A.N. Seriously, I'd never thought I would, one day, take as long as Maddy to update... but I did and I'm sorry. I hope the chapter's worth it...
Thanks to all our reviewers:) Seriously,you don't know how much we love you! You keep us from stopping the fic when it gets tougher to write. You're essential to this story. I don't know how to say it so you believe me...
Oh! And: I'm totally open to any kind of reviews. I'm totally fine with bad ones as long as you tell me reasons... PLEASE, whoever you are, next time you leave a harsh review, just let me know why "This whole damn thing sucks!". Thanks:)
Disclaimer I'm not on crack. Gilmore Girls aren't mine.
Chapter 8
Get Your Act Together
Lorelai looked one last time at the foyer where Luke had disappeared a few seconds ago. She didn't quite understand what had just happened. But something did. And it wasn't supposed to. She was used to all the bantering; she could deal with the irrational jealousy and the occasional flirting because she had almost ten years of practice and it was only in her mind. But this was all overwhelmingly taking over her body, and her head couldn't catch up.
Suddenly, she realized she was not asleep and still standing in the living room. Of course she was awake! If this had been a dream, they wouldn't have been interrupted and her breast would have been bigger.
She didn't hate Rory; she was her beloved daughter, it would have been impossible for Lorelai to even think about hating her. She did, however, hate her washing machine. Stupid invention! If she didn't own one, her daughter wouldn't have come home so early.
With her legs still slightly unsteady, she managed to reach the kitchen.
"So, Rory, did I know you were coming home this weekend?" Lorelai asked, trying not to sound harsh. After all, it wasn't Rory's fault that clothes couldn't magically get clean on their own... or if her timing really sucked.
"Do I need a written invitation to come home now?" Rory laughed.
Lorelai's fingers played with a chip of paint on the bedroom door frame.
"Not yet, no," she smiled uneasily. "It's just... you should have called me before. You know, what if we had been out of soap or something?"
"Well, I didn't come home only for the soap... Aren't you glad to see me? It's been a few weeks since the last time I slept over."
"Of course I'm happy to see you!" Oh, my God! Why do I have to sound so horrible to her? "I'm just saying... you know... what if I hadn't been home?"
"I still have a key..."
"Or what if I had been naked?"
"With Luke in the house?" Rory joked.
Oh, Kid, you have nooo idea... Whoa! Lorelai Gilmore, stop that! This was a rehearsal kiss; a fake kiss; a forced kiss... and it didn't even happen.
"What was Luke doing here anyway?" Rory said, emptying her bag on the floor.
"Nothing!"
She had answered a little too quickly.
"Nothing? He came over for no reason at all?"
"Well, of course he had a reason..."
"Which was...?"
"He... just... doesn't matter. So! Laundry, huh? Exciting stuff."
"Mom..."
God, she hated that tone Rory took. Lorelai sighed and turned around.
"Do you think you can throw some of my clothes with yours?"
"Mom!"
Oy, that tone again!
"Ok! Never mind! I'll buy new clothes instead..."
Rory walked up to her mom, put both of her hands on her shoulders and forced her to face her.
Lorelai couldn't help the guilty look on her face. She bit her bottom lip, unable to look her own daughter in the eye. She couldn't tell her the reason of Luke's presence, could she?
"Mom..."
Lorelai closed her eyes and blurted it out.
"He came over to rehearse."
Rory let go of Lorelai and burst into a short laugh.
"The real reason now, please."
"It is the truth!"
Rory went back to her room with Lorelai following her.
"I can't believe you'd lie to your own daughter."
"I'm not lying! He came over to rehearse!"
Rory raised an eyebrow.
"And what on earth would Luke Danes rehearse for?" she laughed. "An opera? An acceptance speech? Ooooh, no, wait! Maybe it was for a play!"
Rory couldn't stop giggling, but when she realized her mother had her serious face on, she cooled down.
Here it is.
"We are the leads in that play Miss Patty's directing. There. I said it."
"You're in the All-Adults-Night play!" Rory tried really hard not to laugh in her mother's face again. Maybe she didn't try hard enough.
"Hey! Don't you dare laugh at me! I can act, you know. I did a fine job playing Tavia in the Stars Hollow Community Theater production of Fiddler on the Roof."
"Which was like 10 years ago..."
