Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, and I don't own the Norah Jones song "Shoot the Moon."
Chapter 10: Shoot the Moon
Rory's cell phone rang while she was on her way home from the Hartford Airport. Her mother had come to meet her, but Rory hadn't told her what had happened yet. She checked the caller ID.
"Tristan, I don't want to get into it now. Later, okay?"
"No Rory," he said. The use of her name surprised her. "We have to talk now."
"Really bad timing," she said coldly.
"I don't care. I have to apologize to you. I'm so sorry for what happened the other night."
"You don't have to apologize. There's nothing to be sorry for. I overreacted."
"But what I did was still wrong."
"Maybe," she answered, staring out the window at the beautiful autumn leaves. "But you were supposed to be finding a real girlfriend anyway. I was the one that kept telling you to."
"All the same, I'm sorry for hurting you."
"So are you with Stara now?"
"No."
Rory sighed. Somehow the fact that it was all just a one-night stand made the situation more painful. Like he could just run off and sleep around when she was so in love with him.
"Did you get back to Hartford safely?"
"Yah, I'm on my way home now."
"Say hi to your mom for me."
"I will Tristan. Bye."
"Bye."
She hung up and let out another sigh.
"Okay," Lorelai said. "I figured things must have ended badly between the two of you, but you're leaving me hanging here. What happened?"
"I found him in bed with some girl."
"Awkward situation there," Lorelai said.
"Yah, except the night before we had kissed, and I was all walking around thinking I was so in love with him. And so I returned from the movies with Paris and boom, there he is. I wanted to die."
"God that sucks! Leave it to Tristan to be up to his old tricks at the worst possible time."
"But I'm mad at myself the most," Rory said, ignoring her mom. "I kept telling him he needed to find a real girlfriend to marry so that we could drop the act. But I wasn't aware he was actually looking. So he had every right to be with that girl. After all we weren't a real couple. I was just surprised."
"And hurt," she insisted. "Tristan had just kissed you the night before. That was pretty low of him to lead you on and then just jump into bed with the next woman he saw. I could kick him in the balls."
"You'll have to take a number. Paris is first in line."
"Good old Paris. Is she still staying with Tristan?"
"She couldn't find a hotel room and her flight can't be changed. I actually feel a little sorry for him that he's stuck with her for another three days. She's giving him hell."
"Don't feel sorry babe," Lorelai said, patting her leg. "It's the least he deserves."
*****
Tristan walked around the room. She had left earlier that morning, with a wave goodbye. He hadn't expected a hug, let alone a kiss, but the small action proved how great the distance between them had grown. He worried about her all day long and was relieved to talk to her though her words did little to comfort his guilt.
Their room was dark, the single light bulb having blown out the night before. The window was open, but it was night, and the only light was a faint stream cast from a street lamp.
Across the room was the dresser, and on it he noticed some of Rory's things that she had forgotten. He crossed the room to examine them. He found a CD, the roses she wore in her hair the evening of the party, loose change, and a nail file. The CD caught his eye first; it reflected the light from the street. It was laying face down to avoid scratching, and he picked it up to examine the label.
"Norah Jones," he said to himself. He remembered teasing Rory for listening to the mellow music, but now he knew this was exactly what he needed. He popped the CD into the stereo and returned to the dresser.
The summer days are gone too soon
You shoot the moon
And miss completely
Now you're left to face the gloom
The empty room that once smelled sweetly
Tristan smiled bitterly to himself, the room was empty without Rory. And it was true; the scent of her perfume was already fading. He picked up a rose, now brown and limp. He cradled it in his hand, remembered how beautiful she looked in her gown.
Of all the flowers you plucked if only
You knew the reason
Why we had to each be lonely
Was it just the season?
A cold wind blew through the open window, and with it several stray drops of rain. It had been raining all day, and Tristan was convinced the world was crying for Rory.
Now the fall is here again
You can't begin to give in
It's all over
When the snows come rolling through
You're rolling too with some new lover
Tristan laughed to himself. It was as if Rory had left this CD for him to listen to on purpose.
Will you think of times you've told me
That you knew the reason
Why we had to each be lonely
It was just the season
He looked at the calendar. It was already September. Their summer together was over. Maybe it was just meant to be for one summer, for one season. But he knew that he wanted it for much longer. He wanted Rory for forever.
"You screwed your chances," he said out loud. He squeezed his hand into a fist, crushing the lifeless flower. It fell to the ground in hundreds of dejected pieces.
a/n: okay, I'm going to sound totally blonde right now (and im not blonde.) no offense to blondes or anything. Okay now I'm rambling. Anyway, on almost every story I read now it says 'oc' what the hell does that mean???? I've been trying to figure it out but I'm just not getting it. I've figured out that it has nothing to do with the show the OC ( I think!) Can someone please help???? I'm so confused…