Confessions (3/3)
A/N: Hey everyone. Here's the third part of the story. I hope the characters are still accurately portrayed... I tried my best. Also, I hope the whole phone conversation with Rory makes sense to everyone. I wanted to do a one-ended phone conversation, because it was more fun that way, but if it's confusing, please let me know, and I'll try to make it a little clearer. Anyways, please let me know what you think! I love the reviews! And thanks for all the wonderful reviews from the last chapter. You guys are sweet!!
* * * * * RECAP * * * * *
Really, it all came down to one question. Could he live the rest of his life without telling Lorelai how he felt about her? Because his feelings obviously weren't going away. If anything, they were growing stronger. Every time he saw her, talked to her, dreamed about her, he loved her all the more.
Could he live with it if she didn't feel the same way?
No.
But could he live with not knowing?
Not anymore.
And, with that, Luke's decision was finally made. He knew what he had to do. Without another thought, and before he lost his nerve, he left the diner, and headed in the direction of Lorelai Gilmore's house.
* * * * * END RECAP * * * * *
Luke arrived at Lorelai's house a few minutes later, and walked quickly up to the front door. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he knocked loudly on the door. He waited several seconds for Lorelai to answer, and when she didn't he began to pace restlessly back and forth across the length of the porch.
After a few more minutes, she still hadn't answered, and Luke stopped pacing just long enough to knock again. After what seemed like an eternity with no answer, Luke accepted the fact that Lorelai wasn't there, and that she was probably still out walking somewhere. He muttered some choice words under his breath, wondering how long it could take to walk anywhere in Stars Hollow. You could see the whole town in 15 minutes.
His anger was irrational, and he knew it. Really, he was afraid he'd lose his nerve. That he'd wimp out and leave before Lorelai even knew he'd been there. When he had visualized his plan, he had assumed that she would answer the door right away. Like she usually did. Waiting left him time to think—left time for his brain to continue the fight with his heart. And he had realized tonight that this was one fight he didn't want his brain to win.
Luke briefly considered returning back tomorrow, but he knew that would be the worst thing to do. That would give him a whole night to think, to overanalyze, and to talk himself out of what he was about to do.
No, he resolved. He would stay here, and he would wait as long as it took. Lorelai had to come back sometime.
And he would be there waiting.
Finally tired of pacing, he lowered himself onto the porch steps, resting his elbows on his knees. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths, aggravated at himself for being so nervous. Sure, admitting his feelings to Lorelai would change everything—no matter how she responded.
But he had to take the leap.
As lost in his thoughts as he was, Luke failed see Lorelai walking down the street towards the house. He didn't notice her until she climbed the steps to her porch. He jerked his head up and rose from the porch swing.
"Lorelai—" Luke said, moving towards her.
"Oh my God!" Lorelai spun to face him, brandishing her purse in front of her, apparently meant to be used as a makeshift weapon. "Luke!" She gasped, letting her arms fall to her sides. "You scared me! I thought you were a murderer!"
"And you were going to defend yourself with your purse?" Luke stated.
"Hey! I have pepper spray in here. This purse is a deadly weapon," Lorelai said defensively. Luke studied her for a moment, taking in her appearance. She was gorgeous—her arms wrapped around herself, and her cheeks rosy from the cold. Beautiful. And she wasn't even trying.
It wasn't until his traveled up to meet her own that he realized she had been crying again. He moved towards her, frowning. Lorelai backed away when she realized that he had seen the evidence of her tears.
"What are you doing here, Luke?" Lorelai asked, turning away and fumbling in her purse for the keys to the front door.
Luke ignored the question, moving hesitantly towards her.
"You were crying again," he said, more a statement than a question. Lorelai stopped, her hand resting on the doorknob. Luke waited, but she didn't respond.
"Was it because of me?" Luke asked, gently resting a hand on her shoulder.
