LuRe/Nuke Day: Lovesick

Today was a Luke, Reid, and Noah day on As the World Turns. I had to do a bit of research to find out if Luke & Reid had an official fandom nickname yet, and it turns out that they're being called LuRe.

Not surprisingly, many fans still seem to be focused on Nuke as the endgame for the show, but I myself am now officially all about the LuRe. I can't help it, I just love the chemistry between Luke and Reid and I hate what Luke & Noah ended up becoming.

Today's show started with Luke showing up at the hospital and asking Reid if he had a moment to talk. Dr Oliver, who must have been replaying their previous conversation over and over in his head, told Luke that there was nothing to talk about, that he knew that Luke had tried to make the lawsuit go away for Noah's sake, not Reid's.

Luke told Reid that he actually wanted to speak with him about the new wing and pulled out some blueprints to show Reid where he'd found the perfect spot for some overnight rooms for the loved ones of patients being operated on.

Reid started to be his sarcastic, snarky self, but then stopped and told Luke that it wasn't actually a bad idea that he'd had. Luke was playfully shocked and rather adorably said that this was the nicest thing that Dr. Oliver had ever said to him.

The two were sharing a laugh over this when Noah ambled up, cane in hand, and expressed amazement at hearing Luke and Reid actually getting along. The guys explained what was going on and then had a quiet moment where they were just staring at each other, smiling and generally looking like they wanted to jump each others bones, until Noah picked up on the silence and asked what was happening now.

Luke got a call from Lily and had to go, but he wished Noah good luck with his appointment. Reid seemed to be paying special attention to each touch and interaction between the guys. Once they were alone in the exam room, Noah expressed his amusement that Reid and Luke were able to work together, given Reid's oft stated dislike of Mr. Snyder and the fact that they both 'had control issues'.

Reid asked Noah if Luke's control issues were why he and Luke had broken up, and Noah explained that he'd wanted to learn to be independent after he lost his sight and Luke had just needed to be there, helping him too much.

Reid wondered aloud if that wasn't what a relationship was supposed to be about, but dropped the subject when Noah asked if he was trying to make him feel guilty.

The exam proceeded and Noah flinched when Reid used the penlight on his eyes, noting that while he didn't actually see the light, things hadn't been completely dark any more either. Reid told him that this was a very encouraging sign for moving forward with the surgery and asked if there was anyone he wanted to call with the good news. Noah picked up on the fact that Reid was hinting that he should call Luke, but told the doctor that he didn't think that was the right message to send his ex boyfriend at the moment.

After seeing Noah, Reid went home for a quick lunch with Katie and told her all about how perplexed he was by the fact that Noah seemed to have dumped Luke for loving him too much. Why, Reid wondered aloud, would someone choose to go through what Noah was going through alone when they had someone like Luke who loved them? Good question. Writers?

Katie, who has been playing matchmaker quite a bit lately, wondered why Reid, who prided himself on not caring about his patient's personal lives in the least, was suddenly interested in Luke & Noah's relationship.

Reid claimed that it was just because it was the first time he'd ever worked with both halves of a couple before, but Katie quickly realized the truth and confronted Reid about having 'a thing for Luke'. Reid went into denial mode, of course, and pointed out that Luke was someone who thought he could buy his way out of anything. Katie told Reid that it seemed like he found that more appealing than he was willing to admit.

Dr. Oliver told Katie that even if he did have feelings for Luke, it wouldn't matter. Luke and Noah would get back together as soon as Noah had his sight back. They belonged together, were in fact 'the gay Bob & Kim', as Reid put it. Ha! I love it. Only, I'd rather see Luke & Noah as the gay Bob & Lisa (Bob's first wife, with whom he remains friends) and Luke & Reid as the gay Bob & Kim.

After his conversation with Katie, Reid called Luke and told him that there had been good news during Noah's exam that afternoon and that he should ask Noah to tell him about it. Luke quickly found Noah at Al's and before long Reid was walking by, staring in the window and nodding his head in sad resignation as he spotted Luke & Noah inside, holding hands.

Maybe longing for someone from afar just appeals to the romantic in me, but today's episode just made me root for LuRe even more. I especially loved that Reid wasn't trying to keep Luke & Noah apart at all. It's as if Luke's happiness means more to him than his own! Imagine that.