Sorry for the delay, more feed back and I might get them done quicker.
Luke's Lake
Chapter 5
It was after three when they made it back to the jetty, Lorelai got out of the boat and tied it up before Luke handed Lorelai her fish she had caught. Luke unloaded other items from the boat before stepping onto the jetty.
"I'm a real life fisher woman!" Lorelai said jumping around as she held on to her catch.
Luke had promised to cook them a celebration dinner with the fish when they got home but did he mean the dinner, his apartment or her house? Lorelai didn't care right now just happy the day had turned out so well.
"Probably beginners luck." Luke joked as he watched Lorelai jumping around in her bikini. He could not help but smile when he thought Lorelai was not looking.
"You're just jealous of my skills as a fisher woman." She said still jumping around.
"I think someone had too much coffee." Luke said as he watched Lorelai he could fell himself getting hard again, after spending the day with her in that bikini Luke had thought he had it under control but it was obvious it was not.
He picked up his fishing pack holding it in front of himself as he started off to the truck. "Stop that, before you end up in the lake." He said to her sternly before holding out his hand and changing his tone. "Do you want me to put those in the cooler?"
"Thanks." Lorelai handed the fish over.
"I'll back the trailer down here and then we can go home." Luke said.
"I want to swim." She said.
Luke watched as she took off her sneakers and slipped out of her shorts before diving of the end of the jetty.
"Be careful." Luke shouted as he turned to go to the truck secretly wanting to join her.
After putting his fishing pack in the back and Lorelai's catch in the cooler Luke got and turned the key but nothing happened, the starter turned over but the engine didn't fire. Luke tried again but still it didn't start, grumpy Luke was back, giving it another try but still nothing.
Lorelai watched from the water but noticed Luke had popped the old green trucks hood so she got out of the water picked up her shorts and sneakers. "What's happening?" Lorelai asked as she walked over to.
"I don't know, I haven't had any problems with it for years, I serviced it my self just last month." Luke checked different things around the engine that Lorelai didn't have a clue about.
"Hows the gas?" Lorelai asked.
"Tanks still half full." Luke got back behind the wheel and gave it another try. "Stand back." He told Lorelai.
"Okay, clear!" She said as Luke turned the key, still nothing. The battery sounded good it just wasn't firing.
"Damn it!" Luke got out again.
"Any ideas?" Lorelai said checking her cell phone, still no bars.
"It could be the carburettor or distributor and probably a dozen other things." Luke went to the passenger's side, opened the door.
"Wow cars are complicated, even ones this old." Lorelai joked. "Towel?" She asked.
Luke just now noticed Lorelai was practically naked apart from the wet bikini and she was standing right by him, their bodies touching as they lent in to look at the engine.
Clearing his throat Luke answered. "In my bag and there is nothing wrong with my truck." He went around the other side of the engine to check something. "It's a very good truck."
"Apart from it not working right now!" Lorelai noticed the toolbox. "Hey that's not Bert." She commented.
"Bert is at home this is Herb." He joked dryly.
"Hello Herb." Lorelai said as she found the towel and dried off. Luke placed the toolbox on the fender as he watched her not minding the distraction.
"I'll check a few things here if you can bring some of the stuff off the jetty when you're done."
Lorelai nodded and without argument started bringing some of their belongings back to the truck. Her bra and shirt were now dried so she put them in her bag. Feeling the chill from the shade and not being in the direct sun of the open water and still a little wet from the swim Lorelai put on Luke's flannel shirt and her jeans again.
Luke watched from the cover of the hood as she pulled the draw strings of the bikini to remove the top from under the flannel. Then she repeated the process with the bikini briefs Luke's mouth hanging open as she pulled them out from the back of the jeans.
Luke turning away just as Lorelai looked back toward him, making himself busy he worked on the engine some more. Lorelai watched as he worked, his hands covered in dirt, grease and oil as he worked, she liked what she saw.
About an hour later Luke put his tools away. "Well I've done all I can."
"There must be more." Lorelai looked worried at the prospect at spending the night camping.
