21 days in Shutdown
Lorelai entered the diner at 11am.
She'd consumed a breakfast of pop tarts, oven-cooked bacon, and coffee with Rory at home. During family meals over the last few days, she'd gone from sitting at the top of her stairs to the bottom while Rory dined on the couch in the living room.
It'd been well over 14 days since the exposure to Audrey. Time had officially expired, but she found that she had to work up to allowing herself in Rory's personal space. Her distance grew a little shorter every day. She'd blown Rory the closest kiss yet before she'd left her to her newfangled learning.
Lorelai spent two hours at the inn after that.
The Peacock group was already trying to reschedule their gathering. They weren't believers of the current state of events. Of the world's crisis. Mrs. Peacock had made that more than known to both members of management, as well as to the owner herself. Lorelai had succeeded in calming her, placating her, while hating that she was unintentionally empowering her.
But business was business.
The head Peacock came to accept that there were no major bookings being done, tentative or otherwise, until further notice.
That exchange hadn't been the first and wouldn't be the last.
Lorelai had finished up there, checked on her two isolated guests, and left for the diner.
As she walked inside, she did the routine once-over to be sure the max occupancy of 1 was not exceeded. She only saw Luke.
Same as the day before. Same as the days before that.
As of late, it was always only Luke.
He was leaned near the register. No orders and no customers at that moment. So he'd just been resting there, head down deep in thought. As the bell rung, he looked up.
Lorelai wore a plum mock neck with wildflowers on the front, a dark pair of denim jeans, and taffy colored wedges. Her mask was a slight hue of purple with coral splashes.
As she closed the door behind her, she reached up and casually slipped the mask from one ear. Her eyes moved to Luke only a second after he'd taken notice of her. She smiled at him, winked to lessen dissatisfaction on her mask removal. She saw the halfhearted eye roll followed by eyes casually dropping from feet back to face as his head turned to follow her across the floor.
He briefly wondered why her winks worked while his felt like a damn strip tease.
As she made it to the end of the counter, his eyes left her. He faced forward again.
Lorelai gently traced her hand along the counter's edge as she rounded it, and once on the other side, she finally looked away from him. She stopped, taking immediate notice of the additions. On the floor, in her weeklong burrow, there was now a pillow and thermos.
Her smile was instant as she blinked attention up at Luke. "For me?"
"Has anyone else decided to take up residence on the floor every day blocking path to the kitchen?"
She shrugged. "Well, I'm only here like 6 hours a day. Who knows what goes on outside of that time?"
"Not much," he muttered.
"This is super sweet, Luke."
He stood up fully. "Person can only hear another person complain of butt cramps so much before he takes action."
"I was aiming for personal masseuse, but I suppose this makes a decent compromise."
She lowered her things to the floor. Handbag first and tote with crosswords, magazines, cards, and a starter sewing project next. A week in and the only item that'd gotten any action at all on the floor of that diner was a single Elle issue. With a huge pile of magazines at home, Lorelai felt she'd found the perfect opportunity to cycle through her ever-growing stash.
But the same 3 issues she'd started with were the same 3 that still sat in the tote. She'd made it to page 20 of magazine #1. She'd break it out when customers entered. Would split focus between the page and Luke as she fought to remain unheard and unseen in the presences of those increasingly rare walk-ins.
Six days and only on page 20.
"Pretty pillow," Lorelai commented as she sat. She caught his courteous nod. "Where'd you get such a pretty pillow?"
He watched her relax and put her hair back, as if home from a long day. "Just a pillow. Not much pretty about it."
"The colors make it pretty."
His eyes dropped to the pillow, to the edges not covered by her bottom. It was just a seat cushion. Red and green and brown and…just busy with colors and patterns. Something from the Home section of a department store. Something he'd snagged years ago as he entertained thoughts of livening up his dining room chairs. He'd never gotten around to doing it. And returning them would have only drawn more attention to how he'd purchased them in the first place. So, they'd found a home in his closet.
"So, where you coming from?" he redirected with ease, done with topic of color schemes.
Lorelai only smiled at his flagrant topic shift. "Cameo at the Dragonfly."
"Routine or complication?"
"Just standard proprietary load. But it's a ghost town around the place now. Maids are taking smaller shifts so there are chunks of times where no one's there. Except old faithful, of course."
"Sookie loves her kitchen," he attributed warmly.
"That, she does. I don't know if you've noticed, but Caesar hasn't had to deliver to her neighborhood in days. Everyone over that way gets her fresh made creations hand delivered. I learned that today. Was wondering what she was doing with all that grub."
"So she's cuttin' in on my territory, huh?" he needled.
"And I'm sure easing past USDA policies too, but what are ya gonna do? It's end of the world here. Break bread. If it's free, store it, freeze it; hell, make croutons. A little casse croute."
This was said in distraction as she fished around in her purse for lip balm. Luke let loose a breathy chuckle at her words, and her eyes were on him in the next second. Lorelai couldn't prepare anything, short of a cup of coffee, yet her random references had her vying for Michelin stars.
That definitely amused him.
The slight upward shift of his mask, coupled with the crinkles around his squinted dusky eyes, told the full story of that amusement. Sign of the times.
Lorelai stared, unassuming, yet captivated. Luke's laughter oftentimes felt like the rarest of animal. It'd appear and there would follow a mad dash for a camera and workable shot, lest it be one person's word against the masses'… and their very tenable doubt.
Her attention made his amusement fade fast. He rolled his eyes away from her fixed focus. Straightened his already straight cap and turned away casually.
"What's on the menu today?" he asked.
She studied his mindless shuffle as she thought back on Sookie's run-through. "Salmon. She plans to stuff some, throw some into patties. She has some flank steak she wants to clear out, so she mentioned grilling a little of that. Asparagus, some kinda rice and…yada yada."
"Hm. Sounds good," he followed as he finally faced her again, hands in pockets.
She smiled at finally seeing his eyes again. "Sounds…really incredibly stupidly healthy," she countered with a greater smile.
He showed amusement, but the crinkles were minimal that time. Lorelai finally thought to turn away, went back to digging in her purse. She was seconds into her search before she finally remembered what she'd even been looking for.
"Maybe I should hang out on her block, see if I can get a plate," he mused.
She glanced at him. "I can get a plate for you, no problem. Got some pretty solid connections on that front."
He waved it away. "Nah, just kidding."
"Are you?" She located the lip balm. Removed the cap thoughtfully as she looked over at him without pretension.
He was immediately annoyed with her leading tone, but still, his reply was blithe. "Yep."
She looked down to the floor casually, ran a hand down her low-hanging ponytail. "Okay," she said quietly after a moment. She flashed him a smile and then looked ahead as she finally ran the applicator across her lips.
Luke frowned as he watched her slip into thought. Thoughts about him, no doubt. He didn't appreciate the attention. And he certainly didn't see anything reflection-worthy in his words. Unfortunately, Lorelai could make a skyscraper out of an ant colony, and he felt he'd unwittingly placed himself in her sights.
