Chapter 19 - The Carnival - part two

Paris walked around for twenty minutes trying to look for Rory. She finally found her when she looked up and saw someone alone sitting in a Ferris wheel swing.. She started making her way over but stopped when she saw a certain blonde haired boy lay his crutches beside the ride and hop to the ramp.

"Where's Trevor?"

Rory looked up to see Tristan making himself comfortable on the swing next to her. "Uh, I-I don't know," she replied, trying to wipe her tears away quickly.

"Hmm, that's funny, I thought you two were attached at the hip." Tristan said while rolling his eyes.

"Tristan, please."

Tristan turned and saw Rory's pleading eyes. Oh, those eyes. He found himself drowning in her pools of blue. "Uh, sorry." he mumbled after a few seconds. Tristan shifted slightly in his seat, looking out at the view below. After a few minutes of silence, he couldn't take it anymore-

"Are you alright Ror?" he asked, his voice almost timid.

Rory sniffed, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Tristan shook his head in disbelief, "No, you're not. What's wrong?"

"Well- I-" Rory began, but suddenly stopped. Her eyes narrowed and she stared him down.

"What?" he finally spat.

"You are impossible Tristan! First we get along and become friends in the hospital, then you get out and don't talk to me for weeks and then you come back and act like the same old arrogant jerk you were before. And now you swoop in and think you're gonna be my friend? I think not."

Tristan watched her as she ranted. He saw the lone tear make its way down her face. She wiped it quickly, she didn't want him to know she was crying.

"Rory, I-I'm sorry." he mumbled, staring down at his hands.

Rory snorted, "You could say that again," she said to herself, not knowing Tristan heard her.

"I just-I don't know," Tristan ran a hand through his hair in frustration, "Rory you just make everything so confusing," he confessed, glancing at her quickly before taking interest in the carnival on the ground underneath them.

"Oh great, so now this is my fault too... what is this, bag on Rory day? Did I miss the memo, or the announcement in the mail. Was there a parade before and I just failed to see it?" She began making conversation with herself.

"No, look, I'm sorry okay? I've said it a thousand times, I'm sorry."

"Actually, you've said it once." Rory sniffed as she turned her head and watched the carnival lights below her.

"Rory," he groaned, "I just..." he turned toward her and pulled her so that she was facing him, watching him, "at the hospital we really got to know each other and you really got me, you know? Like no one knows half the stuff you know about me. No one's ever really been around long enough to even want to find out. And I guess, you freaked me out. I'm-I'm not saying you're a freak, that's not what I mean. I just mean that- well you're so intense and you try so hard at everything you do, I guess just your commitment to things and your drive, it scared me a little. And, I don't know. I'm just- I'm not the kind of guy that gets all mushy over a girl, I'm not the kind of guy that's gonna bear his sole to some girl, on a Ferris wheel swing in the middle of the freezing cold," he said, rolling his eyes. "I can't be that guy for you. Trevor is that guy, and when he asked you here tonight, I thought that was the line in the sand. I thought you were deciding between me and him..." he said slowly, trailing off.

Rory stared at the boy in front of her. He seemed so unsure of himself. Unlike the football jock who roamed the halls, unlike the playboy who was smooth with the ladies. As he sat in front of her and tried to form the words that his heart was shouting, he looked vulnerable. He always seemed that way with her. He didn't have that engraved confidence that came with everything else he did. She weakened him. In some way, somehow, she stripped him of all his sure thoughts, and made him think. He had no one to be but himself in front of her.

"Tristan," she whispered, looking up at him, "you never once even told me how you felt, so how was I supposed to know you were even interested when I said yes to Trevor?"

Tristan let out a nervous chuckle, "Well I thought Delia would've told you by now. Don't girls tell each other everything?"

Rory squinted her eyes, "Delia never told me anything," she told him, "well, except that she kept saying that you and me belong together."

"She said that, huh?" He asked, getting closer.

"Yeah." Rory blushed.

"Wanna hear something even more pathetic?"

Rory looked down as the Ferris wheel descended. "Sure."

"My grandfather told me to never let you go," he told her, his voice low.

Rory smiled at him and then looked down again.

"So..." Tristan started.

Rory breathed in deep, "Sooo..." She glanced up and her eyes met with his, "What does this make us?"

"Well it depends." he replied.

"On what?"

"On you."

Rory shook her head again, "Again we're making this my fault?"

"Are you with Trevor?" he asked, his voice flat.

"No Tristan. I was never with Trevor," she said, her eyes wide and sad.

