Lightning
A/N: Sorry for not updating. I was in Florida.
A/N2: I was just rereading the first chapter and I realized that my description of how to pronounce Tade looked rather unclear. It's more like Todd-eh. If you've been saying it incorrectly in your brain, I apologize.
A/N3: I love reviews. And I love everyone who has reviewed and will continue to review. Thank you.
A/N4: This chapter is PG13
Chapter Eight: Meeting the Gilmores, Pt. 2
The next morning Rory awoke to find herself staring into Tade's neck. She liked waking up like this. Even the fact that she couldn't feel her left arm didn't bother her. She gave him a light kiss on the shoulder and began to trace the scars on his back again. Her fingertips tingled with sleep and skimmed gently over his back.
He woke up to the sensation of delicate fingers tracing his scars. He breathed in the smell of Rory beside him. He loved waking up like this. The fact that his right arm was asleep didn't matter. He slid his hand down to take hold of her behind in one quick movement. He heard her gasp into his neck and he smiled into her hair.
"Good morning to you too." Rory joked as she pulled her head up to face him. His lips were full with sleep and she became entranced. At the speed of light she bent down to attack his lips. Tongues became a component and legs got tangled as the kiss progressed. The distant sound of a throat being cleared broke the moment. They froze for a second before turning to locate the sound. They looked across the room with hesitation and guilt evident on their faces as they were met with the sight of a less than thrilled and somewhat embarrassed Lorelai.
"Hi mom." Rory cringed. "Tade, the bathroom is just past my mother and to the left. I suggest you make yourself scarce for a bit." She advised in a soft whisper. Tade quickly, but gently untangled himself from Rory, bent to grab his t-shirt and overnight bag, and headed to the bathroom with a slight nod of greeting in Lorelai's direction. Rory noticed her mother noticing his rather ominous scars as he gathered his belongings. She hadn't felt a need to mention these marks to her mother before, but she supposed it would come up later. When she heard the door shut she stood, pulled her shirt down to cover her exposed midriff, and led her mother into the kitchen.
"Well that was awkward." Lorelai broke the silence and poured them some coffee.
"You have no idea." Rory said with a shy smile.
"Were you there all night?" Lorelai asked, trying to keep an air of nonchalance in her voice.
"I woke up a little after midnight and heard the end of his phone call with his mom. He sounded sad so I went to check on him and we fell asleep. That's it." She explained.
"That's it?" Lorelai asked skeptically.
"Give or take a few minutes of making out. That's it." Rory admitted with blushing cheeks.
"Good. I don't think I could take it if you had sex on my couch." Lorelai half joked.
"Mom!" Rory's blush deepened.
"What? I'm just being realistic. Sex happens. I just don't want it happening on my couch. That's much too icky." Lorelai justified.
"Icky?" Rory questioned until she received a pointed look from her mother. "Yeah, that would be icky." She admitted. What she was really wondering, however, was whether or not her mother had just given her permission to have sex with Tade or if she had just imagined it. Her thoughts were cut short by her mother though.
"So what was the deal with those impressive scars?" Lorelai asked with brimming curiosity.
"I'll have him tell you the story over breakfast. Are we going to Luke's?" Rory asked. Her mother blushed almost invisibly and her eyes held an inward smile.
"Yeah, um, of course." She said with slight difficulty. Tade walked into the kitchen fully dressed at that point. Rory decided she would get to the bottom of the Luke situation later. "Why don't we get dressed so we can get some breakfast?" Lorelai suggested to Rory. "Tade, stop necking with my daughter on my couch and there's coffee in the pot. Help yourself." She added with a smile.
"Will do, and I don't drink coffee, but thanks anyway." He said. Lorelai stared at him like he was an alien and Rory just shook her head.
"I'm a freak. I know. Carry on." Tade said and waved Lorelai and Rory off to get ready.
Twenty minutes later they were walking down the street in the direction of Luke's. Tade was drawing stares that ranged from discreet to blatant from those they passed. He didn't even bat an eyelash. He just wrapped his fingers around Rory's and continued to walk in his steady, graceful gate.
