The next three weeks flew by in a flurry of dates. Lorelai no longer counted time passing by weekends and friday night dinners but instead by dates. It had been 8 official dates since they first kissed, but if you counted the accidental dates, where they just ended up hanging out after a town meetings or she happened to be the last customer in the diner and he pulled out a pack of cards. The news was out and everyone smiled at her whenever she went near the diner. Luke said he got he same treatment around town though it seemed to bother him more than her.

What was bothering her was how fast, how suddenly this was becoming serious. He walked her home after every date, kissed her heatedly, more heatedly than the previous kiss and it was getting to the stage now where kissing wasn't going to be enough. Lorelai pushed her foot on the porch swing to get it to move and sipped the juicebox she held in her hand.

She wanted to take the next step. There was nothing about Luke that was holding her back. She had seen him swimming at the lake before and knew what awaited her underneath all the flannel. She really couldn't wait to touch his skin again, the fleeting encounter on her landing was not nearly enough for her and yet still, when he invited her up to his apartment, when he walked her home, she offered him an excuse and a kiss to avoid it.

She could tell he knew something was amiss but knowing Luke, and knowing he was not someone to push for what he wanted she didn't feel any pressure coming from him. It was all self guided pressure. She thought back to her last sexual encounter. The last time a naked man lay next to her, touching her and her skin turned crimson with embarrassment. It wasn't one of her finest moments but even that wasn't what was stopping her.

She'd catch glimpses of Luke as he worked, as he cooked when he sat next to her on the couch. He was strong, broad shouldered and fit. He moved easily and had a gentle touch. His fingers were firm when they held her hand and she wondered how they would feel when they touched her breasts. She wanted to find out, god she wanted to find out so bad and yet, whenever the date started to go down that road she backed off.

Lorelai knew it was a matter of time before he broached the subject and she dreaded that moment. She knew she had to address it herself before he was forced to do it. She sipped her juice box, sucking the last of it with a noisy slurp.

"Hey mom!"

"Out here," she called through the open door to Rory who came out holding the phone.

"It's Luke, for you."

Lorelai took the phone and couldn't help the smile that curved her lips as she held the phone up to her ear.

"Hi, handsome man," she said into the phone and could tell he blushed.

"Hey, you get home late?"

"Yeah, about ten minutes ago."

"Tired?"

"Wrecked."

"So you don't want to come over?"

"I always want to come over."

"But?"

"But tonight I need to get to bed early."

There was a loaded silence on the phone, triggered by her words, their inference, and normally she would make a dirty joke but this was now a sensitive topic so she remained silence.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Is it a phone ask, or an in person ask?"

Luke chuckled. "Would you do me the honour of accompanying me to the Summer Ball at the weekend?"

"What?" Lorelai sat up to concentrate on his words. "Did you say what I think you said?"

"If you think I asked you to the Summer Ball then yes."

"Oh my god, yes, yes, trice yes!"

Luke chuckled again and she heard the relieved tinge in his voice when he spoke. "Great."

"Are we going all in?"

"What do you mean?"

"The ball isn't formal, but it's optional formal."

"You want me to wear a tux?"

"Luke, I want you to wear whatever the hell you want, as long as I get to hang on your arm at the ball."

There was another pause and she heard him sigh. "Fine, all in."

"Yes!" Lorelai squealed in delight. "I gotta go shopping, I need to either get a dress, or material."

"I thought you were wrecked."

"Now I'm excited!"

"Okay, I'll leave you to making your plans. See you tomorrow maybe in the diner?"

"Yep."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

Lorelai ended the call and jumped up off the porch swing then did a little dance of joy and hurried into the kitchen where Rory was doing her homework.

"What's with the dance?" she asked as he mother moonwalked into the room.

"Luke just asked me to go to the summer ball, and he agreed to wear a tux!"

"You're going formal?" Rory jumped up and grabbed her mother's hands and they both jumped up and down in a twirling circle. "What will you wear?"

"I've no idea, I need to go to the mall!"

"I'm coming," Rory stated as she started to put away her books.

"I'm calling Sookie!"

Thursday in the diner Lorelai came in after the lunch rush and Luke smiled broadly as she approached the counter. He leaned over and kissed her softly, resisted the urge to deepen the kiss and instead poured her a cup of coffee.

