Reunion
Chapter Five – Unexpected Visitor
XXX
"I... uh…" Lorelai stammered again.
"Yea. You said that before." Luke said, glancing back down at the wear in his jeans.
"No, Luke. I am so… elated. I have wanted to hear you say that for a really long time. I just guess that I…" Lorelai was quite ready to start another ramble, but she was cut off by Luke's lips on hers.
Lorelai jerked awake. She lifted her heavy lids slowly, not wanting to blind herself by the newly found light that was filtering in from the room outside her slightly ajar office door. She removed her head from the desk, and as she brought it back to its rightful position, she also dragged up a paper that was stuck to her lip. She lazily batted at the paper, and it glided back to her desk. She looked around and immediately recognized her location. Her office at The Dragonfly. Why she was in here, and why she was asleep was a complete mystery to her, but at the moment she had no desire to find out.
"Damn it." She spat. "I was at the good part!" Lorelai whined at her papers.
"The good part of what?" Came a girlish voice from behind the door. Just then, Sookie poked her head in. "What were you at the good part of?"
"Oh, it's… nothing, just nothing." Lorelai lied. "I was just tidying up a bit."
"Again? No, you fell asleep didn't you? I told you that you have been doing way too much around here lately. Lorelai, you can't do everyone's job for them. We pay them for a reason." Sookie paused. She hesitated slightly because of the tired frown Lorelai gave her. Another second and then she started speaking again. "At least you don't have 'Swingline' backwards on your forehead again. Cause that was funny." Sookie looked down at Lorelai with despair in her eyes. "Ah, damn it. It was Luke, huh?"
"No, Sookie. It wasn't. There was no it… I did not fall asleep. Now, go cook something!" Lorelai looked at her. Her voice was a little bit harsher than she had planned, so she forced a smile on. Sookie, understanding, returned the smile and quickly exited.
Lorelai glanced at her clock, 4:26 pm. Uggg. I just wanna go home! Lorelai drew her things up and followed Sookie out.
She entered the foyer. After a moment, she started towards the dining room. There were a few people seated in random spots in the room. Most she recognized. She made polite and waved, or she smiled with a false contentment. She made sure that everyone was enjoying themselves, then turned and exited back into the foyer.
She stood for a moment, cross armed. Then, she decided to walk around outside, and get some fresh air and just think. She cantered to the door and carelessly turned the knob. When she crossed the threshold into the crisp Connecticut air, she took in a deep breath. Clean. She thought. She slowly trotted down the stairs, no longer caring where her feet took her, she just let them go.
I love Luke, I know that. But… I just, I'm terrified. I want to be with him. I have to be with him. He is my life… my soul. I can't be without him. I can't. I need to do something, I can't keep avoiding him. It just isn't fair to him. Well, that is unless he wants me to avoid him. AGH, stupid what ifs, I just need to be a woman and do it. Okay, I will, tonight. I will do it tonight.
She continued to roam the grounds aimlessly. At one point, she found herself in the stables talking to Cletus. Her head was just so cluttered. After what seemed like a few hours, which was actually more like 45 minutes, she re entered the inn.
She spent another hour walking around the inn, trying to do something. She was asking anyone who would listen if they needed help, but what she hadn't actually done herself yet was being finished by the people whose job it was to actually complete the task. She was out of things to do, and soon found herself a nuisance.
"Sookie!" Lorelai called out. "Sookie."
"Yes…" She sounded slightly annoyed, and she didn't even try to come out from the kitchen.
"Oh… um… " Lorelai started towards the kitchen. "I am going to leave." She opened the door and walked in. Sookie was surrounded by the usual posse. Each one doing something different. Chopping, stirring, blending. "I'm going home, Sook. There is absolutely nothing left for me to do here." Lorelai sauntered to the coffee pot and filled a paper cup with the dark liquid.
"Well, I wonder why that could be!" Sookie joked. "Yea, you go on. I'll see you later. Get some sleep, or a male prostitute."
"Yea, I'll get right on that!" Lorelai capped her coffee and turned back towards the door. "I wonder if I can find one that looks like Luke?" she cracked a small smile and bade Sookie goodbye.
She walked out to her jeep, mind numb. She didn't want to think about anything because she knew her brain would somehow shift to Luke. It always did. So she thought about her coffee. She looked at the cup, and after a second realized that she was starring at a paper cup, standing right in front of her car with her keys dangling limply out of her hand by her leg.
She stuck the key into the lock and turned it until she heard the familiar click. After her key was extracted, she mindlessly opened the door and sat down in the seat. She eventually got the door closed and the car started.
First, she headed in the general direction of home, and then she decided to detour to Hartford. Why? She didn't know, but she didn't want to go home yet. She knew that she had to confront Luke, and she was feeling a little nervous.
Okay, I'll just drive for a while. Calm my nerves. Take some deep breaths. Okay, you can do it. It's just Luke. Luke. He's JUST LUKE. I can do it! I will do it!
She drove around Hartford for a while, and after feeling like she had conquered her nerves, she headed back for home. When she pulled up in the driveway, there was another car. What the heck?
She parked and got out, not seeing anyone. "Hello?" She called out. She took a few more steps towards the house. She repeated her call again.
"Lorelai, you're home." Called a familiar voice. It was deep and filled with care as he spoke. She finally spotted him, sitting on the porch swing. His hands were in his pockets and his pants were wrinkled up around the hips. He stood slowly, looking her over. "Wow, you look… Good." He commented.
"Thanks. What are you doing her?" She didn't mean to sound so blunt, but she had to ask. She took a few more steps towards the house, and her right foot planted on the lowest step.
"I needed to see you. I miss you. You're on my brain all the time… I just…" He stopped, not knowing exactly how to finish his sentence. He found himself just looking at her.
Slowly, she took each stair under her foot. Escalating until she was level with him. She looked back at him. Wondering why he was here. Why now? She took a miniscule step towards him. "I can't… can't believe that you… you're, um… here." Lorelai stammered, very unsure of herself.
"I had to be here, it's the only place my heart told me to go. I'm here, because I want you." He closed the gap between them with two easy steps. He bent slowly, placing his mouth very near the side of her head. "I need you." He whispered into her ear.
She turned her head ever so slightly, not enough to be looking at him in the eye, but enough to where his lips grazed her cheek accidentally. The contact sent chills down her spine. She hadn't been this close to a man in a while… let alone this man. He slowly grasped her arms. Firm, but gentle, just like always.
Lorelai looked up at him. She opened her mouth, she was going to tell him that he needed to leave, that she couldn't deal with this at the moment. But as soon as she found her words, his lips captured hers.
At first she did nothing, but as the heat escaped his body and mingled with hers, she got caught up in the moment. She draped her arms around his neck as he pulled her waist towards his. The kiss became heated, and passion overcame her.
She parted her lips, allowing his tongue a small amount of access. As she felt his tongue flicker across hers, she parted her lips more, giving him more room. Her hands wound their way into his tidy hair, and she messed it.
All of a sudden, Lorelai's common sense caught her. She pulled away, sharply.
"I can't do this right now. It's too much." She looked at him, lust and fear welling behind her eyes. "You have to leave." She turned away from him and opened up the front door.
"Lorelai, you have to understand. I…" She cut him off.
"Max, just, please go home."
XXX
Thanks for all the reviews… that is what keeps me going! I know it kinda sucks, but my head hasn't been fully in it. I promise that I will edit and repost the entire story eventually.