"You'd think the people in this town had never seen a black person before." Lorelai snorted.
"I'm really sorry about all the staring. I had hoped they would act like human beings for once." Rory apologized.
"It's ok. I'm used to getting stares. Mind you, in Sable no one gives a crap that I'm black, it's usually the royalty thing that gets them, but staring is staring and I'm cool with it." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Do you see what I was telling you about?" Rory asked her mother as though Tade wasn't there.
"I know. Amazing." Lorelai responded flabbergasted.
"Talking about me like I'm not here! I could have you beheaded for that." He said bringing his hand to his heart.
"Really?" Lorelai asked gullibly.
"No." he answered as he opened the door to Luke's to let Rory and Lorelai in before him.
The room went almost completely silent. Someone dropped a fork somewhere. The three looked at the gaping faces before them. Rory took her cue from Tade, shrugged her shoulders, and lead them to the counter where Luke had his back turned while he refilled the coffee maker.
"Lucas, your customers are rather rude." Lorelai informed him with a special smile.
"Yup. They're slobs too." Luke said with an uncharacteristic smile in his voice as he turned around. He didn't look even the slightest bit fazed when he saw Tade. "Hey, Rory, long time no see. Who's your friend?" he asked.
"This is my boyfriend, Tade Ntekim. Tade, this is Luke Danes." Rory introduced.
"It's nice to finally meet the famous Luke." Tade said shaking Luke's hand.
"Sorry about the people here. They're a bunch of inbred loonies." He excused as he shook Tade's hand. As if on cue Kirk walked in at this moment.
"Speaking of the devil." Lorelai mumbled under her breath.
"Luke, I'd like two glasses of water, three pieces of toast, and a piece of bacon to go please." Kirk ordered as he took a seat at the counter. "Lorelai. Rory." He said with a nod of greeting. "A newcomer, tell me, what is the African American view of our little town." He requested. Lorelai and Rory choked on their coffee, Luke shook his head, and Tade laughed.
"I see you're not someone to beat around the bush." Tade said as he scratched his eyebrow as something to do.
"No. I've never been one for nature." Kirk stated.
"Uh, anyway, I can't really answer your question because I'm not an African American. I'm just African." He explained.
"Oh, Pity." Kirk said taking the food Luke had just brought out and leaving the Diner.
"Wow. You didn't lie." Tade said quietly to Rory.
"You can't make up characters as crazy as the ones in this town." She said as she leaned her forehead against his shoulder.
"Anyway, what can I get you guys?" Luke asked.
"I'll have a vat of coffee and French toast please." Lorelai ordered.
"Make that two vats of coffee and I'll have waffles with a side of bacon." Rory ordered.
"You're both going to die." Luke interjected. "Do you drink coffee like these two?" Luke asked Tade.
"No. I don't' drink coffee at all." Tade smirked at the disgusted noises coming from Lorelai and Rory.
"Finally, someone who isn't crazy. What can I get you?" Luke asked.
"I'd like chocolate chip pancakes, an order of French fries, and a coke." Tade ordered with a smile.
"I was wrong. You're all nuts." Luke muttered as he ripped the sheet of paper off his order pad and walked into the kitchen.
"You might not have the coffee thing down, but the rest of your appetite is almost up to Gilmore level." Lorelai commended.
"I try. My mother would kill me if she knew how I ate." He responded.
"I hear you have a young mother too, what's she like?" Lorelai asked.
"Well, she may be young in years, but she is definitely old in spirit. She's always been very wise and powerful and fearless. She's a tiny woman with a long braid down her back. She's one of few people in this world who can scare the crap out of me." He described.
"Oh, that reminds me, tell my mother about how you got the scars on your back." Rory interposed.
