Chapter 12: I Would Try To Change
Rory. She was the constant in Lorelai's life. She had been there before Luke. She had been around while Lorelai was with Luke. And she had been there to pick up the pieces after Luke.
After Luke. As if it's a point in time. And it is. It was. May 9, 2006. That was when the numbers stopped counting down and began counting up. It was a date emblazoned in Lorelai's brain forever.
October 8, 1984. Another date circled in red marker in Lorelai's brain. The day her daughter had been born, her oldest daughter. The one who had been her best friend for years. The daughter who had been with her through everything, except for the five months, three weeks and sixteen days that Lorelai would rather forget.
She was the reason that Lorelai had basically become a nun for sixteen years. It was best for Rory if she wasn't involved in Lorelai's male relationships, and therefore easier if Lorelai just didn't have many at all.
As Rory reached sixteen and got older, began to have relationships of her own, Lorelai had known it was time to adjust some of those rules she had made. So she had dated, always with Rory's knowledge. Max. Alex. The random kid from her business class. Peyton, her mother's friend's son. Jason. Christopher. Luke.
But Luke had been more than just another relationship. He had been their friend, their coffee provider, their male confidant. He had listened to them chatter about boys and makeup. And he had always been there when needed whether for bringing ice for Rory's party or checking under the porch to see how bad termites had destroyed it. Even before he had become more than her friend, Luke had always been there.
He had been there for Rory too. Since the day she met Luke at the age of 10 and invited him to her caterpillar's funeral, Rory had held a special place in Luke's heart. She was the only one he made special cakes for on her birthday. It was her high school graduation he had attended. He had made special time to go to her parties. But more than that, she was the only child that he had made special time for, the only one he watched out for, running to Lorelai if he was worried and beating up guys if they hurt her.
And all through those years before dating Luke, Rory had told Lorelai over and over that Luke had a thing for her.
So when Lorelai had finally begun dating Luke, Rory couldn't have been happier. She became very protective of the relationship, going as far as to tell her own father to stay away and even telling off her grandparents when they tried to break Lorelai and Luke up. Because the relationship wasn't only important to Luke and Lorelai, it had been important to Rory. To have the only father-like figure in her life be there as a constant was important. But more than that, it was important that her mother was happy.
He did it! He did the bit! Luke, do it again. Do it louder for Rory.
Hey Mom?
Yeah?
You sound happy.
I am kid.
And that was all that was necessary for Rory. Her mother was happy.
So when it was over, Lorelai had felt like she had lost everything, not just the man she loved, but everything, because everything held memories of those days of happiness. She had lost everything but the one constant in her life, Rory.
Rory had been the one to come back. Even when things weren't going right in her life, she had still come back. Because Lorelai had needed her. Because her mother, her best friend, her guide in life, was hurting.
And when Lorelai had made the final decision to go to San Francisco on a short vacation, she had only made one phone call: to Rory.
And when Lorelai had met Larry and decided to stay in San Francisco, the first person she called was Rory.
Because Rory was still the only person who would always be there, even if only in spirit. She had been Rory's world for years and, in turn, Rory had become hers.
Lorelai and Lucy are lounging on the couch, waiting for Rory to show up. Lucy is curled in one corner of the couch, her head leaning on her hand and Lorelai's feet in her lap as Lorelai lays across the couch. They are both immersed in the movie they are watching, Rock Star. They can hear Nicolas in his room on the phone with Martha.
Finally, they hear the sound they were waiting for, the sound of a car pulling up in front of the house. "Rory!" Lorelai exclaims, jumping instantly to her feet and running out of the house.
Rory is barely out of the car when Lorelai reaches her, pulling her into a big hug. "Mom!" Rory cries, hugging her mother close. "It's been forever!"
"Oh Kid, you know it!" They hug for a long time before finally letting go. Rory sizes Lorelai up.
"Mom, you look great," Rory observes. Lorelai rolls her eyes.
"You're just saying that."
"No I'm not, remember I knew you when you were young. I have something to compare it with," Rory says. She glances over Lorelai's shoulder at Lucy and Nicolas. "Hey guys!" She waves. "Just one second and I'll hug you." Rory looks back in the car. "Are you waiting for an engraved invitation, Miss Lily?" Rory teases her daughter. Lily sticks out her tongue in a very Lorelai-like way. She opens the car door and gets out.
