Rory sat on the stool in the kitchen contemplatively eating her breakfast. As she twirled the leftover pasta against the plate with her fork, she thought of a time when she was happier, when her life seemed to have substance and stability. Ironically enough, she thought of her first few months with Dean. Although she treasured those memories of childish innocence shared with her first love, Rory was happy the relationship had ended; it was time to move on. But now her life was in a whirlwind and she couldn't manage to get a sure footing. As Rory continued eating, she started to worry if her Harvard dreams would pan out the way she hoped. She took another bite, and the spaghetti had the stale taste of an overused motel room. Rory knew it was going to be one of those I-hate-my-life kind of days.
As she cleaned up the dishes and headed out the door with her signature yellow Eddie Bauer backpack, Rory had one last sinking feeling as she remembered that her relationship with Dean was over and she had to move on. Something was missing in her lackluster life; she wanted more. Little did she know a change was coming her way.
***
It was Friday, so Rory decided to spend the afternoon in Hartford, as she would need to return in only a few hours anyway for dinner with her grandparents. Since there wasn't much else to do, she opted to grab a cup of coffee at the local coffee shop and drop by the bookstore to see what the new bestsellers were. When she walked in, the musty, dry smell of thousands of books, new and old, hit her. The massive rows and aisles of perfect books simply awestruck the young girl. Rory smiled and knew she was at home.
First, she looked at some books on political science – it was an area she would have to be familiar with as a journalist. As she browsed, Rory got a strange feeling – as if some massive event was about to precipitate. She felt a cool breeze on her neck as someone swept by. Rory rubbed her bare neck to get rid of the chill, but the deep musk smell that followed gave her a strange familiar comfort and she went back to her books.
Just a few seconds later, as if on perfect cue, a deep husky voice let out a chuckle. Rory stopped in her tracks; she knew exactly who it was. How could he be here, now? Wasn't he hundreds of miles away? And why, of all places, is he in a bookstore? A million thoughts raced through Rory's head. "Mary, I was hoping you'd be here. You're even more beautiful than I remember.." his voice trailed off as he took a step closer to her.
Staring at the book in her hands was all Rory could do from lashing out at him in anger. How could he come back into her life like this after causing her so much angst and leaving with no more than a "Bye, Mary"? A lump formed in her throat as her palms started to sweat and she clenched her fist. The back of her throat started to sting as she tried hard to fight off tears. "Tristan," she began in a hurt tone, "I…I…" She couldn't manage to form the words in her mouth. "This must be a first. Rory Gilmore – speechless." Her eyes started to flare as she was about to turn around and face him in angry rage, but then Rory realized she didn't want to mess things up again. She had dreamed for so long about being in Tristan's arms and kissing him once again. Gilmore, let down your guard. Do not screw things up this time with him, she thought to herself. Then she swallowed her pride and put on a sweet smile as she turned around to meet the boy who she hoped would become her second real love.
Rory gasped as she turned to find Tristan not even six inches from her face; she could feel the desire forming between them already. "You look good, Tristan," Rory said in an almost trance-like state. "I did it for you Rory. I did it all for you." At the moment, she didn't realize what the implications of that statement were, but she would come to know them in the coming months. Rory felt Tristan's electric touch as he brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and his fingers trailed down her face and neck. Her eyes started to feel heavy as she opened her mouth slightly and unconsciously moved closer toward the beautiful blond boy in front of her.
Rory felt his fingers on her lips as he quietly said, "There's plenty of time for that, but this is hardly the time and place Rory," and she came out of her trance. The air between them returned again to its musty bookstore feel and Rory fidgeted, pushing her hair behind her ears and uncomfortably shuffling her feet as her hands struggled to find a place, folded across her chest. "Right," Rory managed to stammer, still looking at the floor, clearly embarrassed at her willingness to succumb so easily to Tristan's compelling nature. "Do you want to go get a cup of coffee maybe?" she asked shyly. "Why of course, Beautiful," Tristan replied with a huge grin, and they walked out of the store in search of a coffee bar. Fortunately, Rory knew all the good places in town.