A/N – You guys are so awesome with reviewing, thank you so much. Keep it up and I promise that I'll always update as fast as possible. Here's the next chapter, with some long awaited drama for you. Enjoy and review please!

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Seth surveyed the scene before him with distaste. The sight of his sixty year old boss Mr Crossley, dancing suggestively to a raunchy Timbaland song with his just as old and wrinkly wife was definitely not a sight to savour. The party was in a large function room at the lavish five star hotel "the four seasons" on the corner of 57th and Park Avenue. It was ten pm and the party had started three hours ago, yet still there was no sign of Summer. Seth was pissed off to say the least, she'd said she was coming that afternoon at work and he had been looking forward to having a drink and dance with her. Now it seemed that he was destined to spend the night sat alone drinking in the corner, watching everyone else have a good time while he pined over a woman that had never been and never would be interested in him.

Seth's misery was interrupted when he felt a body plop down next to him. 'Hey, no date?' Claire said curiously. She had obviously just arrived with Andy who was off talking to someone else. Seth suspected that if Summer was gonna make an appearance she would've come with them, and there was still no sign of her so it looked like she wasn't coming.

'Not tonight,' Seth replied dismissively. 'Where's Summer then.' Claire rolled her eyes at his question.

'Don't get me started. We went round her apartment to pick her up, only to find her in the middle of a major freakout. She was raving about how she had nothing suitable to wear and she point blank refused to go. I tried to convince her, believe me I did, but she wasn't having any of it.'

'Oh,' Seth replied disappointedly. Claire could sense his disappointment and it made her happy, it meant that he wanted Summer there. 'Well that sounds like Summer, she is just too damn shy and self-conscious for her own good,' he added frustratedly.

'You're telling me,' Claire countered with a sigh. 'I mean I'm her best friend and there are still some things she won't even tell me. She just keeps all her feelings bottled up, honestly I pity her because it doesn't seem like a nice way to live life, not being able to trust anyone.'

'I know what you mean. Oh well, looks like I'm hanging out on my own tonight,' Seth sighed.

'What, you mean you put all your stock into her showing up?'

'Well, yeah. I was the one who convinced her to come when she didn't have a date so it hardly would've been fair if I brought someone would it. Only problem with that is now she's not coming and I'm gonna be sat here bored and alone all night.'

'Ruth's dateless too ya know, you can hang out with her,' Claire said with a smirk. Seth raised and eyebrow and smirked back.

'Thanks but I think I'd rather gouge out my eyes,' he replied, causing her to giggle. 'Ah Ruth, so close yet so far from being the perfect woman. Supermodel looks, yes, an ounce of intelligence or personality, afraid not. I'm telling you, she makes Paris freaking Hilton look smart and interesting. I mean she-'

'Hey guys.' Seth whipped his head round when he heard a familiar voice. He couldn't help but blush embarrassedly. Although he'd been bitching about her, he hoped she hadn't heard him, he wasn't the type of guy that liked upsetting anyone.

'Uhh, hey Ruth,' he mumbled timidly.

'No date Seth?' she asked quizzically.

'Umm, no not tonight, what about you?'

'Nah me neither. Hey Claire.'

'Hey.'

'I've seen Andy, is Summer here?'

'No, listen I'm gonna find Andy, have fun you two.' With that, Claire got up and stalked off. She hadn't liked Ruth from the minute she met her but ever since she'd had that infamous bitching match in the canteen with Summer that had resulted in her best friend crying, her feelings towards the slutty blonde had been nothing short of hateful.

'So, if you're dateless like me, you want some company?' Ruth said sweetly. Seth shrugged and nodded. He figured he might as well, if Summer wasn't gonna be there he might as well try his chances with the second hottest woman in the company, possibly the second hottest woman he'd ever seen.

'Sure, you wanna drink?'

'Umm, yeah, a vodka and red bull please.'

'Okay, back in two.'

An hour later, Seth was what could only be described as halfway to wasted. He was up on the dance floor with a bottle of beer in hand, grinding his crotch against Ruth's ass to the beat of some provocative R&B song. All thoughts of Summer had completely vanished from his mind after a few drinks and he was now beginning to enjoy himself, mostly because of Ruth. Well he wasn't enjoying her company, she really didn't have anything interesting to say at all, it was more her smoking hotness and the way that she was driving him insane with lust that he was enjoying. Yep, Summer was completely out of his thoughts for the first time in months, his only thought now was screwing the living daylights out of the insanely hot woman grinding herself against him.