"No." Lorelai answered snapped. "Of course not. It's the Inn." She paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "It's always the Inn. Or Sookie, or Rory, or my parents. It's always something. But it's never you, Luke. It's never, ever you…" Her words were sharper than he expected, and he wasn't sure how to respond. But then, he felt her shoulder tremble, and he realized that she was crying again.
Silently, Luke reached around her body, grabbing her hand in his, and turning her to face him.
"You're lying," he said, his voice low, barely a whisper.
"No I'm not—" Lorelai started, wiping away her tears with the back of her free hand.
"Yes. You are. " Luke reached up and ran his thumbs along her wet cheeks. His nervousness had returned. Only a few seconds ago it would have been so easy to wrap her in his arms, and to leave the conversation at that. To abandon what he had come here to say. But not now. "I know when you're lying. I can see it in your eyes." He continued. "It is about me. And I'm sorry. But I lied tonight, too."
Lorelai's eyes met his, and she frowned in confusion. "What?" She asked.
"I lied to you. When I said that I wasn't willing to give up our friendship."
"That wasn't true?" Lorelai asked, as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
"No. Not exactly. That was only part of the reason." Luke backed away, leaving a few feet of space between them as he ran a hand through his hair. Lorelai watched him, still confused.
"So…what? We're not friends?" She asked, her voice wavering.
Luke heard the hurt in her voice, and berated himself for saying the wrong thing. He was horrible when it came to saying how he felt. "No! No…" He said quickly. "I mean, yes. We are friends. That's not what I meant." Luke sighed, frustrated with himself. "I meant to say that I left Nicole for a different reason… I left her because you're more than a friend to me."
Finally, the truth was out. Luke breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn't bring himself to face her—not until he had said everything he needed to say. "You're a lot more than a friend to me. You have been for a long time."
Lorelai stared at him, shocked. "What? What are you saying?"
But Luke was on a roll. Now that the floodgate had opened, he couldn't stop talking—couldn't stop saying the things that had gone unsaid for so long.
"Nicole could sense it," he continued. "She could sense that you meant more to me than I was letting on. But I couldn't tell you. For so long I didn't say anything because you mean so much to me. You and Rory. You're my family. You're more of a family to me than Liz or Jess have ever been. I didn't want to lose our friendship. I didn't want to say something that would drive you out of my life."
Luke paused for breath. Hesitantly, he turned to meet Lorelai's eyes. She was still watching him, slowly absorbing everything that he had just said. "Lorelai…" Luke said, taking a step towards her. "I don't want to be just friends anymore."
Lorelai blinked. "What?"
"Didn't you hear me?" Luke asked, exasperated. "Because I don't think I have the nerve to repeat all of that again."
Lorelai shook her head. "No… I heard what you said. It's just...hard to process. I mean, you're my best friend."
Luke nodded. "I know. I probably shouldn't have brought it up." He paused, and they looked at each other in silence. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He'd just poured his heart out to her, something he rarely, if ever, did with anyone. And she hadn't really said anything.
"Can I just ask you one question?" He said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
She nodded.
"Why were you so against me moving in with Nicole?"
Lorelai looked away, considering the question only briefly. "Because," she responded softly. "I didn't want to lose you."
Luke nodded, and let the statement hang in the air for a moment. He had said his piece. She had to make this decision on her own.
"So…" she said, finally. "Does this mean that you… that you…" she gestured between the two of them, unable to say the words.
"Love you?" He asked, his face serious. He realized that it was the first time he had ever said those words aloud, and he enjoyed the feeling. Smiling, he nodded. "Yes. That's what it means."
"You love me?" Lorelai hesitated, bringing her eyes up to lock with his. "Or you're in love with me? Because those two statements can have very different meanings."
Luke rolled his eyes. "You know which one I mean, Lorelai."
And finally, she smiled. The full-fledged Lorelai smile that Luke had come to love so much. He felt relief wash over him. With that smile, he knew that everything between them was going to be okay.
"Well. This comes as quite a shock, Mr. Danes." Lorelai said, feigning shock.
