Author's Note (Siaram) : I'm sorry for the lack of updates, it wasn't my fault but life took over and I couldn't update anything at all even less motivate someone else to. I just hope that for the lack of updates, you'll be satisfied with this chapter… I know, I was… but then... who am I to judge my own team? Review and let us know what you thought.
-Didi
AN (coffeechick87): No, as D said, it's totally not her fault for the lack of updates. What can I say? With life, and a major case of writers block, this fic (and most of my others) got pushed to the back burner. I hope that I made up for the long wait with what's in this chapter, but that's for you all to decide. I like it, but that's just me.
Anyway, since it has been so long, I'm going to shut up now and just ask you one thing... can you please tell me (us) what you think?
-Jayde
Chapter 4
"So? What did you say?" Lane asked eagerly at lunch the next day,
"What could I say? I was so shocked that he asked, so I said something like, 'I'll think about it', and then I said that I had to go." Rory cringed, "How idiotic was that?"
"It could have been worse, I mean, he could have. . . umm, I don't really know, but it could have been worse."
"You're just so much help right now."
Lane shrugged and looked at her best friend apologetically, "I tried." She paused, "Speaking of help... my sous chef is sick, and we have a big wedding to cater tonight... I don't suppose that you could help a friend in need, could you?"
"Uhh... Lane, you and I both know that if you even think of putting me near food that you have to serve you may as well call ahead for the paramedics. I hear that a bout of food poisoning could ruin a catering company." She bit her lip and smirked, "I hear that Martha Stuart is on parole, odds are that she needs a job."
"You know, it's sad, really, what happened with her."
"I know, I mean, one would think that stabbing somebody with a turkey baster on live TV would be on her list of things not to do."
"Hmm..." Lane hummed her agreement, "Anyway, my alternate sous chef is working. The problem is that he's also a server, so now we're one short..."
"So you want me to carry heavy plates of food all night, and, literally, wait hand and foot on all of the rich snobs that hired you. Yay."
"Oh, please, don't sound so excited. And I promise I'll only get you to carry the canapés and stuff. Light things.
"I'll only get you to carry light things." Rory rolled her eyes as she blotted at a tomato sauce stain on the red velvet tunic that she had been forced to wear, yet again. The stain was the direct result of an incident consisting of a discarded shoe, and a tray full of veal parmesan. She was relatively lucky, since she had managed to regain her balance in time to save all but one of the dinners from slipping off of the tray, and onto her shirt. After that horrifyingly embarrassing debacle, she had retired to the back of the reception hall, sure that she wouldn't cause another disaster from outside.
"This is so the last time that I'm doing this. I don't care if she's so short staffed that she has to cook, wait and bartend, I'm never ever doing this again." She continued to mutter to herself as she scrubbed furiously at her front, and paced back and forth in the back alley that led to the employee parking lot. So distracted was she, that she didn't notice the sound of the door opening until she almost ran headlong into the man on her course back and forth.
"Oh, God." Rory jumped and closed her eyes, a wave of acute embarrassment washing over her for the second tome in half an hour. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there, and I was just... I'm sorry."
"It's fine. No harm done." The gravelly voice was warm, and faintly amused, and she scrunched her nose up, wishing for nothing but to sink right into the ground beneath her. Deciding to face reality like a woman, she slowly opened her eyes, and raised her head.
The sight that she met was at once both familiar and strange at the same time, and she almost did a comic double-take, a look of shock prominent on her soft features. "Tristan!"
Tristan looked over the sea of people in the dining hall where he sat, and grimaced as the man beside him chewed his dinner quite loudly. Trying to drown out the slow mulching of food adjacent to him, he looked over to his other side, only to be met with a sight that if he never saw once again, it would be too soon: A money hungry twenty-something trying to charm him out of his pants, and, if she had her way, his bachelorhood. Smiling stiffly, he carefully removed her death grip from his arm, sure that her hot pink talons had ripped their way through the Italian wool, and were about to start digging holes in his forearm.
His eyes shifting now, he searched for any means of escape, a fire exit, an exit to an underground tunnel, a conveniently placed disappearing box and the magician to go with it. Hell, he'd dig the tunnel himself if he thought that he wouldn't ruin the antique silver spoons that were placed at every table, and that would be unbelievably rude. Finally settling on the kitchen as his best option, he looked at the woman next to him, but not after reading the small place card that was sitting in front of her,
"Excuse me Mixy, I really must excuse myself."
