Authors Note: Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the kind feedback! We're really glad you guys like the story so far! Just to let everyone know, starting now we'll actually label the time frames for the flashbacks for those who didn't realize there were specific flashbacks in chapter 1! Sorry for any confusion we may have caused! But anyways, here's chapter 2! We hope you like & please review! Let us know what you think! Thank you!
Disclaimer: Gilmore girls belongs to ASP.
Chapter 2: Losing Hope
When Luke used to sleep over, which was just about always, Lorelai would always wake up when he got up in the morning. There was something about her body that adapted to having someone next to her. It's funny how quickly she could adjust to sharing her bed with somebody after years and years of flying solo. So every morning, when he'd get up at 4:45, she'd get up with him. Normally just to run to the bathroom and give him a kiss goodbye, but despite the circumstances and time, she still got up.
Without Luke being there, she still got up and what's funny is it always seemed to be around 4:45. It's like there was some sort of alarm in her body that said, 'Luke is getting up now. You should too.' So, she would. She'd still go the bathroom; just now she wouldn't give somebody a kiss. Instead, she'd normally toss and turn, trying to forgot the feeling of lonesome, and eventually fall back asleep.
This morning was no different, though she did actually have to get up in the morning. It was almost 5 when she woke up and got in the shower, attempting to wake herself up, because it's not like when Luke was there, she'd stay up…only crazy people get up early enough for Nick at Nite to legally still be on.
It was dark outside and getting rather chilly. 'Bring the cute scarf with…got it.' She mentally reminded herself. Snow would be coming soon, but probably not soon enough. But it's nice to have something to look forward to, right?
As she got out of the shower and began getting ready, the phone rang. She answered with full energy to a sleepy Rory.
"Hello?" Lorelai answered brightly.
"Uh…"
"Hello back, I get it. How are you?"
"Tired."
"Well go back to bed. My alarm clock actually worked." Little did Rory know, she didn't actually need an alarm clock. But if she told her the whole AM Luke thing, she'd probably only be freaked out.
"I told you it would work." She mumbled into the phone. "Goodnight."
"Bye babe."
"Have fun."
"Aren't you going to wish me luck?"
"Good luck. Bye."
It took her 45 minutes to make herself look flattering…
"So, I'm glad you asked me to come to this thing with you."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah…I have a strange feeling this is going to be a once in a lifetime experience."
"It is at that, my friend."
"So, where are we actually going?"
"The high school…it's just a few blocks up. Hey what time is it? We can't be late and if our poor punctuality skills shine through, we won't be able to participate, then leaving two gorgeous, ready to dance, excited and pumped," she punched his shoulder, trying to wake him up, "people out of this shin-dig, which would suck. Agreed?"
"Agreed. And it's 5:45."
"Perfect. It starts in 15 minutes."
As they approached the gym within Stars Hollow High, people were spread out everywhere. A few people were stretching, a few people were sitting, a few people we're even sleeping and, a few people were drinking coffee from what looked like Luke's to-go cups.
It was then that she spotted him in the corner, looking pissed and angry. Probably because Taylor finally got him to serve coffee...for free this time.
"Hey Josh, let's go get some coffee."
As they approached the coffee stand, Luke's frown instantly turned to a smile. His smile wasn't because he was happy to see Lorelai, though, he was, or because of all times, she looked extra beautiful, which she did, or even because he was supposed to smile when he saw her—well, it's not like it's a rule, but it was sort of a given, after all she used to always make him smile—The real reason he was smiling was because he was having a grand ole time imagining 20 ways to kill this goof who was with his woman. Well, sure she wasn't his woman anymore, but still. He had her first, and as far as everybody else is concerned, he still had her. So, all liabilities to a death could conclude to the fact that he was messing with his girl. Perfectly reasonable. And so what if he was jealous deep down? It's not like his feelings had been completely washed away...
"Hey you." She said, smiling brightly. "Gave into Taylor, eh?"
"Yeah, well...I figured that you'd need your supply as well as many others," he said glancing around the gym, "and he wouldn't stop yapping, so why not."
She just smiled in return, helping herself to a cup of coffee.
"You look nice." He said eyeing her up and down while she wasn't looking.
She smiled playfully. "Thank you."
"So, this is your partner, huh?" He said glancing at Josh who at this point was standing behind Lorelai looking somewhat uncomfortable with his hands shoved in his pockets.
"Oh yeah, sorry, Josh, this is my boyfriend Luke. Luke this is my P.I.C, Josh."
"P.I.C?" They both asked in unison.
"Partner in Crime." She said as if they were supposed to know.
"Oh my mistake, I didn't know there was harm involved in the marathon." Luke said.
