A/N: Holy cow! Chapter 7! Lucky number 7… I am happy to report that the muses returned to me and I was able to write this chapter. Therefore, I dedicate this chapter to Marcel-Marceau-chicken because I like your name and your reviews and Chitosi for opening a fanfiction account just to write a review for this story. Love you both, I mean it! Now, on with the show…
Chapter 7: The Art of Avoidance
Luke didn't get a decent night's sleep. All night, he tossed and turned, sheets tangled in his legs and wet with sweat. He dreamed of her. He dreamed of kissing her. He dreamed of holding her in his arms. One of the dreams ended with Luke actually believing that she was in bed next to him. I must be going nuts! He hated the way he just left Lorelai's house without talking and without explanation. He wasn't thinking straight. Hell, he still wasn't thinking straight. I don't know how I'm going to get any work done today. Luke turned over on his side to look at the alarm. 5:15. He groaned and turned back on his back. Bluish light came through the window panes. It was time to get up.
Luke reluctantly got out of bed and made his way over to the refrigerator. He scratched his head as he pulled out the jug of orange juice. For the first time in a long while, he didn't want to work. Luke knew that no matter what, he couldn't bury his mixed up thoughts in cooking. He needed to talk to Lorelai, but he didn't know what to say. Unfortunately, he was the owner, so he couldn't just call in sick. I could close for the day.
And do what… One side of his brain taunted the other. He sat down at his table and sipped his orange juice, resting his head on his right hand. He couldn't just wander around Stars Hollow. The whole town, even the diner, reminded him of Lorelai, and he needed a place where he could rationally think about the "almost kiss." You could go fishing. That's an interesting idea. He would be away from the town, alone on the water. The lake always cleared his thoughts. It certainly worked a few weeks ago. He was able to think clearly about the fight and his guilt about sending Jess back to New York.
That was enough for him to make up his mind. As quiet as possible, Luke showered, got dressed, and gathered his supplies. After he finished loading his truck, he went back upstairs and scribbled a note for Jess:
Jess, I'm going fishing. I'll come back tomorrow. The diner is closed until I come back. Stay out of trouble; I trust you.-Luke
After making a sign for the diner, he locked up and drove away. Luke was not sure what power of his mind took over, but he drove by Lorelai's house. The lights were all off, she was probably still asleep. He would wait until later to talk to her.
Morning light streamed through Lorelai's lacy curtains. Her eyes fluttered as she came out of a deep sleep. Sighing, she turned to face her pink fuzzy alarm clock. 6:45. Lorelai moaned as she turned once again to lie on her back. There was a sinking feeling in her stomach. She couldn't put a finger on what it was, but dread filled her thoughts. Then, it hit her like a freight train; she had almost kissed Luke! Sure, it had happened before, but they were drunk. Very drunk. Last night, she only had one beer, Luke had two. Definitely normal. Their thought processes were sane. Luke had almost kissed her and she wanted him to. That scared her the most. There was no going back to sleep now.
After another reluctant moan, Lorelai got out of bed and stumbled into the bathroom. She started up the shower, silently making up her mind to go to Luke's. They needed to talk about what happened. She needed coffee. Sure, she had no idea what to say or how to respond to any pointed questions. Lorelai figured that the shower would help her sort out her fuzzy thoughts. Water had that effect on her.
Okay, Gilmore. Time to rationalize. First, you must admit to yourself what happened. You almost kissed Luke. You really wanted to kiss him. Why? Hmmm, tough question. Do you have feelings for Luke? Maybe. Are you attracted to Luke? I think so. I don't think I would want to kiss him if I wasn't attracted to him. He's good-looking. What's he got cooking? How 'bout he cooks something up for me? DIRTY! Focus, Lorelai! Do you want to date Luke? I don't know. I mean, we are friends. That's the way it's always been. Could I cross that line with Luke? Once we date, there's no going back. If we break up, we can't be friends any more. None of my relationships have ever worked out that way. Just look at Chris and Max. Okay, whoa, scary thought. Damn, I still don't have any answers. I guess I'll just have to wing it.
Trying not to think about the matter at hand, Lorelai got dressed and did her hair. She decided to walk to Luke's, thinking the trek might help her organize her thoughts. On the way, she rehearsed ways to bring up the topic. Luke, we need to talk…no, way too generic. Hey, wanna hear a funny story? Last night you and I almost ki-…no, not a good way to go about that. Let's see…Luke, do you mind if we talk about last night? I don't think that'll work either. Can I have some coffee? Let's talk. Blech, I don't like that at all. Jeez, this is hard.
