Disclaimer : All things GG are not mine, but ASP's. No copyright
infringement intended.
Author : Shay (tlcforever@hotmail.com)
Rating : PG-13
Pairing : Established pairings for L/L & P/J. References to R/D & T/K. Eventual T/R
Spoilers : Anything up through season 3 is fair game, though I'll probably be selective about it.
Distribution : If you want it, take it. Just let me know.
Feedback : Tames the wild beast. Or something. I love feedback and will love you if you give it. :)
Authors Note : Okay, to clear something up here, real quick. The person who left a message in the previous chapter was not Tristan. It was Josh, posing as Tristan to set up a date. K? Great. And second.. there's some Trory action in this one. Not quite what you may have hoped for, but that'll come in due time :)
Subtle Invitation
Part 03.
It was a few days later that Josh let himself into the penthouse apartment he and Tristan shared a few blocks from the office. It was really just Tristan's place, but he was staying with him until the house he was having built just outside the city was finished. Hanging his coat in the hall closet, he dropped his keys on the table next to the door and headed into the kitchen. Inside stood Natina, the cook who came in on the weekdays to cook their dinners, as neither had quite mastered that aspect of domesticated life just yet. Smiling in greeting, he headed to the refrigerator to grab a soda before sliding into one of the chairs seated on one side of the island, which is where Natina was currently stirring a pot of something. She smiled at him and went about her business, quite used to have him sitting there, watching as she cooked. Josh, who had never been allowed inside the kitchen as a child, found the whole making of a meal process fascinating. His ritual of watching Natina was interrupted a few minutes later, when the phone rang from the living room. Flashing the woman a charming grin, he got up and headed towards the source of the sound.
*******
"I can't do this," Rory protested, shoving the phone back at Lane, who gave her a disapproving look.
"Yes, you can. And you're going to."
"No, no way," she said firmly, backing away from the living room. Lane stared at her, her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.
"Come on, Rory. Just call him, make a date and I promise I'll stop bothering you."
"No."
"Yes, come on," Lane demanded, thrusting the phone in the general direction of her friend.
"I can't."
Lane rolled her eyes and retracted her arm. Grabbing the piece of paper from its place on the end table, she sent Rory an irritated look. If she wasn't going to do it, she would. One way or another, she was going to get Rory out on this date. "Fine, I'll call him."
Almost hesitantly, Rory stepped back into the living room, quietly crossing over and sitting back down next to Lane on the couch. Lane hit the on button and dialed the numbers, putting the phone to her ear. Rory leaned closer, so she could hear. After a few rings, the voice from the message answered.
"Hello?"
Lane didn't respond, but instead forced the phone on Rory, got up with a satisfied smile and disappeared in the direction of her room. Rory stared after her numbly, forgetting about the person on the other end until again he said.
"Hello?"
Timidly, she put the phone to her ear and took a deep breath. "Hi."
******
A confused look was present on Josh's face as a soft feminine voice finally broke the silence. Shifting the phone from one ear to the other, he sat back on the posh leather couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "Who is this?"
There was silence again, on the other end for a second before there was a sigh. "This is um, Lorelai. A Tristan called and left this number in response to a personal ad in the newspaper..."
Ah, so that was it. Grinning, Josh replied. "Yes, of course."
"So um, is he there?"
"This is he," Josh responded, thanking God, for the first time that he and Tristan sounded so much alike on the phone.
"Oh," the woman omitted. "Well. Hi. God, this is awkward."
Josh laughed, seemingly breaking the ice. The two settled into a light conversation, in which he found the mystery woman to be very witty and intelligent, both of which were just what his cousin needed. In the end, he set a date with her for the following Friday, to meet at a casual restaurant in the East Village. He jotted down a brief description of her and gave her one of Tristan as well. Once he hung up, he felt satisfied that this was indeed the woman to help his cousin to get over Karen and headed back into the kitchen where Natina had just finished dinner.
