Disclaimer: C chappie #1.
Pillow Talk:
"How ya' feelin'?" A voice whispered.
She groaned a little as she felt the bed dip as someone slipped beneath the covers and pulled her closer.
She didn't even have to think about whose neck she nuzzled as she moved closer and breathed in the clean scent of him. She buried her head in his chest and continued to sleep, reveling in the hard, warm, caressing feel of him.
It seemed he'd fallen asleep. When she awoken, she could hear his soft breathing rumbling against his chest. Pushing herself forward, she pressed a kiss to his forehead and tried to slip out of the bed. But his arm shot out and grabbed her around the waist, halting her retreat. A groan of protest escaped his lips and he buried his head in her neck, breathing in the scent of her hair.
"Don't go," he breathed, pulling her beneath him as he sprawled himself over her, their legs tangling automatically.
"I'm hungry," she whined softly in a voice lighter than a breath.
"Too comfortable, too warm," he sighed, pressing a kiss against her skin, his head on her heart.
"I need coffee," she groaned opening her eyes, finally realizing how familiar, how domestic their position and conversation felt.
His hand found hers and their fingers intertwined. That was when her heart began to pound against her chest and her breathing started to come out in pants. She felt hot, sweat began to glisten her skin and she struggled out of the bed, away from his arms.
"Rory," he groaned, looking up at her, sleep and aggravation both twisting his lethargic visage.
"It's late," she rationalized, pushing her hair from her face and pulled on the shirt she wore. "I'm going to get some coffee and Tylenol."
"Can you bring me some?" he whispered, lying back onto the pillow, a look of concern on his face.
She nodded slightly, and turned into the kitchen. Pushing back her hair, she closed her eyes and waited for the painful knocking in her head to stop. Yesterday she and Tristan had spent the day with four energized kids visiting her father in Boston. Davey, Gigi, Seth and Owen were a definite handful, and she was definitely feeling the aftereffects now.
Heading straight for the Mr. Coffee she pulled free the Post-It note. It read,
Hey, Mini me,
Lily's asleep in the bassinette in the living room, I saw Tristan go in your room this morning, wink wink, nudge nudge, and the babes are with Grandma today. Sleep off the rest of the day, and if you need anything, Luke is in the diner and I'm only a phone call away. And remember, tonight is Pretty Woman, Notting Hill, and Mystery Movie night, so remember to drink a ton of coffee. I'm going to miss seeing you tomorrow morning.
-Sigh
Maxi-you (get it, because you're Mini-me?)
She smiled to herself as she grabbed the already made coffee and took a sip of the intense, dark liquid. A sated smile graced her features as she closed her eyes and sniffed in the nutty scent. And then,
"Wawawawa," a little gurgling sound came from the sitting room. With the smile still on her face, she bet herself twenty that Lily was awake.
She strode over to the small white crib, where Lily lie with her fist shoved in her mouth and her chubby little legs kicked the air. Her little brown curls wrapped around her cherubic face, and her big blue eyes glistened with mirth.
"Wawawawa," she removed her hand from her mouth, revealing her two tiny bottom teeth and eight tiny fingers (with two adorable, chubby thumbs). She reached out her arms, asking to be lifted and held.
"Hey babe," Rory gathered Lily into her arms, and turned back towards her bedroom. She gently stroked the baby soft hair and pressed kisses to the smooth, oh-so-soft, round cheek.
"Wawawawa," she kept mumbling, even as Rory placed her down on the bed beside Tristan.
"I hear a baby," he groaned, reaching up from the depths of sleep, regaining consciousness.
"Here," she nudged her coffee to his lips which he gratefully gulped down. "Hey," she cried in protest, "Don't take it all! Now you've got to make more. There's none left."
"I don't think Lily needs a lesson in sex-ed right now." He breathed, sitting up on the bed, bringing the little girl in his arms, pressing a kiss to her little cheeks.
"She's in love with you, ya' know?"
"I love her more," he peered into her big blue eyes, and made little faces.
