~Good Things~
Marissa slowly came up out of the dark of sleep. Quiet music filtered into her brain, becoming her first thoughts. ".There's a blaze of light in every word, it doesn't matter which you heard, the holy or the broken Hallelujah.". She turned on her side and felt cool air as the blanket slipped off her shoulder. Her eyes opened to see soft lights from the pool interrupting the dark beyond the windows, reaching in to illuminate the room.
There was movement at the foot of the bed; Ryan was shifting in the chair. "You're supposed to be asleep", he said, hoping that waking up here hadn't frightened her.
Marissa, still half asleep, smiled at him, noticing his hair, messy as if he'd had his head in his hands, and the wrinkled tuxedo shirt he was still wearing. He'd looked so handsome at Cotillion tonight, she thought dreamily, remembering how it felt to be in his arms -
- At Cotillion!!
She sat straight up, her eyes wide, panicking as memories of the evening came flooding back to her. Throwing off the blanket, she was up and halfway to the door before Ryan caught her. "My Dad!" she cried, voice rising and tears welling in her eyes. "Oh my God! I have to go-"
"Marissa, it's ok", Ryan spoke quietly, loosening his grip on her arm as she swung around to look at him. "He's at the hospital, they want to watch him overnight, but they think he'll be fine."
"I need to see him", she pleaded, still confused. He head was suddenly pounding, the pain closing her eyes, sending her hand to her forehead.
"Please, you need to lie down", Ryan said soothingly, hiding his concern.
"How did I get here? I don't - I can't - remember - I left you and Luke by the bench.." she trailed off, her voice falling to a whisper. She felt so weak.
Ryan put his arm around her. "Just lie down and I'll tell you what happened. Everything's fine", he insisted as he gently guided her towards the bed. Marissa went willingly now, wanting to stay near his strength; his calm voice like a lighthouse in her fog.
She sat on the edge of the bed, and he looked her over carefully. "I'm going to get you something to change into", he told her, figuring she would be more comfortable in anything other than her white gown and jewels. He quickly grabbed a t-shirt and pair of his shorts for her, and started out of the room so she could change. "Please don't leave. I - I -", he heard behind him, a hint of desperation in her voice. Realizing she was freaked and didn't want to be alone, he stopped moving. "I'll stay right here with my back turned", he promised.
"Ready", she advised him a moment later, He turned to see her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking - really cute, damn it - in his clothes, with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Her dress was in a heap on the floor by the bed.
"You need to lie down", he reminded her, walking over to straighten the bedding. She obediently slid down in the sheets and he pulled the covers back up around her.
"Ok", he started as he turned to head back to the chair. "After you left us by the bench - ", he stopped, surprised by her hand grabbing his. She tugged him back and he sat on the bed beside her, looking down at his hand, now being held by both of hers, their fingers entwined. He felt her gaze on him, and without moving his head he cautiously slid his eyes up and over to meet hers. There was suddenly not enough air in the room, no air at all actually, because he was under water, contentedly drowning in the warmth of her eyes.
Marissa's anxious voice brought him back to the surface, to air. "What happened at the country club, Ryan? Did I..?"
He took a deep breath, hoping his emotions weren't written all over his face. "You fainted. Seth's Dad - Mr. Cohen managed to catch you just before you hit the ground. He saw you leaving and knew you were upset, so he was already heading over to talk to you. Dr. Hill hadn't left yet, so Mrs. Cohen brought him over to check you out. He said stress had caused it, and that you just needed to rest, but that someone should keep an eye on you throughout the night. You need to go see him at his office tomorrow, though."
Marissa laughed weakly. The pounding in her head was subsiding, and she was starting to relax a little.
"What's funny?" Ryan wanted to know.
"By far, those were the most words I have ever heard you say at one time", she teased him.
He looked down, a half-smile shaping his mouth.
"So how did I get - here?"
"Your mom was at the hospital, so Mrs. Cohen called and told her we were taking you home with us for the night."
