Torn – Chapter 2
The Lorelai Explosion
A/N: WOW! I have never received so many reviews for a single chapter of a fanfic before. Thanks SO much for the feedback! It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who really likes Rachel. (Anyone else LOVE Digger? It's not that I love him with Lorelai, I just think he's hilariously quirky.) Also, I now know that Natalie Imbruglia does, in fact, have a new CD out and I apologize for not being up on her whereabouts. Lastly, I would like to dedicate this chapter to my very good friend Danielle as an apology for being a shitty friend and thinking, for all this time, that she's a year younger than she actually is. In addition, this is a dedication to the all-around amazingness that is you, my genius gg girl! You are best and I want to have all of your flannel-wearing babies! (It may not be possible now, but we'll figure it out eventually, damnit!) Have I scared you all away now?
Lorelai entered the kitchen of the inn later that morning, and immediately poured herself a cup of coffee. She sighed and took a sip, leaning against the counter and suppressing a grin as a frustrated Sookie instructed one of the chefs on how to chop carrots. Absentmindedly, she began to think of Luke and Rachel. She pictured that day in the movie theater, when Luke had finally decided to give Rachel another chance. It was the first act of open affection she had ever witnessed from Luke, bar the quick, but well-meaning hug he had given her at the hospital during the Christmas season, when her father had fallen ill. Lorelai wasn't sure why she had thought of that random moment in time; yet she could not shake the image of Luke and Rachel cuddling in the front row of the theater from her head, his nose resting against Rachel's forehead in the intimate moment. Suddenly, Sookie looked up at Lorelai and smiled, patting the chef on the back as she moved away from him. Lorelai watched the relief flood across the unfortunate man's face as she shook herself from her previous thoughts.
"Hey, you're here early!" enthused Sookie.
Lorelai looked down at her watch curiously. "It's not that early."
"Yeah, but usually you don't come in for coffee for another hour or so… rough morning?"
"What? No, not a rough morning. I was just in the mood for coffee."
"Uh huh."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Sookie…"
Sookie laughed. "Honey, you forget that I know you better than anyone… except Rory, of course," she added as an afterthought.
"Yeah, so?"
"So… I can tell when you're upset."
"Well, your Lorelai meter must be way off because I'm fine."
"Okay," said Sookie, putting her hands up in mock defense. "No need to get all Nicolas Cage on me."
"Nicolas Cage?"
"Yeah, you know, like in Moonstruck with the missing hand?"
"Ugh, don't remind me." She paused, a mocking smile creeping onto her face.
Sookie giggled. "So… you're fine?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Good."
"Good," Lorelai agreed.
Sookie began to fiddle with some pots on the counter, so Lorelai turned to leave, but stopped when Sookie called her name. "Did you hear about… Luke?"
"What about Luke?"
"Well… he and Rachel, they, um…"
"They got engaged. Yeah, I heard the rumor."
"And you're okay with this?"
"It's just a rumor, Sook."
"Yeah, but… it sounds like it's true to me."
Lorelai shrugged. "Good for them."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah! Why does everyone think I'd have a problem with this?"
"Well, you and Luke, um…"
"Have a thing?" she offered.
"Yes, exactly!"
Lorelai groaned. "Enough with the stupid thing! There is no thing!"
"All right, sorry. But there is totally a thing," she muttered under her breath.
"Sookie," groaned Lorelai in a warning tone.
"Fine, fine, there's no thing! So, you're okay with the engagement, then… I mean, if there is one?"
"If it's what Luke wants, then I'm fine with it."
"Oh Lorelai!" cried Sookie, pulling a shocked Lorelai into a sudden hug. Lorelai hugged her friend back hesitantly, a confused look on her face. When Sookie pulled away, Lorelai raised her eyebrows. "Are you okay with this?"
"What? Oh!" She giggled. "No, no, no, that's not… I'm just… I was worried that you would be upset. But you're not!"
"Nope!" Lorelai replied with fake enthusiasm.
"Good."
"Yes, we covered that."
"Right." Sookie grinned at Lorelai, before turning back to her cooking.
Lorelai stood silently in the kitchen for a few moments, biting her lip, before saying, "Hey, um, Sookie?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think it's true?"
Sookie paused, turning to Lorelai with a frown on her face. "Yeah, Hon, I really do."
Lorelai nodded slowly and whispered, "Good. Good for them. They should be happy. Hey, I gotta go - lots of work to do. I'll be back in an hour for the next cup of coffee, so keep it warm for me."
Sookie nodded sympathetically, squeezing her friend's hand reassuringly before Lorelai left the kitchen. Sookie sighed and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead, before beginning to work again.
