It was Friday morning and Rory was just waiting for the day to be over. It wasn’t because
she was at Chilton, in fact that was the furthest problem. It was because that morning she
had to go without coffee. 

Why? Because not only was Gilmore families trusty coffee maker broken, but she got up
so late that she didn’t have a chance to stop at Luke’s. She had expected Tristan to have a
cup for her when she picked him up, but when she got to his house, she found that he had
gotten a ride from someone else. 

Need less to say, that had ticked her off just a tad. And well back to the coffee. Rory
going without coffee meant that people who pissed her off that day had a much higher
chance of not living to see another day. She stormed down the hall towards her locker, her
head concentrating on the floor directly in front of her.

She finally made it to her locker but almost collided with the warm body in front of it. Her
eyes focused on the shoes first and slowly made their way up the require Chilton uniform.
She new it was Tristan when she reached the top of his shirt, it was undone in that
I’m-trying-to-not-be-suavely-casual kinda way. She lifted her head to stare him down.

“Woah! You trying to kill people with that look?” Tristan’s eyes were wide when he saw
the irate, dare he say almost homicidal, look on her face.

“Just try me.” Tristan cleared his throat and Rory was delighted with the look of pain that
crossed his face. Something in the way people looked when they were terrified that she
may throttle them mad her giddy. Tristan tried to speak but the look she was giving him
made his lips numb.

“Ummm.....welll....” Rory back Tristan into the lockers

“Where were you this morning?” If possibly the look of terror in eyes got even stronger.

“I was....ummm... I ..... would you stop looking at me like you want to carve my with a
turkey knife.” Rory backed away slightly.

“Ohh... that’s a good idea, but what I was thinking involved a can of Crisco, a
sledgehammer, a bongo drum, and a donut.”

“I really don’t want to you what you had planned do I?” Tristan had the
deer-in-the-headlights look.

“No you don’t.” There was an evil look in her eyes that made Tristan want to hide in her
locker. She began to back him into the lockers again and his breath caught in his throat
when he felt the hard surface against his back.

“Rory you don’t really want to kill me do you? You’re to nice to do anything like
that....aren’t you?” Tristan face wrinkled as he questioned Rory.

*She’s definitely got that look of homicide about her.*

“Like I said before just try me today, then we’ll see what I am really capable of.” Tristan
ignored the sexual undertone to her comment and cleared his throat.

“I see someone didn’t get any coffee this morning.” Rory’s homicidal look degraded itself
to a accidental death and loud groan. Her head dropped and she leaned forward, her
forehead hit the center of Tristan’s chest. He was shocked by this reaction, but it
confirmed his no caffeine theory. A smile grew on his face. “I bring you coffee and you
attack me with that hard head of hers.” 

Rory’s head immediately jerked up to meet his. She stared him down to see if what he had
just said was the truth.

“Don’t kid me.... you really brought me coffee?” He held the cup up to her nose. He let
her sniff it, and the look on her face could only be described as extreme desire. She
grabbed the cup from his hands and took a log drink from it. After she had downed half of
it she stared into the cup. “Where have you been all my life?”

“Right here.” Tristan stated, but Rory ignored his words. “Well I knew that you would
want coffee and after...” He babbled on as Rory stared into the cup but finally spoke to
Tristan.

“Are you still talking. Can’t you let me enjoy a moment with my java.” She finished the
cup before flinging her arms around Tristan’s neck in a hug. “Thank you thank you thank
you thank you. How can I make this up to you?” She missed the tell-tale signs of the
beginnings of his smirk.

“Go to a movie with me on Saturday.” She withdrew her arms and backed away.

“WHAT?”

“Me. You. To mall. To see a motion picture. With popcorn. And stuff.”

“But you’re an invalid, aren’t you suppose to stay in all weekend?”

“Even an invalid needs to have fun.”

“Can’t you be a coach potato for one Saturday?”

“Sorry babe, that’s not my style.” Rory raised her eyebrow at him when he called her
babe.

“That babe better have been a slip of the tongue.” Tristan grinned at her.

“I’ll slip you my tongue anytime you want.” Rory was very hot and bothered at that
comment. A blush began to creek up her cheeks.

