A/N: Here's the last chapter! Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has read this story, it was really fun to write, and I appreciate all of your follows/faves/feedback! I have some ideas for other stories, but none of them are written yet and I don't know when I'll get around to posting them, but I'm working on it!
Again, thank you for reading this fic. Hope you enjoy the last chapter!
MONDAY AFTERNOON:
"Have I told you I hate it here?"
"Well a howdy-do to you to. What happened, I thought you were liking Rumford."
"Rumford's fine. It's TJ. He went around and told everyone that I'm so cranky because I don't have a woman in my life—actually what he said was cruder than that, but I'd rather not repeat it."
"Why would he do that?" Lorelai asked, trying to mask her smile. Surely Luke would be able to tell and by the tone of his voice, he didn't find his story as amusing as she did.
"The idiot thought he was helping me. Apparently, I'm not a bad looking guy I just need a push in the right direction. Did you know that women don't like cranky guys? You have to be charming and debonaire, sophisticated…this, coming from TJ! Mr. Etch-a-Sketch."
"Oh Luke—" Lorelai started sympathetically, but Luke was just mid-rant.
"And on his little goodwill initiative," Luke's voice dipped in sarcasm, "he told people that having someone to quote "let off some steam with" would probably put me in a better mood and I'd enjoy my time on the circuit more. So all day I have people coming up to me, all these guys giving me advice on how to pick-up women and all these women fanning themselves and throwing handkerchiefs at my feet! I mean really, you would think—"
At that, Lorelai lost the battle.
"Are you laughing?" Luke asked sternly.
"I'm sorry, I can't help it, this is so funny!"
"How is this funny?"
"I'm just picturing it all in my head and the look on your face…" she trailed off, still laughing.
"So there's women openly throwing themselves at me and you're ok with it? I thought you were the jealous type?"
"I told you I'm not," she said, finally calming down. "Besides I don't think I have much to worry about with the way you're describing it."
"Hmm," he acknowledged. She was right.
"I'm sorry Luke, you're probably ready to tear your hair out."
He sighed, finally losing his rant momentum, "Just about."
"Try to ignore them. You'll be out of there soon, right?"
"Right."
"And you'll probably never see these people again after you leave."
"True."
There was a beat of silence, then, "So I'm guessing you didn't tell Liz and Tj about us?"
"No, I generally don't talk about my relationships with anyone."
"You've talked to me about your relationships before."
"Yeah but that's you, not Liz. Liz isn't exactly known for her tact. She'd bombard me with questions and pry into everything and…I don't know I just didn't want to deal with all of that."
"I get it. I have one of those in my family too. Only mine wears a string of pearls and a cashmere sweater set." There was another beat of silence before she continued. "And some of us do, by the way."
"Some of us do what?"
"Like cranky guys."
A flattered smiled flashed across Luke's face despite himself. "Yeah?"
"Mhm. We like the challenge of seeing if we can un-crank-ify them."
"Not much of a challenge," Luke admitted, making them both laugh.
"I'm sorry your day has been so annoying. But I am happy you called to tell me about it. I needed the laugh."
"How come? What's going on over there?"
"Nothing we're just busy, still getting the hang of everything. I keep trying to reenforce the importance of paying attention to the details but I don't know if it's working."
"Details are important."
"Especially when you're a new business and you're trying to build your client base," she sighed, "I also got a call from my mother today."
"Ah," Luke replied with understanding.
"What does 'ah' mean?"
"Means that it makes sense why you'd need a laugh today. Calls from your mother don't usually put you in the most cheerful mood."
"Understatement, but, yes."
"Did you get to talk to Rory?"
"Yes, briefly."
"She's ok?"
"Far as I can tell."
"Where are they now?" He asked, pivoting away from the topic of Rory. It was clear that the Gilmore girls were still at odds.
"Rome. It's their last stop before they're back on American soil. She might even make it home before you do!" Lorelai teased, trying to return them to a more lighthearted exchange. She didn't want to let this thing with Rory ruin her conversation with Luke. His calls were the highlight of her day.
"Rome, wow. I've never been, but I've heard it's beautiful."
"I've only been once, with Rory on our trip last summer."
"Oh that's right, you touched the Pope."
"Just his car actually…" Lorelai trailed off getting distracted as her eyes focused on the pillows in the sitting room across the hall. They were droopy. Like that hadn't been fluffed…well, ever. Which wasn't true, she'd fluffed them herself. But that had been a while ago. She sighed quietly. This was what she was talking about, attention to detail. "Hey Luke, I'm gonna have to go, gotta get back to work."
"Oh yeah, ok, talk to you later then."
"Later."
When they hung up, Lorleai stalked purposefully over to the sitting room and started pounding the pillows—maybe a little harder than necessary—back into their original fluffy, welcoming, non-droopy state.
TUESDAY MID-DAY:
"Sookie yelled at me." Lorelai said by way of greeting when Luke answered his phone. She walked into her house and went straight to the fridge to get herself a bottle of water.
"She yelled at you?"
"Yeah," she said, leaning against her counter by the sink. "She was mad that I'd rearranged the fridge."
"…Why would you even touch Sookie's fridge? It's Sookie…you know she likes her kitchen exactly the way she likes it."
"It's like I told you before, I'm just picking up the slack."
"In the kitchen?"
"Wherever," she shrugged, "Just the little things that our newly hired staff aren't on top of. I'm sure they will be eventually, but until they are—"
"Sookie's not new," Luke pointed out.
"Yeah well, the fridge was messy. Nothing made sense in there."
"It was Sookie's messy though, right? It works for her." Everyone in town knew that Sookie had her own unique form of organization. And everyone knew it was easier not to question it. She was a great chef, her food always turned out great so, it didn't really matter.
