Lorelai slid into the drivers seat of her seat and placed her hands on the wheel. She looked over to the passenger seat and smiled. There he was. Luke, in all his glory. The plaid shirt. The faded blue jeans. The backwards baseball cap. The half-way smirk.
"What are you smiling at?" he asked her, smirking. She blinked and shook her head, as if to clear the thoughts from her head.
"I'm sorry?" Lorelai asked, putting the car in drive and driving out of Stars Hollow.
"Why were you grinning?" He asked again.
"Oh, I'm just thinking about how much fun you're going to have," she replied, letting out a suppressed giggle.
"Wait. Where are we going?" Luke said, turning his head to watch the Welcome To Stars Hollow sign fading in the distance.
"Hartford, of course," Lorelai replied as if it was the only possible answer. Luke stared at her blankly and then turned his attention back to the road, deciding to let it go.
Lorelai focused on driving for a moment, before beginning to sing softly in an annoying rhythm. Big Mac, McBLT, a Quarter-Pounder with some cheese, Filet-O-Fish, a hamburger, a cheeseburger, a Happy Meal…
"What are you singing?" Luke asked, staring at her with the annoyed expression he'd perfected after so many years.
"The McDonalds Menu Song," Lorelai replied matter of factly. "Duh." Lorelai began singing again. McNuggets, tasty golden French fries, regular or large size and salads: chef salad, or garden or chicken salad oriental. Luke rolled his eyes as Lorelai continued, Big breakfast, Egg McMuffin, hot hot cakes, and sausage. Maybe biscuits, bacon, egg and cheese, a sausage, Danish, hash browns too.
"Geez, Lorelai! It's after 11. Stop singing about breakfast," Luke retorted.
"Fine," Lorelai said and stopped singing for a moment. And for dessert… hot apple pies, and sundaes three varieties, a soft-serve cone, three kinds of shakes, and chocolate chip cookies.
"Oh my gosh. I'm turning on the radio," Luke said, reaching for the button.
"Broken," Lorelai replied, grinning. "We'll just have to make our own music." Lorelai grinned and continued, And to drink a Coca Cola, Diet Coke and Orange Drink, a Sprite and coffee, decaf too. A lowfat milk, also an orange juice…
Lorelai turned right into the parking lot of her destination, rolled her window down and sang at the top of her lungs. I love McDonalds, good time, good taste and I get this all at one place!
Luke sank down to the bottom of his seat. "I can't believe you're taking me on a date to McDonalds. When I said pick the place, I thought you would pick a movie theatre or a French restaurant or a bowling alley or something."
"I like the value meal… Plus, McDonalds has so much. They have a Big Mac, McBLT…" Lorelai began singing again.
Luke looked over at her and put his hand over her mouth. "I know what they have, you already told me."
Lorelai grinned and nodded. When Luke wouldn't move his hand off her mouth she stuck her tongue out and licked him, and he pulled away quickly. "Let's go, honey," she said, climbing out of the jeep.
Luke got out of the jeep and dragged his body into McDonalds. He saw Lorelai sit down at a table in the back, right next to the door. "Lorelai," he said, sitting down next to her. "This isn't a fancy restaurant. Waiters in tuxedos don't come and take your order here."
"I know, Luke. I have been to Mickey D's before," she said, as a bell dinged in the background as a new customer came through the door.
"Luke! Move! I can't see!" Lorelai exclaimed, pushing him out of the way. Luke sat down across the table and looked at her. She was studying the new customer, a somewhat heavyweight woman with a floral printed dress and purple makeup.
"Hmm…" she said, pondering something.
"What?" Luke said.
"Melba's going to get the Chicken Oriental Salad because she thinks she's fat. She's going to get some golden crispy French fries and a diet coke, too."
"Melba? What are you talking about?"
"The woman dressed like a floral curtain gone wrong," Lorelai said.
"I'm so confused."
"Melba, the woman dressed like a floral curtain gone wrong, is ordering a Chicken Oriental Salad, French fries, and a diet coke," Lorelai said, as if Luke had just been born yesterday.
"You guess peoples' orders?" Luke said, as the woman walked away, a Chicken Oriental Salad, large fries, and a diet coke in tote.
Lorelai pumped her arm in the air "YES!" Luke rolled his eyes.
"How long are you going to do this?" he asked Lorelai.
"I never get sick of this. I'm a natural. If this was an Olympic sport, I would be the queen," Lorelai replied. Luke looked at her, his forehead scrunched in confusion. "I mean, if this was an Olympic sport I'd be the medalist… and if this was England I'd be the queen." Luke nodded slowly. "It's more fun if you play," Lorelai said, grabbing a napkin. "Quick, give me your pen."
"You have got to stop assuming I carry a pen with me everywhere I go," Luke said, reaching into his shirt pocket and pulling out a pen and handing it to her. He watched as Lorelai scribbled furiously, and then handed him a napkin with the words to the McDonalds song written on it.
"What's this for?"
"You're not as talented as I am. You don't know the whole menu yet," Lorelai said simply.
"And to think you have a Yale degree," Luke replied, taking the napkin and rolling his eyes.
Two hours later and Luke was bored out of his mind, watching Lorelai guess every single person's order, correctly on top of that. He yawned as the bell rang behind him. "Lorelai…" he groaned.
