"Tristan?"
So We Meet Again - Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I own nothing, the WB owns everything, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill. If you're going to sue, try someone who has more money than I do, k?
~
The words hung between them with baited breath, and Rory rubbed her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. She had to be seeing things. That was it - she was going totally and completely insane!
He stood there before her, his smile half-amused, half something that she couldn't quite place. But it scared her a little, and she didn't know why. In fact, this entire run-in - this experience, in fact - frightened her. It was one thing to run into someone by accident, but Tristan was supposed to have been in MILITARY school. So what was he doing there?
"Yes, it is I," he said, his voice mocking her. She glared at him, almost forgetting what it felt like to do so. It had been so long since either of them had engaged in their usual sparring matches, after all.
"What are you doing here?" She tried to sound angry, but mostly she was just concerned. When they had parted at Chilton during the school play, she had wound up feeling sorry for the bastard! Something she would have never thought possible before.
He took a seat on the edge of the table, motioning for her to join him; but instead she refused, opting to stand right where she was, arms crossed in front of her chest. "Funny you should ask me that," he said, smirking.
"Why?"
"Because, in case you hadn't noticed, this isn't exactly Stars Hollow, your home town. So what are YOU doing here?"
Her mouth turned up in an amused grin. "Trying to avoid the question, I see. Very clever. It just so happens I'm here on a little road trip with my mom."
He gave a short chuckle at that. "Do you take these little road trips very often?"
"No. Only when my mother breaks off an engagement or we get overly stressed or someone gets admitted into a mental hospital or - wait, why am I even bothering to explain anything to you?"
"Because you find me so irresistibly charming?" He flashed her his cockiest smile, which in return earned him a swat on the arm from Rory, who was in no mood to be playing games. She just wanted to find out what was up with him and then go back to her normal life. Really, that's all she asked.
"Nope. Nice guess, but try again."
"Because..." he stammered, before finally shrugging his shoulders, appearing to have given up. "Well, frankly, I'm stumped as to why you're even bothering to speak to me. Last I checked, we weren't exactly friends."
Rory was about to speak, but for some unexplained reason, she paused. Maybe it was the raw emotion in his voice that made her bite back the snappy response she had on the tip of her tongue. Whatever it was, she stood there, frozen; her mind a blank on what to say.
"Thought so. Well, I'll see you around, Mary," Tristan said softly, hopping up off the edge of the table. He turned to go, casting one last look in Rory's direction; examining the curves of her face, trying to tell if there was any emotion there. When Rory remained blank-faced, he gave a slight nod of his head, getting all the answers he needed. Of course there wasn't any emotion written there. This was Rory Gilmore. She felt nothing but disdain for him - and perhaps mild amusement when the situation arose. But that was all.
"Tristan, wait." Her voice was so soft, so quiet, he wasn't even sure it was really her speaking. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."
He turned around to face her again. "You wouldn't even care if I told you."
Rory threw her hands up in the air, clearly annoyed at the games he was doing. "Why do you persist on doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"This," she said, as if that was enough of an explanation. "These mind games you're playing with me. Why do you do it?"
"Because I like to see you squirm," he said teasingly.
"See, that's just what I mean. You never give me a straight answer when I ask so much as a simple question. Is there something you're trying to hide?" Suddenly curious, her eyebrow shot up. There was something more to this.
Finally letting some of the tension escape from his muscles, Tristan let out a breath. "No, I am not, in fact, hiding anything. It's just sort of a long story."
She motioned towards the table. "I've got time."
Now it was his turn to ask the questions, as he was suddenly very curious. "Why are you doing this?"
Frustrated, she let her hands fall to their sides and glared at him. A slicing glare, she hoped. "I'm not doing anything."
"Yes you are. You're acting all concerned. Like you're my best friend or something. Which we both know you're not." There was bitterness in his voice, and he inwardly flinched when he saw the pain flash across her face.
"Tristan," she said, a little more gently this time. "It's true that we were never what you would call friends, but I never hated you. If there's something you need to tell me, you can, you know."
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass."
"You can't hideout forever."
The words struck him like a slap across the face, but he remained silently, digesting her words. Suddenly spotting a brunette amongst the crowds, he bolted upright, not wanting to be seen. Lorelai. He ducked his head and moved into a corner, trying to avoid all possible contact.
"Tristan, why are you hiding?"
"Your mom."
"What about her?"
"I can't let her see me." And he really couldn't. If Lorelai saw him, she would be wondering the same thing her daughter was - what the hell was he doing here. And that might lead her to making some phone calls, namely to his parents. His whole cover could be blown if he was spotted. "Meet me at the pool at 11," he said quickly, not bothering to think of the ramifications that might occur.
"Why?"
"I'll tell you everything. Just please trust me on this one, okay? I really have to go."
"But Tristan-" Before she could finish that sentence, he was gone; having tore out of the restaurant as fast as he possibly could. She was left starring after him, a dazed expression on her face.
"Rory, sweetie, is something wrong?"
She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard her mother's voice. Turning around, she plastered on a cheery smile, and hoped for the best. "Nope, I was just thinking."
"Oh. Well I got kind of lonely upstairs so I decided to come down here and see what was going on."
Rory shrugged her shoulders, trying to play up the indifference act for all it was worth. "Nothing going on here."
Her mother gave her a skeptical look, but decided to let it go. Picking up a menu on a nearby table, she leafed through it, trying to figure out what to order.
Meanwhile, Rory just stood there, still a little bit in shock. If nothing else, she knew that she had to meet Tristan later that evening. There was a special kind of urgency in his voice, so it couldn't be just a joke.
She had a feeling she would be ticking back the seconds until 11 o'clock came.