*****
Tristan sighed as he clicked save on his computer and closed the program he was working in, down. The office was quiet, except for the voices of some of the employees as they bid each other good-bye for the week. The December night outside was dark, thick white flakes falling from the sky in torrents, the people on the streets scurrying to get to where they were going so they could get where its warm as quickly as possible. A quick glance at the clock told him it was just after seven, meaning that Natina was probably just leaving the apartment, a nice hot meal waiting to be devoured sitting at home for him. He would have to settle for a nice hot reheated meal, however, as he was going to be stuck in the office for a good part of the night. A scowl appeared on his handsome face as he envisioned his cousin, sitting in front of the large screen TV, a plate of whatever delectable meal Natina had prepared for them tonight in one hand, the remote control in the other, his feet up on the table as he howled at a random television show.
It was just the opposite of how it seemed it should be. He should be the irresponsible one, taking life as it came at him. But here he was, sitting pretty at the top of the family business, working as hard as he could just to keep the New York branch running smoothly. DuGrey Enterprises, a now world wide advertising company that had been born from the minds of his father and uncle, Josh's father, was not an easy company to run. Even with his business degree from Princeton, Tristan struggled to keep it together, all while Josh, who had also graduated from Princeton, the family university, ran through the streets of New York, acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. He should have objected when his father had asked him to take Josh onboard in New York, knowing what his cousin was like. He was just how he used to be, wild, oblivious to the rest of the world, focused on only one thing - women.
A knock on his office door broke him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see his secretary standing in the doorway. "I'm leaving, Mr. DuGrey. Is there anything you need before I take off?"
Tristan gave a shake of his head. "No, thanks, Melinda. Have a good weekend."
Melinda nodded and offered a smile. "Thank you, Mr. DuGrey, you, too. I'll see you Monday."
"Bye," Tristan replied, but she had already disappeared from view. Sighing again, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck to relieve some of the tension in the muscles. He had already been at work since six o'clock that morning, even after staying until well after midnight the previous day. Tonight didn't look like it was going to be any different. He was definitely looking forward to the Christmas break that was coming up, so he could go back to Hartford and just play the prodigal son for awhile, no worries about work. But he had to get through the current projects he was heading in order to get to go home. Closing his eyes and counting to ten, Tristan reopened them and dove back into his work.
******
"Yes, it's true," Rory sighed into the phone, three days later, as she rushed around the apartment, looking for a long lost shoe.
"I don't believe it. She's a genius! The girl is an absolute genius. I'm jealous," Lorelai replied loudly from her home in Stars Hollow.
A small grin spread across Rory's face and she shook her head in amusement. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal? Hon, this is a huge deal."
"No, it's not."
"You had to go and inherit my stubborn gene, didn't you," Lorelai said, her voice taking on a mock sad tone.
"You bet," Rory said softly before shouting a triumphant, "found you!" as she pulled the missing heel from underneath the couch.
"Ow, sweetie, that was mommy's ear."
"Sorry," Rory apologized, glancing at the clock. "I'm really running late for work now, Mom. I'll call you later so you can continue the gloating."
"I was not gloating."
"Whatever. I really have to go."
"Aw, okay. I'll talk to you tonight, then."
"Yep. Give Luke my love."
"Will do. Bye, kiddo."
"Bye, Mom."
Hanging up, Rory rolled her eyes heavenward before shoving her foot into the now found shoe, grabbing her coat and keys and running out the door.
******
"So, Friday?" Tristan asked reluctantly, staring at his cousin from across the desk in his office.
Josh nodded in confirmation, handing him a slip of paper. "There's the directions and the description she gave me of herself. Try not to be a complete ass, would ya?"
Tristan gave him a look but conceded. "I'll be the perfect gentleman."
"Good," Josh grinned, getting up. "I'm heading out, see you later."
"We have," Tristan began to object loudly but his voice tapered off, as Josh had already disappeared from view. "a meeting," he finished, to himself. Shaking his head in annoyance, he folded the paper in half and stuck it in his pocket, grabbed a stack of folders and papers and headed out the door, towards the conference room.
******
Friday afternoon.
Rory stared at her reflection in the mirror that hung on the back of her bedroom door, eyeing herself critically. This was so weird, completely unlike her. She didn't casual date, she didn't go out with men she didn't know. With her luck, he probably was some kind of stalker or serial killer. She was jarred out of her thoughts, however, when Lane bounded back into her room, a dress draped over one arm.
"Found it," she announced happily before frowning when she saw her friends expression. "What now?"
"I don't know about this."
Lane's face softened at the tone of her voice. "Come on, what's going on, now? I thought you were okay with this now."