"Not for me," he replied. "I've known for years."
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Lorelai asked, watching as he slowly moved towards her.
"Because I'm a coward," he said, his eyes meeting hers.
"A chicken…" Lorelai said.
"Yeah," Luke murmured, taking another step towards her.
"A scaredy cat…"
"That's me." Luke replied.
"A sissy…" Lorelai said with a giggle.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Luke said, giving her a stern look.
Lorelai's eyes turned upwards as she searched for another word. "Oh!" She said, grinning in triumph. "A yellow-bellied, lily-livered—"
"Lorelai," Luke said, cutting her off." "I get the picture."
He moved yet another step closer to her, close enough to smell her perfume, to see the tiny flecks of green in the blue of her eyes. He could lose himself in those eyes.
"I can't believe that the diner man likes me," Lorelai said teasingly. "I'm gonna get so much free coffee!"
"Well, at least I know your priorities," Luke murmured.
"But it's true, isn't it? Because, if I don't get free coffee, I really don't see this relationship having a future…"
Luke rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "You know what?" He said, moving his face to within inches of hers.
"What?" She responded, her eyes drifting down to his lips.
"You talk too much," he whispered, before gently lowering his lips to hers. He felt her shiver as their lips met, and couldn't help the similar reaction in his own body. Soon, he felt her responding to the kiss, and slowly he moved his hand up her arm and over her shoulder to thread through her hair. The kiss was slow and soft, but more passionate, more loving than he could ever have imagined. Without thinking, his other hand moved to entwine with hers, his thumb gently stroking the skin of her palm.
Eventually, they couldn't ignore the need for oxygen, and they broke apart breathlessly. Lorelai leaned forward, leaning her forehead against his with a sigh.
"Oh. My. God." She said. "That was…"
"I know," Luke said, his eyes still closed as he continued to run his hand through strands of her hair. "I've waited a long time to do that."
Lorelai took another deep breath, before raising her head, frowning, and smacking him on the arm.
"Hey!" Luke snapped, taking a step back. "What was that for?"
"If you weren't such a wuss, we could have been doing that for years." Lorelai frowned. "I blame you for depriving me of almost two decades of…" she paused, searching for the right word. "You know… there's no good way to describe that." She said finally. "But I missed out on it because of you."
Luke chuckled. "Sorry," he said. "It won't happen again."
Lorelai shrugged. "I forgive you. It just means that we have a lot of catching up to do."
"I can handle that," Luke said, lowering his lips to hers once again. Pulling away, he smiled, running a thumb along her cheek. "I could get used to this."
"Mm… me too," Lorelai said, returning his grin.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she spun towards the door.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked, frowning.
"I have to call Rory!" Lorelai said, excitedly. "She won't believe this!" Luke smiled. Lorelai's love for her daughter was half of the reason he had fallen for her in the first place. And he had to admit that he was excited to let Rory know about the next step in his relationship with her mother. Rory was just as much a part of his life as Lorelai was. Though he had never admitted it, even to Lorelai, he loved Rory just as much as he would have loved a child of his own. He had seen her almost every day since she was a toddler—had watched her go to school, grow up, start dating, and go off to college. She held a very special place in his heart.
Without another word, Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand and pulled him into the house, dragging him to the couch as she grabbed the cordless phone. She punched in some numbers from memory, and moved to sit beside Luke on the couch. He grabbed her hand, stroking her fingers as she listened to the rings on the other end of the line. He heard a faint voice, and figured that Rory had finally answered. He could only hear one end of the conversation, but he managed to pick up on most of it.
"Rory! Guess what?... No, you have to guess… No… No… Come on. You can do better than that…"
Luke rolled his eyes at Lorelai.
"Ok…" she said into the phone. "I'll just tell you. Luke is sitting next to me right now…Yeah, I know I see Luke all the time… No… I'm not at the diner... No… he didn't invent a new flavor of pancakes."
"Lorelai," Luke interrupted. "Just tell her already."
