A.N. Happy Thanksgiving American friends! Happy normal day everyone else! Here's chapter 7 just for you and Maddy. I hope this chapter's effective... ;) Have fun and feed me back! You amazed me with all your reviews for last chapter. I'm REALLY grateful! The downside is that now, I'm really addicted to your comments...
Thanks to Maddy for being my every day boost. See you in 3 weeks!
Disclaimer: When ASP doesn't want them anymore, she can give them to me. I'll take good care of them.
Chapter 7
Pretend to Pretend Too
Lorelai didn't need two more seconds to jump off her chair, get the door open, fly to the living room and find the phone.
"You call her!" she bluntly ordered Luke, who had followed her, throwing the phone at him. "Speed dial number 9."
Taken by surprise, he nearly dropped it.
"Why would I call her?"
"Because!"
"Oh, good reason, okay then..." he replied, handing it back to her.
She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.
"Lorelai..." he almost pleaded.
"I can't! She's gonna take that tone that I hate and I'm gonna end up wondering why I'm upset!"
"Why are you upset?" he tested her.
"Did you read the same thing I did!"
"I can't call her! You know how I am with people..."
"Exactly! With that rough, angry, scary tone of yours, I bet you can scream her out of it."
Luke remained silent and shifted on his feet.
Unbelievable!
Lorelai gasped, "Are you thinking what I think you're thinking!"
"Well... it's not that bad..."
Shocked, Lorelai stared at him.
"Okay, enough! May I speak to Luke Danes, please?"
"Alright! Alright, I'll call her," he capitulated.
He turned his back and went upstairs.
"Where are you going?" she asked, following him.
He entered the bathroom, put a hand on the knob and looked at her.
"You don't want to call her? You don't get to hear the conversation." And with that, he closed and locked the door.
He waited for her to stop banging and yelling, and finally speed dialled number 9.
Lorelai had never been more shaken in her entire life. She considered herself as traumatized for the moment. They had to get out of this. She closed her eyes and leaned against the wall trying that Zen respiration thing that Rory had taught her when she was eight. Funny how you remember little things so clearly after a shocking experience... Life really flashed before your eyes.
Breathe innnnnn. Keeeeeeep. Breathe ouuuuut. Mom, you can't talk during the keeping part!
Breathe innnnn. She couldn't hear Luke yelling so that probably meant the conversation was going better than expected. Breathe ouuuuuut. Breathe innnnn. She had complete trust in Luke. He would fix this. After all, there was a... Breathe ouuuut... reason she had let herself fall for hi... WITH him. With, with, with. Breathe innnn...
The bathroom door opened slowly. Lorelai stood in front of Luke and eagerly asked, "What'd she say?"
"You want the exact quote?"
"With the voice, too."
"Well, handsome, less dialogues to learn!"
Choke out.
"That's it?"
"Pretty much." He rubbed his neck.
"Did you ask her what was wrong with the original version?"
"No."
"Did you ask her if we could edit it?"
"No."
"Did you ask her if she was crazy?"
"No."
"What did you tell her!"
"Miss Patty? Luke. About the script."
Oh, my GOD.
"Why didn't you let me call her!"
She stole the phone from him and dialled as she walked to her bedroom. She paced around as it rang.
Luke stood in the doorway, glancing around, making sure not to focus on the unmade bed, which still seemed warm. The room smelt like Lorelai... in a disturbing and arousing way. She was now facing one of the windows. He spotted a delicate red thong on the chair, and his gaze slid from it to Lorelai. Her long legs perfectly clear through her tight jeans, her thighs... He swallowed the lump blocking his throat and imperceptibly blurted out, "I... uhm... downstairs."
As it rang for the 25th time, Lorelai understood through her anger that Patty was not going to pick up.
"She knows it's me. She has a telepathic caller I.D.!" Lorelai said, turning to Luke. Well, to the door since he had disappeared.
"Luke?"
She looked around, then headed downstairs. She saw him in the living room.
"There you are. Did my messy bedroom make you leave?" she joked.
"You know, your bedroom is really messy!" he stated. Apparently, he hadn't heard what she had just said.
"Right..."
He looked a little pale. Concerned, Lorelai approached him.
"Are you okay?"
"What... what are we gonna do about it?"
