Chapter Seven

Lorelai dabbed her eyes and looked at her daughter. "Why do I have the feeling we were both wallowing there? Something happen with Logan?"

"No."

"You dodged that bullet pretty quick back there. You wanna talk about it?"

"Logan and I are great, Mom. You're talking crazy-talk there, mom. This day is all about you."

"Fighting for movies on a wallowing day generally implies a vested reason to wallow."

"You needed to, that's reason enough to be vested."

"It's not Christopher, because you made it very clear that you don't want anything to do with him." She turned off the television just as Kate was jumping off the Washington Bridge. "Oh no. No no no no no no. Not Luke. Please don't think that."

"I don't"

"Just because Luke and I aren't 'Luke and I' doesn't mean you have to hate him or avoid him or anything."

"I don't."

"I don't want you to feel that you can't talk to him or eat at the diner. He still cares about you."

"I know that. I spent the night there, remember."

"Yeah. What did you talk about?"

"You." Rory ducked her head, feeling ashamed at the admission. "He still loves you."

"Then why did he end it?" Lorelai's vision blurred as bitter water burned at their rims once more.

"He was hurting, mom. He'd been lied to." Lorelai flinched. "And his girlfriend's parents had just told him that he was worthless. He was just lashed out at the nearest person."

Rory nervously poked the pizza box with her foot. This was not an easy conversation. Her mother took the momentary lull to glance at the clock.

"Rory! Look at the time! It's almost seven!"

"So?"

"So? You have class tomorrow!"

"Oh class, right." Class, the one thing Rory did not want to think about. "I can skip it."

"What? Go! Now!"

"You are more important."

"Rory, I'm thirty-eight years old. I can take care of myself. I do my own laundry and everything."

"What about meals?"

Lorelai pouted and pulled the throw pillow close to her chin. "Sookie."

"There's my good provider." Rory grinned and ruffled her mother's hair.

"Hey! I can't cook and the last person to use that stove was Max!"

"So I prove my point: you are incapable of tending to your needs. Thus I am needed here more."

"Clever." Lorelai pouted unhappy at losing the banter so quickly. Wallowing for two months had really put her off her game. Unless… Yes! Her eyes lit up with renewed vigor. "I am still able to sustain and nourish myself."

"But…"

"Yeah, I'm not making my food but I am getting it."

"Parasite."

"Just call me 'Lorelai the Lice'."

"Louse."

"What?"

"Lice is plural, louse is singular."

"You are too smart for your own good. And mine." Lorelai rolled her eyes and batted her daughter with the pillow.

"And on that note, I'm going to head back to Yale." Rory laughed as she dug her keys out of her purse. "You sure you don't need anything?"

"Rory, I'm fine, really. I'm gonna throw in a Willie Wonka when you leave and then go to bed."

"Ok, then." Rory leaned down and kissed her mother's forehead. "I'll call you tonight when I go to bed."

"Ok, babe."

Rory shut the door and walked to her car. As she backed out of the driveway and drove down the road, she caught a glimpse of Luke's headlights as he pulled up to the house. His truck stopped where her car was. "Go get her Luke," she whispered to herself and grinned. Yes, things were going to be just fine.