"Come here, Lil L!" Lorelai exclaims, holding out her arms to her 8 year old granddaughter. Lily grins and runs into Lorelai's waiting arms. Lorelai picks her up, swinging her around. Rory walks over to Nicolas and Lucy, who are standing by the porch and hugs each of them.
"You guys liking Stars Hollow?" Rory asks them. Lucy nods.
"This place is really something," Lucy says. Rory nods.
"It's something all right. It's magical," Rory replies. She glances over at her brother, snatching the baseball cap off of his head.
"Hey!" Nicolas exclaims, reaching for it.
"Just checking to make sure you're not trying to cover another buzz cut," Rory teases. Nicolas rolls his eyes as Rory hands him back the cap.
"One stupid mistake and I get harassed for the rest of my life," Nicolas mutters. Rory grins.
"Hey, you should have thought of that beforehand. You know what we Gilmores are like," Rory reminds him. Nicolas nods. "You treating my room okay?"
"If you call burning all your stupid Yale posters treating it okay, then yeah," Nicolas responds.
"You did not!" Rory exclaims indignantly. She glances back at Lorelai, who has since put Lily down. Lily is standing in front of her grandmother now with Lorelai's hands resting on her shoulders. "He didn't, did he?" Rory asks. Lorelai shrugs.
"I don't know. That brother of yours, he's out of control," Lorelai kids. Rory scoffs, her hands going to her hips. "Did you stop over at the Dragonfly on your way in?" Rory shakes her head.
"No, why?" Rory asks. Lorelai sighs.
"I told you, I have no room for the two of you here. You remember that this house was barely big enough for the two of us, much less the three of us and you and Lil," Lorelai tells Rory, squeezing Lily's shoulders. Rory crosses her arms over her chest.
"Does that mean I can't stay here?" Lorelai shakes her head. "In my own room. In my own house!" Lorelai shakes her head. "I'm really not feeling the love here Mom." Lorelai shrugs.
"Tough love, Baby. That's what I'm talking about," Lorelai replies. "If you really want to stay in your room, you're going to have to convince Nicky to share his bed with you."
"Aw, Mom!" Nicolas exclaims. Lorelai laughs.
"So we have to stay at the Dragonfly?" Rory asks. Lorelai nods.
"I reserved a room for you and Lil. She'll love it there, especially with Sookie, I'm sure you can get Sookie to cook you any cookies you want," Lorelai says to Lily, grinning. Lily's eyes light up. Rory sighs.
"Okay, fine," Rory finally relents.
"I put you down for three nights."
"But we're only staying for two." Lorelai shrugs.
"Just in case, you never know. I may miss you so much I'm going to trap you at the Dragonfly instead of letting you go back to DC."
"How are you going to do that?" Rory asks.
"Some duct tape, rope, a copy of War and Peace," Lorelai responds. Lucy looks confused.
"It's the longest book ever and Rory won't be able to put it down," Nicolas explains, having understood that Lorelai's getting at. Lorelai flings her hand in Nicolas's direction, as if pronouncing him correct. Lucy giggles.
"Okay, we're wasting precious Rory time here. We've got almost exactly two days to make up for the past nine months of not seeing each other, so let's go over the plan," Lorelai says.
"Okay, shoot," Rory responds.
"First, we take you over to the Dragonfly so you can put your stuff in the room. Then Nicolas and Lucy are going to take Lily on a fun but succinct tour of Stars Hollow while we attempt the 12 layer cake at Weston's."
"Still haven't accomplished that one," Rory interjects.
"Then we'll head out to Hartford for dinner, which Mom has agreed to invite Christopher and Gigi to so we don't need an extra stop."
"Fabulous!" Rory exclaims.
"Oh yeah, I'm thrilled," Lorelai responds, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "We come back here, buy out all the junk food we can find at Doose's, visit with Dean for a minute and head back here for our guilty pleasure marathon, which Nicolas will complain about so he'll probably go spend time with his girlfriend." Rory grins at Nicolas, who shakes his head.
"Martha treating you right there Nicky?" Rory teases. Nicolas groans.
"Okay, then tomorrow, we get up, go to breakfast at Luke's. Lunch at the Dragonfly. Shop at the bookstore. Make a snowman in town square. Dinner at Al's."
"Morrocan this week?" Rory asks.
"Spanish cuisine," Lorelai answers.
"Love it!"
"And then Sunday, the big one, we lounge around the morning, and go through all those boxes of pictures that are still stashed in your closet before packing up your car for you to head off back to the land where the sun don't shine." Rory claps her hands in excitement.
