A Different Friday Night Dinner

Please forgive typos. Wrote late at night.

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The next week crept by. On Wednesday when they were on their way home from Taylor's, Rory suggested they stop for coffee. Lorelai couldn't refuse without looking suspicious, so they went in.

When they entered, Luke had a huge smile on his face, so did Rory. Lorelai could barely look at him. They sat at a table, and Luke soon came by with two coffees.

"Anything else, or just coffee?"

"Just coffee, thanks," said Lorelai, trying to sound as normal as possible for Rory's sake.

"Well, I did have one thing," Rory said.

"What's that?"

"For a project at school we have to submit a floorplan design for a house and calculate the square footage and costs and everything like that. I have it all pretty much down except for the kitchen. We know that mom has no idea what a kitchen is used for, so I thought you, being the most excellent cook in all of Stars Hollow, could help." Lorelai tried to think of something to say, but no excuse came to mind.

"I think I could help," Luke answered. "Come back after I close, bring your project, and we'll layout a kitchen for you."


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Lorelai couldn't believe she let that happen. When she thought about it, Luke wasn't being that bad. He asked her to have sex with him to pay for Chilton, but he didn't force her to. He even said she could walk away and keep the money he already gave her. It was her, she thought, that was being the prostitute. Giving him sex for money. Well, no longer. This Friday, she was walking out of the door right after diner. She wouldn't go at all, except she didn't want to have to explain things to Rory.

"But what about tonight," she thought. "I can't let her go over there alone? Can I?" Then she thought about what she would do if the Luke sex-request never occurred. Of course she would let her go over to Luke's alone. Luke thought of Rory almost as a daughter. He would never hurt her.

Lorelai was right. As Luke closed up the diner, he was busy thinking up creative kitchen floorplans. He had no idea what he was about to be hit with.

Rory's thoughts were not on kitchens, however. She had already finished the project. When she went back up those stairs and heard what was going on between Luke and her mom, the one feeling that dominated her emotions was jealousy. Luke was the only man she had ever fantasized about. She wasn't about to let her mom give him sex for her education.

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Rory walked up the steps to the diner, a binder of papers under her arm, just as the last person was leaving. She made it a point to introduce herself to the woman leaving.

Luke was in the kitchen cleaning, so Rory called. "Luke! I'm here. I'll go upstairs and get started."

"Ok," Luke called, "I think I have some really good ideas. I'll be up in five minutes."

Rory went up to his apartment and sat at the table. She took out her completed floorplan and put it in front of the other chair.

Before long, the door opened and Luke hurried to the table, anxious to show her his ideas.

When he looked at her design he was speechless. "This kitchen is perfectly layed-out, Rory," he said. "The distances, the angles between everything are perfect. I don't think I could have done this good a job."

"I know," Rory said.

"Then what do you need me for?"

"I wanted to talk with you about something."

"About what?" Luke said, ginuenly concerned. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Even about what you and mom did after I went down stairs on Friday?"

Luke was speechless. That sick feeling of dismay hit his stomach. He had worried about what would happen if Rory found out, but he never got around to thinking about what he would do if she did. Denial was his only option.

"What . .. uh . . . What do you mean? It was just some paperwork"

"I came back upstairs and listened. Your door doesn't even muffle sounds."

Luke just looked down and shook his head. He didn't know what to do. Rory waited.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, almost in tears. "Look, I've loved your mom for a long time. At one point, that love just turned in to lust. All I could think about was . . well . . you know . . ."

"Fucking her?"

"Yeah. And I guess seeing her and having to listen to her talk about boyfriends all the time just made me snap. I saw this opportunity and I didn't think about the consequences."

"Men usually don't."

"Look, you can cancel the Friday night diners altogether. I'll pay for Chilton because I want you to succeed in life."

"No, that won't do," Rory said.

"What?"

"If you want me to succeed, I'm going to need tutoring every Wednesday night."

"Rory, you don't need my help with school work. You already outdid me on what I know best."

"Luke, you say you've loved my mom for a long time, and that love turned into lust. You saw an opportunity and you took it. Well, I've loved you for a long time, and when I heard you and mom fucking on Friday night, that love turned into lust. This is my opportunity. I'm not going to think about the consequences, just like you didn't."

"What are you saying, Rory?"

"I'm saying every Wednesday night, you're going to have sex with me."

Look stood up and backed away. "Rory! There's no way! That's crazy! You're only 16. I could go to jail!"

"The only way you'll go to jail is if you refuse."

"How is that?"

"My mom and the person that was leaving the diner both know that I'm here alone with you. If you don't do what I say, I'll tear off half my clothes and run out of her screaming and crying. That's how."

Luke was shocked. Rory, little innocent Rory, was ready to falsely accuse him of rape if he didn't have sex with her. Luke thought, and realized he deserved it. He had been wrong to use money and Lorelai's hatred of her parents to get her. Now, Rory was using the power she had to get him.

Luke really didn't want to go to jail and be labeled a sex offender for the rest of his life. He would go along with it, unwillingly, just as Lorelai had.

"Ok. Fine. You're in control. What do you want me to do?"

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Will Continue . ..