He brought her cordon bleu and potatoes two days after their last meeting, just as promised. It wasn't warm anymore, Luke had been at college before he arrived in the Gilmore residence, thus it had cooled down.

Lorelai put it into the microwave and after trying it, her eyes widened. "And when did you cook that?" she asked.

"This morning," Luke replied with a light smile.

"Wow. Thanks for getting up extra early for me then."

"My pleasure." Luke was still smiling, now somewhat shy. "Lorelai ... I have a question to you."

"Okay, shoot," Lorelai replied, her mouth still full with food.

"I've thought about it for some time ... but I decided to just jump. Well, it's my birthday in a little more than a week."

"Wow, really? When?" Lorelai asked eagerly.

"November seventh," Luke replied, a little uncomfortable. "My dad and my sister are throwing a little party ... and it's always a flop if we're only three. Rachel used to come last year and the year before that but ... well. You get me. Would you like to come, maybe?"

"Are you serious?" Lorelai asked and placed her hand above her chest, her mouth wide open. "You are inviting me to your family gathering?"

"It's not a family gathering nor a birthdy party," Luke defended himself. "It's just a dinner. And I need a fourth person, a buffer between my sister, me and my dad."

"Me as a buffer?" Lorelai said with a light grin. "I'm not sure, Luke ..."

"Listen," Luke sighed and stared at the floor. "I don't really have friends. I had Rachel. And Rachel's friends were my friends somehow. But now I really don't have anyone. There's this guy in my class I'm getting along with, just because he is as quiet as I am, but I'm not really friends with him. You're my only friend at the moment. And also our family situation is very complicated right now."

"How so?" Lorelai asked carefully and Luke sighed again.

"My sister ... Liz. She just told us she's ... my sister is pregnant. Second month or so."

"Oh. Wow." Lorelai swallowed.

"Yup."

"She's as old as me you said?"

"Yes, she has just turned seventeen last month."

"Right, seventeen," Lorelai muttered.

"Yes. Anyway, she wants to keep the baby and she doesn't work. That's part of a reason why I work here ..."

"Oh," Lorelai said quietly, suddenly feeling as if she owed him something. "And the ... the father of the baby?"

"She doesn't even tell us who it is," Luke said angrily. "She had a boyfriend, she says, but he ran off as soon as she had told him. She doesn't tell me his name and I would really like to ..." He sucked in air, his fists clenched.

"I get you," Lorelai said empathically. "This sucks. I get that you'd like to do something to him, she's your sister after all. And blood is thicker than water."

"Exactly. Though we're not the tightest family, we still are ... family."

"Then I shouldn't be a intruder," Lorelai said. "Especially if I'm only a friend."

"About this ... I had hoped you could tell them that you're more." Luke grimaced.

"That I'm your girlfriend?" Lorelai smiled lightly. "I see why you'd want that, Luke, really. But that's not a good idea."

"Okay," Luke sighed. "It was worth a try."

"I'm glad you did, though," Lorelai replied. "I bet it wasn't so easy for you."

"Not at all," Luke said quietly, staring at the half eaten cordon bleu.

"Talk to your sister, Luke. She needs you now." Lorelai smiled at him encouraging.

"I think she needs another girl in her life now. A friend. Someone like you." Luke was trying again and his eyes looked so pleading this time, Lorelai felt sorry for him.

"Luke," she said gently and took his hand. "I'll think of it, okay? But if I decide to come along, I don't want to play your girlfriend. Okay?"

"Okay, I promised." Luke squeezed her hand, smiling. "Thanks, Lorelai."

"Hey!" She pointed at him. "I haven't said yes."

"Yet," Luke added with a grin and Lorelai could only laugh.

"You are quite sure of yourself."

"So are you," Luke shot back.

"I have every right to be." Lorelai flipped her hair back. "I am cute and I'm beautiful. What's your excuse?"

All of a sudden he closed the gap between them and was right in front of her. Lorelai held her breath as he looked into her eyes, their bodies only inches away.

He took her hips, she whimpered. He pulled her closer, making their middles touch.

Electricity shot through her body, right into her heart and deeper down, through her body and into her lower parts.

She felt a sudden throbbing between her legs. Damn - why now?

"I am hot, am I not?" Luke hummed and started caressing Lorelai's jaw. "You are gorgeous, Lorelai. And I think we'd make a great couple -"

"Luuuke," Lorelai moaned. "Please get away from me. I told you that I'm not available."

Luke frowned but took a step back. "Sorry," he apologised. "It's hard to stay away from you."

Lorelai knew how she could make it easier for him: tell him her real age. But she didn't want to, not yet. Their friendship had only started and she didn't want to lose him already.

