The Cool Down

Things to include:
-Extremely hot day set during Chilton days
-Rory and Tristan skinny-dipping
-Lorelai catching them (whether they're just swimming or doing the dirty is your choice)
-Tristan and Rory are an established couple

Things not to include:
-Past loves
-angst
-relationship problems

RATING: R/NC17

A/N: Pretend that the Stars Hollow End of Summer Madness Festival had been going on for quite some time at this point.

“Rory, where are you?”

He walked into the lamp-lit room. With a drink in each hand, he entered to look for his date.

She closed the door behind him, leaning up against the solid wood entry to Madeline Lynn’s room. “Hi.”

He turned around and paused. He almost forgot to breathe.

“Say something,” Rory said.

“You,” he said softly, “are beautiful.”

Rory blushed in the shadows, lowering her lashes. She had hidden in the room all night, not wanting him to see her. Somehow, saying “thank you” seemed inappropriate.

She licked her lips and flashed him a crooked smile. Tonight, she chanted to herself, was going to be special: spectacular and memorable. She carefully picked out a crimson wrap-around sleeveless top with a soft floral print skirt to match it. Now, if only she wouldn’t faint before anything happened.

“I thought we were meeting downstairs by the piano?” he inquired. It was, after all, their first year anniversary of the kiss that started it all. It was a milestone for him to hold on to a relationship this long. It was a miracle she hadn’t dumped him at this point.

He walked slowly toward her to hand over the root beer Madeline ordered him to take to Rory once he found her.

“We were,” Rory said, looking at the fizzling liquid. She distanced herself from the blonde.

“But?” he raised an eyebrow at her.

“I can’t do this,” she hurriedly replied. Setting the drink on the large vanity, she tried to exit the room.

“Rory, wait,” he caught her wrist and stopped her from bolting. “Why are you so worked up?”

Finally, she stared at his bright blue eyes. “I can’t do this.”

“Do what?” he asked, rubbing her shoulders.

“This,” she started saying.

She started hyperventilating. She heard the Chilton bet going around before school let out for the summer. It wasn’t common knowledge that she and Tristin DuGrey were dating secretly, but there was a definite charge in the air that assumed the King would eventually snag the uncoveted Rory Gilmore before the class graduated.

“I have no clue what you’re talking about, Mary,” he softly implied.

She hated the fact that he was clueless. Clueless to the fact that tonight was the night she was giving herself to him.

He started kissing her forehead, her eyes, her strawberry-flavored lips. She lost all thought of what she was about to confess.

“Stop it,” she whimpered, pulling away from the lips that just nibbled hers. “I’m scared.”

Tristin sighed and rolled his eyes. “Help me out, Rory. My connection to Cleo had been severed since she’s been sent to jail.”

“Sex.” There. She blurted it out. She sat on the chair in front of the oval mirror.

“Sex?” he asked. “Where did that come from?”

Rory groaned inwardly. She may have read up on all the tricks of the trade featured monthly in her mother’s Cosmopolitan magazine and listened to Dr. Ruth’s commentary on how to give the good kind of loving. Heck, she even secretly read the book entitled Blow Him Away Madeline gifted her when she found out that she was seeing DuGrey on the side. However, the art of being cool, calm, and collected in situations like this was lost on her.

“It’s been a year, Tristin,” she said nervously.

“And?” he asked, sitting on the queen-sized bed.

“And I know you’re getting antsy,” she deduced.

“I am?” he inquired. A smile broke on his lips, leaning on the soft pillow-top mattress.

“I never said I would do it with you,” Rory replied.

He just stared, leering like he knew something. “Is this what you’ve been worried about?”

Rory approached him, stepping off her heels, letting her feet sink into the soft carpet. “I am so scared that you’re going to make fun of me; that I would make the wrong move or do the wrong thing….”

“Hey, hey,” he shushed her, guiding her to sit right next to him on the bed. “I didn’t ask you to come here to… you know….”

“I know,” she muttered back. “But I want this to be special. I want you to feel special.”

“Rory,” he started stroking her arm once more. “I don’t want to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable doing.”

There was this sincere look in his eyes that made her just go for it. She placed her hand on his knee, leaned over, and kissed him.

Kissing. It was the one thing Rory knew she could do well at this point. She tilted her head ever so slightly to catch his lips between hers. The tip of his tongue nudged her lips open and sought out a bit of the soft flesh waiting to be nibbled.

