The sunlight streamed through the window, waking Rory from her slumber. She rolled over in the bed trying to gain her bearings. At first she thought she was at home in Stars Hollow, confused as to why she was not in her dorm room. It then dawned on her; she was at Jake's beach house. She opened her eyes suddenly remembering what had happened last night. Tristan had slept in her bed.
Rory searched the room for any sign of the boy she had once loathed but came up empty. The smell of pancakes wafting from the kitchen brought her back to reality.
She put on her robe and made her way out into the kitchen and was surprised to see she was the last one up.
"Morning, sleepy head" Kate laughed settling down at the table next to Jake.
Phil and Allison were across from the two newly found love birds digging into their breakfasts. She looked up and saw Tristan standing at the stove flipping the last in a mammoth pile of pancakes.
"Trithtan cookesd!" Allison mumbled with a mouthful of toast.
"For all those of you who don't speak mumble, she's trying to say that our good friend Tristan here, got up early and made us all this fantastic breakfast" Jake informed me cheerfully.
"Who knew" Phil added, tucking into bacon and eggs.
Tristan just smiled as he carried over the pancakes "I am a man of many talents, beside I woke up really early and there was nothing else to do".
Rory smiled as she poured her self some coffee and loaded up her plate. This was defiantly a different side to the Tristan she knew.
Tristan took his place at the head of the table and they all enjoyed the banquet he had put on.
"So, Tristan did you sleep alright on the couch" Jake asked, helping himself to some more juice.
"Um yeah, it was a fine, a bit on the cold side" he responded smirkingly.
"Sorry man, I'll set up a fire tonight" Jake replied.
Tristan leaned over and whispered to Rory "I wouldn't want them to assume anything" he stated smiling.
Rory nodded nonchalantly, although the gesture made her smile inside.
***
Later that afternoon Rory sat on the couch going over some of her readings for class. Jake and Kate had gone for a walk about an hour ago and were yet to return and Allison and Phil had taken Kate's car into town to gather some supplies.
At that moment Tristan came bounding in from the porch like a four year old holding a bucket and pail.
"Look what I found!" he informed Rory excitedly.
"Your lost childhood" Rory retorted.
"Funny, you should go on the road" Tristan replied back sitting on the couch next to Rory, disturbing her books.
"What" Rory asked putting down her folder.
"Let's build a sandcastle"
"Tristan, we're college freshman, we don't build sandcastles" Rory exclaimed exasperated.
"Why not, you build snowmen, right"
"So"
"Well it's the same thing, only you don't have to wear mittens"
Rory stared at the goofy smile on his face; he looked so innocent she had to relent.
"You're not going to leave me alone until I agree, are you?"
"No"
"Fine, lets go, but I'm in charge" Rory stated leading him outside and down the steps to the beach. Tristan trailed behind like a puppy who had just been told it was dinner time.
After arguing about the distance from the shore at which they should start. Rory insisting that it had to be far enough so the tide wouldn't come in, while Tristan argued that the sand had to be wet enough to "mould properly". Eventually they managed to put together a half decent sand castle with four towers and even a moat.
"Now we have to decorate it" Rory concluded wandering up the shoreline to look for some shells.
She collected some pretty crescent shaped ones and began walking back to the castle when she noticed that Jake and Kate had arrived back. They waved at her from the porch where Kate was leaning against Jake on the swinging chair. Rory could hear the faint strains of David Grey from the stereo and smiled at the picture the two made.
"It's nice, huh" Tristan informed her interrupting her thoughts.
"Yeah, it is" Rory said wistfully as she arranged her shells on the towers. It wasn't that she was unhappy being single, she loved her new life, she had great friends and a great family and town to go home too, but seeing the two of them together brought back pangs of days gone by and that feeling of being connected to someone, sharing something that nobody else could understand.
"So are we done" Tristan asked, standing up and attempting to shake some of the sand off of his jeans which were now soaked.
"I think so, but how about some seaweed for the moat" Rory answered surveying their creation.
Tristan nodded and began gathering some up, trying to avoid the waves in the process.
"So are you going to help" he asked jokingly "Or is this a man's job".
"Yes, I've always believed, women collect the shells and men fetch the seaweed, it's a time honoured tradition"
"I think you're just too scared to touch it"
"Well, there's that too" Rory replied.
