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Something To Remember
by inmyeyes
Part 6
(Later that Sunday night. Gilmore residence. Hartford)
"So... I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked, her smile hopeful.
"I have school tomorrow," he reminded her, gently pushing her damp hair away from her face. "Not everyone's as lucky as you, getting to stay at home and do nothing." When she pouted in response, he leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her lips.
"So, I'll see you after school then?" she corrected, twining her arms around his waist and pulling his body closer to hers.
"I don't know," he grinned, intending to tease her. "You see, I have this.... thing that I have to do."
Her lips quirked in a small smile. "A thing that you have to do? Wow, it must be important."
He nodded solemnly. "Very important. Life altering even."
She put on a look of disappointment. "When can I see you then? How long will this very important thing you have to do take?"
He absently played with the damp strands of her hair and shrugged. "I don't know. It might take a while. Why?" He smirked. "Are you gonna miss me?"
She leaned closer still to him, rising on her toes so that her lips met his ear. "I'll miss you terribly." She grinned in satisfaction at the shudder that ran through his body. Her arms that had been around his waist moved up his back as she placed tiny kisses on his neck, mumbling as she did so. "Can't you just blow off that thing you have to do? I'm sure it can wait another day..."
He groaned and buried his head in her hair. "Okay... okay... I'll blow off this very very important thing I should be doing tomorrow." He felt her giggle against his neck. "You can stop your torture now."
She pulled away slightly, her eyes blazing in mock anger. "Torture, huh? What if I don't wanna stop?" She leaned up, intending to catch his lips in hers.
He met her half-way.
* * * * *
(Monday morning. Chilton)
"Why were you there with Rory?"
Tristan turned away from his task of taking out books and met the steely gaze of Paris Gellar. A momentary pang of panic seized him as he realized that Paris must have seen them together the previous night but he pushed it aside. Outwardly, he didn't betray any of his thoughts, choosing only to smile at her, hoping to unsettle her nerves. But Paris looked like a woman on a mission.
"Oh, hi Paris. How are you doing? I'm fine, thanks."
"What were you doing with Rory?" she demanded.
He nonchalantly leaned against the locker next to his, affecting a pose of indifference. "I don't think it's any of your concern what I was doing with Rory, Paris." His tone was polite but firm.
Paris stood unmoving for a moment, her eyes burning and Tristan noticed that her fists were clenched tightly at her sides. "Yes, you're right," she conceded, her smile tight. "It's not any of my concern."
He watched her departing figure, heaving a silent sigh of relief that she hadn't pressed the issue. The last thing he needed was her catching onto his lie.
* * * * *
(Around noon. Gilmore residence. Hartford)
Rory lay her head against the stout tree trunk, closing her eyes against the glimmer of sunlight that peaked through the leaves. On her lap was a worn copy of Wuthering Heights, now forgotten. She didn't understand why her grandmother had insisted that she stay at home another day; she was feeling much better now that the tiny headaches that sometimes hit her were gone. But Emily had said something about not making her worry and wanting Rory to stay at home so she had given in. Besides, her mother was coming back later that evening. Still, she was so bored that she wished that she was in school. At least, Tristan was there.
Tristan. She smiled at the thought of him. Last night had been so perfect; she didn't think that she'd ever forget it. In her mind's eye, she conquered up an image of him; blonde hair tousled, wide smile in place, blue eyes shining and she thought that her heart would burst from emotion. Yet at the same time, there was a tiny voice at the back of her mind... and-
"Mary," she muttered suddenly. She sat up, her eyes snapping open. She bit her lip in concentration, trying to vainly recall any snippet of information to go with the name but nothing came. Defeated, she closed her eyes and then, out of nowhere, a scene started playing out in her mind.
A pair of warm hands covering her eyes startled her. "Guess who?"
"Could it be my charming boyfriend who should be in school?" she wondered aloud. She pulled his hands away and turned to see him grinning cheekily at her. His hair looked as though he had run his fingers through it a million times. He had taken off his jacket, rolled up the sleeves of the blue shirt and undid the top two buttons. She grinned back. "Hi there. Couldn't stay away, huh?"
"Of course I couldn't." He nudged her lightly and she moved forward so that he could scoot behind her. When he was finally settled, he looped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Sighing softly, she leaned her head against his shoulder. 'This feels nice,' she thought.