"Yeah, neither did I." Josh added.
"Well, in case we don't win...which, I know we will, but—in the scenario that a small fraction of a percent alerts that we might loose…that's where the harm comes in." She said smiling viciously.
"Oh yeah?" Luke asked.
"Yeah. Knowing Kirk and Lulu, they'd be the one's up against us because who really gives a damn about winning a trophy the size of Nicaragua, besides Kirk, and well…me. So, I have my hidden tactics in handy. Ya know, the stepping on the toe act, the "Oh I'm sorry! I'm so clumsy! I didn't mean to drop my burning hot coffee on your body," act, and then there's the elbowing in the stomach routine. You know how it goes. I just figured Josh would be a good companion."
"Well, whatever the hell you're here for, it's nice to meet you." Luke said politely to Josh.
After all, he wasn't going to act jealous in front of Lorelai, regardless of whatever status they filled out.
"Yeah, you too. Lorelai's told me a lot about you."
Luke instantly became nervous and Lorelai could tell. He thought that she might have mentioned how they weren't dating and that he'd accidentally let it slip to somebody else. Lorelai took in his worried look.
"Yeah, I mentioned how we've been dating a while now." Lorelai replied, smiling sweetly. "6 months and counting..."
"Yeah, 6 months." Really it had lasted 5 months. 5 incredible months at that. He wouldn't have changed anything about those 5 months. Well, maybe he would have 'erased' most of the 5th month, especially the end, but besides that, the summer was incredible.
Though Luke had been gone for most of June and part of July helping Liz and T.J. they still talked all the time and considered themselves 'together.' But from the day Luke got back in July to about November or a little before then, things had been perfect. It was everything he imagined it to be. Waking up next to her was probably the best part of his endless days with her. 'Yeah, real endless...' he thought as he watched Lorelai practically drool over some freak who he couldn't help but notice, was wearing a pink shirt.
11 ½ HOURS LATER...
As Lorelai began to get restless, she couldn't wait for the 30 minute break, oppose to the 10 minute breaks they usually got. This time, it was the 'half-way mark' break…for those who were still standing.
There was a special contest being held for the night's best couple where Lorelai figured she could fall asleep for a while. She knew already that it'd be something else Kirk and Lulu would win because Lulu's shockingly adorableness would beat Lorelai's sexiness just about any day. After all, she was getting older…which pretty much killed her, but Lulu still had a few years in her and after all, Taylor, the head of the whole contest favored Kirk much more than Lorelai after her supermarket scandal she pulled last week.
It was the last dance before the break. Lorelai stood up, slouched into Josh's arms. Her head rested on his shoulder, eyes closed. They had pretty much talked about everything possible for the first few hours. The past few have been silent and calm while she rested against his shoulder taking in complete peace.
Luke watched her every single minute of every passing hour. He couldn't help but get jealous when he watched Lorelai slouch into Josh's arms the way she used to with Luke. It brought back old memories, a sheer time when everything seemed perfect…
--
Late August…
They had just left Friday night dinner together. Rory couldn't make it, and now that Emily and Richard were accepting Luke for whom he was, not trying to change a thing, he had actually volunteered to accompany her. Her parents had agreed to spend the night together for a few hours so they could cut the crap and have 2 normal hours together oppose to the drink & dinner scheme.
Although they had made the agreement, it didn't mean they had to get along. They were fighting about who was going to attend Bittys upcoming party, taking part of their anger out on Lorelai when Emily said that her outfit looked like one that belonged on a cheap hooker. Well, cheap hookers sure know how to drink, don't they?
You could say she was tipsy by the time the left. Or you could be honest and say she was drunk, which, she most certainly was. Luke helped her into the car while he drove them back towards Stars Hollow. She passed out the second they pulled out of the driveway, allowing Luke full access to the radio without Lorelai mocking his taste in music.
When he pulled into her driveway close to 40 minutes later, he swung around on her side of the car, and attempted to scoop her out of her seat and bring her up to bed. But something about the feeling of being picked up while sleeping didn't coincide to Lorelai's happiness. She started to squirm, and swung her legs towards Luke's bottom half, gripping her legs onto his, but somehow, was still sitting up and sleeping in the car. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms thrown loosely over his shoulders, and her head resting on his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her back and climbed up the porch to the door which luckily was as always, unlocked, because whoever would break into somebody's house in Stars Hollow?
He carried her all the way upstairs and placed her on the bed, taking her shoes off, but not bothering with the rest of her clothes. He changed out of his outfit, and got underneath the covers with her.
