Just a quick authors note today, I wont keep you from the trory goodiness
that follows. The town in this story, Hope, Connecticut.. I decided to make
their Fourth of July celebration much like the one I attend every summer
in a small town in Northern Michigan. I thought I should give the credit
to the townspeople there and not to my own creativeness before a certain
someone *glares* slams me for it. Any/all places (restaurants, parks etc)
are all actual places in the said town. Now that that's cleared up....
"Don't Say You Love Me"
Chapter 10
"They're throwing candy!" Lorelai shrieked excitedly.
True enough, a float was headed their way where the inhabitants were throwing treats out to the parade goers.
Lorelai and Rory eagerly took their places at the edge of the street and as soon as the candy was flung out at them, the two were pushing each other around in attempt to be the one that got the most. A few feet away, lounging on the blanket that had been carted along, Tristan and Luke were doubled over with laughter, tears in their eyes. Rory suddenly pumped her fists in the air, declaring victory when Lorelai snuck up behind her, grabbed her bag of sweets and ran to hide behind Luke.
"Moooom, you cheated," Rory whined.
Lorelai poked out from behind her "shield", sticking out her tongue. "I won," she gloated.
Pouting, Rory's eyes traveled over to Tristan, who was still chuckling. "And what are you laughing at, Mister DuGrey?"
Tristan shrugged. "Nothing," he said, his eyes glistening.
"Luuuuuke, they're being mean to me," Rory said, turning to the only person left.
Luke glanced back and forth between the two Gilmores. "You two realize you just stole candy meant for the kids, don't you?" He finally said, choosing not to take sides. After all, this could get ugly and he didn't want either of them mad at him.
Lorelai popped a Jolly Rancher in her mouth happily, ignoring Luke. "I won," she giggled.
"Share," Rory whimpered, giving her a sad puppy dog face.
Biting her lip, Lorelai reluctantly gave her daughter some of the contents of her bag. "You're lucky I love ya, kid."
Rory grinned and then pointed across the street. "Onward!," she commanded. "Coffee!"
*****
A little while later, the group was sitting in the Four Seasons Cafe, discussing their strategy for getting through the Outdoor Flea Market, which was actually a lot larger than anyone had anticipated.Well, Tristan, Rory and Luke were strategizing. Lorelai was giving the death glare at the waitress who only served decaf.
"I say we split up, cover more ground." Tristan said, staring at the map of the grounds.
Luke took the map for a second, looking thoughtful and then nodded. "Okay. You and Rory take the west end, Lorelai and I will go east. We'll meet at the refreshment stand around nine." He glanced up, gauging reactions. Tristan and Rory exchanged a look and agreed. They all turned to Lorelai, who was mumbling something about wishing she knew voodoo so she could poke the "evil" waitress repeatedly.
"Mom? Is that okay with you?" Rory asked, interrupting the seemingly unending tirade.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sounds fine. As long as I can get some real coffee," Lorelai said, the last part nearly shouted.
Rory sighed and got up. "I'll be right back." Walking over to where the waitress was, she said something, gesturing wildly towards their table. Five minutes later, she set a cup of "real coffee" in front of her mother. "No more evil plots now, please."
Lorelai stared at her with admiring eyes as she downed the sweet elixir. "I knew i kept you around for some reason."
*****
"You really didn't have to do this," Rory said, hoisting the large, overstuffed panda bear Tristan had won her onto her shoulder.
Tristan shrugged, staring a head of them. "I wanted too. Besides, I saw how you were looking at it."
Genuinely touched by his gesture, Rory gave him a small hug. Purely friendly of course. "Thank you."
He smiled and then, seeing her struggled to walk with the four foot bear, took it from her. She immediately protested, but he was adamant. "Look, you stay here, I'll run it out to the jeep. Its fine."
Reluctantly, she gave in. "Hurry."
Tristan flashed her a smile and headed towards the exit. Rory watched him disappear into the crowd and sighed. Spying a bench nearby, she sat down, glancing around every few minutes. She jumped slightly when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. Rory glanced up, expecting to see Tristan, but was greeted by another familiar face.
