Author Notes: These characters aren't mine, they are property of Amy
Sherman-Palladino and the WB. Watch the Frog. Just a note: This is my
first attempt at fan fiction.
Luke walked back to the diner with a giddy, almost child-like spring in his step. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked past the gazebo in the middle of town square. There were still a few party guests milling around from Liz's wedding. Luke wasn't much of a romantic. When Liz had insisted upon stringing up thousands of white Christmas lights around the square Luke didn't really see the point. The only satisfaction he got from her "romantic" idea was that Taylor about had a coronary when he saw the result of her bridesmaids hard work. But looking at it now Luke had to admit that the result of the thousands of twinkling lights, coupled with the brisk night air did have a dreamy effect.
He was almost home and yet he didn't feel tired. He felt like basking in the night that had been Liz and T.J.'s wedding just a little while longer. He walked over to a park bench and sat down to think. It didn't take him long to realize the park bench he was sitting on was the one he had come to know as "their" bench. It was the bench where Lorelai had what she called a Meltdown in the Park. Luke was there to hold her and comfort her and pick up the pieces of her horrible day. In that moment he never could have predicted how far they would come. At the time he was married to Nicole and Lorelai was just a friend. But was she ever just a friend? Luke couldn't think of a time when he wouldn't have done anything for Lorelai. He couldn't really remember when they first met, or when he realized that he'd do just about anything she asked. All he was sure of was that that night was magical. And, shockingly enough, he had Liz to thank for it.
Two days earlier
"Luke, come on, you have to bring a date to my wedding. I insist on it," Liz nagged her brother as she followed him around his apartment.
"No, Liz, I don't have to bring anyone to your wedding. I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this," Luke replied as he picked up a plate and took it over to the sink. "Besides, you just told me your little wedding announcement yesterday. Now, it might be fine for you to throw together a wedding in three days, but I am not going to go out and find a date that quickly."
Liz walked over the sink and leaned against it to look her brother in the eye. "I could see if Carrie is available," she said with a mischievous smile on her face.
Luke stopped what he was doing and looked at her for moment. "Liz, I am not taking Crazy Carrie to your wedding. End of story," he said forcefully and continued to wash the plate.
"Fine, what about Lorelai?"
"What about her?"
"Why don't you bring her to my wedding?"
"It's not like that Liz," Luke said. "We're friends, you don't ask friends to accompany you to a last minute wedding. I'm sure she's busy. She's opening an inn you know." It was almost as if Luke was trying to talk himself into the explanation he was giving Liz.
"Well actually my brother that is exactly what friends are for," Liz said as she put her hand on his shoulder. She leaned in and added quietly, "And I think you like her. I think you like her and the first time I met her I thought she is definitely Luke's type."
Luke's face flushed slightly. "If I ask her, will it get you to stop following me around?"
"Yes."
"Fine," he said as he dried off the plate. "You and T.J. plan the wedding. I have to go to the diner for the dinner shift."
"And you'll ask Lorelai to the wedding?"
"And I'll ask Lorelai to the wedding," Luke replied grudgingly as he walked out the door.
He was nervous all night. Every time he heard the bell above the diner door ring his heart skipped a beat. It was Thursday night and she always came in on Thursday night to satisfy her grease craving. Why was he so nervous? It was just a wedding. Friends go to weddings together all the time. For all Liz's problems she certainly did have one thing going for her and that was that she could always tell her brother's true feelings. Even when they were little and Luke had to look out for her and protect her, Liz could always tell when Luke was sad or angry or had a crush on someone. In fact she was the one who pointed out that Luke had a thing for Rachel way back when. He knew he liked being around her but he never would have made the leap to admitting he had a crush on her if not for Liz. So here it was 6:30 p.m. and Luke was anxiously awaiting Lorelai's arrival so he could ask her to come to the wedding, with him, as his date. The diner was slower than usual tonight so Luke decided to pass the time by wiping down the counter, one of his nervous habits.
"Hey there Mel!" Lorelai chirped happily as she breezed her way into the diner.
Luke stopped wiping the counter and gave her a confused look. "What?"
"You know Mel from Mel's Diner," Lorelai answered matter-of-factly. When she noticed Luke still wore a puzzled expression she continued. "You know on Alice, that show about the diner and the waitresses and the one waitress always says 'kiss my grits'," she finished in a Southern accent.
"You have way too much time on your hands," Luke replied.
"Yeah well when you're up sewing curtains until 3 a.m. you'll watch whatever TV Land is playing buddy. Can I get coffee, a cheeseburger and fries please?"
"Coming right up," Luke replied as he went into the kitchen.
"So, I heard Liz is in town again," Lorelai said to Luke as he came back from the kitchen with her coffee.
"Oh yeah, she just rolled in last night," Luke replied. 'This is the perfect opening' he thought. "She actually had some news."
"Yes?" Lorelai prodded him.
"Yeah her and T.J. are getting married. Here in Stars Hollow. On Saturday."
"Wow, Saturday? That's like the day after tomorrow Luke. And she just told you today?" Lorelai asked incredulously.
"That's my sister," Luke replied. "Anyway, um, look, Liz is really all over me to bring a, you know, bring a someone to the wedding."
"Bring a someone? Is a someone a party game or something? I've never heard of a someone," Lorelai teased him.
'Of course she can't make this any harder than it already is' he though to himself. "You know what I mean. A date. I need to bring a date and I was wondering if you'd want to go with me?" he finally said.
"Aw, Luke doesn't want to be the only girl there without a date?" she continued to tease him until she saw the look on his face. "Sure, you can't know I can't resist putting on my finest party clothes. What time?"
"Um, the ceremony is at 4:30 p.m. and then they're having the reception in the park."
