luke leaned close and said, "I know that Regina said that I was Rachel's boyfriend, but we haven't been together for over three years."
"I thought I remembered Rachel telling me that you guys had split up."
"Yeah," Luke admitted. "It just didn't work out."
"So," asked Colleen, "This fiancée, is it Lorie or Laura?"
"Lorelai," Luke corrected. "Rachel told you about her?"
"That's a pretty name," Colleen said. "Yeah, Rachel said that she was real nice and she thought you guys would end up together."
"She said that about Lorelai, huh?" When Luke received an answering nod from Colleen, he continued, "That was real nice of her."
"That's the kind of person that Rachel was."
Luke stared off in the distance, sighed and said, "Yep, Rachel was the best."
They were quiet for a moment, then Colleen spoke, "So, feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but it seems to me that you have some unresolved feelings for Rachel."
"That obvious' huh?"
"'Fraid so."
Luke sighed and sat on the bed, "Yeah. Even thought things didn't work out with Rachel, I never stopped caring about her. But things just didn't work out, and I thought was okay with that, I thought I had moved on."
Colleen nodded and said, "And now with Rachel's death, you have to deal with all these unresolved feelings. So now you're got all these conflicting feelings about Rachel, and Lorelai and the path not chosen."
Luke looked at Colleen and said, "Yeah, that's pretty much my life in a nutshell." He paused a second then asked, "So are you some kind of counselor, or therapist, or something?"
Colleen shook her head and replied, "Oprah."
"But then I looked at her and realized that she was reaching for the wrong bag." Luke explained. "So I yelled, 'Rachel no!'" Luke paused to take a drink from his beer then continued, "But my timing couldn't have been worse, because the bag was halfway off the shelf, and of course when I yelled, Rachel turned to look at me. And of course as soon as she took her eyes off the bag, it begins to tip and half the bag dumps out all over her covering every square inch above her waist in flower."
"Oh, my God," Colleen said, from other side of the booth. "And all these years I said that that girl couldn't get any whiter."
"So, what did you do?" Regina asked, from the bench next to Luke.
"Well, at first I just stood there in shock, just looking at her," Luke answered. "But when she opened her eyes and I could see these dark spots in the middle of her totally white face, I lost it."
"You didn't…" asked Colleen while she grinned at Luke.
Luke shook his head and said, "Honestly, I tried not to laugh, but I just couldn't stop."
"That is so cruel, Luke," Colleen admonished.
"What? So, you're telling me that you could have stood there and not laughed?" Luke asked.
"Oh, no," Colleen replied, "I would have been on the floor, busting a gut."
"So, what did Rachel do when you laughed at her?" Regina asked.
"She was furious," Luke said. "And the madder she got, the harder it made me laugh, which of course only made her that much madder."
"Well, duh."
"So, Rachel starts walking towards me, pointing her finger at me and saying, things like 'enjoy it while I can' and reminding me about paybacks. And of course it only makes me laugh harder."
Luke paused for another drink from his beer and then continued, "So, she starts to get close and I start to back away, but I still can't stop laughing. And I'm not looking where I'm going and I trip over a box, falling flat on my butt."
"Then the next thing I know, Rachel is stranding over me with a half full can of chocolate syrup, which she proceeds to dump over me."
Luke paused as he remembered Rachel slipping in some syrup and falling on top of him, which led to some serious kissing, that eventually led to hot, sweet, sticky sex on the store room floor. God, he missed her.
Luke was shocked from his memories when Regina asked, "What happened next?"
"What?" Luke asked. He hoped the darkness of the bar hid his reddening face as he answered, "Oh, ah… Nothing, we just cleaned up the storeroom."
"Like hell you did," Colleen challenged. "I can tell by the look on your face you two did it right there on the storeroom floor, didn't you?"
Instead of answering or looking either woman in the eye he looked at his beer bottle.
"Oh, my," Colleen said. "I think we have embarrassed him. I'm sorry, Luke."
