Thanks for all the reviews, keep them coming! Sorry, no steam in this chapter, but Rory and Lorelai both get dates for the ball (no prizes for guessing who!)



The Games People Play

7. Not Afraid of Romance*



The next morning Lorelai skipped Luke's again and went straight to the diner where Sookie immediately pounced her on.

"Why have you been avoiding me?" Sookie demanded.

"Good morning to you too."

"Good morning. Have you been avoiding me?" Sookie persisted, "we didn't talk at all yesterday."

"By the time I got in you were busy with lunch, then I had to leave early for a Boosters meeting," Lorelai explained, "it's been a bad week, I'm not avoiding you, I promise."

"Good. So what was that with you and Luke yesterday? I could hear you talking."

"In the car? I though Michel hung up again," Lorelai said.

Sookie shook her head.

"Well now you know I'm not hiding anything from you. Nothing romantic about that conversation."

"Actually, it kinda sounded like…" Sookie trailed off.

"Sounding like what?" Lorelai prompted.

"Like you were fooling around?" Sookie said tentatively.

"Argh!" Lorelai cried, "I was driving!"

"Okay Sweetie, calm down, I believe you. You might want to explain that to Michel though."

"He heard as well? Great! Just terrific! Another perfect day! This week just keeps getting better!" Lorelai slumped her head on the table.

"I'll get you some coffee," Sookie patted her shoulder sympathetically.



After school that afternoon Rory was please to see Jess waiting for her as she came down the steps. She gave him a big hug.

"Nice to see you too," Jess said as Rory looked over his shoulder to make sure Tristan was watching.

Jess caught on quickly, "so this is your big plan, using me to make bible boy jealous?"

"You mind?" Rory asked hopefully.

"Use away," Jess told her.

"You'll go along with it?" Rory wasn't usually this devious so she was surprised that Jess didn't mind.

"You are my only friend in Stars Hollow," Jess explained.

"I thought it was because Gilmore girls are just so irresistible!"

Jess shrugged, "yeah, that too. I don't really get it though, you hated jealous Dean, now you want jealous Tristan?"

"It's different," Rory insisted, "now hold my hand, he's coming!"

"As you wish."

"And don't Princess Bride me!" Rory hissed as Tristan approached.

"Hey Mary, didn't know you had a new boyfriend already. You get around more than I realised."

"This is my friend," Rory placed a strange emphasis on the word, "Jess. Jess, this is Tristan."

"Hey."

"Hey," Tristan regarded Jess suspiciously.

"Did you want something Tristan?" Rory asked sweetly.

"Nah, I just thought I'd say hi to a friend," Tristan said sarcastically.

"Okay, well we were just going to the mall to get some coffee. So hi and bye," Rory said. Jess just nodded his acknowledgement.

"See you around," Tristan watched them walk off and wondered if he could find some blonde to take to the mall. He narrowed his eyes as he saw Jess drop Rory's hand as soon as they moved away from him. Maybe he wouldn't need to find another girl…



Rory and Jess were at Starbucks waiting for their coffee to be made when Rory casually looked over her shoulder to see Tristan walk in.

"Yes," she said softly, quickly turning around again and pretending she hadn't noticed him.

"Well Mary, what a surprise seeing you here," Tristan said, coming up behind her.

"Are you following me?" she demanded.

"That was the idea wasn't it?"

"What are you talking about?" Rory played innocent.

"Is he bothering you?" Jess asked Rory.

"Would you give us a minute," Tristan said to Jess, who looked questioningly at Rory.

She nodded, "it's okay."

Jess shrugged, "I'll be outside."

Rory and Tristan sat down at a table.

"You do know stalking is felony right?" Rory asked him.

"I am so onto your plan," Tristan leaned back with a smile on his face.

"What plan?"

"Using that guy to make me jealous."

"Yeah, okay," Rory admitted, knowing she wasn't a very good liar. She hoped it hadn't backfired and inflated his ego even further.

"I deserved it," Tristan said, surprising her. He wasn't very good at apologizing, but for Rory he'd make an exception, "I'm sorry if I took you for granted."

"Uh huh," she said, sipping her coffee.

"Well do you accept?" Tristan demanded.

"I don't know, I might need another coffee to think it over."

Tristan bought her another cup. He wasn't prepared to grovel, but coffee he could do.

"Okay, you're forgiven," Rory figured she could have squeezed at least two more coffees out of Tristan but didn't feel like prolonging his misery.

"Great. I have another question for you?"

"Ask away, you're doing pretty well so far."

"You know that Chilton ball coming up?"

"I am aware of it, yes."

"Would you go with me please?"

He looked so nervous and cute. Rory just smiled mildly and didn't answer straight away.

"No strings, no assumptions, I just want to spend time with you," Tristan continued.

Rory kept smiling.

"Is that a yes?" Tristan tilted his head and looked at her.

Rory's smile turned into a grin.

"That's a yes isn't it?" he said, "I know it is!"

She nodded, "yes."

Now they were both grinning like idiots.

"I better go find Jess," Rory said finally, standing up.

"There's not really anything between you two is there?" Tristan asked as he escorted her outside.

Rory shrugged noncommittally, "you jealous?"

"No," he said cockily, "I never have any need to be jealous."

"Mighty sure of yourself there," Rory teased.

Tristan looked worried, "okay, maybe a little."