"Oh that sounds so romantic. I love a good outdoor wedding reception. Plus the flowers are just starting to bloom so everything will look so pretty. I'll meet you here at 4 p.m. on Saturday then?"
"Yeah, that sounds good," Luke replied with a huge sense of relief. "Oh, I almost forgot, don't be freaked out if you show up and there are about 100 people in tights and big fruify outfits. My sister has insisted on a Renaissance theme wedding."
"Oh, do we get to dress up too?" Lorelai asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Uh, no, I mean unless you have a ball gown lying around at home you're just itching to put on," Luke replied sarcastically.
"Well I guess I will just have to keep you in suspense then," Lorelai shot back with a mischievous grin.
Later on Luke had flipped the opened sign to closed and was walking over to the counter when he spotted an item on the back table. He walked over and examined what was left behind. Sometime people left the strangest things. The Lost Items box under the counter had an assortment of children's toys, baby's clothes, PDAs and who knew what else. Luke picked up the white plastic box and read the writing on it. "Live a life that matters,"Luke read. What kind of idiot needs a book to help them with their problems? Luke thought. Worse than it being a self-help book, it was actually a book on tape. Then he remembered that Kirk had been sitting at that table. "Poor schmuck," he thought. Luke shook his head and threw the cassette box on the counter.
He scanned the diner and realized that for a light crowd, they sure were messy. He was going to be here for at least an hour in order to get the place looking clean again. He sighed and grabbed a rag and started to wipe down the tables. It was quiet tonight. Usually there were people outside, things happening in the square, but tonight was unusually quiet. Luke sighed again as he glanced at the box lying on the counter. "Live a life that matters," he thought. "My life matters. I matter," he reaffirmed in his mind. But suddenly he could get the last conversation he had with Jess out of his head. Jess had told him he didn't matter. He basically told him that his whole existence was based on helping people who didn't want his help. In fact, now that Luke thought about it, Jess had always kind of thought Luke didn't have much of a life. He was the one who initially pointed out Nicole to him. Maybe the only reason he even noticed her was because of Jess. But deep down Luke knew that the only reason he had noticed Nicole was because Lorelai was once again unavailable, at least to him anyway.
Luke looked down at the rag and realized he had been wiping the same five inch space of the table for about five minutes. Suddenly he threw the rag down and walked over to the counter. To the box. Quickly he popped the tape out of the holder and threw it into the cassette player behind the counter. He wasn't really sure why he felt the compulsion to listen to this garbage, but it was quiet. If Luke was left alone with his own thoughts he would just remember Jess and how he failed to help him and Nicole and how he just couldn't seem to make it work and Liz and her wedding. He decided it was better to drown out the thoughts swimming in his head with something else. It would probably be good for a laugh if nothing else. Luke hit play and walked across the diner to actually finish wiping off the table he started.
"Living a life that matters is not as simple as it seems," said the voice. "You matter. I matter. We all matter."
"Oh geez," Luke mumbled to himself.
"Think for a moment about that person who matters the most to you. It could be a pet, a child or a significant other. Who is the one person that means the most to you? How much would you do for that person? Does this person know how much they mean to you? The first step in living a meaningful life is telling those you love how much they matter to you," the tape continued.
Luke thought for a minute about the questions the tape asked. Luke's thoughts in regards to all the questions had been about Lorelai. She meant the most to him out of everyone in his life. He would do, had done, just about anything for her. She didn't want him to leave Stars Hollow and he didn't. Granted that also had to do with the fact that he didn't really want to leave anyway. She asked for $30,000 and he gave it to her without batting an eye. Did she know how much she meant to him? That was the question. Luke knew deep down she didn't really know. She didn't know how he looked forward to her diner visits even if it was to give him a hard time. He knew she couldn't know how he would sometimes pretend to be grumpier than he really was just so she'd spend that extra time trying to get him to smile. Lorelai simply didn't know the extent of Luke's feelings for her. He loved her as a friend, but he also loved her as something more than that.
He snapped out of his reverie to continue listening to the tape. "All of us matter to someone, just has those people matter to us. A life is only half lived without the true feelings of affection and appreciation that we should all share with those we love. Before you can add meaning to your life you must help add meaning to those you love. Life lesson one and your assignment before moving on to the next chapter is to tell someone how you feel about them today. Don't hide behind insecurity. Put your feelings out there and you will feel better about yourself and, in return, someone will know how much they matter to you." Luke thought about this for a minute and he realized this idiot savant actually had a point. Sure, Luke's life mattered, but it could have so much more meaning if he just sucked it up and told Lorelai how he felt. He had already asked her out. Granted at the time he just needed a date, but then she admitted she would be his date. If Lorelai wanted a date, then a spectacular date she would get.
Saturday afternoon had come and gone and Lorelai was still not quite ready for the wedding. It was warmer out than she expected so she naturally had to change five times to find an appropriate outfit. Lorelai had teased Luke about wearing her Renaissance ball gown to the wedding. Of course she didn't have one, but she did have a wreath of flowers that would be perfect for the occasion. She grabbed the wreath from the hanger and places it on her head. She teased a few pieces of her wavy brown hair around the wreath, took a quick glance in the mirror and dashed down the stairs. She took a look at the clock realized it was almost 4:30 p.m. She was surprised Luke hadn't come beating on her door. She grabbed her purse and, as quickly as possible in cute pink heels, ran out the door towards town.
Luke was waiting outside the church and he looked at his watch again. It was almost 4:30 p.m. Of course he knew Lorelai ran habitually late. He wondered if they had gotten their signals crossed and he made a quick dash over to the diner to make sure she wasn't there waiting for him. When he didn't find her there he abruptly turned and, with his head down, quickly walked back towards the church. It was at that moment that Lorelai came rushing into him in her haste to meet him somewhat on time.
