A.N: Well, I know that it's been I while since I last updated, but there's a reason for that: This, my dear readers, is the last chapter! I still don't own it (bla, bla, bla…) but I do hope that you'd enjoy it. Though I never pushed you to review, I hope that you'd do it today, and tell me what you think. Because it would mean a lot to me!!! I'd like to thank those who took the time to review and to tell me what they thought- you're the best! I'd also like to thank Polina for making me put this online and pushed me to go on whenever I was stuck. And Maya, for pushing me to go on- it would have taken a lot longer without them! Okay, I'm just going to say that I'm not going to write a sequel, but that I'm very proud for finishing this fic. Enjoy! (And let me know what you think!), JessieBite.
Don't judge a book by its cover
Chapter 10:
"So, who was it on the phone?" Don asked as I entered the room.
"Believe it or not, it was my mother." I answered, smiling.
"I must say that it wasn't as short as usual." John pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. Apparently she wants me to come back home. She already spoke to my father about it."
"That's good, right?" Matt asked, smiling.
"Yeah, I guess I got my wish. Next semester I'm going back home."
"That's in about-" Matt started.
"Three weeks." I cut him off, "I know."
John looked at me for a second, "I'm sorry, but you don't seem very happy about it."
"Well, I am. I mean, it's great to finally leave this hellhole. I'm just not sure how things are going to go between Rory and I once I'm back." I explained.
"Surrounded by those people…" John said understandingly.
"Exactly."
"Well, don't let your 'friends' change you again." Matt said, trying to help.
"It's not that." I said quietly, looking at the floor.
"Oh, I know what it is." Don said, smirking, "He's afraid that he'll never get to see us again. Don't worry; we'll never forget you. We love you…"
Ignoring his words I looked up, "It's just that I'm not sure how being around her all the time will affect whatever relationship we have. I'm just not sure that she wants me to be around her that much."
"Well, you never know until you try." John said.
"And you two do get along now…" Matt added with a smile.
"And it's not like you have to be around her all the time." Don said, smirking again.
I looked at him for a second, "You're not funny."
He smiled, "I think I am."
I turned my eyes back to the floor, "I'll have to get good grades." I said quietly.
"That shouldn't be a problem." Matt said.
"And hang out with the right people…"
"Does that mean that you're going to have to stop dating everything that moves?" Don asked, smiling my way.
"Yeah." I looked at him, annoyed, "I guess it does."
"Oh, what a shame…" John said, smiling.
"Isn't it?" I smiled back.
"I still can't believe you get to leave this place." Matt suddenly interjected.
"I know." I smiled, "I thought that I was going to be here for senior year."
"Just come visit us sometimes." Matt looked at me, smiling.
"I will."
"And bring Rory with you…" Don said.
"Still not funny."
"Well, I still think I am."
"What can I say?" I smiled, "You're dumb."
"But you on the other hand, not funny at all…" he smirked again.
"Okay, I don't know why we're saying our goodbyes yet. I mean, you still have to take my shit for three more weeks." I said.
"Quite right, you are." John said, trying his best to sound British.
"Don't start." Matt grabbed a shoe and threw it in John's direction.
I started laughing.
"What is it that you find so hilarious, good sir?" John asked, using a British accent again.
"It's just that I'm going to miss that." I said, chuckling.
"What, his stupid accent?" Matt asked, looking at me as if I were crazy.
"No. The two of you making fun of one another." I explained.
"Hey, I make fun of them, too." Don said loudly.
"And I have to say that you're very good at it." I said, smiling.
"I know."
"I'm going to head to the office and call Josh." I said.
"What about Rory?" John asked.
I smiled, "Rory's in for a surprise."
"I like the way you're thinking." He said with a smile.
"He probably thinks that she's going to kiss him because she'd missed him so much."
"You see?" I turned to look at Don, "That one wasn't funny."
"No, I'm sorry, what on earth was I thinking?" Don smirked my way, "You're probably gonna be the one who's doing all the kissing."
"Did you hear that?" I asked, turning to the door, "I think that someone's calling my name. I'd better go and see what they want."
"Have fun with your imaginary friends." Don said as I left the room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"I can see that you're packing." I heard the counselor's voice from behind me.
"Then I guess that means that you're not blind."
"Where are your friends?" she asked, ignoring my words.
"I don't know."
"I'm glad to see that things worked out for you and that you're going back home." She said quietly, stepping into the room.