"Summer!" She exclaimed, hopping to her feet and hugging her old friend. The two had become close friends late in junior year as Rory made the decision to expand her social horizons. Summer wasn't as shallow as she initially appeared. Beneath the exterior she played, there really was a good heart.
"I thought that was you," Summer said, a smile lighting up her face. "God, look at you! You look great."
Rory shrugged modestly. "You're looking pretty great yourself. What are you doing here?"
Summer wrinkled her nose. "My boyfriend Jake has family up here and they invited us to come. He's around here somewhere, I cant wait for you to meet him."
"I look forward to it. Its so good to see you again, Sum."
"Likewise," Summer stated, looking around. "You're not here alone, are you?"
Rory froze. She knew that despite how she had treated him at Madeline's party so long ago, Summer truly did have feelings for Tristan. How would she react to know he was there with her?. "Umm, no. My mom and her boyfriend are off somewhere." She paused, eyeing her carefully. "And Tristan should be back shortly."
Summer's face blanched white. "Tristan DuGrey?"
"I'm sorry, Summer. I know - "Rory started, but was silenced by her friends hand.
"Don't be Rory. But pray tell, where did you run into him again? Last I heard he was strutting around Princeton."
Rory laughed slightly and they sat down on the bench. "Ironic, really. Im working for Fade Magazine now and we're doing a story on Hartford's Most Eligible Bachelors. Guess who one of the lucky guys is."
"So Tristan's still single?" Summer asked, raising an eyebrow. Having a boyfriend and the length of time since she last saw him definitely had not deterred her feelings. "Or are you two..."
"What? No," Rory objected defensively. "We're just friends. He really has changed. Although he still insists on calling me Mary."
Summer giggled at that. "Is he still as devastatingly handsome as he was in high school?"
"Why don't you tell me? He's heading this way." Rory said, motioning towards the figure coming in their direction.
*****
Tristan stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who Rory was chatting with. Summer. What the hell was she doing here? And why was Rory talking to her like they were old friends? Forcing himself to remain calm, he managed to put one foot in front of the other. In a matter of seconds he was standing beside Rory. "Im back," he said, stating the obvious.
Rory gazed up at him with her twinkling blue eyes. "Good. You remember Summer, don't you, Tris?"
Nodding, he glanced over at his ex-girlfriend. "Hello, Summer."
The other girl smiled coyly and leaned in to give him a hug. "Looking good, DuGrey," she murmured.
"Uh, yeah, you too." Tristan stammered, throwing a desperate look at Rory, praying she got the meaning behind it. Luckily, she did.
"Oh, my, look at the time," Rory said suddenly. "I'm so sorry Sum, but we promised we'd meet my Mom on the other side of the park in five minutes, so we gotta get moving." She felt bad about lying to her friend like that, but the looks Tristan were sending her way were almost heartbreaking.
Summer shrugged. "Oh, thats okay. Maybe we can catch up when we get back to Hartford. Give me a call sometime."
Rory nodded. "Will do. Come on, DuGrey."
Tristan waved at Summer and allowed Rory to drag him a safe distance away before she stopped and turned to look at him strangely.
"What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" Tristan asked.
"Don't answer my question with a question. Why were you in such a hurry to get away from her?" Rory demanded.
Tristan shrugged, his eyes on the ground. "She's my ex-girlfriend."
Rory's eyes searched his face for a moment. "You, you're not still in love with her, are you?" she asked softly.
At that, Tristan's head shot up, his eyes burning holes in hers. He couldn't have been imagining it, could he? Was there a touch of fear in her voice? Could she actually be afraid that he might still be in love with Summer? "No. Its not that."
"Then what?" Rory prodded.
"I just have this.. thing. I don't like being around my ex girlfriends, it makes me feel weird."
"Oh," was the only response he got.