His computer dinged for an order. Then another. Then another.
Lorelai looked over at the sound and found him squinting in suspicion at her, unmoving. When she only grinned and pointed a finger at his computer, Luke knew he'd been correct in his assumption. The reason she'd felt no need to question his distrustful glare was because she was already privy. That smile of hers was her unspoken apology, unfair as it was.
He honestly wished she'd put her damn mask back on.
Luke turned and got to work with his pen and paper. Lorelai was talking in the next second, and given what'd just transpired, he wasn't as surprised as he should've been with words she spoke.
"The folks at Sniffy's, you're close to them, right?"
He had no clue how she even knew about his favorite culinary getaway, let alone the ones who kept it operating. Still, he only continued to write. "You could say that."
"Everyone good over that way?"
He glanced at her before continuing his scribble. "All's well." His tone was stiff. "Thanks."
"I'm glad," she said genuinely. Audrey had filled her in on Luke's weekly mealtime pastime. She knew of how long he'd been going there. When the topic came up, she'd asked as much. She knew of the owners' relationship to his dad and mom. So she knew Buddy and Maisy were his family.
That tell-all book was coming along quite nicely.
She went on. "I know they've closed for the pandemic, so if you-"
"What? How do you know that?" he inquired immediately as he regarded her again.
She shrugged and then began talking with an uncharacteristic stutter. "Well, I…assumed…a-as much, but I did uh…happen to, ya know, drive by and I saw the…sign in the-" She stopped abruptly, blew out a loud frustrated sigh as she rolled her eyes dramatically. "I dunno, I guess I'm a stalker or something!"
He hadn't stopped looking at her, hadn't blinked. "Sounds about right, actually…" he muttered questioningly.
She waved away both his cutting analysis and the awkward scene. "Listen, I'd never been to the place before. I'd never even heard of it. Audrey mentioned it, and I got curious, so I checked it out. Simple as that."
He went back to writing but still appeared unsettled. "Curiosity satisfied?" he rasped.
"Never," she asserted. "Anyway, Oh-Suspicious-One, I figure since your regular spot is not a current option, I can help get you fed another way. I mean, you said it yourself to Pattie squared. If you can have someone else do the cooking, take advantage. Take a break."
"I was kidding about the plate, Lorelai."
"Still."
He laid his pen down and faced her. "Remember when I mentioned how I can cook? That wasn't code for something. I can cook. See this place you're currently sitting in while initiating this ridiculous conversation? It's a restaurant. I own it. I cook in it. Get the picture?"
"But why cook for yourself if you don't have to?"
"Who said I have to?"
She gestured to him. "Listen, your bathing suit figure is fine, Luke. But even if it wasn't, starvation is definitely not the way to go."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm not the only restaurant in town, smartass."
"So, Joe's, then? When's the last time you ate pizza?"
"None of your business."
"You don't eat pizza," she followed with certainty.
He turned back with a sigh, picked his pen back up. "Are you just in the mood to argue with me today? Cause friction?"
"Gotta kick up entertainment somehow. My derriere is on a cloud. I no longer have that painful distraction, thanks to you."
"Yeah, well, say your goodbyes to that pillow when you take off later. Didn't know it'd come at the cost of my peace."
She smiled. Created a small moment of silence that she figured Luke would appreciate. Instead, it had him looking over at her from the screen. Met with her smile, he seemed satisfied enough to resume his task.
Lorelai took a breath. "Not a lot I can control nowadays. We're all in the same boat with that one, I suppose. But the inn is in a weird place; Rory is academically frustrated, which I hate; I'm limited to only glimpses of my fellow Stars Hollowians –people I'd gotten very comfortable seeing daily; these stupid masks leave me no wiggle room or laxity on flossing and teeth brushing. Not that I'd take it," she was quick to add, "but the option would be nice. And probably the most disheartening of all: spontaneous games of patty-cake are completely out of the question."
She'd gotten Luke's full attention somewhere at the beginning of her spiel, and she still had it. She met his eyes.
"I can't do a single thing about any of that. And it sucks. Big time. But if ever you want a plate, Luke, I can get you a plate. Just let me get you a plate."
After a moment of uninterrupted eye contact between them, he erected himself, looked off with a large sigh. He'd always considered himself a bit of a homebody, but it took on new meaning when his body was being forced to be home. Sniffy's was certainly missed.
He looked back over at her and pointed his pen down to her for emphasis. "I want a little of everything, and be sure she goes extra heavy on the yada yada," he pronounced.
She smiled widely, laughed a little. "You got it."
Luke collected his order sheets and started journey toward the kitchen. Lorelai's legs were extended in front of her, crossed at the ankles. Luke stopped there, toe of his boots inches from her manicured toes. He stopped there as if the barrier prevented passage. As if he hadn't stepped over that same careless roost of hers every day for the past week.
She was on her phone now, texting away as it sat low in her lap. He figured it was Sookie on the other end. She really was overjoyed at being able to do - being able to do for him. So it didn't surprise him that she wanted to get his request squared away at first chance.
She'd heard and sensed his presence, but it still took her a second to pause and look up.
When she did, he was just looking at her. He was annoyed, sure, but nothing that her charm couldn't easily correct. All part of the dance. But when she met his eyes, she just smiled. He rolled his eyes but only went back to looking at her, which only made her smile more.
Her smile eventually faded, and her head fell to the side in intrigue.
Whole thing lasted thirty seconds, maybe a little less. But it was new and odd and she never did move her legs. She just inserted speech and smoothly moved them past whatever that was. Realized, then, that they really were spending way too much time alone.
"All caught up on Lost," she shared.
"Oh?"
She nodded. "Super weird, like you said. But I'm hooked."
"Makes one of us," he followed drably.
An affable look of indulgence preceded her finally sliding her legs out of his path. Her initial position just had her knees at her chest, soles against her bottom. Luke's eyes fell to her foot. And then he tapped her foot with the toe of his. He smiled a little behind his mask. The crinkles gave him away.
His eyes met hers with his amusement. Tap, tap, tap. And then he moved along.
She stared after him. Felt an almost instinctual need to rise, chase, tag him back and run away, look over her shoulder to check for pursuit, squeal, duck, bolt, get somewhere where there was nowhere else to run, and then act oblivious and playfully fearful as he closed in…
Childhood revels… leading to adulthood upgrades.
Lorelai didn't make it anywhere near the end of those thoughts. She jumped ship somewhere during the chase. She shook it off. Ignored what she was feeling. Remembered who she was, who he was, where she was.
There were minutes of silence after he'd retreated to the kitchen. Lorelai supposed he was just concentrating, enjoying a moment of quiet that was rarely present when she was. But then he called out to her, making it clear he didn't always enjoy those moments as much as she'd thought.
"Marco…" he deadpanned.
She smiled. "Ralph Lauren!"
"Have you eaten?"
"Yeah, almost 3 hours ago."
"Which means you're starving, right?"
"Seriously wasting away out here. Not even sure where I'm finding the energy to talk."
