Disclaimer: Once again, I own nothing.
A/N: Sorry I took forever to update this! My life is super busy and, quite frankly, I take forever to write. Well, quality over..ehh...time right? Hah...Well hopefully I will have the third chapter sooner. Also, tons of thanks to Once Upon A Whim for being such a great beta. She is ah-mazing. (For all you Clique readers out there) Thanks chica!!
Luke's head snapped up as he stated, "No. Absolutely not. I am not taking in any of those Poe nutcases. It was bad enough having to listen to that poem twice." Luke scowled and continued on, "N-o. And besides," he added, eyeing Lorelai skeptically, " I thought you'd already found enough rooms for them!"
Lorelai rolled her eyes and replied, "Whoa, calm down there mister. The Poes are all taken care of." She sighed dramatically, "It's just me, your currently homeless friend, that you need to take in so I won't catch pneumonia."
Luke, turning slightly red, mumbled, "Oh.… uhh, Well…"
"Pretty pretty please?" Lorelai begged, "I won't be annoying, I promise. Well, actually, I can't really promise that, but I'll try my absolute to be less annoying than usual." Lorelai gave him her best puppy dog face.
"Uh, yeah sure. I guess it's okay." Luke readjusted his hat and attempted a smile. The whole time he was wondering why he was so nervous; he was just helping a friend, right? It's not like Nicole would care or anything…
Lorelai flashed him a big smile. "Thanks Luke. I really really really appreciate it." She looked up and they locked eyes for what seemed to be a moment too long…
Luke, a bit flustered, said, "Uh, so what time do you want to come over? You know, so I can have your bed made and everything."
"Well, the Poes are coming to my place at eight-ish so I was thinking I would just come here around then." Lorelai, glancing at one of the customers' mugs, added, "Coffee please?"
Luke, after giving her the "You shouldn't be drinking this crap" look, reached under the counter and grabbed a mug. "Okay, eight is fine. Anything else?"
"Yeah. I want you to stop giving me those looks."
Luke smiled mischievously and replied, "What looks?"
"Oh, just your 'I hope you know you're gonna die soon because of this junk' looks." Lorelai smirked and then feigned anger, "I'm one of your best customers. You should be glad I'm eating all of your food!"
"Actually, no, you're not. You hardly ever pay. You always walk out before I have a chance to tell you to!"
Lorelai rose up from her stool and replied flirtatiously, "Well, what can I say? You men are always distracted by my irresistible charm." And as she walked out of the diner, Luke couldn't help but think about how true her last statement was.
As Lorelai walked up to Sookie, she moaned dramatically and announced, "When is this nightmare going to be over? I feel like I've aged a hundred years."
Sookie smiled sympathetically and rubbed her back. "Don't worry, it'll all be over soon and everything will be back to normal." She yawned loudly, then giggled, "Oops. I think we all need some beauty rest; it's not good for us girls to be looking so tired. But anyway, where did you just run off to?"
"Oh, I just went to Luke's. Grab some coffee, be annoying, you know, just the usual." Lorelai shrugged. "Oh, and I forgot to ask you; are you 'housing' any of the Poes tonight?"
"Nope," Sookie replied, "How about you?"
Lorelai made a face and said, "Unfortunately for me, yes. I'm getting kicked out of my house tonight."
"Oh, hun, do you need a place to stay tonight? You can always stay with me and Jackson, you know," Sookie offered.
Lorelai smiled and replied, "Oh, it's alright, I already convinced Luke to let me stay with him tonight. But thanks anyways Sookie."
Sookie furrowed her brow, looking slightly bemused. "Huh…"
"What's wrong?" It was now Lorelai's turn to be concerned.
Sookie's concerned expression disappeared almost instantly and a smile took its place, "Yeah. Sorry about that. I'm okay. Actually, I'm better than ok." She giggled. "So…What time are you 'going to Luke's'?" Sookie raised her eyebrows seductively.
"Sookie! What are you implying?!" Lorelai yelped, playfully hitting her on the arm.
"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Just…does Nicole know about this little rendezvous?" Sookie began jumping up and down giddily. "Ooh how dramatic!"
Lorelai rolled her eyes before replying, "Sookie, there is nothing dramatic about me staying at Luke's tonight. I just needed a place to stay, and his couch was available. I'm sure Luke has already told Nicole, not that she would care anyways."
"Whatever you say, Lorelai," Sookie said in a not-so-convincing tone, "But...what did Rory think about it?"
"What? Oh, I haven't told her yet. I think she'll be glad that I'm not going to be sleeping in the Gazebo tonight." Lorelai paused and checked her watch. "Oops, sorry Sookie, I've gotta run. I need to pack for tonight and it's already 7. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, right? Bye!"
At 7:45, Lorelai was no closer to being packed than she was 45 minutes before. Lorelai's pajama drawer was torn apart, her bathroom counter was no longer visible under all of her makeup, and her hair was still wrapped up in her towel. She frantically ran around her room, and in the process she stubbed her toe on a chair leg. Screaming in frustration and pain, she grabbed her phone from her purse and called Rory. "Rory, babe, Mommy is facing a huge dilemma. I don't know what to wear tonight, I'm not packed at all and the Poes are coming in less than fifteen minutes. Oh, and I just mashed my toe. Help!"
