'We Are Stardust, We Are Golden'
the world is cold but I don't care / when you have flowers in your hair
He kisses her, on the porch of the Dragonfly, and all she can do is stand there and stare at him. The thoughts swirling in her head come to an abrupt halt, and she realizes that this is it and it feels wonderful, so she kisses him back. Their bodies mold together effortlessly, and as hands tangle in hair and tongues fight for control, she wonders why they've never done this before because he's amazing, beautiful, yielding, passionate, and so Luke. She thinks that there's no place on earth she'd rather be right now, and when she pulls away to look in his eyes and tell him that, her hand still on his cheek, the moment is ruined by screaming Kirk. She's confused, chest heaving from lack of breath, and when he leaves, yelling over his shoulder that he'll be back soon, she sighs and leans against the porch railing because she doesn't think her legs will hold her up anymore.
She watches until he disappears from her sight, the sloppy smile on her face and slightly reddened skin of her cheeks clear signs that she's just been kissed. She's just been kissed, and by Luke of all men! Her stomach turns, butterflies threatening to escape, and her heart seems to be pounding in her ears. The happiness swells behind her breastbone, and she's bursting to tell someone, anyone, what just happened to her. Her wish is granted when she hears Sookie's voice drifting down the stairwell, and she straightens her shirt and steps over the threshold with a smile.
"Lorelai, is everything okay? I heard screaming," Sookie questions.
She laughs, a warm and soulful laugh, and Sookie's sleepy face brightens considerably.
"No, everything's not okay, Sookie. Everything's perfect. Perfect, like Brad's abs in 'Thelma and Louise', like Tom's butt in 'Top Gun', like…" she trails off because her pop culture references are off and she can't think of anything else to describe the level of perfect that she feels.
Sookie squints at her, closely, and her eyes widen as she asks a ridiculous question.
"Are you high?" she doesn't think so, but nothing else would explain the dazed look on Lorelai' face.
"Luke and I kissed," she responds with a smile.
Sookie takes a moment to process, and Lorelai waits patiently. She feels her hand being pulled, and they're standing in the kitchen by Sookie's beloved stove.
"Where?" she asks simply.
"What?" Lorelai is puzzled now. "What do you mean, where?"
"Where?" Sookie replies with exasperation. "Like on the cheek, on the hand, on the lips? I mean, on the cheek, sure that's platonic, the hand is the same way, but on the lips –"
"Sookie!" Lorelai says her name loudly to get her attention.
With Lorelai's quirked eyebrow and smug smile, Sookie realizes the truth and jumps forward to hug her friend tightly. She's jumping up and down, squealing, and Lorelai feels some of her own excitement returning.
"Oh my gosh, this is huge! Like the Titanic huge! No, no, like when Brad dumped Jen for Angelina huge! Oh my gosh, you and Luke, you and Luke? This isn't huge, this is colossal!"
Lorelai nods, agreeing, and puts her hands on Sookie's shoulders to calm her down; she doesn't want the whole inn to hear the news just yet.
"I just don't believe it," she replies.
Catching the wistful look on Lorelai's face, Sookie's enthusiasm grows again.
"Oh wow, you had sex! You had sex with Luke, didn't you? You sex goddess, (she nudges Lorelai's ribs with her elbow) you vixen of looove!" Sookie teases.
Lorelai blushes immediately, denying Sookie's assumptions.
"Stop it, Sookie! There was no sex!" she scolds.
Sookie calms visibly, her excitement passed, but the glow remains in her eyes.
"But there will be sex, right?" she asks with a sly grin.
Lorelai shrugs, "I don't know. I'm not sure what Luke wants," she sighs. "He's so cryptic sometimes."
"Talk to him, sweetie. Everything will work out, I'm positive," Sookie reassures her with a pat on her hand. "Luke's had a thing for you for years, he'll want this."
Lorelai squeezes her hand back, and turns to exit the kitchen, Sookie on her heels. She pushes the door open and when they walk through the lobby she's not surprised to see Luke sitting in the armchair by the fireplace, elbows on his knees and head in his hands. She stops in her tracks, and a sudden feeling of fear (What if he doesn't want her? What if it's weird?) settles in her gut. The old Lorelai returns, and she wants to run before he sees her, but Sookie's nudge pushes her forward.
"Talk to him," she whispers before silently retreating to the kitchen once again.
Lorelai stands there for a moment, still, but she sighs and Luke looks up. Their eyes meet across the room, and the kindness in his blue gaze melts the fear from her heart. She can feel herself softening, dissolving under his careful stare, and the feeling that she gets deep in her belly (How can he do that to her with one pointed look?) is terrifying. Lorelai's knees are wobbly and her hands are shaking, but her jaunty walk across the room to his side hides those facts from Luke. She stands in front of him for a moment and refuses to look away from his face, but the intensity (Did he just reach up a hand to touch her?) is too much. Breaking their staring contest, Lorelai turns and sits in the armchair opposite his own. The room is silent, and she fiddles with the rings on her fingers, her hands in her lap. Luke grabs them with his own to still her fidgeting, and her gaze travels from their linked hands, up his arms, across his jaw and lips, to his eyes.
"Hey," she says quietly.
"Hey," he replies just as softly.