"Whatever it is, imagine the breakthroughs if scientists were able to discover and harness that energy source."
"Is it too early for loaded nachos? Side of chicken strips?"
"Chicken strips are not a side. It's its own main course."
"Okay then chicken strips and a side of loaded nachos."
"Loaded nachos aren't a side eit-"
"Okay, you have officially lost your right to say 'no'. So, all of that and fries, pleeeease!"
There was a moment of silence where she was imagining him shaking his head in defeat. She was right. "Alright," he verbalized. "Gonna finish these up first."
"Deal."
Lorelai breathed deep and settled into that much more comfortable silence. She looked over toward the large diner window and saw a kid tossing a tennis ball into the air in a solo game of catch. He hadn't been out there 10 minutes ago when she'd come in.
There'd only been the Town Troubadour - an everyday uplifting staple - Mrs. Sletsky, a couple high school girls, and the Rabbi. All of them just seemed to be enjoying the fresh air and wide-open space of the square.
At seeing the younger kid, Lorelai rose and walked over, hoping to see a livelier scene that she knew she'd never find. She made it to the window and reality rushed in when she spotted only the kid and his mom as the only new additions.
She longed for the old days.
The days that had Taylor barging into a crammed diner vying for top spot on Luke's blacklist. Days that had endless chatter and kids' (the few Luke allowed in the diner) mirth. Days that featured Patty sexually assaulting all of the half decent looking males in attendance. Days that contained hours and hours of Kirk being weird, lovable, and weird some more. Days of the reverend, Burt, and Sy shooting the breeze and letting spurts of their testosterone out to roam free a bit.
She missed it all. The crowds, laughter, and all of the beloved idiosyncrasies of the town's citizens.
She had to remind herself that it wasn't gone forever.
There was just a pause.
It all seemed to be going in a not-too-bad direction. The interminable reports and news broadcasts only told them what they already knew. Each medium would detail the whole ordeal from the beginning. As if there was an influx of dopey-eyed tykes crawling from beneath rocks they'd been calling home, all confused and in need of explanation and a rehash.
But repetition pointed to boring news days, and with a global pandemic whirring about, those uneventful days were a blessing.
There'd been scares apart from Audrey. A handful from residents in the small town. 2 definites and 4 thought-to-be's. One definite was home, a week into recovery.
The other definite had been transported to Hartford Memorial.
But all in all, the mandate was working. Cases were dropping significantly.
The desolate square that now held Lorelai's attention wouldn't remain that way forever. It just had to be that way for now. Though she found comfort and understanding in that, she still wished for just a taste of the before life.
Lost in thought, her eyes remained fixed on the uncoordinated kid who scurried beneath airborne balls, only for them to slip thru his fingers to the ground each time.
"Makes ya long for days of basket auctioning," she heard Luke say.
She turned her suddenly surprised eyes from the square and over to the order window. She found Luke looking at her, splitting focus between her and his grill. He went on. "Don't get me wrong; I wouldn't be caught dead there. Whole thing's a cheesy waste of time. But..." He shrugged. "Least then it'd feel like home."
Somewhat flustered by his stealthy regard of her, she didn't think to tease him about his event of choice and the likelihood of subconscious favoritism.
She got her thoughts moving again. Said to him what had just come to her and eased her own worries. "We'll have it all back before you know it." She turned from the window to him. "Maybe next time I won't have to strong-arm you into buying my fancy feast."
"Maybe next time, you'll put more thought into it and make it actually edible. How does someone who is a master orderer not think to just preorder a meal somewhere?"
"Where's the fun in that?"
"Fun can come without stomach pumps, believe it or not."
"So they say. But I see you've put a lot of thought into this. First the event as a whole; now the contents of my man trap. You on the event committee or what?"
"Please."
"Nothing to be ashamed of."
"I strongly disagree."
"There are easier ways to sneak some time with me, Luke."
He looked up at her and found himself the target of a teasing grin and piercing eyes. He mindlessly gripped the spatula in his hand, in search of anything real, anything tangible, anything to help not get pulled into her untold allures.
"Yeah. Why pay fifty bucks for a basket when I can summon a worldwide pandemic to get you underfoot."
Her lip protruded. He had to smile.
"A not entirely unhappy foot," he amended. Her frown turned around. "Most times anyway," came his addendum. "Not above kicking myself for not flipping the lights and pretending no one's home either."
She glared that time, which only made him that much more amused. "Regarding the Mumble-like feet, percentage-wise, what are we talkin'?"
"No idea."
"Fifty?"
"What were you saying about Lost?" he asked dismissively.
"Forty, forty-five?" she probed.
"Comes on tonight, ya know."
"Fifteen, thirteen, eight, maybe?" she blurted outlandishly.
"Does 'fifteen, thirteen', or 'eight, maybe'," he mocked plainly; "fit description of 'most'?"
"No clue," she answered to further bait him.
"You really need me to say it?"
"Yes, please."
"Jeez." He shook his head. Kept his head down on his work as he entertained no fewer than 3 smart aleck answers in his head. The smirk that formed on his lips was inspired by those stymied zingers. His answer came after a very stubborn silence. "Percentage-wise, it's up there. You make bad situations better. And good situations...better." He left it at that.
Lorelai had wanted only to bug him a little and get him to say something mildly kind in the process. His words had depth that she wasn't prepared for.
"I've, uh, always thought that about myself, but it's nice to hear it from someone else," she joked.
He shook his head. "I bet."
Her eyes never left him. His eyes never left his food prep.
"Ditto...by the way."
He only tossed her a glance, caught her sudden smile, and then he was busy again. "Always thought that about myself, but it's nice to hear it from somebody else," he mimicked plainly.
She smiled. Folded her arms, looked down to her shoes. "I haven't gotten Rory to-" She was interrupted by notifications on his laptop. She looked over at it and was heading over in the next second. "Want me to get it?" she asked, already appearing to have made up her mind.
"Nah, I'll get it," he called.
"You're doing something already," she followed lightly as she made it there and started running her finger over the touchpad mouse.
"What are you doing?" he called again from the kitchen, now unable to see her.
"You have 3 orders. Wow, big orders. One's from Dean's dad. Hey, Dean's dad!" she exclaimed in excitement as she scribbled the orders down with efficiency.
"Lorelai?"
"Anyway, like I was saying, Rory has been tied up most nights - and remember this is my kid so mind outta the gutter on this one!" she was quick to add.
"You're the only one who needs that warning," he grunted, still irked that she was paying him no mind.
"But I've been left to watch my Luke show all by my lonesome. And I don't think that's really a show that's meant to be viewed alone. I have so many questions and so much commentary, and I grow tired of entertaining myself with it all. I need feedback."
She paused there as she concentrated on getting the specially made veggie burger down just right for the Thompsons' order.
Luke's confused-like frown carried him through his follow-up question. "What the hell is a Luke show?"
"Lost," she answered easily.
"Didn't I tell you I hate that damn show?"
"Mmhm."
