TITLE: "Choices of the Heart"
AUTHOR: Gemini0123@aol.com
SPOILERS: "Love, Daisies, and Troubadours"
SUMMARY: Lorelai POV, focusing on Lorelai/Max/Luke, in the days and weeks 
immediately following the finale.
DISTRIBUTION: Anyone, but please tell me first.
DISCLAIMER: "Gilmore Girls" and its characters are owned by Amy 
Sherman-Palladino and the WB.
****
I looked up and saw her down the street walking towards me.  We smiled at 
each other and then started running towards each other.  I couldn't wait to 
tell her my news.  As soon as I reached her, I could tell that she had some 
great news too.  

"You first!" we said at the same time.

"Me first!" Rory said. "Dean and I got back together, and I told him that I 
love him!"  

I gasped. "Oh my gosh!" I gave Rory a hug.  "That's awesome. I'm so proud of 
you."  I gave her another hug and she said, "What's your news?"

I smiled. "Max asked me to marry him!"

Rory smiled and her eyes widened. "Oh my god!  What did you say?"

"Nothing yet!" I laughed excitedly.

She gave me a hug.  "Oh my God Mom, that's so great!" We started laughing and 
jumping up and down in the middle of the street.  As soon as we stopped, Rory 
said, "So are you gonna say yes?"

I smiled and shrugged.  "I'm thinking about it."

Rory smiled and gave me a hug.  "Wow, Mom, I can't believe it.  Wow.  So, 
what do you want to do now?"

"Well, I want you to tell me exactly what happened today with Dean."

She smiled. "Okay!"

We started walking home as Rory told me what happened at school.  She 
explained about Tristan and how he tricked Paris and her friends into hating 
her again, but that she doesn't really care because she's back with Dean and 
is too excited to think about anything else.  

"Rory, I haven't seen you this happy in a very long time.  I'm so happy for 
you. 'I love you, you idiot.' That's a quote for the ages."  I laughed.  She 
smiled.  We had reached our house, but instead of going in we sat on the 
front porch and continued to talk.  

Rory said, "So tell me about your day, tell me exactly what happened!"  

I told her about everything that had happened the day before, how Max 
proposed but it wasn't for the right reasons, and then I told her about the 
beautiful daisies that covered the Inn's lobby. 

"Oh my god!  One thousand daisies??" Rory was shocked.  

I nodded.  "Yeah, the guests weren't too happy about it, so we had to move 
them out onto the front lawn.  But they are so beautiful."  I smiled.

Rory smiled and said, "You really love him, don't you?"

I nodded and said, "Yeah."

"So isn't he expecting an answer soon?"

"Well, he told me to think long and hard about it, so I am."  We sat for a 
few more minutes outside under the nighttime sky. When we started getting 
attacked by mosquitoes, we finally walked in the house. 

"Luke still hasn't picked up Bert?" Rory asked, walking by it into the 
kitchen. 

"Well, he came over to get it, but I guess he forgot it. . . ." My voice 
trailed off. I stood there staring at Bert, remembering the night before when 
Luke and Max were bantering with each other in the hallway.   'Why did they 
do that?' I said to myself.  'Well, obviously, Max did it because he was 
jealous of Luke. . . but why did Luke do it?  Was he. . . jealous of Max? Why 
would Luke be jealous of Max?'

I slid off my purse and hung it up.  Then I walked into the kitchen and sat 
down at the table.  Rory came out of her room, now comfortably dressed in a 
T-shirt and jeans.  She smiled at me, and I noticed she had a certain glow 
about her.  I watched her walk to the fridge and pull out the iced tea.  She 
saw me staring and said, "What?"

I smiled. "Nothing. You just look so happy." 

Rory smiled back. "I am."  She poured herself a glass of iced tea and sat 
across from me. She looked at me for a second, then asked, "Mom, are you 
okay? You don't seem so happy anymore."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, before you were really giddy and happy, but now you seem like, I don't 
know, less happy.  Have you been thinking about the proposal?"

I sighed. "A little bit.  I'm still really happy and excited, but I don't 
know if I want to get married."

Rory sat down at the table and said, "Do you wanna talk about it?"

I shrugged.  "Well, here's the thing.  I love Max.  I do.  He's great, and 
sweet, and smart, and cute, and, also, not something I'm judging him on, but 
on the plus side, is that he apparently has a high credit card limit because 
1000 daisies is not something you pick up at 7-11 on the way home from work."

Rory smiled. "Okay, so he's nice, smart and rich. Got it."

I laughed. "I don't know.  I just. . .well, what do you think about him?"

"What do I think? I think he's a great teacher and a nice guy, and I think he 
makes you very happy, and that's all that matters to me."

I smiled. "Thank you.  I just . .well, I have to give this a lot of thought 
before I decide anything."

Rory nodded.  "So, did you eat? Wanna order pizza?"

"Okay. You order it while I go change." I stood up and headed towards the 
steps.  
-*-

The next day was spent in a daze. I did a lot of thinking. As I explained to 
Sookie why there were daisies all over the lawn, I thought.  And as I 
explained to her that I haven't decided anything, I thought.  As I waited at 
the bus stop for Rory to get home from school, I thought.  And all the 
thinking led me to one conclusion: too much thinking makes my head hurt.

As Rory stepped off the bus, I greeted her with a hug.  "Hey!" she said. 
"You're out of work early."

"Yeah.  I finished up early.  I thought we could go to Luke's for a bit."

"Okay, but I have to meet Dean at 4." She said, checking her watch.

I smiled and said, "Ooooh.  Okay, well, we'll have to drink out coffee fast."

We walked to Luke's and sat down at a table.  A few moments later Luke 
emerged from the kitchen carrying 2 plates.  He delivered them to the table 
next to us, then came over to our table. 

"What can I get you?" he asked, without looking at us.

"Two coffees please." I replied.  I waited for a lecture, but he said 
nothing.  I shrugged as he walked away. 

Rory said, "He seems more grumpy than usual today."

I nodded.  "Yeah, I got that impression too."

He returned a few seconds later with the coffee.  He placed the cups and the 
check on the table and walked away without saying anything.  Rory said, "Wow. 
He looks really sad."

"Yeah. Maybe this whole Rachel thing has finally hit him.  Poor guy." I gave 
a sympathetic glance towards him before taking a sip of coffee. 

Rory nodded.  We sat there, drinking and talking for about 20 minutes before 
Rory stood up to go meet Dean.  "So, what time are we leaving tonight? 6:30?"

