The Bet: An Alternate Ending
The next few days went on without a hitch. Lorelai woke up, dressed professionally, went to work, and approached every situation with confidence. She was a little surprised at how persuasive she could be without using her femininity to get what she needed.
The final day of the bet had finally arrived. Oddly enough, Lorelai found this day to be the hardest of the seven, knowing she was only hours away from being able to go back to her normal self. She was determined though. She was not going to give up coffee for a whole week.
When she walked into Luke's at 7:15 that evening, she took a seat at the counter waiting for her coffee. With only ten minutes left to the bet, she was feeling like it was time for a victory cup of coffee. Luke came out of the kitchen and walked to where she was.
"Hey," she said with a bright smile. He nodded to her.
"What'll you have?" he asked, pulling out his notepad and pen.
"Coffee," she said with a wide smile. He pulled out a mug and poured it for her.
"Anything else?" She thought for a moment.
"No, I'm good for now," she said, taking a long sip of her coffee. He checked his watch.
"Just ten minutes to go," he noted. She nodded and smiled.
"I know," she responded with a grin. He just shook his head. "Impressed?" she asked.
"There's still time," he said, grinning. She looked at him, mouth agape.
"It's been a whole week, and you think I'm going to break in the last ten minutes? Oh, ye of little faith," she exclaimed, taking another sip of her coffee. He leaned down against the counter close to her.
"You're just lucky I haven't been trying to throw you off of your game," he said conspiratorially. She raised an eyebrow.
"And you think you can throw me off my game?" she asked, leaning in unconsciously. He shrugged and just moved a little closer, lowering his tone slightly.
"I have my ways," he said, trying unsuccessfully not to grin when she reared back.
"I know what you're doing here. It's not gonna work." He shrugged and backed away, grabbing a towel and heading out to wipe down a table. Lorelai turned back to her coffee, proud that she had successfully evaded his attempts.
She was just about to take a sip when she felt him come up behind her. He placed his hands on the counter on either side of her and pressed his chest flush against her back, while breathlessly saying in her ear "Five minutes." She flushed despite herself. She resisted the urge to turn around and give it right back to him. She hadn't expected him to make the last few moments so difficult.
"I'll take some more coffee," she said, sliding her mug across the counter. He chuckled in her ear, his breath on her skin causing her to tingle slightly. Slowly he backed away, grazing her back with his arm as he walked by her. He went to the task of filling her cup while she checked her watch.
"Three minutes," she said aloud. He nodded.
"So close, yet so far," he commented, sliding the fresh coffee over to her. She just rolled her eyes and took a sip. Her nose crinkled in response to the taste.
"This is decaf!" she exclaimed, shoving it away. He shrugged.
"Yea?"
"I want real coffee," she told him. He chuckled.
"How bad?" he asked. She bit her lip and checked her watch again. Two minutes.
"Please give me caffeine," she asked, politely, but not flirtatiously. He shook his head.
"I'm gonna need more incentive then that," he said, enjoying her flustered response. She sighed deeply and stood up, walking away from the counter and out the door, standing just outside the diner. She looked at her watch once again. A minute and a half.
The door opened behind her and Luke stepped out, standing close to her.
"It's cold out here," he commented. She nodded.
"It's February," she said.
"You gonna stand out here for the next minute?" he asked. She nodded, folding her arms over her chest against the cold. He shrugged off his flannel and placed it over her shoulders. She spared a glance at him. His t-shirt was tight. He knew it, too. She looked at him appreciatively, as he towered over her in his tight shirt that showed off his muscles, while she wore his flannel that he was nice enough to give up.
"Thanks," she mumbled. He grinned and looked at his watch.
"Twenty seconds. You think you can make it?" She just grinned and bit her lip, watching her clock tick down the seconds.
"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!" she cried…. "Happy New Year!" She flung the flannel up in the air, catching it with a grin. Luke just laughed.
"Get in here," he said, opening the door and holding it for her. She gratefully stepped inside and headed back to the counter, taking her seat. She slipped the flannel back on, not wanting to give it up just yet.
"Okay, time to start collecting. I'd like a massive cup of coffee please. Caffeinated," she ordered. He shook his head and pulled out a bigger cup, filling it to the brim with proper coffee, which she accepted gratefully.
"I'm proud of you," he told her, leaning against the counter. She smiled at him and nodded.
"You know what? So am I," she said, happily sipping her victory beverage.
"You should be," he said as he headed back out into the now empty diner and began to put the chairs up on tables. He turned the 'open' sign to 'closed' and went back behind the counter to clean up some dishes. Lorelai watched him work as she hugged the flannel against her.
"Hey Luke?" she asked. He turned, leaning against the counter to listen to her. "What would you have done if I flirted back tonight?" she asked. He shrugged.
"I would have won." She nodded while rolling her eyes.
"Well, yea. But what would you have done? I mean, you were laying it on pretty thick there," she said. He shrugged, not really sure where she was going with her line of questioning.
"I don't know. I guess I'd have to be in the situation to know what I'd do." She nodded.
"But if I gave it back, would you keep on going with it, or would you stop?" He looked at her silently for a moment, not knowing entirely how to respond.
"I guess I'd have to see where you were going with it," he responded, leaning a little closer. She, in turn, leaned against the counter.
"Where would you like to go with it?" she asked, allowing herself to flirt a little now that the bet was won. He looked at her with a mix of confusion and hope.
"I'm not sure what you're getting at," he said. She shrugged.
"I don't know. I mean, haven't you ever just wondered where it could go?"
"Where what could go? Our flirting?" he asked. She nodded. "I don't know. Maybe sometimes. Why? Have you?" She shrugged with a small grin gracing her featured.
"Yeah. I mean, sometimes. I've probably given it a little more thought recently then before. But yeah, I've thought about it."
"You've thought about us?" he asked, clarifying. She nodded.
"Yeah. I mean, haven't you?" he nodded slightly, realizing that they were now treading on dangerous waters.
"Sure. From time to time I guess I have thought of us."
"And?" she questioned. He shrugged.
"And. I don't know. It could be interesting," he said, not really sure how to word what he was feeling, or even sure if she was feeling the same way. She smiled, reassuring him.
"Yeah. I think so too," she said, allowing herself to smile completely. He smiled slightly.
"So… what now?" he asked tentatively. She shrugged.
"We could go upstairs. Pound out the details," she suggested. He raised his eyebrow.
"Pound out the details?" he questioned, mocking her. She laughed lightly and stood up. She rounded the counter and stood directly in front of him. She raised her hand to his cheek, feeling the stubble there, and stood on her tip-toes, kissing him quickly on the mouth. He grinned and reached up, finding her hand with his, taking it in his own. He used her hand to pull her close to him, and slowly dipped down, catching her mouth with his own, softly. She smiled against his lips as she returned the gesture.
He wrapped his arms around her as they continued to explore the kiss. He pulled her as close as he could, while she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, entangling her fingers in the hair coming out from his hat. When they broke a moment later, neither could contain the smiles.
"Well, come on," she said, grabbing his hand and leading him to the stairs. "We've got some details to discuss."
So, I know a lot of people wanted Lorelai to win. Heck, I wanted Lorelai to win, so I wrote and alternate ending. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know.