"Fine!" She whispered to him, her hand over the receiver. "Ruin the surprise."
She removed her hand from the mouthpiece. "Yeah, I'm still here… You won't believe it. Luke told me he loves me!"
Luke winced as a screech filtered through from the phone. He was equally surprised when Lorelai issued a short scream of her own. He watched her, amused, and wondered for a moment what he had gotten himself into. Several seconds of unintelligible chatter followed, before he could again understand what Lorelai was saying.
"I know!" Lorelai exclaimed. "We're like Sydney and Vaughn…Okay you're right. Not Sydney and Vaughn. Ben and J.Lo?...Yeah, you're right. I'm not that stuck up…"
Luke rolled his eyes again, wondering how Lorelai could, in any way, compare him to Ben Affleck.
Suddenly, he realized that the room had grown quiet. Lorelai had fallen silent as she listened to Rory speak. Luke watched, and frowned as he saw Lorelai's lips curl downward into a frown.
"I know. I will. First thing tomorrow…" She said, her voice serious.
Luke tapped her shoulder to catch her attention, and looked at her questioningly, hoping to discover what they were talking about. Lorelai waved him off, and he frowned, wishing that he could hear the other end of the conversation. Impatiently, he gestured to his watch. Lorelai nodded.
"Hey sweets… Luke is getting bored…What?... Dirty!! Don't talk about your mother and the diner man like that!"
Lorelai glanced at Luke, and laughed when she realized that he was blushing. Obviously, this seemed like important information to pass on.
"Luke's blushing," she informed Rory. Luke glared at her, even as he heard Rory's laughter on the other end of the line.
"Well, I'll let you go, sweetie. Study hard. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow…Yeah, I'm happy too. Love you. Bye."
Lorelai hung up, and sighed happily.
Luke moved to face her. "So what's happening tomorrow?" He asked, curious to know what the two girls had been discussing so seriously.
"I'm breaking up with Jason." Lorelai said, without hesitation.
"Oh…" Luke paused. "And you're okay with that?"
"Of course," she said. "Jason wasn't… well, he wasn't you."
Luke nodded, squeezing her hand in his.
"Rory's happy for us," Lorelai said.
"I gathered that both of you were happy, if the screaming was any indication," Luke replied. Lorelai smiled, sliding closer to him on the couch.
"You know," she said. "I've thought about us as a couple before, and I always figured it would be weird. Since we've been friends for so long and everything."
"And is it weird?" Luke asked.
"No… It works. It fits."
Luke nodded. "I'm glad."
"Me too." Lorelai snuggled up next to him, resting her head against his shoulder. She yawned loudly. "I'm sorry… I'm so tired." She craned her neck to look back at him.
"I bet," he replied, hesitantly moving his hand up to brush some stray hairs away from her eyes.
"Yeah… failing businesses and pledges of undying love can really wear a girl out."
Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, I really love you. A lot."
"Good," Lorelai murmured, stifling a yawn. "Otherwise, all that kissing we did was pretty pointless, wouldn't you say?"
Luke smiled. "I wouldn't call it pointless." Lorelai smiled as he lowered his lips to hers again.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said as his lips left hers. "I love you too, by the way."
"Glad to hear it," Luke replied. Without another word, Lorelai lowered her head to his chest, pulling him closer to her as she yawned again. Luke hesitated only for a moment, before wrapping his arm around her.
"Go to sleep," he whispered, and even as said the words, her eyes began to drift shut.
"Night, diner man," she murmured.
"Night." He smiled, stroking her hair as she watched her, her chest rising and falling slowly, her soft breath tickling his arm as she slept.
And for the first time in his life, everything was perfect.
The End (??)