I stared at her with a questioning look.

Rory smiled. "Tonight's Friday, Mom. Did you forget?"

I slapped my forehead.  "Oh shoot!  I did forget.  Dinner.  Right.  Yeah, 
6:30."

"Okay, I'll be home by then.  Bye!" She gave me a kiss goodbye and headed out 
to meet Dean.

I glanced over to the counter at Luke, who seemed oblivious to the fact that 
I was patiently awaiting a refill.  I stood up and walked over to the 
counter.  He was staring at his order pad, so I placed my empty mug in front 
of him and cleared my throat.  He looked up at me, then looked at the mug, 
and turned around to get the pot.  He poured the coffee, put the pot down and 
continued staring at his pad.  I stared at him, concerned.  

"Luke? You wanna talk about something? You don't seem too happy."

He looked up at me.  "No, I'm fine."

"You sure?" I placed my hand on his arm. "I'm here if you wanna talk."

He pulled his arm away. "I said I'm fine." He grabbed his pad and walked into 
the kitchen.  I stood there, a bit surprised, wondering why he seemed so 
upset.  I walked back to my seat and sat down.  

Despite the pounding migraine I had developed, I started to think some more 
about Max.  I had called him earlier in the day and told him that I was still 
thinking about the proposal.  I thought he would be upset that I was thinking 
about it so much, but he didn't seem surprised at all.  He encouraged me to 
take my time and think about if for as long as I needed.  I finished up my 
coffee as I sat and thought.  
-*-

Later that evening, Rory and I pulled up to my parents' house and walked to 
the front door. Rory reached for the doorbell, but I said, "Wait."

She looked at me and said, "What?"

I sighed. "Well, I thought about a lot it in the car, and I decided that I 
don't want them to. .  . .well, just don't mention the proposal okay?"

Rory nodded. "Sure, okay. . . . Ready now?"

I nodded.  Rory rang the doorbell. My mother answered it a few seconds later, 
and we walked into the living room.  While I fixed myself a drink, my mother 
told us that my dad was in Germany again. I sat down next to Rory, and after 
listening to my mother and Rory discuss her schoolwork for a few minutes, I 
said, "So Rory has some big news Mom."

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? What kind of big news?"

I looked at Rory and smiled.  She smiled back, but then I noticed that she 
was blushing. I whispered, "Do you want me to tell her?" She nodded.

"So, Mom, Rory and her boyfriend Dean just got back together yesterday."

My mom smiled. "Why, that's wonderful Rory. Congratulations."

Rory smiled shyly. I patted her on the back. I thought this would encourage 
her to talk about him, but she didn't say anything. My mother, however, 
didn't let the silence last long.  "So Lorelai, what about you.  Are you 
seeing anybody these days?" 

I stole a quick glance towards Rory, who was staring right back at me with a 
sympathetic look. I cleared my throat. "Well, actually, yes, I'm dating 
someone. It's no big deal. So, um, Rory's boyfriend is 6'2". Can you believe 
that Mom?"

She ignored my subtle change of topic. "Really? How long have you been seeing 
him?"

Rory, looking uncomfortable, stood up and walked over to the mantle and 
looked at the porcelain figures on it.  I took a sip of my drink and said, 
"Well, mom, I've been seeing him off and on for a few months."

My mother's eyes widened.  "Really? You've never mentioned him before." 

I shrugged. "So?"

"So. . .who is he?"

I sighed. "Uh, mom, I don't really want to talk about it."

"Well, why not? I would think that. . ."

"Uh, Grandma, is dinner ready yet?" Rory interrupted. I shot her a thankful 
glance. 

"Yeah, I'm starved. Let's go see if dinner's ready yet." I stood up and 
started towards the dining room. Rory followed my lead.

My mother, not used to being ignored, followed us to the table and continued 
with the questioning. "Lorelai, why do you constantly try to keep me out of 
your life? You say that I never try to get to know you, but when I do try, 
you shut me out. I just want to know about your boyfriend. Is that so 
terrible?"

Rory and I sat down at the table. My mother stood next to her chair staring 
at me with a somewhat hurt look.  I sighed. "No, mom, that's not terrible. 
It's nice.  I just don't want to talk about it right now.  Maybe later. Okay?"

She gave a slight smile and sat down. Oh god, I shouldn't have said that. Now 
she thinks I'm gonna talk about it later.  Oh geez.  'Eat fast and leave. Eat 
fast and leave.' I told myself over and over.

During dinner, the conversation between my mother, Rory and I was rather 
light and not very exciting; the highlight was the in-depth discussion about 
the abnormally cool weather we'd been having lately. 

After dessert, I forced a yawn.  "Man, I'm tired. We'd better get going Rory. 
I might fall asleep at the wheel."  

Rory nodded. "Thanks for dinner Grandma. It was great." She stood up and 
walked towards the front door.  My mother said, "Good night Rory." 

I started to get up from my seat, surprised about how easy this getaway was, 
when my mother said quietly, "So Lorelai, why don't you tell me a little 
about your boyfriend before you go?"

I shut my eyes briefly and exhaled loudly. I sat back down in my chair.  I 
looked toward the hallway, where Rory was waiting for me. I said, "Rory, my 
keys are in my purse. Go start the car. I'll be right out."

"Okay." Rory walked away, and a few seconds later I heard the front door open 
and close. I put my elbows on the table, rested my chin on my hands and 
stared at my mother.  "Okay, mom, don't get used to me saying this, but what 
would you like to know?"

She smiled. "Well, who is he? Is it the ice man?"

"Excuse me?" I said, confused.

"The man who brought ice to Rory's birthday party? Is it him?"

I rolled my eyes. "Luke? No, mom. It's not Luke."

"Oh. Well, what does he do?"

I paused. "Um, well, he's a . . . . teacher."

She raised her eyebrows. "A teacher? Hmm. Where did you meet. . ." She 
stopped mid sentence. "Lorelai, please don't tell me this is the same teacher 
you kissed at Rory's school."

I shut my eyes and put my hands over my face. God, why does she have to 
remember every little thing? "Why, yes Mom, actually, it is." I opened my 
eyes to see her reaction. It wasn't a positive one.  She sighed and shook her 
head. "Lorelai, I just don't . . ." She stopped. "Never mind. It's your life."

Somewhat surprised that she stopped herself, I said, "Yes, mom. It is my 
life. Now, Rory's waiting for me, so if you'll excuse me." I stood up and 
walked to the door.  She followed me and held it open. "See you next week 
Mom."  "Goodbye Lorelai," she replied.  I walked out and she closed the door 
behind me.  