"Yeah, you probably saw them. They look rather frightening. Rory loves them. Anyway, when I was eight, I adopted a lion cub. He was a tiny little ball of fur that I found on one of my travels. My mother told me it was a bad idea to take it home, but in the end she let me learn my own lesson. So I took him home, named him Frank, and became very attached. He was great, but soon he got bigger and on one fateful day I went to see him and he attacked. He just leapt right at me. I had never been so scared in my short life as I was at that moment. I felt his claws rip into my back and the blood start to drip down my body and I looked up to see him about to lung at my neck, when out of nowhere my mother dove through the air and tackled the lion to the ground. She knocked Frank unconscious and carried my blood-soaked body to the hospital. Two pints of blood and 108 stitches later and I was as good as new." He finished. Rory was smiling like a child, Lorelai stared at him with her mouth slightly opened, and Luke, who had come by with their food and been captivated by the story, stood frozen in amazement.
"Get this: Tade, what's your favorite kind of animal?" Rory set up for his answer.
"Lions." He answered with a grin.
"Kid, you're crazy." Luke stated.
"Just crazy enough to get me a Gilmore." Tade replied with a smirk.
At this moment Miss Patty came barging through the diner door with her cell phone in hand. Her eyes immediately darted to Tade and she headed towards him.
"Looks like word got out about your man." Lorelai mumbled to Rory.
"Hi Rory, who's this stud?" Miss Patty asked as she got very close to Tade.
"Miss Patty, this is my boyfriend, Tade. Tade, this is Miss Patty." She introduced. Tade's eyes widened when he heard who was standing so close to him. He had heard stories about this woman.
"Pleasure." She let the words roll off her tongue in what she thought was a flirtatious manner. "Are you a Yale man?" she asked.
"Yes. I just transferred this year from the University of Southern California." He answered with a charming smile although there was some hesitation in his eyes.
"Are you from California?" she tried to mask her curiosity behind her husky voice.
"No. I'm from Africa, just south of the Sahara." He answered again with some hesitation although the smile remained in place.
"Oh." Miss Patty looked as though she had made a triumphant discovery. "Well, it was very nice meeting you Tade. Goodbye girls." She said before whisking out of the diner.
"So that was Miss Patty." He said mostly to himself.
"Yup." Rory agreed.
"Huh." Was all he could say.
"Yup." Rory said. They sat and finished their food exchanging more tales until Lorleai's cell phone rang.
"Take it outside, Lorelai!" Luke shouted from the kitchen where he had gone to hide when he saw Miss Patty coming.
"I'm leaving!" Lorelai shouted without moving. "Hello?" she spoke into her phone. "Yeah, I'll be right there." She said reluctantly after the garbled voice on the other end of the phone had spoken. She flipped her phone closed and turned to face the couple beside her. "That was Sookie. She's having a breakdown because apparently some guy locked himself out of his room, Michel is being himself, and she has to finish with the brunch crowd." She explained. "I have to go. I'm sorry I won't get to hear more stories, but I guess this gives you two some time to walk around town." Lorelai added.
"There's always more time for stories Lorelai. And I'd love to get a tour of this place." He assured.
"Don't worry mom. I've got it under control. Maybe we'll stop by the inn later." Rory reassured.
"Alright. I'll see you later." She said walking to the door. "Uh, bye Luke!" she called in a somewhat strange voice before walking out the door.
"So what do you want to do today?" Rory asked Tade.
"Well I'd like the grand tour of course." He answered with a smile.
"That won't take all day. That won't take an hour. We need something else too." She explained.
"I'm sure we can think of something to do as we go along." He said taking out his wallet to pay.
"What are you doing?" she asked looking at the wallet.
"Paying." He answered with a small laugh.
"You're my guest. You can't pay." She said with a crinkled forehead.
"But you let me sleep on your couch and you might not know this about your house, but there is a remarkably gorgeous and kissable person who came to keep me company last night." He said with a smirk and was met with a light slap on the arm from Rory. "Let me pay you back through breakfast." He pleaded.
"I can't let you pay for my mother too." She argued.
"Rory, I don't like to flaunt this fact, but I am entirely capable of paying for anything for you and your mother. Breakfast is no problem. Please." He added.
"Ugh. I hate that you're a gentleman. It makes me feel like crap." She said giving in.
"Well, my dear piece of crap, I will try to be more of a pig just for you." He said with a smile as he put money on the counter and, taking Rory's hand, led them out the door.
