Title: Where the heart is, Chapter 5
Author: Gluglug
Spoiler Warning/Timing: Fourth Season (Ep 4.11 In the Clamor and the Clangor)
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all characters are property of The Dubba Dubba Dubba WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Amy Sherman- Palladino. They don't belong to me, just borrowing.
About a week later, Luke spent the night at Nicole's new place. He had not moved in yet but she persuaded him to stay over so he could get a taste of what living together would be like. She had only moved in a few weeks before and there were still some unpacked boxes sitting in the apartment.
He was laying in her king size bed staring at the ceiling while Nicole slept soundly beside him. Luke did not feel comfortable, even if the 500 count cotton sheets beneath him were the softest he'd ever slept on. Or not slept on. He couldn't sleep, thinking about the fight he had last weekend with Lorelai over the stupid snow shovel.
Well, it wasn't really the shovel, he thought. It was obvious in retrospect that Lorelai was hurt that he didn't tell her the news. If he had known that she would react that way, he definitely would've told her sooner, right?
Of course, since the fight she had avoided the diner. He wondered how she was eating and feeding her coffee habit. He assumed that Sookie was feeding her or that her new boyfriend Jason was squiring her out to dinner every night at some fancy restaurant. Luke hadn't met Jason, and Lorelai only mentioned him in passing a few times. Something about him working with her dad, and her mom hating him but she liked him anyway. Luke always liked Emily, in spite of her imperiousness, and trusted her judgment. So he decided he didn't like Jason either.
At that moment, Nicole rolled over and nestled against Luke. She was awake and began to kiss his neck.
Luke was startled and pulled away. "Not now Nicole."
"What's wrong Luke?" came her disappointed reply.
"Nothing, except I'm tired but I can't fall asleep."
"So why don't I make you extra tired, so can fall asleep." Nicole tried her best seductive tone.
"I'm not in the mood," he said flatly.
"Luke, you haven't been in the mood for the past week and you've been grumpier than usual. What is it? Is it the move?"
"Yeah, it is actually." Luke admitted. "Nicole, I have a question. Who have you told we were moving in together?"
"Um, I told my parents, my sister, and my best friend Mandy, why does it matter?"
"I was just curious. Did you tell anyone else, I mean like in Stars Hollow."
"I don't think so. Oh wait, I think I might have mentioned it to Taylor one day. He wanted to fedex some papers to my apartment for review, so I gave him my new address. I guess I also mentioned that you were moving in with me."
Luke sighed. "Nicole, I don't know if you've ever lived in a small town, but news like this is grist for the gossip mill. It seems that the whole town now knows my business, and you know how I value what little privacy I have."
"I'm sorry Luke, I didn't realize. But so what if the town knows? It's not bad news or scandalous. We're not living in the '50s when cohabitation was considered a sin, and we are, technically at least, married."
"I know that, I just wish I had the time to tell people on my own without them hearing it from the town yentas."
Nicole had an idea where this was going. "What people, Luke?"
"Well, my friends."
"What friends? Luke, we both know you're not a social butterfly and you hate all that town nonsense."
"Yeah, but the town is like my extended family, extremely dysfunctional and insane, but family."
Nicole decided to stop beating around the bush. "And would Lorelai Gilmore be part of that family?"
Oh great, Luke thought, here it comes. "Yeah, she's part of it."
"And how did she react when she found out?" Nicole asked.
"She's mad at me for not telling her myself, which I would've done if you hadn't blabbed to Taylor and beat me to it." Luke admitted, his voice rising a little.
Nicole sat up and turned on her bedside lamp. "So that's why you've been so grumpy Luke. You blame me for Lorelai being mad at you!"
Luke sat up and turned to her. "I'm not blaming you! I'm just a little annoyed that I have no control over how one of the biggest decisions of my life is communicated to the people I care about!"
"Luke, I know she's your friend and all, but I think you're overreacting. She'll get over it."
"I guess so." Luke sighed. "But I still feel bad, and now we're not talking."
Nicole tried to hide her glee. "I'm sorry that you and Lorelai aren't speaking, but maybe this is for the best. What kind of friend is she anyway if she can't be supportive? Do you really need her friendship? You've got me now, and I plan to introduce you to all of my friends here in Litchfield. I think you'll like them and I know what high standards you have."
"I appreciate that, Nicole. It's just that Lorelai has been a part of my life for so long, it's hard to picture it without her." Luke admitted.
Nicole felt a twinge of jealousy, Luke never told her that he couldn't picture his life without her.
"She's like a habit, huh?"
