Chapter 5: Think About the Now

It was the Saturday of the following week, and Lorelai and Luke still hadn't gone on a real first date. The whole week, the inn was insanely busy and Ceaser was sick, forcing both Luke and Lorelai to have longer shifts. By that afternoon, Ceaser was finally feeling better, and Luke had had enough.

"Independence Inn, Lorelai speaking."

"Lorelai? Why are you answering the phone?"

"Well it's nice to hear from you too Luke," she replied sarcastically

"Sorry. Let me try that again… Hey. How's your day been?"

"Aww Luke, thank you for asking. Aside from the fact that I haven't been able to see you in what seems like ten thousand years, I'd say it's been alright."

"Good. Soooo, I was wondering if you were available tonight."

"Hmmm, I don't know. I may be able to get Sookie to babysit if needed. What were you thinking?"

"Well, as you know, I have not been able to take my beautiful girlfriend on a first date yet, and I was hoping that she would be available tonight."

"I'm sure she could swing it. Did you have a specific time you wanted her to be ready? I'm sure she'll need time to prepare."

"I'm thinking around seven. Do you think that she can be ready by then?"

"For a handsome man like you, she would be ready anytime."

"Great," Luke responded gladly. "So I've got to get back to work, but please let my girlfriend know that I'll be thinking about her the whole time."

"I'll let her know, and I'm sure she'll be thinking about you the whole time as well."

"Okay, bye Lorelai."

"Bye doll."

"Rory! Sookie! I have nothing to wear! Luke is going to look amazing, and I am going to look like trash!"

The sound of Sookie and Rory's laughter filled the shed, and Rory replied from the other room, "Oh please Mommy, you could wear anything and Luke would still think you are beautiful!"

"I sure hope so Rory, but what do you think about this?" Lorelai walked into the kitchen wearing a bright blue silky tank top paired with a white sweater, dark wash blue jeans, and silver strappy sandals.

"That's perfect Mommy! Luke loves it when you wear blue!"

Both Sookie and Lorelai chuckled, "Does he? How do you know that, kid?"

"Well, I noticed that he always stares at you more when you wear blue! It's like he doesn't even notice that I am there!"

Before Lorelai could reply, the sound of knocking filled the shed. "He's here," Rory exclaimed as she ran towards the door and opened it, "Hi Luke! I can't wait for you to see my mommy! She looks sooooo pretty!"

"Hey Rory," he replied sweetly and handed her a small bouquet of flowers.

"What are these for? Aren't you supposed to give flowers to Mommy?"

"Well, I have her flowers too," he replied as he pulled a bouquet of daisies from behind his back, "But those are for you to thank you for letting me date your mommy."

"Aww, Luke," she said happily and hugged his leg, "You're such a softy."

Just then, Sookie and Lorelai made their way into the room, and as Rory said, Luke really liked the blue.

"Hey babe," she said and lightly pecked him on the lips.

"Hey… wow… you look beautiful. Oh, uh, these are for you," he stuttered while handing her the daisies.

"Thank you! Daisies are my favorite," she replied lovingly.

"See Mommy! I told you he would like what you're wearing! He hasn't stopped staring at you since you came in here!"

Luke began to blush and Lorelai laughed, "I guess you were right hon," turning to Sookie, she continued, "Okay, we'll probably be back around 11, and it's okay if she wants to stay up, since it is not a school night."

"Okay, okay, that's the 10th time you've told me that tonight," Sookie said while pushing them out the door, "Now go have fun you two!"

Luke took Lorelai's hand in his, led her to the passenger side of the truck, and opened her door.

"Why thank you sir, how very chivalrous of you!"

"My mom always told me that a true gentleman always opens the door for a lady."

"Well, your mom raised an amazing gentleman," she whispered sweetly and kissed him.

Closing her door, Luke walked around and got into the driver's seat. Before they even left the inn parking lot, Lorelai began questioning, "So, where are you planning on taking me tonight?"

"If I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

"But Luke, I want to know! What if the restaurant doesn't have anything I like?"

