See chap 1 for info.
Chapter 3: Paved with broken dreams, I found truth
"Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality."- Oscar Wilde
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rory was already seated a corner booth at the Kelly's Coffee and Fudge when Tristan walked through the door. He ran a hand through his hair and sauntered over to the booth.
"Waiting for someone, Mare?" Rory glanced up at Tristan from picking at her nails
"Well, I've been waiting for this complete jackass who was supposed to be here a half hour ago, and he's just now getting here." Tristan sat down opposite her.
"God, some people can be so inconsiderate!"
"Yeah, you can be Tris." Rory agreed. Tristan smiled.
"Well, the Rory I knew would be deeply engrossed in a book when I walked through that door. What happened to carrying a book everywhere?"
"Amanda's Wedding, by Jenny Colgan." Rory replied, pulling the book out of her bag. "Summer gave it to me and it's surprisingly a good read, usually the novels Summer gives me are either trashy romances or those gruesome thrillers that she knows I hate." She shuddered. "I didn't get a chance to get it out and read any of it because as it happens, I only got here a few minutes ago myself. Guess people of society don't carry watches."
"You mean besides those big fancy Rolexes we wear proudly on our wrists? It can't tell time properly if it's not a Rolex." Tristan joked, feeling at ease with Rory.
Rory grinned. "Right. Cause all other watches were made by ignorant non- Rolex makers. It all makes sense now."
"Don't you know it. And it isn't a purse unless it's Prada." Tristan said, gesturing to her bag.
"Hey! Summer gave me this for Christmas! It's a nice purse. So what if it's not Prada?" Rory said indignantly.
Tristan laughed and then glanced at the cashier.
"I'm going to order our coffee now. What do you want?" Tristan said, standing up.
"A double shot of espresso and a tall house brewed coffee." Rory answered. Tristan goes to put their order in and comes back with the coffee's a few minutes later.
"Espresso is so bad for you." Tristan warned as he set their order down on the table. "Specially double shot."
"Do I look like I care?" Rory downed the whole thing in one gulp, easily. She moves on to the coffee, inhaling it's scent.
"Mmm....I so needed this. I have such a bad headache from last night."
"Oh yeah that's right. How was the concert?"
Rory groaned. "Well, you mean besides having a bunch of twelve year old girls next to us the whole time screaming so hard MY lungs hurt?"
"That good, huh?"
"Oh yeah. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Charlie, that's who Summer's dating at the moment, well, his band opened for them, so that's how we got tickets. They're pretty good. But not better than Coldplay!" Rory said laughing.
"That's cool." There's a silence, but it was a comfortable silence, between old friends.
"So how's Paris been? I'm really sorry for what happened at the party. Summer was out of line." Tristan winced at the mention of Paris.
"Uh, she's not so good. She's usually tolerable and easy to tune out at the best of times, but ever since the party she's been unbearable. And don't worry about Summer, I'm sure Paris said something to provoke Summer first."
Rory leaned back in the booth and settled in comfortably. "Well, she did say something about Paris calling her a whore."
"That's nothing new. Our whole class at Chilton has called Summer a whore at some time or another in their lives. I had the honor of being the first though, first grade!" Tristan proudly announced. Rory rolled her eyes.
"Of course, even at the age of six you were insufferable and obnoxious...that doesn't surprise me."
"Good, cause it shouldn't." Tristan retorted. The silence comes back but Rory is sick of being silent.
"So what's the deal with you and Paris?"
Tristan sighed. "I told you, remember, at the party?"
"Oh, come on! I'm not as naive as I used to be, Tristan! I know there's more to it than that, and you know I'm going to needle you relentlessly until you tell me, so you might as well tell me now." Rory whined.
"Or I can pretend not to hear the incessant whining and change the topic not so subtly....so how's YOUR love life, Rory?"
Rory sighed and stuck her tongue out at Tristan. "I hate you! My love life is, so- so. I go on dates, but I haven't found 'the one' yet. Summer, on the other hand, finds her soul mate every other month!"