I walked to the jeep and opened the door. Rory was listening to the radio. 
She lowered the volume, and said, "So, what happened?"

I climbed in and said, "Well, I didn't mention the proposal, but she looked 
none too happy with the fact that my boyfriend is the same guy I made out 
with in your school."

Rory said, "Oh." She paused. "Well, I think it's good that it's the same guy. 
I mean, you've been with the same man for a long time. Well, off and on, but 
still, with the same guy. It shows commitment."

I smiled. "Yeah. I guess you're right. We're committed.  Although we were 
both with other people during the off-time, but still. . .it didn't mean 
anything."

"What?" Rory asked.

"What?" I said.

"What do you mean you were with other people during the off time?" she asked. 
"You both dated other people?
 
I nodded. "Yeah. Never mind. It's no big deal. We discussed it already."

"But I don't remember you going out with anybody else.  Who did you . . ?" 
She paused for a few seconds. "Oh, do you mean Dad?"  I nodded.  "Oh." She 
sat quietly. I pulled out of the driveway and drove us home.  

-*-

The next morning, Rory went over to Dean's house. She was a little nervous 
about meeting his parents, but I helped her get ready and was able to 
convince her that they would love her. I sometimes feel bad that her shyness 
permits her from having a lot of confidence in herself, but luckily she's 
starting to become more outgoing. 

While Rory was over Dean's, I sat on the couch and did some more thinking.  
So many questions went through my mind:  'Am I ready to make Max a permanent 
part of our life?' 'How would this affect Rory?' 'How would this affect Max's 
career?' 'Where would we live?' I thought about these questions, and many 
others, for hours. Then I finally made a decision. I checked the clock.  Wow. 
It was 3 p.m. already. Rory had been gone for a very long time.  

I stood up and walked to the phone to page her.  A few minutes later the 
phone rang. I picked it up. "Rory?"

"Yeah, Mom, it's me. I'm at the mall with Dean and his family. Sorry I forgot 
to call."

"Dean's family?"

"Yeah, they are so nice Mom. I can't wait for you to meet them. I'll be home 
by 5."

"Okay, see you then. Bye."

"Bye!" I hung up the phone. Then I picked it up and dialed a number. A voice 
on the other end said, "Hello?"

"Max?" I said, "I made a decision."
-*-

Two weeks later

On Friday afternoon, I pulled open the door to Luke's Diner and went inside, 
looking around for Rory.  I walked over to the table, smiling. I sat down.

"Why so happy?" she asked, with a curious smile.

"Um, no reason." I said, subtly waving my hand in front of myself.

Rory screamed and grabbed my hand, staring at the diamond engagement ring now 
resting comfortably on my left ring finger. "Oh my God! Mom, it's beautiful! 
When did you get that?"

I laughed. "Just now. He just gave it to me. Isn't it gorgeous?!"

"Yes!  I love it! Wow. I can't believe it. Now it's like you're officially 
engaged!" 

"I know! I just keep staring at it.  I almost crashed like 5 times on the way 
here because I kept trying to stare at it while I was driving.  Let me tell 
you, that's not a smart idea."

Rory laughed. She stared at it for a few more seconds before I finally said, 
"Okay, can I have my hand back please?"  She smiled and let go. 

"So, did you have a nice lunch?" Rory asked.

"Yeah, it was great. First we ate salad and lasagna, and then we had 
cheesecake for dessert. I'm telling you, I don't think I can eat for the enxt 
few days."

She smiled. "So when did he give you the ring?"

"Oh my God. It was so sweet. After the cheesecake, I sat on the couch and he 
put on some music. Then he walked over to me, and instead of sitting down, he 
got down on one knee, and took the ring out of his pocket, and officially 
proposed."

Rory gasped. "You're kidding!"

"Nope. It was so great." My cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling, but I 
just couldn't seem to stop.

Rory laughed. "Wow, that's three proposals from the same guy in one month."  

I nodded.

Rory smiled. "Wow, Mom, you are totally beaming." 

"Ah! I can't help it! I'm too excited. What time is it?"

Rory checked her watch. "It's quarter to 4."

"Okay, well, let's get coffee to go. I have some things to do at home."

"Okay."

We stood up and walked over to the counter to order our coffees to go. Luke 
was at the counter, staring at us as we walked towards him.

"What can I get you?" he asked. "As if I don't know."

"Two coffees to go please." Rory said.  

Luke rolled his eyes. He walked to the coffee machine, and returned a few 
seconds later with 2 cups.  I handed him some money and said, "Keep the 
change." He smiled and said, "Thanks."  I smiled and said, "Bye Luke."

Rory and I walked outside and started towards home. Rory said, "I'm glad 
Luke's feeling better. Remember when he was really grumpy for that whole 
week?"

I took a sip of coffee. "Yeah. How could I forget, it was just last week."

Rory paused. "So do you think he knows about you and Max?"

I shrugged. "Well, since Miss Patty knew two weeks ago, I'm guessing everyone 
in town knows."

Rory asked, "But he hasn't said anything about it to you?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

"Weird.  Maybe he doesn't know."

I shrugged. "He probably does.  I just. . .well, I just don't think he likes 
Max. So, I don't know. . . ." I shrugged.  Rory and I walked home.

-*-
Later that night, we went over to my parents' house for our weekly dinner. 
Surprisingly, my dad answered the door. "Lorelai, Rory, hello. How are you?"

Rory and I walked into the foyer. "Wow, Dad.  We're fine. Where's Mom?"

"Oh, she's on the phone, so she asked me to get the door. Can you believe 
that? She employs 35 people, but asks me to get the door. Hmph." Rory and I 
glanced at each other and smiled. He led us into the living room, where he 
sat on the couch, and Rory and I sat on the couch across from him. A few 
seconds later, Mom walked into the living room.

"Hello girls." My mom said cheerfully.

"Hi Mom."

"Hi Grandma."

"Well, I think dinner is just about ready. Why don't we go sit at the table?" 
Mom walked into the dining room, and we all followed her. We sat down and Mom 
asked, "Do you girls want something to drink?"

"Coke please." Rory said.

"Same." I replied.

Dad asked. "Oh, would you like me to get them too, since you seem to think I 
am another servant you employ?" 