She practically automatically attached herself close to Luke as if he was a security blanket from everything else around her. She turned on her side so she was facing him, and mumbled in her half-drunken sleep, but somehow still managed to kiss him lightly on his neck a few times before she completely passed out. Luke smiled to himself, and gently slipped his hand under her shirt, gliding his hand over her bare side, and eventually pulling her closer to him that it was almost hard to be so close to anybody else, but with her, it was the easiest thing.
--
But now, things had changed and he had to accept that because it looked like she did. Though she always seemed to be a good actor…
As Taylor's horn blew throughout the gym, officially marking it the 30 minutes break, Josh shook Lorelai lightly, letting her know she could go sit down. They walked to the bleachers and sat on the bottom one.
"Well," she said, yawning, "we've made it half way though. Just a little bit longer."
"Yeah, only 12 more hours, no biggie." He said sarcastically, sitting next to her.
"This is bad my friend…I mean, we're only half way done and I'm already so tired."
"Went to bed late last night?"
"No, I just haven't been getting much sleep lately. I've got lots on my mind." She was silent for a second, gazing across the room at nothing in particular. "You know how it goes."
"Yeah, I do." He said turning to her and smiling. "Hey, I'm going to go run to the bathroom real quick but I'll grab you a cup of coffee on my way back."
"Alright, thanks."
Noticing that Josh had left, Luke figured now would be a good time to bring over a cup of coffee to Lorelai. He filled a cup up and walked over to her, watching her take her shoes off. He stopped in front of her and waited for her to look up.
"Oh hey." She said smiling, gazing up at him.
He handed her the cup of coffee. "Thought this might help. You uh, look a little tired out there." He said as casually as possibly, hoping she wouldn't think he's been secretly watching her for the past 12 hours.
"Yeah, I am. And it's only the half way mark."
"Yeah, well…drink up."
She took a sip of coffee as Luke sat down next to her. She folded her legs underneath her and looked down at her shoes.
"Getting comfy?" He asked, averting his eyes towards her shoes on the floor.
"Yeah, my feet kill." She said taking another sip, before turning to him. "At least this year my shoe isn't broken." She said smiling softly, locking eye contact with him for a few moments. She finally snapped out of it and looked across the gym again.
"Funny to believe that last year this time, you were fixing my shoe and we were talking about having babies with the right person."
His face blushed a little bit, and looked down. "Yeah, I remember. Funny how things change."
She nodded her head in agreement. "Yeah, very funny. So…you still want to have kids? If you can still find that person?"
"I'm starting to loose hope in finding that person."
"You'll find her."
"Well, I thought I already did, but I was obviously wrong."
She looked away and made sure to stare at her hands like they were the most interesting things ever. She felt horrible, knowing that Luke was talking directly about her.
Meanwhile, Josh was coming back from the bathroom when he went up to the coffee stand and poured a cup for Lorelai. As he walked back, he noticed that Luke was next to her as she was sipping a cup she already had.
"Hey. Sorry, I see you already got a cup."
Lorelai glanced down at the cup in her hand and looked at Josh. "Oh yeah, sorry. Luke always has been my coffee supplier, right babe?" She said patting Luke on the leg.
"Unfortunately." He mumbled.
"Oh don't deny it. You know you love my coffee addiction."
"You're right. I can hardly wait serving you the cause of your death in 5 years. I've got to admit, it's the highlight of my day."
Relieved that things had gotten more normal, she laughed and pushed Luke playfully, laughing a little. Josh observed the two very carefully. Seeing Lorelai with her boyfriend was a little upsetting because though he had only been seeing her for a few weeks now, he still overtime had developed feelings for her. The wit, beauty, charm…he couldn't ask for more. But he was stupid to think that she'd ever be available with the package that comes with her. Too be so lucky…
"People, people, people. If you could all quiet down for a second, I want to make a few announcements." Taylor said through the microphone set up at his podium in front of the gym. "First of all, congratulations to those who are still standing. You've made it this far, and well, I have just about 95 confidence none of you will make it past this next hour."
"Hey, way to encourage us Taylor!" Lorelai shouted at him.
"Oh good Lorelai, you are still here. I figured at this point you and your male company would have been out of the contest, but amazing things do happen. Whoever left the establishment of Stars Hollow in the first place is beyond me, but who am I to talk."
"Yeah really." Lorelai muttered.
"Now, as you all know, we have a contest going on. I hope all your ballots are in because at this point, it's too late to vote because here in my hand is the envelope announcing the winner of the best couple for this year's marathon. For those that were on the ballots congratulations. For the couple that wins, very best wishes to you and for those who lost, well, life will go on. There will be condolence pie being served in the west corner of the gym for those that feel sorry for themselves. Or for Lorelai who would eat pie if it were infested with rat pellets."
