Chapter 7: One way, or another
Luke paced in the living room. He would walk to the front door and just before he'd reach for the handle, he'd shake his head and walk towards the stairs to Lorelai's bedroom. He couldn't quite make it up the stairs. He knew she was up there, probably crying, and he knew that it would be because of him. That was something he didn't quite know how to handle. He'd seen her cry before, been the one to comfort her, dry her tears.
The first time was the night that she was "uninvited" from her parents Christmas party. She had gotten the call that her father was in the hospital and she stood in the diner, begging everyone else for the number for the taxi service in town. Her eyes welled up when he was going to get his keys in order to drive her to the hospital. He stopped her from crying, understood what she was going through. This time was different. This time he couldn't dry her tears because he was the one who forced her to cry them.
You can do this, Danes. he thought to himself. You've been talking to her everyday for eight years, you can talk to her now. Come on.
Luke slowly began his ascent. He held the railing as if it were holding him up. When he reached the top of the stairs, he looked into Lorelai's bedroom but did not see her there. She wasn't sitting on the bed, she wasn't in the closet and there was nowhere else that she could be hiding in there.
He looked towards the bathroom and saw that the door was closed, but the light was shining out from under it. He walked towards it, debating on whether or not to knock and wait for an answer, or to just simply walk in. But he didn't have time to decide. As he walked closer, the door opened as Lorelai walked out, still sniffling.
She seemed stunned when she looked up and saw him. She jumped the way she normally did when she was shocked. The silent Lorelai jump he was so used to.
"What are you-" she began when he cut her off.
"Stop. I know that we've said some things these past few days that we haven't met. At least I have. When I came over here tonight, it wasn't to fight with you. When I saw you and Rory loading up that truck outside, I didn't intend on yelling at you. I wasn't mad. I wasn't…I wasn't even ticked. I was hurt. Hurt more than I had ever been before. I assumed that you were leaving and that you'd never even thought to tell me. That this was your way of saying that you were over it and didn't need me anymore. These past two months have been killing me. I sat in my empty diner hoping you'd come in for some coffee. I'd be there until close and you never showed up. I missed you. I'm standing right in front of you and I still miss you. I think it hurts more that you're right in front of me, standing close enough that all I have to do is reach out…and I know that I can't." Luke admitted.
"Luke, I'm sorry. You think it hasn't been killing me?" she whined.
He held up a hand to silence her.
"I know that you're hurt too. I even know that I did the hurting. But I guess…it's because I know that it was my decision to let you go that I'm hurting so much. I made a mistake. One that I know will probably haunt me forever but I just need you to know that I regret letting you think that I didn't want to be with you anymore. But I'd regret it even more if I let you leave right now without telling you that I love you. And….that's it." he said as he turned to leave.
Lorelai mumbled something through tight lips as she walked towards him with open arms. He heard her footsteps and turned in time for her to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him tighter than she ever had before. Taken aback, it took him a couple of seconds to put his arms around her and bring her closer to him. He breathed her in as he hadn't done in months that seemed like decades.
She closed her eyes and breathed him in as well as she allowed her tears to flow freely. They both let out sighs of relief as they held each other there.
"I love you" she whispered as she exhaled.
"I love you" he returned.
They let go of each other just enough to allow them to look into each others eyes.
"Hi." Lorelai said.
"We're passed that." Luke said as he leaned into her as he kissed her softly on the lips.
Lorelai deepened the kiss, pulling him closer to her with every second.
They didn't hear the soft footsteps coming up the steps.
"Umm..I guess you guys made up then." Rory said in an excited but hushed tone. Luke and Lorelai broke off the kiss and turned to face her. They both let out little chuckles that left Luke red in the face as he left the answering up to Lorelai.
"Nope. Just call us Hatfield and McCoy." she answered in the typical Lorelai manner.
"Right, Mom. I'm going to head back to Yale. Call me in the morning whenever you two wake up." Rory said.
"Rory!" Lorelai said, almost embarrassed.
"Oh geez." Luke said, turning an even brighter shade of red as he released Lorelai and walked into the bedroom to sit down.
"See, Mom! He's heading for the bedroom already! What's that I hear? Is that-could it be? It's Trojan man!" Rory said, laughing.
"Hey Rory, remember that thing you had to do? The one that means you'd better head out?" Lorelai was reaching.
"Hmm, nothing that I can recollect. Maybe you should be more specific."
"Goodnight Rory." Lorelai said as she kissed her on the cheek.
"Goodnight Mom." she said as she walked down the stairs.
"Put a helmet on that soldier!" she called, laughing now as she picked her keys up off of the table by the front door.