"A habit?" Luke thought that was strangely appropriate way to describe Lorelai.
"Maybe it's time you broke that habit." Nicole suggested.
"Maybe." Luke said half-heartedly.
Luke yawned, he was now tired of this conversation and finally he was tired enough to go to sleep.
"Nicole, I'm ready to go to sleep now. So let's turn off the lights."
They did and they kissed goodnight. As Luke closed his eyes, he tried to focus on Nicole and their future together here in Litchfield, but in his mind's eye Lorelai stubbornly persisted. She was a habit all right, one he couldn't break.
Kind of like that cheesy Chicago song, he thought "I'm addicted to you, baby. You're a hard habit to break."
Later that same night in a luxury apartment in Hartford, Lorelai lay beside Jason, who was sound asleep while Lorelai stared at the ceiling. Over the past week, Lorelai tried not to think so much about Luke and decided to focus on the Dragonfly and of course, her boyfriend.
She had gone with him earlier that evening to a benefit in New York at the Museum of Modern Art, a new client of the Gilmore Group, which recently expanded into art insurance, thanks to some contacts of Jason. Since Richard was in London on business, Lorelai was relieved that her parents didn't attend since she and Jason were still sneaking around like a couple of teenagers. She wondered when she would have the nerve to finally tell them.
Lorelai suddenly realized that she was a lot like Luke, hiding the details of an important relationship to those close to her. The irony hit her and she felt a bit like a hypocrite for being so mad at him. Maybe Babette was right, that she should give him a break.
Lorelai suddenly had the urge to call Luke to make amends, but the timing was all wrong and Luke was probably with Nicole in Litchfield anyway. It was Sunday morning around 5:30, the same time just a week ago that Lorelai made the phone call that started the whole snow shovel incident.
Just then Jason rolled over and spooned her. Lorelai usually enjoyed the feeling of him surrounding her but now she just felt claustrophobic. She also had to go the bathroom and released herself from Jason's embrace. He muttered something in his sleep but soon he was quiet.
After relieving herself, instead of returning to Jason's bed, she went into the living room and turned on the TV. She flipped around until she discovered "Hardbodies" on Skinemax. It was the other movie that she and Luke watched during their movie night and she wondered if that was some kind of sign. Soon enough she felt drowsy and fell asleep with the TV on.
TBC.
Author: Gluglug
Spoiler Warning/Timing: Fourth Season (Ep 4.11 In the Clamor and the Clangor)
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Disclaimer: Gilmore Girls and all characters are property of The Dubba Dubba Dubba WB, Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Amy Sherman- Palladino. They don't belong to me, just borrowing.
About a week later, Luke spent the night at Nicole's new place. He had not moved in yet but she persuaded him to stay over so he could get a taste of what living together would be like. She had only moved in a few weeks before and there were still some unpacked boxes sitting in the apartment.
He was laying in her king size bed staring at the ceiling while Nicole slept soundly beside him. Luke did not feel comfortable, even if the 500 count cotton sheets beneath him were the softest he'd ever slept on. Or not slept on. He couldn't sleep, thinking about the fight he had last weekend with Lorelai over the stupid snow shovel.
Well, it wasn't really the shovel, he thought. It was obvious in retrospect that Lorelai was hurt that he didn't tell her the news. If he had known that she would react that way, he definitely would've told her sooner, right?
Of course, since the fight she had avoided the diner. He wondered how she was eating and feeding her coffee habit. He assumed that Sookie was feeding her or that her new boyfriend Jason was squiring her out to dinner every night at some fancy restaurant. Luke hadn't met Jason, and Lorelai only mentioned him in passing a few times. Something about him working with her dad, and her mom hating him but she liked him anyway. Luke always liked Emily, in spite of her imperiousness, and trusted her judgment. So he decided he didn't like Jason either.
At that moment, Nicole rolled over and nestled against Luke. She was awake and began to kiss his neck.
Luke was startled and pulled away. "Not now Nicole."
"What's wrong Luke?" came her disappointed reply.
"Nothing, except I'm tired but I can't fall asleep."
"So why don't I make you extra tired, so can fall asleep." Nicole tried her best seductive tone.
"I'm not in the mood," he said flatly.
"Luke, you haven't been in the mood for the past week and you've been grumpier than usual. What is it? Is it the move?"
"Yeah, it is actually." Luke admitted. "Nicole, I have a question. Who have you told we were moving in together?"
"Um, I told my parents, my sister, and my best friend Mandy, why does it matter?"
"I was just curious. Did you tell anyone else, I mean like in Stars Hollow."
