Chapter 22: Luke, Beware the Dark Side
After Colleen had left and the waitress delivered another round of drinks, Luke noticed that Regina had moved closer to him. He tried not to appear too obvious as he shifted further away. Luke took a drink from his beer and then said, "Colleen was really nice. I can see why she and Rachel stayed friends."
"Yeah, they were friends since they were like, nine," Regina said as she moved a little closer to Luke.
Starting to feel very uncomfortable, Luke again moved away. "That's nice," Luke said. "I don't have anyone who I stayed friends with that long."
Regina moved right next to Luke, their hips touching. She put her hand on his forearm and rested her head on his arm and said, "You have me, thilly."
Luke tried to move further away again, but found himself against the wall, Luke began to worry if this latest round might have been a bad idea. Trying to stay calm, Luke said, "Well, no offence, I haven't really known you that long. I mean I like you and everything, but I don't really know you."
Regina rubbed her hand along Luke's arm and said, "I like you too, Luke.
Not liking the direction the conversation was going, Luke said, "What I meant is that you are nice, and I think, given time, we might be friends."
Regina lifted her head from his shoulder, smiled and said, "I think you're nice, too." She rested her chin on his arm, staring directly into his eyes and continued, "Very nicth."
Luke stared back into her eyes for a long moment, neither one speaking. He didn't resist when Regina moved so she could put her arm around him, placing her hand on the back of his head. She played with the short hairs at the back of his head, sending a chill down his spine. Luke couldn't help thinking that Rachel had always been the master of the subtle touches.
They sat there staring, intensely at each other. Luke's eyes wondered over the landscape of Rachel's face. He admired the curve of her chin and the slope of her cheek. He watched as her tongue caressed her luscious red lips, leaving a glistening sheen, just begging to be kissed.
Luke resisted when he felt Rachel use the hand behind his head to pull his face closer to hers, but he looked at her lips and ached to kiss Rachel again. Slowly, he allowed her to pull his head closer. His eyes shifted to Rachel's eyes, but they were wrong. They weren't Rachel's eyes. God, they were Regina's.
Oh, God, Luke thought as he tried to pull back. He reached up, pulled Regina's hand off of his head, and said, "Regina, I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I won't do this. Jesus, I'm getting married in June."
"Luke," Regina begged, a tear forming in her eye. "I need you. I love you."
"You can't love me," Luke answered, trying to push himself into the wall. "You don't even know me."
"I've loved you from the firtht time I thaw you Luke," Regina explained. "When I would visit Rachel, you were always nice to me and I could tell you felt the thame way about me."
"Of course I was nice to you. You were Rachel's kid sister there to visit your sister."
"No, you're lying," Regina demanded. "You loved me then and you love me now… I can see it in your eyes."
Regina threw herself at Luke, mashing him into the wall. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and pulled his lips to hers. Her actions shocked Luke for a half a beat, before his arms began to flail in an attempt to grab her arms. After a couple of seconds, he got a grip on her arms and unwrapped her arms from around his neck, and pulled her away.
"Regina, stop this," Luke said, trying to keep his voice under control. "You've had too much to drink and you're very confused. I don't love you. I've told you that I'm getting married to another woman in June."
Regina stared at him, blinking back tears. After a moment, she said, "She can't love you as much as I do."
"Regina, I love Lorelai and she loves me," Luke explained. "And I won't do anything to jeopardize that. Do you understand that? I love Lorelai so much that I can't imagine myself being with anyone else. I'm sorry."
Luke's words had a sobering effect on Regina. Shock and realization flashed across her face. "Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry, I don't know what I've been thinking. I don't know what's wrong with me." Regina threw herself on Luke and quietly sobbed.
Luke wrapped his arms around her and started to speak, "I think I'm beginning to understand. I don't think I did till just now, because I've been going through it also, just differently."
"Rachel died," Luke started, "and we both loved her very much, and were blinded by grief and confusion. In these circumstances, people react differently. You were trying to hold onto your sister, by latching onto something she loved. While I tried to push away the woman I loved. Lorelai saw what was happening, and she tried to explain it, but I didn't get it. Well, I do now. Does this make any sense to you?"
When Luke didn't receive an answer, he looked down at the girl slumped against him and said, "Regina?" When she didn't respond, he looked closer saw that she was fast asleep. Great, she's passed out, Luke thought to himself. What the hell am I going to do now?
