Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews. Sorry to leave you hanging! In case I haven't mentioned it in a while, I still don't own any of the characters, etc.
Lorelai took a deep breath and pushed open the door of Luke's Diner. This wasn't going to be easy but Lorelai knew it had to be done. She walked into the diner and surveyed the crowd. There weren't many people in the diner, which might be nice because she could talk to Luke. Of course since there weren't too many people in the diner there might be more pressure to talk to Luke. Lorelai smiled with relief when she saw Lane emerge from behind the curtain carrying a plate of food. Lorelai pulled out a chair and threw her purse on the table as she sat.
"Hi Lorelai," Lane said cheerfully.
"Hey Lane," Lorelai smiled. "How's it going? Are you and the band surviving in the Real World house?"
"Oh yeah," Lane said excitedly. "We finally saved enough to buy a refrigerator!"
"Well that's great," Lorelai said as she spied Luke emerge from the kitchen. "Hey Lane, you know if you ever need anything I'm not that far away okay?" Lorelai said letting her motherly instincts kick in.
"Thanks Lorelai, I know," Lane smiled and went back into the kitchen.
Luke saw Lorelai sitting alone and a wave of relief washed over him. She had finally come back. 'Maybe things will finally go back to normal around here,' he thought. Luke took a deep breath, summoned his courage and walked over to her table.
"Lorelai, hi," he said. 'That went well,' he thought.
"Luke, hi," Lorelai replied hesitantly. Now that she was there she wasn't quite sure what to say or do.
Luke took the pad of paper he always carried out of his back pocket. He held the pad and pencil unsteadily in his hands and hoped that Lorelai wouldn't notice. "So, can I get you anything?" he finally asked.
"Just coffee," Lorelai replied. She wanted to say more. She was willing herself to tell him that she would wait for him to sort out his feelings. She wanted to tell him that she had done nothing but think about him for over a week. But in the end she didn't.
Luke lingered by her table. There was no reason to write down coffee on his paper. The only reason he bothered was because it allowed him to stay near to her for a moment longer. It had been so long since he'd seen her. He felt as if he had been lost in the desert for a week with no water and no hope. He looked at Lorelai and drank in her presence. Why did he have to be rational? Why did he feel the overwhelming need to deal with the issues he had over his divorce. Why couldn't he just move on like normal people? He knew deep down it was because he had already waited so long for Lorelai that he couldn't jeopardize what future they might one day have together. He just wasn't so sure that she'd wait for him.
Luke finally walked behind the counter to get Lorelai's coffee. Her eyes followed him once again. His back was turned and she took in his from. The way his hands maneuvered. The hands that had once held Lorelai close and let her know everything was going to be okay. How she longed to feel his hands and his arms and his lips reassure her that everything would be okay again.
Luke turned around to bring her coffee and Lorelai quickly averted her gaze. He placed the cup in front of her. "So, you haven't been around much lately," he said tentatively.
"Yeah, I know," Lorelai admitted. "The Dragonfly has been crazy," she lied to him.
"Oh, okay," Luke didn't know if he actually believed her. He knew the pressures of starting a business, but he also felt her avoidance of the diner had a lot more to do with him than she was letting on. "I thought maybe you were avoiding me," Luke suggested warily. He wasn't sure if he should push the issue, but it was too late now.
Lorelai glanced up at him. His face looked tentative. She wasn't sure if it was because he knew that she was avoiding him or if he was afraid she would confirm his suspicion. "Maybe I have been," Lorelai said.
"I kinda figured that," Luke said. "Lorelai I don't want things to be weird with us," Luke said in a hushed tone.
"Well maybe you should have thought about that before," Lorelai glanced around to be sure no one was looking at them, "you kissed me."
"I'm sorry okay? I can't buy it back," Luke said. "But I realized I'm not ready for this and neither are you."
"That's where you're wrong buddy," Lorelai was getting louder and slightly angrier. "I was ready. I was ready to be with you, but you were the one who rejected me so you don't get to be hurt when I don't come see you everyday," Lorelai spat. Lorelai wondered why all of a sudden she was talking about her feelings for Luke in the past tense. The few customers in the diner were staring at Luke and Lorelai as if intrigued by the soap opera drama occurring.
"Finish your meals," Luke ordered as he gently pulled Lorelai by the arm into the kitchen. Once they were alone in the kitchen he looked her in the eye. "What the hell was that?"
"A statement of fact Luke," Lorelai retorted. "You were the one who rejected me so don't make me feel guilty because I don't want to see you everyday. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is?"
"Lorelai," Luke said softening. "I never meant to hurt or humiliate you. I just want things to go back to how they were."
"I don't know if they can Luke. Why did you even start this? You're the one who asked me to dance. You're the one who asked me on a date. Why did you bother if you weren't ready?" Lorelai questioned him.
"I thought I was ready. I thought you were single and I was single. I was lonely," Luke admitted sheepishly.
"You were lonely?" Lorelai sadly asked.
"Yes, okay? I was lonely and I thought about you and me together and then I wasn't so lonely," Luke hung his head and leaned against the wall.