"Good, you big jerk," Rory hit him playfully.

"Hey!" Tristan grabbed her arm and tickled her.

"Ah, Tristan don't!" she laughed and squirmed.

Jess was waiting for Rory on a bench reading a book. He looked up when he heard her laughter.

"Bye Tristan," Rory said as she walked over to Jess.

"Bye…Rory."



"So it went good huh?" commented Jess.

Rory nodded happily.

"Good."

"Thank you Jess," excited, Rory linked her arm though his and hugged it as they walked.

"You do realise you owe me now," Jess said.

"What do I owe you?" Rory asked.

"I dunno, I'll think of something," Jess replied.

"Just stick it on the Gilmore tab to your family, along with the million things mom owes Luke," Rory told him.

"Will do."

Jess went back to work at the diner and Rory went home, thinking about Tristan.



Lorelai went to Luke's on the way home.

"Ah, you're still alive," Jess commented as she walked in.

"Huh?" was Lorelai's reply, "did you take out a hit on me?"

"Nah, I'd poison the coffee if I wanted to get rid of you that bad. It's just that you haven't been here for nearly 24 hours, that's gotta me some kinda record. You been avoiding Luke or what?" Jess asked.

"I'm not avoiding anyone! Paranoid people! So where is the man?" Lorelai wanted to know.

"He went and hid out back when he saw you coming," Jess said.

"Thanks," Lorelai sauntered out to the storeroom.

"Hey Lukey, watcha doing?"

"Lorelai! You scared the crap outta me!" Luke jumped up guiltily.

"That's what you get for hiding back here."

"I'm not hiding!" Luke protested.

"Jess said you were."

"When did he become so talkative? Remind me to kill that kid," Luke said, "so did you want something?" he asked Lorelai.

"Well I hadn't see you for a while," she replied.

"One day is not a while."

"Why were you hiding from me anyway?"

"I have no reason to hide from you."

"Good. So you'll go to a ball with me then?" Lorelai blurted out.

"A ball? You're joking right?"

"Is that a no?"

"Yes it's a no!"

"But Luke, if you don't come with me everyone will think we broke up!"

"We were never going out!"

"But Becky will be all gloaty that I can't keep a man!"

"So make something up! I don't care, I don't do balls!"

"Please Luke?" Lorelai asked softly as she moved closer, stuck her lower lip out and looked up at him.

"Oh, no, don't you try that flirty crap on me!"

"Damn, you know me too well," Lorelai moved on to begging, "come on Luke, I'll do anything you want."

"I want you to leave me alone!" he told her.

"Anything except that. I'll play you for it?" she suggested.

"Aren't you sick of playing games?" he asked her seriously.

"But that last version of poker was pretty fun," Lorelai smiled.

"Yep," Luke agreed.

"Good idea of yours."

"Yep."

"We'll have to play again sometime," Lorelai suggested boldly.

"Yep."

"And you'll go to the ball with me?" she prompted.

"Ah, nice try!" Luke broke the spell.

Lorelai sighed, "are you afraid of a romantic evening at a ball?"

"I'm not afraid," Luke insisted.

"Sure," Lorelai replied disbelievingly (AN: I don't think this is a real word, but why limit yourself?).

"Okay," Luke pulled a coin out of his pocket, "I'll flip you for it. Heads I go to the ball, tails you go home."

"This is a stupid way to decide anything," Lorelai protested, "it's based entirely on luck and I'm having a really bad week."

Luke flipped the coin.

"I'm not playing," Lorelai sang and pushed Luke's hand out of the way as he went to catch the coin. It bounced on the floor and rolled under a shelf.

"Now look what you did!" Luke complained.

They both got on their hands and knees to peer under the shelf.

"I can't see anything," said Luke.

"That's because there's about five years worth of dust under there! Does the health inspector know about that?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't store food under there. Although that might be a good place to keep the coffee beans," Luke pondered.

Lorelai gasped at his threat, "don't even joke about stuff like that! I'll be good, I promise!"

"Fat chance!" Luke muttered as he tried to squeeze his hand under the shelf. He managed to push the coin out the other side and followed Lorelai as she crawled around the shelf to retrieve it.

Jess walked in just then.

"Is this a private game or can anyone join in?" he asked.

"What do you want Jess?" Luke asked, sitting up on his knees.

"Lorelai, you have a phone call," Jess said, holding out her cell.

"You answered my phone?" she asked at the same time as Luke said,

"No cell phones."

"You left it on the counter," Jess explained, putting the phone up to his ear again, "Sorry, Lorelai will have to call you back when she and Luke have finished rolling around on the floor…uh huh…Bye Mrs Gilmore."

"For the love of coffee, child, tell me that was not my mother," Lorelai demanded of Jess.

"Relax, it was only Sookie," he replied.

"Sookie? Great, more explaining to do," Lorelai sighed before suddenly remembering the coin. She found it on the other side of the shelf, "yes, it's heads, I win!" she cried.

"That don't count, you weren't even playing!" Luke complained.

"I am now! You are going to a ball, Mister!" Lorelai jumped up and grabbed her cell phone off Jess, "now excuse me, I have to call Sookie back!"

Jess just laughed at Luke still sitting on the floor in disbelief.

"She's got you bad, man."



TBC…



*The title of this chap comes from the song of the same name on the brilliant, brilliant Secret Life of Us soundtrack – go listen to it now!