The blond pouted, "Awww, do you really have to go?" She started to stroke his arm and shifted attempting to show off more of her cleavage.
Tristan had to suppress a smirk at the fact that while she probably thought that she was talking in a seductive purr; all she succeeded in doing was make it sound as if she had a fur ball stuck in her throat. He forced his features into an as charming a smile as he could manage, and removed her hand from his arm, again. "I'm afraid so, I need to go to the little boys' room."
If it was possible, she pouted even more, "Well, if you really need to..." She sighed as her voice went from a choking cat to a baby girl, "You promise that you'll be back soon?"
Tristan only smiled at her as he rose from his seat, and made his way through the busy room towards the kitchen doors. Staying to the edges of the kitchen, he looked for the exit that he knew was there. Finally spotting the glowing red letters, he kept to the wall as he walked toward it. Stepping outside, he took a deep breath of relatively fresh air. He didn't realize that he wasn't alone until he was almost plowed over by a willowy brunette.
"Oh, God. I'm so sorry. I didn't see you there, and I was just... I'm sorry." She looked down, and he could almost see the tips of her ears grow red in the dim light.
He smiled, and shook his head, "It's fine. No harm done."
There was a slight pause, and he could see her take a breath and almost visibly relax before she lifted her head. As his eyes met hers, he was struck with such a feeling of familiarity that it almost took his breath away, and then she spoke;
"Tristan!"
He let his eyes roam over her face once more, before memory actually kicked in, "Mary."
They sat, on the ground of the dim alley. Him in his dapper pinstriped suit, and her, in her stained waitress garb. After a small mix-up, involving him mentioning that he never saw her as a career waitress, and her hastily correcting him, they spoke of what had happened since they had last seen each other. Their lives, their families and the upcoming Chilton Reunion that he had wrangled an invitation to, even though he hadn't graduated there. They laughed over the exploits of Paris, and the trouble that he had managed to get in even under the firm command of the many drill sergeants at his fine institution of learning.
They were so caught up in catching up that they didn't notice that a wide eyed Lane was standing just outside the door, looking at them both frantically, wondering if they had any idea that they were, in actuality, each others online significant other. She softly cleared her throat to grab the attention of her best friend.
Startled at the unfamiliar noise, Rory looked up, "Hey, Lane." Looking back to Tristan, she grinned and stood, "I think duty calls. Lane, you remember Tristan, right?"
Lane blinked, "Yeah, good tipper. Also known as Bible Boy."
Grinning, Tristan got to his feet, "Nicknames already, Mary?" He extended his hand to Lane, "A pleasure to meet you, formally."
"Ditto." Lane smiled, and looked at Rory apologetically, "Sorry to steal you away from your little reunion, but Sandra broke her heel, and I have to get her to help prep in the kitchen, can you take her table over? It's the desert table now, so all you have to do is pour coffee." She gestured toward the stained shirt, "I have an extra tunic in the kitchen that you can use." She smiled at the pair of ex-Chiltonites, and excused herself.
When Lane had gone back inside, Rory threw Tristan an uncertain smile, "So, duty calls," she repeated, "It was really good to see you again, Tristan." Taking a deep breath, she gave him another smile, and reached into the back pocket of her slacks, fishing for her business card. Her mother had had them made after Rory had gotten her own column in the newspaper, she had been so proud that she had handed one out to almost all of the people in Stars Hollow, well, really, she gave them to Miss Patty, who circulated them throughout the town.
"Do you have a pen?"
Tristan frowned, before he reached in the inner pocket of his suit jacket and retrieved one.
Taking the pen, Rory hastily scribbled on the back of her card, and then held them both out to him, "Here's my card, I put my home number on the back, I usually work from there anyway, so that's the number that you can reach me at. We should have coffee or something sometime."
Grasping the business card in his hand, he looked down at the back of it and the hastily scrawled number there before he slid it into his dress pants. Searching his breast pocket of his suit, he pulled out his own card, and handed it to her.
She smiled as she slipped it into her slacks, and then hesitantly moved closer to him, giving him a friendly hug, "It was good to see you again, Tristan."
Tristan nodded as he let her go, feeling oddly empty as she backed away, "You too, Mary."