*Banter. Friendly banter. That’s all nothing else. Do not read into this. Do not recall
Dean’s words. You are Rory. Stop it. Banter Banter Banter. He is not looking at you
lustingly.* She looked at Tristan as he stared her down. A twinkle in his eyes. *Ok so
maybe he is.*

Suddenly his lower lip edged out in a pout, and he gave her puppy dog eyes. It was a look
that Rory knew she could not say no to, but she would try.

“Please accompany me to the movies on Saturday.”

“No.” 

“Pwease.” Tristan used a babied tone. And that comprised with the pout did her in.

“Fine.”

“Good. You pick me up at 7.” He poked her with his crutch and steered her down the hall.

“So Tristan. You never did tell me why you weren’t home this morning.” He suddenly got
real nervous.

“Well... it’s a funny story...you see the thing is.....”

***

“... and then after he poked me with that damned crutch of his he had the gall to say the
reason he wasn’t at the door that morning was because he had a dream.... about me.... and
it left in a state of.... hall shall I say this.....” Rory was pacing her room as she recounted
her Friday morning to Lane and Lorelai.

“Pelvical discomfortment.” Rory looked at Lane oddly as she bounced on Rory’s bed.

“I don’t think those are words... but yeah, that was basically what he said. And that he
would have been too embarrassed for me to drive him in, so he hid behind the drapes.”
Lorelai chuckled from the doorway and received a glare from Rory. “It’s just, after the
conversation we had on Thursday, the one I told you about, I didn’t think he’d say
something like that.”

“Well then, have you thought of the possibility that what he said was the truth?” Lorelai
stated matter-of-factly as she examined her finger nails.

“What are you talking about?” Rory’s hands were on her hips as she questioned her
mother.

“Well you told us that he looked genuine when he said that he wouldn’t mess up this time.
So... you should trust the fact that he’s not lying and that he really had a dream about you
that made him need to ....”

“MOTHER!”

“Well I’m just saying.” Lorelai held her hands up. Rory through a pillow at her. 

“Get out of here. I need to get ready.” 

“But Lane gets to stay.” Lorelai pouted as she whined.

“Because Lane isn’t ticking me off.” Rory slammed the door in her mother’s face.

“Fine.” Lorelai screamed through the door. “I’ll go... I’ll just pester you for details about
this DATE WITH TRISTAN when you get home later tonight.”

“It’s not a date.”

“Uh-huh, whatever you say dear.” Rory heard Lorelai walk away from the door and over
to the coffee machine. Rory glanced down at Lane who had an amused smile on her face.
Rory began to bite her fingers as she paced back and forth across her floor.

“What?” Rory finally gave into Lane’s look.

“You’re nervous.” Lane’s leg was bobbing up and down against the side of the bed.

“Am not.”

“Yes you are.” Lane flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

“I am not nervous Lane.”

“Then why are you pacing and eating your fingers like some sort of cannibalistic coffee
crazed creature?”

“Poetry in English today,” Rory said as she sat next to Lane on the bed.

“We had a lesson on alliteration.”

“It shows.” Lane noticed Rory trying to change the subject, but decided that she would a
cruel best friend and not let her.

“You’re nervous.”

“For the last time Lane I am not nervous.”

“Fingers dearie, think of the fingers before you chew them to the bone.” Rory quickly
pulled her fingers away from her mouth and shoved them in the pockets of her jeans.
“So... everything Dean said really got to you.” Rory’s head jerked to meet Lane’s face.

“How did you...”

“Gossip my dear. You know this town is made of a bunch of loud mouths.”

“I know but no one....”

“Miss Patty was hiding.” Lane sat up next to Rory.

“That explains it.”

“So....”

“So... what?”

“Rory.” Lane’s voice was stern as her eyes meet Rory’s in a tough ‘Tell Me Now Or Feel
My Wrath’ glare.

“Yes! What Dean said did get to me.” She spit out quickly... and loudly. “Feel better now
that you know. Hell I don’t know what to do. He acts like a, pardon my non-French, a
jackass, and then he looks at me like a yummy pastry that he wants to eat up. His various
signals get me so confused that I just want to throw myself in a convent so that the only
man I have to understand has an entire book telling me how to do things.”

“Then you really would be his Mary.” Lane snickered.

“LANE!”

“Sorry, you just made it so easy. Look girl, just go with the flow. Besides, who could
resist you.”

