The way the Pucci dress she was wearing hugged every last one of her curves made Christopher a little weak in the knees as he watched her descend the staircase as if it was her debutante ball. He had never imagined she would ever be heading downstairs toward his open arms ever again. The fact that he had gotten a second chance at being in love with her was surprising to say the least. The way the events unfolded at Richard and Emily's vow renewal had him thinking that there was no way she would ever want to go back to the way things were when they were in high school and deeply in love. And then everything changed. His dreams came true.
Christopher was in the middle of doing some work when the phone started ringing. He thought about just letting Monica answer it but then he remembered that she was giving Gigi a bath. He ran his hand over his face and then he answered the phone, "Hello".
She cleared her throat a little before saying anything. "It's me." She had been standing outside his house in the pouring rain for the last twenty minutes because she couldn't work up the nerve it took to ring his doorbell.
"Hey Lorelai, is everything okay?" The simple sound of her voice made him happy that he had decided to answer the phone.
Lorelai took a deep breath. "I'm standing outside your house."
Christopher looked out the window and frowned a little when he saw the rain pouring down. "Why are you standing outside in the rain?"
Lorelai let out a small laugh. "I don't know."
Christopher got up from his desk and made his way to the front door. He was prepared to go outside to her if she wasn't going to come inside to him. "Are you sure you don't know?"
"I do know. I just can't bring myself to come inside and tell you."
Christopher opened the front door and smiled as he hung up the phone. "Well then I guess it's a good thing I'm willing to come out here." He shivered a little as the rain started to soak his clothes.
Lorelai smiled and nodded. For some reason the way he was looking at her made her feel like a little girl. "I broke up with Luke." Her voice was so quiet she wondered if he had been able to hear her.
Christopher wasn't sure what the appropriate response was. "Yeah?"
"Yeah I broke up with Luke and I was thinking that maybe we could try again." Her face was now inches from his. She could feel his breath on her skin. She was sure that if she closed her eyes she would be able to feel him blink.
This time Christopher knew the appropriate response. He closed the little distance that was between them and then kissed her as if they were still sixteen and the most complicated part of their day was Chemistry. When he pulled away he gently pushed a strand of her wet hair out of her eyes and tucked it behind her ear.
"Was that a yes we can try again?" She smiled and let out a little moan as he kissed her again.
Christopher just grinned at her and nodded. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to him. He hugged her and kissed the top of her head. "We should go inside before one of us catches a cold."
She fought the urge to blush when her eyes met his as she reached the final step. She gave him a flirtatious wink. "You like?"
Chris didn't say anything he just gave her a little nod. How any man could give up Lorelai was beyond him? Luke was a dumb man for not marrying her the night she proposed.
She smiled and gently pecked his cheek before kissing him softly on the lips. Her mother was somewhere around her and the last thing she needed was for her mother to catch them kissing. "You look pretty good yourself."
"Well I would think you liked it since you did pick it out." Chris pointed out. Lorelai had shown up at his home three days ago carrying a garment bag with a Ralph Lauren suit in it.
Emily walked into the room and saw how wonderfully Christopher and Lorelai meshed. She clapped her hands together and smiled broadly before calling Francine in the room. When Francine walked in she had nearly the same reaction. "Heaven help me you two look as wonderful together as you did when you were teenagers."
"Don't forget they look just as much in love too." Emily added. She had waited so long for her daughter to finally find happiness.
Lane fidgeted with the hem of her dress what she figured had to have been the millionth time. She looked at herself in the mirror and wished that Rory was here to tell her whether or not she looked appropriate for the surprise. She let out a sigh of relief when she heard a knock on the front door. She snatched her purse off of the bed and then rushed to the door before Brian could annoy the driver. She was surprised when she opened it and saw Frank standing there in his simple black suit. "Frank!"
"Miss Kim, you look lovely." Frank had jumped at the chance to drive Miss Kim to the event. He thought her and Miss Gilmore were just too cute.
"Frank, what did I say about calling me Miss Kim?" Lane asked with a grin. Being called Miss made her feel old.