After the song had finished, Ruth span round to face him and drunkenly wrapped her arms around his neck. 'Wow, you move really well, I bet those skills aren't just good for the dancefloor,' she whispered huskily, resting her forehead on his as they continued to sway to the beat.

'You have no idea,' Seth replied with a tipsy grin. He then put his mouth on her ear and whispered, 'you're driving me crazy girl. You have no idea about all the things I wanna do to you,' he added, running his hands softly across her hips.

'Do it then,' she replied seductively, cupping his ass in her hands and squeezing.

'What now?'

'Yeah, we're in a hotel Seth, let's get a room.' Seth wasted no time in letting her know that he was completely up for the idea. He took her hand in his and dragged her into a little nook in the large room. The room was completely dark apart from the lights flashing from the DJ's set so it was highly unlikely that anyone could see them. He pushed her against the wall and pressed his body into hers. He crushed his lips against hers, letting his tongue explore every part of her mouth. Ruth moaned in ecstasy, she had been dreaming about doing this ever since she'd met him. Her hands snaked down the small space between them into his pants and grabbed his penis. Her eyes widened, damn it was big and she wanted it inside her more than she'd ever wanted anything.

'Holy fuck, I want you even more now,' Seth panted when they finally pulled apart after a few very hot and sexual minutes.

'I want you…………to fuck me…………right now,' she whispered seductively between passionate kisses. 'I'm gonna go freshen up, you go book a room and I'll meet you in the lobby in ten minutes,' she added with a horny grin before giving him one last intense kiss and stalking off. Seth watched her go, he loved the way her ass swayed from side to side, it made it look even more desirable.

When she was finally out of sight, Seth turned and headed for the lobby, slightly staggering due to his tipsiness. When he got to the door of the room, he flung it open and ran straight into someone, banging his knee painfully against their hip. They both shouted "OW" at the same time. 'Oh my God I'm so sorry, it was my fault, I'm such a clumsy assho-……oh, hey.'

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'I'm really glad you decided to come, albeit a bit late but you're here nonetheless,' Seth said as he sat down next to her on a comfy two-seater leather couch in the corner and handed her a drink.

'Yeah, sorry about that. I couldn't decide what to wear and freaked out, I'm sure you've realized by now that I'm kinda crazy like that.'

'Well I think you made the right choice,' Seth replied, motioning to the classy and elegant light red cocktail dress that hit her just below the knee. 'You umm, you look really beautiful tonight,' he mumbled embarrassedly. Even through the darkness, he saw a distinct blush creep into her cheeks.

'Thanks,' she whispered softly,' you uhh, y-you look good too,' she stuttered out, blushing so hard that her cheeks began to match the colour of her stunning dress.

Don't I always,' Seth replied with a cocky smirk and raised eyebrow. Summer smirked back and playfully slapped his arm. She obviously wasn't gonna admit it but he was damn right, he did look totally hot to her all the freaking time, even first thing on a Monday morning before he'd had his first coffee and he was a lifeless zombie. They settled into a comfortable silence, both sipping at their drinks, until Summer spoke up.

'So umm, did you ask that woman you like to come with you,' she asked curiously, scanning the crowd for any female that might be the woman in question.

'Uhh, no, no I didn't.' That was the truth, he hadn't asked her to come with him, she was there and sitting right in front of him but he hadn't asked her to be his date per se, he'd just asked her to show up.

'Oh, why not?'

'Well, I don't think this woman even knows I like her and I uhh, I think it'd be best for everybody if it stayed that way.'

'Okayyyyy,' Summer said confusedly, 'and why exactly is that?'

'It's complicated and I'd rather not get into it,' Seth mumbled, looking away to make sure he didn't give her a chance to read his eyes, which positively screamed "IT'S YOU SUMMER". 'Anyways, it just can't happen, let's leave it at that.' Summer nodded disappointedly, she was upset that he wouldn't open up to her. Seth sensed her frustration and it pissed him off, she was just as bad at keeping thinks from him.