"Jeeze I didn't realize you'd be going to bat for Sookie. Aren't you supposed to be on my team?"
"I'm just sayin'…"
"Well don't worry, we've agreed I'm not going to do it again."
"Good."
"She sent me home."
"For the rest of the day?"
"Yeah."
"I thought you couldn't really be away from the inn right now."
"I can't. Or, I shouldn't. There's a lot to do over there."
"Then why do you sound happy about it?"
"I'm just in a good mood, I guess. Rory called me."
"How'd that go?"
"Really, really good," she beamed.
"Yeah?" Luke smiled at the excitement he could hear in her voice.
"She apologized and we talked –not about everything but, we talked, and, I think she gets it now. She knows she didn't make the best choice but she wants to fix it and I'm proud of her for that."
"Me too. Everyone makes mistakes, what's important is how you deal with them."
"Exactly."
"I'm really glad she's coming around."
"You have no idea," Lorleai replied with a relieved sigh.
"Maybe the trip ended up being a good thing for her."
"Maybe," she agreed.
"See? I told you everything was going to be ok."
Lorelai smiled. For the first time since the test run she actually believed that was true. "That's one I-told-you-so I will happily accept." She took a sip of her water, then asked, "How's your day going?"
"It's good. I'm at the physical therapists right now with Liz and TJ."
"How are they doing?"
"Therapist says that Liz is doing really well. Her hand's healed about 90%—"
"Wow! That is really good."
"Yeah," he said happily, "They're thinking she'll only have to wear the wrist brace for another week or so, just to make sure she doesn't re-tweak it and set herself back."
"Makes sense. And TJ?"
"TJ's makin' progress too, I haven't talked to the therapist about him yet so I'll get more details when I go back in. I just stepped outside to talk to you." Though TJ was getting better with the exercises, he still claimed to be in a lot pain. It was hard to gauge, so Luke took him at his word. He didn't want to tell Lorelai that though. He didn't want her to think he might be away for another two weeks…even if that was a possibility.
"Well that all sounds very promising."
"I think so."
She let out a contented breath. "I really am happy that they're recovering so well."
"Me too," Luke smiled. "I better get back in there."
"Yeah, of course."
"Enjoy your afternoon off."
"Thank you."
WEDNESDAY MORNING:
"Hello?"
"Is it bad that I automatically reach for my phone if I want to talk to you? I think it's bad. I used to drop by the diner to see you if I wanted to say anything, even if it was just to ask you a single question. But now by brain doesn't even register that as an option. I pick up my phone, without even thinking about it—"
"Well, that's—"
"It's starting to feel normal now—talking to you this way—I don't know if I like that." Lorelai mused aloud. She was in room 5 at the inn, folding towels. A task that, Janice, one of the maids had been doing before Lorelai saw how wrong she'd been doing it and had taken on the task herself. Sookie had told her she was scaring the staff. She didn't know if she agreed with that. It was insulting…especially since the criticism came with a comparison to her mother. Ok, so maybe Janice had looked more than a little timid when Lorelai had refolded the towels she'd already done…but that wasn't because she was scared of Lorelai. Her eyebrows furrowed as she remembered how quickly the woman had backed out of the room and started working on the one across the hall. That comparison to Emily was starting to hit a little too close to home. With an uncomfortable sigh she promised herself to make a conscious effort to ease up on the staff.
Luke frowned. "I thought you liked our calls."
"I do, but I'd much rather see you in person."
"Yeah, me too."
"I thought I saw you walking out of Doose's today, but it was just Joe," Lorelai petulantly informed him.
"Teriyaki Joe?"
"No, pizza delivery guy Joe."
Luke's head reared back involuntarily. "I don't look anything like pizza delivery guy Joe."
"But Teriyaki Joe is a dead ringer?"
Luke rolled his eyes. "Not what I meant."
"I mean they're both obviously missing the handsome-lumberjack-restauranteur thing you've got going on, but the point is that for a very brief moment, I thought I saw you. It was like a hallucination or something. Like seeing water in the desert."
"You've been to a desert?"
It was Lorelai's turn to roll her eyes. "No, I just meant—"
"I'm kidding, I know what you meant. And while I'd love to keep going with this insane conversation about whatever phantom version of me you thought you saw, I'd better tell you that I'm coming home on Friday, so the next time you see me, it'll actually be me."
"Wait wh—you are?!"
"Yep."
"For sure?"
"Yep."
"You're not yanking my chain?"
"Your chain remains un-yanked."
"Luke! Why would let me ramble on and on about not seeing you when you know I'm going to be seeing you? That is valuable information you were sitting on there bucko!"
Luke laughed, "Sorry, I found out yesterday—tried to call you, but it was late and it went to your machine so I figured you were asleep."
"I probably was. They were showing back-to-back Kubrick movies last night. I think I fell asleep during Spartacus," Lorelai shook her head to re-focus her thoughts, "But, enough of that—you're coming home! How? I thought Liz and TJ needed you for a little while longer."
"Yeah well, I thought so too. But TJ's milking it."
"Yeah you said that before."
"No, he's really milking it. I saw him moving around pretty well, walking steadily—much better than he was at their last appointment, and I realized that he was playin' it up for the therapist. There's no way he could've healed that much so quickly. His dexterity's fine, and when we got back yesterday, he spent all of his time lounging around watching a portable tv while Liz and I did all the work, so…after that, well, I'm coming home. It's time."
"It is time!" Lorelai beamed.
"Anyway, that's all I wanted to tell you."
"I'm so happy that's what you called to tell me."
"Good."
There was a brief pause in which Lorelai's happiness level rose a few notches. When she spoke again, it was softly, with barely contained excitement. "You're coming home! Yay!"