Tristan laughed. "That's not true, Rory. You have found your soul mate, it's sitting right in this coffee shop."
Rory arched an eyebrow, then pointed to a random guy. "You mean that guy over there? Oh, yeah, a match made in heaven. He's bald, Tristan. You know I don't date bald people."
"I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about me." Tristan said, half- serious.
"Oh really?" Rory takes another sip of her coffee. "I don't think so. You're too boring for me. I need someone with a bit more, spontaneity in them."
"What!? I am the most spontaneous person you know! I went bungee-jumping with you Rory....is that not spontaneous?"
Rory shakes her head. "Yes, you did that, but how many months of preparation did it take you to actually do it?"
"Boring, huh. I can't believe it. I think you are the first person to call me boring."
"Uh-huh...so, what's the deal with you and Paris?"
"Rory! Shut up about that already! I don't want to talk about it!"
"Why? Is it scandalous? Ooh, I bet it is! Is she having your love child or something?"
Tristan groaned and buried his face in his arms. "I am so not talking about this with you."
"Fine." Rory said, miffed. "I'll just find out from the Harvard country club next time I go home to visit."
"And when will that be? I'll be sure to avoid it. But what makes you think that THEY know anything about anything? Not that there's anything to hide." Tristan said quickly.
"So there is a twist! I knew it!" Rory said victoriously. "I was just making an educated guess. Just tell me already!"
"Fine, you wanna know?" Rory nodded eagerly. "Too bad!"
Rory glared, then ducked her head suddenly. "Don't look behind you!" she hissed.
"Why not?"
"Because Charlie's here, with another woman."
"Charlie as in Summer's Charlie?"
"Yes!"
"That....rat fink!"
Rory looked up long enough to giggle. "Did you just call Charlie a rat fink?"
Tristan shifted uncomfortably. "I said no such thing! I said, 'That....bastard.' Honestly Rory, how can you confuse the two?"
"Right. Anyway, Summer is going to be so devastated when she finds out."
"Maybe it's not him." Tristan suggested. "Maybe it's just someone who looks like him."
"Oh my God, then there would be three of you!" Rory muttered. Tristan looked at her blankly.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Hurry up and finish your coffee." Rory drank the rest of hers and stood up. "Come on. We're getting out of here before Charlie sees us and makes up some lame excuse."
"Wait, I want to see what the rat fink looks like...don't even say anything, it's my phrase!" Tristan craned his neck, and then turned to Rory, disconcerted. "Um, Rory? He looks exactly like me....is that a strange coincidence, or is Summer acting out on some unconscious level that she still likes me?"
"That's exactly what I said to her, almost. Except I said it stupider. You said it really well."
"Thanks, I guess. That is so weird, it's like seeing yourself practically. It's similar to a mind out of body experience."
"But that's not you." Rory reminded him. "Completely different person. Or maybe not, he likes to cheat on people too. Hmm, interesting."
"Oh come on Rory! That was years ago, you're not still hung up over that, are you?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. You'll never know, will you?"
They walked out of Kelly's. "That is just so low! I mean, Summer really liked this guy, and he just betrays her like that."
"Maybe he has a good reason." Tristan proposed.
"Tristan, there is never a good reason to cheat on your girlfriend!" Rory argued.
"Well, how would you know? I always have a good reason."
Rory snorted. "Oh yeah. What was the reason you had for me? Oh yeah, I remember. 'It's just, this is the first relationship that has lasted more than two months, and I got nervous, and was afraid I was going to screw up.' So your lips happened to land on Amanda in the process?"
"Rory....what do you not understand about 'let it go'!?" Tristan said, defensive about the whole thing. "This happened years ago, why bring it up now?"
"Because I never fully got over it!" Tristan opened his mouth to say something, but Rory continues on. "No, I got over you, easily, but I never got over the fact that boys lie, and it ruined every serious relationship I had after that. I couldn't trust anybody. So, thanks a lot, Tristan."
"Wow, I screwed you up that bad? I didn't realize."
"No, you didn't think. You were stupid, Tristan. We had a good thing going, and you ended it all because you were afraid of commitment!"
