A/N- So this is my first O.C. fanfic as I just recently found out that I am completely in love with this show. So, yea, basically this idea popped into my head the other night and once I get an idea, it doesn't ever seem to want to leave until it's actually written. I was going to originally wait a few more days to post this until I had the next chapter completely written, but I have had to sacrifice my bedroom to a really big bug (I am so afraid of all bugs) and so since I can't sleep, I decided this was something I could do. Just like to say thanks to my dear friend Katie for reading this over for me. Okay, and most things written in italics are flashback, but there are some things that are in italics that aren't part of a flashback, but hopefully you can figure out which ones those are.
Her hair was pressed against her face, her eyes were red with anger
Enraged by things unsaid and empty beds and bad behavior
Something's gotta change
It must be rearranged, oh
Summer sighed heavily as she looked at all the hard work she had done, work she had done for nothing. She had spent the whole day making dinner, a delicious dessert, and cleaning the whole house. And for what?
Absolutely nothing. Seth wasn't home yet and it was already nearly 9:30 at night. She had waited for him to come home for two hours and he never came. He had done what she had always feared him doing; he forgot their anniversary.
Any other time in their marriage she would have forgiven him for forgetting it. He had remembered for the past four years, and she had thought that was too good to be true, and that he was going to forget sometime soon. So normally, she wouldn't have cared. But tonight she cared.
It was the fourteenth time in the past month that he had been late coming home. She knew that he had a lot of work of to do, but he never called anymore. He always used to call when he was going to be late. Always, and now he had stopped calling. This had been happening for the past few months and each month the time he was late was increasing and he was coming home later and later. She never saw him anymore because by the time she got up to bring their daughter, Emma, to preschool, he was already gone or still asleep from the late night before. She had talked to him maybe once in the last three days, something that was killing her on the inside.
She had thought that their anniversary would have brought back the Seth Cohen she had fallen in love with, not the Seth Cohen that worked all the time and barely had time to spend time with his daughter who adored him and with his wife who loved him more than anything. On top of that, she was going to tell him that she was pregnant again. She thought that this would have been the perfect time to tell him. It was all ruined.
She sighed again and stood up, grabbing the two plates with the dinner she had worked so hard on and dumped them into the garbage. She blew out the two candles that she had lit and then grabbed the whole white chocolate raspberry cheesecake she made and a fork. She let a tear fall down her face as she realized that this was how she was spending her anniversary.
Finally, after three hours of wallowing in her own self pity with the cheesecake and a viewing of Titanic, Summer headed to bed. She grabbed an old t-shirt of Seth's and slipped it on, breathing in the scent that she wished smelled even more like him. She curled up in ball on the bed, remembering the first night they were married and the promise Seth had made to her.
"Golly gee, that sure was some good lovin'," Seth joked as Summer laid her head on his chest.
She slapped him with her hand on his chest. "God, Cohen, do you have to be so crude?"
"Yes." Seth replied, smirking slightly. "And ow."
"Wimp," Summer muttered, loud enough for Seth to hear.
"Hey, I am so not a wimp. I am like, the opposite of a wimp. I am…a macho man," Seth looked down at Summer who was laughing at him. "Okay, so maybe I am a wimp, but a macho wimp. It makes me sound more manly."
"Okay, then, you're a macho wimp," Summer giggled when she said it out loud, realizing how ridiculous it sounded.
"Thank you." Seth paused. "Wait a second. Does that make me sound like I'm a bigger wimp than just wimp?"
Summer just laughed again, shaking her head at him.
The two laid there for a few minutes in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's presence as they had always done. Summer listened to Seth's heartbeat and his breathing and it made her smile. He was now forever hers and no one else's.
"Seth?" Summer sat up and looked him in the eyes, which were half-shut as he was almost sleep.
"Mhmm?"
"Are you always going to be there for me?"
Now Seth was fully awake. "Of course. What would make you even ask something like that? I mean hello, we are married now."
"I know that, but I mean are you always going to be there? No matter what you're going to be there for me, especially when I need you the most? You'll just drop everything if I need you to help or protect or take care of me?"
"Of course Summer. I would do anything for you. Don't ever doubt that."
Summer felt tears come to her eyes as she looked over at the empty side of the bed, but this time it was not out of sorrow that Seth was not there with her at that moment. These were out of anger and rage that Seth had broke his promise to her. He wasn't there and she needed him at that moment. She hated that he broke a promise to her, a promise that was supposed to be kept.
She picked up the phone and dialed Seth's cell phone number. She wanted to make sure that he was still willing to keep that promise with her and he would come to her immediately if she needed him. She wanted that reassurance in her life at that moment; it was more important to her than anything else.
After a several moments of rather impatient waiting as the phone rang, Seth's voice filled her ear, along with the sound of loud music blaring.
"Where are you?" these were the first words out of Summer's mouth.
"I'm so glad that we're past that stage of saying 'hello' on the phone. It always mystified me why I had to greet people like that. This is much better, just spitting out what you want to say. Makes things go a lot faster."
