Note: OK, ok, it seems like some of you are pretty anxious about Luke & Lorelai. This chapter will also go back their struggle, but the outcome may not be what you would have liked. Just hang in there for a while.
Hope floats
Chapter 5:
Stars Hollow
Lorelai was nervous. She didn't know what to wear. She was standing in front of her bedroom mirror looking at herself. This wasn't like her at all. She always knew what to wear. She was the queen of matching up different clothes into the cutest outfits. But today was different. Today she was meeting Luke and her financial adviser for their monthly meeting to give an update on the Dragonfly. Today she was going to talk to Luke. She had to look her best. She wanted to look professional and sexy! "Well this will have to do the trick" she told herself, while looking the mirror.
On her way to the Inn, she couldn't help her for her stomach to do side flips. She hadn't been able to eat since the moment she woke up. She wasn't sure if she should blame it on the baby or on the meeting she was about to have. After the meeting I really have to get me some food, she thought, remembering her promise to Rory. I have to take better care of myself.
When she walked into the dining room of the Inn, she could already see the two of them sitting talking and laughing. She watched them for a moment and felt her stomach doing those side flips again. Well, she better get this over with as soon as possible.
"Hi Natalie, hi Luke. I hope I didn't make you guys wait to long." She said plastering a big smile on her face.
She joints them at the table and pours herself a cup of coffee. Hoping her action would create a reaction from Luke, which it didn't. He just sit there staring at his hands.
"Hello Lorelai! No, not at all, we just arrived her a minute before you did. How are you doing? You look a little bit pale. Your not getting sick are you? I know you love this Inn, but I heard from Sookie you are working way too hard." Natalie says with a worried look on her face.
At hearing this, Luke also looks up at her with a worried frown.
"Oh no. That's just Sookie, always worrying to much. I'm fine, really! It has just been a bit hectic lately, but the Inn is doing really great at the moment." Lorelai says, while waving away their concerns.
"Well, that's what we are here for. Shall we take a look at the figures?"
Natalie went through all the figures and numbers, while occasionally asking a question to Lorelai. Lorelai answered all the questions and tried to sneak a peep at Luke in between. Luke noticed Lorelai looking, but kept his attention to Natalie the whole time. After half an hour, Natalie gathered all the papers and smiled at Lorelai.
"Everything is going very well for the Dragonfly Inn. This doesn't mean you out of the woods yet, but I think you can make a start with paying back your investors." She smiled, while turning to Luke.
"No, that's not necessary!" He looks startled. "She doesn't have to pay me back right now. She can pay me back later, when the business allows for it."
Lorelai looks hurt by his comment, but doesn't say anything.
"Well Luke, it seems like the Dragonfly is doing well enough to allow for it. And it is better for her and Sookie to start as soon as possible". She looks at her watch and puts all the papers in her bag. "I really have to get to another meeting. You can arrange for the payments among yourself, ok? Just fill me in on the details later. Bye you two! See you next month." She says, while walking out the room.
Luke looks at Lorelai. "You don't have to pay me back, right away. You can pay me back, when you're financially more stable."
He makes a move to stand up, but Lorelai quickly places her hand on top of his hand.
"Can we talk, Luke?" Luke just looks at their hands. "You know that everything that was said at the wedding wasn't true. I really want to be with you and not with Christopher." She looks at him with pleading eyes, but sees the anger that starts to grow in his eyes. He pulls out his hand from under hers and looks at her. "I cannot do this, Lorelai. I cannot be in a relationship with you. It is too hard! Maybe it is better if we take some distance from each other." With that he takes off, leaving a crushed Lorelai behind.
xxx
Yale
Paris had been in the library the most of the day. Not that she had studied much, because her mind was to preoccupied with Jess and THE KISS. How could she have done it? The more she thought about it, the more convinced she was that he wasn't interested at all. Oh, how was she to face him again? And she knew she had to face him, because he would be staying for a couple of days. She would just act like it was nothing special and play dumb.
When she entered her front door, she immediately noticed Jess sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper. She storms up to him and crosses her arms in front of her chest and just glares at him.
Jess looks up at her and a smile appears on his face. He had been apartment hunting, but got depressed when he noticed the prices they were asking for them. Maybe his day was turning for the better, he thought while looking up at Paris.
"You get that smirk of your face" Paris spat at him. "Just because I kissed you last night, doesn't mean you get to laugh at me. So I kissed you! Big deal! That happens more often when I drink too much. It doesn't mean anything."
Jess feels hurt, but covers up his face so Paris doesn't notice. "Well, sorry to disappoint you Paris, but I didn't think it meant anything either." He glares back at her.
"Fine."
"Fine."
After which Paris turns around and storms into her bedroom, leaving a very annoyed Jess behind.
"And the day just keeps getting better and better." Jess mutters to himself, while leaving the apartment.
xxx
Rory had been shopping most of the day. She wanted to buy something nice to wear for her date with Logan tonight and after two hours succeeded in her quest. She had found a lovely black dress, which she could use for different occasions, depending on the accessories combined with it. She snickered. Wow, her mom really had taught her well. She also had decided on buying some new underwear. Not to fancy, but just a bit more daring than the cotton underwear she was normally wearing. Not that he was getting lucky tonight, but she just liked to be prepared in case he was. Since she met Logan, she had been experimenting with many more things than she ever had done before.
When Rory gets home she finds Paris in front of the television, eating out of a bucket of Ben & Jerry.
"Hi Paris. Where's Jess?"
"Who knows, who cares!" Paris says with a mouth full of icecream.
"I thought you guys were hitting it off yesterday?"
"Well you thought wrong." Paris says and turns up the volume of the tv.
Rory just shrug's her shoulders and goes into her bedroom, where she throws all the bags on the bed. She is not gonna let those two ruin her perfect mood. She drops down on her bed and starts thinking about tonight's date with Logan. While her mind wanders away, she gets disrupted by her cell phone. She gets it out of her purse and reads 'Coffee Queen' in the display.
"Hi mom!"
"Hi sweetie! You sound happy. What have you been up to?"
Rory starts to smile and tells her everything that has happened. She tells her about the party, about their plan, about Paris and Jess's kiss and about Logan dropping by this morning all jealous, while Jess was walking around in a towel. She also told her about the date with Logan tonight and her shopping victory. While telling her story she notices that Lorelai isn't quite being her normal self. Normally Lorelai would have interrupted her after every half a sentence, but now she only had interrupted her when she heard about Paris and Jess's kiss.
"What's up, mom! You sound depressed. Did you talk to Luke today?"
After this Lorelai tells her everything about her meeting this morning and Luke's reaction.
"O, I'm sorry mom. Maybe he just needs a little bit of time."
"Well, that's just what I'm gonna give him. Time." Lorelai sighs. " Listen hon, I really have to go. I've got a meeting with your granddad and a friend of his, who is interested in the Inn. But I talk to you later, ok?"
"That's ok mom. Fill me in later, ok? Bye mom!"
"Bye love!"
A/N: Review please! Does anyone have some pointers for the rest of the story?
