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"Chris!"
"Look, Lor, I know I haven't been there in the past, but this is different ...you know it is. I really feel like I can...I can ...be there for you."
"How do you or I know you won't leave like you always have before?"
"The last time I came to see you and promised I could stay, I had a pretty good reason to leave. Lor my girlfriend was pregnant."
"What, I had no idea! ...I know she was pregnant, Chris. I forget a lot of things, but this, this, I think I can remember, thanks." A few minutes pass in silence. It seems like an hour to both of them, "How can you leave her now anyway, your kid is only a couple years old?"
"I already told you, she doesn't want to be with me. She thinks I'm..."
Lorelai cuts him off, "Immature, inadequate, un..."
Chris then cuts off Lor, "She thinks I'm still in love with you, and I should do what I can to make myself as happy as possible. She says she still loves me so she wants me to be as happy as possible."
"Is she right? ...Do you still love me?"
"Why would I come all the way down here to tell you that my wife kicked me out, if I didn't still care for you?
"Of course you still care for me, everyone does, but that's not what I asked."
Chris kisses her passionately; but she doesn't feel the spark that was always there before. She pulls away.
He gets up, turns around to see if she says anything. She doesn't. As the door slams as loudly as possible behind Lorelai...
...Lorelai wakes up and starts crying. She doesn't know why, but she hasn't done it in while. She needs a nice cry by herself after the dream that tells her nothing. She already knew all her feelings for Chris had left with his baby, but she cried anyway for no reason whatsoever...that she could think of.
Later that day, at about quarter to nine, she heads to Luke's. For the past few weeks she'd been excited to wake up and get to see Luke. She didn't know why; she just thought she liked to see one of her best friends in the morning. Luke felt the same. He always seemed to wake up, go to work, and wait 'til Lorelai came in. They smile when they see each other. Babette and Miss Patty talk about them in the corner.
"Why don't they just get married already. They know they love each other," Babette comments to her gossip queen.
"I don't think they know that yet, but they should. I know I love to watch 'em flirt."
"You call that flirting! Luke maybe, but Lorelai is just sittin' there waiting for her coffee"
"Awww, Yeah. Aren't they too cute?"
"I hope they figure it out eventually."
Luke's in the kitchen making Lorelai her pancakes and eggs. When he turns around with her food, he sees her standing behind the counter getting herself coffee.
"Lorelai, why are you back here!"
"Cause I asked for coffee like thirty seconds ago, and still haven't gotten it."
"Lorelai! I tell you not to come back behind the counter almost everyday, but you do anyway."
"I forget things." At this comment she thinks back to her dream, but she's with Luke now.
"Only today though, this time I won't pour it down the sink. You know I hate to see you cry."
"Thanks." She puts the top on her to-go cup. "Mmm, yummy food!" she says snatching her precious breakfast away from Luke.
"How can you eat this stuff everyday; it's so bad for you?"
"How can you act so boring and predictable by complaining about the same thing everyday? I know you're not boring. Have you ever even tried pancakes?"
"Once maybe twice after I woke up with hangover"
"Wow, twice huh?"
"Get out from behind my counter and eat."
"I cannot picture you with a hangover, Mr. Healthnut."
"Well, it was at a bachelor party"
"And the other time?"
"I don't remember," obviously lying and trying not to think back on the time he got drunk alone because Max proposed to Lorelai.
"Luuukkee?"
"Yeeess?" with the same inflection as Lorelai.
"Can I have some more coffee?"
"What, no!"
"But, but, ..but."
He snatches her cup away from her and refills it. "No more after this!" He can't disappoint her.
Lorelai finishes off her breakfast as Luke glances over every once in a while. "Gotta go," she says noticeably sad that she can't stay.
"Will I see you later?"
"Where else would I have dinner? I'm Not gonna go to Al's to eat by myself. That would be kinda depressing, wouldn't it?"
"I could go with you," he says hopefully.
"Really? You wanna come watch me eat a lot of food that's really bad for me even though you don't have to?" she asks surprised at his suggestion.
"Never mind."
"No, you can come if you really want to. I'd like the company."
"I can pick you up around eight?"
"Pick me up? You make it sound like a date."
"What do you want me to say?"
She thinks, "Uh, I dunno. You can pick me up around eight, I guess. See you later, Luke. Love you."
Babette and Patty listen in the corner, obviously interested.
"Excuse Me!" Luke says looking like he's about to have a heart attack.
"What?" she says turning back around.
"Hon, I think you just told Luke that you love him," Babette chimes in from the corner.
"Oops, guess it just slipped out. It was an accident. You know like if you accidently dropped a piano on someone's head or an anvil. I prefer anvils myself...Sorry, Luke. Didn't mean to tease you."
"Tease me? Why would that be teasing me? To tease me would be to tell me something that I really want to hear and not mean it. You weren't teasing me. I didn't want to hear that. I've never wanted to hear you say that you love me."
