One month later Rory pulled into her grandparents driveway and stepped out
of her red Ford Explorer.
She was in a wonderful mood. A glorious, delightful, enchanting, delirious, wonderful mood.
She had just gotten back from a Friday night rendezvous with Tristan and the twins. It had been great. They went to see a movie and then went back to the twins house for dinner where Clara put on a small ballet recital for them.
And then Tristan had kissed her. It took him long enough.
It had been after dinner, she and Tristan had left the house for home. He had stopped her in the midst of millions of flowers, Rory remembered being delirious with their perfumes wafting around them. For a moment she had been a princess in a fairy tale.
Rory walked into the house, her grandmother was waiting for her in the kitchen with a cup of coffee.
"Hi Grandma!" She sat down beside her.
"How was the movie?" Emily asked her granddaughter and then offered her a cup of coffee.
"It was absolutely wonderful!" Rory exclaimed. " And no thank you, it's too late for caffeine."
Emily noticed that Rory always had some excuse not drink coffee, she sighed inwardly. Would Rory ever completely accept her mother's death? "I'm glad you had a good time. You and Tristan seem to be doing everything together lately." Emily said slyly.
Rory blushed slightly, "He's a good friend."
"I'm sure he is, let me know if anything happens." Emily stood up and gave a small yawn, "I'm going to bed now, don't read too late." Emily gave Rory a kiss goodnight.
"Goodnight Grandma." Rory called to Emily's retreating back. A few minutes later she too made her way up to bed.
After Rory had gone trough all of her bed time rituals she finally fell into bed and thought about her kiss with Tristan again.
It had definitely been perfect.
It had been soft and sweet, and the best part is that she didn't cry after it. The kiss had been short but it had sent tingles shooting through her whole body like electricity. She had never felt like that with Dean's kisses, Tristan's were like a whole different experience. It was like she had never even been kissed before.
She struggled to think about the kiss to no avail, she fell softly asleep and her dreams consumed her.
* * *
"More coffee, please."
"Coffee isn't good for you."
"It is now."
"Fine." He poured more and then walked away
Lorelai took a long gulp of her coffee and turned to Rory, "Want any?"
Rory stared at her for a moment and then shook her head.
"Why are you being so weird? Just have some coffee!" Lorelai shoved the coffee cup into Rory's hands.
"I don't want any!" Rory stood up shoving the coffee back at her and spilling the hot liquid all over Lorelai. Lorelai looked down at her wet clothes and then up at Rory, "Why did you do that?"
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to." Rory shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
"Well you should be. This is a new shirt." But Lorelai made no move to wipe it off.
"You can't have gotten a new shirt!" Rory protested.
Lorelai only raised her eyebrows, "And why is that?"
"Because your DEAD!" Rory screamed pointing at her. "Your dead, your dead, your dead!"
"It is not polite to point even if I am dead."
"I hate you!" Rory dropped her arms and balled her fists.
"You're dreaming again." Lorelai pointed out.
Rory kicked her chair, angered, "Why do I always dream of you?"
"How should I know? They're your dreams not mine."
"Why don't you just leave me alone?"
"Why don't you stop thinking about me?"
* * *
It was Monday and Rory was acting weird again.
Things had been going great for so long and then they had even kissed. Now here she was in a bad mood again, she had been avoiding him all day.
Tristan wished he could figure her out.
It was last period and they had a free and he knew where she was. He would make her tell him what was wrong, she couldn't keep all of her feelings bottled up like this . He found her at the bench in the courtyard, she was staring off into space, her face completely blank. "Rory."
Her head jerked up, "What?" She looked confused, but then she slowly recognized Tristan. "Oh, hey."
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Oh, it was too crowded in the library and I just want to be . . ." Rory was cut off by Tristan.
"No, Rory, I mean why are you acting like this?" He said obviously frustrated with her.
She looked surprise by his harshness, "I don't know what you mean."
Tristan sighed and sat down next to her, "Yes. Yes you do. Please, Rory just tell what's wrong. Is it me?"
Her eyes widened, "Oh, no Tristan! It's not you! It's never you, you're my friend."
"Then what is it?" He took her hand. "I thought we almost had something going here."
Rory finally smiled at the remembrance of their kiss. It seemed like so long ago that she been so happy. "You don't think we do anymore?"
"I don't know what to think Rory, one minute you want to be with me. The next you're avoiding me." He let go of her hand and sat back on the bench.
"I just didn't feel like talking to anyone today, I wasn't avoiding you."
"Bull shit."
Her eyes widened once again, he never swore at her. "Tristan, why are you acting like this? I didn't do anything!"
"It's been three months Rory! And you still won't open up to anyone! You won't talk to me, you won't talk to Lane or Jess! Damn, I don't know what to do anymore." He shook his head.
"So you've talked to Lane and Jess about me too? What have you had secret little meetings about me behind my back?" Rory shouted at him, her cheeks red with rage.
"They're worried about you, and so am I! What are we supposed to do? Just sit back and watch as you sulk your life away?" Tristan was fuming now.
"I lost my mother Tristan! How am I supposed to act?" her eyes were bright with anger and grief.
Tristan ran his hands angrily through his hair, "Talk about her, do something. You never talk about her! Whenever someone brings her up you immediately change the subject, it's okay to talk about her."
"I do talk about her." Rory protested.
"That's bull shit and you know it!"
"Stop talking to me that way!"
"I won't until you realize that you can't go on with life hiding your emotions. It just doesn't work that way." Tristan stood up too angry to stay still. He began pacing. "The only time you've ever talked about her with me was that time in the library. That was three months ago! You have never opened up to me again. Why is that Rory?"
She didn't respond, just glared at him wishing that she had an answer.
When she stayed silent he said, "I'm done with this." He started to walk away.
