Kiss with Open Eyes
Chapter 8: The Elevator Only Goes Up to Ten
Disclaimer: You know it's not mine.
Summary:Stars Hollow was a lovely town, everything about it fascinated her. Especially the man in the backwards baseball cap, standing behind the counter at Luke's diner. She wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it was definitely something.
A/N: I rewrote this chapter like 10 times... Actually, only twice, but whatever. I hope you like it! Please review!
Her hands shook as she took her keys out of the ignition. She was home way too soon. It was a funny thing, but she couldn't even remember the ride home. It went by much too fast. Maybe she was still drunk? No. She had walked in a straight line all the way to Sookie's house, right? She was fine.
She picked up her purse from the passenger seat, and got out of her car. She sighed, when she looked up at the house in front of her. She quickly looked down at the ground, and began walking up the stone path. She examined the grass, the perfectly mowed, perfect shade of green, grass. Christopher always insisted on hiring people to do their grass. He always insisted it be perfect. It wasn't something most people knew about Chris, but he was definitely anal when it came to the grass. He probably got it from his father. He used to hire people to vacuum his lawn, at least Chris wasn't like that.
She sighed again, as she walked up the steps to her front door. It was already bright outside. She froze for a moment, before unlocking the front door. She wondered if Rory was still home. Maybe she should wait until school had started. She glanced down at her watch. School was starting in 20 minutes. Maybe she had already left?
She knew Rory was probably worried about her. She half expected two hundred police cars to be lined up and down the street, but maybe Rory had fallen asleep. She knew she had probably called, probably more than once. But, when Lorelai found her purse with Sookie, her phone was already dead. Probably because Rory had called so many times, and killed the battery.
She knew she had to get home to Rory.
And now, here she was. She was home for Rory. But, now it didn't seem like such a good idea. She didn't want to face Rory yet. She didn't want to lie to her, but of course she'd have to.
She almost turned around, got back in the car, and drove off.
Almost.
Damn Rory's good hearing.
Before she even had the chance to turn around, and run away, the front door swung open.
"Mom?" Rory said, when she saw her pale mother standing in front of her.
"Hi." Lorelai said, the sound of her voice sounded so far away, so weird, so different, and so, so scared.
"Where have you been?" Rory asked.
"Well, I went to the Firelight Festival." Lorelai started. Why hadn't she come up with a lie on the way home?
"Come inside." Rory said, allowing Lorelai to go inside the house. It wasn't cold outside, but Lorelai was shaking a lot.
"Thanks." Lorelai said, softly as she passed her daughter.
Lorelai went straight for the coffee and poured herself some. She took a sip, and it made her head feel a little better. She hadn't even realized just how much her head was hurting, until that moment.
"What happened, Mom?" Rory asked.
"I- um." Lorelai began, but took another sip of coffee, to give herself more time to come up with a suitable and believable lie.
"Yeah?" Rory asked.
"Well, I went to the festival… and well I had some Founder's Day Punch… maybe a little too much." Lorelai began. "And then Sookie told me not to drive home, so I went to her house." Lorelai said. Good, good, that's believable… and it's half true, right?
"I guess I feel asleep on the couch." Lorelai shrugged. "I know I should have called, but I just fell asleep, and my cell phone died… I'm sorry." She said. Wow this was major deja-vu. She felt like she was 15 again, making stupid excuses for why she wasn't in her bed at 2 AM, when Emily came in her room.
Rory nodded. She had this weird feeling that there was much more to the story than Lorelai was telling her, but she decided to let it go, and believe her mother's story. After all, she did look like she had a horrible hangover.
"There's macaroni and cheese in the closet." Rory said.
Lorelai looked up at her daughter, and smiled. Thank God she believed her. "Hang over food." Lorelai stated, trying her best to look happy, and not so completely miserable.
"I'd make it for you, but Madeline is picking me up in a bit… I called her for a ride since you weren't home. I have to work on the Franklin. I should be home around 5." Rory explained.
Lorelai nodded. "I'm gonna change." She said, as she walked into her room.
She closed the door tightly, and fell down on her bed. She buried her face in the pillows, and shut her eyes, as if she never wanted to open them again.
"Mom, I'm leaving." Rory said, through the door.
"Bye." Lorelai said.
"Bye." She heard Rory say, before the door slammed shut, and she heard a car pull out of the driveway.
She lied in her bed, not moving for a few minutes, but eventually got up. She sat up and looked around the empty bedroom.
She couldn't remember a lot from last night, but there were a few moment she recalled, and she was sure she'd remember more as the day went on. That's how it always worked, although she wasn't sure she really wanted to remember.
She sighed, and got out of bed. She needed a bath. A nice, long bath. Maybe she could wash away some of this feeling.
She sighed, as she wrapped her robe tightly around her wet body. She stood in front of the mirror, and wiped away some of the fog with her arm. She looked at herself, and sighed again.