"Well excuusse me."
"Why did you say that anyway?"
"I just spent all last week with Rory on her break, and I say it every time I say bye to her. I just got used to saying it at the end of conversations over the past week that it just slipped out. Again, I'm soo sorry I scared you like that."
"Lorelai, you didn't scare me either. I was just surprised and confused. That's all."
"Sure," she says with a grin on her face. She turns around and starts to leave.
"Lorelai!" As she leaves he shakes his head about what just happened, smiling as well.
Later that evening Lorelai is getting ready for her thing, whatever it is, with Luke. She picks up her cell and holds down the one to call Rory on her speed dial.
"Hello?" Rory asked sounding tired and stressed out.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing just this Math assignment."
"Yuck!"
"Exactly. So what's up with you? Why'd you call?"
"Well I'm going out with Luke and..."
Rory cuts her off, "Since when are you going out with Luke? Mom, why didn't you tell me! When will the wedding be? How many kids are you planning on having? Are you gonna be buried next to each other?"
"Rory! Stop it, evil!"
"Kay, I'm quiet now I promise. So explain please."
" I don't know what it is exactly, but it's not a date. I'd tell you if Luke and I were dating, and we're not dating. I promise. I'd probably be ranting about us dating if we were dating, and I'm soo not ranting right now."
"Sure you're not."
"You promised to keep quiet...wait, sure we're not dating or sure I'm not ranting?"
"Maybe a little of both."
"Rory, you'll just have to get over the fact that I'm not dating Luke and never will be dating Luke. What is everyone's obsession with this anyway!"
"Argh! How can you still not get it? Luke likes you a lot. For all I know Luke may love you."
"Oh yeah...," remembering that morning, "I guess I should tell you before you hear it somewhere else."
"What?"
"I told Luke that I love him. I mean I obviously didn't mean it; it just slipped out, you know?"
"Out of where? Your brain without coffee or your ...(in a Shakespearean tone) heart?"
"Rory!"
"Mom!"
"I had coffee in me I just, ..it just...It just slipped out."
"Since when do you have nothing to say? How did it just slip out?"
"As I said bye to him it just slipped out. I always say it after I say bye to you, so I had gotten used to it. Now go away; you're using my phone minutes."
"Mom, you called me! Remember! Now why did you call? I know it wasn't just to tell me that you're dating Luke."
"Rory! ..I called to ask what you think I should wear. Luke's seen me in everything."
"I thought you said this isn't a date? Now you're worrying about what to wear for Luke I'm sure he'd be happy with anything...or nothing."
"Rory! I told you like a thousand times already, this isn't a date."
"If you tell me what it is I'll help you figure out what to wear."
"I don't know what it is...You know what, never mind. I'll just call Sookie."
"You'll have to have this conversation all over again."
"Okay, ...so let's just say that this is a date, Kay?"
"Oh my god! Mom, you just admitted to dating Luke! Luke as in Luke's diner! Luke as in my new daddy! Oh, I'm so happy for you! I knew you'd get together one of these days."
"You know I'm calling this a date metaphorically, now what would I wear in that situation?"
"Hmm...how about those black pants?"
"The one's that Luke complimented me on last week?"
"He seemed to like them ...or maybe he liked what was under the back pockets."
Ignoring her daughter's last comment, "And for the top?"
"That red scoop-neck thing."
"Kay, thanks, Hon'."
"Wait, so this wasn't metaphorical? It really is a date?"
"Huh?"
"Well you asked what you should wear if you did go out on a date with Luke, and that's what I told you."
"Bye, Hon'," smiling at her last comment.
"I guess I'll talk to you when you come home from you and Luke's date?"
"Bye bye, hon'," still smiling.
"Love you. Bye."
As she hangs up the phone she has just about every feeling known to man whizzing through her head. What is this, if it's not a date? Could it have been meant as a date even though Luke said it wasn't? Why did I dream about Chris last night? Why am I so nervous? Is Luke as nervous as I am? Why would Luke be nervous if this is not a date? This can't be a date ...can it? Can Luke and I be dating? Why does everyone think Luke loves me?
As she thinks, she is nervous, paranoid, excited, scared, confused, and embarrassed at how much she's been thinking about him lately.
"Why have I been thinking about Luke so much?" she says aloud to herself having to hear the words. "Why?"
When she is finished getting dressed it's 8:01
"Where is he?" She expected him to be early. He was early for everything.
At that thought, Luke knocks on the door. As Lorelai opens it, she sees Luke standing holding flowers.
"Aww, for me?"
"Nope, they're for my date," he says handing her the flowers with that smile, ...that smile that she looked forward to every morning.
"I thought you said this wasn't a date."
"On the way over I was thinking about what to call it...I couldn't think of anything else. ...What do you want to call it?"
