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This is another short one and for now they might stay that way.

Cotillion Confessions

Luke was relaxing for the first time that day, sitting back in his comfy arm chair with a cold beer as he watched the Connecticut Defenders in the final innings of there game. He was not a fan of the team but April was, so decided to give them a go and watch a few games. He missed not being able to see her every day. Looking over to the bedside table at the cap she had made him buy when they drove to Boston to watch them play.

Luke half asleep from his hard days work jumped a little in his chair when the phone rang. Catching his beer before it crashed to the floor Luke picked up the phone. "Hello." He grumped a little before realising it was Lorelai and his face changed to a smile.

"Hi, it's me." She said.

Luke noted she sounded quite and gloomy. "Are you all right Lorelai?" He asked.

Lorelai's heart skipped a beat when he spoke her name in full unlike others she knew. "I just needed to talk to someone." She said in a quite tone.

"Okay." Luke said, not knowing if he should talk as well.

They had spoken just once since the coffee shop. Lorelai ordering some take-out, her usual burger and chillie fries with coffee, Lorelai asking if Lane could deliver it to her home not feeling up to another face-to-face meeting, plus Babette was home.

"So I told my parents, about us." She started. "That we broke up, Emily blamed you by the way but they didn't really have much to say. I don't know if they are mad or relieved." She added. "I didn't tell them about this."

"I seem to remember I was not their biggest fan." Luke said as he removed his boots while juggling the cordless phone.

"They liked you, they wanted to buy us a house." Lorelai informed him.

"Really?" Luke said in amazement.

"I told you it was just a matter of time before they would like you." She said with a smile coming back to her face. "If they knew the truth they would probably want to disown me and adopt you."

"I don't know if that would happen." He said dryly before changing his tone to be more serious. "Sorry you had to deal with all that on your own." He added.

"I had Rory with me." She said, relieved their banter was back.

"How is Rory with all this, with me?" Luke asked not knowing the rules of their new relationship. "If it's okay to ask?"

"No you can ask, actually Rory was more mad with me." She said. "She didn't like how I ended things, but she's not mad with you."

"Rory was in here, the diner, visiting Lane the other day." He said moving to his bed, knowing this was going to be a long call.

"Rory said she saw you." Pausing for a few seconds. "Luke I'm sorry I didn't come when I heard about the crash. I don't know why I didn't say anything before." She said.

"You were mad at me." He reminded her. "Besides it's all fixed now."

"That's good. I would like to check it out one day." She said still not able to go back to his place. "How is Kirk?"

"He's fine, he started a diner on lawn across the street." Luke said. "Tried to give me a job."

"Well that's Kirk." She joked.

"Well he's banned from here for the a month." He chuckled.

"So he'll be back next week?" She asked.

"Probably." Luke added.

"It good that you're back on track Luke, how are you doing with all this?" She asked.

"I'm okay. But you called me, what's on you mind Lorelai?" Luke asked wanting to get to the reason for the call.

"I'm confused, Luke can I ask you something as a friend?" Lorelai asked.

"Sure." No so sure this was good.

"Do you think I do things to go against my mother?"

"Like what?" Luke asked.

"Well everything I've done in the last 22 years? I was at the DAR Cotillion dance she organized and I had fun. But I don't like those events normally." She added.

"Lorelai you've always been you own person, did things your way it's just who you are."

"But what if I was wrong, what if my life had been one mistake after another since I got knocked up at 16? Luke what if I'm meant to lead a different life than I have?"

"Lorelai you have a great life but I can't tell you if it's right or wrong, it's you life and you're the only one who can do that." He said with his usual candor just like when they were friends before they dated.

"Chris was here." She said being honest. "He still wants me and I don't know what to do."

Luke was taken back at the mere mention of his name but answered the best he could. "Lorelai you know how I feel. I didn't mean what I said in the supermarket, I still have feelings for you. I trust you'll make the right choice in the end."

"Luke you know, I still love you. I just needed to be honest with you. And I need to be honest with me." She said.

Luke agreed and Lorelai continued. "Luke do you still love me?" It was a quick and simple question and Luke answered without a second thought.

"I never stopped loving you, I probably never will." He said. "But Lorelai if you feel this is not what you want then it's up to you to make that choice. Don't let me or anyone else make that choice."

Lorelai was quite for a few moments. "Luke I want to see you again."

Luke was relieved; he got the answer he hoped for. "Good, that's good." He said with a smile. "Do you want to keep this between us for the time being?"

"And Rory." Lorelai said. "Yes, but how do we do this?"

"I think we need a neutral location, away from the town." Luke said.

"Agreed, but not a hotel room." Lorelai said. "What about the coffee shop near the supermarket, it can be our secret spot." She added.

"You just like the coffee there." He joked.

"Well there is that. She laughed a little. "So it's settled."

"I guess so." Luke said. "Now we just need a time."

"I'm too tired to think right now, can I call you in the morning to talk some more and work out a time?" She asked with a yawn.

"Sure thing, just make it after 8am and the morning rush." He asked.

"I probably won't be awake till nine." She reminded him.

"Get some rest, we'll talk tomorrow." He said about to hang up the phone.

"Luke." Lorelai said to get his attention again.

"I'm still here." Luke quickly said, putting the phone to his ear.

"Love you." She said.

"I love you too." Luke responded.

"I wish we had said that more often before." Lorelai said.

"You have no idea." Luke said. "Well talk more in the morning, night Lorelai get some rest." Luke said before pressing the button to end the call.

"Lorelai looked at the phone before holding it up to her face. "Yes like I can sleep now." She said before placing the phone in its cradle on the night stand. Slipping down under the covers Lorelai smiled, it was going well. She was slowly winning back his trust.

Luke sat up, resting on the edge of the bed for a few moments before standing. He placed the phone back in its charger before tossing his empty beer bottle in the bin and getting a glass of water. Looking out on the darkened square he wondered if it could be this easy to still love Lorelai. Truth be told he had stopped loving Lorelai, but for no more than a fraction of a second and then he couldn't help but still love her.

TBC…

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BTW – I'm working on my other stories Wrangler Repairs and Luke's Lake, updates to come as soon as I can write them.