I settle down on the couch Indian-style, take the cradle of the telephone and set it down on my lap; It's almost nine, but I figure Luke won't mind. I'm already in pajama pants and a tank top, and I'm remembering suddenly and pleasantly how much I love this feeling. Of having somebody, really having them, and of them having you. It's amazing how many "boyfriends" a girl like me can go through and have never really had, or belonged to any of them. I remember when I had Max. And now, I know it, I have Luke. And he has me. And I love the feeling of being warm and comfortable on my couch with my telephone and my pajama pants and having somebody.
I dial and the phone rings in my ear twice.
"Hello?"
"Hi." I say coyly.
"Oh, hi."
I also love how I can actually hear him smile, even over the phone.
"Hi, Coffee Mug."
"What?"
"Guess what I'm doing."
"Drinking coffee."
I gasp dramatically. "How did you know? Guess what I'm drinking it out of?"
"A chipped blue coffee mug."
I am about to retort with a quick and humorous witticism, but am suddenly struck by something really nice about him saying that.
"That's right." I say shortly.
He laughs softly, and the shivery, glowy sound of it travels all the way across town to my ear.
"That was a really sweet thing, Luke." I say quietly.
"Well, don't expect too much else, I'm all sweeted out until at least next week."
"How did you get to my house before me, Speedy Gonzalez?"
"Never call me that again, and I used my car. You and Rory took longer than I expected, at the rate you set out at. Hey, I'm sorry if I kind of froze up, there, I-"
"It's fine. I was just upset, I'm sorry I snapped."
"What happened with Rory?"
"Oh, we walked, we talked, we had a little Gilmore moment, I uh ..."
I watch as Rory sticks her head around the doorway from the kitchen. I shrug at her, and she comes into the living room and takes the phone from me.
"Hey, Luke."
"Hey! Hand it over!" I exclaim, but make no move to wrestle the phone back. I figure this is as good a way as any.
"No, I'm good with it. She's dated weirder guys, I'll tell you that." She say's lightly into the receiver, and I slam her with a couch pillow. "I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast. Here she is."
She hands the phone out to me.
"We're good."
"Oh, yeah, you're like this." I say, holding up my hand index finger twisted around my middle finger in a "cross your fingers" kind of motion.
"You're down with the lingo, Mom." She says dryly, letting me take the phone and walking around the couch and out of the room.
"Shizel my Nizel, baby." I call after her half-heartedly. I put the phone up to me ear.
"Did you just say 'shizel my nizel'?"
"Why, yes I did, sir, my I have another?" I snap, in my favorite old-English accent.
There is a sigh over the line and a kind of accepting groan.
"Just making sure."
As soon as the door to the diner opens I know things are different. I can smell it, I can feel it, everything is different. And, in his own words, good different. I always liked going to Luke's in the morning, but this ... this has the potential for rendezvous, for romance ... maybe even for a kiss. Who knows. The possibilities seem endless as the door rings shut behind me. I see him behind the counter, and his eyes flit up quickly to meet mine, and the change is delicate; barely noticeable, but there is a change in him. His lips tick softly to one corner, and his eyes glance downward cutely for a moment and then bounce back to the customer he's talking to. I'm barely within earshot here, but as I take a step I can hear his conversation with the woman in front of the counter:
"Uh-could you repeat that, you lost me for a second ..."
I feel that tight smile find my face and I watch the ground like a seventh grader who's over heard her crush gushing about her. I feel Rory prod me in the back and I prod back, blindly and dismissively.
We sit down at our normal table, and I feel Rory's smiling eyes on me.
"Someone's got a crush." She muttered.
"Mm hm, someone also has a beautiful olive complexion, but what do you notice?" I snap playfully, and Rory smirks and suddenly looks up to someone behind me. "Why, I feel this terrible urge to throw myself onto the tall, dark, handsome man behind me, whomever he may be!" I begin, turning in my seat. Luke looks down at me with something between disgust and affection.
"So, what'll it be." He asks, but there's a strange anomaly happening within the region of his face...
"Luke, you've got something on your face- it's a smile!" Rory exclaims in faux excitement.
"Cute." He says blandly, but his face rushes red and with his attempt to erase his grin, it only widens. I'm afraid my olive complexion may be climbing to rose.
"I can't stand the tension!" I exclaim, standing up to face Luke straight on.
"What?" he asks, apprehensive and confused.
"I have a confession to make." I state. "I, Lorelei Gilmore, have a crush on you."
Rory gives the appropriate silent-movie gasp from behind me. Luke just looks completely without a plan of action.
"I knew it!"
The sing-songy voice rose suddenly and wildly from behind Luke. Miss Patty flew to a standing position behind her table, wearing a purple velvet drape and large hanging rhinestone earrings that brushed and chinked against her lilac shoulders, her vivid scarlet lipstick bleeding with color and wetness.
"I knew it, I knew it, you two! Finally!" she exclaimed, raising her arms as though she were preaching to the diner of Caesar and Rosa and four unsuspecting strangers. "I just want you to know, I think this is wonderful!" she said, heading for the door.