"Yeah, well, I was young and I had a really short attention span back then, Rory. You tried to turn me into, Dean, or something! Do you know how hard it was to live up to that kind of pressure?"
"Oh, do not even try to pin the blame on me! I didn't cheat on you, Tristan, you cheated on me! We are so through talking about this. Why don't you just go back to your future wife, that YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE, and I'll move on with my life? I'll send you and Paris a wedding present, if I can remember, which I probably won't, what, with my busy schedule and all." Rory hurried on down the street.
"Fine! I will go back to Paris, and I'll send a thank you card when I get your present, that is, if I can remember. What, with cheating on Paris and all." Tristan shouted after her. She gave him a not so nice finger gesture, and then proceeded to hail a cab.
Tristan shook his head sadly. Good job, DuGrey. Screwed up again, just like always.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rory got home, mentally and physically exhausted. She went into her room and pushed the 'Play' button on her machine.
"Hey Rory, it's me. I just wanted to remind you to call me when you back from your rendezvous with Tristan. Call me ASAP! Love ya, bye!"
"Hey Rory, this is Tristan. Look, I'm sorry about what happened at the coffee chop, and I'm sorry about hurting you all those years ago. I hope that we can still be friends. Call me whenever so we can talk....okay, bye."
Rory looked around for her phone and finally found it on it's hook. She dialed Summer's number.
"Hello, Slutty Bitch speaking."
"Hey Summer."
"Hey babe! How was your 'date' with Tristan? Is he still really good in bed?" Summer asked teasingly.
"Shut up! We did not sleep together. It was a coffee date, and we started fighting, and I ended up storming form the coffee shop. Does it sound like I had fun?"
"Aw, that sucks. You're no fun to listen to. What happened to all the juicy stuff?" Summer said, and Rory could practically see the pout on Summer's face.
"Yeah, it's just, he said something about how it's okay for guys to cheat, and I blew up at him." Rory said, fiddling with the TV as she settled on the couch.
"Oh, bad topic to go into, Ror. You know never to talk to them about that! Why were you talking to Tristan, the king of cheaters, about that?"
Rory debated whether she should tell Summer about seeing Charlie with another woman, and decides not to. Summer is a big fan of the phrase 'Kill the Messenger'. "We were just talking about why we broke up, and stuff like that." She said uncomfortably. Luckily, Summer didn't notice at all.
"Stupid! Oh, hold on a second, that's my other line."
Rory waited patiently, then cursed at the phone, sighed and hung up. Ten minutes later, the phone rang.
"God, you said hold on for second, not ten minutes!" Rory said as a way of answering the phone.
"Rory?" An familiar male voice said uncertainly.
" Oh sorry! I thought you were someone else. Who is this?" Rory said, embarrassed.
"It's Tristan. Did you get my message?"
"Yeah. Thanks for calling. I'm sorry about what happened too. It was stupid, and we should have never been talking about the stuff that we were."
"So, we're still friends?" Tristan asked.
"Tristan, I'm not sure if we're ever friends!" Rory laughed. "I'm just kidding. Yes, we're still friends. What, were you that worried that I'd never speak to again?"
"Yes, I was pulling my hair out and contemplating killing myself." Tristan shot back.
"I knew it....oh, hold on, I have another call."
"Okay."
"Hello?"
"Thanks for waiting for me to finish my other call, bitch."
"You were on the other line for like, twenty minutes! Anyway, I'm on the other line, can I call you back?"
"Well, Charlie's coming over, and we're going to go see a movie.....he's in a really shitty mood because he had to spend the day with his sister, whom he despises. He finally gets a break form her, so we're doing something together."
"Oh, really? That sucks. Okay, well have fun at your movie, and call me tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, bye." Summer hung up, and Rory clicked back over.
"Hello Tristan?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry. That was Summer. Hey, you know that woman we saw Charlie with at the coffee shop? That was his sister! So I guess he isn't a rat fink after all." Rory teased.
"Shut up!"
