Rory scanned the diner hall with her plate of waffles in hand and spotted
Marty sitting with all his friends.
" Oh hey Rory. How'd it going?"
" Good for me, but I think your syrup is overflowing."
"OH! Thanks." Marty looked down at the massive puddle of syrup drowning his waffles, and lifted up the bottle " That's okay, I like a lot of syrup...maybe not this much, but..."
" So I was just wondering, if you were going home for Thanksgiving?"
" Yup, all the way to Cambridge." Marty nodded.
" You live in the same city as Harvard, but you go to Yale?"
" It's almost sacrilegious."
" Well, then you're not that far away. I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to come play softball with me on Friday? Work off some of that thanksgiving dinner?"
" You play softball?"
" My last class is at 9, then I'm getting lessons at 2. It's just one of those things. See, I live in this really small...um...eccentric town? And we're having our first annual charity softball tournament, and Luke, he the owner of the diner I go to with my mom-"
" I've heard rumours about the coffee there."
" Without a doubt the best in the world. So, we were short a player, and you said that you played little league and Luke said I could bring a friend from school. SO..."
" Sure. Sounds great."
" Okay....I'll get details and get back to you." Rory nodded.
" Alright. There's no uniforms or anything?"
" Do you own any plaid?"
" Um...." Marty loked a little confused, but Rory just smiled.
" Nevermind. I'll get details."
" Okay. See ya Rory."
" Bye.
*************************
Luke walked out of the kitchen with four full plates and almost collided with someone.
" Hey! Get out of my- Nicole?" Luke looked up from his plates in surprise. " What are you doing her? It's Monday?"
" Yeah, I know, but the firm decided to take this week off. Turns out the entire research department turned up sick, so the firm's going take the week off so they can recover, then we can just work twice as hard next week."
" Did you want to do something today?" Luke looked over his shoulder as he placed the food on a table.
" No, I have to go into Hartford and do one last meeting with a client this morning. I'm just here to say hello." She leaned up and gave him a kiss. "But I wouldn't object if you wanted to do something later, maybe this afternoon."
" Oh, right."
" What's wrong?" Nicole questioned, seeing a troubled look fall across Luke's face.
" It's nothing. Just, you remember I told you about that tournament we're playing in last night?"
" Softball on Friday, of course."
" I just promised that I'd teach Lorelai and Rory how to play."
" Lorelai." Nicole's eyes hardened a little and Luke sighed.
" Yes Lorelai, and Rory. She's my friend Nicole, I'm just trying to help them out. And our team. You know what, why don't you come with us. It'll be...fun."
" So much fun." Nicole said, with subtle sarcasm.
" Come on. I want you to come." Luke tried to convince her. Nicole looked him in the eye with a determining glare, then her eyes softened, and she nodded.
" Alright. I should get going then."
" Have a good meeting." Luke gave her a quick kiss and Nicole smiled back at him and kissed him again, for a little longer, which made Luke a little uncomfortable.
" Goodbye Luke." Luke waved and went back towards the kitchen. " Luke?" He turned back and saw her at the doorway. " What time do you want me there?"
" What time do I want you there?"
" At the field?"
" Oh...4 o'clock." Nicole nodded and waved goodbye. Luke waved back and continued to the kitchen. Nicole walked out towards her car and saw Lorelai coming down the street. Nicole smiled politely, almost too politely as she passed. Lorelai could have sworn that Nicole looked positively triumphant at something, but just shrugged it off and continued to the diner.
*********************************
" So it looks like you two have...almost... got the basics of catching and throwing."
" Throw AT the person!" Rory piped up.
" Stand infront of the ball to catch, not dive out of the way when it comes towards you!" Lorelai chorused, nodding her curly pigtails.
" Very basics."
" Hey! We've been working hard for our money! So hard for it...." Luke just rolled his eyes and ignored Lorelai.
" And Rory, you've got the basics of hitting."
" Yeah, you only missed that last one by less than two feet." Lorelai teased her.
" At lest when I throw I can keep both feet on the ground instead of hopping around like some cracked up rabbit on speed." Rory retorted.
