He leaned on the lamppost on the corner and stared in the window. It wasn't
hard to find her, there were only
a few places Rory Gilmore would go during her summer vacation. She wasn't
home, he had checked there first,
next was the library where he again met with a dead end, but the most
obvious answer proved to be the correct
one. She was perched on a stool at the counter of the local coffee shop
reading a book and sipping her addiction down reverently. "At least some
things never change." Tristan smiled and backed away heading back toward
his car. He wasn't ready to see her yet.
He should have been in London by now. His father had demanded his
attendance at some function with the
British well to do but his grandfather wasn't doing well and Tristan had
opted to come home for his vacation.
Not home exactly, he was staying at his grandfather's estate as far from
his parents as possible. The last thing
he needed was another lecture from his mother about the importance of
social appearances. He had spent his
last seven months locked away at a military school and he wanted to relax
with his time off, at least as much relaxing as he could do knowing Rory
was this close to him. He hadn't even made it to his grandfather's yet,
the rented car had somehow pointed itself in the direction of Stars Hollow
before he ever made it to Hartford.
"See you tomorrow, Mary." He smiled and started the engine. Tomorrow he
would emerge from the shadows
and risk being rejected once again. Tristan was anything but masochistic
outside the realm of the innocent girl
at the counter but something about her drew him like a moth to a flame. The
Mercedes pulled away from the
curb and headed to Hartford. He would most likely spent the rest of the
day gushing to his grandfather about
her. "You're pathetic DuGrey." He shook his head and flipped on the radio
in an attempt to empty his mind.
He would deal with his insecurities tomorrow, today he was going to relax
and get settled.
Rolling over, he groaned as the sunlight hit him through the open window. He had indeed spent the last evening gushing to his grandfather, who had merely smiled knowingly and nodded. The old man knew him too well. Perhaps it was because Tristan was so much like him. But with that thought, another one struck him. Today he would have to face Rory.
His time at military school had taught him a lot about himself. He had discovered that, when he wasn't pressured into playing the typical rich boy role, he wasn't nearly as unhappy. True, he still had arrogance and Rory would probably find him to be insufferably cocky, but he still wasn't the same. He couldn't place his finger on exactly WHAT had changed or WHEN it had happened, but something about him was different and he was content with the change. Now, he had to test himself as he was thrust back into a place he left behind. Rory's grandparents were hosting a small garden party. In typical Hartford fashion, it would be tasteful, elegant, and downright stuffy. There was nothing about a garden party that he couldn't handle. Except her. He had heard that Rory had been attending a few of these gatherings, so she would still be in her own element. When he was honest with himself, he admitted that she was always in her own element. The dark halls of Chilton had always been the throne room where he sat as king, but the academic obsession was completely belonging to Rory. In less than two years she had made it her own and turned his world upside down.
Tristan threw back and covers and stood to his feet. Heading off to take a shower, he prepared to meet his demon and his savior.
Rory stood with her grandmother and she chatted with her friends about the most recent scandal at a social gathering. She could not believe her mother had bailed! Talking Luke into coming with them, Lorelei had known she would at least be guaranteed good coffee. When the guarantee for coffee had turned into Luke being bored to tears, she'd left her daughter to go see a movie with her boyfriend. Rory was now left with the Jeep and her grandparents insisting that she stay through lunch. There were a few people that she recognized from Chilton, but in typical Chiltonite fashion, they were all huddled together and ignoring her completely.
They were standing on the back lawn as servants cooked on the grills and set cold dishes out on the elegantly laid tables. Fiddling with the hem of her skirt, she glanced around again. There was no way her day could get any worse. And then there, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a blonde head. Turning around, she was confronted with a pair of dazzling blue eyes and intentionally messy hair. No, he couldn't be here. He was supposed to be in North Carolina. And yet, there he was. Not having seen her yet, he stood under a large oak tree. Now what the hell was she supposed to do?
Rolling over, he groaned as the sunlight hit him through the open window. He had indeed spent the last evening gushing to his grandfather, who had merely smiled knowingly and nodded. The old man knew him too well. Perhaps it was because Tristan was so much like him. But with that thought, another one struck him. Today he would have to face Rory.
His time at military school had taught him a lot about himself. He had discovered that, when he wasn't pressured into playing the typical rich boy role, he wasn't nearly as unhappy. True, he still had arrogance and Rory would probably find him to be insufferably cocky, but he still wasn't the same. He couldn't place his finger on exactly WHAT had changed or WHEN it had happened, but something about him was different and he was content with the change. Now, he had to test himself as he was thrust back into a place he left behind. Rory's grandparents were hosting a small garden party. In typical Hartford fashion, it would be tasteful, elegant, and downright stuffy. There was nothing about a garden party that he couldn't handle. Except her. He had heard that Rory had been attending a few of these gatherings, so she would still be in her own element. When he was honest with himself, he admitted that she was always in her own element. The dark halls of Chilton had always been the throne room where he sat as king, but the academic obsession was completely belonging to Rory. In less than two years she had made it her own and turned his world upside down.
Tristan threw back and covers and stood to his feet. Heading off to take a shower, he prepared to meet his demon and his savior.
Rory stood with her grandmother and she chatted with her friends about the most recent scandal at a social gathering. She could not believe her mother had bailed! Talking Luke into coming with them, Lorelei had known she would at least be guaranteed good coffee. When the guarantee for coffee had turned into Luke being bored to tears, she'd left her daughter to go see a movie with her boyfriend. Rory was now left with the Jeep and her grandparents insisting that she stay through lunch. There were a few people that she recognized from Chilton, but in typical Chiltonite fashion, they were all huddled together and ignoring her completely.
They were standing on the back lawn as servants cooked on the grills and set cold dishes out on the elegantly laid tables. Fiddling with the hem of her skirt, she glanced around again. There was no way her day could get any worse. And then there, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a blonde head. Turning around, she was confronted with a pair of dazzling blue eyes and intentionally messy hair. No, he couldn't be here. He was supposed to be in North Carolina. And yet, there he was. Not having seen her yet, he stood under a large oak tree. Now what the hell was she supposed to do?