“You guys made it!” Calina said from the bar she was waiting at while drinking a martini.
“It would seem as we did. Rory I would like you to meet my friend and business partner Alexei and his beautiful wife Calina.” Alexei stood and greeted Rory with a hug and kiss on her cheek, Calina did the same, and both turned to Tristan to shake hands and offer a cheek for a greeting kiss.
“Rory I’m so glad to finally meet you, it seems you are all Calina is talking about this last day.”
“I really am nothing special.” Rory looked down at the dark blue cocktail dress that she had purchased earlier in the day. She wasn’t planning on going out, and though she did pack a few nice clothes, she had nothing that would be appropriate for the type of restaurant Calina had explained to her over the phone.
“Nonsense, now if you two would like a drink before we are seated please order quickly.” Alexei said waving off her insecurities and turning towards the bar tender.
“We’re fine. Why don’t we just go sit down?” Tristan was on edge. After being thrown back into reality last night, he just left Rory to return to his room. Where he did not sleep, but at least he was away from her. He never found out what she actually said to Calina yesterday or today, and he was almost scarred to find out. True Calina could take care of herself, but she was like a sister to Tristan and he did not want her image of him to be darkened by his past. She knew the big broad details of his history, but he saved her from some of his true hellion days. He left for work extra early, and returned with just enough time to shower and change before they were expected to leave for dinner. Their car ride was short and silent, either Rory was mad and brooding or just as confused as he was.
“Tristan are you paying attention to me?” It was Calina waving a hand in front of his face.
“No I’m sorry Lina, what were you saying.”
“You are not at work right now Tris, so please at least pretend as if you can socialize outside of your business world,” She said with a wink.
“Yes mom.”
“Rory, Tristan tells me you go to Yale,” Alexei said trying to cut through the obvious tension between everyone, except himself and his wife.
“That’s right, I’m studying journalism.”
“Wait are you the Lorelei Gilmore who is the editor of the Yale Daily News?”
Tristan looked over at Rory expecting her to be blushing, but she wasn’t she was actually glowing. “The one and only, well not the only but my mom doesn’t write or read, so she doesn’t count.” She said with a laugh. Tristan let out a slow breath, one he didn’t even realize he was holding. Maybe this night would be alright.
“I’ve been spending my semester at Harvard, and I spend some time in the news room doing small pieces here and there. And almost every week our editor comes in screaming about how the YDN released the top news story and was up nation wide as well as on-campus popularity. He is really quite comical about the whole ordeal.”
“You must be the infamous C. K.. Your pieces out do my top writers, but you didn’t hear that from me.” Rory said with a wink and it was Calina who was blushing now. “So you spend most of your time in the states?” She said it as a question, but what she really meant, ‘but aren’t you two married?’ And Tristan was back to holding his breath.
“Unfortunately, unlike these two entrepreneurs I was not able to graduate early, and thus I was left behind. But you know how jealous and possessive these rich guys can get.”
“I am not jealous.” Both Tristan and Calina raised an eyebrow and sent Alexei a questioning look. “I was not jealous, possessive yes, but never jealous.” The dual looks did not change. “Anyway Rory, I couldn’t leave my Cally in the states without claiming her as my own.”
“Rumor had it that we had what you Americans call a shot-gun wedding, however we just didn’t want a long drawn out engagement.” The two were obviously in love, no matter the time or distance they spend apart.
“Good for the two of you.” Tristan again let out his held breath as the waiter served their dinner. As Calina and Alexei were busy asking the waiter about the dancing portion of the night, Rory took the time to privately talk to Tristan. “Could you please relax?!”
“How can I relax when I never know what you will say, or how my friends will take your negative position towards me.”
“In case you haven’t noticed I am playing nice, now let it go.” She didn’t even bother looking at him during their conversation and that drove Tristan even madder.
“You can’t even look at me anymore when we argue.”
“Not now Tristan,” she said under breath and looking him right in the eyes, which almost drove him even crazier, because her eyes were so blue and filled with passion he almost kissed her again just to get to a piece of her inner passion. In high school she would retaliate with some of the best comebacks, but over the last month she was not the Rory he remembered. Sure she changed and matured, however the spark in her eyes was not as bright, still there, but not nearly as passionate as what it use to be. Maybe her passion was focused on other matters, but when they argued, her eyes were as dark as a stormy night and just as thunderous. Was he such a bad person to want to see her explode with emotions?
“Rory what was our Tris like in High school?”
Rory hit Tristan’s leg under the table to warn him not to hold his breath or worry about what she will say. “Oh you know, your average King of the High School. To be honest we did not really hit it off to well, but look at us now as close as we will ever be.” She meant it just has she said it, Alexei might see it the truth, but it was Calina she knew who would be fooled. The girl was smart, but she had these two men on pedestals and Rory would not be the one to bump them down.
