"Michel!" Lorelai yelled. It was Tuesday and the Inn was scheduled to open in two days. It was almost ready, but there were still lots of little things that needed to be done, and Lorelai was completely stressing out.
"Yeees?" Michel came around the corner from the dining room.
"Where are those-"Lorelai began.
"On the desk, under the stapler." Michel finished.
"Oh, okay, what about the thing-"
"I've already sent it."
"But you didn't-"
"Yes, I did."
"Michel, will you let me finish a sentence?!
"But I know what you are going to say, so why waste your breath?"
"Forget it. Is there anything left for me to do?"
"Yes, there is one thing. Get out of my face so I can finish what I am doing." Michel scowled at her.
"Fine, I'm going for lunch, call my cell if you need me for anything."
"I doubt I will, Goodbye"
Lorelai sighed, grabbed her purse and headed towards the diner.
The diner was almost empty except for a few people eating at a table in the corner. Lorelai saw Luke making coffee and walked over to the counter and sat down.
"A few more cups of coffee in there and it should be perfect." She said.
"Geez!" Luke whirled around, almost dropping the can of coffee he had in his hand. "When did you get here?"
"Just now. Aren't I stealthy? I should work for the FBI."
"You wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut. What are you doing here now, anyway? Shouldn't you be at the inn?"
"Nah, Michel has everything under control, it seems. There's only the little details to iron out anyway. I needed a break. Aren't you lucky that I did?"
"Oh yeah, absolutely. I'm ready to go out and buy a lottery ticket."
Lorelai smiled. She was glad he hadn't mentioned the way they had left things on Sunday night. She liked it when they bantered back and forth. She didn't need him to question her about her abrupt leaving. She didn't even really know herself why she did it. She knew he had been about to say something serious, and she wasn't sure that she was ready to hear it. She panicked and she knew it. She hoped he wouldn't bring it up again, because she wasn't sure that she'd be able to explain her reaction.
"Lorelai?"
"Huh?" She looked at him.
"I asked you if you wanted a burger and some fries...What is with you lately?"
"Oh, uh..you know, just Inn stuff. Yeah, a burger and fries would be great. Throw in some coffee and you got yourself a meal!"
"Yeah, that's a real refined palette you have there."
"Hey, if we all had gourmet tastes, you'd be out of business, my friend."
"Well thank heaven for small miracles. I'll be back in a minute with your food." Luke turned and walked into the kitchen just as Lorelai's cell phone rang. "Outside!" he yelled.
Lorelai scowled at him and walked over to an empty table as she pulled out her phone.
"Hello?"
" Hi, I'm calling on behalf of the department of Health. We're doing a survey and we'd like to ask you a few questions about your eating habits."
"Hi hun, what's up?" Lorelai smiled into the phone.
"Hey, not much. I called the Inn and Michel said you had gone out. Where are you?" Rory asked.
"I'm at Luke's getting some lunch. Where are you?"
"I'm at Lane's. I'm helping her hang curtains in her room. Well, more like, we're watching Zack and Brian hang curtains."
"Yeah, 'cause lord knows what kind of mess you'd make of things. You're not the most handy of people."
"This coming from someone who uses Barbie band-aids to patch a window."
"Are you always gonna throw that in my face? It was cold, I was desperate!"
"Uh huh, sure. So,you want some company for lunch? I can be there in 20 minutes."
"Sure, want me to order you something?" Lorelai glanced in the direction of the kitchen to make sure Luke wasn't nearby.
"Yeah, just order me whatever you're having."
"Okay, see you in a bit, sweets."
"Bye"
Lorelai hung up the phone just as Luke came out of the kitchen. "I told you to take that outside. Why don't you ever listen to me?"
"I do listen to you, I just choose to not obey." Lorelai flashed him a smile.
"Right, fine, whatever. Your food will be ready soon. Ceaser's cooking."
"Can you make it a double? Rory's coming, That was her on the phone."
"Yeah, sure." Luke went back into the kitchen and returned a second later. He hesitated for a minute before he sat down across from Lorelai.
Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "What...?"
"Um, about the other night...We never did decide on when...When we were going to....you know..go out again." Luke fumbled with the words.
"Oh yeah, um, well, tomorrow's the Trial Opening of the Inn, for all the family and friends, and you'll be there, and Thursday's the actual opening, and you'll be there too. Friday is dinner at my parents, and I'm pretty sure you won't be there, but those dinners tend to surprise me. So, how about Saturday?"
"How about tonight?" Luke asked.
"Tonight? Um..well-"
"I mean, This is the last night before things get busy for you, and you did say that there are only little things left to do at the inn, so why not? You deserve a break, so why not take it with me?"
"Um ..yeah..sure. Why not?" She grinned. "What do you want to do?"
"I was thinking we could go for dinner in Hartford. I mean, actually get out of Star's Hollow. Unless you had a better idea."
"No, dinner's great. Um..pick me up at six?"
"Sure, yeah."
"Okay then." Lorelai wondered why he was still sitting there.
Luke was thinking the same thing. "So, I'll go check on your food."