'What's a matter Summer, annoyed that I won't open up to you. Yeah I totally know what that feels like, it's not nice is it.'

'Don't start Seth,' she mumbled angrily.

'Don't start what,' he replied innocently, 'I'm not starting anything, I'm just saying that it's upsetting when someone you want to know won't let you do just that.'

'Look, I'm here because you asked me to come okay. You said it yourself, I'm a good P.A and I get all my work done efficiently, what more do you want from me?'

'To know you Summer,' Seth replied loudly due to his increasing frustration, 'to know the real you, to get beyond the minor shit, is that too much to ask? You can trust me Sum,' he added softly when he'd calmed down, 'all I want is to be your friend, a true friend. I mean you don't really know anything about me either, don't you want to?' Summer looked down at the floor and shrugged and nodded.

'I guess,' she mumbled, 'but I'm not like you Seth, I can't just open up to people and let them know everything about me, I always think the worst of people until I'm one hundred percent sure they're trustworthy.'

'Well tell me Summer, tell me what I have to do to gain you're full trust.'

'I don't know, just don't push me Seth, I'll tell you in my own time. Just ask Claire, it took me months to trust her but when I finally did, we became best friends overnight.' Seth sighed and nodded.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay,' she muttered, looking up at him with thankful eyes for dropping the subject. 'Let's just talk about something else.' Seth nodded.

'Okay, what do you th-' He was cut off by a tap on his shoulder. They both turned round to see a thoroughly pissed off looking Ruth standing there, tapping her foot impatiently and glaring at them.

'What the hell Seth, I've been standing in the lobby for twenty fucking minutes,' she said angrily.

'Oh, umm, yeah about that, can I have a quick word with you.' When she nodded, Seth got up and pulled her away. He led her a little way away from Summer and the couch before turning to face her. 'Look, I'm sorry Ruth but Summer showed up and I kinda promised her that I'd hang out with her tonight.'

'WHAT!! Fuck her Seth, she probably doesn't even know how to do half the things I'll do to you if you come with me,' she said with a seductive grin, inching forward and resting her hands on his chest.

'I'm sorry Ruth,' Seth replied strongly, 'but I was the one who convinced her to come even though she didn't have a date, I'm not leaving her sat here all alone just to spend the night with you. Yes you're hot and I'm sure I'd love it but I'm not desperate enough to leave a friend on her own.'

'Fine,' replied angrily, 'you don't know what you're missing out on. Go back to her but you're wasting you're time, you'll never get with her and even if you did she'd be nothing compared to me. Have fun with your hand tonight Seth.' With that, she turned on her heel and stomped off in a huff. Seth just rolled his eyes before heading back to the girl he really wanted to be talking to. As soon as he'd run into her, all thoughts of Ruth had completely left his mind and once again, every one his thoughts were solely rested on her.

'Hey, sorry about that,' he said as he plopped himself down next to her again.

'It's okay, what did she want?'

'Oh you know Ruth, she just likes harassing people. I dunno but I get the feeling she's into me.'

'Oh she is, I know that for a fact. The day you started I was at the doctors remember.' Seth nodded. 'Well when I got to work I walked in and she rushed over to me. She asked me if I'd met you yet and when I said no, she started going on about how you were the hottest guy she'd ever seen. Personally I fail to see the attraction but whatever,' she added teasingly, to which Seth replied with a smirk. 'Anyways, she said she was gonna get you in the sack if it was the last thing she ever did so I'd watch out if I were you.'

'Well don't worry about that, it's never gonna happen.' Seth decided not to tell her that it had been dangerously close to happening, and the only thing that had prevented it was her appearance at the party. 'Nope, she'll have to do a lot more to get me in the sack, like grow a brain for example.' Summer giggled at his comment.

'So you're telling me you're not interested in the slightest? Are you gay?' Seth snorted at her words.

'You know I'm not gay Summer. Okay I can't deny that I think she's freaking gorgeous, but she hasn't got what it takes to hold my interest. I'm interested in women who are not only attractive, but who you can also have a joke with. Women who can be made fun of and make fun of me, who can challenge my quick wit, those are the type of women I'm into. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find a woman like that, until now that is.'