Lorelai hadn't been focusing on what she was doing while she was thinking. Before she knew it, she was at Luke's. The blinds were still closed, but she walked up to the door and tugged. It didn't budge. She pulled again. Nothing. That's odd. Then she saw the sign. Gone Fishing. Oh, my God. What does that mean? Is he trying to avoid me?
All the work she had done to clear her thoughts suddenly vanished and she was in a haze. She walked to the inn, not thinking about the distance. She ignored Michel's comments about her being early. She just stepped behind the desk and attempted to bury herself in reservations, phone calls, and party planning. I don't know what to think anymore. Why did Luke leave?
The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts. "Independence Inn, this is Lorelai. How can I help you?"
Luke silently sat on the bass boat in the middle of the small lake. This fishing hole had been a favorite of his father's. He had been here so many times that he knew all of its secrets. Today, he just sat, fishing pole untouched. His eyes grazed the surface of the water, thoughts running a mile a minute.
Lorelai. I almost kissed Lorelai. I semi-soberly almost kissed Lorelai. Why? State the facts, Danes. Am I attracted to her? Sure, she's beautiful. I've always felt something for her, even if I pushed it to the back of my mind all these years. Why admit this now? I don't know. Do I want to date Lorelai? Maybe. I don't know. I mean, it would be nice. Lorelai is, well, amazing. I would be lucky to be with her. And being closer to Rory is an added bonus. But, I can't just date her. If I'm with Lorelai, I am WITH Lorelai. I have to be in, all in. Am I ready to do that? Luke didn't have more answers then when he started. He was just as confused. Determined, he picked up his fishing pole and baited his line. He would try to think this through later.
Sunday morning, Lorelai walked through the town on her way to Weston's. Luke wasn't back yet. She felt relieved, considering she still didn't know what to say to him when she did see him. Suddenly, she was spooked by a rustling in the bushes and nearly ran straight into Jess.
"Oh my God, Jess. You scared me to death."
"Yeah, well, follow through has never been one of my strong points." Huh, that was actually funny. The punk made a joke. I should put that away and use it later. Couldn't admit to where I got it from though. She started to walk away, and then got the urge to ask Jess about Luke.
"Uh, Jess. Luke went fishing, right?"
"Yeah."
"Do you know why?"
"Nope." I think Luke has competition for the master of the monosyllable.
"Well, okay, did he mention anything to you about last night?"
"Nope."
"Okay then, thanks for all your 'help.'" Lorelai turned to walk away, but sensed that Jess hadn't budged. The air around them felt uncomfortable.
"Uh, Lorelai?"
"Yeah Jess."
"How's Rory?"
"She's good. Busy, but good."
"Good, that's good." Wow, this is the most he has said to me at once.
"So, okay then, bye."
"The kiss." Jess blurted out, and she whirled around on one foot to face him. Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! He knows! How does he know? Did Luke tell him? I didn't think Luke told him anything about his personal life…Lorelai brought her hand up to her face to almost hide behind it.
"Wow, uh, I don't know what to say. How did you-? Did Luke-?"
"I was there, and Luke knows?"
"Whoa, you were there? Oh yeah, you were there when we were drunk, but not last night. And, Luke was there, of course he knows."
"Wait, what are you talking about?" A look of confusion washed over Jess' face as he cocked his head to the side to stare at Lorelai.
"You aren't talking about last night, are you? What are you talking about?"
"Uh, Ror- I thought she would've told you. Never mind. It's not important. Bye."
"Okay, uh, bye Jess." Well, that was a little weird. If he wasn't talking about Luke and I, what was he talking about? Hmmm, must ask Rory later.
Luke's truck slowly weaved its way through the streets of Stars Hollow at dusk. He parked his truck in his normal spot. He smelled like fish. He needed a shower. Luke felt too weary to unload his truck right away. He just grabbed the ice chest of fish and made his way to the door. The only lights at his place came from upstairs. Luke still was unsure as to whether his trip was good for his thought process. One thing was certain, if he wanted to date Lorelai it would have to be a relationship. Unfortunately, Luke still didn't know whether he was ready to take that extra step with her. Saying a quick word of greeting to Jess, he slipped into the shower and went to bed early.
The next night, Luke was wiping off the counter after closing up for the night. He had caught Lorelai's eye as she stared into the diner that morning. Then, she broke contact and quickly walked away. He sighed, still so unsure as to what to do or say. Avoiding her was the easy way out, but they couldn't do that forever. One day, they would have to talk. He wasn't ready to give up on having a relationship with her, whether it was friendship or more then that.
