Author's Note: This is my first attempt at any kind of fic. Feedback would
be greatly appreciated.
Moonlight streamed through the open window, seeming to illuminate the key resting on her palm. A gentle breeze drifted in through the window, causing the flame from the candle to flicker and produce dancing shadows on the wall. She stood there, gazing out the window, seemingly admiring all the hard work she'd poured into the inn. However, her mind was troubled and raced with the implications the key represented. A simple key, she pondered, that seemed so light in her hand, carried a much greater weight. With the day winding down, and everyone finally gone, she replayed the incident from this morning over and over again in her mind. She'd been blindsided by the offer of a key to his apartment, and thought the fastest way to get him out of there, and out of the situation, was to smile and slide the key in her pocket. In hindsight, she could plainly see she'd been wrong. She silently criticized herself. Why was she making the key into such an issue? Did everything with him have to be an issue? Her parents? The key? Logically, it was the next step in their relationship, and they had been dating awhile. But she knew in heart she didn't want it, or what it represented.
Her cell phone rang, jarring her from her contemplations. A quick glance down at the screen confirmed her suspicion that it was he. She knew he'd eventually call. Wanting to discuss the status of their relationship, no doubt. Especially after the way she'd hustled him out of the inn, with a quick peck on the cheek and hurried excuses about work to be done and delivery shipments. Her phone beeped, signaling that a voice mail had been left. She absently turned off the phone and continued staring out the window as her mind traveled towards another man. The one she'd been sidestepping her feelings about for years. The one she went to for everything. The one that always magically knew what to say or do to make it better, and hold her up when she didn't even realize she needed someone to lean on. It was finally time to do something. Anything. She couldn't ignore it any longer, or keep pushing it aside with new excuses. She couldn't continue on this way. Dating someone until it got serious, only to hurt that person when it came down to the crunch, because her feelings for another man and a life she secretly dreamt of got in the way. It wasn't fair to anybody. She sank down into the chair by the window and rested her head on her arms, trying to figure out how she was going to gently let one man down and lay her heart out for another.
He stared up at her from the front lawn, his heart beating wildly in his chest, and wondered if he should come back another time. She looked exhausted. And he hated to add to her burdens, but the only time to talk to her alone was here at the inn, after everyone had left. He didn't know what else to do. His heart was heavy. And tired. Tired of wanting and tired of waiting. He took the last swig of his beer and threw it in the construction trash bin. Liquid courage, he thought wryly. He needed another. He had come by this morning to try to talk to her after she'd skipped breakfast for the third day in a row. Came at just the right time to see the slick city guy handing her a key. Then, he'd turned around and strode right back to his diner, berating himself the entire way for his lack of nerve. Somewhere between then and a six pack, he'd steeled his resolve and decided he had to say everything he'd ever wanted to say, before it was too late...again.
He silently made his way up the stairs and stopped at the doorway of the room. Her hair shone in the moonlight, cascading down her back. He wondered if she was asleep, as he slowly made his way over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Startled, she glanced up and then with a look of relief, her mouth eased into that slow smile he loved.
"Coffee?" he asked in uncharacteristically gentle tone, "You look tired."
"You are a life saver. The red one."
"And you should take a break."
"I thought that's what I was doing," she said and took a sip of her coffee.
"Hmmmph," he grunted, effectively expressing his difference of opinion concerning her last statement. "Anyway, I came to see how you were since you haven't been by in a few days...and to, um, talk about a few things."
"Yeah?" she replied, with another smile. "I actually need to run some things by you too. So how convenient for us both."
"Okay, well, you first. As long as it doesn't involve terms for paying back that loan or another thank you, I'll listen. Otherwise..." he started, before she cut him off by holding up a key.
"What's that?"
"It's a key."
"Obviously," he retorted, "what it's for?
"A life-long commitment? The next step? Till death do us part? Blush and bashful?" she responded quickly, before finally saying, "An apartment."