"Ah. My neighbors are such good people" Marissa mused.
"You don't have to tell me that", Ryan smiled, still not understanding what he had ever done right in his life to deserve them.
"And they were ok with me being ..out here?" she wondered, looking around the pool house.
"Mr. Cohen was the one who told me to bring you here and keep checking on you all night. You're supposed to be asleep anyway", he grinned at her, slightly embarrassed by what she was implying. Noting the weariness on her face, he added gently, "And I think you should get back to sleep now."
She smiled wanly and closed her eyes, lifting his hand, still trapped by hers, to her lips. "Thank you Ryan, you really are a white knight."
He felt his face flush, not sure if it was from embarrassment at being called a white knight, or from the fact that her lips were on his fingers. He decided it was probably the second one.
With her eyes still shut, Marissa quietly went on. "I can't imagine how different this would have turned out if I'd let Luke take me home."
Ryan froze. He carefully said, "Hey, you don't need to think about - that - right now. Just go to sleep." He didn't want her making comparisons between Luke and himself, or her thinking he was trying to influence any decision she might make about the two of them. She needed to rest. Who was he kidding anyway? There probably was no decision. One thing he did know for sure was that, when they were left alone, they had a great time together. Like on the pier that day, and at Cotillion last night before some idiot jacked her Dad in the face. The other thing he knew was, when Luke suddenly appeared behind them at the bench last night she had, surprisingly, not run into his arms and left with him. Now those were both very good things, but he wouldn't let himself think it meant more. He would still be her friend when - if she went back to Luke. Somehow.
Marissa sighed, sensing his troubled face without having to look. She was so tired. She remembered waking up here once before, embarrassed, knowing that Ryan must have found her passed out, brought her to his room, and put her to bed. She had watched him across the room that morning, sleeping on his stomach, wondering why a guy she barely knew would help her out, when her own boyfriend and friends couldn't be bothered. Since then he'd gotten in some bad situations, mostly because of her. He'd almost died at the model home, after Luke had followed her there. Which also got him sent to jail. She had also assured him he was welcome at the barbeque, and had started the conversation that led to Luke punching him, even after Ryan refused to fight. Then once again, when she made the deal with him to go to Cotillion if he did, there was Luke, pushing him around. All because she was naïve enough to think they could all be friends. How had she not noticed what an ass Luke had become? And Ryan? He had never blamed her. She asked and he gave and asked nothing in return from her. She smiled and shook her head. She was really slow to catch on, wasn't she?
"Catch on to what?" His low voice cut into her thoughts.
She looked up at him, startled that she had spoken out loud. "Nothing. Hey, you're not really going to sit there all night, are you? I mean - you need to get some sleep too, right?"
He would have sat there all night, he realized, but agreed with her anyway. "Yeah, I'm pretty wiped out." He untangled their hands, stood up and headed back to the chair.
"Look, this bed is big enough for six of us", Marissa cracked, looking over at the wide expanse stretching off to her right. "I think it's safe for us both to sleep here."
Ryan turned and looked back, debating how "safe" it might be in his head. He went to the other side of the bed, and carefully stretched out on his back. He was fully dressed on top of the covers and she was fully dressed under them, he thought, pulling the blanket he had covered her with earlier over himself. That should be innocent enough to keep any parents that wandered in from freaking out. He hoped. He felt the bed shift and then a light kiss on his cheek. She was gone, moving back to her side, before he could react. He opened his eyes and looked over at her, outlined against the low pool lights glowing through the windows. She smiled at him, and while continuing to watch his eyes, felt her way across the bed until she found his hand. Heart racing, Ryan smiled back. They lay like that for a moment, the look on her face making him forget how to breathe again, their arms reaching across the distance between them on the bed, fingers entwined in the middle. Marissa closed her eyes finally, and murmured, "goodnight, Ryan". "'Night", he whispered. He looked up at the ceiling, grinning in the dark. This was, most definitely, another very good thing.