"Yeah." I glanced at her for a second, "Anything's better than this place."
"Are you telling me that you don't want to go back home?" she looked at me, as if studying my face.
"I didn't say anything like that. You're the one who's jumping to conclusions here…"
"You will surely be missed around here."
"Well, the only thing I'm really going to miss here is having the guys around."
"I assumed that much."
"How clever."
"But you can always call them."
"Really, how do I do that?"
"I just hope, for your sake, that you won't mess things up again."
I turned to look at her, "Don't you have better things to do with your time?"
"Fine. I'm leaving."
"Have a nice day."
"You too." She smiled my way before leaving the room.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So when are you starting Chilton again?" Don asked me twenty minutes later.
"Next week, on Tuesday"
"That gives you four days to just sit around." John pointed out.
"Yeah, I know. I'm sure I'll find something interesting to do."
"The most important thing is that you're leaving this place." Matt said with a smile.
"I know."
"Actually, I think it's the second important thing." John said, smirking, "The most important thing is that he'd finally get to see his little Gilmore."
"The most important thing is that I won't have to listen to your shit anymore." I said.
"Does that mean you're not calling?" Don mock-cried.
"No. It means that I don't have to listen to it all day long."
"But I though that we had something going on. And then, just like that, out of the blue, you're telling me that you're not going to call…" he went on.
"Don't worry, you have me." John said, smiling.
"But my heart belongs to another." Don said dramatically.
"But I love you." John said, trying to sound as cheesy as possible.
"I can only love one."
"I have to confess something to you." Matt said, looking at John, "I'm in love with you."
"Oh no, what shall I do?" John professed dramatically.
"Okay, I get the idea." I smiled.
"Keep in touch is all we ask." John said.
"I will."
"And keep us posted on the great romance." Don smirked.
"You already know the ending." I said, "They both die."
"But the can come back from the dead."
"Sure, that's romantic."
"I think it is."
"Gross and Disgusting, man's most famous novel…"
"I can't believe you're not going to be around to help us pull some stuff around here."
"Yeah, me too."
"Do you have everything packed?" Matt asked.
"I think so."
"And it's your last night here…" John said.
"You're all invited to come for a visit when school's out."
"It's a good thought. You're welcomed here too." John said.
"For some odd reason, I think I'll pass."
"I can't see why…" Don smiled.
"The best thing about leaving is that I won't have to talk to the counselor again."
"I still say she's hot."
"And I still say that you should have your head examined…"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I woke up very early that day and said my last goodbyes before leaving to the airport. Who would have thought that on some level I'd think of North Carolina, at least a part of it, as home? A very small part of it, and yet, still a part. An important part. As I walked down the hall to the main entrance I couldn't help but notice the quietness around me. I guess that everyone was sleeping but at that moment I needed some noise around me. At that moment I needed to hear voices around, to see life in the place I was leaving. Just to know that someone was still there and that I wasn't alone. Finally, I couldn't take the silence that surrounded me anymore and I took my Discman out, pressing the play button I lost myself in the music.
I took a cab from school to the airport, not taking my earphones down for even a second. I got to the airport right on time to board the plane and as I took my seat I looked around, maybe I'd recognize somebody, I thought. I didn't. I smiled to myself and closed my eyes; drowning in the music I fell asleep.
The passenger that sat next to nudged me lightly, waking me up. I opened my eyes slowly, looking around me and realizing that the plane has probably landed. Gathering my things quickly I moved to the exit. Fifteen minutes later, after I'd found my suitcase in baggage claim and took it, I saw my mother, waving at me. I smiled to myself at the change. With the suitcase still in my hand I walked over to her.
She smiled at me, "How was your flight?"
"Oh, you know, we took off, I fell asleep, we landed and here I am right now…"
"Are you mad at me?" she asked worriedly.
"No, mom, I'm just tired. That's all."
"Well, I have James, with the car, waiting for us outside."
"How did you know when I was landing?"
"I called and asked."
"Oh, okay."
"Why, can't a mother come and pick her son from the airport anymore?"
"I just wanted to know, mom.
"Well, I'm here to pick you up."
"Why don't we go home, then?"
"That is a great idea." She said, smiling brightly.
We walked outside to find James, our driver, waiting outside. I put my suitcase in the trunk and we left, heading home.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Hey, why are you calling?" she sounded surprised to hear from me.
"I can hang up if you really want me to."
"No." she said quickly, "I just thought that I was calling you today."