" Whoa." Luke stood in between them as they pretended to be offended and to try and attack each other. " Hey Ror, it's almost 3:30." Rory glanced at her watch.
" Oh, right, I guess I should get going." Rory gave her mom a hug, and gave Luke a quick hug too.
" Uh, drive safe." He mumbled, a little surprised.
" I will. I'll be home for dinner Mom. Rescheduled pizza and movie night is still on?"
" Of course. Have fun with Paris hun." Rory rolled her eyes and waved. Luke and Lorelai watched until she drove off , then turned around and looked at each other.
" I guess we should get back to work." Lorelai suggested.
" Sure, why don't we start you on batting?"
" Okay!" Lorelai ran over to home plate and Luke followed, carrying the bat.
" So, let's just see what you've got. I'm not going to throw yet, I just wanta watch you while you swing." He handed her the bat.
" Dirty!" Lorelai gave Luke a challenging grin, but he just scowled and flushed up a little.
" Swing the bat." He grumbled, stepping back until he felt that he would be safe, just in case she swung to wildly, or let go of the bat or something.
" Fine fine, don't get all huffy on me." Lorelai grabbed the bat and gripped it high up the handle, standing with her legs completely straight. She swung back a little bit, then forwards, around to her opposite shoulder, losing her balance and stumbling forwards. She threw her arms out to balance herself, caught herself, and steadied herself back on her feet. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and left a smudge of dirt on her face.
" What are you looking at." She said grumpily. Luke had come over, now that it was safe, to make sure she was okay. He was biting his lip hard, trying not to laugh, but he finally had to let something out, and made a noise that sounded like a chuckle that had been covered with a grunt.
"Fine. Lets see you do better." She shot at him, even though she knew that he obviously could.
" Here, more like this." Luke have her an encouraging pat on her arm, and picked up the bat. He held it further down and bent his knees. Lifting it up above his head, Luke swung through slowly, shifting his weight from his back foot forward onto his front. Lorelai watched the bat, nodding. At least she had started off watching how the bat was moving, but ended up looking at how Luke's arm muscles were tensing and relaxing below his rolled up shirt sleeves when he swang. Luke swung a few more times, slowly, supposedly so that she could see how to do it, but Lorelai was somewhat distracted.
" You got that?" Luke asked over his shoulder
" What? Those?" Lorelai was startled out of her gaze. " No, not even close, I've got arms like pipecleaners. I should probably join a gym in Hartford or something. Do you have to work out or something for those?" Lorelai stammered, then realized what she had said during her nervousness-induced spiel. She started to become embarrassed and confused, hoping Luke hadn't noticed her staring as his muscles, or how her ears were turning an uncomfortable pink right now. Luke stared at her for a minute, confused.
" What are you talking about now?"
" Um, I was just....watching...you know...the bat, and then your arms and...the whole muscles when swinging, cause they move when you move, and there big, so I could see them move and...Hey, do you feel like some water. My mouth seems a little dry. I could definitely go for some water." She tried to find the escape pod from this awkward situation. Luke frowned at her again
" No...I'm fine, you can have some though. There's a couple of bottles in the bag."
" No, second thought, I should be fine. Why don't we get back to the whole bat swinging, ball hitting thing. Why don't you go far over there, away from me, and throw the ball very gently in my direction." Luke nodded in agreement, still staring at her in a strange way, and walked about ten yards away from her. Luke tossed the ball around in his hand.
" Ready?"
" As I'll ever be." Luke threw her the softest underhand pitch he could. She watched it as carefully as she could, but her grip was back up the handle, and her feet were too close together, and when she swung the bat forwards, which she hadn't brought back at all, she completely missed the pitch and stepped forwards as she lost her balance. The ball hit the dirt and rolled up to the chain link fence behind home plate.
" It was better?" She tried, but Luke shook his head.
" I'd just show you how to bunt, but then again you'd have to be able to run fast."
" I don't want to bunt! I want to swing! You said you'd teach me how."
" Okay, then you might want to start by bringing the bat behind your head, or behind you at all."
