This Time Around
Disclaimers: I don't own the O.C.—obviously!
A/N: I was sitting around, and this came to me! A little background info: Seth/Summer never happened. Summer hardly ever acknowledged Seth's existence in high school, except to make fun of him. The year: 2012. I'm going to try to post the second part of this later tonight or tomorrow, before I go away...
Chapter One: Recognition
"Mr. Cohen?" Jen, the new cashier, came hurrying towards me. "There's a customer out there, and she's upset."
I sighed. What was it with employees these days? Didn't they know that the customer was always right, and it was best to give them exactly what they wanted?
I walked out to the cash register with Jen. She stood to the side, nervously picking at her fingernails, while I turned to address the unhappy customer.
"Are you the manager?" I almost fainted when I saw her. There was Summer Roberts, in the flesh. Talking to me!
I shook hands with her, still somewhat in a state of shock. "Yes, I'm Seth Cohen. How can I help you?
And I waited for the glimmer of recognition in her eyes. A sign that would tell me she remembered me. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"I'm Summer Roberts," she replied. "This cashier was extremely rude and unhelpful. I tried to return this," she gestured towards a black Charvet tie, "And she had the nerve to ask me why. I'll return the goddamn tie if I want to return it! I don't need a reason."
I stole a glance at Jen, who was, to my dismay, now biting her fingernails. We'd been over this more than once. If a customer wanted to return something, they could return it. No questions asked. That was our policy. Unless the merchandise was damaged, customers were guaranteed a full refund.
"Ms. Roberts," I began, trying to keep my cool, and thanking God and Captain Oats that I'd buffed up over the years. "Of course you can return this. In fact, I'm going to give you a fifty dollar store credit, since you've been quite inconvenienced."
A slight grin formed at the corners of her crimson covered lips. "Now that's the kind of service I expect from Neiman Marcus," Summer said. "Thanks."
She glared at Jen, who seemed to have moved on from her fingernails, to finding split ends in her hair. I mentally slapped myself for hiring such pathetic employees. Jen was definitely not going to be working here too much longer. I'd gotten more complaints about her service in the month she'd been working here than about employees who'd been working here for years.
While the computer printed out a little certificate for fifty dollars of store credit, Summer drummed her nails, which matched her crimson lips, on the glass countertop. I couldn't help but notice that she kept sneaking glances at me. Did she recognize me? I wasn't sure, but I hoped she didn't. The last thing I needed was Summer reminding me of my less-than-perfect high school days.
Once the transaction was completed, Summer gave me one last smile, which told me she hadn't recognized me, and walked away. I stared after her sashaying hips until Jen nudged me.
"Uh, Mr. Cohen," Jen whined, "Ms. Roberts left her purse here."
I couldn't believe my good fortune when I saw that multicolor Louis Vuitton lying on the counter. I would get the chance to talk to Summer again! I grabbed the bag, instructed Jen to give the customers whatever they wanted, and ran after Summer. It didn't take me long to find her. She was walking towards her car, that petite brunette powerhouse of a woman. Not to sound cheesy, but her hair was flying in the wind, and she was walking with this huge confidence that was still such a turn-on.
"Ms. Roberts," I yelled, hoping she would hear me. Summer turned around and shielded her face from the sun with her hand. Walking towards her, I waved her Louis in the air.
When I reached her, she gratefully, and a little forcefully grabbed the purse and opened it. After checking to make sure everything was still there, she looked at me. "Thanks. Most guys would've taken my cell number or held it for ransom unless I let them take me on a date. You're different."
Oh, God. That familiar sinking pit in my stomach was returning. The feeling I hadn't experienced since I walked the halls of Harbor High was coming back. But then she continued.
"Since you don't seem like the macho kind of guy, I guess I'm going to have to make the first move," she rolled her eyes and smiled at me in a flirtatious manner. "Let's have dinner."
Before I could say anything, she had taken a pen out of her purse. And after she grabbed my hand and started to write her number on it, I couldn't say anything. This was surreal. Summer Roberts was giving me her number. Sorry, did you not get that? Summer Roberts, the one who ridiculed me and rejected me in high school, wanted to go on a date with me!
