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Standing outside in the light rain, Lorelai began to curse herself and her stupidity. Of course a simple favor would never just be a simple favor when it came to her mother. There was always a litany of her failings to hear, some new way she wasn't measuring up, another hurdle she needed to jump in order to defend her life. She chose this life, and she was damn happy with it. Entering that Chilton deal with her parents had become more of a sacrifice than she had intended. Living apart from her parents, only seeing them on holidays, had been like a dream come true. It had been freedom from the chains of control and expectations she could never fulfill.
It was that exact sense of freedom that had made encouraging Rory's dreams come so naturally. But that in turn had led her here, to this horrible night. A glance at her watch showed that it was still early. Looking around, she noticed a night club across the street. Making a quick decision, she left her wrap behind on a bench and ripped the hem of her gown, cutting a nice slit in the left side. It was still a little overdressed for dancing, but she needed to have some fun, and by god, she was going to have it.
My mother says when you gonna live your life right
Oh mother dear we're not the fortunate ones
Lorelai was a happy drunk when she stumbled out of the club hours later. She knew she should probably find a cab, but Rory was safe at Lane's house for the night and there was no rush to get home. The rain had stopped and the city looked beautiful with the street lamps and moonlight shining in the rain puddles. She began to meander along the street, looking for a place that was still open to get a cup of coffee when she heard someone call her name.
"Lorelai?" the voice called incredulously. She turned, seeing Luke Danes standing in the middle of the sidewalk, looking like an apparition in the moonlit street. She beamed, walking over to him. He took in her unsteady gait and her unkempt hair. "Are you okay?" he asked.
She stumbled slightly, and giggled. "I was just looking for some coffee before I call a cab," she said. He reached out to steady her.
"Have you been drinking?"
"Hey, girls just wanna have fun," she said, her hands pressed against his chest. She began to absently play with the collar of his shirt. He moved her hands down, his jaw tensing at her touch.
"I'll drive you home," he said brusquely, turning around and steering her along with him.
"But what about my coffee?" she pouted, leaning into his side as they walked toward his truck, parallel parked only a few feet away.
"I'll make you some at your house. Now come on." He helped her into the truck, then shut the door and walked to the other side.
"So what were you doing in this neighborhood late at night?" she asked, as he put the truck in drive and eased it back onto the city streets.
"Meeting some buddies for a drink at a restaurant not far from here," he replied, his eyes on the road. "What about you? You look dressed up."
"So you didn't have a date?" she asked, smiling. He glanced at her briefly, and noticed that her smile wasn't genuine.
"No date," he answered gruffly. "You are avoiding the question."
She huffed, and slumped into her seat. "If you must know, it was another humiliation of Lorelai Gilmore at the hands of her mother. This evening's performance had quite the audience."
"You okay?" he asked, glancing over again, taking in her sullen expression. The gleefulness that she had been exuding earlier had all but disappeared.
"No," she said, then sighed. "I guess it's my own stupid fault. I should have expected it, I should have been prepared. I let my guard down and she pounced. But if I call her on it, she'll find a way to turn it all back on me. I'm the ungrateful daughter who resisted a perfectly fine blind date at an exclusive charity event that all the right people would have gladly gone to if given the chance."
"Blind date?" Luke tried to keep his voice neutral, but he felt a pit in his stomach.
"Yeah, Thomas Rutherford the Third or some other stuffy suit. She just doesn't get it, you know?"
"Get what?"
"That I don't want that." Lorelai waved her hands in the air. "All the prim and proper and high society garbage. I ran away from that for a reason."
"So why did you even agree to go to this thing?"
"Quid pro quo, my friend. I roped her into the Booster Club fashion show and this was my penance." Lorelai turned to face the window, and the rest of the ride to Stars Hollow was in silence.
The phone rings in the middle of the night
My father yells what you gonna do with your life
When they arrived at the house, Luke kept his promise and started a pot of coffee. Lorelai ran upstairs to change into some sweatpants and a tee shirt. She was on her way back down the stairs when she heard the phone ringing. She paused at the foot of the staircase, listening for the machine to pick up.
"Lorelai, it's your father. I hope you know that your mother and I are very disappointed with you. Running off in the middle of an event like that? Your mother had to make excuses to everyone over why your chair was empty. And Thomas was extremely upset. His mother is an important member of the DAR and now your mother has to explain to all her friends about your abhorrent behavior -"
She clicked off the answering machine and slumped against the wall. Luke poked his head out of the kitchen with a steaming mug. She accepted it glumly.
"Sorry," he said, gesturing toward the phone.
