The bell rang as Lorelai entered the diner. Dropping Rory off at the airport had taken a toll on her mood. It had been an emotional experience to drop her daughter off at Yale only four short years ago, but this time it felt different. Rory was embarking on her journey as a journalist, starting her career by covering the Obama was no telling how long mother and daughter would be apart. The thought brought moisture to Lorelai's eyes as she found her place at the counter. Always the strong one, she blinked away her tears. That didn't stop Luke from noticing. Luke who knew her better than anyone. Her Luke. Her diner owner with a deceptively tough exterior. His demeanor might trick those who didn't know him well, but she knew how truly kind and caring he was beneath the surface.
"Hey," Luke greeted her softly.
"Hey," she answered.
Their eyes met, and a flood of emotions ran through them. Lorelai's eyes drifted to Luke's lips reminiscing on the kiss they had shared the night before. The kiss that had brought them back together. The kiss that was the first step on the road to what she hoped would be forever this time.
"Coffee?" Luke asked reflexively.
"Do you even have to ask?" She replied playfully.
He smiled at her in response. This was familiar. This felt right.
He turned briefly to retrieve the coffee pot and filled her cup, placing his hand on hers and giving it a gentle squeeze. Lorelai smiled up at him gratefully and then took a sip of her coffee.
"Thank you, Luke," she said, her words filled with layers of emotion. This. Them. The coffee. The diner. It was new, and yet, it was not. The hurt still lingered from their time apart and the mistakes they had made, but a feeling of contentedness prevailed. This is where I am meant to be. This is where I always should have been. Lorelai thought, as she gazed at Luke from behind her mug.
"Anytime," he said with just as much hidden feeling. "You hungry? I'll get you a slice of pie."
"Coffee and pie. How did I get so lucky?" she quipped while batting her eyes at him, attempting to imitate her usually chipper persona.
Luke served the pie, then began tending to the other customers in the diner. After making the rounds, he returned to his spot in front of Lorelai.
"What do you have planned for the rest of the day?" he asked her.
"After I'm done here, I'm heading to the inn. I have some work to get done this afternoon. After that, I'm heading home. We woke up extra early today so I'm gonna take it easy. Watch some movies. Eat some junk food. The usual."
"Mind if I stop by after I close up?" Luke asked not wanting to make any assumptions about the parameters of their current relationship status.
"You better," she responded, smiling wider than she had since returning from dropping off Rory. There was work to do on their relationship, but Lorelai knew above all else that she wanted Luke with her.
Lorelai took one last bite of her pie, drained the rest of her coffee, and then gathered her belongings.
"See you tonight," she told Luke, as she stood to leave.
"See you tonight," he repeated, his eyes following her as she left. He couldn't help watching her. Even before they were together, he often had to force himself to avert his gaze. There was no denying her beauty. Letting out a sigh, Luke focused his attention on clearing the plate and wiping the counter. It's best to keep busy. Time is going to drag until closing.
The kitchen of the Dragonfly was a flurry of activity. The kitchen crew fluttered about as they worked hard to prepare the meticulously crafted food. Staff members completed tasks, bringing plates in and out of the kitchen. Sookie St. James moved around the kitchen with ease. She was the conductor of the performance. The captain of the ship. The one who was renowned for producing delectable delicacies of fine cuisine. Just as she stopped to taste a dish, she noticed her friend and business partner enter the kitchen.
"Lorelai!" Sookie called excitedly, throwing her hands in the air.
"Sookie!" Lorelai called back mimicking her friend's enthusiasm.
"Did everything go alright with dropping off Rory?" Sookie asked. "I wasn't sure if you would be in today."
"It was okay. I'm going to miss that kid, but what can you do? They gotta learn to flap their wings and fly eventually," Lorelai explained.
Sookie nodded at her friend as she walked briskly around the kitchen adding herbs, spices, and all manner of other flavors to the dishes being assembled. She stirred a pot on the stove then turned back to Lorelai.
"Sooooo…." she started. "Is there anything new going on? I heard you were at the diner bright and early this morning," she continued conspiratorially, raising her eyebrows repeatedly as she spoke.
"Luke and I kissed last night," Lorelai confided. Smiling to herself at the memory of the night before. Kissing Luke felt like coming home, and the thought of it filled her stomach with butterflies and caused her heart to do a little flip in her chest.
"You did! That's great! You two are meant to be together! Nothing can keep you apart. It's just like that segment I saw on TV where the couple broke up, but fate brought them back together! When is the wedding?" Sookie let out quickly.
"Sookie, calm down. I don't know what the kiss means. Luke and I haven't had time to talk between the party and Rory leaving," Lorelai said trying to reel her friend in. "There is no wedding."
"But you will talk and then you will get back together," Sookie told her confidently. "After you talk, there will be a wedding."
"A lot happened. We have a lot to work out. We hurt each other, and it might not be as easy as just getting back together and getting married."
"Lorelai, Luke loves you more than anything, and you love him. He won't let you slip through his fingers again."
"Thanks, Sookie. I hope you're right. I have some paperwork to do, and then I'm going to head home for the day. We got up way too early this morning."
"Ooookay. Call me if you need anything and you must tell me how the make up sex is," Sookie told her before returning to her work.
Lorelai appreciated her friend's interest even if Sookie was jumping ahead about 50 steps. The conversation reminded her of another conversation that they had had after the test run at the inn. Sookie was one of their biggest cheerleaders. After all, being with Luke meant Lorelai would get to the morgue before she smelled.