The anticipation of getting to see her, be in the same room with her, maybe even kiss her again made his smile impossible to stop. Though he'd never say it, he was feeling pretty yay about it all too. "I'm coming home."
THURSDAY NIGHT:
Luke paced outside of his tent, phone pressed to his ear, counting the number of times it rang before Lorelai answered—though it didn't seem like she was going to. He was at ring number five and knew that it would transfer over to her voicemail in a second. He felt terrible. Not only was he calling her with bad news, but he'd gotten around to the call so late that the bad news was going to get to her in the form of a message—one that she'd probably wake up to. He stopped pacing as he listened to her outgoing message.
Hi you've reached Lorelai Gilmore—the older one, not the younger one. The mother, not the daughter—well I guess I am both a mother and a daughter to someone, but I didn't mean—gah! Nevermind! If you've got this number then you know what I mean. Leave it after the" *beeeeeeeep
"Hey Lorelai, it's me Luke. Uh, it's late, so I guess you're sleeping. I'm sorry to be calling you like this…I meant to call earlier but—anyway, it doesn't matter. I just, wanted to let you know that I won't be home tomorrow. I know I said I would be, but TJ's kind of freaking out. Idiot that I am, I thought it'd be a good idea to give them advance notice that I was leaving—Liz was fine with it, but TJ got upset. I thought he'd get over it but he's been badgering me about it for two days now. Throwing out any reason he could think of to make me stay longer and today he finally landed on something real. They're moving onto another town tomorrow—I completely forgot, probably in the excitement of actually getting out of here—but, anyway, his guilt-trip worked. I feel bad so, I'm going to stay back and help them with this last move and then I'm coming home. For sure this time, I mean it. I'm really sorry about this Lorelai, but one more night and I am there. Count on it." He sighed heavily. "Anyway, I'll probably talk to you tomorrow, so, I'm gonna get to bed. Talk later."
He ended the call then went back into the tent and settled into the cot. He stared unseeingly at the roof, his eyes getting drowsier by the second. One more night, he repeated to himself as he drifted off, he could do one more night.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON:
You have reached 860-294-1986….
Lorelai listened as Luke's automated answering machine message clicked on. He'd had the phone for over a month but of course he hadn't thought to personalize it, she thought ruefully. She was on her way to the diner to get a hit of caffeine, when she heard Luke's message from the night before. She understood his decision to stay back, of course, but still felt the wind taken out of her sails. She'd been all geared up to see him—not for the first time since he'd left—but again, that moment would have to be postponed. He said he'd be back on Saturday, but she wasn't getting her hopes up. He'd be home soon—no specific date or time, but soon. That's how she'd have to think about it.
*Beeeeeeeep "Hey Luke, I was hoping to catch you, but I guess you're busy. I just listened to your message…so I won't be seeing you today…but, soon, hopefully. Call me back if you have a minute."
She hung up and let out a soft sigh. Stuffing the phone into her purse, she opened the door to the diner and pasted a smile on her face as she said hello to Lane and mentally prepared herself for Caesar's attempt at Luke's legendary brew. She knew he was trying, but it just wasn't the same.
SATURDAY MORNING:
Walking back up to her porch, Lorelai casually looked over the mail in her hands. Opening her front door, she heard her house line ringing and hurried over to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's me."
"Weell, huzzah and prithee, art thou—"
"Stop," Luke interjected.
"Sorry. How are ya?"
"Good."
"Sorry that was incomplete. How are ya you big fat liar?"
"What?"
"You said you would be home yesterday," Lorelai replied, unable to stop the whining tone her voice dipped into. She went over to sit in the armchair by the stairs, settling in to open the mailer envelope that had been delivered.
"I'm coming home today for sure," Luke replied assuredly.
"Oh what's that Lucy, a football for me to kick?"
"I mean it this time." Luke looked over at TJ—who was making a show of simply opening the cashbox. A strong flare of annoyance made his words even more definite. "It's a done deal."
Lorelai hummed doubtfully, "I'll believe it when I see it."
"So did I tell you about Bill?" Luke asked, excited to share the information with Lorelai. He knew she'd get a kick out of it.
"Hay bale Bill? No, spill!"
"He crawled in a tent with Grog Booth Annie."
"No way!"
"He did."
"But she's engaged to the fruit-ice guy."
"It's not gonna last."
"Oh boy," Lorelai said absently as she realized that the mailer contained Rory's letter to Dean. She wasn't thrilled about the mission bestowed on her, but it was for Rory so she was doing it.
"You feelin' ok?"
"I'm fine, I just have a little assignment I've got to do," she took a breath before changing the subject, "Soo, what lie are gonna tell me about coming home now?"
"I'm coming home today."
"So next week?"
"Today."
"This month at least?"
"To -day."
"See you when Hilary's president."
"I'll see you later today."
"Byee."
Luke ended the call with a small smile. Slipping the phone into his flannel pocket, he looked closely at the selection of necklaces in front of him. He wanted to bring something back for Lorelai—figured it was the least he could do after delaying the start of their relationship for so long. With Liz's help he was able to find something that he hoped she'd like. Of course, Liz's help had come with a gentle prying into his love life, but he found he didn't really mind. He'd never refer to Lorelai as "his TJ" like Liz had, but still, it was nice to tell someone about them. Made it feel more real.
With a final hug for Liz and a handshake for TJ, Luke slung his backpack over his shoulder, picked up the last of his bags and headed towards his truck. He smiled happily, excitedly. In a few short hours he'd be home, back in Stars Hollow, back in the diner, back on track with Lorelai.