"Luke," she said putting her arms out in front of her so she wouldn't plow into him.
"Lorelai," Luke replied surprised he had run into her. "You look beautiful," he said incredulously. He had seen her just about everyday for years but her beauty never ceased to amaze him.
"Thank you," Lorelai replied slightly embarrassed. Luke had rarely taken the time to comment on her appearance. "You clean up real nice yourself mister," she smiled as she lightly taped his chest with her finger. She took in the sight of him for the first time since running into him. He did look good. Lorelai always thought he looked good in his usual flannel and backwards baseball hat, but she had to admit the man filled out a suit.
"Thanks," Luke smiled. "Well, we should probably get to the church," he said as he offered Lorelai his arm. She was caught a little off guard by this gesture but she took his arm and they walked to the church in the warm sun of the Saturday afternoon.
The sun was just beginning to set as the wedding party proceeded to the town square for the reception. "That was really a beautiful ceremony," Lorelai said as she followed Luke out of the church.
"Yeah, it was nice wasn't it?" Luke replied smiling.
"Ya know, I know you don't like T.J. on account of the fact he called you a dick, but he seems to really love Liz."
"Yeah, thanks for bringing that up again," Luke responded lightly. "No, I know, he does love her. I was just so used to the guys Liz usually brought home that I gave him an unusually hard time. I'm glad he is the real deal though. It doesn't come along that often," Luke said rather pointedly as he looked Lorelai in the eye. He once again offered Lorelai his arm, which she took and they continued walking to the square.
"So, what's with offering me your arm thing?" Lorelai asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything," she added.
"Well, we're at a wedding and you're my date, I thought it was a nice thing to do," Luke replied simply.
"You're also walking on the street side," Lorelai added.
"Yes, I am. You are quite observant today," he replied.
"Well, it's just if there was one thing Emily Gilmore taught me it was that a man should always take your arm and always walk on the street side of the street to protect us fragile women-folk from getting hit by a car or kidnapped or, most especially, splashed by a car," Lorelai rambled. "Oh my god, you're not secretly dating my mother are you Luke?"
"You found out my dirty little secret. I have been waiting years for your parents to separate just to get to Emily," Luke played along. "In fact it was her idea for me to ask you to the wedding. She figured you wouldn't make a scene about us dating if you were in wedding attire. She taught you better than that," he finished seriously, but with a gleam in his eye. "Now crazy lady here is our table, would you like anything to drink?"
Lorelai sat down in the spot Luke placed her. "Thanks, I'll have a white wine."
"I'll be right back. Emily's waiting at the diner. I have to check in and tell her you know about our sordid affair," he said over his shoulder.
"Funny. You're very funny Luke Danes!" Lorelai yelled back.
The reception went on and Luke and Lorelai talked and ate. Luke even gave Lorelai his slice of wedding cake. He had meant for her to take it home to Rory, but that thought went unnoticed after the piece of cake sat in front of Lorelai for ten minutes. The band has started playing music and the sun had set over the little town of Stars Hollow. The Christmas lights that Liz had insisted upon placing all over the square actually were pretty nice if Luke had to admit it. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Lorelai. Her dress, the flowers in her hair and the twinkling lights all gave her a glow more powerful than her usual essence. And Lorelai for her part couldn't believe how attentive Luke had been all night. He was usually chivalrous and attentive, but there was something about tonight she could quite put her finger on. She had been tapping her foot to the band's music and was secretly hoping Luke would ask her to dance. She knew him too well for that though. She would have to be content to listen to the music instead.
Luke stood up and extended his hand toward Lorelai's. "So, would you like to dance?"
"What?" Lorelai asked, shocked.
"Dance? You know there's music and people usual sway around in fits of discombobulated movements."
"Oh, yes. Of course, let's dance," she replied. Her witty repartee seemed to fail under the sheer shock that Luke had wanted to dance at all. Luke, the man who constantly turned her down for the dance marathon, had a sudden urge to dance? They walked out to the dance floor and, as if on cue the music changed to an old-time favorite, Moonlight Serenade. Luke stepped closer to Lorelai and pulled her into his arms as they began to dance. The music swirled and the lights twinkled and Luke just looked at Lorelai. In that moment everything in Luke's world was perfect. His arm was around her waist and he glided her around the dance floor with ease. Lorelai had fully expected that she would have to be the one leading him. She was pleasantly surprised that he has taken the lead.
"Okay," Lorelai said. "We need to talk buddy. Where did you learn to dance like this? I thought you didn't dance?"
Luke smiled at her. She was looking at him looking at her and a strange sensation enveloped her. He bent his head slightly and leaned into her. His mouth was inches from her ear as he whispered, "I told you I don't dance, not that I don't know how." He slowly inched his head away from her face and grin slightly as he stared at her.
Lorelai wasn't sure what to make of this evening. All she knew was that she felt good. All the stress of the inn opening and her parent's separation and her break up with Jason seemed to fade into the back of her mind. All her problems and stresses seemed light years away. She continued to let Luke lead her around the dance floor. The right side of her face was tingling from where he had whispered into her ear. She wasn't sure if it was the feeling of his breath so near to her face or if it was the stubble that gently brushed her cheek as he moved his head away from hers, but that small moment left an indelible impression. Luke and Lorelai continued to move gracefully until the last note of the song faded to nothing. There was a moment between songs. That slight pause where a band resets the music and instruments where people leave the dance floor. In that moment Luke and Lorelai were completely still in each other's arms. They both just looked at each square in the eyes and then the next song started and moment was over.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't do upbeat songs," Luke said as he let go of Lorelai's waist.
