Tristan had slept lightly Friday night, hyperaware of Rory's every move and sniffle in her sleep. He was concerned about her emotional state after the conflict with her mom and the new version of her recurring nightmare. He woke as soon as he felt her stirring in his arms early Saturday morning, and couldn't help but smile as she burrowed further into him.
"Morning, Tris," she said, her voice still heavy with sleep.
"Morning, baby. How are you feeling this morning?"
"Eh," she said noncommittally. "I feel better being in your arms, but my head is all jumbled and I can't make sense of my thoughts. Would you go for a run with me?" she asked.
"You do know it's five o'clock in the morning, don't you? I don't mind running this early, but you usually like to sleep a little later."
"I know, but I just...I need to clear my head, and that always works."
Tristan chuckled and shook his head at the beautiful woman next to him.
"How many times have you exercised this week?" he asked teasingly.
"I think I've run four times and gone to the gym three times, why?" Rory asked.
"Why? Because Miss Rory "I Don't Exercise" Gilmore has turned into an exercise fanatic," Tristan continued joking.
"Well, it's all your fault, mister!" Rory huffed as she giggled at the entire exchange. She loved that their conversations could go from serious to joking so quickly and easily.
Tristan kissed her briefly and stood up, helping her up after him.
"Let's get changed and we can run around this insane asylum town of yours."
They both changed into workout clothes quickly and walked out of Rory's room to find Luke getting ready to leave for the day.
"Oh hey, Luke. Sorry, we were just about to go for a run," Rory said sheepishly.
"No need to apologize, Rory. Your mom mentioned that you'd been running," Luke replied.
"Yeah, it just helps me clear my head and deal with stress. Someone says I've become a bit of an addict," she said pointedly as she nudged Tristan in the side. "Oh, where are my manners? Luke, this is my boyfriend, Tristan Dugrey. Tristan, this is my mom's boyfriend and a long-time father figure in my life, Luke."
The two men greeted each other with handshakes.
"I'm just going to step into the bathroom for a minute and I'll be right back."
Rory walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, leaving the two men in the kitchen alone.
"I apologize for last night, Luke. She called me upset and I couldn't think of anything other than getting here to be with her," Tristan said sheepishly.
"Hey, there's no reason to apologize. From what I saw last night, you're exactly what she needed. You love her," Luke said, more of a statement than a question.
"Very much, sir. I would do anything for that woman," Tristan replied instantly.
"Good. Lorelai's going through some...stuff right now. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but she's struggling, and it's obviously taking a toll on her relationship with Rory. I'm glad that she has you in her life. Lorelai may not be a fan of you yet, but as far as I'm concerned, you're the best thing that's happened to Rory in a long time."
"Thank you, sir. I've waited a long time for this chance, and I have no intentions of screwing it up," Tristan assured the older man just before Rory walked back out into the kitchen.
Tristan kissed Rory on the top of the head and walked into the bathroom she'd just vacated, while Rory walked over to the fridge and grabbed two bottles of water.
"No coffee this morning?" Luke asked.
"No, I don't drink coffee before I go on my runs, and I'm not drinking as much either. Don't tell Mom - I don't need anything else freaking her out," Rory whispered.
"Your secret's safe with me, Rory. Despite what your mom says at the moment, I want you to know that I'm proud of you. You're making some really great changes in your life, and you've grown into an amazing young woman. Tristan is good for you," Luke told her.
"Thanks, Luke. That really means a lot. I guess I just kind of feel like I'm being pulled between the life that makes me happy and the life that makes my mom happy, and it's hard to balance it all," Rory confessed.
"You don't have to balance it all; find what makes you happy and go after that. There is something that your mother is struggling with right now, but you don't need to let that affect you. Your mom will catch up at some point and will be happy for you." Luke told her firmly.
"Thanks, Luke. I really appreciate that."
"Anytime. I'll see you guys at the diner for breakfast after your run?" Luke asked.
"Yeah, see you soon."
Luke walked out the door to leave for work just before Tristan walked out of the bathroom. He was surprised to see her smiling - a real, genuine smile now - and walked over and wrapped his arms around her.
"You look happier, Mare." he said quietly.
"I talked to Luke, and he had some good input. I just...it feels really good to hear that he sees how amazing you are, and how great we are together."
"I'm glad he's on our side. I love you, Mare," Tristan said sweetly.
"I love you too, baby. You ready?"
"Let's go."
Rory led Tristan out onto the streets of Stars Hollow, no longer concerned with trying to avoid the gaze of the town gossips since they were officially together and her mom knew about Tristan, even if she didn't approve. She pushed herself harder than usual, desperate for that pleasantly-numb state of mind that always came with running, and Tristan could almost see the stress melt off of her body as she entered that intense zone. He took her slightly less tense posture as a good sign and motioned for her to pull out her earbuds and slow to a jog.
"You're awfully quiet this morning. Do you want to talk about what's on your mind?" he asked.
"It's just...I feel like I'm stuck between what my mom expects of me and what my grandma wants for me, and I'm just the rope they keep pulling back and forth in their tug-of-war. My mom has always expected me to be her mini-me; I always wanted to please her and my grandparents, but by doing that I lost myself."
"Is Emily pressuring you into something right now?" Tristan asked.
"No, not at all. She's actually mellowed a lot since my grandpa passed away. I'm just finding that the life that I want for myself looks a lot more like Emily Gilmore's life than my mother would like. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be a trophy wife who coordinates her husband's social schedule and tends to the household, but I also don't want the life that my mom has built. I just...I want my own life, you know? I'm probably not making any sense," she said in frustration.
"No, you're making perfect sense, Mary. You have to decide for yourself whether or not you're willing to fight for the life you want. You're not your mom, and you're not Emily Gilmore. You're your own person, Rory, and you need to decide what you want your life to look like.. I won't push you into anything, but I'll support you and fight right next to you if that's what you want."
Rory stopped running right there in the middle of the square. She grabbed Tristan's hand and pulled him to her, kissing him deeply right there in full view of of God, Miss Patty and Babette without a care in the world about someone seeing them. Tristan smiled as she pulled away from the kiss and his arms tightened around her.
"What was that for?" he whispered in her ear, causing shivers to go down her spine.
"Thank you, Tristan. It means so much to me that you're happy to let me be me. You encourage me to make my own choices and you support me no matter what. I love you so much," Rory replied with a smile.
"Rory, I love you for who you are. You don't need to try to do things because you think that's what I want you to do. If you are happy, I'll be happy. Love is a compromise," Tristan reassured her.
"Oh, Tris. You make me so very happy. Come on, let's get back to my mom's...I think we need to shower," she said with a wink.
"In your mom's house, Mary? You rebel!" he teased
"Hey, you're the one who is encouraging me to make decisions for my happiness, and right now you in the shower with me will make me incredibly happy," she whispered seductively.
"Happy wife, happy life," Tristan chuckled. "I'm sure that somehow applies to this situation too, despite the lack of a marriage license."
"Only one way to find out, Bible Boy," Rory smirked.