Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, just the story idea.
A/N: I love that you guys love this story! The reviews really keep me motivated, so please keep writing them.
__
"Hi, this is Rory. I can't get to the phone right now, so leave a message and I'll get right back to you." Lorelai listened to Rory's outgoing voice message.
"Rory, it's me," she wailed. "I just told Luke that I love him and he didn't say anything back. He just…stood there. He doesn't love me. I can't ever go back to the diner and I'll die of starvation and they won't find my body for weeks." She sniffed loudly. "Call me back. Love you, bye."
After Lorelai hung up the phone she glanced at Lulu and said, "Let's go to bed." Lorelai went into the kitchen and turned the light on. The glare nearly blinded her and she put her hand to her eyes. Her head was killing her. She opened the cupboards looking for something to ease the pain. "Ah ha!" Lorelai found what she was looking for, unplugged the regular phone and went to bed with her cell phone and an Entenmanns pound cake.
__
Rory left class at nine that evening and walked back to her dorm. On the way, she pulled her cell out of her backpack to put the ringer back on and saw that she had a voice mail. After listening to Lorelai's message she immediately called home. It just rang and rang, though. So, she tried Lorelai's cell, but there was no answer there, either. Rory was loathe to get in the middle of whatever was going on, but she thought she should at least hear Luke's side before she tried to talk Lorelai down off a ledge.
There was no answer at the diner, though, so she called his apartment line. He answered on the first ring. "Hello! Lorelai is that you?"
"No, it's Rory."
"Have you heard from you mother? I've been trying to call her all night."
"Yeah, I got a message from her, but she's not picking up. What happened tonight?"
"Rory, I swear to God I don't know. We were talking about the relationship and I asked her what we were doing and all of a sudden she's yelling about spots! Then she tells me to have a nice life and slams the door."
Rory sighed. "Okay, let's go through this step by step. What happened that you guys were talking about the relationship?"
All of sudden Luke felt shy. He hadn't had a single conversation with Rory since he and Lorelai had starting seeing each other. And there was that pesky comment Lorelai had made about Rory loving him.
"Luke?" Rory unlocked her door and turned on the light.
"Yeah, I'm still here. Okay, this is what happened. We went to a town meeting. Patty made a big deal about us, I got mad and we left. Then I asked her what she thought of the relationship and she got all quiet, and then she said she had love spots. Do you have any idea what that means?"
"Unfortunately, I do." Rory closed her eyes.
"Well, I don't. So I waited for her to elaborate, but instead she got mad and left."
"Oh, Luke." Rory opened her eyes again and threw her backpack down on her bed. This sucked. "Okay. Look, a love spot is a soft spot with some love added."
"Say what?"
"A soft spot. Like, even though the Spice Girls were talentless hacks, I've got a soft spot for them because of that one song about being friends."
"I have no idea what you just said. What are spice girls? Are they like Mrs. Butterworth? Is it food? Was she hungry?"
"No, Luke, listen to me. While you may not love something, you might have a soft spot for it. Soft spot. In your heart."
"Oh. Oooooooooh. But she said love spot."
"Her soft spot for you turned into a love spot. She was telling you that she's in love with you." You big lunkhead.
"Shit," he breathed. "I didn't say it back. But I didn't know what she meant." Luke sounded as if he were pleading with Rory, begging her to understand.
"I know. I can't get a hold of her. I have a feeling she unplugged the main phone. She did this one other time that I can remember. It wasn't pretty."
"Really? When?"
"It was a long time ago. She and my grandma had a big fight. I can't even remember what it was about now. She's probably in bed with baked goods. Although last time it was frozen cookie dough."
"That's disgusting. Are you serious?"
"Luke, you should know by now that you must never underestimate Lorelai Gilmore."
"You're right. My bad. Okay, is the key still under the –"
"Yes, now go! She thinks she's never going to be able to face you again, so you might meet with some resistance, but you'll have to do your best."
"Thanks, Rory."
"You're welcome, Luke. Now go get 'em, tiger."
Luke paused and Rory said, "Okay, can we pretend I didn't just call you 'tiger'."
"I would love that."
"Thank God. Okay, I'm hanging up now."
"Okay, bye, Rory and thanks again."
"No problem, Luke."
They disconnected and Luke headed for the door. He jogged to Lorelai's and sure enough she didn't answer the door. He could hear Lulu on the other side, though, mewing. He got the key and let himself in.