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's just too funny.... so are you at home?"
"Nope, I'm at my office. Paris is at home, and if I were to make a phone call, she would probably be on the other line, listening."
"Sounds like the Paris I know. But she seems to have gotten bitchier since I last saw her. What happened?" Rory asked.
"Well, she's had a hard year. Her father died, and her mother went into a deep depression, even though she couldn't stand the bastard, so Paris has had to deal with all that."
"Oh, wow, that sucks." Rory said sympathetically. "Hey, I was thinking, if you're not busy next Sunday, I'm having a small get together, because some friends of mine are flying in, I was wondering if you and Paris would want to come?"
"I'll have to check with Paris, but yeah, we'll most likely come. You just couldn't bear to go another week without seeing me, could you Mary?"
"Oh yeah, that's it. I am so deeply in love with you, I want to steal you away from Paris, and have hot, dirty, monkey sex with you." Rory said, half serious.
"Ooh, kinky. Didn't know you were like that." Tristan replied.
"Yeah you did, you're the one who inspired it!" Rory said flippantly.
"Uh-huh.....okay, well, as fun as it has been chatting with you, I have to go, Paris just paged me." Tristan groaned.
"Haha. Have fun with the love of your life. Bye." Rory hung up, without waiting for Tristan to reply.
"Bye" Tristan said to the dial tone. He looked at the phone in confusion.
I still want Rory Gilmore. Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?, Tristan admitted to himself, as he thought about her and the infectious smile she always wore on her face, and her sparkling blue eyes, that gleamed mischievously.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Authors Note: I didn't like this chapter as much as the other two, but it's still okay, right? Right? :) Anyway, the title of this chapter is from another song by 'The Calling', called 'Thank You'....just wanted to let you know.....Now, go review, cause I really want to know what people think! Oh, and for those reading, 'The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn', expect the next chapter out by Friday or sooner. But Friday at the very latest....okay, I'm finished. Don't forget to review!
Chapter 3: Paved with broken dreams, I found truth
"Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality."- Oscar Wilde
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rory was already seated a corner booth at the Kelly's Coffee and Fudge when Tristan walked through the door. He ran a hand through his hair and sauntered over to the booth.
"Waiting for someone, Mare?" Rory glanced up at Tristan from picking at her nails
"Well, I've been waiting for this complete jackass who was supposed to be here a half hour ago, and he's just now getting here." Tristan sat down opposite her.
"God, some people can be so inconsiderate!"
"Yeah, you can be Tris." Rory agreed. Tristan smiled.
"Well, the Rory I knew would be deeply engrossed in a book when I walked through that door. What happened to carrying a book everywhere?"
"Amanda's Wedding, by Jenny Colgan." Rory replied, pulling the book out of her bag. "Summer gave it to me and it's surprisingly a good read, usually the novels Summer gives me are either trashy romances or those gruesome thrillers that she knows I hate." She shuddered. "I didn't get a chance to get it out and read any of it because as it happens, I only got here a few minutes ago myself. Guess people of society don't carry watches."
"You mean besides those big fancy Rolexes we wear proudly on our wrists? It can't tell time properly if it's not a Rolex." Tristan joked, feeling at ease with Rory.
Rory grinned. "Right. Cause all other watches were made by ignorant non- Rolex makers. It all makes sense now."
"Don't you know it. And it isn't a purse unless it's Prada." Tristan said, gesturing to her bag.
"Hey! Summer gave me this for Christmas! It's a nice purse. So what if it's not Prada?" Rory said indignantly.
Tristan laughed and then glanced at the cashier.
"I'm going to order our coffee now. What do you want?" Tristan said, standing up.
"A double shot of espresso and a tall house brewed coffee." Rory answered. Tristan goes to put their order in and comes back with the coffee's a few minutes later.
"Espresso is so bad for you." Tristan warned as he set their order down on the table. "Specially double shot."
"Do I look like I care?" Rory downed the whole thing in one gulp, easily. She moves on to the coffee, inhaling it's scent.
"Mmm....I so needed this. I have such a bad headache from last night."