"Hey, you've got to pay your check." Luke insists as she nears the exit.
"Oh, it's alright dear, I didn't touch it; you can just give it to the next costumer who wants a cheese melt." She assures him as the door claps shut behind her.
There's a moment of silence between the three of us, and then I snort a laugh. Luke looks at me with pure affection and says, "Do you want that?"
"What?"
"Her cheese melt."
"Are you paying?"
He smiles dryly. "Sure."
"Bring on the cheese, lover." I say streamily.
He sighs dryly and half-smiles as he picks up the plate. Next to me, Rory grabs her backpack and stands.
"I got to go, Mom." She says.
"Okay, I love you."
"Love you too." She calls, darting out the front door.
"Now we are alone, mone'mi," I say leaning across the table toward Luke as Caesar gives us a sideways glance.
"Lorelei ..." Luke murmurs, glancing around and looking embarrassed but pleased.
"Come on, like you've never made sweet sweet love on your own diner table." I tease.
"Not with Caesar in the room ..." he says, watching the door and trailing off. It takes a moment for him to realize what he'd said. My jaw drops.
"Luke!" I whisper harshly, trying not to laugh. "You're kidding!"
"Shh, shh, keep it down!" he exclaimed, but I'm already starting to crack up.
"You naughty, naughty boy!" I exclaim. "We've got to clear some time for that!"
"Lorelei!" he exclaims, but he was laughing too.
"Not to mention a table!"
"Lorelei!"
"What do you think, I can pencil you in between my Brad Pitt at eleven and my Tom Cruise at twelve thirty ..."
"Lorelei."
"Sometimes I wonder about the extent of your vocabulary."
"Lorelei-"
"Maybe it only consists of the world 'Lorelei', said over and over again in a tone according to your mood."
He laughs because he realizes he can't say what he was about to say-or at least he couldn't begin it with the same word.
"I want to kiss you, you know." He says instead.
"Oh, scandalous, Caesar's watching." I giggle.
"Come here." He leans across the table and kisses me, lips only, but pleasantly soft and wet. "I have a really important question to ask you, Lorelei." He says. I look at him curiously and lean back.
"Hm?" I ask calmly. He looks down.
"It's something only you can answer, I think. Something only you should be able to answer."
My curiousity is spiking strangely, possibly into anticipation.
"What?"
Luke looked down as if thinking. "Lorelei, I was wondering if I need a shave."
There's a pause where I'm stringing this sentence together, and then my jaw drops.
"You jackass!" I almost yell, shoving him softly on the shoulder. He laughs that laugh as I realize that he's doing it. He's surprising me just the way I thought I'd be surprising him.
This is going to be wonderful, I think.
I dial and the phone rings in my ear twice.
"Hello?"
"Hi." I say coyly.
"Oh, hi."
I also love how I can actually hear him smile, even over the phone.
"Hi, Coffee Mug."
"What?"
"Guess what I'm doing."
"Drinking coffee."
I gasp dramatically. "How did you know? Guess what I'm drinking it out of?"
"A chipped blue coffee mug."
I am about to retort with a quick and humorous witticism, but am suddenly struck by something really nice about him saying that.
"That's right." I say shortly.
He laughs softly, and the shivery, glowy sound of it travels all the way across town to my ear.
"That was a really sweet thing, Luke." I say quietly.
"Well, don't expect too much else, I'm all sweeted out until at least next week."
"How did you get to my house before me, Speedy Gonzalez?"
"Never call me that again, and I used my car. You and Rory took longer than I expected, at the rate you set out at. Hey, I'm sorry if I kind of froze up, there, I-"
"It's fine. I was just upset, I'm sorry I snapped."
"What happened with Rory?"
"Oh, we walked, we talked, we had a little Gilmore moment, I uh ..."
I watch as Rory sticks her head around the doorway from the kitchen. I shrug at her, and she comes into the living room and takes the phone from me.
"Hey, Luke."
"Hey! Hand it over!" I exclaim, but make no move to wrestle the phone back. I figure this is as good a way as any.
"No, I'm good with it. She's dated weirder guys, I'll tell you that." She say's lightly into the receiver, and I slam her with a couch pillow. "I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast. Here she is."
She hands the phone out to me.
"We're good."
"Oh, yeah, you're like this." I say, holding up my hand index finger twisted around my middle finger in a "cross your fingers" kind of motion.
"You're down with the lingo, Mom." She says dryly, letting me take the phone and walking around the couch and out of the room.
"Shizel my Nizel, baby." I call after her half-heartedly. I put the phone up to me ear.
"Did you just say 'shizel my nizel'?"
"Why, yes I did, sir, my I have another?" I snap, in my favorite old-English accent.
There is a sigh over the line and a kind of accepting groan.
"Just making sure."
