CHAPTER NINE
Luke and Lorelai stood by the window for a long time, watching the town slowly being buried by the falling snow. He stood behind her and held her close, kissing the back of her neck until she shivered. Then he turned her around and kissed her tenderly until they were both breathless. And then he stopped. She looked into his eyes and understood. All those years of friendship, all the longs talks, had given them a certain understanding of each other's thoughts. She smiled up at him and kissed the tip of his nose. She turned back to the window and reached back and pulled his arms around her.
"Another of Mothers Nature's little jokes."
"Think you're right." Luke answered, knowing exactly what she meant.
"She brought us together when no one else could. Not even ourselves. She brought us here, stranded us alone together----no lights, no way out---- just you and I and these undeniable feelings. All I want is you, all of you. But I don't want to rush it. I've done that too many times before. I want to take it slow. I want to go on dates, worry about what to wear, wonder what you're doing when we're not together, fight, make up-do you understand, Luke?"
"Yea. You don't want me to take you over to that bed right now and have my way with you..."
"Wrong, that's exactly what I want you to do. It's taking everything I've got to not take you there myself."
"I know the feeling. That's why I stopped. I think we both know what we have here is special. Years in the making, but still needs a lot of attention. We're so different you and I, but in some ways exactly the same. We're worth the wait. Someday when the time is right....."
"Yea, when the time is right....." Lorelai sighed. Then she laughed. "And when you get another bed---that one's too small---think I mentioned that before---"
"No room for anyone else in my life or my bed---I remember. But there is room for you in my life and in my new bed, which we can go shopping for if we ever get out of here."
They were trying to keep it light. A very long night loomed ahead and they both knew it wasn't going to be easy to keep their resolve.
As hard as they tried, nothing could keep them away from each other. It was all new and wonderful and a long time coming. At one point she had pulled away and laughed.
"That's good for a guy's ego. I thought we were doing pretty good here."
"Sorry, I was just thinking this is like Luke and Lorelai " The Hot And Horny Teenage Years'."
"Luke and Lorelai, I like the sound of that. Sounds good, solid and right."
"It will make naming the children a challenge!"
Luke looked at her, slowly smiling.
"What?"
"Children. You and I. Scary thought----- but nice."
"Not a good thought right now, Luke. Trying to avoid that thought, remember?"
"No, trying to ignore the process." Luke laughed.
"You want them, right? You've mentioned it before, at the dance marathon, while you were fixing my shoe."
"I think I said there would be discussion---if I found the right person---- did you know then that I was thinking of you?"
"I don't know, maybe.....I got a vibe."
"I don't give off vibes....."
"Sorry, to tell you, but you do. I've felt lots of them."
"Like when?" Luke was curious.
"Umm....remember the night in the diner when we were avoiding Taylor? And later when you came over to help me find Stella."
"Not fair. That night the vibes---I hate that word--- were coming from you- ---Luke, come quick, help me find my chick. Come on."
"There really was a chick. Anyway.......more recently.......the day you were trying to teach me to fish, the night of the fire, Rory's graduation......."
"That's a lot of vibes."
"Told you!" Lorelai teased. "So back to my question. How do you feel about it, Luke?"
"I think we need to think about just the two of us right now. This is all so new. But, yes, the thought of a plump Lorelai waddling around Stars Hollow does appeal to me. You and I creating a life, watching him or her go through all the stages of life. Maybe someday..."
That sent her back into his arms in a rush. They sat on the sofa, holding each other, finally together and content. They tried to sleep but every time one of them moved it ended the same way-kissing and touching and frustration. Lorelai finally made him stay on the sofa alone while she took the bed. And for a while it worked, until she woke up and found Luke snuggling with her in his tiny bed. But he was asleep and she enjoyed the feel of him next to her. She could get use to this.
Morning finally came. And in the light of day, nothing had changed. At last, it was no longer a dream but reality. The power was on and the snow had stopped. But there would not be much going on in the outside world today. It was buried in snow
Luke jumped in the shower while she tried to go back to sleep. She thought about joining him .......wet, soapy Luke.....naked.....not going there, Lorelai. It was bad enough when he came to her, with damp hair and smelling of soap and cologne. She gave him a quick kiss and went to take her own shower-locking the door behind her.
"I think I'm insulted out here. I didn't lock you out." Luke teased. Silently thinking it was a good idea. "Don't worry, there's plenty of hot water. God knows I didn't use any." He heard her laugh behind the locked door.
Lorelai's phone rang and without thinking Luke answered it.
"Luke?"
"Oh, hi, Rory. Uh, your mom's in the sh.....busy.....she asked me to answer in case it was you. How did you survive the storm?"
"We had a party in the dorm. It was fun. Good way to get to know each other better. We made a snowman in the middle of the night, and had a snowball fight in the hall. How about you and mom? Were you together? I worried that she might be alone."
"Sounds like fun. We did ok here too. She kind of got stranded here at the diner."
"Oh. Ok.. Well, have her call me when she gets out of the sh......when she's not busy. Glad you and she.....glad she wasn't alone. Bye."
Luke hung up thinking he hadn't fooled her at all. Who knew what she was thinking. Today was going to be the start of a lot of such conversations. That was the one thing that hadn't occurred to them last night, facing family and friends. He knew they would be happy, vindicated really, but the teasing would be endless.
Lorelai came out of the bathroom wearing his tee shirt and nothing else, smelling clean and looking damp and sexy. And somehow the teasing wasn't important anymore. He could only think that he was a very lucky man.