A/N: So what did you think? I hope it lived up to expectations. I always consider sequels or continuations, if there is enough demand. Let me know if you have any good ideas :)
A/N: Hey everyone. Here's the third part of the story. I hope the characters are still accurately portrayed... I tried my best. Also, I hope the whole phone conversation with Rory makes sense to everyone. I wanted to do a one-ended phone conversation, because it was more fun that way, but if it's confusing, please let me know, and I'll try to make it a little clearer. Anyways, please let me know what you think! I love the reviews! And thanks for all the wonderful reviews from the last chapter. You guys are sweet!!
* * * * * RECAP * * * * *
Really, it all came down to one question. Could he live the rest of his life without telling Lorelai how he felt about her? Because his feelings obviously weren't going away. If anything, they were growing stronger. Every time he saw her, talked to her, dreamed about her, he loved her all the more.
Could he live with it if she didn't feel the same way?
No.
But could he live with not knowing?
Not anymore.
And, with that, Luke's decision was finally made. He knew what he had to do. Without another thought, and before he lost his nerve, he left the diner, and headed in the direction of Lorelai Gilmore's house.
* * * * * END RECAP * * * * *
Luke arrived at Lorelai's house a few minutes later, and walked quickly up to the front door. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he knocked loudly on the door. He waited several seconds for Lorelai to answer, and when she didn't he began to pace restlessly back and forth across the length of the porch.
After a few more minutes, she still hadn't answered, and Luke stopped pacing just long enough to knock again. After what seemed like an eternity with no answer, Luke accepted the fact that Lorelai wasn't there, and that she was probably still out walking somewhere. He muttered some choice words under his breath, wondering how long it could take to walk anywhere in Stars Hollow. You could see the whole town in 15 minutes.
His anger was irrational, and he knew it. Really, he was afraid he'd lose his nerve. That he'd wimp out and leave before Lorelai even knew he'd been there. When he had visualized his plan, he had assumed that she would answer the door right away. Like she usually did. Waiting left him time to think—left time for his brain to continue the fight with his heart. And he had realized tonight that this was one fight he didn't want his brain to win.
Luke briefly considered returning back tomorrow, but he knew that would be the worst thing to do. That would give him a whole night to think, to overanalyze, and to talk himself out of what he was about to do.
No, he resolved. He would stay here, and he would wait as long as it took. Lorelai had to come back sometime.
And he would be there waiting.
Finally tired of pacing, he lowered himself onto the porch steps, resting his elbows on his knees. Closing his eyes, he took several deep breaths, aggravated at himself for being so nervous. Sure, admitting his feelings to Lorelai would change everything—no matter how she responded.
But he had to take the leap.
As lost in his thoughts as he was, Luke failed see Lorelai walking down the street towards the house. He didn't notice her until she climbed the steps to her porch. He jerked his head up and rose from the porch swing.
"Lorelai—" Luke said, moving towards her.
"Oh my God!" Lorelai spun to face him, brandishing her purse in front of her, apparently meant to be used as a makeshift weapon. "Luke!" She gasped, letting her arms fall to her sides. "You scared me! I thought you were a murderer!"
"And you were going to defend yourself with your purse?" Luke stated.
"Hey! I have pepper spray in here. This purse is a deadly weapon," Lorelai said defensively. Luke studied her for a moment, taking in her appearance. She was gorgeous—her arms wrapped around herself, and her cheeks rosy from the cold. Beautiful. And she wasn't even trying.
It wasn't until his traveled up to meet her own that he realized she had been crying again. He moved towards her, frowning. Lorelai backed away when she realized that he had seen the evidence of her tears.
"What are you doing here, Luke?" Lorelai asked, turning away and fumbling in her purse for the keys to the front door.
Luke ignored the question, moving hesitantly towards her.
"You were crying again," he said, more a statement than a question. Lorelai stopped, her hand resting on the doorknob. Luke waited, but she didn't respond.
"Was it because of me?" Luke asked, gently resting a hand on her shoulder.
"No." Lorelai answered snapped. "Of course not. It's the Inn." She paused, taking a deep, shuddering breath. "It's always the Inn. Or Sookie, or Rory, or my parents. It's always something. But it's never you, Luke. It's never, ever you…" Her words were sharper than he expected, and he wasn't sure how to respond. But then, he felt her shoulder tremble, and he realized that she was crying again.