“I’m not even going to start in on that topic.”

“Good girl.” Lane patted Rory’s knee and stood up. “I must be off before my mother
realizes that I really am not attending a seminar about Dick Cheney and What the Oil
Industry Can Do For You.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“No problem.... I never miss seeing you freak out.”

“I was not freaking.”

“There was major freekage going on. Buh-bye.” Lane closed Rory’s bedroom door. Rory
just stared at it before letting out a frustrated groan and flopping back on the bed. She had
to leave soon in order to pick up Tristan, and as excited as she was about seeing him, she
was still scared. Tonight she would see the real him, and that scared her. Sure he could
have been the real Tristan before tonight, but she wouldn’t have seen it because she was
too blinded by the past, or was in a coffee induced haze. Rory looked at the clock and
noticed that it was time for her to go.

*It’s now or never.*

***

Rory knocked on Tristan’s door nervously. Her hand shaking as she pulled it and stuffed
both of her hands in her pockets. She rocked back and forth slightly on her heels. She
started humming to clear her mind of all the un-platonic thoughts she was having about
Tristan. She stared at her shoe as she rubbed it across the floor of the stone entrance way.

The car ride had been a living hell for her. Every where she looked reminded her of
Tristan. Even the traffic lights seemed to sparkle like his eyes. Every song that played on
the radio managed to remind her of something that had occurred between them. She
almost drove the car off the side of the road when the DJ announced that the next song
was dedicated to a Mary.

Tristan opened the door. He almost passed out when he saw Rory. His legs became so
weak that even the crutches couldn’t support him, so he leaned against the doorway to
study every part of her in. Rory must not have heard him open the door because she had
yet to move.

Her soft humming slowly spun through the air to his ears and it enchanted him. Just her
talking to him made him weak, but the sweet humming made him want to melt right into
the floor. Her eyes were down turned and her long eyelashes hid them from his view. It
made him want to turn her face right there and then just so he could see her look at him.
But he held himself back and continued his perusal of her form.

He loved everything about her, from her wind blown hair to her delicate nose and painted
toes. She shifted her weight to another foot and still didn’t look up. Her movement was
smooth and uncalculated. Everything about here was genuine. There was not a fake bone
in her body and it made Tristan wish that she were his even more. 

The air suddenly became very warm around Tristan when he finally noticed what Rory
was wearing. Her blue jeans hugged all the right curves. Her dark green tank top was
conservative, yet teased him by showing a little bit of skin. He was desperate to run his
hand across the soft skin of her neck and shoulder. He couldn’t stand it anymore. He
hobbled over to her and lifted her chin with his hand. Her eyes met his in a jolt of energy.

“Tristan!” Rory finally noticed him.

“That would be me.” His hand cupped her cheek before his fingers trailed down her neck
and twirled across her bare shoulder. His touch made her tingle all over and the way he
was looking at her made her want to wrap herself up in him. 

“How long have you been out here?” Rory’s fingers were shaking as she nervously
brushed back a strand of hair. Tristan grabbed her hand and held it in his. She closed her
eyes and reveled in his touch. Rory’s breath caught in her throat when the warmth slowly
crawled from her hand up her arm to the rest of her body.

“Long enough to see once again how beautiful you are.” Rory opened her eyes only to
have her heart pierced by the look in Tristan’s oceans of blue. They way he was staring
into her shocked her so much that she couldn’t move, she couldn’t breath. All she could
do was concentrate on the being in front of her that had caused her so much pain, and yet
caused her so much love. Rory’s heart beat rapidly as she tried to return herself to normal.

“Let’s go.” Tristan said as he dropped her hand and made his way to the car. It killed him
to have to not touch her and he just hoped that one day she would warm up to him, and
give him a chance of being more than a friend. He made it into the car and Rory was still
standing on the stoop in shock. He closed the door and rolled down the window. He
whistled and Rory’s head whipped around to face him. “Are you coming or not?”

“Right... the movie.” She ran to the car and climbed in. “What movie are we going to see
anyways?” She started the engine and backed out of the long driveway.

“It’s a surprise, but I guarantee that you’ll like it.” Tristan grinned at Rory because he
knew that the waiting would be torture for her.                                                                                                                                                                                                              
                                                                                     
“As long as you don’t drag me to one of those plotless films were ok.”

