Disclaimer: I don’t own any of these characters, just the story idea.
Set: After Lorelai exits the room Luke and Nicole are staying in at the Inn during Keg! Max!
A/N: I wrote this pretty quickly after watching Keg! Max! It's not the best, but it's fun.
Rated: PG-13
_____
Luke was furious. Nicole just stared at him, clearly trying to get a hold of her anger.
"So," she said, "you're telling me that there's nothing there."
His jaw clenched and unclenched before he could say, "That's what I'm telling you."
"Right." She turned away and stared out the window, so many things at the tip of her tongue.
"I'll be right back." She turned back just in time to see him leave.
__
Luke found Lorelai in the lobby, purse in hand. "Hey!” He stabbed a finger at her from across the room. “I wanna talk to you." The set of him mouth was grim, resigned.
Her eyes widened. She never seen him look so determined or upset. "Me? Why, what's up? Did I forget something?"
"Outside," he said taking her arm and tugging her out the door with him.
He pulled her to a quiet spot on the lawn where they wouldn't be over-heard.
"Luke, what's wrong?"
"What exactly did you think you were doing just now?"
Her eyes were wide, her mouth gaping. "Leaving?"
"No, not with the leaving. With your turndown service."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you not remember a certain conversation we had not too long ago regarding you being a sore spot between Nicole and I?”
"Luke, I didn't mean to - "
”No, you never mean to do anything. Ever. Have you ever noticed the pattern we have?"
"Pattern?"
"Yeah. Pattern."
"No."
"Well, let me explain. It goes a little something like this. We're pals. For years. Until Rachel comes to town. Then there's tension. Even though you both try to get along and be friends, there's tension."
"No -"
"Lorelai, I'm not stupid. Don't try to act like you don't know what I'm talking about and don't interrupt."
Lorelai was silent. She stared at the ground as he spoke.
"So there's tension until Rachel leaves and then all of a sudden we're friends again. You get engaged, you break it off and all the while we're 'pals'. Now I’m with Nicole and ever since that happened guess what. Tension." She shook her head and tried to speak, but he cut her off. "When you walked into our room tonight the look on your face gave you away. Now look, you can keep acting like it's not there, but we're both smarter than that and Nicole is sure smarter than that.
"Here’s the problem, though. I'm not waiting around anymore for you to give in and decide to give us a shot. I'm done. I'm not keeping my life on hold for you any longer. I was stupid to think I could wait forever."
Lorelai couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. She knew he was right.
"You've got nothing to say?" he asked.
She said, "I...I don't quite know what to say."
Luke's speech had exhausted him and by its end his anger had died down a bit, but at her response it flared back up again. "Well when you figure it out you know here to find me." And just like that he was gone.
Lorelai stared up at the night sky. What had just happened? Luke dumped her, she answered herself. But without ever having actually dated her. She let out a shaky breath and walked to the Jeep. When she was inside, hands gripping the steering wheel, she allowed herself the luxury of a few tears. “Shit,” she breathed. Sniffling she drove home.