After an hour and a half of wandering through the multitudes of stores selling porcelain unicorns and all the other tributes to the bizarre in Stars Hollow, Rory and Tade found themselves back in the center of town. Information about Tade had spread and instead of disrespectful glares, he got nods of comradery and intrigue. They would have gone to see Lane but she was in California visiting Dave.
"So, what do you think?" Rory asked with a smile and a humble look at her shoes.
"It's just like I imagined; utterly odd and completely beautiful. Like you." He said with a grin as he wrapped his arms around her waste.
"You always know the perfect thing to say." She smiled into his chest.
"It's easy to tell the truth." He said lifting her chin so that their eyes met. Lightning. As they melted together in a sweet kiss, raindrops began to fall. They pulled apart, looked to the sky with smiles, and returned to their kiss, oblivious to the townspeople around them running for cover from the storm.
When the beating of the raindrops on their heads became too much, they pulled apart again, and with a smile and a bow Tade turned and offered his back to Rory. She had become accustomed to this form of transportation and hopped on without hesitation.
The walk home was filled with rain-soaked giggles and Rory's soft, wet kisses on the back of Tade's neck. He was using all his mental strength to keep himself calm, but when they reached the front door he gave up. In a movement lacking visible grace, he let go of Rory's legs and they landed on the porch with a thud. She was somewhat startled until she felt him whip her around so that her back was against the house and his hips were pressed against hers. He captured her lips in a fiery kiss that sent her mind reeling. When she felt a distinct pressure against her hipbone she smiled into the kiss and flipped his back against the wall so that she was trapping him. In amazing speed she had the front door unlocked and he was carrying her across the threshold.
"Wait." She said breathlessly as she pulled away.
"Sorry. I don't know what came over me." He attempted to apologize.
"Oh no. That was fine. Better than fine. I just don't want us to drip all over the house." Rory explained indicating their soaked clothing.
"Not a problem." He smirked as he yanked off his t-shirt and sweater in one motion and reached for the hem of Rory's shirts.
"Hold on." She said raising a finger. "Mom! Are you in the house?" she paused and listened. "Mom! If you are in the house I suggest you make your presence known!" there was no response. She noticed a light blinking on the answering machine and pressed the button.
"You guys are probably still out, but I just wanted to let you know that I won't be home till late. There's money for food under the rabbi. See you later." Lorelai's voice came from the machine while they kicked their shoes off.
"I guess we're alone." Rory turned back to Tade with a smirk.
"I guess so." He said with a grin as he pulled Rory's shirts over her head. His eyes roamed over her milky torso and her lace-covered chest. They had gotten to the shirtless point before, but every time he was still amazed by her pure beauty.
She smiled at his astonished face when she undid the button and zipper on her jeans. He watched her shimmy the pants down over her hips to expose plain, black, cotton underwear. He let his features settle into a soft grin as he stepped closer and let his large hands slide down her delicate arms while she kicked her pants off and reached for the silver button on his black, wool pants.
"You do remember that there is nothing underneath these pants right?" he asked hesitantly, but she silenced his fears with a deep kiss. Her hands slid down his chest, back to the button that she easily undid. Next she pulled down the zipper and the pants fell down his legs. As he stepped out of the woolen pool at his ankles, Rory pulled away to look at the newly exposed territory. She had never really seen a man's body before and there was something amazingly powerful about the way he was constructed that brought a smile to her lips. Rory was the first person to see his post-puberty form, but he wasn't afraid. He looked at the wide-eyed expression on her face and laughed.
"What?" she asked with blushing cheeks. He had caught her staring.
"You're such a virgin." He answered with another burst of laughter.
"We'll see about that." Rory countered with a smirk before she attacked his lips. In one quick movement Tade scooped her into his arms without breaking the kiss and led her into her bedroom. He laid Rory down on the bed and kicked the door shut simultaneously. After more intense kissing, he licked a trail down her neck to her bra strap. He pulled back for a moment with a thoughtful look on his face.
"You don't taste like vanilla." He stated in a childish manner.
"Well you don't taste like chocolate." Rory retorted somewhat defensively.