"I couldn't wait any longer."
"Awww… you missed me."
"And I'm going to call you every day now." I said, ignoring her comment.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Why?" she inquired.
"Does it really matter?"
Quiet on the other end of the line.
"Rory, are you still there?"
"I guess it doesn't really matter."
"Good then, it's settled. I'm calling you every day."
"So, when's your next visit?"
I smiled, "I have no idea."
"Huh…"
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just that I thought that you were going to talk to your father."
"And here I thought that I was going to give him some time to cool off."
"He's had enough time."
"Rory…"
"What? Don't tell me that you think that a month isn't enough time."
"I'll talk to him. Just give me some more time."
"But I really want you to come back."
"So that you could finally see me and drool over the way I look?" I joked.
"No. So that I could kick your ass after every annoying comment like that one."
"Oh, come on, Gilmore, just admit it."
"Admit what, Tristan?"
"That you think that I'm totally hot."
"Well, there's no point in denying it anymore since you're onto me, just the sound of your voice makes me melt…" she said dryly.
"How are you, anyway?"
"I'm fine."
"Care to elaborate?"
"Do you know David Brown?"
I thought for a moment, "Yeah. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I'm assigned to do something with him in school."
"And?" I didn't understand.
"And I wanted to know if he's nice, since we're going to be spending lots of time together. That's all."
"He's okay, I guess."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Don't worry about it, he's cool."
"Good."
"So what's the assignment?"
"Research stuff."
"About?" I asked.
"Someone that we think made a difference with his actions."
"Social studies?" I asked understandingly.
"Yeah."
"Sorry."
"Actually, I think that it's a good assignment."
"Suits you right…"
"I don't appreciate you making fun of my opinion."
"Who'd you pick?"
"I haven't, at least not yet. There are so many options that I have to look at them all."
"Rory…" I heard a shout in the background.
"My room." I heard her yell to the other person, "Hey, Tristan, can you call me later?"
"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"Who are you talking to?" I heard Lorelai's voice again.
"Tristan." She answered her.
"Oh, say hi for me." I heard her whisper.
"She says-"
"Hi." I smiled, "Yeah, I heard her. Say hi back."
"He says hi back." she told her mother.
"Rory." I said, trying to get her attention.
"Yeah?"
"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sure."
"Bye."
"Bye." And with that she hung up.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Hello?" I heard Josh' voice.
"Hey, how's it going?" I asked.
"He, why are you calling?"
"Just to say hi." I thought for a moment, "Rory told me about the assignment you all got in Social studies, who are you working with?"
"Laura, why?"
"No reason. So who's Jane's partner?"
"Actually, she's working on that one alone."
"Why?" I inquired.
"An odd number in the class."
"So who'd you pick?"
"I don't know yet. Got any ideas for me?"
"No. But once I do, you'd be the first to know."
"So how are things going back there?"
"Pretty good."
"That's a new one. But I guess that it's a good thing."
"Well, I'm going to visit soon."
"When?"
"I'm not sure, I just know that it's going to be soon."
"Give me a call when you get here."
"I'm going to come to Chilton."
"How are things with Rory anyways?"
"Things are fine, I guess."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, forget about it. Everything's great."
"That's nice."
Something in his voice sounded weird, "What are you hiding?" I asked.
"Nothing." he tried to sound casual, a thing that he never did unless something was wrong.
"Spill it."
"It's nothing, really. It can wait, it's not that of a big deal."
"Then I'm sure I can handle it. Tell me."
"Look, I'm sorry, but I really have to go. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"Wha-" I was confused.
"Jane's waiting for me and I don't want to keep her waiting, I really have to go."
"Fine. I'll talk to you soon. Bye."
"Bye." He hung up. Did I ever mention just how much I hate it when people leave you hanging with only speculations?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So, how are things going with David?" We were now on the phone, and the next day was going to be my first day back at Chilton. I know that you might think that it was weird but I have my reasons for not telling her that I was back. I guess that on some level I wanted it to be a surprise, I wanted to see her face when she'd realize that I was back.
"He's so nice." She said enthusiastically, "I think that he's amazing."
"You do?" I asked, a little surprised at her choice of words.
"Yeah. He's so much fun to work with."
"I bet." I said, trying my best not to make any connection with what Josh had said the night before when we talked on the phone. It wasn't working!
"What do you mean?" she sounded confused.