"That's all right," He answered.
"I think it's thweet," Regina said, as she clutched Luke's arm and leaned her head against the shoulder, her words slightly slurred.
"Can I get you guys another round?" The trio looked up to see the waitress standing there.
"Yessss," replied Regina.
Colleen looked at her watch and said, "I don't think that's such a good idea. I have an 8am flight in the morning. Just bring us the check, please."
"Sure, be right back."
"I'm not ready to go," Regina pouted.
"Sorry," Colleen apologized.
"I tell you what," Regina said reaching for her purse. She opened the purse and pulled out her car keys, handing them to Colleen. "You take my car, and I'll pick it up at your parents tomorrow. I'll take a cab home."
Colleen looked doubtful and looked at Luke, unsure what to do.
"Pleassse," Regina begged. She laid her head back on Luke's arm and said, "I haven't seen Luke in years. I just want to spend some more time with him."
When Colleen looked back at Luke for an answer, Regina looked at Luke and said, "Please, Luke, just one more drink, I promise?"
Luke wanted to say no, but he looked into that face that looked so much like Rachel's, he paused. After a moment, he said, "Okay, one more drink."
When Luke finished brushing his teeth, he returned the cap to the toothpaste and his toothbrush to his shaving kit. He walked out of the bathroom checking his watch. He noted that he had ten minutes before the girls were supposed to arrive, so he walked to the dresser where his cell phone lay.
He picked up the phone to call home, but before he could turn on the power, there was a knock at the door. He put the phone back on the dresser and crossed to the door.
He opened the door to see Colleen and Regina standing there. Colleen looked comfortable in a pair of jeans and a yellow blouse. Regina, on the other hand, was dressed to kill, in a tight, bright red mini-dress with spaghetti straps, and matching red high heels.
Regina had the sides of her curly auburn hair pulled back and clipped in back. Luke couldn't help but think that Rachel used to wear her hair exactly the same way. Regina looked so much like Rachel that it caused an ache in Luke's heart, because he missed her so badly.
Luke continued to stare at Regina, but was shocked from his reverie when Colleen said, "We're a little early, Luke. I hope that's not a problem."
"What?" Luke asked. "No. You're fine. I just need to grab my wallet and keys and I'm ready to go. Come on in if you want."
Luke turned around, leaving the door open so the women could follow. As Luke reached for his wallet and keys, he heard Regina ask, "Do you mind if I use the ladies' room?"
"Sure. It's right over there."
"Thanks," Regina said before she headed for the restroom.
As Luke put his wallet in his pocket, Colleen said, "This is a nice hotel."
Luke looked around the room and replied, "Yeah, it is. My fiancé picked it out."
"Youe fiancé?" Colleen asked. "I thought…"
Luke leaned close and said, "I know that Regina said that I was Rachel's boyfriend, but we haven't been together for over three years."
"I thought I remembered Rachel telling me that you guys had split up."
"Yeah," Luke admitted. "It just didn't work out."
"So," asked Colleen, "This fiancée, is it Lorie or Laura?"
"Lorelai," Luke corrected. "Rachel told you about her?"
"That's a pretty name," Colleen said. "Yeah, Rachel said that she was real nice and she thought you guys would end up together."
"She said that about Lorelai, huh?" When Luke received an answering nod from Colleen, he continued, "That was real nice of her."
"That's the kind of person that Rachel was."
Luke stared off in the distance, sighed and said, "Yep, Rachel was the best."
They were quiet for a moment, then Colleen spoke, "So, feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but it seems to me that you have some unresolved feelings for Rachel."
"That obvious' huh?"
"'Fraid so."
Luke sighed and sat on the bed, "Yeah. Even thought things didn't work out with Rachel, I never stopped caring about her. But things just didn't work out, and I thought was okay with that, I thought I had moved on."
