Chapter Ten

Lorelai woke the next morning, still wrapped in Luke's arms. The ever brightening sunshine scattered a myriad of blues, yellows, pinks, and purples across the morning sky.

The warmth of Luke's body was tempting, and if Lorelai hadn't needed to think, she would have stayed right where she was, holding him tightly. But there were some things she needed to sort out in her head. Slowly, she slipped out of Luke's embrace and crept out of the tent. The fresh forest air felt cold and she pulled the heavy flannel closer to her body.

Lorelai yawned as she walked in the direction of the pond. Since she wasn't able to multitask—think and walk—this early in the morning, she just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other.

As opposed to the previous night, Lorelai's steps were nearly silent, the dewy grass cushioning her feet as she strolled through the forest. She perched on the edge of the bridge that stretched across the pond, and dangled her feet off the side.

The calm of the water relaxed her as she gazed into her reflection. Fish swam lazily below the surface of the water, and from her view, it appeared as though the fish were gliding right through her apparently ethereal body. It was as if she was nothing more than a ghost, and the thought reminded her how insignificant she was in the universe.
Lorelai Gilmore wasn't a philosophical person. She didn't contemplate the meaning of life over a healthy breakfast, while reading Jane Austen novels. In the morning, her mind was usually dwelling on her to-do list while she hunched over a bowl of Fruity Pebbles in her pajama pants. She didn't concern herself with the "bigger plan", instead taking her life into her own hands. But there were times when she wasn't sure what to do, or where to go. There were times when she felt as though she couldn't find her footing in this strange realm of reality.

This was one of those times.

As much as she wanted to believe this thing with Luke was real, she couldn't help but worry about the future. Their friendship, one nursed to life over years of caffeine-induced bantering, was one of the pillars in her life. If things came to end with Luke, she would surely fall apart.

She sighed, standing up, and walked back to the tent.

Luke awoke to an empty tent. The warm body that had been pressed against his all night was gone, and he suddenly felt the need to indulge in that warmth once again. He sat up, and noticed a small post-it note stuck to the wall of the tent.

Had to go. Michele needed help at the Inn.

I'll be by at noon.

We need to talk.

Love

Lorelai

Luke simply stared at the note. The crossed out "love" didn't go unnoticed. We need to talk. The words rung in his head as he got out of the tent, packed up his and Lorelai's stuff, and walked back to the diner.

Sometime around noon, the bells above the door jingled merrily, causing Luke to turn around quickly. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Lorelai. She was dressed in a simple white shirt and khaki pants, a colorful sash tied around her waist. The sunlight around her seemed almost angelic and her dark curly hair fell free around her face once again, just as he liked it. His eyes met Lorelai's immediately, and a million silent words were spoken in the quick glance.
When their eyes met, Lorelai found it very difficult to continue moving forward. All she could do was stand there and let those deep eyes penetrate into her very being. Luke's eyes conveyed emotion and apologies and anticipation and something that could have been classified as affection to the third party viewer.
And that was when she knew.
Although the customers in the diner continued to chatter merrily, to Luke and Lorelai, everything had suddenly gotten very quiet. With his head, he motioned for Lorelai to follow him behind the habitual plaid curtain. One look at Caesar confirmed that he would need a few minutes alone and then he was gone, heading up the stairs to his apartment. When Lorelai remembered how to breathe, she took one gulp of air before heading behind the curtain and following Luke up the stairs to the old office above the diner.
She walked through the open door, closing it behind her.
Luke was sitting at a table in what could have been called the kitchen. The office smelled of wood, and though there were some feminine touches here and there – unmistakably from Rachel and Liz – the place was decidedly a bachelor pad, containing all the bare necessities. There was a shower and toilet in the bathroom, a fridge and stove in the kitchen, the odd bookcase here and there, a couch and of course, the bed.
Clad in plaid… not surprising. She thought. Well, at least he's consistent.

The chair opposite of Luke was pulled out slightly and one look at him told Lorelai that sitting down would be a good thing to do at this point.
She lowered herself into the chair and had to force herself to look at Luke. He was staring at her again, those eyes boring directly into her soul.

She nervously tucked a random piece of hair behind her ear and laid her hands, palms down, flat on the table.
Luke took a shuddering breath and began to speak.
"Look, there are some things that need to be addressed…" he said.
"You're telling me," Lorelai said with a snort.
Luke knew something along those lines was coming. After five years, he'd been able to pinpoint Lorelai's tactic. Her humor shielded her. The distracting rambling and the open ended references she made proved to deflect and scrutiny on the part of whomever was trying to get a glimpse the underlying emotion she was feeling at that particular moment.
"Lorelai, I know you are expecting me to say sorry for what happened this morning," Luke continued with conviction. "But I'm not going to. Whatever happened last night – or this morning," he added, "is nothing that I'm ashamed of."
Lorelai's head snapped up at his words. The smirk that had previously occupied her face before was now gone, replaced by a baffled stare that conveyed exactly how surprised Lorelai truly was.
"I'm just going to come out and say this," Luke continued staring into her face. "I want to be with you, Lorelai… have for years now." He looked down at his hands, not sure if he could handle the rejection.
Lorelai simply stared at him. Thoughts slowly processing, she realized that everything she had unconsciously been wishing for had finally come to pass. Luke wanted to be with her. Luke Danes, diner man, wanted to be with her, Lorelai Gilmore, inn manager.
For some reason words were beyond her and she felt the sudden urge to get up, do something with her feet, her hands… something, anything.
She rose from the table, shaky hands still on the table.
Luke stood up as well. He'd seen the wheels turning in her head, and knew that she'd need a minute to process. He allowed her that minute, but when she rose from the table, he got slightly confused. He took a tentative step in her direction, searching her face for something, anything that would tell him as to what was going to happen next.
Suddenly, a grin erupted on Lorelai's face. Her eyes sparkled with content and happiness and the sigh that she let out released all the tension between them. She felt her feet move beneath her and she lunged toward him. Her arms flew around his neck, and her mouth meeting his in a surge of happiness.

For possibly the third time that week, Luke couldn't believe that he had Lorelai in his arms again. He locked his arms around her waist, pulling her up against him, meeting every kiss with reckless abandon. He held her to him fiercely, not wanting to let go.

"Luke," she panted when he had begun kissing her neck.

He pulled away, searching her eyes, afraid he'd hurt her.

She recognized the concern on his face. "No, it's fine. I, uh, I just… wanted… wanted to tell you…" she struggled to get the words out. "I love you, Luke." She expelled a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I love you so much."
Luke's heart threatened to stop beating. He looked deep into her eyes.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to say that," he said quietly. "I love you, Lorelai, more than you will ever know."

For a few moments, they simply held each other, looking deep into each other's eyes. Suddenly, Luke heard Caesar calling him from downstairs. Placing a tender kiss on Lorelai's lips, he said, "Come back tonight."

She nodded, and kissed him back. One last hug was exchanged before Lorelai grabbed her purse, looped it over her arm and headed out the back door of the diner.

--

A/N: Sorry, short again, and no smut. But I've already started writing the next chapter, and I can guarantee some smut. Hang in there, everybody.

A/N2: My internet is being a bitch, and I may or may not be able to get on within the next two days. Just FYI.