Mom said, "Richard, answering the door is not some great act of servitude of 
which you should be awarded for doing. If I had known it would be so 
difficult a task for you to complete, I wouldn't have asked you.  Now I know 
for next time.  Excuse me, I will get your drinks." As Rory and I glanced at 
each other smiling, Mom walked into the kitchen. She returned a minute later 
with the drinks, followed a few seconds later by the maid with our dinner 
plates. She served us and we started eating. 

A few minutes later, during a lull in the dinner conversation, my mother 
said, "Lorelai, what's that?"

I finished chewing my food, and said, "What's what?"

"That ring. Is that new?"

I looked slowly down at my hand. Shit. I had meant to take it off.  I was so 
not ready to tell my parents about the engagement yet. I wanted Max to be 
with me when I told them. "Uh, this? Um, it's just a new ring I got."

"Well, it certainly is gorgeous. Is it a real diamond?"

"Um, yeah it is."

"Goodness. That must have cost a fortune, a diamond that big." My mom picked 
up her drink and took a sip.

"Well, Mom, actually. . ." I looked at Rory, who was just staring at me. I 
glanced at my Dad, who was still eating, not paying much attention. I sighed. 
"Actually Mom, it's an engagement ring.  I'm getting married."  Almost 
simultaneously, my parents started choking. My dad on his food, my mom on her 
drink. They both started coughing and they both picked up their napkins and 
put them over their mouths.

"Grandma, grandpa, are you okay?" Rory asked.

"Fine, thank you." Dad replied. "What did you say Lorelai?"

"Yes, what did you say?" my mom asked.

I looked at Rory, whose encouraging smile made me feel better about the 
unplanned announcement. I smiled.  "Mom, Dad, I'm getting married."

My parents looked at each other, as if asking each other silently, 'Did she 
say what we think she said?'

"To who?" my mother asked. "The teacher?"

"Yes. To Max." I smiled. "He's a wonderful man. You're both going to love 
him."

"Yeah, Max is great." Rory added. I gave her an appreciative smile.

My mom, who seemed surprised, yet sincere, said, "Well, I didn't realize you 
two were that serious." She smiled. "Lorelai, that's wonderful. 
Congratulations."

"Yes, congratulations. That's terrific news." Dad said. "We should 
celebrate." Dad stood up and walked away.  He returned a few minutes later 
with a bottle of champagne and some glasses.

While Dad poured champagne for us, I stared at Rory. My mother was asking her 
about Max, and she looked genuinely happy. And I knew it wasn't only just 
because she was with Dean.  She had told me that she was happy I had said yes 
to Max, and now I could truly see it in her face. It was then, sitting at the 
table, staring at my beautiful daughter, that I became one hundred percent 
certain that I had made the right decision. 

*End of part 1*


The next day (Saturday)

Rory and I were sprawled across the couch watching television and 
eating cookies, when she suddenly picked up the remote and turned it 
off.  She stood up. "I'm bored."

I gasped. "Um, excuse me? Don't you want to see what happens when he 
tries to catch the crocodile? "

"Mom, come on. Let's go out and do something. We should not spend a 
beautiful Saturday watching the "Crocodile Hunter" marathon. Let's go 
outside. Ooh! Let's go jogging."

I stared at Rory with wide eyes. "Oh my God. Have you ever seen me do 
anything involving physical exertion ever in my life?"

"No."

"Case closed. No jogging." I stuffed another cookie in my mouth. 

"Well, how about a brisk walk?"

"How about we sit here and eat cookies?"

"Come on. Please. You want to look nice in your wedding dress, don't 
you?  Don't you want to get in shape for the wedding?"

"Nope."

"Well, how about the wedding night?"

I gasped. "Rory!"

She laughed. "Sorry. Come on. A slow walk?"

I sighed. "Fine. A slow walk."

"Great! Let's go."

I sluggishly stood up and started to follow her out the door. Then I 
turned around and grabbed the package of cookies. "You can come too."

Thirty minutes later, Rory and I were sitting in the park under a 
tree. We were watching people in the park, making up names and 
occupations for them. I reached into the bag and pulled out the last 
cookie. I offered it to Rory. "Last one. Want it?" She accepted it, 
took a bite, and handed it back. "Thank you."

I finished it up, and stood up to go throw the bag away in the nearby 
trash can.  "How about we wash those cookies down with some coffee?"

"Good plan." Rory stood up, and we started walking towards Luke's.

"You know what? Let's say that suddenly, Taylor was promoted to the 
Decorating King of Stars Hollow, and he had some sort of nervous 
breakdown and he suddenly decided that the inside of everyone's house 
in Stars Hollow must be only one color. You can use several different 
shades of that color, but it still only has to be one color. What 
would you pick?"

Rory thought for a minute, then said, "Blue."

I gasped. "That's what I was gonna pick!"

She smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, there are so many pretty shades of blue, like baby blue, navy 
blue, cobalt blue, and. . .  . you know, some other blues."

Rory nodded. "Yeah. I agree. Lots of pretty blues."

We reached Luke's Diner, and I started to pull open the door to walk 
in, but then I stopped. I turned around to face Rory. "I'm gonna go 
to the counter and talk to Luke, okay? Tell him about the engagement 
and everything. Would you mind sitting at the table alone for a few 
minutes?"

"No, I don't mind."

"Great." I pulled open the door. Rory sat down at a table as I headed 
to the counter and sat on a stool.  A few seconds later, Luke came 
out of the kitchen with some plates and delivered them to some 
customers at the other end of the counter. Then he walked over to 
me.  "Hey. What's up? You fighting with Rory?"

"No, why?"

He glanced towards Rory and said, "Well, you're not sitting with her"

"Oh yeah. No, um, well, you and me haven't really talked in awhile, 
and I just wanted to talk a bit before I go sit with her. Can you 
just send her a coffee first?"

He gave me a curious look and said, "Yeah sure." He poured two cups 
and placed one in front of me, and walked the other one over to 
Rory.  Then he walked back over and said, "So, what's up?"

"Um, well, I just…I don't know if you've heard or not, but Max and I 
are engaged." I smiled.

He nodded and smiled slightly. "Yeah, actually, I did hear that. 
Congratulations."

"Thank you. How long have you known?"

"Oh, a week or two. Patty told me."

"Oh, well, you didn't say anything, so I thought maybe you didn't 
know."

"Yeah, sorry, I kept meaning to say something to you, but it kept 
slipping my mind. Sorry about that. But, really, I'm very happy for 
you." He looked down at my hand. "Is that the engagement ring?"

I held my hand out to him. "Yes."