"And you took that to mean...?"
"That you hate that damn show, of course," she followed absently.
"So why-"
"Anywho, the Luke show comes on tonight. And since you'll undoubtedly be watching, and since I'm invested now, I was thinking maybe we could team up. Watch it together. What do you think?"
"I think you need to stop calling it the Luke show."
"Other than that, what do you think?"
Luke thought about the movie night she'd hosted at her place last year. Back then, he kinda thought she'd want to make it a new routine between them. He definitely wouldn't have spent too much time fighting the idea. But it was a one and done. He'd had a good time and got the feeling the evening didn't suck for her either, so he was curious why he'd never been invited back.
But he had accepted it. No questions. No complaints. At least none vocally.
"It's fine," he responded casually.
"Here?"
"So, you can mock my tv all night?"
She smiled. "I won't say a word, I promise."
He smiled too. "Okay, guess I'll break out the rabbit ears and aluminum foil and see what we pick up."
"Sky's clear tonight, so chances are good."
"Good."
"'Cept for the gargoyles, at least."
"The what?"
She sighed as she placed the pen on the countertop. "Five orders total. You almost done back there?"
Just as she finished her sentence, she caught him rounding the corner. "Yeah," he reported airily as he approached her. She held the slips out to him as her eyes automatically met his. He reached in, took the slips, and ended up just placing them back on the counter as he stopped in front of her, their eyes locked. "You work here now?" he chided with bare volume.
"You keep tossing my application. Figured I'd show some initiative."
They shared seconds more of that eye contact before Luke shook his head and moved around her. "Mask on, Lorelai."
She moved over and retrieved it from her bag. "Tired of my face?" she asked feigning sadness. The desire to bait him that way was pressing, though she hadn't a clue what answer or reaction she wanted to elicit.
He ignored her. "Down there," he said in reference to her dugout, "you can take it off. Up here, moving around, leave it on," he instructed.
"Yes sir," she answered, her tone playfully bewitching.
He moved about mechanically, as if disconnected from the exchange. As if her words and context hadn't grazed a more prurient level within him.
As he bagged the food items, he saw Lorelai move back over to his laptop. She leaned on the counter with her forearm and typed with one finger.
"Need something?" he questioned while unsurprised at her boldness.
"Yeah, music."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"Stupid thing's meant for work, not play."
She smiled while focused on the screen. "Guess that answers question as to whether I was gonna find any triple x fun on here."
"Jeez." He turned away to hide the new crimson color in his cheeks. Didn't want to amuse her further. "Just make sure you don't close out my email."
"Roger that."
As he continued bagging the orders, his phone dinged in his pocket. He stopped to retrieve it, already knowing who it was. Only two people texted him, and one was standing right next to him.
"Tell Audrey 'hi'," Lorelai said with a glance in his direction.
He nodded his acknowledgement. "She'll probably say 'hi' to you first. Be easier if you two just exchanged numbers and left me out of it."
"Well, that's silly. She's your friend, not mine. Besides, what would we even talk about? I barely know her." She barely finished that hollow oration before she was standing straight up in excitement. "Ooh tell her about my butt pillow! No more butt cramps!" she ended with a bright smile.
He shook his head as he read his screen. "Why be concerned about that when she can be concerned about other weird stuff. Like your food consumption. Again." His tone was laced with annoyance and a total lack of understanding.
Lorelai casually leaned back down to the computer, a delicate smile in place. "What'd she say?" she queried unnecessarily. She had asked a question that she already knew the answer to.
"Same question she asked yesterday and the day before that!"
"Humor me."
Luke studied the knowing smile on her lips and only grew more annoyed. More and more, it felt like he was on the outside of an inside joke. And while normally he wouldn't care, he didn't appreciate being put in the middle of it.
His tone flat, he relayed Audrey's words while continuing his stare down. "'Ask Lorelai if it's just coffee today.'"
She looked over on that note, took in Luke's disgruntled expression. It only tickled her.
"Tell her 'yeah'. Just coffee today."
The phone now at his side, he reminded her, "you always have more than coffee. Why the hell do you keep saying that?"
She shrugged. "She's just referring to drinks."
"Then it's coffee everyday... It's never not been coffee."
"Like I said, she's your friend, not mine. Don't ask me to explain her."
Luke blew out a frustrated breath. She was messing with his head. He knew that, and he certainly didn't appreciate it. He'd already questioned Audrey about her faithful question to Lorelai, and she'd moved past it unapologetically. That was her style, so he was unsurprised. But there he remained in the middle and in the dark.
With no amount of joy, he brought the phone up and typed out a 'she said it's just coffee today'. He laid the phone on the counter and continued prepping the orders. No sooner than he did that did he see her new normal reply: 'Maybe tomorrow'.
"'Maybe tomorrow' for what?!" he blurted. That gained Lorelai's attention. That was the first time he'd verbalized Audrey's follow-up. Days leading up to today just had him deeply frowning at his screen before typing something to the tune of 'whatever'. "You're never going to drink anything but coffee," he said to Lorelai. "I wish she'd stop asking that."
She watched him in silence for a moment. Had many thoughts flying around her head, but she knew better than to give those thoughts a spotlight. She landed on a safe response and presented it with nonchalance. "You can predict the future now? Should I order you a crystal ball on this thing," she said in reference to his laptop, "while you channel Madame Orloff?"
He disregarded her need to pointlessly argue stuff. "You only order coffee. Period. That's it."
"Is that a dare or a double dare?"
"It's just reality," he told her.
She fought the urge to dig her heels in and instead, turned attention back to the laptop before her where she browsed YouTube.
"What do you want to listen to?" she asked considerately.
"Play whatever you want. Just not too loud. Still gotta hear the emails."
"Refuse to let me know what gets you groovin', huh? You spoilsport, you." She clicked on Blondie's Rapture and felt massive amounts of nostalgia filter through her as the video played.
"That's a good song," Luke commented.
She smiled over at him. "Blondie fan?"
"Fan's a stretch. Not a fan of anyone. Just like good songs."
"Says the Buffet-head."
"Please drop that."
"Couldn't even if I wanted to, Danes. Besides, if you were more generous with your personal affairs, I wouldn't have to cling so tightly to the small things I learn about you."
Luke finished up with the bags and headed toward her to retrieve the newer order slips. HIs response wasn't the grumpy one she was expecting. "What do you wanna know?" he asked easily.
"Know how dangerous an invitation that open could be with me?"
"Unfortunately."
His email notification sounded, and it triggered her immediate desire to further help him. She bent down at the waist and rested her forearm on the countertop once again. Luke, already in the midst of crossing at her rear, ended up with her backside hitting his hip. He stepped back on contact, of course, making no big deal about the collision. But his hand took light hold of her side, as if to steady both himself and her to prevent any real damage.
Lorelai looked up from the screen at feeling his hand on her body. Stared unblinking across the diner. Through her clothes, she couldn't feel the temperature of his palm at all. But still, that touch was hot like fire. Like literal fire. It was as if he'd stuck his hand in a can of gasoline and lit a match. And then proceeded to transfer that inferno.