" I can't, it'll hurt. I don't bend in that way."
" How do you bend?" Luke asked incredulously, to which Lorelai raised her eyebrow suggestively. Luke crossed his arms, but the corners of his mouth twitched. Lorelai grinned, a tiny little spark getting warm in her stomach at his minute response, and ignoring the question of exactly why it had, started to pout playfully.
" I'm not inflexible, if that's what you're thinking Danes; my muscles are just resistant to change."
" And that makes them different from the rest from the rest of your body because..."
" Hey I don't hate change! I like change...some kinds of change."
" Such as?"
" I like good change. Good change is good. And safe change. You can't go wrong with safe change either."
" So you are afraid."
" Hey, this from the man who's worn the same pattern, hairstyle and facial expression since I met him."
"Hey, I bought a new bed."
" Wow, you are a wild and crazy, throw-caution-to-the-wind kinda guy. Did you splurge on the twin?"
" It's a queen."
" Hmmm, queen means commitment." Lorelai teased him, tugging on the front of his shirt.
" It does not." Luke scowled, again.
" Does to. It means your looking for a woman to fit your mattress description."
" So, what, I had lower standards when I just had a single mattress?"
" No, honey, that mattress fit your description." Lorelai grinned.
" Very funny."
" Do you think secluded uber-monk is a mattress size too?" Luke shook his head and poked her in the stomach with the end of the bat.
" Here, do you want to get back to the hitting."
" As long as it's you hitting on me." Lorelai shot back. Part of her hand folded overtop of his as she took the bat, but Lorelai pulled it away quickly, like it had burned her, or surprised her. Lorelai's skin was tingling for some reason, and she shook her hand, trying to get it to go away. Luke gave her another strange look. He was trying to figure out whether or not she was still just play flirting. He had been getting a lot more signals, or something, maybe, what was that word...vibes? from her today, more than the usually teasing stuff at the diner. It was probably just the fresh air. She probably wasn't used to it or something. It was going to her head. Or maybe something was going to his....or both of theirs.
" Why don't we start again."
" Yeah, very good idea. Swinging the bat now." Lorelai turned around awkwardly and gripped the bat. Luke sighed at her hand placement, trying to get things back to normal, but very reluctantly.
" There's your first problem."
" What?"
" Your hands. They're in the wrong place. Your left hand should be down farther than your right. Move your left down along that tape."
" Like this?"
" That's your right."
" So more like this?"
" Yeah." Luke smiled." Now just bring it back. Like this." He took the end of the bat and pulled it back.
" Owowowowow! What was that for?" Luke sighed impatiently, clenching his fists. Lorelai's hands were twisted backwards, and her arms were still at her sides.
" Okay, my fault. I should have been more clear about this. Bring the bat back like this while moving your arms." Luke explained very slowly.
" Yeah, okay Mr.Obvious. I just don't know how to do it. Where are my arms supposed to go? It's so uncomfortable. I don't get this stupid game." Luke stepped back and looked at Lorelai leaning dejectedly on the bat. He didn't like it when she looked defeated around him, so he tried to smile in a way he though might be encouraging, took a deep breath and walked behind her. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Luke unsurely.
"What are you doing?"
" I have an idea. You...don't mind right?" Lorelai though he sounded almost nervously, but laughed it off.
" Whatever will help, I'll try it."
"Okay." Luke, very cautiously, wrapped his arms around Lorelai's so that they ran parallel. He put his hands along the bat.
"Then just put your hands on top of mine and just do what I do."
" Good idea Luke." Lorelai looked back over her shoulder and found her face just inches from Luke's. She swallowed hard and tried to joke to break the silence that had fallen, and glanced back down at the bat. " At least this way I can keep track of where your hands are." She could practically feel Luke's body temperature rise in embarrassment. Mind you, the fact that she could feel his body heat was making her own temperature rise as well, for some reason. There were just friends. It was just a reaction to the exercise probably...