Silently, Luke reached around her body, grabbing her hand in his, and turning her to face him.
"You're lying," he said, his voice low, barely a whisper.
"No I'm not—" Lorelai started, wiping away her tears with the back of her free hand.
"Yes. You are. " Luke reached up and ran his thumbs along her wet cheeks. His nervousness had returned. Only a few seconds ago it would have been so easy to wrap her in his arms, and to leave the conversation at that. To abandon what he had come here to say. But not now. "I know when you're lying. I can see it in your eyes." He continued. "It is about me. And I'm sorry. But I lied tonight, too."
Lorelai's eyes met his, and she frowned in confusion. "What?" She asked.
"I lied to you. When I said that I wasn't willing to give up our friendship."
"That wasn't true?" Lorelai asked, as fresh tears sprang to her eyes.
"No. Not exactly. That was only part of the reason." Luke backed away, leaving a few feet of space between them as he ran a hand through his hair. Lorelai watched him, still confused.
"So…what? We're not friends?" She asked, her voice wavering.
Luke heard the hurt in her voice, and berated himself for saying the wrong thing. He was horrible when it came to saying how he felt. "No! No…" He said quickly. "I mean, yes. We are friends. That's not what I meant." Luke sighed, frustrated with himself. "I meant to say that I left Nicole for a different reason… I left her because you're more than a friend to me."
Finally, the truth was out. Luke breathed a sigh of relief, but he still couldn't bring himself to face her—not until he had said everything he needed to say. "You're a lot more than a friend to me. You have been for a long time."
Lorelai stared at him, shocked. "What? What are you saying?"
But Luke was on a roll. Now that the floodgate had opened, he couldn't stop talking—couldn't stop saying the things that had gone unsaid for so long.
"Nicole could sense it," he continued. "She could sense that you meant more to me than I was letting on. But I couldn't tell you. For so long I didn't say anything because you mean so much to me. You and Rory. You're my family. You're more of a family to me than Liz or Jess have ever been. I didn't want to lose our friendship. I didn't want to say something that would drive you out of my life."
Luke paused for breath. Hesitantly, he turned to meet Lorelai's eyes. She was still watching him, slowly absorbing everything that he had just said. "Lorelai…" Luke said, taking a step towards her. "I don't want to be just friends anymore."
Lorelai blinked. "What?"
"Didn't you hear me?" Luke asked, exasperated. "Because I don't think I have the nerve to repeat all of that again."
Lorelai shook her head. "No… I heard what you said. It's just...hard to process. I mean, you're my best friend."
Luke nodded. "I know. I probably shouldn't have brought it up." He paused, and they looked at each other in silence. He was beginning to feel uncomfortable. He'd just poured his heart out to her, something he rarely, if ever, did with anyone. And she hadn't really said anything.
"Can I just ask you one question?" He said, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
She nodded.
"Why were you so against me moving in with Nicole?"
Lorelai looked away, considering the question only briefly. "Because," she responded softly. "I didn't want to lose you."
Luke nodded, and let the statement hang in the air for a moment. He had said his piece. She had to make this decision on her own.
"So…" she said, finally. "Does this mean that you… that you…" she gestured between the two of them, unable to say the words.
"Love you?" He asked, his face serious. He realized that it was the first time he had ever said those words aloud, and he enjoyed the feeling. Smiling, he nodded. "Yes. That's what it means."
"You love me?" Lorelai hesitated, bringing her eyes up to lock with his. "Or you're in love with me? Because those two statements can have very different meanings."
Luke rolled his eyes. "You know which one I mean, Lorelai."
And finally, she smiled. The full-fledged Lorelai smile that Luke had come to love so much. He felt relief wash over him. With that smile, he knew that everything between them was going to be okay.
"Well. This comes as quite a shock, Mr. Danes." Lorelai said, feigning shock.