It felt good when he was around.

And that way it should continue.

•

A few days after their last encounter, Luke snuck into Lorelai's room after work. She had invited him, of course, and now that he was inside her room, he realised what a mistake it had been.

Lorelai wasn't done with changing from her uniform yet, and he just entered the room as she was only clad in her bra.

Very ashamed, he immediately turned around and leaned his head against the door, apologising, and hoping that Lorelai couldn't see his red face.

The girl herself was laughing, though. "It's alright," she promised. "I'm not that shy. And I'm sure you've seen something like that before."

"Sure, but not on you," Luke answered and as Lorelai tapped his shoulder, he dared to turn around again.

Now she was wearing a winter dress, red and velvety, with long sleeves and black tights beneath it. Her curly hair was done into a pony tail and her eyes seemed to shine brighter than ever before.

"Okay, show me your things," she challenged and Luke revealed his weakness - the Latin book.

"It's so hard," he complained.

"I think you lack the basics and that's why you're struggling," she said and they sat down on her bed. "Are you good at maths?"

"Better than Latin."

"Okay. But are you better at maths or languages like English or Spanish?"

"Maths, for sure." Luke seemed mad. "I'm really not that smart. I don't read a lot."

"You are smart, you know maths!" Lorelai said. "And that's good - Latin is more maths than a language."

"Wait, what?" Luke shook his head. "Never."

"Latin and mathematics have similarities in their structure," Lorelai explained and opened the book. "Same thing with Greek. The structure of the grammar in Latin and Ancient Greek have more in common with the structure of mathematical logic than modern languages like Germanic, Romance or Slavic. That's why I'm positive about you and Latin. Usually people who are good at maths don't struggle with Latin as much, once they see the mathematical structure in it."

"Wow ... You are insanely smart," Luke mumbled. "You'll definitely go to Yale."

"I've just been lucky enough to have a father with a huge general knowledge," Lorelai said and shook her head. "I'm not that smart. I'm average smart. My dad just fed me with those things instead of chocolate."

Suddenly Lorelai noticed that Luke only stared at her hands, which were busy with skipping through his Latin book. "Are you okay, Luke?"

"I have just realised how nice your hands look," he said quietly and then his look went back up at her. "You are really smart, Lorelai. Not average smart, way above. Don't deny that. I love smart women."

Lorelai didn't reply. Would he ever stop flirting with her?

"My dad would really like you too," he continued. "And Liz -"

"Luke, I won't come with you," Lorelai said. "I'm really sorry but it's just wrong. It's your birthday and you should spend it with your family. But we can meet the day after and go to the cinema or something."

"Would your boyfriend be okay with that?" Luke asked, his eyes full with disappointment.

"Not sure," Lorelai replied with a shrug. "He has to. I'm a free person, no man can keep me in a cage."

Now Luke grinned again.

"Enough now!" Lorelai decided and clapped her hands together. "Let's study."

•

They had successfully snuck Luke out of the mansion again after an hour. They set another study date for the day after tomorrow, which was a day before Luke's birthday.

The next day Lorelai thought about what she could give him while cutting an wrapping flowers for customers at work.

"What do you give a twenty-year-old man for his birthday?" she asked her colleague as they left the flower shop in the evening.

"A motorcycle? Cigarettes? A video game?" Sally tried but Lorelai shook her head to everything.

"He isn't like that. He's very sweet and down to earth. He's sporty, though, maybe he'd like new shoes?"

"Don't try that," Sally warned. "I bought my husband shoes once and I'll never do it again."

Lorelai chuckled. "Okay." She waved Chris, who was waiting for her across the street.

"Ask your boyfriend for advice," Sally said and they took their leave.

Lorelai walked over the street, knowing that she first had to tell Chris about Luke to ask him about a birthday present.

But hey, Chris was different and he knew that Lorelai had always had more male friends than female ones. Chris would understand it.

"Hey," she greeted him and kissed his lips.

"Hey, my gorgeous beauty," he replied gently and kissed her deeper.

Then he took her hand and they walked towards the Gilmore residence.

•

Emily and Richard were enchanted by Christopher and Lorelai could totally see why.

He was perfectly polite and didn't reject any food they offered him, even though Chris might not have liked it.

He didn't laugh at Lorelai's inappropriate jokes and joined Richard's "man talk" at some point, which was politics.

Emily was smiling smugly all the time and Lorelai realised that they not only accepted her boyfriend - they actually liked him.

Lorelai was happy.

Later they went upstairs, Chris finally had to see her room.

