Oh and a BIG thanks to Spidon for helping me with the wording of the ending of this chapter
“Helen just said that you were planning on leaving soon. I didn’t believe my ears, because unless my watched died it is only six-thirty. And that is not in the morning.”
“Leave it Alexei.” Tristan was trying his hardest to finish the pile in front of him before the hour was over, so he could be back at his flat before seven-thirty. He went to work before Rory woke up, and had left her a note saying that if he wasn’t home before eight to eat without him. But he really did not want her to have to eat alone again. However he kept getting interrupted, first by Helen who had a few messages from Wendy. Thankfully Helen was getting along with Wendy and even commented on the girl’s ability to keep up with Tristan’s never ending business and social affairs. After handling those messages, a banker called in distress and now finally Tristan’s best friend and business partner barged into his office trying to make jokes with him.
“Would this new want to actual leave the office have anything to do with the beautiful brunette staying with you?” Alexei knew Tristan well. They had met in college, both knowing their futures were planned out for them, and both wanting more than their parent’s money as their only claim to fame.
Alexei comment about Rory had Tristan looking up quickly. He had been avoiding his best friend for weeks not wanting to tell him of the sticky situation that had unfolded in his personal life. Though the two told each other everything, Tristan did not have the courage to tell his best friend about Rory. “How did you find out about her?” It was a surprise question, the reaction Alexei wanted in order to be certain his best friend was hiding something.
“Ha, I knew you were avoiding me, but I never thought a new fling would be the reason.”
“She’s not a fling.” Tristan sighed and motioned his friend to take a seat, while he piled his paper work and quit for the day. “Her name is Rory Gilmore.”
“From Chilton?”
“Yes.”
Alexei let out a low whistle. “How did this come about, I thought she was dating your rival?”
“She is, well sort of.” Tristan glanced at his watched and grimaced, it was already seven. “Look Alexei, I’m sorry I kept this from you. I know once you get the whole story you won’t be able to help yourself on giving me your honest opinion. Which will be, don’t do it you will only get burned.” Seeing that his friend was going to comment, Tristan quickly continued. “However, I don’t have time to get into it all right now. Why don’t you call your own beautiful gem and set up a dinner date tomorrow night for the four of us. Wasn’t Calina talking about wanting to go to that new fancy restaurant with dancing or whatever?”
Seeing that, though Tristan was still not being completely honest with him yet, he was taking time to actually enjoy Moscow for once, Alexei let his lack of information slide and nodded in agreement. “She was the one that told me about Rory being at your flat. It seems that my wife cares more about your well being than I do. She was checking in to make sure your flat was livable, and was pleasantly surprised to find that you had a visitor. She actually wanted me to make sure that you knew that there was a pretty brunette living in your apartment.”
Tristan smiled and actually blushed just a bit. “She arrived yesterday, and I don’t think she is all that happy with me. Which is why I really have to go, I’m trying to make it back before dinner.”
"Well good luck man, and I will have Calina call Rory and Helen with the details about tomorrow night.”
“You made it home in time for dinner.” Rory was just getting ready to head towards the kitchen and the wonderful meal that Tristan’s cook had slaved over all afternoon, when Tristan entered the door. “I was just getting ready to go eat.”
Tristan looked at his watch and noticed that it was closer to nine than eight. “I tried my hardest to get out early, but I had a few interruptions. Let me go change and then I will be ready to eat.”
“I’ll just go get everything ready.” Rory prepared the normal breakfast table for a dinner for two. She was able to talk to Liza about dinner and thus it was a simple meal that Rory would only have to place in the oven for ten minutes to reheat. They choose the smaller table instead of the formal dinning table, because it was after all just going to be two people who did not normally eat at a table let alone one which seats twelve.
Tristan walked into the kitchen in kaki pants and a black polo. He was surprise to find a small dinner coming out of the oven and a table all prepared for two.
“What would you have done if I didn’t make it home?”
“Ate in front on the T.V. and watch some Russian love movie or something.” Rory placed the plates on the table and motioned for Tristan to dig in. He patiently waited for her to sit down so they could eat together.
“I heard you had a visitor.”
Rory was only moderately surprised that Tristan knew about Calina stopping by, after all Logan knew everything even before it happened. “Yes, she wanted to make sure that you weren’t living in filth. But I really think she just wanted to double check and make sure you really do have an apartment with a bed to sleep in,” Rory said with a wink.
“Calina is the one that purchased this place and furnished it for me, so she is plenty aware of my living arrangements. She must of heard about you from one of her spies and wanted to see for herself if indeed I was hiding away an American beauty.”
“You and she…are you…,” Rory was almost too embarrassed to ask her question.
“No, heavens no. She wouldn’t even look at me with Alexei standing next to me.” Seeing her confusion Tristan continues, “Alexei is my best friend, a bigger player than myself when we still had time for such activities. However once he saw Calina he became a one-woman man. They got married six months ago, and now I am Calina’s new mission. She wants me to be has happily married as herself and Alexei.” The way Tristan’s face brighten up when he talked about his friends showed Rory a new side of him, the genuine caring and loving side. It was a side that few knew about and even fewer had ever seen.
“She seemed very nice, if not a bit noisy.”
Tristan smiled and even chuckled a little, but then very suddenly he got very serious as if something troubled him and drew his concern. “What did you tell her?”
Seeing that Tristan was worried about his friends, even though he had no care about hers surprised her. She gave him a semi-evil look, “Well I told her exactly what you had me tell my friends. The entire story of you being a jerk to me in high school, how you have managed to ruin the majority of my relationships, including my current one with Logan, and finally you lying to me about what part of the continent I would be visiting.”
Tristan was not happy, he was actually furious. He pushed back his chair and stood up. “You told her that. Rory how could you be such a conniving bitch? What did Calina say to make you think that she would be able to handle that type of information about me. When she calls you tomorrow you will apologies, saying you were just joking and tell her anything but the truth.”
He was about to walk out of the kitchen when Rory laughed. “Who do you think you are ordering me around Tristan? You show me not the tiniest bit of respect since we have met, and this last month it has been nothing but some joke to you and me because we are doing what my friends want me to do. Now for your information I will not apologies to Calina…” Rory was silenced by Tristan grabbing her by the neck and kissing her. Not a kiss of a lover but a kiss of possession. Tristan was angry, Rory was angry, and the passion between the two of them left fire in their wake. Their lips only separated enough to allow their tongues to pass thru, and their hands roomed as freely as they could manage with their bodies beating as one. Their passion lead them to the table, which one of them was attempting to clear with a spare hand.
The shattering of glass tore him off of her, like a dog called off the hunt.