"Nothing." I took a deep breath, "So, are you going to school tomorrow?" I asked, changing the subject.
"Do you even have to asks?"
I smiled, "I guess not."
"You know me, you know that I have to, because if I don't then I won't learn any new things and then I'll get bored."
"Speaking of new things, do you have anything new to tell me?"
"I can't find my favorite shirt."
"You have homework, don't you?"
"Tons."
"Then I guess I should let you go."
"Maybe mom knows where it is." she said thoughtfully.
"Rory…"
"I bet she stole it from me, and now I'll never get it back." she said, still not paying any attention to me.
"Rory." I said again.
"What?"
"I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay."
"She's probably hiding it under her bed."
"Good thinking, Mister."
"Promise me that you'll do your homework and then you'll go looking for it."
"I'll just deprive her of coffee, leaving her no choice but to give it back."
I smiled, "Now, that's just evil."
"Well, so does stealing my things."
"I agree."
"And I'll have to lock her inside so that she won't be able to go to Luke's."
"Bye."
"I'll talk to you tomorrow and let you know how it went."
"Okay, bye." I hung up with a smile. I don't think that I've ever heard of anything more entertaining than Rory and Lorelai's relationship.
"Who were you talking to on the phone?" I turned around quickly, finding my mother standing at the doorway, looking at me strangely, a smile playing on her lips.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I was talking to Rory Gilmore."
"Richard and Emily's granddaughter?"
"Yeah."
Her smile softened, "You like her." she observed.
"You're leaving." I got up and walked over to her.
"Maybe I could talk to Emily."
"Now." I shut the door in her face, knowing that she'd get the hint.
"It would make things much easier." I heard her voice from behind the door.
I opened the door, looking at her for a moment, "I want to do this on my own, mom."
She smiled, "I'm glad to see that you're growing up."
I smiled back, "Thanks."
She pushed the door and walked into my room again, with another smile she came closer and gave me a hug, "Have a good night."
I pulled away form her, "You too."
"I'll see you tomorrow morning."
"Okay."
With another smile she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
After a very long talk with the headmaster I finally got my schedule and headed for class. With a smile playing on my lips I walked into class and took the only seat that was open, one that was at the far end of the classroom. I spotted Rory in the front row.
Once I was settled down I looked up to find Rory's eyes fixated on me, I looked at her for a moment, not sure what to do. Finally, after a while, I smiled her way, hoping that it would do for the moment.
She stared at me for another moment without moving. And then she smiled, nervously, back. Still looking at me she mouthed a few words, 'What are you doing here?'
I looked in the teacher's direction and mouthed back in response, 'After class.'
Her eyes turned to the teacher for a moment and then back to me. She smiled again and mouthed a 'Welcome back' before turning to her notes again.
I smiled to myself as I turned my attention to the teacher, hoping that I won't get too bored.
"What are you doing here?" The bell just rang and she was already at my side, looking at me with her big, blue, questioning eyes.
I smiled, "What do you think?"
"Are you back for good?" her voice was full of excitement.
"I think so."
She smiled at my words.
I stood up and looked at her for a moment, "Aren't you going to give me a hug?"
Her smile turned into a teasing one, "I'm not sure I want to…"
"Well, since you're not as happy as I thought you'd be I think that it would be a great idea for me to leave right now. Before you make me feel even worse…"
She smiled softly, "But you can hug me. If you want to that is."
"Okay then," I pulled her into a hug, "I missed you." I said quietly.
She put her arms around me, pulling me a bit closer as she hugged me, "I missed you too." She said softly.
I pulled away from her with a smile, "So what do you have now?"
She walked over to her desk and picked up her things, "French."
I took my bag and walked over to the door, meeting her there, "Then I guess that I'm joining you." I said with a smile.
"Are you stalking me, Mr. Dugrey?" she asked as she walked out of the classroom.
I followed her, smiling, "Yeah, but don't tell anyone…"
"Hey, Rory, wait up." I heard a voice from behind us.
She turned to look at the voice's owner, "Hey, David." She gave him a smile.
"Are you heading to French class?" he stopped next to us.
"Yeah, why don't you join us?"
His eyes turned to look at me, "Oh, hey, I didn't see you there." he gave me a smile, "Are you back to Chilton?" he asked.
"Yes, I am."
"That's nice." He turned his attention back to Rory, "Are we meeting after school today?"
"Yeah." She looked at her watch, "We better start moving or we're going to be late for class."
