FRONT OF CHILTON
Rory walked into the courtyard, a small smile forming on her face. Scenes from long ago flashing through her mind. Back in the days when, although she hadn't realized it fully at the time. She had had two guys fighting over her, two really great guys.
She stood at the entrance, no one else was around. Probably because the reunion had already been going for an hour and a half. She realized she's taken that fashionably late thing a little too far.
She was about to finally go in before realizing she'd left her cell phone in the car She turned to go get it when she heard a voice behind her.
"Running away as usual Mary" he stated softly…
6 hours earlier
TRISTAN'S APARTEMENT
Tristan sat in his new apartment flipping the invitation over in his hand, as if he looked hard enough the answer would reveal itself.
If his parents had just forwarded his mail one say later he never would have seen it in time, never had to see it and immediately feel that familiar pang in his stomach whenever he thought about her.
What that feeling meant he wasn't sure, regret, was defiantly part of it but there were some other feelings mixed up in there that he couldn't articulate.
Those two little words "Chilton Reunion" brought back over 5 years of memories that he had tried, to the best of his ability to forget.
Flashback
He shouldn't have gone out that night, like Rory he too should have been studying but he couldn't concentrate. All he kept thinking about was the other night and what had happened and what that meant.
He'd let the guys drag him out to the bar and had kept up with the drinking for a while, but had stopped when things started to get blurry. He didn't need that anymore he thought, things were changing, and he was changing.
Ryan had turned up about half past 11, already drunk. He too, seemed to have something on his mind but not in a good way.
"So you and Rory huh" Ryan slurred, while putting his empty shot glass on the bar.
"Uh huh" he replied, not revealing much in his voice. Things were still pretty new he thought to himself, really they'd only had the one real date, excluding that first night at the bar.
"Well I'm glad" he stated, although from where Tristan was standing he really didn't look it.
"Really" Tristan smirked back, although partially regretting it.
"Well... Ryan began before stopping himself; "Drink?" has asked changing the subject and turning toward the bar again.
"No, I'm fine, so what were you going to say?" he asked slightly more forcefully then he had meant to
"Don't hurt her" he stated, looking Tristan directly in the eye.
"I..." Tristan began before being cut off,
"She deserves more then that, she deserves someone who will treat her like…" he began before Tristan cut him off.
"Like you would" he filled in, getting the picture.
Ryan wasn't going to remember this is the morning, Tristan thought. And maybe it was better that way. He'd always suspected how Ryan felt about her; it was like he recognized himself in the guy.
He felt like getting angry but for some reason he couldn't, because he knew Ryan was right.
"You know, huh" Ryan said, smiling in spite of himself, "It's just I know she doesn't feel that way about me, so I wouldn't push it or anything, but the thing is I just want her to be happy, no matter who she's with even if it's not me" he finished.
End of flashback
Tristan stood up and went to the box marked, "College stuff". He pulled out the box of letters. Letters he had tried not to write and had never sent. Looking at them now they seemed so sappy.
He opened the first one, it began -"I keep having these dreams where I know exactly what the right words are. And you tell me …that you forgive me…" He carefully folded it back up and placed it in its envelope, not needing to read the rest.
He picked up the next one - "If no one in your life is the world to you, then you're free. It's when they are the world and you lose them, then you're screwed"
They were all the same he remembered, or at least all along the same lines. All the feelings he'd had back then crammed into one little box, there were over 20 letters, all carefully folded in blue envelopes and all with the same four letters on the front.
Flashback
"So on a scale of 1 to 10 how pissed are you at me" He shot out, she walked away slowly. The look she gave him almost killed him.
He was such an asshole he thought to himself. Here was Rory coming to him, openly making the effort to connect and he was doing everything he could to push her away. The standard brush off routine he'd done a million times before and knew by heart.
And the worst thing was he knew he was the one who had pushed it to begin in the first place, the idea of being with her had became overwhelming, he hadn't stopped to think of what would happen afterwards.
And this stupid game, where he acted like they barely knew each other was the only way he could do it, because he couldn't even bring himself to come right out and say it, that he didn't want to be with her. Because the truth was he did, he wanted to be with her more then anything in the world but it wouldn't work. He couldn't make her happy, not now, not like this. Where he had been pining for her for years and she was just starting to come around.