Colleen nodded and said, "And now with Rachel's death, you have to deal with all these unresolved feelings. So now you're got all these conflicting feelings about Rachel, and Lorelai and the path not chosen."
Luke looked at Colleen and said, "Yeah, that's pretty much my life in a nutshell." He paused a second then asked, "So are you some kind of counselor, or therapist, or something?"
Colleen shook her head and replied, "Oprah."
"But then I looked at her and realized that she was reaching for the wrong bag." Luke explained. "So I yelled, 'Rachel no!'" Luke paused to take a drink from his beer then continued, "But my timing couldn't have been worse, because the bag was halfway off the shelf, and of course when I yelled, Rachel turned to look at me. And of course as soon as she took her eyes off the bag, it begins to tip and half the bag dumps out all over her covering every square inch above her waist in flower."
"Oh, my God," Colleen said, from other side of the booth. "And all these years I said that that girl couldn't get any whiter."
"So, what did you do?" Regina asked, from the bench next to Luke.
"Well, at first I just stood there in shock, just looking at her," Luke answered. "But when she opened her eyes and I could see these dark spots in the middle of her totally white face, I lost it."
"You didn't…" asked Colleen while she grinned at Luke.
Luke shook his head and said, "Honestly, I tried not to laugh, but I just couldn't stop."
"That is so cruel, Luke," Colleen admonished.
"What? So, you're telling me that you could have stood there and not laughed?" Luke asked.
"Oh, no," Colleen replied, "I would have been on the floor, busting a gut."
"So, what did Rachel do when you laughed at her?" Regina asked.
"She was furious," Luke said. "And the madder she got, the harder it made me laugh, which of course only made her that much madder."
"Well, duh."
"So, Rachel starts walking towards me, pointing her finger at me and saying, things like 'enjoy it while I can' and reminding me about paybacks. And of course it only makes me laugh harder."
Luke paused for another drink from his beer and then continued, "So, she starts to get close and I start to back away, but I still can't stop laughing. And I'm not looking where I'm going and I trip over a box, falling flat on my butt."
"Then the next thing I know, Rachel is stranding over me with a half full can of chocolate syrup, which she proceeds to dump over me."
Luke paused as he remembered Rachel slipping in some syrup and falling on top of him, which led to some serious kissing, that eventually led to hot, sweet, sticky sex on the store room floor. God, he missed her.
Luke was shocked from his memories when Regina asked, "What happened next?"
"What?" Luke asked. He hoped the darkness of the bar hid his reddening face as he answered, "Oh, ah… Nothing, we just cleaned up the storeroom."
"Like hell you did," Colleen challenged. "I can tell by the look on your face you two did it right there on the storeroom floor, didn't you?"
Instead of answering or looking either woman in the eye he looked at his beer bottle.
"Oh, my," Colleen said. "I think we have embarrassed him. I'm sorry, Luke."
"That's all right," He answered.
"I think it's thweet," Regina said, as she clutched Luke's arm and leaned her head against the shoulder, her words slightly slurred.
"Can I get you guys another round?" The trio looked up to see the waitress standing there.
"Yessss," replied Regina.
Colleen looked at her watch and said, "I don't think that's such a good idea. I have an 8am flight in the morning. Just bring us the check, please."
"Sure, be right back."
"I'm not ready to go," Regina pouted.
"Sorry," Colleen apologized.
"I tell you what," Regina said reaching for her purse. She opened the purse and pulled out her car keys, handing them to Colleen. "You take my car, and I'll pick it up at your parents tomorrow. I'll take a cab home."
Colleen looked doubtful and looked at Luke, unsure what to do.
"Pleassse," Regina begged. She laid her head back on Luke's arm and said, "I haven't seen Luke in years. I just want to spend some more time with him."
When Colleen looked back at Luke for an answer, Regina looked at Luke and said, "Please, Luke, just one more drink, I promise?"
Luke wanted to say no, but he looked into that face that looked so much like Rachel's, he paused. After a moment, he said, "Okay, one more drink."