Notes:
This chapter was pretty easy to write so I'm almost done with the next one. So here's to hoping I'm in a good enough mood come Wednesday morning to post it... You know, I'm guessing I'm going to have to have the tissues ready. I've noticed that I only cry in season finales where LG cries (2,3,5) so I'm guessing, considering the promo, that I'm going to cry. Note to self: take makeup off before watching GG on Tuesday. Less than 48 hours to go, I have so many different ideas of what could happen, why do I feel nervous?
LLfreak8285 - I never knew that ASP had said that. As I've said before, I really do like what she's done with GGs, even this season, actually I loved a lot of the 6th season, even the rift because the acting and everything was just so good. Just like you, I like April, I think she's cute, probably why I put her in this story and most stories I've written. But I just want to make clear, I'm not bashing ASP, I mean seriously she's awesome, I'm just wishing things were different, that Luke wasn't having a midlife crisis.
CharmedOne7498 - Such a compliment! Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like the story.
SmileyGGfan - Actually Lorelai's line about giving it up for lent is one of my own lines I say all the time. I guess I have to consider that I put a lot of myself into Lorelai in this story.
And for everyone who commented about Luke's last line: I love Luke. I really do, even through his stupid midlife crisis he's gone though this season. And he's always there for Lorelai, he always has been. Also, I am planning on coming back to this, as well as other loose ends I've left. So many different threads to weave together...
La Dolce Vita
Lorelai and Luke walk up to the restaurant, hand in hand. Lorelai's wearing a red spaghetti strap dress with an empire waist that barely reveals that she's three months pregnant. Luke's in the black sweater and pants that Lorelai bought him years before. As they get near the door, Luke stops, making Lorelai pause with him. She looks up at him curiously. "Are you sure you want to go in?" Luke asks.
"Luke, you said dinner, so I didn't eat today, now I'm hungry and you're asking me if I want to go in and eat?"
"You didn't eat? You ate at the diner this morning with Rory," Luke reminds her.
"Yeah, but I didn't eat my pre-dinner snack," Lorelai explains.
"Ah." Luke nods. "I just thought, if you were still upset, we could just go back to your place and relax." Lorelai shakes her head.
"No, we're having a baby and we've never even been on a real first date. You promised me dinner. You brought me here, lead on boyfriend," Lorelai responds, pushing Luke towards the door. Luke chuckles as he grabs her hand, pulling her after him into the restaurant.
Luke walks up to the maitre'd and check in his reservation and tells them to tell Tony that he's there. Lorelai smiles curiously. "Tony's a friend of mine from school," Luke explains. Lorelai raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. A tall man with dark hair in a suit walks over.
"Luke!" Tony calls. They share a manly hug. "When I got your call I wondered for a second if you settled down and got yourself a wife." Tony looks over at Lorelai and winks. Lorelai glances over at Luke, who settles an arm around her waist.
"Tony, this is my girlfriend, Lorelai." Tony reaches out his hand to Lorelai and she delicately shakes his hand.
"Luke and I go way back. I even dated his sister," Tony tells her. Luke chuckles.
"You did not," Luke reponds. He shakes his head at Tony, smiling, and Lorelai can see how close the two guys really are. "Tony is the reason that I turned Dad's store into a diner," Luke tells Lorelai. The two men share a look.
"I had always planned on going into restaurant management and Luke was going to be the chief chef at my place," Tony explains. "The night after his father's funeral I found him in the store. He said he wanted to go into the business with me but at the same time he wanted to do something with his dad's store." Tony motions for Luke to finish the story.
"So, Tony reminded me that I never liked cooking high class cuisine and suggested I open a little place in my dad's store and then we thought up the idea of the diner. He helped me get the place together and he helped me with the opening, before getting this place together," Luke explains to Lorelai. She nods. "So every once in awhile I like to come here as a thank you." Lorelai looks over at Tony, smiling.
"Well thank you from me as well. If it hadn't been for the diner, Luke and I might never have met," Lorelai says. She looks up at Luke, who is looking back at her, eyes smiling, and kisses him.
"Just call me Yenta," Tony jokes. "Come on, I'll show you to your table." He motions for them for follow him. Luke moves his hand from Lorelai's waist to her hand as he follows her to the table. Tony pulls out a chair for Lorelai, but Luke shakes his head at him.
"You trying hone in on my territory?" Luke teases. Tony puts his hands in the air as he steps back from the chair. Luke motions for Lorelai to sit and she does.
"Gentlemen, please, I'm not the Rhineland," Lorelai says. Luke shakes his head at her as he pushes her chair in.
"I'll come by later," Tony promises and walks away. Luke sits down in the chair across from Lorelai, who raises an eyebrow at him.
"What?" Luke asks.
"I'm just amazed to find you in a place like this. It doesn't seem like a normal restaurant for a hermit," Lorelai teases.
"Well, I don't normally eat here," Luke admits. Lorelai nods. "But I always planned on taking you here on our first date." Lorelai raises an eyebrow.
"You knew that eventually we would have a first date? Who are you, Jeane Dixon?" Luke chuckles.
"No, I just, anytime I thought about where I would take you on a first date, this was the only place that came to mind," Luke says. "You like diner food as a daily thing but I know you can't possibly want diner food on a date."
"You think you know me that well?" Lorelai challenges.
"I know you like your coffee so strong it could kill a rat. I know you like to eat as much crappy food as you can during meals where vegetables are served so that you're too full to eat the good food. And I know you like to be in control of the conversation." Lorelai shrugs taking a piece of bread out of the basket set in front of them.