"Well, don't get yourself sick over this. I'll take care of it," she promised. "I'm gonna go talk to her right now. I'll stop by the diner right after."
Luke nodded, fighting to look Lorelai in the eye.
"Good. I'll... see you then."
"Don't forget your script outside," she reminded him.
"Yeah... that would be horrible," he grunted.
When he left, it took a few minutes for Lorelai to gather her thoughts and come up with a guideline of things to tell Miss Patty.
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Lorelai made sure not to knock so that Miss Patty wouldn't be able to pretend she wasn't there. She entered the studio and interrupted a five-year-old girls ballet class. All the little pink tutus were now staring at her like she was a witch or a monster... which Lorelai could understand since there was probably thick, dark, anger smoke coming out of her ears.
"Lorelaiiiiii!" Patty greeted. She was about to say something else when Lorelaiiiiii cut her off.
"Miss Patty, can we talk somewhere more... legal? Apparently, even the talk of the new script doesn't suit as PG-13 anymore."
Lorelai didn't understand the nature of the grin on Patty's face. The teacher turned to her students.
"Girls, I have to step out for a second. Now, you repeat what we've just seen. When I come back, I don't wanna see anyone naked!"
"Well, at least we know little girls are safe..." Lorelai mumbled.
If Patty heard that, she didn't make it clear. She just slid the doors almost shut and smiled to Lorelai.
"I guess you've read the changes I've made."
"Changes! You re-wrote the whole thing!"
"Now, don't be over reacting... I edited only two scenes. Little, tiny changes."
"Little, tiny... Patty!"
"Thank you," she put in.
"Patty!" Lorelai repeated. "Are you trying to make this a porn-play or something?"
"Oh, silly!"
"It's too much! Even Pamela Anderson wouldn't star in that."
"Of course not. There's not even nudity!"
"Oh! Uhm..." Lorelai took the new script she had brought and went through the pages where she found one of the last scenes. The one she had rehearsed with Luke once... but not really the same. "Here. Maybe the nudity is only in my head? Or maybe all of this is a simple spelling mistake?" She handed the sheets to Patty and waited for an explanation.
"I don't see the problem..." Patty said to herself.
Lorelai took the script again, resisting the urge to rip it, and said, "The original version was, and I quote, 'Kyle lifts Sara's chin and leans in to kiss her as she says "Please... go...". Kyle kisses Sara tentatively and she hesitates before kissing him back...' Now, see, that was short and sweet and cute and it was already a big deal. Now I have to take my shirt off!"
"Luke has to take your shirt off."
"Luke doesn't want to take my shirt off!" she nearly screamed and she caught a glimpse of people on the street turning to her.
Patty stared at Lorelai, thinking, I've just discovered the true meaning of the word blindfolded.
Lorelai continued on the same desperate, incredulous tone, "And taking a shirt off, that's called nudity!"
"I thought you'd keep your bra. Or you can put a bikini top on if it makes you feel better. And by the stage direction, you can tell you're turning your back to the crowd..."
She yelled this time. For real. "Which means I'm facing LUKE!"
"So?"
Oh, my God. Patty was good at this game.
"So! We're not trained for this! We are normal people with normal jobs, we're not actors and we can't do this. We can't."
"Are you talking for Luke also?"
"No, for me and my other personality. YES, I'm speaking for Luke!"
"I don't think he'll have a problem with it..." Patty refrained the urge she had to wink. It would probably have been too much for Lorelai to bear.
"Can you really picture Luke Danes undressing a woman on a STAGE..."
"Oooooh, yes..."
"... you'll lose your male lead. He'll back out of it. Luke's the most timid man I know. He'd be way too embarrassed to even tie his shoe on a stage!"
"And yet he agreed to be in the play he knew to be for adults only, even after he helped you out in your kitchen with that certain scene 24 which means he knew there was some kissing involved?"
Lorelai blinked. What...why...when...how...you mean...
"How do you know about that scene 24 rehearsal?"
"I think Luke's okay with this. More than you think. I think you need to relax and enjoy it. Take it as a challenge, you're great with challenges. It's a one in a lifetime opportunity."
Lorelai had to admit that it made sense. Patty was still talking.
"Now, go home, take a long bath and learn your lines. I'll see you in a week."