'The one you're into? The one that nothing can ever happen with?'

'Yeah,' Seth replied with a glum nod. 'I mean she is the most breathtakingly beautiful woman I have ever seen in my entire life and probably ever will, yet she's still a really down to earth person who isn't full of herself. She can take a joke and banter back and is kind and gentle and funny. To me, she is the perfect woman in every sense of the word.' Summer nodded but looked away. She didn't want him to see the upset look on her face at the fact that he was talking about his dream woman and it wasn't her. They settled into a weird silence, neither knowing what the other was thinking. After a minute or so, they were interrupted by the DJ's voice booming through the speakers.

'Okay people it's midnight so we have to wrap things up here. So that was the Smith & Webber Christmas party, hope you enjoyed it. Here's the last song of the night folks, it's a sloooooooow dance so I want everyone to grab someone and get your asses up on the dancefloor. Come on folks, grab your wife, husband, boyfriend, girlfriend, colleague, whatever, and get up now. Come on guys, UP UP UP!'

Seth looked at Summer and smiled. She instantly knew what he was thinking. 'No,' she said bluntly.

'Oh come on Summer, I said I'd save you the last dance. Pleeeeeeeease,' he added, using his puppy dog eyes and pout that she couldn't resist.

'Finnnnne,' she replied with a sigh, though she did have a big grin on her face. Seth let out a girlish squeal and clapped his hands together excitedly, something that made her give an amused snort. She thought it was weird, usually it was the woman doing the coaxing and the guy being reluctant to dance but not with them, they were the other way round. She let Seth grab her hand and drag her hand on the dancefloor.

When they got there, he pulled her body into his and wrapped his arms round her waist, causing sparks to fly in every direction and shivers of desire to run through her body. Little did she know that Seth was feeling the exact same thing. Summer instinctively curled her arms round his neck. She wasn't sure what the name of the ballad they were swaying to was. She thought it might've been Wonderwall by Ryan Adams, which she thought was the perfect song for the current situation. She peeked over Seth's shoulder, Claire was smirking at her while she danced with her husband. She gave her the thumbs up, to which Summer replied with a grin and roll of the eyes. She returned her attention to Seth. His facial expression was so intense, so focused on her. It was like dancing with her was the only thing in the world that mattered to him, and she loved it.

'Hey, umm, this is gonna sound stupid, but have you ever been in a situation where you were doing something that you thought was wrong, yet it just felt so right? He whispered mysteriously, gazing intensely into her eyes.

'Uhh, y-yeah,' Summer managed to choke out, completely overwhelmed by how connected she felt to this guy she'd known for only five short months. She highly suspected she was in one of those situations right there and then, and judging by his question, she suspected that he might've thought he was in one too. He was just her boss, barely even a friend, so why then, when they were dancing together like they meant much more to each other, did it feel so damn right.

'And have you uhh, have you ever been in a situation where your heart is screaming at you to do something that you're not sure is the right thing to do?' Seth continued softly.

'Yes,' Summer whispered, unable to rip her eyes away from his. Gone was the dancefloor, the people around them, it was just the two of them in their own little world, swaying together to the soft beat of the love song. Again, Summer was in one of those situations right at that very moment. Every fibre in her body was screaming at her to lean up and kiss him, but she was torn over whether or not that would be the right move.

'You have? Then what would you do, keep it all inside or follow your heart?'

'I think-' Summer froze when she realized that the advice she was about to give him applied to her too. She knew what she had to do and damn the consequences, she was gonna do it. 'I think………you always………have to………follow………your………heart.' She inched her face closer to his with every passing word. If she had been able to pay attention to anything other than the perfect set of lips that she was about to press her own against, Summer would've noticed Claire and Andy watching on with gleeful smirks on their faces, and Ruth surveying the scene with a look of death before stomping off. Summer was ready to do this, after years of being shy and unconfident she was finally going to take a risk to get what she wanted. She kept slowly inching her face forward, she knew that he knew what was about to happen as his eyes had changed, they'd grown dark and passionate and she'd seen him unconsciously lick his lips. She was nearly there, they both tilted their heads and closed their eyes, ready to be exactly where they wanted to be, physically and emotionally connected. 3……………2………………1……………

'SETH!'

