Pairing - Tristan and Rory...
Disclaimer - I wish I owned them, but unfortunately I don't. They belong to Dorothy Parker Drank Here Productions and Hofflund/Polone in association with Warner Bros. Television. I'm merely borrowing them. Although I would love to steal Tristan away...
Feedback - Purty, purty please? With sugar on top?
A/N - Sorry for the shortness of the chapter, but the next one will probably be longer.
Chapter 3 - Girlfriend
Girlfriend.
The word sent chills down Rory's spine. Since when did Tristan have girlfriends? Well always, but never the steady type. And Evelyn definitely looked like the steady type.
Girlfriend.
No. This couldn't be happening. Not when she was finally ready to admit the possibility that she had feelings for Tristan.
Girlfriend.
Rory snapped out of her shell shocked state when she realized the room was silent, and Evelyn was staring expectantly at her.
"N-nice to meet you," Rory stammered. She shot a glance towards Tristan, who was trying his best to avoid her gaze.
"You too," Evelyn said, smiling warmly. "It's always great to meet Tristan's old friends."
Rory opened her mouth to say something more, but couldn't find her voice. Instead, she twisted her mouth into a forced smile, as an awkward silence plagued the room.
"Did I interrupt something important?" Evelyn asked, when she began to notice how quiet Tristan was. Rory locked eyes with Tristan, who was finally able to look her in the eye. His blue eyes were void of emotion, as if they were soulless.
Rory was about to excuse herself from the room, when was interrupted by the library door opening. She turned to find Mr. DuGrey glaring furiously from the doorway.
"Tristan, may I have a word with you?" his voice full of authority. Tristan shot a helpless glance at Evelyn before following his father out the door.
"Yes sir," he mumbled before exiting the library, leaving Rory and Evelyn alone.
There was an awkward silence after the DuGreys left. Rory shot a curious glance at Evelyn. She seemed like the type of girl Tristan would go for - beautiful. She had long, wavy brown hair, and deep hazel eyes. Rory took a deep breath.
"So how long have you two been dating?" she asked. Even though she was still in shock, she just had to know how this all came about.
"Almost six months," Evelyn said with a wistful smile. "I fell for him the first day I saw him at our boarding school in Switzerland," she confessed. "But it took him awhile to come around. Said that some girl messed him up... Say, you wouldn't happen to know who that girl is, would you?" Evelyn asked.
"No, sorry," Rory lied, knowing full well who the girl was. "Tristan and I weren't exactly the best of friends, especially when I first started out at Chilton," she explained. Evelyn nodded.
"Yeah, it takes awhile to get to know the real Tristan," she said. "He might come off as arrogant and a jerk at first, but after awhile, you come to realize what a sweet, caring guy he is... A real catch."
"A real catch," Rory whispered, a small lump forming at her throat.
* * *
Tristan followed his father silently, until they reached his study. He motioned for Tristan to sit, while he lit a cigar.
"Did you just order me out to talk, or did you just want to pass on the pleasure of secondhand smoke?" Tristan asked, his voice full of sarcasm, after a minute of his father's silence. He looked over at Woodrow DuGrey, who was busy staring outside a window.
"What the hell is Miss Summers doing here?" he finally said, his voice full of anger. He turned around, and his face reflected the amount of anger in his voice.
"You mean Evelyn," Tristan said. "She's my girlfriend. And that entitles her to respect around here."
"The hell it does," Mr. DuGrey said, slamming his fist down on the fine, mahogany desk. "I will not tolerate you dating a Summers. That family has been trying to takeover our business for many years, way before your grandfather's death. And now that my dear old dad, God rest his soul, has passed on, they will be relentless. Any ammunition against us will destroy us. And you're giving them just the ammunition they need." Tristan rolled his eyes.
"Melodramatic enough, father?" he asked, shaking his head. "What Evelyn and I do is our own business, and it doesn't concern you."
"That girl will ruin our family," Woodrow's voice boomed. "And I absolutely forbid you to date her." Tristan stood up from his seat in anger.
"You can't forbid me to date her!" he shouted.
"I just did," Woodrow DuGrey said, his mouth forming a smirk. "You defy my orders, and you will find yourself cut off. No money, no car, no nothing." Tristan sat down in frustration, knowing that his father had him. As much as he loved Evelyn, he knew he wouldn't be able to survive a day without his father's bank account.
"And just who do you think it's acceptable to date?" he asked bitterly. Mr. DuGrey's eyebrow furrowed, as he thought of the possibilites for his son.
"That Gilmore girl for one," he concluded. "Top three percentile at Chilton, she's got the looks, and more importantly, she comes from a respectable family." Tristan's head snapped up, as he looked his father in the eye.
"You want me to date Rory?" he asked incredulously.
"Do you see any problems with her?" Mr. DuGrey countered. "She could do you a lot of good, son." Tristan sat back in his chair, anger washing over him. This had to be some sort of nightmare. Having to break up with the girl he loved, to date the girl he despised. Unless...
"Fine," Tristan agreed. "I'll start dating Rory." Relief came over Woodrow DuGrey's face.
"You'll see that it's only in your best interest," Mr. DuGrey said.
"You mean yours," Tristan mumbled, as he stood up to leave. He had find Rory.