“Oh.... I guarantee that you will have a good time at this film. I’ve seen it three times
already and it gets better everytime.”

“It’s that good huh?”

“It’s probably one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.” Tristan looked forward with a slight
chuckle. The laugh caught Rory’s attention and she turned to make a smart-ass comment,
but was caught off guard by his appearance. She tried to focus on the road but every few
seconds she had to glance over at Tristan to make sure what she was seeing was real.

The sun was setting in just the right way, placing Tristan in a silhouette. The light
highlighted his profile in such a way that Rory thought she was dreaming. His eyes
twinkled like stars in the soft light and Rory could stare into them all day. His strong
hands were gently tapping his thigh to the beat of the radio. The sleeves of his shirt were
rolled up just past elbows revealing his tan and muscular arms. Rory wondered about what
it would feel like to have him wrap those arms around her protectively.

Rory slammed on the breaks when the traffic light ahead of her suddenly turned red.
Tristan looked over at her questioningly, but Rory just shrugged off his glance. The car
was suddenly quiet, even with the music playing. Rory and Tristan could hear each breath
that the other took and both were experiencing a loss of sanity because of it.

After a few more turns the arrived at the ciniplex. Rory and Tristan got out of the car and
began walking to the entrance.

“Do I get to find out what movie we’re seeing now?”

“Nope.” Tristan pulled out a blind fold from his back pocket and winked evilly. Rory
began to slowly back away but Tristan advanced on her with each step.

“No way, not a chance... don’t even think about it.” Tristan was already right in front of
her, and she would have run away but Tristan’s hand grabbed her arm before she got a
chance. After that touch, she didn’t want to run. He had this magnetic force that just made
her want to cling to him. Tristan wrapped the blindfold around her eyes, now she was
totally dependent on him. “Is this really necessary?”

“I don’t want you to know anything until the movie starts.” Rory giggled when his fingers
brushed against her neck.

“You’re evil.”

“And your loving every minute of this.” Tristan could see the blush creep up her cheeks
and disappear under the makeshift blindfold. He took her hand and placed it on his
shoulder. Rory gripped hard, and the feeling sent trembles down his spine. Tristan
purchased the tickets and got Rory into the theatre, but he knew that he was being tossed
some strange looks. Rory let out a relieved sigh when they sat down. She tried to take the
blindfold off, but Tristan’s hand grabbed hers before she could.

“Not yet.”

“But... but...” Tristan had to hold himself from kissing her right there and then, her lower
lip trembling as she complained.

“No buts. I wouldn’t want the demographics of the average age of person in here to give
away what movie we’re seeing.”

“Now I’m scared. We better not be seeing something along the lines of ‘The Golden Girls
Go Hollywood,’ or anything like that, because I swear that...” Her words were cut off
when Tristan hushed her and put his finger to her lips. Rory was instantly quiet. Tristan
was inches from her. Somewhere in her babbling he had thrown his arm around her, and
now that hand was slowly weaving its way through her hair. 

Because of her lack of sight, her other senses were on overdrive. Right now the sweet
aroma that was Tristan overwhelmed. He must have showered before she picked him up
because he smelled clean and fresh. His cologne only adding to his masculinity, and right
now that was a very dangerous thing.

Tristan noticed the look of wanting on Rory’s face. It was something he had wanted to see
since the day he first laid eyes on her. Now he was cursing the blindfold idea. Tristan
wanted to see the longing in her eyes. He wanted to hear her say that she needed him, he
needed to hear her say that she wanted him. He wanted to know if the vibes he was
getting were real. And her soft lips on his finger were driving him insane. He was torturing
himself by not moving his finger. The room went dark and Tristan didn’t notice.

“Tristan...” Rory’s voice was whispered but it still sounded clear as a bell to him.

“Yes.” His hopes were high as he waited for her to speak.

“I think the movie’s starting.”

“Oh.” Tristan leaned back into his own chair defeatedly. He removed her blindfold and
turned towards the screen, happy that the darkness concealed his scowl.

***

Tristan was seated on an examining table in the hospital. His uninjured leg dangling over
the side. He was laughing along with Rory. They had talked on the phone non-stop on
Sunday, all of it about the movie, and now they were still talking about it.