"Luke," Lorelai said as she stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Lorelai. I didn't mean to hurt you," Luke said, still avoiding her eyes.
Lorelai had to blink back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Why did it seem she was always crying around Luke? Maybe it was a sign she was completely comfortable with him and her emotions around him, but she felt like a basket case. She realized that he was hurting just as much as she was and she made a decision.
"I'm fine Luke," Lorelai said. She put her fingers under his chin and forced him to look at her. "I'm okay and you're okay and we'll be okay." She paused before changing the subject slightly. "Did you know my mother has taken it upon herself to infiltrate my life? If I can handle that then I think this should be a piece of cake." She moved her fingers away from his face. "And you know how much I love cake," she added with a small smile.
Luke thought he saw a flicker of that sparkle that used to be in her eyes before he crushed it. He shifted his weight and stood up straight as Lorelai backed away. They were no longer in each other's personal space. Maybe things were getting back to normal.
"So is that why your Mom was here on Saturday? She's infiltrating your life?" Luke asked as they made their way back out into the diner.
"Oh, you have no idea. I think I've become her latest pet project since she left my Dad. She seems to like Stars Hollow a little too much for my liking. I had dinner with her and Rory tonight," Lorelai informed him.
"Yeah I thought I saw you two with her at Taylor's," Luke admitted.
Lorelai wanted to ask him if her mother was right. She wanted to ask him if he was staring at her through the diner window, but things were semi- normal and she didn't want to rock the boat.
Luke wiped down the counter as he talked to Lorelai. "So what was up with the 20 questions the other day anyway?" Luke asked thinking back to what he liked to think of as Emily's Inquisition.
"I've tried to tell you my mother is strange. She was gathering information but I haven't determined for what sinister purpose just yet," Lorelai giggled.
"Does she want to freeze the entire city of Gotham?" Luke asked.
"No, at this point I see her dressed up in that green jumpsuit with the question marks all over it. She's the Riddler if I ever knew one," Lorelai quickly responded.
"As long as she's not running around with a giant acid-induced smile on her face I think you'll be okay," Luke wittily replied.
"Yeah, I think I will," Lorelai replied with a small grin. Her response was a commentary not only on the situation with her mother, but also on the situation with Luke. Just like that Luke knew it was going to be okay. Definitely not perfect, but somewhat normal and most definitely tolerable.
Lorelai stayed and finished two cups of coffee before heading home. Things were kind of back to normal. They were still tentative with each other, but Lorelai had a feeling they might be okay after all. It might hurt them both like hell, but at least they were speaking.
TBC
Lorelai took a deep breath and pushed open the door of Luke's Diner. This wasn't going to be easy but Lorelai knew it had to be done. She walked into the diner and surveyed the crowd. There weren't many people in the diner, which might be nice because she could talk to Luke. Of course since there weren't too many people in the diner there might be more pressure to talk to Luke. Lorelai smiled with relief when she saw Lane emerge from behind the curtain carrying a plate of food. Lorelai pulled out a chair and threw her purse on the table as she sat.
"Hi Lorelai," Lane said cheerfully.
"Hey Lane," Lorelai smiled. "How's it going? Are you and the band surviving in the Real World house?"
"Oh yeah," Lane said excitedly. "We finally saved enough to buy a refrigerator!"
"Well that's great," Lorelai said as she spied Luke emerge from the kitchen. "Hey Lane, you know if you ever need anything I'm not that far away okay?" Lorelai said letting her motherly instincts kick in.
"Thanks Lorelai, I know," Lane smiled and went back into the kitchen.
Luke saw Lorelai sitting alone and a wave of relief washed over him. She had finally come back. 'Maybe things will finally go back to normal around here,' he thought. Luke took a deep breath, summoned his courage and walked over to her table.
"Lorelai, hi," he said. 'That went well,' he thought.
"Luke, hi," Lorelai replied hesitantly. Now that she was there she wasn't quite sure what to say or do.
Luke took the pad of paper he always carried out of his back pocket. He held the pad and pencil unsteadily in his hands and hoped that Lorelai wouldn't notice. "So, can I get you anything?" he finally asked.
"Just coffee," Lorelai replied. She wanted to say more. She was willing herself to tell him that she would wait for him to sort out his feelings. She wanted to tell him that she had done nothing but think about him for over a week. But in the end she didn't.
Luke lingered by her table. There was no reason to write down coffee on his paper. The only reason he bothered was because it allowed him to stay near to her for a moment longer. It had been so long since he'd seen her. He felt as if he had been lost in the desert for a week with no water and no hope. He looked at Lorelai and drank in her presence. Why did he have to be rational? Why did he feel the overwhelming need to deal with the issues he had over his divorce. Why couldn't he just move on like normal people? He knew deep down it was because he had already waited so long for Lorelai that he couldn't jeopardize what future they might one day have together. He just wasn't so sure that she'd wait for him.
Luke finally walked behind the counter to get Lorelai's coffee. Her eyes followed him once again. His back was turned and she took in his from. The way his hands maneuvered. The hands that had once held Lorelai close and let her know everything was going to be okay. How she longed to feel his hands and his arms and his lips reassure her that everything would be okay again.