Marissa slowly came up out of the dark of sleep. Quiet music filtered into her brain, becoming her first thoughts. ".There's a blaze of light in every word, it doesn't matter which you heard, the holy or the broken Hallelujah.". She turned on her side and felt cool air as the blanket slipped off her shoulder. Her eyes opened to see soft lights from the pool interrupting the dark beyond the windows, reaching in to illuminate the room.
There was movement at the foot of the bed; Ryan was shifting in the chair. "You're supposed to be asleep", he said, hoping that waking up here hadn't frightened her.
Marissa, still half asleep, smiled at him, noticing his hair, messy as if he'd had his head in his hands, and the wrinkled tuxedo shirt he was still wearing. He'd looked so handsome at Cotillion tonight, she thought dreamily, remembering how it felt to be in his arms -
- At Cotillion!!
She sat straight up, her eyes wide, panicking as memories of the evening came flooding back to her. Throwing off the blanket, she was up and halfway to the door before Ryan caught her. "My Dad!" she cried, voice rising and tears welling in her eyes. "Oh my God! I have to go-"
"Marissa, it's ok", Ryan spoke quietly, loosening his grip on her arm as she swung around to look at him. "He's at the hospital, they want to watch him overnight, but they think he'll be fine."
"I need to see him", she pleaded, still confused. He head was suddenly pounding, the pain closing her eyes, sending her hand to her forehead.
"Please, you need to lie down", Ryan said soothingly, hiding his concern.
"How did I get here? I don't - I can't - remember - I left you and Luke by the bench.." she trailed off, her voice falling to a whisper. She felt so weak.
Ryan put his arm around her. "Just lie down and I'll tell you what happened. Everything's fine", he insisted as he gently guided her towards the bed. Marissa went willingly now, wanting to stay near his strength; his calm voice like a lighthouse in her fog.
She sat on the edge of the bed, and he looked her over carefully. "I'm going to get you something to change into", he told her, figuring she would be more comfortable in anything other than her white gown and jewels. He quickly grabbed a t-shirt and pair of his shorts for her, and started out of the room so she could change. "Please don't leave. I - I -", he heard behind him, a hint of desperation in her voice. Realizing she was freaked and didn't want to be alone, he stopped moving. "I'll stay right here with my back turned", he promised.
"Ready", she advised him a moment later, He turned to see her sitting on the edge of the bed, looking - really cute, damn it - in his clothes, with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Her dress was in a heap on the floor by the bed.
"You need to lie down", he reminded her, walking over to straighten the bedding. She obediently slid down in the sheets and he pulled the covers back up around her.
"Ok", he started as he turned to head back to the chair. "After you left us by the bench - ", he stopped, surprised by her hand grabbing his. She tugged him back and he sat on the bed beside her, looking down at his hand, now being held by both of hers, their fingers entwined. He felt her gaze on him, and without moving his head he cautiously slid his eyes up and over to meet hers. There was suddenly not enough air in the room, no air at all actually, because he was under water, contentedly drowning in the warmth of her eyes.
Marissa's anxious voice brought him back to the surface, to air. "What happened at the country club, Ryan? Did I..?"
He took a deep breath, hoping his emotions weren't written all over his face. "You fainted. Seth's Dad - Mr. Cohen managed to catch you just before you hit the ground. He saw you leaving and knew you were upset, so he was already heading over to talk to you. Dr. Hill hadn't left yet, so Mrs. Cohen brought him over to check you out. He said stress had caused it, and that you just needed to rest, but that someone should keep an eye on you throughout the night. You need to go see him at his office tomorrow, though."
Marissa laughed weakly. The pounding in her head was subsiding, and she was starting to relax a little.
"What's funny?" Ryan wanted to know.
"By far, those were the most words I have ever heard you say at one time", she teased him.
He looked down, a half-smile shaping his mouth.
"So how did I get - here?"
"Your mom was at the hospital, so Mrs. Cohen called and told her we were taking you home with us for the night."