Luke and Lorelai stood by the window for a long time, watching the town slowly being buried by the falling snow. He stood behind her and held her close, kissing the back of her neck until she shivered. Then he turned her around and kissed her tenderly until they were both breathless. And then he stopped. She looked into his eyes and understood. All those years of friendship, all the longs talks, had given them a certain understanding of each other's thoughts. She smiled up at him and kissed the tip of his nose. She turned back to the window and reached back and pulled his arms around her.
"Another of Mothers Nature's little jokes."
"Think you're right." Luke answered, knowing exactly what she meant.
"She brought us together when no one else could. Not even ourselves. She brought us here, stranded us alone together----no lights, no way out---- just you and I and these undeniable feelings. All I want is you, all of you. But I don't want to rush it. I've done that too many times before. I want to take it slow. I want to go on dates, worry about what to wear, wonder what you're doing when we're not together, fight, make up-do you understand, Luke?"
"Yea. You don't want me to take you over to that bed right now and have my way with you..."
"Wrong, that's exactly what I want you to do. It's taking everything I've got to not take you there myself."
"I know the feeling. That's why I stopped. I think we both know what we have here is special. Years in the making, but still needs a lot of attention. We're so different you and I, but in some ways exactly the same. We're worth the wait. Someday when the time is right....."
"Yea, when the time is right....." Lorelai sighed. Then she laughed. "And when you get another bed---that one's too small---think I mentioned that before---"
"No room for anyone else in my life or my bed---I remember. But there is room for you in my life and in my new bed, which we can go shopping for if we ever get out of here."
They were trying to keep it light. A very long night loomed ahead and they both knew it wasn't going to be easy to keep their resolve.
As hard as they tried, nothing could keep them away from each other. It was all new and wonderful and a long time coming. At one point she had pulled away and laughed.
"That's good for a guy's ego. I thought we were doing pretty good here."
"Sorry, I was just thinking this is like Luke and Lorelai " The Hot And Horny Teenage Years'."
"Luke and Lorelai, I like the sound of that. Sounds good, solid and right."
"It will make naming the children a challenge!"
Luke looked at her, slowly smiling.
"What?"
"Children. You and I. Scary thought----- but nice."
"Not a good thought right now, Luke. Trying to avoid that thought, remember?"
"No, trying to ignore the process." Luke laughed.
"You want them, right? You've mentioned it before, at the dance marathon, while you were fixing my shoe."
"I think I said there would be discussion---if I found the right person---- did you know then that I was thinking of you?"
"I don't know, maybe.....I got a vibe."
"I don't give off vibes....."
"Sorry, to tell you, but you do. I've felt lots of them."
"Like when?" Luke was curious.
"Umm....remember the night in the diner when we were avoiding Taylor? And later when you came over to help me find Stella."
"Not fair. That night the vibes---I hate that word--- were coming from you- ---Luke, come quick, help me find my chick. Come on."
"There really was a chick. Anyway.......more recently.......the day you were trying to teach me to fish, the night of the fire, Rory's graduation......."
"That's a lot of vibes."
"Told you!" Lorelai teased. "So back to my question. How do you feel about it, Luke?"
"I think we need to think about just the two of us right now. This is all so new. But, yes, the thought of a plump Lorelai waddling around Stars Hollow does appeal to me. You and I creating a life, watching him or her go through all the stages of life. Maybe someday..."
That sent her back into his arms in a rush. They sat on the sofa, holding each other, finally together and content. They tried to sleep but every time one of them moved it ended the same way-kissing and touching and frustration. Lorelai finally made him stay on the sofa alone while she took the bed. And for a while it worked, until she woke up and found Luke snuggling with her in his tiny bed. But he was asleep and she enjoyed the feel of him next to her. She could get use to this.
Morning finally came. And in the light of day, nothing had changed. At last, it was no longer a dream but reality. The power was on and the snow had stopped. But there would not be much going on in the outside world today. It was buried in snow
Luke jumped in the shower while she tried to go back to sleep. She thought about joining him .......wet, soapy Luke.....naked.....not going there, Lorelai. It was bad enough when he came to her, with damp hair and smelling of soap and cologne. She gave him a quick kiss and went to take her own shower-locking the door behind her.
"I think I'm insulted out here. I didn't lock you out." Luke teased. Silently thinking it was a good idea. "Don't worry, there's plenty of hot water. God knows I didn't use any." He heard her laugh behind the locked door.
Lorelai's phone rang and without thinking Luke answered it.
"Luke?"
"Oh, hi, Rory. Uh, your mom's in the sh.....busy.....she asked me to answer in case it was you. How did you survive the storm?"
"We had a party in the dorm. It was fun. Good way to get to know each other better. We made a snowman in the middle of the night, and had a snowball fight in the hall. How about you and mom? Were you together? I worried that she might be alone."
"Sounds like fun. We did ok here too. She kind of got stranded here at the diner."
"Oh. Ok.. Well, have her call me when she gets out of the sh......when she's not busy. Glad you and she.....glad she wasn't alone. Bye."
Luke hung up thinking he hadn't fooled her at all. Who knew what she was thinking. Today was going to be the start of a lot of such conversations. That was the one thing that hadn't occurred to them last night, facing family and friends. He knew they would be happy, vindicated really, but the teasing would be endless.
Lorelai came out of the bathroom wearing his tee shirt and nothing else, smelling clean and looking damp and sexy. And somehow the teasing wasn't important anymore. He could only think that he was a very lucky man.
