CHAPTER 8

Tristin stared at Rory. He didn't know how to behave around her. Her hair was down and the strands that usually fall in front of her face were tucked behind her ear. The same ones he stared at of hours on end when they were in class.

Rory's eyes shifted between Tristin and Graham. Tristin had a feeling he didn't tell Rory that he was going to be around for the weekend.

"Tristin!" she said breathlessly. Tristin for all he knew was a puddle of mush when she called his name out. She walked towards his and gave him a hug.

"Hi, babe," he whispered back, giving her a bear hug in return. He inhaled the scent of flowers in her hair. He absorbed the heat emanating from each and every curve of her body. For a moment, they felt like they were the only people in the world.

A loud rap on the door broke the moment.

"Hey, Graham, we're starting the pub crawl. You joining us?" Jonah asked, opening the door wide enough to let his head in.

Graham looked at the couple and then to Jonah.

"Go. I think Rory can show me where to grab a bite," Tristin said as he laced his fingers around Rory's back.

Graham was torn. He felt Rory's vulnerability at the moment and wanted to protect her. On the other hand, he knew it was his jealous nature that was telling him to stay.

"Are you sure?" Graham asked, looking at Rory.

"I promise to return Tristin to you in one piece before midnight," Rory joked.

"Thanks, Rory, you're the best," Jonah responded, grinning at her. "You sure you guys won't want to tag along?"

"Been there, done that last sem, remember?" Rory humored him.

"Oh yeah," Jonah recalled. "C'mon, Graham, you're buying the first round."

Graham hurriedly pulled out something from his desk and shoved it in his pocket. He gave Rory a peck on the cheek and waved at Tristin. He closed the door behind them.

They were alone at last. Both of them remembered the last time they were this intimate.

"Hi," Tristin whispered.

"Hi," she answered back.

"I'm sorry," Tristin apologized.

Rory stared at his chest. She watched her fingers feel the racing heartbeat thumping beneath the shirt.

"But I was the one that hurt you," her pained expression stared back at the blue, brooding eyes.

"And I didn't take your apologies," he said.

Silence filled the room. Neither was willing to ask. "So," Rory said after a while, "Where do we go from here?"

"Let's start with a snack. I'm famished," Tristin suggested.

Rory smiled at him coyly. "There's this restaurant that we could try..."

Rory and Tristin sat in front of a picture window of a tiny Chinese restaurant right outside the Yale walls. For a Friday night, it was quiet and open for business way later than the other establishments that surrounded it.

They seemed to talk about everything: sports, art, and current events. It felt like the time Tristin rescued her at the beginning of summer. She wanted to stay that way forever.

"... So this girl said that it was a travesty that a strip of land would be left vacant and she petitioned that a mall would be built on it. She sort of forgot that it was preserved land for the wildlife," Tristin recalled as he absentmindedly stirred his tea.

Rory laughed but her mind was not into the conversation. She kept on watching the black leather band that covered his wrist.

"Anything wrong?" Tristin asked, bringing her attention back to the present.

"I'm sorry," Rory said blushing.

"What were you thinking about?" he prodded.

"Oh... Breakfast at your place last summer... And how you looked at the Catskills," Rory confessed.

It was Tristin's turn to blush. "Why?"

"I don't know," Rory responded. "I... I feel like I wanted to be there again. I don't really like this whole reality stuff. It's so mundane," Rory babbled.

Tristin smiled. "Do you know how many times I still dream about the day I almost ran into you on the way home?"

"Really? I remember you being so upset that night. Not that I remember much, of course," Rory chuckled.

"Oh my God, you just don't know how tired I was! If it weren't for me staying up the night before to study for the test and drive back after packing up, I probably wouldn't have been so rude," Tristin recalled.

"Maybe I should've parked into the shoulder a lot farther than an inch off of the highway," Rory reminisced.

"If you did, I would've not ran into you," he said quietly, reaching out for her hand.

"And we wouldn't have had a crazy summer," Rory answered back.

"Yeah, that was one summer, wasn't it?" Tristin said.

"Would you have taken it all back if you could? The summer, that is," Rory asked, basking in the heat of his hand.

He started tracing her fingers and the back of her hand with his index finger. "Hmm, some, definitely. But if it weren't for those instances, would we be sitting here talking right now?"

"Are you saying you believe in fate?" Rory teased.

"Kismet. I do believe it," Tristin said passionately.

Shivers ran down Rory's spine. "I'm just glad that the awkwardness between us is gone."

"Me, too, "he smiled back.

Rory stared at her watch to check up on the time. It was a little past eleven. "I'd be thinking Graham would be gone for a few more hours. Would you like to hang out at my dorm?"

Tristin smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."