Somebody had better pinch me, I thought. Because this dream is way too good to be true. "Call me, Seth," Summer demanded, letting go of my hand. She gave me a small wave which I somehow managed to return, and walked over to her Porsche Boxster S.
What just happened? I thought. I shrugged and walked back into the store.
*
"Wait, can you start over?" Ryan asked. I had just rushed through my run-in with Summer, and apparently my half brother was confused. I didn't see what was so confusing. Summer came to return something, totally hit on me, and asked me out. There you go.
I sighed. "She came into the store and wanted to return some tie. So my worst employee Jen, finds a way to screw it up. And I had to come out and talk to Summer. Which, in my opinion, was a sign from up above. Come on, there's no way it was a coincidence that my worst employee was working the register today. I should give her a raise. If it weren't for Jen, I wouldn't have a date with the hottest girl in the 92661!"
"Seth, get back to the story," Ryan ordered. One thing I'd kept since high school, besides my Jew-fro, was my tendency to ramble.
"Fine. So I gave Summer a store credit and she was all happy. And she kept sneaking these glances at me, like I didn't see them! But I did. She forgot her purse there, which I'm beginning to think was on purpose, you know? So I ran after her and gave it back to her, and she whips out a pen and writes her number on my hand! She demanded that I call her. Which I'm obviously going to do," I wrapped up. I couldn't stop grinning. Seriously, I was on cloud 9. No joke.
"Okay, Seth, let's think here. You really want to go on a date with the very girl who made your high school years a living hell?" Ryan pointed out. God knows I loved that kid, but he was such a party pooper.
"Ryan," I whined. "This is my chance to live out all of my teenage fantasies! Why can't you be happy for me?"
Ryan sighed. "Hold on, Marissa's home." He put down the phone, and I could hear Marissa's voice. After a minute or two, Ryan got back on the line.
"Don't tell her, Ryan." Even though Marissa and Summer weren't on speaking terms anymore, I didn't want Marissa to know every detail of my personal life. That, and the fact that I knew what her opinion would be on the matter. She and Summer had had this huge falling out and Marissa would say that I deserved so much better than her. The truth was, well...that was the truth. Why should I go on a date with someone who wouldn't give me the time of day in high school?
Because I'm Seth Cohen. And besides, I was desperate. Can you blame me? "Don't worry, I wont," Ryan reassured me. But somehow, I wasn't so sure. Marissa had this knack for pressuring Ryan into telling her everything. And let me tell you, it's not a good thing.
"We'll talk later, man," I responded. It wasn't safe to talk with Marissa on the loose. She was known for picking up the phone during conversations and talking to Ryan. As if she couldn't walk a few feet to him and ask him for whatever it was that she needed!
*
Ryan had made me promise not to call Summer for two days. He still couldn't get over the fact that she didn't recognize me, but still insisted that I didn't want to appear desperate. Because if things went well, she was bound to find out my true identity sooner or later. And then, when she re-crushed my heart into a thousand pieces, at least she wouldn't be able to say that I was desperate, too.
The day I was allowed to call Summer was Saturday. I called Ryan beforehand for a pep talk.
"You know what I think?" Ryan said. I wanted to tell him that I didn't care what he thought, unless it was advice for my date with Summer. Ryan had become increasingly random lately. The last thing I needed was his opinion on the Final Four picks. Okay, so betting with him on the NCAA tournament was something I enjoyed, but now was not the time.
"No, go ahead," I sighed, and braced myself for a lame joke, or some useless piece of information.
"You should go out with Summer, and like, seduce her or something. Then, after she falls in love with you, you should tell her who you are and dump her. That will teach her a lesson," Ryan surprisingly stayed on topic.
"First of all, congrats on sticking to the topic at hand. I'm proud, really," I told him. "Second of all, that's mean. It just might work."
As much as I liked Summer in high school, she scarred me for life. Okay, so not so badly that I would need therapy for the rest of my life, but still. Just let me wallow in my misery.
"Really? Marissa didn't think you would go for it," Ryan said, then realized his mistake. "I mean, I didn't think you would go for it."
Nice try, Ryan, but I had noticed his slip-up.
"This was Marissa's idea?"
"No," Ryan replied quickly, "It was mine. I kind of ran it by her beforehand. And now she owes me five bucks."