" So, just swing back like this. Just, do like I am." Lorelai wrapped her hands over top of Luke's and her body temperature rose a few more degrees. Luke pulled the bat back and held it there for a second. " And then swing through." He swung the bat forward slowly, their arms sliding across each other. Luke's breath caught a little bit, but Lorelai started to lose her balance and he dropped the bat to catch her around the waist.
" Whoa there."
" I guess I can't keep control of your hands all the time."
" Yeah, sometimes they've got a mind of their own." Luke said sarcastically. Lorelai glanced over her shoulder again, an eyebrow raised. Luke coughed awkwardly and picked the bat back up.
" You've...your losing your....uh, your balance, cause your legs are too straight, and close together. You've got to get down."
" Excuse me?"
" Get down...closer...to the ground. Bend your knees a bit. Here...a little more. A little more. Good. You know.....this isn't too..." Luke swallowed. He was leaning over her shoulder a bit, his forearms around her waist and hands on her thighs, so that he could pushed on them to let her know how much to bend. " It's not uncomfortable.. or strange for you?"
" What? No, no, it's fine. What do I do next?" Lorelai waved the thoughts away and took the bat again. Actually, she had been wondering why it wasn't. Why having Luke so close to her, so close that he tickled the back of her neck between her pigtails when he breathed, was...well....almost natural feeling.
" So just put your feet a little farther apart, and keep the flex in your knees, and swing." Okay, not almost. Totally. Think cold showers, grandparents, take her mind of the hot shiver up her spine, puppies, pie, Luke. No, not Luke! Why not Luke anymore? No Luke, bad Luke. Think...think...Friday night dinners, that old guy from Paris with the pipe and the.....ewwwwww...boring stuff....taxes...bridge...golf on TV...football...baseball. Not baseball. Baseball was bad. Or was it good.
" So dyou think this will be okay?" They had swung back and forth a few times before Luke said something. " I mean, is the swing more comfortable?"
" Yeah, this is pretty comfortable." Lorelai moved the bat back and forth a little, her hands still wrapped over Luke's.
" You think you can get used to this?" Lorelai shifted a little more into his arms, a little closer to him, and Luke wrapped his arms a little tighter.
" Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
" So a good change?"
" A good change." Lorelai took a risk and looked over her shoulder at Luke, who looked right back at her.
" How about a safe change?"
" Me with a bat is safe?" Lorelai grinned a little.
" Okay, definitely not a safe change. So, you think you're finally ready for some changes with a little risk?" He ask quietly, almost gruffly, looking down.
" If your ready to risk my risking it." Luke looked back up and nodded a little bit. Lorelai could feel his chest tighten against her back as he held his breath. She felt her own breathing speed up. Lorelai looked Luke right in his eyes and felt her heart, and his pounding hard." Hey...Luke? Did you ever, maybe, wonder what would happen.....if you....and"
" Me and?" Luke almost whispered, wrapping his arms closer to her. Maybe he had been right about the vibe things.
" You and....you and" Lorelai swallowed hard. "....and....m-Nicole." Lorelai looked out past Luke and her face fell suddenly. Luke looked confused.
" Nicole?" He said, maybe a bit too obviously disappointedly for his own future likings.
" Nicole. Nicole as in right behind us, about to get out of her car, not looking to happy about her boyfriend with his arms wrapped around another woman Nicole."
" NICOLE." Luke's arms dropped from Lorelai like he had been shocked by electricity in her skin. He shoved his hands into his pockets, then glanced over at Nicole, who was walking across the field and waved.
" Yeah."
" What time is it? Crap. Lor, do me a huge favour. Tell her you just got here. I kinda told her accidentally that I wasn't meeting you until 4. And with this whole thing looking like it probably did, it's probably a good idea she doesn't think we've been here for a few hours beforehand."
" Sure. Of course Luke." Lorelai shrugged and smiled weakly. Luke smiled back, very grimly, and walked out to meet Nicole. He gave Nicole a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, thinking guiltily that the way that it probably looked to her, was exactly the way that it was. At least for him. Which, not that he knew, was exactly what Lorelai was thinking, standing awkwardly at home base while Nicole protectively snaked an arm around Luke, tossing a glare at Lorelai while whispering something to Luke. Luke just answered, and tried not to look at either of them.