And Patty was off. Lorelai suddenly remembered her mission.
"What about the other scene you've changed! Miss Patty!"
The classical music had restarted... Classic.
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As soon as he saw Lorelai's face when she came into the diner, Luke knew she hadn't succeeded either.
"We'll have to go on strike," she said, sitting on a stool, right in front of him. She cradled her face in her hands, and then looked at Luke between her fingers.
"What do we do?" she asked, imploring for an idea. Nobody could force them to kiss, right?
She really looked devastated... She obviously doesn't want this to happen. How could I have been stupid enough to think that maybe, somewhere in the back of her mind, she wanted to?
"We have to figure something out," Luke said. "This is ridiculous. The whole concept of this is ridiculous. It's completely..."
"Ridiculous, I get it, Luke."
Whoa. Miss Patty couldn't have been more wrong. Luke doesn't want to act. Luke does mind the new script. Luke doesn't wanna kiss me at all. She studied his features as he reached for a cloth. She unconsciously and discretely brought her fingers to her lips as she watched his mouth speak.
"Maybe we should still learn our lines... until we find a solution."
Lorelai frowned. A second ago, he said this was ridiculous and now he still wants to be in the play? Luke's bipolar.
"Right. We'll find a solution."
Maybe they hadn't realized it, but they both had more than accepted the situation. They weren't going to find any solution. Not to this problem, anyway...
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Over the next days, they didn't talk of the play at all. They were constantly thinking about it, but since they thought the other didn't care, they didn't bring it up. And it was way easier to be around each other without having to deal with the inevitable upcoming dreaded proximity. It was now Friday, the last evening before Miss Patty's first real rehearsal, and Lorelai was already hyperventilating.
Never in a million years would she have believed that one day, she'd be quietly sitting at the diner, staring at her pancakes, forgetting to drink her coffee, and just repeating a script over and over again in her head. She didn't quite get why she was so committed to this project... Well, she felt why but she never would have verbalized it, even only to herself. Especially to herself.
She didn't sleep much the night before. She had read the entire play six times and she felt like Kirk; she knew everyone's lines. She tried not to think about Luke when reading her parts out loud... Especially at night. She really tried to block her mind, but every time she got to the "Patty's-scenes", she couldn't help herself. She imagined him. When she understood that the Luke in her mind wouldn't go away, she thought it would be less disturbing to imagine him with a blond Sara... Ha. That didn't work either. The idea of Luke talking in Kyle's way and doing all these things to another woman –even if this woman didn't even exist- was troubling her. So she had settled for an image of Luke-Kyle and her. The problem was that the Kyle she had created in her head really was Luke, not a character. And it was giving her major sleeping problems... Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Luke's perfect hands roaming on her shivering body. And the "Patty's-scenes" gradually transformed into "Lorelai's-scenes"... She had woken up two days ago with all the sheets on the floor, clutching one of her pillow, sweating and trembling and panting and still feeling a burning desire between her thighs. She was going to kill Miss Patty.
Lorelai reached for the coffee cup. It was cold. Still watching her pancakes –it really helped her recite her lines to herself- she raised it above her head, and waited for Luke to replace it. When she felt her arm starting to get numb, Lorelai realized he wasn't there. She waited some more for him to come out of the kitchen. Finally, the patience exhausted her and she got up.
"Cesar, where's my coffee supplier?"
"I don't know but if you see him, don't tell him I don't know where he is because he told me where he was going but I forgot..."
Lorelai promised and went behind the counter to pour herself a cup.
"Luuuuuuke! I'm behind the counter and I didn't wash my hands first!"
No answer, just weird looks from the customers.
"Luke?"
Nothing.
"Come on and yell at me! We hadn't had a fight in days and I'm extremely bored."
Still no Luke. Curious, she headed to the stairs. When she passed in front of the storage room, she noticed the door was slightly open. She knew he was there. She entered quietly, wanting to scare him...
As soon as she saw him, she was the one who jumped. Taken aback at first, she wondered if she should leave... She approached him slowly. She smiled and tilted her head to see him in a better angle.
Luke was asleep. He was sitting on some box, and his arms, resting on his script on a little table, supported his head. He was breathing steadily and kind of loudly. Lorelai bit her lips so her laughter wouldn't wake him up.
