Chapter 5- Explanations, Confrontations, and Confusion

Luke was lying in the back of Nicole's car and she and Lorelai were standing just outside of it.

Lorelai saw the hurt look on Nicole's face, and although she never liked, okay she hated the woman, she felt bad for her and knew it would unbelievably suck to be in her position.

"Look, Nicole," Lorelai said sympathetically, "I know you never liked me, and wow, this definitely didn't help, but listen, it meant nothing, what just happened and whatever he said, it meant nothing, you know how drunk he is?"

"Lorelai, contrary to your beliefs, I know my husband, well. Even if I didn't know him, I would still believe he meant it. Every word that did or didn't come out of his mouth, he meant it. Why? Do you know what it's like to have your husband constantly interested in his gorgeous best friend? Every second he's not looking at you, he's looking at her. When he is looking at you, he wishes he was looking at her? No. You don't. Because you are the best friend and I am the wife. How do you think it felt to find that invitation in his jeans pocket this afternoon? How do you think I felt when I pulled up and saw that my husband had brought you with him instead of me? Not only did he bring you, but he told you he loved you and kissed you."

"Nicole, I'm sure that he had his reasons for not telling you, it isn't my place to get involved with that, but what he said to me Nicole, he was drunk."

"I never had anything against you Lorelai. What I was against was always his feelings towards you. I knew they were there. The minute I walked in the diner for our first date and saw you sitting there. I knew it. Of course, he denied it, he's Luke, always go for what you know you can get. Don't take any risks. Yes, Lorelai, he was drunk, but that is the only time that Luke would ever say anything like that."

"Nicole."

"Lorelai, what's going on out here, where's Luke?" Liz came through the doors. "The nerve, for him to say something like that at my engagement party!"

"Liz, this is Nicole, Luke's wife."

"Oh, um. Sorry, I should go." Liz realized something was going on and she didn't want to interfere. She thought it was weird that Luke had brought Lorelai instead of Nicole but she thought that Luke was just being Luke. "Uh, take care of Luke for me." Liz said as she was walking back inside.

"I will." Both Nicole and Lorelai said at the same time. Then they looked at each other.

"Look, I'm gonna drive Luke home, here," She passed Lorelai Luke's Keys, "you mind taking this to the diner."

"No problem" Lorelai said, still feeling guilty.

As she was walking away and Nicole was opening her door Lorelai turned around.

"Hey Nicole"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really sorry. Not for Luke, for me. I shouldn't have let him say that stuff or kiss me. He's married. I'm sorry."

"I'm not justifying what you did Lorelai, but if I were lucky enough to be in your position, I am pretty sure I'd have done the same thing. Ya know, let him kiss me."

"Bye Nicole."

"Bye."

Lorelai turned around and handed her ticket and Luke's keys to the Valet Parker.

The ride home was an interesting one.

Lorelai kept thinking back on everything that had happened that night. As she changed driving hands, something slid down her forearm. She looked down and saw the bracelet. Flashes and little pieces of conversations went through her head.

Did I tell you how pretty you Look tonight?; That smile, that's the Lorelai smile, that's the smile that made me fall in love with you; Luke, you didn't have to, It's gorgeous; yeah, well....; Do you know what it's like to have your husband constantly interested in his best friend? Every time he isn't Looking at you, he's looking at her, when he is looking at you, he wishes he was looking at her? No. You don't. ..

.

Then when Lorelai started to get the feeling that it wasn't all one big mistake, she thought back, before Nicole...

He seems to like you; and you're judging this by what?; by the way he looked at you; which is how? Like you were about to give him a lap dance; Mom, he did not look at me like that; You're pleased; what?; you smiled. You're pleased that the ice man looked at you like a Porterhouse Steak.

She would have quickly dismissed this thought if her mother had been the only one who brought this up. But she wasn't.

She remembered a conversation with Sookie.

Come on Lorelai; what?; don't you understand that Luke is so into you?; Okay, stop.; he has had to watch you go from one guy to another, and then the engagement, and then the engagement was off, and patiently he's waited. And now walks in this kid and he says, ' my God, will she date anyone else in the world before she'll date me?'; Sookie, that...; Hey, maybe it's crazy, maybe it's irrational, but it's there. Just look the guy in the eye, it's right there.

"It's right there." Lorelai whispered aloud.

Then, it all came back to her. Everything that Luke ever did for her out of kindness, every time he gave into her, The Chuppa, The whole Max issue, The almost kisses, The look in Luke's eyes, every time they were alone. Then she realized, maybe she didn't mind. Wait, maybe she liked it. Maybe, just maybe she felt the same way.

"It's right there."

(a/n, sorry the chapter is so short, but I have everything all planned out and it made sense to stop it right here. I Know I used a lot of quotes here, the one's from the actual show I thank Gilmore-girls. net for, but I used them because I figured that she would be thinking about this stuff when she was considering her feelings, and I thought it would help to kind of bring everything together. Anyway, I hope you like it so far. R/R, it helps out a lot. Thank you.)