" Oh hey Rory. How'd it going?"
" Good for me, but I think your syrup is overflowing."
"OH! Thanks." Marty looked down at the massive puddle of syrup drowning his waffles, and lifted up the bottle " That's okay, I like a lot of syrup...maybe not this much, but..."
" So I was just wondering, if you were going home for Thanksgiving?"
" Yup, all the way to Cambridge." Marty nodded.
" You live in the same city as Harvard, but you go to Yale?"
" It's almost sacrilegious."
" Well, then you're not that far away. I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to come play softball with me on Friday? Work off some of that thanksgiving dinner?"
" You play softball?"
" My last class is at 9, then I'm getting lessons at 2. It's just one of those things. See, I live in this really small...um...eccentric town? And we're having our first annual charity softball tournament, and Luke, he the owner of the diner I go to with my mom-"
" I've heard rumours about the coffee there."
" Without a doubt the best in the world. So, we were short a player, and you said that you played little league and Luke said I could bring a friend from school. SO..."
" Sure. Sounds great."
" Okay....I'll get details and get back to you." Rory nodded.
" Alright. There's no uniforms or anything?"
" Do you own any plaid?"
" Um...." Marty loked a little confused, but Rory just smiled.
" Nevermind. I'll get details."
" Okay. See ya Rory."
" Bye.
*************************
Luke walked out of the kitchen with four full plates and almost collided with someone.
" Hey! Get out of my- Nicole?" Luke looked up from his plates in surprise. " What are you doing her? It's Monday?"
" Yeah, I know, but the firm decided to take this week off. Turns out the entire research department turned up sick, so the firm's going take the week off so they can recover, then we can just work twice as hard next week."
" Did you want to do something today?" Luke looked over his shoulder as he placed the food on a table.
" No, I have to go into Hartford and do one last meeting with a client this morning. I'm just here to say hello." She leaned up and gave him a kiss. "But I wouldn't object if you wanted to do something later, maybe this afternoon."
" Oh, right."
" What's wrong?" Nicole questioned, seeing a troubled look fall across Luke's face.
" It's nothing. Just, you remember I told you about that tournament we're playing in last night?"
" Softball on Friday, of course."
" I just promised that I'd teach Lorelai and Rory how to play."
" Lorelai." Nicole's eyes hardened a little and Luke sighed.
" Yes Lorelai, and Rory. She's my friend Nicole, I'm just trying to help them out. And our team. You know what, why don't you come with us. It'll be...fun."
" So much fun." Nicole said, with subtle sarcasm.
" Come on. I want you to come." Luke tried to convince her. Nicole looked him in the eye with a determining glare, then her eyes softened, and she nodded.
" Alright. I should get going then."
" Have a good meeting." Luke gave her a quick kiss and Nicole smiled back at him and kissed him again, for a little longer, which made Luke a little uncomfortable.
" Goodbye Luke." Luke waved and went back towards the kitchen. " Luke?" He turned back and saw her at the doorway. " What time do you want me there?"
" What time do I want you there?"
" At the field?"
" Oh...4 o'clock." Nicole nodded and waved goodbye. Luke waved back and continued to the kitchen. Nicole walked out towards her car and saw Lorelai coming down the street. Nicole smiled politely, almost too politely as she passed. Lorelai could have sworn that Nicole looked positively triumphant at something, but just shrugged it off and continued to the diner.
*********************************
" So it looks like you two have...almost... got the basics of catching and throwing."
" Throw AT the person!" Rory piped up.
" Stand infront of the ball to catch, not dive out of the way when it comes towards you!" Lorelai chorused, nodding her curly pigtails.
" Very basics."
" Hey! We've been working hard for our money! So hard for it...." Luke just rolled his eyes and ignored Lorelai.
" And Rory, you've got the basics of hitting."
" Yeah, you only missed that last one by less than two feet." Lorelai teased her.
" At lest when I throw I can keep both feet on the ground instead of hopping around like some cracked up rabbit on speed." Rory retorted.