She crouched down next to him. She had never felt freer to look at him. Her eyes could wander from his forehead to his lips; she could focus on his square jaw. Her fingers were burning to touch his skin. She looked at his ear. She had never looked at his ear before. She searched in vain for a flaw on his face. No one was allowed to look so sexy while sleeping. She swore she would never tell anyone what she was stalkerly doing right now.
Luke's lips parted a little and he sighed deeply.
Lorelai held her breath, her heart beating as fast as it could without jumping out of her chest. Come on, Lorelai! If watching Luke sleep makes you wanna die how do you think you'll handle the scenes with him? You'll be even closer to him then. And he will be looking at you right in the eye. It will be like a combination of everything that makes you nervous around Luke intensified by stress, spectators and stage light. Wanting to prove to herself that she was not that weak, she decided to do a test. After all she wasn't risking anything since he was completely asleep.
Biting her bottom lip harder, she nervously and slowly brought her face closer to his. She knew she had to be careful not to breathe too loudly because the sound or the feeling of it on his skin could wake him up. Her mouth suddenly went dry as her eyes ended up on his lips. She took a wobbly gulp of air and forced herself to stay this close.
When he sighed again, he moaned something. The sound directly went through her ear which was unusually close, and her heart sank into her stomach. Unable to bear this tension, she got up and pressured her temples with her fingers.
You are sick, Gilmore. Just plain sick. You just had the most intense, sensual experience of your life with someone who's not even conscious. Sick. How would you feel if you woke up one day and Luke would be doing this with you, huh? You'd be scared, she thought. Then she corrected herself. No, you'd jump him. NOT funny. Stop trying to make yourself laugh, it's not the time or place. Okay. So, are you ashamed of yourself, at least? Oh, my God! You wanna do it again! Okay, stop. Now... I said STOP!
"Luke..." she whispered.
He just turned his head away from her. She crouched down again and poked his shoulder.
"Luuuuke... wake up."
"Uhm," he grunted.
"You're in the storage room, Luke. You're sleeping with the food, it's not sanitary."
Luke stirred, eyes still closed. He sat up and he blinked, clearly confused.
"What are you doing here?" he asked in a deep, sleepy, hoarse voice.
Uncomfortable, Lorelai motioned to the shelves and looked around.
"What are you doing here?"
He thought for a second, then remembered. He took the script and got up.
"Well, I really needed to learn my lines for tomorrow and I needed someplace quiet."
"And you choose the storage room over your apartment?"
He shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't awake enough to remember the logical reason that had brought him in here.
Lorelai picked up a pickle jar and showed it to him.
"You needed an audience to rehearse?"
Luke chuckled. "They were very receptive to my performance."
"Did you make out with the potatoes?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Lorelai!"
"What? Nothing to be ashamed of. It happens to all of us..."
She smiled. Since he had woken up, the room felt smaller. Walking to the door, she turned to him. "I need coffee. Better be hot."
"Who, me?" Clearly, he was still sleeping.
"Yeah..." she teased him. "Make it quick!" she added, going back to the diner.
"I thought women liked it slow..." he joked to himself. She was too far to hear it anyway.
"I heard that!" she yelled through the walls.
Jeez.
A few minutes later, Luke was back behind the counter. He saw that Lorelai already had a cup of hot coffee.
"Why did you complain about the pace of the service? You already have coffee!"
"Well, when I don't get it from someone else quick enough, I like to give it to myself..."
STOP RIGHT THERE! REWIND... WHAT DID YOU SAY?
Lorelai's brain went black. Really embarrassed, and stunned by the sound of her sentence, she looked up at Luke, mouth open, wide-eyed.
Luke nearly had a stroke. In the history of Lorelai's dirty comments, this one was way over the top.
They both stared at each other, still shaken. Lorelai recovered her voice first.
"Whoa. Uhm... For the first time in my life, I really didn't intend to be dirty and I was. Weren't I? I swear, I didn't mean that. I meant..."
"I know what you meant."
"Yeah."
They both stayed silent. Why was this comment worse than any other thing she had said before? Surely because they both had been more sexually challenged than usual. And it had been almost a week since they had really talked.
Lorelai took a deep breath. She had to change the subject, make it safer. She decided to talk about...
"It's because of Miss Patty!"
