1A/N: If you've never seen "The Way We Were" the boat references may not make sense. Sorry. A light chapter to be followed soon by the dreaded angst monster.
"Best childhood memory," she says, laughing and because it seems like forever since he's heard her laugh, it's impossible not to play along.
And he has to stop and think for a minute before he can answer her, because for so long his memories were colored by too much pain. He can't believe she has him participating in this game. He reminded her that this wasn't a sailboat and they weren't on the ocean but it didn't seem to matter to her. To her, this was as luxurious as the fanciest yacht.
He tries not to think at how silly they probably look drinking champagne out of plastic wine glasses, floating around in a fishing boat. She lifts her face to the sun, enjoying the warmth, and waits patiently for his answer.
"It was here, at this lake. I was probably around six or seven.. My father had been teaching me how to swim all summer. I can remember standing on the end of the dock, just looking down at the water that I knew was way over my head, my heart was pounding so hard, I thought I was going to faint. I was supposed to dive off and swim to the shore. You know, big surprise for my Mom and all. My father was in the water, waiting for me to jump, and I just froze. I mean, I really couldn't move. It's the first time I really felt fear."
She leans forward now, giving him all her attention, waiting to hear what happened.
"I remember my Dad yelled my name, trying to get my attention, but I couldn't stop staring down at the water. Finally he came right up to the dock and started talking, whispering so my Mom wouldn't hear. I still remember his words. i I know you're scared.. It's okay to be scared, because I'm scared too. You have to take the first step by yourself. You have to make the decisioin to jump. I can't do it for you. But once you do, I'll be with you every step of the way. I won't let you down. I promise. /i "
"So what did yo do?"
"I jumped," he answered, frowning.
"And I swam my heart out. It never felt better to reach the shore than it did that day," he laughs self-consciously. "I'll never forget the smile on his face when I came out of the water," he adds quietly.
"Good memory," she agrees.
"Hey, my turn now," he chides, embarrassed by his boyhood pride.
"Best first kiss," he asks, hoping to fluster her just a little.
"Hmmm, well there really is only one first kiss you know. So, that would have been Tommy Winston III, first grade," she answers easily.
"Geeze, first grade?" he mocks.
"Hey, I started early," she mocks back.
Backing the truck into Lorelai's driveway, Luke gives her a satisfied smile and a small wink before jumping out to unhitch the boat.
"You should be very proud, Luke, of what you've done here. The boat is just beautiful," she states.
"Yeah, he would have loved this," he says easily. And he's pleased at how easy it has become to talk about his Dad with her, how easy she's made it for him.
It was fitting that she was the one to help him christen the boat, even though actually breaking a bottle against the bow was more than either of them could accomplish. But they found a better use for the champagne.
It was a good day. The best day he'd had in a long while.
"Do you want to come in? Order a pizza or something? You have to be starved by now," she asks, tugging on his sleeve.
"Come to the diner," he states, holding his ground against her tugs.
"Cheeseburger, chili fries . . . pie," he tempts, laughing at her groans, knowing he may have finally convinced her to cross over into his world again.
"You win, mister," she relents, laughing back at him. "But only because I'm starving, famished, weak . . ."
As they drive back to the diner, he thinks about the last month, and how far they have come. It was easy to fall into a new routine. He still worked on the boat every night, but now he came earlier, so she could join him. Sometimes only she talked, amusing him with her witty anecdotes of Inn patrons or Emily's latest endeavors. But sometimes he would talk, sharing with her a memory or something that had happened to him in the days he had been working on the boat. He'd forgotten how many things he had wanted to share with her, that he needed to tell her.
At first, they were careful, both worried about saying the wrong thing or stepping on each other's toes. But before long, it almost felt like they had fallen back into the past, back into the dance that they had shared for eight years.
But this time, the line that they can't cross is etched even deeper in the sand.
He tries not to dwell on the fact that she has firmly put them back into the category of friends.
They enter the diner together to the amusement of most of the regulars. It's been no secret that Luke has not been closing up the diner for weeks now, that he was at Lorelai's instead.
"So, how did it go? Did it sink? Because I have scuba equipment if you need me to do a salvage job for you?" Kirk comments, as Lorelai sits at the counter.
"I didn't sink Kirk," Luke retorts, yelling for Caesar as he enters the kitchen.
It only takes Caesar a minute before he sticks his head out from behind the partition to smile at Lorelai.
"The Works, right?" he asks her, with a big smile on his face.
"Double cheese," she answers.
Luke comes back after a minute, dragging her off the stool and steering her toward the window table.
"You're going to join me?" she laughs, impressed.
"Yeah, I'm going to join you," he grins back, lowering himself into the seat across from her.
Looking out of the window at the gazebo for a minute, he can't stop grinning.
"What?" she asks, questioning.
"This is a pretty good table," he says, relaxing back in his chair.
"Yeah, we've always liked it, Rory and I," she agrees.
And it's so natural to reminisce in between news of what's going on now in Rory's life. So easy to discuss Jess and all of his accomplishments. Easier still to talk about April and how much she's become part of his life, to share his parental worries about boys and college choices. It's so safe to keep the conversation about the kids in their lives, instead of the adults. They haven't talked about Anna or Christopher. And it still pains him that they have an Anna and a Christopher that they have to deal with. Life would be so simple if it was just about them.
She looks content, beautiful, but she always looks beautiful. And he can spend hours just looking at her, and realizes that he has, always looked at her. For years he knew every detail of her expressions, studied her every move, as she waltzed in and out of his life on a daily basis. He was so in tune with her, reading her emotions with just a glance. It became the barometer of their relationship, her daily visits. Balancing pie and small talk, being a friend when she needed one, lecturing her when she need that too.
He's just realizing how much he missed that last six months of their relationship. He can't remember her being in the diner beyond the night she ran in here to tell him Rory was back. No matter how hard he tries, the only other time that sticks in his mind, is when she met April. Except for the night she dragged him out into the street, of course.
"Hey, what's the frown for?" she asks, nudging him out of his thoughts.
"I can't believe how much I missed having you here," he confesses.
"Well, just try to keep me away from these fries, mister," she laughs, as Caesar brings them their food.
"And the coffee," he adds.
"Definitely the coffee, and maybe . . . I'll come in for the company," she counters.
"I'll always be waiting for you," he answers unconsciously before he realizes the seriousness of his statement. And he doesn't want to make her uncomfortable, but he can't take it back, because it's true, and it's been too long since he let her know that.
He can see the flush rising to her cheeks, and he watches, amazed as she shyly smiles back at him.
"Best table in a diner." he asks, lightening the mood.
"Well . . . Lukes, of course," she laughs.
Yes. It's been a very good day.