"I was," Rory said softly, sitting down next to Lane on the bed. "But now.. I don't know, I feel like I'm betraying him."
Lane didn't have to ask who 'he' was. "He's gone, Ror. And you know he'd hate for you to live your life alone. But you have to take that first step to start living again."
"I know," she sighed, wiping away the lone tear that had escaped her eye. "It just hurts."
"I understand that," Lane said, a smile forming on her face. "But you can't spend the rest of your life mourning him. Just because you go out with other guys doesn't mean that you didn't love him."
Rory exhaled loudly before turning to the woman next to her with a smile on her face. "You're right, it doesn't. I'm gonna go out with this guy tonight and have fun. Dean would want me to."
"Good. Now that we've settled that, let's get you ready!" Lane giggled, pulling Rory back onto her feet and tossing the dress she had brought in, at her. Rory caught it easily and disappeared into the bathroom to change.
******
Tristan handed the cab driver the amount due as he slid out of the vehicle, eyeing the restaurant in front of him wearily. Leshko's was supposed to have amazing food, he knew some people from work that swore by the place, but it was looking a little intimidating at the moment. He inwardly laughed at that. A tiny restaurant like this one, nothing more then a hole in the wall place, with people filing in and out at a records pace, was intimidating him. That was ridiculous. Running a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath and headed inside.
The seats were white, the tables stone, the lighting tinted red, giving the place a homey yet sophisticated feeling. There was a bar on the far side, the dining room filling the majority of the space. The atmosphere was welcoming, groups of people sitting at the tables, enjoying their meals, having a drink or two, releasing the stress from the work week. At the bar, the bartender was laughing with a customer as he replaced the man's empty drink with a full one. Gazing around, he wondered how he was ever going to find his date for the night among the crowd.
Suddenly a red-headed waitress popped up next to him with a warm smile. "Can I help you?"
Stepping back in surprise, he managed to smile back. "Maybe. I'm supposed to be meeting someone here."
The woman nodded. "Sure. What's her name?"
At that, Tristan pulled a piece of paper from his coat pocket, squinting to read the writing in the dim lighting. "Um.. Lorelai."
"Lorelai, huh." The waitress paused, looking thoughtful. "Oh, you must mean Rory."
"Is she here?" Tristan asked, his blue eyes inquisitive, but thoughtful at the same time.
Nodding, she began walking further into the restaurant. "Follow me."
Tristan let out a deep breath and followed her through the throngs of people. Eventually she came to a stop near the back, away from the large groups. Sitting in the corner was a young woman, about his age he suspected, with long dark brown hair, that was hanging loose around her face. A large cup of coffee sat in front of her and she was checking the watch on one slim and delicate looking wrist as they approached.
"Rory," the waitress said loudly, causing the woman to look up.
"Jen," she greeted with a warm smile, which faltered just slightly when she noticed the man standing behind her.
"This guy here said he was looking for you."
Rory offered a small grin, standing to greet him. Jen took this as an okay and disappeared back into the crowd. "You must be Tristan," she greeted, holding out a hand in greeting.
Tristan nodded and returned the greeting, taking her hand. "And you're Lorelai?"
"Legally, yes," Rory replied, as they sat down at the table. "But I prefer Rory, really."
"Alright, Rory then."
The two settled into a somewhat uncomfortable silence then, as Rory took the time to study him. He seemed familiar, but she just couldn't place him. Finally, she decided she was just imagining things and opened her mouth to ask. "So, have you always lived here?"
Tristan shook his head, thankful that she was at least attempting to hold a conversation. "Ah, no. I'm from Connecticut, actually."
Surprise filtered across her face and her blue eyes widened. "You're kidding? I'm from Connecticut, too!"
"No way," Tristan said disbelievingly. "Where, if you don't mind me asking."
"Stars Hollow. You?"
"Hartford. For most of my life, anyway."
"What do you mean, most of your life?" Rory asked before smiling shyly. "Sorry, just the natural reporter in me, I guess."
"It's okay," Tristan dismissed. "I grew up in Hartford but was sent to school in North Carolina when I was sixteen."
Something about that struck a chord inside Rory, but she chose to ignore it. "Oh, wow. That must've been quite a change."
Tristan scoffed at that. "You have no idea."