"That doesn't prove anything, you could learn all that after the first day I stopped in the diner," Lorelai responds. Luke sits back, folding his hands on the table.
"You love winter and not just for the snow, even though you love the smell of snow, but because it's all your own. It's quiet and cozy. It makes you feel at peace with the world and with yourself. You love going out and painting the town but would still be perfectly happy curled up on your couch in comfy clothes in front of a really bad movie and lots of junk food, because it's easier and you feel at home in your own skin without getting all dolled up. You pride yourself on your independence, not only from your parents, but from all things. You're an individual and dislike the idea that you may be like anyone else, that's why you don't hide that you had a daughter at sixteen and also because you couldn't care less what other people think of you. Your parents are the exception to that rule. Deep down you love them and all you ever wanted was for them to accept you for an individual and for the fact that you have a better life than you could have dreamed of. That leads me into my final thought. You love life and you live yours to its fullest. You believe that you have because you have raised an amazing daughter all on your own, you work hard at your job and created one of the best known inns in Connecticut and you are admired by those who know you. But I also know you would give it all up in a heartbeat for Rory." Lorelai stares at him in awe. She swallows the bite of bread in her mouth. Luke reaches across the table and takes her hand. "I know you Lorelai. I know you're the amazing, beautiful, fascinating woman sitting across from me and I'm so glad to be sharing this table, this night, this part of your life with you." Lorelai's mouth has dropped open in amazement. They both lean towards each other, their lips touching softly at first and then passionately as if they had never kissed before.
"You're amazing too, Luke," she whispers between kisses. He smiles and sits back. She blushes.
"Would you like to dance?" Lorelai's eyes light up.
"There's dancing?" Luke nods, recalling that he always knew she would love dancing. He stands and walks over to her holding out her hand.
"If you don't mind waiting to eat for a moment," he adds. Lorelai stares up at him.
"The bread will satiate me for now," she responds, putting her hand in his as he helps her up. They walk down the stairs into a dance room, quietly, both just feeling the warmth of their hands and fingers intertwined.
Luke pulls her into her arms as the song, When Hearts Collide by Red Wanting Blue begins. "I didn't know you could dance," Lorelai whispers breathlessly. Luke grins.
"Actually I'm the reason there was dancing at this place. When Tony and I were in high school, Liz loved watching those old Fred and Ginger movies. It just amazed us how Fred could get Ginger every time and Tony figured it must have been the dancing. So our junior year, I signed us and our girlfriends at the time, up for a ballroom dancing class."
"And was there anyone in the class under the age of 50?" Lorelai teases.
"Not really," Luke admits. "But Tony loved it, he said if a woman knew you could dance she would be yours in a heartbeat." Lorelai winks. She leans into him, so close she can rest her chin on his shoulder.
"I always knew there was something hidden under that flannel shirt and baseball cap," she whispers in his ear. Luke smiles.
"I think you already found that out considering…"
"Dirty!" Lorelai exclaims. Luke chuckles, knowing he led her right to that. She leans back so she can look at him. "What I mean is there's more to you than a gruff dinerman. You're a family man, I knew that. But you have heart, a golden heart. You could stop trying to hide that sometime."
"You think you know me so well," Luke teases, using Lorelai's phrase. They kiss, soft and slow, letting their lips meld together as the music continues.
When hearts collide like fireflies lost in a shooting star shower
I would chase the sunset west to keep the day alive one more hour
But I'm eaten alive by the butterflies and the petals and daisies as I
Pace beneath the hair hanging from Rapunzel's tower
As the music comes to an end, Lorelai has laid her head on Luke's shoulder, her face nuzzling his neck, her eyes closed. Luke rests his cheek against her head, feeling the soft curls of her hair against his skin. His eyes are open but his look is distant. When the song stops, Luke clears his throat. "Do you want to keep dancing?" Lorelai smiles.
"Actually, I'd love to eat," she answers, eyes sparkling. Luke laughs.
"Okay." He takes her hand and leads her back to the table, where their meals are being set out. Lorelai raises her eyebrows in surprise. "You've been eating in my diner for years, I know what you like to eat."
After Luke pushes in her chair, Lorelai lifts up the cover over her meal to reveal a giant piece of lasagna and a pile of spaghetti marinara. Luke has the same. "Can I ask you a question?" Luke asks.
"Shoot."
"Did you ever think about this? That one day you might be at dinner like this with me, that you might be dancing with me. Did you ever imagine that?" Luke asks, hopeful that he wasn't alone in this. Lorelai looks down, thinking this over. She looks back up at him, cocking her head to the side.
"The moment I met you, I was taken with you," she says. Luke swallows but allows her continue. "You don't know how many times I thought of giving in, of kissing you, of reaching out and touching you. But I'm still in shock. We're actually here, we're actually doing this." She smiles. "And I couldn't be happier."
"And you're doing okay?" Lorelai frowns, arching an eyebrow. "With what your parents said?" Lorelai shrugs.
"I have to be. They're like that Lincoln statue in DC. They'll never move, they'll never change. They're made of marble. Same expression. Same thing every time." She shakes her head. "And I'll never understand them. And they'll never understand me." She reaches out and touches his hand. "And I'm sorry. I'm sorry they treated you like that. Just know I don't agree with anything they said." Luke nods. "You're one of the best things that has ever happened to me. You. Rory. And little Jack or Jackie." Luke raises an eyebrow. "Amos or Andy?"
"Lorelai, those are both male names."
"Fine, George or Martha?"
"Okay, you're going to have to let me name the baby." Lorelai laughs and Luke joins in as they continue their meal.