"Not for me," he replied. "I've known for years."
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Lorelai asked, watching as he slowly moved towards her.
"Because I'm a coward," he said, his eyes meeting hers.
"A chicken…" Lorelai said.
"Yeah," Luke murmured, taking another step towards her.
"A scaredy cat…"
"That's me." Luke replied.
"A sissy…" Lorelai said with a giggle.
"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Luke said, giving her a stern look.
Lorelai's eyes turned upwards as she searched for another word. "Oh!" She said, grinning in triumph. "A yellow-bellied, lily-livered—"
"Lorelai," Luke said, cutting her off." "I get the picture."
He moved yet another step closer to her, close enough to smell her perfume, to see the tiny flecks of green in the blue of her eyes. He could lose himself in those eyes.
"I can't believe that the diner man likes me," Lorelai said teasingly. "I'm gonna get so much free coffee!"
"Well, at least I know your priorities," Luke murmured.
"But it's true, isn't it? Because, if I don't get free coffee, I really don't see this relationship having a future…"
Luke rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. "You know what?" He said, moving his face to within inches of hers.
"What?" She responded, her eyes drifting down to his lips.
"You talk too much," he whispered, before gently lowering his lips to hers. He felt her shiver as their lips met, and couldn't help the similar reaction in his own body. Soon, he felt her responding to the kiss, and slowly he moved his hand up her arm and over her shoulder to thread through her hair. The kiss was slow and soft, but more passionate, more loving than he could ever have imagined. Without thinking, his other hand moved to entwine with hers, his thumb gently stroking the skin of her palm.
Eventually, they couldn't ignore the need for oxygen, and they broke apart breathlessly. Lorelai leaned forward, leaning her forehead against his with a sigh.
"Oh. My. God." She said. "That was…"
"I know," Luke said, his eyes still closed as he continued to run his hand through strands of her hair. "I've waited a long time to do that."
Lorelai took another deep breath, before raising her head, frowning, and smacking him on the arm.
"Hey!" Luke snapped, taking a step back. "What was that for?"
"If you weren't such a wuss, we could have been doing that for years." Lorelai frowned. "I blame you for depriving me of almost two decades of…" she paused, searching for the right word. "You know… there's no good way to describe that." She said finally. "But I missed out on it because of you."
Luke chuckled. "Sorry," he said. "It won't happen again."
Lorelai shrugged. "I forgive you. It just means that we have a lot of catching up to do."
"I can handle that," Luke said, lowering his lips to hers once again. Pulling away, he smiled, running a thumb along her cheek. "I could get used to this."
"Mm… me too," Lorelai said, returning his grin.
Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she spun towards the door.
"What's wrong?" Luke asked, frowning.
"I have to call Rory!" Lorelai said, excitedly. "She won't believe this!" Luke smiled. Lorelai's love for her daughter was half of the reason he had fallen for her in the first place. And he had to admit that he was excited to let Rory know about the next step in his relationship with her mother. Rory was just as much a part of his life as Lorelai was. Though he had never admitted it, even to Lorelai, he loved Rory just as much as he would have loved a child of his own. He had seen her almost every day since she was a toddler—had watched her go to school, grow up, start dating, and go off to college. She held a very special place in his heart.
Without another word, Lorelai grabbed Luke's hand and pulled him into the house, dragging him to the couch as she grabbed the cordless phone. She punched in some numbers from memory, and moved to sit beside Luke on the couch. He grabbed her hand, stroking her fingers as she listened to the rings on the other end of the line. He heard a faint voice, and figured that Rory had finally answered. He could only hear one end of the conversation, but he managed to pick up on most of it.
"Rory! Guess what?... No, you have to guess… No… No… Come on. You can do better than that…"
Luke rolled his eyes at Lorelai.
"Ok…" she said into the phone. "I'll just tell you. Luke is sitting next to me right now…Yeah, I know I see Luke all the time… No… I'm not at the diner... No… he didn't invent a new flavor of pancakes."
