Ch. 10

Rory yawned and stretched as she felt warm sunlight falling on her face. Assuming that she was in her bed in Stars Hollow, Rory blindly reached out for the glass of water she kept on her nightstand. What she encountered instead was the metal frame of something that was definitely not her nightstand. Rory jerked awake and opened her eyes, breathing a sigh in relief when she remembered that she was at Tristan's apartment. But where was Tristan?

Rory stood up and wandered into the kitchen, where she was greeted by the sight of Tristan leaning into the refrigerator to grab something, his jeans hugging his lower body nicely. Rory took a moment to notice the view, and then noticed another presence in the kitchen.

There was a young man maybe a bit older than Tristan and herself sitting on a small stool, using the counter as a table. He tipped an imaginary hat in her direction and then took a huge bite of what looked like Lucky Charms.

"Um, hi. I'm Rory." She said awkwardly, hoping that Tristan would jump into the conversation soon. Tristan abruptly stood up banging his head on the top of the fridge.

"Oww!" he exclaimed.

Rory laughed. "Poor baby," she teased. Tristan sent her a mock glare.

"Rory, this is my room mate Jason. Jason, this is my friend Rory."

"Hi, Jason." Rory offered a smile in his direction.

Jason finished his cereal and dumped his bowl in the sink in one fluid motion. "Nice to meet you Rory. Sorry we didn't get a chance to talk more, but I've got a class in about ten minutes, and campus is about fifteen minutes away. I'll see you soon. I'm guessing you'll be hanging around a lot?" He asked, eyebrows waggling in Tristan's direction.

Rory smiled. "I guess so. Nice to meet you too, Jason."

He and Tristan did the manly hug/handshake that all guys seemed to do, and then it was just her and Tristan in the kitchen.

Tristan walked over and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,"

"Morning. Any chance you made coffee?" Rory questioned.

"Ye of little faith!" Tristan cried dramatically. He continued in his normal voice. "On the counter over there."

After they finished their breakfast of coffee, cereal and slightly stale toast, Tristan explained that he needed to get to campus for a class he had in half an hour. Rory gathered her belongings as well, and the two headed downstairs. As they waited for the elevator, Tristan asked "So what do you think of the life of a typical overworked med student?"

"Well, the building is a little…rough." Rory responded. "But I think it's great. I have so much respect for you, for working so hard to do something so great."

A blush rose on Tristan's sharply angled cheeks. "Thanks, Mary." He muttered.

"No problem," Rory said cheerfully, taking a little pleasure in his discomfort.

Tristan must have caught the mischievous note in her voice, for he playfully slugged her arm when he saw her smile. Tristan opened her car door for her, and when Rory was buckled in she unrolled her window. Tristan leaned through it and asked, "So when can I see you again?"

Rory smiled and touched his hand. She was quiet for a minute as she thought. "What do you think about coming to the hospital with me to visit Grandpa? Maybe Saturday afternoon?" She took a deep breath, unsure of Tristan's reaction to this odd request.

Tristan just nodded. "I would love that Rory. I'm glad you think highly enough of me to bring me to see your Grandfather."

Rory ducked her head and fiddled with the strap on her purse. "So Saturday afternoon? I'll call you later and we can work out a time, make sure you don't have class or something."

"Sounds good. I'll talk to you then." Tristan replied. He picked up Rory's hand that had been playing with her purse and lifted it to his lips. He gently kissed her knuckles, causing shivers to race up her spine.

He grinned and walked towards his own car, getting in and then pulling away. Mouth agape, Rory watched his taillights disappear around the corner. Staring down at her knuckles, Rory let out a giggle and then pulled out in the opposite direction, then pressed speed dial to call her mother.

Author's Notes:

First off, sorry this took so long. I hope nobody gave up on it! I won't give you too much detail, but there was major stuff going on in my life that needed immediate attention. Hopefully the next few updates won't be so far apart.

That being said, here are a few notes about the chapter. We see a little bit of flirtation going on here, the beginnings of the Rory and Tristan romance. I just want to remind you all that there will not be graphic detail about their romance; it is not the focus of the story. It is an integral part, yes, but not the main part. There is no Lorelai in this chapter, and that was intentional. You'll see her soon, and see more about how she is coping.

Reviews: You guys are so kind; I really love all of your reviews. I hope you are all still interested in the story. Remember, I want to hear everything that you think of the chapter, constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Thanks to: princetongirl, tears4chris, OTHlover04, LoVe23, Curley-Q, nemo123489, Jeremy Shane, RuthnMatt, braelyn rae, sweetgirl23, mrmp and kisstommyg.

Loridhhp: You made an interesting suggestion about Tristan calling Rory 'Mary', that is something I will keep in mind. It makes sense, I just hadn't thought of it. Glad you did! I haven't had a chance to look at your story, but I will ASAP!

hughluver23: Yes, Tristan is the guy that Rory kissed at the party. Are you a new viewer? If so, welcome to the Gilmore Girl's world! I'm very flattered by your review, and I hope you continue reading this story.