Torn – Chapter 5

What about Lorelai?

Lorelai sat at the kitchen table, hunched over an open textbook, as she scribbled furiously into a spiral notebook. She looked up briefly when she heard the door to Rory's room open, smiling hastily as her daughter entered the kitchen, before brutally erasing the last thing she wrote in her notebook. Rory walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a can of soda, popping the top and smiling apologetically at her mother as she glared. Rory knew better than to purposely distract her mother when she was 'in the zone,' as Lorelai had so horrifyingly put it. Rory was just about to retreat to her bedroom when the phone rang. Lorelai's glare intensified as Rory jumped to answer the cordless phone on the second ring.

"Hello? Oh, hello, Max," Rory emphasized, to show Lorelai that the phone call distraction was for her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," he replied. "And you?"

"Oh, same here."

"Good. How are your summer classes going?"

"They're great, although Shakespeare kind of loses something when you're not teaching it."

"Are you just saying that to suck up because you know you're going to have me again next year?"

Rory laughed. "Of course not!"

"Right," Max replied with mock incredulity. "So, is your mom around?"

"Mom? Oh, she's, um, well…" Rory glanced at Lorelai, who was completely engrossed in her textbook. "Well, she's kind of busy at the moment. Can she call you back?"

"Oh, yeah, I guess… it'll just take a minute."

Rory bit her lip, unsure of what to do in this situation. After all, it wasn't just anyone on the phone; it was her mother's boyfriend. "I don't know… she gets crabby if I distract her when she's in her zone."

"In her zone?"

Rory sighed. "The explanation involves a song and dance… trust me, you don't want to know."

"Okay," Max replied hesitantly. "Well, could you try to get her on the phone just this once? I promise if she gets mad, I'll take all the blame."

Rory sighed into the receiver, tilting her head to the side as she watched her mother. "Yeah, okay, I'll try. But I make no promises!"

"That's fine."

"Hang on one minute."

Rory covered the mouthpiece of the phone with her hand, before standing directly behind her mother and glancing over her shoulder.

"Looks like some interesting stuff you're studying there."

Lorelai merely grunted in response.

"Okay, trying a new tactic," Rory muttered under her breath. "Mom," she began forcefully, "Max is on the phone. He wants to talk to you."

"Tell him I'm busy."

"I did."

"Well, tell him again."

"Can't you just take a break?"

"No! Remember the zone? Do you need me to start singing and dancing again?"

"Dear God, no."

"Well, then…"

"Mom…" Lorelai sighed and glared at her daughter, before grabbing the phone from Rory's hands. "Hey, he's your boyfriend, not mine."

"Rory, how could you say that? How could you even imply such a thing?" Lorelai admonished, scandalized. "Oh my God, the mental pictures!"

"Ah! Why did you have to do that? I didn't mean it that way until… ugh! I need to go gauge my eyes out or… something!" Rory cried, before running into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

Lorelai grinned as she put the phone to her ear. Sweet, sweet revenge. "Hello?"

"Lorelai," he said, exhaling, "finally."

"Hey Max."

"Long time no speak."

"Oh, I know, I'm so sorry, Max – I've been really busy lately. I was gonna call you tomorrow, after diner with my parents."

"You don't even have ten minutes?"

"You know our conversations end up being a lot longer than ten minutes, even if we say they'll only be ten."

"Well, is that so bad?"

"Not for someone who has the month off from work, it isn't. However, not all of us are teachers with July teaching semesters – some of us have an inn full of summer tourists – who are, by far, the worst bunch of the year - summer semester at the college, and a kid to keep alive – not to mention a dire need for beauty sleep and large quantities of coffee."

"Fine," he conceded, "but it's been over a week since our last date which was, coincidentally enough, the last time we spoke. You're not trying to push me away again, are you?"

"No, of course not, Max!"

"Because that's what happened last time and I'm getting sick of talking to your answering machine. You kept saying you were busy and then –"

"Max, I'm not pushing you away, I promise. I really am busy, but I promise I'll call on Friday after dinner at my parents and we can talk for as long as you want. I'll even stock up on coffee."

"Lorelai…"

"Because, hello, how else will I stay awake? Not that you're not a great conversationalist – you're one of the best, no the best – but I mean, I can hardly walk without caffeine, let alone –"

"It's okay, Lorelai. How about I meet you for lunch tomorrow at the inn?"

"Oh, can't. Not taking a lunch break tomorrow."

"You're not?"

"No. I was just gonna grab something from kitchen at work," she replied cautiously.