Rory sat, looking contemplative for a moment. "So Tristan.. do you have a last name or do you follow Madonna's one-name theory?"
He chuckled at that, his blue eyes twinkling under the lights. "As fantastic as I am, I haven't quite reached the single named caliber. DuGrey. Tristan DuGrey."
That rendered Rory speechless for a moment as her mind whirled about, demanding that there was a link between herself and this man. "Oh, my God," she gasped suddenly, a hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wide.
Tristan gave her a concerned look. "Is there something wrong?"
"Oh, my God," she repeated, letting her hand drop back down to the table. "This is unbelievable."
"What?" Tristan asked, obviously confused.
"I know, we, you, wow," Rory stuttered, before breaking out into a huge grin.
"Still not following you here."
"I know you!" Rory finally managed to spit out.
Tristan's brow furrowed. "What?"
"We went to Chilton together," Rory explained. "God, I can't believe I didn't put it together until now."
"Completely lost," Tristan said.
At that, Rory's face fell. He didn't remember her. "You don't remember."
"I'm sorry," he apologized.
"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have expected you to. It's not like we were friends or anything."
Tristan felt his heart jerk at the sad tone of her voice. Reaching across the table, he covered her hand with his. "Are you sure we went to school together? I'm sure I wouldn't have forgotten someone like you."
Rory brightened a bit at the sexual innuendoes that laced in with that sentence. "At least you haven't changed."
"Huh?"
"At Chilton, you always had that.. leering quality to your voice, whenever you talked to me."
"Okay," Tristan said, still not following. They went to Chilton together.. but who was she? "Sorry, if I'm acting a bit dense here, but could you explain it to me?"
Rory giggled at that. "Okay. I started Chilton a few weeks into our sophomore year. You were the big man on campus with the enormous ego, who found great entertainment in torturing and teasing me constantly. The night you were sent to North Carolina we were supposed to do Act Five of Romeo and Juliet..." her voice trailed off.
Tristan was quiet as he processed this information and a few minutes later a lazy smirk spread across his handsome face. "Rory. Rory Gilmore."
******
.. That's all for today, folks. More.. soon.. I think.
-- Shay
Author : Shay (tlcforever@hotmail.com)
Rating : PG-13
Pairing : Established pairings for L/L & P/J. References to R/D & T/K. Eventual T/R
Spoilers : Anything up through season 3 is fair game, though I'll probably be selective about it.
Distribution : If you want it, take it. Just let me know.
Feedback : Tames the wild beast. Or something. I love feedback and will love you if you give it. :)
Authors Note : Okay, to clear something up here, real quick. The person who left a message in the previous chapter was not Tristan. It was Josh, posing as Tristan to set up a date. K? Great. And second.. there's some Trory action in this one. Not quite what you may have hoped for, but that'll come in due time :)
Part 03.
It was a few days later that Josh let himself into the penthouse apartment he and Tristan shared a few blocks from the office. It was really just Tristan's place, but he was staying with him until the house he was having built just outside the city was finished. Hanging his coat in the hall closet, he dropped his keys on the table next to the door and headed into the kitchen. Inside stood Natina, the cook who came in on the weekdays to cook their dinners, as neither had quite mastered that aspect of domesticated life just yet. Smiling in greeting, he headed to the refrigerator to grab a soda before sliding into one of the chairs seated on one side of the island, which is where Natina was currently stirring a pot of something. She smiled at him and went about her business, quite used to have him sitting there, watching as she cooked. Josh, who had never been allowed inside the kitchen as a child, found the whole making of a meal process fascinating. His ritual of watching Natina was interrupted a few minutes later, when the phone rang from the living room. Flashing the woman a charming grin, he got up and headed towards the source of the sound.
*******
"I can't do this," Rory protested, shoving the phone back at Lane, who gave her a disapproving look.
"Yes, you can. And you're going to."
"No, no way," she said firmly, backing away from the living room. Lane stared at her, her hands on her hips and a frown on her face.
"Come on, Rory. Just call him, make a date and I promise I'll stop bothering you."
"No."
"Yes, come on," Lane demanded, thrusting the phone in the general direction of her friend.
"I can't."
Lane rolled her eyes and retracted her arm. Grabbing the piece of paper from its place on the end table, she sent Rory an irritated look. If she wasn't going to do it, she would. One way or another, she was going to get Rory out on this date. "Fine, I'll call him."