Rory rolled her eyes and smiled as she opened the door, and let her hand go out in a slight wave, "See you."
Tristan just stood there for a few moments, a small smile on his face. Shaking his head, he took a deep breath and ran his hand over his face, dreading going back inside "Well, back to the wolves." He sighed one last time and opened the door.
Tristan sighed as he sorted through the myriad of business cards that had been stuffed into his pocket during the wedding of an associate's daughter the night before,
"Jerk,"
One card into the trash drawer of his desk,
"Moron,"
Two cards,
"Felon,"
Three cards,
"Colorblind personal shopper,"
Four cards.
"Oh, holy shit."
Lorelai Gilmore III
Journalist, General Interest
New York Star
His mind stopped. Everything around him ground to a halt, and he just stared at the name written on the card. Lorelai Gilmore III. Lorelai III. LorelaiIII. He had met his online girlfriend and he hadn't even known.
No fucking way.
Gilmore. Rory.
He flipped the card over, knowing what he would see. Sure enough written in an even hand was her home phone number, and one other word. Mary.
Tristan shook his head, and chuckled.
Dear Xavier,
I told you that I'd think about the offer to meet with you. And I have. I've given it a lot of thought, actually. And after many conversations (with myself, and other people) I decided that I should do what I want... not that I wouldn't normally do what I want, because I do...and I'm not making any sense. Who would know that I'm a writer by trade if they read this?
Anyway, what I'm trying to say is; yes.
Yes, I want to meet you. Yes, I want to go on an actual date with you. Yes, I want to see if this relationship could actually work in the 'real world' (no reality tv connotations intended). And finally, yes, I'd love to go to dinner and a movie with you on Friday.
So, Friday night, we...meet at a restaurant? And then head to a show after? Or we could hit the movie first, and then have a late dinner?
Rory cringed as she re-read the last paragraph. She sounded like an eager puppy, waiting for a treat. Not the mature woman that she was. But knowing that if she started to delete what she had typed, she would probably end up chickening out and delete the rest of the letter, she continued.
Email me with the details, and we'll see if they work for the pair of us.
I hope to hear from you soon,
-Lorelai.
As Tristan read the letter, he wasn't sure if he should be happy or not. Everything had changed since he realized who Lorelai was.
Well, not exactly everything, he slowly admitted to himself, but it certainly did complicate a few things. He had feelings for Lorelai... Rory, he corrected himself mentally, he had had feelings for Rory before he even knew that it was her. And the chance meeting the evening before had proven that he was physically attracted to her as well.
Although, when he had been with Rory the night before, he had also been thinking about Lorelai... her. Rory.
Oh, hell. I'm confusing myself now. Tristan ran his hands over his face, and sighed.
When he had spoken with Rory, he had felt an attraction, true. But it had been an attraction that he wouldn't have acted on because of Lorelai. However, now that he knew Rory and Lorelai were one and the same... it changed things.
He had feelings for her; that he was absolutely sure of. Hell, he had been sure that he was on the edge of falling for Lorelai – Rory – before he knew that it was her. And he was still pretty sure that he was.
But the question was what Rory would think when she found out that he was Xavier. And when she found out that he knew who she was. It wasn't like he had known that it was her the entire time, though. And really, he still wouldn't have known if it wasn't for the business card that she had given him.
But the fact that he did know that she was Lorelai made him wonder if he should just tell her who he was. It would be the right thing to do. Then they would have their first date in an even footing. Nobody knowing more than the other.
But would Rory even want to go out with him if she knew that he was who he was?
Tristan shook his head again, knowing that his thoughts would just continue to go in circles if he kept thinking about it. He knew that he had to do something; he just wasn't sure what that something was, yet.
Finally deciding to just go to bed and think about it again tomorrow, he shut everything off and left the room. Curtis, bored with the silence, slowly got up and stretched from the position that he had been laying in for the past hour, and followed his Master.
"Lorelai Gilmore."
"Mary."
"Tristan, hi. How are you?" Smiling slightly into the phone she stopped typing, and leaned back in her chair.
"Good, good..." He cleared his throat, "Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee this afternoon. Around one or so. Lunch optional."
"Ummm..." Rory frowned, and looked to her clock, inwardly debating what her answer should be, "Actually, that sounds good. I'm a bit stuck on my story, so that might be the thing that I need. An outing to get my creative juices flowing, and all that."