"Oh."

"But hey – my schedule for this weekend isn't definite yet, but I'm pretty sure I can get off by seven on Saturday night. We can go out to dinner then."

Max let out a labored breath. "Yes, okay, let's do that."

"Good… I'll let you know for sure tomorrow night when I call you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Can I get back to studying?"

"Sure. What are you studying? Maybe I can help."

"Business Calc," she replied with a groan.

"Okay, maybe I can't."

She laughed. "Ugh, you're useless to me. I'll talk to you tomorrow night."

"Yeah, tomorrow night. Hey, Lorelai?"

"Hmm?"

"I miss you."

She paused, looking down at her books and smiling sadly. "I miss you, too."

She heard the click of the phone as he hung up, but she left the phone resting against her ear for a moment, before turning it off. She then dropped the phone onto her textbook and sighed, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes tightly.

She didn't know why she had been avoiding Max. Well, it wasn't even that she had been avoiding him, per se. Things really were hectic at the inn and her Business Calculus class was pretty intense. Still, she could have taken two hours off during the day to go to lunch with Max – Michel could certainly handle things for a while, even if he would complain incessantly about doing so. Yet, she wanted to work – it helped take her mind off Luke and Rachel's engagement, and especially the fact that the wedding would be at her inn. Not that she thought about it often – only sometimes. And she only thought about it because she was worried about her friend, hoping he wasn't making a hasty decision that could possibly ruin his life. There's no other reason, she told herself forcefully, before returning her attention to the math problem she had previously been working on. However, after a half-hearted attempt, she groaned, dismayed to find that she was out of zone.


Luke was at his wedding. It didn't really look like a wedding, but rather, a bunch of people gathered in front of his diner. 'Huh, that's weird,' he thought, looking down at himself. He was wearing his usual flannel and worn blue jeans. He didn't think Rachel would let him wear flannel to their wedding. Oh well, who was he to complain? Instead, he studied the crowd as they moved closer, and was shocked to see that they were all wearing black. 'Maybe this is a funeral,' he realized. But that didn't make sense. Besides, somehow, he just knew it was his wedding, even though it didn't seem like a wedding.

Suddenly, the door to the diner opened and Rachel exited in a long, flowing wedding dress. She walked over to Luke, and, as he watched her, he couldn't help but notice that something was very strange about her demeanor, although he could not quite figure out what that something was. Still, she stood beside him and they both turned to Kirk, who was apparently the minister. "Jeeze," Luke muttered under his breath – he could never get a break in this town. Kirk looked strange, wearing a tuxedo and holding a handkerchief to his face. ''Kirk's crying? Damn, this wedding's worse than I thought.'

"Are you sure you want me to do this, Luke?" Kirk asked, in between sobs.

"Yes, Kirk, I'm positive."

"But think of what you're throwing away!"

"I'm not throwing anything away, Kirk," he growled.

"But what about Lorelai?" he asked desperately.

"What about Lorelai?" However, Kirk merely began to cry again in response. "Kirk? Kirk!" Nothing! Frustrated, Luke turned to Rachel to ask what they should do with a crying minister, but was shocked to see that she, too, was crying. Luke backed away a few steps, taking a desperate look at the crowd around him, only to find that they were all crying. "This is crazy!"

Luke realized that the group of sobbing onlookers was staring at something behind him. Anxiously, Luke turned around, and was surprised, yet again – this time, to see Lorelai. She was standing across the street, alone, also wearing a wedding dress. Luke blinked a few times, trying to make sense of everything, but nothing seemed to click. He turned back toward Rachel and saw that she, too, was staring at Lorelai, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Luke slowly crossed the street, periodically glancing at Rachel, who seemed to be unaware of his abandonment, despite the fact that she was staring in his direction. Once he reached Lorelai, he noticed with no small amount of frustration that she was crying, as well.

"What is this? Why is everyone crying?" He was desperate for answers, but Lorelai only continued to watch him and cry. "Are you okay? Why are you wearing a wedding dress?"

"But what about me?"

Luke was growing more frustrated by the moment. "What about you?"

However, after he asked that, Lorelai disappeared into thin air. Instead, Luke found that he was merely staring at a brick wall. Frustrated, he whirled around to face the crowd, but they, too, had disappeared. In fact, the entire town seemed empty and eerily quiet. Yet, Luke could hear a faint voice all around him whispering, "But what about Lorelai?" over and over again.