"The perfect weekend!" she exclaims. Lorelai smiles, proud of herself.
"Well, I do what I can," Lorelai replies modestly. "What do you think, Lil L?" Lorelai asks, looking down at Lily, who looks back up at her.
"Ab Fab Sweetie Darling," Lily replies. Lorelai laughs. Rory shakes her head.
"More like you every minute," Rory says. Lorelai shrugs, giving Rory her 'who me?' look. "All right Lillers, get in the car. Nanners is going to meet us over at the inn."
"Yay!" Lily exclaims running back to the car. Rory walks over to Lorelai, hugging her again and kissing her cheek.
"Good to be home Mommy," Rory whispers in Lorelai's ear. Then she gets in the car, waves at her siblings and drives off.
After getting settled in at the Dragonfly, Rory and Lily met up with the rest of the family in the lobby. As Lorelai had planned, Nicolas and Lucy took Lily out with them around Stars Hollow, basically so Lorelai could have some alone time with Rory. Lorelai and Rory went to Weston's to chat and eat cake and rum balls.
"So last we talked, you were still complaining about Gramma's performance at Thankgiving," Rory says. Lorelai nods, swallowing the bite of cake in her mouth.
"Oh, right, well then you didn't hear the rest of it, don't worry, it doesn't get any better," Lorelai responds.
"Oh jeez…"
"Right. So we went to your grandmother's Christmas Party last week."
"I remember you mentioning you were going to."
"Right. And let me tell you, your grandmother was in fine form that night." Rory sighs.
"I don't get it. Why can't bygones ever be bygones with you two?" Rory asks.
"Because you know my mother, she's not like that. According to her, everything I've ever done has been just to spite her and she never forgets a single bit of it. I swear, I'm in permanent Alcatraz with her," Lorelai complains.
"You two…" Rory shakes her head disapprovingly. "You know I always thought that one day you'd both realize you're just being crazy and stupid but after all these years, you both still hold a grudge like the best of them."
"Like mother, like daughter," Lorelai says lightly. "We're champions."
"I mean, she's glad you're back, isn't she?" Lorelai shrugs.
"You wouldn't get that idea from the way she treats me."
"Well you still treat her like she should be apologizing for your childhood," Rory replies.
"Hey! Stay on my side!" Lorelai cries.
"There's no sides Mom," Rory insists. Lorelai sighs, taking another bite of cake.
"Oooh, hey I read that last article of yours," Lorelai mentions. Rory's eyes light up.
"Did you like it?" Rory asks. Lorelai nods vigorously.
"Oh yeah, let me tell you, if I ever decide to run for political office, I want you to follow my campaign." Rory smiles.
"I'll keep that in mind whenever you get the urge."
"What did the senator say?" Lorelai asks. Rory shrugs.
"Oh you know… it was good," Rory replies lightly. Lorelai furrows her eyebrows as Rory's face brightens into a huge grin. "She loved it! She wants me to continue the entire campaign with her!"
"Oh that's great Kid!" Lorelai exclaims.
"It is! It really is! I have trouble believing it myself!"
"Oh, I knew you could do it. You're a great writer and you really capture the spirit of things you believe in so well," Lorelai says.
"Thanks, but you're my mother, you have to say that." Lorelai's mouth form an 'O' and she covers it with her hand.
"I always meant to tell you, I found you on my doorstep when you were a baby, I just could never think of the right way to say it," Lorelai teases in a serious voice. Rory rolls her eyes.
"Mo-om," Rory whines. Lorelai laughs. "But really, I'm just amazed. I was wondering if I could handle it with Marty's caseload picking up and the twins just starting kindergarten and then there's Lily."
"Oh yeah, but she's easy."
"Sure, when you compare her to the twins."
"They're not doing okay starting kindergarten?" Lorelai asks, taking another bite of cake. Rory shrugs.
"They like it. It's just that they're driving the teacher crazy. I swear, I gave birth to two little monsters. If it's not Cole then it's Emmett. It's enough to drive a sane man crazy," Rory explains.
"Well that's what you get for having twins." Rory rolls her eyes.
"Yeah, like I made that decision," Rory replies sarcastically. Lorelai smiles. She looks away, glancing over at the diner, her smile slowly disappearing. Rory notices her mother's quick change into depression. "Mom, what's on your mind?" Lorelai glances back over at Rory, leaning back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap. She shrugs.
"I was just thinking, you know, about that dream," Lorelai says, a melancholy tone to her voice.
