Author's Note: I haven't exactly been thrilled with the number of reviews that I've been getting and I'm beginning to lose interest in typing this story up and posting it. However, I will continue this because I want to finish up all my fics already posted…and hopefully the number of reviews will increase. Thank You to my few reviewers I had for Chapter 8, I appreciate it…so here goes Chapter 9.

These Summer Days

By: klm111a

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Chapter Nine: I don't want to lose this…

Tuesday.

"Rory. Where are we going?" Tristan whined the heat was getting to him, he was already sweating and they had been walking for less than a minute.

"You'll see," she teased as they continued to walk down a well-worn path both dressed in bathing suits. Tristan had it bad; anyone could tell by the way he was watching her in her blue one piece. To him she couldn't look more beautiful then she did now.

"This is the bridge," Rory said gesturing around.

"It's beautiful," he said in awe and Rory smiled. She had impressed Tristan!

"Jess!" shrieked Paris as a splash sounded to the left of the bridge. "Hey!" Rory called out.

"Hey Rory," Paris replied. "Look who I brought!" she said happily.

"How did you convince him to come?"

"I promised swimming,"

"Of course," Paris said smiling at her two friends.

"Hey Ror," Tristan said suddenly and she spun around to face him. "What?" came her response while glancing over at him. 

"Come here," Rory came a little bit closer to Tristan when suddenly he grabbed her and threw her into the lake. "DuGrey!" she shrieked.

"Help me out," Rory then asked sweetly.

"Sure," Tristan replied leaning over to help her. She accepted his hand gratefully but at the last minutes she pulled him in. "Rory," he complained and she giggled. Rory crawled back onto the bridge as did Tristan and they sat like that for a moment. Dripping wet, feet dangling off the bridge, hands almost touching.

Madeline, Dean, Lane and Dave had arrived but Rory and Tristan hadn't noticed. "Rory…" he said softly. He had been planning on saying 'I love you' but realized how stupid that would be especially in front of Rory's two ex-boyfriends.

"Yeah?" Rory answered pretending not to notice Madeline, Dean, Lane and Dave.

"Never mind," came Tristan's answer. Then he tickled her and she was laughing, it was the most wonderful sound in the world. "Tristan!" she shrieked swatting his hand away.

Jess and Dean exchanged looks. Tristan was in love with Rory and she couldn't be more oblivious to it, as usual.

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After a couple hours of swimming, joking around, teasing and jumping into the lake everyone was exhausted. They were all lying on the bridge. Some of them were reading (Rory, Jess and Paris), Some were whispering (Lane and Dave), some were making out (Dean and Madeline) while Tristan was playing his guitar and humming along. Rory glanced up from her book at him for a moment and had to smile at his serious expression as he concentrated on the music. He began to play Someday We'll Know and he started to sing. Soon after, Rory joined in with the sing. Lane and Paris exchanged surprised looks. Rory never sang yet there she was singing along with Tristan voluntarily. What was going on? Rory and Tristan's voices blended together perfectly creating a wonderful duet. Mid-way through the song their eyes met for a moment and Tristan was worried that she'd be able to tell how completely in love he was with her. It was a wonderful feeling for Rory to look into his eyes and feel warmth radiating from them. She wanted to bask in that forever, but of course the song ended causing them both to look away from each other. She picked up her book again as if nothing had happened.

"Hey Rory," Tristan whispered after sitting for a few minutes just watching her read.

"What?" Rory replied slightly annoyed at him for interrupting her reading.

"What are you reading?"

"A book," came her reply while rolling her eyes.

"I knew that," Tristan replied.

"Go find someone else to annoy DuGrey," Rory begged.

"No one's as much fun to annoy then you Mary,"

"Tristan!" Rory said groaning in frustration.

"Fine, fine. I'll shut up," he muttered sadly.

"Hey, hey," Rory said softly surprised at the sudden sadness in his voice. "That's not what I meant,"

"Whatever," he replied sounding somewhat disinterested to what she had to say.

"Fine," came Rory's short reply to him. "I'm going home. See you all later," Rory then said to everyone else as she gathered her things and left. He sighed how the hell did he mess this up now? He grabbed his things and took off after Rory without a word to the other four.

"Rory!" he called out and she stopped. Quickly he caught up to her. "What?" she asked impatiently as if she didn't have time to be talking to the likes of him.

"I'm sorry," Tristan apologized. Rory eyes met his gaze and he couldn't be more sincere then he was at that moment.

"Tristan," she sighed softly her head in her hands. "I don't get it. One minute we're like best friends and the next we're fighting, why?"

"I don't know Rory," Tristan murmured to her. "But all I do know is that I don't want to lose what we have, ever,"

"Neither do I…but sometimes I'm not so sure Tristan. I mean is this all worth it?"

"I hope so," Tristan replied hopefully as he hugged her. "Me too," she whispered back leaning into his hug.

"Enough already!" Lorelai catcalled at the two kids. Rory blushed and Tristan grinned…Lorelai could always turn something serious into something comedic.

"I should get going anyways. I promised Emma that we'd go out to dinner,"

"That's sweet," Rory said smiling at Tristan. "Yeah, yeah," he replied waving a hand to dismiss the notion of Tristan DuGrey being sweet.

"Don't tell people okay?"

"Don't worry I won't tell people that you're turning into a softie," she teased and he just shook her head at her.

"Thanks Gilmore,"

"No problem. So, see you tomorrow?"

"Nope. Remember? My Uncle?"

"Oh yeah! Well I'll see you on Thursday. Remember, we're hitting the mall at ten for your birthday present,"

"See you later Mary," he teased hopping into his car as she smiled at him. He couldn't wait for Thursday.

- End Chapter Nine

A/N 2:

Coming up on These Summer Days:

Chapter 10: The love story of the now Emily Gilmore and George DuGrey!