Lily giggled at his funny faces, the apples of her cheeks growing redder as mirth spilled through her lips and wrapped around all three of them. There was a silence whirling around the room, and her baby giggles pierced the atmosphere, filling Rory with that familiar, domestic feeling that had just a few minutes ago made her heart pound in her chest.
"I wish I had my camera right now, you're good with her. Kids are attracted to you."
"Maybe because I'm so hot!" he flashed a smirk.
"No, maybe because you're pretty much their age in your mind set." She grinned, tossing a pillow at him.
"Hey, no fair, you can't abuse me with precious cargo in my arms. Plus, you know I can't hit you back."
"That's the idea," she leaned over and pressed a kiss to Lily's forehead.
"I can picture you as a mother." He breathed.
"Oh, I don't know about that. I barely know what to do with kids. You saw me yesterday; I could barely keep my sanity. Kids are . . . energetic."
"Oh I don't know. I can picture you pregnant with that beautiful glow, and this round tummy peeking from a t-shirt that says 'Get Outta' my way, I'm pregnant and hungry.' I can just imagine you sitting in the dog park reading a book while your husband gently rubs tiny 'baby' and whispers sweet nothings to your belly. I can picture you a few years from now sitting with your husband in bed, whispering over baby, gently stroking its back with a loving hand."
"Really," she wrinkled her nose and laughed, picturing the world that his words painted. "Wow, you've constructed my whole life. May I ask who might I marry?"
"You may, but you haven't met him yet," he smirked dubiously, his blue eyes glittering.
"Oh, so I guess he isn't you." She smiled; something both she and Tristan could not recognize flickered in her eyes.
"I didn't say that."
"Well, if it's any consolation, by the way you hold Lily in your arms, you're going to be a great dad. The way that you protect her and love her tells me that you'll be a perfect dad someday with your tiny blond haired, blue eyed army of miscreants. You're definitely the daddy type."
"Me, dad? Nah." He shook his head, looking down at the baby. "I don't think I'd be a good Dad."
"Why not?" she whispered, ruffling his blond tresses.
"No reason, it'd just cramp my style." He shrugged it off.
She could tell he was lying. The way his eyes moved away from her and instead rested on Lily. The way that his fingers clenched a little tighter against her tiny frame and his face tightened. He looked as he did in Chilton, as he did at the party last night, as he did before he'd found himself. He looked . . . cold.
With the shift in his mood and countenance, Lily sensed his weariness and began to wriggle out of his grasp; little tears escaping her big eyes.
"What did you mean before- ya' know, with the sex-ed?" Rory whispered, remembering his statement a few moments before.
She leaned over and rubbed Lily's tummy, quelling her little cries of protest as Tirstan loosened his grip and tried to cheer her up.
With burning red ears and an embarrassment creeping up his face, his mood changed and he muttered. "Let's just say, you look especially hot this morning."
"What, no I don't," she gesticulated her arms, confusion drenching her features. "I'm wearing old boxers and your Ramones t-shirt, how is this hot?"
"Believe me, very hot! In fact, I'm definitely starting to rethink my dress."
"What are you wearing?" she narrowed her eyes, realizing it wasn't a shirt.
"I'd prefer not to show you, at least, not with Lily in the room," he looked at her and she fell silent.
She hadn't seen that look from him since the night of their almost- kiss where his azure pools had darkened to an almost black. But there was something swirling in them. Something that drew her into him. Something that made her want to jump out of her skin and crawl into him. Something that made her crave the feel of his arms around her body, his chest cradling her in his, and his fingers gently skimming over her skin, making lust roll over frame, and warming her thoroughly.
"Don't tell me you walked all the way here from the Dragonfly wearing only boxers! Or even . . . dare I say it . . . briefs?" she asked, attempting to keep the exasperation in her voice.
"What do you think I am- dumb? This is Star's Hallow; I wouldn't run around only in boxers, and I don't wear briefs. No, I'm wearing sweatpants." He lifted his head matter of factly.
