AN: Okay, I tried to put this chapter up earlier but it wasn't working.. have my fingers crossed for this time! Thanks for the reviews!
Hope you like this chapter!
Rory woke slowly the next morning, confused and disoriented. It was only once she rolled over and saw Tristan lying next to her that she realized where she was. Looking around the room trying to find a clock, she finally located one and saw that it was almost 3:30 in the morning. Sighing, not wanting to get up, she raised herself up on her elbows and gazed at the sleeping body beside her.
He had seemed odd yesterday when she came to see him; distant and thoughtful. She sighed again, hoping that nothing was wrong but knowing subconsciously that something had changed. Smoothing back the hair from his forehead, she gently shook him awake, smiling when he groaned and rolled away from her. Eventually he stretched and turned towards her, opening his eyes slowly.
"Hey," she whispered, running a hand down his cheek.
"Hi," he whispered back, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes.
"I have to go." She stood up, looking for her clothes which she found were scattered around his room.
"No, you don't." Tristan sat up slightly and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back in bed and making her squeal with surprise. "Stay," he whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her cool neck.
She kissed his cheek, his jaw, the corner of his mouth; everywhere she could reach. "I can't; my dad will be worried."
Tristan sighed, letting her go and watched as she stood up to gather her things. As she started to dress, he groaned in disappointment causing her to smirk at him. After she was fully dressed she walked back over to him and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"I'll see you later."
"Wait," he said struggling to untangle himself from the sheets. "I'll walk you out."
Rory shook her head, laughing. "I've been here enough, I know my way out." She kissed him again. "Go back to sleep."
Finally giving up with his struggle, he leaned forward and kissed her again. "Bye."
She walked out the door without a backwards glance and Tristan fell back in his bed, knowing that this woman was going to be his downfall someday.
By the time Rory reached her home, it was nearing 4:45. She sped up, worried about what her dad would think and how concerned he must be. Shutting her door as quietly as she could as she got out of the car, she made her way up the driveway and to the front door. Making sure that it made the least possible noise when it was shut, she took off her shoes and began to make her way towards her bedroom without turning the lights on. Stumbling a little in the dark, she finally made it up the stairs and to the hall where her room was located. She sped up and tiptoed when she passed her father's room, worried about him seeing her. As she passed she turned and looked inside. There was no one there.
Rory stopped shell-shocked. He wasn't there, he wasn't home. Had he been worried about her and gone to look for her? She took out her cell phone that she had shoved in her pocket and looked at the display screen. No missed calls. The first thing he would have done was call her cell if he had noticed her missing which meant that he had never come home. Her dad always came home, no matter what he had been doing or where he had been; there was never a time that she could remember when he stayed out all night.
Making her way towards her bedroom, mind now muddled with these thoughts, she resolved not to think about it; not wanting it to ruin her already perfect night. As she went to bed however, instead of replaying what had happened that night with Tristan as she had thought she would, only one thought raced through her mind. Where was her dad?
Rory woke up early the next morning, not having slept very well the night before. Making her way towards the kitchen in her pajamas for breakfast, she was surprised when she walked in to see her dad sitting at the table reading a newspaper.
"Hey Rory," he said, putting the paper down and looking at his daughter.
"Hi dad," she murmured in reply, opening the fridge to find food. She didn't know whether to mention anything about him missing the previous night, wasn't sure whether she wanted to know why he hadn't come home.
"There's a party being thrown by my boss tonight and we're supposed to bring our families," Chris said rather formally and Rory wondered when it had come to this.
When had their relationship gotten so strained and how hadn't she noticed it until now?
"Yeah, sure; what time?"
Chris checked a piece of paper that was sitting on the counter. "It starts at 7."
Rory nodded and looked down. "Can I bring Tristan?" She asked, wanting an ally to be there.
He sighed. "No, it's a family thing, no dates."
She nodded again. Maybe it was for the best; she was getting too attached to Tristan as it were. Maybe she should start distancing herself from him so it didn't hurt as much when they broke up which they inevitably would.
"I have to go get dressed," she claimed, quickly leaving the kitchen, ignoring the fact that she hadn't eaten breakfast.