"Hungry?"

"No, I had a lunch meeting so just came in for a coffee and some sugah!" she sipped her coffee and made a breathy ahhh noise then looked up at him with a smile. "So I went shopping."

"Get anything?"

"Yep, just need to make a few adjustments to make it perfect."

"I'm sure it's already amazing."

"Smooth Luke, smooth." She sipped her coffee again. "How about you?"

"I'll go rent a tux tomorrow." he scratched the back of his neck. "Do I need to have a particular colour sash or something?"

"No," Lorelai chuckled. "It's not prom. Just get whatever you want."

"I missed you last night," he whispered and he leaned over the counter to be even closer to her. She looked down at her coffee as her blush crept up her neck but back up at him with a soft smile. "And I can't help but realise it's thursday."

"All day."

"Get your laundry done last night?"

"Yeah…why?"

Luke smiled and waggled his eyebrows and Lorelai immediately flashed back to their first date secrets. She laughed and shook her head. With a quick glance around the diner and seeing only two customers, Luke cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a hot quick kiss, licked his tongue along her lips then pulled back and looked down at her with a longing expression on his face.

"I better get back to work," she said with a smile.

"See you later?"

"I need to stay home and make some adjustments to my dress."

"Oh, ok." he looked down and wiped the counter.

"Trust me, it will be worth it."

"I've no doubt."

"Bye," she waved and left and Luke watched as she crossed the road to her jeep and drove off.

He was confounded by her reactions. For three weeks they had been dating and he had lost count of how many actual dates they had gone on, but every single one of them had ended with her kissing him. More often than not she initiated it, and that was only because she pounced before he had a chance to. During the date she gave him all the right signals, held his hand, touched his arm, stared at his lips, licked her own, she even found reasons to stroke his neck, run her fingers through his hair and when she rested her hand on his lower back or the top curve of his ass he wanted to turn into her arms and press his whole body against his.

But anytime he did take steps to bring it further than a teenage make out session he felt her pull back. It was just like that flirting game she used to play. Bait and switch, bait and switch. But this was worse, because he knew she liked him, he knew she wanted him, he sure as hell knew he wanted her but something was holding her back. Just like with the flirting, he could pinpoint the moment she changed her mind, the moment she switched gears and their exploratory journey was over.

Luke continued to wipe down the counter and tended to the rest of the customers and tried to banish his thoughts away. She would let him know when she was ready, he trusted her enough to let her take lead in this, whatever this was.

Friday afternoon Lorelai came bustling into the diner hoping to see Luke but Caesar told her he had left for the day to get produce. She got a coffee to go and returned to work only for Luke to call her later that evening just after she left for hartford. He left a message on her machine that she listened to when she got home.

"Hey Lorelai, I missed you in the diner earlier, Caesar said you were in. I just wanted to call and see if I could catch you before you left for your folks. I guess I missed you. Come round later if you want."

Lorelai looked at her watch and saw it was eleven thirty, definitely too late for a house call or even a phone call to a man who usually woke up at dawn. She went up to her room, spied the dress hanging on the back of her door and smiled. By the time she climbed into bed she couldn't wait to talk to him so she grabbed the phone off it's cradle and dialled her number. He answered on the first ring and it made her smile.

"Luke."

"Hey."

"Sorry for the late call, I just got home."

"So late?"

"It was a whole thing at my folks, me and Rory got ambushed."

"What happened?"

She told him about the evening, the charity buffet that was being held at her folks house. She regaled him of how she had to explain over and over again that she was the manager of the inn, not the owner and soon had him laughing with her in how she and Rory had made their escape.

"So you made it home safe," he said as his laughter died. "I'm glad."

"Me too." she looked over at the dress on her door again. "Would be a shame to miss seeing you in a tux."

"Or this infamous dress that has kept you away from me all week."

"Trust me, it will be worth it," she said with a giggle.

"I missed you."

"You did?" She shrunk lower into her bed and pressed the phone harder against her ear.

"Yeah."

"I missed you too." There was a silence filled only with the beating of their hearts then he spoke again. "So tomorrow."

"The big day, the Luke is going to wear a tux day!"

"What time should I pick you up?"

"Eight?" she suggested.

"Ok, eight it is. Will you be in in the morning for breakfast?"

