Disclaimer: I don't own anything
Rory stared at the ceiling. Only one thought was traipsing through her head. He had come back for her. She was flattered, but she didn't want him to give up his life for her. He was showing a lot of commitment by sticking in Stars Hollow. How long was he going to stay? He had to go back eventually. More importantly, what was he expecting by coming back? She loved him, but they only just met. She wasn't even planning on having another relationship for a long time. Logan had taught her that. Once she settled down, she was going to start a life. That was the plan. Tristan shifted in his sleep and she felt guilty. She should appreciate having him here. She could be crying right now because he had gone.
"Hey, can't sleep?" He asked, his own voice thick with sleep.
"I'm fine, just go back to bed." She said as she kissed his forehead and snuggled into him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He shifted to see her better in the dark room. "I know you're nervous about your new job. It might help." Rory started breathing normally again. He didn't know.
"You're right, I just," She yawned. "I'm tired. Not much in the mood for conversation." He smiled.
"Okay, but if you change your mind, I'm here." He could see her grin, even in the dark.
"You're here." She kissed him softly. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too." He pulled her in and kissed her again. "Now go to sleep." She obeyed.
OOOOO
When Rory got done with her meeting with Blurb, she was practically bouncing her knee through the table waiting for Tristan to meet her at a coffee shop nearby. He had driven her into the city and he was walking around, getting reacquainted with New York. He hadn't been back since he had left for North Carolina. She knew what she was about to do was crazy. But for once in her life, she needed to jump. She didn't know why, but she was more excited than nervous. No list, no thinking, just…diving in. She looked up as she heard the bell on the door ring, she smiled as he found her in the crowded room. She waved and he walked over and kissed her.
"How did it go?" He asked. He could tell that she was excited.
"Well. And actually, I have a proposition for you." He smirked and raised his eyebrow.
"Oh really?"
"Stop it. You know what I mean."
"No, actually I don't. Fill me in." She took a deep breath.
"Because I have a job where I can write anywhere, thank God for the internet, I was thinking that I could possibly, if you were okay with it of course, and I'm assuming you will be because you stayed here instead of getting on that plane…"
"Ror." She was babbling. He smiled as she finally paused.
"Sorry, maybe I could come down and live with you for the summer?" He sat back in his chair.
"Really." he said staring at her in disbelief. "You would move to North Carolina, leave your mother and your grandparents and the life you are living, for me?"
"Yeah, I mean, you did the same thing for me. Plus, I want to see you in your natural habitat." He smiled at the phrase. "And if we completely hate it, I can always just come back to Hartford." He didn't know why, but he was actually uneasy about the whole situation. This was a big step especially because it was one that he had never taken before. "What are you thinking?" She asked, nervously.
"I'm thinking… that my answer is yes." He said.
"Are you sure?" He nodded.
"If you're really sure about this, than I don't see why not. But what are you going to tell your mother?"
"That I'm in love." Tristan's eyes met hers and electricity sizzled. She didn't understand how it happened but occasionally they would have these moments where the world stopped and they were the only two people who existed; and it seemed to be happening a lot more lately.
Tristan's heart skipped a beat as his eyes met hers. He reached across the table and grabbed her hand. He wove his fingers through hers and smiled. This was going to be good.
OOOOO
Within a matter of weeks, Rory was on a plane and Tristan was waiting at the airport to pick her up. He couldn't believe that she was going to live here for the entire summer. Smiling as he spotted her through the crowds, she ran over to him. He wrapped her in a big hug and kissed her.
"I missed you." She said, holding him tight.
"It was only a few weeks!" She looked at him.
"I know, but I still did." He smiled at her answer.
"I missed you too." He admitted. "Come on, let's go get your stuff." They found the luggage and loaded it into his car.
"So how have you been?" Rory asked as they rode back to his house.
"I've been good, and yourself?" He smiled at her and her attempts to make small talk.
"Good, busy mostly. A new job, a new house, a new state." She paused. "A new boy, its all a lot to take in." She said with a tired smile.
"I bet. We're almost there," He said, acknowledging how tired she looked. She closed her eyes, happy to finally be here with him. As the car stopped, Rory opened her eyes. Tristan was looking at her. "Here I thought I was going to have to carry you and your luggage in the house."
"You still could." She said with a lazy smile. He looked at her like she was crazy. "Fine." She stepped out of the car. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
"Here we are." He said, doing his best Vanna White impersonation. After giving her the tour, she realized that he hadn't shown her the bedroom.
"And the bedroom?" She asked.
"Saving the best for last." He said, grabbing her suitcases and angling his head towards the hallway. "Follow me." She followed orders and went down the hall. He had a large king-sized bed that Rory immediately claimed as she jumped into it. She sighed and stretched, her shirt raising a little to expose the flesh on her hip. She crawled up to the pillows and sighed.
"I like it here." She spoke softly. "It's very homey. I honestly didn't expect a lot, all things considered."
"What can I say, I like to exceed the low expectations set around me." He joked. She rolled her eyes.
"That's not what I meant."
"I know."
"Come here." She curled her finger towards her. This time it was his turn to follow orders. He pulled her in and on top of him as he lay down next to her. "I've missed the smell of your cologne." She murmured as she snuggled into his neck. The sleep deprivation allowing her to speak freely. He was about to comment, but when he looked down, she was already asleep. He kissed her and pulled her tighter to him.