"Oh please Taylor." She screamed again. What was with all the Lorelai bashing?
"If you would all just stay calm for a second, I'm going to announce the winner." He said opening the envelope. "And the winner's are…"
He squinted to read the tiny writing that Patty had scribbled on a piece of paper.
"Luke and Lorelai!" He announced.
"What?" They both asked.
"You guys are our winners!"
"But I'm not even in the stupid contest!" Luke called out.
"As long as you are here, and within this gym, you are indeed in the stupid contest."
"But I'm not dan--"
"No buts young man. Now walk you and your overjoyed girlfriend to the center so we can all admire you guys for the championship dance."
"You're kidding right?" Luke asked.
Lorelai on the other hand was beyond herself, smiling with joy. "And I thought I would be too old to win this stupid contest." She said grabbing Luke's hand and walking him to the center. "I've still got it all, baby!"
"I cant' believe they're making us do this."
"Well, you shouldn't complain because last time I checked you were pretty damn good at this dancing thing."
"Yeah, but that was for you to see, and you only. Not the whole insane population of Stars Hollow."
As the music stared, and they dimmed the lights once again in the gym, Lorelai took the easy route of dancing because she was still extra sleepy, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly, holding her very close. She rested her cheek against his, laughing at the stubble that tickled her cheek. As he inhaled the scent of her perfume, many memories faded into the back of his mind. Times when they danced at his sisters wedding, and when Lorelai insisted that they should dance in the back when she was holding a wedding at the Inn, and how he used to smell the exact same scent when he'd hug her and not let go for a very long period of time. They were all very happy memories…
"I'm still amazed you can dance this well." She whispered into his ear, causing shivers to run through his body.
"It's nothing I'm proud of."
"Yeah, well…it's nice."
They danced in silence the rest of the song, as close as ever. It was probably even the closest they had been together since there break up. Sure they'd hug and kiss at times, but that didn't involve being pressed against each other as much as this was. She felt so secure and safe within his arms like she used to always feel before.
She closed her eyes as Luke's eyes wandered around the room. There were couples all gazing at the two of them, smiling happily. Embarrassed, his eyes settled on Josh who was sitting alone on the bleachers also watching them dance. And maybe it was just Luke but it looked like his eyes were far South on Lorelai's behalf.
When the song came to an end and the wacky crowed of Stars Hollow clapped, Babette called out to the two of them.
"Kiss the girl, Luke!"
He rolled his eyes and knew if he didn't do this, he'd probably get harassed about it for the rest of the night. He pulled away from her and kissed her softly before pulling away completely.
"Thanks for the dance mister."
"It was my pleasure."
As the marathon came close to an end, Lorelai was passed out on the bleachers leaning against Josh. They had both almost dropped down on the ground but decided to quit before Lorelai landed eagle-style on the ground which, might be funny to some, but awfully embarrassing for others. As a siren went off, both Lorelai and Josh stirred awake, looking around confused.
"Ah, damnit!" Lorelai sighed.
"What?" Josh asked looking back and forth between Lorelai and the act Kirk was putting on.
"I was so confident that us passing out was all a dream. Obviously it wasn't."
He sighed and looked at her apologetically before looking back at Kirk. He was running around with Lulu--who looked like she was about to pass out--screaming and cheering for himself. When he passed Lorelai and Josh, he shouted…
"I told you so!" He pointed a finger at Lorelai. "There's no competing against me, Lorelai. Better luck next time."
As he continued running around, Lorelai looked over at Luke, completely surprised he was still there. He had gone to the diner a few times, but he was there for the end of it all, shocking to some.
"Ready to go?" Josh asked.
"Yeah, uh, hold on real quick. Stay here."
He nodded his head and watched Lorelai walk towards Luke sitting in a chair behind the coffee stand.
"Hey." She said approaching him.
"Oh hey. So, Kirk won again, huh?"
"Yeah. I swear, unless we pair up together--which is a very low chance-- I don't think I'll ever win."
"What's so great about winning this stupid thing? You get a trophy that you'll probably stick in the back of a closet anyways. All you've got is memories."
Lorelai though his words over through her head, admitting to herself that he was right. 'All you've got is memories…'
"Yeah. Memories." She said smiling lightly, looking strictly at a cup.
"You want another cup?"
"No, I'm going to go. I just wanted to say thanks for the supply."
"No problem."
"So, I'll see you later today I guess."
"Go get some sleep."
"Yeah, I will. I already told Sookie I wasn't going to be in today."
"Good call. If you went in today, the chances of you passing out on the front desk are very high."
"Very high." She laughed, and stared at him. "Bye Luke."