Her body showed no reaction. Her face showed no reaction. But her heart sped up big time. There were only seconds that passed before she casually looked over her shoulder at him. She sought to see how much of that was purposeful, how much of that was felt by him. He did meet her eyes but there was nothing worth dissecting there. He removed his hand and continued along to his intended spot.
She focused again on the screen as she recorded the new order.
Luke soundly cleared his throat as he sifted through the sheets. The quiet felt strange. As the music continued playing, he smiled in a very natural manner. Up next was a part of the song that even he'd had some fun with a time or two. The song got its fair share of airtime on his own stereo in his youth but Liz kept it blasting regularly in their childhood home. He'd learned the lyrics well.
Not that he'd ever let anyone know that.
"Will this work or do you have a hairbrush in your back pocket?" He'd pushed one of the ketchup bottles in Lorelai's direction, it passable as a makeshift microphone.
She lifted her distracted gaze to him. With eyes bouncing from the crinkles under his lashes to the condiment bottle before her, she caught on in no time. Ended up grinning along with him and shaking her head.
"Very presumptuous of you."
And it's finger popping...
"You're about to miss your cue."
Twenty-four hour shopping...
"How do you know I even know it?"
In rapture...
"Because you do."
She scoffed. Rolled her eyes away as if insulted. Blindly snagged the ketchup bottle and brought it close to her mask-covered lips in the next second.
"Fab five Freddy told me everybody's fly..."
Luke placed the slips in his pocket and stepped back to prepare a couple cups of coffee for the to-go orders. He listened to Lorelai perform off to the side of him, and he caught her silly moves out of the corner of his eye.
It was noisy, unprofessional, and childish. Just generally reckless. She was dancing around, rapping with no restraint, flopping her limps every which way... He honestly couldn't think of a better way to spend a Wednesday morning.
Caesar walked in and paused at the unexpected show. But then he laughed, waved back at Lorelai's energetic greeting, got a couple bars in himself, and then proceeded on to the counter to grab his bags.
"I said don't stop; do punk rock..."
"You guys are having way too much fun in here!" he yelled over the jam.
"No such thing!" Lorelai yelled back.
"Who was the guy who wanted the liver? Red, Ned...?" Luke asked in an effort to recall.
"Jed," Caesar offered. "He was fine with the refund."
"Okay, good. My guy may be able to get his hands on some next week. Some things are getting a little harder to find."
"Yeah, that's what I told him."
Lorelai grooved and hopped around throughout the break in song. Caesar was loading up his truck by the time the verses started back. But she'd made her way thru them by the time he came back inside to load the last bag and coffees. She was dancing in solo bliss, tossing occasional but focused eyes on a partly occupied Luke. He gave her just enough attention to keep her motivated.
Caesar was back on the road when the instrumental portion of the song wrapped up.
As the final note played, Lorelai stopped dancing and smiled big at Luke whose eyes were on her. He shook his head and looked down to the computer where there was a new order.
"Again?" she asked, wanting a double serving of one of her teenage favorites.
"Sure," he answered in a carefree tone.
She bounced over and stopped beside him. He had his pen set to write as he scanned the screen. She gently pulled the pen from his fingers and reached across him to retrieve the notepad.
"Got it," she volunteered as her eyes lifted to his.
Their eyes met briefly. He only nodded his answer. His acceptance came easier than it should've. But she was too close, and it caused distraction.
She leaned down to write, and Luke placed his hands on the countertop before him. She really was close. His instinct was to step away and reintroduce the bubble of personal space that was certainly smiled upon in the current climate.
But he stayed in place for a beat. And then another. And then several more. He stayed there as she wrote. Just quietly studied her proximity and took in the moment, as it was.
When done, she erected herself. It almost seemed in slow motion. But Luke knew there was high probability of that laggard pace being his own melodramatic psyche.
Upright, her shoulder against his, she jabbed distantly along the keyboard. "Work hard," she began slowly, "Play harder," she ended, as she got Rapture blasting from the computer speakers once again.
She turned a bright smile in his direction and held the order sheet out to him. He finally moved away and took hold of the other end. She held it tighter, so he tugged a bit. It came attached to a slow eye roll, and Lorelai felt satisfied enough to release it.
Her hands went around to her back pockets as she breathed deep and looked up at him. "Me next," she declared calmly. "With the food. Before you get started on more paying customers, take care of the freeloader first."
He nodded, started backing toward the kitchen. "What was that order again? Oatmeal? Grapefruit? Turkey bacon? Egg whites?" came his dry but teasing tone.
"I'd rather eat the menu that houses those abominations."
"And wash it down with a tall glass of cranberry juice. I remember your order perfectly." He tapped a finger against his head. "Memory like an elephant."
"Is your skin thick like one too? You're surrounded by a lot of fling-able objects right now."
His eyes gave away his smile. No part of that went unnoticed by Lorelai. He turned and finally disappeared.
Lorelai turned toward the diner window. She took her hands from her pockets, raised closed eyes to the ceiling. She swayed and spun for a second. Moved, grooved, and boogied to the beat of the song.
She felt things that needed reflection, and that was the last thing she wanted to do right then. Didn't want to reflect. She didn't want to think. She didn't want to sand, polish, and reexamine.
She felt good, and she wanted only for that good feeling to dominate. She felt free. Invigorated. Happy. And so she danced.
"Face to face, dance cheek to cheek, one to one, man to man, dance toe to toe, don't move too slow cuz the man from Mars..."
She grinned and did the running man as she and Blondie brought the house down.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Five or six had been Lorelai's normal departure time in the days before today. And today was no different. She left a quarter after five, but unlike the days before, she promised to be back by six.
She made good time and was walking back thru the diner's door with five minutes to spare.
She'd dropped off a Luke-prepared meal to Rory for dinner and had picked up a Luke-intended meal from Sookie. She walked inside with 2 carry-out containers, one with meat, the other with side dishes. The expectation in Luke's eyes was truly a delightful sight.
The chance to help him or do for him didn't come around as often as she would've liked.
He took the plates when offered, peeked inside and hummed his approval at the sight and aroma.
She slid onto a stool. And with her restless eyes flitting from the styrofoam containers to his face, she grew eager to watch him dig in. Weird, no doubt. But some outmoded part of her felt tingles of feminine power at seeing a cherished man satiate himself with a meal she'd made appear.
Sure, she hadn't cooked it. Would never be the one to cook it. But she'd made it happen.
His long day of work punctuated by a hearty delicious...inn-cooked meal. Feeding the man. Serving the man. Such a dated ill-favored concept. It'd given her and Rory many a laugh. But at that moment, it wasn't so funny. She'd don the heels, apron, and perfect bun for Luke.
And then she'd quickly kick off the shoes, light fire to the apron, and mess her hair. Because seriously. But not before seeing Luke food-happy. That was a pretty incomparable level of happy. At least in her world. And she wanted that for Luke. She wanted to learn and witness all his happy levels.
