Play Ball
"Hey."
"Hey."
"What are you doing here?" asked Dean, a little embarrassed at being caught with Rory by her mom's boyfriend. At least, that's what some of the townies called him. Rory never mentioned him except in relation to food, but she discussed Luke's food a lot, so clearly the Gilmore Girls had some sort of special relationship with the diner owner.
"Looking for a chick," replied Luke, stony-faced.
"Me, too," he answered defiantly, not considering what he had just said.
"At Babette's?" Luke probed.
Dean got a sinking feeling in his stomach which wasn't due to Rory's cooking. That had been a great meal and he was very flattered that she would go to such trouble for him despite her opposition to ever becoming 'the little wife.' No, this was going to be whatever happened when Lorelai found out he'd been here alone with Rory.
"Yeah," was his fatal answer.
Luke's face froze in a scowl and he tilted his head a little. "You're calling Rory a chick?"
"Yeah, uh, I mean No!" Dean stumbled, trying to find the right words to get him out of this situation. He sensed no such words existed.
"Then where's the chick?"
Luke was starting to enjoy this. Everything Lorelai had told him about Dean was good; he was a nice kid. With the exception of Rory's first kiss, of course, Lorelai clearly liked Dean, and she'd even managed to come to terms with the kiss.
Dean's heart raced. Out of all the girls he'd dated back in Chicago, no one ever had a dad with a death stare like Luke's. He's just standing there like a rock and staring at me.
Finally he blurted, "Um, er, Rory invited me over for dinner, that's all, honest!"
Dean decided to risk challenging Luke, trying to deflect attention from himself. "Are you calling Lorelai a chick?"
"No, we have an actual chick with feathers in the house," Luke replied superciliously.
Unnoticed by the shaking youth before him, Luke's eyes betrayed the laughter he had repressed. If Lorelai were here, I wouldn't be able to hold this face for a second. She'd crack some joke and I'd be lost. This kid is really scared, he thought, I'd better cut him a little slack for Rory's sake. And I will. In a minute.
Luke refocused his stare, counting beats in his head, Wait one, two, three, then speak.
"C'mon, I'll show you where we put the" pause another beat, catch Dean's eye again, "trash."
You mean where you're going to hide my body, Dean thought, actually starting to sweat.
Luke continued talking as they walked. "Chicago, huh?" No need for full sentences in this inquisition.
"Yeah," Dean replied sullenly.
"Big cities stink. They're a blight on the environment. Too many people, too much pollution."
Dean squirmed as they turned the corner of Lorelai's house. It's really dark back here, he thought. That's convenient, no witnesses.
"Put your trash in there," Luke said, tilting his head toward the metal trash can.
Dean did as he was told, then held the lid while Luke maneuvered the box with the lamp shards into the can as well.
"You play ball back there in Chicago?" Luke asked, finally letting his voice and expression return to normal.
"Yeah, all summer when I get the chance." He looked at Luke nervously, not once thinking to ask which kind of ball Luke was discussing.
"We have a pickup game here once or twice a week, starting about now and going until the weather is too cold. Wanna join us? We're always looking for players."
"Sure, that'd be great. When's the next game?"
Probably this weekend or next, maybe some evening. It all depends on the weather and who shows up. You got a softball mitt, right?"
"Fast pitch and slow pitch both. Bats, too." Dean's blood pressure was slowly coming back to normal.
"Good, I'll let Rory know when the next game shapes up so she can let you know."
Lorelai came out the door, pink glittery cowgirl hat hanging off the back of her neck.
"Hey Luke, I've got the beer – Dean."
"Uh, Lorelai, hi." Dean noticed the cowgirl hat and looked sideways at Luke, who apparently didn't see anything unusual in her costume. Weird family, these Gilmore Girls.
"Fancy meeting you here," she said, knowing full well that her teenage daughter would invite her boyfriend over for the evening when she knew she'd be all alone. Before she could ask Dean what was going on, Babette's door opened and Rory stepped out, a vision in peach and pink.
Spying Dean, Rory said, "Hey, the Jell-O is doing this weird melting thing and I – oh, Mom, Luke.
"Rory." Luke had that smile again, the one that showed only in his eyes. His mouth was set in an almost straight line, but anyone who knew him recognized that he was laughing inside. He glanced up at Lorelai, who stared dumbfounded at her daughter. There have been some very entertaining moments this evening, he thought, with the distinct possibility of more to come. I can't wait to hear what Lorelai is going to say.
