AN: I am so sorry for making you guys wait so long…I am so, so, so, so, so, sorry. I am truly, madly, deeply sorry! Please forgive me! Listen, if you forgive me, leave me a review! Lol!

Chapter 14

"I can't."

It dawned on her. What the hell was she doing? He didn't want her. Maybe he did before, but he doesn't anymore. She felt like such an idiot.

She quickly blinked away any tears that were forming and faked a smile, "Oh…I understand – I have to go," she said before awkwardly making her way past him.

Before she had the chance to walk away from him, he gently got a hold of her arm and pulled her to him, "I can't," he repeated with a small smile, "let you take all the blame."

Rory let out a breath that she didn't even know she was holding.

"Do you want to come inside, so we can talk about this?" he asked, not moving away from her; he was enjoying her close proximity.

"Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper, with a nod.

Unfortunately, he would now have to remove his hold on her so that he could dig into his pocket to retrieve his keys. After he did that he stepped in front of his door and unlocked it. He took Rory's hand she followed him as they walked into his apartment.

It seemed as if Tristan had another visitor waiting for him, but this one was waiting inside his apartment.

"Tristan, hi, we need to talk…" the visitor trailed off; she was taken off guard by Rory.

Tristan stopped in his tracks, his blood was beginning to boil, "Sam, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I still had the key you gave me – I just figured I would wait inside to talk to you--" Sam explained before she was cut off.

"Give me the key," he practically ordered.

Sam did as she was told, she walked up to the couple and dropped the key into his waiting hand, "Can we please just talk?" she didn't care if she sounded as if she was begging.

"We have nothing to talk about," he coldly told her before turning to Rory, "I'm sorry about this, I didn't know she was going to be here."

Rory smiled a small smile, "Listen, I think you better talk to her and--"

"No," he quickly cut her off; he didn't want to take the chance in losing Rory, "I want nothing to do with her. I want to talk to you; we need to talk."

"Us talking is pointless if you don't talk to her first," Rory told him.

He remained silent; she had a point.

"Come find me when you're done," she told him before placing a kiss on his cheek.

He smiled, completely missing Sam's shattering heart.

After Rory was gone, he turned and faced Sam, "You said you wanted to talk," he stood in the middle of his apartment with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"It'd be a waste of time," she told him sadly, "You love her."

"I never stopped," he confessed.

"So what was I?" she asked as she let her tears freely fall.

"Listen, I admit that I was being selfish when I was with you, but I never meant to be."

"Huh, you could have fooled me," she sniffed as she replied with sarcasm.

"Sam--"

"Did you ever have feelings for me?" she cut him off.

"You were a nice girl and I liked you, but probably not in the way that you wanted me to."

"I can't believe I ever wasted my time with you," she said with anger as she made her way past him.

He roughly grabs her arm, anger flashing in his own eyes, "Don't you dare turn this on me. I wasn't the one fooling around with Jake behind my back."

Sam yanks her arm out of his tight hold, paling slightly, "How did you…"

"How did I know?" he rhetorically asked, "When someone's being a slut, news tends to travel fast."

"Why didn't you say anything--"

"You weren't worth it and you never will be," he coldly replies. He walked to his front door and holds it open, "Get out."

Once again, she does as she is told.

Meanwhile…

Rory's pacing and the conversation that she was having with herself about what could possibly be happening between Sam and Tristan were interrupted with the knocking at her door.

Thinking that it was Tristan she quickly made her way over to her front door and swung it open, "That was fast."

"What was fast," Logan asked.

"You're not Tristan," she stated, clearly disappointed.

"No, I'm better," Logan replied with a smug smile as he made his way into her dorm without permission.

"Not quite," she mumbles under her breath.

"What was that?" he asks and he turns and faces her.

She shuts her door and crosses her arms across her chest, "Why exactly are you here?"

He smirks, "isn't it obvious?" He then takes a few steps towards her, but he as does so, she takes a few steps back from him, "What's wrong?" he asks confused.

"I thought we talked about this?"

"No--"

"Yes, we did," she cuts him off, "I told you that it was a mistake." Them sleeping together was a mistake.

"Which one? The first or second time?" he was mocking her.

"I suggest you leave, now," she didn't want to deal with him anymore. In fact, she didn't want him anymore.

"Oh, but I just got here," he made no move to leave, "So where's Tristan?"

"Why do you ask?"

"He is my cousin, I can't ask you where my cousin is?"

"Maybe you should call him and find out for yourself."

"Nah, I don't feel like talking to him."

Rory remained silent.

"So, how have you been?" Logan continued with the casual, yet awkward conversation.

Rory sighed, "Logan, what is it exactly that you want?"

"I don't want you seeing Tristan," he told her straight up.

Rory chuckled at the humorless statement, "I'm sorry, what?"

"I'm serious."

"You shouldn't be. How dare you tell me who I can and cannot be with?"

