Ryan Atwood sat by his computer and signed on to check his email. His girlfriend April slept peacefully on the bed behind him and as his computer warmed up, he stole a glance at the sleeping redhead.

He was very comfortable and happy in his new apartment; true he had only been living there for three weeks, but already he felt like he was at home. Ryan was entering his senior year at the University of California, and after three years of dorm life, Sandy Cohen had decided that it was time for Ryan to enjoy having his own place.

The apartment was a comfortable one, small and clean and only three blocks away from campus; it was Ryan's reward for being an honor student, for being on the Dean's list semester after semester. Going into his senior year, Ryan had a bright future before him: He had started to apply to Stanford University and its famous architecture program and all his professors had a strong confidence that he would get into the university and thrive there.

The computer ready, Ryan logged onto his campus email and smiled at the notice that Seth had sent him a message. Seth and Summer were currently in France, visiting Ryan's ex girlfriend Taylor Townsend and helping her pack her things. After graduating from the Sorbonne, Taylor had turned down an offer write for a Parisian literary journal so she could return to America and study philosophy.

"You know of course that she's heading your way. Expect a phone call in a few weeks" the email had read. Taylor and Ryan had dated for five months three years ago but the relationship had flickered out while she had studied in France; it had been a mutual and fairly painless breakup and in the few emails they had exchanged over the next two and a half years, Ryan had learnt that Taylor had dated a Spanish cook on and off and had decided to get her master's and PhD in philosophy from Berkeley.

The last email he had received from her had arrived in early March, four months ago. She had told him she had been accepted into Berkeley and that she was moving to San Francisco, so he should expect to see her and spend time with her; the email had been entirely friendly and without any underlying subtext. Ryan doubted very much that she had any feelings for him and his conversations with Summer—who was Taylor's close friend, seemed to confirm this.

That was all well and good because Ryan really enjoyed his time spent with April. They had met in the beginning of his junior year and Ryan had been so impressed by April that he had left the girl he had been dating for her. It had created a scandal amongst his friends but he could not help himself; her red hair and deep blue eyes had bewitched him and he had not regretted a single moment of his time with her.

As he watched April, she stirred and awoke; it was almost like she was aware of his eyes on her.

"What are you going?"

"Just checking my email—did I wake you up?"

"No—I had a dream that you were trying to bake the world's biggest pizza."

"Did I do it?"

"No—you were buried by an avalanche of molten cheese." She giggled at the memory and then yawned because of her efforts. "Why don't you come to bed?"

"Let me just finish reading this email."

"Who is it from?"

"Seth—they're having a good time in France." Ryan had been invited by Taylor to come along but he had been too busy with work and life to go. "Summer says hello."

"Hello Summer." Yawning again, April turned onto her stomach and stretched out her body. "You gave me a good workout Ryan."

"Well I do what I can." As Ryan watched her in amusement, he wondered why he had never told her he loved her. Honestly, in his heart, he did not know if he did or not. Certainly she was fun and beautiful and bewitching, but something held him back. It was almost as if fate had other plans in store for him but had not yet made up their minds as to what those plans were.

"Maybe I can return the favor in the morning?"

"Well I better get to work in making the evening disappear." April smirked and blew a kiss at him. As Ryan laughed he turned back to his email and finished reading. Seth and Summer were staying for two more days and then going back; Taylor was staying for an extra three days and then flying to Newport for a few weeks to spend time with her mother.

"She hopes that you'll have the time to take her apartment hunting. Dinner will be a form of repayment." Taylor was always one to make a game plan and it seemed that she was forming one already. Veronica Townsend had searched San Francisco for apartments herself and had formed a list of five very attractive prospects; it was Taylor's charge to narrow those five into one. Apparently, it was Ryan's charge to show Taylor where said apartments were located.

"Taylor wants me to take her apartment shopping."

"Oh? Will you?"

"I guess so—she usually gets what she wants once she gets an idea in her head."

"Well that's sweet of you." Ryan's blue eyes were on April's, trying to get a sense of how she felt about this ex girlfriend appearing on the scene.

"I wont if it's weird for you."

"Is it weird for you?"

"No, not really." He was certainly over her and it seemed to him that Taylor was certainly over Ryan.

"Then it isn't weird for me. She's a part of your life again and I don't want to keep that from you." That was April, always so very sweet.

"You're nice."

"I know." Again April blew him a kiss and demanded that he come to bed. "You can dream about your friend Taylor later" she teased him and laughed.

"Only thing I'm going to dream about is you."

"Well come over here and show me what your dreams are made of." Ryan turned off the computer and joined April in bed.