Torn – Chapter 6
No Wedding Plans
A/N: My favorite part about writing is how, often, as the writer, you have no control over where the words take you. Somehow, your hands move faster than your brain and you look down at the page and think 'My God, when did that happen?' However, sometimes, this same force backs you into a brick wall and you either have to abandon the words or think of a way to maneuver around the wall. Let me tell you, abandoning everything is much easier and often more appealing, especially when you're less than a month away from taking the AP Lit exam and your teacher assigns you at least three essays to write a week. To conclude, unfortunately, I gave into the writers' block. I had to step away from this particular piece for a while and re-group. I'm not 100 perfect better yet, but I'm a little less overwhelmed by schoolwork, and I feel I can give this piece a lot more time. I'm incredibly sorry for the delay. I hope some of you are still interested in reading this series. Thank you.
"Lorelai!" Sookie cried, stopping at the desk and panting. "Where have you been? I've been running around like crazy trying to find you!"
"Uh, I was upstairs checking out a plumbing problem in room twelve." Lorelai took in her friend's frantic disposition and suddenly felt panicked. "What's wrong? Is someone hurt?"
"What? Oh, no, no… nothing like that. I, well…" Sookie paused, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "You know how Max was here, right?"
"Uh… yeah. Oh God, did Miss Patty find him? I saw her lurking around here earlier… Poor thing!"
"No, no, it's not that either. It's just, well," she said in a frantic, high-pitched voice, "we were talking and he congratulated me and I asked him 'what for?' and he said on my engagement and I was all, 'oh, I'm not engaged!' and…" Sookie trailed off, as Lorelai struggled to keep up. "He said that he heard we had fought over my engagement and then, having no idea that you had told him that… because, well, obviously you told him that for a reason, except I don't know the reason, I, uh, I kind of told him that he was confusing me with…"
"With Luke," Lorelai breathed.
"Right. Oh God, Lorelai, I had no idea! I mean, I finally realized what had happened and I told him I had forgotten and it was me and he said okay, but I don't think he believed me… I'm so sorry."
Lorelai sighed, rubbing her temples with her fingers. "It's not your fault; you didn't know."
"No, but I should've assumed."
"You should've assumed that I was gonna lie to my boyfriend?"
"Well…"
"No, Sook, please don't worry about this, okay? I'll get it sorted out."
Sookie nodded. "Remember, if you need anything…"
"I know where to find you." Lorelai smiled. "Thanks."
"Any time." Sookie was about to turn around and head back to the kitchen, but paused, regarding Lorelai curiously. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure?"
"Why didn't you just tell Max the truth?"
Lorelai sighed and looked down at the reservation book on the desk. She didn't want to talk about the situation, but she also felt that she owed an explanation to Sookie. It was not as if Sookie had asked to be put into any position where she felt she had to lie to save her best friend's relationship.
Slowly, Lorelai looked into Sookie's eyes and replied cautiously, "I don't really know. I mean, we were out to dinner and I was all thinking about my fight with Luke and not talking – weird, I know – and he asked what was wrong and I answered that I was fighting with a friend and when he naturally assumed it was you, well… it just seemed like an easy way out. I was afraid Max would get jealous or something and I really didn't want to get into another argument."
"Well, Max had no reason to be jealous of Luke, did he?"
"No!" she replied quickly. "I don't know, it's weird talking about people of the opposite sex on a date."
"But if Luke's just a friend…" Lorelai sighed loudly and looked away again. "Hey. Luke is your friend and if Max's your boyfriend, he's going to have to accept that, once in a while, you're gonna talk about Luke."
"Yeah…"
"You shouldn't feel the need to lie."
"I know."
Sookie studied Lorelai carefully. "Well, as long as you know…"
"I'll clear things up with Max."
"Okay, good."
Lorelai forced a smile at Sookie and, after examining her friend skeptically, Sookie retreated to the kitchen. As soon as she was out of view, Lorelai groaned and grabbed her purse from under the desk. She needed some coffee, fast.
Lorelai hadn't even noticed that she had put her head onto the table, until she heard something bang against the tabletop. Startled, she sat up quickly, only to find that Luke was standing next to her, his fingers gripped tightly around the coffee pot that he had, moments ago, slammed down. Hastily, he filled her mug without protest. She frowned up at Luke slightly, but she was feeling too distracted to question his lack of coffee-bashing comments. She was worried about how Max was going to react to the whole situation. After all, he was bound to think she was hiding something about Luke, even though she wasn't really hiding anything. Was she? No, she assured herself. She had just been trying to avoid any sort of tension in their relationship. Little help that did, she thought bitterly.
"What's wrong with you?" Luke practically barked at her.
"Your concern for me is touching," Lorelai replied dryly.
"Whatever."
"Well, nothing's wrong," she replied with forced politeness.
"Okay."
"What's wrong with you?" she countered.
"Nothing's wrong with me. Why would you think that?"
"Oh, you're right… I'm sorry, you were just being so pleasant that it actually seemed unpleasant."
