It had been over a week since Rory and Tristan had gone to the movies. They had seen each other around the dorm and in class and neither had mentioned there conversation on the hill. They had kept it light, both saying they had had fun and should do it again.
Rory was glad Tristan hadn't tried to pry her to open up again. She was sorry that she had said it so bluntly, but it was how she felt. She liked Tristan, she wanted to hang around him, but she wasn't ready to share her inner most thoughts with him.
If she was honest she really didn't want to share those with anyone, except maybe her Mom, but there were even some things that she didn't know.
Rory didn't know what it was that made her feel like this, logically she guessed that it may have something to do with the way things ended with Jess. She had tried to be open with him and he had left. Although she didn't want to think that he had damaged her indefinitely, she couldn't dismiss it as a possibility.
Rory tried to let go of these thoughts. It was a Monday afternoon and she had finished class for the day. She had made tentative plans with Tristan to take him to her favourite taco place, the one she had discovered with Lorelai on her first ever trip to Yale. He had yet to experience it and Rory had insisted that they couldn't really be friends until he did.
The knock on her door signalled that Tristan was ready to go, and she got up to let him in.
"Hey, how were classes" she asked casually as she grabbed a jacket.
"Fine, as interesting as a business communications subject can be" he answered sitting on her bed, "I mean who doesn't know how to write a letter, or give a presentation to a group of people", he added.
"Well, not everyone is as self assured as you" Rory replied, searching for her purse, "Some people get nervous".
"Hey, I get nervous, just not in relation to school work" he replied, as they left the room and made there way out to the parking lot.
"When have you ever been nervous" Rory asked sceptically.
"You'd be surprised" he stated simply, putting an end to the conversation.
***
They finished there meal, after which Tristan conceded that it was the best Mexican food he had ever had, and headed to a nearby record store to browse.
They wandered separately each occasionally calling the other over to show them something.
Rory found an old Pete Yorn album for half price and was tempted to buy it.
"Look how cheap this is?" She stated holding it up for Tristan to see the price tag.
"Who's Pete Yorn?" he replied.
"Only Rolling Stones best new act of 2001" Rory replied, unbelievably.
"You are such a music geek" he shot back, smirking.
"Hey, you try being friends with a dedicated audiophile for ten years and see how you come out" Rory told him.
Rory put it back, and began looking around.
"Aren't you going to get it" he asked surprised.
"If I get it I won't have enough money for mini golf" she replied disappointedly, thinking ahead to the next thing they had planned to do. A plan that had come about when they had passed Joe's Putt Putt and Tristan had started acting like a four year old, and going on about how he hadn't played mini golf in years.
"Okay, let's make a deal, you get the CD and I'll pay for golf this time" he informed her, "You can shout me next time" he continued.
"Does that mean we have to play mini golf again? " Rory asked feigning irritation, but smiling at the same time.
"Or you could pay me off some other way" he added cheekily.
"You wish" Rory shot back.
"Every night in my dreams' he shot back smirking and leading her to the counter.
***
After golf, they walked back to Tristan's car and decided to head back to the dorms.
Rory smiled to herself as she thought about how fun it had been. She had actually felt relaxed around Tristan, who despite his boasting wasn't actually that good at mini golf. Rory had actually beaten him, although he protested that that was just because the club was too short for him and that she was just lucky.
"What are you doing" he asked as he started the car, as Rory put her new CD in his stereo.
"What does it look like I'm doing" Rory replied sarcastically, but continuing on.
"It looks like you're touching my stereo" he shot back.
"So?" Rory replied, pressing play.
"My car, my stereo, my music" he stated, turning the music off.
"Please" Rory stated looking at him and pouting her lip.
"Don't give me that look" Tristan replied smirking, "Or I'm playing AC/DC at full volume, the whole way home', he threatened.
"Fine" Rory replied, taking out her CD, "Be that way, besides I like AC/DC. You've obviously never been on a road trip with my Mom".
Tristan smiled in return. and happily put in his CD.
Rory suddenly remembered the thing Tristan had told her the other night. About how he had been depressed last year. She contemplated bringing it up. She had thought later about how she should have said something different, he had been confiding in her and all she had returned was that she was glad he was fine now. She hadn't even asked what had made him feel that way.
"Tristan…" she began but he beat her too it.
"Speaking of road trips" he started, "That's what I'm going to do at the end of this year, or sooner if an opportunity comes up" he continued.
"Sounds cool, where too?" she asked relieved that she hadn't had the chance to say anything.
"I' don't know, everywhere…or nowhere" he answered, "I was thinking about heading south, going through Graceland, Roswell all the tourist traps. I mean I've done the whole Europe thing but I've never really seen my own country".
"I know what you mean" Rory replied, thinking similar thoughts but slightly surprised that it would be the kind of thing Tristan would want to do.
To be continued…