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Seth whipped his head round when he heard his name being called. 'Oh God, this can't be happening.'

'Seth, Sethy!' she continued to screech as she staggered over to him and a confused looking Summer. When she got there, she forced her way between them, threw her arms around his neck and roughly forced her tongue in his mouth. Just watching it felt like someone was pouring acid in Summer's eyes, she felt herself tearing up.

Seth pulled away as fast a possible, her tongue tasted strongly of some kind of booze, he suspected vodka, and it wasn't nice. 'Whoa, umm, hey, are you drunk?'

'Nooooo,' Danielle replied, breaking into drunken giggles. Seth highly suspected that if she let go of his neck, she'd slump to the floor and pass out. 'Okay, so maybe I had a few,' she slurred, 'but what do you expect, my date turned out to be one boring bastard. Anyway, this party's over isn't it, let's go to your place and have a party of our own, I'm feeling really fucking horny.'

'Umm, I don't want to intrude or anything, but I thought you didn't have a girlfriend,' Summer chimed in, trying to sound casual even though she was seriously upset.

'Oh we're not dating, we just fuck,' Danielle replied loudly before Seth could answer. Seth closed his eyes, this was turning out to be his worst nightmare realized. 'Yeah, we're like best friends with benefits, totally casual and non-exclusive, it's awesome.'

'Okayyyyyy, what about that woman you like Seth?' At this, Danielle burst into a fit of giggles as if it was the most hilarious thing she'd ever heard.

'HA, Seth liking someone, yeah right. He doesn't like women, he just sleeps with them, all of them. He's slept with every girl that ever went into Brown in the last ten years and you've already screwed your way through half the women in New York haven't you babe.' Summer went as pale as a ghost she was that shocked. She never imagined he'd ever be like that.

'Is this true Seth.' She said disbelievingly, practically begging him with her eyes to tell her that it wasn't.

'Umm, no, she's just drunk. Come on Danielle, let's get you home.' With that, he tried to lead his best friend with benefits away but she shrugged him off and turned back to Summer.

'You don't mind if I borrow him for like, the rest of the night do you?'

'Umm, no,' Summer replied, looking down at the floor and trying to contain her tears.

'Wait, I wasn't interrupting anything was I,' she slurred, 'you guys weren't gonna hook-up were you?'

'What, NO, leave her alone Danielle,' Seth said angrily. 'I'm so sorry Summer, I'll umm, I'll see you on Monday okay.' He tried to drag her away again but once again she shrugged him off.

'Wait, you're not the P.A whose pants he's been trying to get into since he started are you.' Summer looked at Seth with a face as pale as a ghost. No, that just couldn't be true, could it. 'Yeah, you must be her. Word of advice sweetie, for God's sake get with him. I guarantee you, he is one of the hottest fucks you'll ever have. His dick is big and he sure as hell knows how to use it. I'd put him in the top five guys I've ever been with, and I've been with a lot.' By this point Summer was biting down hard on her lower lip to control her tears. Seth looked at her with pleading eyes. He reached out and put a hand on her forearm, she instantly moved away though.

'Summer, I-'

'No Seth,' she cut in, 'I umm…………I-I, I have to go,' she added in a heartbroken whisper before turning on her heel and running towards the exit.

'SUMMER, WAIT,' Seth shouted desperately but to no avail, she was already gone. He turned to his friend and gave her the most venomous look in history. 'WHAT THE FUCK DANIELLE,' he shouted angrily.

'What? I was just trying to help, you've been trying to get with her for ages.'

'No I haven't, Ruth is the hot P.A I'd like to bang. That was Summer, she's my P.A and I'm fall-' Seth's eyes widened when he realized what he'd been about to say. 'I'm falling in love with her,' he whispered to himself so Danielle couldn't hear.

'WHAT?' she slurred loudly.

'Nothing. Come on,' he said with a sigh, wrapping his arms round her waist to support her, 'let's get you home.'

'Can we have sex,' Danielle slurred excitedly. Seth rolled his eyes.

'Yes Danni, whatever you want.'

