Chapter 2

"So, do you actually know where we're headed? Or is this some wild goose chase?" Lane asked.

Rory rolled her eyes, "Of course I do. We're going to a place called Coffee Corner. It's really cool; they have delicious coffee, almost as good as Lukes. Plus, they have either poetry readings or musicians perform, you'll love it."

"Music and coffee? This must be my lucky day," Lane said.



Looking around the store, there was an unusually high number of females in the room. 'That's strange,' Rory thought.

"Hey Coffee Queen, " a male voice says.

Rory turned around to see a handsome young man with shaggy long hair and bright hazel eyes. "Hey, Jack," Rory greeted her best friend on campus, who also happened to work at her sanctuary, "Why is it so crowded today?"

"I don't know, we only have one performer lined up. I'm not complaining though, this is a good turn out," Jack replied.

Rory nodded, "Jack, I would like you to meet my best friend, Lane Kim."

Jack frowned in mock hurt, "But Rory, I thought I was your best friend?" He turned to the Korean girl and flashed an 100 watt smile. "Well, hello Lane. It's a pleasure to meet you." He took her hand and gently kissed it.

Rory, noticing Lane was starting to swoon, budded in, "Hey, watch it Bucko. That ones engaged."

"Really, congradulations," Jack said.

Lane smiled, "Thank you. It's very nice to meet you too," she turned to Rory, "Rory, if I had known you had such a gorgeous new best friend, I would have visted more often."

"One word, Lane: Dave," Rory laughed.

"Excuse me a moment, ladies. I have to go introduce the guest." Jack walked up to the quaint stage, "Good evening everyone. Tonight, our performer is a young songwriter who will be playing some original stuff and some covers. Anyways, please give a round of applause for Tristan DuGrey!"

Rory ranked her brain for the name. Tristan DuGrey… sophomore and junior year… Mary…. kiss on a piano bench… PJ Harvey… Romeo and Juliet… military school. The thoughts all rushed back to her. He was the boy she loved to hate, the second boy she ever kissed. Rory had actually thought about Tristan on occasion after he left, not a lot, but a little.

A modest young man carrying a guitar walked on stage. He was wearing baggy jeans that fit him just right, a tight gray t-shirt that allowed the definition of his strong chest to show through, and a navy beanie over his blonde locks. His face looked the same, still very handsome, but his hair was a bit longer, winged. His demeanor was also some what different. He usually had this air of self confidence surrounding him. Now, he seemed nervous and unsure of himself.

Lane nudged Rory, "Wow, look at him, he's even hotter than Jack! No wonder there are so many girls here!"

"Lane, did his name sound familiar to you at all?"

Lane looked questionably at her friend, "No, should it?"

"Tristan DuGrey," Rory repeated, "Tristan DuGrey, from Chilton? Remember, the one who teased me and called me Mary?"

A look of realization took over Lanes features, "That's Tristan? Rory, he's GORGEOUS!"

Rory rolled her eyes, "Lane, calm yourself. What would Dave think?"

Just then, a slight cough rang over the microphone, "How is everyone tonight? This first song I will be playing is called, The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most." (A/N: Haha, I needed a song title, and that was the first that came to mind. This song was written by Dashboard Confessional, but in my story, Tristan wrote it. Check it out, it's a great song!!)

Tristan was astounding. His voice was amazing, and it was obvious he was very passionate about his music.

While Tristan was on stage, he looked into the crowd. He always felt so nervous when he first got on stage, but then once he started playing, he felt right at home and totally comfortable. There were a lot of women, as usual, but one particular girl caught his eye. A pair of stunning blue eyes that could only belong to Rory Gilmore, his Mary. Seeing her brought a smirk to his face, and he was sure Rory noticed when he saw her eye roll. She was the first girl that Tristan ever truly liked, and he still thought about her after all these years.




Tristan was packing up his guitar when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hey, good job man," Jack said while shaking Tristan's hand, "Would you be interesting in playing here again, you brought a good crowd."

"No problem, it was fun," Tristan said, glancing over his shoulder.

"Awesome. We'll keep in touch, take care."

Tristan scanned the room. Where was she? All the while on stage, he was looking forward to talking to her again.

Finally, he found her talking to a Korean girl on the other side. She was drinking a cup of coffee and giggling with her friend.

He strolled up to her in his Chilton walk, and tapped her on the shoulder.

She jumped and turned around, "Well hello, Mary. Jumping for joy to see me?"

"Well if it isn't Tristan DuGrey. I would have thought you would be in the army or something by now," Rory said, smiling.

"Nah, just getting through military school was hell," Tristan replied, "And who might you be?" he asked, turning to Lane.

"I'm Rory's friend Lane," she said.

"Well, Lane, I'm Tristan. Rory and I went to Chilton together," Tristan said.

"Yes, I remember you. You're the one who had trouble remembering Rory's name," she quipped.

"Been talking about me Mary?" he asked, smirking in Rory's direction.

Rory rolled her eyes, "Get over yourself, Tristan."

The moment was interrupted by a shrilling ringing. Lane guiltily looked down, realizing it was her phone that was ringing. "Hello?" she asked. A giddy smile spread over her face. "Dave, hi."

"Oh just go," Rory said, waving her away.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Lane said, skipping away.

"Fiance," Rory explained.

"Ooooh, interesting," Tristan said. There was a moment of silence before Tristan spoke up, "Well Mary, if there's one thing I can remember about you, is that you were crazy for coffee. Let me buy you a cup?"

"Well, I already have one," Rory said, grining, "But one more can't hurt."

A/N: Well that's it for now, I hope you liked it. And by winged hair, I meant that it is sort of skater style. Just longer than his hair used to be on GG. Thanks for reading, and please REVIEW!!! :)