She had a book to write, after all...
To her dismay, Luke only pushed aside the containers and continued his clean-up. He was closing earlier than normal. His pandemic hours had him open until seven. But with that damn show now in his life, Wednesdays would likely maintain daylight closing hours even after the return to normal.
Luke had been preparing the final batch of deliveries when she left, so Lorelai knew Caesar had already been by to collect them and would be back at any moment to wrap things up for the day.
"Eat," she urged Luke. "You haven't eaten a thing all day, and I know you're starving."
"I ate breakfast before opening," he divulged. "But yeah, you're right, I'm hungry. Smells amazing." He got her a cup of coffee. "But I'm going to finish up down here and then we can head up. I'll eat then."
She accepted that with a nod and started sipping her coffee. After a minute or so of watching him work, she rose and went to her special spot behind the counter.
He watched her sit. "Diner's closed. You don't have to do that."
"I don't mind. It's actually really grown on me. Feels privileged."
He chuckled. "If you say so."
"Have you already turned the grill off?" she wondered.
"Yeah, but I already grilled you up a burger. Just gotta dress it up and drop some fries. Will do that in a bit."
She smiled. "You're the best."
"Unless you want something else. Can whip something up upstairs if you want something a little more home grown."
She shook her head. "Point of the Sookie food run was so you could finally relax, and still, you're trying to cook off the clock. What am I going to do with you?"
"Forget I asked. Burger, it is."
"Stubborn man."
"Is that my alter ego? To hell with the spiders, bats, and aquas?" He presented that humor in distraction as he wiped down various areas.
She grinned and took a cross-legged position. "Who's your favorite?"
"Superhero?" he questioned with a glance. She smiled her answer, and he went on with a light eye roll. "Little old for superheroes, Lorelai."
"No, you're not. No such thing."
"Who's yours?" he deflected.
"Mulan."
He took on a confused pensive expression before he looked over at her. "She's not a superhero," he finally decided.
She shrugged off the reality of that. "All that supernatural stuff, as Shania Twain would say, doesn't impress me much. Mulan kicked ass, took names, and fumbled along the way. All that humanness was admirable."
"Her sidekick was a talking lizard," he intoned.
She laughed. "He was a dragon, actually."
"A donkey by any other name..."
Her laughter spilled out again, and then she was snapping her fingers in recognition. "Fiona too. She's a favorite. Sassy and hot. Even after the ogre gene took effect."
"Are all of your favorites women?"
"Are all of your favorites men?" she retorted.
He smiled behind his mask. "Told you I don't have any favorites. But touché."
She watched him work for a moment with a tender curl of her lips. "It's cool to know you watch stuff. Besides Red Sox and Minnesota Bound."
"Gotta pass time somehow in the off season," he playfully remarked.
She nodded absently, smile still in place. "Maybe when the world's a little less...troublesome... you and I could catch a movie together."
He blinked his full attention to her, stopped what he was doing. "Talkin' 'bout a date?" The words came against his better judgment but thankfully contained a characteristic languor that left him feeling okay about it.
Her mask hung from one ear. Had been since she'd started drinking her coffee. She toyed with it a little before taking it off completely. She thought on his question while not shying away from his gaze. She shrugged a little, smiled a little. "Sure, why not?"
He stared back at her in silence for many seconds. "I can think of some reasons..."
That made her laugh. It was soft, airy, and delightfully genuine. It ended with her looking down to her nails. She certainly understood his rationale. "I was just kidding, ya know."
"Were you?" His disappointment was automatic but he fought against the transparency of it.
She faced him again, but it was so unrushed. She met his eyes for a moment before gingerly shaking her head, no.
He nodded his understanding, looked off in thought, but he didn't leave her waiting for too long. "I'm good with that."
She smiled. "My treat?"
He winked. "I'm good with that."
Her smile went wider. She appeared to blush. Luke suspected he was seeing things.
He turned back to the task before him and worked on keeping his cool. The whole moment was new and unexpected. It'd come fast and was over fast. Well, not really over, he reasoned. Plenty of weirdness was still to come. He was sure of that.
Lorelai stood from the floor. Sought to put that newness behind them. "I'm sorry, but I haven't learned to squelch my hunger pangs as successfully as you have. I'm starving over here."
"You're always starving," he mumbled.
"Whatever needs to be done in here, let's get it done and blow this joint. I'm ready to go upstairs and eat!" she dramatically relayed.
"It'll be done soon enough. Relax."
She pointed over her shoulder. "Kitchen's this way, right?" He watched her turn and head that way.
"Where are you going?" he asked anyway.
Officially out of sight, she yelled back to him. "I'm sure you have some pots to wash or a floor to mop or something that you're dragging your not entirely unwatchable ass doing."
He could feel the instant heat in his cheeks. He was grateful she wasn't witness to the visual.
"Lorelai, you do not work here. Stop acting like you do."
"Soooooorry, can't heeeeear you. I'm scraping the gunk off the grill, and it's sooooo loud!"
"Lorelai."
"Scrape scrape scrape, lalalala!"
"Do I need to come grab you out of there and-"
"Ooh, and do what?" she exaggerated teasingly.
He felt heat spread across his face once again. That pert innuendo was enough to keep him rooted and quiet. Her laughter now echoing around the diner did its fair share also.
When her feverish scouring stole focus and distanced her from her buffoonery, sounds of her slogging were all that could be heard. Luke sighed. He really did admire her friendship and gumption. She was certainly one of a kind. Wouldn't trade her for the world.
"If you get hurt back there, it's on you." That empty threat was only met with her disregard.
"If I get hurt, this place will have new ownership and a lot more Hello Kitty décor."
His true concern came through. "Just be careful."
"Oh my, what's this? A puddle of water and no wet floor sign?!"
"That's it, you're done," he began in exasperation as he took steps to head to the kitchen.
"Okay, okay, okay! I'll be good," she promised while laughing heartily.
He held a smile as he returned to his spot. "Won't hold my breath."
"Hey, Luke, you have sparks shooting out of this wall outlet!"
"Sounds serious," he deadpanned.
"I want to touch it!"
"Have at it."
"Aaaaaaaand now I own the building."
Luke rolled his eyes.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Lorelai followed Luke into his apartment holding both their food. He only held her coffee thermos, newly filled. She'd been the one to collect his containers and hers and refused his assistance in transporting it all. Her argument was that he had the most important job: ensuring safe delivery of her liquid lifeline.
Inside, she placed all food on the kitchen table.
"Now can we eat?" she asked, famished.
Making his way from the living room area where he'd hit a couple lights, Luke moved into the kitchen where she stood, a smile on his face from her dramatics. He'd finally removed his mask. Lorelai didn't make a big deal of it, though she felt strong desire to do so. She hadn't seen his face in weeks. Weeks.
"If you want to eat, eat. This isn't dinner at the Gilmores, Lorelai. There are no rules or established etiquette."
