A/N – This story is focused on RT with subplots of SS. Please leave reviews folks.

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'And then she acts like I'm overreacting. She honestly seems to think its okay to let everybody think that I'm this super intelligent author guy like Henri Michel.'

'Well don't think of it like that kid, she's obviously trying to protect you from being judged. Believe me, the French love to look down their noses at people.'

'I don't care what they think of me though, it doesn't matter. I only care about what she thinks of me and honestly, I'm starting to think that she really does wish I was more like Indiana Jones rather than just Ryan the Mexican food waiter.'

'Come on Ryan I think you're being a little unfair, she's obviously crazy about you. Or just plain crazy, I can never really tell with Taylor.'

'That would be the second option Sandy. No it's probably best that I haven't called her, we'd never have lasted anyway. We have absolutely nothing in common.'

'Oh believe me, that doesn't matter kiddo. Look at Seth and Summer, you couldn't find two people with less in common but they're still head over heels in love. And what about me and Kirsten, she loves things that I hate but it doesn't matter because we love each other.'

'Yeah but I don't think it's the same for us though. I mean how am I supposed to stay involved in her life when I understand nothing about it. That's why you and Kirsten work, you understand each other but Taylor, I just don't get her. Even after like a year of knowing her and two months of dating, she's still a mystery to me. And just when I think I'm starting to get why she does some of the things she does, she goes and does something else that I just don't get.'

'Oh all women are like that kid. Sometimes Kirsten is still a mystery to me and we've been together twenty years. You just learn to live with the fact that you're never gonna completely understand them. You might learn everything about them, but you'll never know what goes on in their minds.'

'Yeah well like I said, I don't think I'm like you guys. I can't function with someone if we have absolutely nothing in common.'

'Well let me ask you something. It's a bit of a touchy subject around here these days and you really don't have to answer it if you don't want to. What did you have in common with uhh, you know……………Marissa.' Sandy whispered her name as if it was a banned word. Ryan felt his chest tighten at the mention of her name but he felt obligated to answer the question.

'I don't know. I guess that even though we grew up in two different worlds, we'd both hated our lives for the same reasons. Taylor though, she seems perfectly happy with the life she's had.'

'Well you shouldn't hold that against her.'

'I'm not, believe me I'm not. Its just, that was mine and Marissa's thing, we'd both had crappy lives and when we weren't going through drama, we made each other happy. With Taylor though, I have nothing. We have no deep connection due to our past, we have none of the same hobbies or interests. I dunno, forgive me for being pessimistic but I just can't see it working out. Nope, better to let it fizzle out now than to let it go on until we're both bored and resent each other.'

'Okay kid it's your choice. I've tried to give you my advice but you seem pretty set on giving up. Just answer me this, do you like her?' Ryan nodded.

'Yeah, a lot.'

'Then ask yourself, should the fact that you are two very different people get in the way of that,' Sandy replied with a smirk before turning and walking out the kitchen, leaving Ryan deeply pondering his words. A few minutes later, he copied Sandy in leaving. He decided to go for a run. He had a lot of shit to think about and running was his therapy.

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'Doesn't he understand that I was just trying to protect him? I mean I know Henri Michel, I was married to the guy after all. I know what a snob he can be. If he knew that Ryan was just an average guy working in restaurant, he would've looked down at him like he was nothing but a piece of crap.'

'I'm sorry Taylor but I'm on Ryan's side. If someone asked me what Seth was like, I'd tell them everything. I'd tell them he was a huge geek, a whiney ass and a rambler. You know why?' Taylor shook her head. 'Because I love him for who he is and if they don't like him then I don't like them. It's as simple as that.'

'I know but it's not the same for us. I told Henri Michel all that crap about Ryan because if I'd told the truth, I wouldn't have anything to say. I mean I don't know the guy. He keeps all his feelings locked up and I have no interest in any of his hobbies and stuff. It's the same for him, we have nothing in common. Oh my God, he's basically just this stranger who I sleep with and occasionally date.' Summer rolled her eyes.

'No he is not Taylor, you like him. Besides, look at me and Seth. I hate his music, I hate his dress sense and I hate most of his hobbies, but that doesn't matter because they make him who he is and I love him. So why don't you just call him.'

'Uhh, excuse me. He was the one who bailed at the television studio so he's the one who should call me. Besides, you telling me I should call him makes you nothing but a big hypocrite. You, miss "I'm sorry but I can't marry you right now", are just as bad. I haven't seen Seth round here in the last four days.'

'It's not the same though. I tried calling him, he uhh, he just won't pick up,' she finished sadly, looking down at the floor.

'Oh sweetie,' Taylor said softly, hopping off the counter and enveloping her friend in a tight hug, 'he'll come round, he'll call you or pick up one of your calls.'

'Yeah I hope so. I mean just because I'm not ready to marry him yet it doesn't make him think that I don't love him anymore does it?'

