CHAPTER 9
To Becca: Thank you. Salamat. Gracias. Merci. Danke. You are a lifesaver.
It was payback time.
Tristin didn't know that this was how he was going to ask Rory to help him out. Trust, she says. Well, that was one thing he was counting on Rory to get the proverbial monkey off of his back.
"My, what big smile do you have," Tanh pointed out as he elbowed Tristin on the ribs.
"Do I?" Tristin feigned.
"So what's in the box?" Tanh asked in a singsong voice, eyeing the brightly wrapped parcel cradled in his arms.
"None of your business," he replied with a hint of mocked mystery, taking giant steps to what seemed like the direction to Rory's class.
"You can tell me now or I can bug Rory later," he threatened back, masterfully matching his strides.
"I heard my name," Rory said, appearing out of nowhere like a genie.
"Rory!" Tristin replied breathlessly. He noticed that he'd been doing that a lot recently when he's around her.
"Last I checked that was my name," she affirmed, a frown appearing on her brow.
"I need to cash in a favor," Tristin mentioned as he grabbed her by the shoulders.
Rory almost leapt at his touch. Smiling, she responded, "What?"
Tristin was about to pour out his confession until he noticed that he still possessed the long box under his armpit. "Oh, this is for you."
Rory took the nicely wrapped package and opened it. Amidst a set of floral paper laid an arrangement of yellow roses that seemed like they've been freshly cut. She looked at him with a hint of surprise and pleasure.
"Wow, that's really pretty," Tanh said from the sidelines.
"I thought I'd greet you Happy Valentine's," he said offhandedly, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet.
"You didn't have to," Rory admonished him as she took a whiff of the lovely bouquet. "But thank you. I guess whatever the favor is, it's big, huh?"
"Major," Tristin didn't lie.
"Lay it on me," Rory ordered, putting the lid back on the box.
"Remember the girl I told you I was making out with last Saturday?" he helped her recall.
"Yeah," Rory admitted, a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks.
"Well, she is somewhat not taking the hint that I'm not into her," he confessed as his face blushed in a lovely shade of crimson.
"That must have been some kiss," Tanh muttered in a stage whisper.
"Shut up, peanut gallery," Rory reprimanded her friend playfully. "Go on," Rory told Tristin. She was eager to find out what he got himself in to this time.
"I admit, it wasn't my finest moment," he gave as an excuse. Should he confess that he needed something to do while he fantasized about her while she had dinner with a guy who could potentially be her soul mate?
"Didn't we just go through talking about finding you more suitable partners? Why did you have to pick the 'Fatal Attraction' chick?" Rory criticized, pointing her finger at him.
Tristin just scratched his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry!"
"So what is this favor I have to fulfill?" Rory asked, secretly pleased with him writhing in embarrassment.
"Pretend to be my girlfriend this weekend," he suggested.
"What!" Rory said quite forcefully. "You are not serious!"
"As a heart attack," he said with pleading eyes.
Rory's eyes wandered around the almost empty hallways, knowing that her class is about to start soon. She deliberated in her head, not knowing what their ruse could do to alleviate the situation.
"Rory?" he asked her. He wanted to search for an answer in her eyes but she made it hard for him to figure her out.
"Fine," Rory agreed as she rolled her eyes.
"Great," he responded in glee, kissing her immediately as he got caught in the moment. It started out in his head as a kiss of gratitude. However, the moment their lips fused, his head started spinning. The taste of caramel and coffee covered his tongue as he coaxed her upper lip into his mouth. He felt her catch her breath. He can't think. Then out of nowhere, he said, "I love you."
Rory was rooted on the spot as she watched Tristin jog away from them.
"I'll call you later with the details!" he yelled running backwards.
Rory couldn't even mutter an answer. She just watched his running figure dart out of the side door.
"Miss Gilmore, it's your preference if you want to listen to the lecture here in the hallway," she heard her professor's suggestion.
Rory stared at Tanh as she tried to walk towards her classroom door.
"Don't look at me. I wasn't the one who said 'I love you'," Tanh remarked mid-chuckle. "You and I have some serious talking to do."
oooo00oooo
I love you. Where did that come from, DuGrey? Tristin scolded himself. How was he going to explain himself to Rory? Should he call her back and say, "About saying 'I love you…" You just can't back track and cover it up or pretend that it was never declared. It was already out there.