/
SATURDAY AFTERNOON:
Luke arrived in Stars Hollow at around 2pm that afternoon. On the ride home he'd debated driving straight to the Dragonfly and surprising Lorelai there—he was sure she'd be working—or surprising her wherever she happened to be. It was an appealing thought. Their reunion was highly anticipated, and now that they would finally be in the same town, he didn't like the idea of putting it off any longer. But, he also realized that a shower and a change of clothes before seeing Lorelai was probably a better idea. He'd been on the road for about 7 hours by that point, only stopping twice along the way—to stretch his legs and to get something to eat—so he knew it wouldn't hurt to freshen up a little.
After arriving at the diner and saying a quick hello to Lane and Caesar, he unloaded the truck, dumped everything just inside the door to his apartment and hopped in the shower. He was dressed and back in the diner 20 minutes later. He was in the kitchen thanking Lane and Caesar for taking care of everything while he was away when he heard the bells above the door ring. Instinctually, his head turned in that direction. He couldn't see who'd entered the diner, but he could hear her. His smile was unconscious as he excused himself and went out to the diner floor.
The sight of straight dark hair confirmed what he already knew, Lorelai was there. Beside her sat a troubled looking Rory. Affecting nonchalance, Luke hurried over to their table.
"Root beer sounds good!" Lorelai said supportively, over-doing her enthusiasm towards the drink hoping to lighten the intensity of the conversation she and Rory had just had.
"It's on the house so go crazy," Luke interjected.
"Luke!"
"Hey," he beamed and turned his attention to the younger Gilmore, "Hi Rory, welcome back."
"Thanks," Rory replied meekly.
Luke's brow furrowed. "You ok? You look a little pale."
"You know, pale's the new tan," Lorelai answered for Rory, keeping it lighthearted. She couldn't believe he was actually standing right in front of her. She made a sound that was supposed to be a laugh but couldn't be sure if it came out the way she'd intended because Luke's soft blue eyes were staring into hers and it caught her off guard. They smiled at each other for a moment before Lorelai found her words again. "So, you're, here," she said, throwing a light punch to his chest, "You're not a mirage."
"I, told you I was coming back."
"Yes but you lied to me repeatedly for weeks, so your credibility's been shattered."
"I know, it's been, 7 weeks."
That supposed-to-be-a-laugh sound left her mouth again, her hand repeated the light punch to his chest of its own volition. "7 weeks!"
They both chuckled briefly then fell into a quiet moment that Luke felt awkward in. He'd been so amped up to see her today, to have the big reunion he'd been imagining for weeks. But in every one of those imaginings, they were alone—there was no diner full of people, no quiet, observant daughter there to witness every love-struck look he was going to give her mother—because he knew that was going to happen, he wasn't going to be able to help it. He loved Rory, but right now, he really just wanted a moment alone with Lorelai. Clearing his throat, Luke looked steadily into Lorelai's eyes as he spouted out words that might give them that moment alone. "You know I just remembered I-I I have an errand to run."
"Oh yeah?" Lorelai replied skeptically.
"Yeah I got to go to the pharmacy. Uh I'm gonna go now. Uh, Lane's here," he told Rory, "She'll bring you your root beer. Hey Lane," he called towards to kitchen, "I-I got to run down to the pharmacy, got an errand." He caught Lorelai's eye again, "So I'll, be back in a bit." At her nod, he left the diner and walked in the direction of the pharmacy without looking back—really hoping Lorelai understood what he'd meant and was not too far behind him.
/
Lane's timing was impeccable, Lorelai thought. There was no way her lame "I need to pick up something at Doose's" excuse would've worked otherwise. She felt slightly bad about leaving Rory when she was so upset, but it was only for a few minutes, she reasoned. A few very important minutes. Alone minutes with Luke. Minutes that they needed—or, she needed them at least. Lorelai rounded the corner of the high school, hoping she hadn't misread the subtext of his words…a sudden errand to the pharmacy? Sounded like code for a secret rendezvous to her.
As she passed by Weston's Lorelai checked to make sure the way was clear before crossing the street. Her steps slowed as she saw Luke, standing partially hidden under a huge tree. Suddenly very nervous, she tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at him. "Hey, there you are."
"Hi."
"So, oh, you really ran an errand," she said. Now standing with him under the tree, she could see the paper bag in his hand.
"Uh, I didn't run an errand, but I sort of kept up the pretense, so I went into the pharmacy, so I was in the pharmacy so I had to buy something so I…feel kind of dumb."
"Yeah," Lorelai replied absently, sticking her hands in her pockets. She didn't know what to do with them, first they were fixing her hair, then her arms were crossed…she shrugged, effected nonchalance and told herself to calm down. "But you didn't really have an errand, right?"
"Nah it was just getting kind of, crowded back there."
So she'd been right. "Yeah."
"So I brought you something."
"Oh," Lorelai took the paper bag he gave to her, and opened it to find a pack of Bilson's. She gasped playfully, "My own smokes, ginchy! Oh—," she said softly, eyes widened at the necklace Luke was holding up in front of her, "That's beautiful."
"Yeah I, I think they'll match the earrings I got you before, if they don't I'll take them back."
"Definitely goes," she smiled, pulling back her hair to show him that she was wearing the earrings.
"Oh yeah look at that, perfect match."
"Perfect match." Their eyes met and held in a shared thought; it was the perfect moment for that third kiss they'd been waiting for. Anticipation grew as they both leaned in. Lorelai felt Luke's hand rest lightly on her back, her eyes closing with the expectation that in a second she'd be feeling his lips on hers…
A loud crashing sound startled them apart. The cider mill parade was marching through the street with full force, destroying their moment. The silliness of the situation hit them as they watched a clown and children dressed as apples go by. Lorelai would've laughed at the awful timing of it all if Michel and the Krumholtz kids hadn't shown up next. When they left, Luke and Lorelai turned back to one another, both knowing that the moment was gone and their kiss would have to wait.