“I still can’t believe that you took me to a Disney movie.”

“But it was the Emperor’s New Groove. That makes it a kick ass Disney movie.”

“That it was.” The room began quiet as Rory and Tristan just stared at each other. The
both had smiles on their faces as the recalled the memories that were created between
them that night. Tristan’s smile turned into a huge grin when he recalled the look on
Rory’s face when the previews ended and the movie started. He had seen her jaw drop and
her eyes go as wide as saucers. He had reached his finger under her chin and closed her
mouth for her. She then turned to face him and smiled in a way that he had never seen. It
melted his hard, and any feelings of dejection that he had felt early drifted away.

“What are you smiling at?”

“You.” Tristan had a dreamy look on his face. He was leaning forward on his arms just
staring at her. Rory bit her bottom lip and lowered her eyes to the floor and pink tone
slowly creeping up her cheeks. “You’re blushing Rory. Now why would you be doing
that?”

“No reason.” She looked around the room. Her eyes landing on the floor, the wall, the
door, any where but on Tristan. He chuckled.

“Must be a pretty good reason if your avoiding looking at me like that.” Rory’s eyes
landed on his. She looked so embarrassed and Tristan decided to lighten the moment. He
put on his best Yzma accent and decided to make her laugh. “How shall I do it? Aha! I
know... I'll turn him into a flea. A small, harmless, little flea. Then, I'll put that flea into a
box, then I’ll put that box into another box, and I’ll send that box to myself, and when it
arrives...” Tristan let out a mad man’s laugh. “I'll smash it with a hammer! It's brilliant, I
tell you! Genius, I say!” Rory couldn’t contain her laughter and after two seconds at trying
to restrain herself she burst out laughing.

“What would the school say about THE Tristan DuGray quoting lines from a children’s
movie.” Rory covered her mouth with her hand to restrain her laughter. Tristan tipped his
head to the side, enjoying her in this carefree moment. His lips formed a somber
expression before he answered her question.

“Do it again?” Tristan’s tone was dead serious. She laughed again and nearly fell out of
the chair. When her fits of giggles subsided she resettled herself in her chair. Her eyes
landed on Tristan’s face and she froze. He was looking at her like she was the most
precious thing in the world, and in all honesty if she had asked him then he would have
said that she was. His eyes were soft as the sparkled at her. And his lips were turned up
ever so slightly at the corners. “Thank you Rory.”

“For.. for what?” Her hand brushed a piece of hair behind her ear nervously.

“For giving me a second chance a real second chance.” His voice was steady and strong
and Rory wished that she could hear him speak to her with that, TRUE, confidence
everyday.

“Your welcome.” She shifted in her seat under his gaze. He kept on looking at her. Her.
Not behind her, not in front of her. He was looking at her. And it was beginning to
unnerve her. His stare was eroding away the walls she had put up to block out his insults,
and all the pain that came with them. He was just looking at her anymore, he was looking
into her. Seeing her for all that she was. Body, heart and soul. And the feeling of being
without that protective shell scared her. “Why are you looking at me like that.”

“Like what?” Tristan knew exactly what look she was talking about, but playing stupid
was so much more entertaining.

“Like... that.” She gestured with her hand. He hid his smirk.

“I still don’t understand Rory. Could you explain it for me.” Rory stood up and paced the
room, occasionally passing a glance his way. She kept on twisting her fingers about each
other, and Tristan was please by the fact that she was being open with him, and not trying
to hide her discomfort. If she was being like this around him, it meant that he was gaining
her trust, and right now that meant more to him that anything. She was letting him into her
life.

“The look you have it’s like.... it’s hard to explain... you look... I mean... there’s this
feeling that.... I don’t know how to describe it.” The words came out jumbled and in one
breath. 

“Rory. Breathe.” He watched her stop pacing and take a deep breath. “Now calm down.
Come here.” He held out his hand to her. She grabbed it without even thinking. The
quaking feeling at the contact was felt by both of them. He tightened his grip on her hand
and slowly pulled her towards him until she was standing in front of him. “Close your eyes
Rory and tell me what you’re feeling.” 

She took another deep breath before closing her eyes and shutting herself in an emotional
darkness. “Tristan. The way you look at me it’s just... there are so many emotions playing
in your eyes that I can’t even begin to sort them out.”