He reached out and held my hand as he looked at it. "Very nice. He 
has good taste." He smiled, and stared into my eyes for a few seconds 
before letting go of my hand. I stared back into his eyes. They 
seemed somewhat distant, like they were trying to talk to me. "Luke? 
What are you thinking about?"

He blinked and looked away. "I'm just thinking what a lucky guy Max 
is because I know you will make him very happy."

I smiled. "Thank you Luke." I leaned over the counter and gave Luke a 
kiss on the cheek. He smiled. "You're welcome." I picked up my coffee 
and walked over to Rory's table. I sat across from her as she 
asked, "Did everything go all right?"

"Yeah. Everything's great." I looked over at Luke, who was now taking 
an order from a man at the counter. He glanced my way and smiled.  I 
smiled back. Then I turned to Rory. "Hey, what time is it?" Rory 
looked at her watch, and replied, "Almost five."

"Oh, we'd better go if we want to make the movie on time." I gestured 
to my sweatpants. "I have to go home and change out of this outfit." 
I took out some money and left it on the table, then Rory and I 
headed home.

One week later (Saturday)

"Rory! Have you seen my black belt?" I yelled down the steps.

"No! You're wearing a dress, what do you need a belt for?" she yelled 
back.

"I don't need it, but I just can't find it, and I might need it 
eventually in the future."

"We'll find it later. Come on, we're late!"

"Coming!" I walked down the stairs. Rory was waiting on the couch. I 
spun around. "How do I look?"

"You look beautiful Mom. Really beautiful."

I smiled. "Thanks. So do you. I love that dress."

"Thanks. It's yours."

I laughed. "Let's go."

Thirty minutes later we pulled up to Max's apartment. We walked to 
the door and knocked. Max answered it right away. "Hey. Come on in." 
I gestured to Rory to go inside, and I walked in behind her. I 
greeted Max with a kiss but noticed that he wasn't his normal self. I 
stepped back. "What's wrong?"

He glanced towards Rory, who had wandered over towards the couch. Max 
had a serious look on his face. "Lorelai, I need to talk to you about 
something, but not right now." 

I raised my eyebrows. "Whoa, what is it Max? You can't leave me 
hanging all night. Why don't you tell me now."

Max lowered his voice. "Please, not here, not in front of Rory."

"Okay, well, let's go talk on the porch. Rory can hang out for a few 
minutes. Give her a book, she'll be fine." I glanced over to her, 
then said to Max, "Wait here." 

I walked over to Rory. "So, this is Max's apartment."

She looked over at Max, standing by the font door. "It's really nice."

"Thank you Rory," he replied, smiling. "Make yourself at home."

I walked Rory over to the bookcase and said, "Rory, Max and I need to 
talk outside for a few minutes. Can you just pick a book or something 
and hang out in here for a bit?"

She whispered. "Yeah, sure. Is everything all right?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I'll be right back." I walked over to Max, 
and he opened the front door, and we walked onto the porch.   I sat 
down on the bench, and patted the seat next to me, but he didn't sit. 
I stared up at him. He looked upset, so I reached over and grabbed 
his hand. "So what's wrong?"

"Lorelai, I know that you said that you didn't date Luke, but I have 
to know, is that the truth?"

"What?" I stood up. "Where is this coming from?"

"I was at the Hartford Mall today, and I saw Luke there and he…"

I interrupted with a laugh. "Max, Luke doesn't go to malls. He hates 
them. He won't go near them."

"Well, he must have changed his mind about them. But listen. I was at 
the Hartford Mall, and I ran into Luke, and I said hello to him. He 
shook my hand and said congratulations and everything, really nice 
and all. But then he started talking about how lucky I was to find 
someone like you, and how I better treat you and Rory right, and all 
this stuff that made me wonder if. . ."

I interrupted again. "Max, Luke is one of my best friends. He's just 
being protective. Kind of like a big brother." I smiled at the 
thought of Luke trying to protect us.  

"But I don't think that's how he sees it. I think. . . .I think he's 
in love with you, Lorelai."

I laughed. "Max! Luke is not in love with me. We're just friends." I 
leaned in and gave Max a kiss. He pulled away and said, "Lorelai, do 
you love him?"

"Max!" I said, surprised by the question.

"Do you?" he pressed for an answer.

I rolled my eyes. "Max, I'm not even going to answer you because 
you're being crazy.  I love you. I'm in love with you, and only you. 
Stop worrying about Luke."

"But I. ." He started to protest, but I leaned in and pressed my lips 
against his. He was resistant at first, but he soon relaxed. He 
wrapped his arms around me and eagerly kissed me back. As we actively 
explored each other's mouths, I felt his hands sliding down my lower 
back. Before they could get any lower, I pulled back and said, "Come 
on. Rory's waiting. Everything all right now?" He smiled and nodded. 
I gave him another kiss, grabbed his hand and led him in the house. 

Rory was on the couch reading a book. She looked up when we walked in 
and smiled. "Hey. Great book collection Max."

"Thanks Rory." Max walked over to the oven and pulled out a casserole 
dish.  I walked over towards Rory and said, "So, let me show you 
around." I pointed towards the bathroom, and said, "Well, that's the 
bathroom." I laughed. "I guess that's all you need to know." Rory 
stood up and looked around. She pointed towards the other door and 
said, "What's that?"

"Bedroom." Max and I said at the same time.  I looked at him and we 
smiled flirtingly at each other.

I looked back towards Rory, who gave me a "please don't say anymore" 
look. I shrugged and said, "Sorry." I walked towards Max and 
said, "So, need any help?"

"Yes, could you get the salad out of the fridge? It looks like 
everything's just about done." He carried the casserole dish to the 
table. 

I opened the fridge and took out the salad bowl and brought it to the 
table.  I walked back to the kitchen to find the salad tongs. I found 
them hanging on the wall and started to walk towards the table.  I 
stopped when I heard Max and Rory talking about some book. Instead, I 
just watched them interact with each other. 'They seem to get along 
so well.' I said to myself.  'We're gonna make a great family.'  I 
felt a joyful tear slide down my cheek, which I quickly wiped away, 
then walked over to the table.

-*-

Two days later (Monday)

It was a Monday evening, just past 7. Rory had gone over to Lane's 
house to hang out, and I had decided to go see Luke. I avoided the 
diner yesterday because I wasn't sure what to say to him about the 
whole Max-at-the-mall thing. I still wasn't sure what to say, but 
decided to just play it by ear. 