"OHHHHHHHHHHHHH LORELAI!" Sookie squealed as Lorelai walked into Sookie and Jackson's enclosed porch on Wednesday afternoon. Sookie jumped up from the porch swing and enveloped her best friend in a tight hug.
"Lorelai! I missed you so much. How have you been? Next time, I'm taking you and Rory on a trip with me because Jackson does not do girly things. Oooo, is Rory off to Washington? I bet she's going to come back even smarter."
"Whoa, Sook. Slooooow down. Let me get a good look at you." Lorelai cocked her head to the side and Sookie held out her hands and twirled around.
"You look gorgeous. Honeymoon must've been good. Tell me all about it!"
Sookie's face broke out in a huge grin and her cute dimples made many appearances as she excitedly talked about their trip. "I'm serious about you coming with me next time. Jackson is too macho farmer to do girly stuff like getting a massage."
"Hey!" Jackson called from the other room, "I went shopping with you!"
Lorelai raised one eyebrow and smiled at Sookie, who was rolling her eyes at her new husband. Then she dipped her head back and projected her voice into Sookie's living room. "Hey Jackson."
"Hey Lorelai."
"So," Sookie said in her high pitched voice, "We brought something back for you." She reached behind her and pulled out a bottle of nice, expensive wine, "I figured that you and Christopher could use it when you are being romantic. Oh, you guys give me chills!"
Lorelai's smile immediately dissipated as Sookie handed over the wine bottle. She had forgotten that Sookie didn't know.
"What?" Sookie asked with concern in her eyes. Lorelai sighed and sucked in a breath. "Uh, Sook, this wine is terrific. I know I'll use it. But…"
"Oh no, "Sookie said, reading Lorelai's mind, "But, not with Chris right?" Lorelai shook her head and was a little surprised when her throat started to constrict and tears formed in her eyes. She turned her head away as Sookie pulled her into another big hug. Lorelai was confused. Here she thought she was over Chris after everything that happened with Luke, and now she was crying over him once more. Maybe taking to someone will help me decide some things about Luke and Chris. I mean, I've talked to Rory several times since Friday and I haven't told her anything. And, I did promise her I would talk to Sookie if I was overwhelmed.
"What happened?" Sookie asked and Lorelai told her everything. She told her about Sherry and why Chris had left. She told her about Christopher's numerous calls since. She told her about Rory's reaction and slight temper tantrum. She even confessed that her and Luke got drunk the night of her wedding.
"Oh wow. I'm never going out of town again, hon. I miss too much." Lorelai slightly smiled as the tears started to go away. "So you and Luke made up then. That's good. It's not fun when you guys fight. Though, the sexual tens-"
"What Sookie?"
"Nothing. It's good that Luke was here for you while Rory and I were gone."
"Well, not everything is as peachy between us as it was a few days ago."
"What do you mean?" Lorelai took deep breath and confessed everything that had transpired between her and Luke over the past couple of weeks, starting with the waking up in bed with him and ending with catching his eye at the diner on Monday morning. She didn't leave out one dream or flashback and Sookie tried to suppress a squeal or two as she told her about "almost kisses."
"So," Sookie asked, finally speaking, eyes sparkling, "Are you and Luke going to hook up?"
"I don't know. There's so much to think about and consider."
"Ooooo, Lorelai! I'm soo excited. Look at my hand, I'm shaking! Do you know how long I've waited for this to happen? How long I've waited for Luke to make a move on you?"
"Don't get too excited yet. I still don't know what I'm going to do."
"I can't help it, hon. I'm more excited about you and Luke then I was with you and Christopher."
"See, there's something to consider. I just got out of something hugely complicated with Chris. Am I ready to get into something with Luke? Do I even want to date Luke? I can't even sort out my feelings for him! And, what if we screwed everything up the other night? We haven't been able to even look each other in the eye since then. He went fishing! Gah, I'm so confused right now."
"Do you want to date Luke?"
"I already told you, I don't know."
"I think deep down you know. Lorelai, Luke is an amazing guy who has only had eyes for you since you stormed into his life. He would do anything for you. You would be so lucky to be with someone so dependable and caring."
"You've always said he had a thing for me, but I'm still not convinced. One moment, I'm looking into his eyes and I see it, everything you've always said. Then, he's Cool Hand Luke again, and I can't read him."