"Oh please, do you think that I don't know you well enough to know what you like? I feed you every day!"

"True, but that's diner food! What about all the other cuisines?"

"What about all the other cuisines? I promise you that I know what you like."

"Really, prove it," she replied flirtatiously.

"Lorelai," he said seriously, "You love Chinese and Italian food. You strongly dislike French food, and as far as Mexican food goes, you have to be in the mood for it. You have a love hate relationship with seafood, and you only eat chicken if it is fried. Steak is by far your favorite meat, and as far as for sides, as long as it is not healthy, you'll eat anything. I promise you that I have taken your habits into consideration when choosing this restaurant."

After finishing his rant, he glanced over at Lorelai and noticed a pensive look on her face.

"Lorelai? Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head no, and quietly spoke as a tear ran down her cheek, "No Luke, ignore me, I am just being overly sensitive."

"I would never ignore you, especially when crying is involved."

"Why do you know all of that?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why do you know exactly what I like and what I don't like, down to the smallest detail... Not even my own parents cared enough to know that," she replied as a few more tears came.

Quickly, Luke pulled off of the road. Once in park, he unbuckled and slid across the seat to bring Lorelai into his arms. "Hey, no tears. This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Don't think about the past. Think about the now… think about us."

Taking a deep breath, she looked up and replied lovingly, "Okay… Just to let you know, baby, I am really happy about us. Happier than you could even imagine."

"Oh believe me, Lorelai, I know."

She leaned up to kiss him, and when their lips met, she put all she could into the kiss, hoping he understood just how strongly she felt about him. To no surprise, he did.

"Sniffy's? What kind of food do they serve here?"

"It depends on who cooks it," Luke replied as they walked through the door, "It's all in who you know."

Instead of stopping at the "Please Wait to Be Seated" sign, Luke led Lorelai to a reserved booth.

"Oooo, reserved! How fancy! How many mafia hits did you have to do to get this table?"

Before he could respond, a small, blonde headed older woman appeared at the table. "Lucas! It's so nice to see you," she exclaimed, turning back towards the kitchen, she called, "Buddy, get out here, Lucas is here and he actually brought a girl with him!"

Quickly, an older man with glasses appeared at the woman's side. "Hello Lucas! Why, when Maisy said you were bringing a girl with you, I didn't believe her," turning to Lorelai, he continued, "I wasn't even sure you existed."

Lorelai giggled as Luke's face reddened and he replied, "Hi Maisy. Hello Buddy. I'd like you to meet Lorelai Gilmore, my girlfriend."

"It's very nice to meet you Maisy, Buddy," Lorelai replied, extending her hand, "I love your place."

"Thank you hon, it's nice to meet you as well," Maisy replied, "And, uh, He's a special one, this guy."

"Oh believe me, I know," she said, while grabbing Luke's hand under the table.

As soon as Maisy and Buddy left the table, Lorelai scooted closer and leaned on Luke's shoulder. "So, Buddy and Maisy… they know you!"

"Yeah, they're actually like second parents. They were friends with my mom and dad. When I opened the diner, they helped me out a lot, and now, I usually come here 2 to 3 times a week."

"Oh my gosh, so Luke has a Luke's?"

"I guess you could put it that way."

Suddenly, Lorelai pulled Luke close and planted a kiss on his lips. "Luke, thank you for bringing me. I love that you are sharing this part of your life with me."

"I'm just glad we're finally here,' he responded, and kissed her on the cheek.

"Me too, babe, me too."

As dinner progressed, talk turned to the diner, the inn, the craziness of the town, and of course, Rory.

"Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember the day we first met?"

"Of course," he chuckled, "I'm pretty sure that I just got rid of the bump on my head from where you scared the living hell out of me."

"Hey! I apologized for that! But, really, on that day, what made you want to fix Rory's shelves?"

"I don't really know. From the first time I met her, for some reason I liked her. Most kids are loud and sticky, and they always seem to have jam hands, but she was different…By the way, you've done a great job with her. I don't know if I have told you that, but you really have."

"Thank you. I don't know how to explain it, but she saved my life, so I do my best to do everything I can for her."

