Uninvited,

            by Ana

{Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls nor any of the characters in the show. Unfortunately.}

{This was based on Alanis Morissette's song, ' Uninvited'.}

The bell inside Luke's diner rang cheerfully as she opened the door. After eyeing the room, she chose to sit at a table near the window - one of the few that were still unoccupied. The diner was fairly the best place to get food in Stars Hollow, the small town she'd known to be 'home' since before she even knew the meaning of that word.

Her uniform looked impeccable as always, and her long, brown hair would have been completely free if not for this one clip that held it off of her face to the side. Her eyes, always agile and sparkling blue, scanned the customers for any familiar faces. And she did find one; just not exactly the face that pleased her the most. He was the nephew of the owner of the diner. Not only was he particularly anti-social, he was also keen on making life a living hell for everyone around him. She knew his name, but she wouldn't say it out loud unless it was strictly necessary. A matter of life and death, to be more specific.

She had a boyfriend, and her boyfriend didn't like that boy. He didn't like him one bit. Whether he was jealous or simply overprotective about her she didn't know, yet she did know better than to bring the name of the bad boy up in a conversation of any sort.

She noticed his gaze was set on her, and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. The blood in her veins started to creep up to her cheeks, and she wondered if he could tell that he had that effect on her. Not that she liked him; no, she didn't like him at all. In fact, she thought that his tough attitude wasn't but the pathetic way he found to shield himself against the world outside. But she couldn't ignore the fact that she always blushed when she knew he was watching her.

"Like anyone would be

I am flattered by your fascination with me."

And it seemed to her he was always watching. In a way, she knew that he was probably just seeking attention of someone his own age - the fact that they had already been introduced perhaps made it easier for him to approach her, even though they didn't hit it off. On the other hand, she felt powerful, a different sort of power. She had the unconditional attention of her boyfriend, true, but she'd never been the object of such an 'intense' research as the one the nephew of the owner of the diner seemed to be doing on her. At least that's what it looked like, that's what she thought it was, from the way he would always stare.

"Like any hot blooded woman

I have simply wanted an object to crave."

She looked away from him, her face flushed. She sought shelter in the menu she'd grown to know by heart in all the years she'd had breakfast at Luke's, but she knew she'd have to deal with him eventually. She knew that the town's gossipers would be all mouths about how he wasn't as rude to her as he was to other people. She also knew that her boyfriend would pretend not to be upset while listening to the gossip, and would pretend not to care about it. She hated how she couldn't have a minute that was completely private in her life.

"But you, you're not allowed

You're uninvited

An unfortunate slight."

The omelets sounded especially nice that morning. She decided she'd order those, with a side of bacon and the usual cup of coffee she had to have in order to start functioning properly. The owner of the diner approached her, greeted her warmly and asked about her mother. She explained that her mother had lost track of time, despite the three alarm clocks in her room, and that it would be just her for breakfast. The man scribbled her order quickly on a small notepad, and said it would be ready in a few minutes.

She nodded and smiled, then raised her eyes. He was still behind the counter, taking orders by the jar of donuts. That time, she would be the one observing him.

His hair was disheveled, his clothes seemed to have been picked out carefully from the basket of 'to do' laundry. She didn't like that at all. She liked clean-cut guys such as her boyfriend. That boy was short compared to her; she bet to herself she could look into his eyes without tiptoeing. That was not the sort of boy she was attracted to, that was not her type.

He glanced her way, and she suddenly became interested in her backpack and whatever she'd put in it the night before. If he wasn't her type, then how come was she analyzing him that much? Shouldn't she be worried about eating and getting to school on time?

"Must be strangely exciting

To watch the stoic squirm."

She found him rather distracting. The fact that she'd never met anyone quite like him before had a substantial part in that. She'd always been the nice girl, the calm, quiet one who pulled straight As and is bound to make it into an Ivy League school (which, in her case, would be Harvard); he was the careless, introspective boy who acted like he didn't need nor want anything this world could offer, like he was self-sufficient. Like his heart was made of stone. She was curious about him just as much as he was about her, but she would never admit it.

"Must be somewhat heartening

To watch shepherd meet shepherd

But you, you're not allowed

You're uninvited

An unfortunate slight."

The same man placed the food in front of her. She thanked him, and was glad that she would have something else to focus her attention on other than the boy taking orders by the jar of donuts on the counter. She picked up a piece of the omelet with a fork and put it in her mouth. As she chewed, her eyes inevitably traveled back to him.

He was different from her. She wondered if he thought she was silly. She wondered if he thought she was interesting, and if he watched her in hopes to understand the motives that turned her into the goal-oriented person he'd always wanted to be. But then again, why would he want to be like her if all the times they interacted he didn't show but disdain towards her dreams and her personality?

"Like any uncharted territory

I must seem greatly intriguing."

She took a sip of her coffee. Nice, freshly brewed coffee, Luke's coffee. The ultimate best choice for a productive day, she thought to herself, half-smiling and tucking her hair behind her ear after putting the cup down. Another piece of the omelet, a bit of the bacon. Such a nice breakfast.

She couldn't help but peek. He was walking around the diner, apparently busy. She questioned herself on why he was working in the morning, when he was supposed to be getting ready for school. Her sharp reasoning replied that his school was a block away from the diner, and that he was probably just helping his uncle around. Her still immature heart asked her if he wasn't there for the sole purpose of seeing her, of memorizing her every move so that he would feel as if he knew her, even if they'd never spoken more than unkind words to each other.

"You speak of my love like

You have experienced love like mine before."

She shook her head, swallowing one of the last pieces of the omelet. It would be just too presumptuous of her to assume that was the reason why he was working so early. Besides, she was always at the diner. If seeing her was what he wanted, he had countless times of the day to choose from other than the early morning.

One last sip of the coffee, and she was ready to go on the bus to Hartford, to school. She was ready to talk, to interact with him... Or not. All she had to do was hand him the money, right? He'd be the one doing the talking. She got up, picked up her backpack and headed towards the cash register. She approached it slowly, reaching into a pocket of her bag to pay for her meal. A thought of her boyfriend passed through her mind, and she felt a hint of guilt strangling her throat.

"But this is not allowed

You're uninvited

An unfortunate slight."

He mumbled the digits. When she looked up, their eyes met. His never left her sight, not even when their hands brushed in the process of giving out the 10-dollar bill and receiving the change that sent a quite disturbing chill down her spine. Was he showing her he was interested in her? Or perhaps that he wanted her to be interested in him? She didn't know, so she decided that she would talk to him next time, instead of just playing the 'look up, look away' game that she'd always disliked.

She turned and left to the bus stop, after saying goodbye. She would be back later though; she was just too curious for her own sake.

 "I don't think you're unworthy

I need a moment to deliberate."

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