"Yeah, human contact is what you need." The smile in his voice was almost audible, although he didn't sound quite as carefree as he had the other night.
"It probably is, actually. That, and I ran out of coffee this morning and haven't had nearly enough to jump start my story."
"So you're just using me for my caffeine."
"Yep, that's all that you are. My quick fix." Her laughter was soft, but he heard it just the same. "So where do you want to meet?"
"Well, I was thinking of this café that I go to, it's called Delmonica's. They have the best all day breakfast in the city. But if you feel like something different—"
"No, no, Delmonica's is great. I go there all the time, actually. I'm surprised that I haven't seen you there before."
"Well, I mostly sit near the back, it's quieter there. Maybe that's why we haven't crossed paths. You seem like a window person."
"That I am. So, I'll meet you at Delmonica's at one o'clock. That good?"
"That's great. I'll see you then, Mary."
"Yeah, see you there, Bible Boy,"
He planned it carefully, and made sure to get to the café almost an hour before Rory was due to arrive. He sat in the same spot that he had when he was with Stephen a week or so ago. Hopefully, when he got around to telling her that he was Xavier, the fact that he was sitting in the same place that she knew that 'Xavier' had sat in would help back him up. That and the fact that he had the systematically saved and printed emails and chat sessions that he had exchanged with her in his briefcase. They would serve as irrefutable proof if she didn't believe him.
After ordering a large coffee for himself, and asking the waitress to bring another five to ten minutes to one, he brought out his laptop, and started to work. Well, at least he pretended to work. Actually, all he was doing was staring at something that was supposed to make sense to him, and constantly glancing at the tiny numbers at the bottom of the screen, waiting for them to crawl closer to one o'clock.
At ten minutes to one, the waitress came back to the table with a refill for his coffee, which he had been drinking mechanically ever since he sat down, and another large cup.
Not a minute later, after the waitress had dispersed, he looked up at the entrance, somehow knowing that Rory was walking in. Seeing her scan the dining room for him, he stood, and waved her over.
He pretended not to notice when she stopped suddenly a small frown marring her brow. Knowing that she had just realized where he was sitting, he forced himself not to tense, and he formed his lips into what passed for an easygoing smile.
"I didn't know what you wanted, so I just settled for ordering you a large coffee. It was just brought, so it still should be nice and hot."
The smile that took her face over made him relax a tiny bit. "Have I mentioned that I loved you lately?" She said as she slid into the booth and took the steaming cup between her hands, just letting the warmth seep into her hands before she took the first cautious sip.
He almost groaned with her as she licked her lips in appreciation. "I thought that it's the least that I could do since I was the one who pulled you out into the real world." He hesitated a moment before he continued, "No dramatic reality tv implications intended."
The slight falter in her smile was almost worth the risk that he was running by almost quoting her email this soon in their conversation. He was sure that she hadn't figured it out yet, though. However, he knew that it would have been just a matter of time before it had happened, even if he hadn't asked to have lunch with her.
Just as the silence between them was about to turn into an uncomfortable one, the waitress walked up to the table, order pad in hand, "Are you two ready to order?"
Tristan looked at Rory, unsure if she knew what she wanted, but Rory was already ordering,
"Yeah, Joyce, I'll just have the regular... but could you add a few strawberries to the plate? I've been in the mood for a taste of summer."
"You got it, Ror. One order of chocolate chip-blueberry pancakes with extra whipped cream, sprinkled with chocolate chips and some strawberries." Then Joyce's gaze switched over to him, "And will you have?"
"French toast with a side of bacon, and some peach slices, please."
"With or without powdered sugar?"
"With, I seem to have a bit of a sweet tooth." He smiled charmingly, and thanked her as she walked away. Turning back to Rory, he raised a quizzical eyebrow, "Chocolate chip-blueberry pancakes?"
"Don't knock 'em 'till you've tried them. I literally grew up with them. My mother's boyfriend runs a diner, and he used to make them for me."
He had to stop himself from blurting out 'Luke, the health nut actually made you that?', that would have gone over well, if he hadn't controlled himself. Instead, he just replied with a flippant; "Well, I guess that I'll have to have some of yours then. Prove to me that they aren't disgusting."
"With pleasure. But only if I get some of your French toast."
"We have a deal, then."
"Good."
Small talk took over their conversation while they waited for their food. All the while Tristan was trying to figure out how to broach the subject of their online relationship. Should he be blunt about it?