"You know, if you ever need any help with her, I'm here. I don't know much about kids, but, for her and for you, I'm willing to try."

Lorelai grew silent for a moment, taking in his offer. She smiled and whispered kindly, "Luke, you have no idea how much I love to hear you say that. Besides Mia and Sookie, I've never had anyone to help with her, so the fact that you'll try means the world to me. Thank you."

Hearing the vulnerability in her voice, Luke pulled her close and spoke sincerely, "Lorelai, I promise I am not Christopher. I'm not going to just abandon you or Rory. Now, let's get out of here and go back to the diner. I know you'd probably like some coffee."

When they reached the diner, they went upstairs. While Luke made Lorelai her coffee, she leaned against the counter and observed his movements. Quickly growing bored, Lorelai decided that it was time to play "twenty questions."

"Pleeeeaaaasssseee Luke? I know a lot about your life, and you know a lot about mine, but we don't know a lot of the basics about each other," she whined and pouted.

Ughh not the pout. That thing is going to be the death of me. "Fine, but once the coffee is done, this game ends."

"Yay! Okay, so first question. Hmmmm, what is your middle name?"

"William, like my dad. You?"

"Victoria, although you can't understand just how amazing Lorelai Victoria flows until you hear my mom yell it."

Laughing, Luke responded, "I'll take your word for it. I guess it is my turn, so… what is your favorite color?"

"Well, I like pink, but I also like purple. Yellow is pretty cool too... You know what, I can't decide. You?"

"Blue," he responded bluntly without any hesitation.

Lorelai began laughing. "No way?!"

"What is so funny about my favorite color being blue," Luke asked confused.

Still laughing, Lorelai explained, "Tonight while I was getting dressed, Rory made me wear blue because she said that you like the color blue on me."

"Well, you know, she's not wrong," he said with a devilish grin, "The color blue makes you look incredible."

"Oh really? So Mr. Danes, what is your opinion of my blue outfit tonight?"

Slowly, Luke leaned in close and growled softly, "It's unbelievable. In my eyes, you look more beautiful than you could even imagine."

It took all of her strength to keep her knees from buckling. "Luke, that has to be the sexiest thing anyone has ever said to me," she replied huskily.

With one swift movement, she hopped up on the counter, wrapped her legs around his waist, and pulled him in for a kiss. Initially, her lips brushed his gently, but it wasn't enough for either of them. Lorelai teased his lips with her tongue, seeking entrance, and he happily obliged. Quickly, their kisses deepened, and Luke's hands found their way to the small of her back, where they played with the hem of her shirt. Unable to control his desire, Luke lifted the hem and started to drag his hands across her bare back. At his touch, Lorelai quickly pulled back.

"Luke," she spoke while out of breath, "We need… to talk about this… before things go too far."

"You're right," he replied while taking a deep breath, "I'm sorry. We should have talked about this first."

"Don't be sorry… I really like what we've got going here, and I really don't want to screw this up."

"I know. I don't either," he replied, pulling her off the off the counter.

She immediately took his hand and pulled him over to the couch to sit. "Luke, before you overthink this, it's not that I don't want you, because I do. I really do. Just let me get this out," she kissed him quickly and continued, "The last time I did, you know, that, was the night Rory was conceived, and look how that turned out. I know I got the biggest blessing of my life in Rory, but I also have all of this baggage with Chris hanging over my head. I just want to make sure that we have more than the physical part. I want to know everything else about you… I want to fall in love with more than just your body."

Knowing Luke would need a moment to process, she sat in silence, but before she could realize what was happening, Luke pulled her into his lap and nuzzled her neck. He quietly whispered, "You are the most amazing woman I have ever met, did you know that?"

"I'm amazing because I refused to sleep with you," she questioned quietly.

Still whispering in her ear, he replied, "No, you're amazing because you're you. I've never met a woman who has truly wanted to get to know me, the real me, before she has wanted my everything else. I'm willing to wait as long as you want. You're worth it."

A small smile appeared on her face as she pulled back. "Gosh Luke, you are making me fall so hard for you."

"Well that's good," he replied kissing her softly, "Because I am falling twice as hard for you."

They just sat holding each other, taking it all in. Slowly, Lorelai pulled herself off of Luke's lap, and pulled him up with her. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she brought him close and leaned against his chest.

"You know, babe, it's only 10:00. We still have an hour until I have to relieve Sookie."

"Well, Miss Gilmore, what do you suppose we do with our time?"

She looked up with a teasing grin on her face. "Well Mr. Danes, my coffee is cold so I need a new batch. Shall we resume 20 questions?"

"Why not," he replied with a laugh, leaning in for one more kiss, "But no more color questions. Those are pretty dangerous."

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it has taken me so long to update this chapter. It's finals week for me, and I have spent the last few days studying. Once I finish school, I will definitely be back to posting every day or every other day until I finish this story. Also, this is a bit of a filler chapter. I needed to get telling the town out of the way, but I still wanted to make it a little interesting.

Chapter 13: Telling the Town

By 10:50 Lorelai and Luke were back at the inn. Walking her to the door, they each remained in comfortable silence, deep in their own thoughts. Just before they reached their destination, Lorelai gasped and stopped their progress.

"Luke… I just realized that there was one important thing that we haven't talked about."

Caught off guard by her comment, Luke replied carefully, "Okay, and what important thing is that?"

"What and when are we going to tell the town? We agreed that we'd tell them after we told Rory, and now that Rory knows, what are we going to do?"

Not bothering to hide his eyeroll, he replied, "I'd prefer if we kept it a secret forever." He kissed her gently and mumbled against her lips, "I like having you all to myself."

"Babe, I'm flattered, I truly am, but you and I both know that keeping it a secret is not practical. Telling them up front will prevent all kinds of crazy rumors."

"Fine, but this is not going to be some extravagant announcement."

"But Luke," she pouted, "This is special! You know that everyone in town has been waiting for us to finally get together!"

"Nope. You can tell them, but no big announcements. No screaming it from the gazebo with a bull horn, and no hanging a bill board," he smirked, "You'll have to come up with something simple."

"Urgh, fine. Burger Boy, you drive a hard bargain, but I accept your terms. I'll figure something simple out."

"Thank you," replied and pulled her into his embrace, "Now, as much as I enjoy being here with you, let's get you back to Rory."

Snaking her arms around his waist, she lazily drew circles on his lower back. "Thank you for tonight. This was the best date I've ever had."

"Ditto," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

"I really don't want this night to end."

"I know, but we have to finish this one before we can get to the next one."

"That's the only reason I'm willing to let you go," she laughed and smiled widely, "But really, with all that happened tonight, I can't wait to see what happens next… Okay, one more kiss, and then I've got to go in."

"Then I better make it a good one," he replied teasingly, drawing his lips to hers. Pulling back, he continued, "So I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"You're the one with the coffee!"

"Right, good night Lorelai."

"Night Luke."

Walking into the diner the next morning, after dropping Rory off at school, Lorelai noticed the gossip queens in the corner, huddled together and sneaking glances towards the kitchen.

"Morning ladies. What's the latest gossip for today?"

"Oh sugah, have you heard the news," Babette quickly replied.

"News?"

"Yes dear, the news about Luke," Miss Patty added, "Apparently, Rachel is back!"

"Rachel? Like Luke's ex Rachel," she asked, trying not to succumb to the doubt growing inside. There's no way he'd do that. Not after last night.

"Well, Lorelai," Babette replied, "We aren't exactly sure, but he's been walking around with this big grin on his face all morning! The only time he ever does that is when Rachel comes back!"

"You know dear," Patty interrupted, "If you could use your pull with Luke to get us some insight, that would be much appreciated."

"Uh, yeah. I can do that, I guess. Be right back." Without hesitation, Lorelai walked back to the kitchen, much to the ladies' dismay. "Hey babe," she spoke quietly, "Can we talk for a sec?"

