❝AS IF IT NEVER ENDED❞
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⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ chapter twenty-nine,
Gilmore Girls — Season Two

July 6th, 2001

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[ LUCY'S POV ]

FUNNILY ENOUGH, mine and Tristan's original anniversary was on the 6th, and our new anniversary is also on the 6th. Surprisingly, we got back together on the 6th of June after being separated for twenty-two crappy days.

     Since we missed our seventh month anniversary, we're making today our seventh and eighth month anniversary all rolled into one. We've decided that our three week "break" was a sabbatical, and it will never be discussed again. I'm happy to never mention our separation again, and Tristan definitely doesn't want to relive it as he's already told me.

This past month of being back together has been extraordinary. Surprisingly, the town has welcomed him back in with open arms, and I barely had to convince anyone to accept him again. Tristan swore to every single townsfolk that he isn't going anywhere this time as well as telling everyone that he is crazy in love with me.

Even Addy welcomed him back with open arms. Well, she slapped him first— around the arm, not the face— and then she hugged him. She warned him that if he ever broke my heart again, she'd actually kill him. The only reason she restrained herself the first time was because of his darling sister who Addy still loves a ridiculous amount.

Me and Tristan are back for good this time, and hopefully nothing will separate us again. We love each other, and things are different this time. Everything feels perfect this time around, even after our silly separation.

The only person I struggled to convince was my dad. He nearly punched Tristan the second he walked into the diner. He stared him down, tried to intimidate him, and when Tristan stood tall and didn't falter, Dad pointed his finger at him and said, "Hurt my kid again, you'll be dead before you hit the ground."

Is threatening a sixteen-year-old wise? No, but my dad really doesn't care.

Tristan shook his hand, apologised profusely, and assured my dad that he loves me. He isn't going anywhere, and I think my dad actually believes him. Besides, he's the one who pushed me to get in the car and see him. He's the one who got us to where we are now. I have him to thank for forcing me to listen to the messages.

I think my dad likes him again... Maybe.

Oh, and today to celebrate our eight-month anniversary, he'll be meeting two of the most important people in my life besides Dad and Addy.

He asked where we should eat for our date and I immediately said Sniffy's Tavern because I've wanted to take him for ages. I would've taken him over the past month but I still hadn't plucked up enough courage to do so. Meeting Maisie and Buddy makes everything so official. I know meeting my dad is a huge thing, but meeting the people who have been in my life just as much as my dad is also just as daunting.

Their opinion on Tristan will mean a lot to me, just like Dad's opinion means a lot to me.

Thankfully our anniversary lands on a Friday, and tomorrow when me and Dad come to have dinner, I'll be able to talk with Maisie and Buddy privately so I can really hear what they think.

We stand outside Tristan's car that's parked outside Sniffy's Tavern. We're dressed beautifully and decadently with Tristan in a suit— wow, by the way— and me in a blue sundress. Tristan's already complimented me a thousand times, and all I've done is stare at him as he drove us here.

He looks gorgeous— like mouth-watering gorgeous— and he knows how good he looks. The boy could wear anything and make it look good. I mean, seriously, I feel tingly all over just looking at my boyfriend.

"Okay, this is your pre-warning," I say, clasping my hands over his cheeks. "Maisie and Buddy are basically my grandparents. They love me and they'll probably try to scare you, but don't back down, sweetness, okay? Don't let them intimidate you."

"Blue, it's going to be fine."

I laugh, patting my hand against his chest lightly. "Oh, honey, you just keep telling yourself that, okay?"

Tristan slips his hand into mine, and he pushes his lips against my cheek before we step away from the car. "It'll be fine..." he assures one more time before we step into the restaurant, and we're immediately greeted by Maisie.

She rushes towards me, her arms grasping at me to pull me into a bone-crushing hug. I look to Tristan with a warning look, my eyes wide as I hug the woman back in a tight embrace.

When she pulls back, she immediately looks to Tristan and her eyes look him up and down. "Oh, my word," she mutters, nudging me, and I blush. "Your dad never told us he was this beautiful."

"I'm hurt, I thought me and Luke had a real connection," Tristan jokes, and Maisie laughs, stepping forward to grasp my boyfriend's hands.

