A/N: translations (b/c some of its in French)
P. A/N: Sorry babes this took so long, but I've been writing a research paper that dictates if I pass Jr. year or not, and me being an Honor's student and all, I've pretty much been obsessing over it and getting no sleep. It took me two months to write, and I still don't know what in the hell I was talking about. So if anyone can send me a cute boy, or even Brandon Boyd, my spirits will raise and I could write more and post them sooner. ULTIMATE ROWING!!!!!!!!!!!!! JESS IS HOT (AND SO IS TRISTAN, OW!)!!!!!!!!!!!
Torn IV:
"Maria, Maria, Mari-ah!" a voice bellowed, splitting the languid stillness of the large loft.
Two heads sprang apart, facing the sound.
Standing at the open, large metal door was a young man waving a large spoon and singing at the top of his lungs.
From his current position on the couch, he was aware that this young man looked completely at home. It was almost mundane how he entered the apartment and began his solo.
Suddenly, the young man whirled around and saw him on the couch. His hazel eyes grew wide in surprise, and his lips parted in shock.
"Je suis désole," he began, still staring, "I didn't know you had a guy here."
Looking down at each other, they blushed bright red. They were laying so close to each other, with limbs tangled together and hands laid reverently against one another. If she hadn't been so sure about their relationship, she would have thought they'd slept together.
"Sorry," she whispered, her eyes penetrating his blue orbs.
"It was nothing," he replied as he felt her body retreat from his.
Going towards the young man still staring at Tristan, she smiled,
"Hey, he's a friend. So what's up?"
"Désole," he repeated looking back at her, "I just haven't seen you asleep with a man before."
"Well, seeing as my job generally runs out of my bedroom, it was bound to happen," she grinned, gently punching him in the arm. "Adrien, I want you to meet Tristan. Tristan, this is Adrien; he lives in the loft next to ours, and he supplies it with mammoth amounts of food."
"She's not lying about that," Adrien smiled good naturedly.
"So what brings you to this humble abode at," she looked at her watch on her wrist, "eight in the morning?"
"Goûte ça." He grinned, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
He dug into the tiny bowl in his hand with the spoon, and offered her a taste of the steaming concoction.
Leaning forward and catching the spoon in her lips, she drew back and contemplated its taste. In a moment she had sank back onto the arm of one of the strategically placed couches, with her eyes glazed over.
"Damn, that was amazing!" she gasped, still dazed. "I actually got weak in the knees! It's like . . . your first love . . . your first kiss . . . it's orgasmic!"
"Vraiment?"
"Tristan, c'meer, goûte ça!" she begged.
Standing from his lying position, Tristan sauntered over to where they both stood and tasted.
In a matter of seconds, he found himself stumbling for a place to sit.
"I can't even find words sufficient enough to describe that!" he admitted sinking down into the couch.
"Marry me!" she said suddenly, her eyes opened expectantly towards Adrien.
"What?"
"Marry me! That was so good that I've decided you will marry me. My mom will be thrilled, and Luke will be happy that he doesn't have to cook for you, and-"
"What will Sophia think?"
"Who cares, just marry me!" she pleading standing up again.
"What's with the Gilmore girls and food providers? If I had known about this in high school I would have made you lunch." Tristan scoffed.
"Would you have?" she grinned facing him.
"Whatever," he said waving off the statement nonchalantly and heading towards her room for the bathroom.
When he left, Adrien turned towards her, "Alors, who was that?"
"A guy I knew in high school. You remember him, the American?"
"The American?! And you let me come in here looking like this?"
"He's nobody special." She smiled realizing he was wearing a "Goonies" tee and a pair of holey jeans.
Staring at his reflection in the mirror, he recalled the sense of peace he felt upon waking up that morning. He'd waken a couple of hours earlier, with a strange feeling of completeness. It was as if something had filled the hallow cavern of his heart, giving him a sort of fulfillment he'd never felt before.
When his eyes finally began to discern his surroundings, he confirmed the reason to his elation was Rory Gilmore asleep in his arms with her head buried in his chest. Her body was so warm and soft next to his. For the first time in his life he wasn't lying in a bed he was restless to escape. Granted the couch was uncomfortable, he still couldn't imagine leaving her side for even a moment.
He gazed down at her sleeping figure and reveled in the feel of her against him with an arm wrapped around him tightly, possessively. Somehow, during the course of the night, her hand had found his, and now their fingers were intertwined with one another's. His other hand was slowly rubbing her from hip to thigh and her body tremored slightly. Her warm breath cradled him and he could swear he felt her lips place a soft kiss against his heart.
It felt so good to wake up next to someone that he had not slept with (well sexually anyway). It felt so good to be in the arms of the one girl that he'd wanted to touch since the first day he'd met her.