"I'm not complaining, just noting." He explained with a smile.
"Alright, carry on." She said with a slight shrug that sent her bra strap gliding down her shoulder. Tade followed its trail with his tongue then kissed his way back up her neck while he unclipped her bra.
"Wow." He mumbled under his breath as he gaze drifted over her chest. No one had ever seen her breasts, but she wasn't afraid. She smiled when she heard him mumble and pulled him back to her lips. "It's kind of late to be saying this, but I don't have a condom." He admitted with a look dripping with disappointment.
"Don't worry." She said with a smirk as she pulled a box of condoms out of her bedside table. "Paris bought me these as a joke, but I guess the joke's on her." She explained.
"Remind me to thank her one day." He said as he dove back to her lips.
An hour and three condoms later, they lay contentedly in each other's arms with huge grins plastered on their faces.
"Tell me a story." Rory requested.
"Once upon a time," he began in a husky voice as Rory listened to the rumbling of the words in his chest. "There was a beautiful girl in the ridiculous land of Connecticut who had an eye for the darkies. One day she spotted herself a nice piece of meat and pounced. Now this particular black guy was special. He wasn't a prince. No. He wasn't rich. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he could do something that made this girl go crazy. He could wiggle his ears. When she learned of this sexy skill she clubbed him over the head, dragged him back to her place, and had her way with him three times. And they lived happily ever after." He finished in his soft story voice.
"That was beautiful." She joked. When she looked up at his face he grinned at her and wiggled his ears. "Alright you sex monkey, let's go take some showers before my mother gets home." She said rising from the bed, taking the blanket with her.
"I don't want to shower." He said with a pout.
"Well you have to because we smell like sex. So you're going to shower downstairs, I'll shower upstairs and we'll meet in here when we're through." She ordered sternly.
"Fine." He gave in with a shake of his head and walked to the bathroom. About three seconds after he left, however, he raced back into the room, scooped Rory (blankets and all) into his arms and gave her the most intense kiss of her life. "I love you. Don't forget it while you're all the way upstairs." He gave her a smile and one last peck on the cheek before he went out the door and into the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes later a washed and dressed Rory walked into her bedroom to find Tade, clad in uncharacteristic sweatpants and a black wife-beater, dancing and singing around the room as he cleaned up the mess of sheets everywhere.
"Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would, now
So good, so good, I got you!
Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice,
I feel nice, like sugar and spice,
So nice, so nice, I got you!" he sang the two licks of the sax in an unabashed volume, completely oblivious to Rory's presence.
"When I hold you in my arms,
I know that I can't do no wrong.
And when I hold you in my arms,
My love won't do you no harm.
And I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
So nice, so nice, I got you." As he sang the licks of the sax he noticed Rory standing by the door, and with a blushing grin he danced to her side and twirled her around.
"When I hold you in my arms,
I know that I can't do no wrong.
And when I hold you in my arms,
My love can't do me no harm.
And I feel nice, like sugar and spice,
I feel nice, like sugar and spice.
So nice, so nice, well I got you.
Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now.
I feel good, I knew that I would.
So good, so good, cause I got you.
So good, so good, cause I got you.
So good, so good, cause I got you." He dipped her as he finished his James Brown rendition and when he pulled her back to a standing position they were both giggling softly. They finished making the bed and putting the rumpled sheets in the washing machine and went to go scavenge for food.
After they had settled for an appetizer of pop-tarts and soda, they heard the front door open followed by a deep voiced "Oh God." When they went out to the hallway to see who it was, they found a frazzled Luke trying to escape out the front door without being noticed.
"Luke?" Rory asked confused.
"Uh, hi Rory." Luke mumbled without meeting her eyes and with an expression that was somewhere between embarrassment and pain.
"Oh crap." Rory breathed as she realized that Luke had noticed hers and Tade's clothing strewn about the hallway in a blatant indication of their sexual encounter.
"Yeah, uh, I was just looking for your mother, but I guess she's not here." Luke's gaze had moved to somewhere just above Rory's head.
"Yeah, she had to work late at the inn." Tade replied when he found that Rory was unable to speak. When he received a piercing glare from Luke, however, he decided that staying silent was probably a better move.
