And I apologize for any cheesiness... I've been reading too many romance novels.
* * * * *
Something To Remember
by inmyeyes
Part 5
(Sunday afternoon. DuGrey residence. Hartford)
As she waited for someone to answer the door, Rory's fingers fiddled with the strap of her bag nervously. She was mentally planning what she'd say to him to explain her presence at his house and was so focused on her thoughts that he didn't notice when the heavy oak door swung open.
"Rory?"
At the sound of her name, she looked up, catching Tristan's blue eyes, mentally noting that he looked very good. "Um, hi."
"Come in," he offered, moving aside so that she could enter. "What are you doing here?"
Rory flushed as she followed him into the house. "Grandpa's at a business meeting and Grandma's busy with last minute details about the dinner. No one would be at home, so I got my grandma to drop me off here." She bit her lip. "I hope you don't mind."
Tristan laughed, gesturing that she should take a seat. "Of course I don't."
"I brought my dress," Rory said, holding up the garment bag. "I thought we could just go from here."
Tristan leaned back against the leather couch and Rory couldn't help but notice the way his muscles stretched luxuriously beneath the white tank top he wore under the blue-checked shirt. She tore her eyes away from his torso only to see him smiling insolently at her. She had no doubt that he knew that she had been looking at him. "What?"
"Nothing." He was still smiling at her in that infuriating way.
She looked away from him and noticed the silence. "Where's everyone?"
He just shrugged, but she saw him fidget uncomfortably. "My parents are away, somewhere and I sent the servants home."
"You're all alone?" she asked, wondering how he could bear solitude in his huge, cold house.
Tristan shrugged again, keeping his eyes averted from her questioning gaze. He kept his tone nonchalant. "It doesn't bother me." She didn't buy his lie, but before she could call him on it, he added, "Besides, I'm not alone anymore." His grin was lascivious. His diversion tactics worked: Rory rolled her eyes and threw a cushion at him, which he easily dodged.
"So..."
"So..."
The two eyed each other for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter for no real reason. As their laughter tapered off, the look in his eyes sent a current running through her spine. Her own gaze was instantly drawn to his lips when he slowly ran his tongue over his lower lip. Rory almost wanted to groan aloud. She knew that he was aware of what he was doing to her; that infuriatingly knowing smirk was back.
"Come sit over here," he offered, patting the empty space next to him. She arched her eyebrow, silently asking why. "I just want you near me."
"Yeah.... since I'm like a continent away," she teased but a second later, she was up and seating herself on the leather couch; near enough to satisfy him but far enough for her sanity. But her sanity didn't last long; his arm came around her shoulders like a vise and tugged her closer to him until she was as close as she could be to him without getting on his lap. She tensed at the initial contact, bracing herself against the tremors that ran through her body at the warm feel of his body. Then, slowly, she relaxed, leaning her weight on him as she rested her head on his chest. 'Being near him is like a drug,' she thought hazily. And she was a hopeless addict.
"So, what do you wanna do?"
Rory stifled a giggle at the light teasing tone in his voice. She pulled herself away from him but swung her arms to rest on his shoulders. His gaze was enough to make her want to throw caution to the wind, but she had a better plan. She tilted her head slightly, looking up at him through her lashes. As one of her hands came to caress the back of his neck, she slowly bit her lip, feigning a look of concentration. When his arms around her waist tightened, she hid her smile of victory. She leaned closer to him until she could feel his warm breath hitting her cheek. "I know what I wanna do," she whispered in his ear, making sure that her lips brushed the shell of his ear. She bit back a laugh as his fingers gripped her waist and she heard his breathing turn shallow. "I wanna..." She pushed herself away, grinning impishly. "get some coffee."
Tristan found that he couldn't move, frozen by shock and the lust that ran rampant in his blood. By the time he managed to regain control of his senses, she was already half-way out of the room, on the hunt for the kitchen and the coffee machine. A few minutes later, he found her in his large, airy kitchen, fiddling with the coffee maker. Crossing his arms, he casually leaned against the kitchen island in the middle of the room, grinning cheekily.
"Do you know how to work the coffee machine?"
Rory's hands stilled as she turned to give him a scathing look. "Of course I do." Her tone was indignant. "It's a Gilmore survival skill."
Using his arms for leverage, he pulled himself onto the counter and watched her struggle with the machine. He stifled a laugh when he heard her mutter inaudibly under her breath about "how the things in this damn house are all evil" but couldn't hold it in any longer when Rory switched tactics and started to speak cajolingly the coffee maker, asking it to "please work because I need my coffee." Jumping down from his perch, he finally offered his help and this time, Rory didn't resist, merely giving the machine an evil look.
Once Rory got her cup of coffee and had fifty refills, the two headed out to the large garden. Rory took in the beautiful rose bushes, the large fountain in the middle of the garden and... a hammock? Tristan followed her as she made her way there, surprised that she'd head that way. Walking behind her, he took in her long, shapely legs topped by denim shorts and the sleek shoulders exposed by the white halter top that she wore. Her silky hair was secured in a high ponytail and Tristan had the greatest urge to walk up to her and just place a kiss on her neck. A tiny voice in his head reminded him that he could do that, since after all they were "dating".
A few feet before they reached the hammock, Tristan looped his arms around her waist, eliciting a surprised squeal from Rory. Laughing, he nuzzled his head against her neck, placing tiny kisses along her shoulder, heading up to her neck and finally her cheek. At the contact, Rory's eyes involuntarily shut, just savouring the feeling. Before she could say anything, he took her hand and pulled her until they were standing next to the hammock.
Moments later, they were securely lying on the hammock; Rory's head next to his, her arm thrown over his waist with his arms around her shoulders. The light swaying of the hammock had a calming effect; Rory's body relaxed as she pulled herself closer to Tristan's body and she closed her eyes against the sunlight that peeked through the shade provided by the leaves, lulled by the feel of his fingers tracing the skin on her shoulder.
"I hate being alone." The admission jarred Rory from her relaxed state as she slightly shifted herself so that she could watch him. His eyes were closed, but his clenched jaw revealed to her the pain of his words. Reaching up, her fingers smoothed the skin at his jaw and at her touch, she saw him visibly relax. "They're always away, sometimes on business, sometimes for pleasure and those few times that they remember they have a son, they leave me a plane ticket. I didn't mind it so much when my grandfather was still alive; I used to spend a lot of time with him. We'd go fishing, golfing and just everything. He was like my best friend... until he passed away last year." Rory's hold on him tightened in response. "I don't like this house, and I try not to spend time here. I was about to go over to see you before you came."
"I'm sorry."
Tristan looked at her, managing a small smile. "Don't be." He paused, wondering if he should go on. "I love being with you, it just makes everything else in my life seem better."
She smiled. "You don't have to be alone, Tristan. Not when you have me."
* * * * *
"Rory! We have to get going," Tristan said, knocking lightly on the closed bathroom door. There was a short silence before he heard a thump and a muffled shriek. "Are you okay?"
The door swung open and Rory tumbled out, wincing. "Yeah I'm fine, just stubbed my toe."
Tristan wanted to laugh, but the sound got caught in his throat when he noticed how she looked. Her long hair pulled up with wavy strands framing her sweet face. The light blue heels she was slipping on was the same shade of the dress she was wearing. The silky material was held up by two thin straps, exposing a large expanse of creamy skin, its hem lightly skimming her knees. The dress was elegant, sleek and made her blue eyes seem even more brilliant.
"Haven't anyone told you it's impolite to stare, Mr. DuGrey?" she teased, her hands reaching out to smooth down the lapels of his jacket. He looked at her, only to realize that she was standing much closer to him than he expected. His hands came up to hold hers against his chest.
"Well, Miss Gilmore," he smirked. "How can I not stare at someone as beautiful as you?"
"Such a charmer you are, Mr. DuGrey," she remarked, her smile wide. But he recognized the sarcasm behind her words and grinned.
He took her hand, leading her out. "Always, Miss Gilmore. Always."
* * * * *
(Charity benefit dinner. De La Tere Hall. Hartford)
"Grandma!"
"Rory dear, there you are... I was wondering where you were," Emily exclaimed, hugging her granddaughter. "You look wonderful."
"Thanks Grandma. This," she looked around the hall, "looks great."