"Honey, he almost kissed you three times. I know I'm right here."
"Do I want to date Luke?" she asked Sookie, eyes pleading for an answer.
"You have to decide that, sweetie. I know it will be great, but I also know that you can't go into this lightly. Once you are with Luke, you are WITH Luke. You can't run because you will never have the same relationship with him ever again. Luke could be forever for you."
"I know. That scares me."
"That scared me about Jackson, but here we are." Lorelai gave Sookie a hug and got up from the swing, wine bottle in hand.
"I'm going home to take a bath and think some more."
"Okay Lorelai. Don't let what I said scare you away from an opportunity like this. Give it some thought. I'm here if you want to talk later."
"Thanks Sook," Lorelai said as she stood in the doorway of the porch.
"Any time."
It had been two weeks since the now infamous movie night at the Gilmore home. Two weeks since Luke had last seen Lorelai. Two weeks since Lorelai had last set foot in the diner. Two weeks since any of them had made an attempt to talk to each other. Two whole weeks since the "almost kiss."
At the diner, Luke grew more and more frustrated, and he vented his anger onto his customers with yelling and scowling. Miss Patty, Babette, Kirk, and Taylor were shocked at his behavior at first, but then noticed that Lorelai had stopped coming to the diner. It wasn't hard for them to connect the two related events. The rumors going around town speculated that Lorelai and Luke had gotten into another fight. Taylor thought it was because Jess was back, but that notion didn't make sense to Patty. Jess had been back for a week before the "second fight," and Lorelai had been to the diner several times in between then. Babette remembered seeing Luke's truck outside Lorelai's house the night before he went fishing again. He had stayed late. No one could put a finger on what had triggered the mutual avoidance between the two friends. It was all just speculation. Something had to be done.
The usual town meeting was scheduled for the next Thursday. Luke had forgotten about it in his frustration, but realized it anew when the diner was empty at 6 o'clock. He hated himself for how he had been lately. He was yelling at the customers right and left. Only the faithful waited out Luke's funk. In Luke's head, thoughts swirled around until they were muddled and ran together. He thought about Lorelai all day long. He dreamed about her at night. They needed to talk, that was the only clear idea remaining. Irritated with himself, he threw his rag across the room. She will be at the meeting. You need to go. The two of you need to talk. You need to make things right with Lorelai. With a determined step, Luke went up to his apartment and changed his shirt. Then, he locked up the diner and made the short trek to Miss Patty's.
Since Luke could see Patty's place from the diner, the jaunt was short and Luke had little time to think about what he was going to say or do when he confronted Lorelai. Should I sit down next to her at the meeting and ask her to leave with me? Should I wait until the meeting is over and walk up to her? Should I just wait outside in the square for her? Luke's thoughts were interrupted by Taylor's voice echoing off the walls in the room. He hesitated at the door and looked down at his watch. It's 6:50. I'm ten minutes early. Don't the meetings usual start at seven? Luke nearly pressed his ear to the door to listen to the events inside.
"Well, now we must go to the matter at hand before any of the two parties walk in. Lorelai is more likely to come in than Luke, and late I might add, but we can't take any chances. This is the whole reason we set the time so early. Kirk put the charts up…Thank you. Now, I open the floor to any thoughts about how we are to deal with this ongoing feud between Lorelai and Luke. Babette…"
I can't believe it. I cannot believe it. That damn Taylor actually set up a meeting about Lorelai and I. That is none of his business!
"I think the sooner the two of them shack up, the better for all of us."
"Honey," Miss Patty responded, "I couldn't agree with you more. The sexual tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife. I bet Luke could use some action."
"You said it, Pat" Babette agreed, and the crowd broke out in excited chatter. Behind the door, Luke fumed. He couldn't believe the town had made everything so public. It had to be Taylor's idea.
"People, people, people," Taylor said, trying to calm the crowd down. "Let's stick to the agenda here. Babette, if I understood correct, thinks it would be best for Luke and Lorelai to, let's see, how do I put this nicely, to know each other in the biblical sense."
"Just say sex, Taylor," Luke heard Gypsy interrupt, "It's creepy when you bring the Bible into it."
"Okay, fine. I, however, disagree with you Babette. If Luke actually makes his move and he and Lorelai begin to date, it will be good for awhile. But, the relationship will go sour, as Lorelai's relationships always do, and we, as a town, will be forced to choose between them."
"What do you mean, Taylor?" Kirk asked.