Almost hesitantly, Rory stepped back into the living room, quietly crossing over and sitting back down next to Lane on the couch. Lane hit the on button and dialed the numbers, putting the phone to her ear. Rory leaned closer, so she could hear. After a few rings, the voice from the message answered.
"Hello?"
Lane didn't respond, but instead forced the phone on Rory, got up with a satisfied smile and disappeared in the direction of her room. Rory stared after her numbly, forgetting about the person on the other end until again he said.
"Hello?"
Timidly, she put the phone to her ear and took a deep breath. "Hi."
******
A confused look was present on Josh's face as a soft feminine voice finally broke the silence. Shifting the phone from one ear to the other, he sat back on the posh leather couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table. "Who is this?"
There was silence again, on the other end for a second before there was a sigh. "This is um, Lorelai. A Tristan called and left this number in response to a personal ad in the newspaper..."
Ah, so that was it. Grinning, Josh replied. "Yes, of course."
"So um, is he there?"
"This is he," Josh responded, thanking God, for the first time that he and Tristan sounded so much alike on the phone.
"Oh," the woman omitted. "Well. Hi. God, this is awkward."
Josh laughed, seemingly breaking the ice. The two settled into a light conversation, in which he found the mystery woman to be very witty and intelligent, both of which were just what his cousin needed. In the end, he set a date with her for the following Friday, to meet at a casual restaurant in the East Village. He jotted down a brief description of her and gave her one of Tristan as well. Once he hung up, he felt satisfied that this was indeed the woman to help his cousin to get over Karen and headed back into the kitchen where Natina had just finished dinner.
*****
Tristan sighed as he clicked save on his computer and closed the program he was working in, down. The office was quiet, except for the voices of some of the employees as they bid each other good-bye for the week. The December night outside was dark, thick white flakes falling from the sky in torrents, the people on the streets scurrying to get to where they were going so they could get where its warm as quickly as possible. A quick glance at the clock told him it was just after seven, meaning that Natina was probably just leaving the apartment, a nice hot meal waiting to be devoured sitting at home for him. He would have to settle for a nice hot reheated meal, however, as he was going to be stuck in the office for a good part of the night. A scowl appeared on his handsome face as he envisioned his cousin, sitting in front of the large screen TV, a plate of whatever delectable meal Natina had prepared for them tonight in one hand, the remote control in the other, his feet up on the table as he howled at a random television show.
It was just the opposite of how it seemed it should be. He should be the irresponsible one, taking life as it came at him. But here he was, sitting pretty at the top of the family business, working as hard as he could just to keep the New York branch running smoothly. DuGrey Enterprises, a now world wide advertising company that had been born from the minds of his father and uncle, Josh's father, was not an easy company to run. Even with his business degree from Princeton, Tristan struggled to keep it together, all while Josh, who had also graduated from Princeton, the family university, ran through the streets of New York, acting as if he hadn't a care in the world. He should have objected when his father had asked him to take Josh onboard in New York, knowing what his cousin was like. He was just how he used to be, wild, oblivious to the rest of the world, focused on only one thing - women.
A knock on his office door broke him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see his secretary standing in the doorway. "I'm leaving, Mr. DuGrey. Is there anything you need before I take off?"
Tristan gave a shake of his head. "No, thanks, Melinda. Have a good weekend."
Melinda nodded and offered a smile. "Thank you, Mr. DuGrey, you, too. I'll see you Monday."
"Bye," Tristan replied, but she had already disappeared from view. Sighing again, he leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck to relieve some of the tension in the muscles. He had already been at work since six o'clock that morning, even after staying until well after midnight the previous day. Tonight didn't look like it was going to be any different. He was definitely looking forward to the Christmas break that was coming up, so he could go back to Hartford and just play the prodigal son for awhile, no worries about work. But he had to get through the current projects he was heading in order to get to go home. Closing his eyes and counting to ten, Tristan reopened them and dove back into his work.
******
"Yes, it's true," Rory sighed into the phone, three days later, as she rushed around the apartment, looking for a long lost shoe.
"I don't believe it. She's a genius! The girl is an absolute genius. I'm jealous," Lorelai replied loudly from her home in Stars Hollow.
A small grin spread across Rory's face and she shook her head in amusement. "It's not that big of a deal."