Luke turned around to bring her coffee and Lorelai quickly averted her gaze. He placed the cup in front of her. "So, you haven't been around much lately," he said tentatively.
"Yeah, I know," Lorelai admitted. "The Dragonfly has been crazy," she lied to him.
"Oh, okay," Luke didn't know if he actually believed her. He knew the pressures of starting a business, but he also felt her avoidance of the diner had a lot more to do with him than she was letting on. "I thought maybe you were avoiding me," Luke suggested warily. He wasn't sure if he should push the issue, but it was too late now.
Lorelai glanced up at him. His face looked tentative. She wasn't sure if it was because he knew that she was avoiding him or if he was afraid she would confirm his suspicion. "Maybe I have been," Lorelai said.
"I kinda figured that," Luke said. "Lorelai I don't want things to be weird with us," Luke said in a hushed tone.
"Well maybe you should have thought about that before," Lorelai glanced around to be sure no one was looking at them, "you kissed me."
"I'm sorry okay? I can't buy it back," Luke said. "But I realized I'm not ready for this and neither are you."
"That's where you're wrong buddy," Lorelai was getting louder and slightly angrier. "I was ready. I was ready to be with you, but you were the one who rejected me so you don't get to be hurt when I don't come see you everyday," Lorelai spat. Lorelai wondered why all of a sudden she was talking about her feelings for Luke in the past tense. The few customers in the diner were staring at Luke and Lorelai as if intrigued by the soap opera drama occurring.
"Finish your meals," Luke ordered as he gently pulled Lorelai by the arm into the kitchen. Once they were alone in the kitchen he looked her in the eye. "What the hell was that?"
"A statement of fact Luke," Lorelai retorted. "You were the one who rejected me so don't make me feel guilty because I don't want to see you everyday. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is?"
"Lorelai," Luke said softening. "I never meant to hurt or humiliate you. I just want things to go back to how they were."
"I don't know if they can Luke. Why did you even start this? You're the one who asked me to dance. You're the one who asked me on a date. Why did you bother if you weren't ready?" Lorelai questioned him.
"I thought I was ready. I thought you were single and I was single. I was lonely," Luke admitted sheepishly.
"You were lonely?" Lorelai sadly asked.
"Yes, okay? I was lonely and I thought about you and me together and then I wasn't so lonely," Luke hung his head and leaned against the wall.
"Luke," Lorelai said as she stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Lorelai. I didn't mean to hurt you," Luke said, still avoiding her eyes.
Lorelai had to blink back the tears that were welling up in her eyes. Why did it seem she was always crying around Luke? Maybe it was a sign she was completely comfortable with him and her emotions around him, but she felt like a basket case. She realized that he was hurting just as much as she was and she made a decision.
"I'm fine Luke," Lorelai said. She put her fingers under his chin and forced him to look at her. "I'm okay and you're okay and we'll be okay." She paused before changing the subject slightly. "Did you know my mother has taken it upon herself to infiltrate my life? If I can handle that then I think this should be a piece of cake." She moved her fingers away from his face. "And you know how much I love cake," she added with a small smile.
Luke thought he saw a flicker of that sparkle that used to be in her eyes before he crushed it. He shifted his weight and stood up straight as Lorelai backed away. They were no longer in each other's personal space. Maybe things were getting back to normal.
"So is that why your Mom was here on Saturday? She's infiltrating your life?" Luke asked as they made their way back out into the diner.
"Oh, you have no idea. I think I've become her latest pet project since she left my Dad. She seems to like Stars Hollow a little too much for my liking. I had dinner with her and Rory tonight," Lorelai informed him.
"Yeah I thought I saw you two with her at Taylor's," Luke admitted.
Lorelai wanted to ask him if her mother was right. She wanted to ask him if he was staring at her through the diner window, but things were semi- normal and she didn't want to rock the boat.
Luke wiped down the counter as he talked to Lorelai. "So what was up with the 20 questions the other day anyway?" Luke asked thinking back to what he liked to think of as Emily's Inquisition.
"I've tried to tell you my mother is strange. She was gathering information but I haven't determined for what sinister purpose just yet," Lorelai giggled.
"Does she want to freeze the entire city of Gotham?" Luke asked.
"No, at this point I see her dressed up in that green jumpsuit with the question marks all over it. She's the Riddler if I ever knew one," Lorelai quickly responded.
"As long as she's not running around with a giant acid-induced smile on her face I think you'll be okay," Luke wittily replied.
"Yeah, I think I will," Lorelai replied with a small grin. Her response was a commentary not only on the situation with her mother, but also on the situation with Luke. Just like that Luke knew it was going to be okay. Definitely not perfect, but somewhat normal and most definitely tolerable.
Lorelai stayed and finished two cups of coffee before heading home. Things were kind of back to normal. They were still tentative with each other, but Lorelai had a feeling they might be okay after all. It might hurt them both like hell, but at least they were speaking.
TBC