"This town…" Luke started.
"Is our town this town is so glamorous," Lorelai finished light-heartedly. There was really nothing they could do, Stars Hollow was…Stars Hollow.
"So we'll hook up later maybe."
"We'll hook up later, definitely," Lorelai confirmed.
"Good."
"I love the necklace."
"Good," Luke smiled despite himself. Just as he'd thought, he couldn't help it.
"Good." Lorelai beamed at him as he bid her goodbye with a friendly tap to her arm. She watched him walk away and bumped right into a cider mill parade attendee, causing the guy's balloons to drift away. Thankfully she was able to make it up to him with a free meal at the Dragonfly and was on her way a few minutes later.
The walk back to the diner was spent giving herself a pep talk. She really had to get a grip. This clumsy bit was not going to work out in the long run. What was she going to do? Bump into something every time Luke so much as looked at her? No, that was silly. She just needed to remember that there was nothing to be nervous about. Luke was her friend, she knew him well, trusted him. Only he wasn't just her friend anymore. He was the guy she wanted to kiss. Would be kissing right now if it weren't for—her thought was interrupted as she stumbled over a stray twig on the sidewalk. Straightening, she rolled her eyes at herself and continued walking. She really needed to get a grip.
/
SATURDAY NIGHT:
Lorelai had decided: no grip would be got until she and Luke spent some real time together—until they revisited the whole mind-blowing kissing thing.
When she'd arrived back at the diner that afternoon Luke was already there, pouring coffees, tending to customers—it was like he'd never left. Lorelai and Rory had shared a plate of chilli fries and when they asked for refills of their root beers, Luke surprised them by bringing back floats. He and Lorelai had shared a few surreptitious smiles, a few knowing looks, but nothing that would have alerted anyone to what was going on between them. Lorelai would have happily stayed there for another few hours, but the fries were done, the floats had sailed away and Rory looked about as happy as Eeyore. It was time to go home.
Once there, Rory finally noticed the paper bag Lorelai had and asked her about it. The explanation of the smokes led to Lorelai filling Rory in on all that had been going on with Luke since the test run. Rory was happy for them and Lorelai was grateful for her support. However, tales from the Renaissance faire could only provide distraction for so long. It was obvious that Rory's thoughts were drifting back to her own problems—if they had ever left—so Lorelai decided an impromptu movie night was in order. They'd missed almost a whole summer's worth, so they were due. Lorelai wanted something to raise the spirits, so she decided on "Showgirls." It wasn't exactly a G-rated sunshine fest, but the entertainment factor was high, and she knew it would help. Plans changed however, when Rory put on "A Room with a View." Their new theme became European travel, so "Roman Holiday" was next, and would have been followed by "An American in Paris" had Rory not fallen asleep. Gently, Lorelai woke her daughter and sent her to bed. As Rory walked sleepily over to her room, Lorelai picked up her phone glanced at the time—9:42…not too late.
"Hey hun?" she raised her voice to Rory who was now in the kitchen.
"Mm?"
"Since you're turning in now, and, since it's still early…and since I haven't been travelling all day, well, I'm wide awake. I was thinking I might take a walk, get some fresh air…are you going to be ok if I'm out for a while."
"Go, walk, I'll be fine," Rory replied drowsily.
"I'll have my cell on in case you need anything."
"Ok, say hi to Luke for me."
Lorelai blushed at the on-point observation and was happy Rory was too tired notice. Once Rory disappeared into her room, Lorelai disappeared into hers. She removed the blue sweater she'd put on when she got home and replaced it with the white blazer she'd been wearing earlier in the day—then she took that off too. She didn't know what the dress code was for something like this—meeting up for a non-date with a guy who you'd known forever but were only just starting a relationship with… She gave herself a once over in the mirror and decided to just stay in the orange tank top and jeans she already had on. She felt good in it, comfortable, and it didn't look like she was trying too hard. Perfect. She fluffed her hair a little then went to her dresser to get her lip gloss. She smiled when she saw the bag from the pharmacy right next to her array of make-up. Changing tacks, she took the pack of Bilson's out and put it in the jewellery box Luke had given her a few weeks ago. She had no need for cigarettes, but no way was she getting rid of them. Satisfied that her keepsake was well and truly kept, Lorelai applied a light layer of gloss to her lips, threw on her black leather jacket and walked out to the jeep.
She got in the car and took a deep breath before starting the engine. Though the movies had aided in distracting Rory, for Lorelai, they were nothing more than background noise to the constant stream of thoughts running through her mind—most of which were of Luke. He was back and yet it didn't feel like it. They just hadn't had enough time together for it to really sink in that he was actually back home. Lorelai had been thinking about it for weeks, what their reunion would be like—and in none of those imaginings was their third kiss interrupted by a marching band and apple-wielding neighbours. Instead, they'd had a few brief—very brief—moments together before having to part ways once more. She'd been thinking about it all night—that elusive third kiss. How many nights had she wished for him to be back? Or seriously thought of jumping in her car and driving to Maine? Too many to count. Being with him in the same location just wasn't a possibility then and it left her feeling extremely frustrated. The same frustration she felt now, only now he was a mere 5 minutes away. So of course, she was going to see him. She had to. They deserved that third kiss. Besides, they'd agreed to meet later so showing up unannounced would be fine. Lorelai sighed, looking out at the diner from her parking spot across the street. Maybe she should have called first. She shook the thought trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. It was Luke, she reminded herself, she'd shown up to the diner after hours unannounced a million times before, this was no different.
She got out of the jeep and crossed the street, her mind briefly considering a scenario in which she said nothing, but went right up to him, and started their conversation with a steamy kiss. She liked that plan; it was confident and bold and—would not be happening. That plan ceased to exist as soon as she entered the diner and saw him behind the counter looking over the ledger.