"Not that big of a deal? Hon, this is a huge deal."
"No, it's not."
"You had to go and inherit my stubborn gene, didn't you," Lorelai said, her voice taking on a mock sad tone.
"You bet," Rory said softly before shouting a triumphant, "found you!" as she pulled the missing heel from underneath the couch.
"Ow, sweetie, that was mommy's ear."
"Sorry," Rory apologized, glancing at the clock. "I'm really running late for work now, Mom. I'll call you later so you can continue the gloating."
"I was not gloating."
"Whatever. I really have to go."
"Aw, okay. I'll talk to you tonight, then."
"Yep. Give Luke my love."
"Will do. Bye, kiddo."
"Bye, Mom."
Hanging up, Rory rolled her eyes heavenward before shoving her foot into the now found shoe, grabbing her coat and keys and running out the door.
******
"So, Friday?" Tristan asked reluctantly, staring at his cousin from across the desk in his office.
Josh nodded in confirmation, handing him a slip of paper. "There's the directions and the description she gave me of herself. Try not to be a complete ass, would ya?"
Tristan gave him a look but conceded. "I'll be the perfect gentleman."
"Good," Josh grinned, getting up. "I'm heading out, see you later."
"We have," Tristan began to object loudly but his voice tapered off, as Josh had already disappeared from view. "a meeting," he finished, to himself. Shaking his head in annoyance, he folded the paper in half and stuck it in his pocket, grabbed a stack of folders and papers and headed out the door, towards the conference room.
******
Friday afternoon.
Rory stared at her reflection in the mirror that hung on the back of her bedroom door, eyeing herself critically. This was so weird, completely unlike her. She didn't casual date, she didn't go out with men she didn't know. With her luck, he probably was some kind of stalker or serial killer. She was jarred out of her thoughts, however, when Lane bounded back into her room, a dress draped over one arm.
"Found it," she announced happily before frowning when she saw her friends expression. "What now?"
"I don't know about this."
Lane's face softened at the tone of her voice. "Come on, what's going on, now? I thought you were okay with this now."
"I was," Rory said softly, sitting down next to Lane on the bed. "But now.. I don't know, I feel like I'm betraying him."
Lane didn't have to ask who 'he' was. "He's gone, Ror. And you know he'd hate for you to live your life alone. But you have to take that first step to start living again."
"I know," she sighed, wiping away the lone tear that had escaped her eye. "It just hurts."
"I understand that," Lane said, a smile forming on her face. "But you can't spend the rest of your life mourning him. Just because you go out with other guys doesn't mean that you didn't love him."
Rory exhaled loudly before turning to the woman next to her with a smile on her face. "You're right, it doesn't. I'm gonna go out with this guy tonight and have fun. Dean would want me to."
"Good. Now that we've settled that, let's get you ready!" Lane giggled, pulling Rory back onto her feet and tossing the dress she had brought in, at her. Rory caught it easily and disappeared into the bathroom to change.
******
Tristan handed the cab driver the amount due as he slid out of the vehicle, eyeing the restaurant in front of him wearily. Leshko's was supposed to have amazing food, he knew some people from work that swore by the place, but it was looking a little intimidating at the moment. He inwardly laughed at that. A tiny restaurant like this one, nothing more then a hole in the wall place, with people filing in and out at a records pace, was intimidating him. That was ridiculous. Running a hand through his hair, he took a deep breath and headed inside.
The seats were white, the tables stone, the lighting tinted red, giving the place a homey yet sophisticated feeling. There was a bar on the far side, the dining room filling the majority of the space. The atmosphere was welcoming, groups of people sitting at the tables, enjoying their meals, having a drink or two, releasing the stress from the work week. At the bar, the bartender was laughing with a customer as he replaced the man's empty drink with a full one. Gazing around, he wondered how he was ever going to find his date for the night among the crowd.
Suddenly a red-headed waitress popped up next to him with a warm smile. "Can I help you?"
Stepping back in surprise, he managed to smile back. "Maybe. I'm supposed to be meeting someone here."
The woman nodded. "Sure. What's her name?"
At that, Tristan pulled a piece of paper from his coat pocket, squinting to read the writing in the dim lighting. "Um.. Lorelai."