"Shut up Seth. Where are you? Why aren't you home?"
Summer heard a rather loud yell in the background noise from Seth's end that sounded considerably like "C'mon Seth, another round is coming!" She opened her mouth to say something to Seth, but he did before she could.
"Listen Summer, I'll be home soon. I'm still working right now. I promise I'll be home soon."
The next thing Summer heard on the phone was complete silence. Seth had hung up with her. She was the one who was calling him, full of anger, yet he was the one who got to decide when their brief conversation would end. That was so…unfair. She didn't care if she sounded like her four-year-old daughter. She thought this was all so unfair to Emma and her, Seth never being around anymore. Something was definitely going to change and at that moment in her life, Summer was not sure if it was going to be a good thing or if it was going to make everything a lot worse.
Summer quickly opened her eyes when she heard a crash coming from below her. She took a quick glance at the clock, noting that it was 2:30 in the morning and Seth was still not home. She wished after hearing that crash that he was home with her, telling her that everything was okay, then going to check it out even though he was just as scared as she was.
She was wishing that until the bedroom door opened and revealed that Seth was the one who was in the house and was the one who had caused that crash that had nearly scared her half to death.
"Hey, Summer, you're still up?" Seth squinted at her in the dark, trying to determine why his wife was still up at 2:30.
"No, I was just woken up by the loud crash that came from you apparently," Summer replied, her voice filled with anger.
Seth didn't exactly catch on to that, very possibly because he was just slightly drunk. "Oh, yea, we really should rethink that whole umbrella and coat stand thing next to the front door. They were ugly anyways, didn't match with the whole décor of the rest of the front hallway. That and the fact that when a coat stand is knocked over, not only does it make a surprisingly loud noise, but it also breaks. Who knew that could happen?"
"Why are you home so late?"
"Oh I was just working late. You know. I had stuff to take care of at the office."
"Yea, and that involved lots of loud music and drinking too, right?"
"Oh, yea a few of us just decided to go out after work. Spur of the moment type of thing. To blow off steam from the long day of work."
"Why didn't you come home and spend time with me?" Summer asked, her voice now softer and full of hurt.
Seth didn't seem to hear her though as he never responded. He started to get undressed, not bothering to look at Summer and the look that she was giving him at that moment. If he had, he would have known something was wrong right then and there, even in his slightly drunk state. Instead he hopped onto the bed next to Summer and leaned in to kiss her.
"Hm…I really like when you wear my t-shirts. I also like when I get to take them off of you," Seth said softly bringing his face closer to hers.
"Seth, stop." For the first time in forever, Summer pushed away his kiss. She couldn't bring herself to once again to get lost in him and ignore all that she had been feeling this whole night. She wanted to so bad but she knew she had to stop him. She knew she had to try and make things better.
"What's wrong?" Seth asked, pouting at her for a minute. When he got no response he backed away, realizing that his wife was in a bad mood for some reason unknown to him. He thought it was a good idea if he stayed away until this mood passed.
"You really didn't remember." Summer looked at him. She couldn't believe that for a second she had actually thought he did remember. She was hoping he would have all of the sudden looked at her and said 'Happy anniversary' and joke around with her and then sweep her away on a romantic getaway. Wishing only goes so far though.
"Remember what?" Seth looked at her, trying to figure her out. She was a closed book at that moment, he was unable to read any of her emotions and feelings.
"Nothing. Nothing at all," Summer said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.
Seth gave her a baffled look, unable to figure her out. She refused to kiss him and she wasn't talking to him. He would have pressed the issue but at that moment he really didn't want to have to experience a pissed off Summer, because the one that he had that moment was just enough for him.
"I'm, um, going to go sleep in Emma's room," Summer stood up suddenly, grabbing her pillow and started to head towards the door.
"Where's Emma?"
"She's spending the night with Ryan and Taylor tonight," Summer replied turning to look at him.
Seth gave her a blank stare in return. "Why would she stay there? And why are you going to sleep in there? Can you please just tell me what's going on?"
"It's our anniversary Cohen," she said, her voice barely above a whisper but still loud enough for Seth to hear. "Our fucking anniversary. How could you forget something like that?"
Deafening silence filled the room, neither knowing what to say. Summer stood in the doorway, clutching her pillow to her chest staring at Seth, while he just sat there not staring at her, but staring at the blanket on the bed, the wall, the picture on the bedside table, anywhere but her face.
After a few minutes of this, Summer was fed up, she turned to leave the doorway and to walk to Emma's room. Something stopped her though. She caught Seth's eye, and for a brief fleeting second, thought he was going to say something to her. He didn't even open his mouth.
"Goodnight Seth," she said softly, walking away and not looking back.
A/N- Well, so that wasn't the happiest chapter ever. I promise it gets better. Feedback makes me happy, even if you think the story was terrible. So, yea...please review and tell me what you thought.