“What do you see?” He looked at her serene face his other hand brushing against her
cheek in a gentle caress.

“I see hope and I see fear. I see a playfulness and innocence. I can see admiration and
amusement. There’s just so many that I’m having trouble telling them apart. But there are
three that stand out clear as a bell.”

“What are they?”

“I see longing and need.... and I see love. And the thing is...” She opened her eyes and
looked straight into Tristan’s. “I don’t want those to stop.”

Of all the things she could have said at that moment, that was the last one that he had
expected. His hand cupped her cheek and his thumb ran along her bottom lip. Rory saw
his eyes darting between her eyes and her lips and she knew what he wanted, because she
wanted it to. It had been building inside of her since the day he first walked into that
classroom. 

Her hand released Tristan’s and he was afraid that she was going to walk out on him. But
she didn’t, her hand traveled up his arm, and over his shoulder, before resting at the nape
of his neck. Her fingers brushed against the short hairs at the back of his neck sending
tingles down his spine. The door clicked open behind them.

“The doctor will be in soon.” Tristan acknowledged the nurse with a wave of his hand. He
expected Rory to now pull away from him like she had always done in the past, but this
time she didn’t. She continued to look at him and running her fingers through her hair. It
was getting very difficult for Tristan to be this close to Rory without actually being close
to her.

“Rory I have one more thing for you to do before this thing comes off.” Rory’s eyes
expressed shock. She was just now telling him it was ok to move forward, and he did this.

“What do you want now?”

“This.”

He leaned forward and his lips connected with hers. She was too much in shock to move
at first, but slowly she began to respond to his kiss. Her grasp around his neck tightened
pulling him closer to her. Tristan’s arm went around her waist pulling Rory towards him
so that she ended up putting one hand on his chest, over his beating heart. Rory let out a
gasp when the contact was made. Tristan soft lips caressed hers and she tilted her head up
to deepen the kiss. His one hand went into her hair and played with the soft strands.

His tongue ran across her bottom lip begging for entrance. Rory granted it to him and
opened her mouth. The first time their tongues met was like a bolt of energy. Rory could
feel Tristan’s heart skip a beat and it drove her insane. The hand that Tristan had in Rory’s
hair moved down her back and rested at the base of her spine. A few moments later that
hand went under Rory’s shirt and his fingers slowly massage Rory’s bare flesh. Rory let
out moan that was muffled by Tristan’s soft lips. The leg that had been casually brushing
up against Rory hooked around the top of her legs. Crushing her even closer to him. His
lips pulled away from hers, and he stared into her eyes before kissing her forehead, and
then her cheek, and then each on of her eye lids.

Tristan placed a soft, but lingering kiss, on her lips before he moved his mouth to her
neck. He placed delicate kisses across her neck. Each spot his lips touched felt like they
were on fire. Rory was in too much of a trance to say anything. This feeling that she was
having was magical. He placed on more kiss at the hollow of her neck before looking up
at her again. He brushed back a piece of hair that had fallen in her face, his eyes never
leaving hers. He leaned in to kiss her lips again, but she pulled away.

“I’m going to go wait in the car.” Rory rushed out the door before Tristan had a chance to
recover. He just sat there on the bed staring at the door dumbfoundedly.

*What the hell?*

***

Tristan slammed his locker shut sending an angry echo bouncing down the halls. Rory had
been avoiding him all day. He was now off the crutches and now had no reason to keep
Rory by his side all day. He grabbed his stuff and stalked down the hallway, the slight limp
from his knee slowing him down. He never realized how fast he was on those crutches
until he had to chase Rory today without them. Of course then Rory hadn’t been avoiding
him.

He stormed into the cafeteria brushing past the girls who decided to swarm him that day.
Seeing that Rory was not near him at all, they thought he was a free man, and wanted to
see what chances they had with him. The gossip started immediately when he didn’t even
acknowledge their existence. 

Tristan’s eyes scanned the cafeteria for Rory. She wasn’t at her normal table so he
assumed that she was once again trying to steer clear of him. He headed over to his friends
and sat down with a thump. He crossed his arms on the table and buried his head in
between them.

“Tristan?” He acknowledged that question with a grunt. “All right then, you’re having a
bad day.” Tristan’s head jerked up.

