Chapter 10:
Coffee was the only thing on Rory's mind at the moment. After a literature class like she just had, she needed it. She had just spent the last hour arguing over one of Hemmingway's novels and unfortunately, that came with reminders of Jess. Damn, she needed coffee and bad.
'Ha! Sucess!' Rory thought, as she spied a coffee shop not too far from where she was. 'Thank the Coffee Gods.' She entered the shop, the heavenly scent already calming her frazzled brain.
"Hi. Welcome to On The Go, what can I getcha?" The attractive counter guy stopped cleaning and greeted her with a smile.
"The largest cup of coffee you can get me." Rory replied, returning his smile, before placing her books on an empty table.
"Rough day?" He asked, moving to get the coffee she ordered.
"You have no idea." Rory pulled a five from her purse and slapped it on the counter.
"Wanna talk about it?" He offered, handing her a steaming cup full of The Elixer Of Life.
"Not really, it's too complicated, but thank you anyways." She smiled at him. "I'm Rory Gilmore."
"Jake Patterson." He replied, holding his hand out to shake. "And, don't worry about it. It's not like it's that busy in here anyway."
She shook his hand lightly. "Still, you know nothing about me and were willing to listen to me ramble on about my problems."
"Any guy would be willing to listen to a pretty girl's problems, Mary." An annoyingly familiar voice interupted from behind her. "It's one way we get girls to talk to us."
She rolled her eyes and took and appreciative sip of her coffee. "Well, you would know Bible Boy. I mean, why else would any sane person go out with you."
Jake chuckled at her remark, while Tristan just smirked at her. "Oh, you know you want me, Mary."
Rory through her hands up into the air and rolled her eyes. "Yes Tristan, your arrogance is just such a turn on. It makes you impossible to resist."
"Glad you're finally admitting the truth." Tristan smirked, yet again.
Rory took her change from Jake and returned to the table. "Did anyone ever tell you how annoying you are?" To her dismay, Tristan followed.
"Yes, you did, many times." He dropped into the chair across from her. "It's what you love most about me."
"Tris, would you cut it out. I'm so not in the mood for bantering right now. I did enough of that in my Lit. Class. I've got enough on my plate right now without you adding to it."
"Hey." He reached across the table and grasped her hand in his, all traces of his smirk had disappeared. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's nothing big or important. I jst shouldn't let it get to me." Rory sighed and took another sip of the heavenly liquid.
"It's got to be pretty big and important to have upset you so much." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze of comfort. "Tell me what you're letting get to you."
"It's nothing, really. We were having a debate on a Hemmingway novel in Lit. class today and it just brought me back to Jess. He had always liked Hemmingway, even though I didn't." She looked down at her shoes, as if suddenly finding them fascinating.
Tristan removed his hand from Rory's and replaced it under her chin. "He really hurt you, didn't he?" It was more of a statement or observation than a question.
Rory, however, found herself lost in those sapphire blue eyes. She could lie to him now, even if she wanted to. "Yes, he did. More than Dean ever did and more than you did."
Those eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
"It hurt me, when you left the way you did." Her gaze darted away from his. "I don't how or why, but you did. But, Jess, he was different. He.........." She trailed off and began to pick at her nails.
"All I've ever seemed to do was hurt you." Tristan sighed.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I think in some bizarre way, I returned your feelings, I just didn't want to. After awhile, especially during the Jess and Dean fiasco, I thought of you a lot. I needed you there, whether it was to create an alternative or just to be my Knight in Shining Armor, I needed you and you weren't there. I think that's what hurt the most. I didn't want to admit it. I didn't want the feelings, but you can't choose who you like. It just happens."
"Are you telling me, that you did like me?" Tristan refused to let his hopes rise, in fear that they would get crushed again.
"Yes, that's what I'm telling you. I fought it tooth and nail, but there was always something between us, Tristan. Whether it was just friendly banter at first, that escalated into attraction, but something triggered in that kiss we shared and it scared the hell out of me."
"Why?" Was his response.
"Because you were a Player, Tristan and I didn't want to be another notch on your bedpost. I wanted you to be an actual boyfriend and I knew that at that time, you couldn't be one. You were a rebel and enjoyed being one. That's why I fought it, that's why I stayed with Dean. It took me three years to figure it out, but I did."
"God, why do you keep doing this to me?" Tristan groaned, leaning back in his chair.
"Doing what?" She asked surprised.
"I could have been that boyfriend you wanted, Mary. I wanted to be, but you pushed me away. Whenever I'm around you, the world stops and my emotions go on the fritz. I would have turned my back on my old life, but you awoke something in me that I didn't know was there. You think that you were the only one scared? Or hurt? I got hurt too, Rory." Tristan sighed exasperately. "You consumed my every waking thought in military school and it took me a long time to get over it. I thought here, I'd have a fresh startm find a new girl and be the man you would have wanted me to be, but then you walked into my suite and threw my world askew. It's not fair."
"I told you, I didn't ask for this, Tristan. I also didn't ask for your feelings, but I got them anyway. I liked you too and I didn't want to, but I did. We're both at fault here." She sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I want this to stop. All this inner turmoil over what could have been. I just want to live in the now!"
Tristan looked up at her, as if he were pondering something. "Then, if we're living in the now, Ms. Gilmore, I'd like to ask you out on a date for Friday night."
"What?!"
Oh, I'm so mean to leave it there, but don't worry. I'll update as soon as you all press that little button on the bottom left corner on your screen. I moved the troryness a little further along than I intended, but all in fairness, I like how this chapter came out. I'll add some more Troy and some other romance next chapter cause Kasey and Max are going to have a confrontation, cough, cough lol. Keep on reading!
