Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I don't even own this computer, it's my mothers. I also don't own the title to this story, it's a cliché line used all the time.

A/N: I came up with this story after a brief chat with someone I knew in high school who I guess you could say I was in love with, still am as a matter of fact but can't do anything about it now, so I decided to let someone else have a second chance at their high school love.

Summery: What if you were given a second chance at love? What if you were allowed to tell the person you've pinned for that they mean everything to you and that you don't go a day with out thinking about them? What if someone you never thought you'd see again suddenly came back into your life? Would you take a chance on something that doesn't seem real or do you run?

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Founder

I gripped the steering wheel a little tighter as I drove the familiar old roads of my hometown. I hadn't been back in 2 years, yet I could still navigate my way through Hartford with my eyes closed. I was away at school all year and we'd always vacation somewhere far away, exotic and completely dull each summer. It's strange to think that this was where I spent each and every one of my days. This town seems so small, so meaningless, yet it was my world.

I played with the radio a little trying to ease my nerves by finding a song that didn't completely repulse me, before giving up completely and getting lost in my own thoughts of her. I never thought I'd see her again, I had wanted to call her, to see her, just to be near her for such a long time but that was all foolish. I didn't deserve the time of day from her. I ran my hand through my hair, or lack there off, I hadn't had the need to do that in a long time but being back home a day and already I miss the calm that motion brought on. I pulled into the already jam-packed parking lot and drove around aimlessly looking for a spot. I found one in the way back, and turning off my car I reached over for the invitation that came in the mail just days before.

The envelope didn't have a return address; it was plain white, neat cursive on the front, and addressed to me. Hoping that it wasn't a letter telling me I had fathered a child and now they wanted money from me years later, I opened it slowly. I saw an invitation to Chilton's Commencement ceremonies in honor of the class of 2003. On the back of the invitation there was a sticky note that simply read: "Here's your chance to win back the girl. Don't let it pass you by." No name, no indication of who it could be from, no recollection of this handwriting.

I played with the invitation for a while before taking a deep breath and walking towards the halls of Chilton. The school must pride itself on being so menacing. Was all I thought as I walked inside and headed in the direction the signs pointed me to. My heart rate picked up as each step I took brought me closer to her. They say that absence makes the heart grow founder, but if I my heart grew any founder it might explode at any moment. I missed her more than I let anyone, including myself believe and all I wanted to do was be able to see her.

Talking to her would be nice but I decided to take on one battle at a time. I choose a seat in the back hoping against hope that no one would recognize me. As the ceremony began I scanned the group of black gowns until I saw her, my breath caught in my throat and it was all I could do to keep myself from forgetting how to breathe. She looked radiant and I couldn't take my eyes off of her for the rest of the ceremony. She was a shoe in for valedictorian, there was no doubt about that, the fact that Paris hadn't personally killed her for taking away that title was a completely different story.

The ceremony ended to quickly for my liking as I was presented with the Chilton Class of 2003, and for the first time in a very long time I realized that this should have been my graduation, my class, my celebration. I let it go though as I fought the inner battle with myself of talking to her or leaving before anyone noticed I was here. I might never get this opportunity again I told myself, as I walked towards the crowd of people all hugging each other, taking pictures, and crying with family and friends. All of a sudden a heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Tristan DuGrey, nice of you to grace us with your presence."

"Paris Geller, always a pleasure." I smiled down at the blonde for a moment. "So I believe congratulations are in order."

"You could say that." She replied nodding her head. "The question is, are you congratulating me on graduating or on the fact that I graduated with out killing anyone one or being sent to an asylum?" She grinned at me.

"A little bit of Colum A, a little bit of Colum B." I gave her a hug and turned around about to walk away before she stopped me again.

"Talk to her Tristan, second chances only come around once in a great while." She smiled at me before walking towards a group of people who spoke in rapid Spanish. I turned towards the direction I was originally going in when I spotted her hugging her mother, and another man. They were all talking excitedly when I saw her grab her phone and answering it walking away from her family and friends. I followed her, trying to get by unnoticed so that I didn't lose this precious opportunity.

I didn't hear her conversation just saw the heart broken look on her face as she closed the phone in her hand and slumped against the wall. She looked crushed, and heart broken, and lost. I knew that look because I swore I wore it for the past two years. I took a deep breath and headed towards her.

Her eyes were closed as she shook her head as if to free herself from thought about whoever was on the phone.

"Rory"

Her eyes shot open as she heard her own name, her eyes quickly scanned her surroundings before landing on me. Her gaze flickered up and down me before coming to rest on my face. "Tristan?" Her voice was soft, full of disbelief and confusion.

"Hi." I felt like a moron I couldn't come up with anything to say to her. I was having a hard time believing she was actually in front of me and wasn't running away yet.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" She asked.

I had no idea what I was doing there except for the fact that I came to see her but I couldn't very well open with that because that would just freak her out. It was a bit t0o stalker-ish to go over well.

"I thought it would be appropriate to come to my old schools graduation. I mean I spent a lot of time with these fine people, and I um… have known some of them since kindergarten if not before. Some I mean, I'm surprised certain ones managed to graduate at all to tell you the truth. Although I'm sure if they were that close to not graduating their parents would take care of it, or maybe they got really good tutors, and…"

"Tristan!"

"What?"

"You're not making any sense."

I think I might have blushed or at least I felt like I should have been blushing at that point. "I got an invitation from Paris to come. So I did."

"Well, whatever the reason it's good to see you." She smiled at me before her eyes caught something in the distance and she nodded her head quickly before focusing her attention on me again. "Sorry to cut this short, my mom is beckoning me over. Probably more pictures of her wearing this lovely hat." She smiled with a shrug holding her hat up as a prop. "Once again it was nice seeing you." With a wave she started walking away.

"Rory!" I didn't know what made me do it but I knew I didn't want her to walk out of my life again.

"Yeah?" She asked turning around quickly.

"Congratulations on graduating and becoming valedictorian and all that." Coward!

"Thanks… you too, on graduating. See you." She turned away again.

"Rory?" I called again, wow this is going well.

"Yes?" She asked again, turning around to look at me.

"Would you…do you… umm… do you want to grab a cup of coffee sometime, to catch up?"

She looked down at the phone she was holding and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with her other hand. She seemed to be formulating an answer, or decision of some kind. "My mom and I are going to Europe…"

"Oh, okay then, well not a problem I'll be seeing you." I started to turn away as I felt something swelling in my throat constricting my ability to breath.

"Tristan!" I turned back around so fast my head started spinning. "My mom and I are going to Europe in a week, I'd love to grab a cup of coffee with you, just make sure you call me within the week."

"Can I get your number?" I asked in a daze, not quite sure what had just happened I registered myself pulling out my cell phone and handing it over to her to program it in. "Thanks, I'll make sure to definitely get a hold of you before you go."

"Sounds like a plan. I've got to run now, see you!" With that she turned around for the final time and jogged away towards her mom.

This would defiantly prove to be interesting assuming I didn't completely screw it up. But on the bright side at least she didn't slap me, or run away crying, right?