"Hey, heading out," Lorelai called to Trish as she left the office.
"Okay Lorelai. See ya tomorrow," the hotel manager answered, her eyes briefly glancing up over her laptop. Lorelai Gilmore had been a godsend to her hotel; within a week, she had brought a particular charm and ambiance to the place. It simply amazed her how thoroughly Lorelai threw herself into the job, almost as if it was the only thing in her life. She definitely was a hard worker.
She also was quite good-looking; Trish had noticed that she garnered quite a bit of both male and female attention. She also noticed that she repeatedly refused all requests to socialize--and she seemed to receive quite a few. She was, after all, a particularly beautiful woman, no doubt about it, and obviously talented and intelligent, but apparently untouchable. Trish returned to her work; as much as she wished that she had a professional equal that she could also dish some girl talk with, it was refreshing to have a colleague who worked so hard and was so dedicated.
----
Lorelai unlocked her hotel suite door, and kicking the door shut, carried three grocery bags over to the kitchenette. For a minute, she stood there, staring at the bags, and then started to unpack. Grocery shopping: definitely an alien activity for her. It was something that Luke always used to do. She rummaged through one bag and pulled out some frozen dinners and the makings for copious amounts of martinis.
After haphazardly putting the remaining groceries away, she fixed herself a pitcher of martinis and went into her bedroom, where she, the martinis, and a box of Twinkies spent the evening with the television.
Bracing herself for the night, the martinis soon helped her slip into oblivion.
For the worst part of the day was coming: night. The part she couldn't control, where her thoughts ran rampant in her dreams.
Thoughts of Luke.
-----
Anna rummaged through the cash register drawer, sorting all the cash into the correct slots, closing out the register. Placing all the cash into an envelope, she took it and carried it with her back to the kitchen, where she placed it into a carefully-concealed wall safe ensconced in a cabinet. Setting it down on the counter, she retrieved a pot to boil the pasta in. The fixings for lasagna were ever-present in her home; she was, after all, a Nardini.
She had just put the lasagna in the oven when the doorbell rang. Setting the timer quickly, she took off her apron, and headed towards the door.
"Hi, Luke," she said with a smile as her former lover, standing in the doorway, nodded a greeting in return. She'd noticed that he was still physically standoffish; perhaps one day he'd graduate to a kiss on the cheek…
"Hello, Anna. You're looking good." He handed her a bottle, which she glanced at. Organic grape juice.
"Thanks. And this is…"
"April's idea. She was debating the merits of different brands of juice."
"Well come on in. Why are you still outside? You look good too." She moved back and he stepped past her and into the house. Then he turned around to look at her.
Anna did look good, though not as good as Lorelai, he thought. She'd gained a little weight over the years, which suited her well.
The aroma of lasagna--vegetarian, of course--reached him. "So when did you learn to cook?" he asked.
"Being a mom, you know, you kind of have to…"
No, you don't, he thought, remembering the state of Lorelai and Rory's refrigerator throughout the years.
"When she was little, April always wanted to have…"
"Anna…." It was a warning. The topic of April's earlier years was still a bone of contention between the two.
Luke thought about pushing it, but stopped himself. With Lorelai, he wouldn't have stopped, but that was yesterday and this was today. "So, what's for dinner?"
"Lasagna. It should be ready in about a half hour. Would you like something to drink?"
"Sure."
"April! Luke's here." She shouted up in the general direction of Anna's room, while Luke took his jacket off, and headed for the family room. A few minutes later, April entered, carrying a beer for him, and a few choice words about the effects of alcohol consumption on the brain.
Anna laughed, leaning over to whisper at Luke: "It's great that you've been spending so much time with April. It's a critical time in her life, you know."
Dinner, to Luke's surprise, was a comfortable affair, considering that it was the very first time the three of them were having dinner together at the Nardini home. Just like a family, he thought. The conversation flowed easily: each of them telling the other what was happening in their lives. Luke focused on the goings-on at the diner, since he knew that would interest April the most, especially since she now knew just about everyone in Stars Hollow.
Everyone except Lorelai, he silently added.
After dinner, they moved back into the living room and the conversation broadened to include homework. April's grades were spectacular; she was doing quite well, and Luke regretted that he couldn't discuss whether April and Chilton might be a good fit with Lorelai. The conversation moved on to a recap of the competition in Newark, and then went on to the next level of competition. It was scheduled for New Orleans, but the organizers were currently looking for a new venue.
Eventually, the conversation slowed, the evening wore on, and it was time for April to finish her homework and head for bed. She hugged Luke goodnight, and to his surprise, gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Tickles, Luke," she giggled, "Which really doesn't make sense, you know. Beards are supposed to be like bristles, not ticklish."
"I remember that stubble of yours well," Anna murmured as she walked Luke to the door. "Good-night Luke," she added, sending him off with a fond squeeze on the arm.
Luke returned to the diner, relieved Lane, and soon closed up shop and went upstairs. Slowly, he climbed the stairs and prepared for bed. The worst part of the day would soon be upon him: night. Night was the one part of the day that he couldn't control, where thoughts of her ran rampant in his dreams.