Luke looked up when the bells rang, a relieved smile on his face. "Hey, you're here."
"I'm here," Lorelai returned his smile and walked over to her usual stool.
"I wasn't sure…"
"That I'd show up?"
"No, well…I just didn't know if later meant later tonight or later tomorrow or…" He trailed off again, then smiled sheepishly, "It doesn't matter. I'm glad you're here."
"Well, like you said, it was a little crowded before."
"Yeah." There was a beat of silence that Luke broke. "Uh, coffee?"
"Oh, no, thanks," she replied glancing at the empty carafe, "You don't have to make a pot just for me."
"I don't?" Luke teased, "An empty pot's never stopped you before."
"True, but…well, do you have anything stronger back there?" As much as she loved a nightly jolt of caffeine, right now she could use a little Dutch courage.
"Got some beer upstairs, probably some whiskey."
"A beer would be great."
"Upstairs?" Luke asked, hoping he wasn't being too presumptuous.
"Yeah, upstairs is good."
Luke put the ledger away, turned off the lights and after asking Lorelai to lock the diner door, he led the way upstairs. The closer they got to his apartment the worse his nerves became. Behind him, Lorelai wasn't doing much better. "You said a beer, right?" He asked as they reached the second floor.
"Yeah, just a beer, thanks."
When they got to the apartment, Luke made a beeline for the kitchen. "Make yourself at home."
Lorelai hung her jacket on a hook, toed off her shoes and went over to his couch. She sat between two cushions, towards the middle. Not a minute later, Luke was handing her an already opened bottle. "Thanks." She took a greedy sip, relishing the crisp flavour.
Luke sat too, turned towards the middle of the couch, like she was, but making sure to leave a little space between them. "Hey, cheers."
Lorelai automatically tapped her bottle to his, the rote of the tradition taking over before she even knew what he meant. "To?"
"To you, and Sookie and The Dragonfly."
"I'll toast to that!"
"I'm really proud of you."
Lorelai smiled shyly, "Thank you." She'd read as much in his card, but hearing it directly from him was different, more real.
"How's everything going over there?"
Lorelai laughed. "You know I think you might be the only non-employee that knows everything that goes on in the place."
"Yeah well I'm behind a couple of days, catch me up." Luke listened as Lorelai regaled him with a story about a couple that checked in on Thursday—they were of the flower child persuasion, and Michel took personal offense with their clothing—then took further offense when they told him to "hang loose." For a minute, Luke forgot to be nervous and just enjoyed listening to Lorelai, animated, laughing…he'd missed seeing her smile. He could see it in his mind sometimes when they were talking on the phone, but in person it was…totally captivating. "You're wearing the necklace," he said the thought out loud, unintentionally interrupting her story.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Lorelai's hand automatically reached for the pendant. She'd forgotten she had it on. "I love it."
"It looks good on you."
"Thank you," she replied softly.
He smiled and Lorelai felt herself starting to lose her words. Luke's eyes were looking deep into her own and she was sure that even Wonder Woman would lose the battle with concentration when those blue orbs were aimed at her. "Uh," she started blandly, resolved to break the idiocy spell she always seemed to be under in his presence, "Um, what are—how were your last days on the circuit?"
"About the same as the other 700. Helped them move onto the next town, went to the get together that night, packed as quickly as I could and got the hell outta there."
"Was everyone sad to see you go?"
"Don't think so, Henry did ask for the diner's address so he could write to me. He wants to keep me up to date on the Annie and the fruit-ice guy situation. I didn't have the heart to tell him I could give a crap, but, there you go."
"Aw, I love that you have a ren faire pen pal. That's like having a friend in the circus."
"How so?"
"It's an unconventional job that involves a lot of travelling."
"I wouldn't say that's a huge similarity. The faire's more of place to sell goods, not perform."
"There are performance aspects to the faire, costumes, the skits and the jousting tournament…"
"Ok, I guess…but even so, I wouldn't say Henry's a friend, more like just a guy I know. I think Liz is a much closer tie to the faire then Henry is."
"Of course! That's much better. Hey, if you take up wood carving or apple doll making you two could be the next Ringling brothers. 'The Danes Duo'," she said, hands showcasing an imaginary sign, "I can just see it up in lights!"
That's when Luke tuned out. She continued on—presumably about The Danes Duo and all the shows they'd put on—but he couldn't be sure. He was too caught up in how happy she looked. She was beautiful when she was happy. She was always beautiful, but when she was happy she seemed to sparkle just a little bit more. He smiled softly, his eyes subtly roaming her upper body, appreciating her decision to wear the tank top.
Lorelai was coming up with potential slogans for The Danes Duo when she realized that Luke wasn't paying attention. He was sitting there quietly, eyes roaming then every so often meeting hers. She stopped talking altogether when she felt his hand on her wrist. They were sitting facing each other, each had an arm propped up along the back of the couch, hands mere inches apart—until he reached over. His fingertips moved lightly on top of her skin sending a tingling sensation throughout her whole body. She wondered if he realized what he was doing. Probably not, she mused. She didn't want him to stop though, so she didn't comment on it, just let it happen. She could not, however, ignore the way he was looking at her. Their eyes held in a way that grew increasingly more tension-filled the longer it went on. Lorelai tried to decipher what he was thinking—he looked…bashful? Was that even possible? Luke didn't get bashful. Embarrassed—yes, uncomfortable—sure, but this bashfulness, the softness in his eyes…that, was new.
"What?" Lorelai questioned, unable to leave it alone.
"What?" Luke asked, refocusing on the present moment.
"You're looking at me, like…"
"Like what?"
"I don't know exactly, that's why I'm asking."
"I'm not looking at you weirdly."