"So?"
"I'm sorry I laughed, I was just... in shock. You and Luke on a stage for an adult's play? Directed by Miss Patty?"
"What's your point?"
"Well, I'm sure the costumes department didn't have a lot of work... Can I see the script?"
Lorelai slightly jumped. Where did I put it? Oooooh, she can NOT read it.
"Uhm..."
Rory continued.
"Oh, never mind. I want to be spoiler-free. When's the premiere?"
"In 9 days, but you can't attend the play. You're not 21."
"Look at her, crossing the days off the calendar!"
Lorelai's freezing stare made Rory realized she'd push the button too far. She rolled her eyes.
"Fine, changing the subject now. Are you free tomorrow afternoon? I thought we could go shopping and hit a movie or something..."
Tomorrow afternoon... Rehearsal... Maybe I could blow it off. Yeah. So, you wanna see a movie or you wanna kiss Luke? Tough.
"I can't tomorrow afternoon. But tomorrow night's good."
"Why? What do you have to do in the afternoon?"
Since when did the word 'afternoon' make her stomach crazy?
"I... need to... check the Inn. For inspectors. Health. Food poisoning check up or something like that..."
Rory nodded.
"So, you have another rehearsal, huh?" she clarified.
Lorelai turned around and filled the coffee pot with water.
"Yeah."
"Okay, then. I'll come and watch you."
Thinking it was settled, Rory went back into her bedroom and started sorting her clothes by color.
Lorelai nearly dropped the coffee pot. The water splashed on her shirt a little and she let out a surprised scream.
"Ohh!"
Rory's head appeared in the door frame.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. Something in the water tried to attack me."
"Ooookay..."
Rory disappeared again. Lorelai finished the coffee, trying to picture Rory watching her in Miss Patty's studio... In one quick move, she was in Rory's bedroom.
"I'm sorry, you can't watch the rehearsal."
"Why not?"
"Because... if you see it, then everyone will want to see it, and Miss Patty wants to keep the surprise for the premiere."
"Miss Patty won't mind! I can keep a secret. Why don't you want me to be there?"
"I want you to be there, honey! You know I want you to be everywhere I am. We're like the Olsen twins, even creepier, but no one's allowed to see a rehearsal. We signed a bunch of secrecy papers when we got the script. Ask Kirk."
"Why don't you want me to be there?" Rory repeated.
Because I don't want my first kiss with Luke to be in front of my daughter?
"Remember in 11th grade when you rehearsed Romeo and Juliet in Stars Hollow for Chilton? You didn't want Dean to be there either," Lorelai pointed out, trying to explain.
"That was different. I wanted to avoid a fight with Dean. I didn't want him to see Tristan kiss me. You and I won't fight if you kiss Luke."
If? WHEN, sweetie, when is the right word. And I'm out.
Rory spoke again.
"You know, you can just tell me you don't want me to be there because you don't want to have extra pressure. I'd understand."
"You would?"
"Of course. Just tell me something."
Oh, the relief!
"Anything," Lorelai agreed.
"Is the reason why you're so nervous because you and Luke are going to kiss?"
That evil grin, she got from me.
"I'm not nervous. Luke is."
"Uh huh..."
"I've got nothing to be nervous about! He's the one freaking out, wanting to rehearse the kiss so it's perfect. I don't need any practice. I'm a great kisser."
"Okay..."
"Okay."
Suddenly really tired, Lorelai said goodnight and headed to her bedroom when she heard Rory yell at her.
"Watch the teeth!"
She stopped at the stairs.
"What?"
"Watch the teeth. When you're too eager to kiss someone, sometimes, the teeth clench. And it's not good. And watch your coffee drinking. Luke probably hates that taste."
"I don't need kissing advice from my daughter, thank you very much. The proof being I had you at 16..."
"Oh, gross!" Rory slammed her bedroom door shut.
Watch the teeth, no coffee. Got it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lorelai had managed to fall asleep around 4, after hours and hours of tossing and turning. When she had gotten up around 12, she saw the note Rory had left on the kitchen table saying she'd meet her for lunch at Luke's.
"Aw, man, Rory! I don't wanna go to Luke's!" she whined out loud to herself.
