"Hmmmm. Hey Luke, can you wait a minute? I left the portable under a couch
pillow for the last week and the batteries are about to die out on me. I'll
switch phones and call you back."
"Sure." Luke hung up the phone and sat on the floor with his head in his hands for a minute, until it rang again.
"Hello?"
"Steve's Meat Emporium. Your shipment of 6000 burgers is in."
"Hey Lorelai."
"Awwww. How dyou know?"
"Just a wild guess."
"So...the question."
"Shoot."
"Bang."
"Funny. Really."
"I try."
"That's you trying?" Luke scoffed.
"That was mean!" Lorelai whined and Luke laughed quietly.
"So what's your question?" Luke probed, already knowing what it was. He didn't want to answer, but he wanted Lorelai to want to know. He wanted her to ask. He wanted to feel like he finally had a reason, an opportunity to say.....something.
"Who is she?" Luke felt relieved, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't answer.
"Lorelai....I said I'd tell you when I was ready."
"Be ready now. You can't keep me in this suspense." She whined. Come on Luke....say.......something.
"NO." Luke said, even though all he could hear echoing in his head was 'Tell her, tell her now'.
"Tell me!" Lorelai gripped, as thought she could hear what Luke was thinking. Damn it Luke, I said me too when I left. I took my risk.
"NO!"
"Tell me PLEASE?"
"I said no Lorelai! I'm not going to tell you how I feel about y-her until I'm ready okay!? My decision remember?"
"Okay, I'm sorry Luke.............pleaseeeeeeeeee!"
"No Lorelai."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"What if she starts going out with someone else before you tell her." She said in a teasing voice.
"It's happened before." Luke grumbled.
"I bet she'd be sorry she ever did once you told her."
"How do you know that." Luke sighed.
"Cause I know you." Luke's head snapped up as he heard the bell on the door ring.
"Who the hell is coming in here this late at night?" Luke groaned, ready to kill whoever it was.
"Maybe you should have flipped that fancy closed sign of yours over." Luke was about to pull himself up.
"Maybe I- Wait. How do you know I didn't flip my sign over...." Luke looked up and saw Lorelai leaning over the counter at him, with her cell phone attached to her ear.
"Oh."
"Hey."
"No cell phones."
"You're going to make me go back outside?" Lorelai pouted, raising her eyebrow at the same time.
"Or since we are about three feet apart we could just talk like normal people, you know, without phones." Luke said sarcastically. Lorelai grinned, turning off her phone and dropping it on the counter. Luke took the receiver out from the crook of his neck and Lorelai walked around the counter, hanging it up for him as he stretched out his stiff shoulder muscles. She slid down next to him.
"So, why'd you come?" Luke asked cautiously. Lorelai looked at him.
"It was my turn for once."
"For what?"
"To be the big strong shoulder."
"I hope you don't expect me to cry."
"Cry, no, lean maybe." Lorelai rubbed her shoulder invitingly. Luke looked hesitant, but leaned over against her and sighed. "Rough day?"
"Yeah."
"You sounded sad on the phone."
"Maybe."
"You sounded like you needed another hug."
"I'm fine." Luke mumbled reluctantly, but Lorelai shook her head.
"No big strong man with me today Luke." She wrapped her arms behind his shoulders and around his chest, stroking the back of his neck gently with one hand. Luke leaned against her a little more, so that their heads were touching just a bit. Lorelai smiled and rubbed his side, feeling Luke's breathing speed up a little.
"Maybe a little cry?" She teased.
"I'll be fine." Luke grumbled. He looked down at the hand she had wrapped around his chest, and carefully reached up and wrapped his fingers around hers. He glanced over at Lorelai apprehensively, but she just grinned back at him, and he gave her a little smile. Lorelai leaned over tentatively and kissed him softly on the ear.
"Tomorrow'll be better. I promise."
"You think so?" Luke was turning a little pink, but was smiling.
"Of course. Tomorrow's Danish Day." Lorelai grinned teasingly.
"Thanks. Cause that makes my day so much better." Luke rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I'll be back tomorrow. It'll make your day dazzling." Lorelai teased. " ......... So you think you'll be ready to tell then?" She glanced up at him. Luke looked down as his fingers intertwined with hers, and mumbled something.
"Maybe."
"Alright." Lorelai smiled.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"You bet Joanie Jett."
"Go get some sleep."
"Fine grumpy pants." Lorelai kissed him again on the cheek and stood back up. " Save me a good danish."
"Night Lorelai."
"Night Luke." Luke stood up with her and his hand lifted above his head and around, unwinding her arm from around him. He gave her fingers tiny squeeze before he let go. Lorelai picked up her phone from the counter and slipped out of the diner. Luke watched her as she wandered slowly down the street towards her house. He pulled one of the chairs down off the table and sat down. She had practically told him that she wanted him to say it was her he had found. The only thing standing in the way now was him. All he had to do was say the word. So why hadn't he just said it. It wasn't exactly complicated. Maybe if it hadn't been such a bad day. But there would always be maybes. One of these days he was just going to have to get past all the maybes and just do it. How hard could it be....Luke took a few quick steps and flipped off the lights for the diner, then turned the sign over and locked the door behind him.