It took a minute for Lorelai to recover her composure. She felt as if the warmth of his hand had seared through her dress and once he removed it the cold night air seemed to chill her to the bone. She wrapped her arms around her body and walked with Luke back to the table. Finally regaining her thoughts she said, "Well I hope you're happy that I've lost the dance marathon to Kirk more times than I can count because of you," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Why did you let me suffer all these years when we could have won?"
"If you had known I could dance what would have been the likelihood of you leaving me alone about the dance marathon?" Luke asked.
"Nonexistent?" Lorelai replied.
"I rest my case," Luke stated. He noticed she was still holding her arms close to her body for warmth. "Oh, geez, sorry," he said as he stood up to take off his jacket. "I forgot the night air can be so cold in May." He took his jacket and placed it over Lorelai's shoulders.
"Thanks," she smiled as she shoved her arms into the jacket. She felt instantly warm and tingly. She wasn't sure if it was because she was so cold or if it was because Luke's jacket smelled so much like him. She yawned.
"Are you getting tired?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, just a little. I was up pretty late last night finishing some things for the Dragonfly. I hate to go but I probably should be getting home. I have a busy week coming up," she said standing and starting to remove Luke's jacket.
Luke quickly stood up and put his hands on her shoulders to prevent her from removing the jacket. "Its cold, keep it on. I'll walk to you home," he said.
"Luke, you shouldn't leave, it's your sister's wedding. I can get home alright," Lorelai replied. "Liz and T.J. look a little preoccupied right now," he said look at his sister and T.J. dancing and kissing on the dance floor. "Besides, all her stuff is at my place. They have to pick it up before they leave for the honeymoon. Plus, my sister is always the last one to leave a party," he added with a smile.
"Okay, if you're sure," Lorelai said.
"Positive, let's go," he replied.
They walked in comfortable silence through the crisp night air. The light became dimmer as they got farther away from the thousands of Christmas lights. As they got closer to Lorelai's house Luke knew he had better start the ball rolling.
"Thanks for coming with me tonight," Luke said.
"You're welcome. It was fun. Well with the exception of you saying you were dating my mother anyway," she said with a giggle and she playfully nudged him with her shoulder.
"Yeah, sorry you had to find out like that. I must have a weakness for Gilmore women." They had reached Lorelai's porch and he was running out of time. They turned to look at each other and say goodnight when Luke noticed one of the flowers in Lorelai's wreath had fallen and was hanging in her hair. They stood facing each other and Luke reached out his hand gently put his fingers in her hair and removed the flower that had fallen. He held it out to her. "You seem to have lost this," he stated simply.
"Thanks. I probably would have fallen sleep with in stuck in my hair. I would have woken up with smashed flower all in the sheets and then I'd have to do laundry and it would be a whole thing. You saved me some time there," she babbled as she had a tendency to do when she was nervous. She didn't know why she was nervous but something about tonight was different.
Luke summoned all the courage he could muster and said, "So you had fun and I had fun. I think we should do this again."
"Sure, whose wedding is next? Maybe Miss Patty will find her next victim soon," Lorelai laughed.
"Well I was kind of thinking we should do this again soon," Luke continued on. "What are you doing Wednesday?"
"Wednesday?"
"You know the day after Tuesday, but before Must See TV Thursday?"
"Um I have soon Inn stuff to get together for the big opening," Lorelai said.
Luke would not be dissuaded. "But you need to eat right? So I was thinking I could come over and make you dinner."
"Uh, sure. You know I'm a sucker for a good meal," Lorelai laughed nervously. Did she just make a date with Luke? Was he really coming over to cook her dinner? No, she thought, he was just being helpful, cooking her dinner to take her mind off of everything was very Luke thing to do, right?
"Okay then," Luke replied satisfied. "I'm sure I'll see you at the diner before then, but I will be over Wednesday at 6 p.m. to cook you dinner." He had a stupid boyish grin on his face. He felt he must look like an idiot, but he couldn't help it. He had asked Lorelai on a date and she had said yes. It didn't get much better. But for a kiss the night had been perfect for Luke. He wasn't sure if he should risk it.
Lorelai stood on her porch baffled by the way the night had gone. This was date. Luke had been in boyfriend-mode with her. She couldn't shake the thought from her head. He was talking about dinner, but she barely heard because she had just wrapped her mind around the fact that she went on a date with Luke, and, she thought, she may have just made another one. She looked down and realized that Luke had picked up her hand. She stared down at her hand in his and found that it looked like it belonged there.
"Thanks again for a lovely evening Lorelai," Luke said squeezing her hand.
"You too," she smiled nervously. "Don't forget your coat." She broke contact with his hand to remove his jacket. She swung it around her shoulder to hand to him and just as she was intoxicated by the scent of his cologne she felt his face inches from her own as he lightly placed his lips on her cheek and kissed her goodnight. He pulled his face back and smiled at her.
"Goodnight Lorelai."
"Goodnight Luke."
She watched him as he walked down the street. She couldn't be sure but she thought it looked like there was a spring in his step. She smiled to herself as she opened the door and leaned against it taking in the events of the night. She was confused. Luke was her best friend. He was the one constant thing in her life besides Rory and somehow she had just ended a weird and wonderful night with him. She ran over to the phone and dialed a familiar number only to get voicemail.
"Hi Sweets, its me-mom. Um, I'm not sure where you are, but could you call me when you get in? I just got back from the wedding and, you're never gonna believe this, but I think...I think I might be kind of dating Luke now. So call me, love you, bye."
Lorelai trudged up the stairs, threw off her crown of flowers and collapsed on the bed. She was still holding the flower Luke has plucked out of her hair. She looked at it and took in its fragrant aroma. She thought about the night, the dance, the lights and Luke and she knew from that moment things between would never be the same again.
