Chapter 8

"I wanna hold your hand, and say the words he never said,

I'll make you promises you can believe…"

'If only it were that simple,' Tristan bitterly thought as he was driving in his car making his way from his apartment to Yale University. In other words, he was going to go see Rory.

"Let me be the one, telling you it's alright,

Sharing the smiles and tears you cry,

Let me be the one, loving you when you're weak,

For all of the strength you need,

You can come to me."

"You stupid fool," Tristan talked to the song, "You can't just go up to the girl and say 'Hey, we're perfect for each other, so let's be together', it doesn't work that way. Besides, what if the girl is so damn oblivious that if you do tell her, she still won't get it?! There's no hope. Maybe I'll be a punk like you and record my feelings on a CD and give it to her," he mocked the artist.

He eventually brought his rant to an end when he parked his car. He then made his way to Rory's dormitory. The entire way he was silently arguing with himself. Last nights dream meant nothing, he was just a horny boy who hadn't gotten any in a while…a long while. So he was going to go see Rory to confirm this.

Unfortunately, his confirmation was delayed as his "favorite" cousin cut his path.

Perfect freakin' timing.

"I hope you're not going where I think you're going," Logan said in a warningly tone.

"Now where would that be?" Tristan asked getting smart.

"To see Rory."

"Would that be a problem with you?" he asked his cousin another question.

"Why do you insist on seeing her?" he answered his question with a question.

Tristan let out a small chuckle as he realized something, "You feel threatened."

"Of you?" he said disbelievingly.

"Of course."

Logan smirked with a glint in his eyes, "Why would I be jealous of you when you have a girlfriend," he told his cousin, "Speaking of girlfriends, here comes yours now," he pointed behind Tristan.

Casually turning around, Tristan confirmed that Logan wasn't lying.

Perfect freakin' timing.

Sam timidly walked up to the two blond-haired boys.

"Well it was good talking to you cuz," Logan wickedly smiled as he gave a pat on Tristan's shoulder, "But I gotta go see my girl."

Tristan tightly clenched his teeth; Logan was baiting him. He shot daggers at his back as he walked away, he even went as far as praying that he would trip and fall on his stupid face.

But a female voice pulled him out of his childish thinking, "Hey, can we talk," she told him, "About you and me?"

He turned to look at her, "What's there to talk about?"

"Tristan don't be like that," she begged on the verge of tears.

"Be like what? You said you wanted to talk, so talk."

After a small moment of hesitation, she spoke, "I'm sorry, okay?"

"What are you sorry about?" Tristan challenged her.

"You've got to be kidding," she laughed at the humorless situation.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" he asked her pretending to be confused.

"Why does it feel like you don't want to be with me anymore?" she asked; sadness filling her voice and eyes.

And then it hit Tristan, he was hurting her. What he was doing in high school, he was doing now. Logan was right; he hadn't changed, he would be with a girl as he chased after the one he truly wanted. The only difference now was that when he hurt the girl he was with, he noticed and it affected him.

It sucked being a caring, sexy guy.

"It's not that I don't want to be with you; you're a great girl," he told her, "I just don't want to be with someone that doesn't trust me."

"I do trust you! It's just that jealousy--"

"No, Sam," he cut her off, "Not trusting someone and being jealous are two different things, and even though you might be jealous, I know that you don't trust me."

"I love you," she blurted out as a tear cascaded down her face.

Huh?

"I do," she continued once she noticed that he didn't know what to say back, "You're so different from all the other guys I've dated; cliché, I know, but it's true. I know I blind-sided you with this, so you don't have to say anything; I just needed for you to know. I need you to know that I'm serious about this, about us, and that I want it."

He really hated himself.

"Okay."

He hated himself even more now – 'okay'?

She smiled as she wiped away her tears, "okay then." Him saying 'okay' was better than him saying that it was over, "So what are your plans for today?" She asked trying to get rid of the awkwardness surrounding them.

'I was going to try and get Rory,' he thought, but instead said, "I was going to tag along with my cousin and Rory. You want to come?"

