Marissa sat next to Ryan, like a vision. She smiled, a slow smile. "Ryan. Never a guy of many words." Marissa tossed her head back and laughed.
Marissa could sense the tension in the air radiating from Ryan, Taylor, and some tiny blonde girl. The blonde girl was picking at her nail beds, and chewing on her nails. Taylor was awkwardly twirling a strand of auburn hair around a manicured finger.
Tiffany looked from Marissa, to Taylor, to Ryan. "Ryan is this another friend of yours?" she asked, knowing very well that meant ex. Ryan looked at Marissa, speechless. "Yeah. Tif. This is Marissa."
Marissa smiled and hugged the girl, and then hugged Ryan. "I missed you," Marissa whispered in Ryan's ear. Marissa then proceeded to hug Taylor.
"Marissa. Long time no see. Been hanging out with any hot Grecian guys while you were in Grease?" Taylor asked, praying that she had a boyfriend. Taylor had enough issues without Marissa.
"Well. You know. There's been a few, but none, right now." Marissa smiled. She knew that Taylor and Ryan were together for a while, she had heard from Summer. As strange as Taylor Townsend was, she was genuinely happy for Ryan and Taylor. If only Ryan didn't look so sexy.
"Coop!" Summer screamed, running to her best friend from the other side of the room. The girls hugged, squealing. "Taylor!" Summer hugged her other best friend, who was wearing the smuttiest thing she had ever seen. Taylor and her needed to catch up.
Summer saw Ryan and hugged him like the rest of them. "Attwood!" Summer was squealing, and yelling. She was so excited to see al her friends. It made up for the trauma of seeing Seth again. Almost.
Seth walked up to the group. "Marissa! I haven't seen you since that Tommy Lee wannabe, stole Taylor's prom money!" he laughed.
Why did Cohen keep coming up to them? It was like he wanted to make summer feel awkward. "Seth. Always full of sarcastic comments!" Marissa hugged Seth.
"Nice to see you too." Seth smiled, and glanced at Summer. She looked beautiful. Summer avoided Seth's gaze. Seth couldn't stand Summer's attitude; she was acting as if Seth wasn't there. It was time to do something.
"Sum?" Seth looked at her as she focused her eyes on her Jimmy Choo clad feet. "Can we talk?" he asked. Summer nodded. "Sure. If it will shut you up." Summer followed Seth, leaving the group, over to a corner.
"Sum. I know this is really weird. and strange. You know. You and me. Exes," Seth babbled. Summer nodded. "Thanks Captain Obvious. Get on with it, Cohen."
Summer couldn't understand why she was being so mean to Seth. He was trying to be nice and she kept snapping. But deep down, she was really felt embarrassed. Embarrassed that she had ever broken up with him in the first place.
"Okay Summer. I just think, we should be friends," Seth said. Friends. Since when were Summer and Seth ever just friends. Summer nodded once again, picking at her thumb nail.
"Sure. Lets be friends," Summer said, for once looking Seth in the eyes. "Friends," Seth repeated. Seth reached out and hugged Summer, a very friendly hug.
Summer wanted that hug to last forever. She wanted him to hold her like that. Wait. Could it be possible that she could have feelings for Seth?
"So. Marissa. Where have you been?" Ryan asked. Marissa smiled. "A little bit of everywhere, actually. I've been traveling." Ryan just looked at her. Marissa didn't look any bit different than she did when he last saw her.
"Everywhere? Huh. That's way more exciting than being in Newport," Ryan said. Marissa laughed. "Well. I'd say that Newport is pretty exciting. Scandal. Newpsies." Marissa admitted.
The word scandal made Ryan think of the most scandalous woman in Newport. Julie Cooper. "Speaking of scandal. Have you talked to your mom?"
Marissa thought for a moment. She had talked to her mom, briefly, several weeks ago. "I've talked to her a few times. Heard about her and your dad. We could have been step siblings." Ryan hated that thought. Marissa was way to beautiful to possibly be his step sister.
"Never thought about it. But yeah." Ryan stared into her baby blue eyes. He pushed a stray hair out of her eyes, slightly startling her. Ryan leaned closer to Marissa and-
"Hey guys? Do either of you know what time dinner is being served yet?" A perky voice called. Taylor Townsend had interrupted their moment. Purposely.
"No idea." Marissa backed away from Ryan.
Ryan felt surges of mixed feelings rush though his body. He knew he had Tiffany, yet he still wanted to wrap his arms around Taylor and relive their last moments together, in the sleeper car. And then there was Marissa.
She just added more feelings. As much as he had loved her in high school, he didn't know if maybe they had both changed.
Summer and Seth walked together, back to the group. Summer had never been so relieved. Seth and her were freed of most of the awkwardness, and they could be normal. Summer surveyed the situation. Atwood was in a big pot of trouble.
He was sitting between Taylor and his new girlfriend, Tiffany, and Marissa was sitting across from him. Summer laughed to her self. He was sure in for a handful.
Summer saw Luke, sipping a beer and talking to Holly, and she sidled over there. "Hey. Holly!" Summer said, hugging the girl. As much as she had hated Holly in high school, for hooking up with Luke in T.J, she couldn't hold a grudge.
Holly, was busy minding her kids, who she had brought to the reunion, so Summer got a chance to talk to Luke.
"So Sum. Hows life been?" Luke asked, staring at her with his light blue eyes. Summer seem flustered for a second, and then regained her cool. "It's been great. So where have you been? What have you been up to?" Summer asked, returning the question.
"Nothing to interesting. I actually did some modeling. Guys clothing adds and stuff." Luke smiled. The modeling didn't surprise Summer one bit. Luke always was the preppy-boy model type. "Have you seen Marissa yet?" Summer said, pointing to the willowy blonde.