The three of us started walking, "So, have you seen Josh or Jane?" I asked, wanting to know what the hell was going on.
"They're probably in class."
"Right." I said, avoiding eye contact, "I'm gonna go find them." I gave the two a smile and left them behind as I rushed to class, hoping to Find Josh or Jane there.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
As I walked into class I saw that Josh was with his back to the door, talking to somebody. I walked over to where he was, "Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
He turned to look at me, smiling, "No 'hi, how are you?' Tristan, where are your manners?" he smiled, "Told you what?"
"Hey, how are you?" I didn't wait for an answer, "Why didn't you tell me that Rory and David are-"
"They're friends, that's all. So why don't you calm down?"
"Well, he's not looking at her like that's all he wants."
"Are you jealous?" he smiled asking that.
"No."
"Because you have no right to be jealous. It's not like you two are together or something." He said, knowing that it would irritate me.
"And what if I am jealous?" I asked.
"Well, as a guy that Jane confides in, I can tell you that Rory doesn't want anything from David aside from his friendship."
I turned to look at the door, spotting Rory and David as they walked into the classroom. Rory was laughing, obviously at something that David had just said. I stared at them for a moment, feeling more frustrated by the moment, "Look at them." I said to Josh, "So cozy…"
"Calm down, okay?" he said.
"I hate this." I found an empty seat and threw my belongings on the table.
Rory came over and touched my shoulder, trying to get my attention, "What's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Nothing." I moved away from her touch, "Why do you assume that something's wrong with me?"
She looked at me with concern in her eyes, "I didn't mean to. You just seem like you're a little mad or something like that."
"I'm not." I said, avoiding eye contact.
"Well, I thought that you'd like to sit next to me..." she said quietly.
I looked at her for a second, "Sure, why not?" I lifted my things off the table and followed her to her seat. "So, is there anything you want to tell me?" I asked as I put my things on the table next to hers.
She looked at me strangely, "Like what?"
"Like, I don't know, you and David…"
"I thought that I already told you about it. We're working on some social studies assignment together." She said simply.
"Right." I said, not believing her.
"Are you implying something?"
"No."
"I know you, Tristan, What are you trying to say?"
"That you two look very cozy."
"We're friends."
"Right."
"Something is wrong with you. You've completely lost your mind."
"You're flirting with one another."
"And you see things that don't exist."
I saw the teacher walking into the classroom, "We'll continue this later, the teacher's here."
"I can't wait." She said as she sat down.
I took out my notebook and started writing down what the teacher had said until I noticed that Rory was still looking at me, "What?" I asked her.
"Nothing." She whispered.
"Then why are you looking at me?"
"No reason."
The teacher eyed us, "Fine. Then stop looking at me, I can't concentrate that way."
She sighed, "Fine." Her eyes turned to the notebook in front of her.
Every once in a while she turned to look at me for a few moments, studying my figure. I wasn't sure what that really mean but I couldn't help but smile to myself every time she turned her eyes away, hoping that she wouldn't get caught doing so.
"Are you okay?" she asked me as soon as the bell rang.
"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked in return, avoiding eye contact.
"Then why are you mad at me?"
"I'm not mad at you." I said, looking at her for just a second.
"Well, you're acting like you are…"
"But I don't."
"Tristan."
"Rory, drop it already, I'm not mad at you."
"Fine." She gave up, "What do you have next?"
I looked at the schedule in my hand, "Math."
She looked a bit disappointed, "And then what?"
"Biology, why?"
"Because now I have Chemistry and then I have Biology."
"Then I guess I'll see you then…"
"Okay." she smile, "Save me a seat."
I threw my things into my bag and stood up, I gave her a smile and started walking, expecting her to follow me. When she didn't do that I turned to look at her, "Aren't you going to your next class?"
"Yeah, I am, in a minute. I'm just waiting for David to join me, he's right over there." she said, pointing to where David was standing.
Frustrated, I started walking away, "Have fun…" I said.
All I could think about in that moment was that they'd probably be together very soon. I guess that David was the guy she talked about. I guess I still wasn't enough no matter what. And here I thought that I had a chance with her, I thought that there was some chance that she was talking about me when we talked on the phone. Well, I am human after all, and we all make mistakes. At least I knew where I was standing…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Just as I was about to leave, at the end of the day, I saw Rory and David walking down the hall together, talking about something. She smiled at something that he'd just said and it was more than obvious to me that he liked her. The way that he looked at her gave it away; I saw just how much he liked her. Realizing that I was staring at them, I forced myself to turn my eyes away. Hoping that they wouldn't notice me I started moving quickly to the door, but suddenly I heard her voice from behind me, "Tristan."