Frank smiled and sighed. "I know I'm sorry. Are you ready, Lane?"
Lane smiled and nodded. "Bye Brian! Don't wait up!" She called over her shoulder as she allowed Frank to escort her to the car. "I've always wanted to do that." She admitted sheepishly as she allowed him to guide her down the stairs.
"Oh and before you ask I've been instructed to stay mum about the surprise." Frank told her before shutting the car door.
Lane wasn't surprised that Frank had been forced into secrecy. She smiled and leaned back. She wasn't going to stress herself out thinking about what was waiting for her at the end of this long ride.
Paris walked onto the ship wearing the simple green dress that Stephanie had picked out for her. She pulled the shawl she was wearing tighter around her shoulders as she made her way into the party. She dreaded the thought of having to mingle. Paris Gellar was definitely not a mingler. She was so caught up in the fear of having to mingle that she didn't even notice the handsome guy making his way through the crowd towards her.
Jamie was awestruck at the sight of Paris in the dress she was wearing. It was definitely not something she would have picked out for herself but she wore it well. He took a moment to breath before making his way towards her. He wasn't sure what he would say when he reached her. All he knew was that he had to reach her.
She looked up the moment she felt him gazing at her. She smiled in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"What can I say I'm a closet Fanillow?" Jamie joked lamely.
Paris just snickered and shook her head. She took in the sight of him in the tuxedo he was wearing and found herself smile. He wore it well. He was so sturdy looking. Paris was in the middle of trying to think of something witty to say when she heard the familiar sound of Stephanie making her way across the room. She closed her eyes and tried to hide the cringe that was coming on. Stephanie was going to make a big deal. She knew it.
"Paris Gellar where the hell have you been I've been looking all over this damn yacht for you!" Stephanie said as she marched across the ship. She stopped marching when she realized that Paris wasn't alone. "Oh I didn't realize you were chatting with someone."
Jamie smiled at the blonde. This must have been Colin's girl. "Hi."
Paris turned around and faced Stephanie who seemed surprise at how cute and normal looking Jamie was. "Sorry Stephanie I was just catching up with someone. Stephanie Lancaster this is Jamie Davis."
Stephanie was still in shock. Her face didn't show it but she was still in shock. She looked at Jamie and then she looked at Paris. She shook his hand and gave him a polite smile. "Well I'll let you two get back to your conversation. It was nice to meet you Jamie. Doesn't Paris look absolutely ravishing?"
"That she does." Jamie agreed.
Paris was nervous that her cheeks were reddening by the second. She slowly placed her hand on her cheek to see if it felt warmer than usual. She watched as Stephanie sashayed away. She turned back to Jamie and just smiled. His hand was outstretched so he could lead her to their table. She accepted it and didn't even think twice about the fact that he was the leader and she was the follower. Paris normally hated being a follower but in that instant she knew she would follow Jamie anyway.
Logan sipped his bourbon and scoured the boat for any sign of her chestnut brown hair. He hated not knowing where she was. It made him feel urgent and needy. Logan shook his head at the mere thought that Rory Gilmore had turned him into a needy sap. He was in the middle of sipping when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around and smirked. "Oh, hi Ace." Logan greeted her rather casually before pecking her on the cheek.
Rory rolled her eyes and playfully hit him in the shoulder. "Don't even try to place innocent with me mister. I saw you looking for me. You looked like a little kid lost in Wal-Mart." Rory paused. "Still, I must admit it was rather cute."
"You think?" Logan asked sheepishly.
Rory nodded. "I know."
"You look absolutely amazing." Logan whispered as he pulled her close.
His warm breath on her skin gave her the chills. Rory concluded that love had to be in the air. There was just something about the way the air felt. "It doesn't hurt that I also have the cutest date on this yacht."
Logan shook his head at her.
"What?" She asked rather innocently.
Logan laughed a bit before speaking. "I was just thinking that my charm must be rubbing off on you."
Rory shook her head as if that was the silliest thing she had ever heard. "You wish."