"Lorelai," Luke interrupted. "Just tell her already."
"Fine!" She whispered to him, her hand over the receiver. "Ruin the surprise."
She removed her hand from the mouthpiece. "Yeah, I'm still here… You won't believe it. Luke told me he loves me!"
Luke winced as a screech filtered through from the phone. He was equally surprised when Lorelai issued a short scream of her own. He watched her, amused, and wondered for a moment what he had gotten himself into. Several seconds of unintelligible chatter followed, before he could again understand what Lorelai was saying.
"I know!" Lorelai exclaimed. "We're like Sydney and Vaughn…Okay you're right. Not Sydney and Vaughn. Ben and J.Lo?...Yeah, you're right. I'm not that stuck up…"
Luke rolled his eyes again, wondering how Lorelai could, in any way, compare him to Ben Affleck.
Suddenly, he realized that the room had grown quiet. Lorelai had fallen silent as she listened to Rory speak. Luke watched, and frowned as he saw Lorelai's lips curl downward into a frown.
"I know. I will. First thing tomorrow…" She said, her voice serious.
Luke tapped her shoulder to catch her attention, and looked at her questioningly, hoping to discover what they were talking about. Lorelai waved him off, and he frowned, wishing that he could hear the other end of the conversation. Impatiently, he gestured to his watch. Lorelai nodded.
"Hey sweets… Luke is getting bored…What?... Dirty!! Don't talk about your mother and the diner man like that!"
Lorelai glanced at Luke, and laughed when she realized that he was blushing. Obviously, this seemed like important information to pass on.
"Luke's blushing," she informed Rory. Luke glared at her, even as he heard Rory's laughter on the other end of the line.
"Well, I'll let you go, sweetie. Study hard. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow…Yeah, I'm happy too. Love you. Bye."
Lorelai hung up, and sighed happily.
Luke moved to face her. "So what's happening tomorrow?" He asked, curious to know what the two girls had been discussing so seriously.
"I'm breaking up with Jason." Lorelai said, without hesitation.
"Oh…" Luke paused. "And you're okay with that?"
"Of course," she said. "Jason wasn't… well, he wasn't you."
Luke nodded, squeezing her hand in his.
"Rory's happy for us," Lorelai said.
"I gathered that both of you were happy, if the screaming was any indication," Luke replied. Lorelai smiled, sliding closer to him on the couch.
"You know," she said. "I've thought about us as a couple before, and I always figured it would be weird. Since we've been friends for so long and everything."
"And is it weird?" Luke asked.
"No… It works. It fits."
Luke nodded. "I'm glad."
"Me too." Lorelai snuggled up next to him, resting her head against his shoulder. She yawned loudly. "I'm sorry… I'm so tired." She craned her neck to look back at him.
"I bet," he replied, hesitantly moving his hand up to brush some stray hairs away from her eyes.
"Yeah… failing businesses and pledges of undying love can really wear a girl out."
Luke chuckled, shaking his head. "You know, I really love you. A lot."
"Good," Lorelai murmured, stifling a yawn. "Otherwise, all that kissing we did was pretty pointless, wouldn't you say?"
Luke smiled. "I wouldn't call it pointless." Lorelai smiled as he lowered his lips to hers again.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said as his lips left hers. "I love you too, by the way."
"Glad to hear it," Luke replied. Without another word, Lorelai lowered her head to his chest, pulling him closer to her as she yawned again. Luke hesitated only for a moment, before wrapping his arm around her.
"Go to sleep," he whispered, and even as said the words, her eyes began to drift shut.
"Night, diner man," she murmured.
"Night." He smiled, stroking her hair as she watched her, her chest rising and falling slowly, her soft breath tickling his arm as she slept.
And for the first time in his life, everything was perfect.
The End (??)
A/N: So what did you think? I hope it lived up to expectations. I always consider sequels or continuations, if there is enough demand. Let me know if you have any good ideas :)