"Sorry you lost. Maybe next time."
"Yes. I'll try again next time."
She stared at him for a few seconds before turning and walking back towards Josh.
"Alright, all set."
They both walked back to Lorelai's; conversation very low. When they got back to her house, he leaned against his car that he left there earlier smiling at her.
"Well, this was fun."
"Yeah, it was. Tiring, yes, but still, nonetheless, it was fun."
"I'm glad you asked me."
"Oh yeah, well. Luke wouldn't dare dance for 24 hours with me."
"Uh, 22 hours."
"Damn those last 2 hours."
He laughed. "Sorry for losing."
"You should be." She said, hitting him playfully.
"Anyways, I'm going to let you get some rest. Take it easy."
"I will. And you too. Don't fall asleep on the road."
"I'll try not to."
"Good. So, thanks for coming."
"Glad I could join you." There was an awkward silence while Lorelai gazed around trying to avoid a strange goodbye. All she wanted to do was get in the house and sleep. "Next time you're in Hartford…or you ever want to get together, give me a call. You know the number."
She nodded her head and smiled politely. "I will. Bye Josh."
"See ya Lorelai."
As he pulled out of the driveway, there was only one thing she could think of doing…sleeping.
x-x-x-x-x-x-x
As Lorelai woke up, she looked at the clock and noticed it was 1 in the afternoon. It had been a while since she last got 7 hours of sleep. To tell you the truth, she couldn't think of the last time she got more than 4 hours. She took a quick shower and through on sweatpants and a baggy sweatshirt. She through her hair up in a messy ponytail and put on her glasses because she was too lazy to put her contacts in. She through on the most comfortable pair of shoes she had and drove to the diner.
"Up already?" Luke asked, greeting her.
"Yeah well, 7 hours was more than enough. Did you sleep at all?"
"Yeah well, you didn't realize I wasn't there for a good 2 1/2 hours. I slept then. And I slept for about an hour when I got back but then gave Caesar a break. He's been working a lot over the past few days.
"Yeah, I've noticed. I'm glad you finally decided to fire that Ben character. I swear…how hard is it to remember pancakes, a side of bacon, 2 eggs, toast with strawberry jelly, hash browns, and a vat of coffee. Not that hard."
"I think he was just scared of you. After all, you're very small, yet somehow you eat like a pig."
"Yes well I'm a growing girl. I need my nourishments."
"I think you stopped growing a few years back."
"Probably, but I can't think of a better excuse."
"So, what'll ya have?"
"Blueberry muffin and coffee to go."
"Comin right up."
As he handed her the bag of food, she paid, said her goodbyes, and headed back home. She noticed a couple walking down the street as she drove back home. They looked so happy and so in love. They were holding hands, and the woman kept looking up at the man and smiling. It's funny…it felt so long ago that she had that happiness. Tears overwhelmed her eyes while thinking back to the moment she knew everything would be perfect…
--
Mid-July…
They had just finished making love. Something they did more often than other couples. 1000 words couldn't even come close to completing Lorelai's description of the process. Of course it's not all the earth-shattering 'oh's and ah's' she'd talk about, but the way that Luke could be so gentle and sweet and loving...underneath all the gruff and flannel...literally.
They were at Lorelai's. It was dark in the room besides the dull moon shining through the window. Lorelai had her head in the crook of his shoulder, and wrapped an arm over his stomach while he ran his hand back and forth over her arm, attempting to warm her up though she was already warm enough.
Lorelai tilted her head up and examined the expression on Luke's face which looked content and happy.
"Tell me what you're thinking about, Luke." She said quietly.
It took him a few moments to respond. Not because he didn't want to tell her, or because he wasn't sure what he was thinking about, but the quietness steadied out the room with a sense of complete calmness.
"Just how happy you make me." He said kissing the top of her head.
"You're so sweet."
"You asked."
"No really. I'm surprised you've kept this side of yourself away from me for so long. Like all the many other things you've kept from me."
"What else have I kept from you? Lorelai if it's about the horoscope, I said I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be mad that I never showed you. Truthfully I thought you'd think I was a stalker."
"I do."
He sighed and rolled his eyes. She could be impossible sometimes.
"I'm just kidding." She said when she heard him sigh.
"So then what else have I been keeping from you?"
"The fact that you can dance...and be so sweet...and well, that you can kiss...pretty damn well. I'm still impressed, mister." After a few moments of him not saying anything, she continued. "I'm surprised it took us this long to find each other."
"There was no need to find me. I've been here all along."
"I know, silly." She hit him playfully. "I mean, to find, each other-each other."
"Ohhh, each other-each other. Got it."