" Whoa." Luke stood in between them as they pretended to be offended and to try and attack each other. " Hey Ror, it's almost 3:30." Rory glanced at her watch.
" Oh, right, I guess I should get going." Rory gave her mom a hug, and gave Luke a quick hug too.
" Uh, drive safe." He mumbled, a little surprised.
" I will. I'll be home for dinner Mom. Rescheduled pizza and movie night is still on?"
" Of course. Have fun with Paris hun." Rory rolled her eyes and waved. Luke and Lorelai watched until she drove off , then turned around and looked at each other.
" I guess we should get back to work." Lorelai suggested.
" Sure, why don't we start you on batting?"
" Okay!" Lorelai ran over to home plate and Luke followed, carrying the bat.
" So, let's just see what you've got. I'm not going to throw yet, I just wanta watch you while you swing." He handed her the bat.
" Dirty!" Lorelai gave Luke a challenging grin, but he just scowled and flushed up a little.
" Swing the bat." He grumbled, stepping back until he felt that he would be safe, just in case she swung to wildly, or let go of the bat or something.
" Fine fine, don't get all huffy on me." Lorelai grabbed the bat and gripped it high up the handle, standing with her legs completely straight. She swung back a little bit, then forwards, around to her opposite shoulder, losing her balance and stumbling forwards. She threw her arms out to balance herself, caught herself, and steadied herself back on her feet. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and left a smudge of dirt on her face.
" What are you looking at." She said grumpily. Luke had come over, now that it was safe, to make sure she was okay. He was biting his lip hard, trying not to laugh, but he finally had to let something out, and made a noise that sounded like a chuckle that had been covered with a grunt.
"Fine. Lets see you do better." She shot at him, even though she knew that he obviously could.
" Here, more like this." Luke have her an encouraging pat on her arm, and picked up the bat. He held it further down and bent his knees. Lifting it up above his head, Luke swung through slowly, shifting his weight from his back foot forward onto his front. Lorelai watched the bat, nodding. At least she had started off watching how the bat was moving, but ended up looking at how Luke's arm muscles were tensing and relaxing below his rolled up shirt sleeves when he swang. Luke swung a few more times, slowly, supposedly so that she could see how to do it, but Lorelai was somewhat distracted.
" You got that?" Luke asked over his shoulder
" What? Those?" Lorelai was startled out of her gaze. " No, not even close, I've got arms like pipecleaners. I should probably join a gym in Hartford or something. Do you have to work out or something for those?" Lorelai stammered, then realized what she had said during her nervousness-induced spiel. She started to become embarrassed and confused, hoping Luke hadn't noticed her staring as his muscles, or how her ears were turning an uncomfortable pink right now. Luke stared at her for a minute, confused.
" What are you talking about now?"
" Um, I was just....watching...you know...the bat, and then your arms and...the whole muscles when swinging, cause they move when you move, and there big, so I could see them move and...Hey, do you feel like some water. My mouth seems a little dry. I could definitely go for some water." She tried to find the escape pod from this awkward situation. Luke frowned at her again
" No...I'm fine, you can have some though. There's a couple of bottles in the bag."
" No, second thought, I should be fine. Why don't we get back to the whole bat swinging, ball hitting thing. Why don't you go far over there, away from me, and throw the ball very gently in my direction." Luke nodded in agreement, still staring at her in a strange way, and walked about ten yards away from her. Luke tossed the ball around in his hand.
" Ready?"
" As I'll ever be." Luke threw her the softest underhand pitch he could. She watched it as carefully as she could, but her grip was back up the handle, and her feet were too close together, and when she swung the bat forwards, which she hadn't brought back at all, she completely missed the pitch and stepped forwards as she lost her balance. The ball hit the dirt and rolled up to the chain link fence behind home plate.
" It was better?" She tried, but Luke shook his head.
" I'd just show you how to bunt, but then again you'd have to be able to run fast."
" I don't want to bunt! I want to swing! You said you'd teach me how."
" Okay, then you might want to start by bringing the bat behind your head, or behind you at all."
" I can't, it'll hurt. I don't bend in that way."
