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Chapter Two: Disarray
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Rory sat in her bedroom, facing Logan. They both sat on her bed and she told him what had happened, trying to remain calm and talk slowly.
When she was finally finished recounting what was said and done by each party she leaned back into the pillows on her bed and sighed deeply, running her hands over her face.
"What am I gonna' do Logan?"
He didn't respond right away, but let his features speak for him for the moment being. He frowned and opened his mouth, as if to start an explanation, but shut it again quickly. He sighed, trying to find the words to explain the little information that he had without really telling her he had any. And it was definitely as complicated as it sounds.
"When was the last time that you guys actually talked?" he asked, meeting Rory's eyes.
She raised an eyebrow at him, gathering from the tone of his voice that he probably knew more than he was letting on.
"Why?"
Logan shook his head, still looking at her expectantly.
Rory shrugged. "The night before he left, I guess," she said, remembering the night clearly in her mind.
It was two days until fall break officially ended and they were both home until the following evening when they'd return to their respective colleges. Her to Yale, him to Princeton. He'd picked her up that morning and spent the entire day with only her. They were now lying in his large bed.
They chose his house to retire to late that afternoon because his parents and Taylor were off somewhere with his grandfather until the next morning, so they knew they wouldn't be disturbed.
Rory traced small, feather light patterns on Tristan's chest and placed a kiss in the place she'd been touching.
He watched her, relishing the feel of her in his arms for the little while they had until he had to get her back to her mother's house. He shifted slightly and she looked up at him, a little surprised.
She smiled. "Hey you," she said.
He smiled back. "Hey yourself," he said and she went back to tracing patterns again.
"I wasn't even sure you were awake."
He brushed some of her hair back away from her face. "Just watching you," he said.
She wrapped her arms tightly around him and he pulled her in closer. "I'm going to miss you, Tristan," she whispered.
He nodded against her hair. "Me too," he said. "I always do."
She nodded back to him. "Yeah," she mumbled.
He sighed, pressing his lips to the top of her head and she pressed another kiss against the soft skin of his chest.
"I love you," he said. "You know that don't you?"
She smiled, looking up at him and nodding. "I love you back," she said.
He kissed her lightly on the lips and she cuddled back into his embrace. He held her for a few more minutes before moving just enough to get her attention.
"Just a few more minutes?" she asked and he chuckled.
"Only if you want Lorelai to have my entrails cut out and burned for having you home late," he joked and she pulled him in closer.
"I'm good with that," she said.
Tristan laughed, picking her up and dragging her out of the bed. She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck until he stopped, his arms against the wall, trapping her in between them as she clung to him.
"I can't imagine my life without you, Mary," he said and she smiled.
"I can," she shrugged when he raised an eyebrow. "It'd be boring."
He laughed and leaned into her, kissing her lips. She smiled into his kiss and let her fingers run up through his soft hair. "Okay," he said, pulling back. "We have to stop this or we'll never leave."
Rory nodded and pulled him down gently, kissing his forehead before stepping away to put on the clothing that had been shed much earlier in the afternoon.
He got a new t-shirt out of his dresser drawer and she watched him pull it over his head. He smirked, noticing her watching him and winked at her.
She laughed, picking up the t-shirt from the floor of his bedroom, 'Dugrey', written on the back in bold lettering.
"What're you doing with that?" he asked, running a hand through his hair.
She smiled. "Stealing it," she said.
He smirked. "You have two of my t-shirts already," he pointed out and she shrugged.
"You haven't worn them in a long time. You just wore this one," she said. "It'll be like you're with me when I'm at school and sleeping alone."
He smiled, nodding and holding a hand out to her. She took it, lacing her fingers into his. "Let's get you home, Mary," he said.
Logan cleared his throat, bringing Rory back out of her trance and she shook her head. "Sorry," she said. "I was thinking."
He nodded, leaning back. "So how do you know he didn't just go back to Princeton?"
She sighed. "He was supposed to come over the next morning so that we could say goodbye," she said. "He never showed up. I got worried and called his cell but he had it turned off. I called his house and all they said was that he left early that morning before anyone had woken up."
Logan nodded. "And he never told you where he went?"
Rory shook her head, her eyes never leaving Logan's. "Do you know something that I don't?"
Logan sighed, trying again to formulate the words.
"Logan Charles Huntzburger," she warned and he nodded slowly.
"I don't really know anything," he said. "Only where he went."
Rory frowned.
"He called me the day I got back to school and told me that he had to be away for a while. He said he had some things to take care of and it wasn't good but he couldn't explain. He said he was in North Carolina for a while but I shouldn't say anything about it," he paused. "And he said to tell you that he loved you."
Rory looked up and met his eyes, frowning in confusion. He didn't say anything and after a moment she realized. "So, that night that you came over to my dorm..."
Logan nodded. "I told you that Tristan loved you. Remember?"
She nodded.
There was a knock on the door and Rory stood, walking to it and pulling it open. "How're you doing?"
She shook her head. "He just left, Logan," she said softly. "He didn't even say goodbye. He just left, and he didn't even tell me why."
Logan walked inside and sat down on the couch, Rory followed, seating herself next to him and leaning against him. He wrapped an arm around her.
"I know this is hard, Ace. But you just have to believe that Tristan had to go. I'm sure that it wasn't by choice."
