"This is not what it looks like," Lori insisted.
"Really?" Candace whispered in a hushed yell, so none of the wardrobe or makeup assistants who were passing by could hear her, "Because it looks like you're flushed red, hair messy, standing in John's trailer."
Lori didn't know what to do other than look on the floor and embarrassingly fix her hair.
Candace's eyes widened and gasped with realization, "And on top of all that, there was red lipstick on John!"
Lori looked back up at Candace, "Hey, that could just be from our scene earlier."
Candace narrowed her eyes at Lori. "Was it?"
Lori looked away again, refusing to answer the question.
Candace crossed her arms at Lori. "You know I love John and he may act all charming, but you can't just let him crawl his way back into your heart. That's just asking for trouble."
Lori looked back at Candace, "But… what if he never exactly… left my heart?"
Candace bit her lip, thinking through her words carefully. "Just be careful, okay?"
Lori nodded slowly before finally stating what had been on her mind. "I will, but listen, I don't really want to talk about this right now, okay?"
Candace stepped forward. "I'm just trying to help you."
"I know, but—"
Suddenly, their director called, "Candace, your scene's up!"
Candace looked at the director, "I'll be right there!"
Lori couldn't help but smile. "Duty calls!"
Candace looked back at Lori again but didn't add anything else before walking back to the set.
Once Candace was gone, Lori decided to go back in John's trailer and do a quick makeup and hair check before leaving again, shutting the door on her way out. She began walking and turned the corner until she bumped into someone.
Lori raised her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"
Jodie uncovered herself from behind Lori's trailer and looked up at Lori. She chuckled nervously. "I was not hearing in on that, no, not at all."
Lori sighed, "Don't worry, I'm sure Candace is going to try and fish all the information out of me later, and you're free to listen in then too."
Jodie grinned, "Great!"
Lori laughed at Jodie, deciding to continue walking so she wouldn't have to talk more about the situation. She genuinely did want to tell the girls everything. After all, the Full House cast never kept secrets from one another and infinitely told each other everything, but she had to figure out the situation with her and John first and how she felt about everything before expelling the information to anyone. How could she get the others to understand when she herself couldn't?
The night went by fast and luckily the girls didn't harass Lori with any more questions about John, not because they didn't plan on it, but because they simply didn't have time. As soon as filming was over, Lori grabbed her purse and tried to sneak out before she was bombarded. She planned on texting John when she got in the car. She wasn't in the mood for awkward conversations with the cast when she was already going to face a dinner full of awkward conversations with John.
Just as Lori was scurrying out the door, she heard her name called and turned around.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" John asked, running over to her and causing a scene.
"Shhh… I was trying to sneak outside for a reason. Come on," she whispered and motioned for him to follow her.
She could practically feel the girls watching and judging her as they left.
"What's going on?" John inquired, concerned, as they both stepped outside to the parking lot.
"Nothing…"
"C'mon Lori, I know you better than that," John insisted.
"Look, Candace and Jodie both just happened to catch me leaving your trailer and they think there may be something going on between us. I just don't feel like answering questions. Can we please wait until we get to dinner to discuss this?" she begged.
"Of course, let me just say bye and I'll be right back out here. Okay?"
Lori nodded.
A moment later, John returned. "Okay, I'm ready to go. Your car or mine?"
"Erm…" Neither of those sounded like a good idea. "I think we should just meet there."
"Are you still scared of my driving?" John teased.
Lori laughed. He was right, she always used to criticize his driving back in the day. But truth be told, she just thought they needed the space and that it would be a safer way to avoid the tabloids.
"I'm just teasing, it's your call. I'll see you there."
Lori watched John walk away, helplessly checking out his body before coming back to reality and going to her car. She was happy and relieved that he still put her on a pedestal and agreed with her wishes instead of prying.
Lori and John pulled up into the parking lot of the café. John was the first one to get out and from Lori's rear-view mirror, she could see him approaching. Nervously, Lori unbuckled her seat belt and quickly pulled out her phone.
Hey honey, Lori texted Mossimo, Sorry, but I'm not going to be able to make it to dinner tonight.
