Disclaimer: I own nothing but a few textbooks and a package of gum!
Authors Note: Sorry it took me a while to update. I've had graduation and
Prom, and the weather has been really nice lately, so I just had to take
advantage. I know this chapter isn't that long, but I'm suffering from
writer's block. If any of you have any suggestions, let me know. and review
while you're at it, I like to know what you guys think of this; like it,
hate it? Let me know. . . tastefully, please. : )
----
"A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective."
----
Rory sat on her bed, her books and notes spread out all around her in a neat shuffle, and let out a sigh. The sun was sweltering that afternoon, and Rory could feel the heat radiating through her window, making her shoulders warm and her senses exhausted. A tall cup that once held a gratifying drink of ice water was now empty and all that was left was the wet ring of water that had formed beneath the glass. Rory scrunched up her nose as she noticed this and wiped the ring away with her hand, mentally wishing she had put something underneath it. She had been trying to study her modern history notes for what seemed like an eternity, but her thoughts kept drifting to anything but Chilton and her notes.
Finals were in a week, and Rory could confidently state that she was prepared. However, being the perfectionist that she was, she wanted to make sure she knew every single detail about any place, date, or event that could possibly be on her exams.
Finally, after letting out one final groan, she slammed her books shut and stood to set them on her desk. She smiled upon seeing the vertical strip of black and white photos that were set atop her mahogany desk and took a seat, picking up the print and staring at it.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity while looking at the happy poses, remembering an almost identical strip of pictures of Christopher and Lorelai. She smiled and let her finger trace over their happy faces, remembering their date that had just happened only three days ago.
After talking and playing around for a while longer at the hidden playground, Tristan had decided to take her to the mall where a Chapters and Starbucks were located. Rory smirked as she remembered the cocky smile that had been displayed on his face when she let out an excited squeal and walked hurriedly to the many shelves of books. He had known that she would love it there; books and coffee, what more could Rory Gilmore want?
After browsing among the books for a while and choosing a secluded area of the coffee shop where they could talk some more, Tristan had suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her up from their cozy atmosphere and out of the store all together. Rory remembered thinking to herself that he was crazy, but that she didn't mind. She liked that about him. He was full of surprises and everything he had introduced her to had only made her appreciate him more. He had pulled her by the hand all the way down the extensive halls of the mall until they reached a small red-and-white photo- booth. Rory had glanced at the advertising photos on the side of the booth, taking in the cheesy smiles and toothy grins of unfamiliar faces. You could have the option of choosing captions that read "America's Most Wanted" or "Best Friends", and so on.
When the two had situated themselves so that they were comfortable, although this was almost impossible to accomplish because of the small amount of space they had to work with, Tristan pressed the button and Rory was blinded by a bright flash. She was caught off guard and she smacked Tristan on the shoulder, sticking out her tongue. "Hey, I wasn't ready," she'd said, her voice teasing. So they each made a humorous face and took a new picture.
Rory smiled at the memory and caught herself; all she had been doing lately was smiling, and then she shook her head as realization dawned on her; Tristan made her happy. This she had been aware of, but she hadn't realized just how happy until that moment. Thinking back to her previous relationship, she also realized that she had never thought of Dean quite as much as this, or got the big-winged butterflies that always seemed to come alive whenever Tristan touched her, looked at her, or was even in the same 10 mile radius of her.
As Rory's gaze lingered lower to the third picture, her eyes shone with excitement; their first kiss. They had been laughing about a quip Rory had made, and because of their close proximity, sexual tension had been defiantly floating in the air. Unable to contain himself any longer from the desire and physical need to feel her lips against his, he had swooped his head down and kissed her.
Her eyes took in the expression on his face. His eyes were softly shut, and his eyebrows were gently raised as though disbelieving that he was actually kissing her. Her own face held a similar expression, their lips just barely brushing together, but the emotion and feelings were entirely evident. Knowing that she would want to remember the pure moment forever, she had subconsciously pressed her palm against the button and the flash had gone off, although neither one of them was distracted by it, nor even noticed it.
The fourth and final picture brilliantly displayed the emotions each was feeling, post-kiss; flushed faces, almost embarrassed but relieved and contented.
A million thoughts had been floating through Rory's head at the time, but while she sat at her desk examining the photo, she could only think of one word; finally. Finally described everything she was feeling. Although she hadn't been openly searching for it, she had finally found someone who made her nervous, but in a good, tingly way. She had finally found someone who could be her best friend and her boyfriend, all in one. They were complete opposites, but that was what had drawn Rory in. She didn't want someone who was completely like herself, because that would just be boring. The similar interests the two did share, like watching movies and eating insane amounts of junk food only helped to set a common ground in which they had built a strong foundation for a worthy relationship.
* * * * *
In the weeks to follow, the news of Luke and Lorelai finally getting together had spread like fire around the quaint town of Stars Hollow, with thanks to Patty and Babette.