Things had been left in a bizarre stage the evening before between her and her co-star. And they both knew today was THE day. Being aware of that fact only put more pressure and tension on them... Her insides were so screwed up that Lorelai thought she would never be able to eat again.
She opened the cupboard where the coffee usually was and found the bag empty... with a pink post-it on it.
No coffee, remember? Now, go brush your teeth... Luv ya. Rory.
Funny, funny girl, Lorelai thought, squishing the bag in her fist and throwing it in her daughter's bedroom. She looked at the clock on the coffee machine, felt her heart stopping and her breathing getting stuck in her throat, and she ran upstairs to the bathroom.
Another note was waiting for her on the toothpaste.
I so knew you would!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was close to 1:30 when she finally got to the diner. Rory was at the counter. Lorelai didn't want to sit at the counter. It was way too close to Luke. She walked up to Rory, glancing around to make sure Luke wasn't there.
"Why didn't you sit at a table?" she asked.
Rory looked around.
"Well, I've been waiting for you for over an hour. When I got here, there was no table available."
"There is now. Come on," she ordered Rory before sitting down as far as she could from the counter. She put her purse on a chair and sighed. "Sorry it took me so long."
"Mom, are you okay?" Rory asked, concerned.
"I'm fine."
"You look like you're gonna pass out or something..."
Rory leaned in so no one else would hear what she'd say to Lorelai. She suddenly frowned.
"Whoa! You smell good today."
Lorelai blushed. The second she had sprayed herself, she knew she shouldn't have. She knew Rory would notice.
"I smell the same every day..." she tried.
"You put on your special date perfume you don't want me to touch, didn't you?"
"I did not..."
Rory stared at her mom.
"... The bottle fell off the shelf when I grabbed my toothbrush and the smell must have stayed on me..."
"So you did brush your teeth..."
"I always brush my teeth!" Lorelai loudly interjected.
"Your dentist would be proud. What can I getcha?"
As soon as she heard his voice, her brain went blank. She felt her eyes widen a little, still staring at Rory, crying for help.
"She'll have a cheeseburger, no onions, of course..."
Rory didn't need to wink for Lorelai to understand what she implied here.
"... and an iced tea."
"No coffee?" Luke asked Lorelai, raising his eyebrows.
Why did she have to look so particularly beautiful today? As if I was not nervous enough.
"Noooo coffee," Rory answered. "Isn't it nice, Luke?"
I'm so gonna kill you. Just wait 'til today's over, little girl. If I'm not dead by tonight, you're the one who'll suffer. Lorelai felt as if she was trapped inside her own body, able to see and hear but not talk or move. Like in those horrible nightmares when you try to scream but nothing wants to come out.
"What, are you pregnant or something?"
She felt Luke's gaze but she could not bring herself to turn her head toward him. She had to drink some coffee... because her body needed it, but also to prove Rory she didn't care what she tasted like for Luke. She tried to talk and she succeeded this time, with a weird voice.
"I'll have coffee. And onions. In the burger, not the coffee. Skip the cheese, though."
Rory mouthed "no" while shaking her head. She almost looked horrified.
"Coming right up," he said, pouring the coffee and turning away.
Rory was still looking at her mom as she was crazy. Lorelai took the cup in front of her, brought it to her lips and grinned devilishly.
Rory shook her head in disbelief as her mother took a sip.
Ewww... Coffee and toothpaste, not a good combination within the same half hour...
Luke brought the plate –and also an iced tea- without a word and returned to the counter. Lorelai watched him as he walked away, wondering when he had become so handsome and sexy.
"Watch it, you're drooling..." Rory quietly teased.
"Oh, stop!"
Staring at the burger now.
"Sorry. I didn't wanna freak you out," Rory apologized.
Lorelai took a deep breath. She really forced herself to look only at the burger, but something stronger than her will made her raise her head and look at Luke once again. He was behind the counter, going through a bunch of receipts. He seemed focused and calm. How could he be focused and calm when she was currently suffering from strokes and Parkinson? How could he look so confident and steady and strong when she was so flaky? And why did she have to put on that perfume, anyway? Why did she care what she tasted like? Why couldn't she eat? Why couldn't she drink her coffee? Why... Oooooh he's looking at me! He's looking at me! She tried to smile, aware that she was using the shy smile over the confident and friendly one, and she looked back at the untouched burger in front of her, unable to erase the stupid timid grin off her face.