I turned around to look at her, feeling guilty, "Yeah?"
She started walking to me, "What are you still doing here?"
"Mrs. Hall wanted me to stay after class so that she could give me the needed material for the test we have tomorrow. And it took longer than I thought it would." I said. "What are you two still doing here?"
"We had a Franklin meeting."
"How did it go?" I asked, not really interested.
"Paris yelled at us again, saying that we're all incompetent. You know, your basic fun afternoon…" she said, smiling.
I smiled in return, "I'm sure that you've learned to let it slide by now."
"Yes, I have."
"Look, I really have to go."
"What are you going to do about the test?" she asked.
"Study. Hopefully, I'll pass."
"Do you need any help?"
"I'll be fine." I said.
"You can join us if you want to. We were about to go to David's house and do the Social studies assignment for about an hour and then study anyway…"
I looked at her for a second, "I don't want to intrude."
"You're not intruding." She turned to David, "Right?"
"No." he said quietly, "He could watch TV or something like that while we're working, and then we'll all study together."
"I'll just come later. I'll be there in about an hour and a half." I said.
Rory gave me a smile, "Okay."
"I'll see you later." I turned around and walked out of the building.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thinking that David's house wasn't all that far from mine, and that I could really use some fresh air I decided to walk to his house. It took me about ten minutes to get to David's house, as I took my time on the way, thinking that it might help me to relax a little. As I stood in front of the front door and rang the doorbell I remember thinking to myself that maybe this whole thing wasn't all that bad. It took the help a few minutes to get to the door and to tell you the truth, that didn't really help my, already bad, mood. When I was finally let in and showed to where Rory and David were I wanted to disappear. As if things weren't bad enough, I walked into the room to find something that wrecked me at that moment. Here they were, he was tickling her and she was, of course, laughing. I stood there for a moment, just staring at them; they didn't even notice my presence. Seeing this really got to me, and at that moment I decided that maybe coming there wasn't such a great idea after all.
Thinking that they wouldn't hear me I murmured quietly to myself, "Maybe I should just leave you two alone."
Suddenly her eyes turned to look at me, a confused look etched on her face, "What?"
"Nothing. I just think that maybe I should leave." I said.
She looked even more confused, "Why?"
I looked at David, "I don't think I want to be a fifth wheel."
She looked at me strangely, not understanding what I was trying to say, "What do you mean?"
"Nothing, Rory. I'm just gonna go." Saying that I turned to walk away.
"But what about the test?" I heard her get up from behind me.
I started walking down the hall even faster, "I'll study by myself."
"I'll be right back." I heard her saying to David.
I opened the front door and walked outside, heading back to my house, "Figures." I said quietly as I quickened my steps, feeling the need to get away from there.
"Tristan." She said aloud, running after me. I didn't turn to look at her, knowing that I should just walk away as quickly as I could if I didn't want to get hurt. "What's the matter with you?" she asked me breathlessly as she reached me.
I didn't stop walking, "Nothing Rory."
"Then just stop walking for a moment." She jumped in front of me, touching my arm lightly, hoping that I'd listen to her.
I froze, "What do you want?" I managed out.
"I want you to drop your defenses for once, and tell me what's wrong."
I made eye contact, "I can't." her hand was still touching mine, and that, in a way, drove me crazy.
"I don't understand, Tristan." She seemed confused, "Why are you so mad at me?"
"I'm not mad at you." I said quietly.
"Then what are you?"
"I'm… I'm confused."
"Why?"
"Because you keep telling me that nothing's going on between you and David and that's not how it seems."
"But you know me, nothing is as it seems." She smiled lightly.
I turned my eyes away from her, "True." I said quietly.
"And why do you care, anyway?"
"I just do."
"I can't do this anymore, Tristan." She pulled her hand away from mine, pulling her arms around her stomach.
"Do what?" I asked.
"I need you to let me in."
"I thought I did."
"Tristan." I could hear exasperation in her voice.
"What?"
"Why can't you, for once, just answer my questions?"
"You're not going to like the answers you get."
"Try me."
"Fine." I said in defeat, "What do you want to know?"
"Why do you hate David?"
"I don't hate David."