"Um, what the hell are you two doing?" Lorelai knew full well what they were doing, or at least what they intended to be doing very soon.
Panic flashed across Dean's face as he stumbled through an excuse. "Nothing! She, uh, well, um, we ate dinner! Yeah! You know, steak and beans."
"Canned," offered Rory.
"Canned," countered Lorelai, one eyebrow raised. That was her signature hit – she could freak Rory out at 20 paces with just that one look.
"Not fresh," Rory insisted, waggling her head back and forth as if she were a bobble head doll.
"No," said Dean helpfully.
"No," said Lorelai sternly.
I'm sweating again. What is it with these people here in Stars Hollow? I never had this problem with parents in Chicago. Dean searched wildly inside his brain for something more to say.
"And potatoes!" he felt relieved.
"From a box," added Rory.
Dean turned to Rory. "But they were still good."
Rory looked at Dean with a happy smile on her face, forgetting the situation for a second. "Thank you," she replied.
"You're welcome," he answered with his Rory-attracting smile. She smiled back, pleased that he'd noticed. This must be what made Donna Reed smile all the time, her family being so sweet and polite to her.
Remembering that they weren't along, Rory looked at her mother and noticed the hat. She raised her eyebrows and looked her mother in the eye. "Nice hat. So what were YOU guys doing?"
Lorelai saw that Rory had noticed the hat and nervously fingered the string around her neck. "Oh. Uh – In the house… Luke was just…"
Luke turned and looked at Lorelai, finally noticing the hat. His eyes grew big and a smile spread across his face. He moved over to the bottom of the steps, where he was once again surprised, this time by a pair of cowgirl boots. Now we're getting somewhere, he realized, and he looked at her, his eyes signaling the start of playtime.
Unsettled, Lorelai looked desperately across the yard at Rory. "Oh my God! I just saw the pearls!"
"I'm going in now." Rory was thoroughly embarrassed.
"You know what? I'm going inside too. 'Cause I have to write down all the ways I'm gonna torture you about that outfit."
"Good night!" Rory went inside as Dean walked toward the street.
Luke bounded up the stairs, half-chasing Lorelai as she, also embarrassed, dashed inside her house.
Once inside, Lorelai turned towards Luke, a nervously excited smile on her face. "Head 'em up?" she joked, posturing with the boots, one toe up and pointing to the side. He walked calmly to her and laid his arms on her shoulders.
Instead of embracing her, he took the hat and placed it askew on her head, adjusting it a little here and there, until he was satisfied.
"You like the hat, do you?" she asked teasingly.
"Yes, ma'am, I reckon I do," he drawled.
Out of the corner of her eye Lorelai noticed a shadow passing by her window. She grabbed Luke by the shoulder, hissing, "Hold that thought!" and ran over to the light switch, turning it off.
"Hurry, hurry, over there!" Lorelai pushed Luke towards the window. His leg slammed into something hard.
"Ow! That hurts! What are you doing? What was that?"
"That's a coffee table. I thought you knew about coffee. Coffee needs a table. What are you whining about?"
"I'm not whining, you shoved me into the corner of the table and it hurts!"
"You spent the last hour here in this room and you still can't keep out of the way of the coffee table? It wasn't a sneak attack, you know. It's not a kamikaze coffee table."
"Ah, forget it. What are you doing now?" This new bruise was adding insult to injury.
"OK, you stay right here and report on everything you see. I'll get the beer. Make sure they don't see you."
"So who doesn't see me? We're the only ones here."
Lorelai turned Luke's head out the window, where he saw Rory and Dean back outside, sitting on Babette's front porch. Rory was holding Apricot and petting him, while Dean had his arm around her shoulder and they shared a coffee.
Luke chuckled. "I get it, keeping a parental eye on things, are you?"
"Just stay out of sight and you'll get a nice drinky-poo."
"Beer is not a drinky-poo. It's beer. Chick beer, now that's a drinky-poo," grumbled Luke as he looked out the window. Lorelai gave him an exasperated look, then trotted off to the kitchen.
Lorelai returned, carrying two bottles of beer in hand. "Here you go. What's going on with my little Donna Reed out there?"
"Donna who? Never mind. Nothing. They're talking and drinking coffee. Why are we doing this? It's like watching a Barbie movie."