"Does no one remember Fay Wellington and Art Brush?" The people in the studio murmured. Luke was about fed up. He was certain his face was red and steam was coming out of his ears. THAT is IT! With a huff, Luke opened the door to the studio and the crowd instantly became silent and faced him. Then, he gave Taylor and the rest of the crazy town a piece of his mind…
Lorelai strolled through town, taking the long way that would allow her to avoid Luke's. She was already a few minutes late to the meeting, why bother walking faster? She had been avoiding Luke for two weeks now; eating breakfast at Weston's, mooching off Sookie for lunch, and choosing between Al's and JoJo's for dinner. She reverted to her pre-Sookie's wedding routes around town, avoiding all the paths that crossed by Luke's. Lorelai really wanted to stay home that night, but she had promised Rory that she would stay up to date with town events. She was expected to give a full report of the crazy antics that would certainly be present at town meetings. It was odd to approach Miss Patty's and see the back door slightly open. Inside, she heard yelling. One voice was Taylor, the other…Luke? She crouched behind the door to decipher the source of all the commotion.
"Taylor, why in God's name do you think you have the right to shove your nose right into other people's business? I am sick and tired of you, the whole lot of you."
"Now, Luke, please calm down so we can speak about this rationally. This little feud of yours is affecting the economy of the entire town. Kirk, turn to the first chart." Lorelai heard a crash, and a whimper from Kirk. Luke was really pissed off. She rarely saw him this mad.
"I don't give a damn about your stupid charts. I don't give a damn about your stupid economy. I don't give a damn about your stupid little town meetings. What I do give a damn about is my friendship with Lorelai. That's it! You have no right to discuss this in some public forum. What goes on between Lorelai and I is our business. You hear that Taylor, OUR BUSINESS! Hers and mine. That's it, no Taylor, or Babette, or Patty, or Gypsy. Lorelai and ME!" Lorelai heard footsteps on the wood floor and she sneaked away from the door.
"Luke, I'm going to have to bill you for the ruined charts."
"Taylor," Luke said in an unnerving voice," You can take the bill and those charts, and SHOVE 'EM UP YOUR ASS!"
Luke stormed out the door and nearly collided with a shocked Lorelai. They both looked each other in the eye for the first time since Lorelai had avoided him outside the diner the week before.
"We need to talk." They both said at the same time. The whole situation was comical, with Luke's anger and them running into each other like this. Lorelai was in no mood to laugh, however. She followed him to the diner. He walked quickly in front of her with long, heavy strides. She almost had to run to keep up. Running was not an easy feat in her heels.
They entered the diner and Luke made his way up the stairs. Lorelai, unsure of what else to do, obediently followed. Luke opened the door to his apartment and made a quick sweep of the room. Jess appeared to be gone.
"What was going in there?" Lorelai asked, slightly nervous to be with Luke, alone in his apartment.
"That asshole decided to hold a meeting without telling us to discuss our little feud in front of the entire town." Luke was still slightly steamed and he took deep breaths and walked over to his refrigerator. He pulled out two beers and thrust one into Lorelai's hand. He took a long swig and Lorelai put hers down on the table by the couch. She didn't feel like drinking right now. She couldn't handle anything resting in her hands.
"Ah, so they think we are fighting again?"
"Oh yes, they assumed that we were in a fight. Damn that Taylor." He took another long swallow in an attempt to soothe his nerves, active from both the fight and seeing Lorelai for the first time in two weeks.
"Are we fighting?" she asked, striving to find a way to talk to him. The fire in his eyes started to flicker out and he looked at her.
"I don't really know what's going on."
"Me neither." She admitted. Luke audibly exhaled and took off his cap. There were so many things he needed to say to her. He didn't know where to begin.
"Why have you been avoiding me?" He said, a little sharper then he intended.
"Excuse me?" she asked, slightly hurt by his tone. She knew he was still mad about his Taylor encounter, but he didn't have to take it out on her.
"I haven't seen you in over two weeks. You looked through the diner window and completely blew me off."
"I'm sorry, was I the one that went fishing the morning after our almo-…whatever!" She was getting frustrated now. Luke's bad mood was making her tense.
"Our almost what, Lorelai. You can't even say it! How in the hell are we supposed to talk about what happened when you can't even admit it to yourself."
"I am not incapable of saying, Luke!" she stated, her voice raising in volume with each word. She didn't know why she was so mad all of a sudden. "You want to hear it out loud? FINE! We almost kissed. There! Why are you so pissy about it?"