Normally, her appearance in the kitchen would anger Luke, but he immediately noticed the worried look on her face. "Yeah, um, I don't want to do upstairs with everyone here, so I guess we can talk in here. Is everything okay?"

"I don't know, actually… that's what I wanted to ask you," she replied while trying not to look into his eyes.

"Lorelai, I can tell that you're trying not to look at me, and that's kinda freaking me out here… what's up?"

Stepping closer, Lorelai wrapped her arms around his middle and spoke into his chest, "Are they right?"

"Is who right," he asked while gently running his fingers through her hair.

"Miss Patty and Babette… they said that you were smiling a lot because Rachel was back. Are they right?"

At the sound of Rachel's name, Luke realized Lorelai's insecurity. Quickly, he pulled back and lifted her chin, forcing her eyes to meet his. "No. I don't know where the hell they got that idea from, but I promise you Lorelai, Rachel is not back. Even if she was, I wouldn't even notice…The only reason I am so happy today is because I had a perfect date with my girlfriend last night."

Lorelai released the breath of relief that she didn't realize she was holding. "Good. They actually had me worried for a second. I know you said last night that I was worth it, but it's Rachel, you know?"

"Lorelai," he sighed softly, "I know. Rachel was my first, just like Christopher was yours, but that's all they are. They're firsts. All that matters to me is what I have now, and I'm lucky enough that what I have is you and your incredible daughter."

Bringing his lips down to hers, she planted a soft, yet meaningful kiss, "And I'm thankful that we are lucky enough to have you."

As she exited the kitchen with a smile on her face, Patty and Babette waved her over, hoping she could give them the inside scoop.

"Lorelai, that was a very bold move you pulled there," Babette exclaimed, "I can't believe he even let you set foot in his kitchen. Did you get any news for us?"

Suddenly, the perfect response appeared in Lorelai's head, and she responded, "You know ladies, I'd love to help you, but when it comes to Luke, I don't kiss and tell."

"Aw dear, we'll just keep it between… wait," the lightbulb went off in Patty's head, "Did you just say kiss?"

"I don't know Patty, did I," she replied naughtily.

A sly grin appeared on Lorelai's face as she saw Luke approaching the table. While handing her some coffee, he noticed the mischievous look on her face, and prepared himself for the worst. "Uh, sorry ladies. Did I interrupt something?"

Instead of responding as they normally would, Patty and Babette shifted their glances to Lorelai, waiting for her to respond.

"Actually, Luke, I think that coming back here to talk to these wonderful ladies interrupted something I wanted to do with you."

Standing up, she grabbed Luke by the waist and pulled him to her.

"Lorelai," he warned, as his face turned 12 different shades of red, "Don't even think about it."

"Why Luke, did you not want to continue where we left off in the kitchen," she asked flirtatiously as she brought her lips up to his, "Because, I don't know about you," she said as she pulled away, "But I think this is pretty fun."

"Oh Lorelai! This is so exciting," Babette exclaimed.

"So I'm assuming you're responsible for that grin Luke's been wearing today," Patty interrupted while raising her eyebrows.

"Patty, It's none of your business," Luke responded and turned to Lorelai, "See! This is why I didn't want to tell anyone. Those insinuations are annoying, and I know that as soon as the whole town knows, which won't be long because of these two, they're gonna start giving me weird looks and asking too many questions."

Knowing he was aggravated, Lorelai looked to end this conversation quickly. Thinking on her feet, Lorelai pulled him close and spoke to him like he was the only one in the room. "Babe, calm down and go back to the kitchen. You can send Ceaser out to take orders. I've got to get back to the inn, but Rory and I will be by for dinner, and I will happily answer peoples' questions then."

"Fine," Luke answered gruffly, "I'll see you later." He kissed her cheek swiftly, aware of his audience, and hurried back to the kitchen.

As soon as Luke left, Lorelai warned the ladies, "Now Patty, Babette, be nice to him. I don't want to have to deal with a grumpy diner man when I come back tonight, I want sweet Luke."

"I bet you do," Patty replied suggestively.

"Patty," she warned, "I've really got to go, but I mean it, play nice."