She looked strange. Maybe it was just the hang over. Or maybe she just looked guilty. She wondered if anyone would be able to tell. Rory couldn't, but it was Rory, and she always believed the best in people.
She wondered if she looked like she had just had sex last night. She wondered if Chris would be able to tell.
God, how could she have done this? She cheated on her husband. She cheated on Chris… with Luke. She had sex with Luke. She worried Rory. She cheated on Chris. She was a cheater. She had an affair. Did that count as an affair? She made a mental note to look it up the word later.
Now she'd never be able to go to the diner ever again. She'd never be able to set foot in Stars Hollow. Great, she still had that fundraiser next week. Maybe she wouldn't see Luke. Fuck. She asked him to bring coffee to the Inn. Maybe he wouldn't show up. Maybe he'd know how awkward it'd be. Maybe he'd just know. Hopefully he would know.
She opened the medicine cabinet to get some of that really great smelling body cream, but froze when she saw what was on her finger. It wasn't the same band-aid she had on before.
"How's your finger?" Luke asked gently touching the finger with the band-aid on it, as they lied in bed together.
"It'd be better if it wasn't wearing such an ugly band-aid." Lorelai slurred back, laughing at herself.
"I'll go to Doose's and get Big Bird one's tomorrow." He said.
Lorelai looked over at the clock. "It is tomorrow, silly." She said.
"It's way past Taylor's bed time." He said.
"It's 1:30." Lorelai stated.
Luke nodded.
"Do you think Taylor has security cameras?" Lorelai asked.
"It's a small town, nobody needs security cameras." Luke said.
Lorelai nodded, and then jumped out of bed.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"To get myself a pretty band-aid, you coming?" She asked, slipping her clothes back on.
Luke shrugged, and got out of bed. He went around the room, collecting his clothing, and then put it on.
"Hurry up, you're slow." She said anxiously.
"Keep your pants on." He slurred, as he struggled putting his sock on.
"That's not what you said before." She winked. "Ooo, pretty." She said, reaching for the booze, and then taking a swig. "Want some?" She asked
He grabbed the bottle, and took a big sip. Then, he followed her out of his apartment.
"It's locked." Lorelai pouted.
"Did you think it'd just be unlocked? C'mon, it's Taylor." Luke said, closing his eyes, and running his finger through his hair.
"Hmm… Oh!" She said, pulling her keys out of her purse.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"It's my gym card… C'mon, it's in every movie." She said, taking the card and unlocking the door. "Oh my God! Oh my God! It worked, Luke! It worked!" She said.
"Shhhhhh…" She said, putting his fingers against his lips.
"That last sip starting to kick in?" She laughed, starting to feel it, too.
"Mhm." He said, nodding, his eyes still closed.
"C'mon." She said, taking his hand and stumbling into Doose's. "Where are the band-aids?"
"Over there." He pointed.
"OK, OK… Hmm… does this say glow in the dark?" She asked, squinting and trying to see clear. Man, that stuff was strong.
"I don't know. Why didn't we bring a flashlight?" He asked.
"OK, OK, how about these?" She asked. "That's yellow, right? Big Bird is yellow."
"Kay." He said.
"Let's go." She said.
"Relax, everyone is sound asleep." He said, taking the box from her, and opening it.
"What are you doing?" She asked.
He unwrapped the band-aid, and then took off the one she already had on. He wrapped the new band-aid around her finger. She watched as he brought her finger to his lips and kissed it.
"Mmm, much better." She smiled.
Lorelai touched the band-aid, and fell to the bathroom floor. It wasn't even Big Bird. It had ducks on it, not Big Bird. That's practically the opposite.
She sighed, and dragged herself off the bathroom floor. She opened the bathroom door, and goose bumps ran up her body, as she stepped into the cold bedroom.
She got dressed quickly, trying to get warm again. She pulled a sweater over her head, and then hung her towel up in the closet.
She went back into the hall, and then into the kitchen, where she headed straight for the coffee maker. She poured herself a very large cup of coffee, and then sat down on the couch.
She took a very large sip, not even caring that the coffee was burning her tongue. It was nowhere near as good as Luke's. Too bad she'd never get to have it again. She's so stupid sometimes. She should have asked Luke how he made it. He probably wouldn't have told her anyway, but why hadn't she asked.
Because she didn't just go to Luke's for the coffee.
No, she didn't just think that. Of course, it was just for the coffee. What else would she go there for? She almost hit herself on the head for being so stupid, but decided against it since her head was still killing her.
She needed some macaroni and cheese.
She got up and went back into the kitchen, setting her coffee cup down, and getting a pot from the drawer below the oven. She tried her best not to hit the pots against each other, because she knew that would be very bad for her headache.
