The Best Of You – Chapter Three
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. So please don't sue. Thanks.
Rory's could not tear her eyes from the door Tristan had promptly exited from. She let out a breath that she didn't know she was holding and took a seat on her bed, her head was pounding and she unsuccessfully attempted to rid the thoughts in her head. Thoughts of Tristan DuGrey... thoughts of that night... and thoughts that he might be right. Shakily, she got to her feet; she closed her eyes one last time, ridding herself of all her past thoughts. She needed fresh air.
Rory kept walking, she forced her mind to be blank... not wanting to reflect on what had just happened. Minutes later, she found herself underneath the gazebo. Rory looked around before taking a seat on the unoccupied bench nearby. For ten minutes, Rory just looked on at the townspeople going about their usual business. She spotted Taylor inspecting the tower of Granny Smith Apples, smiling to himself at the quality of the fruit. She also noticed that if she squinted enough she could see Dean inside the market, stacking what looked like bags of flour. Rory looked away quickly, she had too much on her mind already.
"Coffee for your thoughts?"
Rory turned and smiled slightly, accepting the cup of coffee. "Thanks," she muttered, inhaling the sweet aroma of her beloved drink.
"Luke said you looked like you needed a cup," Jess replied, taking a seat beside the brunette.
Rory didn't respond, instead, she took large gulps of the hot liquid, ignoring the burning sensation on her tongue and down her throat.
"So, what's up?"
"Nothing," she answered quickly.
"Then why do you look so glum?"
"Glum?" Rory laughed lightly.
Jess shrugged, happy to hear her laugh. "Tell me," he urged.
"It's nothing."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," she replied sharply, wanting their conversation to end.
Fortunately, Jess noticed and stopped pushing answers out of her. Instead, he took note of her appearance. Her hair, though it was up in a ponytail was dishevelled... with strands of her deep brown hair sticking out. His eyes then widened, finally realizing what she was wearing. "Ror... do you realize that you're in your pyjamas?" he asked incredulously.
She looked at him, her eyes clouded with confusion. "I'm so confused Jess," she admitted.
"About what? My sentence could not have come out any clearer. You're still in your pyjamas..." he emphasized the word pyjamas.
"No... not about that."
"Then about what?" he asked, hoping that she'd finally tell him what was going on with her.
Rory shook her head, her eyes on the empty paper cup. "Nothing... forget it... I'm being ridiculous."
Shrugging off his disappointment, Jess cleared his throat... he didn't really know how to respond. "Uh... suit yourself. Listen, I have to get back to the diner... you gonna be okay?"
"Yes, I think so," her answer wasn't meant to answer his question, instead it was meant for the question imbedded in her thoughts.
-
Tristan arrived home only to be greeted by an empty house. He sighed, his parents were out and the maids were probably given a day off. Frustrated at the thought of fending for himself that night, he made his way to the massive kitchen and opened the refrigerator, hoping to find something to his liking. Though the refrigerator was packed full of food, he closed the door empty handed. He settled for a bag of chips before making his way to his next destination.
Tristan entered his father's study and walked quickly to what he was looking for. Using his father's letter opener, Tristan's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Smiling as he heard the unmistakable click, he opened the door to find bottles and bottles of the most extensive liquor collection imaginable. Settling for his father's favourite brand of cognac, he closed the cabinet door and exited the room quickly.
He reached his room in record time, he found his bed quickly and he numbly sat down. He took a large gulp of the cognac, wincing slightly at the bitterness and the sensation it created as it passed his throat. He shuddered suddenly, being in this room brought back all of the memories from last night. Taking another swig of the cognac, Tristan tossed the unopened bag of chips across the room and laid down, he closed his eyes and groaned loudly, the bottle of Richard Hennessy safely in his grasp.
Half an hour had passed and Tristan started coughing, he sat up only to be met by his now blurry eyesight. He blinked several times in an attempt to steady his vision. Tristan set the half empty bottle down and laid down once again. His head met the feather pillow, and almost instantly, his eyes closed... and immediately, he was brought back to the one event that was currently plaguing every part of his being.
He gazed at her back intently, not really believing that she had actually come. Bending his head so his lips were millimetres from her right ear, he licked his lips before talking. "You came," he drawled lazily.
He watched as the girl in front of him jumped from shock. She turned around and blushed deeply.
"Not willingly, mind you."
"Ouch," he countered, taking her hand.
"What are you doing?" she asked, eyeing his hand on hers.
Tristan grinned, "What do you think Mary?"
He didn't give her time to answer. "Dance with me," he whispered, bringing her hand close to his lips. He smiled lightly, and then ever so softly, he brushed his lips over her knuckles, kissing lightly.
Rory blushed again, "I can't… I don't dance, I mean… I can't dance… really."
Tristan ignored her answer and guided her to the large dance floor.
"Tristan!" she hissed, attempting to walk away. The song was now starting.
Tristan wrapped his arm around her tiny waist, preventing her from escaping. "Come on Mare… just one dance. It's my birthday," he half pleaded.
He heard her sigh before turning around, facing him reluctantly. "Fine… one dance."
"One dance," he repeated, his heart beat rapidly increased.