******
So whatcha think? Is Rory scared that Tristan might love someone else? Will she realize she's scared? Will Summer screw things up or actually help them along? Stay tuned, all will be revealed in Chapter Eleven, coming to a local fanfiction.net near you, Tuesday :) Adios.
*~* Shay *~*
Chapter 10
"They're throwing candy!" Lorelai shrieked excitedly.
True enough, a float was headed their way where the inhabitants were throwing treats out to the parade goers.
Lorelai and Rory eagerly took their places at the edge of the street and as soon as the candy was flung out at them, the two were pushing each other around in attempt to be the one that got the most. A few feet away, lounging on the blanket that had been carted along, Tristan and Luke were doubled over with laughter, tears in their eyes. Rory suddenly pumped her fists in the air, declaring victory when Lorelai snuck up behind her, grabbed her bag of sweets and ran to hide behind Luke.
"Moooom, you cheated," Rory whined.
Lorelai poked out from behind her "shield", sticking out her tongue. "I won," she gloated.
Pouting, Rory's eyes traveled over to Tristan, who was still chuckling. "And what are you laughing at, Mister DuGrey?"
Tristan shrugged. "Nothing," he said, his eyes glistening.
"Luuuuuke, they're being mean to me," Rory said, turning to the only person left.
Luke glanced back and forth between the two Gilmores. "You two realize you just stole candy meant for the kids, don't you?" He finally said, choosing not to take sides. After all, this could get ugly and he didn't want either of them mad at him.
Lorelai popped a Jolly Rancher in her mouth happily, ignoring Luke. "I won," she giggled.
"Share," Rory whimpered, giving her a sad puppy dog face.
Biting her lip, Lorelai reluctantly gave her daughter some of the contents of her bag. "You're lucky I love ya, kid."
Rory grinned and then pointed across the street. "Onward!," she commanded. "Coffee!"
*****
A little while later, the group was sitting in the Four Seasons Cafe, discussing their strategy for getting through the Outdoor Flea Market, which was actually a lot larger than anyone had anticipated.Well, Tristan, Rory and Luke were strategizing. Lorelai was giving the death glare at the waitress who only served decaf.
"I say we split up, cover more ground." Tristan said, staring at the map of the grounds.
Luke took the map for a second, looking thoughtful and then nodded. "Okay. You and Rory take the west end, Lorelai and I will go east. We'll meet at the refreshment stand around nine." He glanced up, gauging reactions. Tristan and Rory exchanged a look and agreed. They all turned to Lorelai, who was mumbling something about wishing she knew voodoo so she could poke the "evil" waitress repeatedly.
"Mom? Is that okay with you?" Rory asked, interrupting the seemingly unending tirade.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sounds fine. As long as I can get some real coffee," Lorelai said, the last part nearly shouted.
Rory sighed and got up. "I'll be right back." Walking over to where the waitress was, she said something, gesturing wildly towards their table. Five minutes later, she set a cup of "real coffee" in front of her mother. "No more evil plots now, please."
Lorelai stared at her with admiring eyes as she downed the sweet elixir. "I knew i kept you around for some reason."
*****
"You really didn't have to do this," Rory said, hoisting the large, overstuffed panda bear Tristan had won her onto her shoulder.
Tristan shrugged, staring a head of them. "I wanted too. Besides, I saw how you were looking at it."
Genuinely touched by his gesture, Rory gave him a small hug. Purely friendly of course. "Thank you."
He smiled and then, seeing her struggled to walk with the four foot bear, took it from her. She immediately protested, but he was adamant. "Look, you stay here, I'll run it out to the jeep. Its fine."
Reluctantly, she gave in. "Hurry."
Tristan flashed her a smile and headed towards the exit. Rory watched him disappear into the crowd and sighed. Spying a bench nearby, she sat down, glancing around every few minutes. She jumped slightly when a hand came to rest on her shoulder. Rory glanced up, expecting to see Tristan, but was greeted by another familiar face.