Playing with the ring on her middle finger, Lorelai looked at Rory who was still analyzing her mother's new attitude.
"Why am I nervous? It's only a stupid rehearsal. Why am I feeling like this?"
"Describe this?" Rory said, in her 'the-doctor's-here' tone.
"Like I'm 12 and about to give Lily Milton the love letter I wrote for Ben Jenkins so she can give it to him. It's only Luke, I shouldn't feel like he's Ben Jenkins."
"Maybe you're nervous because you're about to kiss him?"
"I've kissed a lot of men before."
"How many?"
"Rory! The point is that it's only Luke and it's only a fake kiss. How less un-stressful could this possibly be?" Lorelai said, unconsciously taking off the onions out of her burger and setting them aside.
Rory noticed her mother's move and hid a smirk.
"I think you're just putting too much thought into it. Try not to overanalyze everything, it's gonna be fine."
"You think I think too much?"
"Yup. That's what I do, too. We think too much and it makes things bigger, out of proportion."
"Dirty..." Lorelai smiled, taking a sip of iced tea, realizing how bad of a mix coffee, tea and toothpaste were together.
She must have made a face of disgust because Rory reached in her pocket and pulled out a pack of mint gum. She set it in front of Lorelai and pushed it toward her.
Lorelai immediately crossed her arms over her chest.
"Silly, stubborn woman," Rory let out. "Lunch is on me... Since you didn't eat anything, I might get a discount." She winked, got up and walked to the counter where Luke was.
She paid and just before turning around, she called Luke back.
"Luke..."
"Yeah?"
"My mom's really nervous so go easy on her, okay?"
A stunned and confused Luke watched Rory walk back to her table then discretely glanced at Lorelai.
She's nervous? Yeah, right. She is the one who has to go easy on me.
Rory took her pack of gum and motioned it toward Lorelai.
"You sure you don't want one? It's a brand new pack, you'd be the first to have one. You love being the first..." she insisted.
"Don't you have a book to read, a novel to write or a whale to save?"
"I'll see you tonight. Good luck," Rory said before leaving.
Once outside, she opened the gum pack and saw what she had expected to see: a piece was missing. Good girl. She put it back in her pocket.
Sitting alone in the diner, Lorelai took the script out of her purse. She pushed her plate far enough so she could put the sheets in front of her. She didn't really want to read it over again, but she had to look like she was doing something. When she saw Luke approaching out of the corner of her eye, she quickly turned the pages as if she was searching for something.
"You didn't touch your burger..." he noticed, taking the plate.
"Oh, no, I touched it."
"You didn't eat."
"Wow, you are quite observant," she sarcastically replied. "I wasn't really hungry."
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong! I had already eaten at home."
"That never stops you, usually..."
"Well, what can I say? I'm trying to better myself, so stop overanalyzing everything, it'll be fine," she said, remembering Rory's advice. She nervously glanced at the clock. Luke noticed it.
"I'm ready to go when you are," he assured her.
"Oh... Now?"
Don't panic, Lorelai. Keep your cool...
"Whenever..." He shrugged his shoulders and brought her plate back to the kitchen.
Lorelai was taken aback by the way he had answered. He really didn't seem to care. Maybe she was making a big deal out of nothing. She rolled the script, put it back in her purse, and got up.
They reached outside, both mute and avoiding eye contact. When they arrived in front of Miss Patty's, they still hadn't exchanged a word. Lorelai talked first, out of nervousness and maybe to preserve her reputation.
"Here we are..." she let out, thinking she had never noticed how scary the blue studio was.
Luke sighed. He immediately hoped that Lorelai wouldn't hear his breath shaking. She didn't.
"Yup. Here we are."
This situation had attained the highest level of discomfort. Luke thought he'd make things better if he spoke.
"You know, we don't have to do this," he tested.
She looked up at him. He was the one who had convinced her they had to rehearse, and now that she had wrapped her mind around the idea, he wanted to back out? What a tease! However, she took a casual tone and said, "Right."
"Although," he quickly added, "if we don't, Miss Patty's gonna know it immediately and she's probably gonna make us do more stupid, embarrassing exercises..."
"Riiiight..." Lorelai lingered, waiting for his conclusion.