Lorelai smiled amusedly, "I didn't say it was weird. But it was…something."
"It's nothing."
"No, it was definitely something."
"Don't worry about it."
Lorelai paused as realization dawned on her. Her head tilted in appraisal as her eyes scanned his face, amused smile still in place. "Was it something dirty?" Luke blushed—bingo. "It was something dirty! What was it?"
"I—" Luke started, but hesitated.
"Come on," Lorelai gently coaxed.
Still he said nothing, just found himself smiling shyly.
"Luke?"
He let out a breath and ducked his head, his fingers tapped absently against her wrist. "Give me a break here," he said good naturedly, "It wasn't that long ago we were just friends. It's a little embarrassing to, you know…" he gestured vaguely as an end to the sentence.
"I can understand that. But we have been talking on the phone almost every day…and it wasn't all innocent."
"Yeah but that was over the phone, you know, you weren't sitting right across from me."
"Well do you want me to go home and call you?" She teased.
"No," Luke laughed, "No, I want you to stay right here."
Gently, he slipped his hand into hers. Lorelai tugged on it affectionately before continuing, "What were you going to say?"
"I was just going to say that I really missed you."
"Oh."
"And that you look really beautiful tonight." His free hand reached up to tuck her hair behind her ear—a nervous gesture that he hoped diverted her attention away from the blush on his face. His hand dropped back into his lap and only then did he meet her eyes.
Lorelai's whole body softened. Under all the layers of grump he really was the sweetest. She shrugged a shoulder, "that wasn't dirty at all."
"I know, but it's still a little…"
Lorelai waited. Usually she'd jump in, finish the person's sentence if they were taking too long, but not this time. She wanted to hear what Luke had to say.
"New," he finished.
"It is new. But it's not that new…and it's still just you and me." That's what she'd been telling herself every time she got overwhelmed with the idea of them in the last 7 weeks.
"You and me," Luke repeated quietly, reverently. She was right, there was history between them. The kind of history that should allow them to skip over the usual awkwardness that seemed to always happen in new romances and just get to the good, comfortable part.
"Luke?"
"Yeah?"
"I really missed you too." Lorelai used their joined hands as leverage to move closer to him, her lips landing softly on his. The rest of the world quieted as everything in her focused on him—his slight groan of surprise when their lips met, the way his days-old stubble grazed against her chin, the trail of heat his hands made as they roamed from her waist to her back then into her hair. She'd compared their first kisses to a fairy-tale, and, 7 weeks later, the comparison held up. There was something indefinable about kissing Luke…something magical that still somehow felt very, very real to her. It was like skydiving with no parachute, but knowing you were going to land safely. It felt good—right, to be kissing him, more right than she could've ever imagined.
Luke took the kiss deeper, pulled her closer—unwilling to let her go now that she was finally in his arms again. They kissed unhurriedly, took time to luxuriate in each other the way they'd been wanting to all those weeks apart. Luke's tongue licked at her bottom lip as they pulled apart, making Lorelai moan. He went back in for a proper taste—sinking into the kiss as his tongue swept over hers. When she pulled away again Luke kept his eyes closed—savouring the moment and hoping she'd kiss him again.
"Feeling more comfortable?" She asked gently, slipping her hand back into his, the way it had been before.
"Yeah," Luke opened his eyes, a relieved happiness radiating from him. "I've been wanting to do that for…"
"Me too."
"It's been so long I was starting to think I'd just dreamed the whole thing."
"Oh tell me about it. You kissed me and ran…twice."
"Twice?"
"First you ran after Kirk, then you ran away to Maine."
Luke rolled his eyes, "I didn't run away to Maine."
"You were still gone, what's a girl supposed to do with that?"
Luke smiled at the whiff of petulance he could hear in her voice. "If it makes you feel any better, I had a horrible time. I'd choose you over Maine any day."
"Glad to know I rank higher than the pine tree state."
"And as for that other time—"
"I never thought I'd see the day you'd leave me for Kirk," she teased.
"Oh please, he was so out of it that night. If he wasn't putting everyone in danger, I definitely would've stayed on the porch with you."
Lorelai smiled. She wasn't offended in the least that he'd gone after Kirk. If they got to do it all over again, he'd still go after Kirk. Helping a friend in need even though it was inconvenient for him—well that was just Luke…even if he'd never admit that Kirk was his friend.
"You saved many a neighbour from getting an eyeful of Kirk's nakedness. They were all very grateful." Noticing a wayward piece of hair, Lorelai smoothed it behind his ear. "Those poor rose bushes never saw him coming." Her hand lingered against his face as he laughed, tracing along his jaw before dropping to his leg. She laughed too; head ducked watching her hand smooth over his knee seemingly of its own volition. Her laugh turned to a rueful smile as she realized what she was doing. "I'm sorry, it seems I can't stop touching you." Playfully, she tapped his knee and removed her hand, firmly returning it to her own lap.
"You don't hear me complaining," he replied, taking her hand and moving it back to his knee. "You can touch me whenever you want."
"See now that was dirty."
"Yes it was." They shared a flirty grin. "You're just trying to make sure I'm actually here."
"Yes, let's go with that." There was a beat of quiet before Lorelai spoke again. "Hey Luke can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Do you remember that phone call—"
"Which one?"
"It was a few weeks ago…you said something about not wanting to let another moment pass us by again?"
"Oh yeah, I remember…" he trailed off.
Again, Lorelai waited for him to finish his thought. She'd thought about it after they hung up that night and realized they'd blown right past the topic and probably shouldn't have.
"It's happened before, right?" Luke pushed past an increasing feeling of vulnerability and continued candidly, "Those almost-crossing-the-line moments…and we'd get interrupted or one of us would back off, or, whatever it was that chased the moment away and…I'd always kick myself after, you know? I should've been braver, told you how I felt."