"What dream?" Rory asks, taking another bite of cake.
"The one I had when you were in DC, I mean with Paris, back when you were going to Chilton." Rory furrows her eyebrows as she tries to recall that summer.
"Hmmm… that was almost twenty years ago. How about a refresher course?"
"Ummm… it began with Luke setting about 18 alarm clocks to wake me up." Rory's face instantly flashes recognition and she grins.
"Ah yes, that one. I remember now. He had changed the coffee to decaf." Lorelai nods.
"And he was making me breakfast."
"Naked," Rory interjects.
"Not naked!" Lorelai exclaims. "I swear I don't have NC-17 rated dreams." Rory raises an eyebrow. "That I tell you about." Rory grins and nods.
"Right and then he talked to your stomach."
"Because I was pregnant with twins," Lorelai says wistfully.
Goodbye Crazy Lady. Goodbye Sid and Nancy.
Leopold and Loeb.
What?
I changed my mind, don't tell Rory.
Decaf.
Never.
They'll both have two heads.
More to love.
Lorelai looks down at her hands. "I don't know what made me think about that."
"Because I was just talking about my twins," Rory responds. Lorelai shrugs.
"Yeah but…" Lorelai purses her lips, trying not to look over at the diner. "I think I just always thought that I should have had twins, that I was supposed to have twins, with Luke."
"You always thought that?" Rory asks.
"I mean, at least, when we were together that dream was always in the back of my mind. Like it was supposed to happen." Rory reaches across the table and touches Lorelai's hand.
"What made you think about that now?" Rory asks, taking her hand back and stabbing her fork into the last bite of cake. Lorelai looks away, a little ashamed of what she's about to reveal.
"I kissed Luke," Lorelai says in a low voice. Rory stares at Lorelai.
"You kissed Luke?" Lorelai nods. "When?" Lorelai shrugs, looking up at Rory timidly.
"A week ago."
"You kissed Luke a week ago?" Rory repeats in shock.
"Yeah."
"How did that happen?"
"Well, I tilted my head to one side and then he stepped closer to me and I touched my lips – "
"Mom!" Rory exclaims, cutting Lorelai off. Rory gives Lorelai a dirty look. "Now explain."
"Well, after the disaster that was my mother's Christmas Party, we went to Luke's for some coffee. Nicolas and Lucy went home but I stayed. Then Luke walked me home. And we were just talking. And, I don't know, something happened, and I kissed him."
"You were talking about what?" Rory asks.
"Uh, just things. Poker. Loren. Jess."
"Jess?"
"Yeah."
"Talking about Jess made you want to kiss Luke?" Rory wonders.
"Yes. No. Not Jess. It just… I just… I don't know. A lapse of judgment or something."
"Or something," Rory repeats softly.
"It was just. He was there. And I was there. And he was just being, you know, Luke. And I just forgot, you know, everything that had happened. Just for a moment, I forgot everything else and it was just Luke." Lorelai shrugs. "Stupid, I know."
"I didn't say that," Rory insists.
"But it was," Lorelai claims. Rory leans back, folding her arms over her chest.
"You really think that?"
"You don't?" Lorelai asks, surprised.
"Well, I mean it is Luke." Lorelai looks down at her hands.
Yeah, but you were young when you had Rory. Most people are aren't that young. Most people are, uh…
Old.
Yeah.
Like this guy that asked me out.
But you're not going.
No, I'm not going.
"Yeah it is Luke," Lorelai says softly. She sighs sadly. "He always had that way about him."
"So don't you think it's finally time?" Rory asks. Lorelai looks up at her, confused.
"Howdy Doody time?" Rory rolls her eyes.
"No, time for you to do something for yourself. I mean, you're 53."
"Thanks for the reminder," Lorelai replies snidely.
"You're welcome." Rory smiles. "What I mean is that you're 53. Technically, half of your life is over and you haven't really lived any of it for yourself, I mean since I was born. You lived your life for me and then for Nicolas and Lucy. I mean you had your fun, but we always came first."
"So?"
"So what I'm saying is that maybe it's time for you just to forget all of that. Both of you. You guys have done everything for us. You for me, Nicolas and Lucy. Him for April, Liz, Jess, Loren. We're all grown. We can all take care of ourselves now, even if we're not all out of the house yet."
"True."
"I mean, maybe it's finally time for you two to realize that no one's as important as yourselves and if you both want to be together, just be together, stop worrying about who else it's affecting."