Pushing back his unruly blonde mane, he splashed cold water on his face and thought back to the cause of their earlier position.
After they'd left the club, Rory and Tristan had taken a stroll to his hotel to gather his clothes for the next day. Rory stayed outside with Jackson while he informed his grandfather of his plans. When he returned with a night bag, he found Rory and Jackson having a heated argument. He didn't understand in how in the course of ten minutes they'd began bickering while glaring daggers at one another.
When he'd finally dragged her away from the feverish fight, they made their way back to her apartment where Lane and Dave had begun setting up for a "Movie Night." After they changed, they all sat down on the couch and consumed illegal amounts of junk food before Lane and Dave decided to crash.
They decided to stay up longer and chat. Finally, in the middle of their animated conversation, their eyes began to droop, and they both fell asleep in each other's arms.
After he'd washed his face and brushed his teeth, he heard the distinct sound of scratching on the wooden door. When he opened it, he wasn't surprised to find an awake Mocha with a large grin on his face.
Gently scratching the overzealous dog behind his ears, he opened her bedroom door and entered the dining room where he could already smell the percolating coffee.
"You guys are already awake?" Lane asked entering the kitchen at the same time as Tristan.
"Yeah," Rory smiled before taking a long sip of coffee.
"Hey Adrien," Lane yawned wiping the sleep from her eyes and pressed the button to another coffee maker.
"You guys have two coffee makers?" Tristan asked noticing for the first time.
"Yeah," Lane said pulling on the large dress shirt she wore that fell to her thigh. "I can't take my coffee as strong as hers. I have a shift this morning at ten and might accidentally kill someone from my trembling hands."
Filling his cup with Rory's remarkably strong coffee, Adrien pressed a kiss to her cheek and said, "I should be getting back, I've got to get to work in a half an hour."
"Make something good," she called after him, "we're coming over for lunch."
"Magnific!" he grinned before shutting the door.
"He was the cook at the banquet!" Tristan stated, his brain finally recognizing him.
"Yeah," she said pushing a wisp of hair behind her ear.
He didn't know what to think. The way that he kissed her cheek gingerly, and they touched when they were together and interacted, they looked like a couple very much in love.
"Tristan," Rory asked, "are you ok?"
"Yeah," he said shaking his head of his thoughts, "Uh Mare, do you have any towels for the lavatory?"
"Yeah, in the cabinet between the bath and the shower."
"Duh!" he said smacking his forehead.
"And close the door, Mocha likes to jump into the bath, and won't leave until you do. It's disconcerting."
"With you in the shower, I can't imagine why." He quipped heading towards her room again.
"Hey, no innuendos in the loft!" she called.
"I haven't even begun to make innuendos," he smirked with an eye cocked.
Taking a reverent sip of her coffee, she looked at him beneath her eyelashes with her sapphire eyes glistening in amusement.
"So, what's up with you two?" Lane asked after Rory's door closed.
"Nothing," she said turning to look at her best friend.
"Well, the way you two were cozying up last night, you could fool a lot of people."
"We weren't 'cozying up'."
"Well when Dave walked into the living room, he hurried back because he was afraid he was interrupting you two."
"We fell asleep, nothing more! It wasn't as if we were making out or anything."
"Whatever, but it did look a little dubious."
"You and Dave should look after yourselves instead of everyone else." She sighed, her irritation evident in her voice.
"So anyways, what happens if he does want to make out with you?"
"What?"
"What if he actually likes you, would you go out with him?"
"I don't know," she sighed pensively, "probably not."
"Why not? He's hot and successful."
"In high school he was the ultimate player. And I know I shouldn't dwell on the past. I know that he's changed and that he's not the same guy, but I still have to be cautious. Plus, he's still a player. Yesterday when I called the office to tell them I wouldn't be in, Duval warned me about him. And even if I got him, how would I ever be able to trust him?"
"Well I don't know about that, but you two were staring awfully hard at each other last night. And after you two almost kissed, I could cut the sexual tension with a knife!"
"You saw that?!"
"The entire band had a discussion about it after the session-"
"That's what took you guys so long?"
"-And we all agree, Nicole should be shot!" she continued, her voice animated with passion.
"So, ya' ready?" he asked through the door.
"Yeah, just a sec," she called through the closed door, "lemme grab my bag."
Leaning against the doorjamb, he waited patiently for her to emerge. In a few moments, she swung open the door with a leash in hand.
