Author's Note: Thank you to smile1, SurferGRRL, and Chad'z Baby for your
kind reviews. But other than that, umm, hopefully, this chapter will pick
up a bit, more so than the last one. So, thanks for reading, and enjoy.
Disclaimer: Totally forgot to put one in the first chapter, but believe me when I say I don't own any of these people except for the ones you have no idea who the hell they are.
Rory looked out of her passenger window to reveal a tall blonde guy. He looked vaguely familiar until she got out of the car and gave her keys to the valet. There, standing in front of her was Tristan. Tristan DuGrey. ((Big surprise there, right?))That's right, the guy that was sent to Military School during junior year, the guy that always liked Rory but never really told her, and the guy Rory had kissed, the one she would never forget.
"Tristan?" She questioned, just to make sure. The man nodded and grinned, while Rory jumped up and gave him a hug. "How have you been?"
"Great, once I left here." Tristan responded as enthusiastic as Rory was. "But I'm back for family business, and I had time to burn, so here I am."
He gave Rory a quizzical look that read, 'I never thought I would see you here, never in a million years.' Smiling, she answered. "I'm here cause I've got time to burn, too. My boss gave me a week off. Well, a working week. I've got to write an article for the paper. I have to give tips on how to get a rich guy, funny huh? How non-Times like."
"You write for the social section?" Tristan nearly laughed at the horrified look on his former classmate's face.
Rory really did laugh. "No, no, no. I write for the World News, foreign stuff, you know." Tristan nodded, but still looked sort of blank. "I basically stay on the computer all day, by the fax machine and by the phone all day in case something important happens anywhere but the United States."
They were headed towards the restaurant, and were greeted by a headwaiter. "How many?" He stared at Tristan. "Two?" The blonde, blue-eyed man looked at Rory, who nodded, and then nodded as well.
"Hey, I'm a rich guy and I don't want to look like a loser eating alone. That way, I can give you some of those tips you need, and we can catch up."
Forty minutes later and a brunch later, Rory wondered aloud. "Do you know what Paris is up to? We were roommates in college, but after that, we promised to call and write, but we didn't."
"Last I heard, she was here for Christmas, but we must have missed each other cause I didn't see her at my parents party." Rory nodded as he continued. "Do you want some of those tips?"
Laughing, his brunch companion got out her reporters notebook and lucky pen. "Feel free to begin any time." She stated, without looking up when Tristan didn't start talking. She didn't know that he was slowly falling for her again, it happened in romance novels about two long lost friends, but it was happening with Tristan as well. "DuGrey?"
He snapped out of whatever world he was in and focused. "Well, first off, you should be yourself. You shouldn't try to sell yourself; it's not a business deal. Most women think that if you're a businessman all you care about it making a deal. And if you're a rich businessman, from my experience, you don't really want that trophy wife. You truly want to be happy and find that one true love."
When he was done with the first tip, Rory looked up forgetting to keep writing. "Tristan, I truly and deeply hope you do find that one person." She said sincerely when he gave her a look of doubt. But he slowly smiled a smile very different from the one many years ago.
He eventually gave more tips, each of them in his mind tips for Rory who seemed to be still shy around him, even though she was more outgoing. "So, are you all out of tips?" Rory asked, around two pm. They had been talking for about two hours. People, who knew who Tristan was, spied on his table, wondering who the brown haired woman was and why Tristan looked at her differently.
"No, I've got one more." He paused, leaning a big closer. "The woman should always act like Mary." His serious face was given up on when Rory looked confused, wondering if she should write it down or not. "No, you don't have to write it down." He shook his head.
Rory blushed as they both backed away from each other. "Do I still have to spell my name for you?" She asked, knowing the answer.
"I know how to spell Mary." Tristan started. "M-a-,"
The waiter interrupted the duo by coming by the table to drop off the bill. "I'm sorry to interrupt you two." He smiled timidly.
"Don't worry about it," Rory smiled confidently and turned to Tristan. "Hey, I'll pay if you want."
"No, you won't." Tristan said, looking at the waiter. "Thanks for everything." He paid the bill and turned to Rory. "Would you like to go hang out in Hartford? We can look for some rich guys for you?"
"What if I'm already taken?" Rory quickly asked.
"Are you?"
"Nope, but I really don't want to find a rich guy, I just need the tips." She smiled. "Your car or mine?"
"Yours looks fun."
"Mine it is." The two set off for an afternoon full of mystery.
