Once again a completely silent ride. Not talking to him in his car has become something familiar and comfortable.

She sat in the passenger seat and wondered what the heck she was doing sitting in there again with him going somewhere as the sun was already going down.

She was not that type of girl.

But somehow, right now that didn't stop her.

She was running from that weird feeling, that anxiety that followed her everywhere and only seemed to pass when he was next to her, quiet, serious and distant.

She didn't know where they were. They were somewhere outside of Hartford, driving through a forest. Half the time she was immersed in thoughts and didn't even follow which roads he'd been taking.

He slowed the car and stopped on a little clearing. She noticed water ahead, the last beams of the sun reflecting on the small waves. She watched stunned. She had no idea where they were.

He had already gotten out of the car and was walking down to the shore staring out to the little lake.

She got out slowly, her movements stalling, as if she was trying to understand the situation.

"Well this is interesting" she said as she reached him and looked out on the lake also "Will Dawson and Joey be joining us as well?

She heard him chuckle lightly."I don't know what's worse, the fact that you are referencing a shitty TV-show or that I actually realize that" he replied.

He picked up a couple of stones and started throwing them out into the water.

"It' s just... wow... I never would have thought you'd know places like this" she explained.

"Again with the preconceptions" he said, his voice indifferent as ever.

"You come here a lot?" she asked him watching him throw another stone into the water.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"It's quiet" he said looking at her for a second with a small smirk, mirroring their conversation from before.

"I thought you hung out with those kids from Hartford" she said, still looking at him.

"I do" he answered "sometimes"

"How come you don't have any friends at Chilton?" she asked him looking out into the water now eying the ripples his stones were setting off.

He smirked.

"I don't know. How come you don't have any?"

She furrowed her brows.

"I have friends" she said defensive, crossing her arms.

He laughed and threw another stone in.

"Is that why you hang out at the bleachers every day?"

She sighed.

"I just sort of like being alone lately" she said more to herself than to him.

He stopped and turned to look at her.

"Sometimes you just feel like talking to anyone takes up so much energy, its just not worth it" she went on.

"Yeah. That's probably why I don't have friends at Chilton" he smiled a faint smile.

"Does it scare you?" he asked.

She looked at him questioning.

"This way you've been feeling lately?" he clarified.

She looked at him disturbed. She couldn't figure him out. He seemed so indifferent, so distant, yet he could ask questions that hit her right in her heart, like he saw into her even though he knew nothing about her. Like he knew more about her than the people that were supposed to love her and live with her.

"The emptiness does. The indifference" she said.

She wondered for a second how obscure their dialogue would sound for an outside listener. But for her it felt like she didn't need to put a lot of effort into explaining herself to be able to make him understand.

"Does it ever scare you?" she asked.

He smiled again, turning back to the water and throwing yet another stone.

"I've gotten used to it

"This answer made her feel uneasy. Like it was a prophecy somehow.

She walked back to the car and got into the passenger seat, her face worried, her gaze fixed on a spot on the windshield.

He turned around when he noticed her and followed her, sitting in the car as well.

They sat there for a couple of seconds in silence in the dusk.

She felt so strange sitting there. As though she was looking in on her body from the outside. The way she acted around him, it was so unreal. As though her words and actions were not controlled by her but were channeled from somewhere unknown. She acted automatically.

She turned towards him and suddenly moved closer to him, lifting her leg and coming to sit in his lap straddling him. She leaned closer inhaling his smell as if she were trying to recreate that moment when she first felt that overwhelming pull towards him. None of these actions were conscious, she felt as though she moved passively, obeying some weird law of physics.

Her head was so close to his, their faces side by side. She felt him stiffen as the sudden movements she made surprised him. She was oddly aware of his scent, his breathing, everything about him.

"What are you doing?" his voice came low, almost a whisper. His brows furrowed, but his voice was calm.

She hesitated.

"I'm just trying to not feel empty" she whispered desperately. She could feel his breathing quickening, but he didn't move.

Her hands moved up his chest, feeling his toned body through his shirt. She leaned even closer obeying the pull towards him that was like gravity and brushed her lips to the side of his mouth.

He closed his eyes and inhaled sharply.

"Rory. What are you doing?" he repeated. His voice still low, but more husky.

She didn't answer. She pulled back and started to unbutton his shirt, her movements jerky, hasty, her gaze concentrating on her fingers.
He watched her helplessly not moving as if he was trying to understand her motivation.

She finished unbuttoning his shirt and her hands moved down to his pants. She leaned into him once again and kissed his neck as her small hands slid down to his crotch.

He sighed.

"Rory" he called her name again, this time his voice more determined.

It made her stop and move back, her gaze anxious, her breathing heavy and her eyes dark.

She stared at him, his face frozen in a questioning expression.

She sighed frustrated and pushed the door open, getting off of him and out of the car in one swift motion slamming the door behind her.
She walked down towards the spot they were standing in earlier, her steps quick, her movements angry, her frustration driving her. She heard him open the door a second after she slammed it shut and could hear his hurried steps behind her.

She felt a hand on her arm and gasped as he flung her around.

"Is this what you want?" his voice was not indifferent this time around, it was low, slightly shaking and filled with tension. His eyes were dark and cloudy, his breathing heavy.

"I don't know what I want" she almost yelled, her frustration imminent.

He pushed her up against the lonely tree standing by the shore, and moved in closer, his face only inches away from hers, his gaze intense.

"Is this what you want?" he repeated, his voice more determined but barely a whisper "Is this going to make it better?" he questioned her.

She looked at him, her expression desperate. She seemed so lost, so helpless.

