I can't believe it's been three years.
Lorelai tried to throw herself into her work, but kept getting distracted by worries about Rory or thoughts of Luke. And while thoughts of Luke were more preferable at the moment - not to mention less painful - they were no less confusing.
When she came back to the diner that morning, she didn't think twice about going to see him. In fact, there wasn't any thought at all. She had just gone to him, and he was there for her, like he promised that he always would be. She hadn't questioned it, and neither had he. Not out loud, at least.
It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since they had gotten back together, and she was finally able to really think about what had taken place. What did the kiss mean? Were they just going to pick up where they left off? Had he really forgiven her? And what was Luke thinking about all this?
Her cellphone rang, and she grabbed it instantly, grateful for any distractions.
"Well, speak of the devil..." She muttered to herself, before flipping open the phone. Before she could even get a word out, Luke was already talking. Well, more yelling than talking.
"He wants to take down the sign!"
Lorelai was momentarily confused. "What sign?"
"My father's sign, he want to take it down and put up a bunch of stupid awnings!"
"Who does?"
"Taylor, who else?" Luke paused to take a deep breath. "He can't take it down."
"Well, he's not going to." Lorelai assured him.
"He was going to wait until I went out town, like he did when he put in that stupid connecting window. I hate that window! I hate Taylor, I hate this town!"
"I know you do, hon. So, walk me through this, what happened?"
"He came in here, asking when I was going to leave for my trip with April, and I asked him why and he started acting all squirrely, tries to leave, so I follow him."
"And I bet you asked really nicely what he was up to."
"He tells me that he bought awnings for the diner and he wanted to put them up while I was gone!"
"Awnings? That's what you're upset about?" Lorelai asked. "It's just another stupid Taylor thing. You've dealt with this for years, you got this."
"Oh, that's not all."
"Really? Do tell."
"He went on about how he was getting awnings for the soda shop, and there was some kind of deal - he already ordered them, by the way - and that's when said he'd have to take down the William's Hardware sign!"
"Oh." She sighed sympathetically. "Aw, Luke..."
"My dad's sign! I don't even know why I'm surprised. He's been after me to take it down for years. Did I tell you he tried to take it down himself one year?"
"When was that?"
"About two years after my dad died, to the day."
"You're kidding! Ugh, I can't believe he did that."
"Yeah, well, it wasn't like he had many options. It was the first time I'd left town in a while. My first... what wast that term you used before? My dark... time? "
"Dark day?"
"Yeah, my first dark day. If I hadn't forgotten my wallet and went back to get it, he'd have taken the sign. God knows if I would've seen it again." Luke seethed. "How could he even think about doing this? He knows what that sign means to me, to the town. He's the one who's so obsessed with the history of Stars Hollow, and that sign is a part of that history. My dad made that sign himself!"
"Luke, just calm down." Lorelai said. "The sign is going to stay there as long as you want it to."
"You're damn right it is."
"So just take a breath, and calm down." Lorelai waited until she actually heard him take a breath. "Better?
He sighed. "Yeah. Thanks. "
"No, problem. Now, are you sure that you'd have to take the sign down if you did want to put up awnings? Cause the awnings themselves is really not such a bad idea."
"Yeah, I know. If it wasn't for the sign thing, I might've agreed."
Lorelai frowned. "Really?"
"I mean, I'd have given him a hard time, made him stew a bit before I finally said yes, but yeah."
"Wow."
"Something wrong with that?"
"No, I'm just... still getting used to the new Luke."
Lorelai heard amused skepticism in his voice as he answered.
"New Luke?"
"Yeah. The old Luke would never have even considered anything Taylor suggested." She explained.
"Well, I kinda did. That was the whole reason behind this phone call?"
"That was about your dad's sign though. It's personal, and everyone understands that. Everyone except Tinman Taylor." Lorelai quipped. "Old Luke, though. Old Luke would have had a fit about the awnings. The mere thought of change would send him into a rant of epic proportions. The Old Luke would have done something like trash the soda shop, or throw a frying pan through the window."
"Okay, I get the picture."
"This is the New Luke, the one who sold his boat to Kirk and bought another one in the same day, who plans parties and town events on a whim and rescues puppies and kittens from trees. Who-"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. I've mended my ways, I've rounded a corner, I've turned over a new leaf." He mocked good-naturedly. "Do you want to listen or do you want to mock?"
"No reason I can't do both." Lorelai said. "But all joking aside, it is something to think about, Luke."
"What is?"
"Well, taking down the sign. It's not a hardware store anymore. It hasn't been, for a long time."
Luke was incredulous. "I can't believe it, you're on his side?"
"It's not about taking side, Luke, and if it was you know I'd always be on your's." She assured him. "But it has been sixteen years since you opened the diner. Sixteen years since it's been a hardware store."
"So you're saying that you want me to take down the sign?"
"No, I'm suggesting that you think about it. Just think about it."
"Well..."
"If you're not ready to take it down, that's fine. And if Taylor tries to take it down without your permission, we can stay up all night with flashlights and baseball bats guarding it together. But that sign is going to have to come down someday, whether or not you're there to see it go. No one in town is going to forget your dad or the hardware store or what it meant to the town just because that sign is gone. Right?"
He sighed. "Yeah, I guess."
Lorelai let him have a moment before she spoke again. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Hey sorry for calling like this."
"Like what?"
"Well, calling and ranting an'... kinda yelling at you."
"You weren't yelling."
"There was some yelling."
"Look, this thing goes both ways. How many times have I ranted at you about stuff over the years? This is our thing."
"You're sure?"
She smiled. "I'm sure. I'd appreciate a little warning next time. But I don't mind."
"Yeah, alright. I better get back to the diner. I've left it for too long already. It's just me tonight."
"I thought you were gonna take the day off."
"I was, but I just couldn't sit and watch tv and do nothing. 'Sides, Lane and Caesar helped a ton with the party, least I could do was let them have the night off."
She laughed a little, and leaned back in her chair. "You really suck at the whole taking time off thing, don't you?"
He chuckled. "I guess I kinda do. Not like you're any better though."
Lorelai smiled wryly, looking down at the paperwork on the desk. "True."
Their conversation lapsed into silence. Even over the phone though, their silence was not an uncomfortable one.
"Hey, I know you're not ready to really talk about Rory leaving in any detail yet, but just... how are you doing?"
"Fine." She responded automatically.
"Really?"
"Really."
"You're sure."
"Don't know. Why?"
"Because..." He looked around the diner, and went into the kitchen where he could have slightly more privacy. "Because honestly, I'm not doing fine, and she wasn't even my kid."
She gasped softly, covering her mouth. "Oh, Luke..."
" I just wanted you to know, you're not alone with this, Lorelai. You're not the only one to have first dibs on missing her."
She laughed a little, smiling. "Thank you I appreciate that. Anything else?"
"I don't want to hang up the phone." Luke said quietly.
Lorelai's voice was equally soft. "Neither do I."
"I have to."
"I know."
"I really don't want to."
"I know." Lorelai commiserated. "Hey, you want me to call you when I get home? I mean, I know that we're only just starting something again, and I don't have any idea how to handle this, whatever this is. I just know that we've got a lot of stuff we need to talk about."
"Lorelai."
"Not that we had to talk about anything tonight, I just-"
He interrupted her. "Lorelai?"
"Yeah?"
"I would like that."
She grinned. "Even if I get home late? What's late for you again? Like, nine, nine-thirty?"
"Whatever time you call will be fine."
"I don't want to wake you up."
"We just slept half the day. I'm not sure I'd be able to sleep at all."
"I'm not sure what time I'll get off work, it's just me at the desk right now."
"Doesn't matter."
"So it's really okay if I call you really late?"
"Yep."
"Even if I call at ten?"
"Yes."
"Ten thirty?"
"I said yes."
"Ten forty-five."
"Bye, Lorelai."
"Bye."
Lorelai snapped her phone closed with at satisfying clap and could not stop smiling. It seemed that at long last, she and Luke were once again on the same page.