"Why did you avoid me for two weeks when I wanted to talk to you?" Luke wasn't sure why he and Lorelai were yelling back and forth to each other. He knew he had started it with his foul mood, but this bickering made no sense.
"Oh, and I was supposed to break that code, Samuel Morse? You made no effort, you didn't seek me out. I was at home every night this week. I was at work everyday. You could've called. You could've stopped by."
"Do you honestly expect me to do that when you never came by the diner? Couldn't leave you a message because you would probably erase it."
"I did come by the diner, but you were fishing. FISHING! You were avoiding me before I even avoided you." Her blue eyes were ablaze and she made over exaggerated gestures as she spoke loudly. Luke, in the midst of all the angry words, had never found her more beautiful, more sexy than he did right then. That thought both turned him on and freaked him out.
"Don't you think I wanted to talk to you but didn't know what to say? This is us, Lorelai! We can't go into a discussion like this lightly. We have always been friends. What we almost did would've crossed that line."
"You think I don't know that. You think I didn't agonize over that fact for over two weeks." Lorelai's voice cracked as she tried to let Luke into her thoughts. She usually only cried when she was mad. Luke's words were having that effect on her now. We shouldn't be talking about this right now when we are both pissed of. We need to be calm and rational. "We can't talk about this now. I should go."
Lorelai turned toward the door and reached for the handle. Thingsseemed to move in slow motion as she turned the knob and pulled the door open. Suddenly, Luke's hand moved near her head and pushed the door closed, his strength doubling hers. What's going on in his head?
"What the hell do you want from me, Luke?" She asked, turning around. Without warning, Luke's rough and calloused hands grabbed her face and he pressed his lips on hers, kissing her with all the tension and sexual frustration that fused inside of him. For the first time in her life, Lorelai's mind stopped working. She was kissing Luke! She wrapped her arms around him, almost frightened by the intense spark that came from his lips and into her body. As quickly as the kiss began, Luke broke it off, breathing heavy. Lorelai was speechless.
"Lorelai, I'm sorry. I don't know what-" Luke was cut off by Lorelai's lips on his, this kiss softer. He wrapped his arms around her, one hand weaving his fingers in her curls. This was nothing like he expected, but everything he had ever wanted. He deepened the kiss slowly as he continued to explore the wonder that was Lorelai's soft lips. They broke a part after a few moments, saying nothing. Lorelai rested her forehead on his cheek, both of them panting for air. Luke's arm was still around her waist, the other was caressing her hair. She held him tight, never wanting to let go. Then, her mind awoke, thoughts running a mile a minute.
You just kissed Luke. Whoa, that was amazing. I can't even compare it to anything else. That was so intense. It feels so good to be in his arms, to have his hand in my hair. Fear gripped her heart then. What are you doing, Lorelai. You haven't thought this through completely. You don't even know if this is a good move. Kissing Luke may have been great, but was it the right thing to do? Her thoughts began to get hazy and she backed away from Luke. His face looked just as scared, intense, and joyful as she felt. Confusion flashed in his eyes as she continued to walk backward, attempting to find her way out the door. One notion was clear in her head; RUN!
"I should go," she said, her voice wavering. She found the knob with her hand and opened it fast, before Luke had time to stop her again. When Luke found his voice, he called out to her. She was already running down the stairs.
Luke's thoughts were jumbled and he felt a gigantic mix of emotions as he watched her leave. He was practically shaking as the realization of what had just transpired sunk in. I kissed Lorelai! I did it! No interruptions this time. It was better then I ever could've imagined. Luke was confused by her sudden flight. He knew she was scared. Hell, the kiss scared him too. He needed to see her. He needed to know what was going on inside her head. Before he even realized what he was doing, Luke opened his door and ran after Lorelai.
A/N: Well, what do you think? Did you enjoy it? Did it suck? Was it good? Was it bad? Was it everything you imagined? Did you hate it? Let me know. You know I shower the love on all my reviewers.
This may be to your dismay, but I decided to end this story after one more chapter. I like the flow of this story and I don't want to go beyond having Lorelai and Luke get together. Also, I got one confused reviewer so I thought there might be more of you out there….Lorelai got the burn scar on her hand from when she touched the hot coffee pot the night they were drinking. Just wanted to clear that up.
You guys are still the epitome of awesomeness. Finals are quickly approaching, but I will try my best to update as soon as possible. After this story is done, I want to write more, but I need to come up with some ideas. I'll have to barter with those muses some more for inspiration. Until later, or, as we say in the desert, WATER! J/K. Desert humor.