She scoffed. "You're still not ready? What are you waiting for?" she exclaimed.
"Lorelai," he began patiently, "Eat your food."
"But I want to eat with you," she said soundly. "When are you going to eat?"
His hand went to the top button of his flannel and he undid it. "After," he replied simply while looking at her. Lorelai's eyes moved from his face to his shirt where he continued undoing buttons. As her eyes met his again, he stepped back, so as not to appear some kind of weird threat to her safety - although her expression wasn't anywhere near as surprised as he felt it should've been as he thought back over his rash and careless movements.
She'd just gotten calm and quiet, serious in a way, as she stared at him.
He continued with his shirt as he backed up. He still looked to her, somewhat enamored with her focus. But he finally got control of himself and turned his back to her as he moved toward his bedroom. "Had I known we'd be doing this..." He was quick to clarify, "Lost, I mean... I would've gotten this out of the way this morning. So just bear with me and keep commentary to a minimum, if you don't mind."
She still watched him, unsure of what he meant. But her rejoinders didn't require fluorescents or light of any kind, for that matter. They functioned just fine in pitch blackness. "No way. General rule of thumb with yours truly is if my eyes can see it, my mouth will speak it. And there's no introversion with my speech."
"Well, fight it."
He took off his flannel and there remained, a sleeveless undershirt. Lorelai crossed her arms, asked slowly and amusedly, "What. In. The. World. Are. You. Doing?"
"Gotta do some weight training."
"Gotta?"
"Just a personal schedule, so yeah, gotta."
"Why?" She was curious about the 'why', but if she were being honest, she didn't really care. She was just happy she'd be there for it. Happy he was allowing her to be there for it. She was immediately captivated at the idea of watching Luke do something so new, something with such an industry. Something besides pouring coffee, ringing up customers, or swanking through various commitments without true joy or emotion, like he was too cool for school.
A night hanging out with him already ranked pretty damn high. But with this, it was made perfect.
All of that aside, strangely enough, she loved watching people exercise and sweat it out. She had no desire to do it herself, of course. But it was great entertainment for viewing. She imagined it was similar to how non-cookers were obsessed with cooking shows. She and Rory were actually guilty of that one, too.
Luke frowned at her upon hearing her question his inspiration. "Told you a while back that I'd pulled my weights out of storage. What did you think I was doing with them, using them as door stops?"
"Well, retrieving them isn't the same as using them. People have treadmills and NordicTracks set up as permanent clothes holders. It's the American way."
"Not how I operate," he shared.
"I see," she trailed off.
He took off his boots and snagged some track pants from a drawer, all while Lorelai studied him. She saw his tat, the definition of his arms. She'd seen it all before. But it was only once and in passing as he enjoyed a dip at the lake. She and Rory happened to be there, too.
He wasn't the skin-bearing type at all. Wore enough clothes and layers to make one wonder if he was hiding warts or an unfortunate skin condition.
He wasn't. All was fine. Very...fine.
With his hat tossed to the bed and dressed in his tank, jeans, and socks, he began journey to the bathroom to change his pants. Lorelai smirked. Had a flashback and was speaking in the next second.
"Just change out here. I've seen you swimming at the lake, so I've seen you stripped down to bare necessities," she ended, amending what she'd said to him years ago before her Stars Hollow High lecture disaster.
He squinted at her. Seemed to recall that same conversation. "I... feel more comfortable changing in here," he regurgitated dryly.
"Grow up, Luke," she teased with a wink. "You have nothing I haven't seen a million times," she exaggerated.
"Classy," he followed in affectation. He tossed his pants to the bed and brought both hands to his belt buckle as he stared across the room at her. He knew he'd be stopped, hoped he'd be stopped, but with Lorelai, there was no telling. He just couldn't pass up the chance to see her possibly fluster and recant her inappropriate suggestion.
He got the belt open completely, and he saw her cheeks reddening. Her smile showed equal amounts of amusement and discomfort, but she was tuned in.
He got his pants button undone, his pants unzipped, and was a split second from throwing in the towel and letting her win, which would undoubtedly make his night hell.
But she did it before he could.
She closed her eyes, dropped her head, and held out a hand to cover the show. She proceeded to laugh because seriously, who was this guy? "Go in the bathroom, Luke," she folded.
The satisfaction that spread through him led to the biggest smile. He tossed his hands out to his sides. "What's the problem?" he taunted. "Nothing you haven't seen a million times, right?" He laughed now.
She laughed too. "Go in the bathroom!"
He collected his pants from the bed. "Now I'm offended," he jested.
She looked up at that, was met with his gaze across the room. He smiled, winked, and disappeared into the bathroom.
Luke kicked himself the moment he did it. Those winks were making their way past his guard way too much. And that was just not his style. Seemed inappropriate and leading, and he wasn't a fan of being the one to instigate that type of suggestive behavior at all.
Lorelai, on the other hand, created an instant and subconscious snapshot that 100% would've been a forerunner in GQ. A man with a great body, great face, and great smile wearing a tank top and open jeans, having the unsanctioned cruel nerve... to toss a risqué wink in to seal the deal.
Good god.
Luke was still a friend. Only a friend. She had to remind herself of that as she assaulted that mental picture with her imagination. She'd asked him out. Had she meant for it to be a date? No. Probably. Maybe. Yes. She wasn't sure. But he'd asked her intentions in a bold way, and she'd landed on an answer. Yes. And then it was done.
They had a tentative date set for a date. The hugeness of that had yet to hit her. She'd deal with it when it was time to do so.
For now, Luke was still a friend. Only a friend.
She took a deep breath and turned on her heel for her food. Luke was right, there was no food etiquette outside of that Hartford mansion of terror. They didn't have to sit in formal attire and dine together in the sane world. She was way too hungry, and Luke was taking way too long to get himself settled.
She grabbed her burger/fries platter and coffee and made her way to the couch. They had over an hour before the show started, so she got the tv on and settled on an old episode of Snapped.
Just as she got her container opened, Luke came out.
"Hey!" she greeted. "Ready to pump some iron?"
"Guess so," he responded. He threw his jeans to the comforter and grabbed some sneakers. After securing them, he went to stand at the end of his bed dressed in his trainer pants and tee. His small studio-style apartment had him close to where Lorelai sat on the couch. He stood there, arms at his sides, looking down at her with a plain expression, almost seeming to cut his eye at her.
It made her chuckle. "What?! What'd I do?" she questioned.
He shook his head, rolled his eyes. "Seriously, keep the commentary to a minimum. I know you."
"You have so little faith in me."
"Like I said, I know you."
Lorelai took her imaginary lock and key and used it on her lips. And then she picked up her burger and effortlessly broke thru the lock when she opened up wide and sunk her teeth into her sandwich.
Luke took a deep introductory breath as he finally looked away from her in hopes of building concentration. He started his warm-up by extending and holding each arm across his chest for several beats. From there, he extended one hand at a time over his shoulder and to his back, using the opposite hand to pull the elbow as he leaned to the side.