"Only if you want me to," she smiled up at him as she picked up her sunken heart at the mention of the brunette's name.

"I guess you're coming," he told her as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Together, they both made their way to Rory's dorm.

As Tristan was about to knock on the door, it swung open revealing Rory wrapped up in Logan's arm.

"Oh, hi," she smiled at Tristan…and Sam as Logan just glared, "What are you guys doing here?"

"We just wanted to see if you two wanted to hang out."

Logan spoke first, "Actually, we were about--"

"To grab a bite to eat," Rory cut him off, "You two should join us."

"Sure," Sam spoke for the first time.

"Great let's go."

But before the group began to make its way to get food in their system; Tristan couldn't help but put his cousin on the spot.

"So, Rory, I see you took my cousin back, did you feel sorry for the poor sap?" he pretended as if the two together didn't affect him.

Rory smirked, "Not only that but…I'm just simply irresistible."

Simply Irresistible.

FLASHBACK

She didn't know he would be in there; she just needed a quiet place to continue reading her book. But once she realized she intruded on him, she quickly apologized.

"No problem," was his reply as he brought his attention back down to the black and white keys of the antique piano he was sitting at. As his fingers gently skimmed the keys, he heard her speak once again.

"I'm sorry," she apologized once again, but this time her tone was concerned and caring.

"About what?" he asked with a sigh; he wanted to be alone. He made a fool of himself outside and he didn't want to talk to anyone…especially Rory.

"About you and Summer," she said taking a few steps into the room.

He pressed down on a few keys, "I don't want to talk about Summer."

"Ok," she walked to the piano and placed her purse on top of it, "How'd you do on that biology test?"

"What?"

"The test. It was hard, wasn't it?"

"Yeah it was hard," he shook his head at the conversation.

"I got a B," she continued with the conversation as she took the seat next to him.

He chuckled at her oddness, "What are you doing?"

She smiled at him, "Why are you laughing at me?"

"You're odd…you know that?"

"Thank you," she gave him a cheeky smile.

"You're welcome," a genuine smile graced his lips, "Listen, I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time for a while."

"Oh, it's okay," she told him. Receiving a pointed look from him, she went on, "Well, no, but you're sad…"

"Yeah, well, I'll get over it," he told her with a shrug.

"Yes you will. You know why?"

"No, why?" he asked amused.

"Because you're simply irresistible."

He smirked, "Am I now?"

"You can have any girl you want--"

"Now, that's where you're wrong, Gilmore," he was quick to protest.

"No," she insisted, "You can. You have an affect over girls, Tris, and there are some that don't know how to handle it."

After the hidden confession, a thick, but comfortable silence settled around them in the piano room. Neither said a word, they both stared at each other, knowing what they wanted. Unknowingly the space between them got less and less until their lips—

"Rory? Are you in here?" they heard a girl's voice ask through the crack in the door. As soon as her voice was heard, Tristan pulled back and Rory stood up, "Rory here you are. Thank god I found you! I have a major problem."

Perfect freakin' timing.

"What?" she barely asked, afraid that her voice would betray her.

"Henry, the guy I've been dancing with?"

"Yeah?"

"Ok so he's really good in school, he's going to be a doctor – pediatrician to be exact, his parents are extremely involved in their local church. He himself helps out with Sunday school. He speaks Korean fluently, he respects his parents and he's also really, cute, very funny, and surprisingly interesting."

"Lane I'm sorry, but I'm totally failing to see the problem here," Rory told her

Putting his two sense in, Tristan added, "He really is a good guy."

"Who are you?" Land asked shocked. She was so wound up in her mini-life crisis that she hadn't realized the attractive blonde in the room, who moments earlier, was alone with her best friend.

"Lane, this is Tristan. Tristan, Lane," Rory introduced the two.

"Oh…" Lane gasped; this was Tristan, the Tristan.

"Oh?" Tristan asked curious about what she knows.

"Yeah…oh. I mean whoa; Rory we got to go," she told her quickly as she remembered her crisis.