She squeezes tightly, and I offer him my silent condolences. "Now, you listen here, Tristan..." Maisie stares at him, and Tristan looks down at her. "Our girl here means everything to us, do you understand? She's very important, and when you and her broke up the first time, she was broken—"

"Maisie," I warn, feeling slightly embarrassed that Tristan has to hear about me being upset and breaking down in the bathroom.

She shakes her head. "Do not hurt her again, okay? I'm not much for violence, but for our girl here, I'll hunt you down, Mr. Dugray."

"Okay," Tristan replies, squeezing Maisie's hands. "I won't hurt her again, I promise. Between you and me..." He lowers his voice but I can still hear him. "I'm crazy in love with her."

Maisie's face beams when she looks over at me. "Charming and handsome? You've got yourself a good one, sweetheart."

I slide my hand onto Tristan's shoulder. "Yeah, I do," I say, leaning against him.

Maisie brings me and Tristan to the usual table, and when we sit down, Tristan takes the menu but I immediately yank it from him. "Another rule about this place is that whatever you order will not be brought over," I say, turning the menu over to look at the back of it. "And now that you're officially here, and we're officially back together, you have to read the back of the menu."

Tristan takes the menu from me, his face utterly confused, and I grin. "This is a strange little place," he mutters, and my smile widens.

Tristan begins to read, "Sniffy's Tavern: A story of love..."

     I lean forward, my face excited because nobody else has ever read this thing with me. "Maisie Fortner and Bertram— Buddy Linds met at a high-school basketball game. She was playing, he was not. They fell in love, got married. Buddy went to work at a dairy, and Maisie worked at the school, but they dreamed to someday own a restaurant so that all of their friends and family could come and eat and visit and laugh with them every single day."

     Tristan looks to me, and then he peers back down at the menu. "One day Sniffy, their beloved dog, ran away. Maisie and Buddy searched high and low for him. Finally they stumbled past a dilapidated old tavern that had been boarded up for years. They heard a dog howling. They forced open the door, and there was Sniffy, stuck underneath a fallen beam. Maisie and Buddy pulled Sniffy free and rushed him to the vet, where he immediately went into emergency surgery. Four hours later... Sniffy was dead."

     Tristan's eyes widen, and he gasps. "Sniffy was dead? Are you serious? This is what you enjoy reading every time you're here?"

     I shrug my shoulders. "Hey, if you ignore the dog dying part, it's a really sweet story."

     "The dog dies, Blue." I nod, obviously knowing that the dog dies as I've read it a hundreds of times. "Dies."

     "We all die eventually, Tristan."

     He gasps and I roll my eyes. "What? Why did nobody tell me?"

     "You're ridiculous."

     Maisie steps over with two plates of steaming hot food despite us not ordering anything. Before we can say anything, Maisie steps away, telling us that she'll bring our drinks out. I glance over at Tristan who is already diving into his food, and I smile.

"How does she know?" Tristan asks, jabbing his fork into the pasta. "I mean—" He swallows his mouthful. "I was literally thinking about pasta. I was thinking about this."

"They're psychic," I say, shrugging my shoulders. "They've worked here for years so they just know what people want, even you."

"Oh, we're coming here all the time."

Maisie steps over with our drinks. We thank her and she steps away, and I watch her move towards Buddy. I think they're talking about me from the way they look over at me and point.

"I'm assuming the guy staring at me is Buddy," Tristan says, and I wave my hand towards Maisie and Buddy, prompting them to look away.

I nod. "Sorry. You're the first guy I've ever brought here," I tell him. "Well, you're the first guy I've ever been with so... they're a little skeptical, I think, especially because you don't live in this strange town."

"It's nice," he says, and I turn my eyes back to him. "You know, to have so many people care about you."

"They're like my grandparents," I say, a soft smile on my face. "They helped my dad open the diner, they give me a cake every year for my birthday, and they give me and Dad most food for free. They're great people."

Tristan hums in response, and he looks back down at his food. I shift in my seat, moving it so I can lean forward and reach out for his hand. "You okay?"

"My parents came home last night," he huffs, and I sigh in response. "Yelled at me, yelled at my sister, and now they're leaving for Paris tomorrow."

I scoff. "How long have they been gone?"

"A month." My eyes widen, but I don't know why I'm surprised. Tristan's parents are never around. I've never even met them. They don't seem interested in knowing me, which is fine but I feel like I should eventually meet my boyfriend's parents, right? "They didn't even know that we separated for a little bit."