"Fine, Luke, let's go," she said, eyeing the new customer and not moving from her seat. "Marvin's going to get a sweet tea and a Quarter Pounder. And fries." Lorelai watched as Marvin ordered, getting up and grabbing her purse, her eyes never moving from him as he waited for the food to hit his tray. He turned around and looked at her and grinned. Lorelai smiled lightly as her face went white and she rushed out the door and into the jeep. Luke watched as Marvin walked away carrying something completely different than what Lorelai had originally ordered. He smiled and laughed lightly and walked out the door and got into the jeep.
"What'd Marvin get?" Lorelai asked, speeding away from the McDonalds.
"Oh, I uh.. .didn't pay attention." Luke stammered. Lorelai nodded and kept driving. "Where are we going now? Burger King?"
"No," Lorelai said, grinning. "Wendy's." Luke chuckled and smiled over at Lorelai. He reached his hand across the middle of them and put it on her leg palm up, waiting for her to take her hand off the wheel and hold his.
Lorelai slowed to a stop as a red light glared ahead, and she looked over at Luke with a serious look on her face. She bit her lip and smiled, looking down at his hand. She put her hand on top of his, curling her fingers around his, and squeezed softly. Luke looked over at her and blushed. She smiled at the control she had over him, and put her feet to the gas, accelerating.
"So where are we really going?" Luke asked her.
"I'm taking you ice skating."
"I don't know how," Luke said, looking down at his lap. "I never learned."
"It's okay," Lorelai said, squeezing his hand as she turned into the parking lot surrounding the pond. "I'll teach you."
Luke smiled as Lorelai parked. He opened his door and climbed out, running around to the driver's side to let her out.
Lorelai opened the door without seeing Luke and gasped when his hand appeared to let her out. "Why thank you." She flirted.
"You're welcome milady. Now, where are our ice skates?"
"You need ice skates to go ice skating?" Lorelai asked, her mouth dropping.
Luke looked at her for a minute. "Um, yeah…"
"I must have forgot," Lorelai said, hitting herself in the head. "I'm such a loser. I shouldn't be allowed to use a fork, I can't even remember ice skates to go ice skating." Lorelai said.
Luke chuckled. "It's okay, we can just watch."
"Watch?" Lorelai asked, incredulously.
"Watch." Luke repeated, going to the back of her jeep and pulling out a picnic blanket he'd put in her trunk just in case. He spread it out over the hood of the jeep and climbed up, offering her his hand.
"We're going to sit on my car and watch other people ice skate?" Lorelai asked, a smile threatening to form. "This was one thing I never put on my to-do before I die list."
Luke smiled and leaned back against the windshield, wrapping his arms around Lorelai. She cuddled up next to him and watched the skaters circling around the ice.
There were two teenage couples, a mother with her two daughters, and another woman who looked like she was just skating to get some exercise in. He watched them all, wondering if ice skating was really all that fun. He focused on the woman for a minute and scrunched his forehead, watching her.
Lorelai looked up at him and smiled. "A quarter for your thoughts." She stated.
"I'd be ripping you off," Luke said. "That's twenty-four cents too much."
Lorelai laughed lightly. "You're checking out that woman, aren't you?"
"No!" Luke said, a little too loudly and harshly. The woman turned around and looked at Luke. Lorelai followed his glance and rested her eyes on the woman as she put her skate guards on and walked over to them.
"Hello, Luke." She said, flirting. Lorelai looked at him with a look of shock. "And… Lorelai, is that you?" The woman asked looking at her. Lorelai looked back at her and stopped for a minute, before recognizing her immediately.
"Hi," Lorelai stammered. "You two, uh.. you two know each other?" she asked.
Luke opened his mouth but the woman cut him off. "Luke and I dated for a while," she said smiling. "Best years of my life, wouldn't you agree, Luke?"
Lorelai's eyes went wide as her head whipped over to stare at Luke. "Luke?"
He looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Jordan…" Lorelai cleared her throat. Luke took his baseball cap off and ran his hands through his hair.
"Luke?" Lorelai countered again, an edge to her voice.
Luke nodded at Lorelai and turned back to Jordan. "We had a thing, we don't anymore. It was good when it lasted, but it wasn't the best part of my life. I'm sorry."
Jordan looked at him for a moment, her eyes flashing. "So, are the best years of your life with her?" She spat.
Lorelai looked up at her, her mouth half open. "Don't talk to her like that," Luke said. "You don't even know her."
Jordan stared at Lorelai. "Oh, I do. Once a tramp, always a tramp, Lorelai." She turned and walked away, leaving Lorelai and Luke sitting on the hood of the Jeep, staring after her.
"You know her?" Luke asked.
"I went to high school with her," Lorelai said, sliding off the trunk of her car. "You dated her, I hated her." She grabbed the blanket off the hood and went around the back and threw it in the trunk. Luke appeared next to her.
"Lorelai…"
"Luke," Lorelai said, slamming the trunk door. "What's the biggest mistake you ever made in your life?"
Luke looked at her. "Let's talk about this in the car."
Lorelai nodded, got in the car, and drove to the side of a nearby deserted road. "Luke?"
Luke opened his mouth and closed it. Lorelai looked at him as he tried to formulate words in his mouth. He grabbed her hand and opened his mouth to speak once more.