Chapter Eight

Rory took a couple more sips from her coffee and a couple more bites of the donut, then followed Luke upstairs.

As she climbed the stairs she was trying to remember the last time she went up there. It had to have been three or four years ago, with Jess.

When she got to the door, she hesitated. Should she knock and wait for an answer? Knock and then go in, or just go in with no warning?

Rory tapped gently on the glass part of the door. "Luke?"

There was no answer. Maybe he was in the bathroom, or asleep.

She knocked again, a little harder. "Luke? Can I come in?"

Still no answer. So taking a deep breath, Rory open the door and went in. Luke was sitting at the kitchen table, a glass of orange juice in front of him. She walked over to him but he was staring into space.

"Luke, can I tell you something?" she asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

Rory smiled a little, then sat down in the chair opposite Luke.

"I hate to admit this, but I'm a little bit jealous – of April."

Luke looked at her but didn't answer.

"I know she's your daughter, and I know you want a relationship with her, which I totally understand, you should. But I was here first. And since you met April, you don't seem to – love me, us, Mom and me, like you used to. And maybe that's why you don't want to get married. Maybe you just want April to be your family."

"No, Rory, no! You're wrong. I DO love you, both of you, and I DO want us to be a family, but I have to figure out how everybody is going to fit into everybody else's life."

"I understand that, but you don't do it by shutting us out. You hurt Mom, a lot, not letting her be in that part of your life. And it made us feel left out."

"Rory, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to happen like that, but I guess it doesn't matter one way or the other now."

"Yes it does, Luke. It still matters. It matters to me and it matters to Mom. She loves you Luke, don't you know that?"

"She sure has a funny way of showing it."

Suddenly he stopped. He didn't know if Rory knew what Lorelai had done, and didn't want to be the one to tell her. And he didn't want to say it out loud, he didn't even want to think about it.

"You hurt her Luke, when you turned her down. And I guess she had no one else to turn to; no one else to talk to."

"You know she went to your dad's?"

"Yes, I know. But Luke,YOU have to know, she didn't do it to hurt you, or to get back at you. It didn't mean anything. It was a bad night, she was feeling unloved and unwanted, and it just happened."

"You seem to know an awful lot about it."

"Mom and I talked about it. And now you and Mom need to talk."

Luke downed the rest of the orange juice and stood up.

"I've got to get back downstairs. And you need to go see Lane."

Without another word, Luke walked out of the apartment and left Rory sitting at the table.

Rory sat for a few more seconds, then followed Luke, but when she got downstairs, he wasn't there. Caesar told her he had gone out.

Rory walked outside but Luke was nowhereto be seen, so she decided she might as well go see Lane and Zach's new apartment.

(A. N. I know, this is a short chapter, but mostly it's to finish up Chapter 7. Chapter 9 will be MUCH longer)

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