Chapter 17 – The Last First Date

-oOo-

Luke was so nervous walking Lorelai out to his truck and opening the door for her that he kept bumping into things, like the door knob at her front door and his truck's side mirror. This was way worse than their first official date when he took her out to Sniffy's, or the second first date after they got back together. This was even worse than the day he went to see her in Maine to discuss their issues and ask for another chance. Maybe because he knew this was it – his last chance. If they can't make it work this time, he seriously doubts that Lorelai would ever want to try with him again.

Why the hell are my palms sweaty? he thought, as he surreptitiously wiped his palms against his pants. When he got into the driver's side, he nervously looked over at Lorelai with his hand on the ignition.

Lorelai was busy buckling her seat belt when she felt him looking at her, not saying anything. She glanced up in confusion. "Something wrong, Luke?"

"So listen," he began. "I've, uh, never done this before on a date, but I actually made three reservations for tonight. I wasn't sure what you were in the mood for, so I thought I'd play it safe and ask you what you wanted. I'm sorry if this is weird… I just wanted tonight to be perfect."

Lorelai laughed lightly. "Three reservations? Sounds a bit over the top, don't you think?" When Luke didn't respond, she hurried to add, "Okay, let's hear the choices."

"First – there's this fancy new steak place at Hartford. I've never been there, but it's supposed to be really good. And I know you like steak."

"Sounds great. And the next option?"

"There's this small taco place at Litchfield that serves really great tacos and burritos. You know I'm not a huge fan of Mexican food but the salsa there is excellent. I've been there before – It's a lot more casual than the steak place but I think you'll like it."

Lorelai looked thoughtful. "It sounds really good. I wonder if that's the same place Sookie mentioned to me before."

"Probably. Sookie and I talked about it once. I told her the salsa was made fresh by the chef every hour or so. And I think Jackson knows their tomato supplier."

"I'm really tempted to try that place, but let's hear the last option first."

Luke turned red and looked down. "Sniffy's. I haven't been there in a while, and if it's not too weird, I think Buddy and Maisie would really love to see you again."

Lorelai was silent, thinking quickly. Sniffy's was dangerous. It would just remind her of their magical first date when he told her about the horoscope and being all in. Was she really ready to go back to that place?

"Listen, I can see you're not comfortable with Sniffy's, so maybe we should go check out the taco place?"

Lorelai shook her head slowly. "I think we should go to Sniffy's."

"You're sure?"

"I think… I think it's time for me to face things head on instead of just dancing around things. I mean, I'm an excellent dancer and all – metaphorically speaking of course, but wait, actually even literally – I almost beat Kirk several times in the dance marathon. Seriously Luke, if you were my partner I'm sure I would have won!" she exclaimed, then stopped abruptly. "Wait. What was I talking about?"

Luke chuckled. This was the rambling Lorelai he knew. "You were saying we should go to Sniffy's."

"Yes, Sniffy's. It's going to be uncomfortable, and it will bring up quite a lot of memories – for me at least, but I think we should do it."

"Okay, Sniffy's it is," he said with a nervous smile.

-oOo-

Lorelai was preoccupied and silent during the drive to Sniffy's, as if she had something important weighing on her mind. Luke tried to engage her in conversation, but gave up eventually. While Luke was parking the truck, Lorelai suddenly turned to him and asked, "Do they know about what happened… to us?"

Luke was startled at the question, but answered honestly. "They know bits and pieces, yes."

"Do they know… do they know about the ultimatum? And what I did that night?"

"They know about the ultimatum," Luke replied slowly, choosing his words carefully. "But nothing else."

"So… nothing about Christopher?"

Luke flinched inwardly at the name but tried not to let it show. "No."

Lorelai was quiet for a few minutes. "Why didn't you tell them?"

"That was private, and… and that wasn't my business anymore, right? I mean, technically the engagement was off by then."

Lorelai looked at him, trying to read his expression. "Thank you, Luke," she finally replied, nearly inaudible. "That was… that was kind of you." She struggled to find the next words to say. "They're like your second parents. I don't want them to hate me."

"They don't hate you," he assured her. "In fact… they're not too happy with me at the moment."

"And why is that?"

"Because they only met April recently when Liz brought her here."

"You never introduced April to them?"

"I, uh, told them about April, a few months after you found out… but I never thought of actually introducing her to them. I didn't realize that hurt them a lot, and well, they didn't say anything. I only found out from Liz afterwards." He paused, deep in thought. "You know, I never knew I can be such an insensitive jerk to the people I love."

Lorelai gave him a gentle pat. "Don't say that. You're not a jerk."

"Thanks, but that doesn't make me any less of an ass."