Why had she said that? She didn't want to talk about this.
"What is?" Luke asked.
"I think that because of the new script, we focus on... the dirty stuff."
Maybe, Luke thought.
"I don't focus on the dirty stuff, you're the one who said that."
"Oh, come one, Luke! I heard you make that dirty comment in the storage room!"
"You brought up the potatoes first!" he defended himself.
"This has nothing to do with the potatoes!"
"Of course it does, you asked me if I had made out with them."
"See?" she accused him. "You're focusing on the dirty stuff!"
It's impossible to argue with her.
Gahh. He's so stubborn! Why can't he admit that he's thinking about dirty stuff, too? I'm sure I'm not alone. I'm not. Am I?
A few silent seconds later, Luke asked, "Do you remember what time we have to rehearse tomorrow?"
She would have yelled at Luke right then. She didn't want to hear about it.
"Uhm... isn't it at 3?"
"Okay."
Luke was staring at the cloth on the counter. "Maybe we should get together tonight, just to say our lines. You know... Because if we don't Miss Patty will probably notice and she's gonna make us do more weird exercises."
Luke was right. Maybe they could just recite their lines, just to make sure they really had it down.
"Sure. My place?"
"I'll be there at 9."
Okay. It was settled. They'd rehearse only the text right?
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It was only going to be a reading, she knew that, but she still felt extremely nervous. And when the door bell rang, she couldn't find the courage to get up and open the door. She just dug herself in the sofa and yelled for him to come in. Good thing the TV was on or else, she would have looked really stupid.
He walked to the couch as she scooted over to give him space to sit.
"Sorry I'm late," he said.
"It's okay. I hate when you're on time anyway."
Okay, small talk over.
"Sooo..." She looked at him. "How do we proceed?"
"Well, I thought we could just say our lines."
"I know, I mean," She turned off the TV, "do we do the whole script or only the scenes we have in common or the ones with only you and me in them?"
Since the next day was just the two of them and Miss Patty, they decided to go with the strict minimum: the scenes where they were alone.
"Okay, now... Uhm... Do we act the lines or just spit them out?" she asked.
This was getting too real for her.
"Maybe no emotion would be best."
"No emotion," she repeated to herself. "I like that. Okay..."
"So in the first one, you talk first."
Luke's knee brushed hers. She got up.
"Want a beer first?"
"Sure."
No emotion, Lorelai. No emotion.
The first couple of scenes were easy. They were only bantering and hating each other, which, with no emotion, quickened the pace. But when they got to the first Miss Patty's scene, Lorelai wished she was drunk. She spoke first.
"Mister McMahon wants the Jenkins' file on his desk first thing tomorrow."
"I know, I was at the meeting too. Is this the only reason you came in here, to tell me this?"
"Yes."
"No. You could have called me instead."
"Well, why else would I be in here? To talk about how stupid your girlfriend looked at the party?"
"I think you came in here because you want me."
"I don't want you. You're not my type. You've never been."
"Not your type, huh?"
"Not my..."
Lorelai had read that scene so many times, she knew Luke-Kyle was supposed to walk towards her. And then...
"Okay, now do these little... sounds... count as lines? Because, it will be really weird with no emotion," Lorelai tried to laugh to lighten up the tension she had probably created herself.
"Well, no. But the last one does..." Luke pointed out.
Ah. He's kidding me, right?
"You're serious? I have to say it now?"
"Aren't we rehearsing?"
Hardly.
"Okay, fine." No emotion, Lorelai. If you put any kind of emotion in it, you better shoot yourself right after.
She looked at him in the eye and hoped she'd sound neutral.
"I want you. Take me now. There. Happy?"
That last line was the most difficult thing Lorelai ever had to do. In front of Luke, that is. It had been such a weird day, a weird week, she couldn't even remember how it was between them before she had come into the diner one day, so enthusiastic about the play... If only she'd known.
Luke laughed to hide his uneasiness. By asking her to say this last line, he had tested himself. Was he going to react to this when Lorelai would say it, even without any emotion? Dear, God, Yes.
"What's so funny?" she asked, even more nervous.
"I just can't wait to see how you'll say it when we present the show."
She had no idea how true this statement was. He couldn't wait to see if he'd survive.