"Oh really" Tristan shot back thoughtfully, "So what would you do if some got in your... hair". And with that, he launched towards her seaweed in hand.
"No" Rory squealed back running down the beach "Don't" she added.
Tristan quickly caught up to her at which point she quickly ducked under his arm causing him to pivot suddenly and fall to the sand allowing Rory to get away.
"Owe" Tristan yelped.
"Are you ok" Rory asked turning back and kneeling down over him.
"No I think I hurt my…" he began before taking the opportunity to shove some seaweed in Rory's hair.
"Jerk" Rory shot back laughing as she sat on the sand trying to disentangle her hair.
Tristan propped himself up on one shoulder and smirked as Rory cursed at him.
"You know you look cute with seaweed in your hair, its very sea creature from the deep"
"You do know, that payback is imminent" Rory stated finally freeing her hair from the black, slimy weed.
"I'm shaking in my sketchers" he replied, feigning fear.
Rory reached over and grabbed a handful of sand and sprinkled it in his hair.
"It'll take days to get that out, and your head with itch like hell"
"Very cunning" he replied, scratching his head.
"And people will think you have dandruff" she added.
"Devious and Beautiful, what more could a guy want" Tristan said thoughtfully meeting Rory's gaze.
"So um… we should get going" Rory began standing up, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the direction in which this conversation was heading.
"Sure, whatever" Tristan replied nonchalantly "Help me up?" he asked holding out his hand.
Rory took it and began assisting him from his reclined position, when she suddenly felt him pulling her towards him causing her to fall on top of him.
Tristan smiled as Rory lay above him, their faces inches from each other.
"Mary, if you wanted to be close to me all you had to do was ask" he insinuated suggestively.
"I didn't, you pulled me down" Rory protested but remained in her position.
"But you're not moving" he replied back catching her gaze.
At that moment a wave crashed over both of them breaking the moment. They quickly got up, collected there stuff and headed inside to clean up.
***
Once they had cleaned up after dinner, a job that took considerably less time then breakfast, mainly due to the fact they had ordered pizza, the boys build an indoor fire as the storm clouds had come over once again and they were anticipating rain.
As the fire heated up the lounge room they all began getting comfortable around the coffee table. Tristan had moved the stereo inside and insisted on playing Longwave despite Phil's call for Linkin Park which had been booed down by everyone else.
Jake and Kate took the couch, Allison sat in the lotus position against the armchair in which Phil was residing, Rory sat on the ground in front of the couch and Tristan lay sprawled out in front of the fire.
"So what is it tonight, and no more Truth or Dare" Kate ventured.
"Why not I think it worked out pretty well last night" Allison grinned.
"Regardless, its time to move on" Kate continued, looking to Jake for support.
"She's right" Jake agreed getting up and retreating to the kitchen. He returned with six shot glasses, a bottle of Tequila, a couple of lemons and a salt shaker.
He set the bottle down on the table and placed a glass in front of each of them.
"Here are the rules, we each take it in turns making a statement of something we have done it the past, hopefully something embarrassing, and reveal this to the group preceded with the line "I never", then anyone else who has shared in this activity or action must indulge in a shot with the teller" Jake explained.
"All clear" he added.
This was met with a hoot from Phil.
"I've got nothing to hide" Allison ventured, getting comfortable.
Kate though for a moment "Me neither" she supplied.
Tristan struggled his shoulders, "Ok, what the hell, nothings going to kill my buzz today" he replied looking at Rory.
Once again all eyes were on Rory.
"You don't have to play" Kate informed her kindly.
"Yeah, you can keep count" Jake added laughing.
Rory thought for a minute, although she wasn't sure about drinking hard liquor straight, she felt like for once partaking in some normal teenage behaviour. She wasn't going to let them pressure her into it, but she felt that she could control herself; beside she was pretty sure there wouldn't be much she would be drinking too.
"I'm in" she replied. This was greeted by another hoot from Phil, and a strange look from Tristan, "Are you sure" he mouthed. To which Rory nodded her head.
"Let the games begin" Jake stated filling up their glasses.
***
They went around the circle once, each revealing statements such as from Phil, "I never accidentally ate dog food" to which no one else drank and from Allison "I never had two dates on the same night" to which Tristan drank. When it got around to Rory she revealed;
"I never kissed another guy, while I had a boyfriend" and then had her first shot.