"Alright, well, I'm going to go now. Yeah, ok, bye." Luke said as he stepped backwards out the door and closed it. As soon as the door was closed, Rory gave Tade a light punch on the arm and a semi-serious glare.
"What?" Tade asked completely confused.
"You were being so nice in my room that you made me forget about our trail of clothing out here." She frowned.
"Sorry." He said with a good-natured smirk as he drew Rory into a hug.
"Luke knows that we had sex. Oh God. I could roll up right here and die." She mumbled into his chest.
"At least it wasn't your mother." He said mostly to himself.
"Maybe for you, but I would rather have my mother know about my new found sex life than Luke. I mean, I have to tell my mother anyway, but I never intended for Luke to know. Ever." She explained banging her head lightly against his shoulder.
"Wait, you're going to tell your mother?" Tade asked with wide eyes.
"Yeah. I promised her when I was eighteen that I would talk to her about it before it happened, and well, I didn't do that so the least I can do is tell her after the fact." Rory clarified as she slipped out of the hug and began picking up their clothing.
"Good lord. I feel like she might dismember me." He whimpered while he picked up his pants from the floor.
"I don't know. I think it could be ok." She mused as she skipped back into the kitchen.
Three hours later, Rory and Tade were dancing along with the characters in Sleeping Beauty.
"I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream.
I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam." Tade sang in a deep, private voice, unaware that Lorelai had come home in time to hear his singing and was standing in the doorway transfixed by the intimate scene before her.
"Mom!" Rory quickly pulled away from Tade when she noticed her mother's presence. For some reason she felt intensely bashful. Of course she knew why she was embarrassed, but her mother didn't know why.
"Sorry to intrude." Lorelai apologized.
"No problem." Tade excused with a humble smile and a little squeeze of Rory's hand, which was still interlaced with his own.
"Have you guys eaten yet?" Lorelai asked.
"Not yet. We just ordered a pizza. It should be here any minute." Rory answered with a distracted smile on her face as she looked down at her hand that was holding Tade's. She looked up with a startled smile when the doorbell rang.
"I guess that minute has arrived." Lorelai joked with a semi-nervous laugh as she went to pay for the food.
"Dude, calm down." Tade whispered into Rory's ear and gave her a peck on the cheek.
When they had settled down with their pizza, Rory turned to her mother.
"Luke came by looking for you a few hours ago." Rory said in her most casual voice.
"Oh crap." Lorelai sighed mostly to herself.
"You're telling us." Tade mumbled before receiving a jab in the ribs from Rory.
"Would you like to share with us the reason for Luke's visit?" Rory prodded.
"I forgot to cancel on him?" Lorelai answered in a guess. She had been caught.
"And what did you forget to cancel exactly?" Rory continued.
"Our dinner thing." Lorelai answered quietly.
"I see." Rory finished her interrogation with a smile and turned back to her pizza.
A few hours later, Rory awoke to find herself curled up against Tade's chest. She looked around until she saw the clock. It was 1:37. Late, but not too late. She had to speak to her mom. She carefully climbed over Tade's sleeping form and ascended the stairs. With a soft knock and a deep breath she opened the door to her mother's bedroom.
"Mom?" she whispered loudly.
"Yeah?" Lorelai asked in a groggy voice.
"I need to tell you something." Rory said closing the door behind herself. This got Lorelai's attention.
"Hold on." Lorelai sat up, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened her eyes, and looked to Rory expectantly.
"I, uh, I," She took a breath and sat down on the foot of the bed and looked at her hands. "I slept with Tade." She looked up at her mother's face with reluctance.
"Were you safe?" Lorelai asked the question that she had prepared for just this moment.
"Extremely." Rory answered with some relief.
"Are you, uh, happy?" Lorelai asked.
"Extremely." Rory answered with a small, inward smile.
"You didn't do it on the couch did you?" Lorelai asked with hesitation.
"No. Don't' worry. We went nowhere near the couch." Rory replied with a light laugh, full of relief.
