Tristan paced back and forth across the Gilmores' living room floor. He had
done this so many times he was sure there were marks on the rug. He
couldn't believe Rory was with Jess. That Jess had won. Tristan knew he was
better for Rory. Tristan and Rory were meant to be together. No one should
have been able to come between them. And now Jess had. Rory had never been
his, but Tristan had always felt that in some way, she was. And now Jess
had her. It should have been him. It could have been him. Tristan kicked
clothes lying on the floor. "Damnit." It was now one in the morning and
Rory still wasn't home. He couldn't sleep, knowing she was with... him.
Rory was his. God, it hurt to think that. "Damnit," he repeated.
The front door swung open and Tristan paused. "Are you home, Rory? Is that you?" He was answered by a murmur. Rory and Jess rounded the corner, kissing. Tristan turned away. This was so unRorylike. She'd never be like that. He noisily cleared his throat. Rory and Jess jumped apart.
Rory turned to him. "Tristan," she said, the shock evident in her voice.
Jess noticed the look on Tristan's face and cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, I think I'll go now. See you tomorrow, Rory." He kissed her gently on the forehead and it was all Tristan could do to keep from ripping Jess off her and wrapping her in his arms. Jess retreated, and a moment later, Tristan heard the roar of a car's engine. He was quiet until the sound of the engine faded.
"Rory, God, Rory. I don't know what to say."
Rory turned to him. "Well, I do. You just ruined my first date."
Tristan nodded, not even hearing her words. "Rory, why were you with him?"
Rory froze. "Because I like him. That's why you normally go on dates."
Tristan squeezed his eyes shut. For a second, he had thought that there was a chance that Rory could have liked him, wanted to make him jealous. But her open confession of liking Jess- he hadn't expected that. "Oh."
Rory nodded. "Oh. That's all you have to say? What is wrong with you, Tristan? God. I hate you." With that confession, the second in the past year, Rory ran up the stairs, crying.
Tristan leaned against the wall. "Why does she always run away crying," he wondered out loud.
Lorelai came downstairs to see two angry teenagers staring at each other across the table over breakfast that morning. "Hey, kiddos. What's wrong?"
Rory narrowed her eyes. "He is."
Lorelai nodded. "Uh huh, okay. I'm going to need a few more syllables, Vanna."
Rory sighed. "Well, that sounds familiar. He ruined my date last night."
Tristan sighed. "Damnit, Rory, he's worse than bagboy."
Lorelai sat down, her eyes bright. "Ooh, I smell gossip. Let's see. Who's not good for you, Rory?"
"Jess," Rory mumbled.
Lorelai frowned. "Uh, yeah, okay. I knew absolutely nothing about that. Which means you'll have to explain. Later. Because right now, I want to know the rest of the story. Starting with- who's Alyssa? She called last night. I forgot. Sorry."
Rory glared at Tristan. "Tristan's girlfriend. Apparently, all that matters is that she's hot."
Lorelai nodded. "Okay, uh huh, yeah. So, how long has Tristan been with her?"
Tristan answered. "Two days."
Lorelai frowned. "Yeah, Rory, how long have you been with Jess?"
"One day."
Lorelai nodded. "Yep, okay, I'm right. This is what I'm getting. Something happened between you two, and please God, don't let it be sex, and then nothing happened. Tristan gets mad. Asks out first girl he sees- Alyssa, to get Rory jealous. It works. You get mad. Use Jess. Jess is in on it, 'cuz he's not stupid enough to give you a hickey like that unless it's part of a plot. Tristan gets jealous back. The cycle completes. Now, there's two outcomes. You guys either get together or not. Up to you. One outcome's good, one not. You guys are confusing, so I have no idea which one's good. Good luck. Have fun. I gotta go to the inn." Lorelai turned and began to walk away. Over her shoulder, she called, "Which means you guys will have plenty of time to figure out your relationship on the way to Monique's school and then to Chilton. Bye. Have fun." She left the two speechless.
Tristan was the first to talk. After dropping Monique off, he turned to Rory. "She's right, you know."
Rory sighed. "At least part way."
Tristan nodded. "Yeah, you went out with Jess to get me jealous. And I was," he conceded.
Rory narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, okay Tristan. And what about Alyssa. Why'd you go out with her?"
Tristan smirked. "Already told you. She's hot." Rory glared at him. "Fine, I went out with her because I thought you'd get jealous."
"Stupid."
"I know."
Rory sighed. "So, she was right about my using Jess, and his knowing, too. But the rest- the outcome. That's the hard part."
"Why?"
Rory sighed. "Because I don't know what I want."
"I think you do. And the sooner you admit it to yourself, the better. You're scared, though." Tristan added, his voice barely above a whisper, "So am I."
Rory turned in her seat. "I am scared. How do I know you'd be happy with ninety-nine percent, instead of a hundred? How do I know I can trust you? How do I know that I can make you happy?" They pulled into the Chilton parking lot.
Tristan took her hands in his. "You have to find trust yourself. But I can tell you this- you are a hundred percent. You are different from the rest, that was my goal before you . All I want now is you. You are all the girls in that building times ten."
Rory smiled at him. "I think I can trust you. I think you are worth it. But can we make it work?"
Tristan nodded. "It's worth it. It's worth a try."
Rory smiled. "Good, I'd like that."
Tristan leaned towards her. "I want to kiss you."
"I'm not stopping you."
Tristan's lips met Rory's, and the kiss was sweet and gentle. It lacked the urgency and the overbearing passion of their other kisses. It was perfect, holding promise of the future. Tristan pulled back. "I love you, Rory Gilmore."