"Oh yeah that's right. How was the concert?"
Rory groaned. "Well, you mean besides having a bunch of twelve year old girls next to us the whole time screaming so hard MY lungs hurt?"
"That good, huh?"
"Oh yeah. Actually, it wasn't too bad. Charlie, that's who Summer's dating at the moment, well, his band opened for them, so that's how we got tickets. They're pretty good. But not better than Coldplay!" Rory said laughing.
"That's cool." There's a silence, but it was a comfortable silence, between old friends.
"So how's Paris been? I'm really sorry for what happened at the party. Summer was out of line." Tristan winced at the mention of Paris.
"Uh, she's not so good. She's usually tolerable and easy to tune out at the best of times, but ever since the party she's been unbearable. And don't worry about Summer, I'm sure Paris said something to provoke Summer first."
Rory leaned back in the booth and settled in comfortably. "Well, she did say something about Paris calling her a whore."
"That's nothing new. Our whole class at Chilton has called Summer a whore at some time or another in their lives. I had the honor of being the first though, first grade!" Tristan proudly announced. Rory rolled her eyes.
"Of course, even at the age of six you were insufferable and obnoxious...that doesn't surprise me."
"Good, cause it shouldn't." Tristan retorted. The silence comes back but Rory is sick of being silent.
"So what's the deal with you and Paris?"
Tristan sighed. "I told you, remember, at the party?"
"Oh, come on! I'm not as naive as I used to be, Tristan! I know there's more to it than that, and you know I'm going to needle you relentlessly until you tell me, so you might as well tell me now." Rory whined.
"Or I can pretend not to hear the incessant whining and change the topic not so subtly....so how's YOUR love life, Rory?"
Rory sighed and stuck her tongue out at Tristan. "I hate you! My love life is, so- so. I go on dates, but I haven't found 'the one' yet. Summer, on the other hand, finds her soul mate every other month!"
Tristan laughed. "That's not true, Rory. You have found your soul mate, it's sitting right in this coffee shop."
Rory arched an eyebrow, then pointed to a random guy. "You mean that guy over there? Oh, yeah, a match made in heaven. He's bald, Tristan. You know I don't date bald people."
"I wasn't talking about him. I was talking about me." Tristan said, half- serious.
"Oh really?" Rory takes another sip of her coffee. "I don't think so. You're too boring for me. I need someone with a bit more, spontaneity in them."
"What!? I am the most spontaneous person you know! I went bungee-jumping with you Rory....is that not spontaneous?"
Rory shakes her head. "Yes, you did that, but how many months of preparation did it take you to actually do it?"
"Boring, huh. I can't believe it. I think you are the first person to call me boring."
"Uh-huh...so, what's the deal with you and Paris?"
"Rory! Shut up about that already! I don't want to talk about it!"
"Why? Is it scandalous? Ooh, I bet it is! Is she having your love child or something?"
Tristan groaned and buried his face in his arms. "I am so not talking about this with you."
"Fine." Rory said, miffed. "I'll just find out from the Harvard country club next time I go home to visit."
"And when will that be? I'll be sure to avoid it. But what makes you think that THEY know anything about anything? Not that there's anything to hide." Tristan said quickly.
"So there is a twist! I knew it!" Rory said victoriously. "I was just making an educated guess. Just tell me already!"
"Fine, you wanna know?" Rory nodded eagerly. "Too bad!"
Rory glared, then ducked her head suddenly. "Don't look behind you!" she hissed.
"Why not?"
"Because Charlie's here, with another woman."
"Charlie as in Summer's Charlie?"
"Yes!"
"That....rat fink!"
Rory looked up long enough to giggle. "Did you just call Charlie a rat fink?"
Tristan shifted uncomfortably. "I said no such thing! I said, 'That....bastard.' Honestly Rory, how can you confuse the two?"
"Right. Anyway, Summer is going to be so devastated when she finds out."
"Maybe it's not him." Tristan suggested. "Maybe it's just someone who looks like him."
