A/N: So, here it is -my first attempt at an SS story for those of you who have been asking. As you've probably noticed, if you've ever read any of my other stories, they'rekind of light on this pairing. Trust me, it's not because I don't like it. I think Seth Cohen is one of the greatest television characters EVER, and he and Summer are the cutest couple since Willow and OZ in season three of Buffy.It's just that, like Summer tells Anna in "The Heartbreak": "He's way smarter than me, and we have less than nothing in common." I think Seth is the epitomy of all things uber-cool, and I am not so much, soI've stayed away from writing him more than I have toso that I don'tcompletely ruin him. Needless to say, I hope I've done him justice. Sorry he's not as funny as Adam Brody makes him on the show. And for all of you Sethummer fans, I hope I do the relationship the justic it deserves. Enjoy.
The pounding on his dorm room door dragged Seth Cohen out of his "study focus" and put him in "irritation" mode. Who the hell would be interrupting him at 11:00 on a Monday night? Sure, it wasn't all that late, but most of his friends were too busy studying, or partying, in the middle of the week to show up for some lively conversation. Or they would just walk in. At the end of the semester, nobody knocked anymore.
He threw the door open and rested his eyes on the untimely visitor. "Summer," he said in shock. His ex-girlfriend barely talked to him when they bumped into each other in Newport anymore, so trekking from USC all the way to Berkley didn't make any sense at all. "What the hell?"
She breezed past him and flopped onto his rumpled bed. "I had to get out of that room," she announced before turning her nose up. "What is that smell?"
Seth looked around and then remembered to close the door. "Um, I burnt some Hot Pockets earlier. What are you doing here?" He moved toward his desk and turned down the volume on the stereo.
"Were you studying?" Summer asked, her gaze drifting over the disheveled room he shared with some kid from Nebraska, and then rested on his desk, where several books and a laptop sat.
"Yeah, I was. Finals are coming up. And I don't know if you heard me, but I asked what you're doing here?" He sank to the hard, wooden chair that now seemed for more uncomfortable than he ever remembered it.
Summer laid back on the bed with a groan. "I told you, I had to get out. My roommate is driving me crazy and I couldn't take it for another second," she sighed. "I mean, how many times can you listen to Jay Z and Beyonce before your eardrums actually start to bleed?"
Seth laughed. "I haven't done that research," he answered, with a nod. "But I'm thinking no more than twice, and only if it's in a club where alcohol is the main course of the evening meal?" She sat up and shot him a thousand-watt smile. No matter how far apart they drifted, that smile always brought him back to a place that felt safe, like home. "What about Marissa? She's in LA. Why not just go to her house?"
Summer's dark eyes rolled and she moved from the bed to his snack shelf. "She went to Stanford to visit Ryan for the weekend and she's not back yet," she answered over her shoulder, finding a bag of tortilla chips that seemed to satisfy whatever late-night munchies she was having. "I didn't know where else to go, and driving seemed a hundred times better than going back to that room and watching Little Miss Muffett and Abercrombie drool all over each other, so I just kept going. And the next thing I knew, I was here," she explained, flopping back onto his bed.
He watched as her full lips wrapped around the tortilla chip, broke it off, and then clamped shut as she chewed it thoroughly. He remembered that she had once told him he had to be careful to chew tortilla chips carefully, because if he didn't, the jagged edges could cause a tear in his esophagus. He wasn't sure there was any medical merit to that theory, but she had been so sincere that he had promised to always chew at least ten times before swallowing.
He shook his head, remembering that he should probably be talking. "You do realize that Stanford is even closer than here, right?"
Summer rolled her eyes. "Do you not want me here, Cohen?" She knew that it was short notice, and it had even surprised her when she had driven nearly eight hours to end up on his door step.
But Seth just tapped on his desk and shook his head again. "No, it's fine. Um, since you're here now, do you wanna make yourself useful and help me study for my Philosophy final?"
Her nose scrunched up and he nearly answered with her. "Ew." She took another bite of her chip and then put the bag aside. "Can't we just take a walk or something?"
He wanted to say "yes," but a quick turn of his head reminded him that he was never going to pass this class if he didn't finish what he was doing when she arrived. "Summer, I really have to study. I mean, you're welcome to stay, but I have to get through this stuff before tomorrow."
Summer wasn't sure she liked being told "no," especially by Seth. But it was either sit in his room and read or go back home and watch them act like an old married couple. "Do you have any Sin City?" she asked, looking over the book shelf at the left of his bed.
An appreciative look crossed Seth's face as he pointed to the bottom shelf. "I didn't know you read Frank Miller," he said as she found the book she was searching for and settled against the headboard to read it.