Rory grinned. "I love you too, Adonis."
Tristan smirked and helped Rory out of the car. "I am Adonis, aren't I?"
Rory wrapped her hand possessively around Tristan's. "My Adonis." Threading their hands together, they walked into Chilton on this new and very different day.
The front door swung open and Tristan paused. "Are you home, Rory? Is that you?" He was answered by a murmur. Rory and Jess rounded the corner, kissing. Tristan turned away. This was so unRorylike. She'd never be like that. He noisily cleared his throat. Rory and Jess jumped apart.
Rory turned to him. "Tristan," she said, the shock evident in her voice.
Jess noticed the look on Tristan's face and cleared his throat nervously. "Uh, I think I'll go now. See you tomorrow, Rory." He kissed her gently on the forehead and it was all Tristan could do to keep from ripping Jess off her and wrapping her in his arms. Jess retreated, and a moment later, Tristan heard the roar of a car's engine. He was quiet until the sound of the engine faded.
"Rory, God, Rory. I don't know what to say."
Rory turned to him. "Well, I do. You just ruined my first date."
Tristan nodded, not even hearing her words. "Rory, why were you with him?"
Rory froze. "Because I like him. That's why you normally go on dates."
Tristan squeezed his eyes shut. For a second, he had thought that there was a chance that Rory could have liked him, wanted to make him jealous. But her open confession of liking Jess- he hadn't expected that. "Oh."
Rory nodded. "Oh. That's all you have to say? What is wrong with you, Tristan? God. I hate you." With that confession, the second in the past year, Rory ran up the stairs, crying.
Tristan leaned against the wall. "Why does she always run away crying," he wondered out loud.
Lorelai came downstairs to see two angry teenagers staring at each other across the table over breakfast that morning. "Hey, kiddos. What's wrong?"
Rory narrowed her eyes. "He is."
Lorelai nodded. "Uh huh, okay. I'm going to need a few more syllables, Vanna."
Rory sighed. "Well, that sounds familiar. He ruined my date last night."
Tristan sighed. "Damnit, Rory, he's worse than bagboy."
Lorelai sat down, her eyes bright. "Ooh, I smell gossip. Let's see. Who's not good for you, Rory?"
"Jess," Rory mumbled.
Lorelai frowned. "Uh, yeah, okay. I knew absolutely nothing about that. Which means you'll have to explain. Later. Because right now, I want to know the rest of the story. Starting with- who's Alyssa? She called last night. I forgot. Sorry."
Rory glared at Tristan. "Tristan's girlfriend. Apparently, all that matters is that she's hot."
Lorelai nodded. "Okay, uh huh, yeah. So, how long has Tristan been with her?"
Tristan answered. "Two days."
Lorelai frowned. "Yeah, Rory, how long have you been with Jess?"
"One day."
Lorelai nodded. "Yep, okay, I'm right. This is what I'm getting. Something happened between you two, and please God, don't let it be sex, and then nothing happened. Tristan gets mad. Asks out first girl he sees- Alyssa, to get Rory jealous. It works. You get mad. Use Jess. Jess is in on it, 'cuz he's not stupid enough to give you a hickey like that unless it's part of a plot. Tristan gets jealous back. The cycle completes. Now, there's two outcomes. You guys either get together or not. Up to you. One outcome's good, one not. You guys are confusing, so I have no idea which one's good. Good luck. Have fun. I gotta go to the inn." Lorelai turned and began to walk away. Over her shoulder, she called, "Which means you guys will have plenty of time to figure out your relationship on the way to Monique's school and then to Chilton. Bye. Have fun." She left the two speechless.
Tristan was the first to talk. After dropping Monique off, he turned to Rory. "She's right, you know."
Rory sighed. "At least part way."
Tristan nodded. "Yeah, you went out with Jess to get me jealous. And I was," he conceded.
Rory narrowed her eyes. "Yeah, okay Tristan. And what about Alyssa. Why'd you go out with her?"
Tristan smirked. "Already told you. She's hot." Rory glared at him. "Fine, I went out with her because I thought you'd get jealous."
"Stupid."
"I know."
Rory sighed. "So, she was right about my using Jess, and his knowing, too. But the rest- the outcome. That's the hard part."
"Why?"
Rory sighed. "Because I don't know what I want."
"I think you do. And the sooner you admit it to yourself, the better. You're scared, though." Tristan added, his voice barely above a whisper, "So am I."
Rory turned in her seat. "I am scared. How do I know you'd be happy with ninety-nine percent, instead of a hundred? How do I know I can trust you? How do I know that I can make you happy?" They pulled into the Chilton parking lot.
Tristan took her hands in his. "You have to find trust yourself. But I can tell you this- you are a hundred percent. You are different from the rest, that was my goal before you . All I want now is you. You are all the girls in that building times ten."
Rory smiled at him. "I think I can trust you. I think you are worth it. But can we make it work?"
Tristan nodded. "It's worth it. It's worth a try."
Rory smiled. "Good, I'd like that."
Tristan leaned towards her. "I want to kiss you."
"I'm not stopping you."
Tristan's lips met Rory's, and the kiss was sweet and gentle. It lacked the urgency and the overbearing passion of their other kisses. It was perfect, holding promise of the future. Tristan pulled back. "I love you, Rory Gilmore."
Rory grinned. "I love you too, Adonis."
Tristan smirked and helped Rory out of the car. "I am Adonis, aren't I?"
Rory wrapped her hand possessively around Tristan's. "My Adonis." Threading their hands together, they walked into Chilton on this new and very different day.