She'd even admitted that she wasn't ready for a real relationship. And even though she wouldn't mean too, the back and forth that had already started would screw him up, more then he already was.
He would hurt her, he knew it and in the end that wasn't worth it. And hurting her, really hurting her, would be more then he could stand.
He saw her go over to Ryan sitting on the couch in the corner and rest her head on his shoulder. Ryan was a better guy then he ever was, he actually cared more about how Rory felt then his own feelings. And Tristan had never been that person. He'd gone after her now even when she didn't want him too. And this wasn't new, even in high school even when she'd had a boyfriend, even when she'd been happy, he'd only thought about himself and what he wanted.
For once he wasn't going to do the selfish thing; he was going to let her go…
End of flashback
He put the letters down. Man. He had been so messed up back then he though to himself.
Although he had thought about her less and less as the months went on. It was still there, that feeling of stupidity and anger at the way he'd treated her. But in the end he still can't reconcile whether he'd made the right decision.
Maybe not in the way he'd handled it, but in not getting into something with someone who wasn't ready when he was probably at the lowest place in his life he'd ever been.
But that was then, he came to the conclusion. Pulling on some clean jeans and a t-shirt.
This was now, and that fact was the idea of seeing her still gave him butterflies, that hadn't changed. But maybe he had.
He wasn't the guy from high school, or even college. Her rejection wouldn't be the end of the world for him now.
He hoped in his car with only one thought in his mind, he had to give it one last try but no matter what happened he could deal with it.
FRONT OF CHILTON - NOW
Rory turned around slowly to face him.
"Even after all these years still with the Mary thing" she asked almost smiling
The surprise at her lightheartedness was evident in his face. It was clear that he had anticipated a fight, as there last few encounters had pretty much ended.
"Hey that's one thing that hasn't changed" he stated evenly.
"And what has" she shot back. Walking towards him
"A lot" he replied simply, hand in pockets as he stood before her.
"What happened between us?" she asked finally saying the words she had been wanting to say but had been scared too.
"Do you want the long story or the cliff notes" he said, not looking in the least bit surprised by her question.
"Cliff notes will do for now" she replied seriously.
"The truth is, I believed that you weren't ready for Us…" he began, before Rory cut him off
"But that's…"she interrupted.
"Rory just let me finally get this out" he began, "I thought that you weren't ready for me and you to get serious. I was in love with you, I had been ever since sophomore year, and you were only half way there Rory. I couldn't be with you like that, I was screwed up, you know that, and when you're like that and in love with someone and they're only just hanging in there…I didn't want to hurt you, and I would have, so that's why I pulled away and ignored you"
"But you did hurt me" Rory replied tears forming in her eyes.
"I know that now, but back then…God, it all seemed so simple in my mind. I believed that the only way for you to be happy was for you not to be with me" he finished.
Rory paused for a minute "You're so stupid" she shouted, half laughing and half crying.
"I pour my heart out and you call me stupid!" he replied, not sure what to make of her outburst.
"I was there Tristan, and I know maybe that I didn't always show it, but I was there". She began, "And the sad thing is that even after all the childish stunts you've pulled, I'm still there because, I can't stop thinking about you…" she trailed off.
"So what does that mean?" he asked softly, resting his hands on her hip.
"It means that…I hate you… and also that I think we should finally go on that second date" she stated, laughing in spite of herself.
"Wow a second date, after all this time, at the rate this relationship is going we're going to be 60 before we even get to…" he replied.
"Tristan…" she interrupted wearily.
"Rory" he shot back, matching her tone perfectly.
And just like that they were back to how they'd always been, like the time apart had disappeared and they were Rory and Tristan again.
"I really am sorry" he replied seriously,
"I know" she replied, looking up at him, "and I hope you know… that I really did want to be with you…and I still do"
"I see that now…maybe it was just all the running away that confused me" he said, smirking in spite of himself.
"I promise my sneakers are officially going into retirement, they are being dipped in gold as we speak." she retorted.
Pausing, she placed her hands on his waist and slowly tilted her head up, "So, what now?" she asked
Instead of talking he leant down and slowly placed his lips against hers, kissing her just as he had imagined in the dreams he had of her forgiving him, and for once, everything felt right.