"Fill me up, Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed loudly upon entering the Diner. Taking her usual morning seat in front of the counter, she leaned over the counter, picking up a mug and holding it out for Luke to fill. He just gave her his usual glower, coffee poised, ready to pour in his right hand.
"You're going to die." Luke said ominously, pouring the thick liquid into her mug. Lorelai smiled at him over her cup, taking a long sip, not breaking eye contact just to annoy him. Placing the mug on the counter with a dull thunk, Lorelai thought for a split second on a good come back. This banter had been going on for so long, she'd forgotten which she'd used, and which she'd only thought of using. Her blue eyes twinkling playfully, she patted his hand, a mock serious expression on her face.
"Yes, I know Luke. But we have to accept the truth. You're going to die too, and facing reality is the only way to brace that." She said, sniffling theatrically, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye with a free hand. Her other hand was still resting on Luke's. Luke rolled his eyes at her,but she could tell that a smile was threatening to appear. That had been Lorelai's goal since he first started his morose statements about how the coffee would kill her early. To make Luke's elusive grin appear. A great task, she knew, but she'd do it someday.
Both pairs of blue eyes suddenly flew to their touching hands, though neither pulled away. Awkwardness came between them, the tension spreading thick. Luke's mind raced, his baby blues flitting from Lorelai's face back to their hands confusedly. Did she leave it there on purpose? Was this some kind of sign? Did she, finally, after all these years, return his affection? Did she even know how he felt about her? He'd thought it had been quite obvious. His thoughts clouded as he remembered all the times he could've made a move--but didn't. He hadn't been sure she felt the same. Of course there had been signs...but he was reading too much into this.
Lorelai was having similar thoughts. Why had she left her hand there? It had simply been an accident. Right? But she was having doubts towards that theory. What if it had been a subconscious hint? But a hint towards what? Luke was her best friend, nothing else. He had always been a constant in her life, something dependable. He was always there when she needed someone to talk to, or a problem solved. He was like a father to Rory. She could not be feeling this writhing, butterfly-ish feeling in her gut because of Luke. It was inconceivable. But at the same time, it made an ample amount of sense.
They complimented eachother so well. She was feminine, daresay dainty. He was masculine, and exuded so. She had problems, he had answers. She like to talk, he liked to listen. They both loved Rory. She loved coffee, he supplied it. It all made perfect sense when she thought about it that way, but...Oh, she couldn't risk this perfect friendship for something more, could she? There wasn't even any signs pointing towards mutual feelings. Except for now. Now they were both rendered speechless, lost in thought.
Before Lorelai or Luke knew what they were doing, Lorelai had leaned towards him, and he her. Slowly, oh so slowly, their faces edged towards eachother. Finally, their faces were only an inch apart, both mouths parted expectantly. But then their eyes met, and the realization hit them. Neither wanted to risk their perfect friendship. Looking away quickly, Lorelai forced herself to move, turning away quickly and walking towards the door, though not to leave. Facing away from him, she hugged herself slightly, trying to comfort her confusion.
What had just happened? One minute everything was perfectly normal, the next...Had she tried to kiss him? Kiss Luke, her rock? Her dependable, grumpy, flannel-wearing coffee provider? And had he leaned in too? Sighing to herself, she tried to steady her breathing. She'd just realized she'd been holding her breath. Luke stared at her back, still leaning over, dumbfounded.
Had she just...just tried to kiss him? He couldn't believe it. Lorelai Gilmore, the woman he had been dreaming about for over eight years had tried to kiss him. But she'd pulled away. And now she was acting...just odd. Luke could understand her confusion, but he was still rather disappointed. His blue eyes scanned the diner, grimacing as he noticed several customers. One of which was Miss Patty. Luke mentally groaned. She was looking from him to her, eyebrows raised, a knowing smile on her pudgy face. Winking at Luke, causing him to groan aloud. Turning around, and busying himself with cleaning Lorelai's mug, he listened with annoyance as Miss Patty hurried the other guests out the door.
No pressure now.
After he no longer had reason to be facing away, he turned back around, only to stumble backwards in surprise. Lorelai was seated in front of him. Grabbing a mug knowingly, he placed it in front of her, starting to make a new batch of coffee. But she shook her head weakly, thoughts still buzzing around in her head. This had to be handled. Now.
"I never thought I'd see the day..." Luke grumbled, cleaning out the coffee maker, trying to maintain some kind of normality. Lorelai smirked inwardly, wringing her hands in her lap. This was a difficult thing to talk about. Her blue eyes locked with his, and she sighed resignedly, holding a hand up and waggling a finger beckoningly. "What?"
"Come here. I need to know something." Lorelai said quietly, her smile small and playful, though an initial worry showed in her eyes. Luke shot her an inquiring glance, but her statement remained solo. Hesitantly, he walked around to her side of the counter, sitting down on the seat next to her. What exactly was she thinking? She was always surprising, Lorelai, one of the many things he loved about her. Raising a suspicious eyebrow, Luke clapped his hands to his thighs in a signal of confusion.
"I meant, come here," Lorelai murmured blithely, leaning forward and planting a quick kiss on his lips, and pulling away quickly, her eyes widening. Luke too was confused by her actions, but he had no intention of letting her walk away again. Placing his hand on the side of her face, he brought her mouth close to his, kissing her again. This was his chance. His time to make a move.
Standing up off of his chair, though their mouths never broke apart, he walked closer to her, wrapping his arms around her slim body. Lorelai too stood off of her chair, falling into his warm embrace, kissing him fiercely. Through their kisses, Luke smiled, his tongue pushing against her lips, requesting admittance. Immediately she complied, their tongues mingling as they pulled closer. Lorelai ran her hands through his hair, pushing his head into hers. she couldn't seem to get close enough to him, even as he too forced her body into his.
Luke bit playfully at her lower lip, and Lorelai emitted a soft moan, encouraging him. His mouth left hers as quickly as they had been brought together, and he began to place a series of soft kisses, trailing down her neck. Lorelai swallowed hard, the reality of what was happening hitting her. Everything would change. They couldn't go back to being just friends, not after they finally knew of eachothers feelings. But what were his feelings? Was he merely attracted to her? Or did he love her? She didn't know the answer herself, so she didn't speak, though her breathing quickened as his teeth scraped against her neck.
"Luke! If you keep doing this, I'm going to get a hickey." Lorelai finally uttered quietly, her tone playful. He relented his kisses, looking into her eyes, and smiling. Smiling! She'd done it. She, Lorelai Gilmore, had gotten Luke Danes--grumpy, flannel, coffee-making, stubbly, diner man Luke--to smile. And a real smile too, his teeth showed and he laughed quietly. She laughed with him, though for different reasons. Her goal had been accomplished. Wrapping her arms around his neck once more, she kissed him tenderly, before another reality hit her.
"What if someone comes in?" She suddenly said, the thought suddenly making her jumpy. Her blue eyes sought the window curiously, and luckily, the blinds were down. No one liked too much light early in the morning. But people could still come in, right? No, she noted, someone had turned the open/closed sign to closed. She smirked, knowing it had been Patty. "Nevermind." Lorelai said smiling. Luke smiled back, causing the butterflies to churn in her stomach, as he pulled her in for yet another kiss.