Rory watched him go, why did everyone leave her?
She was in a wonderful mood. A glorious, delightful, enchanting, delirious, wonderful mood.
She had just gotten back from a Friday night rendezvous with Tristan and the twins. It had been great. They went to see a movie and then went back to the twins house for dinner where Clara put on a small ballet recital for them.
And then Tristan had kissed her. It took him long enough.
It had been after dinner, she and Tristan had left the house for home. He had stopped her in the midst of millions of flowers, Rory remembered being delirious with their perfumes wafting around them. For a moment she had been a princess in a fairy tale.
Rory walked into the house, her grandmother was waiting for her in the kitchen with a cup of coffee.
"Hi Grandma!" She sat down beside her.
"How was the movie?" Emily asked her granddaughter and then offered her a cup of coffee.
"It was absolutely wonderful!" Rory exclaimed. " And no thank you, it's too late for caffeine."
Emily noticed that Rory always had some excuse not drink coffee, she sighed inwardly. Would Rory ever completely accept her mother's death? "I'm glad you had a good time. You and Tristan seem to be doing everything together lately." Emily said slyly.
Rory blushed slightly, "He's a good friend."
"I'm sure he is, let me know if anything happens." Emily stood up and gave a small yawn, "I'm going to bed now, don't read too late." Emily gave Rory a kiss goodnight.
"Goodnight Grandma." Rory called to Emily's retreating back. A few minutes later she too made her way up to bed.
After Rory had gone trough all of her bed time rituals she finally fell into bed and thought about her kiss with Tristan again.
It had definitely been perfect.
It had been soft and sweet, and the best part is that she didn't cry after it. The kiss had been short but it had sent tingles shooting through her whole body like electricity. She had never felt like that with Dean's kisses, Tristan's were like a whole different experience. It was like she had never even been kissed before.
She struggled to think about the kiss to no avail, she fell softly asleep and her dreams consumed her.
* * *
"More coffee, please."
"Coffee isn't good for you."
"It is now."
"Fine." He poured more and then walked away
Lorelai took a long gulp of her coffee and turned to Rory, "Want any?"
Rory stared at her for a moment and then shook her head.
"Why are you being so weird? Just have some coffee!" Lorelai shoved the coffee cup into Rory's hands.
"I don't want any!" Rory stood up shoving the coffee back at her and spilling the hot liquid all over Lorelai. Lorelai looked down at her wet clothes and then up at Rory, "Why did you do that?"
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to." Rory shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."
"Well you should be. This is a new shirt." But Lorelai made no move to wipe it off.
"You can't have gotten a new shirt!" Rory protested.
Lorelai only raised her eyebrows, "And why is that?"
"Because your DEAD!" Rory screamed pointing at her. "Your dead, your dead, your dead!"
"It is not polite to point even if I am dead."
"I hate you!" Rory dropped her arms and balled her fists.
"You're dreaming again." Lorelai pointed out.
Rory kicked her chair, angered, "Why do I always dream of you?"
"How should I know? They're your dreams not mine."
"Why don't you just leave me alone?"
"Why don't you stop thinking about me?"
* * *
It was Monday and Rory was acting weird again.
Things had been going great for so long and then they had even kissed. Now here she was in a bad mood again, she had been avoiding him all day.
Tristan wished he could figure her out.
It was last period and they had a free and he knew where she was. He would make her tell him what was wrong, she couldn't keep all of her feelings bottled up like this . He found her at the bench in the courtyard, she was staring off into space, her face completely blank. "Rory."
Her head jerked up, "What?" She looked confused, but then she slowly recognized Tristan. "Oh, hey."
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Oh, it was too crowded in the library and I just want to be . . ." Rory was cut off by Tristan.
"No, Rory, I mean why are you acting like this?" He said obviously frustrated with her.
She looked surprise by his harshness, "I don't know what you mean."
Tristan sighed and sat down next to her, "Yes. Yes you do. Please, Rory just tell what's wrong. Is it me?"
Her eyes widened, "Oh, no Tristan! It's not you! It's never you, you're my friend."
"Then what is it?" He took her hand. "I thought we almost had something going here."
Rory finally smiled at the remembrance of their kiss. It seemed like so long ago that she been so happy. "You don't think we do anymore?"
"I don't know what to think Rory, one minute you want to be with me. The next you're avoiding me." He let go of her hand and sat back on the bench.
"I just didn't feel like talking to anyone today, I wasn't avoiding you."
"Bull shit."
Her eyes widened once again, he never swore at her. "Tristan, why are you acting like this? I didn't do anything!"
"It's been three months Rory! And you still won't open up to anyone! You won't talk to me, you won't talk to Lane or Jess! Damn, I don't know what to do anymore." He shook his head.
"So you've talked to Lane and Jess about me too? What have you had secret little meetings about me behind my back?" Rory shouted at him, her cheeks red with rage.
"They're worried about you, and so am I! What are we supposed to do? Just sit back and watch as you sulk your life away?" Tristan was fuming now.
"I lost my mother Tristan! How am I supposed to act?" her eyes were bright with anger and grief.
Tristan ran his hands angrily through his hair, "Talk about her, do something. You never talk about her! Whenever someone brings her up you immediately change the subject, it's okay to talk about her."
"I do talk about her." Rory protested.
"That's bull shit and you know it!"
"Stop talking to me that way!"
"I won't until you realize that you can't go on with life hiding your emotions. It just doesn't work that way." Tristan stood up too angry to stay still. He began pacing. "The only time you've ever talked about her with me was that time in the library. That was three months ago! You have never opened up to me again. Why is that Rory?"
She didn't respond, just glared at him wishing that she had an answer.
When she stayed silent he said, "I'm done with this." He started to walk away.
Rory watched him go, why did everyone leave her?