A/N: Again a new chapter. Sorry for the long wait but this time of the year is really busy. I own nothing and I want reviews, I'm like Audrey II in 'The Little Shop of Horrors' who wants to be fed, so REVIEW. Happy New Year to everyone who reads this story... Caro

9

It was nice sitting here with him, having him entertain her. He was telling her of the pranks he and his friends had pulled in the past and she could not remember the last time she had laughed so much.

He was a great person, she could see that now but she could not really get into it. Yes, it felt nice to flirt with him. But she felt that she could not trust him with her heart and that he would crush it into tiny little pieces that could never be put together again.

'I'm probably just another notch on his bedpost anyway!' was the only real thought that kept replaying during their time at the café. And it scared her to death. He made her feel things she had never felt before.

Of course, talking to Dean was nice but there never was this spark she felt between herself and Finn.

"And then, we took all of the basketballs and hid them somewhere secret. No one has found them until today. The coach went ballistic, he knew we took them but he just couldn't prove it." he told her.

He was telling the story with so much enthusiasm that she could not help being swept away by his tale.

She leaned over the table and whispered to him. "And where exactly did you hide them?" she did it again, she was flirting with him.

"Well, kitten, if I told you, I'd have to kill you and I wouldn't want to kill a beautiful young heiress such as yourself. Not only would the police be after me, I could deal with them. But all of Hartford's high society would be as well and they're like hyenas, one can never escape them!" he whispered back. He had leaned over the table as well, so that their faces were only inches apart.

Normally, she would have felt uncomfortable. She did not like it very much when people entered her personal space. Yet with him it felt natural, like they should never be in another position.

"You know, love, I'd really like to kiss you right now but I'm afraid you'll run again and I think my ego couldn't live with that." he muttered, his breath soft on her face.

She had to smile a little at this, he could turn the most serious conversation into something funny. She wanted to desperately hold his gaze but found herself unable to. His eyes were too intense, they held too many emotions and she could not decipher one of them.

His eyes flickered down to her lips. Maybe he should risk it and see where it would lead. But he was scared that she would shut him out completely after that and the fact that she was not saying anything did not help the matter very much.

He leaned in closer until their noses were almost touching trying to get a reaction out of her. Her blue eyes came back to rest on his.

"Finn..." that was all he needed to hear and in an instant his lips were on hers. Soft and gentle, something she would not have expected from him. She thought now he would be more demanding now after the hesitation in their first kiss.

She could not hear the noises of the bustling café anymore, all coherent thought left her and she could only concentrate on how wonderful his lips felt against hers. She wanted this moment to last forever because she knew that once the kiss ended they had to go back to their normal lives. They were too different to even think about building some sort of relationship.

Finn was not even the relationship kind of guy. He had a new girl every week. And she? Until her birthday party she had never been kissed. She needed more than this, she needed the perfect first boyfriend and not the greatest player of the school.

They slowly broke away although they were reluctant to do so. The real world came crashing down on them, the bustling sounds of the café, people ordering their drinks and talking animatedly with each other.

She looked beautiful to him like that, just coming back down to earth and a small smile on her lips.

"That was good!" was her only comment, still smiling at him, she did not want to think of later, she wanted to think about this moment and not any further because that would just ruin it.

He chuckled slightly at that, he had thought the same.

"So, love, as I see you're not running and that is really helping me and my ego!" she had to laugh at this. "And, well, now that we know we really can do that, I think we should go on a date this weekend." and so the smile faded.

There it was, the future she dreaded so much and could not avoid.

"Finn, we... I can't! I want something you cannot give me. Don't get me wrong that kiss was amazing and I would love to have more of them but I need commitment and you're not really known for your long lasting relationships." she whispered. They were still sitting so close to each other.

Rory could see how his smile turned into a pained expression and she could not understand why, surely she could be nothing more than all the other girls he dated.

He felt his lungs constrict and breathing became difficult. He could not believe that after that kiss she would not even go on a date with him. Had she been somewhere else? That kiss had meant something.

He searched her eyes. He saw so many emotions swirling in those blue eyes, he did not really know what he was looking for but then he found it.

"You're afraid..." he uttered. "You're afraid, I'll hurt you, that you'll be nothing more than all those other girls."

Her eyes grew wide, how could he read her like an open book? This was their first real conversation and suddenly he seemed to know her deepest secrets.

"I...I don't...can't... I have to go!" she was running again. She threw some coins on the table and hurried out.

His heart felt like it would break his chest, it hurt so much. This was what he had feared, this is why he did not want to get involved with her in the first place but she kept tugging him closer until he had no way out anymore.

He threw some money on the table as well, entirely too much but at the moment he did not really care. He needed to get out of there fast and he needed a drink, a strong one that would make him forget this horrible day.

--

Before, she loved to go to school, to expand her knowledge and hear about great people and their accomplishments. But today was a day where she did not feel like that. And it was not first time in the last few weeks but she got up nevertheless.

Maybe a cup of coffee would help, maybe then the day would seem a little brighter. But even the elixir of life did not help her today and that was entirely his fault. How could he do this? Making her want to kiss him all the time although she knew she just could not. They lived in two different worlds.

A Jewish saying popped into her mind. "The bird and the fish can fall in love. But where do they build their nest?" she whispered.

She stopped in her track out of the bus. Did she just say 'fall in love'? She could not fall in love with him, that was out of the question. The people behind her were getting impatient.

"Hey, miss, you're getting off this bus this year. Some of us need to be somewhere."an old man with gray hair said harshly.

Rory got off the bus still in a trance. No, she was just confused that was all. She took a deep breath and made her way over to the school thinking about the hurt look on his face when she said no the day before.

Arriving at her locker she noticed that something was different, something was amiss, no someone was amiss. Nobody was standing at her locker waiting for her. No one trying to tease her. That was odd.

A thought entered her mind. 'That is what you wanted from the beginning, to be left alone...' Now she was not so sure anymore. She had grown accustomed to them over the last months and in some twisted way she cherished their attention.

She went to her first class accompanied by a feeling of loneliness. After all they put her through she apparently still needed them. They showed her a whole new world and now that she had had a taste of it she never wanted to miss it again although that would be against everything her mother ever told her.

Suddenly, she stopped. She felt as if she ran against a wall. There he was leaning against his locker, kissing a beautiful redhead. It was the first time she saw him like this in a few weeks. She wanted to scream at him for proving her right she had hoped that he would show that he could be different.

All her hopes had been smashed with this kiss she had to witness.

Apparently the bird had flown away and found another bird to occupy his mind.

And through all this she wished she was the girl in his arms, that he would kiss her again like he did yesterday.

They were coming up for air when he glanced in her direction. Their eyes locked and reflected the hurt and rejection they both felt in that moment.

Maybe she should go on that date with Dean, he seemed really nice just like the perfect first boyfriend should...