Chris put his head in his hands, knowing that this wouldn't turn out well. His daughter was slipping away from him and it was all his fault. He could do nothing but watch, knowing that it would all come to a head sooner or later. Whether the outcome would be good or bad; he didn't know.
Rory got dressed, taking longer than necessary to do her hair and her make-up. When she heard the front door slam and her dad's car back out of the driveway, she flopped down on her bed. She had no intentions of going to school today; she needed to think and she couldn't do that surrounded by her peers. Not even thinking about what Tristan would assume when she didn't show up at school after their night together, she curled up in a ball, not crying, just reflecting on everything that had happened since she had moved to Hartford and wondering when it had all gone sour.
It was around 4 when the phone rang. Rory had down nothing all day except sit around and feel sorry for herself. Picking up the phone without looking at the caller id, she answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
Rory took a deep breath. "Hey Tristan."
"Where were you today?" His voice got lower as he continued. "I missed you."
"I know I'm sorry." She sighed. "I just needed a day to myself."
He was silent for a moment. "This isn't about last night, is it?" He asked his voice hesitant.
"No, no, it had nothing to do with that; last night was great."
"We could have a repeat performance if you'd like."
Rory giggled. "Maybe if you're good."
"I'm always good."
There was a pause in the conversation for a moment before Rory cut in. "Yeah but there's this party that my dad's company's having tonight and so I have to go get ready." She ignored the fact that she still had four hours until they had to go.
"Oh okay, so I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, bye." Rory hung up the phone quickly, wondering why things were so awkward with everyone now.
Tristan sighed, looking at the phone in his hand. She had hung up before he had been able to say good-bye and Logan's words ran through his head again. 'You're getting too deep too fast and it's going to end soon.' He fell back on his bed, covering his face with a pillow. Would it be better to end everything now rather then hang on to a failing relationship? He shook his head; he was selfish and at the moment he still wanted Rory Hayden. He wouldn't give her up that easily.
There was silence in the car as they drove to the event, something that rarely happened between the father-daughter duo.
"You look nice," Chris finally said and it was true. His daughter looked so grown up in her black dress; he couldn't believe that this was his little girl.
"Thanks, daddy," she replied looking at her hands awkwardly. She wished this night was over, wished that everything could go back to normal.
He held out his arm for her as they got out of the car, giving the keys to the valet, and stared at the gigantic house in front of them. She took it and they walked up the driveway together, both dreading this night but for different reasons.
Champagne flowed and the lights were dimmed in the ballroom. People who hated each other mingled peacefully, the art of deception long since mastered. Rory and Chris walked in side by side; once again it was the two of them against the world, although at the moment it didn't feel like it.
"Christopher!" A large man in a blue suit bellowed excitedly. "You made it!"
"Ian! Good to see you," Chris replied with fake heartiness.
He shook Chris' hand and then turned to Rory expectantly.
"Ian this is my daughter Rory. Rory, sweetheart, this is my boss Ian."
Rory faked a sweet smile. "It's nice to meet you Ian," she said, shaking his offered hand and trying not to grimace.
"You too, darling, you too. Beautiful girl," he remarked to Chris as if he didn't know this. "Anyway Chris, there are some people that are dying to meet you. If I could steal your dad away for a moment." Before Rory could reply, Chris was whisked off to a group a people, giving her an apologetic look on his way.
She sighed, making her way towards the bar; she had stuck her fake id in her purse on her way out and she was in desperate need of a drink. Before she was able to order anything, she became aware of a presence beside her. Turning, she expected to see an exuberant businessman and instead saw a familiar boy. She stared at him, racking her brain for his name which she was positive she knew.
"Devin Martin." She finally said aloud, pleased with herself. He turned after hearing his name and looked at her curiously. She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I'm Rory Hayden; I go to Chilton with you."
He nodded, looking down at the coke in his hand. "I know who you are."
Rory looked uncomfortable for a moment. She wasn't used to people not caring about her or what she was saying. "So, I didn't expect to see you here; I thought that I would be the only one under 30 actually."
Devin smiled slightly, "Yeah, I got dragged here because my dad just got a job with this company."
Rory laughed. "Mine too! I wonder if they know each other." She wasn't really interested but she was bored and since Devin was the only one for her to talk to, she decided to make conversation no matter how uncomfortable it would be.
"Who's your dad?"