Emily beamed proudly before noticing the young man next to Rory. "Tristan, glad to see you here."
Tristan smiled charmingly. "Wouldn't have missed it for the world."
Rory smiled brightly. "We'll be around, Grandma. I'll see you later, it seems like you've got a lot to do."
"All right, dear. I'll see you later."
Moments later, the two of them had made their way to the table allotted to them. The table was empty and for a few minutes, the pair just sat there, looking at the mass of finely-dressed people in the room .
"So what now?" Rory asked, tapping her fingers against the table.
Tristan smiled as he stood up. He took her hand, telling her with his eyes to stand up. She gave him a questioning look but stood up anyway. When she did, he smiled. "And now... we dance."
Rory's mouth dropped open and she took a step back. "Nuh uh. No way. No dancing."
Tristan chuckled at the deer-in-the-headlights look that Rory was sporting. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her to the dance floor which was half-filled. "Yes dancing." He tried not to laugh at her petulant expression. "What's the problem?"
"Ican'tdance." The words tumbled out of Rory's mouth hurriedly.
"What? I couldn't hear you."
She looked up and threw him an evil look when she saw that he was grinning. "I. can't . dance ." Each word was enunciated slowly and Rory punctuated the statement by turning, intending to walk away but was halted when Tristan gently took hold of her hand.
She give him a quizzical look as he took her arms and placed them around his neck before pulling her close and resting his hands on her waist. His proximity was unnerving her as the scent of his cologne assailed her senses. "And now... you just move," he whispered.
Awkwardly, she shifted her feet, feeling utterly self-conscious. Seconds later, Tristan tipped her chin up until her eyes met. "Don't look at your feet," he told her. "Focus on me and don't think about your feet."
Rory was well aware that focusing on him would be more disastrous because he had the ability to fluster her. She tore her eyes away from his, her gaze straying to her feet and suddenly, the world tilted as images filled her head.
Alarmed, Tristan steadied her and drew her close to him. "Are you all right?" He felt her nod against his chest.
"I just remembered something," she said, her eyes narrowed in concentration as she tried to piece together the images in her head. "I remember a school dance... I remember seeing you there... but we weren't there together. I remember feeling really self-conscious as I was dancing with this guy... this tall guy with dark hair." She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't see Tristan's face pale slightly.
"Maybe you should sit down for a while," he suggested, steering her towards an empty seat.
"No," she shook her head, and Tristan felt worry seep into his bones. "No... can we just leave?"
Tristan let out a breath at her question. Relief had never felt so sweet. "You want to go home?"
She shook her head again. "No... I just don't want to be here."
* * * * *
Paris Gellar stifled a loud groan of frustration. 'Where the hell are my parents?' she wondered, her eyes roaming the room, trying to locate them. Instead, she saw a familiar head of blonde hair. 'Okay... Tristan is here. You can just go over and ask if he's seen-' Her thoughts came to a complete halt when she recognized who he was with. 'Why is Rory Gilmore with him?' She watched, rooted to the spot as Tristan took her hand in his and Rory smiled gratefully at him before they both left the room.
Paris knew that something was going on.
(The park)
Rory closed her eyes against the light breeze that blew against her. The park had been beautiful in the day when she had been there with Tristan, but at night, there was something enchanting about the place. She leaned back against the broad trunk of the oak tree and gazed into the starry night, sighing at the beauty of it all.
Beside her, Tristan was enchanted not by the beauty of the park nor the night, but rather by the beauty of the girl next to him. She had taken out the pins that held her hair up and the mass of brown curls was tumbling over her shoulders. Her face was tipped up towards the sky and the glow of moonlight on her skin cast an ethereal glow.
"You're staring at me again," Rory commented, her eyes still on the sky. Tristan's husky laugh in response made her wrap her arms tighter around herself.
"Are you cold?"
"Just a little," she said, not revealing that it was his presence that made her shiver. The chill was eliminated when Tristan put his jacket around her shoulders. Smiling in thanks, she snuggled deeper in the warmth left by his body. She moved closer to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. For a long while, they were just content to sit there side by side, underneath the stars.