Rory shook her head. "How could you know that Logan?" she asked. "How could you possibly know that it wasn't his choice?"
Logan sighed. "Because he loves you, Rory," he said. "Tristan would never leave you for no reason and he'd never leave by choice."
She shook her head again. "How are you so sure?"
Logan didn't say anything. He just sat with her until she sat up straighter and looked at him.
"You've talked to him, haven't you?" she asked.
Logan sighed. "I don't know anything, Rory. Just know that he loves you, okay?"
She shook her head again. "Then why the hell can't he just pick up a god damned phone and tell me that for himself? Huh, Logan? Can you answer that for me? If he loves me so much why doesn't he just tell me what's going on? Why did he just take off without warning or goodbyes?"
Logan shook his head. "I really don't know," he said and she shook her head in exasperation.
"You'd talked to him that night?" she asked and he nodded.
"About an hour after I got back to school he called my cell."
Rory nodded. "I told him I couldn't do it again. I said I couldn't let him hurt me again."
Logan looked up, meeting her eyes. He sat in silence for a while, seemingly in thought. "Maybe he won't," he offered and she shook her head.
"I can't, Logan. I can't give him the chance."
He sighed. "You already are, Ace. You're letting him hurt you now. By not being with him when you want to so badly," he shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe you should let him explain."
Rory bit her bottom lip. "I already did that."
Logan looked confused.
"He told me that he couldn't tell me. He said that all the truth would do was hurt me," she shook her head. "What could hurt me more than anything he's done already?"
Logan shrugged again. "Maybe you should tell him that, Ace."
"I don't know, Huntz."
He nodded. "Think about it okay?" he asked, standing up from his position on her bed. "I have to go," he said. "Dinner with the family."
"Okay," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
He nodded. "Count on it."
"Hey Logan?"
He turned. "Yeah?"
"Thank you."
He smiled. "Anytime babe," he said, winking lightly and making her laugh softly before he closed the door to her bedroom and headed down the stairs.
"How's she doing?" Lorelai asked as he reached the bottom of the steps.
He shrugged. "A little better, I think. I'm not really sure."
Lorelia nodded. "Maybe I'll go talk to her for a while."
Logan nodded his agreement. "Yeah, okay. I have to get home, though. Family dinner and I promised I wouldn't be late this time," he said, a smirk covering his face.
Lorelai laughed and waved him off with her hand. "Good luck," she called after him and he laughed.
"I'll need it," he said, walking out and shutting the large wooden door behind him.
Lorelia took the stairs two at a time and knocked on her daughter's door.
Rory laughed and opened the door. "Only you would knock on a door with the beat to a Van Halen song."
Her mother shrugged, stepping inside. "So, daughter of mine, how's the boy?"
Rory smiled softly, knowing that she meant Tristan. "Confusing, and frustrating, and stubborn, and as perfect as always."
Lorelai returned her daughter's sad smile. "How's the heart?" she asked and Rory shrugged.
"It's a little bit broken," she said. And Lorelai nodded.
"Okay," she said. "Let's fix it."
Rory raised an eyebrow. "You want to go back in time and make Tristan not leave?" she tried but her mother shook her head.
"No," she said. "I want to go to Stars Hollow for coffee."
Rory laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, okay."
Lorelia smiled and pulled her hand. "Good, I'll tell your dad we're leaving."
The two girls walked into the kitchen to find Christopher opening the fridge and pulling out the milk. "What are you two up to?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.
Lorelai smiled sweetly. "We are off to Stars Hollow for a coffee date."
Chris nodded. "Okay," he said. "Tell Luke that I said, hey."
Lorelai nodded. "Will do. Ready babe?"
Rory nodded, leaning up to kiss Christopher's cheek in a goodbye. "How're you doing, honey?"
Rory shrugged. "Still standing," she said and he smiled, kissing her forehead.
"That's my girl," Chris said, winking at her.
Both girls jumped into the jeep that Lorelai insisted that they keep when they'd moved back to Hartford from Stars Hollow Rory's freshman year, when Lorelai and Christopher got married.
Lorelai pulled the jeep up to Luke's about thirty minutes later and they walked inside.
"Luke!" she hollered, as she opened the door and he came out of the back, setting a few plates on the top of the stack he had going.
Both girls walked up to the counter and Luke smiled. "What brings the two of you this way?" he asked, setting two cups on the counter and pouring coffee into each of them.
"The most amazing coffee in the world!" Lorelai exclaimed, inhaling hers.
"And you, of course," Rory added and Luke rolled his eyes.
"Glad to be of service," he said and Rory smiled.
She put the cup up to her lips as the bell for the door dinged behind her. She turned slightly to see who it was.
Blue met blue as Tristan stopped and realized that coming here probably was the mistake he thought it would be.
All he'd wanted was to walk around the town for a while. Go down by the bridge, up to the old inn and see the places that she'd shown him, remember all the times he'd been with her here, and just his luck, he had to run into her three minutes after he arrived.
Rory almost dropped her coffee cup at the sight of him. She almost laughed at the irony of it all, seeing him of all people, here of all places. She shook her head.
Why did it always have to be a god damned surprise. Just one time, she'd like to actually be prepared to see him, to know that he was the one coming through that door. But did that ever happen? Of course not.