Meanwhile, at the diner, a small group of townsfolk had situated themselves around the counter as they fired an unrelenting stream of questions at Luke and Rachel about their spontaneous engagement. Rachel smiled and dodged the personal questions expertly, saying all the right things without revealing too much. On the other hand, Luke, for his part, managed to perfect the art of the 'don't you dare ask me anything' scowl that he so often wore around these people. He had succeeded in warding off all questions directed at him, alone, so far, and Luke was just about to slip into the kitchen when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Luke groaned and turned sharply to face Kirk.
"What is it, Kirk?"
"I just wanted to extend my congratulations to you. Marriage is a lovely thing."
"Really," Luke deadpanned.
"Oh yeah. Mother says it's the best thing she's even done."
"That's great, Kirk. Is that all?"
"No, not exactly. Luke, I was just wondering… well, you know about my love of the art of photography?"
Luke began to count on his fingers as he asked, "What happened to your love for woman's hairstyling, your love for candy apple making, your love for video rentals, your love for -?"
Kirk cleared his throat uncomfortably. "This is in addition to all of the above and more."
"Okay, photography. Can we hurry this up? I'm busy trying to run a business here."
"Right, I was just hoping that you would let me photograph your wedding."
"Ah, jeez, Kirk! I just got engaged last night; we haven't even chosen a date, for crying outloud!"
"Please, Luke?" begged Kirk. "I don't need an official date yet, I just want your word that I can do it…"
"Kirk…"
"And a small deposit."
"KIRK!"
"It'll just be a bit of a guarantee."
"I can think of about 500 other ways to guarantee you," Luke growled, leaning over the counter toward Kirk.
"Fine, fine," said Kirk, backing away in defense. "I'll just… come back in a few days."
"A few months, Kirk!' he demanded, before finally retreating to the kitchen for some peace.
However, he found no such solace, for, as he began to cook, he could still hear everything that was going on in the diner. The group of people at the counter seemed to grow thicker, louder, and, of course, more obnoxious by the second. He wondered how long it would be before their heads exploded from all the gossip they were retaining. Sighing, he resigned himself to listening to the stomach-wrenching exchanges as he grilled hamburgers in silence.
"So…" he heard Babette gush, "how did it happen? How did he propose?"
"Did he get down on one knee?" added Miss Patty eagerly. "I love when the man gets down on one knee! Those are the best marriages, too," she added with a knowing wink.
"Luke down on one knee?" Taylor practically snorted. "I can hardly imagine that."
Rachel chuckled. "Refills on coffee, anyone?"
"Aww, she's respecting Luke's privacy. What a doll! These two were really meant to be together, don't you think?"
"Oh sure, they're –" Babette paused. "Oh hello, Lorelai, sugar!"
Luke whirled around suddenly, glancing nervously out the door just in time to see Lorelai's puzzled expression as she slowly approached the counter. "What's going on here?"
Babette and Patty exchanged worried glances. "Oh just a little chatting about the… engagement, you know."
Lorelai nodded and forced a smile on her face. She threw her purse down on the counter before sitting on a stool. "Coffee?" she requested, and Rachel immediately poured some for her. "Ah, beautiful, thanks! Okay, continue with the engagement talk! I didn't mean to let my coffee addiction get in the way…"
"Oh, please, it didn't," Rachel said with a smile. She then leaned over the counter and whispered, "I needed a way to get them off my back, so thanks."
Lorelai smiled. "Anytime. So hey, let me see that ring, baby!"
Rachel regarded Lorelai for a moment, biting her lip nervously. However, Lorelai was looking back at Rachel eagerly, so she held out her left hand toward Lorelai, a grin slowly breaking out upon her face. "Oh wow, it's beautiful." She looked up at Rachel with questioning eyes. "Did Luke pick it out for you? 'Cos I can't really picture him as the… beautiful jewelry picker-outter, you know?"
Rachel snorted. "Please. I did the choosing, he did the buying."
"As it's meant to be."
"Cheers to that."
Lorelai forced a smile at Rachel again, before Rachel excused herself to wait on a few tables. She then sipped her coffee absently as she watched the group of town gossipers slowly dissipate, wondering how long it was going to be before people would stop making a big deal out of this whole situation. Maybe then she wouldn't think about it so much! She hadn't been able to stop thinking about it since she had found out that morning, and she was sure that all the talk about the engagement was largely to blame. However, what she really wanted to do was talk to Luke about the whole ordeal… after all, he was her friend and she was still insulted that he hadn't told her. Where was he hiding, anyway?