"Lorelai I'm not a mechanic I flip burgers for a living." Putting away his tools.
"So what now?" Starting to panic.
"Well we could walk to the Ranger but that's about five miles back down the road and it will be dark before we'd get there. I guess the cell phone is not working?"
"I've been checking it every five minutes, I'm wishing I had a satellite phone right now!" Lorelai said checking it again.
"Well I still have my camping stuff so I guess we stay. We can walk to the ranger in the morning." Luke said as he started unpacking again.
Lorelai took a moment to think. As much as she hated the idea of camping she also hated walking long distances more, especially in the dark. Who knows the fishing was surprisingly fun with Luke so maybe camping would be just as good. "I guess we camp." She told Luke with a forced smile.
Luke started setting up the camp before it got dark, quickly pitching the tent in a clearing. Lorelai build a fire nearby in a ring of stones, which other campers had been using for years. When Luke finished with the tent he moved on to make dinner. The campsite had a fixed wooden table with bench seats, which Luke made full use of. He got the cooler and cooking utensils from the truck along with the large water container and a couple of kerosene lanterns.
Luke was surprised how good Lorelai was making the fire starting it with ease.
"I used to do this at camp." She said as she rubbed her hands together. "Feels like it could be cold tonight."
"I have some sweets if you like." Luke offered.
"Thanks." Lorelai said as she ducked in the tent to check it out, finding a jumper she put it on but then Lorelai looked around and was shock when she sitting on the sleeping back and noticed it was for one, a single sleeping bag. This made sense since he was camping alone but Lorelai felt some mixed emotions. Sad he was planning on camping lone but happy that he didn't bring some young chippy out here. Then afraid, one sleeping bag, where was she going to sleep, was she the chippy?
Lorelai climbed out of the tent. "So this is your tent." Touching the guide rope.
"Yes." Luke said looking up for making dinner for them.
"It's not very big." She said measuring the height against her body.
"It's been a good tent for me." Luke said as he cooked.
"Luke, um where am I going to sleep?" She asked not knowing if she wanted an answer.
"In the tent Lorelai, look it took me 15 minutes to get it up and you're going to use it." He sighed knowing what he had just said. "And don't say it. I know, dirty!"
"Luke I wasn't going to say anything." Looking guilty as she smiled back.
"Okay." He said sounding relieved.
"But there are pills for that now." She returned with a giggle.
"Look you take the sleeping bag I'll use the blanket or I can just sleep in the truck!" Luke said.
"But it's going to be too cold for that tonight." She said worried about his well-being but part of her wanting his warm body close by.
"I'll be fine, I have my heavy coat in the truck still." Pointing to the truck again.
"Luke you don't have to do that, I trust you. We can both sleep in you little tent." She said with a smile.
With that the topic was dropped as Lorelai turned her attention to dinner that Luke was preparing. He was gutting and cleaning the fish.
"That smells, fishy." She said.
"Well it's fish." Luke said dryly.
"But I don't like fishy smelling fish." Turning up he noise.
"I have a great recipe, wait till I'm finished I think you'll love it." He said with confidence doing what he love, cooking and knowing what Lorelai liked.
"Okay. Um Luke I need to go again." Looking toward the latrine.
"Well it's right there, grab a lantern." Luke said.
"But it's getting dark." Lorelai said.
"What do you want me to do?" Luke said as he finished off preparing the fish by wrapping it in foil.
"Come with me." She said with those eyes Luke could not resist.
"But there's nothing to be worried about." Luke said.
"Please Luke, I need my big strong fisherman to watch over me and check for spiders." She said smiling at Luke.
Luke knew it was useless to resist her charms "Alright, just let me get this in the fire to cook." He said. "And I can check the latrine for spiders."
"I don't like the latrine." She said smiling back at Luke. "Just move it before I change my mind." Lorelai picked up the lamp, Luke got the toilet paper from the truck. "I've got your back." He said as he followed closely behind.
Luke found it hard to concentrate as her watched Lorelai knowing she was not wearing underwear any more only coming back to reality when Lorelai stopped and turned to him as they reached the building.