She stared at his face, so full of emotion and so different from what she's seen before. It was like she could see behind the mask of indifference and see the struggle, the doubt, everything she felt inside herself as well.

It was like he was struggling to make the right choice, struggling to resist.

She couldn't stop staring at his eyes that seemed to speak to her, seamed to show her everything he was feeling.

His expression changed suddenly. As though he gave up trying to be rational. A sort of calm came over his features.

He closed his eyes and his lips met hers. She responded right away, wanting the kiss to be more urgent, demanding. She opened her mouth desperate to give him more access and he gave in, pushing his tongue in her mouth as his hands came up to her neck pulling her even closer to him. He broke away to gasp for air and plunged into another kiss, this time more intense, unappeasable. She welcomed it as though he was a cure, a bandage for a gaping wound.

Her mind let go of the thoughts that were swarming in her head and she finally felt like that tight feeling in her chest was released. His scent, his touch, his kisses, everything felt new and familiar at the same time.

Her arms moved around his torso pulling him closer.

She opened her eyes to look at him. His eyes were shut as though it would have hurt to open them. He was kissing her with such a fever that it overwhelmed her and fueled her desire.

She felt a need rise inside the pit of her stomach and she let him lean her against the tree.

He broke away from her mouth, still not opening his eyes and moved over to her neck kissing every inch of her skin, inhaling her smell.
Her hands were shaking, her breathing was fast and hard and she felt adrenaline swarm through her body. She felt her hands move in urgency to unbuckle his pants.

He stopped her to slow her down and she sighed frustrated closing her eyes and letting him take the lead once again. He lifted her slightly, wrapping one of her legs around his waist and pushing her up against the tree.

He supported her with one hand on her hips and the other moved under her skirt making it's way up her leg . She sighed in anticipation, her frustration growing still.

She wanted to feel him inside of her, wanted her mind to be a blank.

He went back to kissing her, his hips grinding against hers. Feeling his arousal turned her on and she sighed.

As if obeying her silent commands, he let her slip back to the ground and his hands grabbed her panties pushing them down. They fell to the ground around her feet and she bit her lower lip and closed her eyes as she felt his hand reach between her legs. Her hands went behind her back grabbing the tree for support and her head fell back as she sighed. She felt him slip a finger inside of her and she let out a moan as he started moving it in and out of her.

The sensation was turning her on even more and she could feel herself becoming more and more wet. Her face felt hot and her breathing became rapid.

She reached to unbuckle his pants once again and this time he didn't resist. He pulled his hand back and she whimpered at the loss of sensation. He kissed her again and reached in his back pocket as she fumbled to free him of his pants. He pulled out his wallet, getting a condom out as his pants fell to the ground as well.

Rory tugged at his boxers, letting them fall and she ran a hand along his hardened member, feeling his length. He exhaled sharply and pulled away from her, rolling the condom onto himself.

He moved closer to her again pushing her up against the tree and hesitated for a moment, his breathing heavy, his eyes dark and fixed on hers.

She gasped as she felt him slide into her slowly and her eyes fluttered shut. He let out a long breath and kept his eyes open staring at her face.

The sensation of his hard penis filling her made her lose her breath and she moaned as he started thrusting into her slow at first then gradually quickening the pace.

He pushed deep into her, burying his face in her hair, one of his arms circling her waist and his other hand going up to the back of her head. He kissed her with passion and moaned into her mouth sending shivers down her spine.

His thrusts became more and more frantic and he bent her hips forward to change the angle. The sensation of him rubbing against her clit with each thrust pushed her closer to the edge and she held him even more tight, her nails digging into his back.

She bit her lower lip and she let her head drop back as she felt her body being lifted and a wave of pleasure wash over her. She let out a loud moan, her body jerking for long seconds. Her senses still overcome, she could barely make out his muffled cry as he emptied into her with one last thrust, his whole body tensing.

He slowly dropped to the ground holding onto her, with her legs around his waist still. They remained there intertwined for long minutes, their breathing slowly returning to normal.

She couldn't tell how much time had passed. She felt him move and she opened her eyes to look at him, his eyes dark and swirling with emotions. He looked at her as if he were trying to find the words but failing and he sighed as he brushed the fallen strands of hair from her face.

She stared at him, still clinging onto him and it seemed as though reality came rushing back to her. The pleasant exhaustion in her body was suddenly giving way to anxiety again and she closed her eyes frowning as she pulled away.

She heard him sigh deeply but didn't look at him anymore. She got up instead straightening her clothes and her movements hasty and nervous she made her way back to the car, getting inside and sinking into the shelter of the passenger seat.

It was long seconds later that he got in next to her. It was dark and the two of them sat there unable to say anything. With one last sigh barely audible, he started the car.

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She opened the door as soon as he stopped his car in front of her house and got out not saying a word. She walked into the house swiftly and she could feel his icy blue stare burning holes in her back.

She shut the front door behind her and leaned back closing her eyes and sighing listening to him speed off.

"Who was that?"

Her eyes snapped open as she heard her mother's voice. She was standing towards her right holding Rory's sleeping baby brother in her arms.

She took a deep breath trying to regain her composure.

"Just a classmate"

"Really? What's his name?" she went on, her tone playful and intrigued.

"Tristan. DuGrey" she said absentminded "we were working on a … uhm… project in school and he dropped me off" she said slightly annoyed and started up the stairs.

Her mother looked on narrowing her eyes.

She could tell when Rory was not telling the truth, she was pathetically bad at lying.

She turned back to look out the window once again to the spot she saw him in his car a minute ago and sighed uneasy.