Luke pulled into the Gilmore driveway at half past 8, and couldn't quite bring himself to get out of his truck right away. He rolled down his window, and sat back in the seat. His knees actually felt weak, his stomach..a tad queasy, his palms more than a little clammy.

"Get a grip on yourself.." Luke whispered under his breath, pressing his palms against his eyes in an effort to get them to refocus. "It's only Lorelai..just..Lorelai."

Somehow that thought wasn't at all comforting, but Luke smiled softly to himself and looked at the house he would soon be entering. The kitchen light was on, and he could see the object of his apprehension bustling around inside. Her shadow appeared to be making popcorn, and Luke's smile widened. He didn't particularly like popcorn, but knew that he would eat three bowls of the stuff if she wanted him to.

He glanced at the flowers on the seat beside him, and then at the flickering, blue light shining from her livingroom window, and it was almost too much for him. He was really going to do it. He was going to make it out of the truck, knock on her door, very nonchalantly give her the flowers he'd taken hours to pick out. Maybe..just maybe..he'd kiss her again. A real kiss. Not directly after the flowers, though. He wanted to see her bury her nose in them..to watch her eyes smile above them..

(...to wait until he could taste the popcorn on her lips...)

That thought in his mind, he peered into the window again. Shadow Lorelai was dancing to music Luke couldn't hear, and he had a sudden urge to be inside, dancing with her in the amber light of her kitchen. Instead, he dropped his forehead onto the steering wheel. What if she didn't want to dance with him? What if..she hated flowers? What if--

There was a tap on his shoulder. His head shot up from its resting place (which had been, he realized with a pang of embarrassment, directly on the horn) and his eyes met Rory's.

His heart rate slowed slightly.

"Hey Luke."

"Hey Rory." Luke smiled, but it was somewhat strained.

"You ok? You look a little..nervous."

"Is it that obvious?" Luke ran a shaky hand through his hair and wished he'd worn his baseball cap. "Great."

"Well.." Rory reached back into the truck and patted Luke's back. "She knows you're here now. The horn was a good touch.."

"Verrrry funny." Luke muttered, and grinned despite himself. Rory grinned back.

"You'd better go in. She's waiting for you." Rory began to walk down the driveway.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to Lane's. I just came home to get a few more books. I'm going to spend the night there."

Nodding, Luke grabbed the flowers and finally got out of his truck.

"You ok with..all of this? I mean.."

Rory stopped walking for a moment, and turned back around to face Luke. She was beaming.

"There could be nothing more perfect, Luke. Now..go inside. My charming mother can smell fear, you know."

Luke laughed and waved at her retreating form, then turned and walked toward the house.

Lorelai was waiting for him on the porch, and he moved toward her in a dreamy way, as though she'd somehow lassoed him and was pulling him in, or...

...like he was a compass, and she was magnetic north.

And, then he was standing in front of her, one hand deep in his pocket, the other extending the bouquet of flowers (every variety of red flower he could think of) that matched her sparkly scarlet shirt. He watched her take them and bury her nose among the blossoms, just as he'd known she would.

"Hi." he said quietly as he slipped his newly empty hand into his other pocket. He knew he'd pull her against him if he didn't bind his hands somehow.

"Hi." she whispered into the flowers. There was a smile in her voice.

"You're uncharacteristically quiet."

"So are you."

They stared at each other silently for a few moments, until Luke cleared his throat and motioned toward the door.

"You want to go in?"

Lorelai shook her head.

"Not yet. Just..wait a second..." Without taking her eyes off of his, she reached behind her, set the flowers on a bench, then leaned so close he could smell her lip gloss. "I'm cashing in my raincheck."

"Wh–a" Luke managed to utter before Lorelai's lips gently touched his.

The kiss was careful at first..so sweet that Luke thought he was going to pass out. When she wrapped her arms around him and whispered coyly against his mouth that she didn't have any pockets to hide her hands in, Luke amended that thought.

Death was entirely possible.

His hands miraculously found their way out of their hiding places and rested firmly against her lower back, deepening the embrace, and the kiss..when a loud catcall made both of them nearly jump out of their flushed skin. Lorelai's eyes narrowed.

"Babette." she growled ominously.

"Mmm?"

"That had to have been Babette." Both turned toward Babette's house, and sure enough, she was standing on her porch. Lorelai put her hands on her hips and glared at her neighbor. "Peeping Tom!!" she shouted..

Babette laughed. "S'ok, kids. I'm going inside now. I have a few phone calls to make, anyway." She motioned with her hand for them to go on, and then practically skipped into the house.

Lorelai stared in disbelief at Babette's empty porch a few seconds longer.

"The whole town will know tomorrow morning." she said, smiling wryly.

"I know."

"That's ok with you?"

Luke nodded and kissed her quickly.

"It's perfectly ok with me. Now..c'mon. Let's go in before the entirety of Star's Hollow

sets up camp on your front lawn."

When she'd turned away from him to go inside, he licked his lips..and consequently grinned as he followed her.

She'd already been into the popcorn.