"How was it?" Lorelai asked, launching into friend mode.
"Mom!" Rory blushed furiously.
"What? I don't want any gory details. Just tell me, in one word, how was the general experience?" Lorelai inquired.
"Perfect." Rory responded without needing a moment of thought.
"Good." Lorelai accepted.
"I just love him more than I ever thought possible. Do you know what I mean? When you meet the person that makes you feel most like yourself and makes you unafraid to be yourself. He just makes you a better and happier person all around." Rory spilled.
"Yeah. I think I know what you mean." Lorelai replied in an airy voice full of far away thoughts and unshared memories.
"Speaking of which, what's going on between you and Luke?" Rory cut into her mother's thoughts.
"What?" Lorelai had been caught off guard.
"You heard me. You and Luke. Spill." Rory ordered as she got more comfortable leaning against the headboard with her mother. She wasn't that angry for not being a part of this. It was this fact that frightened her the most. She had gotten to a point where it was ok for her mother keep things from her.
"I don't really know how to explain it. One day, shortly after you went back to school I was complaining to him about how I was lonely sitting around in the big empty house eating by myself and the next night he showed up at my door with bags of groceries and told me that he was going to make me dinner. And who was I to disagree with food and good company? We had a wonderful dinner. We talked about loads of things that we just never got around to talking about before. Past relationships. Our childhood memories. Our hopes and dreams. Our failures. Our regrets. Our triumphs. It was just so nice to have someone to talk to. And not just anybody, but Luke. It was just Luke and it was wonderful. Since that first night he's come by at least once a week to make me dinner and most of the other nights I eat at the diner. I just like being with him." She explained.
"Have these dinners progress beyond the friend level?" Rory asked.
"No." Lorelai answered.
"Do you want them to?" Rory asked. She received a telling silence in response. "You have to tell him." She advised.
"What if he just wants to be friends?" Lorelai asked in an uncharacteristically small voice. For some reason she felt like Rory might really know the answers. That her own daughter was more mature in this field than herself.
"We both know that's not the case. He has been holding in his feelings for you for so long, I really think that's why he's losing his hair." Rory joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.
"Thanks kiddo." Lorelai said with a smile. "You really are the best friend a girl could have." She added giving her daughter a kiss on the head.
"Ditto." Rory sighed as they dozed off to sleep.
The next morning Rory and Tade loaded up his car and prepared to say goodbye to Lorelai. Tade had made a special effort not to be alone with Lorelai at any moment, but she didn't look too upset, just sort of nostalgic as she watched Rory.
"Alright mom, we better get going." Rory said as she skipped up the porch steps to reach her mother.
"Ok sweets. You'll be back next week for you're birthday right?" Lorelai asked.
"Of course." Rory answered.
"Will you be bringing Prince Charming?" Lorelai asked with a smile.
"Yes." Rory answered with a smile.
"I actually have a question I need to ask you about that, but I'll call you later." Tade interjected towards Lorelai as he came to meet them on the porch.
"Ooh, is it a surprise?" Rory asked playfully.
"Yes it is missy." He answered wrapping his arms around her waste.
"Ok, you two are disgusting. Get out of my sight." Lorelai joked.
"We're leaving now. Bye mom." Rory said giving her mother a hug goodbye.
"Bye." Lorelai smiled
"Thanks for having me. I had a lovely time." Tade said to Lorelai, never one to forget his manners.
"Always a prince." Rory mumbled with a smile as she pulled Tade down the steps.
"Are you complaining?" Tade asked with a smirk.
"Never." Rory replied with a fake gasp. "So, quick question." She began.
"Shoot." He prepared.
"May I drive your car?" Rory asked in her sweetest voice.
"Of course girlie." He said tossing her the keys.
"Good answer." Rory smirked as she jumped into the drivers seat with Tade jumping in beside her. She started the car, waved goodbye to her mother, and they drove off together.
When Rory kicked open the door to her dorm room she found a perplexed Paris staring at a card attached to a bouquet of flowers.
"Rory? Why did your boyfriend send me a thank you card?" Paris asked.
"You don't want to know." Rory laughed to herself.