"I'm sorry," I reply, squeezing his hand gently.

"It's okay," he assures. "I've got you back and... I'm just relieved that I do."

Me and Tristan fall into a steady conversation about future plans, about school, and about dates we desperately want to go on. I suggested an amusement park, and Tristan suggested a date on a boat— something I'm not doing. Despite going fishing with my dad sometimes, I often get seasick and I don't imagine being sick in front of Tristan would be very attractive.

Tristan pays for our food, and unsurprisingly, Maisie and Buddy don't charge him full price. We take a chocolate cake slice to go, and we walk back to the car and we drive for a while, ABBA playing through the speakers.

We park at some parking lot that connects to a lake in between Hartford and Stars Hollow. I suggest we go here one day for a date because I imagine the lake is beautiful during the day, but right now, I just want to sit with him while "Angeleyes" by ABBA plays.

Tristan glances over at me, grins, and I bite down on my bottom lip, still admiring just how gorgeous he is because wow. "Oh, don't look at me like that," he whispers, and I lean forward just as Tristan opens the car door to get out.

"What are you doing?"

He shuts his car door, rushes around and opens my door. Before I can question him again, Tristan leans down and swoops me into his arms, lifting me up and out of the car. I shriek, smacking my hand against his arm. "Tristan, put me down!"

He opens the back door of the car, and he places me back down on my feet. We stare at one another for a second, and then I reach out and grasp the collar of Tristan's shirt.

      I yank Tristan forward, and he closes the gap, capturing my mouth feverishly. I lower myself down into the backseat, and I stare up at him as he leans forward, his hand on the roof of the car as he leans down.

I bite my lip again, completely infatuated by him. "I told you to stop looking at me like that, Blue," he mutters, leaning down to catch my mouth again.

I fall backwards and against the backseat, and he moves to join me, lowering down to rest his body on top of mine as he deepens our kiss and brings me closer. Both arms wrap around my waist, and I shift to push myself upwards. The car door shuts, and we lay across the back seat, our bodies struggling to move but we don't care.

My fingers dance at the tuffs of hair at the back of his neck as he brings his body even closer, pressing me against the seats. I laugh against his mouth before he kisses me with more force, more urgency. My head goes dizzy, and I think I'm losing myself on his lips as his mouth opens my own.

His hands rest under my back, and he brings his lips off mine and begins pressing open mouthed kisses against my neck and I grip at his shirt, groaning shamefully. "Tristan," I moan, and he lifts his head up to look me in the eye.

We look at one another, and it's clear what we both want but we can't voice it because it could be deadly. I ignore the feeling in my stomach, and I lean forward again and my lips openly find his again.

My heart drums against the walls of my chest, and a sound climbs up my throat when I feel Tristan's heart beneath my palm. Tristan's hands grip my waist, and he's brings me close again, and my heart thumps harder because too much is happening right now, and my head is fuzzy.

Tristan's lips leave mine, revealing that he's breathing as violently as I am. I touch his cheek, and his eyes close for a second as he tries to catch his breath. "You okay?" he asks, and I nod. "Words, Blue."

"Yes." And from that simple word, Tristan doesn't waste another second, and his mouth lands on the soft spot between my jaw and neck. I find myself tilting my head back just for him to have more access, and a sound leaves my lips when he starts to press his lips harder against my skin.

He kisses a path up my throat, towards my jaw and against my ear, and he's whispering, "We should stop."

He brings himself up and off me, and he pulls me up with him, pressing one last kiss against my lips, and I feel completely out of breath so all I can do is rest my head against his shoulder.

Tristan's hand falls in mine, our breathing heavy. Tristan pushes his lips against my head quickly and firmly, and I stiffen next to him, a little unsure on what to say now.

Tristan inhales sharply, his eyes moving towards mine. "Sorry," Tristan says, and I chuckle, shaking my head. "I overstepped, I..."

"Hey, I also overstepped," I argue, my hand squeezing his to assure him.

"I have no objections to whatever happens."

I grin, my head burying itself into his arm. "I don't think it would be appropriate in the back seat of your car."

Tristan laughs loudly, his lips pushing against my head softly. "Probably not, no." He moves my hair away from my shoulders, kissing the spot below my ear.

Tristan peers down at me, and he feels me tense next to him. "What you thinking about, pretty girl?" He moves his hand through my hair, cupping my cheek gently.

