Disclaimer: I don't own The OC.
Author's Note: Lately I feel extremely 'shippy' toward these two and can't help it.
The first time he even considered having a girlfriend, the woman he had in mind wasn't exactly someone he wanted to date. Ryan Atwood had kissed Taylor Townsend but only because she needed his help. And he was the kind of guy that if someone needed his help, he would be there to assist them. Kissing Taylor came with the territory of helping her and he knew that. But after their lips connected, he realized that he she was not someone he wanted to be with. He went along with it all, just to help her convince the French lawyer that they were dating; it was all a part of Taylor's plan to get her marriage annulled. Ryan didn't agree with the way she was going about doing so but if it was the only way to make her scheme work, he decided that he had to go along with it.
Later that night when Taylor showed up on the doorstep to his pool house, Ryan immediately saw that he had given her the wrong idea. He wasn't interested in a relationship with her, but he invited her in and was surprised to see that she had brought him something. A peach torte, she explained, going on and on about how she had only passed the torte-making classes in France. Ryan nodded but he didn't hear a word she said. His mind was focused on another woman; the woman he would've rather been spending his evening with. They ate the torte, chatting about random things until Taylor gave Ryan a hug and departed with a smile. Ryan closed the door behind and went to the nightstand to get his phone.
The phone was programmed into his mind now, his fingers dialing it without him guiding them. He pressed the phone to his ear, his face expressionless. It rang once, twice, three times. Ryan was getting ready to hang up when her calm voice answered.
"Hello?"
He swallowed, wanting his voice to sound clear. "Julie? It's Ryan."
Julie raised one brow as she heard Ryan's voice. Instantly, her mind filled with questions. Why was he calling her? What did he want? Didn't he realize how painful it was for her to hear him speaking? Her thoughts were interrupted as Ryan began talking again.
"Julie, are you there?"
The brunette blinked rapidly to flush the tears from her eyes. "Um, yes. I'm here."
Ryan heard the unusual emotion in her voice and he started feeling guilty. Had he known that she wasn't having a good day, what he assumed to be cause of the sensitive tone in her voice, he wouldn't have called. But now that he had her on the line, there wasn't any sense in hanging up.
"Julie, I think we should talk," Ryan stated firmly. "Are you busy right now?"
The brunette glanced around the room, sighing inwardly. She wanted an excuse; something that would prevent the two from talking, but there was nothing. "No," She closed her eyes and settled down onto the couch in her living room. "I'm not."
"Would you mind coming over?"
Her eyes opened immediately. "Why?"
Ryan pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. Had he not stated why just a moment ago? "To talk, Julie."
They didn't need many words and had discovered that long ago. Coming from the same backgrounds, Julie Cooper and Ryan Atwood were more alike than they cared to admit.
"I'll be there in ten minutes." Julie pushed the "end call" button on her phone and sighed. She was not in the mood to see Ryan. So why had she agreed?