" How do you bend?" Luke asked incredulously, to which Lorelai raised her eyebrow suggestively. Luke crossed his arms, but the corners of his mouth twitched. Lorelai grinned, a tiny little spark getting warm in her stomach at his minute response, and ignoring the question of exactly why it had, started to pout playfully.
" I'm not inflexible, if that's what you're thinking Danes; my muscles are just resistant to change."
" And that makes them different from the rest from the rest of your body because..."
" Hey I don't hate change! I like change...some kinds of change."
" Such as?"
" I like good change. Good change is good. And safe change. You can't go wrong with safe change either."
" So you are afraid."
" Hey, this from the man who's worn the same pattern, hairstyle and facial expression since I met him."
"Hey, I bought a new bed."
" Wow, you are a wild and crazy, throw-caution-to-the-wind kinda guy. Did you splurge on the twin?"
" It's a queen."
" Hmmm, queen means commitment." Lorelai teased him, tugging on the front of his shirt.
" It does not." Luke scowled, again.
" Does to. It means your looking for a woman to fit your mattress description."
" So, what, I had lower standards when I just had a single mattress?"
" No, honey, that mattress fit your description." Lorelai grinned.
" Very funny."
" Do you think secluded uber-monk is a mattress size too?" Luke shook his head and poked her in the stomach with the end of the bat.
" Here, do you want to get back to the hitting."
" As long as it's you hitting on me." Lorelai shot back. Part of her hand folded overtop of his as she took the bat, but Lorelai pulled it away quickly, like it had burned her, or surprised her. Lorelai's skin was tingling for some reason, and she shook her hand, trying to get it to go away. Luke gave her another strange look. He was trying to figure out whether or not she was still just play flirting. He had been getting a lot more signals, or something, maybe, what was that word...vibes? from her today, more than the usually teasing stuff at the diner. It was probably just the fresh air. She probably wasn't used to it or something. It was going to her head. Or maybe something was going to his....or both of theirs.
" Why don't we start again."
" Yeah, very good idea. Swinging the bat now." Lorelai turned around awkwardly and gripped the bat. Luke sighed at her hand placement, trying to get things back to normal, but very reluctantly.
" There's your first problem."
" What?"
" Your hands. They're in the wrong place. Your left hand should be down farther than your right. Move your left down along that tape."
" Like this?"
" That's your right."
" So more like this?"
" Yeah." Luke smiled." Now just bring it back. Like this." He took the end of the bat and pulled it back.
" Owowowowow! What was that for?" Luke sighed impatiently, clenching his fists. Lorelai's hands were twisted backwards, and her arms were still at her sides.
" Okay, my fault. I should have been more clear about this. Bring the bat back like this while moving your arms." Luke explained very slowly.
" Yeah, okay Mr.Obvious. I just don't know how to do it. Where are my arms supposed to go? It's so uncomfortable. I don't get this stupid game." Luke stepped back and looked at Lorelai leaning dejectedly on the bat. He didn't like it when she looked defeated around him, so he tried to smile in a way he though might be encouraging, took a deep breath and walked behind her. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at Luke unsurely.
"What are you doing?"
" I have an idea. You...don't mind right?" Lorelai though he sounded almost nervously, but laughed it off.
" Whatever will help, I'll try it."
"Okay." Luke, very cautiously, wrapped his arms around Lorelai's so that they ran parallel. He put his hands along the bat.
"Then just put your hands on top of mine and just do what I do."
" Good idea Luke." Lorelai looked back over her shoulder and found her face just inches from Luke's. She swallowed hard and tried to joke to break the silence that had fallen, and glanced back down at the bat. " At least this way I can keep track of where your hands are." She could practically feel Luke's body temperature rise in embarrassment. Mind you, the fact that she could feel his body heat was making her own temperature rise as well, for some reason. There were just friends. It was just a reaction to the exercise probably...
" So, just swing back like this. Just, do like I am." Lorelai wrapped her hands over top of Luke's and her body temperature rose a few more degrees. Luke pulled the bat back and held it there for a second. " And then swing through." He swung the bat forward slowly, their arms sliding across each other. Luke's breath caught a little bit, but Lorelai started to lose her balance and he dropped the bat to catch her around the waist.