"What were you thinking about?" His husky whisper sent shivers down her spine. Turning her head slightly, she nearly gasped when she realized how close they were. Without a thought, she breached the few inches between them and kissed him. She wanted to kiss him, that much she could admit to herself. Last night, all she could think about was the kisses that they had shared and the wonderful feelings that he evoked in her. And upon seeing him just now, her first thought was how utterly kissable he looked.
Tristan thought that after last night, nothing could be better. He was wrong. He came to the conclusion that Rory's kisses would never fail to astound him, drive him crazy and make him want her more. With a low groan, he pulled away from her and leaned his head on her shoulder as he tried to regain his breath. He let out a hoarse laugh. "You were thinking about that, too?" He raised his head in time to see a pink blush taint her cheeks. He grinned and kissed her lightly. "No, really... what were you thinking about?"
Trying to will away the blush that had overtaken her, she settled back into his arms. "I just remembered some things that... confused me." Since she had her back to him, she missed the grimace that settled on his handsome features.
He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice nonchalant. "What did you remember?"
"I think I remembered the first time we met." Tristan's arms tightened around her but she was so caught up in her memories that she didn't notice. "It was at Chilton... and I remember you smirking at me." Tristan swallowed deeply and leaned his head back against the tree trunk as she went on. "And I remember you offering to lend me your notes." She turned and smiled. "That was sweet of you."
He bit his lip and forced a smile but didn't trust himself to say anything.
Rory turned back and moved closer to him, her fingers playing with the silver band on his left hand. "And... that's all I can remember. Was that really the first time we met?"
He cleared his throat. "Yes, it was."
"Did you fall madly in love with me then?" she asked, her tone teasing.
Tristan inhaled deeply at the feeling of her fingers laced with his. "Something like that, yeah."
She turned to face him again, her gaze sceptical. "Really?"
His smile was genuine as he cupped her face with his hands and pulled her close until their foreheads touched. "Well, I definitely knew that you were different... and I knew I wanted to know you." And I wanted you as a conquest. Guilt stabbed at him.
And when she smiled at him, her fingers lightly caressing his cheek, he felt himself drowning under the tide of guilt.
"Wait... I remembered something else too." Rory's eyes narrowed in thought. "I remember the name 'Mary'."
Tristan almost choked on his breath. "What?"
Her confused eyes met his. "I don't know who she is... but I remember that name. It's... odd. Do you know anyone named Mary?"
Oh, God... he didn't think that he could live with this guilt. "No, no... I don't know anyone named Mary."
Her pensive mood lingered for a few more moments before she merely shrugged and then brightened up considerably. "Anyway, I forgot to ask. What exactly are you doing here, Mr. DuGrey? Shouldn't you be in school?"
Relieved at the change in subject, he smiled widely. "Well, I was in school but I couldn't stand it because I missed my girlfriend so much. So I decided to come see her and keep her company."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "My, my, what a glib tongue you have there, Mr. DuGrey."
"All the better to kiss you with, Miss Gilmore," he leered, earning him a smack on his shoulder. A second later and he was pouting. "But it's true. I know your mom's coming back today and she's gonna take you away from me."
She patted his cheek condescendingly. "Awww, you poor baby. You're gonna be allll alone."
He ignored her and went on. "So, I wanted to spend as much time as I could with you before you go back to Stars Hollow."
"You make it sound as though you're never gonna see me or speak to me ever again," she teased.
Tristan inwardly winced at the truth of the words. He knew that she wouldn't ever acknowledge his existence once she remembered everything. "Maybe you'll meet someone there and fall madly in love with him," he joked. "And you'll never want to see me again."
She threw her arms around him, laughing gaily. "I don't think so. You won't be able to get rid of me so easily. Why would I want anyone else when I have you?"
With his arms holding her close to him, he closed his eyes and committed to memory the feeling of having her in his arms.
* * * * *
(Late afternoon. Luke's. Stars Hollow)
"What do you want?" was Luke's gruff demand when he noticed Dean leaning against the counter, tapping his fingers insistently against the linoleum.
"Have you seen Rory today?" he asked urgently. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his hair. "I was supposed to meet her at the bus stop after school today but she never showed up. Do you know where she is?"