"Damnit, now I know why my mom added those 'wink wink, nudge nudges', you're practically naked. I bet she already told Ms. Patty and it's already across town. In a matter of moments people will be pelting at our door, hoping to be interrupting us in the middle of very hot, very vocal, very animalistic sex!" She scowled scooting away just the slightest.
"You see, its comments like those that make it impossible for me to not be so . . . excited around you."
"Tristan-" she rolled her eyes.
"I'm not trying to pressure you," he whispered leaning closer to her, "I'm just going to tell you the truth from now on. You make me hot, Rory. You make me wish I was with you so that I can do all those things that I want to."
"Like what," she raised a brow.
"Like pressing my lips against yours and making love to you until you can't get out of bed anymore, not that you'd want to anyway. I'd bring myself so far into you that we would cease to exist as two people anymore. I would love you so tenderly that we'd be breathing one another's breaths, tasting one another's body, whispering one another's words."
"Tristan-"
"Have you ever been in love?"
Her eyes flew up to meet his face. His face was that of stone, scrutinizing her intently as she dipped her head, looking away from his piercing stare.
For many long moments, she said nothing. She was thinking, wondering about every aspect of her love life. Questioning her feelings towards everyone she'd ever dated.
"Have you ever been in love?" he repeated, softer this time . . . concerned.
"No," she admitted, looking up into his endless pools.
"Never?" he asked his eyes wide with surprise.
"I convinced myself I was in love with Dean, but I didn't know what love meant back then, I still don't. I loved Jess, as a brother . . . I mistook it as romantic attraction. I wasn't in love with him though. I thought I was in love with Jacob, but he proved me wrong! I knew I was never in love with Guy, but he was a great friend. I've never been in love, I don't think."
"Who is Jacob?" Tristan asked, the first time he'd ever heard the name corresponding directly to her affaires.
"One of the reasons I went to France." She breathed, moving into a more comfortable position besides him with a hand rubbing Lily's back and her head on his shoulder.
"We met in Harvard. We started out as friends. Our dorms were on the same floors, we were both in the same year and in the same journalism program. We both had sort of rocky paths, he was from New York, and I had a few things in common with him. We were inseparable and then we decided to start dating. This wasn't bad, until we started competing for the same internship, which I got and he got pissed. After that everything just went spiraling down. He just got mean, and everything was just horrible. I didn't know he was that much of an asshole until he got hurt. He was a jerk, and in the end, I knew I hadn't fallen in love with him."
"He sounded like a jerk."
"He wasn't at first, he just . . . he became Paris with a penis. He was determined and only showed his true colors when he felt threatened. He wasn't worth it I guess. In the end, I definitely couldn't mean more to him than his career was. I'd never be happy with him." she sighed.
"I'm sorry that you invested so much time in him, though. He was a real creep."
"I don't know. He was a cool friend for awhile, I just didn't mean as much to him as I needed. He needed someone who would never challenge him. He didn't care as much."
"What kind of man do you think you'll eventually end up with?"
"Smart, funny, determined, but not obsessed. He wouldn't mind traveling a little. He can't be upset by my job, and I in turn can't hate him for his. He's gotta' love me, and my neurotic mom, and has to be patient with me, because you know how oblivious and slow I am. He's gotta' be my soul mate . . . the one I'm supposed to be with."
"Have you ever been in love?"
Handing Lily back to Rory, he shook his head.
TBC . . .
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in like years, but uh . . . yeah, it took some time to write this chapter. I hoped you liked it, I like that they're getting close but aren't so lovey- dovey with one another. If they were, I'd despise my characters, and that's always a bad thing. I guess that you understand this fic will have long periods in which I don't write, but I'm not giving up. I'm just really busy, and very mentally constipated as far as all my stories go. I'm still writing all . . . four of my fics which are: Llef ylil yhw, Nowhere Man, Strawberry Fields and Torn, but I'm a senior now, so finding the time and the mindset to sit down and type is horrible. I still don't know what college I'm going to next year, and basically all . . . ALL of my friends have decided . . . except my lovely Lou-pez, I love the land of the indecisive . . . sigh . . .
W/ luv and anxiety, Yo-yo