Lori heard a knock on her window and looked outside of it to see John charmingly standing there with a gentleman smile on his face, causing a smile to rise on Lori's.
John sweetly opened the door for Lori. "Ready to go, m'lady?" he asked her.
Lori chuckled, remembering Jodie's words from this morning. "Sure am," she replied, shoving her phone in her pocket and allowing John to take her hand and lead her into the café. John could see a light flash in Lori's bag, but decided to ignore it.
John opened the café door for her. "Ladies first," he declared, causing Lori to smile even brighter. Mossimo had opened the door for Lori countless occasions, but for some reason John doing it just seemed so natural and fitting for him. It brought her back to the old days and made Lori feel like they were still in the 90s and the time gap in between was nonexistent.
John let Lori pick out the table: a quiet one distanced in the corner, beside a window but far enough that they couldn't be seen from passing fans. He pulled out the chair for her and then sat down across from her.
Within seconds, a flustered redheaded teenage waitress went up to their table. "John Stamos and Lori Loughlin, oh my gosh."
John wagged his finger. "Correction: oh my lanta."
The server blushed and squealed at John's response. "You're everyone's uncle—and y-you—"she shakily added, "You're his wife!"
Lori's eyes widened before forcing a small laugh.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant you play his wife on television. You're so beautiful! And Jesse and Becky are actual relationship goals!"
Lori smiled awkwardly, "Yes… yes, I do. And thank you," she paused, looking down at the redhead's name tag, "Claire."
Claire smiled, "I'm such a big fan, you have no idea," she exclaimed sweetly.
Lori exchanged looks with John before they both stood up and gave Claire a kind hug.
"We appreciate your support so much," Lori declared.
Claire grinned as they sat down and took their orders. As she was walking away, John could hear her say, "I'm so glad I get to work in Los Angeles," followed by a squeal, causing John to smirk to himself.
As soon as Claire was gone, Lori started fumbling nervously with her napkin. She hadn't been on an actual date in eighteen years, and although it wasn't actually declared a date or anything, for some reason this time felt different than all the other dinners she'd had alone with John.
John noticed Lori's nervousness and laughed. "Are you taken aback by her comment about you being my wife?"
Lori looked up at John, crinkling her nose. "Well, now I am," she sighed.
John smiled assuringly. "It's fine, she didn't mean harm. At least she wasn't like your daughter's orthodontist who straight up said that we should be together."
He kept his eyes on Lori, hoping his statement would at least win a smile out of her, but ended up frowning when he didn't. John tried again, deciding to place his hand on Lori's, but then stopped when finding her wedding ring still on, causing him to pull back.
"Yeah, no, she's really sweet, and I agree, Becky and Jesse are complete 'goals,'" Lori affirmed. She decided on placing her napkin properly on her lap, avoiding eye contact with John.
"Then what's wrong?" John inquired worriedly.
"It's just…"
"You know what you said before isn't a one-way street, you can tell me anything too," John assured her.
She half-smiled, still hesitating to tell him anything.
"It's just being back. I don't know. It's more complicated than I'd thought it'd be."
"I know what you mean," John sighed, looking into her eyes.
"Do you?" Lori darted her eyes back into his. "Do you understand that yesterday when you said you wonder what it would have been ike if we would have had a family together, that I've thought about that so many times throughout the years? That I've thought about what would have happened if the timing had been different between us, almost everyday? That every time someone says we should be together, I question if they're right? Do you really understand what it's like when you kiss me or look into my eyes or tell me I'm the one that got away?"
"I do. I know what that's like, Lori. I think about you every day. I kick myself because I never tried harder. I let you go. It's something I have to deal with too."
"Then why, John? Why talk about it? Why make this huge scene of us being together again?"
"I just thought—"
"What? That I would come running to you?"
John looked away from her and sat there quietly. It broke Lori's heart.
"Look, I care about you," Lori continued, softening her voice. "I've always cared about you, but I have a husband and children. I have a life I've worked really hard to maintain. I can't throw all of that away."
"I never asked you to."
Lori stopped right there. Her eyes softened as she fell back in her chair, defeated. He didn't ask her to. She had been so caught up in her emotions that she had gotten carried away.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean—you never even…"
John smiled. "It's okay."