Rory leaned over and aggressively met his tongue with hers. She wanted to taste it, feel it, experience it. The urgency made her moan. Her action made him gasp.

Within seconds, they were all over Madeline’s bed. Rory tried to unbutton Tristin’s shirt, but he stopped her.

“Slow down,” he said in his raspy voice.

She pulled her face away from him and stared at his passion-filled eyes. She wrinkled her forehead in confusion.

He smiled. “You haven’t done anything wrong,” he whispered. Instead, he took her hand and laid it on his chest.

“Can you feel it?” he asked. She can’t tell if it was her pulse racing or his heart pounding against her palm.

“I won’t lie to you, Rory,” he continued saying. “I want you. I’ve wanted you for so long I’ve woken up from my dreams thinking you’re in my bed with me. But if we’re going to do it, I want it to be special, too.”

Rory’s eyes widened at his confession. “But those other girls….”

He silenced her with a bruising kiss. Tristin planted his arms on her side and guided her to lean up against his long torso. He was hard and ready, but he couldn’t rush her, not like this.

To keep himself from going crazy, he peeled her hands from around his neck and guided her fingers back to the buttons of his shirt. One by one, together, they undressed him.

Her touch was so innocent, so unrehearsed. She was shaking, fumbling as she unthreaded the buttons through the eyeholes. She took a gulp of air every time a new piece of flesh had been exposed. She gasped when she finally untucked his shirt from his jeans.

“Rory,” he tried to snap her out of her daze. “Are you sure this is what you want?”

Rory sat up and unconsciously straddled his midsection. Her skirt billowed around them. She didn’t have to respond. Despite her glazed look, she ran her fingers over the coarse hair matting his chest that eventually disappeared down below his navel.

If that wasn’t enough torture, Rory did the unthinkable. She started undoing the knot on her shirt that held her top securely in place. Slowly, she traced her fingers over the neck area, separating the fabric from each other. Underneath the soft clothing she revealed her crimson bra that beckoned him to touch.

“Oh my God,” he muttered the prayer, tracing the outline of silky fabric that secured her creamy globes. Her hands went over his and allowed him to cup the skin. Tristin had to bite his lower lip. The erotic touch almost made him lose control.

He watched her close her eyes and grind herself on top of him as he massaged the soft skin. He met the pressure by thrusting his pelvis against her. He wanted her. Now.

He felt her guide his hands to her back, as if giving him permission to undo the fabric. He didn’t have to be told twice. With a quick flick of the wrist, the underwear came off with a resounding sigh escaping her lips.

He crunched up to suckle on her left breast. As he wrapped his arms around her waist, she softly cradled his head against her. She let out a purr when he nipped on the hardening bud. He cursed as he felt his bulge rub up against his pants.

“Shit,” he swore.

Rory opened her eyes and let her wild mane frame her heart-shaped face. “What? Did I do something wrong?”

Her cheeks heightened to a lovely crimson color under the soft lights.

“No, baby. I just have to….” he tried repositioning himself without making Rory move.

However, his efforts were futile. Rory watched him squirm and then said, “Why don’t I help you?”

Her soft fingers were quickly on his waistband, undoing the copper-colored button that secured his pants around his waist. One by one, she undid the button-fly.

“If I knew this was happening tonight, I would’ve worn the zipper kind,” he tried to lighten up the moment.

“I always liked you in button-fly jeans,” she confessed, lingering at the last button. She could feel the heat emanating from his crotch. She was excited that she was able to command such attention from someone who had played the game several times over.

He continued playing with her hardening nipples as she traced her finger over his underwear-covered head. He wanted to see who would give in first.

“Tristin,” she started saying.

“Shhh,” he hushed her, pressing his index finger against her lips. He wanted to savor the moment. With the warm breeze blowing in from the windows, fireflies twinkling about, and the crickets chirping loudly in the night, he could’ve not choreographed the evening any better.

Until she took his finger in her mouth and sucked it lightly. He felt his blood drain from his head. He had to close his eyes. Control. It was his only friend right now.

His hand sought out for the switch on the bedside lamp, but she stopped him. He felt her hand on his. He opened his eyes and witnessed her shake her head in disapproval. He was rather intrigued at her voyeuristic tendencies.