This was how he got himself into trouble. With Summer, they both knew where they were coming from. They didn't have to pretend that they were in love with each other, although he went down that path apparently without her. Twice. And both times he ended up getting the short end of the stick.
You can't take those three small words back. He knew somewhere down he meant them more than as a gesture of gratitude.
He can't go down the road with Rory. She doesn't know the rules. She is above the rules. He doesn't trust to love anyone until he deemed his next girlfriend worthy. He wasn't ready right now even if his heart was telling him otherwise. He'd wager his own selfish feelings just not to see her hurt, especially by him. She didn't deserve his wrath.
He pushed his hair back hurriedly, trying to wipe away the lingering thoughts of one Rory Gilmore. When he fantasized about her in high school, he thought she'd taste like bubblegum; the kind you smacked all day long. The kiss by the piano didn't count. Both were just lonely and lost. It wasn't worth dreaming about, right? But that all changed when the sweet lips greeted him with a lingering taste of long island iced tea not all too long ago. Today, the mixture of bitter-sweetness could've never been packaged any better, laced with the innocent taste the chocolate-orange lip balm that coated her lips. She was a chameleon and he didn't know how to handle their current state of friendship.
His eyes flickered to his rear-view mirror. He let up on the accelerator of his car. His hand cradled the head of his stick shift. Somehow, he found an odd sense of control as his hand caressed the ball. Slow down he reminded himself. Speeding away won't resolve any issues. It would just make him lose control.
oooo00oooo
Rory was definitely mentally absent from her class. There was the kiss. And those three words. She shouldn't get worked up about it. How many times had she uttered those same words to people she didn't even know as candidly as Tristin?
So he wants her as a stand-in girlfriend. That shouldn't be that tough, right?
The kiss was the second they've shared in a about six weeks. She really didn't want to get used to this. Although, she tried to rationalize that she had to be there for him, deal and all.
"Earth to Rory," Paris broke through her thoughts. "It's bad enough that you just plopped yourself down without a greeting."
"I'm sorry," Rory replied automatically like she as in a trance.
"Failed a test?" Paris asked.
"She wishes," Tanh remarked. "Tristin asked Rory to be his girlfriend."
"Did not!" Paris remarked, incensed.
"You're such a bad liar!" Rory snapped out of her stupor.
"Your rebuttal?" Paris raised her eyebrow to her roommate. Her lunch remained untouched until she heard Rory's response.
"Yes, he asked me to be his girlfriend," Rory glared at Tanh. "For the weekend, to ward off a proverbial stalker."
"Hasn't learned his lesson, has he?" Paris was back to her indifferent stance. "When will he realize that he will eventually be trapped in his own game?"
"But he followed her agreement to the situation with a steamy kiss and an 'I love you'," Tanh informed Paris, adding fuel to the fire.
"You are such a tattle tale!" Rory accused Tanh bitterly. His response was his tongue stuck out at her.
Rory wanted to voice out Tristin's secret but she decided against it. "It's the least I can do. After all, he did me a huge favor."
"Don't tell me he's helping you to get to Marty," Paris replied, clunking her fork noisily on her plate.
"I didn't say a thing!" Rory defended herself. She hated the fact that Paris was on her like Band-Aid on wounded skin. Apparently, Tanh had spilled the beans to her roommate.
"I should just listen to Tanh's fabrications. At least a touch of reality seems to be more existent in his stories," Paris guffawed.
"What do you mean?" Rory demanded Paris to explain herself. She was getting tired of defending Marty to her friends.
"Look, Rory, we may used to have a common crush on a blonde, namely Tristin, years ago. We've all moved on but he seems to think you're Estella to his Pip," Paris quipped, taking a bite of her food. "And Marty at this point is his Drummle. Or is it yours?" a frown wrinkled her forehead in thought.
"Drummle?" Rory groaned. "Marty is nowhere in the realm of Drummle. And for your information, I never had a crush on Tristin!"
"No, he's not snobbish, or a bore, but he is definitely getting between you and Tristin," Paris cited.
"I am so lost in conversation," Tanh shook his head in confusion.
"Get a copy of Great Expectations," Paris replied without missing a beat. "Anyway, get over what you think you feel for Marty. Throw Tristin a bone."
"What's with the sudden change of heart?" Rory inquired, taking a bite off of her sandwich.
"You should've gotten with him years ago. You probably would've gotten over your bad boy phase and realized that there's better fish in the sea," Paris pointed her fork at her. "And he'd finally cure himself from you."