"But I thought-"

Rory shook her head.

"But- didn't he ask you here tonight?"

Rory tilted her head, looking at Tristan. "He asked me here but I answered as a friend," she said expressionless.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So then what happened?" he asked, his voice low once again.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, why aren't you with him? Why are you riding the Ferris wheel alone?"

Rory smiled, "I'm not alone."

"Rory," his voice serious, "You know what I mean... why were you crying when I got on?"

"I didn't want to be around him anymore, so I came here." she said, taking a deep breath.

"Why?"

"Looks like I'm not gonna be able to dodge any bullets here, huh?" She replied, rolling her head, looking out at the view. "Well, we were drinking hot cocoa and he asked me to be his girlfriend."

"And?"

"And then he told me he loved me."

Tristan was taken aback. He sucked in a deep breath, "and?"

"And I told him that it was very sweet of him and that one day he would find someone that would love him back and embrace his every quality. But-but I don't deserve him. And then he kind of just snapped and got mad and said some things."

Tristan looked at her with heavy eyes, "Ror-"

Tears once again followed their already paved way down her face. She let out a nervous laugh, "And it's funny, because I can understand why he would again put that wall up and be upset. It's just- I've never seen him so...so...so cold and so mean before," she said, sobbing.

Tristan tried to console her. He put his hand around her shoulders and tried to help. "Ror, he gets like that. You know him. And you know that five minutes after you ran from him he realized he was being an ass and already trying to figure out a way to apologize."

Rory nodded, trying to wipe away her tears.

"He just- I'm sure he was just embarrassed because the guy just bared his soul and you didn't feel the same. I mean, give the guy a break," he said with an encouraging smile. "You know he didn't mean the things he said that hurt you."

"Yeah, I know." she sniffed.

"Well then after tonight, you two just cool off and then go back to being who you were. You guys were so close, it'd be a shitty thing to lose what you had."

Rory looked up and met Tristan's eyes. "Thanks," she sniffed.

"I'm here for you Ror," he said, dabbing at her tears.

After two more rounds on the Ferris wheel, Rory turned to face him.

"So... you never answered your question."

"What question?"

"What are we?"

Tristan took a breath, "Rory-"

"No, I'm serious Tristan. In the hospital, those long days we spent together, they weren't just nothing."

"I know."

"So are we friends?" she asked, waiting on bated breath, hoping his answer would be what she wanted to hear.

Tristan hung his head, "Ican'tbejustfriendswithyou," he mumbled softly.

"What?" she asked.

Tristan looked up and met her eyes, "I said, I can't be just friends with you."

Rory looked hurt. So after everything, after their whole night, he didn't even want to be friends? "What? Why?" she asked, trying to ignore the huge lump growing in her throat.

"Rory, I can't look at you and watch you flirt with other guys. Hell, it killed me when I found out that Trevor asked you here tonight. I just-"

Rory's cheeks started to swell red.

"- I need you Rory. I want to be with you," he said, his eyes flickering between her eyes and her lips.

Rory looked up and searched his eyes for more answers. "You do?"

"Yeah," he replied before capturing her lips in a kiss. Rory leaned into him and wrapped her hands around his neck. She shifted her body over closer to his to deepen the kiss when suddenly she felt the chair swing. She pulled away and let out a loud scream.

Tristan smirked, "I'm that good, huh?"

Rory looked back to him after she steadied the chair, "Oh you wish," she smiled as she leaned forward, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him in for another kiss.

"RORY! RORY, ARE YOU OKAY?" Rory pulled back and looked down. Low and behold, there was Paris waving her hands like a maniac and screaming loud for all to hear. The duo laughed, realizing that Paris must've heard her scream. Rory waved down at Paris and smiled before turning back to Tristan.

"Guess she's worried about you," he said with a smirk.

"Well I would be too. I mean, we are talking about you here." she grinned. Tristan reached out and grabbed for her hand when suddenly a snowflake found its way to her palm.

"Oh my god," she exclaimed, looking up at the sky.

Tristan looked at her, "what?"

"It's snowing!" she smiled.

"And?" he asked.

"And magical things happen when it snows!"

"Magical, huh?"

Rory's eyes glazed over as she watched the snow fall. "Yeah," she whispered.

"Well, then.." Tristan replied with a smirk, pulling her in for another passionate kiss.

"OKAY THEN!" They heard Paris yell from below them. "CARRY ON!"

the end

-- Lastly, a big thanks to all who read this story.