"So why are you telling me?" he responded, trying to ignore the despair and panic bubbling up in the back of his throat.
"I don't know."
"You don't know why you're telling me your boyfriend gave you a key to his apartment?"
"I never said my boyfriend gave me a key to his apartment. I could've meant an apartment in the city. An apartment for Rory. Lane's apartment. When did I ever say he was my "boyfriend", anyway?" she trailed off.
He groaned and pushed himself away from the windowsill he'd been leaning on to stand in front of her. He took the coffee out of her hands and sat it on the table, next to the candle, and crouched down in front of where she was sitting.
"Lorelai," he began in an irritated tone, staring directly into her eyes, "I'm tired of this."
"Of what? Keys? Apartments? Me? Or keys and apartments? What are you talking about?" she babbled nervously.
"This! You know exactly what I'm talking about. Hell, the whole town knows what I'm talking about. They've probably got a secret pool, betting on when one of us will finally snap. Taylor will make it a festival. There'll be punch."
"Luke..." she started.
"I'm sick of it!" he spat out, not giving her a chance to finish whatever she was going to say. "We keep tiptoeing around the issue until the awkwardness goes away, only to fall back in the same monotonous routine until something or someone else comes along to rock the boat. Well, guess what? I'm sick of the boat rocking. I'm ready to flip the son of a bitch over and set it on fire!"
He gave her an exasperated glare and pulled her out of the chair, at the same time hauling her against his chest. He knew her mind was reeling from his outburst, could see it in her eyes. However, he'd come too far to backpedal now. His lips captured hers, caressing unrelentingly. She gasped from the intensity of his kiss and his tongue invaded her mouth. His teeth gently tugged at her lips. When she pushed his baseball cap of his head and fisted her hands in his hair, he was lost. He slid his hands in the silky hair at the nape of her neck, tilted her head back, and devoured her neck. He trailed hot kisses everywhere his lips met bare skin, her soft whimpers driving him closer and closer to the edge. Finally, he found her mouth once more, slowly and urgently taking what he had wanted, and needed, for years.
Moonlight streamed through the open window, seeming to illuminate the key resting on her palm. A gentle breeze drifted in through the window, causing the flame from the candle to flicker and produce dancing shadows on the wall. She stood there, gazing out the window, seemingly admiring all the hard work she'd poured into the inn. However, her mind was troubled and raced with the implications the key represented. A simple key, she pondered, that seemed so light in her hand, carried a much greater weight. With the day winding down, and everyone finally gone, she replayed the incident from this morning over and over again in her mind. She'd been blindsided by the offer of a key to his apartment, and thought the fastest way to get him out of there, and out of the situation, was to smile and slide the key in her pocket. In hindsight, she could plainly see she'd been wrong. She silently criticized herself. Why was she making the key into such an issue? Did everything with him have to be an issue? Her parents? The key? Logically, it was the next step in their relationship, and they had been dating awhile. But she knew in heart she didn't want it, or what it represented.
Her cell phone rang, jarring her from her contemplations. A quick glance down at the screen confirmed her suspicion that it was he. She knew he'd eventually call. Wanting to discuss the status of their relationship, no doubt. Especially after the way she'd hustled him out of the inn, with a quick peck on the cheek and hurried excuses about work to be done and delivery shipments. Her phone beeped, signaling that a voice mail had been left. She absently turned off the phone and continued staring out the window as her mind traveled towards another man. The one she'd been sidestepping her feelings about for years. The one she went to for everything. The one that always magically knew what to say or do to make it better, and hold her up when she didn't even realize she needed someone to lean on. It was finally time to do something. Anything. She couldn't ignore it any longer, or keep pushing it aside with new excuses. She couldn't continue on this way. Dating someone until it got serious, only to hurt that person when it came down to the crunch, because her feelings for another man and a life she secretly dreamt of got in the way. It wasn't fair to anybody. She sank down into the chair by the window and rested her head on her arms, trying to figure out how she was going to gently let one man down and lay her heart out for another.