“Bad.... it’s not just a bad day. It is a day from hell. One of those days that drags on
forever because nothing is going right and fate wants to spite you type day. A day where
you wish a giant crevice would open up in the earth so that the fires of hell could take you
away type day. A day where sitting through a lecture from your parents sounds fun type
day. A day where....” Tristan’s voice faded out when he heard his friend Scott talking to
him.

“A day where Rory’s avoiding Tristan and he’s pissed off type day.”

“How did you...” His mouth dropped open in shock.

“Oh come on DuGray, it’s not hard to tell that you have a thing for her. I mean everytime
you enter a room you look for her, and won’t talk kindly to anyone until you have seen
her, and given her one of those swoon worthy smirks.”

“I don’t smirk.” Tristan’s eyes scanned the cafeteria for any signs of Rory. His friends all
gave him a knowing look, but he shrugged it off.

“Oh you smirk, but that’s not the topic right now.” Scott picked up his fork and started
gesturing with it. “The topic is that you have a major crush, and when I say major I mean
head-over-heels can’t think about anything but her crush, on Rory. For the past few weeks
she’s been around you constantly and now that she’s not your going through Gilmore
withdrawal, and the fact that she’s avoiding you doesn’t help. What the big question is, is
why she’s avoiding you?” Scott poked Tristan in the ribs with his elbow and received a
nasty glare in return. Tristan looked down at the table and mumbled into his chest.

“I kissed her.” The words came out clear to him, but not to his friends.

“What was that?” Scott leaned in close to catch whatever Tristan had to say. He mumbled
again but everyone heard.

“I kissed her.” No one spoke they were too much in shock.

“You what?” Scott’s voice was high pitched and full of disbelief.

“I.... kissed..... Rory.... Gilmore.” His voice was not very loud but each word was clear
and articulate. Scott began to chuckle.

“Wa... wa... wait. You mean to tell me that you locked lips with the one girl in this school
who would do anything to avoid being one of your conquests? For some reason I find it
hard to believe that Rory Gilmore would let you within feet of kissing distance. How did
this come about?” All the guys waited expectedly for an answer.

“Well we were at the hospital and...” Tristan’s voice came to a whisper as his eyes looked
passed his friends and landed on Rory. She looked up and saw him looking at her. He
could see her breathing quicken as he stared at her. His friends followed his gaze and they
too saw Rory.

“Go to her you moron.” Scott practically yelled in his ear. He didn’t need to be told twice.
He got up from the table and walked to her as fast as his legs would carry him. Rory
bolted out the cafeteria door that led outside. Tristan pushed past people who wanted to
talk to him. He threw himself out the door half expecting to have to run around half the
campus to find Rory, but instead he plowed right into her. He tried to apologize but she
wouldn’t give him the chance.

“What are you doing?” Her voice held no emotion. No anger, no amusement, no
happiness. Nothing, and that intrigued Tristan.

“I was coming out to talk to you.” He stated in a matter of fact tone.

“Obviously. I meant what are you doing in the general sense. Because after yesterday I’m
a little confused over things.”

“You mean the kiss.”

“Oh that’s only half the story.” Rory walked over and sat down on ‘their’ bench. “Care to
explain your actions.”

“I wanted to kiss you.” He sat down beside her, his hands nervously playing with the
fabric of his jacket. Rory just stared him down waiting for more. “I wanted to kiss you....
BADLY.”

“That’s it. You kissed me because at the moment you wanted to kiss me. There was
nothing else behind it?” Rory looked at the ground trying to hold back tears. She had
fallen for him, and was getting hints that he liked her, and now he was crushing all of those
ideas.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you so many times.” Tristan’s hand gently cupped Rory’s cheek and
made her face him. “But what I want to know, is why you pulled away. Again I might
add.”

“Of all the things you could have asked me at this moment, you had to pick that.” A
solitary tear made it’s way down her cheek. Tristan brushed it away with hid thumb.

“Do you regret it?” His eyes burned like fire into her and Rory knew that she could be
nothing but honest with him.

“The kiss? No. I don’t regret it.”

“Then I ask again, why did you pull away?” Rory’s breathing deepened as she tried to
keep herself from balling her eyes out. She tried to look down at the ground, but Tristan
kept her facing him. Instead of turning away she glanced down.

