It hadn't been the first time that Lorelai found panties in the dryer that didn't belong to her.

With two fingers but without pulling a face, she took them and carried them right into the bedroom.

"Yours?" she joked, nonchalantly throwing them in front of her husband.

"Oh, yeah, I wondered already," Christopher replied, picking them up.

"I told you not to bring her here," Lorelai sighed.

"Sorry, Lor, but Naomi –"

"Still lives with her parents, I know. Which is why you usually bang her at the office." Lorelai rolled her eyes. "What would Rory say if she knew her father is fucking a woman not even five years older than her?"

"Naomi is ten years older than Rory is!" Chris retorted immediately, "which would make her twenty-nine. I dare say that is old enough to have relations with a thirty-five years old."

"Of course, keep your pants on. I'm pulling your leg." Lorelai crossed her arms. "Did you at least wash the sheets afterwards?"

"Sure I did."

"I doubt it." Lorelai sighed. "Chris … we can't go on like this. Didn't we say we'd get a divorce once Rory started living at Yale?"

"We did and I still think we should."

"But?"

"Who's gonna tell your parents?"

"I will, of course. Or we will, together."

"They'll want a good reason."

"Here's one – you're fucking your secretary!"

Chris laughed. "Sure, and why don't we just tell them about Gigi, too?"

"Ugh, good point." Lorelai shook her head. "Isn't the real reason a good enough reason? We married when we were 18, and only because we had a baby at 16. We tried the married life and for a while it was alright, but around the age of twenty-five we just realised that we were no more than friends and started seeing other people."

"That would kill them, Lor."

Lorelai clapped her hands. "Right then, let's do it tonight! I'll also tell them about Max and you can tell them about Sherry and Gigi."

"You are insane." Chris shook his head. "We can just tell them that we've fallen out of love."

"Yeah, that's probably the easiest way to do it." Lorelai sighed. "And what do we tell Rory? The truth?"

"Rory's smart, she suspects that something's up."

"Sure, but there's a difference between suspecting and actually knowing."

"Well, she knows about Gigi. And Max!"

"Good point. Again." Lorelai sat down. "Maybe … maybe my parents do deserve the whole truth. Rory definitely deserves it, so why not Richard and Emily?"

"So that's how we do it," Chris started, "next time we dine with them, we just tell everyone that we get a divorce. And if they ask why, we tell them that we've been having an open marriage for ten years."

"Ugh. They'll definitely cut me out of my will." Lorelai let out a breath; "Alright, yeah, let's do that."

"Great. But maybe we should leave out Gigi, for now."

Lorelai laughed. "That would really be the last nail in their coffin."

Lorelai leaned against the counter of the bar she had chosen today – a bar that was as far away from Hartford as possible, so there was no possibility of anyone knowing her.

Looking around, there were many men that came in question for her to take back home. Lorelai knew she was a good looking woman, and many seemed to appreciate that. She sipped on her cocktail, enjoying the looks that some men – and occasionally the one or other woman – sent her way.

She looked the best in red, Chris had told her many times before, and she knew how to use it for her advantage.

She was on a hunt and there were many men that seemed interested in her – but there was one man in particular that caught her eye tonight.

He was good looking but completely underdressed for the bar, wearing a flannel and a backwards baseball cap. Also, he was sitting at one of the tables alone, looking spaced out. He seemed melancholic or at least deep in thoughts, which made him even more interesting to Lorelai. She approached him slowly. Up close he was even more handsome, a man approaching forty, she suspected. Light stubble, absolutely handsome face and a body that her husband would probably kill for.

She smiled as she sat down.

"Hi," she started, and the man winced.

"Oh – hello."

"Sorry, but I couldn't help but notice that you're alone here. Did your date stand you up?"

"No, I – I'm actually just here to drink. I just found out my girlfriend is cheating on me." He grimaced. "Sorry. You don't care."

"I do, actually," Lorelai leaned in. "That's awful, I'm so sorry."

The man shrugged. "S'fine. That's why I'm drinking. I need courage to confront her. And possibly him. They've spent hours and hours at our place, not coming out. Her place! It's her place, not ours. I still live in Stars Hollow …"

"Oh, so you're not from Litchfield?" Lorelai asked in surprise, "So why are you drinking here?"

"No bars in Stars Hollow and she lives here," he muttered. And suddenly he stiffened, looking up at her. "Who on Earth are you and why are you talking to me?"

"Oh – sorry, I meant to introduce myself. I'm Lorelai."

"Lorelai …" he said slowly. "That's a pretty … weird name. Weird and pretty."

"Yep, I've heard that before."

"So why are you talking to me, Lorelai?"

"Because you fascinate me. You sit in a bar, drinking alone, looking like a lumberjack."

The man snorted. "Is that what gets you off? Alright, then."

"That's not what I meant. I just noticed you seemed sad and I wanted to talk to you."

"Well, now you have." The man stood up. "I gotta go, talk to Nicole."

"Stay for a moment," Lorelai said quickly, and the man sat back down again. "My husband cheats on me, too," she said. It was a lie, but she would probably never see that man again, so it didn't matter. "Has cheated on me for ten years actually, he even has a child from another woman."

"That is – wow. That's crazy. Why would he cheat on you?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I mean, I'm getting back at him. It's not like I'm here tonight to not look for a possible hookup."

"You sound toxic for each other," the man grunted. "Why don't you get a divorce?"

"It's hard to divorce if you have a child together," Lorelai sighed.

"Oh … okay, I get that. Sure, if you have a little one …"

Of course Rory was not so little anymore. But the man really needed someone he could relate to.

"I'm not saying you should get back at her by sleeping with other women," Lorelai continued, "but you could consider just breaking up before it's too late. I'm talking before you're married, or –"

"We are married," the man interrupted her, and Lorelai stared at him.

"What?"

"Yeah. Went on a cruise, got drunk, had a horrible time, got married. We wanted to get a divorce but then we didn't and well, here we are."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Lorelai whispered.

"It's fine. I mean, you're right, I should definitely break up. Get a divorce. I don't live with her anyway." He stood up again. "Thanks for listening to me, beautiful stranger."

Lorelai felt heat rise in her cheeks and she smiled at him. "Good luck … what's your name anyway?"

"Luke," the man replied. "That was really nice."

"I think so too," Lorelai said, still smiling at him. "Well, then – good luck. Luke."

Luke gave her a smile and for some reason, it did something with her. It made her stomach tingle and her heart race so fast, it almost hurt.

"Lorelai," he said lowly before he left.

Lorelai stared after him.

Luke …

"So … you didn't fuck anyone?"

"I couldn't. Not after I met this man." Lorelai let herself fall back on the bed, letting out a long sigh. "Chris … that encounter was different. Do you believe at love in first sight?"

"Well, it has happened to me, kind of. With you."

"Yes, but you were fifteen. I think your dick probably told you that you were in love."

"Ha ha."

"Sorry. I know I'm not like that usually, and it's just weird that I had to leave after that. I just couldn't do it with anyone after talking to Luke."

"You should have taken him home, Lor."

"He was really drunk. And heartbroken. Also, it really didn't feel right." Lorelai closed her eyes. "I felt it was wrong. I couldn't even flirt with him – it was like the universe told me that this man was supposed to be more than a hookup."

"Ah – but how are you going to find him, then?"

"I know his name and the town he lives in. I'm going there tomorrow, right after work."

"You're crazy, Lor. You're really crazy."

Lorelai smiled at her husband. "You still married me."

He grinned back at her. "Well, I didn't really have a choice, did I?"

Lorelai laughed. "Touché."