But Chris wasn't interested in her room, he pushed Lorelai back down on her bed, kissing her gently. And when he went further down, kissing her throat, Lorelai realised that he wanted her.

"Are three weeks enough time of waiting?" she teased and Chris grunted.

"Not really. But I can't wait anymore, you're just so amazing and I want you ..."

"My parents are downstairs."

"We'll be quiet."

"I'm loud, Christopher."

"Pull yourself together, then." He opened her dress and pulled it down.

Lorelai giggled. "Lock the door, Chris."

That was something she didn't have to tell him twice.

•

"How was it for you?" Lorelai whispered and kissed her boyfriend's forehead. He was curling against her, his head on her chest.

"So amazing," he sighed and hugged her tighter. "You are amazing, Lor. I love you."

Lorelai's eyes went wide. "What?"

"I know it's early and ... you don't have to say it back." Now Christopher looked at her. "I love you, Lorelai Gilmore. I have loved you since the day you kissed me.

Lorelai had to grin. "Wow ..."

"Okay, let's get dressed," Christopher said. "We have been upstairs long enough and I need to get going."

"Good idea," Lorelai said, still flashed from the love declaration. "Hey, Chris," she said as she watched her dressing boyfriend. "How was I?"

"Perfectly quiet." Chris grinned.

"No I mean ... in bed."

"Amazing. Didn't I say so before?"

"Yes but - was I wild, was I gentle, I really can't tell."

"You were everything," Chris said. "Passionate and loving, wild and gentle. I was totally lost in your world."

"So I noticed," Lorelai said, smiling lightly. Their first time hadn't lasted long but Lorelai knew that boys having their first time just couldn't go long. Same with pleasing a woman, Chris probably first had to learn how to do it.

Lorelai felt excited at the thought that she was the one to teach him.

After Chris had been long gone, she realised that she had missed yet another opportunity to ask him about a gift for Luke.

"Tomorrow," she told herself, falling asleep with a smile on her lips.

•

Chris was even more attentive the next day. He made sure she never felt cold at school through giving his school uniform jacket to her during maths class, he got her food at lunch and carried her bag after school.

This was the perfect time to ask. "Hey, Chris," she said as they walked past the Community College. "I have a friend who goes to this college."

"The Capital Community?" Chris asked. "I guess it's not a friend of the family then."

"Haha, no," Lorelai responded dryly. "Mom doesn't even know that we know each other. I help him with school stuff. Anyway, the thing is that he's turning 20 tomorrow and I really wanna give him a little something. I just don't know what and I figured that you, as a man, could help me. He's not exactly ... wealthy, so I don't care about the costs."

"Hmm," Chris made. "Well, I don't know him but I can imagine that you wouldn't make a mistake with giving him a book?"

"I don't know," Lorelai said with a doubting voice. "I don't think he enjoys reading. He's more the sporty kind of guy."

"So, give him a baseball bat or something," Chris said. "It would be easier if I knew him, Lor."

Lorelai suddenly realised that he actually wanted to meet Luke. For sure to see if he was a rival.

"Okay, so you can come too, today. It'll be very boring for you, though, since were studying for Latin."

"Okay," Chris said, sounding glad. "No problem, Lor. I'll be there. When?"

"Let's see, Luke works till five mostly. So, five?"

"I'll be there," promised Chris and squeezed Lorelai's hand.

Lorelai understood that he only meant it in a nice way but she couldn't help but feel supervised and curtailed by her boyfriend.

•

Luke was, once again, harking the leaves.

For some reason Lorelai liked to just watch him, it gave her a feeling of calmness and freedom. She knew she liked Luke, maybe a bit too much.

Good thing that there was a age difference of four and a half years between them, this was the only thing that kept her from just throwing herself at him (and Christopher too, of course).

Once Emily had left the house for a D.A.R. meeting, Lorelai stormed outside, hugging him from behind. "Hi!" she shouted and Luke turned around, smiling at her warmly.

"Hey, Lorelai. How are you?"

"Good, good. Luke, I need to tell you something."

Luke's face darkened. "Oh. What?"

"Today - I'm so sorry - studying for Latin - we won't be alone."

Luke frowned. "What?"

"Christopher, my boyfriend. He wants to come over."

"As a chaperone?"

"Hm, no." Lorelai's smile faded. "He just wants to meet you and see what were doing."

Luke nodded. "Like a chaperone."

"Fine," Lorelai sighed. "But I understand him, wouldn't you have been suspicious if Rachel had met with another, an older guy thrice a week to help him with his studies?"

"You're right, I wouldn't have liked that either," Luke admitted. "Sure, of course he can come. But I hope he won't disturb us."