Dave stepped out of his cabin and made his way to the stage. He still needed to tune his guitar before the show started. There was something about how cool the air was that made him miss the days when he would stand outside Lane's window and talk to her when she was supposed to be doing her homework. Lane. He thought about her all the time. It was always the random things: Buddy Holly, Weezer, Koreans, and of course bible passages. They all made him think of the one girl who got him. Of course there had been other girls since Lane. He'd heard about her and Zach which pushed him to find a replacement just like she had. Of course there wasn't a single girl who he would call a proper substitute for the one and only Lane Kim. He wondered if he should call her and tell her he was in town. He shook his head as he started to tune his guitar a little. That was the dumbest idea he had ever had.
Lane watched as the car slowly pulled to a stop in front of the most massive boat she had ever seen with her own eyes. It reminded her of the kind that rappers had in all of the videos. She fought the urge to quietly hum Big Pimpin'. She wasn't sure whether or not she really wanted to get out of the car. She wasn't sure about what was waiting for her on that boat. Frank seemed sure enough for the two of them though when he opened her door and basically forced her out. He pushed her a little towards the boat. She was just about to step onto the ship when she turned around. "Keep going Lane!" Frank called to her. She used her best posture and then made her way onto the boat. She immediately started searching for Rory. She had to be here somewhere. She was in the middle of searching when she recognized a mess of brown curls. She stared at the person owning the curls and wondered why they were so familiar. She wouldn't look away until the person tuning the guitar looked up. After staring for an uncomfortable amount of time she decided to look away but not before catching a glimpse of the person's face. She froze. The reason Rory had invited her here was clear. This couldn't be a coincidence. She wasn't sure what to do. Maybe she could just walk away and pretend this whole thing had never happened and she had never seen him. Then the worse thing that could happen happened. He looked up and made eye contact with her. In two seconds flat she returned to being the same lovesick teenager she had been when she first met him.
Dave didn't know what prompted him to look up but he was glad he had. He could sense that she was nervous. Somehow he still had that ability. He stood up and made his way across the floor. He needed to talk to her. He had been the one to walk away from then and move to a new less exciting life. It was his job to let her know that he knew he was the one who made this mistake. "Hi." That was all he could manage when he was standing in front of her.
He seemed lankier than she had remembered him being. She tried to think of something mature and sophisticated to say but instead squeaked out a "Hi."
Dave sensed that this conversation wasn't going to be smooth like the ones when they had first met. "How have you been?"
Lane wasn't sure about this. He seemed so calm and secure. How could he seem so calm and secure? There were butterflies in her stomach and something in the digestive system was presently doing back flips or somersaults or maybe both. "I've been doing pretty well. And you?"
"I can't complain. Just in case you were wondering why I'm here I'm in Barry's backup band." Dave felt kind of embarrassed when he said that last bit. He was sure Lane hadn't sold out.
Lane nodded. She wanted to know more about that, but she had to know something first. Why did he just calling? Why did the letters just stop coming? Why had he just given up on them? She opened her mouth to ask more about the band, but that wasn't the question that tumbled out. "You just stopped calling."
"What?"
Lane was sure he had heard her but was just too shocked to see anything else so she repeated her statement. "You just stopped calling."
"Whenever we talked it was always the band this and the band that and Zach this and Zach that. I just thought the best thing I could do for us was to let you move on."
"By breaking my heart?"
Dave shook his head. "It wasn't like that Lane. It broke my heart too. I can't talk right now. The first set is just about to start." Dave started to walk away. He stopped and turned back around. "I still love you Lane." He whispered just loud enough for her to hear and then he took his seat on the stage, but not before whispering something to Barry. Barry nodded and then the show started.
That was the update. I know you have to be furious because it took so long. It was just such a hard chapter to write. Then school started and life got so complicated. Life is just so busy and hectic. I feel terrible for holding out on you so long. I hope you liked it. I'm glad to be done with this chapter. I think the next chapter will be short. I'm not sure. I can't promise when it'll be done. All I can ask is for you to please review and keep reading.