“He said Europe, last time I watch CNN they were saying that Russia was not in Europe. Do you know something that I don’t? And remember I am a Chilton graduate, and Yale student, not only do I possess the finest education a student could want, but Doggie Houser has nothing on me when it comes to current events.”
“Sorry Miss,” Mark the driver said with a semi-smiley. Master Tristan had mentioned that his visitor might be a little mad when she was picked up, but Mark just thought the spit-fire beauty in his back seat was a pleasure to be around.
Rory sighed she was not all that mad, and defiantly not at the nice driver that had picked her up, but she was annoyed and curious about why Tristan had lied to her about where they would be going. “It’s not your fault, Mark, its Tristan’s and he will know as soon as I see him.”
“Ms. Rory that maybe a while, Mr. Tristan has not been calling for a ride until early morning and then leaves the flat just a few hours later.” Mark smiled at Rory in the rear-view mirror, hoping to reassure her that her time in Russia will be well spent.
“Does he sleep?” Rory didn’t know if she was mad because it may be awhile for her to confront her current tormenter or worried that he might be working himself sick.
“According to Jeni, very little, though some say he tends to take ten minute naps between meetings.”
Mark was trying to lighten Rory’s mood and she found that he was succeeding with every smile he sent her way. She found herself finally cracking a smile for the fist time in over a month. Tristan was very lucky to have at least a driver with a since of humor, even if he did not. “Good shows that he is human like the rest of us.”
“Have you ever been to Russia, Ms. Rory?”
“No, and I will be excited once I get over the fact of being in Asia instead of Europe.”
Mark smiled and nodded in understanding. “When you decide to go out give me a call, I am at your service.”
“Thanks Mark, I will take you up on that offer after I get the chance to yell at Tristan first.” She gave him a wink and smile.
The car stopped and Mark got out, but is was the doorman who opened the car door.
“Welcome to Star-cross Tower Ms. Gilmore.”
“Thank you, and it is Rory.” She left the car and looked up at twenty story building that stood infront of her. Standing on the stairs was another gentleman who was waiting for Rory to take the few stairs up to the door.
“Ms. Gilmore, welcome to Star-cross Tower. I am Zasha, the coordinator of the towers and tower’s residential activities. I will be at your service twenty-fours a day for any matter you may need.”
Rory was not expecting this sort of treatment. True the time she spent with her grandparents and dating Logan had it’s benefits and she had learned to deal with servants. But she was still her mother’s daughter and refused to allow others to do everything for her. “Thank you Mr. Zasha, and please call me Rory. I will keep your offer in mind, after I have had time to rest and freshen up.” She smiled at him kindly as he led her way into the foyer of the nice apartment building. He was explaining the luxuries that the Star-Cross Tower offered, and Rory tried really hard to pay attention, but she was just in awe over how beautiful the building truly was, and how Tristan probably paid no attention to the grandeur at all.
As they were going up to the twenty-first floor, Zasha started telling her about Tristan’s flat. Something about being the entire top floor, with windows being the outer walls to allow the owner to see all of the Moscow. Rory didn’t remember what he said about rooms, or the balcony, because the elevator doors opened to small welcome way that opened up into large living area and the windows that did indeed allow you to see the entire city.
“Master Tristan, wished me to give you this.” Zasha handed her a key. “When you enter the lift it will only go to the twentieth floor unless you insert the key. Is there anything I may do for you Ms. Rory.”
Rory had just stepped into the walkway and was itching to see the big picture in front of her. “No thank you Mr. Zasha.” She turned and gave him one of her thankful small smiles that only small town girls were able to give with true gratitude.
Zasha nodded at her kindly, “well good day then Ms. Rory, and please don’t hesitate to call me, just press zero on the house phone.” With that Rory was left alone in a strange flat in an even stranger country. “Rory…Rory wake-up.” Tristan had just walked into his Moscow Apartment and he was exhausted having worked in the early hours of the morning. Even though he tried to wrap up his work earlier in a failed attempt to welcome Rory to Russia, it was not until almost three when he called Mark to pick him up. He wanted nothing more at this moment that to crash for a few hours of needed sleep, but he wanted to check on Rory first to make sure she had a safe trip if she came at all. Having ran a successful business in Moscow did not mean that he had the time to learn the layout of his apartment, which meant that he started opening every door trying to find the one Rory could be found sleeping in. He soon found that he had three guest rooms, all of which were empty. Assuming that she did not come, Tristan walked back into the living room to turn off the reading lamp that Jeni always left on for him, the lights from the city gave him enough light to find his room, but he loved Jeni for always leaving a light on for him. As he reached the couch he saw there was his sleeping treasure, fast asleep with a book still open with a hand marking covering the page. He thought she looked beautiful and he could come home to her beauty every night, but she wasn’t his, didn’t want to be his, never even considered being his.