"This is a real Afternoon Special – Teen Love with garden gnomes." She took a draft of her beer. "God, isn't Babette's house perfect for this? It's a wonder Dean doesn't have a concussion from those doorways, but Rory looks like Snow White with her dwarves."
Luke and Lorelai moved closer to get a better view. Lorelai put her arm around Luke's waist, still intently peering out the window. "Thanks for helping this evening. Rory would kill me if she knew Stella had escaped. Look at them, sitting there, so happy."
They do look cute, he thought. It took him back many years, back when life was simpler for him. Leaning closer to Lorelai, Luke fingered the cowgirl hat, brushing off the odd bit of glitter that was dropping onto her forehead.
"It reminds me of my mom. On summer evenings, we'd sit on the front porch, just like that, Liz and me and Mom and Dad. Liz and Mom sat on the glider, rocking back and forth. Dad would be in a chair next to them, smoking, and I'd sit on the front steps. Mom would talk, never saying anything important, but it was great listening to them talk about their day."
Lorelai turned and looked at Luke, enraptured. He's melting my heart again.
"Luke, I can see you sitting there, teasing your sister, tossing your baseball. It sounds wonderful. It's no wonder you loved your family. "
"It was wonderful. Those were some of the best times of my life," he said softly.
He began twirling the curls peeking out underneath her cowgirl hat. Lifting the curls near her ear, he kissed the soft area below her earlobe, sucking gently on the sensitive skin. Lorelai curved her neck sinuously as she gave him a better target. How did he zero in on exactly that spot? Guys almost never find that spot, but Luke did the first time he tried.
Looking out the window again, she said, "Aw, look at that, they're saying goodnight. Isn't that sweet? And we get to watch it."
Luke knew that it was a waste of time to try to get her attention at this moment. Lorelai couldn't be distracted when she was focused on something important. Of course, 'something important' was almost always Rory. He loved that about her; she had a total commitment to her daughter. He gave her bare neck more attention, moving from her ear down to her collarbone, leaving kisses along the way.
When she was in "Rory mode," as he called it, she wasn't completely unaware, although he wasn't sure he wanted her to try crossing a busy street without help during those times. Tonight he could tell that she was still aware of him, not only because she was leaning into his caresses, but because of the death grip she had on his waist. He pressed his torso closer and let himself enjoy the intimacy.
"You know, Lorelai, at one point it stops being motherly oversight and starts becoming stalkerish. Has he gone yet?" asked Luke. He was starting to wonder if the death grip she had on him was going to become another bruise, not that it wouldn't be worth it. At least the injuries were getting smaller as the evening progressed. He might live to see tomorrow after all.
"Yes, it looks like they've had all the kissing they can handle for an evening. Rory's spending the night with Apricot at Babette's house."
Lorelai released the death grip on his waist and turned to face him full on. She's back, he recognized, and I like that look in her eyes.
"Good, because I haven't had all the kissing I can handle yet," he replied, "and time is running short. I have to open the diner tomorrow."
He pulled her close, this time really wrapping his arms around her body as she smiled, pushing her cowgirl hat further back on her head and looking at him with an impudent grin. She had been completely aware of Luke's attentions over the last few minutes; she had simply been keeping her eye on Rory. This was a talent most mothers developed, to be aware of what was going on around her while seeming to be fully focused on taking care of her baby.
"You were drawing a map, I believe," she said mischievously. "Starting point was about here, then you went here, then landed here, but uh-oh, looks like I've reached a roadblock."
On Luke's neck she traced the same path he had taken on hers, until her lips landed on the neck of his t-shirt. His scruffy beard tickled her lips as she traced its path from his ear to his neck.
"That last bit doesn't taste nearly as good as the first," she added as she pulled down the neck of the shirt to gain better access to his skin.
"Looking for hidden treasure, are you?" Luke asked, pressing his body against her.
She giggled as she answered. "Not so very well hidden, don't think I need a map."
"I can't say it, Lorelai, no way."
"Yes you can, Luke, give it a try."
"But it's hard," he said.
"Now you have to say it twice."
"No, the second time is yours. I only need to say it for the hidden treasure comment." He began to chuckle.
"You have to go first." Another giggle escaped Lorelai's mouth.
"Ok, but thank you for letting me go first." Another chuckle, then he added, "Now you owe me two 'dirties' and it's time to pay up."
Their whole romantic passionate moment dissolved in a bout of laughter, the couple holding onto each other as they laughed helplessly.