Lorelai noticed as she walked to the diner that morning, and each morning before that, that she had received plenty of knowing looks and sometimes even a pat on the back or a smile and a 'Hey, congratulations, I knew it would happen some day'.
Shaking her head, she laughed to herself and pulled open the door to Luke's, the delicious aroma of coffee meeting her nose. It was evident how long everyone had been holding their breath for the two to get together, and now that it had finally happened, the town seemed brighter and somehow more jovial than normal, if that was at all possible in the bubble-gum town they lived in.
Skipping into the diner, Lorelai placed her purse on the counter and leaned over it to greet Luke with a kiss. Smiling playfully, she raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Is that still weird for you?" Luke smiled at her question, knowing she was referring to the first awkward kiss they had shared in the diner, the two both aware that all eyes were on them. It was severely chaste and uncoordinated, but they had become accustomed to the looks now.
"Nah," Luke replied, shaking his head.
Lorelai took in a deep breath and glanced longingly at the pot of coffee Luke was holding in his left hand. "So, can I have some coffee please?"
"Nope," Luke said, placing the pot back on the burner and crossing his arms.
"Luke, I said PLEASE," she said, dragging the word out and pleading him with her eyes. "And a hamburger, PLEASE. A nice, big, juicy, red one with no lettuce or tomato or any of that healthy junk on it."
Luke remained firm, though rolling his eyes, and shrugged his shoulders. "You can have some tea and a turkey sandwich," he offered.
Scoffing, Lorelai leaned in closer so only he could hear what she had to say. "If you give me some coffee and a decent meal, than sometime in the very near future we can have a repeat of what happened last night." She gave him a knowing look as a crimson blush swept over his cheeks. Almost instantly, he filled her mug almost to the brim, finally complying to her wishes.
Lorelai laughed. "I knew that would work," she teased, sipping on her drink while Luke went to the kitchen to prepare her dinner. A few minutes later, he came back out and set a plate in front of her, rolling his eyes. "You do know that's the only time that will work on me, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," was her off standish reply. "So what are we doing tonight?"
Luke shrugged. "I don't know, we could get a movie and watch it upstairs if you want."
Lorelai nodded. "Sure, that sounds good," she mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Luke laughed. "That's pretty attractive, Lorelai."
"I'm always attractive."
"Yes, this is true." Luke looked around at the tables that were beginning to fill up and sighed. "The dinner rush is starting, so I've gotta do some work. I'll see you tonight, around seven-ish?"
"Seven-ish it is." Lorelai smiled as she shoved a couple of fries in her mouth. "Mmmm, grease," she said, just to spite him.
Sighing, Luke left to tend to the rest of his customers.
----
"A good photograph is one that communicates a fact, touches the heart and leaves the viewer a changed person for having seen it. It is, in a word, effective."
----
Rory sat on her bed, her books and notes spread out all around her in a neat shuffle, and let out a sigh. The sun was sweltering that afternoon, and Rory could feel the heat radiating through her window, making her shoulders warm and her senses exhausted. A tall cup that once held a gratifying drink of ice water was now empty and all that was left was the wet ring of water that had formed beneath the glass. Rory scrunched up her nose as she noticed this and wiped the ring away with her hand, mentally wishing she had put something underneath it. She had been trying to study her modern history notes for what seemed like an eternity, but her thoughts kept drifting to anything but Chilton and her notes.
Finals were in a week, and Rory could confidently state that she was prepared. However, being the perfectionist that she was, she wanted to make sure she knew every single detail about any place, date, or event that could possibly be on her exams.
Finally, after letting out one final groan, she slammed her books shut and stood to set them on her desk. She smiled upon seeing the vertical strip of black and white photos that were set atop her mahogany desk and took a seat, picking up the print and staring at it.
She couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity while looking at the happy poses, remembering an almost identical strip of pictures of Christopher and Lorelai. She smiled and let her finger trace over their happy faces, remembering their date that had just happened only three days ago.
After talking and playing around for a while longer at the hidden playground, Tristan had decided to take her to the mall where a Chapters and Starbucks were located. Rory smirked as she remembered the cocky smile that had been displayed on his face when she let out an excited squeal and walked hurriedly to the many shelves of books. He had known that she would love it there; books and coffee, what more could Rory Gilmore want?
After browsing among the books for a while and choosing a secluded area of the coffee shop where they could talk some more, Tristan had suddenly grabbed her hand and pulled her up from their cozy atmosphere and out of the store all together. Rory remembered thinking to herself that he was crazy, but that she didn't mind. She liked that about him. He was full of surprises and everything he had introduced her to had only made her appreciate him more. He had pulled her by the hand all the way down the extensive halls of the mall until they reached a small red-and-white photo- booth. Rory had glanced at the advertising photos on the side of the booth, taking in the cheesy smiles and toothy grins of unfamiliar faces. You could have the option of choosing captions that read "America's Most Wanted" or "Best Friends", and so on.