"Lorelai, huh." The waitress paused, looking thoughtful. "Oh, you must mean Rory."
"Is she here?" Tristan asked, his blue eyes inquisitive, but thoughtful at the same time.
Nodding, she began walking further into the restaurant. "Follow me."
Tristan let out a deep breath and followed her through the throngs of people. Eventually she came to a stop near the back, away from the large groups. Sitting in the corner was a young woman, about his age he suspected, with long dark brown hair, that was hanging loose around her face. A large cup of coffee sat in front of her and she was checking the watch on one slim and delicate looking wrist as they approached.
"Rory," the waitress said loudly, causing the woman to look up.
"Jen," she greeted with a warm smile, which faltered just slightly when she noticed the man standing behind her.
"This guy here said he was looking for you."
Rory offered a small grin, standing to greet him. Jen took this as an okay and disappeared back into the crowd. "You must be Tristan," she greeted, holding out a hand in greeting.
Tristan nodded and returned the greeting, taking her hand. "And you're Lorelai?"
"Legally, yes," Rory replied, as they sat down at the table. "But I prefer Rory, really."
"Alright, Rory then."
The two settled into a somewhat uncomfortable silence then, as Rory took the time to study him. He seemed familiar, but she just couldn't place him. Finally, she decided she was just imagining things and opened her mouth to ask. "So, have you always lived here?"
Tristan shook his head, thankful that she was at least attempting to hold a conversation. "Ah, no. I'm from Connecticut, actually."
Surprise filtered across her face and her blue eyes widened. "You're kidding? I'm from Connecticut, too!"
"No way," Tristan said disbelievingly. "Where, if you don't mind me asking."
"Stars Hollow. You?"
"Hartford. For most of my life, anyway."
"What do you mean, most of your life?" Rory asked before smiling shyly. "Sorry, just the natural reporter in me, I guess."
"It's okay," Tristan dismissed. "I grew up in Hartford but was sent to school in North Carolina when I was sixteen."
Something about that struck a chord inside Rory, but she chose to ignore it. "Oh, wow. That must've been quite a change."
Tristan scoffed at that. "You have no idea."
Rory sat, looking contemplative for a moment. "So Tristan.. do you have a last name or do you follow Madonna's one-name theory?"
He chuckled at that, his blue eyes twinkling under the lights. "As fantastic as I am, I haven't quite reached the single named caliber. DuGrey. Tristan DuGrey."
That rendered Rory speechless for a moment as her mind whirled about, demanding that there was a link between herself and this man. "Oh, my God," she gasped suddenly, a hand flying to her mouth, her eyes wide.
Tristan gave her a concerned look. "Is there something wrong?"
"Oh, my God," she repeated, letting her hand drop back down to the table. "This is unbelievable."
"What?" Tristan asked, obviously confused.
"I know, we, you, wow," Rory stuttered, before breaking out into a huge grin.
"Still not following you here."
"I know you!" Rory finally managed to spit out.
Tristan's brow furrowed. "What?"
"We went to Chilton together," Rory explained. "God, I can't believe I didn't put it together until now."
"Completely lost," Tristan said.
At that, Rory's face fell. He didn't remember her. "You don't remember."
"I'm sorry," he apologized.
"No, it's okay. I shouldn't have expected you to. It's not like we were friends or anything."
Tristan felt his heart jerk at the sad tone of her voice. Reaching across the table, he covered her hand with his. "Are you sure we went to school together? I'm sure I wouldn't have forgotten someone like you."
Rory brightened a bit at the sexual innuendoes that laced in with that sentence. "At least you haven't changed."
"Huh?"
"At Chilton, you always had that.. leering quality to your voice, whenever you talked to me."
"Okay," Tristan said, still not following. They went to Chilton together.. but who was she? "Sorry, if I'm acting a bit dense here, but could you explain it to me?"
Rory giggled at that. "Okay. I started Chilton a few weeks into our sophomore year. You were the big man on campus with the enormous ego, who found great entertainment in torturing and teasing me constantly. The night you were sent to North Carolina we were supposed to do Act Five of Romeo and Juliet..." her voice trailed off.
Tristan was quiet as he processed this information and a few minutes later a lazy smirk spread across his handsome face. "Rory. Rory Gilmore."
******
.. That's all for today, folks. More.. soon.. I think.
-- Shay