She only glared at me, waiting for me to answer honestly.
"I just don't like him."
"And why is that, may I ask?"
"Because he's always around you, not leaving you alone for a moment."
"But why does it make you-"
"Because you're blind." I didn't let her finish the question, "Because you can't see what I see."
"And what do you see?"
"I see lots of things."
"Tristan." She touched me, lightly, again.
"I can't tell you, Rory. It's not my place to say anything."
"I know he likes me, okay?!" she snapped at me, "He told me. And I told him that I wasn't interested, so we decided on being friends."
"He told you?"
She just looked at me.
"And why aren't you interested?" I asked.
"I don't know." she said quietly.
"Yes, you do." I said simply.
"He's not my type." She explained.
"And what is your type, may I ask?"
"I'm not sure."
"Then how can you be so sure that he's not your type?"
"Well, I don't know what is my type, I jus know that he's not it."
"Sure." I said, giving up.
"What's your type?" she asked quietly.
"I'm not sure either."
"Because you have so many that you can't pick?" she asked knowingly.
"No." her question stung, "Because I don't know how to define her."
"Who is she?"
"I'm not telling you."
"What made you notice her?" she moved on, knowing that there was no point dwelling on it for too long.
"The fact that she didn't want to be noticed."
"Oh…"
There she was, right in front of me, and I was tired. I was tired of pretending, and I was tired of hiding. I looked at her and I realized that there was no point in doing that anymore. In fact, I was sick of it. She was right in front of me, asking about the girl I liked, and to me it seemed as if she was being more than just a good friend, I began to think that maybe she felt the way I did. I knew that what I was about to say might change my life, for the better or for the worse, but I couldn't take it anymore. Not when I felt that flicker of hope inside me. I took a deep breath, knowing that what I was about to do could hurt me, could hurt the both of us, "I just need to tell you something…" I said quietly.
Her eyes turned to look into mine, "What?"
"When I kissed her for the first time she made me feel as if I were invisible, she made me feel unnoticed. And I hated that feeling."
"How come?"
"She thought of it as a mistake."
"Why?"
"Because she hated me." I said quietly.
"She hated you?"
I took a step closer to her, "And I hated her too, for making me feel the way I did. For making me deal with new emotions. Emotions that I didn't understand at the time."
"So what did you do?" her voice came out a little shaky.
As if of its own will, my arm moved to her waist, pulling her closer to me. I bent my head and brought my lips closer to her ear, "What she wanted me to." I whispered.
"And what's that?"
"I asked Paris out on a date."
She froze as realization took over her, gasping at my words.
"And I can't keep it to myself anymore." I whispered as I moved to her lips, "It's too much for me to bare."
She just stared at me, shock evident in her eyes.
"And now I can finally kiss her again." the distance between us was so small at the moment that my lips brushed hers, lightly, as I spoke.
She closed her eyes for a second, regaining her composure. Without opening her eyes she only whispered, "Don't."
"Rory," she opened her eyes and looked into mine, "I can't take it anymore."
She swallowed hard, trying to calm herself down, "Tristan…"
"I just have to…" with that I leaned down and gave her a soft kiss, savoring the feeling of her lips against mine. I looked into her eyes, waiting for authorization. When her hands moved to the back of my neck I took it as a sign and kissed her again. Taking my time I kissed her lightly on her bottom lip then moved to her upper lip and kissed her lightly there. Smiling into her lips all I could think about at the moment was the fact that I didn't want this moment to end.
Just then, she pushed me away, "I can't."
"Why not?" I didn't let go of her, holding her close to me.
"Because we're friends." She reasoned.
I chuckled at how ridiculous she sounded, "I can't be your friend, Rory."
"But I-"
"I can't. I'm sorry for doing this, but being around you hurts like hell."
"Tristan…" she said softly.
I finally let go of her, taking a step back, "Look, I really don't want to do this, I know that I'm just going to get hurt in the end and I don't need that right now. So why don't you just go and study with David?"
"So, what, that's it?" She looked somewhat confused; "You're not going to be my friend anymore?"
"I don't want to be your friend, Rory. I want to be able to touch you and kiss you, and I want to be able to look at you whenever I want to. I can't be your friend, okay? I want to be more than that."
She avoided eye contact, "But I don't think that it's-"
"Don't, okay?" I stopped her, "I just need to go away right now." I turned around and started walking in my house' direction.
"But I need you…" I heard her voice from behind me.