She shrugged. "I kind of expect it now." She sipped her coffee and Luke stood next to her. His brow was furrowed in thought, but Lorelai was preoccupied by the message her father had left.
"Was the guy so bad you couldn't stick out the evening?" Luke blurted, jarring her from her thoughts.
"Yes," Lorelai answered immediately. "He was going on and on about how he thought I would be a beautiful wife and that I'd never have to work again and could just manage our lovely brood of precocious children and maybe run a charity or join the DAR or something."
Luke hesitated before replying. "So that doesn't sound appealing to you?"
"What? Being a kept woman?"
He laughed. "No! Being married."
"Oh, well. You know, I would like to get married someday. To the right person," she said, echoing a previous conversation they had had in her front yard.
"Yeah, the right person."
"Which Max wasn't."
"Right." They stared at each other. "So, I should go," he said, jerking a thumb toward the door.
"Yeah, okay," she said. "Thanks for the ride. And the coffee."
"Yeah." He walked toward the door and paused just as his hand covered the knob. "That guy? If he knew how amazing you really are, he wouldn't have expected so little from you." Lorelai gaped at him, her lips parted slightly, suddenly unable to speak. Luke nodded curtly, then disappeared through the door.
Some boys take a beautiful girl
And hide her away from the rest of the world
I want to be the one to walk in the sun
The next day, Lorelai was standing in the kitchen at the Independence Inn, staring into space.
"Honey?" asked Sookie, sidling up beside her. "Are you okay?"
"Confused, actually," she said. She turned and looked at Sookie. "Something happened with Luke last night."
Sookie's eyes widened and she gasped. "Finally! You finally did it!"
"Did ... it?" Lorelai looked at her friend, puzzled. "Did what?"
"Sex! You finally slept together! Oh god, this is so fantastic! I wonder who won the pool!"
"Wait, what? Back up there, cowgirl. What pool?"
Sookie flushed a little in embarrassment. "The town has had a pool going for a couple of years to when you and Luke would finally get together. My date passed a few months ago, but I've always been overly optimistic."
"Oh my god," Lorelai muttered, falling onto a nearby chair.
"So how was it?" Sookie asked excitedly.
"There was no sex, Sookie," Lorelai replied, rolling her eyes.
"So, a kiss then?"
"No, nothing even remotely close to that."
"Oh." Sookie looked deflated. "Then what happened?"
Lorelai explained the events of the evening, concluding with what Luke's parting words had been. "Now, with this whole pool thing that I'm now aware of, I'm just even more confused. Do you think he really has feelings for me?"
Sookie slapped her hand against her forehead. "Are you seriously still asking me this? Are we in junior high? Go ask him yourself. I promise you, the torch he has been carrying has only gotten bigger. It's giving the Hindenburg a run for its money."
When the working day is done
At the end of the day, Lorelai walked slowly from the Inn toward the middle of town. She still felt confused, but also excited. Memories of Luke flashed through her mind with each step. Driving her to the hospital to see her dad, carving her a chuppah, helping her find a missing chick - the list went on and on of all the ways that he had stepped in to help her. It occurred to her that he didn't extend the same neighborliness to other Stars Hollow residents. Her steps quickened as she made her way to the diner. She walked in and stopped in front of the counter, where he was doing some paperwork.
"Luke," she breathed. His head snapped up, and he looked at her curiously. "You think I'm amazing?" she asked quietly.
"You know you are," he replied, his voice hoarse and low. They stared at each other a moment, the other people in the diner fading away.
"Do you want to be with me?" she asked, her voice still low.
"Yes," he whispered, his hands gripping the counter in front of him.
"When do you close?"
"Right now," he said, then turning to the diner, he yelled "Kitchen's closed, everything's on the house, get out!"
Lorelai felt a shiver of excitement as he rushed everyone out the door. After he flipped the sign to closed, he turned to face her.
"So," she started, not sure what to do.
"So," he repeated. He took a step closer, and stopped. He looked hesitant.
Oh girls just want to have fun
Suddenly, they crashed together, her hands grasping the sides of his head and his arms wrapped around her waist. They kissed passionately, stumbling backwards with the sheer momentum caused by their collision.
"Upstairs," Luke muttered, between kisses.
"Too far," Lorelai said, panting as she ran her hands into his hair, knocking his cap to the floor.
"Can't in the diner. Windows. Health codes."
"Store room?"
They barely paused long enough to make their way into the store room, leaving a trail of clothing on the floor behind them. As they connected, skin against skin and breathing hard, Lorelai smiled slightly to herself. Now this, this was going to be fun.