"Fraid not, myself and Rory have some plans tomorrow that mean an early start and then I need a couple of hours to prepare."

"Hours?"

"You think this just happens naturally?"

Luke laughed on the other end and she delighted in the sound of it. "So I'll see you at eight?"

"Yeah," she said, her voice low and whispered.

"G'night. Lorelai."

"Night."

Lorelai hung up the phone and rolled over onto her side. Her eyes were heavy with tiredness but her mind reeled with excitement. This time tomorrow she would be dancing in Luke's arms, dancing in Luke's tux encased arms. She couldn't wait.

In his apartment over the diner Luke lay on his bed with his arms locked beneath his pillow and he stared at the ceiling. Was she avoiding him? He knew it felt like it but he also knew it couldn't be true. She was busy, she was tired, these were all plausible reasons not to come over and before they dated, before they kissed, he could go days at a time without seeing or hearing from her. But this was different. Now that he knew what he was missing when she wasn't around, he craved her presence and it was driving him mad to go without it for so long. Luke rolled over onto his side and tried to ignore the semi erection he was sporting. He closed his eyes and let his weariness pull him into a fitful slumber.

Luke stood on her porch his hand hovering over the doorbell, pausing to take a breath before he pressed it. The shrill noise seemed louder than usual but he realised he was just so nervous his senses were on high alert. Rory came running down the stairs and called out to him that she was coming and when she pulled the door open with a whoosh she stared at him agape.

He had gone for a haircut and a shave and the tux he wore had a classic black jacket and slacks with light grey shirt and a slightly darker grey tie, tied in a windsor knot along with a waistcoat which was a couple of shades darker still.

"Luke, you look like a million bucks." She held the door open for him and gestured for him to walk in then closed the door and led him into the living room. "Want to sit?"

"No, I'm ok." he scuffed his toe off the bottom of the couch and slid his hands into his trouser pockets looking a strange mix of shyness and bravado.

"She's just about ready, I'll go up and check on her."

Rory hurried upstairs to her mother's room where Lorelai was just putting on some earrings to go with the dress. She twirled when Rory came bounding into the room.

"Oh my god Mom!" Rory said and she flopped onto the bed. "Luke in a tux...he looks so strange."

"Strange?" Lorelai turned back to the mirror to give her appearance the once over then perched on the end of the bed to put on her shoes. "Good strange?"

"Amazing strange!" Rory sat up and leaned back on her hands. "He looks like Luke, regular Luke but… Luke 2.0."

Lorelai laughed and stood up then brushed down the front of her dress and twirled for her daughter. "What do you think?"

"Beautiful."

Lorelai was wearing a navy v-neck floor length sleeveless top and chiffon gown with wide lace straps that wrapped around to show off her bare back with lace framing. The dress clung to her figure and moved fluidly as she walked, her feet appearing now and then to show 4 inch heels on strappy shoes and painted nails.

She had her hair partially up, tendrils of curls hanging down to her neck and just enough makeup to make it look like she wasn't wearing any. She gingerly touched her earrings and turned to face the mirror once more then took a deep breath and went down to Luke.

He had paced his way across the room, over to the window and turned on his heel at the sound of her approaching. Without realising it his jaw dropped at the sight of her and he pulled his hands out of his pockets as he walked over to her. They met at the bottom of the stairs and he instinctively reached for her. His hands rested on her hips and he leaned in to kiss her cheek just by her ear then whispered softly.

"You look stunning."

Lorelai, who was equally as affected by the sight of him blushed and smiled. She leaned back to take the image of him in and let out a low wolf whistle. "Luke…wow!" He blushed and looked away then stepped back to take her hands. "If I'd known you'd look like that in a tux I would have wrangled you into one long ago."

"If I knew that was all it would have taken to see that look in your eyes I would have bought one ages ago." They both smiled and kissed again but as Rory came down the stairs with a soft cough, they broke apart. "Shall we go?"

Lorelai grabbed a silver shawl from the bannister and a matching purse on the table in the hallway then turned to see Rory standing behind them with a wide smile. "Have a good time!"

"We will," Lorelai said as she bent down to kiss her daughter. "When are you going to Lane's?"

"Right now, I just need to grab my bag."

"Okay honey, enjoy your sleepover and I'll see you tomorrow for brunch!"

