"I want coffee." Rory said aloud pouting. Tristan glanced at Rory, who looked as if she was going to cry any second.
"Don't you think it's embarrassing enough that you cried in front of Starbucks when you read the closed sign? It looked like you'd just seen a ghost. Not to mention the weird looks I received when I was trying to calm down a three year old Rory."
"You're not making things any easier."
"If you're lucky there might just be some coffee at my house."
"You know while we are at your house…." Rory paused "….we could do some studying and stuff." Rory quietly suggested.
"I know you love school but one word. Friday. You have a whole forty-eight hours to do any studying. Plus you're doing fine. Last time I heard you aced the quiz."
Tristan momentary looked at Rory before he went on.
"You know, school isn't everything. If school wasn't mandatory you'd probably be this wild player actress who parties till 4 in the morning and two months later, sent into a drug rehabilitation center." Tristan added.
"In other words, you know that that's never going to happen. Anyway, heading back to the real world we can hang out afterwards? And, I need to maintain those marks."
"I can't believe you are begging me to study on a Friday."
"Please? Now that was begging. Before it was suggesting. And did I mention that I will feel a teeny bit better." Rory pointed out.
"...Fine. But if I happen to go insane, you're gonna have to pay for my shrink. Considering you are the person at fault."
"Fault smault. Knew you could never say no to me." Rory patted him on the leg.
'True, true.' Tristan thought to himself.
The car slowed as Tristan turned right into a long driveway. After a few seconds a three-storey brick mansion came into view. It was smaller than Grandma's and unlike other mansions it actually looked warm and inviting.
"Nice place."
"Thanks." Tristan stopped the car in front of the entrance.
They both got out of the car and Tristan led Rory inside.
Rory looked around. 'Wow!' Rory made her way into the living room. Rory looked around and she stopped at a painting of a beach, a small boy was standing in the middle looking out towards the ocean. Tristan stood next to her and stared at it as well.
"My mom painted that when I was six."
"It's really good." Rory admired the painting.
"Why don't we get something to eat before we head up and start studying on a *Friday*?" He emphasised the last bit.
Rory sighed. "Lead the way whiner. "
"I'm not a whiner. I'm just a normal teenager who wants to relax after a long day."
Tristan took Rory's hand and led her to the kitchen. Rory found a lady, presumably Mrs Dugrey, sitting at the counter reading a book.
"Hey mom." Tristan let go of Rory's hand and gave his mom a kiss on the cheek. Mrs Dugrey looked up at Rory and smiled.
"Hello. You must be Rory. I'm Tristan's mom, well that should be really obvious, eh? Call me Cathy."
"Nice to meet you Cathy." Rory smiled back.
Cathy stood up and headed to the coffee maker. "Would you like some coffee?"
Rory instantly smiled at the word 'coffee'.
"Yes please!" Rory was unable to hide the excitement.
Cathy laughed. "I take it that we are alike. My husband lightly threatened to take the coffee maker away from me. Boy did he get an ear full. Non coffee lovers such as my husband should know that coffee lovers take their coffee very seriously."
"I totally agree."
She poured Rory a cup and handed it to her. Rory took it drinking it all in one go.
"Yum. You make killer coffee! I need to recommend you to my mom. If you're unlucky she'll be knocking on your door at one in the morning just to try."
Cathy laughed, " I'll watch out! Well I better get going, need to pick up Michael before I head to the airport." Cathy stood up picking up car keys.
"Airport?" Tristan asked.
"Tristan, I forgot to tell you. This was all last minute. Your dad and I are going to the Bahamas tonight. Michael is just going to tag along. Apparently a colleague of your dad is eloping for the fifth time and we need to be there. We should be back on Monday."
"Have fun then." Tristan replied grabbing any junk [food] he could get his hands on.
"I'm sure we won't." Cathy dully replied. She turned to Rory "I'm sorry that I'm not able to stay and tell you embarrassing stories about my little mutt! How about next weekend? I could also show you his baby book. It has this cute pic of Tristan in the sho….."
"Mom! Didn't you say you had to go?" Tristan interrupted, while ushering her towards the back door.
"Fine Mr. Girl talk pooper." Cathy muttered. "Be good and don't burn down the house. You father will throw a fit."
With that she went out the back door after winking at Tristan.
Tristan shook his head.
"You're mom's real nice. And who's Michael?" Rory asked taking some of the junk from him.
"Michael's the elder sibling wreaking havoc in Hartford and you only like my mom for her coffee."
"And I thought one Dugrey boy was already a hand full!"
Rory followed Tristan who started heading up the stairs.
"And that's not true! You're mom's really down-to-earth. Why didn't that get pass down to you? Now that's the question of the century," she shook her head, "I hope you know
I'm joking. You are one of the most down to earth guys I know. Well at first I though you were an arrogant rich kid but I guess looks can really be deceiving." Rory smiled.
"Thanks." Tristan managed to muster.
"Your welcome."
They headed down the end of the hall. Tristan stopped at a door and opened it letting Rory step in first.
Rory looked around. It was a typical guys room. There were posters on the light blue walls and some clothes were scattered on the indigo carpet. In one corner was a TV and in the middle a humungous bed.
"I see this is the love nest."
"Nah, I stick to a rule. It's their house or somewhere else. I never bring a girl here."
"….. You didn't have to tell me that." Rory bit her lip "So, am I like the first girl you ever brought here?"
"Uh yeah, I've never had a girlfriend," he smirked at his mistake, " I mean a friend who is a girl."
Her eyes gazed over to the corner of the room. Her eyes widened when she saw a big bookshelf housing many books.
"You read?" She ran over to the bookshelf.