"Summer!" She exclaimed, hopping to her feet and hugging her old friend. The two had become close friends late in junior year as Rory made the decision to expand her social horizons. Summer wasn't as shallow as she initially appeared. Beneath the exterior she played, there really was a good heart.
"I thought that was you," Summer said, a smile lighting up her face. "God, look at you! You look great."
Rory shrugged modestly. "You're looking pretty great yourself. What are you doing here?"
Summer wrinkled her nose. "My boyfriend Jake has family up here and they invited us to come. He's around here somewhere, I cant wait for you to meet him."
"I look forward to it. Its so good to see you again, Sum."
"Likewise," Summer stated, looking around. "You're not here alone, are you?"
Rory froze. She knew that despite how she had treated him at Madeline's party so long ago, Summer truly did have feelings for Tristan. How would she react to know he was there with her?. "Umm, no. My mom and her boyfriend are off somewhere." She paused, eyeing her carefully. "And Tristan should be back shortly."
Summer's face blanched white. "Tristan DuGrey?"
"I'm sorry, Summer. I know - "Rory started, but was silenced by her friends hand.
"Don't be Rory. But pray tell, where did you run into him again? Last I heard he was strutting around Princeton."
Rory laughed slightly and they sat down on the bench. "Ironic, really. Im working for Fade Magazine now and we're doing a story on Hartford's Most Eligible Bachelors. Guess who one of the lucky guys is."
"So Tristan's still single?" Summer asked, raising an eyebrow. Having a boyfriend and the length of time since she last saw him definitely had not deterred her feelings. "Or are you two..."
"What? No," Rory objected defensively. "We're just friends. He really has changed. Although he still insists on calling me Mary."
Summer giggled at that. "Is he still as devastatingly handsome as he was in high school?"
"Why don't you tell me? He's heading this way." Rory said, motioning towards the figure coming in their direction.
*****
Tristan stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who Rory was chatting with. Summer. What the hell was she doing here? And why was Rory talking to her like they were old friends? Forcing himself to remain calm, he managed to put one foot in front of the other. In a matter of seconds he was standing beside Rory. "Im back," he said, stating the obvious.
Rory gazed up at him with her twinkling blue eyes. "Good. You remember Summer, don't you, Tris?"
Nodding, he glanced over at his ex-girlfriend. "Hello, Summer."
The other girl smiled coyly and leaned in to give him a hug. "Looking good, DuGrey," she murmured.
"Uh, yeah, you too." Tristan stammered, throwing a desperate look at Rory, praying she got the meaning behind it. Luckily, she did.
"Oh, my, look at the time," Rory said suddenly. "I'm so sorry Sum, but we promised we'd meet my Mom on the other side of the park in five minutes, so we gotta get moving." She felt bad about lying to her friend like that, but the looks Tristan were sending her way were almost heartbreaking.
Summer shrugged. "Oh, thats okay. Maybe we can catch up when we get back to Hartford. Give me a call sometime."
Rory nodded. "Will do. Come on, DuGrey."
Tristan waved at Summer and allowed Rory to drag him a safe distance away before she stopped and turned to look at him strangely.
"What was that all about?"
"What was what all about?" Tristan asked.
"Don't answer my question with a question. Why were you in such a hurry to get away from her?" Rory demanded.
Tristan shrugged, his eyes on the ground. "She's my ex-girlfriend."
Rory's eyes searched his face for a moment. "You, you're not still in love with her, are you?" she asked softly.
At that, Tristan's head shot up, his eyes burning holes in hers. He couldn't have been imagining it, could he? Was there a touch of fear in her voice? Could she actually be afraid that he might still be in love with Summer? "No. Its not that."
"Then what?" Rory prodded.
"I just have this.. thing. I don't like being around my ex girlfriends, it makes me feel weird."
"Oh," was the only response he got.
******
So whatcha think? Is Rory scared that Tristan might love someone else? Will she realize she's scared? Will Summer screw things up or actually help them along? Stay tuned, all will be revealed in Chapter Eleven, coming to a local fanfiction.net near you, Tuesday :) Adios.
*~* Shay *~*