"Those are fighting words," Rory said. "You make me sound like a disease."
"Rory, I hate to tell you this but do you know you're transparent?" Paris eyed her roommate. "Your voice changes when Tristin calls. And you can't lie to me. I know how you sound when Marty calls!"
Tanh nodded in agreement to Paris' statement.
"You are loco," Rory hissed.
"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Gilmore," Paris had the last word.
Tanh got the nerve to touch on a more sensitive topic. "So do you think he said I love you as a joke or is it for real?"
oooo00oooo
Beats reverberated from a well-insulated room when Rory, Tanh and Kaylee walked into the fraternity building that Saturday night. The halls were lined up with scantily clad females and men dressed in anything from power suits to jeans. All three of them were greeted with Jell-O shots and a cup of some beverage that may or may not be alcoholic in nature. Tanh had already excused himself to find the representative rainbow coalition in the building despite his underdeveloped gaydar skills.
"Are you sure Tristin is around?" Kaylee raised her voice so that Rory can hear her.
Before Rory could respond, a pair of arms had circled her waist and a kiss snuck its way close to her ear.
"Honey, you made it!" Tristin responded in script. "I know you can act, so play along," he whispered loud enough for her to know the façade had been set up.
Kaylee stared at Tristin and Rory's strange behavior. A tinge of jealousy and anger surged within her. "I think I'll go get me something to drink." She walked away, still confused.
"So you're Rory," the brunette looked at her with piercing eyes, checking her out from head to toe and back.
"Yes, I am," Rory coughed out. She found it strangely erotic that Tristin took a deep breath of her and simultaneously ran his large hands around her waist and then down the small of her back until he finally ended up sticking his fingers down the back pockets of her snug denim jeans. "You are?"
"Erin," she snorted. "Erin Hannigan. Do you know, your boyfriend here is two-timing you?"
"Really?" Rory replied, acting like she was offended. She looked into his dark-blue eyes. They were serious, almost broody. "Any truth to this, babe?"
"I don't know what she's talking about," he mumbled, nuzzling her neck.
Tristin is playing this role a little too well, Rory said to herself. She found her breathing to be shallow and fast. He was doing a number on her system and she can't blame it on Cuervo or any alcohol with a name on it. Her fingers fanned themselves out on his side before outlining his broad chest.
"Well, we had a little argument last weekend," Rory covered up for Tristin's little covert operation.
"How could you be so blasé about it?" Erin screeched, gaining attention for her sudden display of emotion.
"How could I?" Rory let out a deep chuckle. She could hardly concentrate on her head-on confrontation with the psychotic girl. Tristin was just hitting all of her weak points and she just wanted to tell the wench to go away. He was running his finger up and down her arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps that drove her mad. "Really, Erin. Someone as green as you should've realized that you're playing with a pro." Rory played the role of a confident girlfriend, running her fingers through his hair before tugging on the collar of his shirt to plant a long wet kiss on him in front of Erin.
"Both of you make me sick," she said in spite. "It's your kind that makes all relationships look bad and weak."
Rory returned her glare by saying, "Hmm, the way I see it, you're the one looking pathetic for drooling over a guy who's still claimed." Rory faced Tristin once more and gave him a good, long kiss. She meant it as a kiss for show. But between her intention and what became reality, the line blurred almost instantaneously.
Their lips clung to each other like a thirsty man would with water. Rory knew hear heart was thumping as hard and as fast as the bass of the techno song blaring from the speaker. Her hands sought the hair at his nape, losing herself in it. She felt his hands glide up and down her upper body, almost freezing up when his knuckles brush up against the sides of her breast.
"Rory," she heard him whisper her name.
They lost themselves in the moment. Tristin pushed Rory towards the wall and started assaulting her mouth with his tongue. Heat dueled with heat. Passion fueled his aggression.
"You think she's still watching?" Rory asked as she gasped for air when he stopped nibbling her swollen lips.
"I don't care. I just want you," he hissed. His hands traversed to her bottom and rocked her whole body against his length. She heaved a long breath as she tried to brace herself against him.
"I- want you, too," she professed, unaware of the words that just slipped by her lips.
A surge of triumph brightened Tristin's intense gaze before he recaptured her lips. To him, he might as well have forgotten that they were supposed to be performing for an audience.
