Same Mistakes

"I'll take a quick shower and be down in ten minutes. Okay?"

Luke caught her around the waist and gave her a quick kiss. "Take your time." As Lorelai disappeared up the stairs, the phone rang. "Lorelai?" No answer.

"Hello?"

"Who's this?" A distinctly male voice said.

"Who's this?" Luke demanded.

"Uh, this is Chris. Is Lorelai around?"

Luke almost dropped the phone. "This is Luke Danes."

"Oh, Luke from the diner? How are you? I guess you're around to help Lorelai out with some repairs," Chris said a little too cheerily.

"Uh, not exactly." Luke shook his head. "Why are you calling?"

"I was having some problems with Gigi a couple days ago and Lorelai helped me out." Luke gritted his teeth at Chris's shortening of her name.

"Oh, well, that's good. I'll tell her to call you back." The hell I will, he thought.

"Thanks. Have a good night."

"Yeah. You too." Luke had to control himself not to throw the phone on the floor.

Lorelai came down the stairs a few minutes later, shrugging on her jacket. "You ready?"

"Yeah, I am. You had a call while you were gone." Luke said calmly.

"Who was it?"

"Chris." Lorelai froze on the stairs.

"What?" Lorelai looked shocked and for a moment, Luke thought maybe Chris had made it all up. "I talked to him the other day about Gigi, but--"

"God damn it, Lorelai!" Lorelai shut her mouth quickly and stayed on the bottom stair, watching Luke pace the room. "Did you even consider, well, anything?"

"Luke, I didn't--"

"You didn't even think about it."

"Chris needed help. I don't--"

"Has he ever dropped everything to help you? No! I know he's hurt you, Lorelai and now he's here to hurt us."

"You can't say that. You don't even know him."

"Do not defend him to me, Lorelai, I know plenty."

"Chris would never—you and I are--"

"What, Lorelai?" Luke snapped.

"I don't know how you can turn this on me. Yes, I didn't tell you but that was because I knew you would act like this! You can't tell me you've never helped out a friend or given someone a second chance. What about Rachel? Or Liz?"

"Family's different. And so is Rachel. That was one time, and if I remember correctly you were all for it."

"Because I wanted you to be happy."

"Does Chris make you happy?" Luke asked, and Lorelai had to remind herself to breathe.

"What do you mean? Does he make me smile? Yes. Is he my friend? Yes. But he doesn't make me happy the way you do."

"Aw, Lorelai."

"No, I want you to understand. I want you to be able to trust me." Her voice caught in her throat. "Chris and I have a history, yes, but that was two decades ago. And even then, things would have never worked out." She looked up at Luke. "Chris knows me as the 16-year-old Lorelai. But I'm not 16 anymore. And I want someone who knows the adult me, who has watched me grow and mess up and raise a kid. That's you, Luke."

Luke sighed. "God, I'm sorry." He walked over and squeezed in next to her on the stair. "I do trust you, Lorelai. But trust is a tricky thing." Lorelai linked her arm through his and squeezed his hand. "I just wish you had told me."

Lorelai nodded. "I know. I really meant to but then it seemed like the more I let time pass, the more it would have made you upset."

"Just tell me. That way I don't fly off the handle in the middle of your living room."

Lorelai half smiled. "Sometimes I kind of miss grumpy Luke. But sweet Luke is better."

"It's a good thing. You're stuck with him."

"I can deal with that," she beamed at him.

"You ready to go?" He asked, nudging her with his elbow.

"You better not forget the Red Vines this time," she replied, letting him lead her out of the house.