He stared up at her from the front lawn, his heart beating wildly in his chest, and wondered if he should come back another time. She looked exhausted. And he hated to add to her burdens, but the only time to talk to her alone was here at the inn, after everyone had left. He didn't know what else to do. His heart was heavy. And tired. Tired of wanting and tired of waiting. He took the last swig of his beer and threw it in the construction trash bin. Liquid courage, he thought wryly. He needed another. He had come by this morning to try to talk to her after she'd skipped breakfast for the third day in a row. Came at just the right time to see the slick city guy handing her a key. Then, he'd turned around and strode right back to his diner, berating himself the entire way for his lack of nerve. Somewhere between then and a six pack, he'd steeled his resolve and decided he had to say everything he'd ever wanted to say, before it was too late...again.
He silently made his way up the stairs and stopped at the doorway of the room. Her hair shone in the moonlight, cascading down her back. He wondered if she was asleep, as he slowly made his way over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Startled, she glanced up and then with a look of relief, her mouth eased into that slow smile he loved.
"Coffee?" he asked in uncharacteristically gentle tone, "You look tired."
"You are a life saver. The red one."
"And you should take a break."
"I thought that's what I was doing," she said and took a sip of her coffee.
"Hmmmph," he grunted, effectively expressing his difference of opinion concerning her last statement. "Anyway, I came to see how you were since you haven't been by in a few days...and to, um, talk about a few things."
"Yeah?" she replied, with another smile. "I actually need to run some things by you too. So how convenient for us both."
"Okay, well, you first. As long as it doesn't involve terms for paying back that loan or another thank you, I'll listen. Otherwise..." he started, before she cut him off by holding up a key.
"What's that?"
"It's a key."
"Obviously," he retorted, "what it's for?
"A life-long commitment? The next step? Till death do us part? Blush and bashful?" she responded quickly, before finally saying, "An apartment."
"So why are you telling me?" he responded, trying to ignore the despair and panic bubbling up in the back of his throat.
"I don't know."
"You don't know why you're telling me your boyfriend gave you a key to his apartment?"
"I never said my boyfriend gave me a key to his apartment. I could've meant an apartment in the city. An apartment for Rory. Lane's apartment. When did I ever say he was my "boyfriend", anyway?" she trailed off.
He groaned and pushed himself away from the windowsill he'd been leaning on to stand in front of her. He took the coffee out of her hands and sat it on the table, next to the candle, and crouched down in front of where she was sitting.
"Lorelai," he began in an irritated tone, staring directly into her eyes, "I'm tired of this."
"Of what? Keys? Apartments? Me? Or keys and apartments? What are you talking about?" she babbled nervously.
"This! You know exactly what I'm talking about. Hell, the whole town knows what I'm talking about. They've probably got a secret pool, betting on when one of us will finally snap. Taylor will make it a festival. There'll be punch."
"Luke..." she started.
"I'm sick of it!" he spat out, not giving her a chance to finish whatever she was going to say. "We keep tiptoeing around the issue until the awkwardness goes away, only to fall back in the same monotonous routine until something or someone else comes along to rock the boat. Well, guess what? I'm sick of the boat rocking. I'm ready to flip the son of a bitch over and set it on fire!"
He gave her an exasperated glare and pulled her out of the chair, at the same time hauling her against his chest. He knew her mind was reeling from his outburst, could see it in her eyes. However, he'd come too far to backpedal now. His lips captured hers, caressing unrelentingly. She gasped from the intensity of his kiss and his tongue invaded her mouth. His teeth gently tugged at her lips. When she pushed his baseball cap of his head and fisted her hands in his hair, he was lost. He slid his hands in the silky hair at the nape of her neck, tilted her head back, and devoured her neck. He trailed hot kisses everywhere his lips met bare skin, her soft whimpers driving him closer and closer to the edge. Finally, he found her mouth once more, slowly and urgently taking what he had wanted, and needed, for years.