"Well I've realized that I want you."

"So let me get this straight," Rory told him, as she tried to process every piece of information, "You want me stop seeing Tristan because you have suddenly realized that you want me?"

"Basically."

"I'm sorry Logan, but it doesn't work that way."

"We can make it work," he stepped closer to her, "I want this, I want you, and I want to make us work."

"I don't," she bluntly said, "not anymore."

"But you did? And now you don't because of him," him being angry was an understatemenr.

"I guess I never stopped thinking about him--"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," the anger in him was rising even more. The thought of him losing the girl that he wanted to Tristan made his blood boil uncontrollably. "You can't be serious."

"I am."

"He doesn't deserve you!" Logan had lost his patience.

"Logan--"

"He didn't deserve you back then and he sure as hell doesn't deserve you now."

FLASHBACK

"Hi…um Tristan," she said trying to get his attention, but unfortunately he was a tad bit occupied.

Seeing as how she couldn't verbally get his attention, maybe she should try something physical.

Before she started poking him on the shoulder, repeatedly, she stared; she couldn't help it. It was like a car accident where you just couldn't turn away.

She watched as he carefully pressed his body into hers and having the row of lockers behind her made it easier and more erotic to do so. She watched as he gingerly cupped her face with her hands wishing that it were her face that he was tenderly caressing…whoa. Now would be the perfect time to start poking him.

She got her pointer finger ready and began the poking to his upper arm.

He broke the kiss and turned to face the intruder, noticing that it was Rory, his stomach turned to knots, but he didn't show it.

"Mary," he smirked, "What do I owe for being poked by your delicate finger."

"I, um…was actually wondering if I can ask you for a favor," she nervously and shyly told him.

Turning to the girl that he was currently pressed against he said, "Katie--"

"Kathy," the girl corrected him.

"Right, Kathy. This was fun, but my other duties call."

"Call me when you're off duty," Kathy said before placing a kiss on his lips. She got out of his hold and swayed her way to the exit of the school.

Tristan kept his eyes on her for two seconds before turning to face Rory.

"Now that you have my undivided attention, how can I be of service?" he said with an air of arrogance.

"Well, you see, it's Friday and I had not plans for tonight and I didn't want to be alone…" she trailed off; she found entertainment in teasing him.

"And…"he said licking his lips

"I was wondering, actually, I was hoping if you would keep me company tonight," she said looking at him through her lashes.

"I would," he started, "but we both know that you always have plans for Friday; your Friday night dinners. So what's the real reason for you numbing my arm from your relentless stabbing finger?" he asked as he rubbed the soar spot on his shoulder.

"Ah suck it up," she told him, "Be a man, rub some dirt in it."

He chuckled, "Have you been watching She's The Man…again?"

"That's a possibility…" she trailed off.

"So what can I do for you, Miss Gilmore," he asked her with all seriousness.

"Can you give me a ride home? I kind of, sort of missed my bus."

Pretending to be shocked he replied, "Wait, are you actually asking me for a ride? I have to drag you to my car to have you accept my offers and now here you are; you interrupted me with Katie--"

"Kathy," she corrected him.

"You interrupted me with Kathy and now you're asking me for a ride?"

"Yes?"

"Come on," he smiled as he draped an arm over her shoulders.

Together they began to make their way out of Chilton and towards the parking lot where his Porsche was parked.

Trying to make conversation, Rory asked, "So you and Kathy?"

"Yeah," he said nonchalantly.

"Is it serious?"

Tristan smirked, "Are you jealous?"

Rory laughed out loud, "You don't even know her name."

"Touché," he broadly smiled as he reached his car.

As he was holding the passenger side door open for Rory, she said, "I just think you can do better."

His smile fell and mood turned serious, "I don't think I can."

Rory gave him a small smile, "Don't sell yourself short, Bible boy," she told him before getting into the car.

He shut the door for her and stared at her for a few seconds before snapping out of it and making his way to the driver's side.

END FLASHBACK

"He did deserve me back then, I was just too stubborn or too scared to realize it," Rory defended him.

"You're pathetic," he looked at her disbelievingly, as he made his way to the door and opened it.

"Yet you're the one who is basically begging to have me back."

"Is he really?" Tristan interrupted their conversation as he came into view. He walked past Logan and stood by Rory, "weren't you the one who told me to never beg for a girl's attention?"

"I can't believe I ever wasted my time," Logan told her.

"Really? Because I can't believe I ever gave you the time," Rory told him.

He gave the couple one last look before leaving them and slamming the door behind himself.

"Do you think he was mad?" Tristan rhetorically asked her with a chuckle as he went and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.

"Possibly, but I don't care. Do you?" Rory smiled up at him; their faces were slowly inching closer.

"Nope," their lips were only millimeters away.

"Good," she closed the gap by fusing her lips to his.

This was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.