𝐦𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 **𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐝𝐮𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐲 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫**

the ghost

Tristan went home that day pacing, he had a a thing for pacing when he couldn't put his thoughts together. He went to lay down but he could still smell her perfume somewhere, no everywhere. It was suffocating, Eloise would be the death of him. But he liked Gilmore.

I like Rory, what the fuck is wrong with me?

The problem is, Eloise was his weakness. He couldn't not think about her, he couldn't not feel her, he could not live with her.

After that kiss, the day was a blur until morning where Eloise was in bed with the same clothes as yesterday and could still feel a certain longing on her lips. She pulled herself up from her bed, taking off her stuff and hopping into the shower, the water was ice cold on her skin but it woke her up. She pulled on her uniform after brushing her teeth, doing her hair, and putting some makeup, ready to go to school. When picking up her bag, she heard two honks outside her house, which startled her. She opened the door slowly to see Tristan waiting patiently in his car, it seemed he was shuffling between songs. Eloise looked at him doing so, and God, was he gorgeous. He spotted her and waved her over, she narrowed her brows in confusion.

Tristan watched her walk to the car, he switched his gaze quickly to the front. "You're driving me to school?", Eloise asked, poking her head through his window.

"When do I not?", Tristan asked jokingly.

"I don't know, I just thought—", Eloise was cut off by Tristan who said, "Nothing, I always do and I intend to continue."

Eloise pushed her head back a bit, he is acting like nothing happened. Like that kiss, that he initiated meant nothing, just as she expected but still. Eloise rolled her eyes at the thought, and started walking. Tristan drove slowly to match her speed, "Eloise, just get in. Come on."

Eloise crossed the street, causing him to abruptly stop, he heard her yell, "I don't need a ride, I'm fine walking."

"Eloise, come on, get in," Tristan nudged gently.
Eloise ignored him and turned down a narrow pathway that she knew he couldn't just drive into. She had some speed in her walking because my the time Tristan turned off the car, and grabbed his bag, she was already gone.

Tristan felt rather stupid standing there, arms extended out, waiting for a person who wasn't there to just go up to him and tell him she wanted him. To assure him that he wasn't completely insane for initiating that kiss that stayed on his mind, but he didn't bring it up because she didn't seem all too into picking up his calls from last night.

With defeat, Tristan walked back to his car, resting his head on the wheel for some time before restarting the car to drive to school, primarily in hope that he'd see Eloise.

He was right, he did see Eloise, but only as she entered the doors into the school. He hurried out of his car, to catch her at her locker, but she wasn't there either.

Tristan felt his heart pounding in his head, and then he turned to see her. "Eloise, please," Tristan pleaded to a turned figures.

But the problem was it wasn't Eloise at all, it was so random, irrelevant person to him, Tristan grasped his hair tightly, on the verge of just pulling it all out. Tristan felt insane and that kiss, even if he didn't want to come to terms with it, only drove his hunger for her touch to be much greater.

Eloise sat in class, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and she stared blankly at the board. "You okay, Irvine?", Paris asked, sounding honestly concerned.

Eloise looked to her sincere eyes and replied with a smile, "Yes, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Want to study later on today, during lunch. I think I'll use it to just prepare."

"Prepare for what?", Paris asked with a panicked expression.

"Nothing in particular, just to ensure that all of our subjects are covered and known to the core, it never hurts to plan ahead for upcoming assessments and such," Eloise said.

Tristan walked into the classroom, his head down, but as he passed Gilmore he gave her a subtle nod and a slightly whispered, "Hey."

Eloise turned to see Gilmore, who looked as if she was annoyed but her eyes had a slight smile in them.

Eloise turned away from her when she saw Tristan looking over from Gilmore to meet her gaze. She felt a coldness in her heart towards the girl who sat behind her now, one she has slightly felt before, but entirely now.

"We are on. I'll meet you at your locker," Geller said with a smile on her face before turning to the board as the teacher walked in.

"So to begin today's lesson..."

Tristan looked at Eloise's cold gaze at the board, she was upset and he could feel it. He could see it.

He found himself just staring into her, as if he would somehow see right through her exterior, reveal her thoughts, but he couldn't, no matter how hard he tried, and Eloise after a while probably sensed it, as she shifted herself better into her seat rather then have some of her body to the side.

Tristan just looked at her, watched her raise her hand, watched her flip her hair from the crook of her neck.

Tristan felt so attached to her in a way that could not be explained. Tristan didn't know why he pulled away from the kiss and left, he didn't understand why he just left her there, in that compartment because he stood on the other side of the door. He was debating to go in a few times but he couldn't.

He just couldn't pull himself to.

Tristan knew that if he continued that kiss, he would not only be completely devoted to Eloise, but if she didn't feel the same, he'd simply not know how to move on from that.

Paradoxes, as I said, are humans, but paradoxes in feelings felt rather complex to people. Two people falling for each other but then there are doubts. She could like me but she might not, he could like me but he might not, they may like me but they might not. To many what ifs. Paradoxes upon paradoxes. What is love at all, if it isn't pain?