It was Rory who broke the spell that had been weaved over them. Sitting up, she took off the jacket, handed it back to Tristan. After slipping off her shoes, she took off running towards the playground that was only a hundred feet away from where they were sitting. Slightly out of breath, she sat down on one of the swings and using her legs, she pushed herself off the ground. Seconds later, she felt Tristan's hands on her back, pushing her higher and higher.
The smile that came over him when he heard her squeals of joy was involuntary. After a few more pushes, he stopped and sat down on the empty swing next to her, his eyes following her every move, his ears catching every tinkle of her voice and enjoying the shivers that ran down his spine. When she finally came to a slow stop, she beamed at him and laughed. "That was great... I haven't done that in a while."
A loud clap of thunder hindered Tristan's response. "Neither have I."
"I love this place, it really is wonderful," Rory said softly. "There's something magical about it."
"I know, that's why I always come here."
Rory tried to breathe but the intensity of his cerulean eyes was overwhelming her, even in the dim light. With an effort, she broke the hold of his gaze on hers and shifted her eyes to the sky, her mind so fuddled that she didn't notice how the sky had darkened even more.
"Rory," he began cautiously. She turned to him, her eyes wide and innocent and he drew on his reserve of strength to go on. "I want to tell you something." Some part of his brain was rooting him on, telling him that it was the right thing to do, that it would be better to confess to his lie now before any further damage was done. But... 'Don't do it! Don't tell her, it won't solve anything and it won't help at all.'
Her eyes searched his and she realized that whatever it was that he wanted to tell her was important. But she also saw some hesitation, some worry and a lot of... an emotion that she couldn't identify. "What's wrong?"
Tristan opened his mouth to speak, the words not coming to him.
And the skies above them opened up.
The rain came down in torrents, soaking them to the skin immediately. Tristan reached for Rory's hand, intending to find some shelter but instead, Rory pulled him close to her. Taken by surprise, her sharp pull sent his body colliding into hers and Tristan's arms reached around her to steady himself. Through the layers of their wet clothes, the warmth of their bodies fused.
The next moment, her lips were on his.
It had been too much for her to bear; feeling his body against hers, caught in the gaze of his stormy blue eyes and seeing his tongue dart out to lick the water that was dripping down his face. The one thought in her mind, the one urge was to close those few inches between them and so she followed that instinct. She had been waiting too long to feel his kiss.
The electric touch of her soft, pliant lips on his had caught him unaware, but it was certainly not unwelcome. Her slender fingers raking through his wet hair, her body crushed against his... he couldn't think straight at all. All he was certain of was the feeling that ran through his body; an emotion so strong, so undeniable, so alien yet familiar at the same time.
When her lips slowly parted beneath his, he didn't hesitated to sweep his tongue into the recesses of her sweet mouth and her moan that escaped sent his blood racing. She tilted her head further, trying to deepen the contact as her arms wrapped tighter around him.
Rory knew without a doubt that whatever it was that she was feeling now, she had never felt before. She didn't think that she would ever forget the way she felt in his arms; so weak, so overwhelmed, so.... loved? She wasn't really sure, but all she knew that was she didn't want this feeling to end and she had the sneaking suspicion that it was Tristan, and only him, who could make her feel this way.
Summoning his self-control, Tristan slowly lessened the intensity of their kiss. Placing one last soft kiss on her now swollen lips, he reluctantly pulled away although his arms remained firmly around her waist. The rain continued to fall around them, but they weren't aware of anything but each other.
Trying to regulate his breathing, Tristan kept his eyes away from hers. But it didn't help; instead it drew attention to the water dripping off her exposed shoulders and the delicate curve of her neck. Groaning inwardly, he jerked his eyes upwards only to catch sight of her lips and the urge to kiss her returned, full force. His eyes finally met hers and he inhaled deeply when he recognized the look in her eyes.
She was aware of his long eyelashes, made more prominent by the water that made them darker. She saw the way his white dress shirt clung to his hard and muscular body and the heat that infused her body from the touch of his hands on her waist. She swallowed thickly when her eyes met his and she shivered at the undeniable want that she saw in them. Oh god, she had to kiss him.
So, she did.
* * * * *
A.N : Weeee! There ya go, hope you enjoyed
it. Reviews are always welcome! :D
One last thing... this is pretty much the
calm before the storm. So... yeah. ::evil laughter::