Two hours later they were passing a jewelry store. "Maybe we should go in there and talk to the guys buying expensive rings for their girlfriends hoping to propose." Tristan threw the suggestion out for debate. After a minute, they looked at each other and broke out laughing, then said, "Nah."
"I've got a question for you," Rory said in between bites of an ice cream cone at a local ice cream place. "Why didn't you kiss me goodbye that night?"
"What night?" Tristan was obviously playing dumb. The look on his face betrayed the question. After a long stare from Rory and gave up. "Fine, fine. I didn't because I knew he would take my actions out on you, like you asked me to kiss you goodbye." The last part was almost inaudible that he had to repeat it after Rory questions. "And I had already hurt you enough."
"Oh."
There was a silence that ensued after that, both people just ignoring the awkwardness that came up. They had ignored the past in the conversations that had been going all afternoon; Rory had brought it up the first and last time. "We should be getting back." Rory noticed the clock on the wall that read seven o'clock.
Tristan saw the clock as well and checked his Swiss Army watch as well to make sure. "Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun." He smiled slowly.
Rory drove back to the country club full with questions for Tristan. She didn't want to ask them, they were personal and he had just jumped back into her life for one day. No need to scare him off. The ride back was uneventful, except for a few songs on the radio.
"Rory!" A voice called out as she pulled up in front of the country club around seven thirty. "Over here," The voice called again as she looked around, wondering who was talking.
Tristan saw who was calling out, and turned Rory in the direction. "I do believe it is your grandmother. Now, play nice," He ordered, remembering the tales of Lorelai and Rory at Friday night dinners."
"Tristan DuGrey, it is great to see you," Mr. Gilmore stuck out his hand as the older couple approached.
"Rory, where have you been all this time? New York is too far away," Emily immediately started. "I tried to call you, but I only got that absurd-,"
Thankfully, Tristan came to the rescue. "Hey Ror, don't you have to go meet your mother for dinner?" He asked, looking into Rory's blue eyes that were sending him a thank you look.
She smacked her forehead, she had gotten really good at acting. "Oh my gosh, how could I forget?" She turned to get grandparents and quickly said goodbye to them and Tristan. "How long are you in town?"
"A week or two."
"That's great, we need to talk again before I leave." She sent him a smile, one that she hadn't given out since her Chilton years. "But I have to go, you know where I'm staying, see you." She impulsively gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him then ran off to get her car.
Tristan just stood there shocked to every fiber of his body.
Disclaimer: Totally forgot to put one in the first chapter, but believe me when I say I don't own any of these people except for the ones you have no idea who the hell they are.
Rory looked out of her passenger window to reveal a tall blonde guy. He looked vaguely familiar until she got out of the car and gave her keys to the valet. There, standing in front of her was Tristan. Tristan DuGrey. ((Big surprise there, right?))That's right, the guy that was sent to Military School during junior year, the guy that always liked Rory but never really told her, and the guy Rory had kissed, the one she would never forget.
"Tristan?" She questioned, just to make sure. The man nodded and grinned, while Rory jumped up and gave him a hug. "How have you been?"
"Great, once I left here." Tristan responded as enthusiastic as Rory was. "But I'm back for family business, and I had time to burn, so here I am."
He gave Rory a quizzical look that read, 'I never thought I would see you here, never in a million years.' Smiling, she answered. "I'm here cause I've got time to burn, too. My boss gave me a week off. Well, a working week. I've got to write an article for the paper. I have to give tips on how to get a rich guy, funny huh? How non-Times like."
"You write for the social section?" Tristan nearly laughed at the horrified look on his former classmate's face.
Rory really did laugh. "No, no, no. I write for the World News, foreign stuff, you know." Tristan nodded, but still looked sort of blank. "I basically stay on the computer all day, by the fax machine and by the phone all day in case something important happens anywhere but the United States."
They were headed towards the restaurant, and were greeted by a headwaiter. "How many?" He stared at Tristan. "Two?" The blonde, blue-eyed man looked at Rory, who nodded, and then nodded as well.
"Hey, I'm a rich guy and I don't want to look like a loser eating alone. That way, I can give you some of those tips you need, and we can catch up."
Forty minutes later and a brunch later, Rory wondered aloud. "Do you know what Paris is up to? We were roommates in college, but after that, we promised to call and write, but we didn't."
"Last I heard, she was here for Christmas, but we must have missed each other cause I didn't see her at my parents party." Rory nodded as he continued. "Do you want some of those tips?"