The End.
Luke walked back to the diner with a giddy, almost child-like spring in his step. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked past the gazebo in the middle of town square. There were still a few party guests milling around from Liz's wedding. Luke wasn't much of a romantic. When Liz had insisted upon stringing up thousands of white Christmas lights around the square Luke didn't really see the point. The only satisfaction he got from her "romantic" idea was that Taylor about had a coronary when he saw the result of her bridesmaids hard work. But looking at it now Luke had to admit that the result of the thousands of twinkling lights, coupled with the brisk night air did have a dreamy effect.
He was almost home and yet he didn't feel tired. He felt like basking in the night that had been Liz and T.J.'s wedding just a little while longer. He walked over to a park bench and sat down to think. It didn't take him long to realize the park bench he was sitting on was the one he had come to know as "their" bench. It was the bench where Lorelai had what she called a Meltdown in the Park. Luke was there to hold her and comfort her and pick up the pieces of her horrible day. In that moment he never could have predicted how far they would come. At the time he was married to Nicole and Lorelai was just a friend. But was she ever just a friend? Luke couldn't think of a time when he wouldn't have done anything for Lorelai. He couldn't really remember when they first met, or when he realized that he'd do just about anything she asked. All he was sure of was that that night was magical. And, shockingly enough, he had Liz to thank for it.
Two days earlier
"Luke, come on, you have to bring a date to my wedding. I insist on it," Liz nagged her brother as she followed him around his apartment.
"No, Liz, I don't have to bring anyone to your wedding. I don't know why you're making such a big deal about this," Luke replied as he picked up a plate and took it over to the sink. "Besides, you just told me your little wedding announcement yesterday. Now, it might be fine for you to throw together a wedding in three days, but I am not going to go out and find a date that quickly."
Liz walked over the sink and leaned against it to look her brother in the eye. "I could see if Carrie is available," she said with a mischievous smile on her face.
Luke stopped what he was doing and looked at her for moment. "Liz, I am not taking Crazy Carrie to your wedding. End of story," he said forcefully and continued to wash the plate.
"Fine, what about Lorelai?"
"What about her?"
"Why don't you bring her to my wedding?"
"It's not like that Liz," Luke said. "We're friends, you don't ask friends to accompany you to a last minute wedding. I'm sure she's busy. She's opening an inn you know." It was almost as if Luke was trying to talk himself into the explanation he was giving Liz.
"Well actually my brother that is exactly what friends are for," Liz said as she put her hand on his shoulder. She leaned in and added quietly, "And I think you like her. I think you like her and the first time I met her I thought she is definitely Luke's type."
Luke's face flushed slightly. "If I ask her, will it get you to stop following me around?"
"Yes."
"Fine," he said as he dried off the plate. "You and T.J. plan the wedding. I have to go to the diner for the dinner shift."
"And you'll ask Lorelai to the wedding?"
"And I'll ask Lorelai to the wedding," Luke replied grudgingly as he walked out the door.
He was nervous all night. Every time he heard the bell above the diner door ring his heart skipped a beat. It was Thursday night and she always came in on Thursday night to satisfy her grease craving. Why was he so nervous? It was just a wedding. Friends go to weddings together all the time. For all Liz's problems she certainly did have one thing going for her and that was that she could always tell her brother's true feelings. Even when they were little and Luke had to look out for her and protect her, Liz could always tell when Luke was sad or angry or had a crush on someone. In fact she was the one who pointed out that Luke had a thing for Rachel way back when. He knew he liked being around her but he never would have made the leap to admitting he had a crush on her if not for Liz. So here it was 6:30 p.m. and Luke was anxiously awaiting Lorelai's arrival so he could ask her to come to the wedding, with him, as his date. The diner was slower than usual tonight so Luke decided to pass the time by wiping down the counter, one of his nervous habits.
"Hey there Mel!" Lorelai chirped happily as she breezed her way into the diner.
Luke stopped wiping the counter and gave her a confused look. "What?"
"You know Mel from Mel's Diner," Lorelai answered matter-of-factly. When she noticed Luke still wore a puzzled expression she continued. "You know on Alice, that show about the diner and the waitresses and the one waitress always says 'kiss my grits'," she finished in a Southern accent.
"You have way too much time on your hands," Luke replied.
"Yeah well when you're up sewing curtains until 3 a.m. you'll watch whatever TV Land is playing buddy. Can I get coffee, a cheeseburger and fries please?"
"Coming right up," Luke replied as he went into the kitchen.
"So, I heard Liz is in town again," Lorelai said to Luke as he came back from the kitchen with her coffee.
"Oh yeah, she just rolled in last night," Luke replied. 'This is the perfect opening' he thought. "She actually had some news."
"Yes?" Lorelai prodded him.
"Yeah her and T.J. are getting married. Here in Stars Hollow. On Saturday."
"Wow, Saturday? That's like the day after tomorrow Luke. And she just told you today?" Lorelai asked incredulously.
"That's my sister," Luke replied. "Anyway, um, look, Liz is really all over me to bring a, you know, bring a someone to the wedding."
"Bring a someone? Is a someone a party game or something? I've never heard of a someone," Lorelai teased him.
'Of course she can't make this any harder than it already is' he though to himself. "You know what I mean. A date. I need to bring a date and I was wondering if you'd want to go with me?" he finally said.
"Aw, Luke doesn't want to be the only girl there without a date?" she continued to tease him until she saw the look on his face. "Sure, you can't know I can't resist putting on my finest party clothes. What time?"
"Um, the ceremony is at 4:30 p.m. and then they're having the reception in the park."
"Oh that sounds so romantic. I love a good outdoor wedding reception. Plus the flowers are just starting to bloom so everything will look so pretty. I'll meet you here at 4 p.m. on Saturday then?"