I walked into the diner, and sat at a table.  Despite it being dinner 
time, there were only two other people in there. I picked up the menu 
and stared at it, even though I wasn't hungry. A few minutes later, 
someone surprised me by clearing their throat. I jumped and looked 
over.  Luke was standing right next to me, smiling. "Sorry. I didn't 
mean to scare you." I put the menu down and looked up at him.

"Oh. That's okay. I didn't see you there."

He nodded. "Yeah, I noticed. So what can I get you?"

"Um, I'll just have coffee."

He raised his eyebrows. "You don't want any food? Why were you 
staring intently at the menu for the past 10 minutes?"

I shrugged. "I was just perusing to see what I should get next time."

Luke smiled. "Like you'd ever order anything besides a burger. I'll 
be right back."

I watched him walk to the coffeepot, fill up a mug, and bring it back 
to my table. I looked around and said, "Can you sit with me for a few 
minutes?"

"Well, I have some things to do at the counter. Why don't you come 
over there?"

"Okay." I stood up and followed him behind the counter. He walked 
into the kitchen. I put my coffee down, and I boosted myself up so 
that I was sitting on the counter, facing the kitchen with my legs 
dangling over the side. He walked back out of the kitchen carrying a 
package of napkins. He saw me on the counter, and narrowed his 
eyes. "I provide stools for the customers to sit on, you know."

I smiled. "Yeah, but I felt like being up high."

Luke started filling up the napkin dispensers.  "So, did you want to 
talk or something?" 

"Uh yeah." I heard some movement behind me, so I turned around. The 
two other customers were leaving. I waited for them to walk out 
before I said, "Luke, I just wanted to ask you something. Did you 
happen to run into Max at the mall recently?" 

I watched him to see how he reacted. Luke briefly stopped what he was 
doing, but he didn't look at me.  He picked up another napkin 
dispenser and started to fill it.  "Why? What did you hear?" he asked 
nervously.

"Luke, it's okay. I'm not mad. Max was, but I wasn't it.  I'm 
flattered that you were so concerned about us."

He looked up at me. "Yeah?"

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

He worked on the napkins a few more seconds before he said, "So Max 
was mad?"

I laughed. "Yeah. He's just jealous. Get this! He thinks that you and 
I dated and that you're in love with me."

Luke didn't say anything. He turned his head away and walked into the 
kitchen. He walked back out with a container of salt and started 
collecting the salt shakers from around the counter. "Luke did you 
hear what I said? He thinks you're in love with me." I laughed. 

"Yeah I heard." He started pouring the salt into the containers. I 
stared at him closely. There was no emotion in his face. He appeared 
uncomfortable and nervous.

Confused, I said "Luke?" He didn't answer. I reached out and put my 
hand on his hand. He stopped what he was doing, but stared down at 
the counter.  "Luke? Say something."

He was silent for a moment. Then he sighed. "He's right."

My eyes widened and I put a hand over my mouth. "What?"

He still didn't look up. "He's right. I am in love with you. I'm 
sorry."

I was silent for a moment. "Luke, but . . .?"

"But what Lorelai?  I can't help it. I'm sorry. I know that you're 
getting married, and that my admitting this to you will only cause 
discomfort between us, but I can't help it. You are an incredible 
person, and I have loved you for a very long time.  I'm sorry. I'm 
sorry that I love you."  He still hadn't looked at me. His hands were 
rested against the counter and he was staring down. After a few 
seconds of silence, he started to walk away, but I reached out and 
grabbed his hand.

"Aw Luke. Come here. Don't be sorry." I pulled him towards me so that 
he was standing right in front of me. I gave him a hug. He leaned his 
head against my chest and wrapped his arms around my waist. As he 
started to break away, I gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"Lorelai, I just. . ." He stopped talking and stared into my eyes. I 
stared back into his.  He started leaning towards me.  I put my hands 
on either side of his face and helped lead his lips towards mine. We 
kissed, a slow passionate kiss. Luke pulled away. "Lorelai, you're 
engaged. We can't. ." He stopped talking as I pulled him back to my 
lips. He eagerly kissed me back, and as our mouths opened and our 
tongues met each other, I wrapped my legs around his waist, 
forcefully pulling him towards me.  The intense tingling sensation of 
our bodies being so close made a soft moan escape my throat. As we 
broke apart from each other, both of us panting to catch our breaths, 
we smiled at each other. Luke looked past me towards the door, and 
his smile faded. His eyes widened. Still catching my breath, I slowly 
turned around and saw Max staring through the window.  

"Oh my God! Excuse me Luke." Luke stepped back and I jumped off the 
counter. Max had started walking towards his car. I ran out the door 
towards him. "Max! Please wait!"  Max was standing next to his car, 
but he didn't turn around. "Max, I'm sorry. I don't know what 
happened."

He stared at his car. "I know what happened Lorelai. You were just 
making out with Luke." 

I stopped a few feet away from him. "Max, I don't know what to say. 
I'm sorry. It was an accident."

Max turned around. "Lorelai, how could you possibly explain that as 
an accident? He accidentally fell towards you and you accidentally 
wrapped your legs around his waist? Come on. You lied to me Lorelai. 
You do love him."

Tears welded up in my eyes. "Max, I didn't lie. I just didn't realize 
that I had feelings for him. They were hidden under my feelings for 
you.  And, you were right. He does love me. He told me. And I guess 
him telling me that made my feelings for him come out, and we just, 
sort of, got lost in the moment."

Max shook his head in disbelief. "Lorelai, what does all this mean? 
Do you still love me? And what kind of relationship can we possibly 
have if I can't trust you?"

I could barely see Max through my tears. "Max, you can trust me. 
Please. I love you. I still want to marry you.  Please believe me."

Max stared at me for a few seconds. "Lorelai, I love you. And I still 
want you to be my wife. But if we stay engaged and get married. . ." 
He stopped talking. 

I stared at him. "What? If we get married, what?"

He walked towards me. "If we stay together, I don't want you hanging 
around Luke anymore. Or that diner."

I gasped. My eyes widened. "What?"

"That's right. I don't want you hanging around Luke anymore."

"That's how much you believe me and trust me? You forbid me to see a 
friend? You can't control me like that Max."

Max walked over to me and put his hands on the side of my 
shoulders. "Lorelai," he said calmly. "Please, for one second, look 
at it from my perspective. Here, let me explain it to you. You are my 
fiancee, we are getting married in a year. I drive to your home to 
visit you one evening, but you're not home. So I drive to the diner 
that you usually hang out in, and I find you making out with one of 
your friends, quite explicitly, I might add, on the counter.  And 
also, might I add, not just any friend. A friend whom I've asked you 
several times if you had feelings for, which you denied each time.  
And you expect me to just trust you again instantaneously?"