"Oh my God, then there would be three of you!" Rory muttered. Tristan looked at her blankly.
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Hurry up and finish your coffee." Rory drank the rest of hers and stood up. "Come on. We're getting out of here before Charlie sees us and makes up some lame excuse."
"Wait, I want to see what the rat fink looks like...don't even say anything, it's my phrase!" Tristan craned his neck, and then turned to Rory, disconcerted. "Um, Rory? He looks exactly like me....is that a strange coincidence, or is Summer acting out on some unconscious level that she still likes me?"
"That's exactly what I said to her, almost. Except I said it stupider. You said it really well."
"Thanks, I guess. That is so weird, it's like seeing yourself practically. It's similar to a mind out of body experience."
"But that's not you." Rory reminded him. "Completely different person. Or maybe not, he likes to cheat on people too. Hmm, interesting."
"Oh come on Rory! That was years ago, you're not still hung up over that, are you?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. You'll never know, will you?"
They walked out of Kelly's. "That is just so low! I mean, Summer really liked this guy, and he just betrays her like that."
"Maybe he has a good reason." Tristan proposed.
"Tristan, there is never a good reason to cheat on your girlfriend!" Rory argued.
"Well, how would you know? I always have a good reason."
Rory snorted. "Oh yeah. What was the reason you had for me? Oh yeah, I remember. 'It's just, this is the first relationship that has lasted more than two months, and I got nervous, and was afraid I was going to screw up.' So your lips happened to land on Amanda in the process?"
"Rory....what do you not understand about 'let it go'!?" Tristan said, defensive about the whole thing. "This happened years ago, why bring it up now?"
"Because I never fully got over it!" Tristan opened his mouth to say something, but Rory continues on. "No, I got over you, easily, but I never got over the fact that boys lie, and it ruined every serious relationship I had after that. I couldn't trust anybody. So, thanks a lot, Tristan."
"Wow, I screwed you up that bad? I didn't realize."
"No, you didn't think. You were stupid, Tristan. We had a good thing going, and you ended it all because you were afraid of commitment!"
"Yeah, well, I was young and I had a really short attention span back then, Rory. You tried to turn me into, Dean, or something! Do you know how hard it was to live up to that kind of pressure?"
"Oh, do not even try to pin the blame on me! I didn't cheat on you, Tristan, you cheated on me! We are so through talking about this. Why don't you just go back to your future wife, that YOU DON'T EVEN LIKE, and I'll move on with my life? I'll send you and Paris a wedding present, if I can remember, which I probably won't, what, with my busy schedule and all." Rory hurried on down the street.
"Fine! I will go back to Paris, and I'll send a thank you card when I get your present, that is, if I can remember. What, with cheating on Paris and all." Tristan shouted after her. She gave him a not so nice finger gesture, and then proceeded to hail a cab.
Tristan shook his head sadly. Good job, DuGrey. Screwed up again, just like always.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rory got home, mentally and physically exhausted. She went into her room and pushed the 'Play' button on her machine.
"Hey Rory, it's me. I just wanted to remind you to call me when you back from your rendezvous with Tristan. Call me ASAP! Love ya, bye!"
"Hey Rory, this is Tristan. Look, I'm sorry about what happened at the coffee chop, and I'm sorry about hurting you all those years ago. I hope that we can still be friends. Call me whenever so we can talk....okay, bye."
Rory looked around for her phone and finally found it on it's hook. She dialed Summer's number.
"Hello, Slutty Bitch speaking."
"Hey Summer."
"Hey babe! How was your 'date' with Tristan? Is he still really good in bed?" Summer asked teasingly.
"Shut up! We did not sleep together. It was a coffee date, and we started fighting, and I ended up storming form the coffee shop. Does it sound like I had fun?"
"Aw, that sucks. You're no fun to listen to. What happened to all the juicy stuff?" Summer said, and Rory could practically see the pout on Summer's face.
"Yeah, it's just, he said something about how it's okay for guys to cheat, and I blew up at him." Rory said, fiddling with the TV as she settled on the couch.