"You bet on my potential dating situation?" I squeaked, half pretending to be mad. What was with Ryan and betting? And with Marissa? They shared everything, so it's not like he was gaining any money. I forced my brain to stop working before it could think of the other things he might want to collect instead of money. Oh, God. I'm really messed up. You see what Summer did to me!
"Chill, Seth. It's no big deal," Ryan answered. "Listen, why don't you go out, and see how it goes? If you still have feelings for her, like strong feelings, then forget what I said. But, if you're not sure...put the plan into action, okay?"
"Okay. I'm going to go call her," I said, shaking my head. Ryan and Marissa were two conniving brats. I couldn't help but love them.
*
"Hi, Summer?" I said.
"Well, that took you long enough," Summer spat. "Don't you know it's rude to leave a girl hanging?"
So much for Ryan's 'don't act desperate' plan. It seemed to me that the desperate one was Summer. I'd point that out to Ryan later, though.
"Sorry," I replied meekly. "Did you want to go out tonight?"
"Um...normally, I'd turn you down, since you didn't call me right away. And I consider dating me to be a privilege. But for some reason, I think I want to go out. So yes," Summer stated.
Summer had always been bold and straightforward, but Seth didn't remember her being this frank.
"Okay, do you want to go to Fleming's?" I asked. If I remembered correctly, Summer loved steak. And she especially loved the steaks at Fleming's.
"Oh my God! I totally love Fleming's! Why don't we meet there at seven? You make the reservation, okay?" Summer said, emphasizing the last part. I knew that it wasn't a question; rather a command. Whatever. I could live with her bossiness.
*
I glanced around nervously. What if she stood me up? Maybe she knew all along who I was, and was just playing me. Yeah, highly unlikely. But Summer was cruel. At least the Summer Roberts I knew in high school was cruel. Could she, would she be different? I was about to find out.
"Seth," Summer called, as she walked through the door. My jaw dropped considerably more than when I'd seen her the other day. She was wearing a deep red halter dress and the highest Manolos I'd ever seen.
Okay, let's backtrack for a second. Did I just make a reference to Manolos? Are you wondering why I even know what Manolos are? Well, I'm the manager of Neiman Marcus, so I know a lot about clothes. Women's and men's alike.
I let myself be pulled into her tight embrace. "You look great," I told her. It was true. Her hair was done in this gorgeous French twist, and she smelled like Chanel No.5.
A little while later, we ordered wine and our dinner. I tried my best to steer the conversation away from me, and my high school years. Which, I must say, wasn't too hard. Summer loved to talk about herself. And I can't deny the fact that I loved hearing about her life, either.
"So, do you have any brothers or sisters?" Summer turned the conversation over to me. I was in the spotlight.
"No, I'm an only child," I lied. Well, it wasn't a total lie. Technically, Ryan wasn't my real brother, but I treated him like he was. And I felt like he was. Which explained why I felt like total crap telling Summer that I was an only. But it was Ryan's idea in the first place to hide the truth from her. So there.
"Me too," Summer smiled. Somehow, my hand slowly inched towards hers, until it was resting on top of it. Her nails were slightly digging into my palm, but it was nice. I'm a little weird, I know.
We didn't run out of things to talk about, even though any time Summer started to mention high school, I quickly changed the subject. She didn't even seem to notice my rush in switching topics. Not that I'm complaining, or anything.
After dinner, I decided to take charge for once and so I kissed her. The chemistry I'd wanted to test since we were in third grade was definitely there. She pulled back from the kiss. I thought that she was somewhat shocked. I knew she hadn't been expecting the sparks to fly with a guy she met at Neiman Marcus. Well...who knows what was going through her mind.
"Bye, Seth," Summer said. "I had a really great time." She gave me a quick peck on the lips and pranced over to her Porsche.
"I'll call you," I yelled after her, walking towards my Mercedes SL55. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Summer Roberts liked me. She really liked me.
If you told my sixteen year old comic book loving self that I would one day be pursued by Summer Roberts, I would've laughed in your face and said, "yeah, right." Well, you would've been right.
I still liked Summer. The chemistry between us was undeniable. But that didn't mean I couldn't have a little fun of my own.
Strap on your seatbelt, Summer Roberts. You're in for a wild ride!
