Willow Danes

The Box

Luke's POV

Once Willow and Theo were upstairs I looked around.

"Anyone who leaves now, your food is on-the-house. Free coffee to anyone who stays and minds their business."

This causes about half of the diner to leave and the other to go back to their previous conversations. Then it happens. We could all hear it causing everyone to go silent.

She left the door open. After a minute the cries stop and Theo comes back down. We share a sad look before he just gives me a small wave and quickly exits the diner.

I stand at the counter for a minute. I expect to hear something, but when nothing comes I'm even more worried.

I head upstairs and try the door. Locked. I use my keys to open it and rush in.

I freeze when I see a box sitting in the middle of the apartment. Various items lay around it, hanging off it, and there are several things inside.

I step further into the apartment and am almost nailed by a book flying across the room. I assume intended for the box.

"What the hell is going on?"

"I'm getting rid of all of her stuff. Anything that's her's, anything from her, for her, or that reminds me of her in some way, it goes in the box," she states.

I walk to the box, picking it up and putting it on the kitchen table. I look through it a bit.

Books, clothes, gifts. I grab something, and hold it up.

"Why this?"

"That's what I wore on our first date. It goes into the box to die."

I look at what remains on the floor.

"I'm guessing those are the shoes as well?"

"Indeed," she states, tossing another shirt in the general direction of the box.

"You can't possibly get rid of all of this. This box is almost full, and you look to be nowhere near finished."

"Any book she has given me or I've loaned her, goes. Any piece of clothing that I've borrowed for her, she's borrowed, or I've worn on a date, goes. Anything in this apartment that she's touched, or looked at, goes," she states.

She barely gets a chance to answer before words start falling out of my mouth.

"Theo came to talk to her. I went up to check on her and instead of finding her a mess she's collecting all of Scarlett's stuff and tossing it in a box," I inform.

"Yeah, that sounds similar to when Rory and Dean broke up for the first time. Rory got all of Dean's stuff and made me get rid of the box, but I just put it in the closet."

You have to trust me when I say don't get rid of the box. Just hide it somewhere because she's going to want that stuff at some point, trust me," she adds.

"What do I do?"

"Just let her be for now. I'll be over there in a little while, I can talk to her if you want."

"That'd be great. Thank you, Lorelai."

"No problem. I'll see you soon."

--

Third POV

The five stages of grief:

Denial

Anger

Bargaining

Depression

Acceptance

Not everyone will experience all five stages, and you may not go through them in this order. 

Grief is different for every person, so you may begin coping with loss in the bargaining stage and find yourself in anger or denial next. 

You may remain for months in one of the five stages, but skip others entirely.

There was no stage one, just straight to two. Anger. I'm definitely angry. I'm furious. I shove everything I spot in the box.

After the box was full I opened the apartment door and kicked it out, leaving it sitting at the top of the stairs.

I walked over to her bed and flopped myself down. My right arm lay straight out to my side. My left lay resting across my chest, and I brushed against the necklace Mom gave me.

I clutched it, causing a memory to pop into her head. I quickly sit up, lock eyes on the box sitting on top of my dresser.

In it sat the small mesh bag that held the necklace Mom made for Scarlett. I stand, walk over and open the box.

I run my fingers across the fabric of the bag. I shove it in my jeans pocket, grab my keys, and open the apartment door.

I pick up the box and go down the stairs. I rush through the diner and get to the door just as Lorelai opens it.

"Hey, Sweets. How-"

I don't hear the rest because once her feet hit the sidewalk I quickly rush to my truck, drop the box in the back and climb in.

I take a u-turn and head in the direction of the house I'm quite familiar with. Once I pull up I get out, leaving the box.

I knocked and wait patiently. My eyes drift to my feet. I forgot to put on shoes. I'm only wearing socks. I drove here in socks. At least I didn't walk.

My attention was pulled from my feets as the door opened. Standing there was the beautiful girl that I loved. I take in a small gasp when I see her.

For just a moment I forget what she's done and why I'm here. She's wearing a pale yellow dress that comes down to her knees.

Her long, golden locks hang loose, cascading down her shoulders and back. She's barefoot. 

She's gorgeous. 

She smiles at me.