Rory waved them off and Luke took Lorelai's hand to lead her over to the truck. "She's staying at Lane's?"

"Yeah, I was afraid we might be late and I didn't want her in the house on her own for that long."

"Good idea."

He climbed in on the other side and reversed out of the garden to drive to the hotel where the ball was being held. The driveway to the hotel was lit up by chinese lanterns and Luke handed his keys over to the valet at the entrance. They met at the front and he crooked his elbow to offer it to her. She took it with a shy smile and he led her into the hall. The next couple of hours was a whirl of talking and laughing, Luke following her around the room as she chatted with the townsfolk and twirled in her dress. She spoke over and over about the changes she had made to it, all the while he stood back and simply watched her.

She enjoyed the attention but never once forgot he was there. Her eyes would seek him out, look him up and down with a hungry expression and the few times he left to get her a drink, or go to the bathroom she would take his hand in hers the minute he returned. After they had made the rounds and spoken to everyone she led him to a buffet table and told him to hold a couple of plates as she loaded them up with food. Too much food he thought until he realised who he was with. They found a table and sat down to eat, talking about the night so far.

Luke had managed to loosen his tie and Lorelai could tell he was uncomfortable in his suit. She slid her shawl off her shoulders and draped it over the back of the chair then lifted her glass of champagne to sit back and take a drink. Luke took her cue and slid his own jacket off, draped it on the back of his chair and mirrored her gesture with his own drink.

"Having a good time?" she asked though she knew he wasn't really.

"I'm enjoying being here with you," he said with a smile as he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled his sleeves up a little.

Lorelai smiled then sat forward and gripped his arm that was on the table. "Would I be pushing my luck if I asked you to dance?"

Without hesitation he stood up and held out his hand. Lorelai was a little shocked by his readiness and hesitated but Luke waited patiently and when she took his hand and stood up he smiled. He walked her to the middle of the dance floor and turned her in his arms to face him, slid one hand around her waist and pulled her against him slowly. His other hand held her hand up and he danced. She followed his lead, and let him sway her around the floor and loved how his hand moved from her lower back to her shoulders to pull her even closer. He moved his head to kiss her temple and left his lips resting against her as she danced.

One song turned into two and when the third song was faster they continued to swap slowly in each other's arms. But as the dance floor got too busy they were forced to move off. Lorelai steered them towards the bar and ordered two beers then took the bottles in one hand, and his hand in the other and led him out of the ballroom and into the hotel grounds.

Luke let himself be led without putting up a fight and when she went off the path across the lawn towards a large lake he held her hand tighter knowing it wouldn't be easy to walk on the grass in her heels. She beelined for a large oak that was by the lake shore and sat on the grass beneath it with a flump. Luke looked down at her as she laughed and fell onto her back then joined her and lay back next to her.

"Check out the stars." she whispered and she pointed up to the sky but Luke was fixated with her. "There are so many of them."

"Millions."

She rolled her head to look at him and smiled when she found him staring at her. She winked at him awkwardly then sat up and handed him a beer. Luke sat up with her and took the bottle and watched as she opened her shoes and took them off. She scrunched her toes into the grass and looked back at him to find him still watching her.

"You'll ruin your dress," he said as he sipped his beer.

"It's grass," she shrugged and sipped her own drink then lay back down again.

Luke watched her with wonder then mirrored her pose. He placed his bottle into the ground then locked his hands behind his head. Lorelai moved closer and rested her head on the crook of his arm and Luke rested his head against hers.

"Did you see Ms Patty's face when you walked in?"

"When we walked in."

"Yeah I was there but it wasn't me she was looking at."

"Maybe not Ms Patty, but all the men were."

Lorelai scoffed. "I'm pretty sure you turned more heads than me." Her shoulders shook with her mirth. "I mean they see me in dresses and skirts all the time, but you, in that tux? Yowsers!"

Luke smiled. "Yowsers?"

"Yeah, yowsers." She turned her head to look up at him and he lifted his to kiss her. Before she could turn away and break the kiss, Luke circled her neck with his hand and cupped her face to deepen the kiss. He shuffled lower and rolled onto his side towards her, moved his hands from her neck to her shoulder, over her back, his fingertips brushing featherlight soft strokes on her back to her ass. He squeezed it tenderly and when she moaned into his mouth he squeezed it again and made her roll more towards him. Her head was cushioned by his other arm and one of her hands was pressed against his chest, but the other rested on his side, gripping him tightly to be sure he didn't move away.