"Oh, bad topic to go into, Ror. You know never to talk to them about that! Why were you talking to Tristan, the king of cheaters, about that?"
Rory debated whether she should tell Summer about seeing Charlie with another woman, and decides not to. Summer is a big fan of the phrase 'Kill the Messenger'. "We were just talking about why we broke up, and stuff like that." She said uncomfortably. Luckily, Summer didn't notice at all.
"Stupid! Oh, hold on a second, that's my other line."
Rory waited patiently, then cursed at the phone, sighed and hung up. Ten minutes later, the phone rang.
"God, you said hold on for second, not ten minutes!" Rory said as a way of answering the phone.
"Rory?" An familiar male voice said uncertainly.
" Oh sorry! I thought you were someone else. Who is this?" Rory said, embarrassed.
"It's Tristan. Did you get my message?"
"Yeah. Thanks for calling. I'm sorry about what happened too. It was stupid, and we should have never been talking about the stuff that we were."
"So, we're still friends?" Tristan asked.
"Tristan, I'm not sure if we're ever friends!" Rory laughed. "I'm just kidding. Yes, we're still friends. What, were you that worried that I'd never speak to again?"
"Yes, I was pulling my hair out and contemplating killing myself." Tristan shot back.
"I knew it....oh, hold on, I have another call."
"Okay."
"Hello?"
"Thanks for waiting for me to finish my other call, bitch."
"You were on the other line for like, twenty minutes! Anyway, I'm on the other line, can I call you back?"
"Well, Charlie's coming over, and we're going to go see a movie.....he's in a really shitty mood because he had to spend the day with his sister, whom he despises. He finally gets a break form her, so we're doing something together."
"Oh, really? That sucks. Okay, well have fun at your movie, and call me tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, bye." Summer hung up, and Rory clicked back over.
"Hello Tristan?"
"Yeah."
"Sorry. That was Summer. Hey, you know that woman we saw Charlie with at the coffee shop? That was his sister! So I guess he isn't a rat fink after all." Rory teased.
"Shut up!"
"Sorry, I couldn't resist. It's just too funny.... so are you at home?"
"Nope, I'm at my office. Paris is at home, and if I were to make a phone call, she would probably be on the other line, listening."
"Sounds like the Paris I know. But she seems to have gotten bitchier since I last saw her. What happened?" Rory asked.
"Well, she's had a hard year. Her father died, and her mother went into a deep depression, even though she couldn't stand the bastard, so Paris has had to deal with all that."
"Oh, wow, that sucks." Rory said sympathetically. "Hey, I was thinking, if you're not busy next Sunday, I'm having a small get together, because some friends of mine are flying in, I was wondering if you and Paris would want to come?"
"I'll have to check with Paris, but yeah, we'll most likely come. You just couldn't bear to go another week without seeing me, could you Mary?"
"Oh yeah, that's it. I am so deeply in love with you, I want to steal you away from Paris, and have hot, dirty, monkey sex with you." Rory said, half serious.
"Ooh, kinky. Didn't know you were like that." Tristan replied.
"Yeah you did, you're the one who inspired it!" Rory said flippantly.
"Uh-huh.....okay, well, as fun as it has been chatting with you, I have to go, Paris just paged me." Tristan groaned.
"Haha. Have fun with the love of your life. Bye." Rory hung up, without waiting for Tristan to reply.
"Bye" Tristan said to the dial tone. He looked at the phone in confusion.
I still want Rory Gilmore. Oh God, what have I gotten myself into?, Tristan admitted to himself, as he thought about her and the infectious smile she always wore on her face, and her sparkling blue eyes, that gleamed mischievously.
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Authors Note: I didn't like this chapter as much as the other two, but it's still okay, right? Right? :) Anyway, the title of this chapter is from another song by 'The Calling', called 'Thank You'....just wanted to let you know.....Now, go review, cause I really want to know what people think! Oh, and for those reading, 'The Greatest Thing You'll Ever Learn', expect the next chapter out by Friday or sooner. But Friday at the very latest....okay, I'm finished. Don't forget to review!