"Oh, you just wait. I'll kick ass!"
"I know that..."
They both opened their scripts at the same time. They were not hiding from each other, of course not... They were just searching for the next scene. And the next scene was the exact same one they had rehearsed quite a while ago. Well, the dialogues were. And since they were focusing on the dialogues tonight, they didn't really have to bother with the stage directions...
There was something about reading all those "Patty's" description to themselves in front of each other... They both shifted in their seats. The thing was, they were so wrapped up in their own inner feelings, they hadn't realized the other was as nervous as they were.
When they were done, Lorelai was so relieved, she finished her beer in one big gulp. She almost spit it all out when Luke said, "I don't wanna get back to the whole kissing-practice issue we had with that same scene, but maybe we should do it once before the show... You know, to get it over with."
"Do it? You mean... like Patty said?" Was Luke suggesting they'd had sex? Right now!
Ah Jeez? Here goes the focus again...
"No! No, I mean... the whole scene. With the kiss."
"Oh, hum..." Fast, Lorelai! Think fast! "Don't you think it'd be a better idea if we do it onstage, live, for the first time?"
Realizing how dirty she was sounding again, Lorelai added, "This is such a weird conversation!"
"Listen... not that I care, because obviously, I don't, but the kiss needs to be great."
Not that again!
"I AM a great kisser!"
"It needs to be great," he repeated. "Now... honestly, how many perfect first kisses did you get in your life?"
A first kiss is hardly ever perfect. Awkward? Yes. Nice? Sure. Perfect? Nope. She stayed quiet, trying to come up with something to prevent this. She really wanted to. That's why she needed it NOT to happen.
She just made a face, kind of wincing.
"Is the idea of kissing me that bad?"
Luke, you have noooo idea.
"No, of course not. We've been friends for a decade now. Kissing won't be weird at all." She looked at him in the eye, hoping he'd catch the sarcasm.
"I know, I'm not saying I want to kiss, I'm just saying that maybe once we've done it, it would be less awkward."
Point taken, brother. Oh, my God. Am I about to agree?
Her heart was now incontrollable. He wasn't feeling much more Zen himself.
"Okay."
Take that back, Lorelai! Take it back! You taste like coffee! He hates coffee!
Since it was Luke's idea, she waited for him to explain how this kissing practice was going to be... but he was looking at her in a weird way, so she figured he was waiting for her to take over. After all, he knew she loved to be on top. Man.
"Well... uhm... Do we kiss like... here and now or do we do the scene with the kiss?"
"The scene, I guess. It's the characters' kiss after all."
No emotion. It's the characters' kiss.
"Right... Just the kiss, right? We don't do all the new Patty-Rated-R stuff, do we?"
He nodded. "Just the kiss." He needed to breathe but he didn't remember how.
They walked to the kitchen to do the scene like they had done it the first time and he got into Rory's bedroom where he closed his eyes and tried to catch his breath.
If he was waiting for her to tell her she was ready before knocking on the door, he was going to wait for a really long time. She wouldn't be ready in another 10 years. She looked at her lines one last time, threw the script on the table and stared at the door. Rory's respiration technique was not effective.
This is only a kiss, Lorelai. You've been kissed before. And it's not even you. It's Sara... Okay, well, go get her because if Lorelai gets the kiss and not Sara, it's gonna be such a mess around here...
Okay, now she was just thinking like a schizophrenic. Breathe innnn... Keeeeeep...Brea...
Knock, knock, knock.
She licked her lips, felt them trembling already, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and opened the door.
Aw, man. That's not Kyle, that's Luke.
Don't think about the kiss, Danes. Just go on with your lines and go with the flow.
Lorelai, go with the flow or you'll drown.
"What are you doing here?" She asked. Her voice was all shaky. She was sure he noticed it.
"We need to talk."
"I don't have anything to say to you, Kyle." She let him in anyway.
With a harsh, accusing tone, he said, "So you're just going to leave without a word? After all we've been through?"
Lorelai had forgotten how good of an actor Luke actually was. She breathed in, feeling her throat getting tighter.
"What do you want from me?" she said in a high pitched tone. "All of this was a mistake, you said it yourself. You want me to beg you? Is that it? Huh?"