Rory was pleased with the reaction she elicited from him. She sought out the arm that reached for the light and pinned it over his head. The other arm shortly followed.

“Mary,” he sighed with delight. “I didn’t know….”

Rory silenced him by kissing him squarely on the mouth while her right hand pinned both of his wrists over his head. Her left hand traced his form until it met the waistband of his jeans.

He didn’t bother fighting the loose hold she had on him. He, at this moment, loved the idea that she wanted him to restrain himself from touching her. He’d play her game for now.

Rory’s pulse was beating so fast she couldn’t hear herself breathe. She loved watching her lover restrain himself and allow her to do the exploring. Under the light, she basked at the skin that was exposed to her. His muscles contracted when she touched the skin that encased them. He sucked in deeper when her fingers ran through the hair on his lust line. He groaned when in one fell swoop, she lifted herself off of him and guided his pants down past his knees.

“You are cruel,” he grumbled, trying to take off his shoes with his foot. Rory still straddled him and watched him squirm.

“I’m not,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.

His shoe fell with a soft thud on the floor. The other shoe accompanied it seconds later.

“You, my love, are still overdressed,” he said, lacing his fingers behind his head.

Giggling almost mischievously, she said, “This is only the start of it.”

Tristin laughed with her. He pulled her against him and had her slam against his chest. “Do you know how downright sexy you are right now?”

“You like?” she asked, blushing. He reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear.

“More than like,” he growled. She swooped and laid a kiss on his lips. His arms went around her and cupped her shoulders lovingly under his hands. Quickly, he flipped her on her back. She whimpered at the sudden change of position. Tristin got up, quickly secured the door, and started fumbling the pockets of his discarded jeans.

“Damn!” he cursed.

Rory supported herself on her elbows. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t have any protection,” he said dismissively. “I wasn’t…”

“There’s some in that drawer,” Rory pointed at the vanity table.

He hesitantly tugged on the drawer. She was right. A whole selection of protection was at his disposal.

He flipped a wrapped Trojan on the bed. A blink later, he laid next to her on her right side.

“Tristin,” she whispered.

He reached out and kissed her. His hand sought the button on her skirt and undid the fabric slowly. Deliberately, he made her aware of his fingers taking the final remnants of her clothes. There was no turning back.

“Tris!” she mewled, reaching out for the hand that undressed her. She cocked her left leg leaving her knee in the air.

Tristin loved the way she called out his name. His hand landed on her knee. He ran his palm against the length of her thigh before making his fingers dip down to the apex of her legs.

She moaned and arched against him.

Slowly, he kissed her belly button. His right hand traveled back to cradle her hipbone. His left inched to where he wanted to please her.

His touch was electric. She anticipated his fingers touching her. And yet, he meandered. His lips caressed the skin at her hip. His teeth nibbled on her inner thigh.

“Tristin!” she moaned once more. She hooked her thumb on the elastic of her thong and tried to slide it down her legs. Her dilated pupils gave away the passion that was building up from within.

Tristin put his hand over hers and helped her strip the garment off her body. She lay in front of him; naked as the day she was born. In an attempt to speed up the process, Rory snatched Tristin’s hand and guided it back up to her thighs.

He didn’t need further nudging. All he wanted to do was please her.

He firmly pressed his hand over her mound, pushing up on her soft curls. She moaned and arched against him. Slowly, she spread her legs to accommodate him. She was wet and ready and he wanted to end her discomfort.

His thumb sought for the soft nub and stroked it. She cried out in surprise. He rocked his hand back and forth, making her very slick. Each cry that escaped her lips became louder and louder. The sound turned him on, urging him to continue the tease. While she squirmed against him, he slipped a finger in her folds, almost fainting at how tight she wrapped herself around his digit. She let out a shrill cry as he slipped another finger in. Slowly and steadily, he pumped her. Her legs were cocked, edging to him closer and closer until she actually pushed him off the bed.

“Oh my God, oh my God!” she wailed as a wave of ecstasy washed through her. He watched her palms grab on the top sheet, squeezing and releasing as if to help her gain some control. He stopped thrusting his hand on her but still she came, over and over. He grunted and reached out for the wrapped condom, ripped the packet with his teeth, and sheathed his erection swiftly.

“Rory,” he coaxed, trying to bring her out of her state of delirium. “Honey, this might hurt.”