"Christopher Hayden."
Devin's face paled and he stared at Rory in shock. She didn't notice as she was leaning against the wall surveying the party. After a moment he spoke, "Nope, don't know him."
Rory looked at him and shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't really matter does it? So how do you like Chilton so far?"
He shrugged. "It's alright, I guess."
Rory smiled, judging his expression. "You hate it."
He nodded before he knew what he was doing. "Yeah, it's awful."
There was a pause where nobody said anything and then Devin straightened considerably, looking at a group of people. "My step-mom wants to see me," he said, walking away into the crowd before Rory could reply.
She sighed; she was alone once more. Pushing herself off of the wall, she decided to wander around a little and look at the house; it looked pretty cool from what she'd seen so far. Looking around at the party once more for her father, she wandered out the side door and down the hall. The first couple of rooms were boring; a study, a bedroom and a bathroom. Finally she found a library with big, comfy seats facing away from the doors so that no one would see her if they walked by. She curled up, tucking her legs underneath herself and sighed.
It had to have been at least 20 minutes later that she heard voices approaching and she sunk down in her seat. Rory felt like being alone and really didn't want to have to deal with people. The two arguing people walked into the room and she curled herself up into a tighter ball. She was shocked when she realized that one of the voices belonged to her father.
"Why haven't you told her yet?" A female's voice demanded making Rory frown.
"How do you expect me to tell her?" Her dad's voice was bitter; more bitter than she had ever heard him.
"I don't know; just tell her! Get it over with; be a man!"
"Don't pin this on me; this is all your fault!"
"My fault? How is it my fault?"
"How is it your fault? Well let me see," Chris said, sarcastically. "You left Rory and me when she was born, you didn't call and you didn't write. We're happy now, we have everything together and now that you have a new family you suddenly decide that you want to be in her life? News flash Lorelai, it doesn't work that way!" Rory's eyes widened, her mouth a perfect 'O'.
"I gave you a choice! I said that you didn't have to tell her if you didn't want to; that it was up to you!"
"Your step-son goes to Chilton! She will find out eventually and I want it to be from me, not from her peers!"
Rory couldn't take it anymore; her head was spinning and she had never been more confused, more hurt. She stood up, not looking either of them in the eye. "Don't worry about it, dad. I just heard it from you."
Barely registering their shocked faces, she made her way out of the library and back into the ballroom, reaching the front doors without remembering how she got there. Pulling out her cell phone as the tears began to fall, she dialed a familiar number.
"Rory?" He had thought that she would be at that party thing until late and hadn't been expecting to see her name on the caller id.
"Tristan? I need a ride." She tried to keep her voice from breaking as she spoke but was unsuccessful.
"I'll be right there."
True to his word, not five minutes later he was pulling up. He jumped out of the car and, after spotting Rory, walked towards her.
"Hey," he whispered, gently reaching up and wiping the tears trickling down her cheeks. She didn't reply, just pressed her face against his chest, inhaling shakily. "C'mon," he said, guiding her towards the car. "Let's go."
Tears trickled down her face the entire ride to Tristan's house and he watched her concernedly out of the corner of his eye. The drive seemed to take hours; although it was less than ten minutes later when they pulled into his garage.
He led her through his house and into his room, sitting her down on his bed and getting her a glass of water. Smoothing the hair from her face, he gently wiped away the tears that were rapidly falling.
"What's wrong, Ror?" He asked, gently.
She shook her head, nestling her face in his neck and shaking with repressed sobs. He pulled her into his arms, holding her for what seemed like hours as she cried violently. He knew that she wasn't ready to talk about it but hoped that she would be able to tell him eventually.
Finally Rory pulled away, wiping the traitorous tears stubbornly. Tristan's concerned face looked at her as she pulled away and she sighed.
"I should go," she murmured quietly.
He looked at her in shock; that wasn't what he expected her to say. "What happened Rory?" He asked again.
"Nothing." She looked away, not meeting his eyes.
"It wasn't nothing," he insisted. "Something made you upset."
"Why don't you believe me? It's none of your business."
Tristan stepped back away from Rory indignantly. "It's none of my business? I'm your boyfriend! I think that something that causes you to come to me sobbing is my business!"