"He won't. He's taking a book a long and - hey, do you like to read?" Smooth change of subjects, Lorelai, she told herself.

"I read the newspapers," Luke replied and Lorelai nodded slowly.

"And? Horror? Sci-fi? Romantic novels?"

"That's it," Luke said with a shrug. "Newspapers and the books we had to read at school, like Hemingway."

"And in your spare time you read poems? H.P. Lovecraft? Magazines?"

"No, I don't really read, Lorelai. I've already told you. I don't have time, you see? I'm either at college or working here or studying with you and if I'm not, I help my dad in the hardware store or take care that my sister doesn't smoke pot while being pregnant. I'm really occupied and mostly I fall into bed somewhen after midnight, only to get up at six again. I'm sorry I don't squeeze a little bit of the Brontë sisters inbetween."

"That's not what I -" Lorelai took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I feel awful. Your sister gets high while being pregnant?"

"She would if we didn't stop her," Luke said with a dark face. "See, Liz is a good girl. She's sweet and soft and ... very, very naive and thus easy to manipulate. She just has the wrong friends."

"Oh," Lorelai mumbled. Maybe, she thought, maybe he wants me to come over because of her after all.

"Yep. She dropped out of high school, though she ain't dumb. She's just very disinterested. Now she doesn't work and the pregnancy -"

Suddenly Luke hid his face in his hands. "I have no idea what to do," he sighed. "She sees how fucked her life is but she doesn't do anything against it. She just keeps living like that, thinking that one day she'll know what to do. But the baby ... She can't raise a baby like that! And I already know that I have to be there for it. Uncle Luke has to take care of it, earn money for its mother, to keep them well fed -"

"Hey," Lorelai said gently and put her hand on his arm. "Hey, it's alright."

"Sorry. I don't want to annoy you with my problems." Luke pulled his hands away from his face. He didn't cry but he looked desperate.

"You're not annoying," Lorelai said gently and took a step forward. "Though I think you shouldn't care about her so much. I get that she's your sister and maybe I don't really know how something like this must feel, since I'm an only child. But I think she has to deal with this on her own. Does she live with you?"

"With me and my dad," Luke said.

"Hm. Maybe she should get an apartment on her own. If I was in her place, I would look for an apartment and for work. And new friends."

"It's not that easy," Luke chuckled and shook his head. "Liz really isn't easy. You can't just talk to her. She thinks she knows what she's doing."

"I still think that someday she'll realise that she can't go on like that," Lorelai said and closed the gap between her and her friend, wrapping her arms around him. "At the latest when the baby comes and needs its mother."

"It'll need a father too," Luke mumbled but Lorelai shook her head.

"That's a big lie. All a child needs is love and it doesn't matter if it comes from its mother alone or from a father alone. Or from an uncle or the grandparents. It doesn't matter, Luke. But if you still think that Liz needs help after the baby's born, I know you'll be there for her. Right? And if it doesn't get any better, I'll see what I can do. Okay?"

Luke smiled, nodded and finally hugged back his friend, hiding his face in her hair and placing his chin on her shoulder. "Thank you, Lorelai," he mumbled into her ear and Lorelai could swear he had brushed his lips against her temple just before that.

A cold shiver ran down her spine and she wanted to let go. But she couldn't.

His hands were warm against her cold arms. And he was caressing them, as if he wanted to keep them warm.

He was breathing into her ear and Lorelai's eyes fluttered shut. Why did holding him feel so damn good?

Slowly he pulled away his face, but only to look at her. His eyes were filled with gentleness and hope. Lorelai had never seen anyone look at her like this.

"You make me feel so special," he whispered and with a light sense of panic she noticed that his eyes were fixed at her lips. "It feels like I can be myself with you."

"You can," Lorelai breathed. She wanted to pull away so bad but somehow she couldn't bring herself to do it. "I don't want you to hide your true self."

Luke reached up, taking a strand of her curly hair between his fingers, carefully tucking it behind her ear. He pulled her close, making Lorelai gasp lightly.

And then everything happened really fast.

His lips crashed on hers and Lorelai heard a door bang. Then someone called her name and Lorelai pushed Luke away more rudely than she had intended to.

"Are you insane?" she hissed and looked up to her balcony. Christopher was coming out of her room, now spotting them down in the garden.

"There you are, Lor! It's five!"

"Okay, thanks! We're coming upstairs." Lorelai swallowed and looked at Luke, who was staring at the boy on the balcony with pure hatred in his eyes.

Lorelai's eyes went back to Christopher and sighed - her boyfriend glared at Luke with exactly the same expression.

Oh boy.