The house was dark and quiet. Lulu was meowing loudly, begging for his attention. He picked her up and began up stairs as she purred loud enough to wake the dead. "Shhhh," he said to her.
Lorelai's bedroom door was ajar and he could see in the darkened room a lump under the covers of her bed. He pushed open the door and Lorelai rolled over to see Luke standing in the doorway of her bedroom, holding Lulu who couldn't have looked more content.
"Traitor," she whispered at the cat.
"Can we talk?" began Luke.
"What is there left to say?"
"Well, for starters," Luke took a deep breath, "you left before I got a chance to tell you about my love spots."
"You don't have any," she sniffled.
"You're wrong. I didn't know what they were before. Now that I do, I can tell you that I've got 'em. Lots of 'em." He sat on the edge of her bed and let Lulu go.
Lorelai sat up and looked at him. "I don't understand."
"Rory called me."
"She what? Do I look like Mia Farrow to you? Because I swear she's Rosemary's freakin' baby!"
"Lorelai stop. I'm glad she called. I couldn't get a hold of you and apparently neither could she, so she called me."
"What?" Lorelai groped under the blankets and found her cell. "Huh. I must've rolled over it and turned it off."
Luke frowned. "So, are we still fighting?"
She looked at him. "I guess not."
"Guess not?"
"I…at the meeting tonight…Patty was right, you know. About what you said."
"What did I say?"
"That we would date until one of us decided to stop dating. It wasn't exactly every girl's fantasy of a public declaration of love."
He sighed. "Lorelai, we were in a room full of busy-bodies. I love you, but I'm not going to plan our future, much less our wedding, with the entire town looking on. I'm just not that guy."
She took his hand in hers. "I love you, too. I know you're not that guy, and I'm glad you're not. I love you exactly how you are." She leaned in a kissed him deeply. "It just felt like a rejection and then with the love spot fiasco added on, I got a little crazy. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry, too. I should have told you how I felt about you a long time ago."
"Me, too." They lay down and got under the covers, spooning.
"You should call Rory and tell her you're okay."
"I will."
"Lorelai?"
"Hmmm?"
"I love you."
She smiled. "I love you, too."
"It feels really good to finally be able to tell you."
She rolled over so that they were face to face. She could feel his breath tickle her forehead. "I know." She took his hand in hers.
"You know what?" she asked him.
"What?"
"When we got home from the mall on Saturday I forgot to show you what I bought for you."
"You didn't have to get me anything."
"Of course I didn't. But I wanted to."
"Speaking of the mall, when are we having dinner with Rory?"
"Don't try to change the subject."
"I'm not."
"Liar." Lorelai sat up and crawled to the end of the bed where the bags from Saturday lay on the floor. She grabbed the one she wanted and pulled it up with her. "They aren't wrapped, so it doesn't even count as a gift. I just saw them and thought of you and said, 'hey, he's my boyfriend. I don't need an excuse to buy him stuff.'"
Luke sat up and they sat cross-legged on the bed facing each other. "What is it?"
"You'll have to open the bag to find out." Lorelai turned on the bedside lamp.
Luke peered into the bag and smiled. "Is this what I think it is?"
Lorelai smiled wider. Luke pulled out three brand new flannel shirts. They weren't plaid, though. All three were solid colors, one navy, one dark red, almost the color of wine, and one hunter green, all thick and warm for the winter months.
"Do you like them?"
"I love them. They're perfect. Thank you." Luke had honestly never received a gift he liked more.
"You're welcome." Lorelai pulled his face to hers and she kissed him. Luke slowly leaned backwards until he was lying on the bed with Lorelai on top of him, her knees on either side of his hips.
"Lorelai?"
"Hmmm?" she responded as she trailed warm kisses down his jaw to his neck. "Am I laying on a box?"
She sat up. "Oh, um, well, I brought a pound cake to bed with me and yeah, the box is still in here somewhere."
Luke lifted his hips up and pulled the half-empty box out from under him. "Wow. There's still some left. Nice show of restraint."
She playfully punched his ribs. "Shut up. It isn't easy being a girl, you know."
He held up his hands in mock surrender. "I never said it was. Can we do something with this?" Lorelai put the smushed box on the bedside table.
"Now," he said, "where were we?"
__
A/N: Stay tuned! Rory's birthday is coming soon….
