A/N Sorry it's been so long. And this chapter might not be very good. I'm having a hard time focusing lately. This is my attempt at trying to focus. Uck. So hard. Sorry.
[Reloaded this chapter because the italics weren't working. Sorry about that.]
Truth?
Tristan never expected to see Rory in Los Angeles. One day, after his usual coffee, he sat reading the newspaper. He remembered reading Rory's name and his heart stopping.
The next day, he went apartment hunting near the L.A. Times offices. Maybe he was a masochist. He just needed to see her. He had made it part of his morning and evening routines to sit in coffee shops in the area for hours at a time. After all the waiting, he never really expected her to walk in.
Earlier that night, as he sat in the Starbucks, he could feel Rory's eyes watching him. He was sure she knew it was him. But she just stood up and ran. Tristan sat for a while, trying to figure out what to do. He chased after her. It was so hard to act surprised when she told him her name. It was even more hard to lie to her. But here he was, with her. But he wasn't himself. He was some stranger named Trevor.
***
Rory sat across from Trevor as they nervously sipped their coffee.
"So, uh…" Trevor said. "Writing any good stories?"
"Hm?" Rory was busy watching Trevor again. He looked WAY too much like Tristan. I guess it is true, everyone has a twin out there somewhere.
"Never mind." He said as he looked down at his cup. An awkward silence passed over them.
Rory looked at her watch. 12:46. She stood up in a hurry.
"This was nice but uhh... I have an early meeting at 6:00. I really need to go. Thanks for the coffee."
As Rory was standing, Trevor gently grabbed her wrist. "Uhh can I call you sometime?"
Rory looked up at him and scanned his eyes. Seems nice enough... why not? UH hello?! Earth to Rory! Why not? You don't even know the guy.... He is cute... He looks just like Tristan... YOU CAN'T DO THIS.. DO IT DO IT DO IT! Rory shook her head furiously to stop the voices.
Surprised, Trevor released her hand and recoiled. "Oh sorry, I didn't mean t-"
"No, I mean, I'd love it if you called me." Rory pulled a pen and a piece of paper out of her purse and quickly jotted down her number. HA! TAKE THAT STUPID MIND!
She left with a smile on her face.
***
Tristan sat and watched Rory walk out, twirling the piece of paper between his fingers.
He ran his hand through his tousled hair with his other hand, nervously.
I can't do this. He told himself. What am I doing?! This is crazy... I can't fool her any longer. She's gonna know. I can't do this. I can't do this. "I can do this!" Tristan shouted, catching the attention of the few people still left in Starbucks.
He looked around awkwardly and walked out to his car.
***
Rory watched the cursor flash on her screen, trying to focus on her article. Giving up, she closed the laptop and walked slowly to her closet. She stood on her toes and pulled down a shoebox on the top shelf.
She sat on her bed and opened the box. It was filled with everything that reminded her of Tristan. There were pictures of them, letters he wrote her, and even the old P.J. Harvey tickets that he had saved for her. Tears fell freely from her eyes as she remembered all the times she had with Tristan. She remembered the last time he had talked to her. He was writing her something and then ran out. Rory wished she knew what he had written.
Maybe things would've been different. Maybe he wouldn't be gone. Rory said to herself, crying, until she fell asleep.
***
Rory sat across from Trevor as the candles on the table lit his face. She wanted to cry. He looked too much like Tristan. She had been going out with Trevor for a month. There was so much about him that reminded her of Tristan. Sometimes, it hurt to be around him but other times, it was good for her. It helped her get over him. It was their one month anniversary.
It was times like these that being with Trevor ripped her heart in two. He was flirting with her, Tristan's trademark smirk present on his face.
Her eyes began to water. She needed to get out. "Excuse me. I need to go... powder my nose." She stood up and went to the restroom.
Rory stood against the wall inside the restroom and breathed. How long is it going to take you to get over it?! She mentally yelled at herself.
She heard a light knocking on the restroom door. "Rory? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." She answered quietly.
"Can I come in?"
Rory quietly chuckled. He was so naive sometimes, it was cute. Totally unlike Tristan.
Tristan's gone. You're here with Trevor. It's okay. It'll be okay. Rory thought to herself. She took a deep breath and left the bathroom.
The rest of dinner was silent. After dessert, Trevor paid the bill and they left the restaurant.
"Thank you for tonight Trevor. It was really nice."
"Are you sure?" He asked quietly.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't it have been nice?"
"I dunno. I just thought... I upset you."
"What?! Of course not."
"Oh. In that case, I have one more place to take you."
They stood on the beach as the waves crashed on the sand.
"I come here when I need to think. You know, when I have too much on my mind. There's just something about this place that makes me want to let everything go. You know?"
"Yeah..." Rory answered quietly. She wasn't really listening to
Trevor. She was too busying thinking. Thinking about how she was betraying
Tristan. How she left him in the Atlantic and was with this complete stranger
on the Pacific. It was too much for her.
She turned to Trevor with tears in her eyes. She was using him. She realized it. Trevor was sweet. He was handsome, successful, nice. Everything anyone would want. But he wasn't Tristan. She couldn't keep hurting him like this.
"Rory?
Are you okay?"
"I... I just..."
"What is it?"
"Trevor... I'm really sorry."
"For?"
"All of this. You don't deserve this."
"Deserve this? What's this?"
"Here." Rory reached into her wallet and pulled out a picture. It was Tristan's favorite picture of the two of them in Fez. He had taken her for a graduation present. "That's my ex-boyfriend Tristan."
"Oh? What does this have to do with anything?"
"He died, a couple years ago."
"I'm so sorry."
"No. I am."
"I still don't get why YOU'RE sorry."
"I realized that I've been using you. Everything about you reminds me of Tristan. Your sense of humor, your little smirk, the way you talk, everything!"
Trevor stayed silent.
Rory continued. "And you deserve better than this. I'm sorry." Rory looked at Trevor one last time as she slowly walked away.
She heard a quiet voice that made her heart drop and shatter into a million pieces. "Mary wait."