Still laughing, Luke said, "Let's try this again," as he guided her to the sofa. In the darkened room, still chaotic after Lorelai's wild search for Stella, he accidentally tripped on a stack of books, pushing Lorelai over the back of the sofa, where she landed with her boot-covered feet sticking up in the air.
"Luke!" She cried, still laughing. "Help me out here, OK?"
"I'll help you out of your boots at least," he said, pulling the cowgirl boots off her feet, after which he climbed over the back of the sofa, joining her in the disarray of throw pillows and cushions. He first untied, then removed his own heavy shoes.
"I can't believe you did that," she said, "You could have hurt me." She put her hands on his knees and began to pull herself up to sit on the sofa properly, helped by Luke's strong arms. He lifted her enough to sit on his lap, pulling her into his embrace.
"C'mon, Lorelai, you don't really think I'd deliberately hurt you, do you?"
She straddled his thighs, facing him and putting her arms around his neck. "Never in a million years, Luke," she said, finally settling into some serious necking.
He allowed her take the lead for the moment, letting her do what she wanted, letting her remember that she was the one who decided she wanted to cross the friends line, making something more of their relationship. Feeling the consequences of the decisions she was making was an intoxicating experience. Knowing that Lorelai chose him intensified his arousal; his fantasy of holding back evaporated quickly.
He guided her to lie flat on the sofa, tucking himself on his side next to her. Now he took the initiative, running his fingers through her hair, his fingertips raising goose bumps at the nape of her neck. She sighed as he let his thumb slide down her neck, landing on the pulse where her throat met her collarbone. She splayed her fingers on his chest, unbuttoning his flannel and pulling his t-shirt out of his pants. He removed the flannel to give his arms more mobility. She hummed her pleasure when her hands made contact with his skin, warm and smooth. Her hum turned to a quiet moan as his kisses became more insistent; he pulled her lower lip gently, releasing it to watch it fall back to meet her upper lip as she pressed them together, licking them in anticipation. His hands roamed her body, touching, encouraging, and offering promises of future joy.
Seeing Lorelai almost every day over the past few years, aching for her but not being able to have her, had made Luke master of his own domain. He was in this for the long term, determined not to be one of the multitude she cast off when she discovered the man was not the one she wanted. She always focused on what the guy wanted. But those guys she always released back into the wild.
His strategy was simple - she needed to be sure of what she wanted before he was willing to take the next step. The problem with the strategy was her ability to feel confidence in her feelings for him. The most confident woman he knew had a flaw - when it came to love, her fantasies overruled her innate knowledge of herself.
Weirdly, no one understood that diner conversations were never private. If people weren't talking loudly enough for the neighboring tables to hear, they would reveal some of their most private details when he was standing in front of them. Out of courtesy he never betrayed these unintended confidences, but he heard them nonetheless. Lorelai was no exception, and neither was Sookie.
He'd seen Lorelai when that teacher came to town one snowy night. Lane and Rory discussed him staying over during the snowstorm. Sookie talked about it while in the diner, when he learned that she'd broken up with him over concern for Rory. Lorelai's concerns about the teacher were the same concerns he'd heard about over the years, and they all used the same words – "I don't know; what does he want; maybe; maybe not; I have to know what he's thinking." She was never certain about what she wanted; she never took the time to decide for herself. It was always what the guy wanted.
That wasn't good enough for Luke Danes. Either Lorelai Gilmore wanted him confidently and completely, or he'd find a way to live with it. No matter how big the sacrifice.
The thought of screwing this up and losing her increased his desire to be close to her now. He wanted her to have no doubts about his feelings for her. His kisses became more urgent, his thumbs brushed over her breasts, making her nipples bead and eliciting moans from her. He wanted more from her now. He could tell that she wanted more, too, but he'd seen her bolt from guys who wanted sex now and (maybe) a relationship later. He didn't want her to bolt; he wanted her to be there later, forever if possible. As much as he wanted to continue, to release all of the love and passion inside him, it wasn't yet time. Almost imperceptibly, he changed his caresses to be more loving and tender instead of pressing and urgent. Some minutes later he felt calm enough to continue the conversation they had just barely started hours ago.
"Lorelai."
"Mmm, what, Luke?" His hands were doing all the right things in all the right places. I really like the slow burning flame he's started inside of me.
"You never told me what you thought."
"Thought about what?"
