Epilogue
A week later
Lorelai entered the diner like a hurricane, the loud clamor of the door's bells announcing her arrival. She was met by the chaos of the diner's daily breakfast crowd; a long line of customers waited to be seated. Immediately, she spotted Luke, who was busy clearing a couple dishes from a table.
"Coffee, coffee, coffee!" She begged, blocking him as he attempted to walk behind the counter.
"We're understaffed today. Wait your turn," retorted Luke with his usual gruff reply.
"But I need coffee now!" Lorelai announced, as if her emphasis on the last word would be enough to convince him.
"Too bad, wait your turn."
"Luke, I don't think you get it. Girlfriends automatically get first dibs on the coffee."
"Sorry, that rule must have slipped my mind," he said sarcastically as he returned to ringing up the bill of another customer.
"Oh, come on. I'll even get it myself."
She took a couple steps behind the counter, but was immediately rebuffed by Luke.
"You're not allowed back here."
"Whatever. Obviously dating you is getting me nowhere. It's a rule: those dating the diner owner get to go first in line. I mean, unless you're dating all these people--"she gestured to the long line of customers.
Luke just rolled his eyes, but Lorelai continued, "You're not even denying it? You are dating them? I can't believe I had to find out like this." Pointing to a man nearby—a stocky man with graying hair and a thick silver beard—she continued, "Really, Luke? Because I never thought of him as your type. But I guess…"
"Aw jeez," Luke interrupted, rolling his eyes again. "Fine, here's your coffee. Now stop harassing the other customers." He handed her the pot of coffee and she grabbed it quickly, a grin spreading across her face.
"Yes! I won!" she shouted, holding the pot as if it were some sort of trophy.
"It wasn't a game." Luke replied.
"Aw you're no fun." She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip. "Anyway, you're just saying that because you lost."
He shook his head. "Crazy lady," he muttered as he gave her a quick kiss before returning to his work.
She grinned and quickly scooted into the seat at the counter that had just become available. This felt right to her, she was happy. They were finally back to normal, back to the banter she had missed for so long. During their year apart, she had felt as if they would never be able to resume that routine that she had grown so accustomed to over the years. But she had been wrong. He would always be Luke, always there for her, always caring, always "all in."
The kiss had not made their lives perfect. Afterwards, they had fought. She had yelled about how he had shut her out with April. He had yelled about Christopher. But there was something different in their arguments, and Lorelai recognized that something had changed. They fought, not just to express anger, but to work out their problems. They both wanted a better future together, they didn't want the same things that had ruined their relationship in the first place to ruin it again. They wanted to come out of this better, stronger. And now they knew that they would. As Lorelai sat there, at home in her seat at the diner's counter, she glanced down at the sparkling ring on her finger. Hope was now beautiful, real, and tangible. It was something she could rely on, secure in the assurance that everything would be okay.
A/N: Thanks to everyone whose read my story (especially to those that have reviewed!). I would really appreciate any reviews on the last chapters or just about the whole story in general. (I'm trying to decide whether I should write another story, and any opinions on this story--what you liked or didn't like--might help me)