Rory woke up, feeling like she'd been run over by a truck.

The events of the previous night came flooding back to her. She tried to replay what had happened in her mind, but was coming up empty. It all seemed to blur together.

Tristan asking her out, finding out the letter she had found was actually about her and then the running away.

She still couldn't understand exactly what had happened. Or what was going to happen next.

She heard a soft knock on the door.

"Come in" she stated apprehensively.

"It's just me" Ryan replied, sitting down on the end of her bed and handing her a bottle of water, "I thought you could use a little hydration".

'Thanks" Rory replied sitting up.

"So, I was kind of emotional last night?" she continued, sheepishly.

"You were just upset" Ryan returned evenly.

"Have you…umm…seen him" She asked apprehensively, realising that whatever she was feeling, he must be feeling ten times worse. She had just left him there, by himself, with no explanation.

"Nope, I actually went back to look for him at the party but I couldn't find him" Ryan informed her.

"Oh" was all she could reply. She just felt kind of lost; it wasn't that she was angry at him. He hadn't done anything wrong. If anyone was to blame it was her, she couldn't be honest, she shouldn't have been snooping in the first place and she should have just given him a straight answer there and then, but now the thought of running into him made her stomach churn.

"Have you checked your phone" Ryan asked knowingly.

"I've kind of been dreading it" Rory replied honestly.

She leaned over to grab her purse of the floor and picked up her cell. A message from Tristan stood there staring back at her.

"Hey, sorry if I was an idiot last night"

Rory processed what that meant; he hadn't been an idiot; that had been her role. Did he mean he shouldn't have said anything, or that he came on too strong? He had had a lot to drink, did he even remember what had happened. Maybe he could just remember that he upset her, but didn't know why?

"What did he write" Ryan asked breaking her train of thought.

"He just apologised for the way he acted last night" she told him.

"Are you going to write back" Ryan inquired.

"Maybe latter" she returned, "I think I need a shower" she added getting up and rubbing her head.

"Okay, how about I pick you up for lunch at one, I think you need to get some air" He stated, heading for the door.

Rory nodded in reply, and trudged off to the bathroom.

After lunch with Ryan, Rory returned home to her room in a better mood. Ryan had interrogated her on their way to lunch but after they had arrived they had run into two of their friends from the dorm, and all conversation on the subject of last night had ceased. The phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.

"It's me" her mom's voice called cheerily over the phone.

"Hey" Rory replied.

"So what time should I order the pizza for" she asked.

"Actually, I was thinking about maybe staying here this weekend" Rory returned.

"Rory, my heart…you do know what this weekend it is?" Lorelai went on dramatically.

"The, my mothers being cryptic weekend" she retuned absentmindedly, thumbing through her politics folder.

"Um…the firelight festival, don't tell me those damm Skulls have brain washed you, I told you sweets, never accept a new Porsche, no matter what color it is" she rattled off.

"Don't worry I'm currently cult free" Rory replied, "I totally forgot that was this weekend" she added.

"So you're coming?" Lorelai asked, "Please, please, please…I don't think I can stand all that lovey dovey hand holding, without you there too share in the mocking with".

"Count me in" Rory relented, even though a romantic festival was the last thing she was in the mood for.

"That's my girl" Lorelai replied happily, "Did I tell you even Bootsie got himself a lady, but believe me it's not a pretty sight…"

Rory pulled up in front of Luke's deciding to stop in before she went by the house. Besides she was more likely to find her Mom there, then at home.

She noticed Kirk precariously perched on a ladder, hanging extra lights to the gazebo and waved hello, to which she received a glare in return. It was good to be back she decided.

Upon entering, she immediately spotted Lorelai at a corner table, watching the goings on in the town square.

"You made it" Lorelai greeted her.

"Did I have a choice" Rory returned half seriously, taking her seat.

"Come on, tell me this isn't the best event if the year" Lorelai retuned, shocked at her indifference, "The bonfire, the punch, the endless opportunities for comedy…it's a goldmine".

Rory laughed, "So what else is new around here", she asked.

"Not much, Kirks already fallen of the ladder twice, I'm just waiting for the hat trick" She informed her grinning wickedly.

"I'll alert the media" Rory responded out of habit.

"What about you, college girl any good stories, How's Paris" Lorelai retuned taking her attention away from the window.

"Paris is Paris, I actually haven't seen her that much lately" Rory replied thoughtfully.

It was true; ever since they had stopped sharing a room they had only seen each other occasionally. Not to mention the fact that another former Chiltonite had been taking up a lot of her time.

Just thinking about him made her a little uneasy. She had finally replied to his message, with a carefully worded, "Hey, don't worry about it. We're cool". She wasn't quite ready to face him but she didn't want him to think she was upset with him, because she wasn't.

The sound of Lorelai clapping broke her thoughts.

"Third times a charm" she informed her grinning.

After watching a movie and finishing off the pizza, Rory decided to call it an early night. She hadn't told Lorelai about Tristan yet, deciding to wait until she had thought things through.

As she went into to her room, she quickly checked her messages and saw that Tristan had sent her one earlier.

"Movie tonight" was all it said.

Rory immediately replied, informing him that she had gone home and as such obviously couldn't make it.

As she got into bed, she tried to interpret what his message had meant. There was no mention of dinner or it being a date, nothing about the other night. Was he trying to get things back to normal? And if that was so, was that what she wanted. Did he think that her taking off meant that she wanted to forget about what had happened, or didn't happen?

She berated herself for as usual over analysing every little thing. Why couldn't she just go with the flow, gone out with him just to see what might be. Or oppositely just say no; make it clear that she didn't feel about him that way.

Why was this such a big deal, this time at least they were both totally unattached, there was nothing standing in their way. But still something wasn't right, was it because they were friends and she was scared of losing that or because with Tristan it was really it, if she went out with him it wouldn't just be a date, it would be the real thing.

And now where was she. She had probably screwed things up with him as a friend and left him not knowing where she stood. She was messing with him, but she didn't know how to stop it.

She picked up the phone, and contemplated dialling. But stopped herself, this wasn't something to be dealt with over the phone. She'd just have to wait until she saw him.

And with that resolve in mind she attempted sleep.