Rory shook her head. "Why are you making this out to be such a big deal? I just don't want to talk to you right now!"
"You come to me crying and you expect me not to ask questions?"
"No, I expect you to respect my wishes to not talk about it!"
Tristan knew that he should stop talking, that he should back down but he couldn't. "You have to talk about it Rory, you can't keep everything bottled up!"
"I will!" She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Realizing that if there was ever an opportune moment to end a relationship, this was it; she continued. "I will talk about; just not with you."
He looked as if she had hit him. "And what's that supposed to mean? You can sleep with me but you can't talk to me?"
"C'mon Tristan, do you really expect me to tell you everything?"
"No, but I expect you to at least talk to me!"
"Don't do this guilt-trip bullshit! It's not like you ever talk to me!"
"I try, Rory. God knows I've tried." He rubbed a tired hand over his face; it wasn't supposed to be like this. "I thought we had something." His voice was quiet as he spoke; quiet and vulnerable.
"What, you thought that we were in love or something?" She smiled coldly, reverting to a Rory that Tristan had never seen before. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you love me?"
He shook his head. "Does it have to be like that? We're either in love or we're over; nothing in between. Is that how you want it to be?"
She paused, knowing that her answer would change everything between them. As she had with every relationship before Tristan, she picked the easy road once again. "Yes."
Tristan nodded, slowly, trying to hide the hurt in his eyes. "Then we're over."
Rory didn't reply, turning towards the door and leaving without a backwards glance. Tristan sighed, trying to stop the tears from forming, wanting to take his anger out on anything; everything. Falling back on his bed, he closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, knowing that everything always looked better in the morning.
Rory walked straight to her room after the cab dropped her off. She knew that she shouldn't be upset about Tristan; knew that she was the one who ended their relationship but this knowledge didn't stop the tears from falling. She hated who she had become; hated the hurt that she had seen in his eyes; it wasn't supposed to be like this. It had supposed to have ended peacefully, calmly like all of her other previous relationships. What had been so different about this one? With that thought in mind, Rory flopped onto her half-made bed and eventually fell into a restless sleep.
The next morning she woke up slowly and looked at the time, noticing that it was early. She felt awful, her eyes were like sandpaper and she could barely summon up the strength to move. Her head spun as she remembered the events of the night before and she willed herself not to cry again. Getting up finally, she made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She paused in the doorway when she noticed her father sitting at the table seemingly waiting for her. After a silent debate with herself, she walked in and headed for the fridge, not even sparing a glance at Chris.
"Hey Ror," he said quietly, fiddling with his napkin as he did so. When she didn't say anything he continued. "I was going to tell you, I just didn't know how."
Suddenly anger filled her and she turned around violently. "You were going to tell me? Going to tell me isn't good enough!" As quick as the anger came it disappeared and sadness replaced it. "You should have told me the minute you found out."
Chris nodded. "I know, I know but I didn't want everything to change between us."
"A little late for that, isn't it?"
"C'mon Rory, don't be like this!"
Evidently this was the wrong thing to say as Rory turned and walked out of the room, unwanted tears streaming down her face. She ignored her father's calls, slamming her door to her bedroom and flopping facedown on her bed. After hearing the front door close and her father's car drive away, she picked up the phone and dialed.
"Logan?" She tried to stop her voice from breaking but it wavered anyway. "I need you. Can you come over?"
Tristan Dugrey looked around the school that he had dominated since he was a freshman and felt empty. Word had not yet got out about his and Rory's breakup and it hurt when people came up and asked him where she was. He lied every time, not wanting to admit the truth even to himself. He didn't understand why she wasn't here when it was obvious to him that she hadn't cared about the ending of their relationship; that is was all just a game to her. Sighing, he continued the usual motions without any thought, willing himself not to care, not to feel.
At the end of the day it had become obvious to the majority of the students that something had happened between their golden couple. Tristan became withdrawn and quiet when asked about his girlfriend and Rory was suspiciously absent for the second day in a row. It didn't escape anyone's notice that Logan Huntzberger had skipped school that day either and rumors began to fly. Tristan, everyone noticed, didn't react when presented with this news but they didn't see how his fists clenched, how his casual smirk grew fake. It was then that Tristan vowed to himself that he would never let Lorelai Leigh Hayden hurt him again.