When the two had situated themselves so that they were comfortable, although this was almost impossible to accomplish because of the small amount of space they had to work with, Tristan pressed the button and Rory was blinded by a bright flash. She was caught off guard and she smacked Tristan on the shoulder, sticking out her tongue. "Hey, I wasn't ready," she'd said, her voice teasing. So they each made a humorous face and took a new picture.
Rory smiled at the memory and caught herself; all she had been doing lately was smiling, and then she shook her head as realization dawned on her; Tristan made her happy. This she had been aware of, but she hadn't realized just how happy until that moment. Thinking back to her previous relationship, she also realized that she had never thought of Dean quite as much as this, or got the big-winged butterflies that always seemed to come alive whenever Tristan touched her, looked at her, or was even in the same 10 mile radius of her.
As Rory's gaze lingered lower to the third picture, her eyes shone with excitement; their first kiss. They had been laughing about a quip Rory had made, and because of their close proximity, sexual tension had been defiantly floating in the air. Unable to contain himself any longer from the desire and physical need to feel her lips against his, he had swooped his head down and kissed her.
Her eyes took in the expression on his face. His eyes were softly shut, and his eyebrows were gently raised as though disbelieving that he was actually kissing her. Her own face held a similar expression, their lips just barely brushing together, but the emotion and feelings were entirely evident. Knowing that she would want to remember the pure moment forever, she had subconsciously pressed her palm against the button and the flash had gone off, although neither one of them was distracted by it, nor even noticed it.
The fourth and final picture brilliantly displayed the emotions each was feeling, post-kiss; flushed faces, almost embarrassed but relieved and contented.
A million thoughts had been floating through Rory's head at the time, but while she sat at her desk examining the photo, she could only think of one word; finally. Finally described everything she was feeling. Although she hadn't been openly searching for it, she had finally found someone who made her nervous, but in a good, tingly way. She had finally found someone who could be her best friend and her boyfriend, all in one. They were complete opposites, but that was what had drawn Rory in. She didn't want someone who was completely like herself, because that would just be boring. The similar interests the two did share, like watching movies and eating insane amounts of junk food only helped to set a common ground in which they had built a strong foundation for a worthy relationship.
* * * * *
In the weeks to follow, the news of Luke and Lorelai finally getting together had spread like fire around the quaint town of Stars Hollow, with thanks to Patty and Babette.
Lorelai noticed as she walked to the diner that morning, and each morning before that, that she had received plenty of knowing looks and sometimes even a pat on the back or a smile and a 'Hey, congratulations, I knew it would happen some day'.
Shaking her head, she laughed to herself and pulled open the door to Luke's, the delicious aroma of coffee meeting her nose. It was evident how long everyone had been holding their breath for the two to get together, and now that it had finally happened, the town seemed brighter and somehow more jovial than normal, if that was at all possible in the bubble-gum town they lived in.
Skipping into the diner, Lorelai placed her purse on the counter and leaned over it to greet Luke with a kiss. Smiling playfully, she raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Is that still weird for you?" Luke smiled at her question, knowing she was referring to the first awkward kiss they had shared in the diner, the two both aware that all eyes were on them. It was severely chaste and uncoordinated, but they had become accustomed to the looks now.
"Nah," Luke replied, shaking his head.
Lorelai took in a deep breath and glanced longingly at the pot of coffee Luke was holding in his left hand. "So, can I have some coffee please?"
"Nope," Luke said, placing the pot back on the burner and crossing his arms.
"Luke, I said PLEASE," she said, dragging the word out and pleading him with her eyes. "And a hamburger, PLEASE. A nice, big, juicy, red one with no lettuce or tomato or any of that healthy junk on it."
Luke remained firm, though rolling his eyes, and shrugged his shoulders. "You can have some tea and a turkey sandwich," he offered.
Scoffing, Lorelai leaned in closer so only he could hear what she had to say. "If you give me some coffee and a decent meal, than sometime in the very near future we can have a repeat of what happened last night." She gave him a knowing look as a crimson blush swept over his cheeks. Almost instantly, he filled her mug almost to the brim, finally complying to her wishes.
Lorelai laughed. "I knew that would work," she teased, sipping on her drink while Luke went to the kitchen to prepare her dinner. A few minutes later, he came back out and set a plate in front of her, rolling his eyes. "You do know that's the only time that will work on me, right?"
"Yeah, yeah," was her off standish reply. "So what are we doing tonight?"
Luke shrugged. "I don't know, we could get a movie and watch it upstairs if you want."
Lorelai nodded. "Sure, that sounds good," she mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Luke laughed. "That's pretty attractive, Lorelai."
"I'm always attractive."
"Yes, this is true." Luke looked around at the tables that were beginning to fill up and sighed. "The dinner rush is starting, so I've gotta do some work. I'll see you tonight, around seven-ish?"
"Seven-ish it is." Lorelai smiled as she shoved a couple of fries in her mouth. "Mmmm, grease," she said, just to spite him.
Sighing, Luke left to tend to the rest of his customers.