"But…" Rory raises a hand to stop her.
"Mom, you still love him, right?" Rory asks. Lorelai takes a deep breath, glancing over at the diner. "I know you do. I know you never stopped loving him."
"Maybe," Lorelai says quietly.
"And he never stopped loving you, I could tell. Every time I came back to visit, I could tell." Lorelai looks back at Rory. "Just think about it okay? For me?" Lorelai nods.
"Okay," Lorelai agrees.
The next day, Lorelai has somehow gotten Rory to stick to the schedule that she planned before Rory's arrival in Stars Hollow. So they head over to Luke's for breakfast with the rest of the family, neither one knowing what to expect from this visit. "Oh Butch!" Lorelai calls as she, Rory, Nicolas, Lucy and Lily walk in the door. Luke glances over from pouring a customer some coffee and glares at her before seeing Rory and instantly smiling. He nods to the customer, sets the coffee pot down and walks over to Rory enveloping her in a hug.
"Hey Rory!" Lorelai looks on proudly, pleased with the still strong relationship between Luke and Rory. "Hey, Lily, long time no see." He bends down and hugs her as well.
"Lukey!" Lily exclaims, having obviously met Luke before and liked it. Lorelai raises her eyebrows, sharing an impressed look with Rory. Luke can't keep the smile off his face as he looks at the whole family.
"Whoa, Luke, don't smile so much, it's freaking me out," Lucy teases. But Luke gives his dirty look at Lorelai, who grins.
"Seriously, stop lying to your daughter about me," he insists. Lorelai shakes her head. He sighs. "Coffee?"
"Yes, coffee all around," Lorelai replies, circling her finger at her whole family.
"Always glad to know I'm destroying a whole family with that stuff," Luke grumbles and walks off. Lorelai and Rory share a grin.
"Let's take the table over there," Lorelai says, guiding Lily over to the table she picked. "Unless you want to make a go at bagel hockey," she adds, glancing over her shoulder at Rory.
"Oh bagel hockey!" Rory exclaims. "We've definitely got enough for a game."
"No bagel hockey," Luke insists walking back over with four mugs and setting them down on the table.
"What a way to ruin the party," Lorelai grumps.
"This is a business, Lorelai. Do I go to your place of work and try to play baseball?" Luke responds.
"Inside? No. But the diner was made for bagel hockey," Lorelai replies. Lily nods eagerly. "Give him the eyes," Lorelai tells her, nudging her. Lily sticks out her bottom lip, letting her eyes go wide.
"I hate when you do that," Luke tells Lorelai, trying not to look at Lily's face.
"Look at this sad sad child. Even Stalin wouldn't be able to say no to this face," Lorelai says, her hands on Lily's shoulders.
"Pwease Luke?" Lily begs in a small child voice. Luke rolls his eyes.
"Yeah, pwease Luke," Lorelai chimes in.
"You have the maturity level of a four year old," Luke tells Lorelai. He looks down at Lily. "Sorry, Lil, this isn't the kind of place for bagel hockey. Some other time."
"And Scrooge McDuck strikes again," Lorelai gripes. "Come on, Lil." She pushes Lily over to the chair where the girl sits down. Everyone else sits down around the table. "You know, there was a time when you offered to play it with me." Luke glances over at the counter, trying to recall that instance.
You okay?
Yeah.
You don't seem your chipper self.
I brought some sparklers. I'll light them later and do some kicks.
You know, if you want I can clear the counter and you can play some bagel hockey.
You can't play bagel hockey by yourself.
I'll play with you. You'll have to explain the rules.
It's okay. I'm still trying to recover from last night. It was one of those nights where you start off stepping in quicksand and end up with a sixteen ton anvil landing on your head.
I've had plenty of those. I'll bring some coffee.
Can't hurt.
Luke nods looking back at Lorelai. "Next time you have one of those days, I'll rethink my response. Until then, no bagel hockey." Lorelai pouts.
"Party pooper," Lorelai crabs, pulling out a chair and sitting down.
"So what will we have?" Luke asks, clapping his hands together. Rory glances over at the specials board, and purses her lips.
"Pancakes," Rory decides.
"One stack of pancakes on the house," Luke responds.
"Oh, on the house? Then I'll have them too," Lorelai says.
"Yours are not on the house," Luke tells her.
"Why not?" Lorelai asks.
"Because, you come here everyday. It's not a special day for you. But Rory's not here everyday, it's a special day, she gets free food," Luke explains.
