Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from the O.C. I'm strictly borrowing them in order to bring life to my own little world. I also don't own the song "Somebody" by Reba McEntire, which inspired this story.

Somebody

Part 1

It was 8 o'clock on a Monday morning. The crowded streets were already buzzing with early birds making their way to work. Some simply rushed, some were already yelling into their cell phones, and some carried their morning coffees with hopes of drinking it still hot.

I, on the other hand, wasn't one of them. I enjoyed sitting down at a coffee shop with a decent size breakfast and I always made time for it.

"Good morning Alex" someone suddenly spoke. I turned away from the window and was greeted by the most beautiful smile, the same smile that always greeted me in the morning. "What can I get you today?" she asked.

"Good morning Marissa" I greeted back with a smile, "I'll just have my usual please"

"Coming right up" she said before turning around and heading towards the counter.

I watched her walk away for some reason. I seemed to be doing that a lot this past week. She was gorgeous, I'll tell you that, but there was more to her. She was just pleasant and nice to talk to. She was always smiling. If she was ever having a bad day, I couldn't tell.

I was brought out of my thoughts as she placed my breakfast and coffee in front of me.

"Here you go" she stated.

"Thanks" I replied, reaching for my coffee and taking a long sip.

"So how was your date?" she asked, the smile never leaving her face.

Somehow our small talk led to me telling her about my plans for Sunday evening as I had breakfast there on Saturday morning (she has Sundays off). Like I said, she's nice to talk to.

I just raised an eyebrow then rolled my eyes and she laughed.

"That bad?" she asked teasingly.

I sighed. "I'm just about ready to give up" I stated while picking at my eggs.

My last few months of dating had been rather pointless and I was starting to think it was all just a waste of time.

"Been there, done that" said Marissa, as she glanced around the shop, "Maybe you're just looking in the wrong places" she added while smiling at a new costumer.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean maybe you've already met who you're looking for… you just weren't really looking" she replied, to which I raised a confused eyebrow. She smiled and glanced around the shop again, noting that the new costumer was ready to order. "Maybe it's someone you see everyday, but you're just not paying attention" she stated while placing a reassuring hand over mine, "Keep on looking… somewhere out there, she's waiting for you" and with a final smile, she walked away.

Throughout the day, I couldn't get Marissa's words out of my head. They echoed around me at work, during lunch, during meetings and all the way home. And as I stepped onto the crowded elevator of my apartment building, they still rang in my ears.

Someone I see everyday, I thought as I glanced at the girl standing to my side. It was my neighbour from two floors up. Dark hair, blue eyes… Could she be the one?

The following morning, I was still caught up in what Marissa had said. I made my way along the busy streets, towards the coffee shop. I was earlier than usual. I wanted to talk to Marissa and was hoping to catch the shop less busy.

I was one block away when it started pouring and all I had on was a light jacket. I threw the hood over my head and made a dash towards the coffee shop. Finally reaching my destination, I pushed through the door and made my way inside. As I attempted patting myself dry, I made my way towards my usual seat without really paying attention. Next thing I know, I'm colliding with someone and landing hard on the ground. Not only was I soaked from the rain, I was now covered in coffee, eggs and a hint of sausage as well.

"Oh my god!" I instantly heard, "I'm so sorry!"

I looked up just as Marissa was bending down to clean up the mess. For some reason my shock turned into a grin as I caught sight of her panicked expression.

"It's alright" I said as I started picking up the broken dishes scattered on the floor.

"You don't have to do that" she stated softly, clearly embarrassed, "I'm so sorry" she repeated, refusing to meet my eyes.

"It's alright" I repeated as well just as we reached for the same remaining bit of a mug.

But the moment our hands touched, I felt a chill run through me and I knew it wasn't from the rain. I looked up and as our eyes met, something changed in me. An image of us building a life together flashed before my eyes and I knew I'd found her. She was the one.

A/N: This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, however... when I ended it and sent it to a friend, stating that I was considering making it a 3 part fic, she insisted I get back to writing... so in case there's any interest, I have 2 more parts typed up and ready to be posted :)