"About a million years ago tonight, you kissed me for the first time, then you said, 'I just wanted to know what it would be like to kiss you,' but you never told me what you thought."
"I'm still here. We're doing this," she said, waving her arm at them cuddling on the sofa. "Doesn't that tell you what I think?"
"No. Only you can tell me what you think."
"I don't know."
"Yes you do, Lorelai. I've known you too long; we've been friends for too long for me to believe otherwise."
She shuddered. Luke got an ache in his chest, sensing how hard this must be for her, how many walls she has to break down to tell herself the truth. And later to tell me the truth as well. Suddenly my grand strategy feels a lot like jumping out of an airplane with a parachute packed by a stranger.
He pulled her closer. "Lorelai, the truth is always better. You can say it, whatever it is."
She closed her eyes, burying her face in his shoulder. I would have been better off giving him the lap dance, she thought. A few short smutty minutes and I wouldn't have to talk about my feelings.
"Wonderful," she started, haltingly.
Luke smiled his Lorelai smile, kissed her hair, saying, "I'm glad. Happy, actually. That's exactly what I was thinking."
She couldn't help smiling at the stumbling way he said, "Happy." Sounded just like the way he'd said "fun" earlier this evening. Encouraged, she dared to go further. "I couldn't wait for the next one," she said, raising her eyes to his. "Then I began to wonder if you'd broken your foot from the flashlight."
He laughed and said, "Seems about right. My foot's OK, but hopefully there won't be any more injuries tonight. Think you can manage that?"
He looked at Lorelai, noticing her thoughts were somewhere else. "What's on your mind?"
Your scent. It's driving me crazy again. Lorelai continued to caress Luke's chest, her hand having taken up residence there. She stared at his body in the darkness, and smelled the combined musk of their bodies as they lay inseparable on the sofa.
There was more than his proximity on her mind. "Why didn't you kiss me in the diner? I was sure you were going to."
It was Luke's turn to feel uncomfortable. I never thought about this. The only truthful answer reveals my whole strategy. He couldn't want truth from her if he wasn't willing to give it himself.
"I wanted you to WANT to kiss me before it happened. Sounds stupid, saying it out loud."
"Not stupid. It's very … Luke."
"What in the world does 'very Luke' mean?" He was getting more than he bargained for now.
"Good question. I hardly know how to describe it. It's what makes your coffee taste better than any other coffee, you know? I mean, you don't even drink coffee, but I'm not the only person whose day isn't complete without your cup o' joe."
"You care about Rory for herself, not as a means to get to me. That's more than her father does sometimes, and definitely more than most of the guys who wanted to date me."
Luke shifted uncomfortably, wishing this discussion would stop.
"Are you OK? Am I crushing you?" Lorelai asked. They shifted again, this time together, Luke putting his arm under Lorelai's neck, her head resting on a throw pillow. She nestled into the warmth of his body, her hand reclaiming ownership of his chest. She tucked the toes of one foot between his legs just above the ankles, rubbing absently up and down his calf. She yawned, infecting Luke with the same.
"This feels nice," she said as she continued answering his question.
It wasn't getting any easier for Luke, all this talk about him, most of which couldn't possibly be true. He closed his eyes, trying to enjoy the sound of her voice yet not listen.
"You treat your customers well, especially those you've known a long time. You flirt with the older ladies, but never with the ones who come onto you. You do your best with Kirk and that's really not easy."
She continued, but Luke was drifting off to sleep. He dozed off for a moment, but snapped his eyes open again. Lorelai was still telling diner stories, and town stories, all Luke stories.
"I love how you love this town, but don't like to put yourself front and center. You're still there when we need you." She yawned again, and her stories slowed down, but her mouth was still moving when she fell asleep mid-sentence.
In spite of his drowsiness, he was surprised. She really talked herself to sleep? How can anyone fall asleep talking? Resting his chin on top of her head, he breathed a deep sigh and let himself sleep as well.
Luke's Circadian rhythm woke him up early enough to realize that there was enough time to get to the diner and open as long as he didn't dawdle too long. Lorelai was still fast asleep, lying half on top of him, so he tried at first to ease his body out from under hers.
The many bruises and the night on the uncomfortable sofa caused him to groan audibly with pain. No reaction came from Lorelai, so he gently shook her. Nothing. "Lorelai." A harder shake. Nothing. Finally he lifted her shoulders as he tried to sit up, which finally got her to crack open her eyes.