She looked at him, baffled. How was this okay with him? How was he taking this so well?
"But I love you," John continued.
Lori looked at him, shocked. He'd never mentioned that. After all of these years. Sure, they'd said it as Becky and Jesse, but he'd never actually said that off screen. In fact, Lori had never even heard him say that to his girlfriends. The only other person she'd ever heard him say 'I love you' to was his ex-wife.
"I always have. I always will. I didn't plan it. It just happened. It's been 20 years and the fact remains that nothing could ever happen to change it, Lori. You were the one who got away." John looked deeply into Lori's eyes as her heart began to race. "You deserve honesty and this is it. I'm not asking anything in return. I just think you deserve to know how I've felt all these years — how I still feel to this day."
Lori searched his eyes for answers.
"I understand you have a family. I don't want to interfere with that. You just deserve the best. You always have, and I thought I would try my best this season to give you that, but I won't let my personal feelings interfere in the workplace. I promise. I want you to be happy. That's all that matters to me."
Lori didn't know what to say. It was all too much to process. Her head was spinning.
"Are we okay?" John confirmed, concerned at her silence.
Lori nodded. "I'm okay. Thank you. For everything. I really appreciate it."
John smiled.
"And thank you for the surprise scene today. That was really sweet." She smiled that smile he loved so much.
"You're more than welcome, and I'm sorry, in the future I'll try to limit the surprises," he offered.
"No, it's okay. It was nice, really. I'm sorry about all of this." She motioned between them. "I don't want things to be weird between us. I just… things are so confusing when we're back together. They always have been."
John took her hand subconsciously in an attempt to comfort her.
"I'm sorry," he apologized, pulling away again when remembering the ring; however, Lori pulled him back and held his hand tighter.
"It's going to be okay. I know it's confusing, but we'll figure it out together," John promised.
"I know," Lori responded, not breaking eye contact as her hand rested in his.
"Alright, the food's here!" Claire bounced over to set the plates down and then pausing when she saw their hands. Lori and John both embarrassingly pulled away.
"Sorry, hope I wasn't interrupting anything," the waitress apologized as she sat the food down.
"No, not at all," John assured.
"There you go! Were you two rehearsing for the show?" Claire pryed.
"Always," John answered, smiling at Lori.
"Yeah, you know us, always practicing our lines," Lori added nervously. If only it was that simple.
"That's so sweet. I can't wait to see the show. Anyway, I'll leave you two alone. Is there anything else I can get for you?"
They both shook their heads.
"No, I think we're good," John answered.
"Alrighty, just let me know if you need me!" Claire told them happily before heading back to the kitchen.
John chuckled at the waitress' pep and assumption.
"What's so funny?" Lori asked, taking a bite of her salad.
"It's so nice to see people who genuinely love the show."
She smiled. "Yeah, it is."
"Speaking of the show… What do you think of the first episode?"
"I think everyone's going to love it. It really captures the essence of the past show and I think America will feel that. It's almost like going home after a long vacation. And it was so nice to see the twins again. I can't believe how old they are."
John smiled. "Yeah, it was nice seeing them again."
"I also love the references and our new lines," Lori stated before remembering something, bringing her a small smile. "Did you happen to help write the line where you question me if I'm exhausted from last night?"
"Not so fast, that's for me to know and you not to find out. Why do you ask?" John chuckled.
Lori laughed. "It just sounded like you."
"You'll find out soon enough. Until then, it's a secret," he replied mysteriously.
Lori rolled her eyes at him and smiled. He was always such a troublemaker.
"By the way, you never told me what happened with Candace," he pointed out.
"Bless her heart," Lori chuckled. "I don't know if you realized, but Candace watched you exit your trailer and say goodbye to me. It caught her off-guard; I guess you can say she caught us red-handed."
"Was I being too extreme in there?" John teased, though half-serious.
Lori rolled her eyes. "I guess she thought my hair was too messy and…"
"Wait she thought...you and I…that we..." John laughed.