"Ah. My neighbors are such good people" Marissa mused.
"You don't have to tell me that", Ryan smiled, still not understanding what he had ever done right in his life to deserve them.
"And they were ok with me being ..out here?" she wondered, looking around the pool house.
"Mr. Cohen was the one who told me to bring you here and keep checking on you all night. You're supposed to be asleep anyway", he grinned at her, slightly embarrassed by what she was implying. Noting the weariness on her face, he added gently, "And I think you should get back to sleep now."
She smiled wanly and closed her eyes, lifting his hand, still trapped by hers, to her lips. "Thank you Ryan, you really are a white knight."
He felt his face flush, not sure if it was from embarrassment at being called a white knight, or from the fact that her lips were on his fingers. He decided it was probably the second one.
With her eyes still shut, Marissa quietly went on. "I can't imagine how different this would have turned out if I'd let Luke take me home."
Ryan froze. He carefully said, "Hey, you don't need to think about - that - right now. Just go to sleep." He didn't want her making comparisons between Luke and himself, or her thinking he was trying to influence any decision she might make about the two of them. She needed to rest. Who was he kidding anyway? There probably was no decision. One thing he did know for sure was that, when they were left alone, they had a great time together. Like on the pier that day, and at Cotillion last night before some idiot jacked her Dad in the face. The other thing he knew was, when Luke suddenly appeared behind them at the bench last night she had, surprisingly, not run into his arms and left with him. Now those were both very good things, but he wouldn't let himself think it meant more. He would still be her friend when - if she went back to Luke. Somehow.
Marissa sighed, sensing his troubled face without having to look. She was so tired. She remembered waking up here once before, embarrassed, knowing that Ryan must have found her passed out, brought her to his room, and put her to bed. She had watched him across the room that morning, sleeping on his stomach, wondering why a guy she barely knew would help her out, when her own boyfriend and friends couldn't be bothered. Since then he'd gotten in some bad situations, mostly because of her. He'd almost died at the model home, after Luke had followed her there. Which also got him sent to jail. She had also assured him he was welcome at the barbeque, and had started the conversation that led to Luke punching him, even after Ryan refused to fight. Then once again, when she made the deal with him to go to Cotillion if he did, there was Luke, pushing him around. All because she was naïve enough to think they could all be friends. How had she not noticed what an ass Luke had become? And Ryan? He had never blamed her. She asked and he gave and asked nothing in return from her. She smiled and shook her head. She was really slow to catch on, wasn't she?
"Catch on to what?" His low voice cut into her thoughts.
She looked up at him, startled that she had spoken out loud. "Nothing. Hey, you're not really going to sit there all night, are you? I mean - you need to get some sleep too, right?"
He would have sat there all night, he realized, but agreed with her anyway. "Yeah, I'm pretty wiped out." He untangled their hands, stood up and headed back to the chair.
"Look, this bed is big enough for six of us", Marissa cracked, looking over at the wide expanse stretching off to her right. "I think it's safe for us both to sleep here."
Ryan turned and looked back, debating how "safe" it might be in his head. He went to the other side of the bed, and carefully stretched out on his back. He was fully dressed on top of the covers and she was fully dressed under them, he thought, pulling the blanket he had covered her with earlier over himself. That should be innocent enough to keep any parents that wandered in from freaking out. He hoped. He felt the bed shift and then a light kiss on his cheek. She was gone, moving back to her side, before he could react. He opened his eyes and looked over at her, outlined against the low pool lights glowing through the windows. She smiled at him, and while continuing to watch his eyes, felt her way across the bed until she found his hand. Heart racing, Ryan smiled back. They lay like that for a moment, the look on her face making him forget how to breathe again, their arms reaching across the distance between them on the bed, fingers entwined in the middle. Marissa closed her eyes finally, and murmured, "goodnight, Ryan". "'Night", he whispered. He looked up at the ceiling, grinning in the dark. This was, most definitely, another very good thing.