Though Rory looked comfortable on the couch, Tristan knew from experience that the huge windows let in the morning light to early for any sane person, and that she would like it better in her room, so he started to wake her up.
As she slowly came back into consciousness, she realized that Tristan was finally home. “What time is it?”
“About three-thirty.”
“In the morning?”
Tristan smiled at her and gave her a hand to help her stand up. “Why didn’t you go to bed?”
“I was reading and I wanted to speak with you.” Rory quickly came to and remembered how angry she was with the man in front of her.
Tristan raised an eyebrow to question her or rather to give her the okay to talk to him. It was something the old Tristan would do, that it almost had Rory forgetting why she was mad at him. Almost. “We are not in Europe.” She ended up yawning half way through the statement, so any anger that could have been behind it was easily erased.
“Is that why Mark was not talking to me?” Rory shrugged her shoulders and started walking towards the kitchen. “I’m sorry I lied to you, but almost everyone thinks I’m in Europe relaxing at my families Mediterranean home. If you would like to go there be my guest.”
“What?” Rory asked as she took two plates out of the fridge and put them into the microwave.
“It’s complicated,” Tristan said with a sigh while closing the subject. “One of those plates for me?”
Rory nodded as she put the plates on the bar island that sat in the middle of the kitchen. Tristan took a seat on a bar stool while Rory took silverware out of the drawer. She was moving around his apartment with an ease that he did not even posses.
“How long have you been here?” He blurted out. Rory looked at him as she sat down with the question in her eyes. “You know more about my apartment than I do, and I’ve been living here for a year.”
“Have you been living here or just sleeping here?” She said knowingly. Tristan focused on his food realizing she was right. “Liza, your cook, showed me where everything was as she cooked. She is really nice, even made dessert.”
“She usually doesn’t bother since I eat when I have too, when I am here it is more of a habit than a pleasure.”
“Wait until you see the dessert.”
Tristan smiled, but let the conversation die while he ate. He watched her, though her plate was not as full as his she was obviously hungry. He had a feeling that she waited up for him and even waited, as least to a small degree, to eat with him. Maybe he should slow down at work while Rory was staying with him.
“You look like hell.” She said plainly, bluntly, and completely out of the blue.
“Thanks.”
“You do realize that you are human and need to get some sleep.”
“I am only here two weeks ever four-to-six months. I have to take care of everything that can not be done via phone in a very short amount of time. However you are right, I am human, and now that I have the majority of the meetings and major issues taken care of, I’m pretty sure I can get at least four hours of sleep now.” He said with wink.
Rory started clearing her plate and went again to the fridge to get the dessert. “I hope you like pudding.”
“Pudding in Russia?”
“Liza asked what I wanted, and thus you get pudding.” Again Tristan was amazed on how Rory went to the right cupboard, on the first try, and acted has if it was her apartment and he was the visitor.
“I’m glad you feel at home.” He did not mean to sound as sarcastic as the statement came out sounding.
“Maybe if you spend actual time in your apartment and with your staff, you would feel at home too.” Rory said in a huff as she started leaving him to his dessert.
Tristan was up before he thought and lightly grabbed her by the elbow. “Rory wait.” She stopped, but waited for him to continue. “I’m sorry. I’ve been working to hard, and of course you are right. My staff is wonderful and I do not take the time to thank them enough. Please sit back down and enjoy your pudding.” Rory nodded at his apology and returned to her pudding silently. Tristan sighed, rubbed his face and went back to his own stool and dish of pudding.
They ate in silence, put there dishes in the sink in silence and even started walking out of the kitchen and to their own bedrooms in silence, until they both decided to break it at the same time. “Rory.” “Tristan.”
“Goodnight Rory.”
“Will I see you tomorrow?” She asked quietly before he had a chance to close himself off behind his bedroom door.
“I’ll try to make it home earlier.” Was all that he could give her.
She nodded, “Goodnight Tristan.”