Luke was staring into her eyes with so much intensity, she felt small and weak. Her eyes welled up, maybe because she was a good actress, but mostly because she was really scared. He continued to walk towards her until her back hit the wall.
"You can't leave," he said, low.
"You should go," she whispered. She was really uncomfortable. On the verge of tears, squeezed between a wall and Luke. "I mean it, get away from me." Oh yes, she meant it. She was not ready and she was having a heart attack. Couldn't he wait?
This was it... Luke thought Lorelai looked really into her character. She really did look scared.
He unsuccessfully tried to stop his fingers from shaking and he lifted her chin. Luke's fingers on her chin were warm and tender. She thought he was trembling, but she understood that it was her. She felt his breath on her face and slightly batted her eyelashes, unconsciously lifting her chin. Her knees went weak. Luke leaned in.
"Wait!" She put a hand on his chest. Luke stepped away, clearing his throat. Was he ever going to find the courage to do this again?
"I had one last line before..." she explained.
"You did?"
"Yeah."
"Okay... start with "you should leave" or whatever."
This extra time gave her the opportunity to relax... which she didn't use.
"You should go. I mean it, get away from me."
Luke managed to make her feel the exact same way as before. But maybe she was ready now.
"Please... Go," she murmured. Oh, yeah. She was ready now. Luke could lean in.
Luke heard the line and felt as if she was directly speaking to him, begging him to kiss her. And he snapped out of it. He was taking this stupid kiss way too seriously. He stepped away again.
"What?" Lorelai asked. She might have been a little frustrated.
"I'm sorry. I... I keep forgetting what I have to do."
Lorelai thought, biting her bottom lip. They had to get rid of this tension right now or the next few days would be unbearable.
"Maybe we could... just kiss. No scene."
"You mean, you and me?"
"I could call Miss Patty, I'm sure she'd like to pitch in..."
Luke laughed. Lorelai smiled at the sound.
"Okay..."he started. "Uhm... like... here and now or..."
Whoa.
"We could go in the living room..."
He followed her, feeling twelve.
She licked her lips again, turning to him. Luke asked, "You kiss me, or I kiss you?"
The awkwardness of the moment hit her right then. Luke and she were talking about how they were going to kiss.
"Uhm..." She played with her hands. "You kiss me. Cause, you know, in the play..."
"Right."
"Mmkay."
They both let out a sigh at the same time, noticed it, and laughed.
"Luke, are you nervous?"
He saw in her pleading eyes that she was too. So he didn't lie.
"Yeah. Kind of. A little."
She nodded.
"Yeah. Okay."
He adjusted his cap once again. And he searched for her eyes. She was looking at his shirt, breathing heavily. He put an hesitating hand on her hip and lightly pressured for her to come closer. She stumbled a little, blushed, closed her eyes and smiled, shaking her head.
She finally lifted her chin and met his eyes. Her smile turned into waiting, parted lips. His hand now on her waist was almost imperceptible and she wanted him to really hold her.
Please do it before I faint...
"Mom! I'm home!"
Rory's voice was followed by a shutting door and two bodies jerking away from one another.
Lorelai turned to Rory. "What are you doing here?"
"You have a washing machine. Hey, Luke!"
Rory flew in her bedroom to put down her bags.
Lorelai stared at her feet, heart still pounding, and shook her head again. She timidly looked at Luke was picking up his script off the coffee table.
He looked up at her, embarrassed. It was like Rory had interrupted a real kiss, which she was not. Right?
Neither of them could speak. Lorelai, because she didn't want Luke to see how badly she wanted that kiss; Luke, because he didn't want Lorelai to know this was real to him.
"Uhm... Well, it's late. I'll see you tomorrow," he platonically said.
"What about..."
Don't make me say it.
They really believed it would help break the ice before the show. Or they pretended to really well.
"We could meet at Miss Patty's an hour before the rehearsal, we'd have to studio to ourselves."
A whole hour!
"Good," she replied, thanking God she had repressed the "can't wait" that almost had came out.
He waved and ran away.
She was going to get kissed by Luke. Tomorrow. Already feeling her stomach filling with butterflies, she wished she was fourteen, so she'd still have a diary. This moment would have made a damn good entry. No emotion? Ha.
A.N.2. So? Want some more? In next chapter you can count on Miss Patty ;) oooh yeah!