" Whoa there."
" I guess I can't keep control of your hands all the time."
" Yeah, sometimes they've got a mind of their own." Luke said sarcastically. Lorelai glanced over her shoulder again, an eyebrow raised. Luke coughed awkwardly and picked the bat back up.
" You've...your losing your....uh, your balance, cause your legs are too straight, and close together. You've got to get down."
" Excuse me?"
" Get down...closer...to the ground. Bend your knees a bit. Here...a little more. A little more. Good. You know.....this isn't too..." Luke swallowed. He was leaning over her shoulder a bit, his forearms around her waist and hands on her thighs, so that he could pushed on them to let her know how much to bend. " It's not uncomfortable.. or strange for you?"
" What? No, no, it's fine. What do I do next?" Lorelai waved the thoughts away and took the bat again. Actually, she had been wondering why it wasn't. Why having Luke so close to her, so close that he tickled the back of her neck between her pigtails when he breathed, was...well....almost natural feeling.
" So just put your feet a little farther apart, and keep the flex in your knees, and swing." Okay, not almost. Totally. Think cold showers, grandparents, take her mind of the hot shiver up her spine, puppies, pie, Luke. No, not Luke! Why not Luke anymore? No Luke, bad Luke. Think...think...Friday night dinners, that old guy from Paris with the pipe and the.....ewwwwww...boring stuff....taxes...bridge...golf on TV...football...baseball. Not baseball. Baseball was bad. Or was it good.
" So dyou think this will be okay?" They had swung back and forth a few times before Luke said something. " I mean, is the swing more comfortable?"
" Yeah, this is pretty comfortable." Lorelai moved the bat back and forth a little, her hands still wrapped over Luke's.
" You think you can get used to this?" Lorelai shifted a little more into his arms, a little closer to him, and Luke wrapped his arms a little tighter.
" Yeah, I'm pretty sure."
" So a good change?"
" A good change." Lorelai took a risk and looked over her shoulder at Luke, who looked right back at her.
" How about a safe change?"
" Me with a bat is safe?" Lorelai grinned a little.
" Okay, definitely not a safe change. So, you think you're finally ready for some changes with a little risk?" He ask quietly, almost gruffly, looking down.
" If your ready to risk my risking it." Luke looked back up and nodded a little bit. Lorelai could feel his chest tighten against her back as he held his breath. She felt her own breathing speed up. Lorelai looked Luke right in his eyes and felt her heart, and his pounding hard." Hey...Luke? Did you ever, maybe, wonder what would happen.....if you....and"
" Me and?" Luke almost whispered, wrapping his arms closer to her. Maybe he had been right about the vibe things.
" You and....you and" Lorelai swallowed hard. "....and....m-Nicole." Lorelai looked out past Luke and her face fell suddenly. Luke looked confused.
" Nicole?" He said, maybe a bit too obviously disappointedly for his own future likings.
" Nicole. Nicole as in right behind us, about to get out of her car, not looking to happy about her boyfriend with his arms wrapped around another woman Nicole."
" NICOLE." Luke's arms dropped from Lorelai like he had been shocked by electricity in her skin. He shoved his hands into his pockets, then glanced over at Nicole, who was walking across the field and waved.
" Yeah."
" What time is it? Crap. Lor, do me a huge favour. Tell her you just got here. I kinda told her accidentally that I wasn't meeting you until 4. And with this whole thing looking like it probably did, it's probably a good idea she doesn't think we've been here for a few hours beforehand."
" Sure. Of course Luke." Lorelai shrugged and smiled weakly. Luke smiled back, very grimly, and walked out to meet Nicole. He gave Nicole a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek, thinking guiltily that the way that it probably looked to her, was exactly the way that it was. At least for him. Which, not that he knew, was exactly what Lorelai was thinking, standing awkwardly at home base while Nicole protectively snaked an arm around Luke, tossing a glare at Lorelai while whispering something to Luke. Luke just answered, and tried not to look at either of them.