I'm ready
I'd like to see you, thought I'd let you know
I wanna be with you everyday
Cause I've got a feeling that's beginning to grow
And there's only one thing I can say
Rory could not keep the blush from coming. She wrapped her arms around his neck and shivered involuntarily as his hands wrapped around her waist tightly. Rory closed her eyes, shocked at how comfortable she felt in his arms.
Tristan also had his eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of her in his arms. He inhaled her intoxicating scent and together, they swayed to the music
I'm ready - to love you
I'm ready - to hold you
I'm ready - to love you
I'm ready - to hold you
I'm ready as I'm gonna be.
Tristan smiled, feeling her fingers playing with his hair. "I thought you said you couldn't dance," he whispered softly.
She left me a long note when she left me here
Told me that love was hard to find
But baby it's easy and I'll make it clear
There's only one thing on my mind
Rory smiled, her eyes remained shut. "I can't," she argued.
"Well Mare, you certainly fooled me," he whispered back.
I'm ready - to love you
I'm ready - to hold you
I'm ready - to love you
I'm ready - to hold you
I'm ready as I'm gonna be.
The song came to an end. Still blushing, Rory removed herself from Tristan's firm hold and met his blue eyes with her own.
"Thanks Mare, best present I've received all night," he said truthfully.
"Happy birthday Tristan," she replied, smiling at him before walking away.
Tristan opened his eyes and groaned at the flashback. That moment had been one of the best in all of his eighteen years… and he didn't know whether or not he was going to relive that moment ever again.
His head was throbbing, and it angered him even more that he couldn't get the image of her out of his mind. "Do you have any idea what you do to me Rory Gilmore?" heaskedsilently.
Taking another long swig of the cognac, he blindly reached for the telephone.
"Christina baby… it's me," his sentence slurred as he shakily held the phone to his ear. "It's me… no I most certainly am not… now get your fine ass over here. I miss you… great… see you in ten," he dropped the phone as soon as the dial tone met his ears and sighed.
This was his life.
-
Rory unlocked the door and entered through the back. She stopped and noticed Lorelai sitting down, her hands in front of her face in the darkness. Bewildered, Rory reached for the light switch, which instantly brightened the whole room.
"Hey mom," Rory said this with caution, catching sight of the expression on her mother's face.
Lorelai looked up and her eyes only darkened. "Where were you?" she asked, her throat was dry.
"I went for a walk," Rory replied, sitting across from her mother. "Why are you home so early?"
Lorelai shrugged, meeting her daughter's eyes. "There was nothing to do… now it's my turn, why did you lie to me?"
Rory's eyes widened significantly, the question catching her off guard. "What?"
"I called your grandma today. She told me you didn't sleep there last night."
Realization set in for Rory and the feeling of dread settled in her stomach. She opened and closed her mouth, ready to reply but she couldn't find her voice.
Lorelai breathed in, not wanting to jump to conclusions. "Where were you last night?"
"Mom-"
"You lied to me kiddo… and you want to know what the icing on the cake is? I had to find out from my mom… as if she doesn't have enough things to hold over my head," Lorelai stated, her voice shaking.
"I'm sorry."
"You're sorry? We promised ourselves that we weren't going to be like that. We promised that we would tell each other everything, no matter what the consequences are. We promised that we weren't going to become like my mother and I!"
"I know that and we aren't-"
"Then why did you lie?" Lorelai interrupted.
"I don't know!" Rory raised her voice.
"Don't you raise your voice at me… right now, you absolutely have no right to yell at me. I should be yelling at you," Lorelai answered, matching her daughter's tone.
"Mom, I'm sorry for lying to you… I really am. And I don't know why I did," Rory took a deep breath to keep her heart rate from speeding up, "Last night, after Tristan's party… it ended pretty late and… it was too late to call grandma and grandpa… so I took Paris Gellar's offer and slept at her house for the night."
Lorelai couldn't help but cast Rory a curious glance, fighting with herself whether or not she should believe her reason. Rory's story did not add up.
Rory sensed this; she stood and grabbed the cordless phone on the kitchen counter. She looked at her mother and then placed the phone in the middle of the kitchen table.
"If you don't believe me, then call Paris Gellar right now," Rory replied softly, her eyes pleading with her mother to somehow believe her story.
Lorelai stared at the phone intently, for an instant; she had the urge to grab the phone and dial the Gellar residence, demanding the truth. She tore her gaze from the phone to her daughter, who stood awkwardly gazing at the floor.
Lorelai sighed and stood from her seat, she opened her arms expectantly. Rory saw this and briskly walked to her open arms. Rory closed her eyes, trapping the unwelcome tears as she hugged her mother tightly.
"I'm sorry," Lorelai sighed, "I believe you."
She really had no reason not to.
Rory choked back her tears as her hold on her mother tightened. The guilt was consuming her and she didn't know what to do. She hated lying to her best friend.
--
AN: Wow… thank you guys for your kind words. Reviews like this motivate me to keep writing. Anyway, here's chapter 3… I hope you enjoyed this one as much as the previous chapters.
Keep reviewing folks:) BTW, the song in this chapter is called I'm Ready by Bryan Adams.