"Good luck on the test." I quickened my pace, leaving her there, confused and hurt. Leaving her to deal with my feelings.
About an hour later I was sitting in the kitchen, drinking some coffee and thinking. I could still the way her lips felt against mine, the way she made me feel by just being so close to me. I smiled to myself as those feelings rushed over my body again. There was definitely something going on between us. Of course, she refused to admit it for some reason and it confused me. Taking another sip from my coffee I remembered what we talked about earlier, and suddenly, the coffee tasted bitterer than it usually did. I put the cup down on the table and walked quickly into my room. Hoping that it would take my mind off things, at least for a while, I forced myself to study.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I don't know how I managed to do it, but I actually studied for a very long time, and when the time for the test came I was more than ready. I made sure that I didn't miss anything and I put my pen down, pretending to think. As if of their own free will, my eyes turned to look at her. She was writing furiously, every once in a while pausing to think of what to write next. I can honestly say that she looked beautiful. After a while she looked up and caught me staring at her, with a nervous smile she turned her attention back to the test. As soon as I saw that she was going over her answers, making sure that she didn't miss a thing, I got up and handed my test in, leaving the classroom to wait for her in the hall.
It didn't take long for her to come out of the class, "Hey." She said quietly as she spotted me.
I smiled at her tone and moved closer to her, grabbing her hand in mine, "Come on."
She looked confused, "To where?"
"Does it matter?" I started pulling her to follow me and we both started walking, "Rory, we need to talk and you know it."
"I thought we already talked, yesterday."
"No, we didn't."
As she stopped walking I could hear her taking a deep breath, "I can't, Tristan." Saying that she pulled her hand from mine, as if touching me hurt her.
I turned to look at her, "Why not?"
Her eyes met mine for a second before she turned to look at the floor, "I just can't."
"Rory…" I moved a little closer to her, taking her hand in mine, again.
Her eyes met mine, "I don't know what to say, Tristan."
I smiled softly, "Say what you think."
"But I don't know what I think…"
"Okay." I pulled her even closer, our bodies coming into contact. My free hand moving to her chin, forcing her to look at me, "Tell me what you're feeling right now."
She moved her face from my hand, "Tristan, if this is a game to you, then I suggest that you stop it right now. Because you're not being fair."
"Rory-"
"No. I'm not kidding. You can't just play with people."
"You know, I didn't think that you, of all people, would think that I haven't changed."
"I don't." she said quietly, "I just don't know what you want from me."
"I want you to tell me what you feel..." I moved my hands to her waist, trapping her close to me, making sure that she wasn't going anywhere.
She refused to look at me, "Nervous."
I smiled, "And why do you feel nervous?"
"Because look how close you are." She finally made eye contact.
Smiling softly at her words I pulled her even closer, "And what did you feel when I kissed you?" my eyes never left hers as I whispered that question.
"I don't know, Tristan."
"Yes, you do."
"I felt confused, okay?"
"Why?"
"I don't know. I just did."
"Okay, answer me this, Rory. Did you want me to stop?"
She broke the eye contact, "No."
"Then why did you stop me?"
"Friends can't kiss each other." She explained lamely.
"Okay, I'm not your friend anymore."
Her eyes met mine again, "And what if it doesn't work?"
"Then it doesn't work…"
"But then I won't have you at all."
"Then I promise to always be around."
"But that-"
"Rory, stop avoiding this, do you want to be with me or not?" I cut her off.
I could barely hear her, "Yes."
I gave her a soft kiss, "Was that so hard?"
She smiled in relief, "Yes."
"I can call David if you want me to…"
"No, I think that I just want you for now."
I gave her another soft, lingering, kiss in response.
"So, how'd you do on the test?" she asked, smiling.
"I don't really care at the moment…"
"But I do. I'm not gonna date a loser." She said jokingly.
"Not again, anyway." I added, smirking.
"You're not funny."
"I think I am."
Is there any way to shut you up?"
"Yes, there is…" I said, smiling.
"Okay then…" she pulled me closer to her and gave me a kiss.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"So, why are you calling so soon?" John asked on the other end of the line.
"Just to know how things are going back there…"
"That's a thing that only a happy man would want to know."
I smiled, "I guess you're right."
He chuckled, "You got the girl, didn't you?"
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna go tell the guys. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"
"Say hi for me."
"Go kiss your girl. Maybe she could shut you up…" I smiled to myself as I hung up.
THE END