Rory pulled away from Tristin and looked up to catch her breath. Apparently, they lost Erin as their spectator. Instead, rooted on the spot was Kaylee, tear stricken and apparently upset. She dropped her disposable cup and squeezed her way out of the maze of bodies squirming to the music. Tristin let go of Rory, still in daze before calling out, "Kaylee!"
Just like that, Tristin ran after the petite blonde.
It was in that moment that Rory realized that she was truly confused as to what she felt. How did she go from wanting to be Marty's girl to wanting Tristin? She raised her shaky hands to her bruised lips. She can't stay here. She just can't.
Rory flitted from one room to another in hopes of finding Tanh. If anything else, she could ask him to take her home. Tristin can take care of the third person in their party.
Was Tristin in love with Kaylee? Rory asked herself. Tristin wouldn't lie to her, would he? And even at that, why should she care? She's after all Marty's new girlfriend, right?
Rory was torn and tried to rationalize her thoughts when she found herself in what seems to be a playroom where Tanh was socializing with a bunch of guys and a lonely looking Marty.
"Marty, you made it!" Rory called out with fake enthusiasm.
"Yeah, I got off at nine and got here as quickly as I could," he said tiredly.
Rory looked at Tanh who was trying to signal her that he didn't want to go yet. So to that, she positioned herself next to Marty and said, "Do you want to head on back to campus? You look beat."
Marty rubbed his eyes briefly and sighed. "Yeah. If you don't mind."
Rory fished out her car keys and handed them to Tanh.
"Thank you," he mouthed to her as the group Tanh hung out with started to leave the room.
"Can I catch a ride with you?" Rory asked Marty.
"Sure," he smiled wanly. Both walked out the double doors with Marty's arm draped around her shoulders.
oooo00oooo
Tristin busted through a side door just to see Kaylee sitting on the sidewalk.
"There you are," he called out. She hurriedly wiped her tears as he sat next to her.
"Great party," she said, a crying hiccup escaped her throat.
"And you're a bad liar," Tristin replied. Both of them stared at the parking lot across from them.
"So, are you smitten with Rory?" Kaylee asked boldly.
Tristin didn't know how to respond to the question. "I don't understand you."
"Do you love her?" she asked. "I know that at one point in time, Marty couldn't go through a single story without mentioning her name."
"I… care for her," Tristin answered her in hesitation.
"Well then," she exhaled, the cold air making her breath come out in a billow of mist, "I guess you won't take too kindly if I called both of you fakes."
Tristin shot her a look of confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Do you want to know why I offered to come back to the states to look over my granny, Tristin?" she asked him. Tristin just shook his head in negation.
"I wanted to see Marty and I can't tell my parents," her gaze shifted to her feet. "I've been in love with Marty for God knows how long and I've tried. I've tried to make him look my way but he's always with some other girl. And this time, it's Rory. I was trying to convince myself that she is good and that they're perfect together but then I catch you and her going at it like dogs in heat when I know that they're together!"
"Kaylee, you don't understand…" Tristin tried to convince her otherwise.
"Don't patronize me, Tristin," she said in anger. "While you two were making out, I saw Marty come through the door and I tried to stop him from walking so he won't see the two of you. We just ended up having a row over it."
"A row?" Tristin asked in confusion.
"A fight. A bloody argument," she said. "Because I didn't want him to talk about her anymore. I tried to convince him that he didn't love Rory. Here's a man that I've been pining for and I catch his girl making out with you. Do you know how that feels?"
Tristin was silent. "Yeah, I do."
"Then why do it, Tristin?" she asked him. Somewhere, the girl wanted an honest answer from him.
"Because I think I fell in love and didn't know how to go about it," he responded bluntly.
Kaylee tore her gaze from Tristin. "Do you think I can be as desirable as Rory?"
"Yes, to the right guy," Tristin replied.
"Do you think Marty would ever see me more of his sister's friend?" she inquired.
"If he's smart, yes," he muttered.
A faint smile curled on her lips. "Thanks, Tristin." She leaned over to him and planted a soft kiss on his lips.
"I'm going back to Oxford in a week," she confessed quietly. "I don't think I can stay and think that Marty…"
She lost her voice as she saw Marty and Rory walk away from the building and into his car.
In silence, both of them watched the couple drive away unaware that Rory was looking back at them and was silently crying to herself as she witnessed Kaylee give Tristin a kiss. I guess that's the answer to my question, Rory accepted the truth with a heavy heart.