"Are you surprised, Mary?" He dropped the junk food onto the floor and walked over to her.
"You don't look like a reader." She simply replied running a hand through the spines of books.
"I remember you saying that 'looks can be deceiving.'"
"Well, you didn't say anything."
"You didn't ask."
"Well the fact that we've been friends for awhile and I didn't know you like reading as much as me, makes me a really bad friend. Bad Rory!" She slapped her hand.
"There's more books downstairs in the library. These are just my favourites. And you know, nobody loves reading as much as you do."
"True."
She turned to Tristan.
"You know, I don't feel like studying anymore." Rory picked up the object from the floor that had caught her eye, holding it in front of Tristan's face.
"So, Lord of the rings? Three hours of remarkable literature brought to life?"
"Hell yeah!" Rory responded jumping onto his bed and settling herself.
Three hours later, Rory sat up and stretched.
"I could watch that movie over and over again. And don't you reckon Orlando Bloom is hot as Legolas? It's the ears and the hair that seems really appealing. Not to mention the eyes!" she paused, "Tristan?"
She stared at his lying form on the bed. He had fallen asleep. 'He looks so adorable and so vulnerable.' Rory continued to stare at him. She could see his chest rise and fall with every breath. For some uncanny reason, watching him sleep made her heart flutter. Actually, her heart had been doing that on regular intervals whenever she was near him. Tristan began to stir. She smiled.
"Wake up sleeping beauty. You know Peter Jackson and J.R.R Tolkien should be offended that you slept through their movie/story."
"I'm tired. Unlike you energiser bunny, some people e.g. me need to sleep once in a while."
"Caffeine has its perks. And the night is for sleeping."
"It is night." He sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
She raised an eyebrow as she got off the bed and walked to the window, she looked out. It was pretty dark when she saw snowflakes falling onto the snow-covered backyard. Rory squealed.
"Omigod Tristan! It's snowing! I need to tell my mom!"
She ran to the phone in Tristan's room. And dialled her number.
It was the 20th ring.
'She's probably looking for the phone. Mom its under the couch'
Lorelai- Hello?
Rory- Hey mom!
Lorelai- Rory? The phone was under the couch and I had to stretch my arm like that dude from fantastic four to fetch it.
Rory- Guess what? It's snowing!
Lorelai- You think? Magical things are going to happen my child."
Rory- Well when I get home…
Lorelai- Not so fast little one. There is no way you are going to be on the road while its dark and snowy. I don't want my kid to be road kill. You'll need to stay at Tristan's overnight. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning if weather permits. Can I talk to Tristan?
Rory handed the phone to Tristan who lazily took it.
Lorelai- Tristan?
Tristan- Hi Lorelai.
Lorelai- Listen, Rory's staying at your house overnight. If you try anything, I will hunt you down and remove a very important body organ you'll need if you want to have kids…in the future of course.
Tristan- What is it with Gilmore's and my *anatomy*. Anyway, relax! I'll never do anything that would hurt Rory.
There was a long pause.
Tristan- Lorelai? You still there?
Lorelai beamed. It was sooo obvious.
Lorelai- Yeah. Don't break the circle of trust. Anyway I just wanted to say that stuff to unintentionally scare you. I know you will never hurt Rory because you love her.
Tristan gulped.
Tristan- Am I that transparent?
Lorelai- No offence but you're not exactly good at hiding your feelings.
Tristan- …..Non-taken, so see you tomorrow?
Lorelai- Yes you will
Tristan- OK. See ya then."
Lorelai- Bye.
Tristan hung up the phone.
"I take it she threatened you." Rory inquired.
"Kinda."
Rory was about to open her mouth when the whole room went pitch black. Rory jumped clutching onto Tristan.
"You afraid of the dark?"
"No, I was just surprised." Rory lamely replied.
"Sure." Tristan nodded, not believing her. "Must have blown a fuse, I'll go change the light bulb."
Tristan opened his bedroom door only to see the hall pitch black as well. He turned to Rory.
"I guess there's a blackout." He examined Rory, and she appeared to be calm.
Rory looked at Tristan who seemed to be staring at her. 'Thank God he can't read my thoughts!' For some weird twisted reason, she didn't want to be alone in the house with him. Their friendship was the best thing Rory could ask for but for some odd reason she felt it wasn't enough. She'd been having that odd feeling for a few weeks. All she knew right now was that she couldn't be alone with Tristan.
"I guess it's just you and me."
"Don't you have a maid?" Rory lamely asked. Most houses in Hartford had some form of maid."Um, no we don't, my mom grew up in a small town in California and she doesn't like the fact of another person waiting on someone else. So no maids, no butlers."
Long pause.
"Ooh, Mary are you afraid of being alone with me in a big dark house. Should I be insulted or flattered?"
'I'm stuck in a blacked out house with a guy I might actually be in love with! Is everything fine!?' Rory covered her mouth as she thought that. 'Omigod, I did not just think that?'
A/N: So what's the verdict? I'll try to update ASAP. Keyword 'try'
A quick shout out to Becky. Thanks for the chapter one title and thanks a bunch in general. We apologize to any vegetarians who find that offending.
And I would like to recommend another trory fic with a twist that a very good friend of mine is writing. I'm not being bias but I think it is seriously good. 'A thousand miles' by Butter. Check it out!
Maria
P.S: Please note that I'm from Australia. Meaning that I don't' know how the US school system works except the things I get from the TV and books. And I know it's pretty weird that it is snowing in late autumn (people start school in autumn/fall right? Or is it actually normal for it to snow at the end of autumn in Connecticut?) according to my calculations of this stories time span. But remember weather does really freaky things sometimes. Please just go with it? Thanks!