Disclaimer: Nope, they're not mine.
Author's Note: Thanks again to the amazing betas: iheartbridges, JeSouhaite, and lulabo. I appreciate all of the thoughtful feedback I've gotten. Some readers will be relieved to know that the story will now begin going forward in time.
Chapter 3 – Still a month earlier
Luke watched Rory leave the diner and saw Lorelai curl her fingers around a folded slip of paper he could only assume was the infamous list. He gulped at the thought of his name among a group of men considered as possible dates for Lorelai. He just wished he had some idea how his name had ended up on that piece of paper.
He had no more time to ponder the question, as Lorelai had stood, picked up her purse, and was headed for the counter.
"Hey," he said nervously.
She fished in her purse for money. "I just…uh…wanted to pay."
He nodded. "It's $8.73." She handed him a ten and he gave her change, watching her face for any sign that she thought of him as anyone other than the guy who served her coffee.
She shoved the change in her purse and turned as if to go, but then turned back to the counter.
"Hey, Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm sorry about that whole list thing. That was just Rory goofing around." Lorelai looked down and fidgeted with the piece of paper in her hands. "If it makes you feel better, you don't have to be on the list if you don't want. I can take you off or I should probably just throw this away." She spoke quickly, but her eyes were averted and her voice sounded tentative.
"If that's what you want."
She shook her head. "I don't…it's not what I want." She stopped, as if catching herself, then added, "I mean, I just figured it's what you'd want."
"To not date you?" he confirmed.
"Yeah, 'cause it'd probably be horrible." He could see the horror in her eyes when she realized what she'd said, and then she rushed to correct herself, "Not horrible for me. I meant horrible for you."
It was the perfect set-up for taunting, for him to list all of the ridiculous things that she'd do on a date, for him to give all of the reasons he should run far away at the prospect of dating her. Except that she looked ever so slightly vulnerable, as though she couldn't quite figure out how to work her way out of this conversation. So, he tried to take the middle ground.
"I don't think it would be horrible," he said, his voice teasing, but at the same time giving her what he hoped was a warm smile.
She feigned a pout, pretending to be hurt. "Well, that's good to know."
"Who knows? It could even be fun." She gave a little nod, and he continued, almost without thinking, "Maybe we should…sometime…do something."
She looked surprised but pleased, and most importantly, still standing there. "Yeah, maybe we should."
Caesar called out that an order was up and Luke turned to get it, somewhat stunned. He got three or four steps, realized what had just transpired, and then spun around and walked back to the counter. His brain hadn't quite caught up to his voice when he blurted out, "Saturday."
"What?"
Luke took a deep breath, and looked Lorelai in the eye. "I mean, how about Saturday?'
"Saturday?"
"Yeah, are you busy?"
He could see the moment that she registered what he was asking. Her eyes widened, and she responded slowly, almost warily. "No, I'm not busy."
"Then maybe we could do something."
"Do something?" She looked a little bewildered, though he was fairly certain that she knew what he was asking. It was as if she needed to repeat the words to herself to make sense of what she was hearing.
He just nodded, letting the idea sink in – for both of them.
"Um…sure. What did you have in mind?"
The whole situation had presented itself so unexpectedly that Luke felt unprepared to answer her question. If he'd known this was coming he'd have thought through the night. He'd have tried to plan out the perfect first date for Lorelai Gilmore. But he hadn't thought it through and she was sitting there looking at him expectantly, and more than a little surprised at the situation herself. For lack of a better idea, he threw out, "How about dinner?"
"Okay. That sounds good."
After a long moment of awkward staring during which Luke wondered if Lorelai was as shocked as he was, he stammered, "Good…Um, well…I should…Caesar's calling…food ready."
Lorelai was considerate enough to restrain herself to a small smile. "Yeah, you need to get back to work. I need to get to work. So we'll…I'll see you later."
"Yeah, later. Bye, Lorelai."
"Bye, Luke."
In spite of the bustle around him, Luke just stood there watching as Lorelai slipped out the door and crossed the street to her Jeep.
He couldn't help but wonder if the whole bit with the list was just a Lorelai Gilmore version of having a friend pass a note to a boy in junior high. And if it was, whether he should be annoyed or pleased.
Since he couldn't really summon annoyance at that moment, he would have to go with pleased.
Because he had a date with Lorelai Gilmore on Saturday.
Next up: The day after the date