Disclaimers: I don't own the O.C.—obviously!
A/N: I was sitting around, and this came to me! A little background info: Seth/Summer never happened. Summer hardly ever acknowledged Seth's existence in high school, except to make fun of him. The year: 2012. I'm going to try to post the second part of this later tonight or tomorrow, before I go away...
Chapter One: Recognition
"Mr. Cohen?" Jen, the new cashier, came hurrying towards me. "There's a customer out there, and she's upset."
I sighed. What was it with employees these days? Didn't they know that the customer was always right, and it was best to give them exactly what they wanted?
I walked out to the cash register with Jen. She stood to the side, nervously picking at her fingernails, while I turned to address the unhappy customer.
"Are you the manager?" I almost fainted when I saw her. There was Summer Roberts, in the flesh. Talking to me!
I shook hands with her, still somewhat in a state of shock. "Yes, I'm Seth Cohen. How can I help you?
And I waited for the glimmer of recognition in her eyes. A sign that would tell me she remembered me. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"I'm Summer Roberts," she replied. "This cashier was extremely rude and unhelpful. I tried to return this," she gestured towards a black Charvet tie, "And she had the nerve to ask me why. I'll return the goddamn tie if I want to return it! I don't need a reason."
I stole a glance at Jen, who was, to my dismay, now biting her fingernails. We'd been over this more than once. If a customer wanted to return something, they could return it. No questions asked. That was our policy. Unless the merchandise was damaged, customers were guaranteed a full refund.
"Ms. Roberts," I began, trying to keep my cool, and thanking God and Captain Oats that I'd buffed up over the years. "Of course you can return this. In fact, I'm going to give you a fifty dollar store credit, since you've been quite inconvenienced."
A slight grin formed at the corners of her crimson covered lips. "Now that's the kind of service I expect from Neiman Marcus," Summer said. "Thanks."
She glared at Jen, who seemed to have moved on from her fingernails, to finding split ends in her hair. I mentally slapped myself for hiring such pathetic employees. Jen was definitely not going to be working here too much longer. I'd gotten more complaints about her service in the month she'd been working here than about employees who'd been working here for years.
While the computer printed out a little certificate for fifty dollars of store credit, Summer drummed her nails, which matched her crimson lips, on the glass countertop. I couldn't help but notice that she kept sneaking glances at me. Did she recognize me? I wasn't sure, but I hoped she didn't. The last thing I needed was Summer reminding me of my less-than-perfect high school days.
Once the transaction was completed, Summer gave me one last smile, which told me she hadn't recognized me, and walked away. I stared after her sashaying hips until Jen nudged me.
"Uh, Mr. Cohen," Jen whined, "Ms. Roberts left her purse here."
I couldn't believe my good fortune when I saw that multicolor Louis Vuitton lying on the counter. I would get the chance to talk to Summer again! I grabbed the bag, instructed Jen to give the customers whatever they wanted, and ran after Summer. It didn't take me long to find her. She was walking towards her car, that petite brunette powerhouse of a woman. Not to sound cheesy, but her hair was flying in the wind, and she was walking with this huge confidence that was still such a turn-on.
"Ms. Roberts," I yelled, hoping she would hear me. Summer turned around and shielded her face from the sun with her hand. Walking towards her, I waved her Louis in the air.
When I reached her, she gratefully, and a little forcefully grabbed the purse and opened it. After checking to make sure everything was still there, she looked at me. "Thanks. Most guys would've taken my cell number or held it for ransom unless I let them take me on a date. You're different."
Oh, God. That familiar sinking pit in my stomach was returning. The feeling I hadn't experienced since I walked the halls of Harbor High was coming back. But then she continued.
"Since you don't seem like the macho kind of guy, I guess I'm going to have to make the first move," she rolled her eyes and smiled at me in a flirtatious manner. "Let's have dinner."
Before I could say anything, she had taken a pen out of her purse. And after she grabbed my hand and started to write her number on it, I couldn't say anything. This was surreal. Summer Roberts was giving me her number. Sorry, did you not get that? Summer Roberts, the one who ridiculed me and rejected me in high school, wanted to go on a date with me!