"And we wouldn't want that."
Does he want me to beg him, or what?
"So, what do we do?" he continued.
"Well, I don't have any change to flip a coin," Lorelai answered, "so you decide."
"Why me?"
"Luke, come on! This is not a life changing decision..."
It's not? Who are you kidding, here?
Lorelai thought she wouldn't put all those hours of stress to waste. She had almost developed an ulcer over this; they were going to do it.
"Come on." She grabbed his wrist. Let's kiss, she added silently.
He let her lead the way into the studio and watched her, completely immobile, while she closed the doors and turned on the lights. She thought she should have let them off. Maybe it would have helped them.
Still turning her back to Luke, she closed her eyes. What am I doing?
Luke started to pace around. Why do men always have to make the first move? It would be easier if she'd kiss me first, that way, I wouldn't have to think about how and when and where to put my hands...
Lorelai put a strand of hair behind her ear and opened her eyes. She was still facing the wall. If only I was the one kissing him first, it would be easier. What's killing me is being in front of him, knowing he's gonna lean in slow motion any second, wondering where to look.
They knew they had to face each other in order to kiss, but for some strange reason, they were unable to do it.
"This is so weird..." She had whispered, but the empty studio echoed her voice loud enough for Luke to hear.
"Yeah... I feel like I'm... 12," he let out.
Lorelai chuckled and finally turned to him, leaning her back against the wall.
"I know the feeling..." she agreed.
Her gaze fell onto his blue flannel shirt. She liked this shirt. She felt safe when he was wearing it. Silly, but comforting feeling. What if this kiss was about to change everything? What if they couldn't overcome the weirdness after, and stopped talking?
"Luke?" She had to voice her fear.
"Uhm?"
But, of course, she changed her mind.
"...You know you have to get closer to me if you wanna... rehearse."
Rehearse. It had become such a meaningful word. Scary. Exciting.
He walked exactly five steps and stopped right before her who was still leaned against the wall. His heart was about to fly out of his chest. Men shouldn't feel this way, he thought.
His proximity was limiting the oxygen, that's why she was not breathing.
Do I have to touch him? I feel like an idiot, standing there.
Luke's eyes roamed over her entire body while he wondered where the heck he could put his hands, fighting the urge of brushing that piece of hair off her forehead.
Still staring at his chest, she saw him getting closer. How much closer can he get! She tried to swallow though her mouth was really dry and slowly looked at his face. Her lips parted as their eyes locked. She heard him breathe in and her gaze fell on his lips.
He took a deep breath before hesitatingly putting his palms on her hips.
She closed her eyelids for a moment. The feeling of his hands on her made her chest rise a little.
Luke's hands slid a little upwards and he instinctively applied a slight pressure on her waist.
She found herself brought forward. When she felt his body against hers, she involuntarily moved her hips so they would be closer.
He sensed her react and listened to her breathing heavily. She rose her chin. Their noses brushed.
He didn't recognize his voice when he murmured, "You smell good..."
Hypnotized by his eyes, she shivered at his tone.
"Is that a line?" she whispered, barely moving her waiting lips.
"No..."
Their noses brushed again. Once his hot breath reached her lips, she heard herself gasp. Her eyes closed and her hips shifted against him again.
"Thanks..." she inaudibly let out, almost pleading.
They heard the doors slide open and froze.
"Against the wall!" Miss Patty proudly and loudly interfered. "That's good! I'm gonna add this to the stage direction!"
She walked to the table like she was unaware of what she had just interrupted.
"Jeez..." Luke whispered, still looking into Lorelai's opened eyes. He took off his hands and backed away, leaving Lorelai pinned against the wall, unable to move. He didn't hear her disappointment sigh. She felt like smashing her head into the wall.
A second later, Lorelai recovered her ability to speak.
"You're early, Miss Patty..."
"I wanted to check on some papers I had left here, but since you two are all ready, we can start the rehearsal... Isn't it nice?"
Real nice.
"I assume you know all of your lines?"
They both just nodded.
"Great. Okay, since I have the both of you all to myself, we will do only the scenes where Kyle and Sara are alone, starting with the one in the office: scene 18."
The one in the office? they both wondered. Lorelai pulled out the rolled script off her purse and, seeing Luke's confused face, approached him so he could also take a look. When she reached the 18th scene, her eyes widened. She looked at Luke who had the same face on.