"You like teasing me don't you?"
"It's got a nice flow."
"Yeah, yeah. Well still. We've known each other for eight years already. We could have been celebrating our eight year anniversary right now if we hadn't enjoyed those pre-8 years of bantering and sexual frustration we've all been fighting aka the undesired foreplay."
"Who's 'we all?'"
"Me, you, the town..."
"So now you admit that the town saw something between us..."
"I see all. I do not tell all."
"Mystery woman. Got it."
"You know, it's not like I didn't try with you before."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean...there have been times where I've made a move."
"Well obviously you broke something on your way to those moves because I never saw you make a move."
"I attempted to make a move…just didn't follow through."
"Oh...when?" She asked, very curious.
"When we were painting the diner about 4 years ago."
"I don't remember anything happening."
"Obviously...nothing did."
"Well, what were you going to try and do?"
"Kiss you." He said simply. "I knew that if I could just get the courage to do it, and actually kiss you, I'd feel satisfied. Even if you'd hate me for doing it afterwards, I just wanted to be able to answer all the questions I've once asked myself."
"What were those questions?"
"What it'd be like to kiss Lorelai."
"Hey, no 3rd-person talk. Too complicated."
"What it'd be like to kiss you." He corrected himself, rolling his eyes.
"Well what happened." She asked intrigued by his story. Little did he know she knew exactly what he was talking about. As a matter of fact, she even remembered what she was wearing that day.
"We were behind the counter. I was showing you the order that my father took one day when the place was still a hardware store. We were just staring at each other," he blurred out of it for a second, remembering the moment, but when she nudged him, he continued. "I remember that's when I noticed how beautiful your eyes were. And I was going to lean in and kiss you--"
"--and then Taylor and the rest of the psychopaths of Stars Hollow came banging on the door." She cut him off, talking rapidly. "And I leaned over on my knees, and you were leaning next to me, and when they finally left and you said thank you, you were going to kiss me again, but weak kneestoo many nerves equalsbailing." She finished, smiling.
"I thought you said you had no reference of that memory." He said laughing.
"Well what can I say? I'm a compulsive liar." He smiled at how familiar those words sounded, remembering the very moment and time that he said those exact same words.
"That's when it all began." She started.
"At Liz and TJ's wedding, when I asked you to dance." He finished, knowing she was talking about her previous, 'compulsive liar' comment.
"That's when I knew we'd end up where we are now."
"Really?" He asked, completely surprised she thought about him in any form other than a friend before he actually kissed her.
"Really. You asked me out that night. I went inside after you walked me home and made a pro and con list, and guess how many con's there were?"
"Do I even want to know?"
"There were 0."
"Amazing. How many pros? 2?"
"Don't under estimate yourself, babe. 52 1/2"
"...and a half?"
"Well, I couldn't count something that I couldn't justify..."
"What the hell are 52 good things about me?"
"Do you really want me to start?"
"Not at all."
"Didn't think so."
She laced her hand through his, and stroked his hand gently, appreciating every single moment of this night.
"52 1/2...aka 52.50. I owe you 52.50."
"How come?"
"How could you forget? You bought my basket for 52.50."
"Oh right, must have slipped my mind." He said smiling.
"Yeah, well I've got a little thing to tell you. I lied to you that day."
"When?"
"You asked who I wanted to buy my basket...well; I don't care about the Colin's kid buying it to clean my gutters. I was hoping you would clean my gutters." She said smiling wickedly.
"Ah jeez...that was 3 years ago. You didn't want me to buy your basket 3 years ago."
"So what. Maybe I've been pining..."
Utterly and simply surprised...speechless almost. Here she was, pretty much admitting she's had a thing for him for a few years. He cursed himself for never asking her out earlier.
"Yeah well I wish you would have told me sooner..."
"Hey, maybe if you would have had the balls to ask me out earlier."
"So dirty."
"Yeah well, what can I say? I'm a dirty princess with a sexy prince. I like you in spandex, baby."
"What are you taking about? I'm not wearing spandex."
"Clearly. You'd still look sexy."
"Okay."
"So, why didn't you ask me out before?"
This wasn't the conversation he wanted to get into so he attempted to change the subject. "I didn't think I was good enough for you." He said simply and quick. "Goodnight, hun."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Okay, first I'm going to go completely past the fact that you called me hun which is a. probably the cutest thing in the world and don't mock me for being a prissy teenager jumping on her bed because her boyfriend actually called her back, this time 4 days after he said he would not 5!" He laughed. "And b. that was definitely some sort of act of endearment, meaning you actually proved you knew I was woman and treated me with some lovey-dovey, let's eskimo kiss all day treatment."