"Does your friend know that she's a poet?" Tristan asked Rory with a chuckle; Lane's behavior amused him.

"Probably – I'll see you in school on Monday?" she asked him as she grabbed her purse and stood by Lane.

"Yeah."

The girls exchanged their goodbyes with the boy and on their way out he heard the Korean go frantic about how her parents would love Henry and how there would be dancing…initially followed by praying.

He lightly laughed at the two girls; they had their quirks.

His thought then went back to before Lane busted in on them.

They were about to kiss.

His lips were about to touch hers.

Tristan Dugrey was about to kiss Rory.

But then he remembered what she had said; he was irresistible.

And in so many words she had let him know that to her, he was simply irresistible.

END FLASHBACK

"Obviously," Tristan told her, "If he came crawling back to you."

"Some can resist," she said, "But I guess he couldn't."

Logan was being put in a difficult situation; should he say something to preserve his ego or say something and risk the girl. But looking at his cousin's smug face, he couldn't help but say, "Don't flatter yourself, Ace, its just sex."

"Uh-oh," Sam said, she noticed the look on Rory's face just like Logan and Tristan did.

Logan quickly tried to amend what he said, "What I meant was--"

"No, what you meant was that it is just sex…and I agree," Rory cut him off.

"Ace--"

"What else can someone have with you? It's exactly like you said, it's just sex, that's all you're good for," Turning her attention to Tristan and Sam, Rory smiled and said, "I'm not so hungry anymore, maybe some other time." Focusing back on Logan, she told him, "I'll call you when I'm horny."

With that being said she closed the door, leaving the trio in the hall.

Seeing that his job here was done, Tristan 'lovingly' patted his cousin on the shoulder and said, "It must suck to be you right now, cuz," he hid his smirk from Sam, but made sure that Logan could see that he was pleased with his work, "I would invite you to have lunch with his, but I wouldn't want you to be the third wheel…so, I guess I'll see you around—Hopefully the rest of your day gets better," he told him as an after thought.

Logan continued to remain silent as the couple said their goodbyes to him. He watched them walk away and all he could do was think about how much he hated Tristan.

Payback was a bitch.

"Oh my goodness, I cannot believe what just happened," she stated shocked as she took a bite of her salad. The couple was seated outside at a Café in Hartford eating lunch.

"That makes two of us," Tristan replied after swallowing the burger he had taken a bite of.

"I'm not defending Rory or anything, but what Logan said was way out of line."

"I agree; when we were kids Logan never knew when to shut up, he had to feed his ego and pride no matter who he hurt."

"I actually felt bad for the girl."

"If I were to tell you something right now, you probably wouldn't believe me."

She smiled, intrigued, "What?"

"Rory isn't a slut, even though that's what she was made out to be today."

"I believe you," she said shocking Tristan. Seeing the look on his face she continued, "She doesn't seem like that type at all, she has a certain vibe to that screams that she's genuine," she tried to explain.

"I know what you mean," he inwardly smiled.

"But I think she handled herself fine."

"Yeah, she did, she…" he trailed off.

A lady with her hands full of shopping bags was making her way down the sidewalk and towards the Café.

"Tristan?" Sam called his name trying to get his attention.

"Oh no…"

"What?"

"Emily Gilmore."

Perfect freakin' timing.

"Who?'

"Rory's grandmother," he quickly said before she reached their table.

"Tristan," Emily brightly beamed upon reaching them, "What a pleasant surprise."

"Hello Emily, how are you doing today?" he asked with a charming smile.

"I'm doing well," she replied, "I just want to say that it was a pleasure to have you and your mother over for dinner last Friday."

"It was a pleasure to be there."

"And I must admit," she grinned, "I enjoyed seeing you and Rory interact; I felt the spark between the two of you. Oh! You two just looked so cute together!'

Tristan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, occasionally glancing at Sam, who was quietly looking down at her half-eaten salad.

"Who's this," she asked his, with a disgusted look, referring to Sam.

"This is Sam…my girlfriend."

There was a small pause before she said anything.

"Huh."

AN: Please Review.