She's leaning forward then, rapidly closing the distance between their lips. In the darkness, his eyes are a dark navy color, swirling with emotion, and she knows that the desire she glimpses in them (Has she ever been this close to him before?) is mirrored in her own. He untangles his hands from hers, and one comes to rest on the nape of her neck, the other twisting into her hair. Her hands, now free, slide under his arms, around to his back, where she traces his muscles lightly with her fingertips. They stay that way, just staring at each other, breath mingling, for quite some time. Lorelai grows impatient, and breaks the intense silence, squirming in her chair.
"Are you ever gonna kiss me?" she asks huskily. "I mean, if two was enough for you, I understand, but a girl's gotta –"
"Shut up," he rebukes gruffly. "And sit still, would you?"
She complies, and his voice sends goose bumps down her spine. He pushes lightly on the back of her neck, urging her head nearer to his. His breath is warm on her lips, now parted and waiting to be kissed. Luke's hand glidesto her cheek, and with the other hand he tugs on her hair to tilt her head to the side. She reacts by shifting closer, her fists bunched in the fabric of his dress shirt. Their noses brush gently, and when he closes his eyes, his eyelashes tickle her cheeks. The faintest touch of their lips sends sparks through her body, warmth that reaches from head to toe, and he deepens the kiss gradually. She resists the urge to pinch herself, and instead wonders for a brief second whether or not it would be possible to curl up into a ball and stuff herself in his shirt pocket, right over his heart. Her hands slide over his back, up to his neck, his jaw, and finally come to rest on his chest.
"Assassins! No! NO! Don't shoot!" Kirk is talking in his sleep on the couch to their left.
The sound registers in her mind, and she pulls away from Luke with a sigh. He drops his forehead to rest against hers, and the annoyed look on his face obvious.
"Luke, why did you put him on the couch?" she questions, voice unsteady.
He glances over at Kirk's sleeping form with disgust, but she notices the compassion and pity in his eyes.
"Stairs," he replies throatily.
She makes a sound of understanding and nods slightly as she stands from her chair. Luke watches her, silently, as she steps close to him, beckoning for him to stand as well. Her heels give her some added height, but she still finds herself staring up at Luke. They're close, but not touching, and she takes his hand in her own and squeezes it.
"This thing, Luke, whatever it is –" she begins suddenly.
"Stop, get away! No, not my pink bunny pajamas!" Kirk starts up again.
Lorelai ignores him, and instead of finishing what she plans to say, she tips her head back and presses a gentle kiss to Luke's mouth. He's frozen, unresponsive, and she doesn't know why, so she pulls away and gives him a questioning glance. He shrugs sheepishly and runs his free hand through his hair.
"I can't do this," he says.
His statement sends the wrong message, and Lorelai can feel the panic and sadness welling up inside of her. Hurt, she recoils and drops his hand, her eyes growing wide.
"What?" she whispers.
Luke catches his mistake and his gaze immediately softens. He shakes his head and grabs for her hand.
"No, I can do this," he says, gesturing between them, "but not this right now, with Kirk here. It creeps me out," he finishes.
She relaxes and pokes him in the chest.
"You! Don't scare me like that," her voice shifts. "You know, Sookie's probably watching us from the kitchen anyways."
Luke grumbles and looks over his shoulder in the direction of the kitchen. They can hear Sookie's giggles, and he sighs and calls out to her.
"Sookie, did anybody ever tell you that it's not polite to eavesdrop?" Luke questions.
There's a rustle and a bang, and Sookie pushes open the kitchen door and pokes out her head. A brilliant smile lights up her face, and it's obvious that she's happy for her friends. Luke quirks an eyebrow at her, and Lorelai just watches them interact with a smirk.
"Sorry Luke, but this is just too good to miss. I'm leaving now," she says. "Have fun you two," and with a wink, she's gone, heading up the stairs and back to her room.
The sexual innuendo of her comment makes Lorelai blush, and when Luke sees this, he turns away from her and lowers his eyes. There's still a line between them, the fear of boundaries being crossed and friendship being lost, but Lorelai knows that she's in it for good when she sees the light blush creeping onto Luke's face as well.
Kirk, the master of ruining moments, stirs again, and with a girlish scream and flailing arms, he manages to fling himself from the couch and onto the floor with a thump. Lorelai wants to laugh hysterically, about Kirk and the whole lack of belief she still has about the occurrences of this night. Instead, she tiptoes behind the chair and across the floor to Kirk's side and peers down at him with curiosity and a bit of concern.
"Should we wake him up?" she wonders out loud.
Luke is behind her, warm and solid, and when his hand lands on her elbow and he whispers into her ear, she nearly forgets to breath.
"No," he says simply and squeezes her arm. "Let's talk," he states.
The sincerity in his voice scares her, and even though she's supposed to be talking to him, the topic of conversation is terrifying. She's not used to Luke even speaking in full sentences to her, let alone suggesting a tête-à-tête that she knows will be heartfelt. However, the memory of their kisses and the feeling of his hands on her skin promise something more, so she nods. They return to the armchairs to sit, and she looks at him and waits for him to speak.
A/N: Okay, what did you think? See that purple button down there? Review! This is definitely a multi-chapter story, and I have wonderful ideas for it, but a little encouragement helps. Please and thank you.