'Hey Rory?... Or should I say Lorelai the third? Guess what? I'm your cyber-boyfriend!'
No... He was known for having a bit more... finesse than that.
He could always be childish about it.
'I know something you don't know! Na na na na naaaahh!'
Although, he didn't really think that that would go over well with her, either.
He could just skip the whole telling her thing and just give her the printouts and see if she gets it.
'Here, read these...' '...so, what do you think?'
Again, the finesse thing came and but him in the ass.
He sighed, and looked at Rory, who was talking about her column at the paper,
"... very interesting. But this week I haven't really been able to get into the flow of the article. I mean, it's all there in point form, but it's just not coming out properly. I don't know why you asked about my column anyway. I warned you that I could rattle on and on about it for hours if I had t—"
"Rory?" He interrupted her, rudely, he knew, but if he waited any longer to at least start to explain, he'd loose all the nerve that he had built up.
"Yeah?"
"I had an ulterior motive about asking you to lunch today. And I know that I should have been up front with you about my intentions, but frankly, the thought of your reaction, should it be a bad one, it terrified me. And I know that you think that I asked you to come here so we could start our friendship on the right course, but that isn't strictly true. Yes, I want to be friends, but I also want more and that's why I'm here I have to clear some thin—"
"Tristan..." Her voice broke into his nervous ramblings, 'I have to say that... I'm flattered, I really am. But... I'm sort of in a relationship. An odd one, but a relationship.
He sighed, wishing that he had started differently, "I know that." He held up a hand as she opened her mouth, "And no, you didn't tell me anything about it. I know that you're in a relationship because... I'm in it, too."
Rory shook her head, frowning slightly, "What do you mean?"
Tristan shook his head slightly, and opened his briefcase, rummaging around for a moment and pulling out a sheet of paper. Without saying a word, he set it on the table, and slid it over to her, face down.
Looking at him curiously, she took the paper, and flipped it over, starting to read.
He could see the change in her face. He could see the blood draining out of her face, leaving it pale with shock.
She blinked a couple of times, and reread the sheet of paper, trying to make sense of what she thought she knew, and what she was just learning.
' Dear Mr. Tristan Xavier DuGrey we are pleased to welcome you to Here are your basic statistics. You may add/edit any/all of them when you log in to the website at any time.
Your name will not be published anywhere on the website unless you go into your profile and unmark the box labeled 'Do Not Disclose My Name'
Your personal email address will not be published anywhere on the website unless you go into your profile and unmark the box labeled 'Do Not Disclose My Personal Email Address'
You will be provided a personal email address to be used within the website.
Your email address will be your .
Note: No outside email addresses can email your email address.
Your email address will be published in your profile.
Name: Tristan Xavier ID: LawGuyDG
Age: 28
Sex: Male
Seeking: Female
Occupation: Email Address: activate your account, please click on the link below.
www . NYC-love . com/new/activate9/-7739J4028K5GS762G7/
Thank you for registering with a nice day!
-the staff '
Just as Rory finished reading through it a third time, Joyce came over with their meals. The beautifully decorated plates seemed to bring her back to reality. Or at least she thought it was reality. She discreetly pinched her jean clad leg. Yep it was reality. Shooting a smile at Joyce, she quickly said her thanks and looked at the familiar plate sitting in front of her.
"So?"
Looking up at him, she realized that he looked as tense as she felt. "So, what?'
"Rory... So, what do you think?"
She shook her head, "I really don't know what to think." Looking down at her plate again, she frowned and looked back to him, "Did you want to trade a pancake for a piece of French Toast?"
Tristan blinked at the abrupt change of topic. "Uhh... Rory? Aren't you going to say anything about me being...me?"
She looked at him, and then slowly shook her head, "Not right now, I'm not. I think better on a full stomach. So can we eat so I can just... process things?" I'm sure that there'll be a lot to say, but just... after."
Not quite sure if waiting to talk about it, but knowing it was probably safer to give her a little time to absorb everything; he himself had laid in bed doing nothing but think of how she was Lorelai, and how that could effect their relationship, for hours after he figured it out, the least that he could give her was the time that it took to eat a meal. "Okay. So... which piece of French Toast do you want?"