Watching her as she sauntered out, he felt breathless. She looked stunning dressed in the simple attire. She was clad in a cute little tank top and a pair of khaki chino floods with a small ribbon of tan skin peaking through, revealing her belly button. On her feet was a pair of khaki, platform wedges. On her wrist was a cute wooden bracelet and there were a pair of sunglasses hung on the front of her top. Her hair was pulled into a modest ponytail and she wore no make-up. Slung over her arm was a large khaki bag.
He watched as she leaned over and attached the leash to Mocha's collar.
"Hey, what do you want to do today?"
"What?" he asked finally realizing that she said something.
"What would you like to do today?" she repeated straightening herself.
"I don't know, what do you advise?"
"Well I was thinking we do the touristy things. Like we could visit le tour Eiffel and le Moulin Rouge and I don't know . . . stuff."
"Mare, you forget that I've been here before. I want to do something else. Maybe visit a park, go see a movie . . . hang, ya' know. Maybe we can even visit a small coffee shop."
"I'm rubbing off on you!" she grinned. "Ok, well we'll have lunch at Adrien's, but for now we'll just go where the wind takes us."
"Ok," he grinned holding out his hand.
"So how's life living with your grandfather?"
"My grandfather is cool. He's a little upset that he's cooped up in the hotel-"
"We could have invited him along-"
"Doctor's orders, he has to stay. When things start to look up, I'll move out, but for now I'm still here. He says he's thinking of staying for a few more months, and will probably leave before Christmas. He says winter in Connecticut is something he would never miss."
"He sounds like my mom," she said wistfully.
"So, are you going back anytime soon?"
"Next month Lane, Dave and I will be heading back for two weeks," she grinned, her eyes twinkling in amusement.
"You're ready aren't you?"
"Yeah. My mom just had a baby; she's so beautiful. Her name is Lily."
"How old is she?"
"She's about two months old. I've also got two brothers, Seth and Owen. They're so cute. Owen's four and Seth's three. They remind me so much of Luke, it's uncanny, their resemblance."
"Luke's your Step-dad, right?"
"Yeah."
"How did you feel when they got married?"
"Happier than if my mom had married my dad. He's the sweetest guy ever. And Luke is so in love with Lily. After she was born, and my mom went to sleep, he held her in his arms for hours. When I walked in on him, he was crying, and telling her how much he loved my mom, and the rest of the family. Even my grandparents couldn't be happier with Luke.
"God I miss Luke and everyone! He sends me coffee every week. And we're always on the phone together, and he wishes the best for me. I love him. He was my dad when I didn't have one. He fed me and my mom when we didn't have any money; he even did it when we did. He's loved my mom since the day they first met, and he would run through hell and high water just for her. He's the greatest man I've ever known, and I was so happy when my mom told me that he'd proposed. Ya' know they didn't even date before he asked her to marry him. It was so cute."
"How did he ask her to marry him?" he asked wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"It was the night that my mom and I had gotten back from our Europe trip, which was about a week before I started Harvard. As soon as the plane touched the ground, we grabbed our luggage and made our way to Luke's Diner. When we got there, he already had a dinner set up for the four of us: Luke, Mom, Jess and I.
"He'd cleared out the entire diner, just for dinner with us. It was really sweet and romantic, which of course my Mom was oblivious to, so she cracked jokes and made impressions all night. So it got time to dessert, and Luke asked me to help him in the kitchen. So I went back there with him, where Mom couldn't hear, and he showed me the ring. He told me of his intension, and then he said: 'Are you okay with this?' and I remember that at that time I realized that he was perfect for her, and me. He may have not been my biological father, but he was definitely the father I had been looking for since I could talk.
"So anyway, we entered the diner with the deserts, and sat down. Then, just as my mom was about to stab into the generous slab of pie, he asked. She whispered yes and Jess spit out the piece of pie he'd been eating. A week later they got married and I left for Harvard. It was a beautiful wedding even though it was created in so short a time period. Even my grandparents were happy."
"You envy them don't you?"
"Yeah. Someday, I wish I could find just the tiniest fraction of their happiness with someone."
"You sound so old, as if you'd never get married." He smiled pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"Well, sometimes I feel that way. I mean, it's not like I'm pining to get married, but it's hard. All of my friends are either married, getting married, or on the verge of getting engaged. And I don't have the greatest track record with guys, so it's totally annoying when someone announces to me that they've found the love of their life."
"Mare, don't worry. I'm in the same boat. We can be bitter friends toget-"
"Is that what we are?"
"What?" he asked looking down into her vast blue eyes.
"Are we friends?"
"Uh . . . I don't know . . . Is that what you want?"
As she gazed back into his, her lips twisted up into a breathtaking smile that rose from her lips, through her face and settled in her eyes like it always did.
"Yeah," she grinned, standing up on her tiptoes and placing a soft kiss to his sunken cheek.
TBC . . .