Chapter Four: Fifth Times a Charm

---GG---

"What are you doing here?" She snaps, cutting off my path towards the bar. "Why are you here?"

I raise my eyebrows, and shrug, letting a smirk befall my face, "Your grandparents invited me, Mary," I say curtly, brushing past her, and heading towards the bar.

I hadn't seen Rory Gilmore since the night she left my apartment. That was almost a year and a half ago, and I couldn't believe we were still on bad terms, not even speaking with each other. If anyone had the right to ripped shit over that night, it was me. Rory knew I wanted her, she was just too daft to realize that in the heat of the moment.

But here she was, royally pissed over something she had started. I didn't walk out on her that night – she walked out on me.

"You should go," she tells me, coming to stand beside me at the bar before I can order my drink.

"Why, Mary, that would just be rude," I say, rolling my eyes, and turning my attention to the attractive bartender, "Hey there," I say, plastering a playboy grin over my face, "Instead of a drink, can I order your number?"

"Ugh!" Rory cries out, her hand latching onto my tie. She pulls me away from the bar, and into the throng of guests at her grandparent's vow renewal. "Why are you here? I don't want you here."

"This wasn't your decision," I snap, stopping in the midst of the dance floor, grabbing her elbow and stopping her too. "I should be the person angry with you! Not the other way around."

"Oh, don't you even make me the antagonist, Tristan Orion Dugrey!" She snaps, and I feel the attention of almost all the guests turn onto us, "You didn't know what you wanted! I put myself out there! And you did nothing about it—you thick headed bastard!"

I raise my eyebrows, and shove my hands into my pockets, "Because you didn't want me too." I say, looking at her, before turning my attention to other people in the room.

"Don't twist my words."

"I'm not twisting— you're doing it perfectly for yourself."

"You're impossible."

"So you've told me before."

I back away from her, letting her stand alone on the dance floor, before turning my back and making a new path towards the bar. I've never needed a drink more in my life.

I reach the bar, and eye the bartender, planting a smirk on my face, "Make it straight vodka," I tell her, sliding onto a barstool, and spinning on it so I can face the dance floor.

There's a blonde wrapping his arms around Rory – my Rory. I narrow my eyes and shake my head, fucking bastard. He'd get what was coming to him soon.

---GG---

She smiled at me as she opened the door to let me come into the mansion her father had bought for her and her mother on Eleanor Avenue. She was wearing the 'Hello Kitty' pajamas I had deemed perfect, and her hair was up in a messy ponytail. She looked like she had just woken up, and it was perfect.

"Merry Christmas," she said, pulling me inside the house by the lapels on my jacket. I smirked, and she planted a soft, tender kiss on my lips.

"You too, Mary," I told her, slipping my jacket off, and tossing it onto the chaise lounge a few feet away from the door, "Santa treat you well this year?"

"Doesn't he always?"

I shrugged, and pulled a square, black velvet box out of my pocket with a shiny blue ribbon on top, "Do you want your present?"

"Do you need to ask me that, Tristan? You know I do," she grinned, and made to grab the box in my hand, but I held it just out of her reach.

I was going to hand it to here when the phone rang – that phone call ruined everything.

---GG---

I'd intended on asking Rory to marry me that Christmas – why? Because I knew there was no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my days with. But Jess called. It always seemed like at every moment where things looked like they were going to work out perfectly for Rory and I – one of her former flames stepped in and took my limelight.

I didn't share the attention well, so we broke up.

Breaking up with Rory Hayden was probably one of the worst things I'd ever done in my life – and I had done it twice at the time. Now three ( four if you could call that night a year and a half ago a relationship ). Whoever says learning from one's mistakes makes you wiser was full of bullshit. I'd made the same mistake four times, and here I am – going in for number five.

"May I cut in?" I ask, tapping the blonde's shoulder, halting his and Rory's dance.

"Sure," he says, stepping away, and kissing Rory's hand, "I'll see you later, Ace."

I size the blonde up with my eyes, and take his place, wrapping my arms possessively around her waist, settling my hands on her hips. "Who was that?" I ask, staring down into the pools of blue eyes I hadn't seen in so long.