They decided to go walking after their meal, they weren't walking to any specific place; they were just walking. They ended up at a small neighborhood park. It was nicely kept, so it was a rarity in the city. Sitting on a bench, Rory tucked her legs under her, and faced Tristan, "So, when did you find out that I was Lorelai?"
He looked at her, almost thankful that she had started the conversation; he wouldn't have known what to say. "It was the night that we met up outside of the wedding. You gave me your card—"
"And since is says my full name, plus the fact that I'm the General Interest writer, you put it together." She finished for him, smiling slightly. "Why were you calling yourself Xavier?"
"Well, you know that I'm a bit... high profile, right?"
"Anybody who has even glanced at the New York society pages knows that."
"Well, with that comes a whole slew of problems. Mainly gold-diggers and their mothers."
Rory cringed, "Well, I would have said that I would assume that you would enjoy the attention; but now that I know that it's you who I've been talking to, I have to say that you're definitely not the same Tristan that I knew in High School."
"Yes, even the Great Tristan DuGrey had to mature some day." He bowed mockingly from the waist; an awkward move since he was sitting down.
She laughed lightly, "I wouldn't say mature. But I do have to say that you've grown up." Looking at him, she let her eyes linger on his face, studying him. He had grown up. He'd matured, too. She knew that the man that she had been talking to, and... falling for, was very different from the schoolboy that she had known more than a decade ago. She took a deep breath, steadying herself for what she was about to ask; "I swear, this is the last question that I'm going to ask before I actually let you talk. And I want you to know that I don't mean to sound weak when I say this, because I'm not weak, I'm just... curious." She stopped talking again, and her cheeks flushed.
"Just ask, Rory." He was frowning mentally, wondering what she would be worried about.
"What... exactly, do you feel for me now that you know who I am?"
Well, he realized why she was so nervous now. Actually, his palms were sweating just thinking about the answer that he was going to give. "Well... I have to say that my feelings for you haven't really changed that much since I found out that Lorelai is you. I mean, I knew that I had chemistry with Lorelai – you "
"Say Lorelai, Tristan. I'll know what you mean. It is an odd situation that we find ourselves in, isn't it?" Rory grinned slowly, seeing the humor in the situation even as he tried to be serious.
Letting his own lips tug upwards, he nodded, "Anyway, I knew that I had chemistry with Lorelai, but I didn't know if I would be physically attracted to her. I'd been steadily falling for her mind, her wit, her sense of self, since almost our first conversation. My feelings kept growing as I got to know her better, and I knew that I wanted to meet her. I had been bugging her, you, for a face to face meeting for a few weeks when I ran into you. And I found that I was attracted to you. Although that didn't come as much of a surprise, since I was attracted to you when we were teenagers, and I didn't think that it would change. I knew that I wouldn't act on my attraction to you while I was seeing Lorelai, because I wouldn't want to hurt her like that." Tristan scrunched up his face, "I'm giving myself a headache with all of the her/you stuff." He shook his head and continued, "Anyway, when I read your business card and realized that you and Lorelai were the same person, well, not only did I feel a little less guilty for being attracted to you, I actually was a bit relieved."
Rory tilted her head quizzically, "Relieved? What do you mean?"
"Well, you are practically the perfect woman."
She snorted derisively, "Right. Now tell me what you really meant."
"Okay, maybe not perfect; but you are an amazing woman. I knew that much even before I knew that it was you. But now that do know, I can just add what I liked about you when we were in school together to what I've learned about you these last few months... you're the total package. A package, I have to admit that I'm rapidly falling for."
Staring at him, she shook her head uncomprehendingly, "You're serious, aren't you?"
"Yes, I am."
Sighing, Rory shifted closer to him, leaning in, she lightly grazed his cheek with her lips, "Thank you." She shrugged as she backed away, "I think that might have been the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to me."
"Well... It's all true."
They sat in silence for a minute more before Rory spoke, "So... do you have questions for me?"
Tristan just looked at Rory for a few moments, "Do you think that you're ready for my questions?"
She paused for a second, "I'm not sure. I think that I'm more ready to answer your questions since you've answered mine. It's cleared things up."
"Okay, so... I'll ask you one question, and you can take as long as you need to give me the answer." He leaned over and took her hand in his, "What do you want your relationship with me to be? That's the question. Take as long as you need."