She filled it up with water. She must have filled it up too much, because as she walked over to the stove, some spilled and made a puddle on the floor. She put the pot on the stove, turned it on, and then went to go clean up the mess she made. She grabbed some paper towels, and bent over to wipe it up. She looked down at the puddle, and saw her own reflection in it.
Lorelai laughed as she looked down in the water. "What is this called again?" She asked.
"Larson's dock." He said, lifting up his Zima and taking a sip.
"Christopher's parents used to have a driver named Lars. One time we thought he was a Russian spy. Long story, but it turned out, he wasn't. He was Irish." Lorelai explained.
"You get talkative when your drunk, don't you?" He asked.
"So do you! You just talked about Repunzel for 20 minutes!" She laughed, taking a sip of her Zima.
"I did?" He asked.
"Yes! Right after we stole the Zima."
"Oh yeah." Luke nodded, then looked down at his Zima. "I can't believe I'm drinking chick beer."
"I won't tell." She said.
"You better not." He said.
She laughed, and took another sip.
"But really, it's so unrealistic. Her freaking hair would fall out, if the prince actually climbed up it." Luke said.
"Here we go again."
Luke laughed, finished off his Zima, and then grabbed another one from the box they stole from Doose's.
"I think Taylor was using it for a stepping stool or something." Luke said.
"Yeah, this is a very big dent." She said, pointing to it.
"Yeah." Luke agreed. "Want one?"
"Yes please!" She said.
He laughed, and handed her one. Then they both stared down into the water.
"I can see us." She said.
"What?"
"In the water, dummy. Our reflections." She said.
"Yeah."
"Don't we make a pretty couple?" She asked, leaning against his shoulder, and scooting closer to her.
"Yep."
Lorelai wiped up the rest of the water, and threw the paper towel in the trash. She went over to the counter and picked up the box of macaroni. Fairly Odd Parents. Oh boy, she thought sarcastically.
She tore open the box, and poured the macaroni into a measuring cup. There was still half the box left, she sighed and poured the rest in.
By that time, the water was finally boiling, and she poured the macaroni in, and turned the temperature down a little bit.
She turned around, and her glanced fell to the kitchen table, where a game of solitaire was set up. Rory was probably playing it, when she waited for her. It was only half done.
Lorelai walked over to the kitchen table, and sat in the chair, and began finishing the game. She picked up the King of clubs, and stared at it for a moment.
"Hey, you wanna play again?" She asked seductively, holding up the King of Clubs.
"Strip poker?" He asked.
"Oh yeah." She said.
He walked over to her, and wrapped his arms around her. "Can't we just skip the poker, and strip now?" He asked, leaning in and kissing her.
Once they pulled away, she leaned her forehead against his. "I guess we could do that." She said, grinning.
They stumbled over to the bed, and finally collapsed on it.
"What time is it?" She asked, as he kissed her neck.
"Don't know." He said.
She glanced over at the clock, while running her fingers through his hair. Her vision was blurry, and she couldn't see the numbers on the clock.
"I feel like I should be somewhere." She mumbled.
"What?"
"Eh, nothing."
Lorelai threw the card down on the table, and walked back to her macaroni. She stirred it for a few seconds, and then put the cover back on. She walked around the house, aimlessly, trying to pass the time, and forget about everything that happened last night.
She walked back into her room, and turned the radio on softly, so she could have something to distract her thoughts.
"Hey Kirk, anything else?" Luke asked.
"No thanks Luke." Kirk said.
"Alright." Luke said, beginning to turn around.
"Hey, Luke?" Kirk asked.
"What Kirk?"
"Wanna play the Random Word Game?"
"What?"
"The Random Word Game."
"No." Luke said, starting to turn around.
"Please?" Kirk begged.
"No." Luke said, turning around and beginning to pour coffee for his customers. God, it was so loud in there today, and he had a headache. It wasn't too bad, but it was something. He returned to the counter, and began running through some receipts.
"Pony." Kirk said.
"Kirk." Luke growled.
"Penguin." Kirk said.
Luke rolled his eyes, and chose to ignore him.
"Honey ham." Kirk said. "Parakeet… C'mon Luke, jump in anytime." Kirk said.
"I'm not jumping in, Kirk. I'm not playing." Luke grunted.
"Toe nail." Kirk said.
"Hey Luke?" Kirk asked.
"Kirk." Luke growled again, giving him an evil glare.
"You have something on your neck."
"Sleepy." She said, scooting closer to him.
"Go to sleep." He told her.
"OK." She answered.
He kissed the top of her forehead, and she opened her eyes.
"I don't like going to sleep drunk." She said.
"Why not?"
"Cuz I always wake up feeling like I'm still drunk."
"What?"
"I don't know, I just do." She shrugged.
"Kay… What do you want to do?"
"Can I paint your nails?" She aksed.
"Nope." He answered.
"Pretty please?"
"Nope."