"I don't know either."
"Good."
"Let's just call it a ...dinner thing."
"Sounds good," he said smiling at Lorelai again. "...So we going to Al's?"
"Unless you want to go somewhere else."
"We could eat at my place."
"The diner?"
"No, my apartment. Same food though."
"Would you let me have coffee?"
"Possibly, ...but only for my dinner thing person"
"Dirty! ...You mean your date?"
"Sure, if you want me to call you that" He is still smiling from when she opened the door.
"We gonna take your truck or my Jeep?"
"Let's take my truck so that I'll have to drive you when you're too full to walk home," he said with that same smile on his face.
"Like I'd get too full! ...It might rain anyway, Cutie."
"Don't call me that, and stop teasing."
"I thought you said it was only teasing if you wanted to hear it."
The truth was that Luke had always imagined he'd be in a relationship with Lorelai that she could call him cutie or anything else she wanted to for that matter.
"Come on. Let's go," Luke said changing the subject as best he could.
Lorelai set her flowers in a vase and gave them some water. She started to walk out the door with her 'date' as she looked at Luke's pretty little smile on his face. He'd been smiling since he had gotten there.
Once they got to Luke's apartment and he had finished making dinner- a turkey burger sand salad for him and a 'normal', as Lorelai called it, burger and fries for her- they started to eat. They were much quieter than usual, especially for Lorelai. Finally Luke began, "Are you okay?"
"Of course, the food is great."
"You just seemed quiet is all."
"I was thinking," and she had been. She had definitely, definitely been thinking. She was still thinking about why she was thinking about Luke so much. Whether or not Luke was thinking about her. If he was thinking about her, what was he thinking about her. Had they been thinking about each other. If so, when, why, how. She thought about how she shouldn't be thinking about this so much and tried to stop thinking about them. ...She couldn't. He couldn't be thinking about her this much, ...or could he? "Um, Luke..?"
"Yeah?" he says putting down his fork. She looks concerned.
"I've been...um, thinking about...uh...never mind. It's not that important anyway."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine."
"Unless, whatever the problem is, doesn't go your way in the end."
"Yeah, ...I guess I'm not as flexible as could be. ...No, you know what? I'll tell you. I think were close enough that we can talk to each other right? ...I mean we're not related, Thank God, but you'd consider us to be friends...right?"
"What do you mean Thank God we're not related?"
"I was about to tell you. ..Now, do you consider us to be friends?"
"Lorelai, you're my best friend. I've probably never told you that before, but I think it's important. I think you should know that."
"I think I did," with that Lorelai regrets starting this moment. Now she doesn't want to say she might have feelings for him. She thought of him as one of her best friends, but she didn't know he felt the same way. "Do you think that we could ever develop into something more than, you know...best friends?"
"I don't think that there's anything more than best friends, but I know what you mean. I feel something too. I think that we should call this a date, after all."
"Sure, just don't tell anyone I know that we went out. ...How embarrassing would it be to have that on my permanent record!" she says laughing. "Thanks, ...for this...all this, everything. You've always seemed to...you know...be there. I'm glad you feel the same way as I do."
"Me too."
They finish the rest of their meals in silence. Luke finishes first and watches Lorelai gobble down the rest of her food.
"This was so delicious," she says finished with her food and getting up. "It tasted better than it usually does."
"I'm glad you liked it."
"I'm glad you were here to share it with. ...Wow, that was way too sappy! I'm sorry, Luke."
"No, it's okay, really."
"I think we should do this more often ...you know?"
"I know."
"Well, I should go"
"Are you too full to walk?"
"Not really, but you can drive me anyway, Cutie."
Luke puts the dishes in the sink,and walks Lorelai to his truck. He starts it up as Lorelai turns on the cd player. "Lorelai, don't..." Too late.
"Oh My God! Is that the Beach Boys! I'm gonna tell everyone!"
"Lorelai, please!" He takes out the cd.
"First Miss Patty obviously, Sookie, Rory, Kirk..."
"Lorelai!" He cuts her off.
"What? I just never knew you had such great taste in music," she says sarcastically.
"Just find a radio station if you're so desperate."
"Did you just call me desperate! What a rude thing to say to your date!" He smiles at this comment. "Not only is it rude to me, that's actually insulting to yourself...What are you smiling about? You were just insulted by yourself."
He says nothing, just puts his hand on hers. Lorelai smiles back, holds it up and kisses it. Luke blushes at finally getting a small taste of what he's wanted his whole life, someone that cares for him enough to show it, and what he's wanted for about a third of his life, ...Lorelai Gilmore. Lorelai, herself, had just gotten a taste of what she had been craving for the past month, ...Luke Danes. She gives him back his hand, and he sets it back on top of her's. They arrive back at the Gilmore estate in silence. "We're here," he says just to say something. She doesn't get out. "Lorelai?"