"What's the matter?" Miss Patty cooed. "You two look like deers caught in headlights..."
"Uhm..." Lorelai started, "you want us to do this scene right now? Like this?"
"Yes."
Luke tried to help.
"Wouldn't it be best if we did something else before?"
"Like what?" Patty innocently asked.
Get drunk?
"Like a couple of scenes before?" Lorelai answered. "When they meet or... when they..."
"Sweetie, the show is in 9 days. We need to work on the tougher scenes, the ones that need more stage direction. Okay, now, take a minute to get in character."
They took a minute to control their anxiety. After that minute, Miss Patty told Lorelai to stand next to the wall, and she placed Luke at the table, about six feet from Lorelai.
"Whenever you're ready..." Patty cued.
Stop thinking, Lorelai. Now, come on.
Lorelai knocked on the wall, pretending she was behind a door.
"Come in!" Luke-Kyle greeted.
Lorelai took a step forward, straightening her back.
"Mister McMahon wants the Jenkins' file on his desk first thing tomorrow," she said as Sara, in a cold and distant voice.
"That's great, Lorelai," Patty encouraged. "Now, Luke, you have to get up, look really confident and self-conscious..."
Luke did what Patty said and spoke his line.
"I know, I was at the meeting too. Is this the only reason you came in here, to tell me this?"
"Yes."
"Lorelai, be more defensive. Luke, say your line again."
After discretely rolling his eyes, Luke did as he was told. "I know, I was at the meeting too. Is this the only reason you came in here, to tell me this?"
"Yes."
"Perfect! Now, Luke, start approaching Lorelai, slowly. Like a hunting tiger in the Amazonian Jungle!"
Miss Patty really was undeniably into it. Luke and Lorelai exchanged a look, trying not to laugh at their coach. Luke started to walk toward Lorelai who instinctively took a step back. Miss Patty almost squealed in delight.
"No," Luke corrected. "You could have called me instead."
"Well, why else would I be in here?" Lorelai paused."To talk about how stupid your girlfriend looked at the party?"
"I think you came in here because you want me."
"Luke," Miss Patty put an hand on his arm and startled him a little. "You have to relax, doll. And that line has to be said like you really mean it, otherwise it's not going to work. Kyle knows Sara," she pointed to Lorelai, "is melting at his sight. Act on it. Use your sexual power, honey."
"Yeah, honey," Lorelai teased, "use your sexual power..."
"Lorelai," Miss Patty reprimanded, "you, on the other hand, could use a little stiffness. Sara's terrified by her overpowering desire for Kyle... You can't look like you are ready to jump him already."
Luke snorted. Lorelai blushed.
"Your line, Luke."
"I think you came in here because you want me."
"Good, now keep moving toward her..."
"I don't want you. You're not my type. You've never been."
Luke went as close as he could go without touching her.
"Not your type, huh?" His voice had suddenly gotten lower and quieter.
If Lorelai could have gone through the wall, she would have... but she was stuck.
"Luke, as Lorelai says her line, take one last step."
Luke looked at Miss Patty. "I can't, she's already practically part of the wall!"
"That's the beauty of it, gorgeous. Here, let me help you..."
Danger, danger...
Luke and Lorelai looked at each other, petrified. At least, they were on the same page. The director, who was clearly enjoying the hell out of this, grabbed Luke's thigh without a warning and put it right between Lorelai's legs.
"Like this. You see?"
Astounded, they didn't know what they were supposed to see, but they were certainly feeling. Lorelai had to concentrate not to get closer. She was even afraid to breathe because it was surely going to cause a movement, and, at this point, the tiniest move from either one of them would have been really embarrassing. For her, anyway. Because of the way it aroused her. She tried to keep a straight face on... but Patty saw something else.
"Keep that expression, Lorelai. That's some good acting! You look..."
Oh, my God, please don't put into words how I look!
"...you look scared and aroused and sexy! Doesn't she, Luke?"
That was not comfortable. At all. Luckily, Patty didn't wait for Luke to answer her rhetorical question.
"Okay, start again from I think you came in here blah, blah..."
Luke quickly took two steps back. Lorelai silently thanked God.
"I think you came in here because you want me."