With a shrug, she flipped it open. "I don't. But this guy from my Chem Lab took me to see the movie. Have you seen it?" He nodded. "Did you love it? I loved it."
Seth turned back to his notes, trying to concentrate. He didn't know which thought was more disturbing to him – the fact that Summer had loved Sin City or that she had gone to see it with someone else. But asking her about the date would constitute a violation of their break-up pact.
They had tried the long-distance relationship for their first year of school, but just before the start of the second, they had called it quits – nearly five months ago now. And they had agreed that it would be for good this time. They also agreed not to attempt in any way, verbally or physically, to sabotage the other's attempt to move on. They lived too far apart, led separate lives, and it wasn't ever going to be like it was in high school. It was time to grow up and let go fo the things they were holding on to just because they were familiar.
"Hey, Seth," his roommate, Brad, shouted as he burst through the door, interrupting Seth's thoughts and making Summer jump. Brad looked to the bed. "Oh, dude, sorry. I didn't know you had company." He smiled at Summer, who only smirked sarcastically and went back to her reading.
Seth cringed. It wouldn't be out of character for Brad to say something stupid right now – or ever, really. "What is up, Bradley?" he asked.
Brad flopped onto his own bed and kicked his shoes off before reaching forward and handing something to Seth. "Here, man. Morgan Collins wanted me to give this to you." He winked at the mention of the petite blonde from their European Lit class.
Seth took the paper and sat it beside him on the desk. "Unless it's the answers to Farnsworth's final, I really don't care right now," he answered distractedly, typing notes into his computer.
Brad snorted and rummaged through the refrigerator at the side of his bed. He loudly popped the tab on a beer can and took a drink before answering. "She was all about you tonight, buddy. Kept asking where you were and if you were coming down. She might still be there, playing pool at the bar, if you wanna catch up." He turning his attention to Summer for a minute, winking when he caught her eye. "I can keep your friend company."
Summer rolled her eyes and felt her stomach flip-flop. Maybe there really was something worse than her own roommate in the world. But before she could answer, Seth slammed his Philosophy text closed and stood. "Actually, Summer and I were gonna take a walk, so thanks, but she won't be needing your company tonight. Or any other night, for that matter," he added, shooting her a look. She stood quickly, put the book back on the shelf where she had found it, and smoothed her hands over her little denim skirt.
Seth took her hand and led her to the door. "Nice to meet you," Brad called after them as Summer slammed the door behind her.
"Oh, my God, Cohen," she laughed when they were almost to the elevator at the end of the hall. "That guy totally made me miss Luke for a second."
"I know," Seth agreed, dropping her hand when the doors before them dinged. "That guy makes Luke look like a rogue scholar."
She crossed her arms as the elevator began its descent. "How do you live with him?"
He laughed. "I don't really have a choice. And he's moving into some frat house at the end of the semester, so I only have a couple more weeks with him anyway." When they reached the lobby, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "So, where do you wanna go?"
She shrugged and pulled her jacket tightly around her body. The California December was biting at her skin and Summer shivered slightly in response. "I don't care. Do you wanna go see that girl?"
He thought he detected a hint of sadness in her voice. "No," he answered honestly.
"Because we can. The pact and all, ya know?" She didn't want to watch him flirt with someone else, but she would. She would because she had promised not to care anymore, not to dwell on the fact that he could be with someone who wasn't her. "I kinda showed up out of nowhere," she conceded. "I don't want you to miss your chance because of me."
Seth laughed as they started down one of the sidewalks. "Trust me, Summer, I'm not avoiding Morgan because of you. I'm avoiding Morgan because she gets around more than Holly, and she smells like pechuli. Oh, and because she keeps asking me when I think Jeff Buckley will release another record."
And it was Summer's turn to laugh. "That's a Grade A groupie ya got there, Cohen," she commented.
"Well, no one's gonna be as good as you, Summer," he said sincerely before he could stop himself. "And there I go thinking out loud again. Dammit! I thought I was getting better about that," he tried to laugh it off.
But she brushed her shoulder against his as she put her hands in her pockets while they walked under the muted glow of street lamps, listening to the wind whispering to the trees above. "I know what you mean," she finally said softly.
By the time they circled back to his dorm an hour later, they were walking shoulder-to-shoulder and catching up on everything that had happened since their break-up. When they stopped at the front door, Summer looked at the watch on Seth's wrist. "I should probably start back."
He wanted to invite her to stay, but he knew that he couldn't. "I've got a lot of reading to do," he said, feeling an uncharacteristic need to say nothing more.
She stood on her toes and kissed his cheek. "Call me when you get home, Cohen," she smiled as she reluctantly let go of his hand. "It's not like I can celebrate Chrismakkuh without you, right?"
He waved and turned back to the building without a look back.