New chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: First page. The title of this chapter comes from Swing Life Away by Rise Against.

Chapter 7: We Live on Front Porches

"I did something like that?"

She hates the way her words sound. Unsure. Scared. Surprised.

Tristin smiled at her. "Yeah. But I initiated it. You don't get all the credit."

Tristin stood and offered Rory his hand. She stood, and he was surprised when she didn't let go of his hand. He pulled her close to him and draped an arm over her shoulder. He felt her tense and then relax. He smiled.

"I think I remember someone telling me once that I needed to just let go and be," she stated.

He looked at her. She shrugged and looked to him.

"It was me. I told you that. It was right before our fight."

"Oh," she said.

He shrugged. "After that kiss, you and I became a couple. It was very weird. I didn't think you'd be okay with it."

"But you thought I be okay with just kissing you?"

He chuckled. "You were different. You were definitely different than anyone else I'd ever met. I really didn't know what to expect with you."

She nodded and looked at her feet. She noticed they were walking in sync. She stopped walking and he looked at her.

"Yeah?"

She bit her lip nervously. Now what? You got yourself into this.

"Rory?"

She lifted her hand to his cheek and felt the stubble beneath her fingertips. It was such a good feeling. She tried to remember something, but she couldn't seem to. She wanted so much to remember something.

Tristin studied her. She was looking at him as though she was searching for something. Something she couldn't have.

Just as he was getting ready to pull away, she pulled him to her and kissed him. And it was perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

"You kissed him?" Lane asked. "Rory, that's awesome!"

Rory blushed lightly and looked to her mother, who was smiling softly at her.

"Is it good, mom?" Rory asked.

Lorelai smiled at her daughter. "I believe it is, baby."

Rory curled herself up in a ball on the couch. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. She didn't know what she was thinking. That wasn't right.

"Where did Tristin leave off?" Lorelai inquired. "On your story?"

"I'd just kissed him at the benefit concert," she responded. "Which I'm still trying to grasp."

Lorelai laughed. "It was definitely out of character for you."

Lane nodded. "But I think it was bound to happen some time."

Rory smiled at the two women with her. "Do you guys know what happened next? I mean, I know we became a couple, but I don't know about anything after that."

"You don't want to hear it from Tristin? I mean, this is the crux of the story," Lorelai said.

"I just want to know something," Rory replied. "Something that might help me to remember."

"We could tell you about your grandmother's reaction," Lane said. "That was a priceless moment."

"Ah, yes," Lorelai said. "The day you made me very proud."

"So Tristin and I really did become a couple after that kiss?" Rory asked.

Lane nodded. "Yeah. But I don't think either of you took it too seriously until the meeting of the grandparents."

"Why do you say that?" Rory asked.

"After the grandparents' dinner, you two had a big fight, and then about a week later you were just…" Lane trailed off.

"Together," Lorelai finished. "And it was perfect. To me at least."

"To everyone," Lane corrected. "You want to hear about it?"

Rory smiled. "Yeah."

Lorelai opened an arm up and motioned for Rory. "Come on over here, baby. We'll tell you about it."

Rory smiled and curled up next to her mom. "Okay."

"So, Emily and Richard had obviously heard about you two. It was all over the papers, and of course they wanted to meet the boy you'd been canoodling with all over the place…"