"I don't think so. Oh wait, I think I might have mentioned it to Taylor one day. He wanted to fedex some papers to my apartment for review, so I gave him my new address. I guess I also mentioned that you were moving in with me."
Luke sighed. "Nicole, I don't know if you've ever lived in a small town, but news like this is grist for the gossip mill. It seems that the whole town now knows my business, and you know how I value what little privacy I have."
"I'm sorry Luke, I didn't realize. But so what if the town knows? It's not bad news or scandalous. We're not living in the '50s when cohabitation was considered a sin, and we are, technically at least, married."
"I know that, I just wish I had the time to tell people on my own without them hearing it from the town yentas."
Nicole had an idea where this was going. "What people, Luke?"
"Well, my friends."
"What friends? Luke, we both know you're not a social butterfly and you hate all that town nonsense."
"Yeah, but the town is like my extended family, extremely dysfunctional and insane, but family."
Nicole decided to stop beating around the bush. "And would Lorelai Gilmore be part of that family?"
Oh great, Luke thought, here it comes. "Yeah, she's part of it."
"And how did she react when she found out?" Nicole asked.
"She's mad at me for not telling her myself, which I would've done if you hadn't blabbed to Taylor and beat me to it." Luke admitted, his voice rising a little.
Nicole sat up and turned on her bedside lamp. "So that's why you've been so grumpy Luke. You blame me for Lorelai being mad at you!"
Luke sat up and turned to her. "I'm not blaming you! I'm just a little annoyed that I have no control over how one of the biggest decisions of my life is communicated to the people I care about!"
"Luke, I know she's your friend and all, but I think you're overreacting. She'll get over it."
"I guess so." Luke sighed. "But I still feel bad, and now we're not talking."
Nicole tried to hide her glee. "I'm sorry that you and Lorelai aren't speaking, but maybe this is for the best. What kind of friend is she anyway if she can't be supportive? Do you really need her friendship? You've got me now, and I plan to introduce you to all of my friends here in Litchfield. I think you'll like them and I know what high standards you have."
"I appreciate that, Nicole. It's just that Lorelai has been a part of my life for so long, it's hard to picture it without her." Luke admitted.
Nicole felt a twinge of jealousy, Luke never told her that he couldn't picture his life without her.
"She's like a habit, huh?"
"A habit?" Luke thought that was strangely appropriate way to describe Lorelai.
"Maybe it's time you broke that habit." Nicole suggested.
"Maybe." Luke said half-heartedly.
Luke yawned, he was now tired of this conversation and finally he was tired enough to go to sleep.
"Nicole, I'm ready to go to sleep now. So let's turn off the lights."
They did and they kissed goodnight. As Luke closed his eyes, he tried to focus on Nicole and their future together here in Litchfield, but in his mind's eye Lorelai stubbornly persisted. She was a habit all right, one he couldn't break.
Kind of like that cheesy Chicago song, he thought "I'm addicted to you, baby. You're a hard habit to break."
Later that same night in a luxury apartment in Hartford, Lorelai lay beside Jason, who was sound asleep while Lorelai stared at the ceiling. Over the past week, Lorelai tried not to think so much about Luke and decided to focus on the Dragonfly and of course, her boyfriend.
She had gone with him earlier that evening to a benefit in New York at the Museum of Modern Art, a new client of the Gilmore Group, which recently expanded into art insurance, thanks to some contacts of Jason. Since Richard was in London on business, Lorelai was relieved that her parents didn't attend since she and Jason were still sneaking around like a couple of teenagers. She wondered when she would have the nerve to finally tell them.
Lorelai suddenly realized that she was a lot like Luke, hiding the details of an important relationship to those close to her. The irony hit her and she felt a bit like a hypocrite for being so mad at him. Maybe Babette was right, that she should give him a break.
Lorelai suddenly had the urge to call Luke to make amends, but the timing was all wrong and Luke was probably with Nicole in Litchfield anyway. It was Sunday morning around 5:30, the same time just a week ago that Lorelai made the phone call that started the whole snow shovel incident.
Just then Jason rolled over and spooned her. Lorelai usually enjoyed the feeling of him surrounding her but now she just felt claustrophobic. She also had to go the bathroom and released herself from Jason's embrace. He muttered something in his sleep but soon he was quiet.
After relieving herself, instead of returning to Jason's bed, she went into the living room and turned on the TV. She flipped around until she discovered "Hardbodies" on Skinemax. It was the other movie that she and Luke watched during their movie night and she wondered if that was some kind of sign. Soon enough she felt drowsy and fell asleep with the TV on.
TBC.