Chapter 9
Watching Dean and Rory talk in the courtyard was probably one of the most excruciatingly nerve-racking things Tristan had ever done. The minute Rory told him to stay while she went to talk to Dean, a million thoughts ran through his head. Are Rory and Dean going to get back together? Was she just hanging out with me to get her mind off Dean? Am I crazy to think that we could ever be more than friends? Is she over Dean? Do I have a shot? Why is he so freakishly tall? He's way too tall for her. Tristan was driving himself crazy. This was not helped by the fact that he could only hear about half of the conversation. Dean's voice, loud and angry carried to within his earshot, but Rory's, calm and placating, he could not decipher. He desperately tried to figure out their conversation. From what he could tell, Dean thought Rory wasn't over him and had been trying to talk to him. Is this true? he wondered. He heard his own name mentioned and strained to hear. All he could decipher was Dean's comment that "I thought you hated the guy?" The words stung Tristan more than he could have anticipated. It hurt him to think that she might once have hated him. Did she tell Dean she hated me? Does she even like me now? Am I just wasting my time? Tristan thought. Suddenly he realized he couldn't be here right now. He couldn't stand to watch them make up, if that's what they were going to do. He wanted to be anywhere away from them, so he placed Rory's books on the ground and went off in search of a place where he could think in private. He walked around the campus, searching for a place, finally reaching a bench outside of the library where he and Rory had taken to eating lunch in the last week to avoid the gossiping crowds. He sat down immersing himself in memories of the last week trying to figure out what he felt for her and what she might feel for him.
While Tristan was busy contemplating their friendship, Rory was busy freaking out. She had just told Dean she didn't love him which was stressful enough, but now Tristan had disappeared. Why did he disappear? she thought frantically. What did he hear? What comment did he take out of context? Did he take something out of context or did he realize that I like him and get scared? Wait, I can't believe it. I admitted that I like him. Yay! Wait, bad, he's gone. Where'd he go? Shit! Damn it! Why did he have to disappear. Boys are so god damn melodramatic. First Dean and now Tristan. While these thoughts were racing through her head, she was racing around the school looking for Tristan. Suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. She didn't even know what she was going to say to Tristan. She had finally, finally admitted to herself that she had more than friendly feelings towards Tristan, and she had admitted she didn't love Dean. But how was she going to communicate this to Tristan without babbling incoherently. She wished Lorelai were here, she would know what to do. Wait, what would Lorelai do? Rory considered. Oh obviously. Lorelai wouldn't bother with talking. She was a woman of action. Rory set out again to find Tristan, newly determined and full of confidence.
Rory finally found Tristan sitting on a bench outside of the library, head in his hands. She moved to quietly sit down next to him, but Tristan was too absorbed in his own thoughts to notice her presence. Tired of waiting Rory interrupted his thoughts.
"Hi stranger. What happened to you?"
Tristan didn't know how to explain his thought process. It hadn't been anything that she said specifically that made him leave. He simply couldn't stand his own assumptions about the situation. He didn't know how to tell her so he just started talking.
"Look Rory, I don't know, I saw Dean here and I just snapped. I thought maybe you were getting back together or something or wanted to, or something" Tristan rambled, getting up and beginning to pace, "and I don't know. I didn't want you to get back together with. I don't want you to be with him. I mean" Tristan continued, now talking extremely fast. Rory now stood up also, a half smile on her face, loving the fact that her rambling had worn off on him. Tristan continued "and I know that we're friends, and you've made it clear that you don't like me like that but I don't know, I know I don't have a chance but-"
At this Rory grabbed his shoulders to stop his pacing, looked at him, this boy who two weeks ago she couldn't stand, but instead of the arrogant guy she'd gazed upon then, she saw a true friend and a great guy. The look was enough. She took a deep breath, stood up on her tiptoe's and pulled his mouth down to hers in a kiss. Tristan stood stunned for a moment, but his arms soon found a way around her waist as he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss.