CHAPTER 11

Something was definitely bothering Rory. She has stared at the page for over a minute and still had not moved on. Clearing his throat, Tristin tried to break into Rory's thoughts.

"I know Great Expectations is an intense story but not that intense," Tristin said.

Rory was startled. "Oh, you're back."

"Well, don't sound so excited now," Tristin said, feigning hurt.

Rory grinned. "Hey, you know, you're cool when you drop that ass routine."

"Ha!" Tristin let out. "Are we going to continue this banter every time this… tension is between us?" Pausing, he yanked the book off Rory's hands and tossed it on the bed. He pulled her against him; close enough for him to smell the scent of his shampoo on her head.

"C'mon, we've got to get out of this house!"

Rory was confused. Aside from the fact that she was caught unaware of Tristin's uncharacteristic behavior, she questioned her feeling of giddiness and excitement like she was a teeny bopper losing her head in a rock concert. Her heart raced as Tristin's hand closed around hers. As he grabbed a light gortex jacket from the back of the couch, he looked back at her and gave her a wink.

"Where are you taking me?" Rory asked staring at her outfit as she and Tristin seem to run out the door.

"Somewhere fun. You'll like it," Tristin said. "And you look fine just the way you are."

"That's easy for you to say! You're not the one wearing a stupid shirt and a pair of shorts I wouldn't be caught wearing outside the house!" Rory pleaded.

"Trust me, babe. You're delectable. If everyone had a demented way of looking at things, you're outfit is the greatest teaser a man would ever think of if he wants foreplay to last for a long time," Tristin said maliciously.

"You're disgusting!" Rory said as she tried to pull her hand away from him. She was met with resistance as his hand tightened around her.

They jumped into the car. Still grinning, Tristin made the engine roar. They were heading south on Route 91. They jumped several exits until she noticed signs for East Haddam. Rory felt like panicking and she did not know why.

"Tristin, enough of your teasing. Where are we headed?" Rory asked.

"Patience, Mary," he responded quizzically.

Shortly, they entered Devil's Hopyard State Park. Rory was still confused. She stepped out of the car as soon as the vehicle was parked. The May breeze was crisp and cool. She looked at the beautiful trees that jutted out of the hills and the numerous hikers and park walkers as she waited for Tristin to emerge from his side of the car. Moments later, he emerged right beside her with the jacket in one hand and a camera on the other.

"Let's go!" he said.

Rory decided to drop the suspicions that addled her brain. She cannot keep on questioning herself and Dean. Somewhere, she felt that Tristin was going to get involved in this somehow, too. However, Rory had to concentrate on Tristin's current preoccupation of walking rather rapidly. Rory decided to break for a run so she would not lose sight of her path leader. "Damn the freshman fifteen! Or is it breakfast? Whatever it is, I need to get some exercise," Rory said to herself.

Rory came to an abrupt halt when she almost ran into Tristin who finally came to a stand still.

"Here she is. Isn't she beautiful?" Tristin said with such familiarity.

Rory looked around him and saw the waterfalls in front of her.

"This is Chapman Falls. She had been one of my loves since I set my eyes on her in a grade school field trip," he continued to ramble.

"It's beautiful!" Rory exclaimed.

Rory's heart did a somersault as his hand reached for hers again like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her breathing became labored as his thumb rhythmically made circles on the knuckle of her thumb. It felt strange feeling this way for someone whom she made a friendship pact with just to be civilized in the Chilton halls.

"Look down there," he whispered into her ear as he pointed to a couple of trees that were downhill from them.

"Oh my God. That is so cool!" Rory exclaimed.

The afternoon sun made a prism at the base of the falls forming a rainbow. It was a beautiful sight. She was not surprised why Tristin found the place spectacular.

The silence between them was pleasant, if not refreshing. No squabbles, no bickering. And they stood there for what felt like an eternity.

"This is the only place I call my own," he said as he faced her. "Now you know."

"Thanks for sharing this with me," Rory said when she finally found her voice.

For a brief moment in time, Rory forgot Stars Hollow and all the baggage that seemed to weigh her down.

Tristin's heart was pounding so hard and so fast that he felt his blood ringing in his ears. He did not know why he took her here. He just knew he had to share it with her.