He slowly got closer.
"I don't want you. You're not my type. You've never been."
And closer again as he said, "Not your type, huh?"
Lorelai hated this and, at the same time, didn't want it to stop. Confused, she tried to block all of her thoughts and just said her line.
"Not my..."
"Luke!" Miss Patty called. "Your thigh! I can't do it for you every time."
"Sorry," he said.
"Not your type, huh?" He put his thigh between Lorelai's legs and held her gaze at the same time.
"Not my..."
"Keep your positions!" Patty interrupted them. "Now, Luke, in order to shut her up, you have to take her right leg, the one that's facing the spectators..."
"I know where the right is, Patty," Luke cut her off.
"...and wrap it around your hip."
Luke and Lorelai jerked away from one another.
"What!"
"You're not serious!" Lorelai exclaimed. "That's not in the script!"
"It is now," Patty ordered. "You two are so great, you gotta give the crowd something."
"Don't you think we're giving enough already?" Luke almost begged.
"Shhh. Now come on, carry on..."
Lorelai steadied herself, leaning against the wall. She had given up on trying to calm her heartbeat. She had stopped a while ago repeating to herself that this was ridiculous.
Luke couldn't believe what he was actually doing. But he was doing it. He put back his thigh in position, hoping Lorelai wouldn't notice how excited he was.
"Not your type, huh?"
"Not my..." She felt his hand on her thigh and let him lift it. He kept his hand there, under her knee, unaware of the burning sensation it was giving her.
The silence of this moment was surreal. Lorelai felt completely lost in his eyes. She would never be able to remember her lines. Her palms against the wall, she didn't want to touch him, scared she wouldn't be able to control her own hands.
Not wanting to break the tension, Patty lowered her voice.
"Okay... Now, Luke you brush her face."
His shaking fingers touched her skin, went behind her ear and ended up on her neck. He let his thumb run over her cheek. Lorelai couldn't remember what she was supposed to do or say. She just repeated her last line.
"Not my..."
What's next! I can't remember! she panicked.
Patty applauded, thrilled. Luke had to get away from Lorelai. He walked back to the table, desperately trying to forget how close he had been to kiss her... and how he thought he saw her blue eyes darken with desire. He had to get better sleep at night. He was seeing things. He was crazy. He was about to die in his pants, suddenly too tight.
"After that amazing sexually tensioned instant, Luke, you kiss her. Lorelai, you take a second or two before you respond to his kiss and then, when you really look like you're into it, the curtain will close and it will be the intermission." She clapped again. "Okay, one more time from I think you came in here because...
Couldn't she let them catch their breath? Lorelai felt as if she and the wall had become one. This was exhausting, she didn't even have the strength to talk. She shot an embarrassed smile at Luke and chuckled when he returned her smile. She didn't know Luke had an embarrassed smile. She took comfort in it and stood straight with less difficulty.
This was, without a doubt, the longest he had ever seen Lorelai quiet in almost ten years of knowing her. And it was really destabilizing because it gave him an epiphany: when she wasn't herself, he wasn't himself either.
The huge cup of coffee she would drink after all this was going to break a world record, she promised herself. She could almost already smell the strong, flavoured ground beans.
She saw Luke looking at her, silently telling her he was ready. She didn't need to nod, he knew she was too.
He walked toward her; the closer he got, the slower he took his steps.
"I think you came in here because you want me."
Another step from Luke, another shaky breath from Lorelai who quickly licked her lips with the tip of her tongue.
"I... I don't want you. You're not my type. You... have never been."
She looked at her feet, mentally kicking herself. Well, that was not stammered at all... She saw his right leg approaching her and their knees met for a split second before he pushed his way through her thighs with his own.
"Not your type, huh?"
Flustered, her eyes went up from his waist to his chest, wandering for a while on his neck, up to his square and unshaved jaw. Voluntarily skipping over his lips, she finally locked eyes with him just as his fingers lightly pulled her leg up around his hip. It would have been so easy to let herself go with this move... She didn't want to blink, she wanted to keep being stared at, to keep feeling so powerful and yet so weak. Then, right that instant, still allowing him to read into her, a wave of fear and exaltation intensely swept her entire body.
"Not my..."