Somebody had better pinch me, I thought. Because this dream is way too good to be true. "Call me, Seth," Summer demanded, letting go of my hand. She gave me a small wave which I somehow managed to return, and walked over to her Porsche Boxster S.
What just happened? I thought. I shrugged and walked back into the store.
*
"Wait, can you start over?" Ryan asked. I had just rushed through my run-in with Summer, and apparently my half brother was confused. I didn't see what was so confusing. Summer came to return something, totally hit on me, and asked me out. There you go.
I sighed. "She came into the store and wanted to return some tie. So my worst employee Jen, finds a way to screw it up. And I had to come out and talk to Summer. Which, in my opinion, was a sign from up above. Come on, there's no way it was a coincidence that my worst employee was working the register today. I should give her a raise. If it weren't for Jen, I wouldn't have a date with the hottest girl in the 92661!"
"Seth, get back to the story," Ryan ordered. One thing I'd kept since high school, besides my Jew-fro, was my tendency to ramble.
"Fine. So I gave Summer a store credit and she was all happy. And she kept sneaking these glances at me, like I didn't see them! But I did. She forgot her purse there, which I'm beginning to think was on purpose, you know? So I ran after her and gave it back to her, and she whips out a pen and writes her number on my hand! She demanded that I call her. Which I'm obviously going to do," I wrapped up. I couldn't stop grinning. Seriously, I was on cloud 9. No joke.
"Okay, Seth, let's think here. You really want to go on a date with the very girl who made your high school years a living hell?" Ryan pointed out. God knows I loved that kid, but he was such a party pooper.
"Ryan," I whined. "This is my chance to live out all of my teenage fantasies! Why can't you be happy for me?"
Ryan sighed. "Hold on, Marissa's home." He put down the phone, and I could hear Marissa's voice. After a minute or two, Ryan got back on the line.
"Don't tell her, Ryan." Even though Marissa and Summer weren't on speaking terms anymore, I didn't want Marissa to know every detail of my personal life. That, and the fact that I knew what her opinion would be on the matter. She and Summer had had this huge falling out and Marissa would say that I deserved so much better than her. The truth was, well...that was the truth. Why should I go on a date with someone who wouldn't give me the time of day in high school?
Because I'm Seth Cohen. And besides, I was desperate. Can you blame me? "Don't worry, I wont," Ryan reassured me. But somehow, I wasn't so sure. Marissa had this knack for pressuring Ryan into telling her everything. And let me tell you, it's not a good thing.
"We'll talk later, man," I responded. It wasn't safe to talk with Marissa on the loose. She was known for picking up the phone during conversations and talking to Ryan. As if she couldn't walk a few feet to him and ask him for whatever it was that she needed!
*
Ryan had made me promise not to call Summer for two days. He still couldn't get over the fact that she didn't recognize me, but still insisted that I didn't want to appear desperate. Because if things went well, she was bound to find out my true identity sooner or later. And then, when she re-crushed my heart into a thousand pieces, at least she wouldn't be able to say that I was desperate, too.
The day I was allowed to call Summer was Saturday. I called Ryan beforehand for a pep talk.
"You know what I think?" Ryan said. I wanted to tell him that I didn't care what he thought, unless it was advice for my date with Summer. Ryan had become increasingly random lately. The last thing I needed was his opinion on the Final Four picks. Okay, so betting with him on the NCAA tournament was something I enjoyed, but now was not the time.
"No, go ahead," I sighed, and braced myself for a lame joke, or some useless piece of information.
"You should go out with Summer, and like, seduce her or something. Then, after she falls in love with you, you should tell her who you are and dump her. That will teach her a lesson," Ryan surprisingly stayed on topic.
"First of all, congrats on sticking to the topic at hand. I'm proud, really," I told him. "Second of all, that's mean. It just might work."
As much as I liked Summer in high school, she scarred me for life. Okay, so not so badly that I would need therapy for the rest of my life, but still. Just let me wallow in my misery.
"Really? Marissa didn't think you would go for it," Ryan said, then realized his mistake. "I mean, I didn't think you would go for it."
Nice try, Ryan, but I had noticed his slip-up.
"This was Marissa's idea?"
"No," Ryan replied quickly, "It was mine. I kind of ran it by her beforehand. And now she owes me five bucks."