Luke moved his hand off her ass and gripped her hip to pull her tightly against him as he rolled his hips towards her, to be sure she could feel the full effect of his arousal. It was as if instinct took over and Lorelai's hips sought out his hardness and he had no intention of hiding it from her. Her tongue stroked the inside of his mouth and her hand moved over his back, up between his shoulders and she crushed her breasts against his chest. He moved his leg to nestle between hers and gripped her thigh to pull her leg over his hip but when their ministrations became more heated he felt her pull back.

Immediately he slowed down, not quite able to come to a full stop. He lowered his leg, and moved his kisses from her lips to her jaw, her ear, her temple until finally he could pull away completely. She pulled her leg back and he dragged his hand from her thigh, to her hip then to her side, a light barely there touch. Luke removed his leg from between hers and with a final deep breath he rolled away and lay flat on his back. His fingers locked behind his head, he found himself back in the position he started in. The only difference was this time Lorelai was facing him, her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest.

After a few moments of silence, and when their breathing had returned to a more natural state Luke looked over and kissed her forehead.

"You ok?" he whispered into the stillness of the night. He felt her head nod but wondered why she didn't speak. God he wanted her to speak. He wanted to grab her shoulders, and shake the words out of her. But instead he kissed her forehead again and looked back up at the stars.

After a few minutes more Lorelai kissed his chest through his shirt then moved to sit up. She sat with her back to him, her knees up against her chest and she looked at him over her shoulder. "We should probably go back in."

Luke watched her and smiled then sat up with her and grabbed his beer. He took a long drink then stood up and held a hand out to her. She took it and stood, bending to pick up her beer and shoes then let him take her hand again and lead her back towards the ballroom. They stood at the door and Luke lifted his beer to his lips and drained it then placed it on a patio table and looked down at their connected hands.

"You want to go back in?" she asked.

"If you do." he said with a shrug.

"You want to leave?"

"If you do."

"I want to do what you want." she said, her voice barely above a whisper and she looked up into his hungry eyes.

"No, you don't Lorelai."

"I do!"

"Let's get a drink." he said as he gripped her hand tighter. "I'm already over the limit so there is no way I'm driving anyway."

He led her through the ball room and back to the table where they left their belongings then urged her to sit down while he went to the bar and got another round of drinks. He returned with the drinks and a plate of pastries he had gathered from the buffet table and she smiled as he placed them in front of her.

"What's this?"

"A treat, for my sweet." he said with a smiled and a waggle of his eyebrows as he sat and took a drink of his beer.

"Oh god, that was bad."

"I knew it, the minute I said it, I knew it." he said laughing and she joined in. The tension she felt swirling around them faded, not entirely but faded nonetheless. She leaned back in her chair and propped her feet up on his lap which he covered with his hands and gently massaged. He loved that she wasn't wearing any stockings and reveled in the feel of her skin beneath his fingers.

Ms Patty came over and chatted for a while and Taylor too. When Kirk and Lulu arrived at their table they ended up escaping for a dance then split up for a bathroom break and met back at the table where Luke had arrived with two more drinks. As the ball started to wind down Lorelai pushed her last half finished drink aside and covered her mouth to hide a yawn. Luke leaned forward and placed a hand on her lower back.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah, I think I'm done."

"C'mon…" he stood up and grabbed her shawl to wrap around her shoulders then held out her shoes and waited for her to slip them on. When she stood he gave her her bag and grabbed his jacket. He slipped it over his shoulder and crooked his elbow for her again then pulled her next to him and made for the door. In the hotel lobby he fished in his pocket for his keys but as they jangled in his pocket he chuckled.

"Oh yeah...the alcohol." He made his way over to the reception and asked them to call a taxi but it seemed most of the folk of stars hollow had been caught unawares and they were told it would be at least an hour before a taxi would be ready. Lorelai slumped against his arm and sighed and Luke looked from the top of her head then back to the receptionist. "Any rooms available?"