Coffee was the only thing on Rory's mind at the moment. After a literature class like she just had, she needed it. She had just spent the last hour arguing over one of Hemmingway's novels and unfortunately, that came with reminders of Jess. Damn, she needed coffee and bad.
'Ha! Sucess!' Rory thought, as she spied a coffee shop not too far from where she was. 'Thank the Coffee Gods.' She entered the shop, the heavenly scent already calming her frazzled brain.
"Hi. Welcome to On The Go, what can I getcha?" The attractive counter guy stopped cleaning and greeted her with a smile.
"The largest cup of coffee you can get me." Rory replied, returning his smile, before placing her books on an empty table.
"Rough day?" He asked, moving to get the coffee she ordered.
"You have no idea." Rory pulled a five from her purse and slapped it on the counter.
"Wanna talk about it?" He offered, handing her a steaming cup full of The Elixer Of Life.
"Not really, it's too complicated, but thank you anyways." She smiled at him. "I'm Rory Gilmore."
"Jake Patterson." He replied, holding his hand out to shake. "And, don't worry about it. It's not like it's that busy in here anyway."
She shook his hand lightly. "Still, you know nothing about me and were willing to listen to me ramble on about my problems."
"Any guy would be willing to listen to a pretty girl's problems, Mary." An annoyingly familiar voice interupted from behind her. "It's one way we get girls to talk to us."
She rolled her eyes and took and appreciative sip of her coffee. "Well, you would know Bible Boy. I mean, why else would any sane person go out with you."
Jake chuckled at her remark, while Tristan just smirked at her. "Oh, you know you want me, Mary."
Rory through her hands up into the air and rolled her eyes. "Yes Tristan, your arrogance is just such a turn on. It makes you impossible to resist."
"Glad you're finally admitting the truth." Tristan smirked, yet again.
Rory took her change from Jake and returned to the table. "Did anyone ever tell you how annoying you are?" To her dismay, Tristan followed.
"Yes, you did, many times." He dropped into the chair across from her. "It's what you love most about me."
"Tris, would you cut it out. I'm so not in the mood for bantering right now. I did enough of that in my Lit. Class. I've got enough on my plate right now without you adding to it."
"Hey." He reached across the table and grasped her hand in his, all traces of his smirk had disappeared. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's nothing big or important. I jst shouldn't let it get to me." Rory sighed and took another sip of the heavenly liquid.
"It's got to be pretty big and important to have upset you so much." He gave her hand a gentle squeeze of comfort. "Tell me what you're letting get to you."
"It's nothing, really. We were having a debate on a Hemmingway novel in Lit. class today and it just brought me back to Jess. He had always liked Hemmingway, even though I didn't." She looked down at her shoes, as if suddenly finding them fascinating.
Tristan removed his hand from Rory's and replaced it under her chin. "He really hurt you, didn't he?" It was more of a statement or observation than a question.
Rory, however, found herself lost in those sapphire blue eyes. She could lie to him now, even if she wanted to. "Yes, he did. More than Dean ever did and more than you did."
Those eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean by that?"
"It hurt me, when you left the way you did." Her gaze darted away from his. "I don't how or why, but you did. But, Jess, he was different. He.........." She trailed off and began to pick at her nails.
"All I've ever seemed to do was hurt you." Tristan sighed.
"No, I didn't mean it like that. I think in some bizarre way, I returned your feelings, I just didn't want to. After awhile, especially during the Jess and Dean fiasco, I thought of you a lot. I needed you there, whether it was to create an alternative or just to be my Knight in Shining Armor, I needed you and you weren't there. I think that's what hurt the most. I didn't want to admit it. I didn't want the feelings, but you can't choose who you like. It just happens."
"Are you telling me, that you did like me?" Tristan refused to let his hopes rise, in fear that they would get crushed again.
"Yes, that's what I'm telling you. I fought it tooth and nail, but there was always something between us, Tristan. Whether it was just friendly banter at first, that escalated into attraction, but something triggered in that kiss we shared and it scared the hell out of me."
"Why?" Was his response.
"Because you were a Player, Tristan and I didn't want to be another notch on your bedpost. I wanted you to be an actual boyfriend and I knew that at that time, you couldn't be one. You were a rebel and enjoyed being one. That's why I fought it, that's why I stayed with Dean. It took me three years to figure it out, but I did."
"God, why do you keep doing this to me?" Tristan groaned, leaning back in his chair.
"Doing what?" She asked surprised.
"I could have been that boyfriend you wanted, Mary. I wanted to be, but you pushed me away. Whenever I'm around you, the world stops and my emotions go on the fritz. I would have turned my back on my old life, but you awoke something in me that I didn't know was there. You think that you were the only one scared? Or hurt? I got hurt too, Rory." Tristan sighed exasperately. "You consumed my every waking thought in military school and it took me a long time to get over it. I thought here, I'd have a fresh startm find a new girl and be the man you would have wanted me to be, but then you walked into my suite and threw my world askew. It's not fair."
"I told you, I didn't ask for this, Tristan. I also didn't ask for your feelings, but I got them anyway. I liked you too and I didn't want to, but I did. We're both at fault here." She sighed and buried her face in her hands. "I want this to stop. All this inner turmoil over what could have been. I just want to live in the now!"
Tristan looked up at her, as if he were pondering something. "Then, if we're living in the now, Ms. Gilmore, I'd like to ask you out on a date for Friday night."
"What?!"
Oh, I'm so mean to leave it there, but don't worry. I'll update as soon as you all press that little button on the bottom left corner on your screen. I moved the troryness a little further along than I intended, but all in fairness, I like how this chapter came out. I'll add some more Troy and some other romance next chapter cause Kasey and Max are going to have a confrontation, cough, cough lol. Keep on reading!