"Hi," she said, smiling at Luke with a sleepy face.
"Hi back," he replied, experimenting to find out if kisses were more effective than shaking. Kisses did at least get her moving; he made a mental note of that.
"What happened last night?" she asked, a little confused. "We were doing fine, and talking, but I don't remember what happened next." She stretched and tried to remember how the evening ended. "Hey, we didn't get very far, did we?" She put her arms around him and climbed on top of him for a deep kiss.
I could dawdle a little, he rationalized, and the early birds like Kirk can just cool their heels for once.
He slid his hands under the back of her shirt, releasing her bra and running his hands down her smooth back. At her waist, he let his fingers explore the curves below. She reached down herself, unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans, giving his large hands better access.
She then moved her hands to his waist, unbuckling his belt, then opening his pants. Luke could feel the warmth of her hands sliding into his boxers until she grasped his hardness. He tensed his abdomen, feeling himself getting even harder than he already was.
"You're wearing too many clothes," she groused, pushing his pants down his hips and over his perfectly curved ass. He shifted on his hip, pulling his dark jeans over his thighs, making it possible to kick his jeans down around his ankles where he pulled them off and tossed them aside. His boxers soon followed.
"Shirt, shirt," she breathed as she first tugged on his T-shirt, then pulled her own shirt over her head, freeing the bra in the process. He quickly removed his shirt and positioned himself between her legs. Completely free of clothes, Luke eased her jeans down over her hips, caressing the skin as he pulled them lower. Moving to the farthest end of the sofa, he pulled the jeans off completely by the hems of each leg. Breathing hard with excitement, he moved back between her legs, and she welcomed him by wrapping her legs over his thighs, urging him to come closer.
Back together, their kisses and caresses became more driven, turning into nips and rough squeezes, driving their desire higher. Lorelai pulled him on top of her, finally feeling every square inch of skin possible, touching everywhere they could touch, short of being finally and intimately connected.
The shrill sound of the alarm changed Lorelai from a heated, passionate lover into a panicked mom protecting her child from multiple decades of therapy.
"Get up! Get up! Get up! Now, now, now! There's no time to waste!" She pulled herself away from Luke, who groaned in real agony this time.
"No, not yet, please. We were so close." I'm beginning to think this is never going to happen, and I'm starting to wonder just how much a man's body can take before he explodes. "What's going on, Lorelai?"
"That was Rory's alarm! She's going to be here any minute! We can't have her find us like this, Luke, she'll be scarred for life."
"Not just her," he mumbled, searching for his clothes from all the places they had landed this morning. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was to have Rory find them in their current state. He looked down, and felt even worse. He couldn't even be here when she walked through the door unless things calmed down a lot really fast, and that wasn't how it generally worked for him.
Lorelai looked at him in a panic. "Laundry room! Go to the laundry room! She won't go in there. She'll come in the front door, go to her bedroom, then take a shower. As long as you're not visible when she walks by the laundry room, she won't know you're there. You can go out the back door when she's busy."
He looked at her skeptically, but she didn't even give him a chance to ask the question. "No! I've never had to hide anyone before! How could you even think that? You know how much I protect Rory. You're the first man to ever stay overnight." That last bit of news she tossed over her shoulder as she searched for their clothing, missing Luke's reaction completely. Finding enough of her clothes, she pulled them on as quickly as possible.
Luke added to the urgency, saying, "Well, the two people in the world most dedicated to protecting Rory are in this room, and unless we find my boxers and my flannel pretty damn fast, we're going to be putting a therapist on call 24/7 for a while."
"OK, go to the laundry room and put on everything you have right now. I'll look for the rest and bring it to you when I can."
"Ahem," he said, waving at his pants, shoes and T-shirt, indicating the lack of underwear.
Lorelai gave him an exasperated look. "For God's sake, go commando for ten minutes! I'll take care of the rest when she's in the shower."
She pushed him unceremoniously into the laundry room and then closed the door after him. "Sit down and don't make a sound!" she ordered, running back in the direction of the living room.
Scanning the living room for a second, she spotted his socks and his flannel. She grabbed them, dashed back to the laundry room and tossed them inside, where Luke had his pants and T-shirt on already. She suddenly turned around and ran back into the laundry room, startling Luke. She grabbed him by his arms and shoved him up against the washer.