"Yeah, that sounds good," Luke replied with a huge sense of relief. "Oh, I almost forgot, don't be freaked out if you show up and there are about 100 people in tights and big fruify outfits. My sister has insisted on a Renaissance theme wedding."
"Oh, do we get to dress up too?" Lorelai asked with a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Uh, no, I mean unless you have a ball gown lying around at home you're just itching to put on," Luke replied sarcastically.
"Well I guess I will just have to keep you in suspense then," Lorelai shot back with a mischievous grin.
Later on Luke had flipped the opened sign to closed and was walking over to the counter when he spotted an item on the back table. He walked over and examined what was left behind. Sometime people left the strangest things. The Lost Items box under the counter had an assortment of children's toys, baby's clothes, PDAs and who knew what else. Luke picked up the white plastic box and read the writing on it. "Live a life that matters,"Luke read. What kind of idiot needs a book to help them with their problems? Luke thought. Worse than it being a self-help book, it was actually a book on tape. Then he remembered that Kirk had been sitting at that table. "Poor schmuck," he thought. Luke shook his head and threw the cassette box on the counter.
He scanned the diner and realized that for a light crowd, they sure were messy. He was going to be here for at least an hour in order to get the place looking clean again. He sighed and grabbed a rag and started to wipe down the tables. It was quiet tonight. Usually there were people outside, things happening in the square, but tonight was unusually quiet. Luke sighed again as he glanced at the box lying on the counter. "Live a life that matters," he thought. "My life matters. I matter," he reaffirmed in his mind. But suddenly he could get the last conversation he had with Jess out of his head. Jess had told him he didn't matter. He basically told him that his whole existence was based on helping people who didn't want his help. In fact, now that Luke thought about it, Jess had always kind of thought Luke didn't have much of a life. He was the one who initially pointed out Nicole to him. Maybe the only reason he even noticed her was because of Jess. But deep down Luke knew that the only reason he had noticed Nicole was because Lorelai was once again unavailable, at least to him anyway.
Luke looked down at the rag and realized he had been wiping the same five inch space of the table for about five minutes. Suddenly he threw the rag down and walked over to the counter. To the box. Quickly he popped the tape out of the holder and threw it into the cassette player behind the counter. He wasn't really sure why he felt the compulsion to listen to this garbage, but it was quiet. If Luke was left alone with his own thoughts he would just remember Jess and how he failed to help him and Nicole and how he just couldn't seem to make it work and Liz and her wedding. He decided it was better to drown out the thoughts swimming in his head with something else. It would probably be good for a laugh if nothing else. Luke hit play and walked across the diner to actually finish wiping off the table he started.
"Living a life that matters is not as simple as it seems," said the voice. "You matter. I matter. We all matter."
"Oh geez," Luke mumbled to himself.
"Think for a moment about that person who matters the most to you. It could be a pet, a child or a significant other. Who is the one person that means the most to you? How much would you do for that person? Does this person know how much they mean to you? The first step in living a meaningful life is telling those you love how much they matter to you," the tape continued.
Luke thought for a minute about the questions the tape asked. Luke's thoughts in regards to all the questions had been about Lorelai. She meant the most to him out of everyone in his life. He would do, had done, just about anything for her. She didn't want him to leave Stars Hollow and he didn't. Granted that also had to do with the fact that he didn't really want to leave anyway. She asked for $30,000 and he gave it to her without batting an eye. Did she know how much she meant to him? That was the question. Luke knew deep down she didn't really know. She didn't know how he looked forward to her diner visits even if it was to give him a hard time. He knew she couldn't know how he would sometimes pretend to be grumpier than he really was just so she'd spend that extra time trying to get him to smile. Lorelai simply didn't know the extent of Luke's feelings for her. He loved her as a friend, but he also loved her as something more than that.
He snapped out of his reverie to continue listening to the tape. "All of us matter to someone, just has those people matter to us. A life is only half lived without the true feelings of affection and appreciation that we should all share with those we love. Before you can add meaning to your life you must help add meaning to those you love. Life lesson one and your assignment before moving on to the next chapter is to tell someone how you feel about them today. Don't hide behind insecurity. Put your feelings out there and you will feel better about yourself and, in return, someone will know how much they matter to you." Luke thought about this for a minute and he realized this idiot savant actually had a point. Sure, Luke's life mattered, but it could have so much more meaning if he just sucked it up and told Lorelai how he felt. He had already asked her out. Granted at the time he just needed a date, but then she admitted she would be his date. If Lorelai wanted a date, then a spectacular date she would get.
Saturday afternoon had come and gone and Lorelai was still not quite ready for the wedding. It was warmer out than she expected so she naturally had to change five times to find an appropriate outfit. Lorelai had teased Luke about wearing her Renaissance ball gown to the wedding. Of course she didn't have one, but she did have a wreath of flowers that would be perfect for the occasion. She grabbed the wreath from the hanger and places it on her head. She teased a few pieces of her wavy brown hair around the wreath, took a quick glance in the mirror and dashed down the stairs. She took a look at the clock realized it was almost 4:30 p.m. She was surprised Luke hadn't come beating on her door. She grabbed her purse and, as quickly as possible in cute pink heels, ran out the door towards town.
Luke was waiting outside the church and he looked at his watch again. It was almost 4:30 p.m. Of course he knew Lorelai ran habitually late. He wondered if they had gotten their signals crossed and he made a quick dash over to the diner to make sure she wasn't there waiting for him. When he didn't find her there he abruptly turned and, with his head down, quickly walked back towards the church. It was at that moment that Lorelai came rushing into him in her haste to meet him somewhat on time.
