A/N: Sorry for the delay but I lost most interest in Gilmore Girls. Got sucked into One Tree Hill. Need my Chad dosage. Ha ha. So this will be my end to all of this.

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Months have passed and they were happy with each other, thank you very much. Content with their light bantering. But the day hadn't come yet. Rory was still 'I love you' phobic, and the fact that she had the image of the perfect boyfriend in front of her didn't change it. Matter of fact, it made it worse. She didn't want to screw up what they had, because it would break her down to pieces of nothing if they were to end what they had.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it.

She knew he loved her. He didn't have to say it; it was the way he looked at her. Like she held all the answers of life in her eyes. As though she held his heart in every movement she made. And in most ways, to him, she did. They wanted to believe that their love had surpassed that level of saying those three words.

But it was nice to hear them sometimes. They went everywhere together, and it wasn't a surprise that their relationship was highly publicized. She was one of the hottest journalists, and he was one of the hottest bachelors around.

But what might have brought them to the point of insanity could have just been that. Because every time they were interviewed, they would never say the L word. Tabloids were flying around. One saying this or another, about how they could never really truly 'love each other.' That they were no longer in paradise. At first, they both didn't mind that much. But later, it got both of them paranoid.

Was it really possible that since they could never truly proclaim their love for each other, mean they didn't really love each other?

Tristan was racking his brain, thinking about a time when he truly said those words to someone. He may have implied it, but never said it.

Rory had only said it to one person, and she only said it to Dean since she felt pressured to. Come to think about it, after saying to him that she loved him, their relationship started to tumble down. So if she was afraid of saying it then, she was deadly afraid now. It didn't matter that she was in love with him. She just felt as though those words cursed her. She didn't want that to took her days one day at a time.

But the time would eventually have to come.

They were at their apartment. Funny how they never said I love you to each other, but was ok with moving in together. She was lying down on the couch, her head resting on Tristan's thighs, with Tristan running his fingers through her hair. They were content, with the rays of sunlight shining through the windows, having PJ Harvey play in the back. Tristan ended the silence.

"So what are you up to today?"

"What? Couldn't take the silence DuGrey?"

"You can't either, you just happen to be more tolerant about it. So I was wondering, what do you want to do today?"

She silently thought. Their one year was today. It was already a year since they day they were official a 'couple'.

"Do we really need to do anything special? I mean, as long as we're together right?"

Tristan smiled down at her, brushing away a stray strand of hair and kissing her lightly on the top of her head.

"We don't have to but I think we should. Just make sure your free for the night."

"Tristan, you've been telling me about this 'big' nigh for a month. Tell me!"

"Patience is a virtue."

"You're one to talk. You remember on your birthday, you spoiled your own surprise by calling into every place we had ever been to just to see if I reserved."

"That's not my fault."

Truthfully, Tristan had the most laid out plan in the world. He would take her to Luke's, which he had to literally beg Luke to rent out. He asked the workers to put up curtains on the glass window, and lilies filling up the entire diner. Candles were to be lined up all around. Then, he would give her a tennis bracelet, with 'love you always' inscribed into it. Tonight would be the night when Tristan would finally tell her that he loved her. But even the most laid out of plans don't go as well as planned.

"You're lucky I love you."

Tristan froze. Rory had just told him that she loved him. HIM. He looked down at her as she erected into a sitting positions, pulling his face closer to hers.

She saw it in his eyes. He loved her. And she loved him. But if he didn't say anything soon, she was going to go insane.

"Ummm, it's ok…"

Tristan lightly brought her lips to his, letting her feel the same passion and love her had felt at that moment. Coming out for air, he breathed out a sigh of joy and smiled.

"I love you too."

The future didn't worry them. They both were finally able to truly understand what these words meant. They had finally found true love in their lives, in eachother.