Lorelai nodded, her heartbeat picking up. "Yeah I, I know what you mean. There have been times where I thought, maybe…but then it never happened so I thought, maybe not."
"Exactly. I didn't want this whole thing to be another maybe not."
Lorleai met his eyes with a soft smile. "Thank you for blurring the lines."
Luke smiled too. "It was my pleasure." Their lips met again in a lush, languid kiss that got more involved as time went on. It wasn't long before Lorelai's hands went from merely holding onto him, to caressing, feeling the strength in his arms. Again, her hand dropped to his knee, but this time Luke felt it drift a little higher, her nails tracing the inseam of his jeans. He knew she wasn't trying to take things much further tonight—he wasn't either—it would be too much...but he wasn't prepared for how much the feeling of her hands on him would affect him. Without thinking, his hands moved from her waist to her hips then to her thighs, never losing rhythm in the slow dance of their tongues. Lorelai gasped when his hands began gently squeezing her thighs, breaking their kiss.
"Sorry," Luke apologized immediately. It was too much, too soon.
Lorelai shook her head, "Don't be sorry." Their eyes met and they shared a self-conscious laugh at the situation.
Luke took a moment to catch his breath before speaking again. "So I was thinking about that movie I owe you."
"Yeah?"
"I'm thinking we should wait until Rory heads back to school. I don't want to interrupt your time together. She's been gone all summer and I know you've missed her—"
"I have."
"So when she's back at Yale, we'll go out, that ok?"
"That's more than ok." Lorelai blushed slightly in reaction to her own thoughts. Yes, all of that was true; Rory had been gone all summer, she'd missed her and they definitely needed time together before she went back to school…but when a movie date with Luke was on the table, all of that had taken a back seat. Without a second thought. She should probably feel bad about that—choosing a date over her daughter, but she didn't. Rory was always her number one, but this thing with Luke was high on her priority list too. Rory would be ok, they would be ok—she knew that now. So now she was focused on Luke, on them, on starting their relationship.
"Thanks for being so understanding."
Luke shook his head dismissively and spoke through a yawn, "Rory comes first."
Lorelai smiled gently. She would've gone forward with the date, no hesitation. But Luke had a knack for doing the right, sweet thing. "Speaking of…I should get home, it's getting late."
"It's not that late," Luke disputed, glancing at the clock on the wall. 11:32.
"It's almost past your bedtime."
"Yeah, but," He cut himself off with a yawn that undermined whatever reply he was going to counter with.
Lorelai let out a breathy chuckle. "I'll see you tomorrow."
Luke stood up with her, nodded reluctantly. "I'll walk you out."
"You don't have to."
He didn't respond. Just slipped his hand into hers and walked her downstairs. At the door, he pulled her in and kissed her, fully, deeply. His hands circled her waist as if they'd done so a million times before. Their bodies pressed closer, her hands ran lightly up his back and into his hair. They stayed there as the kiss broke. Lorelai kissed him again, once, twice, lingering against his lips for a few extra moments. Finally, she stepped back, through the open door and down the steps.
"Bye Luke."
"Bye," he smiled and watched her walk over to the jeep.
She got behind the wheel, gave a final wave and then drove away.
/
Once home, Lorelai checked on Rory, then went upstairs to her own room. She changed her clothes, removed her make-up, did her moisturizing routine, brushed her teeth—all with a soft smile plastered on her face. She couldn't help it. Rory was home, and talking to her. Luke was home, and kissing her. The Dragonfly was up and running—pretty well for only being a few weeks old. She was happy, happier than she'd been in a long time.
Walking back into her room, Lorelai removed the earrings and necklace she'd worn that day, her smile became smitten as she recalled her and Luke's 'perfect match' exchange. She'd put the jewellery away safely and had just slipped into bed when her cell phone rang. She looked at it on her nightstand for a moment wondering if it was Luke and then quickly dismissed the thought. They'd said their goodbyes almost a half hour ago. It was late, he was probably fast asleep. Puzzled, she picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
"Luke. I was half expecting this to be a prank call, what are you still doing up?"
"I just wanted to make sure you got home ok."
"I did," Lorelai smiled at his sweetness, "I'm already in bed actually."
"You are? Thought you'd go home and watch a movie or something."
"Not tonight," she yawned, "Just did my nightly routine."
"Nightly routine?"
"Brushed, moisturized, changed into my jammies."
"Satin and lace?"
"Yeah."
Luke's eyebrow raised with intrigue. "Really?"
"No, they're cotton, Animaniacs themed. You'd like them."
"On you, I'm sure I would," he flirted through a yawn.
Lorelai chuckled, "Ok Casanova, I think it's time to hit the hay."
"I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Bright and early."
"So, 10 o'clock?"
"At the earliest. You're keeping me up pretty late you know," she joked.
"Sorry."
"No, it was fun."
"It was fun."
A beat a quiet in the conversation was punctuated by another yawn from Luke.
"Ok, goodnight Luke."
"Goodnight."
"And hey,"
"Mm?"
"Welcome home."
Unknowingly, Luke mirrored Lorelai's smile. "Happy to be here."
Lorelai hung up and placed her cell phone on her nightstand. That might be their last phone call for a while. Despite the circumstances of Luke being so far away, she'd enjoyed their phone calls, the gradual start it gave their relationship. But she was more than happy to trade that all in for dates and kisses and having him home. Tomorrow she'd get to the diner early—well, early for her—and get a little flirting in before her jet-lagged daughter met her for breakfast. Lorelai closed her eyes, a soft smile on her face as she drifted off to sleep, willing tomorrow to come faster. And across town, in his bed, Luke did the same.
-END-