“Because I was scared.” Another tear made it past her eyes and down her cheek. Tristan
was beginning to understand, and took a risk. He gently kissed the tear off her cheek.
Rory’s breath quickened at the contact.

“Look at me Rory.” She slowly raised her eyes to face him. “What are you scared of?”

She didn’t know why but at that moment she saw something in Tristan that she had never
seen before. After all that he had put her through, she now felt like she could trust him.
The weeks before this moment had all been building up to a climax that was just starting.
Right now everything felt right. She was with Tristan, and she was going to tell him
everything.

“I was scared of the feelings that I have been having for you lately.” Tristan dropped his
hand from Rory’s cheek and grabbed her hand. Placing a delicate kiss on the palm. Tingles
shot up her arm.

“Go on.” Rory was having a hard time getting out what she wanted to say because Tristan
was placing kisses on each one of her fingers.

“It started last year at Madeline’s party.”

“The one where you ran out on me.” He brushed back a strand of her hair.

“Yes that one.” Tristan kissed her cheek and Rory felt like she would burst from all the
contact, yet lack of contact that was going on. “That kiss opened up a flood gate of
emotions for me. Feelings that I had never felt before. You were acting like a jerk to me
from the start, and then on that piano bench, in that one breath touch, I forgot
everything.”

Tristan kissed her nose before looking her in the eyes. His stare rocking Rory to the core.
“I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt the earth stop that night.” He leaned into kiss her
on the lips, but she put up her hand to stop him.

“I have to get this out Tristan.” He pulled away, but was not angry with her in any fashion.

“Ok. Go ahead.”

“Then at the end of last year, you were back to being a jackass, but I still couldn’t shake
the feeling that you were hiding something.” Tristan’s blue eyes just stared into her,
revealing in their own why that he understood everything that she was saying. “And then
the whole stair accident happened. I was so afraid that you would hate me because I had
in someway hurt you. But I was also scared to trust you because of everything that
happened in the past. But then you came up with that little ‘slave’ plot of yours and I went
along with. I didn’t fully understand why until yesterday.” She paused to keep the tears
from streaming down her face. Tristan licked his lips and waited for her to continue. “That
kiss made me realize that I was falling for you. After all the time we spent together I had
gotten to know the real you, and I was falling like I never had before. I pulled away
because I was frightened by how strongly I felt for you. I couldn’t get close enough and I
didn’t want to leave you. But I was so scared that I was in over my head. I’ve never felt
like I had lost all my control over the situation until you kissed me. That contact made me
loose whatever pride I was holding onto. I left you, because I was... am... falling for you.
And I’m falling hard.”

Tristan didn’t say anything. He was still attempting to digest every bit of information that
she had just confessed. His heart was beating so hard and so rapidly that he was sure she
could hear it. He could see Rory begin to fall apart as she waited for him to respond. But
he was still in shock. After everything he put her through, she like him. She like him. Rory
Gilmore had fallen for Tristan DuGray. He could barely comprehend the words himself.
He took a deep breath and leaned closer to Rory.

“Rory. I know I treated you horribly, and I am so sorry for that. But you hit me like
nothing else ever had before. You walked into my life and turned it upside down. Every
word out of your mouth was like torture for me. Because I loved hearing everything you
had to say, but I thought that you would never feel anything for me. Rory, you’re not the
only one who’s fallen. I have to. I did the first time I laid eyes on you. You may have been
a servant to me for a few weeks, but my heart has been beating for you since the first
moment I laid eyes on your beautiful face.” His hand reached up and brushed away the
tears that had begun to fall down her cheeks. He licked his lips and wanted desperately to
kiss her, but he wanted to be sure it was right. He waited for her. 

Rory saw the look of need in his eyes as they dance across her lips and eyes. Asking for
permission. Rory couldn’t wait any longer. She leaned her forehead into Tristan’s and
looked him straight in the eyes. 

“What are you waiting for Tristan? A written invitation. Kiss me.” Tristan smiled so
broadly Rory was afraid he might pull a muscle. But any thoughts that were running
through her head were silence the seconds his lips touched hers in a tender yet passionate
caress. The contact wasn’t of desperation, but of support. They would guide each other
through thick and thin. Neither one letting the other fall.