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'SUMMER, COME ON OPEN UP, I KNOW YOU'RE STILL AWAKE.' It was one in the morning and Seth was banging on Summer's apartment door, begging her to open up. As soon as he'd laid a passed out Danielle on his bed he'd headed straight over there. He knew she was still awake, he could hear her shuffling around inside. 'PLEASE SUMMER, OPEN UP,' he shouted desperately.

'WOULD YOU EITHER SHUT THE FUCK UP OR PISS OFF,' her incredibly annoyed neighbour shouted as he popped his head out the next door along.

'Hey, fuck off buddy, it's a free country.'

'Oh yeah, you want me to break your face you little prick.' At this, Summer's door flew open. Seth looked at her and his heart broke. She had big red puffy eyes and had obviously been crying. She looked a mess but Seth didn't think he'd ever seen her look more breathtaking.

'It's okay Steve, I'll take care of this jerk,' she said in a hoarse voice with a death glare at Seth. 'I'm so sorry, it won't happen again.'

'It's okay Summer, just choose your friends or whatever this guy is more wisely in future.'

'This guy isn't my friend, he's nothing.'

'Do you want me to get rid of him then,' he added sweetly. He looked desperate for her to give him permission to kick Seth's ass.

'Nah its okay, I got it. Goodnight Steve.'

'Goodnight, just knock on my door if there's any problem okay.'

'Okay I will,' Summer replied with a sweet smile. With that, Steve nodded before disappearing inside his apartment. Seth turned to Summer with an incredulous look on his face.

'Jesus, what's with that guy?'

'What's with him, what's with you,' Summer replied angrily, 'bashing my door down at one in the morning, are you trying to get me fucking evicted?'

'I'm sorry Summer but I really needed to talk to you about what happened earlier.'

'There's nothing to talk about Seth, go home.'

'No, not until you give me the chance to talk,' Seth replied forcefully and loudly.

'Fine,' Summer spat venomously, 'get in there and keep your fucking noise down.' Seth nodded and trudged into the apartment. Summer followed him in and shut the door behind them. 'So,' she said as she turned to face him, 'what do you have to say for yourself, that everything she said was a lie. That you don't just want to bang me then discard me like some 8th Street hooker.'

'I don't Summer, some things she said were true, but anything she said about me and you were definitely not.'

'What do you mean?' Summer replied, curiosity getting the better of her.

'Okay, I know you probably aren't gonna do the same, but I'm just gonna get everything out in the open and then I'll leave you to decide what you think of me. I guess it all started when I went to college. I was an eighteen year old geeky virgin who'd been bullied his entire life. I got to Brown to find out that for some unknown reason, east coast girls loved me. My virginity was gone within a month and after half a year there, I was already into double figures in terms of sexual partners. I guess you could say I was becoming the typical man whore. Anyway, I got worse and worse and as things stand, my girl count is anywhere between seventy and a hundred, I've kinda lost count.'

'Well that makes me feel a lot better,' Summer mumbled, looking at the floor.

'Summer, please just let me finish' Seth said desperately. When he got no response, he decided to continue. 'Anyways, I met Danielle when I was a junior. She was a naïve, pretty little freshman and we both caught each other's eye. I seduced her and we started hooking up. I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was she beautiful, she was also funny and smart and a nice person. She quickly became my best friend as well as my fuck buddy. Sure I still slept with loads of randoms but she was the only girl I ever felt a real connection with.'

'Then why isn't she your girlfriend?'

'Well we both just got the feeling that we wouldn't work like that. Besides, she didn't want that and neither did I, we were quite happy to be casual. Anyways, we both finished college and moved to New York at the same time so here we are, six years after we started, still meeting up three or four times a week to screw like rabbits.'

'That's where you go sometimes at lunch isn't it, to have sex with her.' Seth nodded ashamedly at her words.

'I'm not a slut anymore though. In my fifth year at college there was uhh, there was a scare, a HIV scare. Don't worry, I came out totally clean but it really opened my eyes. Nowadays it's only Danielle and two or three others a year, nothing compared to what I used to be like.' Summer nodded to show she'd heard but couldn't look him in the eye, something that greatly upset Seth. 'Look, I'm not happy with the way I've lived my life from the start of college but it's done now, it's too late to do it all again.'

'Well, I umm, I appreciate your honesty, but it doesn't explain what she meant when she said that I must be the P.A who you've been trying to get with for months.'