So We Meet Again - Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I own nothing, the WB owns everything, yadda yadda yadda. You know the drill. If you're going to sue, try someone who has more money than I do, k?
~
The words hung between them with baited breath, and Rory rubbed her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision. She had to be seeing things. That was it - she was going totally and completely insane!
He stood there before her, his smile half-amused, half something that she couldn't quite place. But it scared her a little, and she didn't know why. In fact, this entire run-in - this experience, in fact - frightened her. It was one thing to run into someone by accident, but Tristan was supposed to have been in MILITARY school. So what was he doing there?
"Yes, it is I," he said, his voice mocking her. She glared at him, almost forgetting what it felt like to do so. It had been so long since either of them had engaged in their usual sparring matches, after all.
"What are you doing here?" She tried to sound angry, but mostly she was just concerned. When they had parted at Chilton during the school play, she had wound up feeling sorry for the bastard! Something she would have never thought possible before.
He took a seat on the edge of the table, motioning for her to join him; but instead she refused, opting to stand right where she was, arms crossed in front of her chest. "Funny you should ask me that," he said, smirking.
"Why?"
"Because, in case you hadn't noticed, this isn't exactly Stars Hollow, your home town. So what are YOU doing here?"
Her mouth turned up in an amused grin. "Trying to avoid the question, I see. Very clever. It just so happens I'm here on a little road trip with my mom."
He gave a short chuckle at that. "Do you take these little road trips very often?"
"No. Only when my mother breaks off an engagement or we get overly stressed or someone gets admitted into a mental hospital or - wait, why am I even bothering to explain anything to you?"
"Because you find me so irresistibly charming?" He flashed her his cockiest smile, which in return earned him a swat on the arm from Rory, who was in no mood to be playing games. She just wanted to find out what was up with him and then go back to her normal life. Really, that's all she asked.
"Nope. Nice guess, but try again."
"Because..." he stammered, before finally shrugging his shoulders, appearing to have given up. "Well, frankly, I'm stumped as to why you're even bothering to speak to me. Last I checked, we weren't exactly friends."
Rory was about to speak, but for some unexplained reason, she paused. Maybe it was the raw emotion in his voice that made her bite back the snappy response she had on the tip of her tongue. Whatever it was, she stood there, frozen; her mind a blank on what to say.
"Thought so. Well, I'll see you around, Mary," Tristan said softly, hopping up off the edge of the table. He turned to go, casting one last look in Rory's direction; examining the curves of her face, trying to tell if there was any emotion there. When Rory remained blank-faced, he gave a slight nod of his head, getting all the answers he needed. Of course there wasn't any emotion written there. This was Rory Gilmore. She felt nothing but disdain for him - and perhaps mild amusement when the situation arose. But that was all.
"Tristan, wait." Her voice was so soft, so quiet, he wasn't even sure it was really her speaking. "You still haven't told me what you're doing here."
He turned around to face her again. "You wouldn't even care if I told you."
Rory threw her hands up in the air, clearly annoyed at the games he was doing. "Why do you persist on doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"This," she said, as if that was enough of an explanation. "These mind games you're playing with me. Why do you do it?"
"Because I like to see you squirm," he said teasingly.
"See, that's just what I mean. You never give me a straight answer when I ask so much as a simple question. Is there something you're trying to hide?" Suddenly curious, her eyebrow shot up. There was something more to this.
Finally letting some of the tension escape from his muscles, Tristan let out a breath. "No, I am not, in fact, hiding anything. It's just sort of a long story."
She motioned towards the table. "I've got time."
Now it was his turn to ask the questions, as he was suddenly very curious. "Why are you doing this?"
Frustrated, she let her hands fall to their sides and glared at him. A slicing glare, she hoped. "I'm not doing anything."
"Yes you are. You're acting all concerned. Like you're my best friend or something. Which we both know you're not." There was bitterness in his voice, and he inwardly flinched when he saw the pain flash across her face.
"Tristan," she said, a little more gently this time. "It's true that we were never what you would call friends, but I never hated you. If there's something you need to tell me, you can, you know."
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass."
"You can't hideout forever."
The words struck him like a slap across the face, but he remained silently, digesting her words. Suddenly spotting a brunette amongst the crowds, he bolted upright, not wanting to be seen. Lorelai. He ducked his head and moved into a corner, trying to avoid all possible contact.
"Tristan, why are you hiding?"
"Your mom."
"What about her?"
"I can't let her see me." And he really couldn't. If Lorelai saw him, she would be wondering the same thing her daughter was - what the hell was he doing here. And that might lead her to making some phone calls, namely to his parents. His whole cover could be blown if he was spotted. "Meet me at the pool at 11," he said quickly, not bothering to think of the ramifications that might occur.
"Why?"
"I'll tell you everything. Just please trust me on this one, okay? I really have to go."
"But Tristan-" Before she could finish that sentence, he was gone; having tore out of the restaurant as fast as he possibly could. She was left starring after him, a dazed expression on her face.
"Rory, sweetie, is something wrong?"
She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard her mother's voice. Turning around, she plastered on a cheery smile, and hoped for the best. "Nope, I was just thinking."
"Oh. Well I got kind of lonely upstairs so I decided to come down here and see what was going on."
Rory shrugged her shoulders, trying to play up the indifference act for all it was worth. "Nothing going on here."
Her mother gave her a skeptical look, but decided to let it go. Picking up a menu on a nearby table, she leafed through it, trying to figure out what to order.
Meanwhile, Rory just stood there, still a little bit in shock. If nothing else, she knew that she had to meet Tristan later that evening. There was a special kind of urgency in his voice, so it couldn't be just a joke.
She had a feeling she would be ticking back the seconds until 11 o'clock came.