"Luke," she said putting her arms out in front of her so she wouldn't plow into him.
"Lorelai," Luke replied surprised he had run into her. "You look beautiful," he said incredulously. He had seen her just about everyday for years but her beauty never ceased to amaze him.
"Thank you," Lorelai replied slightly embarrassed. Luke had rarely taken the time to comment on her appearance. "You clean up real nice yourself mister," she smiled as she lightly taped his chest with her finger. She took in the sight of him for the first time since running into him. He did look good. Lorelai always thought he looked good in his usual flannel and backwards baseball hat, but she had to admit the man filled out a suit.
"Thanks," Luke smiled. "Well, we should probably get to the church," he said as he offered Lorelai his arm. She was caught a little off guard by this gesture but she took his arm and they walked to the church in the warm sun of the Saturday afternoon.
The sun was just beginning to set as the wedding party proceeded to the town square for the reception. "That was really a beautiful ceremony," Lorelai said as she followed Luke out of the church.
"Yeah, it was nice wasn't it?" Luke replied smiling.
"Ya know, I know you don't like T.J. on account of the fact he called you a dick, but he seems to really love Liz."
"Yeah, thanks for bringing that up again," Luke responded lightly. "No, I know, he does love her. I was just so used to the guys Liz usually brought home that I gave him an unusually hard time. I'm glad he is the real deal though. It doesn't come along that often," Luke said rather pointedly as he looked Lorelai in the eye. He once again offered Lorelai his arm, which she took and they continued walking to the square.
"So, what's with offering me your arm thing?" Lorelai asked. "Not that I'm complaining or anything," she added.
"Well, we're at a wedding and you're my date, I thought it was a nice thing to do," Luke replied simply.
"You're also walking on the street side," Lorelai added.
"Yes, I am. You are quite observant today," he replied.
"Well, it's just if there was one thing Emily Gilmore taught me it was that a man should always take your arm and always walk on the street side of the street to protect us fragile women-folk from getting hit by a car or kidnapped or, most especially, splashed by a car," Lorelai rambled. "Oh my god, you're not secretly dating my mother are you Luke?"
"You found out my dirty little secret. I have been waiting years for your parents to separate just to get to Emily," Luke played along. "In fact it was her idea for me to ask you to the wedding. She figured you wouldn't make a scene about us dating if you were in wedding attire. She taught you better than that," he finished seriously, but with a gleam in his eye. "Now crazy lady here is our table, would you like anything to drink?"
Lorelai sat down in the spot Luke placed her. "Thanks, I'll have a white wine."
"I'll be right back. Emily's waiting at the diner. I have to check in and tell her you know about our sordid affair," he said over his shoulder.
"Funny. You're very funny Luke Danes!" Lorelai yelled back.
The reception went on and Luke and Lorelai talked and ate. Luke even gave Lorelai his slice of wedding cake. He had meant for her to take it home to Rory, but that thought went unnoticed after the piece of cake sat in front of Lorelai for ten minutes. The band has started playing music and the sun had set over the little town of Stars Hollow. The Christmas lights that Liz had insisted upon placing all over the square actually were pretty nice if Luke had to admit it. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Lorelai. Her dress, the flowers in her hair and the twinkling lights all gave her a glow more powerful than her usual essence. And Lorelai for her part couldn't believe how attentive Luke had been all night. He was usually chivalrous and attentive, but there was something about tonight she could quite put her finger on. She had been tapping her foot to the band's music and was secretly hoping Luke would ask her to dance. She knew him too well for that though. She would have to be content to listen to the music instead.
Luke stood up and extended his hand toward Lorelai's. "So, would you like to dance?"
"What?" Lorelai asked, shocked.
"Dance? You know there's music and people usual sway around in fits of discombobulated movements."
"Oh, yes. Of course, let's dance," she replied. Her witty repartee seemed to fail under the sheer shock that Luke had wanted to dance at all. Luke, the man who constantly turned her down for the dance marathon, had a sudden urge to dance? They walked out to the dance floor and, as if on cue the music changed to an old-time favorite, Moonlight Serenade. Luke stepped closer to Lorelai and pulled her into his arms as they began to dance. The music swirled and the lights twinkled and Luke just looked at Lorelai. In that moment everything in Luke's world was perfect. His arm was around her waist and he glided her around the dance floor with ease. Lorelai had fully expected that she would have to be the one leading him. She was pleasantly surprised that he has taken the lead.
"Okay," Lorelai said. "We need to talk buddy. Where did you learn to dance like this? I thought you didn't dance?"
Luke smiled at her. She was looking at him looking at her and a strange sensation enveloped her. He bent his head slightly and leaned into her. His mouth was inches from her ear as he whispered, "I told you I don't dance, not that I don't know how." He slowly inched his head away from her face and grin slightly as he stared at her.
Lorelai wasn't sure what to make of this evening. All she knew was that she felt good. All the stress of the inn opening and her parent's separation and her break up with Jason seemed to fade into the back of her mind. All her problems and stresses seemed light years away. She continued to let Luke lead her around the dance floor. The right side of her face was tingling from where he had whispered into her ear. She wasn't sure if it was the feeling of his breath so near to her face or if it was the stubble that gently brushed her cheek as he moved his head away from hers, but that small moment left an indelible impression. Luke and Lorelai continued to move gracefully until the last note of the song faded to nothing. There was a moment between songs. That slight pause where a band resets the music and instruments where people leave the dance floor. In that moment Luke and Lorelai were completely still in each other's arms. They both just looked at each square in the eyes and then the next song started and moment was over.
"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I don't do upbeat songs," Luke said as he let go of Lorelai's waist.