"Trust me I know you're a woman."
She meowed, acting silly. Something she did often. "You do at that. But that's not the point. Why would you think that you weren't good enough for me?"
"I don't want to get into this right now. I'm tired."
"But I want to get into this. And I get what I want."
He sighed loudly, emphasizing his annoyance to the best of his ability. "I've watched you for years. In my eyes, you were amazing. You were perfect. Everything I knew I could never have. Which is part of the reason why I never asked you out."
She cut him off slightly. "Because if you actually did go out with me, you'd realize that I'm not any of those things then leaving you to be disappointed with me?" She felt like that's exactly why he didn't ask her out. He had other reasons.
"Not at all. Because to tell you the truth, with us together now, you still are amazing and perfect. I never asked you out before because I'm not perfect. I don't do the whole dating thing. I don't even like dating. I like casual, sit at home and do nothing sort of things. That's what I think is fun. I don't like to dress up and go to fancy restaurants and dance before the foods actually served which, by the way, shows how slow those fancy restaurants really are." He paused, taking a breath. "So the thought of letting you down didn't seem worth the risk. I didn't want to disappoint you. I didn't want to take you on the first date where I'd actually try and make an effort, then leaving you to believe that that's the kind of guy I am. Because I'm not that kind of guy."
Lorelai thought for a moment, taking ever single thing he said in.
"And I'm not that kind of girl. I left that life, Luke. Sit at home and do nothing sort of things are what I love best. And I'm not perfect. Nobody's perfect. But you my friend, you are pretty damn close. I don't need you to take me to fancy restaurants, and dance with me in front of groups of strange people. You're more than good enough for me."
"I dunno…"
"I do. And I don't like that whole self-pity talk. Whether or not you'll admit it, you are my fella, and trust me…if I didn't want you to be, you wouldn't be." She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "But don't worry. I want ya."
"Good."
"So next time you think you're not doing something good enough…remember this conversation."
"I will."
"And for the record, I'm the one with the problems. I'm one crazy person."
He laughed. "Goodnight Lorelai."
"Goodnight Luke."
Oh, happy days…
--
It was a few days after the dance marathon. Rory was on her way home to pick up a few things in between cramming for a few tests.
"Paris, I already told you I'd get it." Rory said in the phone, rolling her eyes.
"Well all I'm going to say is you better bring it Gilmore or else it's on. And I'm not talking 'hey let's humiliate Rory in front of her Prince Charming', I'm talking, 'hey let's stick Rory's head through something sharp.'"
"On that humble note..."
"All I'm saying is bring it. Where are you right now?"
"I'm going to be home in a few minutes."
"Great. Your mother will probably be home, leaving you to be distracted then forgetting the books. You guys will talk, she'll mention the new boots she got, the fact that she couldn't decide...leather or suede...black or brown, cause God knows the wrong color clashes with the decor. She'll ask if you've done anything interesting lately and you can say you jumped off another bridge the other day, nothing new or for that matter, unordinary. She'll take you out to eat at the truck-stop of a diner shop that you guys insist on eating at 24/7 because something about the way the burger boy flips the burgers is so attractive, and you'll leave, from the diner, without my books."
"My mom's not really a suede girl, Paris."
"That's not the point, Rory. The point is that if you forget your books, consider yourself locked out tonight."
"Oh look at where I am...I'm pulling onto my block now, so I'll see you later Paris, bye now."
"Bye."
Rory hung up her phone and threw it in her purse. Her plan was to make this a quick stop. There wasn't time to mess around and talk...or get distracted like Paris thought she would. She had an important meeting to be at in a few hours and everyone knows how persuading Lorelai can be. 'Just ten more minutes. I want to show you my new catalog addressed to Sir Bob Walter.' Lorelai could be very persuasive.
As she pulled into the driveway, the first thing she noticed was Luke's truck in front of her car. Lorelai's car wasn't around so she figured she had just run out for a few minutes. Rory hadn't talked to Luke since he and Lorelai began the 'pretending' game which had going on for about 4 weeks now. She hadn't been home for a while, school was piling up on her hard, and having more of a social status didn't help the fact either. Though things seemed to be going fine, Rory wanted to make sure things between them weren't at all weird. After all, Luke had always been there for her. If he was in a fight with Lorelai, he'd still be there for Rory. Like the time when she fractured her wrist and she went to talk to him. Though he was mad at Lorelai, he was never, and could never be mad at Rory.
"Hey Luke!" She called, walking up the steps of her porch. She glanced at his toolbox. "Hey Bert."
He looked up from his toolbox and smiled, rolling his eyes slightly. "Oh hey Rory. Home for the weekend?"