"I DON'T KNOW!" he finally yelled, waking with a start. Luke looked around frantically, his eyes adjusting rapidly to the intense darkness of his apartment. He sighed, realizing it was all a dream, before falling back against the pillows. He felt Rachel stir beside him and suddenly panicked – how much had she heard?

"What don't you know?" she murmured without opening her eyes.

"Nothing," he coaxed. "Sorry to wake you up. Go back to sleep."

Rachel muttered something unintelligible, before her breathing quickly evened out again. Luke closed his eyes, struggling to fall asleep again, but he was wide-awake now. Frustrated, Luke disentangled himself from the sheets and staggered blindly toward the window. He then pulled back the curtains, feeling a slight gust of summer air from the open window, before leaning his forehead against the cool glass.

The dream means nothing, he told himself forcefully. It was crazy to think the opposite! In fact, he knew exactly why he had that dream. The memory Lorelai's reaction to his engagement had been a sore spot with him for over a week now, and it was impossible for him not to think about it every once in a while. Therefore, his conscious thoughts had seeped into his subconscious thoughts, thus causing him to dream what he had dreamt. The dream was not a symbol of anything but his confusion about Lorelai's reaction to his wedding. He wasn't having second thoughts about getting married, especially not thoughts concerning his marriage, as related to Lorelai Gilmore. No, the two topics were completely separate issues. Well, the Lorelai topic could hardly be considered an issue anymore. She had agreed to host the wedding at the inn, so she was obviously fine with their engagement, which meant that there was no longer a problem.

Okay, Luke coached. Everything is fine. Yet, Luke couldn't help but begin to think about his marriage. Sure, he had thought about the wedding a bit (mostly finances), but now he was thinking of the future, and his heart began to beat at an unnatural pace. This marriage thing was so sudden – was he really ready for it to happen? Sure, he had known Rachel for a long time and dated her for a good portion of that time, but quite a few years had passed between the last time she had left and the present. A lot of things changed in the approximately five years that they had spent apart, and less than a year back together was not going to change that fact. Maybe this was a bad idea; maybe they weren't ready.

Suddenly, Luke felt arms snake around his waist, startling him from his thoughts. He turned in Rachel's embrace, just barely making out the shape of her face in the darkness. Her hand smoothed its way down his t-shirt clad chest, as she leaned in and whispered, "Bad dream?"

He paused, hesitating. If he told her that he had a bad dream, he would have to admit what he had dreamt about. "Nah, just… couldn't sleep." It was better that he didn't tell her. The truth would just cause more trouble than it was worth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she replied, stifling a yawn. "I can stay up with you, if you'd like."

"No, go back to sleep. I have plenty of stuff to do to keep myself busy."

"All right, but don't work too hard."

"I won't," he responded, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek before she sleepily stumbled back toward his bed.

Luke waited until he was sure she was safely secure beneath the blankets before looking out the window again. Shit, he thought, attempting to control his breathing. He was terrified.


Lorelai smiled at the O'Donnell family as they handed in their keys in order to check out of the inn. She dropped the keys into a box and then entered some information into the computer, before wishing them a 'good weekend,' telling them to 'stay with us again soon,' and watching them drag their luggage through the lobby and out the door. She sighed, picking up the phone and dialing the number of the plumber, and then let out a frustrated sigh when no one answered. After she got off the phone, another family – Lorelai cursed herself for forgetting their name – came up and asked for some Connecticut tour books. Lorelai walked around to the other end of the desk and began to show them the most interesting things to do in the area, when she heard a familiar voice call her name. Excusing herself for a moment, she turned around, giving Max a puzzled look as she approached him.

"Is it Saturday already?"

"It's nice to see you, too."

Lorelai cocked her head to the side, smiling slightly as she said, "Hi, Max – it's nice to see you."

"Thank you."

She leaned in for a quick kiss on the lips, before pulling back and fixing him with a curious stare. "So, what are you doing here?"

"What? I need an excuse to come visit my girlfriend?"

"Well, no, of course not. But you know I can't have lunch…"

"I know, I know. I just came to say hello."

Lorelai plastered a smile on her face. "Oh well, in that case hello!" After a moment's hesitation, she added, "And – uh, goodbye 'cos I have to, you know, work."

"You can't even stop for a cup of coffee?"

"Ah, don't tempt me!"

"Sorry, sorry," he replied with a smile that told her he was anything but sorry.

"Seriously Max," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder, "tomorrow night, I am all yours. However, right now, I need you to please let me work."

"Okay…"

She grabbed his hand. "I'm really sorry."