I covered my face with my hands.  "I'm so sorry." I sobbed. He pulled 
me towards him and hugged me. He started rubbing my back trying to 
make me feel better, which made the situation seem off.  I mean, he 
was the one who should be upset.  I was the one who hurt him.  Why 
was I crying? He hugged me for a few more minutes before I finally 
stepped back.  I wiped my eyes and stared at him.  I could sense the 
hurt in his eyes, and I felt horrible for what I did to him.  

"You okay?" he asked.  

I nodded.  "Max, I'm. . .I just need a little time to think about 
everything, okay?"

I saw Max's eyes quickly glance towards the diner, but then he 
nodded. "Okay Lorelai. Let me drive you home."  He walked me to the 
passenger side and opened the door for me. I got into his mustang and 
he shut the door. He walked around to his side, got in and drove to 
my house. He opened the car door for me and walked me to the porch. 

"Do you want come in?" I asked. 

"No, I think you need to be alone right now.  Just take some time to 
yourself. Think about things."

I nodded. "Okay."

"Bye Lorelai." He leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"Bye Max."

I was able to watch him walk to his mustang and drive away before the 
tears started falling again.  I walked into the house and started to 
head towards the stairs when I noticed the blinking light on the 
answering machine. 'Probably my mother again.' I sighed and pushed 
the play button.  The sound of Luke's voice made me relive the past 
20 minutes all over again. 

"Lorelai, it's me. I know you're not home yet because I just watched 
you get in the car with Max, but I just wanted to make sure 
everything was okay.  And I wanted to say I'm sorry for everything I 
said, and everything that happened." There was a brief pause. "And I 
just. . . never mind, that's it. Bye."

I stared at the answering machine for a minute, as if I expected Luke 
to actually be inside of it. I was tempted to pick up the phone and 
call him back, but I didn't. Instead I walked upstairs and collapsed 
on the bed in a fit of tears and confusion. 
-*-
The next morning, Tuesday, I woke up, still in my regular clothes 
with my shoes still on. I stared at the ceiling, hoping that 
everything was just a dream, and that I was still happily engaged and 
there were no complications in my life.  I was wrong. I reluctantly 
got up to get ready for work.  Thirty minutes later, I walked 
downstairs and found Rory on the couch, still in her pajamas.

Rory stood up when she saw me and walked over to me. "Mom? Are you 
okay? I got home last night around 8 and you were already asleep.  In 
your clothes. Plus, there was a strange message from Luke on the 
machine. . . Is everything okay?"  As tears welded up in my eyes, I 
put my hands over my face to hide them. Rory hugged me. "Mom, what 
happened?" She led me to the couch and I rested my head on her 
shoulder. 

"I screwed up Rory. I screwed up big time."  As I explained to her 
what happened, I realized what an incredible daughter I had. She 
didn't make any judgmental remarks, she didn't criticize my actions, 
and she didn't take sides. What she did say was, "Mom, whatever you 
decide to do, I'll support your decision. Just do what you know in 
your heart is right."  I nodded and sat up to give her a kiss.  Then 
I stood up and walked into the kitchen, glancing towards the hallway 
table, where I paused momentarily as I noticed that, still, Luke had 
not picked up Bert.

That Evening (Tuesday)

Lounging on the couch watching TV, Rory and I were waiting for the 
pizza we had ordered. When the doorbell rang, I stood up to answer 
it, grabbing my purse on the way. I pulled open the door, and was 
more than surprised when I saw Luke standing there. "Luke!"

"Hey." he replied.

"Luke, what are you doing here?"

"Um, I just wanted to make sure you were all right. You didn't come 
to the diner today. And, uh, you didn't call me back last night. I 
just wanted to make sure everything was okay. . . Is it?"

I shrugged and said, "I don't know. Do you want to come in?"

He nodded and stepped inside.  He followed me to the living room.  
Rory looked up and said, "Oh, hey Luke." Luke replied, "Hi Rory."

"Uh, Rory, could you leave me and Luke alone for a few minutes?" I 
asked her.  Rory turned off the TV and said "Sure."  I smiled and 
said, "Thanks." She walked towards her room, and I heard her bedroom 
door close.  I sat down on the couch, and Luke sat next to me. We 
were silent for a few seconds, and I wondered if he felt as 
uncomfortable as I did.  "So . ." I started.

"So, what happened last night?  With Max, I mean." 

I sighed. "Well, Luke, he wasn't too thrilled with his fiancee 
kissing another guy. I've never been engaged before, but I'm pretty 
sure that's on the "Don't Do" list."

Luke nodded. "I'm so sorry. I should have never confronted Max in 
that mall.  It's all my fault."

"Oh Luke. It is not. I'm the one who kissed you." I paused. "Luke, 
what were you doing at the mall anyway?" I smiled.

Luke smiled shyly. "I know, I know, I said I hate them. And I do. But 
sometimes I need stuff that can only be found at the mall.  So sue 
me.  Anyway, that's not important. "

"Right. Sorry. Anyway, I just. . . well, he didn't call off the 
engagement, which is what I thought he was going to do, but he did 
sort of give me an ultimatum . . ." I paused, wondering if I should 
tell Luke about it.

Luke raised his eyebrows. "Really? What?"

I paused. "Well, he said that . . " I was interrupted by the 
doorbell. "Oh hold on Luke." I yelled "Rory! Pizza's here. Can you 
get it please?"

I watched as Rory walked out of her room. I turned back to Luke. "He 
said that he doesn't want me. . . ."

I heard Rory's voice in the hallway. "Oh. Max, hi."  I raised my 
eyebrows and said, "Shoot. How can one man have such incredibly bad 
timing?"  I stood up as Rory entered the living room with Max behind 
her.  She gave me a sympathetic glance, and then went back towards 
her bedroom.  I watched Max's expression change from a smile to an 
angry glare towards Luke. He started to say something, but I 
interrupted. 

"Max, Luke just came over to apologize. There's nothing going on. He 
was just leaving, right Luke?" I turned around and gave him 
and 'please help me out and leave' look.  

"Uh, yeah. I was just going. I'll see you tomorrow." He stood up and 
started walking to the front door.

Max laughed and said, "No, I don't think so."