Lorelai.
-----
Each morning in the Rockies began the same way. Lorelai woke up at seven, despite the fact that her alarm clock was turned off. Her body had adjusted to rising at that hour, and usually she was awake before the alarm went off, having no purpose for staying in bed. She'd go into the kitchen and make instant coffee. After her coffee, she headed to the bathroom for a quick shower returning for a quick pop-tart breakfast.
After she finished another cup of coffee (oh how she missed Luke's special blend!), she dressed and went on to work. She took the same route to work each day, and welcomed the sight of the quaint Austro-Bavarian-themed hotel. If she closed her ears to the sounds around her, she could easily imagine being on the set of the 'Sound of Music'.
Entering the hotel, she was greeted by Trish. Just like Lorelai, Trish was a hard and dedicated worker.
"So, have you heard the news?"
Lorelai shook her head. "No. Do tell!"
Lorelai tried to muster some enthusiasm considering the (for her) early hour, trying to put real effort into her talk and actions.
"The National Math Olympics Finals will be held here…at our hotel!"
"Wow. A hotel full of geeks…"
"Geeks with money," Trish supplied, "or rather, their parents. This convention was originally scheduled for New Orleans, but due to the hurricane damage…"
"Gotcha," Lorelai replied, "their loss, our gain."
"And they're arriving on Monday! I'm so glad we're not into ski season. Did I ever tell you about the time that we..." And Trish told Lorelai a story about the antics during a previously hosted competition. "And they had to duct-tape all the doors shut at nine PM," she elaborated, "which totally destroyed the finish on the doors."
"Well time to tackle the day's to-do list," Lorelai softly suggested. Trish nodded, and stood up, ready to head to her own desk. With a heavy sigh motion, Lorelai went to her desk and collapsed into the chair, facing another day.
------
On Monday afternoon, Lorelai was at her desk, eating her traditional frozen meal for lunch, barely microwaved, when the bell at the reception desk rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Where was that crazy receptionist?
She put down her fork and aluminum tray, and headed for the door.
She opened it to find Luke standing on the other side of the reception desk.
-----
Lorelai's first impulse was to hug him and never let him go. Her second was to pass out. Her third was to call Rory and ask her if Logan had enough money to buy some sort of Star Trek device to beam her away.
In the end, she didn't do any of those things. Instead, she reached out over the desk, as if to touch Luke's arm, then abruptly turned around and ran back into her office.
Grabbing her cell phone and dialing quickly, she paced as it started to ring. Just as she was about to hang up and try Rory's cell, Sookie picked up. "Hello?"
Lorelai answered, "Hon, it's me. Listen, I need you to do me a favor, and please don't ask why. Call Luke's. See if he's in Stars Hollow."
Sookie must have heard the urgency in her voice, because she didn't protest. Instead, she replied, "Sure Hon. Random, but can do. Are you OK? Where are you?"
"I'm OK. Just text me back and let me know. Thanks Sook." She hung up.
Lorelai closed her eyes and leaned forward onto her desk. Within seconds, Sookie texted her that Luke was out of town with April. After giving herself a couple of minutes to regain her composure, she headed back out to the reception area.
Luke hadn't moved. In fact, he was still staring at the same spot that he had been staring at when she left. Lorelai walked around in front of the reception desk, stopped a few feet from him, and then took a few moments to look at the man that she had fled across an entire continent from.
He was so handsome, but looked so worried. There was definitely a new sprinkling of grey in his beard stubble. Clutched in his hand was a small duffel bag, and the oh-so-familiar black and red bag that Anna had given him was on the floor next to him. All in all, he didn't look good. He looked rundown and weary.
"Lorelai," Luke whispered. "What…are you…doing here?"
Lorelai and Luke literally circled each other, before she leaned against the desk. "I was just going to ask you the same thing. What are you doing here?"
"April's math team…"
"Ah. Where is April?"
"Fast food run with the other chaperones."
Luke gazed at her. His look was so intense that it almost frightened her. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't used it for a long time. "Why, why did you do it, Lorelai? Why did you do it?"
"Do what?" she whispered, now just as hoarse as he was.
"Leave me. Leave Stars Hollow." Luke's eyes flashed in anger but his voice was eerily calm. "I loved you and you ran."
Lorelai let out her breath softly as she realized what he was saying. Loved her. Past tense. What had she done?
And she still loved him.
Standing up slowly, Lorelai asked, "You loved me?" She placed particular emphasis on the past tense of the verb.
Luke nodded. "Lorelai, I don't know what happened, but I still…" He left the sentence hanging.
Turning, Lorelai started to move away again.
Suddenly, Luke stated, "Oh god, Lorelai, don't leave. Please don't." He launched forward towards her, now face-to-face in front of her. "Please don't go."
Lorelai felt all her resolve leave her, and as she leaned forward, relief palpably flooded Luke's face. Lorelai reached out and brushed his cheek, and, at her touch, he threw his arms around her and held her close. She closed her eyes and held him just as tightly.
"Hey Dad? Are we checked in?"
April.
Luke and Lorelai jumped apart.
TBC...