Putting him practically in a choke hold, she jumped up on him and kissed him as if her life depended on it. He caught her and held her as he pushed their kiss one level deeper, undoing all the calming work that he had achieved since he'd been hiding here alone with the laundry.
The click of the door opening gave the final end signal for their fun that morning. "Mom!" Rory called, walking towards the stairs to listen to her mother's usual gripe about being woken up too early. Receiving no answer, she turned around, noticing the state of the living room.
"Mom? Are you OK? This place is a wreck."
One last hot kiss and Lorelai pushed Luke to the floor and slipped back into the kitchen, calling breezily, "Hello sprout! I was just in the laundry room looking to see if some magical laundry prince had done our wash. No such luck yet."
"What happened in the living room? Did you play tornado again?"
"No, no, it's all Luke's fault." Luke, still tying his shoes, stopped and raised his eyebrows, wondering if he should be offended. "He came over after we chose paint to help me move some furniture. We got into a big fight and I kinda threw some things, then he broke the lemon lamp."
"But all of the furniture is exactly where it was yesterday," Rory noted. "You threw things at Luke?"
Damn my daughter's steel-trap memory! "Yeah, the furniture was kinda what we argued about. After I made him move all the stuff around, I realized it looked better the way it was in the first place, which made Luke mad."
"Of course he'd get mad, Mom, he has every right to get mad about that. You know better than to treat Luke that way. Repeating, you threw things at Luke?" Rory chided.
He wished he could laugh out loud at that moment. That's right, Luke thought, Listen to Rory, Lorelai, you should treat me better. I have some very specific ideas about just how Lorelai could make me feel better.
"He shouldn't have gotten mad in the first place," complained Lorelai. "I was trying to be really nice to him. Really, really nice," she added defensively.
Luke would never betray his thoughts at this moment to Lorelai, because she didn't deserve the satisfaction, but the only correct response to her statement was "Dirty!" He grinned to himself.
"Mom, promise me you'll be nicer to Luke and not tease him as much. I love him too much to treat him badly. YOU love him too much to be so mean to him, you've told me often enough. Plus, we both know how much he loves us, too. Promise?"
He is never going to let me forget this moment. I'm going to pay for this for the rest of my life. Lorelai sighed, then replied, "OK, kid, I promise. I'll apologize to him for the fight, we'll make up and hug, and all will be forgotten. Will that satisfy you?"
"Aw, Mom, that's sweet of you. I don't think Luke gets enough hugs. I wanna be there too, to see his face. He'll either really appreciate it, or he'll totally freak out. Either way I want to see it. I'm going to get ready for school now; I already showered at Babette's." Rory went into her room.
Once the door had closed, Lorelai went back to the laundry room, where Luke sat on the floor, a big smile on his face.
"I see you there, looking cocky. Don't you try anything!" she hissed. Silent, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down to the floor.
"Tell me about the love," he whispered, his grin widening even more.
Thirteen different emotions flashed across her face, each one producing a different shade of purple. "No," she muttered, crossing her arms protectively
"Tell me about the love," he whispered, more insistently this time. Pulling her to him, he began kissing her again on the soft skin below her ear lobe. One, two, three kisses, then he stopped, took her hands in his and waited.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "It's just platonic love, like a sister, or a friend, or a cousin. Or a cookie." Her brain was clutching at straws, again fighting off anything that might have resembled the truth. The problem was, she had nothing left to fight with except the truth. She looked down at her hands, uncertain how to continue.
Closing her eyes, she started, "I didn't even know I loved you in 'that way' until …"
Luke was in shock. He hadn't expected to hear that from Lorelai. Hoped, maybe, one day, but expected – never. He froze in place while she decided what she wanted to say, or not say.
For a while, it seemed like he couldn't hear anything but the sound of his own racing heartbeat. It's not fair to her to keep looking at her, I need to look away, give her some peace. Follow your own damn strategy. Using every bit of moral fiber he possessed, Luke looked down at his feet, giving Lorelai the chance to change the subject, or change her mind, or do anything. One minute. In one minute I'll leave, let her figure it out when I'm not around.
The seconds ticked awkwardly by. Luke decided not to wait, believing it would be more fair to her to leave now. He began to move, but stopped when she pulled on his hand.
"… until you said, 'Thank you.' That's why I had to leave the diner. I couldn't let myself believe it, until that moment I didn't even let myself think it could be possible."
Luke's whisper was made even softer because he could hardly utter any sound. "And now?"