"Max, please." I said, hoping he would not pick a fight with Luke.

Luke stopped near Max and said, "Excuse me?"

Max stared at Luke. "I said, I don't think you'll be seeing her 
tomorrow. Or ever, for that matter."

"What?" Luke glanced from Max over to me.

I exhaled loudly. "Max, stop please. Luke, I'll talk to you later. 
Goodbye."

Luke glared at Max for a second before finally walking past him and 
out the front door.  As soon as the front door closed, Max 
said, "Lorelai, I'm very confused right now, and I need you to 
explain something to me in simple terms: what is it that you want to 
do? Who do you want?"

I shrugged and sat down on the couch.  Max walked over and sat down 
next to me.  He put an arm around me. "Lorelai, it seems like you're 
having a lot of trouble deciding. I think that if it's this hard for 
you, then maybe you're just not ready to commit to one person."

I looked at him. "Max, that's not true. It's a big decision. Do you 
know what you're asking me to give up? Luke is my friend. I've seen 
him almost everyday for the past 7 years. And now, all of a sudden, 
you want me to stop hanging out with him. Come on."  I paused. "Now, 
I know what I did was stupid and I know that I hurt you. And I'm very 
sorry for that.  But I just don't think asking me to give up a friend 
is going to solve this." 

"Lorelai, I'm not asking you to give up 'a friend.' I'm asking you to 
stay away from the person who's tearing us apart. And if you aren't 
willing to do that to save our relationship, then maybe there isn't 
one to save."

I sat for a moment in silence.  Then I nodded. "You're right. I'm 
sorry."

He smiled. "Good then. I'm glad you finally made a decision."

"No, Max. I mean you're right, maybe this relationship isn't worth 
saving."

Max's smile faded. "Lorelai, how can you say that?"

"Max, I love you. But you're asking me to give up someone who is a 
major part of my life just so you can feel better.  And if you can't 
trust me enough to feel comfortable about me hanging around with 
Luke, I don't think we have a very good relationship to build a 
marriage on."

Max paused for a minute, then he sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry. 
You don't have to stop hanging around Luke. I was just jealous and 
upset. And if you say it won't happen again, then I do trust you."

I smiled. "You do? Really?"

He nodded. "Yes. I'm so sorry." He leaned over and kissed me and then 
wrapped his arms around me. He pulled back and stared at 
me. "Something wrong?" 

I said, "Well, Max, to be honest, I still have a lot of thinking to 
do."

He nodded. "Lorelai, I don't want to rush you into anything, so just 
take your time. I just came by tonight to see if you were all right 
because you were really upset yesterday. And I know that you have 
some things to sort out, so, please, just give me a call when you 
know what you want."

I nodded. "Thank you." He gave me a kiss goodbye and stood up to 
leave. I watched him walk away, and heard the front door shut before 
I called, "Rory! You can come out now!"  

Rory came out of her room and walked over to me. "Everything all 
right Mom? Did you resolve anything?"

"Not yet hon. Soon though. All this will work out soon."  A few 
seconds later the doorbell rang. I stood up. "Oh my God, that better 
be the pizza and not another member of the Lorelai fan club." Rory 
laughed. "I swear, I wouldn't be surprised if that's your dad asking 
me to marry him again.  Let's just see how much more complicated my 
life can get."  

Rory laughed and we walked to the front door together. Joe, the 
regular delivery guy was standing there. He handed us the pizza, 
smiled, and walked away. I laughed. "I guess it's free when it's 45 
minutes late."  I shut the door and we walked to the kitchen.

The next day (Wednesday)

The next day after work, I stopped at the diner to talk to Luke. He 
was busy with a lot of customers, but when he saw me come in, he 
immediately walked over to me. "Hey, how are you? Is everything all 
right?" 

"Yeah, everything's great." I smiled as I glanced around. "Busy 
tonight."

"Yeah, real busy. But hold on a sec." Luke walked into the kitchen 
and came back with a few plates. He delivered them to two different 
tables, placed a check down on another table, then walked back into 
the kitchen. He came back out with a waiter, then walked over to 
me. "I asked Caesar to keep an eye on the place. Let's go talk." He 
opened the door, and I followed him out onto the sidewalk.  We walked 
toward the bench at the bus stop.  We both sat down.  "So what 
happened?" he asked.

I exhaled loudly. "Well, let me start from where I left off. So 
remember that ultimatum I mentioned?"  He nodded. "Okay, well, Max 
said that if I wanted to stay with him, I needed to stop hanging out 
with you." 

Luke eyes narrowed. "What?"

I nodded. "Yeah, he really said that. Can you believe that? So then, 
last night, I told him that I couldn't do that because our friendship 
is just too important to me." Luke smiled. "So at first he was 
resistant and kept pushing for me to stay away from you, but finally 
I convinced him that he needed to trust me if he wanted this marriage 
to work."

Luke nodded. "Good point. So he dropped the ultimatum?" I nodded. "So 
you guys are still together?" I shrugged. Luke smiled and mimicked me 
by shrugging back. "What does that mean?"

I smiled shyly. "Well, Luke, I don't know if you can tell by looking 
at me, but I didn't sleep one wink last night..." I paused a second 
before I finished. "…because I was up thinking about you." 

He smiled. "Me?"

I smiled. "Yeah. And I think that, if it's okay with you, I'd like to 
break off my engagement with Max so that we can be together. Me and 
you."

Luke laughed. "If it's okay with me?"

I laughed. "Yeah. Well, I mean, I'm going to break it off anyway 
because I don't want to be with him anymore. My feelings for you are 
greater than my feelings for him. I mean, Luke, when you told me that 
you loved me, it just made me realize all of my feelings that I'd 
been keeping inside, and. . .I think I love you too."

He smiled. "You think you love me?"

I laughed. "I know I love you." 

Luke smiled. He stood up, grabbed my hand and pulled me up off the 
bench into a hug.  A few seconds later, I pulled back. "Hey Luke, 
remember our first kiss?"

"Yeah…?" He looked at me questioningly. 

"Well, it was pretty amazing, wasn't it?"


He smiled. "Yeah..."

I smiled. "Do you think we can top it?"

Luke laughed. "Yeah." He leaned forward and pressed his lips gently 
against mine. Everything went silent as though time stood still. I 
loved everything about that moment, from the feel of his stubble 
against my cheek to the feeling of his heart beating against my 
chest.  But most of all I loved the protective feeling of his arms 
wrapped around me, as I finally realized that he was my destiny.

THE END
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