She looked up and stretched one leg toward him, wrapping it around his thigh as if to usher him closer. Taking that as an invite, he entered her deftly to ease the pain.

But pain was the farthest thing in her mind right now. Her unexpected discomfort suddenly swelled to an urge to move.

“Rory, not yet,” he informed her. She was so tight around him; he almost came the moment he was fully within her.

However, she didn’t heed his warning. She lifted her pelvis and pushed him deeper inside of her. And almost like a skilled lover, she wrapped both of her legs around his midsection. He bent over from the edge of the bed to hang onto her shoulders. He had to gasp for air. She was too tight around him.

He inched off slowly, but all she ended up doing was forcing him back into her. The slow, long pounding didn’t last long. She was on the verge of climaxing again. He could feel it as his strokes got more hurried and her legs tightened around him like a vice grip.

Faster and faster, their rapid movements took them over the edge. As he plunged in one last time, he cried out, “Rory!”

He closed his eyes as he let the wave of passion run its course through them. He smiled as he collapsed on top of her. They were wrapped in each other’s arms until a loud rapping at the door woke them up.

Rory stirred in her sleep until she gazed upon the clock.

“Tristin, wake up! I am so grounded!” she cried out.

At two o’clock, two hours after her curfew, she tried to stumble home only to have her mother waiting up on her at the front steps of the porch.

~0~

“You better wipe that smile off yourself,” Lorelai woke her up from her sleep. “Your first day of being grounded starts now.”

Rory didn’t want to wake up to her mother’s reminder that she was grounded on the last weeks of her summer. All because she missed curfew by a few hours.

Exactly two hours.

“Come on, chop, chop!” Lorelai barked, pulling the sheets off of Rory.

Groaning, Rory got out of her warm cocoon and followed her mother to the kitchen.

“You are to clean out the refrigerator and clean the house,” she listed. “You cannot leave this house except to eat at Luke’s. You are to clear with me any other activities that would necessitate you to leave the premises. Are we clear?”

Rory eyeballed her mother. “Crystal.”

“I hope missing curfew was worth it. Why didn’t you call?” Lorelai asked, still upset with her daughter’s disappearing act.

“I fell asleep at Madeline’s. I am sorry!” Rory yelled at her mother heatedly.

“I swear to God you’re narcoleptic,” Lorelai vowed. “Again, call me!”

“Yes, Mom,” Rory said.

Her mother left the Crap Shack seconds later. She might as well get started with her chores.

Sighing, she went back to her room and decided to get into a pair of shorts and one of her older shirts. There’s no reason to dress up for nothing.

She disrobed and found the discarded terry cloth shorts at the bottom of her dresser. She bent over and felt the soreness between her thighs. She smiled, remembering everything that transpired the night before.

Humming, she grabbed one of her older shirts. She didn’t care that it was two sizes too small, smashing her breasts against the soft fabric. Nothing was going to spoil her day, not even her mom’s grounding.

Ten minutes into her cleaning, the doorbell rang.

“Who the heck rings the doorbell?” Rory asked herself loudly. She threw the half-eaten Chinese food in the trash bin before shaking off the imaginary dirt off her hands.

She was surprised to see what awaited her at the door.

“What are you doing here?” Rory asked, bewildered to see the blonde hovering at the door.

“Picking you up,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“You can’t!” Rory wailed, walking back in the house, leaving the door open for him to enter. She headed back to the kitchen to finish up with her chores.

“I can’t or you won’t?” he inquired, rubbing his arms up and down. “God, you have an igloo of a place here. Must cost a fortune to keep it this cold.”

“It makes getting to bed easier,” Rory logically responded.

“Well, all you had to do was ask,” Tristin teased, reaching for the buckle of his belt slowly.

Rory deadpanned. “I know you didn’t come all the way here to torture me.”

He closed the gap between them and pinned her between the stove and his leaning figure. “Honey, after last night, I can’t wait for a repeat.”

Tristin swooped down and claimed her lips, kissing her with urgency. Rory moaned as he nibbled on her lower lip, scratching the inside with his teeth.

“What do you mean?” she asked all too innocently. Her fingers fidgeted with hem of his shirt, feeling the heat emanate from his body, warm from the all too muggy atmosphere outside.

“It’s not every day a man gets offered the opportunity to make love with a woman like you,” he whispered wickedly while he nuzzled her neck.