"LUKE!" Lorelai bellowed with a grin, after spotting him in the kitchen. "LUKE, GET OUT HERE!"
"I'm busy!" he called back.
"Just for a second!"
"No."
"Fine," she said, jumping off the stool and walking behind the counter. She grabbed the coffee pot and poured herself another cup-full, before picking it up off the table and heading back toward the kitchen. However, before she got the chance to enter, Luke emerged, looking stern.
"You can't go back there."
"Why not?"
"Rules."
"Your rules?"
"No, health department rules. Do you want this place to get shut down?"
She gasped. "But what about the coffee?"
"Exactly."
"Okay, fine," she pouted. "I'll return to my stool like a loser and wait for you to come out."
"Thank you."
"Although, now that you're out here…"
Luke groaned. Apparently, she wasn't going to let him avoid her. Not that he had any reason to avoid her, per se. It was just that he didn't know how to act around her after Rachel's accusations last night. Even after their time apart, Rachel knew him well enough to see right through him, and Luke wasn't sure he had completely convinced Rachel that he didn't have feelings for Lorelai. But he didn't have feelings for Lorelai. I don't, he told himself. It's just Lorelai - annoying, rambling, caffeine-addicted Lorelai. He could deal with that. After all, he dealt with her everyday. "All right, Lorelai, you've got a minute. Go."
"Okay. Is it just me or was Tom Cruise better in Mission Impossible than he was in Jerry Maguire? I mean, I guess they're two very different movies, both famous, of course, but - "
"Cut to the chase, Lorelai, I'm busy."
"You're avoiding me."
Luke paused, fixing her with a confused look. "What?"
"You're avoiding me," she repeated.
"No, I'm not."
She cocked her head to the side, a slight smile present on her lips. "You saw me this morning and you just walked past me."
"I was busy."
"You couldn't even say hi?"
"Saying hi to you means enlisting myself to at least 20 minutes of listening to unashamed, incoherent, caffeine-induced rambling."
"You didn't even mention your engagement to me," she said quietly.
"Yeah, well, I told you – I've been busy."
"Well, I just thought you'd want to tell your friends. But hey, what do I know? Silly me for thinking we were friends."
"Jeez, Lorelai. We're friends."
"Yeah well, shitty way to treat a friend! I mean, you could've at least mentioned you were planning on asking! We were just talking about your relationship the other day! Don't I deserve that much?"
Luke whirled around, pointing a finger at her. "No! Just because you're my friend and I confided in you once, doesn't mean I have to braid your hair and share secrets over the camp fire with you!"
"You can braid hair?"
"Lorelai…"
"I'd really love to see that! Are you really a woman in disguise? Oh, are you a lesbian? That would totally explain the flannel."
"Hey, I'm sorry that you feel I owe you something, but this is my relationship, not yours!"
"Hey, if it weren't for me, there wouldn't even be a relationship to have!"
Luke just stared at her for a few moments, rendered speechless by anger, before replying in an even tone, "No, if it weren't for you, things would be a hell of a lot different."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, just stay out of my business, okay? I'm sorry if the idea of me getting engaged makes you angry, but I can't be your coffee boy forever!"
"Hey…"
"Whatever, Lorelai. I'm not certified in crazy, I don't know what the hell is going on in your head."
"I just thought we were friends, that's all. I would tell you if I got engaged!"
Luke laughed bitterly. "I'd like to see that happen first!"
Lorelai, along with the rest of the diner, froze after Luke's harsh comment. Lorelai's mouth hung open for a few moments, as the hurt become apparent in her eyes. Suddenly, he felt his heart drop into his stomach.
"Oh, Lorelai, I didn't mean it like –"
"Yes, you did. But that's okay… You know, I have a boyfriend."
"I know."
"And we're very happy together. So I'm sorry if I'm not doing a happy dance for you, but I just thought, as your friend, you'd want to confide in me before making a huge decision that has the potential to make or break two people's lives. But you know, what do I know about relationships? All of mine end up in the garbage along with the scripts to the forth and fifth Look Who's Talking movies." Lorelai struggled to stand, grabbing her purse from the counter. "I have to go." She turned to Rachel, who was pretending to busy herself with pouring Kirk another cup of coffee. "Congratulations, Rachel. I'll see you later."
With that, Lorelai calmly exited the diner, leaving everyone inside to watch with wide eyes as she walked down the street and out of view.
A/N: TBC soon… unless, of course, high school finally has its way and I, you know, die. I hope that this chapter has help up to your expectations. Please review if you feel inclined to do so – encouragement is lovely, as are suggestions on improvement (Lord knows I need them). Thank you!