As soon as the door to the diner opens I know things are different. I can smell it, I can feel it, everything is different. And, in his own words, good different. I always liked going to Luke's in the morning, but this ... this has the potential for rendezvous, for romance ... maybe even for a kiss. Who knows. The possibilities seem endless as the door rings shut behind me. I see him behind the counter, and his eyes flit up quickly to meet mine, and the change is delicate; barely noticeable, but there is a change in him. His lips tick softly to one corner, and his eyes glance downward cutely for a moment and then bounce back to the customer he's talking to. I'm barely within earshot here, but as I take a step I can hear his conversation with the woman in front of the counter:
"Uh-could you repeat that, you lost me for a second ..."
I feel that tight smile find my face and I watch the ground like a seventh grader who's over heard her crush gushing about her. I feel Rory prod me in the back and I prod back, blindly and dismissively.
We sit down at our normal table, and I feel Rory's smiling eyes on me.
"Someone's got a crush." She muttered.
"Mm hm, someone also has a beautiful olive complexion, but what do you notice?" I snap playfully, and Rory smirks and suddenly looks up to someone behind me. "Why, I feel this terrible urge to throw myself onto the tall, dark, handsome man behind me, whomever he may be!" I begin, turning in my seat. Luke looks down at me with something between disgust and affection.
"So, what'll it be." He asks, but there's a strange anomaly happening within the region of his face...
"Luke, you've got something on your face- it's a smile!" Rory exclaims in faux excitement.
"Cute." He says blandly, but his face rushes red and with his attempt to erase his grin, it only widens. I'm afraid my olive complexion may be climbing to rose.
"I can't stand the tension!" I exclaim, standing up to face Luke straight on.
"What?" he asks, apprehensive and confused.
"I have a confession to make." I state. "I, Lorelei Gilmore, have a crush on you."
Rory gives the appropriate silent-movie gasp from behind me. Luke just looks completely without a plan of action.
"I knew it!"
The sing-songy voice rose suddenly and wildly from behind Luke. Miss Patty flew to a standing position behind her table, wearing a purple velvet drape and large hanging rhinestone earrings that brushed and chinked against her lilac shoulders, her vivid scarlet lipstick bleeding with color and wetness.
"I knew it, I knew it, you two! Finally!" she exclaimed, raising her arms as though she were preaching to the diner of Caesar and Rosa and four unsuspecting strangers. "I just want you to know, I think this is wonderful!" she said, heading for the door.
"Hey, you've got to pay your check." Luke insists as she nears the exit.
"Oh, it's alright dear, I didn't touch it; you can just give it to the next costumer who wants a cheese melt." She assures him as the door claps shut behind her.
There's a moment of silence between the three of us, and then I snort a laugh. Luke looks at me with pure affection and says, "Do you want that?"
"What?"
"Her cheese melt."
"Are you paying?"
He smiles dryly. "Sure."
"Bring on the cheese, lover." I say streamily.
He sighs dryly and half-smiles as he picks up the plate. Next to me, Rory grabs her backpack and stands.
"I got to go, Mom." She says.
"Okay, I love you."
"Love you too." She calls, darting out the front door.
"Now we are alone, mone'mi," I say leaning across the table toward Luke as Caesar gives us a sideways glance.
"Lorelei ..." Luke murmurs, glancing around and looking embarrassed but pleased.
"Come on, like you've never made sweet sweet love on your own diner table." I tease.
"Not with Caesar in the room ..." he says, watching the door and trailing off. It takes a moment for him to realize what he'd said. My jaw drops.
"Luke!" I whisper harshly, trying not to laugh. "You're kidding!"
"Shh, shh, keep it down!" he exclaimed, but I'm already starting to crack up.
"You naughty, naughty boy!" I exclaim. "We've got to clear some time for that!"
"Lorelei!" he exclaims, but he was laughing too.
"Not to mention a table!"
"Lorelei!"
"What do you think, I can pencil you in between my Brad Pitt at eleven and my Tom Cruise at twelve thirty ..."
"Lorelei."
"Sometimes I wonder about the extent of your vocabulary."
"Lorelei-"
"Maybe it only consists of the world 'Lorelei', said over and over again in a tone according to your mood."
He laughs because he realizes he can't say what he was about to say-or at least he couldn't begin it with the same word.
"I want to kiss you, you know." He says instead.
"Oh, scandalous, Caesar's watching." I giggle.
"Come here." He leans across the table and kisses me, lips only, but pleasantly soft and wet. "I have a really important question to ask you, Lorelei." He says. I look at him curiously and lean back.
"Hm?" I ask calmly. He looks down.
"It's something only you can answer, I think. Something only you should be able to answer."
My curiousity is spiking strangely, possibly into anticipation.
"What?"
Luke looked down as if thinking. "Lorelei, I was wondering if I need a shave."
There's a pause where I'm stringing this sentence together, and then my jaw drops.
"You jackass!" I almost yell, shoving him softly on the shoulder. He laughs that laugh as I realize that he's doing it. He's surprising me just the way I thought I'd be surprising him.
This is going to be wonderful, I think.