OOOOO
When Rory woke up, she didn't know where she was. With a jolt, she sat up and tried to get her bearings.
"It's Saturday, go back to bed." Tristan grumbled as he pulled her back down to the pillows. She realized she was still in the clothes she wore the day before and instantly felt gross.
"I need a shower, it's been twenty four hours and a plane ride since I've changed clothes." She whispered. "I'm disgusting."
"Mmkay." Tristan muttered from his half conscious state. Unpacking her suitcase, she pulled out her bathroom stuff and a new set of clothes. She had planned on unpacking when she had gotten there the night before, but obviously that was going to have to wait until the afternoon. She ran a tub full of hot, bubbly water and sank in, allowing the grime to disintegrate from her body. She hadn't been in the tub long when Tristan stuck his head in the bathroom door.
"Feeling better?" He asked. She nodded, slightly surprised to see him. "I made coffee, if you want some."
"I'd love some." He walked in and handed her a cup. "Thank you." She took it from him and sipped it gratefully.
"Your welcome." He was about to leave when Rory said his name. He turned, wondering what she needed.
"I think there's room in here for two, if you want to join me." He smiled at the offer.
"I don't usually do the whole bath thing." Tristan said honestly. "I think its part of the male programming at birth." Rory smiled.
"That's ok. I understand." She said, standing up and revealing her naked, wet body. "The water is getting cold anyway." She released the stopper and the water began to drain. Tristan's eyes wandered over her body as she reached for a towel. She stepped out of the tub and put her foot on the edge of the counter and began drying her leg. Tristan was pretty sure he was drooling, but he didn't care. She wrapped herself in the towel. Rory pulled out a bottle of lotion and slowly rubbed some over each leg, taking her time to tease Tristan. He had never wished for anything more in his life than he wished he could be that lotion as she spread it across her entire body. Once she was finished, she glanced at Tristan. "I've got some extra lotion, you want some?" She looked at him with her big eyes, feigning innocence. He shook his head at her. She shrugged and left the bathroom, secretly satisfied with herself. She got to the bedroom and realized she had left her change of clothes in the bathroom so she turned around and headed back down the hall. The door was open a crack and Tristan was undressed. He turned the shower on, but didn't get in. Instead, he began touching himself. His back to her, he put his other hand on the wall over the toilet.
"Oh yes." He muttered under his breath. Rory blushed, she felt like she was spying. She had never seen a man masturbate before and she was curious. She opened the door a little bit wider. He groaned as his hips began to move. The door creaked. Rory froze, not knowing what to do, but Tristan just moaned her name a little louder and continued what he was doing. He was apparently close as he pumped faster. He came hard, exploding in his own hand. Rory watched as he gained his composure, he opened the shower and climbed in, never once noticing her. She grabbed her clothes from the counter and knocked something else to the floor. It was Tristan's hearing aid. He wore it in his left ear, but it was so small, Rory often forgot it existed. She picked it up and put it back on the counter. He never heard her enter, he certainly couldn't hear her now with the shower running. She had planned on joining him in the shower, but now the thought of scaring him half to death made her change her mind. Instead, she left the bathroom and laid back down on his bed. She would just have to wait for him.
When Tristan emerged from the bathroom, he had his towel slung across his hips in that way that drove Rory insane. He saw her lying on the bed and smiled.
"I figured you would be dressed and unpacked by now." He said.
"I forgot my clothes in the bathroom." She said. "I went back to get them just in time to see a show." Tristan froze, his back to her. "You don't have to do that anymore you know. I was planning on taking care of that for you." He turned around and saw that she had removed her towel.
"Sometimes I forget. You can't blame me. I have spent the last six years in the military, surrounded by men." He said as she got off the bed and wrapped her arms around him, pushing the towel off his hips.
"Well then, you have a lot of catching up to do." He licked his lips. "And the next time you plan on doing… that, let me know." She whispered as she kissed his collarbone.
OOOOO
Tristan woke up with a jolt. His nightmares were growing consistently worse. He glanced at the clock and then at Rory, who was stirring, but not awake. His hand was shaking as he realized how close he was to grabbing Rory's arm. He knew that it was going to happen. The anniversary of his accident was coming up. He thought that maybe with Rory around, it wouldn't be so bad. When he was in Iraq, he didn't sleep for that entire week. His guys would protect him from himself when he would get scary. Now, he was alone with Rory. He opened his bed table drawer and sighed. He quickly shut it and turned to face the other wall. The last thing he needed was for Rory to wake up right now. In Iraq, he slept with it under his pillow, now, that wasn't an option. He tried to smile as Rory pulled the covers over to her side. She was truly adorable when she slept. He wished that she could say the same thing about him. She didn't deserve what was about to happen. In the morning, he would suggest going to Stars Hollow for a visit or something, anything to get her out of the house.
Rory waited until his breathing evened out again before opening her eyes. She had heard him talking in his sleep for two nights in a row. It always killed her not to comfort him, but she knew that Tristan would feel worse if he realized that she knew how bad they were getting. He had always woken up and opened his drawer. Tomorrow, she was going to figure out what was in that drawer.