Rory, stifling a giggle on her side of the phone, replied, "Mom? Calm down. When you called me a few minutes ago you sounded fine." She frowned. "How did you stub your toe…? But anyways, how hard is it to pull out a pair of pajamas? It's not like you're going on a date or anything. It's just Luke, Mom."
Lorelai was silent on her end of the phone.
"Mom…?" Rory asked as she contemplated their conversation, "Are you there still?" Rory paused for a moment. "Oh… My….It's not just Luke anymore, is it? It's Luke. Luke. Luke! Finally…Wow."
"H-hey! I never said that! Don't you start now too!" Lorelai sputtered.
Rory chirped, "But I know that's what you're thinking. Don't deny it Mom!"
"I am denying it. No! Well, I don't know. Luke is Luke. I just don't want to look like a mess, you know?" Lorelai pleaded.
"Aw, my mother is trying to impress Luke. How cute!" Rory giggled.
"Evil child. Ugh, stop mocking me and tell me what to wear!" Lorelai pleaded.
"Fine. Hmm…wear your Victoria's sweats that say pink on the butt and the cami that matches. And bring a sweater in case it gets cold."
"That's it?! I've been going through my entire pj drawer for almost an hour and you find me the perfect outfit in two minutes. Unbelievable." Lorelai wriggled out of her bathrobe and attempted getting changed while on the phone. "Ugh, stupid sweats. Ack! Hold on babe, I'm obviously not very good at multitasking. Let me put you on speaker." After dropping the phone twice, yanking on her cami, and finding the speaker button on the phone, she finally spoke again. "Ah, now that's better. Anyways, what was I going to say? Oh yeah, I was going to tell you how brilliant you were. Thanks kid, I owe you majorly."
Rory laughed and responded, "No problem. Well Lane is calling me now, so I'd better go. Have fun tonight. Oh, ew, that sounded gross. Well, you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I do. Well I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."
"Back atcha.."
"Oh, and if you tell anyone about this, I am so totally denying it," Lorelai threatened.
Rory rolled her eyes and replied, "Okay, fine Mom. Bye!"
"Bye" Lorelai snapped her phone shut and glanced at her watch. 7:55. The doorbell rang as if on cue, and Lorelai grabbed her bag and headed downstairs to greet her guests.
Back at his apartment, Luke was getting more nervous by the second. Why had she asked to stay with him? Did it mean nothing, or was it actually some sort of signal he was supposed to be picking up on? He figured he could probably pull off going to bed at 10, but what were they supposed to do for 2 whole hours before that? Luke paced around his room some more, and felt his pulse racing when he heard footsteps on the stairs.
Lorelai knocked on Luke's door and waited for him to open.
Luke, standing on the opposite side of the door, reached for the doorknob, then stopped and pulled his hand away. He scowled at himself for acting so stupid and pulled open the door. "Hey Lorelai," he greeted sheepishly.
"Hey," Lorelai smiled, "Jeez, it took you long enough to answer the door."
Luke laughed awkwardly and replied, "Yeah, sorry about that. Come on in." Lorelai followed him inside and closed the door behind her.
"So," Luke began, "Do you want anything to eat or drink? Beer or something?"
"Sure, I guess I'll have a beer." Lorelai stopped and looked around, "Hey, where should I put my stuff?"
"It doesn't matter. Just drop it anywhere," Luke replied from the kitchen. Walking back toward her he said, "Here," and handed one to Lorelai. "Ah damn. I forgot about the bed. I'll go do that now. You can just, uh, make yourself at home." Luke quickly turned and walked away.
Lorelai, confused by his abruptness, said, "I'll help. Slow down you, what's the big rush?"
Luke mumbled under his breath, "Yeah, sorry. It's just…Is this a little weird for you?"
"Huh? Sorry, I couldn't hear you," Lorelai replied as she walked forward to hear what he had to say, "What'd you say?"
"Uh, well I was just wondering if-" Luke started to explain.
"Ooh!" Lorelai interrupted, reaching for a certificate and plaque on the shelf above her bed, "What's this? Did you win a prize? Aww, when did you get this Luke?"
Luke, startled, growled, "Hey! That's private! Put it down!"
Lorelai jumped onto the bed and teasingly read out, "This award, presented to Luke Danes, is for his outstanding achievement in Boy scouts. Luke has excelled in all areas including fishing, camping, and lending a hand in his community."
Luke also stepped onto the bed and lunged for the certificate. "Lorelai!" he barked, "Give it back!"
Lorelai laughed and replied, "If you want it, you have to come and get it!" She hopped off her bed and bounded towards the kitchen. Luke ran after her, grabbed her arms and snatched his certificate back. Lorelai cried, "Hey!" and began hitting him on the arm. "You meanie, you! Ugh, I should've seen that one coming! Ah!"
Luke grinned and replied, "Oh, no. You're not getting off that easy."
She shrieked and giggled at the same time. "Let go of me! Let go!"
Both Luke and Lorelai were too busy laughing to hear the door being slowly pushed open.