"It's okay."

"Hey, you know, Sookie makes the best food on the east coast – although, if you're trying to compliment her, I'd suggest going for the best food in the world. And you know what? If you ask nicely, she may even give you some."

He raised his eyebrows. "Really?"

"Oh yes, and if you mention how you're a… special friend of mine, you may even be able to get a meal for free."

"Wow, that does sound tempting."

Lorelai laughed. "I know it won't be as good without my company because, well, let's face it, what is?" Max chuckled and nodded in response. "But go on into the kitchen and pay Sookie a visit."

"All right."

"Great, I'll talk to you to tonight!" she replied, kissing him on the cheek, before hurrying back to the family with the Connecticut guidebook.

Max watched Lorelai interact with her guests for a few moments, before retreating through the swinging door of the kitchen. He paused when he entered, watching the kitchen staff as they rushed about the room purposely. Max hesitated, about to exit and tell Lorelai that he didn't want to disturb Sookie, when he heard her squeal before running over to him.

"Max, hi! Long time no see! How are you?"

"Hi Sookie," he replied with a grin. "I'm fine – can't complain. And yourself?"

"Oh, the same. Business is booming; it's great!"

'Yeah, I've heard it's been pretty hectic here."

"Oh, yeah. Lorelai is working around the clock. It's crazy; I've never seen her work so much before! I keep telling her to take a break, but, well, Lorelai doesn't usually listen to anything anyone tells her."

Max forced a smile and nodded. "I've noticed."

"So, can I get you some lunch? We're just about ready to start serving!"

"Lunch would be great, thank you so much."

"Not a problem. Is Lorelai gonna join?"

"Nah, she's busy."

Sookie shook her head. "Right. It was nice of you to stop by, though. I'm sure she appreciates it."

"Yeah…"

"So, why don't you go out into the dining room and I'll send one of the waiters to get your order ASAP?"

"Ah – I was hoping I could just grab something to-go. I'd rather not dine alone, you know…"

Sookie nodded. "Right, sure. Well, what can I get you then?"

"Uh, well," Max looked around the kitchen to see what they were preparing, "a salad and a chicken sandwich looks good."

"Great, coming right up!" Sookie began to putter around the kitchen and Max hesitantly followed her.

"So, um, Sookie?"

"Yeah?"

"I hear congratulations are in order."

Sookie paused, holding the salad tongs mid-air. "For who?"

Max chuckled. "For you."

"For me? Why are you congratulating me?"

"On your engagement."

Sookie laughed. "What are you talking about? My engagement to who?"

"To Jackson…"

"To Jackson?" she repeated blankly. "Did he tell you we're engaged? Oh my God, did he ask me and I didn't even realize? Shoot, I was supposed to know when that happened!"

"No, no… Lorelai told me."

"Lorelai told you?"

"Yeah, last week… she said that the two of you had gotten into an argument over your engagement, but I assumed that you've worked it out since she…" he trailed off nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Lorelai didn't fight with me," Sookie replied, laughing. "You're confusing me with Luke."

"Luke?"

"Yeah, the guy who owns the diner Lorelai always eats at. He got engaged and they argued about it for a little…" Off Max's confused look, she added, "Don't worry, they're okay now."

"Oh, well… good."

Sookie nodded and smiled, before closing a container with salad and handing it to him. Suddenly, she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as her eyes widened. "Did you… not know it was Luke she was fighting with?"

"Well…"

"She really told you it was me?"

"Yes."

"Oh gosh," Sookie breathed. "You know what, Max? It was me."

"What?"

"It was me… we were fighting about my engagement."

"You just said that it wasn't you…"

"I know, I, uh, forgot," she finished lamely.

"You forgot?"

"I've had a lot on my mind."

Max studied her critically for a moment. "Okay."

"Okay, good. Um, here is your lunch. Enjoy!"

"Thanks," he replied slowly without taking his eyes off her, "I will."

"Bye!" she enthused with a forced grin.

"Bye," he muttered, giving her one last suspicious glance before walking out the door.

As soon as Max was out of view, the grin dissolved from Sookie's face. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and muttered, "Oh no, oh no! What did I do now?" before running out the door.


A/N: TBC soon. Please leave me a review, if you feel inclined to do so. Just as a warning: please be patient. This fic is only about ¼ the way done, so the hooking up of Luke and Lorelai, while inevitable (hence the Java Junkiness) needs to be developed more before it can occur. As always, thanks for the feedback and for reading. :)