I inhale and exhale carefully just as Tristan's hand tightens around mine. "I'm scared," I admit quietly. "I'm scared of us moving fast even though we've been together for eight months. I really like where we are and I love you. I'm just a little... afraid, you know?"

Tristan's hand leaves my hand, and it runs up and down my leg reassuringly, acting as a promise to me that I have nothing to worry about.

"Are you scared of me or..." he pauses, his eyes searching mine. "Are you scared of what could happen if things keep going this way?" I know our relationship is moving forward, and it'll only keep going this way unless we address this.

I turn to face him. "I'm not scared of you or where this could be going..." I pause for a quick second to consider my next words. "I want you," I admit, and Tristan raises his eyebrow. "I... I mean, I want to move forward with you... I want more. I'm just... I don't know."

"More?" I nod, my face turning a horrid shade of red. "You're cute when you're flustered, Blue."

I laugh, my hand hitting his arm playfully. Tristan then squeezes my leg before pulling me up and onto his lap so casually and easily. I straddle his lap, my arms falling around his neck.

His hands fall against my waist before they gently move to the small of my back, inching me impossibly closer. Our lips hover over each other's, and I inhale sharply when I feel his hand move against the back of my dress. Due to the thin material, I can feel how cold his hand is against my warmed skin.

"I don't want you to be afraid," he whispers, his words soft and delicate in my ear. "I want you, Lucy, you have no idea how much but I will never pressure you into anything. I love you, okay? I just want you to feel safe with me."

"I know you wouldn't," I say, my voice low and soft. "I trust you, Tristan."

His fingers delicately run down my back which sends goosebumps across my skin, igniting something warm inside my stomach again. Tristan grins from my reaction to his touch, and his lips skim over my neck. The breathy sound that leaves my mouth results in Tristan's hand squeezing my hip.

"I don't want you to be afraid." His lips ghost my neck before pushing softly against the flesh. "I want to give you more. I want to give you the whole world on a silver platter with a cup of coffee and a kiss."

My grin brings a whole-hearted laugh out of Tristan's mouth, and I find the sound to be beautiful.

"Luce," he says sternly.

"Yeah?"

Tristan pushes my hair behind my ear, his hand cupping my cheek. His eyes move from mine to my lips before lifting back up to find my eyes staring back into his. He brings me closer, my body shifting in his lap which brings a sound from deep within his throat.

His touch is delicate, especially when he brings his lips to mine for one quick second before he speaks, his voice hoarse. "If you're afraid of anything, come to me. If you want more, come to me. If you need anything, come to me, okay?" All I can do is nod, my mouth incapable of forming words. "You have no idea how long I've waited for someone like you. For someone good. For someone who doesn't just look at me and see a trust fund."

I can't believe anyone would just look at him and see money. He's so much more than that, and I'm lucky to be the one who sees this side of him. I love him more than he'll ever know, and he deserves the whole world.

"You're who I want, okay? And I'll love you for as long as you'll let me." I want to say that I'll love him forever, but forever seems like a long time for two sixteen-year-olds. "You have nothing to be afraid of, Luce, okay? Nothing."

I nod, my hand running up his arm and squeezing his bicep. I believe him. I trust him. "I trust you," I confess. "With everything."

"Everything?" The grin on his face squashes my worries.

I seal my mouth over his. "Everything."

My confirmation is enough for Tristan to lean forward and close the everlasting gap between us. My heart is beating erratically and I'm sure he can hear it as his hand travels down from my face to rest on my back.

I almost can't breathe with the intensity of our lips pressing and pushing, and he barely gives me the chance to inhale before his lips dive against mine again. My fingers tug at his hair tightly and I grin when I hear him groan.

His mouth opens mine, and his hands squeeze at my hips. His lips part from mine, and I find his  breathing to be heavy. His thumb presses against my bottom lip, and I wrap my arms around his neck while his hold my thighs tightly, reeling me in further. His hands burn against my skin, and it's undeniably intense. "If I keep kissing you like this, I won't be able to stop."

I drag one hand down his shirt, my eyes on him. "What if I don't want you to stop?"

Tristan's head falls forward and hits my shoulder. "Luce, we're in the backseat of my car and I need to get you home."

I nod, a little disappointed but he's right.

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authors note:

could things be getting a lil serious between them.... idk