"Yea?"
"I thought you were asleep with your eyes open or something."
"I wish!"
"You wish you were asleep?"
"I wish I could sleep with my eyes open. That would be soo freaky."
"Freaky, gotcha. So we're doing this again, right?"
"How about tomorrow?"
"Of course. Walk you to your door?"
She gets out of his truck and goes to his door. She opens it. "Come on inside."
"No, Aren't you tired?"
"We could watch a movie or something."
"But..."
"Please, Mr. Coffee God."
As if he had a choice, he finally answered, "Okay, if you really want me to."
"No, I changed my mind."
"Huh?"
"Well you know how flaky I am...Luke, I'm kidding. Come on,"
As she opens the front door, all he can think is how excited he is to be invited in without having to do her housework.
"Let me call Rory real quick."
"Okay, tell her I said 'hi'"
"Will do"
"And, Lorelai?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't say anything about The Beach Boys."
She walks up to her room cell in hand and calls Rory.
"Mom? It's like ten o'clock. Did you just get home?"
"Yeah. Dinner was nice we talked and stuff, but the reason I really called was 'cause..."
Interrupting her, "'cause I told you to?"
"Nope. Wanna take any guesses?"
"Did you tell Luke you love him again?"
"Nope."
"Do I even wanna know?"
"Probably not."
"Ew, Mom gross. You and Luke! And you called to tell me this!"
"Rory! ...Luke listens to the Beach Boys!"
"Oh My God! Luke!"
"Oh yeah, and he says 'hi'. Should I tell him 'hi' back?"
"What is he still there? Where are you? Are you still having dinner? Is he gonna kill you for telling me this stuff?"
"We're about to watch a movie."
"Yeah, you can tell him 'hi'. ...So, was this a date or not?"
"Yeah, we agreed that it was, ..is."
"Well, goodnight, Mom."
"Night."
"And Mom?"
"Yeah?"
"When Luke wakes you up in the morning can you tell him I said good morning?"
"Goodnight, Rory!"
"Night, Mom."
Lorelai hangs up knowing that her daughter thinks exactly like her. Rory told her what she knows she had subconsciously been thinking before. This is it. He is it. As Lorelai is coming down the stairs still thinking about Luke, he looks up at her.
"What are you so happy about?"
She sits down beside him and flicks through the channels with her head resting on his shoulder. They don't even know what they're watching, all they know is that they love each other. They wonder whether or not the other loves them back. They do, and somehow they know this and they stop wondering. They fall asleep like this- Lorelai resting her head on his shoulder and Luke depending on her not asking him to leave. They dream about one another, their future. Both dreams are as perfect as possible.
Luke wakes up first with a jolt of his head.
"Lorelai?" He remembers last night, and doesn't want to disturb her. He looks at the clock on the tv.
8:37
"Lorelai, wake up, Hon'." Realizing what he just called her he thinks back to his dream. They were happily engaged, and they were both worried about the wedding. They seemed to agree on everything, but they still had those pre-wedding jitters.
"Huh?" Lorelai wakes. "Luke! You're still here?"
"We fell asleep. I should be at work and you should be asking for coffee."
Lorelai is still thinking about her dream. They had been engaged and were both nervous, excited. "So, why didn't you wake me up?"
"Isn't that what I just did?"
"Yeah...uh..sure," falling back to sleep.
"Lorelai we're both already late. Lorelai?"
"Rory says good morning."
"Huh?"
"Last night when I called her, she said to tell you good morning when you wake me up."
"You mean...Rory thought? Lorelai you know we didn't...?"
"I know, ... 'Hon'"
"Sorry, it just slipped out," he says nervously. Then he remembers yesterday morning feeling okay about it.
"It's okay...I'm getting up I promise."
"Yeah me too." They both fall back to sleep. An hour later Lor wakes up, ...kind of.
"I love you too, my coffee god."
"Huh?"
"What? Oh, good morning."
"You just said it again."
"What?"
"You just told me that you loved me again."
"Go back to sleep; you're imagining things"
"Lorelai, we can't go back to sleep; it's a quarter 'til ten."
"What! Why didn't you wake me up?" she asks jumping off of him.
"You asked me that an hour ago."
"Come on, get up, Luke!"
"I'm up," he then says following Lorelai and jumping up.
"I gotta get dressed. You gotta go to work...Oh My God! Your truck! Everyone's gonna see it! Miss Patty's gonna see it! And you know what they'll think!"
"Yes, I know what they'll think, ...but is it really that bad?"
"Luke! Everyone'll know!"
"Know what? There's nothing to know."
"Yeah, but they'll think we..."
Cutting her off, "You get dressed, I'll leave."
"Okay," seeming fairly disappointed that he's leaving. "See you in like thirty minutes."
"Huh?"
"Hello, I need your coffee!"
"See you then."