'No of course not,' Taylor replied reassuringly, though truthfully she wasn't so sure. 'It's just boys, they can be so stupid sometimes.'

'Yeah,' Summer whispered quietly with a sad smile. 'Anyways, what are you doing today?'

'Oh I umm, I'm going to lunch with Henri Michel,' she mumbled. Summer's eyes widened.

'WHAT!! So you and Ryan have one fight, in fact it's not even a fight, you're both just being stupid. Anyways, you have one whatever it is, lets just call it a misunderstanding for conversation's sake, and you're ready to move on with Frenchy, a guy you don't really love.'

'No but he loves me, and he lets me in unlike Ryan,' Taylor replied defensively.

'Taylor, I know Ryan and I can tell you this, he will let you in when he's ready. Just don't give up on the guy you really want to be with just because it's taking a little while to get him to open up.'

'Yeah but it's not just that. Like I said, we're just too different. He likes loner stuff, running, brooding, thinking about his feelings without ever actually revealing them to anyone else,' she added bitterly. 'Whereas I like fun groupish things such as organizing events and going on group hangs and stuff. I mean, it was ridiculous of us to think that two people so totally opposite could work together. Nope, I think it's best to just be friends or something. Our relationship has officially run its course.'

'Okay,' Summer said as she hopped off the counter, 'I'll say no more about it. I think you're making a big mistake that you'll come to regret but you've obviously made your choice. I on the other hand, am not one to sit back and let what I want drift away. That is why I'm going round Cohen's house right now to tell my baby that I really do love him and that if everything goes to plan, I will marry him someday,' she added with a smile. Taylor grinned back.

'Okay, good luck. And could you umm, could you like subtly mention to Ryan that I'm going to lunch with Henri Michel today. Don't like blurt it out, just like casually mention it in conversation,' she said sheepishly. Summer smirked.

'I'll see what I can do.'

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'Summer,' Ryan said with a smile as he ran up the driveway to meet her.

'Hey Atwood,' she said brightly, 'is Seth in,' she added nervously.

'Umm yeah, I think he's up in his room.'

'What's up with him, he hasn't called me all week?'

'Umm, I think he's had a bit of flu or something,' Ryan lied.

'Yeah, sure he has,' she replied sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

'He has.'

'Uh huh. So he hasn't just been avoiding me because I rejected his proposal then?'

'Proposal, what proposal, I haven't heard anything about any proposal,' Ryan lied, trying to sound confused. Summer snorted.

'Yeah right. You expect me to believe that Cohen, my Cohen, has kept it a secret from you for four whole days.'

'It's true, I didn't have a clue. He really proposed?'

'Umm, yeah. Really, he didn't mention it at all,' she asked in a shocked tone. Ryan nodded and Summer frowned, it could only mean one of two things. Either that he wasn't bothered about it and had considered it too trivial to be worth sharing, or that it had hurt him so much that he couldn't even bare to talk about it. It upset her whichever one it was.

'Nope, not a word. It's news to me,' Ryan added. That was a lie, he'd heard about nothing else for the last four days. Seth had just asked him to tell Summer he didn't know about it if he ran into her.

'Oh well umm, that's weird, he must be really upset huh,' Summer said sadly. Ryan just shrugged nonchalantly. They descended into an uncomfortable silence. She was itching to go and see Seth but then she remembered what Taylor had asked her to do. She opened her mouth to speak but couldn't think of a decent way to start a conversation. Ryan looked at her amusedly as she opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish. 'Hey uhh…………umm, uhh…………nope, I got nothin. Start a conversation please.'

'Umm, what?' Ryan asked confusedly.

'Start a conversation.'

'Okayyyyy, umm, hi' he replied, looking at her if she were weird.

'Hi,' Summer said brightly, grinning at his lame attempt to be talkative.

'Umm, lovely weather isn't it.'

'Yeah it's great,' she replied, waving her hand dismissively, 'Taylor's going to lunch with Henri Michel,' she blurted out. They settled into an awkward silence again.

'Uhh, what the hell was that all about,' Ryan said confusedly after about a minute.

'Taylor told me to let you know that she was going to lunch with her husband but she told me to do it subtly. You know, just slip it in casually in the middle of conversation.'

'Nice Summer,' he replied with a smirk, 'real subtle.'

'Yeah I don't really do subtle anymore,' she replied with a shrug, 'three years with Cohen has kinda made me lose my grip on that concept, I guess he's rubbing off on me,' she added with a sigh.

'Yeah I kinda gathered that with the whole pregnancy scare thing,' Ryan countered, his face cracking into a rare grin.

'EW, CHINO!!' Summer shrieked. 'No wonder Cohen says he's the funny one when that's the kinda humour you go for, that was so not funny.'

'Yes it was.'