Kate looked shocked, but then looked embarrassed when she had to drink to it personally, Allison followed suit defending herself by saying "I was in another country", while Phil and Jake looked on sheepishly.
"What just because I've had a lot of girlfriends, doesn't mean I cheat" Phil supplied defensively.
Jake looked somewhat forlorn as Kate drank but got over it quickly stating, "What's in the past is in the past" and then continuing on turned his attention to Tristan, " So do you have to take a shot for every time you cheated or does one cover all your indiscretions"
"Hey, back of man, I was never that bad" Tristan replied taking his shot, "Actually I better take two just to cover it" he added, which in turn made the others laugh.
Rory momentarily felt a bit light headed from the alcohol but regained her composure. She wasn't surprised at Tristan's behaviour, she had heard enough about it from Madeline and Louise, besides she had no right to judge.
The game continued with Rory not having to take any more shots but Tristan quickly pilling them up. When it got around to him again he stopped for a moment deep in thought;
"What, are you so wasted you're beginning to forget your exploits" Jake joked at Tristan's expense.
"N...no" he began, stuttering slightly, "I'm just trying to come up with a good one" Tristan replied attempting to stand up.
"Ok, I never… um…broke into someone's house, tried to open the safe, got caught and shipped away to military school… all because the girl I liked got back together with her boyfriend" he stated steadily, looking directly at Rory.
The room fell silent. Rory sat there frozen as if she couldn't believe the words that had just come out of his mouth.
"Ok, Tristan I think you've had…" Jake began before stoping mid sentence as Rory got up and left the room.
***
Rory made her way out onto the porch dumb founded, but knowing that she had to get out of that room. She carefully sat down on the swinging chair and stared out at the ocean. How could Tristan say that? She knew he was drunk but still, he was blaming her for what happened to him?
"Rory" Tristan stated as he came out after her.
"Go away" she replied back.
"Look I…" he began.
"I don't want to hear it, I don't want anymore of your excuses or apologies, just leave".
"I wasn't going to apologise" he shot back.
"Fine, I don't care" Rory replied standing up, tears welling up in her eyes as she attempted to get past him.
"I was just coming out here to explain" he continued blocking her path.
"Explain what, how can you blame me for what happened to you!" Rory yelled taking a step back "I don't control you, you have no right to say that" she added as tears started streaming down her face.
"I don't blame you, I was just explaining what happened, that was the catalyst, after I saw you and Dean together in the courtyard, that's when things went downhill, I fell in with Duncan and Bowman and the rest in history"
"I didn't make you do that" Rory protested, regaining her composure. "I never led you on, whatever you thought was between us was all in your mind".
"You're wrong, if it had just been me I could have gotten over it, hell I was getting over it, but then at that party, you kissed me Rory, and you can't deny that"
"I had just broken up with Dean, I was upset…" Rory began.
"But you still kissed me, and that meant something, for Rory Gilmore to kiss me meant that something was different, I was different" Tristan explained calmly.
Rory stood there, unable to find words.
"I would have done anything for you" he added.
"I went out with Paris all because you asked me, I camped out all night for those damn P.J Harvey tickets and what did I get in return you and bagboy back together"
They stood there staring at each other, Tristan's gaze penetrating Rory's as she struggled to respond.
"You can't do this to me; you can't put this on me, even if I did kiss you" Rory replied defiantly "I owed you nothing, you never did anything that deserved my trust or even my friendship, I tried to reach out to you but your pride was in the way, you had to keep up your reputation and treat me like crap and the fact you are bringing this all up now, shows you haven't changed at all" she pushed past him and made for the door.
Tristan just stood there and let her go, his hands by this side defeated.
***
Rory arrived back at school the next day. She and Tristan had not uttered a word since their encounter the night before. The others had respected their space and hadn't pried and they had all packed up and headed home that afternoon.
Rory walked towards her room struggling to carry her bags, she had been unable to sleep the night before, her mind filled with anger and confusion. And all she wanted to do now was climb into her own bed and pretend this weekend had never happened.
As she reached her door the sounds of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club greeted her. This struck her as strange seeing as none of her roommates shared her taste in music.
She opened the door to see the common room dark except for one lamp. Someone was sitting on the couch, and jumped up when they heard the door open.
"Rory" they stated.
"Jess" she shot back bewildered.
To be continued…