"No, actually I'll just be here for a few minutes. I have to pick up a bunch of books for an article Paris is writing, and then I've gotta stop at Lane's real quick to get a few more books."
"Sounds like a lot of books."
"That's cause it is."
"Ah, got it. So, uh, how have you been lately?" He knew that Lorelai told Rory about them pretending, but he didn't know if she had told her anything else. Like the fact that she hates him, or that Rory shouldn't talk to him. 'No, that's not Lorelai...plus, it was her idea in the first place.'
"Good thanks. A little tired from all this work but as long as it's getting done..."
"Yeah, school's good? Getting good grades I'm sure?"
"Getting fine grades. Everything's good I'd say. How are you?"
"Oh, ya know..."
"Yeah. Whatcha fixin this time?"
"Oh well, me and Bert," he sighed, rolling his eyes while she laughed, "are fixing the swing."
"What did she do this time?"
"Well, first she thought it'd be funny to store her shoes out here for a while..." he began.
"Oh gosh..."
"And your mother has a lot, and I mean a lot of shoes. So I don't think that helped."
"Probably not."
"And when she finally decided to take them back up to her room, she thought it'd be very Martha Stewart-like to clean out the garage and paint it."
"She does love her painting..."
"Yes, she does...so, she took out all this junk you guys have in there and put it on the swing and after a few too many pounds, it's collapsed so here I am fixing it."
"So I can see. Is my mom around?"
"Nope, she's at work."
"Oh okay well...I guess it's better that way...I've gotta get back to school soon anyways. I'll be right back, ok?"
"Sure."
"Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, I'm fine thanks though."
As Rory walked into the house, she grabbed the books she needed, and headed right back out the door.
"So, I guess I'm going to go."
"Oh okay. Well, I hope you come home soon again. We've missed you around here."
"I will. I'm definitely having some Luke's coffee-withdrawal."
"Happens to the best of us."
"Yeah, it does..." She sat down on the bottom step of the porch. "So, Luke...you've been okay lately?" She asked curiously.
"Yeah."
"You know with the whole..."
"Oh, right."
"It's kind of a silly idea, don't you think?"
"I told her that to begin with but...I can't leave this town. At least not now."
"I understand."
"At least someone does. Taylor wouldn't, that's for sure."
"I'm surprised you're doing this for Taylor's sake. You don't have to listen to him, ya know."
As he thought her sayings over, he realized she was right. Sure Taylor might not force him to leave, but he still wanted to act as he has been because that meant keeping Lorelai closer for a little longer. He didn't want anybody to know that though...
"I don't have to listen to him but I bet he could find a way to make me leave."
"Yeah, probably..."
"But it's working for now."
"Yeah."
There was an awkward silence for a few seconds. Luke's eyes averted to Rory's car, where as Rory's eyes averted to Bert.
"You know, things may be weird between you and my mom, but I don't want things to be weird with us."
He looked at her, seriousness in his eyes and tone. "They're not."
"I'm sorry about what happened."
"I appreciate that. But it's not your fault in anyway."
"I know but I still feel like I should apologize. I know how you feel-- felt about my mom."
He locked his eyes on his feet, gripping his hands. "Yeah well, things happen."
"Right...things happen." She stood up and turned to Luke. "So, take care."
"You too, kid."
She smiled a little. "I'll see you around Luke."
"Yeah I'll see you around."
"Hey tell my mom I say hi."
"I will."
She nodded her head, smiling and waving goodbye, heading back to her car.
Things happen...
----
The next day at work as Lorelai was pestering Sookie to make the coffee more intense, an annoyed Michel walked into the kitchen.
"Lorelai, there is somebody here to see you."
"For me?"
"No the other Lorelai I know."
"Rory's not here, sweetie." She said smiling wickedly.
"Yes, it's for you."
Lorelai smirked at Sookie and headed to the front of the Dragonfly looking for whoever was waiting for her.
"The place looks great." A voice said from behind.
Lorelai's eyes widened, utterly and completely surprised. A pit fell to her stomach, curious and confused as to the shockingness of this visit. Afraid that in someway it had to do with him…"Wow! Long time no see." She said, smiling.
A/N #2- Hope you liked the chapter! Hopefully chapter 3 will be up early next week! :-) Questions, comments, concerns? Just leave a review!
(PS-As you can see, I like the whole flashback thing. Probably because I feel guilty writing a semi-JJ story AT THE TIME, but keep in mind this is a full-out Luke & Lorelai fic! Hope we've got you all interested!)
Happy Holidays everyone!
ETA: Sorry to say but the edited version of this story got deleted so sorry for the typing errors you may come across!