The receptionist smiled and nodded. "Of course sir." she worked on her computer for a few minutes, Luke handed over his driving license and credit card and she gave him a key card when she returned it. "Sixth floor, room 612, the bank of elevators is over there towards the bar."

Luke nodded and walked with Lorelai towards the lift and pressed the button to call the elevator as Lorelai leaned heavier against him, her weariness becoming more and more prominent. He stepped in and pressed the button for the 6th floor then guided her to the room.

When he slipped the key into the power slot inside the room the lights came on with a flicker that seemed to rouse her enough to look around.

"You got a room?" she said a crooked smile on her face as she pulled her shawl off and dropped it along with her purse onto the table by the window.

"Just for a while, you were practically asleep in the lobby, and it will be a while before the taxi arrives."

Lorelai nodded as she looked around the room and spotted two queen beds, a small desk with a single chair and a large cabinet that housed the minibar, safe, and TV. By the door was a bathroom that was bigger than her bedroom at home, with a walk in marble shower and a large tub with jacuzzi spouts.

"I hope that's ok, I don't mean to be presumptuous." he said, stammering over his words as she walked around the room. "I made sure there were two beds."

"It's fine Luke," she said as she came round to stand in front of him, placed two hands on his chest and leaned up to kiss him. Before it could be deepened she pulled back and sat down on the edge of one of the beds. She undid her shoes and kicked them off then lay back on the mattress with a sigh.

Luke went into the bathroom and found a toiletry kit, brushed his teeth and washed his face then patted it with a towel and stared at his reflection. He didn't think that spending the night in a hotel room with Lorelai Gilmore would instill him with so much dread, but he knew this was going to be one of the toughest nights of his life. He walked out of the bathroom and pulled his tie off only to find her in the same position on the bed.

"You asleep?" he asked as he tossed his tie onto the chair by his jacket.

"Almost."

"Get up, there are toiletries in the bathroom." He stood at the end of the bed and grabbed her hands to pull her into a sitting position then stepped back and pulled her again to get her to stand. He turned her towards the bathroom and swatted her ass as she passed and smiled when she looked at him over her shoulder.

Luke undressed slowly, carefully hung his shirt and waistcoat up then draped his slacks on another hanger. He took off his undershirt and draped it over her pillow and was left standing in the hotel room in nothing but his boxer briefs as he readied the bed for sleep. He pulled the sheets down from her bed as well as his own then checked the lock on the door and windows before turning off all the lights but one bedside lamp on the far side of her bed to give her the privacy he knew she would want to undress in.

He heard the shower running and tried his best not to think about what she was doing. He closed his eyes and felt his desire swarm around his body. When the shower stopped he thought about her drying herself in the bathroom and he couldn't help the moan that escaped his past his lips. The bathroom door opened and a billow of steam came out. Luke closed his eyes and turned to face the wall to offer her all the privacy he could.

Lorelai had the largest of towels available in the bathroom wrapped around her body but even that only came down to just below her ass. She noted how he had prepared the room and sent up a silent wave of gratitude to him, even more so when she spotted the shirt he left out for her to wear. With a quick glance over her shoulder to be sure he wasn't looking she dropped the towel and quickly put the shirt back on. She slipped on her panties and climbed into bed and turned off the last light.

"You asleep?" she asked, her voice a whisper in the darkness.

"Almost."

"Goodnight Luke. And thanks."

Luke didn't respond. She was lying over there. About 4 feet away, wearing nothing but his undershirt and it was all he could do not to climb over the bed to get to her but he knew that wasn't what she wanted. He balled his hands into fists and shoved them under his pillow and tried to get some sleep.

Luke woke with a start a couple of hours later. He wasn't sure what woke him and it took him a few minutes to remember where he was. There was a warm breeze coming in through an open window and when he rolled over to see if he left it open he spotted Lorelai sitting on the window seat staring out at the lake view below.

"Hey," he said as he kicked off the sheets and padded across the room to stand by her side. He reached down and touched her shoulder and she turned to him. Even with the dim light he could tell there were unshed tears in her eyes to go along with the fallen tear stains on her cheeks. "Hey now, what's all this?"

The hand on her shoulder gripped her tighter and she turned into him. He cupped the back of her head and held her against his chest as her arms snaked around his waist and held him close.

"Lorelai?" when her grip loosened he moved to sit next to her. "Whats going on?"