'Yeah umm, one of the first people I met at Smith & Webber was Ruth,' he mumbled sheepishly. 'My first thought when I met her was how freaking hot she was. I decided that she was gonna be my final casual fling before I settled down and looked for commitment.'

'So you mean it wasn't me she was talking about, it was Ruth?' Summer asked hopefully.

'Yeah. I could never see you that way Summer, just some random I wanna bang. Sure you're beautiful but you're also smart and I umm, I only go for the dumb slutty ones, hence Ruth.' Summer's heart melted the second he called her beautiful. 'Okay so that's the whole story. I know I'm a horrible, awful person Summer and you have every right to hate me but I swear to you, everything I've said is the truth.'

'I know Seth, I believe you,' Summer whispered with a faint smile.

'And we're cool, you don't hate me for being a womanizing bastard,' he asked in a shocked tone. Summer shrugged.

'Everybody makes mistakes and you said it yourself, you're trying to change. No I don't hate you, I respect you for telling me.' Seth smiled widely at her words.

'Thanks Summer, you're a true friend, well you are to me. Okay, I'll see you on Monday I guess, have a good rest of the weekend.' With that, he turned and went to open the door but was cut off by a small voice.

'Wait, don't you wanna hear my story?'

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Summer returned to the lounge, bottle of red Merlot in hand and plopped down next to Seth on her couch. 'Drink?' she asked. Seth nodded so she poured two large glasses and handed one to him. She sat back against the couch and tried to relax but just couldn't, Seth would only be the third person in New York she'd told about her past, behind Claire and Andy. 'Okay, you umm, y-you have to understand that this uhh, this is very difficult for me. You'll umm, you'll only be the third person I've ever told all this to since I've been in the city.'

'Summer, take your time okay, I'm not goin anywhere,' Seth replied with a reassuring smile, rubbing her knee softly. She nodded and downed her glass in one. When she finished, she took a deep breath, she was ready.

'Okay, so I guess it all started when my mom upped and left us when I was four. My dad buried himself in his work and emotionally distanced himself from me. I was left alone and was practically raised by our maid who didn't speak a word of English. Having no role models, it uhh, it kinda messed me up. I got in with the wrong crowd as soon as I got to high school. I was fourteen, at a typical Friday night party that I'd grown accustomed to. Of course I'd had a few drinks and this guy, I can't remember who it was or what he looked like, I have a feeling that he was a few years older than me. Anyways, he umm, h-he dragged me into a room and h-he………he.'

'Oh my God Summer. No, please tell me he didn't.' Summer nodded pitifully, the first tears had begun to fall.

'He did.'

'Oh Summer, I'm so sorry,' Seth whispered, wrapping his arm round her shoulder. She'd been ready to give up but as soon as he'd laid his gentle touch on her, she felt that she could continue.

'It was my virginity too, and I don't remember a single thing about that night,' she choked through sobs.

'It's alright Sum, you can stop if you want,' Seth whispered softly.

'No it's okay,' she replied, wiping away her tears and composing herself a little. 'Anyways, as if I hadn't been fucked up enough already, that really messed with my head. I figured that everybody already thought I was a huge slut so I might as well become one for real. I started sleeping around and partying even harder. I even picked up a few little substance abuse problems along the way.'

'What stuff?'

'Umm, alcohol and uhh…………umm….……coke,' she whispered embarrassedly.

'Oh Sum,' Seth cooed softly in her ear when she erupted into a fresh round of sobs.

'I'm okay, I'm okay,' she choked out. 'Right, so that carried on till I was about sixteen when I uhh, I-I , I got pregnant. I umm, I had no idea who the father was I was such a huge slut. Naturally my dad went crazy and he umm, he made me get rid of it. That was enough to make me sort myself out, it broke my heart to have to take that kid's life Seth,' she sobbed. 'Sure I didn't want it but I didn't want it to die either.'

'I know Sum, it wasn't your fault though, it was your asshole dad's.'

'Yeah, after the, you know, I calmed down. I got off drugs, stopped slutting around, made new friends and studied hard. I focused all my attention on getting good enough grades to go to Seattle University with my new friends. I even had one of those stupid charts on my wall which you cross off each day,' she added with a faint, teary smile.