When she looked up at him, the depths of her blue eyes were endless. "Now I believe it."
"Mom! Where are you? What are we doing for breakfast? I need to get going before I miss my bus."
"That kid has perfect timing, doesn't she?" said Lorelai as she slowly stood up. She added in a whisper, "You can leave now that she's in the kitchen. I'll keep her there."
"Put in some Pop-Tarts, Rory," she said as she and Luke exchanged long looks before he quietly closed the door on his way out. "We won't have time to go to Luke's this morning."
Outside, Luke's brain practically exploded with crazy thoughts. Go to work? I know I have to, but I can't leave just yet. Back in the laundry room? Lorelai would kill me. Rushing back in and continuing that moment with Lorelai is what I really want to do. Impossible. Another idea struck him, slightly less dangerous than the others.
"Are you avoiding Luke's because of the fight, Mom?" Rory had seen her mother avoid Luke in the past, especially when she felt guilty about something or when they'd had an argument.
"No, hon, it's because you're running late. Look at the time."
Rory took her backpack and dropped it near the door. She was on her way back to the kitchen to get her breakfast when someone knocked on the door.
"Luke!" she said, surprised. "This is pretty early for you to come here, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he acknowledged, "I just wanted to come by for a minute before it gets too busy at the diner." He leaned in a little close to Rory and half-whispered, "We had a fight last night, and I want to make up."
"Mom! Luke's here! Come out here and apologize!" To Luke, she quietly asked, "Did she hurt you?"
He replied in a similar tone, "I have a couple of bruises, but I'm OK." Rory was shocked. Lorelai had never injured Luke before. She committed herself to getting them to make up right now.
Lorelai stormed into the foyer. "You have no shame, Luke Danes." He managed to keep a straight face, only his eyes betrayed his mirth.
"Mom! I'm shocked! How can you treat Luke this way? He's here to make up. Now be nice."
Luke looked penitent. "Aw, Lorelai, I didn't want to leave things the way they were last night. I want to move forward with a better relationship. Can't we at least try?"
Seeing the laughter in his eyes, Lorelai charged toward him, but was stopped by her daughter. "Mom, I'm warning you, don't mess this up." Rory gave her mother her sternest baby-face stare. Both of them ganged up against me. I don't stand a chance, Lorelai concluded.
She backed off, eyes spitting venom at Luke. While Rory faced Lorelai, he made a smug face at her, then winked at her broadly.
"I'm sorry we fought, Luke," she said, her voice dripping with residual anger. "But,"
Rory interrupted her, cautioning, "Mom, that's enough. Wasn't there something else you wanted to do?"
"No."
"If you just get it over with, I won't be late for school. Otherwise, you might cost me a grade and I won't become valedictorian and I won't get into Harvard. Do you really want that on your conscience?"
"I'm rethinking this whole maternal love thing at the moment."
"Get it over with, Mom."
Lorelai looked up at Luke and said as gratingly as possible, "Hug?"
"Sure!" he said with a big smile. He opened his arms wide and stood still, forcing her to come to him. When she angrily pressed her arms around his chest, trying to squeeze the life out of him, he wrapped his around her, picked her up and twirled her around, setting her down again next to Rory, who thought Luke's PDA was a little weird, but still kind of cute.
Taken slightly off-kilter by his bear hug, Lorelai stood a little unsteady for a moment. She hated that she couldn't hate him because of that hug. Memories of last night and this morning were simply too fresh.
"I'm gonna go now," Luke said, "but Rory, if you come after school, there's any pie you want on the house. Lunch for you, too, if you want it, Lorelai. Will I see you girls later?"
"You sure will, Luke, thanks! You'll go too, right, Mom?"
Lorelai had already decided to forgive Luke for his prank, but she played the injured party for a moment more. She opened the door for him as Rory began to pull her jacket on.
"I'll see," she said petulantly, "It depends on how busy I get at work. Rory, don't forget we have dinner at Grandma's tonight."
Disappointment flashed over Luke's face as he left the porch. He'd forgotten about their Friday Night Dinner and had hoped to finally spend some uninterrupted time with Lorelai tonight.
Lorelai was even less thrilled than Luke about the time they would spend apart tonight. There was a lot to talk about, both of them were late for work, and they still hadn't had a chance to finish what they'd started last night. She really wanted to finish what they'd started, no matter what it turned out to be.