Biting her lip, Rory nodded, thankful that he was giving her time. She really wasn't sure what to say to him at that moment. She knew that she had wanted a relationship with him when he was Xavier, and she really didn't think that had changed when she had found out that he was the actual face behind the name. The name behind the name as well, she supposed. "Thank you."
"Hey, I had time to adjust. I had time to think. I just think that you deserve that, too."
She nodded, smiling at him. "Okay, so... what do we do right now?"
"Right now?" Tristan pushed back the sleeves of his coat and looked at his wristwatch, "Seeing that it's getting close to four thirty—"
"You're kidding me." Rory's eyes widened as she realized that they had spent hours together, and she hadn't even realized it. Although she couldn't really blame herself for not looking for the time every ten minutes like she was accustomed to doing.
"No, it's four twenty..." He paused for a few seconds, staring at his watch intently, "...six now."
"Didn't you have to be back at work an hour or s ago, Tristan?"
"No," he shook his head, "I made sure that I took the afternoon off. I didn't really know how you would react, and I didn't want anybody wondering where I was if you didn't take it well, and I ended up in the Emergency Room with your boot up my ass."
She frowned, looking at her boots, "...No, I don't think that would have happened. I would have made sure that I was wearing my pointy-toed boots before I embedded them into your fundament."
Blinking at the deadpan tone of her voice, Tristan had only to search for a moment to see the warm humor in her eyes. "Well thank you for the warning, I'll be sure to keep my eyes on your choice of footwear when we get into a fight."
As Rory laughed along with him, she absently noted that she wasn't the least bit offended that he said 'when we get into a fight', as if the fact that they would have a future relationship was certain. 'Something to think on later.' she told herself firmly.
Once they had quieted, he looked over at her, "What about you? Didn't you need to get home and finish your article?"
"No, actually." She shook her head, "The article that I'm stuck on is one of my back-ups. I already have two weeks worth of articles written, so it's not as if I'm racing to meet a deadline."
"Still the overachiever, I see."
Laughing slightly, Rory unthinkingly took the hand that Tristan had resting on the back of the bench, outstretched towards her, and playfully winked "Would you have me any other way?"
His face suddenly solemn, his gaze raked over her face, "No, I wouldn't."
They seemed to be drifting closer, unconsciously seeking each other in the slight chill of the early spring day. The hand that Tristan had entwined with her own locked their fingers together, and his other somehow found it's way to lightly caress her cheek.
Feeling the warmth of his hand on her face, Rory turned her head slightly so that the whole of her right cheek was encased in it; the pad of his thumb now lightly brushing over her lips.
As they were both leaning forward, Tristan paused slightly, unsure if what he wanted to do – what he was about to do was the right thing. He knew that he wanted her, that much was obvious, but what he didn't know, or more importantly what she didn't know is if she wanted him as well.
His eyes must have conveyed that message to her, for she brought her free hand up to his, holding it against the warmth of her face, and nodded slightly to let him know that she didn't want him to stop. He nodded faintly in return as he finally closed the gap between their faces.
The kiss felt... electric. It was unhurried and soft, but it had that thing; that passion that was just barely contained under the surface. It felt almost... familiar as well. They could both feel it, that feeling of exploration, but it was different from the kisses of exploration that they had partaken in the past. It almost felt as if they had traveled the path that they were on, but the memory of it was just out of their reach.
For some odd reason the phrase 'you never forget how to ride a bicycle' came into his mind, and he smiled into the kiss, vaguely thinking that he hoped the old adage proved true. Feeling her smile back, he took advantage of her slightly relaxed mouth, and swiftly parted his lips and let the tip of his tongue trace the details of her lips.
When her own mouth opened more, she allowed herself to taste him. And what she tasted, she enjoyed.
And then they were suddenly pressed against each other, their hands entwined; mirrors of their tongues. They fought for dominance of the kiss for a moment, before conceding to each other, and starting to playfully nip at the others lips. They slowly pulled back, so that only their foreheads were touching, and they looked deeply into each others eyes.
Their breathing was just starting to regulate when Rory suddenly smiled.
"What?"
She shook her head slightly as she leaned back, so that the only thing still touching was their hands. "Nothing, really. Just... come home with me."
"Rory..." Tristan started to shake his head, a sad, almost wounded look in his eyes when she realized her gaffe.
"I didn't mean it that way, Tristan. I don't think that we're ready for that. But... I just want to be with you right now, is that okay? Just to hang out, I guess."