Then came air circles, body twists, squats, in-place multi-directional lunges, jumping jacks, walkouts, push-ups, knee hugs, all with Lorelai watching intently as if she'd have a pop quiz after.
And finally hip raises. The hip raises were definitely a sight.
His warm-up lasted 10 minutes, and in the end, he was shocked to realize he'd made it thru the whole thing without hearing Lorelai's voice. When back on his feet, he looked at her. She'd already been looking at him. Her expression was both questioning and rapt. She still held her burger, but there were only 2 bites gone.
"True to her word," Luke remarked. "Miracles do happen."
She ignored him and then proceeded to also ignore her most pressing thoughts. "You said you had weights. And there were no weights anywhere in that. So, am I to understand that's the pre-workout?" she asked absurdly.
He laughed. "Yeah."
She set her food on the table. It was no longer her foremost interest anyway. "I'm almost scared to see the real thing."
He moved to a spot beside the couch, next to his safe, and Lorelai leaned over and noticed his large pair of adjustable weights. Luke increased the weight by 5 pounds on each. He was still working his way back up to his previous numbers, and he felt that baby steps were the way to go. If honest, he wasn't planning an increase for another 3 days. But with Lorelai there, he felt he'd find the drive to push himself.
He stood while bent at the waist, took a breath, and lifted both weights to hang at his side. Then he moved to a more open area of his apartment, closer to the kitchen.
Lorelai leaned on her knees and gave him all of her attention. "Where's your music?"
"What?"
"You don't work out to music?"
"No."
"What's your motivation?"
"I already told you what my motivation is: don't get fat."
She laughed. "Music keeps you amped. Keeps you going. Plus, the beats help with reps."
He cocked an eyebrow. "For someone who doesn't exercise, you sure seem to know a lot about it."
"I'm an exercise voyeur," she said with a grin. "But seriously, consider using music. Music's awesome. Introduce more music into your life, Luke."
"I'll think about it." She nodded her approval. "You mind if I jump into this now?"
She waved him on. "Oh no, of course not, proceed," she answered, not catching his trenchant meaning.
He rolled his eyes at her and then started his bicep curls.
-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-
Luke exited the bathroom after his steamy shower dressed in a regular t-shirt, sweatpants, and long tube socks. He walked out mussing his wet hair, which he'd taken time to towel dry as much as possible.
Lorelai had finished her food by then and sat nursing her coffee as she stared ahead at the tv screen. With Luke back in the room, her eyes moved to him.
"Ugh, no fair you get to be super comfortable and I'm stuck in stiff pants and a bra."
He paused and his eyes went wide at that unexpected addition. But his expression stabilized fast. She was on her way to being proud of herself, and he couldn't have that.
"Well, this is my place," he reminded. "I get to take off my stiff pants and bra," he parroted monotonously. That made her chuckle. He entered the kitchen where his food awaited him. "You have my permission to do the same if you want." His words were said so passively that Lorelai had to wonder if there was another meaning that she was missing.
There wasn't.
But she gave him the benefit of the doubt. She'd started it, after all.
Luke had popped his food in the oven after his workout. Apparently, he was too fancy for a microwave nuke, as Lorelai had put it. As he had positioned each item methodically on the pan, he had remained totally unbothered by Lorelai heckling in his rear.
With his food now heated, he plated it.
Lorelai waited for him to join her on the sofa. The show would start in 20 minutes. A show mutually enjoyed but openly admitted by only one party.
With his saucy comment lingering, her thoughts and memories were launched into a past that featured him sweating and grunting as he expertly handled weights that, to her, seemed way too heavy and unnecessary. The involuntary noises that came from him and filled the air were so unholy.
So very unholy.
And so very memorable.
She would remember that entire scene until the day she died. That memory would slip inside of moments where it didn't belong. It'd own those moments. Stretch them out like a fat man in a little coat.
Her burger had grown soggy and her fries had grown stiff as she watched Luke aggrandize her former matinee-like entertainment.
Lorelai had sunk deep into her mind, into those memories. Those noises. That visual. When she felt the couch dip at Luke's added weight, coming back to the present was still a process.
"What's this?" she heard him ask. In her head, he'd sounded distant, faint. But she'd heard him.
She looked over at him, down to the plate he held, and then finally, she followed his finger where he was pointing to the tv screen.
And just like that, she was back.
"Snapped," she answered easily with a wide smile.
"About?"
"Murder! Crime! Ones of passion, greed, general psychosis, you name it. It's awesome."
"Murder is awesome?" he questioned problematically.
"It is when you put it on tv and jazz it up with some commercial breaks."
"So, it's fake..."
"Oh, no, it's real," she answered with way too much excitement.
"So, people were murdered. People with families. And you think it's okay because now they stick those grisly realities between advertisements for Frosted Flakes and Hefty bags?"
"Yup!" she affirmed with no shame.
He shook his head and turned attention back to his food. "I worry about you sometimes."
"Are you flirting with me?"
"Make that all the time," he corrected without hesitation. "I worry about you all the time."
She smiled. "Glad to see you finally slow down long enough to get some food in your stomach," she replied in a more serious register. "Is it good?"
He packed his mouth with a big spoonful of wild rice. "Oh, yeah."
She felt calmed by his answer. "Good," she said simply. "Need salt or something, let me know. I'll grab it for you."
"Getting antsy? Need to stand?" he asked, assuming that was her motivation.
"No, I'm good," she answered easily. "Just making sure you're good." She went back to watching tv. Luke looked over at her to see what she was up to. She'd gotten invested in the tv scene just that quickly and didn't appear to be up to much. After long seconds of feeling his eyes on her, though, she tore her eyes from the tv to him and only smiled happily.
Luke continued on with his initial thought as if her smile wasn't as big a deal as it was. "Alter Sookie's food even with a dash of salt and she'd probably come bursting thru the door with nunchucks."
That amused her. But she also agreed with him.
Luke's phone dinged for a text, and he leaned in and picked it up from the table. "It's Audrey," he said, though she already knew. "Telling me to call when I get a second." He was usually in the diner at that time, so he knew that's why she'd texted first. "Either means emergency or she's pissed at something, needs to vent. Hopefully the latter." He set his plate down and looked at Lorelai. "How much time we got?"
"Ten minutes," she answered.
He nodded and called his friend. Lorelai held her breath. Hoped all was well. Audrey had been okay and improving. She was in great shape and not in the risky age group, so it was easy to stay positive.
But the gargoyles were some tricky bastards.
"Hey, what's wrong?" was Luke's informal greeting. Lorelai realized he'd been holding his breath as well. This was apparent when he released it all at once and looked over at her with an annoyed roll of his eyes. "Calm down. What was the fight about?" he asked in reference to Audrey's near-adolescent paramour. He suspected there'd be many more fights to follow it.
But he was relieved all she'd called to do was vent. Lorelai was equally relieved. She moved on to hoping she'd be able to get everything off her chest in the next 10 minutes.
Luke hoped it'd happen in 9.
Part 3/4