Luke didn't seem bothered by Dean's frazzled tone. Calmly, he wiped the counter. "I haven't seen her today. She's probably still at Hartford."
Dean was adamant. "I've called a few times this weekend, but she was never there when I called. And she hasn't called me back. I think that-"
"Look," Luke cut in. "I'm sure Rory is fine. If she wasn't, Lorelai would be back already with her in tow. I'm sure that if you go by their house tonight, they'll be there." Without staying to hear Dean's response, Luke walked away.
* * * * *
(That evening. On the way from Hartford to Stars Hollow)
Rory smiled as she watched her mother gesticulate wildly as she tried to make a point about how horrible the convention had been. It was amazing how much better she felt now that Lorelai was back. Being with her brought a sense of familiarity and belonging and love and Rory couldn't help but be comforted by that. Familiar images of her childhood and the fun times they had had together were slowly seeping into her mind and coming back to her.
Lorelai cut off her long sentence, taking a deep breath. "Are you sure you're feeling okay, Rory?" she asked for the millionth time that night.
She smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine."
"Hey, after spending a long weekend that the Gilmore House of Gloom back there, any worry on my part is justified. Well, I'm sure you'll feel much better after having some of Luke's coffee," she said knowingly. "The coffee as the convention was awful. It tasted like tar." Lorelai shuddered for effect.
"You need to taste coffee at The Garage," Rory suggested. "It's good."
Lorelai shot her daughter a questioning look. "The Garage?"
Rory nodded. "Yeah, it's this cafe that Tristan brought me to." She smiled at the memory of that night and the feeling of security that she had gotten from being in his embrace. "Great coffee, good music and really comfortable couches. It's a good place."
Lorelai took note of Rory's dreamy smile but chose not to say anything... yet.
At the thought of Tristan, her mind replayed the moment that afternoon which she had spent together with him. After eating some lunch, they had gone to the park and just sat and talked. They debated about the best movies, their favourite books, music and just about everything and anything imaginable. Rory didn't think that she had ever smiled or laughed so hard in one afternoon than she did just now.
After a lengthy argument over the idiocy of carving one's name on the benches, Tristan had pulled out a penknife and proceeded to carve out "Tristan + Rory forever" at the back of the bench they were sitting on. Rory had protested loudly but he was not deterred. She finally shut up after Tristan had gathered her in his arms and soundly kissed her. Then he had said something that baffled her: "Rory, whatever happens, know that this moment is true. Everything about it is true." She wanted to ask him what he was alluding to but the plea in his eyes gave her pause. So she had merely nodded and hugged him close to her.
"What are you thinking about?" Lorelai asked softly.
She answered without hesitation. "Tristan."
As they entered Stars Hollow, Lorelai asked, "Coffee stop at Luke's? Or straight home?"
Rory sighed. "I'm still feeling a little out of sorts so can we just go straight home?"
"Of course," Lorelai said.
At that moment, they drove by Doose's market and a whole barrage of images hit Rory at once. She shut her eyes, trying to come to terms with it all.
Doose's market. Cornstarch. Kiss. Dean.
Alarmed, Rory's eyes opened wide.
Dean.
"Rory? What's wrong, honey?" came Lorelai's concerned question.
Rory leaned her head against the dashboard, breathing heavily as the entire weight of the memories of her young life sailed through her mind. But the one thing she had pin-pointed was Dean. Her boyfriend, Dean.
All of a sudden, another face popped in her head. 'Oh God, no... please no... please, don't let it be a lie... no..." The memories of the last four days chose that exact moment to fill her mind. She shook her head vehemently against the onslaught, not wanting to believe it. Willing herself not to cry, she bit the inside of her cheek, hard.
It was Lorelai's gentle touch that did her in. "Rory, sweetie..." She pulled Rory to her, embracing her tightly, not knowing what was wrong but knowing that her daughter was hurting. "It'll be okay, sweetie. It'll be fine."
Rory nuzzled her face against her mother's neck and finally allowed the tears to fall.
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A.N : So yes... it all falls
apart. The drama continues in the next chapter, which I promise will not
take too long.
Any opinions on this chapter
would be nice. Hit the review button down there. Thanks :)