"Okay lets do it!" She said handing Luke the Lantern as he entered, checking for spiders before placing the lantern on a hook.
Luke went to close the door. "What are you doing?" Lorelai asked.
"I need to go." He said.
"But that leaves me in the dark." She said.
"Well I can't go if you're watching me and I need it more in here if I have any chance of not hitting the seat." Luke said dryly.
"Let me go first?" Lorelai asked and Luke gave in stepping out and letting Lorelai in.
"It's all clear by the way." He said as she shut the door.
"Thank you." Lorelai said as she looked around.
A few minutes later they walked back, washing their hands in the basin at the camp site before Luke checked on the fish getting it out of the hot ashes.
"That smells great." Lorelai said as Luke prepared the food for eating.
"I told you it would." He said pleased at his work.
Luke handed Lorelai her plate and cutlery. "Do you want a drink?" Luke asked holding up a beer.
"Thank you." Lorelai said gratefully taking the bottle.
They sat by the fire for warmth. Lorelai on a log, her food balanced on her knees as she opened the beer taking a drink before placing it next to her. Luke sat a few feet away on his fold out chair also balancing his food as he also opened his beer.
"So Luke why do you camp with two plates?" She asked.
"They came as a set." He said taking a bite of the fish. "Watch for bones." He reminded Lorelai.
Lorelai took her first bite checking for bones as the food entered her mouth. "God Luke this is fantastic." She said with a slight moan.
"Well you caught the Bass." He said.
"But you cocked it." Lorelai said as she dug into her food.
As they ate the silence was noticeable, apart from the occasional comment about how good the fish was or Luke telling Lorelai to eat slower or she might choke.
Lorelai needed to speak so broke the silence first. "Luke how have you been. Since the movie night, I haven't seen you much." She said placing her now empty plate on the log next to her.
"I'm okay." He said not wanting to give anything away.
"It's just it feels like you've been avoiding me for two weeks" She said taking a drink of her beer.
"Thus the reason you stowed away in my truck?" He asked.
"Did I do something?" She asked wanting to get to the bottom of this.
Luke had to come clean. It had been eating him up inside since the movie night and seeing her naked on her bed the morning after. "Lorelai I'm sorry."
"For what?" She asked.
Looking down at his food, he couldn't look her at her. "The morning after the movie I knocked on your bedroom door and I go no answer, but the knocking pushed it open."
"Oh, oh my god, you saw…" embarrassed and blushing as that morning came flooding back.
"Yes." Luke said getting up. "I'll sleep in the truck tonight." walking away from Lorelai he couldn't hide his shame.
Lorelai stood up at the same time stopping Luke from leaving. "No Luke we need to deal with this now. So you saw me naked." Chocking out the words. "We're both adults we can deal with this, Luke its fine I have nothing to be ashamed of. When it's hot I sometimes sleep in my birthday suit, it's fine, I'm fine, and everything is fine."
"Fine?" Luke said facing away from her.
"Well maybe not fine but we have to get past this Luke." She said softly.
"Maybe I can't just get past this Lorelai. I saw you, all of you and that image is burnt into my mind, that's why I've avoided seeing you." Trying
"It couldn't have looked that bad." She said jokingly.
"No, and that's the problem you didn't look bad at all, but it was bad for me too see you like that and it was bad for us." Taking a deep breath. "Lorelai what are we doing here, you and me?"
"Well you kidnapped me and then your truck wouldn't work." She smiled.
"You know what I mean Lorelai. What have you been doing all day?" He asked.
"What do you mean?" Standing back to get a better look at Luke's face.
"I feel like you have no idea I'm here half the time, you flirt with me, help me out at the diner and invite me to movie night. But then you go out with a kid half your age or take Chris after how he spoke to you in the diner."
Luke was in full rant mode and only stopped when he felt something touching his lips, it was Lorelai her finger was touching his lips.
"Shhh." She said before stepping closer again, holding the back of his neck she draw him closer before they kissed.
TBC…