"You bet on my potential dating situation?" I squeaked, half pretending to be mad. What was with Ryan and betting? And with Marissa? They shared everything, so it's not like he was gaining any money. I forced my brain to stop working before it could think of the other things he might want to collect instead of money. Oh, God. I'm really messed up. You see what Summer did to me!
"Chill, Seth. It's no big deal," Ryan answered. "Listen, why don't you go out, and see how it goes? If you still have feelings for her, like strong feelings, then forget what I said. But, if you're not sure...put the plan into action, okay?"
"Okay. I'm going to go call her," I said, shaking my head. Ryan and Marissa were two conniving brats. I couldn't help but love them.
*
"Hi, Summer?" I said.
"Well, that took you long enough," Summer spat. "Don't you know it's rude to leave a girl hanging?"
So much for Ryan's 'don't act desperate' plan. It seemed to me that the desperate one was Summer. I'd point that out to Ryan later, though.
"Sorry," I replied meekly. "Did you want to go out tonight?"
"Um...normally, I'd turn you down, since you didn't call me right away. And I consider dating me to be a privilege. But for some reason, I think I want to go out. So yes," Summer stated.
Summer had always been bold and straightforward, but Seth didn't remember her being this frank.
"Okay, do you want to go to Fleming's?" I asked. If I remembered correctly, Summer loved steak. And she especially loved the steaks at Fleming's.
"Oh my God! I totally love Fleming's! Why don't we meet there at seven? You make the reservation, okay?" Summer said, emphasizing the last part. I knew that it wasn't a question; rather a command. Whatever. I could live with her bossiness.
*
I glanced around nervously. What if she stood me up? Maybe she knew all along who I was, and was just playing me. Yeah, highly unlikely. But Summer was cruel. At least the Summer Roberts I knew in high school was cruel. Could she, would she be different? I was about to find out.
"Seth," Summer called, as she walked through the door. My jaw dropped considerably more than when I'd seen her the other day. She was wearing a deep red halter dress and the highest Manolos I'd ever seen.
Okay, let's backtrack for a second. Did I just make a reference to Manolos? Are you wondering why I even know what Manolos are? Well, I'm the manager of Neiman Marcus, so I know a lot about clothes. Women's and men's alike.
I let myself be pulled into her tight embrace. "You look great," I told her. It was true. Her hair was done in this gorgeous French twist, and she smelled like Chanel No.5.
A little while later, we ordered wine and our dinner. I tried my best to steer the conversation away from me, and my high school years. Which, I must say, wasn't too hard. Summer loved to talk about herself. And I can't deny the fact that I loved hearing about her life, either.
"So, do you have any brothers or sisters?" Summer turned the conversation over to me. I was in the spotlight.
"No, I'm an only child," I lied. Well, it wasn't a total lie. Technically, Ryan wasn't my real brother, but I treated him like he was. And I felt like he was. Which explained why I felt like total crap telling Summer that I was an only. But it was Ryan's idea in the first place to hide the truth from her. So there.
"Me too," Summer smiled. Somehow, my hand slowly inched towards hers, until it was resting on top of it. Her nails were slightly digging into my palm, but it was nice. I'm a little weird, I know.
We didn't run out of things to talk about, even though any time Summer started to mention high school, I quickly changed the subject. She didn't even seem to notice my rush in switching topics. Not that I'm complaining, or anything.
After dinner, I decided to take charge for once and so I kissed her. The chemistry I'd wanted to test since we were in third grade was definitely there. She pulled back from the kiss. I thought that she was somewhat shocked. I knew she hadn't been expecting the sparks to fly with a guy she met at Neiman Marcus. Well...who knows what was going through her mind.
"Bye, Seth," Summer said. "I had a really great time." She gave me a quick peck on the lips and pranced over to her Porsche.
"I'll call you," I yelled after her, walking towards my Mercedes SL55. I couldn't keep the smile off my face. Summer Roberts liked me. She really liked me.
If you told my sixteen year old comic book loving self that I would one day be pursued by Summer Roberts, I would've laughed in your face and said, "yeah, right." Well, you would've been right.
I still liked Summer. The chemistry between us was undeniable. But that didn't mean I couldn't have a little fun of my own.
Strap on your seatbelt, Summer Roberts. You're in for a wild ride!