"None of your business," she snaps lowly, avoiding my gaze. "Why are you doing this?" she asks after a moment's pause.

I shrug my shoulders, and let out a breath of air, "I was stupid."

"Was?"

Now where had I heard that line before? "Fine, I still am." I groan, and rest my forehead against hers, willing a slap to the face if this is too affectionate for her, "I always do stupid shit, Mare. It's part of who I am."

"Obviously."

"C'mon – you know what they say."

"No – what do they say?"

"Fifth times a charm."

Rory laughs, and steps closer to me, and I know I won her affections – yet again. I smile, and kiss her temple, "Go on our fifth first date with me next Friday?"

"I'll have to check my social calendar. Say I am free, what are we doing?"

"Now if I told you Mary, would I be living up to my charm?"

"You'd be degrading it," she agreed, smiling up at me, her blue eyes twinkling under the dim, candle lights of the chandelier hanging over our heads.

---GG---

I don't know how Rory and I wind up making a discrete exit out of the main hall, and into the hall way that leads to the hotel rooms up above. Obviously her grandparent's would want the swankiest hotel in all of New York City for their vow renewal.

The Waldorf Astoria was an amazing hotel – and I'd be spending an amazing night within it with the beautiful girl on my arm.

We make our way through the lobby, exchanging small, sometimes longer kisses every few moments. I smile and take her left hand, and entwine her fingers with mine.

She leads me into the elevator, her gentle form pressing me against the back wall as soon as the doors close. She kisses me, and I know that I won't object to kissing her back while the elevator surveillance camera watches.

Her mouth is so warm, and inviting, I just can't help but lose myself in her embrace. She tastes like alcohol and vanilla.

I glide my tongue over her bottom lip, begging for entrance into her mouth and she quickly obliges my plea. I groan when my tongue slides against hers, and she presses her lower part of her anatomy into mine. Rory doesn't know how much she drives me crazy.

I pull away, and hear her groan in frustration, "Elevator stopped," I explain, picking her up into my arms and carry her out of the elevator.

Her legs encase my waist between them as she fuses her lips to my throat. I groan and quickly press her against the wall where it's vacant of a painting. She gasps when I grind my groin into hers, and suck the blood to a tender spot just above her left breast.

"Ahem," someone coughs from behind us, and I pull away from Rory as fast as one possibly could, dropping her gently onto the ground. "I hope the public isn't interrupting your vertical here to eternity moment."

Rory's eyes bulge as far as they could from her sockets, and she pushes my chest gently, stepping fully into the light of the hall, "Jess?"

What is this ass fuck doing in the Astoria? Last I heard he was living in some crack house with mold on the ceiling. I wrap my arm around Rory's waist, eager to let him show that she was mine yet again. "Rory? What are you doing here?"

"My grandparent's vow renewal," she answers, a smiling gracing her features. I want to throw up at how she can talk to him like him existing never screwed up our plans – rather, my plans for our future. "Why are you here?"

Jess smirks, and I'm focusing on not lashing out an cutting off his air supply with my bare hands, "Thought I'd go for something ritzy for tonight."

"What's tonight?"

"I'm gonna ask Shane to be my girl."

"Shane?" Rory asks, and I look at her and notice the look repulsion on her face.

He shrugs, and shoves his hands into his pockets, "A guys gotta do what a guys gotta do."

"And that includes marrying her?"

"Yeah," he nods, and finally turns his gaze to me. I can see the mocking in his eyes as he looks me up and down, probably taking in the disheveled look of my tuxedo and hair, "You must be Dugrey. Rory's told me all about the prick that broke up with her because he didn't want her to come see me."

I raise my eyebrows, and tilt my head to the side, "A guys gotta do what a guys gotta do," I mimic, cracking my knuckles even though the sound and the feeling make me nauseous.

"Riiight," he says, enveloping Rory into a hug, and my blood boils. "I'll keep in touch," he says, before walking towards the elevator and pressing the button.

I watch him go, and grab a hold of Rory's hand, no longer in the mood for sexual escapades, but rather just going to sleep.

And maybe a cigarette on the balcony would ease my mind a bit.