"No. But dang. She looks hot," Luke exclaimed in a typical Luke fashion. Luke got up and walked over to Marissa leaving Summer. "Men." Summer scoffed out loud.
"What about us?" A familiar voice said. They had obviously over heard Summer talking to her self.
Summer spun around. "Cohen?" She said, seeing Seth standing behind her with a classic smirk on his face. "Sum? Talking to your self? I thought only I did that, but I guess I was wrong." Seth babbled, annoying Summer, in a way, that honestly, she loved to be annoyed.
"Cohen. First of all, when you referred to your self a man, you were mistaken. You cry, during chick flicks." Summer smiled, remembering when Seth had cried in "The Notebook." He was sobbing.
"That was only once!" Seth protested. Summer continued. "And I wasn't talking to myself." Seth laughed, and looked at her. She was serious, yet joking. "Okay, Summer., my friend. Whatever you say." Seth smiled tauntingly and walked away.
God. He bugged Summer so much. Seth's bugging was not the same as other people's bugging though. When Seth bugged her, it was just…………hott.
The dinner had been served and Ryan wanted to get out of the party room as soon as possible. He just needed sometime to think; to sort out his feelings. It would be good that Tiffany was going home after dinner, and he had his hotel room to himself, for the next two nights.
Tiffany wouldn't be able to bug him, or ask him a zillion questions about Taylor or Marissa. He could just think. He glanced next to him, at Taylor, who was eating pasta, in a lemon cream sauce. She made eating, sexy.
Marissa tapped Ryan, waking him up from thoughts. "Ry. Did you hear anything I just said?" She asked, tucking a stray strand of sandy blonde hair behind her ear. "Sorry. Riss." He looked at her. She was glowing and beautiful.
He felt bad that he was ignoring her, but he certainly didn't want to send Tiffany into an uproar.
Finally, the dinner was over and the harbor school graduates were given room numbers. Tiffany followed Ryan up to his room, her green eyes smoldering.
"Ryan. What was all that about?" she asked her voice rising. "All what, Tif? This is a reunion. I'm going to see old friends." Ryan said, frustrated. He had tons of feelings mixing up inside of them.
"Ryan. You know what I'm talking about. I could see it on your face. You have feelings for that Taylor girl, and Marissa. You looked like you were going to kiss her!," Tiffany said, her tiny body shaking. She was mad. He didn't need Tiffany doubting him, when honestly, he doubted him self.
"Tiff. It isn't anything," Ryan said, trying to explain him self. Tiffany wasn't buying it. "Ryan. I'm going to go now. I cant deal with this. Give me a call later. If you aren't too busy making out with one of the exes." Tiffany stormed out, leaving Ryan feeling empty.
Seth lay down on a comfortable, white hotel bed, flipping channels. There was nothing good on T.V. Suddenly, he heard a sharp knocking sound. Seth eased him self off the bed and walked over to the door. He peered thorough the peephole, and there was no one there. Seth opened the door and looked in the hallway.
In the doorway of the room next to him, talking to a bellhop, who had brought up a cart full of luggage, was Taylor Townsend. Soaking wet. And wearing nothing but a towel, wrapped around her self. Seth must have heard the bell hop knock on her door. But he was so glad he did.
Taylor looked so amazing. Long tan legs, gorgeous face, wet hair. Seth was practically drooling. Taylor saw him and waved. "Hey Seth!" She called smiling. Taylor took her luggage and shut the door behind her.
Taylor had, had the most awful evening. As mmuch as she loved to see Summer, seeing Ryan was awful. He didn't seem to share the same feelings that she did about them getting back together. He seemed distant. And he had that skank with him.
As Taylor put on her pajamas, she thought of Tiffany. His girlfriend. The thought of Ryan holding another girl like he held her, or kissing another girl like he kissed her, brought her to tears. Pretty soon she was sobbing, loudly.
Seth could hear loud crying, in the room next to him; Taylor's room. What if she was hurt? Seth bolted out the door, like any caring friend would, and knocked on Taylor's door. "Taylor. Open up. Are you okay?" He yelled into the door. A muffled reply came back, inaudible. Then the door opened to reveal a disheveled looking Taylor, with mascara streaming down her face, wearing a short, black lacy nightgown.
"Seth? What are you doing here?" Taylor asked, rubbing away her tears. "I heard you, and just wondered if you were, you know, okay?" Seth said, watching Taylor mop up her face.
"Thanks, Seth. There's just a lot going on. I just like someone who doesn't feel the same way," Taylor said, one stray tear running down her face. "You can come in." Seth walked in to Taylor's hotel room and the two sat on the bed.
"This is about Ryan, right?" Seth asked, knowingly. Taylor frowned. "Yeah. It is. I just. I love him and he has her."
Seth hated seeing her cry. He wiped a stray tear off her face, his finger lingering on her cheek. Seth brought his voice down to a whisper. "I don't see why he wouldn't like you. You're beautiful."
Seth was shocked that those words had come out of his mouth. He had be merely thinking of them, when they just came out.
Taylor's face lit up. "that's sweet," she whispered to Seth. Suddenly their faces were inching closer and closer. Seth's lips brushed against Taylor's, and then Seth cupped his hands around Taylor's face. He kissed her, and she wrapped her arms around him.
The kiss was pure bliss. It felt like the perfect illicit kiss. But all good things have to end sometime. Seth pulled away from Taylor soft lips, gently.
"You need to go, Seth," Taylor said. That was coming from her brain, while her hear, not to mention her lips, wanted to make out with Seth forever. Seth quietly left in a daze. He touched his fingers to his lips. Had that really just happened? And why did it feel so good?