Despite John's expected laughter, Lori's face remained serious. "Canoodled?" she suggested, causing John to laugh harder, "I assume so... Annnnd it probably doesn't help that my face was flushed the whole time," Lori added, blushing yet again as she fixed her hair nervously. "Also, the fact that you had lipstick on your face—"
"What? I did? No one told me!" John exclaimed with clear shock on his face, attempting to rub it off.
Lori chuckled and then paused. She leaned in and rubbed her thumb against the corner of his mouth. "There, all gone."
John could feel his heart beat faster when Lori leaned in to remove the lipstick from his face.
Lori continued, "Anyway, I know Candace means well and I want to be honest with the girls, but I just found it difficult to be honest with them when I hardly know how to be honest with myself."
John looked into Lori's eyes, "Do you know now?" he asked curiously.
Lori stayed silent for a moment, picking at her salad. "However, Jodie's the one we should watch out for," she joked, ignoring John's question. "Hiding behind trailers, searching for gossip. That girl grew up to be the troublemaker of the group," she answered with a small laugh.
John faked a smile at Lori. Although he wanted to find out how she truly felt about him, he didn't want to force the answers out of her. He just wanted her to be comfortable. "She is, isn't she? But she's still as great as ever."
Lori nodded in agreement before Claire walked back to the table.
When Claire got back, she smiled kindly at the pair. "Anything else I can do for you?" she questioned while grabbing their dishes, trying to keep her composure unlike the other times she had been at their table.
Lori and John exchanged looks before shaking their head no. Claire then left and put the dishes in the kitchen before coming back to their table with the check. "Here you go! Oh, and before you leave, would it be okay if I got a picture with you?" she asked, trying not to seem overly excited, but nearly failing.
Lori and John both smiled and said of course. Claire then reached into her apron for her phone and took a selfie with the two of them. John grabbed a napkin and took a pen out of his pocket. The two of them signed the napkin together with:
Thanks for the great meal and for being a wonderful fan!
xoxo everyone's uncle and his wife,
John Stamos and Lori Loughlin
They then thanked their fan for being so kind and hugged her goodbye. Even though they had come across a multitude of fans throughout the years, the delight from meeting someone who enjoyed their work so much and seeing the smile they could immediately bring to their faces had always genuinely meant the world to them.
Claire went off to wipe down another table and Lori began walking to the front door.
John paused in place for a moment to think and then decided to walk over to Claire.
John leaned toward her. "One day, she will be my wife," he whispered, pulling out a $100 bill from his wallet and sticking it in her apron. He then quickly hurried to catch up with Lori and still managed to hold the door open for her. Meanwhile, a stunned look remained glued on Claire's face as she watched the scene unfold.
John walked Lori to her car before heading off to his. They turned to look into each other's eyes.
"Well, this is it," Lori stated with a small smile.
Lori's smile naturally brought a smile to John. "I guess so," he answered.
There was a sudden tension between them. They stood there for a minute before Lori gave in and decided to go in for a hug. When they pulled away, John looked into her eyes and Lori wanted nothing more than for him to kiss her, but she knew that shouldn't and wouldn't happen after everything that happened that night.
"I guess I should get going then," Lori finally interrupted so that nothing drastic would happen.
"I guess so," John repeated.
They smiled at each other and said their goodbyes before going to their respective cars and driving away.
Once Lori pulled into her driveway, she decided to check her phone. One of her missed notifications was from Mossimo.
Why not? Shouldn't you be finished with filming by now? Don't tell me you're off with John. He's a great friend, but he worries me sometimes.
Lori stared at the text for a moment. He should just be understanding about my work and be more confident in our marriage… she thought to herself. Lori then put her phone back in her purse and walked into her house.
Lori closed the door behind her and walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.
"Hey mom!" her daughters called out. Bella was doing her homework on the kitchen table while Olivia was watching TV in the living room.
"Hey girls," Lori greeted her daughters with a smile. "It's 11pm. Make sure you finish whatever you're doing and head off to sleep." The girls chorused a yes in response.
A few minutes later, Lori walked upstairs to her bedroom. To her relief, Mossimo was already asleep in bed, and Lori made sure to quietly get into her pajamas and lay on her respective side of the bed, distanced from him.