'Seattle, but you went to UCLA,' Seth said confusedly.

'Hold on, I'm getting to that part. Right, so there was a massive turnaround in my grades, so much so that I was told by my advisor that I could get into any college on the west. Well as soon as my dad heard that, he made the decision that I was keeping up the long line of Roberts' who went to UCLA. I begged him to let me go to Seattle with my friends but he wouldn't listen, he sent me packing two thousand miles south.'

'I'm sorry but I gotta say it, your dad sounds like a real bastard,' Seth said angrily.

'Tell me about it,' Summer countered with a weak smile. 'Anyways, I found it hard to make friends down in L.A and whenever I did meet anyone, as soon as I told them about my fucked up life they just bolted. This resulted me developing a condition called social anxiety disorder.'

'S.A.D, you had S.A.D,' Seth said in a shocked tone, 'Oh my God Summer I'm so sorry. A college roommate of mine developed that so I've seen it firsthand, it's awful,' he added sympathetically. 'Is that why you're so shy and untrusting?' Summer nodded. 'And wait, that's why you wanted to be a nurse isn't it?' She nodded again.

I was always in and out of hospital for STD checkups, coke and alcohol overdoses, my abortion and umm, S.A.D therapy. They were always so nice, they didn't treat me like the cokewhore I was, they treated me more like a friend. I respected them and they respected me, that's what made me want to be one. Anyways, after therapy I grew a bit more confident but knew I was always gonna be shy. Somehow I managed to get through college without killing myself and moved out here as soon as I graduated. I managed to get a few decent friends, I even got confident enough to start going on dates and having sex again. Now three years later here I am, nothing but a shy woman with a seriously messed up past. So that's it I guess,' she whispered, tears streaming down her face. 'I'll understand if you never want anything to do with me ever again, after all who would if they knew what I've just told you.'

'Hey, it took a lot of nerve to tell me what you just did,' Seth replied strongly. 'Honestly, I'm just happy you've finally opened up, and you didn't judge me harshly so why should I do it to you. Summer, who cares what you were like in the past, now you're this smart, beautiful, mature, funny woman and I wanna be your friend, more than ever now.'

'Really,' Summer said through heavy sniffles, looking at him hopefully through huge puffy brown orbs.

'Really,' Seth replied with a smile. Summer wasted no time in throwing her arms around him and bursting into tears. Seth couldn't help but smile into her shoulder, this woman was beyond perfect in every single way. After five minutes of clinging to her tightly, Seth decided to break the silence. 'Okay, so I best get going, but I'll see you on Monday okay.'

'No, don't go, stay, I want you here,' Summer whispered, pushing him down on the couch and resting her head on his chest. Seth smiled, the night had gone from awesome, to shitty, right back to fucking awesome.

'Okay I'll stay,' he whispered, planting a kiss on her forehead before closing his eyes. After about half an hour of being comfortably intertwined with her on the couch, Seth heard Summer's breathing slow and eventually change into light snoring. He gently moved himself from under her, rolling her into a comfortable position. He couldn't stay the night, he'd love nothing more than to wake up in the morning in the same position they'd just been in, but he knew she might regret it. Seeing a pen and post-it pad on her phone stand, he walked over and scribbled a quick note.

Sum

Thought it would be best if I just went home, hope you're not too mad. I want you to know that you can trust me, I really care about you ya know.

Have a good weekend and I'll see you on Monday.

Love, your new best friend

When he'd finished, Seth peeled the note off the pad and walked over to her. Having no idea where to put it where she'd definitely notice it, he eventually decided to just stick it to her forehead. He smirked at the comical sight, he was still such an immature asshole at heart. He leant down and placed a soft kiss on her temple. 'Sleep tight my angel,' he whispered quietly and with that, he was gone.

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A/N – Whew, long chapter folks. So it's Saturday, which means tonight I'm gonna go out, get wasted and get laid. I'm most likely gonna wake up tomorrow with a raging hangover and the only thing that'll make me feel better is lots of reviews. My wellbeing is all on you guys, you don't want me feeling shitty on your conscience do you, DO YOU? Thought not. SO REVIEW. Same as last time people, the more reviews the faster the update. CHEERS.