"Okay." Lorelai watched him walk away and didn't realize that she had a smile on her face.
---
"Yeees?" Michel came around the corner from the dining room.
"Where are those-"Lorelai began.
"On the desk, under the stapler." Michel finished.
"Oh, okay, what about the thing-"
"I've already sent it."
"But you didn't-"
"Yes, I did."
"Michel, will you let me finish a sentence?!
"But I know what you are going to say, so why waste your breath?"
"Forget it. Is there anything left for me to do?"
"Yes, there is one thing. Get out of my face so I can finish what I am doing." Michel scowled at her.
"Fine, I'm going for lunch, call my cell if you need me for anything."
"I doubt I will, Goodbye"
Lorelai sighed, grabbed her purse and headed towards the diner.
The diner was almost empty except for a few people eating at a table in the corner. Lorelai saw Luke making coffee and walked over to the counter and sat down.
"A few more cups of coffee in there and it should be perfect." She said.
"Geez!" Luke whirled around, almost dropping the can of coffee he had in his hand. "When did you get here?"
"Just now. Aren't I stealthy? I should work for the FBI."
"You wouldn't be able to keep your mouth shut. What are you doing here now, anyway? Shouldn't you be at the inn?"
"Nah, Michel has everything under control, it seems. There's only the little details to iron out anyway. I needed a break. Aren't you lucky that I did?"
"Oh yeah, absolutely. I'm ready to go out and buy a lottery ticket."
Lorelai smiled. She was glad he hadn't mentioned the way they had left things on Sunday night. She liked it when they bantered back and forth. She didn't need him to question her about her abrupt leaving. She didn't even really know herself why she did it. She knew he had been about to say something serious, and she wasn't sure that she was ready to hear it. She panicked and she knew it. She hoped he wouldn't bring it up again, because she wasn't sure that she'd be able to explain her reaction.
"Lorelai?"
"Huh?" She looked at him.
"I asked you if you wanted a burger and some fries...What is with you lately?"
"Oh, uh..you know, just Inn stuff. Yeah, a burger and fries would be great. Throw in some coffee and you got yourself a meal!"
"Yeah, that's a real refined palette you have there."
"Hey, if we all had gourmet tastes, you'd be out of business, my friend."
"Well thank heaven for small miracles. I'll be back in a minute with your food." Luke turned and walked into the kitchen just as Lorelai's cell phone rang. "Outside!" he yelled.
Lorelai scowled at him and walked over to an empty table as she pulled out her phone.
"Hello?"
" Hi, I'm calling on behalf of the department of Health. We're doing a survey and we'd like to ask you a few questions about your eating habits."
"Hi hun, what's up?" Lorelai smiled into the phone.
"Hey, not much. I called the Inn and Michel said you had gone out. Where are you?" Rory asked.
"I'm at Luke's getting some lunch. Where are you?"
"I'm at Lane's. I'm helping her hang curtains in her room. Well, more like, we're watching Zack and Brian hang curtains."
"Yeah, 'cause lord knows what kind of mess you'd make of things. You're not the most handy of people."
"This coming from someone who uses Barbie band-aids to patch a window."
"Are you always gonna throw that in my face? It was cold, I was desperate!"
"Uh huh, sure. So,you want some company for lunch? I can be there in 20 minutes."
"Sure, want me to order you something?" Lorelai glanced in the direction of the kitchen to make sure Luke wasn't nearby.
"Yeah, just order me whatever you're having."
"Okay, see you in a bit, sweets."
"Bye"
Lorelai hung up the phone just as Luke came out of the kitchen. "I told you to take that outside. Why don't you ever listen to me?"
"I do listen to you, I just choose to not obey." Lorelai flashed him a smile.
"Right, fine, whatever. Your food will be ready soon. Ceaser's cooking."
"Can you make it a double? Rory's coming, That was her on the phone."
"Yeah, sure." Luke went back into the kitchen and returned a second later. He hesitated for a minute before he sat down across from Lorelai.
Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "What...?"
"Um, about the other night...We never did decide on when...When we were going to....you know..go out again." Luke fumbled with the words.
"Oh yeah, um, well, tomorrow's the Trial Opening of the Inn, for all the family and friends, and you'll be there, and Thursday's the actual opening, and you'll be there too. Friday is dinner at my parents, and I'm pretty sure you won't be there, but those dinners tend to surprise me. So, how about Saturday?"
"How about tonight?" Luke asked.
"Tonight? Um..well-"
"I mean, This is the last night before things get busy for you, and you did say that there are only little things left to do at the inn, so why not? You deserve a break, so why not take it with me?"
"Um ..yeah..sure. Why not?" She grinned. "What do you want to do?"
"I was thinking we could go for dinner in Hartford. I mean, actually get out of Star's Hollow. Unless you had a better idea."
"No, dinner's great. Um..pick me up at six?"
"Sure, yeah."
"Okay then." Lorelai wondered why he was still sitting there.
Luke was thinking the same thing. "So, I'll go check on your food."
"Okay." Lorelai watched him walk away and didn't realize that she had a smile on her face.
---