"Uh huh." He gestured toward the counter with his thumb. "I'm gonna go."
"See ya," said Lorelai tightly.
He paused, momentarily studying her. Lorelai fixed him with a critical stare in return, and then shook her head, confused, as he walked away. He was acting even more grumpy than usual. However, she forced herself to focus on her Max situation again, although she made no progress whatsoever in the area. Instead, a light tap on the shoulder distracted her. She turned around and was surprised to see Rachel standing behind her, shuffling nervously in her spot.
"Hey Lorelai, could I borrow you for a sec?"
"Uhh… sure, what's up? You know, we should start going over details for your wedding soon," she added pensively.
"Yeah, definitely. But actually, that isn't what I wanted to talk to you about."
"Oh?"
"Well," said Rachel, anxiously glancing around the diner, "I was hoping we could talk in private for a minute."
"Uhh… sure, I guess."
"Outside?"
"Umm, okay."
Lorelai studied Rachel carefully as she followed her out of the diner. Rachel continued to apprehensively look around the diner until they were outside. Even then, she continued to glance through the window periodically. When Rachel didn't speak, Lorelai allowed her gaze to follow Rachel's and frowned.
"What are we looking at?"
"Huh?" That comment seemed to snap Rachel out of her contemplative gaze and she cleared her throat uncomfortably before speaking again. "I was just… well…" She sighed. "I was just making sure Luke wasn't watching."
"Luke…?"
"He's been acting strangely these past few days and I really don't think he'd like it if he found out what I was about to ask you."
"Oh?" Suddenly, Lorelai felt nervous.
""Well, see… we haven't exactly discussed the details of the wedding, aside from it being held at your inn." Lorelai nodded. "We need to start planning, but, well, Luke's been in such a funk and I've been afraid to bring it up."
"You're gonna have to…"
"Yeah, I know. I will. Next time I see him." Lorelai nodded again, waiting impatiently for Rachel to get to the reason she asked Lorelai out there. "Well, okay, I'll make this quick since I have to get back to work and you have to…"
"Get back to my coffee," Lorelai supplied.
"Right. Well, I was hoping that maybe… tomorrow, if you're free… you could help me pick out a wedding dress." Off Lorelai's surprised look, she clarified, "It's just that I don't have any friends around here and, well it's not something I really wanna do alone, you know?"
Lorelai smiled slightly and without giving it much thought replied, "Of course I'll help you. After all, I love to shop."
"Great! Oh wow, that's great." She let out a sigh of relief. "I can't even begin to thank you for everything. I really want to repay you somehow."
Lorelai shook her head. "Don't mention it. We should really get back in there. You know, before Luke notices you slacking off and fires you."
Rachel nodded and laughed, before heading inside. After a moment, Lorelai followed suit, but, instead of returning to her table, she headed toward the counter where Luke was standing. He had moved on from refilling napkin dispensers to fixing his toaster that always seemed to be broken.
"Whatcha doing?" she asked innocently.
"Making a time machine."
"Wow, I never knew you were so versatile, Luke."
"Uh huh. More coffee?"
"Not yet, but I'll let you know."
"Great," he replied dryly, "I can't wait."
"I was just hoping that maybe you could come over some time and take a look at my sink?" she requested with an angelic smile. "The garbage disposal's not working again."
"God Lorelai," he replied angrily without looking up from the toaster, "what did you put in there this time?"
"Nothing!" she replied defensively. After a moment, she looked down at the counter and replied in a softer tone, "A spoon might've fallen down it…" Another moment went by before she added, "And then another four forks."
Luke groaned, finally looking up and locking eyes with her. She felt an unfamiliar tingling in the pit of her stomach, but she forced herself to stare back without distraction. "Maybe. If I get the time."
"Great, thank you, thank you!" she replied with a grin, before retreating to her table. After a moment, she looked back toward Luke, who had returned to struggling with his toaster. He should really buy a new one, she realized, yet she hoped it didn't. After all, she thought with a heavy heart, did everything have to change?
Luke entered his apartment, groaning inwardly when he saw that the lights were still on. He had hoped Rachel had fallen asleep, but, of course, that was not the case. Although never one to be in a particularly good mood, Luke had been unusually cranky the past few days. Ever since that strange dream, he hadn't been able to get much sleep. From the moment his head would hit the pillow until he opened the diner the next morning, his thoughts consisted only of the marriage and how he might not be ready. However, he was reluctant to bring up the topic with Rachel. He didn't want her to get the wrong idea and think that he definitely didn't want to get married. He was just confused. However, since he had no one to talk to and no way of knowing whether or not he was doing the right thing, he had to just keep on going ahead with the wedding, as planned. That anxiety of his was normal – it would eventually go away, right?
"Luke?" Rachel asked, emerging from the bathroom with her hands full of photos.
"Yep."
"Oh good. Diner's closed up?"
"Yes."
"Good, good."
Rachel kissed him on the cheek, before she placed the photos on the kitchen table. Luke began to flip through them idly. "Nice," he commented.