After Colleen had left and the waitress delivered another round of drinks, Luke noticed that Regina had moved closer to him. He tried not to appear too obvious as he shifted further away. Luke took a drink from his beer and then said, "Colleen was really nice. I can see why she and Rachel stayed friends."
"Yeah, they were friends since they were like, nine," Regina said as she moved a little closer to Luke.
Starting to feel very uncomfortable, Luke again moved away. "That's nice," Luke said. "I don't have anyone who I stayed friends with that long."
Regina moved right next to Luke, their hips touching. She put her hand on his forearm and rested her head on his arm and said, "You have me, thilly."
Luke tried to move further away again, but found himself against the wall, Luke began to worry if this latest round might have been a bad idea. Trying to stay calm, Luke said, "Well, no offence, I haven't really known you that long. I mean I like you and everything, but I don't really know you."
Regina rubbed her hand along Luke's arm and said, "I like you too, Luke.
Not liking the direction the conversation was going, Luke said, "What I meant is that you are nice, and I think, given time, we might be friends."
Regina lifted her head from his shoulder, smiled and said, "I think you're nice, too." She rested her chin on his arm, staring directly into his eyes and continued, "Very nicth."
Luke stared back into her eyes for a long moment, neither one speaking. He didn't resist when Regina moved so she could put her arm around him, placing her hand on the back of his head. She played with the short hairs at the back of his head, sending a chill down his spine. Luke couldn't help thinking that Rachel had always been the master of the subtle touches.
They sat there staring, intensely at each other. Luke's eyes wondered over the landscape of Rachel's face. He admired the curve of her chin and the slope of her cheek. He watched as her tongue caressed her luscious red lips, leaving a glistening sheen, just begging to be kissed.
Luke resisted when he felt Rachel use the hand behind his head to pull his face closer to hers, but he looked at her lips and ached to kiss Rachel again. Slowly, he allowed her to pull his head closer. His eyes shifted to Rachel's eyes, but they were wrong. They weren't Rachel's eyes. God, they were Regina's.
Oh, God, Luke thought as he tried to pull back. He reached up, pulled Regina's hand off of his head, and said, "Regina, I'm sorry, but I can't do this. I won't do this. Jesus, I'm getting married in June."
"Luke," Regina begged, a tear forming in her eye. "I need you. I love you."
"You can't love me," Luke answered, trying to push himself into the wall. "You don't even know me."
"I've loved you from the firtht time I thaw you Luke," Regina explained. "When I would visit Rachel, you were always nice to me and I could tell you felt the thame way about me."
"Of course I was nice to you. You were Rachel's kid sister there to visit your sister."
"No, you're lying," Regina demanded. "You loved me then and you love me now… I can see it in your eyes."
Regina threw herself at Luke, mashing him into the wall. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, and pulled his lips to hers. Her actions shocked Luke for a half a beat, before his arms began to flail in an attempt to grab her arms. After a couple of seconds, he got a grip on her arms and unwrapped her arms from around his neck, and pulled her away.
"Regina, stop this," Luke said, trying to keep his voice under control. "You've had too much to drink and you're very confused. I don't love you. I've told you that I'm getting married to another woman in June."
Regina stared at him, blinking back tears. After a moment, she said, "She can't love you as much as I do."
"Regina, I love Lorelai and she loves me," Luke explained. "And I won't do anything to jeopardize that. Do you understand that? I love Lorelai so much that I can't imagine myself being with anyone else. I'm sorry."
Luke's words had a sobering effect on Regina. Shock and realization flashed across her face. "Oh, Luke, I'm so sorry, I don't know what I've been thinking. I don't know what's wrong with me." Regina threw herself on Luke and quietly sobbed.
Luke wrapped his arms around her and started to speak, "I think I'm beginning to understand. I don't think I did till just now, because I've been going through it also, just differently."
"Rachel died," Luke started, "and we both loved her very much, and were blinded by grief and confusion. In these circumstances, people react differently. You were trying to hold onto your sister, by latching onto something she loved. While I tried to push away the woman I loved. Lorelai saw what was happening, and she tried to explain it, but I didn't get it. Well, I do now. Does this make any sense to you?"
When Luke didn't receive an answer, he looked down at the girl slumped against him and said, "Regina?" When she didn't respond, he looked closer saw that she was fast asleep. Great, she's passed out, Luke thought to himself. What the hell am I going to do now?