His left hand went directly to her hair, his fingers caressed her neck, his thumb close to her lips. She indiscernibly tilted her head onto his palm, secretly needing him to continue. When his thumb grazed the corner of her mouth, she instinctively breathed in, parting her lips.
Luke pulled her leg a slightly higher. He was physically hurting trying to hold in the moan threatening to come out of his throat. He shivered although it was really warm in the studio, but she didn't notice. God, she was beautiful. He couldn't believe she was letting him do this. Well, letting Kyle, anyway. A glance at her mouth gave him the courage to lean in. Really wanting to remember this moment forever, wanting to savour it, not wanting it to end, he took his time.
But an hesitation too many and Patty was yelling again.
"Ooooooh yes! That will be so great! One more time!"
She was literally jumping up and down. And it was a frightening image.
They both sighted out of frustration. Luke stepped back, shaking his head, really wishing he could go home to take cold shower and get at least 100 feet away from Lorelai.
Dammit, Patty! Let us kiss or end this session, for Lucifer's sake!
"Why again?" Luke almost cried.
Lorelai agreed, "Yeah, don't you think we have it down after all this?"
Patty bursted into a clear laughter.
"Oh, poor love birds! You had it down the first time you did it, I just lovvvvve watching you!"
Lorelai's jaw dropped, Luke's fists clenched.
"Well, since you now both know you're perfect, we're gonna call it a day. In fact, I have an idea..."
"Yippee," Luke mouthed to Lorelai.
Patty continued, "We won't practice scene 18 and 24 anymore. Next time I see it, I want it to be on stage, during the premiere."
Lorelai recovered her voice.
"Uhm.. aren't you afraid of what it's gonna look like if we don't rehearse the whole play, with the whole cast at least one time?"
She just winked and told them to have a nice week, reminding them that the dress rehearsal was next Sunday.
What kind of director would let the two most important –and, in this case: sexy and primordial-scenes out of the rehearsals until the premiere? Patty would. And that woman was just getting weirder every day.
All of a sudden, Luke and Lorelai found themselves outside, on the sidewalk. Lorelai had completely forgotten her need for caffeine.
They knew that things between them matched the description of awkward. And neither of them knew how to fix their self-consciousness.
Luke risked some words, his voice sounding surprisingly steady.
"Well, that was..." He really didn't know what to say.
Lorelai tried to help him out.
"It was! Yeah. Definitely was."
"Can you remind me why I agreed to do this?" Luke narrowed his eyes.
"You didn't agree. I forced you to."
"Sounds about right. You owe me."
"Hey! I'm in the same horrible position as you are!"
Horrible? He looked in the direction of his diner.
She went on, "So, Patty is..."
"Insane?" he proposed.
"She's forcing us to do this... so, technically, she is a rapist?"
Luke laughed out loud.
His laugh always made her feel all warmish inside. She studied his features until his laugh faded into a tiny shade of smile.
"Kirk could make great T-shirts with that..."
"Yeah, he would..." She waited for him to talk again but remembered he was Luke. If she didn't have anything else to say, he probably was out of ideas, too. "Well... I should go."
"I have to go too. Diner," he explained.
She nodded.
The look he gave her, she had never seen it before... so she wasn't really sure what it meant. But it did made her heart skip a beat. It was kind of deep... languishing? No. That wasn't Luke.
"Well, bye..." she said. "I'll see you tomorrow?" Boy! She hadn't intend for her last sentence to sound so pleading.
"See you tomorrow..."
Luke rapidly turned around and walked to the diner without a last look behind.
Whoa! I was about to lean in and kiss her, right there on the street! I want my old self back! The one that wasn't constantly aware of every single feeling inside of him. I feel like a chick.
Lorelai frowned as she watched him leave.
I really should have eaten today. My stomach's turning again, my heart's pounding really hard because I don't have any coffee in my system; it's almost in detoxification! And is it me, or was Luke motioning to give me a hug or something? He's weird. Maybe Kirk could make T-shirts...
She smiled to herself and turned away. All this mess and still no kiss... Life is fun this way.
A.N.2 Suggestions? A quick Hello? I'm good with anything as long as it's something.. hahaha
A.N.3 Maddy? I'm sorry there was no kiss! I HAVE A PLAN! You'll see. Call me Patty if you want. THREE DAYS. Thanks for everything Fever Girl.