His face softened as he saw the sincerity in her eyes. "It's perfect, Rory."
She let out a half-breath that she hadn't even been aware she had been holding. Hell, the fact tat she was still breathing sort of came as a shock to her.
"Okay." Smiling at him one more time, she uncurled her legs and stood. She stretched for a moment before offering her hand to Tristan, who took it unhesitatingly.
"Lead on, My Lady."
Sitting curled up on the couch on front of Rory's television, Tristan attempted to take his eyes of off the woman beside him, and force his attention to the Movie that he was supposed to be watching. She had put on 'You've Got Mail' (she had actually insisted on it, saying that it was only fitting). But somewhere between them eating the left over Chinese food that she had had stashed in her fridge, and the middle of the second movie ('Sleepless in Seattle') she had started to move closer. She now sat curled under his arm, in the position that so many couples had found their selves in throughout history.
Not that they were a couple, Tristan admitted to himself as he felt Rory shift and snuggle closer. Although, things did seem to be heading in that direction. At least he hoped that they were.
Looking back down at her, he found himself looking into her eyes. She was smiling as she looked at him; a smile that he knew was mirrored on his own face. They stayed like that for a while, not taking their eyes off of the others face. Neither moved until suddenly Rory leaned up, softly capturing his lips with his own.
The kiss was leisurely, a subtle and delicate study, instead of the almost extreme kiss that they had shared earlier. They felt no need, no pressure to change the pace of the kiss, as they had before, they just took what was given, what was needed at that time, and they were content with it.
Rory brought a hand to his face, feeling the slight scuff of what was now his after-5 o'clock shadow, before moving her hand up into his hair. Pulling back slightly, she smiled into his eyes again before turning her attention back to his lips once more. Opening her mouth slightly, she flicked her tongue out, teasing open his own lips, before slowly withdrawing, allowing him to do the same to her. Their exploration continued until the movies credits started to play; the loud music startling them.
Pulling away, they looked into each others eyes, and laughed.
Rory reached over for the selector, and clicked off the DVD player, and then shut off the television. Looking at the clock, she was almost shocked that it was just going on nine o'clock, but seeing that they had gone through two movies, it was understandable. She sat back and looked at him again, trying to figure out how to say what she had been thinking for the past few hours.
"Let's take it slow." Her voice was quiet, but clear. There was a smile in her eyes as she looked into his. "I like this; this you and me thing. But I don't want to rush into anything. I think that we can make it work, but we just need to take it slow." She paused, "Is that okay?"
Tristan nodded, and entwined her fingers with his own, "That's perfect." He paused for a moment, "I should really be getting home. Curtis is probably ready to break down the door by now."
"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kept you—"
"Hey, I wasn't exactly trying to beat down the door to get out, was I?"
She ducked her head, "No, I guess you weren't."
So, they got up, and Tristan got ready to leave. Just as they were walking to the door together, He pulled her into a kiss. Again, it was different than the ones that had come before. Instead of it going from light to a passionate exploration or soft and probing, it was fervent from the start. Hot, openmouthed, and just plain amazing.
As they pulled away, Rory had to unclench her fingers from where they had dug into his coat, and he had to take his own from where they were twined in her hair. Both flushed, and slightly red, they reluctantly stepped away from each other.
Rory stepped forward again, and opened the door for him. Tristan paused once to kiss her tenderly before walking out. He stopped just outside the doorway, and turned around.
"I'll talk to you soon. You have my numbers, right?"
"Yeah, they're on your business card."
"Good." He leaned in one more time and took her in his arms. One quick kiss later, they pulled back. "I'll talk to you soon."
"Okay." She smiled, "Tell Curtis that I'm sorry I kept his master out so long."
Laughing slightly, he shook his head and looked at her, "I think that he'll forgive you."
"Well, I hope so; I really wouldn't want to make an enemy of him right from the start."
Tristan started to walk towards the elevators, without turning towards them. "I think you're safe." he said as reached out and pressed the down button.
"Good." Rory smiled and leaned on the doorframe at him as he waited. Locking eyes with him.
When the ding was heard, they almost jumped, and both smiled ruefully.
"Goodnight, Rory."
"'Night, Tristan."
When the elevator doors slid shut, Rory took a deep breath and went back into her apartment, closing the door behind her.
She didn't stop smiling.