“Sweet talker,” she grumbled. Her mind wandered to the wonderful sensations he created by trailing his fingers lightly on her exposed skin. Slowly but surely, they took baby steps toward Rory’s room.

“You know, this whole Stars Hollow End of Summer Madness Festival is the best excuse to drive down to your neck of the woods,” he added, running his hand slowly down the curve of her behind, squeezing the skin tenderly.

“Hmm, you might reconsider that after you’ve heard ‘Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer’ for the millionth time,” she said, running her fingers on his sensitized nipples, grazing the skin with the tip of her manicured nails. He let out a grunt that made Rory smile.

“Any suggestions to make the song leave my head?” he asked, nibbling on her earlobe. His hand snaked down her shorts. He let out a groan when he realized there was nothing underneath the shorts but skin.

“Rory….” he growled out a warning. His thumb was already trying to search for its target.

“Is this helping?” she asked. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. She didn’t want to let him know she was as eager as he was to resume what they started the night before.

“Truly,” he said. He took off his shirt and tossed it on her bed. He sat on her chair as she straddled him.

“So, what happens in a lazy hazy day in Stars Hollow?” he inquired, lifting the bottom of her shirt to kiss her midsection.

“A lot,” she said. She was already turned on from his initial touching. “First, you need to sample the cuisine.”

She pulled her shirt over her head to release her breasts from the tight confines of her shirt.

“Hmm, lunch,” he playfully responded as he suckled on her nipples. She felt wetness build between her thighs.

Cradling his head against her, she continued on. “Then, there are the games.”

“Like what?” he asked. His hands snuck up from the hem of her shorts and grabbed her derriere. “Basketball?”

“Yeah, sure,” she replied. She leaned up against him. Her knees were so weak from his constant touching.

“There’s some cotton candy,” she tried to keep her thoughts on track.

“Like this?” he brushed up against her curls, urging her to spread her legs to accommodate his seeking fingers.

“Oh!” she cried out softly. She ended up planting her knees on the seat of the chair, straddling Tristin’s seated form. His fingers started working on her folds, lubricating his fingers with her warm juices.

She rode the digits that were inside of her. She loved the feel of them stroking her, making her tingle all over. She anchored her arms on his shoulders as rode his fingers seductively. She nibbled on his earlobe and kissed the sensitive skin right under his ear.

“We also have carnival rides.”

His hand was already on the zipper of his pants, pulling his erection from the confines of his boxers. He was long, hard, and ready. Moving the soft cloth that still came between them, he lifted his pelvis to meet her. She was caught by surprise at the sudden change of skin that connected with her.

“Ride me,” he issued the command.

It was the most erotic feeling Rory had ever felt. Staring into his eyes, she squeezed and released as she pumped his shaft slowly and firmly.

He groaned. She sighed. Before she knew it, she held on to him with wild abandon as he thrust himself in her harder and harder. She raked his back with her blunt fingernails and yelled his name out. “Tristin! I’m coming!”

She climaxed, coming all over him.

He wasn’t far behind from her. He pulled out and spilled himself all over her shorts that were pressed against him. He was too scared to get her pregnant after their first two encounters.

“We have to be careful next time,” he grunted seconds later.

She stared at him and pulled away slowly. “Yes, we have to.”

She smiled at him and said, “I guess we have to clean up.”

“I guess,” he grumbled. He was upset that they didn’t have the cuddle time he had with her last night.

She guided him to the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and no water came out. Then, it hit her.

“Damn, I forgot,” she mumbled.

“Forgot what?” he asked, reaching out for a wet wipe.

“There’s no water,” she said. “The water line’s being fixed and the water won’t be turned on until five today.”

A wicked twinkle sparkled in Tristin’s eye. “I have an idea.”

“Why do I have this strange feeling that I might get into more trouble than I already am?” she asked.

“Come on. Get some clothes on,” he insisted, swatting her on the butt.

Squealing, she went down the stairs.

While she perused her closet for something decent to wear, Tristin picked up his shirt from the bed. Yanking, he heard a thud.

“What the—,” he commented.

He bent over and retrieved the book that fell on the floor. He grinned as he flipped through the pages.

“Blow Him Away. So, what happens if you miss a step? Do you do a once over, review, and redo the steps you missed?” he teased Rory.