It took a minute for Lorelai to recover her composure. She felt as if the warmth of his hand had seared through her dress and once he removed it the cold night air seemed to chill her to the bone. She wrapped her arms around her body and walked with Luke back to the table. Finally regaining her thoughts she said, "Well I hope you're happy that I've lost the dance marathon to Kirk more times than I can count because of you," she said as she stuck her tongue out at him. "Why did you let me suffer all these years when we could have won?"
"If you had known I could dance what would have been the likelihood of you leaving me alone about the dance marathon?" Luke asked.
"Nonexistent?" Lorelai replied.
"I rest my case," Luke stated. He noticed she was still holding her arms close to her body for warmth. "Oh, geez, sorry," he said as he stood up to take off his jacket. "I forgot the night air can be so cold in May." He took his jacket and placed it over Lorelai's shoulders.
"Thanks," she smiled as she shoved her arms into the jacket. She felt instantly warm and tingly. She wasn't sure if it was because she was so cold or if it was because Luke's jacket smelled so much like him. She yawned.
"Are you getting tired?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, just a little. I was up pretty late last night finishing some things for the Dragonfly. I hate to go but I probably should be getting home. I have a busy week coming up," she said standing and starting to remove Luke's jacket.
Luke quickly stood up and put his hands on her shoulders to prevent her from removing the jacket. "Its cold, keep it on. I'll walk to you home," he said.
"Luke, you shouldn't leave, it's your sister's wedding. I can get home alright," Lorelai replied. "Liz and T.J. look a little preoccupied right now," he said look at his sister and T.J. dancing and kissing on the dance floor. "Besides, all her stuff is at my place. They have to pick it up before they leave for the honeymoon. Plus, my sister is always the last one to leave a party," he added with a smile.
"Okay, if you're sure," Lorelai said.
"Positive, let's go," he replied.
They walked in comfortable silence through the crisp night air. The light became dimmer as they got farther away from the thousands of Christmas lights. As they got closer to Lorelai's house Luke knew he had better start the ball rolling.
"Thanks for coming with me tonight," Luke said.
"You're welcome. It was fun. Well with the exception of you saying you were dating my mother anyway," she said with a giggle and she playfully nudged him with her shoulder.
"Yeah, sorry you had to find out like that. I must have a weakness for Gilmore women." They had reached Lorelai's porch and he was running out of time. They turned to look at each other and say goodnight when Luke noticed one of the flowers in Lorelai's wreath had fallen and was hanging in her hair. They stood facing each other and Luke reached out his hand gently put his fingers in her hair and removed the flower that had fallen. He held it out to her. "You seem to have lost this," he stated simply.
"Thanks. I probably would have fallen sleep with in stuck in my hair. I would have woken up with smashed flower all in the sheets and then I'd have to do laundry and it would be a whole thing. You saved me some time there," she babbled as she had a tendency to do when she was nervous. She didn't know why she was nervous but something about tonight was different.
Luke summoned all the courage he could muster and said, "So you had fun and I had fun. I think we should do this again."
"Sure, whose wedding is next? Maybe Miss Patty will find her next victim soon," Lorelai laughed.
"Well I was kind of thinking we should do this again soon," Luke continued on. "What are you doing Wednesday?"
"Wednesday?"
"You know the day after Tuesday, but before Must See TV Thursday?"
"Um I have soon Inn stuff to get together for the big opening," Lorelai said.
Luke would not be dissuaded. "But you need to eat right? So I was thinking I could come over and make you dinner."
"Uh, sure. You know I'm a sucker for a good meal," Lorelai laughed nervously. Did she just make a date with Luke? Was he really coming over to cook her dinner? No, she thought, he was just being helpful, cooking her dinner to take her mind off of everything was very Luke thing to do, right?
"Okay then," Luke replied satisfied. "I'm sure I'll see you at the diner before then, but I will be over Wednesday at 6 p.m. to cook you dinner." He had a stupid boyish grin on his face. He felt he must look like an idiot, but he couldn't help it. He had asked Lorelai on a date and she had said yes. It didn't get much better. But for a kiss the night had been perfect for Luke. He wasn't sure if he should risk it.
Lorelai stood on her porch baffled by the way the night had gone. This was date. Luke had been in boyfriend-mode with her. She couldn't shake the thought from her head. He was talking about dinner, but she barely heard because she had just wrapped her mind around the fact that she went on a date with Luke, and, she thought, she may have just made another one. She looked down and realized that Luke had picked up her hand. She stared down at her hand in his and found that it looked like it belonged there.
"Thanks again for a lovely evening Lorelai," Luke said squeezing her hand.
"You too," she smiled nervously. "Don't forget your coat." She broke contact with his hand to remove his jacket. She swung it around her shoulder to hand to him and just as she was intoxicated by the scent of his cologne she felt his face inches from her own as he lightly placed his lips on her cheek and kissed her goodnight. He pulled his face back and smiled at her.
"Goodnight Lorelai."
"Goodnight Luke."
She watched him as he walked down the street. She couldn't be sure but she thought it looked like there was a spring in his step. She smiled to herself as she opened the door and leaned against it taking in the events of the night. She was confused. Luke was her best friend. He was the one constant thing in her life besides Rory and somehow she had just ended a weird and wonderful night with him. She ran over to the phone and dialed a familiar number only to get voicemail.
"Hi Sweets, its me-mom. Um, I'm not sure where you are, but could you call me when you get in? I just got back from the wedding and, you're never gonna believe this, but I think...I think I might be kind of dating Luke now. So call me, love you, bye."
Lorelai trudged up the stairs, threw off her crown of flowers and collapsed on the bed. She was still holding the flower Luke has plucked out of her hair. She looked at it and took in its fragrant aroma. She thought about the night, the dance, the lights and Luke and she knew from that moment things between would never be the same again.
The End.