"I'm sorry, it's silly."

"It's not silly." He cupped her face and dried her tears with his thumbs. "If it's enough to make you cry, it's not silly."

A few moments passed in silence and Luke was about to ask her what was wrong again when he heard her take a deep shaky breath as if preparing to talk.

"It's been awhile for me," she whispered into the darkness, her fingers gripping his hand tightly.

"What has?"

"Being with a man."

"Huh?" Luke tipped her face to look up at him and frowned.

"It's been a while since I slept with anyone."

"Me too," he said with a slight blush, thankful she couldn't see it in this dim light.

"No I mean…"

"What is it?" Luke ran his hands down her shoulders to grip her hands and interlocked their fingers then leaned forward and kissed her temple. "Talk to me."

"I'm not sure if I'm ready for this."

"For this?" he leaned back and tried to see her face, cursing the dim light he had praised only seconds ago. "For what exactly?"

"Luke…" She sat back away from him. "Hang on."

She pulled herself out of his embrace and crossed the room to turn on a lamp on her bedside table which flooded the room in a light bright enough to see each other but not so bright it was intrusive. Then she crossed the room back over to where he sat and perched herself next to him on the cushioned window seat.

"My whole life changed when I had Rory." She looked away from him and gripped the edge of the seat tightly. "I had to reprioritise everything. She was...is, the most important thing in my life and I never ever put her, or our relationship in jeopardy."

"What are you saying Lorelai?" Luke asked wondering if this was a break up talk. It felt like one but something about her tone was keeping him seated.

"I'm saying throughout the years of living with Rory I never really had any relationships. I didn't want to expose her to a trail of men, any of whom she could have connected to, only for them to then disappear."

"Lorelai-"

"Wait, I'm not finished." she took another breath and cast him a wary glance before continuing. "I didn't want another man to walk out on her like her father did. So I went out on a couple of dates but nothing serious."

"Nothing?" Luke asked suddenly catching up to what she was alluding to.

"There was one time when Rory was about 9 and she went to a sleep away camp for 3 weeks." Lorelai chuckled and blushed at the memory as her hands came up to bury her face. "I was seeing this man, or rather I had been on a couple of dates and I guess one thing led to another…" She glanced at him sideways, not sure what expression to find on his face but all she saw was concern.

"Lorelai," He said as he draped an arm around her and tipped her head up to look at him with one curled finger under her chin. "If you are not 100% ready for this, for me, for us… then it's not happening." He kissed her cheek. "And when you are ready, when you do want it, then and only then it will happen."

"I do want it, I do want...you."

Luke chuckled and kissed her cheek again. "I want you too Lorelai but I want you ready, not scared, or worried."

He pulled her closer and held her head on his shoulder then kissed the top of her head. Lorelai snaked her arms around his waist and held him tightly. She tipped her head up and he kissed her lightly but she pressed her lips harder against his then opened her mouth and brushed her tongue into his. Luke sighed and let her, let her take all she needed from him but when she moved her hips to straddle him he grabbed them and pushed her back.

"Wait," Luke stood up and stepped back. "Don't do this."

"What?"

"I want you to come to me because you want to, not because it got heated, or we got carried away."

"Luke-"

"I won't be a source of regret in your life Lorelai." He backed away and grabbed his shirt from the hanger in the wardrobe then slipped it on and turned back to face her. She was standing by the window, and the sight of her wearing his shirt, the moonlight casting a strange aura around her body almost made him go back to her.

"Luke, wait, don't go."

"I don't think I should stay here."

"Please, stay," she said and she crossed the room to grab his hands and stop him from dressing. She undid the buttons he had done, and pulled his shirt back off his arms then led him over to the bed and pushed him back into his own as she sat down on hers. "Can we…"

"What?" he dared to ask when she hesitated.

"Will you hold me?"

Luke felt his resolve crumble and his head nodded slowly. Lorelai moved back on her own bed and rolled over onto her side her back facing him. He took a few deep breaths then climbed in beside her. He curled one arm under his pillow and the other draped over her waist. She snuggled back against him but he moved his hips to avoid pressing his erection into her. He felt her breathing shake against him and he tightened his grip on her to press her back into his chest. She covered the arm on her waist with her hand and held it tight around her as she felt her tiredness sweep over her and she slept.