“You must have some interesting tales to tell, anything I can use to hold over Mr. Perfects head.” Alexei asked while winking at Rory.
Rory smiled and winked back, “He did play Romeo one time. Our friend Paris was obsessed with having the perfect last act. It led to a very interesting two weeks of practice and a surprising final show.” Rory was smiling at the memory, sure she did not give them all the dirty details, but she was honest and Tristan was not holding his breath as much any more. “What about you two do you have any funny tales?”
“There are a few from our first year of college, but after that Tristan got to serious,” Calina said with a pout.
“Now that’s not fair Lina, what about at your wedding?” Tristan said with a knowing smile towards Alexei.
“That’s right you did seem to have a rather good time at the wedding, but the two of you never shared that complete story.”
“I don’t think it is a story appropriate for our innocent ears.” Calina laughed at Rory’s comment and the conversation flowed until their dinner plates were taken away and music was being turned up.
“Lina would you please honor me with this dance,” Tristan asked for the dance, which Lina quickly took him up on his offer.
“It would seem that your King left you with his court jester.” Alexei said leaning closer into Rory.
Rory looked at Tristan’s best friend and knew he was left out of the loop about what was going on. It made her wonder who Tristan was trying to protect, his friends or himself? “You are a better jester than his previous fools.” She didn’t want to be the one to tell Alexei that Tristan didn’t want to spend time with her and actually wanted her out of his life, no she would save that privilege for the supposed king.
Alexei sighed, “Look, I’m not sure what is going on between you and my friend, but I do know whatever it is can not be what the both you of you are faking tonight. When Calina told me Tristan had a woman in his apartment I was hoping it would be someone that was making him happy. Now before you comment, no he hasn’t told me anything about you and what is going on, at least not yet, because I am sure I would never agree to his decision, however, you seem like a nice girl, and I would hate to have that opinion change because you hurt my friend. Tristan might work to much and be way to serious, but he is a loyal friend and a descent man who doesn’t need any more pain in his life, so tread carefully my dear.”
Rory was a little taken back by Alexei defense, because Tristan never had any true friends before and to have someone that loyal and that loving of you is special. Rory grew up with a whole town filled with people like Alexei and she was glad that Tristan had finally met people who cared about him and who he could care about in return. It was Rory’s turn to sigh and try to ease Alexei mind. “It’s a long story, but the reason behind Tristan’s behavior tonight is because we got in a fight last night when we were discussing my conversation with Calina. He doesn’t think she would appreciate the truth and was worried that my lips were a little to loose when I talked to her. He should have realized by now that I was joking, but I think he is being to pig headed to realize the truth.”
To her surprise Alexei laughed, “That sounds like my friend. He’s very hard to joke with, once he has his mind set.”
By this time the song had ended and Tristan was bringing Calina back to the table. They were both smiling and joking, but Rory could tell that Tristan still had his guard up.
“My turn Cally.” Alexei was quick to his feet, whisking his wife away before she could even think to protest.
Rory looked at Tristan expecting him to ask her to dance, but he just sat down. “Are you going to ask me to dance?” She was getting mad again. Here she was eating dinner with his friends, saying only the right things, doing what he expected of her, but he was to busy brooding to notice.
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
She turned toward him with full on fury now. “Look at me Tristan.” When he looked at her he was surprise to see her eyes so dark they looked like the blue cone of a flame. “These are your friends, I am here for you. Now I know I said some stupid things last night, but they weren’t true, as you should have realized by now. You seriously can not still be concerned with me saying anything to upset your friends tonight.”
“I know.” He said in a whisper turning away from her.
“Then why are you acting like this?”
“Would you like to dance?”
“Stop avoiding the question.”
Tristan turned back to her and honestly said to her, “Do you honestly care about me and my feelings enough to care about how I act?”
Rory was taken back, but she knew Tristan was right. This week and night was not about him at all, it was all for her or rather her friends and current/future relationship with Logan. Her instinct and mind wanted to scream yes. Two years ago she would of said yes right way, without thinking about it because she was the girl that cared about everyone’s feelings and didn’t want to hurt or offend anyone. But now she was different she was harder, she was an editor of a top paper, she walked on people on daily basis, and she knew how it felt to hurt people and to be hurt. Didn’t she hurt her best friend the most, her mom, when she dropped out of school and stole a yacht? Looking at Tristan she wasn’t sure what she felt, she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know why he was nice to her last night, well before the fight, but was now being a jerk to her. Though they may not be friends he still deserved an honest answer. “Let’s just go dance.”
He nodded his head at her response. Neither were sure if no answer was an answer or the closest thing to honesty either one of them wanted to admit or hear.