"Thanks. They're kind of boring. Hartford turned out to be a lot less photogenic than I'd anticipated."
"It's a corporate hellhole," he agreed.
"Yeah…" Rachel filled a glass with water and sipped it uncomfortably as Luke continued looking at her pictures. "Hey, Luke?"
Luke replaced the pictures onto the table and met her eyes, curious by her questioning tone. "Yeah?"
"Have you thought about the wedding at all?"
"Of course."
"I mean, aside from how much it's going to cost."
"Yeah," he replied carefully. "Why?"
"Well, I was just wondering… have you thought about who you want to invite? We have to get invitations out by the end of this week. It's already late, as is."
Luke shrugged. "Not really. I guess my sister, her kid, and whoever the hell it is she's dating now. Not that they'd show up," Luke added.
"You don't know that." Luke merely grunted in response. "Is that all?"
"I dunno, I'd invite my Uncle Louie and my cousins, but my cousins'll just make up some lame excuse not to be there, which is good, 'cos I don't want them there, and Louie's old and sick and, well, he's a real shithead anyway."
"I remember," she agreed with a chuckle. "So is that a yes or a no to the cousins and uncle?"
"Whatever; just invite them. Invite everyone in Stars Hollow. Invite the president, I don't really care."
"Luke…" she breathed. "What about a best man?"
"Again, the president's fine." He sighed. "Look, I'm not really good with this stuff."
"I know," she answered sympathetically, "but I need you to try. Think about it and get back to me tomorrow, okay?"
"All right."
He turned away angrily - as if he needed another thing on his mind. Instead of saying anything else, he headed toward his dresser to change out of his work clothes, when Rachel said, "We should meet with Lorelai soon about the wedding, you know." He merely grunted in response. "Speaking of which," she continued, forcing a smile onto her face, "I'm, uh, going shopping for a wedding dress tomorrow."
He stopped walking and turned to face her again. "That's nice."
"And, you know, I can't go alone…"
"Naturally."
"So I asked Lorelai to come with."
Luke's eyes left hers for a split second, before he replied, "Okay."
"I just thought you should know."
"Okay."
"It was nice of her to agree, don't you think?"
"Sure." Luke turned away again, this time to take off his flannel shirt. He was getting tired of the third-degree. He hoped she would get the picture, but apparently she didn't because she called for him again. He groaned and turned to face her, as he unzipped his jeans.
"So, I was thinking…"
"Great…"
"Luke." Rachel rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, I was thinking that maybe Lorelai should be my maid of honor."
"What?" Luke asked sharply.
"Luke, she has done so much for this wedding. I just thought it'd be nice…"
"Sure, it'd be nice, but –" he paused – "isn't that a job for someone you know really well? Like a sister or a college roommate or something?"
"I don't have a sister or a college roommate," she reminded him.
"Yeah, well…" Luke struggled, as he stepped out of his pants, "something… not some woman you just met."
"I've known Lorelai for like five months now."
"Yeah, well, find someone you've known for five years!"
"Luke, what's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong with me," he barked. "You're just being unreasonable!"
She let out a bitter laugh. "I'm being unreasonable? Look, Luke, you've been acting so weird for the past few days! You've barely said anything containing more than one syllable to me, not to mention that fact that you're scaring off your customers!"
"Nothing's wrong! I've just been busy and tired and I haven't been sleeping well, that's all!"
"I'm sorry," she answered genuinely. "I understand that things have been hard on you. They've been stressful for me, too. But if this wedding going to work -" She paused, studying him - "If it's going to work," she repeated, "we're going to need to talk about this stuff."
"Fine."
"So, tell me why I can't ask Lorelai to be my maid of honor and I won't ask. But I need a reason."
"It's just weirdokay? No, wait, it's weird, again! Isn't it enough that I'm letting you have our wedding at her inn!"
"But she's your friend, Luke."
"Exactly!"
"Would you rather she be your best man?"
"What? No, I'd rather she was nothing. Just a guest. Or not even a guest, she's running the damn thing! Just… let her do her job and don't distract her by giving her a million other jobs that she shouldn't even be doing in the first place because she's not really your friend!"
"What? Just because she's your friend means she can't be mine?"
"I didn't say that."
"Then what is it, Luke? Do you have feelings for her?"
"God damnit, not this again, Rachel! We've had this conversation before and I told you I don't have feelings for Lorelai so just get it out of your head! I can't believe this! I - Jeez - I need to get out of here."
"Luke…"
However, Luke ignored Rachel's plea, and, instead, brushed past her, angrily slamming the door in his wake. Quickly, Rachel ran out of the apartment and yelled, "Luke, you're not wearing any pants!"
However, the jingle of the bells on top of the diner's door let her know that he had left, anyway. Sighing, Rachel returned to his apartment and collapsed on the bed, fighting back tears. That had not gone at all according to plan.
A/N: TBC soon, I hope. I'm just praying that inspiration stays this time. You know, reviews might be able to help that along… just a thought. ;) Thank you for being patient.