"But you're drunk!"
"I don't like pink." He pouted.
"Yellow? It's the color of Big Bird!" She giggled.
"Big Bird is cool." He pouted.
"Yes, very, very cool." She nodded. "I just didn't know you were the Sesame Street type."
"I'm not. I just like birds." He said.
"Birds are nice." She replied.
"Yep." He nodded.
"Hey, look." She said, pointing to the spot on his neck.
"What?" He asked.
"It's shaped like a heart."
"What is?"
"The hickey I gave you." She told him proudly.
"Hickey?" He asked.
"Yeah." She said.
"Great, Miss Pattie is going to love that." He said. "I'll never ever hear the end of it." He slurred.
"It's shaped like a heart." She repeated, tracing it with her finger. "That has to be a sign."
Before he knew it, he was behind the curtain, up the stairs, and inside his apartment. He was standing in the bathroom, in front of the mirror, staring at the spot on his neck.
It wasn't even really heart-shaped. It sort of was, but it was more, apple shaped than heart shaped. He sighed, and touched the spot, examining it in the mirror.
He prayed that no one would notice. But, if Kirk noticed, than everyone else probably would, too.
But what would he say? He wouldn't say anything. Right.
He touched the spot again, stared at himself in the mirror, and wondered what she was doing.
Lorelai stood up, and went back to the kitchen. The noodles were finally done. She reached and got one of those strainer thingies, and then poured the noodles into it.
She went into the fridge and got the milk and butter. She put the required amount of each inside the pot, and the poured that fake cheese stuff in it, too. She went back to the sink and got the noodles, and then put them in the pot, too.
She tried not to think about it, as she stirred the mixture together, but she couldn't help it.
It had been really, really good. Incredible, even. It was nothing like sex with Christopher. All she could recall from that night, was how great he made her feel, the way he touched her, and the way he kissed her. It had all been great.
At least she had that going for her. At least she had ruined her marriage and her friendship over really good sex, and not horrible sex.
She wanted to smack herself for thinking like that, but she couldn't. Her head hurt too much.
She poured the macaroni and cheese into a really, really big bowl, and settled down on the couch to eat it.
She didn't want to think about any of this. She didn't want to think about Chris, or Rory, or even Luke. But, she couldn't think about anything else.
Should she tell Christopher? Even after all that talk about trying again. Should she break his heart and tell him she cheated on him?
No. She couldn't do that. She couldn't hurt him like that. Even after everything that happened between the two of them, she still cared about him, a lot, and she couldn't do that.
And she definitely couldn't do that to Rory. She'd hate her. She'd never talk to her again. She'd go and live with Christopher, or she'd go to college far away and lose contact with her. She'd never meet her grandchildren. She'd never see Rory graduate, or get married.
She couldn't tell Chris.
She would hurt everyone around her. She'd hurt everyone, and most importantly Rory.
No, she couldn't tell Chris.
Should she talk to Luke? Should she ask him to keep it a secret? Should she tell him to just forget it ever happened, and to forget about her? Should she tell him that it meant nothing?
No. She couldn't do that.
Because, maybe it did mean something.
Damn, she needed to go for a walk.
She got home around 4:00, and was about to take a very long nap, when the front door opened.
"Honey, I'm home!"
No, it couldn't be. He wasn't supposed to be home until Tuesday.
"Chris?" She called.
"Yes?" He asked, in a very cheery voice. He walked into the kitchen, with a smile on his face, and it made her want to throw up. The guilt was definitely coming back. He just looked so happy.
"What are you doing here?" She asked.
"What? Not happy to see me?" He asked. She winced, after he said that. She remembered saying it to Luke the night before. Why did every single freaking thing have to remind her about Luke?
"You weren't supposed to be home until Tuesday." She said.
"I know, but I came home early… Wanted to surprise my girls." He smiled. Then, he looked around the house. "Where's my other girl?"
"Franklin. Paris is going crazy." Lorelai answered.
"Again?" He asked.
"Yup." She answered.
"You're beautiful." He told her, bringing his hand to her cheek.
She tried her hardest not to cringe again. Luke had said that to her last night. She remembered it pretty clearly.
"Then, kiss me." She said, just as she had the night before.
He leaned in and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck, and kissed him as hard as she could. She wanted to convince herself that she loved Chris, that she felt nothing at all for Luke, that last night was just a stupid, drunken hook up, that it had meant nothing, and that she was happy with Chris.
And as she kissed him, all she knew was that none of those things were true.
So, how'd you guys like that new eppy? I loved it. I'm so glad that we have our Lorelai/Rory scenes back. The L/L scenes were better, too.
Anyways, here's a preview for next chapter.
The Stain that won't Come off the Sheets: The DAR is having their function at the Dragonfly. Lorelai can't stop thinking about Luke, and takes a little trip to the local diner.
Please, please, please review!