'No it wasn't, mine and Cohen's sex life is not funny. It was at first because it was five minutes of discomfort with flailing limbs but now it is nothing to be joked about, he's gotten good.'

'Yeah umm, I'm gonna go now before I hear anything else I don't want to. I'll see ya later.' He turned and went to walk round the back to the poolhouse.

'Talk to Taylor before it's too late and she's back with Frenchy,' she yelled at his retreating form.

'Not gonna happen,' he shouted back without stopping or looking over his shoulder. 'We're too different, it's better like this.'

'You're making a huge mistake,' she yelled but he was already round the corner of the house.

'Goodbye Summer,' she heard him shout firmly. She sighed huffily before walking to the front door and slipping herself in. Why did everything around here always have to be so complicated?

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'Hey Cohen,' she said brightly as she burst through his bedroom door. Seth rocketed off the bed and tripped over his feet, causing him to hit the ground face first. Summer burst into hysterical laughter at how much of a clumsy but adorable dork he was.

'S-s-summer,' he stammered breathlessly as he quickly stood up, 'wh-what are you doing here?'

'I just came to see by clumsy ass boyfriend who I haven't seen in like forever, how are you baby?' she said before moving forward and capturing him in a passionate kiss.

'Oh I'm alright, how are you,' he mumbled when they parted.

'I'm great now I'm here with you,' she said with a big smile as she dragged him over to his bed and sat down facing him, 'I really missed you these last four days. It seems that your incessant whining and rambling makes up a huge part of the fun in my life,' she said with a teasing grin.

'Yeah I missed you too,' Seth replied rather unconvincingly, not looking at her. Summer frowned.

'Are you okay Cohen, I ran into Ryan and he said you'd been ill?' she cooed softly in a motherly tone, sweeping some loose curls away from his forehead affectionately and putting a hand on it as if measuring his temperature.

'What, oh yeah I'm fine,' he mumbled distractedly in reply, 'I just had a little bout of tonsillitis, nothing that some antibiotics didn't clear right up.'

'Tonsillitis?' she said confusedly, 'wh-bu-oh my God,' she said angrily when realization dawned upon her, 'Chino said you had the flu, trust you to drag him into your snivelling little game of "lie to Summer". You never were ill were you, you've just been avoiding me like I suspected at first.'

'Well I'm sorry but what do you expect me to do,' he replied exasperatedly, 'you rejected me, we're supposed to break up.'

'Is that what you want,' Summer said quietly in a hurt tone, unable to stop her eyes glassing over with tears.

'No of course not Summer,' he replied softly, reaching forward and taking her hands in his, 'it's just the way it's supposed to be.'

'But it doesn't have to be like that Cohen,' Summer said desperately, 'I love you and just because I'm not ready to marry you yet, it doesn't mean I don't want to. Believe me, there's nothing I want more. You're my destiny Cohen, we're meant to be together so please don't break up with me.' Seth looked at her on the verge of tears and softened up.

'God Summer believe me, us breaking up was never in the equation, at least not for me. I just needed some time that's all. And just a heads up, if everything works out between us, I will be asking you again at some point in the future. Next time though, could you kinda give me hints as to when you want me to pop the question because I don't think my poor heart could take another rejection.' Summer grinned widely at his words and nodded, wiping the tears away from her eyes.

'How about this Cohen,' she said as she took a plain silver ring off her right hand and slid it on her ring finger, 'the day you see my ring finger bare is the day that I want a new one from you, okay.' Seth smiled and nodded, leaning in to give her a soft kiss.

'It might not happen straight away though you know, I want to be ready too. I mean this time neither of us were ready at first and then I somehow convinced myself I was ready and then you rejected me and that kinda sucked. So next time, I want us both to want it more than anything.'

'Trust me Cohen, I'll want it and if you know what's good for you, you'll want it too.'

'Wow, threatening me with violence if I don't propose when you want me to, that doesn't sound like a very Summer thing to do,' he said sarcastically. Summer grinned and jabbed him in the arm before twisting round and flopping her head down in his lap so she was looking up at him.

'I'm glad things are back to normal,' she said, smiling happily up at him.

'What with the threats of violence, yeah I'm kinda not. Four days apart has seen me bruise free for the first time in years.' Summer smirked and elbowed him in the thigh, giving him a painful dead leg. 'And you're right, things are back to normal,' he mumbled, rubbing his leg.

'I meant I'm glad we're talking again jackass, I really was bored and miserable without you.'

'Yeah, honestly these last four days have been kinda lame for me too,' he said, leaning down and giving her a soft kiss.

'Oh, we still have a problem though,' she said when he moved away.

'What's that my little angel, I though we were issue free.'

'We are, it's Ryan and Taylor.'

'Ah yes, that might be a problem.'

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A/N – My first ever RT chapter so please leave a review letting me know what you think. Thanks.