"But I brought Rory here today."
"Doesn't matter."
"I'm the reason that Rory knows you at all."
"Would you just order?" Luke requests, exasperated.
"In fact, I'm the reason that Rory exists at all. If it hadn't been for me, there would be no Rory. No reason to have a special day where there's free food," Lorelai says. Luke glares at her.
"And I would be making a lot more money," Luke responds logically. Lorelai shakes her head.
"No, if there were no Rory, I would have never come to Stars Hollow and we would have never met and you wouldn't be rolling in dough from all the coffee you give me."
"You don't even pay for it half the time!" Luke exclaims. Lily giggles at Luke's sudden outburst. Lorelai shakes her head in disappointment.
"Fine. I'll have the pancakes you're getting rich off of," Lorelai says simply. Luke rolls his eyes and glances at Nicolas.
"Milk, that's it," Nicolas says. Luke nods. He looks over at Lucy.
"Eggs, toast, bacon," she lists off. Luke nods looking at Lily.
"Pancakes!" Lily exclaims.
"Are hers free?" Lorelai asks Luke.
"I'm not telling," he responds. Lorelai furrows her eyebrows.
"Interesting choice of things to keep a secret, Burger Boy."
"Either way I answer your question, you'll have some kind of response that I won't want to hear. So, in order to avoid that, I'm just going to go put your order in and we'll forget this whole exchange ever happened," Luke says and walks away.
"Wow, that was little harsh," Lorelai says in a mock-serious voice, turning to her family. Rory and Lucy share a smile. Lorelai glances at Lily, who's sitting next to her. "So you've met Luke before?" Lily nods.
"Yup. A few times. He's funny," Lily says, giggling.
"Oh yeah, that whole angry at the world routine he puts on in a real hoot," Lorelai replies sarcastically. She glances over at Luke, who is busy behind the counter. Rory touches Lorelai's arm.
"You okay?" Rory asks softly. Lorelai looks back at her and nods, giving Rory a pointed look. Rory sneaks a glance over at her siblings and nods.
"Hey guys!" Loren exclaims, walking over to the table. "Hey Rory!"
"Hey, how's it going Loren?" Rory asks. Loren shrugs.
"Oh you know. School. Diner. Friends. Pretty much sums up my life," Loren responds. Rory nods.
"I know what you mean, except when I was your age my life stopped after the first word," Rory says. Loren grins.
"Luce," Loren says to her friend, motioning to her. Lucy looks over at Lorelai who nods. Lucy stands and follows Loren into the back.
"They've become fast friends," Rory observes. Lorelai nods.
"I'm not sure how I feel about that," Lorelai says. "You know, my daughter, his daughter." Nicolas sighs.
"Give it up, Mom. He doesn't annoy you as much as you claim," Nicolas claims. Lorelai raises an eyebrow at him and glances at Rory, who shrugs.
"Kid's got a point," Rory says. Lorelai sighs, rolling her eyes.
"Okay, everyone, just back off," Lorelai snaps. Rory raises an eyebrow. "What!" Rory shakes her head, smiling to herself.
"Nothing, this just seems all so familiar," Rory comments. Lorelai purses her lips looking back over at Luke.
I will date who I like and if that screws with your plans, then sorry. And if you don't wanna hear things then don't listen.
But…
If you don't listen, you can just deal with it.
Okay, I'll deal with it.
Good.
I just thought if something was going to affect our friendship in some way that you might care about that, because if this situation was reversed then I would care. But hey, that's me. And so… go ahead date her, marry her, make her Mrs. Backwards Baseball Cap, live happily ever after, see if I care.
And by the way, I wasn't asking her out. I was giving her directions for the quickest way back to Hartford. It was very romantic. I said you take a right at Deerfield and you catch the I-5 and you take it south. Oh man, hot stuff.
That is so typical of you.
What?
That is not the quickest way back to Hartford. Everyone knows that you take Main to Cherry to Lynwood and the grab the I-11. Everybody knows that Luke. Everybody, apparently, but you!
As she remembers her frustrations at the time, Lorelai watches Luke, just observing him going through his usual motions of the day. He glances up at her and Lorelai glances quickly away, trying to hide her face in her hair. Rory notices this interaction.
"Mom, you need to talk to him," Rory says softly. Lorelai shakes her head violently.
"No, not now. This is your weekend. And that's what we're concentrating on. Both of us. Two days straight, just us," Lorelai states, as if trying to convince herself. Rory nods, letting it go.