"So… Nicole's gone for good, huh mom?"
"Looks that way honey."
"So you say Luke just snapped and told her to pack up her stuff?"
"Yeah, crazy, isn't it?"
"Mmmhmm. I'm sure that's the whole story. And that you had nothing to do with it."
"Young lady!! What are you trying to insinuate?"
"Oh, nothing. Anyways, not that you had anything to do with this. Right?"
"Of course I didn't. What could I possibly do that would break up Luke and Nicole; the world's most perfect couple?"
"So you staying with Luke has absolutely nothing to do with this?"
"Absolutely nothing. I promise." Lorelai was being absolutely truthful here. Nicole didn't even know that Lorelai was staying with Luke. "Well, honey, I've got to go. I think Luke's gonna need a shoulder to cry on, and who's got a better shoulder than me?"
"No one. You are practically box-like."
"That's right! Never worn a shoulder pad in my life!"
"I'll talk to you tomorrow hon."
"Okay. Keep me posted."
"Love ya'"
"Bye bye." Lorelai hung up the phone just as Luke walked into the room.
"Who was that?"
"Rory. She said to tell you that if anything happens to me while I'm here, you're toast."
Luke smiled. "That Rory sure can pack a punch. I'll be sure to make sure you're okay."
"There was never a doubt in my mind." Lorelai grinned, and playfully slapped Luke on the arm. "Hey mister, you never answered my question from before."
"Lorelai…"
She sobered up and gathered her courage.. "I'm serious Luke. You have no idea how many times I have imagined kissing you."
"And you have no idea how long I have loved you." There. He had said it, finally. The moment they had both been waiting for. And then Lorelai's phone rang.
She stared at Luke while her phone kept going off. Finally he took the phone from the table next to her. "Do you mind if I turn this off?" He asked.
"Go for it." By now, the call had been sent to her voicemail, and Luke turned the phone off and put it back on the table.
"Now. No more interruptions."
"Yeah" Lorelai was looking up at him in wonder. "Do you know how I ever got so lucky?"
"Don't even go there Lorelai. I'm the lucky one."
"Eh, enough of this talk already. Let's get down to action." And with that, Lorelai stood up, walked over to Luke, and sat down on his lap. "Now, I think we were interrupted before I got to do this." She leaned down and kissed him. His arms encircled her, and he pulled her flush to him. Luke turned until they were lying down on the couch, and soon the both of them had to come up for air. "Well…"
"That was something." Said Luke. His cheeks were flushed, and his hat askew. Lorelai had managed to get the flannel half off of him, and the black t-shirt he was wearing underneath it encouraged her to keep going.
"Come on, Luke. Don't you think it's a little hot up here to keep wearing your flannel?"
He stood up. "Definitely." and with that, he stripped off the flannel shirt. "Lorelai, is what we're doing wrong?" were the words he managed to get out while she was kissing his neck and trying to take off her sweatshirt at the same time.
"No." She said in between the kisses, in a breathless voice. "If it was wrong, we wouldn't be able to do it."
"But I just broke up with Nicole, and you… you still have a boyfriend." There, he had admitted it. His greatest fear. Would she just go back to her boyfriend like nothing had happened? Could this possibly be just a fling. Because if anything, Luke did not want a fling. That could be worse than nothing at all.
"Luke… Jason is nothing compared to you. I've been going out with him a few weeks; I've loved you for years. He barely knows Rory, you are like a second father to her. And, of course, he is in cahoots with my parents, while you are completely scandal-free. But most importantly, I want you. Not him, not his freakish tendencies, and awkward moments, and business meetings. I need someone who will actually be there for me, sit on a park bench while I cry on his shoulder, make me laugh when I'm feeling down, and listen to me."
Luke could hardly believe her words. "Are you sure?"
"Luke, are you trying to drive me off?" Lorelai laughed, but there were tears in her eyes. "Don't you want me?"
"Of all the things I could be doing, driving you off is not the one I want to choose. I'm sorry."
She smiled. "I know. Now, about this I see on your arm. When were you going to tell me you had a tattoo?"
"Come on Lorelai, it's just a little tattoo."
"Yes, but it's here, on your bulging bicep, another part of your body that I wish to address." And with that, Lorelai ran her hands down his well-muscled arms, down to his hands, which she held in hers. "These are hands that have loved me and Rory for years. Hands that have fixed my house, and my yard. They have built me a chuppa, and worked on my inn. I love these hands, Luke."
"Lorelai" said Luke, as he ran his hands over her face, wiping away two tears that had appeared there. "Did I ever tell you how much I love your eyes? These beautiful blue eyes that I see almost every morning, but never get to look into for as long as I want to?"
"You can look into them all you want now."
Luke just gazed into her eyes, "Yeah. I can, can't I?"