He did not want to let go of her hand. The jolt of electricity that flowed between them was a masochistic pain he was willing to endure. Her scent was intoxicating. Her eyes seemed to hypnotize him. She was clueless to the fact that she affected him like a drug. Sighing, he nudged her down the trail and walked around the falls until the sun permitted them to loiter.

Tristin and Rory hung around the basin of the waterfall for several hours. They laughed and talked until they couldn't hear each other's voices over the crashing of the water on the polished rocks. Tristin took pictures while Rory walked around and discovered whatever was around them. Both took a break by daring each other to soak their feet in the freezing water.

"So, what do you think is the most overused word?" Rory asked.

Tristin shook his head in disbelief at what she was asking. "I don't know. What?"

"Come on. You're smart. What do you think it is?" Rory prodded.

"I don't know. God? Sex?" He replied.

"I don't know if 'God' is really a word. It's a deity; a name. But in terms, yes, it can be overused but if it's in prayer, I guess it can't be overused," Rory explained. "However, I think 'sex' on the other had is not an overused word. I think it's the most abused act."

"Well, Miss Sherlock Holmes, if you came to that conclusion, then what, pray tell, is the most abused word in the English language?" Tristin asked.

Rory leaned back as she raised her freezing feet from the water and dried them off. Pondering, she responded, "Love."

"Interesting choice. Why so?" he challenged as he imitated Rory's actions.

"Well," Rory started to explain as she laced her running shoes. "To win someone's affection or attention, you tell them you love them. However, you cannot prove that their love for you is that of Eros or just manipulation. You can 'love' your car and you can 'love' your dad but is the 'love' equivalent? No. Maybe you're fonder of things and mistake it for love."

Tristin cocked his head to the side and laughed. "You know, I thought I knew what you were talking all about and then," he said snapping his fingers, "I lost you. But I see where you're coming from."

He stood up and towered over Rory's sitting figure. "Well, I guess I could use your logic and say that if love is the most overused word, then hate should be in the same league. If rhetorically, love and hate are triggered by the same hemisphere of the brain and triggered by the same chemicals, you can say that in the same degree, you can say you 'hate' broccoli as you 'hate' your roommate's snoring, would you 'hate' in the same manner? No. But I think that in the same intensity you love, that would be the same intensity you put in hate for every opposite of the thing you love. Ergo, if love is the most overused and abused word in describing a feeling, you should not disregard hate," he hypothesized.

Rory dropped her head and tried to hide her smile. All she can think about is how she missed the opportunity to banter with him in this manner in high school. Trying to compose herself, she asked, "Psych 101?"

"Nope, Discovery Channel," he retorted.

"You know, I'd almost agree with you except for one thing. People are more discerning when they label something with "hate". Love is anything from a cute kitten to the act of sex!" Rory rebutted.

"Here. Let me demonstrate," Tristin said as he held out his hands for Rory to grab. As he brought Rory to her feet, he immediately put his arm around her waist and kissed her. At first, Rory was shocked. Rory could still remember the first time she kissed him at Madeline's party. The kiss then and now was different and she did not know why. One thing was for sure; she did not want it to stop.

Tristin waited long enough to forgo the kiss. He knew he had to tread lightly when she was concerned but for now he was contented to have her in his arms.

At first, the kiss was light and pleasant. Their lips brushed up against each other hesitantly. Almost instantaneously, a sense of urgency overpowered them. Rory's fingers curled around the hair on his nape while his hand cupped the small of her back to press her closer to him. Slowly, Tristin pulled away, desire still clouding his eyes.

"Well," Tristin said to break the silence. "Do you hate me for just kissing you and catching you off guard or would you start saying you love me because the reason I kissed you was to tell you that I've loved you since I laid eyes on you?"

Rory was incensed. She was about to give him a piece of her mind when a drop of rain hit her nose. She looked up and was greeted with more.

"Let's go!" Tristin yelled as the pellets of rain started stinging their skin. He took her by the hand and led her through the trail. Halfway through running toward the car, they started laughing at the notion that they were trying to outrun the rain. They were several feet from the car when they let go of each other's hands and went to their designated car doors. After getting into the car and shaking off some of the excess rain on them, they sat in comfortable silence.

Tristin turned the ignition on the car when Rory asked, "What just happened back there?"

Dodging a direct answer, Tristin replied, "Rain."