Laughing, his brunch companion got out her reporters notebook and lucky pen. "Feel free to begin any time." She stated, without looking up when Tristan didn't start talking. She didn't know that he was slowly falling for her again, it happened in romance novels about two long lost friends, but it was happening with Tristan as well. "DuGrey?"
He snapped out of whatever world he was in and focused. "Well, first off, you should be yourself. You shouldn't try to sell yourself; it's not a business deal. Most women think that if you're a businessman all you care about it making a deal. And if you're a rich businessman, from my experience, you don't really want that trophy wife. You truly want to be happy and find that one true love."
When he was done with the first tip, Rory looked up forgetting to keep writing. "Tristan, I truly and deeply hope you do find that one person." She said sincerely when he gave her a look of doubt. But he slowly smiled a smile very different from the one many years ago.
He eventually gave more tips, each of them in his mind tips for Rory who seemed to be still shy around him, even though she was more outgoing. "So, are you all out of tips?" Rory asked, around two pm. They had been talking for about two hours. People, who knew who Tristan was, spied on his table, wondering who the brown haired woman was and why Tristan looked at her differently.
"No, I've got one more." He paused, leaning a big closer. "The woman should always act like Mary." His serious face was given up on when Rory looked confused, wondering if she should write it down or not. "No, you don't have to write it down." He shook his head.
Rory blushed as they both backed away from each other. "Do I still have to spell my name for you?" She asked, knowing the answer.
"I know how to spell Mary." Tristan started. "M-a-,"
The waiter interrupted the duo by coming by the table to drop off the bill. "I'm sorry to interrupt you two." He smiled timidly.
"Don't worry about it," Rory smiled confidently and turned to Tristan. "Hey, I'll pay if you want."
"No, you won't." Tristan said, looking at the waiter. "Thanks for everything." He paid the bill and turned to Rory. "Would you like to go hang out in Hartford? We can look for some rich guys for you?"
"What if I'm already taken?" Rory quickly asked.
"Are you?"
"Nope, but I really don't want to find a rich guy, I just need the tips." She smiled. "Your car or mine?"
"Yours looks fun."
"Mine it is." The two set off for an afternoon full of mystery.
Two hours later they were passing a jewelry store. "Maybe we should go in there and talk to the guys buying expensive rings for their girlfriends hoping to propose." Tristan threw the suggestion out for debate. After a minute, they looked at each other and broke out laughing, then said, "Nah."
"I've got a question for you," Rory said in between bites of an ice cream cone at a local ice cream place. "Why didn't you kiss me goodbye that night?"
"What night?" Tristan was obviously playing dumb. The look on his face betrayed the question. After a long stare from Rory and gave up. "Fine, fine. I didn't because I knew he would take my actions out on you, like you asked me to kiss you goodbye." The last part was almost inaudible that he had to repeat it after Rory questions. "And I had already hurt you enough."
"Oh."
There was a silence that ensued after that, both people just ignoring the awkwardness that came up. They had ignored the past in the conversations that had been going all afternoon; Rory had brought it up the first and last time. "We should be getting back." Rory noticed the clock on the wall that read seven o'clock.
Tristan saw the clock as well and checked his Swiss Army watch as well to make sure. "Wow, time really does fly when you're having fun." He smiled slowly.
Rory drove back to the country club full with questions for Tristan. She didn't want to ask them, they were personal and he had just jumped back into her life for one day. No need to scare him off. The ride back was uneventful, except for a few songs on the radio.
"Rory!" A voice called out as she pulled up in front of the country club around seven thirty. "Over here," The voice called again as she looked around, wondering who was talking.
Tristan saw who was calling out, and turned Rory in the direction. "I do believe it is your grandmother. Now, play nice," He ordered, remembering the tales of Lorelai and Rory at Friday night dinners."
"Tristan DuGrey, it is great to see you," Mr. Gilmore stuck out his hand as the older couple approached.
"Rory, where have you been all this time? New York is too far away," Emily immediately started. "I tried to call you, but I only got that absurd-,"
Thankfully, Tristan came to the rescue. "Hey Ror, don't you have to go meet your mother for dinner?" He asked, looking into Rory's blue eyes that were sending him a thank you look.
She smacked her forehead, she had gotten really good at acting. "Oh my gosh, how could I forget?" She turned to get grandparents and quickly said goodbye to them and Tristan. "How long are you in town?"
"A week or two."
"That's great, we need to talk again before I leave." She sent him a smile, one that she hadn't given out since her Chilton years. "But I have to go, you know where I'm staying, see you." She impulsively gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him then ran off to get her car.
Tristan just stood there shocked to every fiber of his body.
