Code of Silence || chapter 5 || Diner Daze
by Jewls13 and Taylor
"No."
"What are you talking about?"
Dom sighed, "You know this stuff will burn up your insides and slowly kill you? You shouldn't drink it."
Lorelai stared at him. "You're joking."
"I'm completely serious."
She continued to stare at him. "LUKE!" She cried.
"What?" Luke asked, exasperated, walking over from one of the tables.
"You ruined him."
"What did I ruin?" Luke asked, glancing at Dom.
"Him." She said, pointing to Dom, who stood there looking confused. "You turned him."
"I turned him into what?"
"Coffee Nazi. He won't give me coffee! He says it's bad for me!" Lorelai complained, not believe there could be two people with these insane ideas about coffee in the world.
Luke nodded at Dom, "Good man."
Dom nodded solemnly.
Rory entered just then, saying hello to Dom as she sat down next to her mother.
"Coffee, please," she said to him.
"Not you too! Coffee will ruin your skin and that beautiful face!" Dom replied.
Rory looked puzzled. Lorelai eyed Dom while whispering to her, "Coffee Nazi."
The day went by with Rory and Lorelai were engaged in an argument about the Friday night dinner as they sipped on the coffee they'd convinced Bree to give them. Bree was washing off the dirty tables, Luke was figuring something out on a calculator, Jess was refilling coffee and Dom was talking to one of the few customers in the diner.
A loud smack came from the corner of the room. Lorelai and Rory looked behind them as Jess, Luke, and Bree all looked up from their separate jobs.
Dom walked away from the girl at the table, massaging the inside of his cheek with his tounge. The group all stared at him, raising their eyebrows. He shrugged, "We're just going to be friends."
The diner that evening was packed. High school students filled the tables in joy of having freedom from school; Rory and Lorelai were there, as their house had no food, even Lane was there with a "get out of jail free" card from her mother.
"Dom, stay away�very, far away," Jess murmured to Dom as Miss Patty strode into the diner, her boa trailing behind her.
"Why?" Dom asked, looking the woman up and down.
"She's the female you."
"Oh!" Dom exclaimed.
"Hello my lovely. What can I get you?" Dom asked as he walked to her table, adjusting his thick chain necklace.
Miss Patty stared at him in shock, "No thank you."
"Are you sure, sugar?" Dom smiled, batting his eyes. "I'm sure I could work out some sort of discount."
"Yes, I'm sure," she said, burying her head in a menu.
"Well, if you change your mind, I'll be waiting." Miss Patty remained silent.
Dom shrugged and walked backed to Luke and Lorelai.
"How did you do that?" Luke asked, looking over at the subdued Miss Patty.
Dom said indifferently, "I'm gifted."
"I wish I had that gift." Jess said.
"That woman harasses every male within a two-mile radius. And she hardly looked at you!" Luke continued.
"Hey, you dress like me, maybe you can ward her off, too," Dom advised him.
"Okay, but he has to wear one of your dog collar things," Lorelai said with a grin. "And I get to hold the leash."
Luke looked at her and smirked. A low growl erupted from his throat, then he walked away, leaving a stunned and speechless Lorelai.
"Did he just growl at me?" she asked in a disbelieving voice.
"I think he did," Dom smiled.
Bree leaned over the counter. "So what can I do for you?" she asked the guy standing there, not looking up from the notepad she held in her hands.
"I think the question is, what can I do for you," the guy said suggestivly
Bree looked up at teenager standing in front of her with an amused look on her face. Giving him a once over, Bree bit her lip to keep from laughing.
Dom rolled his eyes at Jess, who smirked.
"Poor guy, he has no idea who he's hitting on," Jess murmured as he passed Dom, taking three plates to a table.
While the guy tried in vain to get Bree to go out with him, Luke hastily cooked in the kitchen, with Dom's helpful assistance.
"Oh, shit," Bree said after the crack of a falling plate resonated throughout the diner. Applause shook the building, and Bree curtseyed, her tight top allowing the high-school boys a gratifying look when she bent over to pick up the spilled food and broken ceramic.
"Umm, we're ready to order!" a blonde guy called from an all-male table in the corner.
"I don't think they want me to take their order, Bree," Jess whispered to her. She laughed gaily, and walked over, adding a little swing to her hips.
"What can I get you?" she smiled.
"I think that's the third time they've ordered!" Luke exclaimed.
"She can make men do anything," Dom said, then turned away from him.
"Hello, beautiful," Dom smiled at the girl waiting at the counter. "I work here. I can get you a discount."
"Dom," Luke said warningly. Dom glanced at him, and looked back at the girl. Leaning over the counter to her, he said quietly, "Want the discount?"
Luke sighed and turned to Jess, saying, "That has to be the millionth time he's given a discount! And only to the females!"
"Hey," Jess said, "You may be loosing money on him, but you're gaining with Bree." They looked over at her as she started reciting the boys' order, "Five cheeseburgers, five cokes, five fries, and three pies�."
The diner moved at that pace the whole night. Normally Luke would be swamped but with the extra help, things moved at a nice pace. The steady flow of traffic finally died down, leaving just the Gilmores, Luke, Jess, and the newcomers.
Bree went into the kitchen with Luke, while Dom was stuck with the grueling job of wiping down all the tables. Without complaint, he gathered the towels and tubs to clean.
Jess was organizing the front counter, where Rory was still sitting.
"I haven't talked to you much lately," Rory said to him.
"I know, I've been so busy," Jess smiled at her.
"Did you read it again?"
"I told you, I didn't like it!" Jess laughed, and they fell into their usual banter.
Bree came out into the diner to grab a pen for Luke, and quietly observed the conversation between the two.
A small smile on her face, she returned to the kitchen.
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