“Tristin!” she cried out in embarrassment. “You’re not supposed to see that.”

She snatched the book out of his hands. “Let’s go. You are trouble in this house.”

He chuckled as she led him out of the house through the back door. The oppressive heat and humidity stole the breath from their lungs the moment they came out from the refrigerated confines of the Crap Shack.

“So, where are you taking me?” she asked.

“You’ll see,” he replied mysteriously.

They walked the back roads of the neighborhood. The place seemed almost deserted at ten in the morning.

Twenty minutes later, they were at the bridge by the stream.

“Jump in!” he coaxed as he took of his shirt.

“We can’t!” Rory guffawed. “This stream… it leads to the school.”

“And?” he challenged her, taking off his shorts.

“People walk through here!” she tried to point out.

“That’s part of the fun,” he grinned, jumping in the cool, clear water without a stitch of clothing on him.

He produced a big splash, getting her wet in the process.

“Look at it this way, you get ‘cleaned up’, cool down for a few, and we can slip back into the house without your mom knowing we left your house,” he listed, “Besides, I know no one walks this way… At least, at this time of the day.”

Rory raised an eyebrow at him.

“Trust me,” he alleviated her fears.

Rory quickly stepped out of her flip flops and disrobed. Seconds later, she was in the water with Tristin.

The cool water was a welcome feeling to her heated skin. She went under to get her hair wet.

“You know we could’ve gotten here within seven minutes if you told me where we were going,” she said.

“Yeah,” he replied. “But where’s the fun in that?”

She laughed.

But their enjoyment was short lived. Moments later, they heard voices that were getting louder as they approached the stream.

Tristin grabbed her by the wrist and guided her under the bridge.

“Okay, Luke, I apologize. I am sorry. I will not do it again,” Lorelai called out to a hopping mad Luke.

“Get away from me,” Luke grunted, walking fast away from Lorelai’s speeding form.

“Fine. I promise I will help you remodel,” she offered.

“No,” he said.

“Please?’ Lorelai pleaded. However, she noticed something was off.

“No,” Luke replied once more. “God, you’re worse than Taylor!”

He marched away while Lorelai stood on the middle of the bridge. She surveyed the bank and noticed a shirt and a pair of shorts that had seen better days; like that of her washer and dryer. And the clothes piled next to it reeked of money. The kind that would buy the summer Banana Republic collection without having to worry that it was bought on retail. Retail!

“Rory, I know you’re here,” she called out to the trees around her. “Somewhere.”

Rory just shut her eyes as Tristin held her in his arms.

“What did I say about calling? Huh? Okay, okay, I can pretend that your clothes magically walked over here to get washed, but I know those clothes next to them that smell like money and Cool Water? Those, Honey, are not yours.”

Tristin squeezed Rory’s shoulders in surprise.

“So, here’s what’s going to happen,” Lorelai said. “I am walking away now. In fifteen minutes, if you are not at home, you will be grounded until the first month in of your senior year.”

Her heels clacked on the wooden plank.

Rory and Tristin let out a sigh. They were about to swim out when Lorelai’s voice boomed in again.

“Oh, and Tristin, if this was your idea, I will personally see you work in Luke’s Diner as his bitch boy, and I will enjoy every minute of it,” she added in jest.

Tristin and Rory emerged from under the bridge and swam out to the middle of the stream.

“How does your mom do that? I mean, does she have eyes in the back of her head?”

“Yes,” she sighed. “She is the Oracle, you know. Her knowledge knows no bounds. Come on. We have to get home.”

“Amazing,” Tristin commented.

“By the way,” he asked, as they swam for the bank, “what’s your method of getting that Hazy Lazy song out of your head, you know if we didn’t…”

“Sing “It’s a Small World”,” she chuckled.

Laughing, he said, “I liked our version better.”

“Tons.”


As they got dressed, Rory kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he inquired, securing his shorts around his waist.

“For taking me to my first skinny dip,” she lipped.

“You’re welcome,” he sighed, kissing her back. “Thank you for being a great girlfriend.”

“Aww, you mean that?” she asked.

He nodded in agreement.

“Then you don’t mind running through the middle of the square just to beat mom home?” she inquired, taking his hand into hers.

“Maybe I might want to work in Luke’s Diner,” he teased.

She laughed and both of them jogged back to the Crap Shack.



END