"Sure." Luke hung up the phone and sat on the floor with his head in his hands for a minute, until it rang again.
"Hello?"
"Steve's Meat Emporium. Your shipment of 6000 burgers is in."
"Hey Lorelai."
"Awwww. How dyou know?"
"Just a wild guess."
"So...the question."
"Shoot."
"Bang."
"Funny. Really."
"I try."
"That's you trying?" Luke scoffed.
"That was mean!" Lorelai whined and Luke laughed quietly.
"So what's your question?" Luke probed, already knowing what it was. He didn't want to answer, but he wanted Lorelai to want to know. He wanted her to ask. He wanted to feel like he finally had a reason, an opportunity to say.....something.
"Who is she?" Luke felt relieved, but at the same time, he knew he couldn't answer.
"Lorelai....I said I'd tell you when I was ready."
"Be ready now. You can't keep me in this suspense." She whined. Come on Luke....say.......something.
"NO." Luke said, even though all he could hear echoing in his head was 'Tell her, tell her now'.
"Tell me!" Lorelai gripped, as thought she could hear what Luke was thinking. Damn it Luke, I said me too when I left. I took my risk.
"NO!"
"Tell me PLEASE?"
"I said no Lorelai! I'm not going to tell you how I feel about y-her until I'm ready okay!? My decision remember?"
"Okay, I'm sorry Luke.............pleaseeeeeeeeee!"
"No Lorelai."
"Fine."
"Fine."
"What if she starts going out with someone else before you tell her." She said in a teasing voice.
"It's happened before." Luke grumbled.
"I bet she'd be sorry she ever did once you told her."
"How do you know that." Luke sighed.
"Cause I know you." Luke's head snapped up as he heard the bell on the door ring.
"Who the hell is coming in here this late at night?" Luke groaned, ready to kill whoever it was.
"Maybe you should have flipped that fancy closed sign of yours over." Luke was about to pull himself up.
"Maybe I- Wait. How do you know I didn't flip my sign over...." Luke looked up and saw Lorelai leaning over the counter at him, with her cell phone attached to her ear.
"Oh."
"Hey."
"No cell phones."
"You're going to make me go back outside?" Lorelai pouted, raising her eyebrow at the same time.
"Or since we are about three feet apart we could just talk like normal people, you know, without phones." Luke said sarcastically. Lorelai grinned, turning off her phone and dropping it on the counter. Luke took the receiver out from the crook of his neck and Lorelai walked around the counter, hanging it up for him as he stretched out his stiff shoulder muscles. She slid down next to him.
"So, why'd you come?" Luke asked cautiously. Lorelai looked at him.
"It was my turn for once."
"For what?"
"To be the big strong shoulder."
"I hope you don't expect me to cry."
"Cry, no, lean maybe." Lorelai rubbed her shoulder invitingly. Luke looked hesitant, but leaned over against her and sighed. "Rough day?"
"Yeah."
"You sounded sad on the phone."
"Maybe."
"You sounded like you needed another hug."
"I'm fine." Luke mumbled reluctantly, but Lorelai shook her head.
"No big strong man with me today Luke." She wrapped her arms behind his shoulders and around his chest, stroking the back of his neck gently with one hand. Luke leaned against her a little more, so that their heads were touching just a bit. Lorelai smiled and rubbed his side, feeling Luke's breathing speed up a little.
"Maybe a little cry?" She teased.
"I'll be fine." Luke grumbled. He looked down at the hand she had wrapped around his chest, and carefully reached up and wrapped his fingers around hers. He glanced over at Lorelai apprehensively, but she just grinned back at him, and he gave her a little smile. Lorelai leaned over tentatively and kissed him softly on the ear.
"Tomorrow'll be better. I promise."
"You think so?" Luke was turning a little pink, but was smiling.
"Of course. Tomorrow's Danish Day." Lorelai grinned teasingly.
"Thanks. Cause that makes my day so much better." Luke rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I'll be back tomorrow. It'll make your day dazzling." Lorelai teased. " ......... So you think you'll be ready to tell then?" She glanced up at him. Luke looked down as his fingers intertwined with hers, and mumbled something.
"Maybe."
"Alright." Lorelai smiled.
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"You bet Joanie Jett."
"Go get some sleep."
"Fine grumpy pants." Lorelai kissed him again on the cheek and stood back up. " Save me a good danish."
"Night Lorelai."
"Night Luke." Luke stood up with her and his hand lifted above his head and around, unwinding her arm from around him. He gave her fingers tiny squeeze before he let go. Lorelai picked up her phone from the counter and slipped out of the diner. Luke watched her as she wandered slowly down the street towards her house. He pulled one of the chairs down off the table and sat down. She had practically told him that she wanted him to say it was her he had found. The only thing standing in the way now was him. All he had to do was say the word. So why hadn't he just said it. It wasn't exactly complicated. Maybe if it hadn't been such a bad day. But there would always be maybes. One of these days he was just going to have to get past all the maybes and just do it. How hard could it be....Luke took a few quick steps and flipped off the lights for the diner, then turned the sign over and locked the door behind him.