-1Chapter 11

A/N I thought it would be fun to write a post, so here it is. Read my one shot, Too Long, if you haven't already. Also, in the next chapter, we're going to put to rest the whole Jack beating Ryan drama. Thanks for the reviews, R/R, enjoy.

Ryan Atwood woke to the sound of a little kid crying. He went outside and saw that people were already at the beach. He sighed looking at the clock, eight in the morning. Way to early for his liking. He smiled thinking of yesterday though. Him and Marissa were finally together. It may have only been two days that he knew her, but it felt like forever.

He grabbed his cell phone debating whether to call her or not. It was early in the morning, but there was always the chance that she was awake, right? They had exchanged phone numbers last night before she drove back home. His thoughts were interrupted by his cell phone ringing though. He glanced down at the caller id, it was Marissa.

He smiled as he answered the phone. "Hey, I was just going to call you." He said.

"Really, that's good because I was afraid I'd wake you up." She said. He smiled hearing her voice.

"No, some kid outside beat you to it."

"Aww, I'm sorry." She said. "You want to meet for breakfast? We could go to the diner, or something…." She trailed off. Ryan smiled thinking of how she was probably biting her lip, waiting for his response. He noticed she did this when she was nervous.

"The diner sounds great, I haven't eaten there for breakfast yet." He said. She'd told him how good the pancakes were also.

She gasped, "You seriously haven't eaten at the diner for breakfast yet? I thought you just hadn't eaten their pancakes" She said, as though it was the worst thing in the world.

Ryan laughed, "No, I haven't."

She said, "Well then, we're defiantly going to the diner now."

Ryan smiled when she said that. "Yeah, I'll pick you up in half an hour."

"Okay, see you then." Marissa hung up the phone and Ryan went to get ready. His life was wonderful right now. Now if he could only forget about Jack's last words. How does it feel, knowing no one wants you?

Marissa Cooper practically skipped downstairs when she heard the doorbell ring. She opened it to reveal Ryan and her heart skipped a beat. His hair was slightly damp, probably because he took a shower. He was wearing a black button up shirt over his wife beater. He had on jeans, and his black boots. He stood taller than her, and she smiled up at him. "Hey."

He leaned in and kissed her softly. "Hey." He said when he pulled back. "Are you ready to go?"

She smiled once more and said, "Yeah." She grabbed his hand and they walked to his car, him opening her door. She got in and he shut it, going over to his side. He entered and started the car. Marissa couldn't remove the smile on her face as she watched him drive. He was perfect.

On the way to the diner, there was a comfortable silence in the air. Marissa held Ryan's hand, and loved how her hand fit into his perfectly. When they arrived, he opened her door for him again and in return, she kissed his cheek.

They made their way to the booth that they had shared dinner in and Ryan looked down at the menu. "What do you recommend?" he asked her.

She didn't even have to look at the menu. "I'll order for you." She smiled an innocent smile, "If you trust me."

Ryan smiled and reached for her hand. "Of course I trust you." And Marissa could feel her smile get even bigger, if that was even possible.

"Okay then." She called for the waitress and ordered for them, the smile never leaving her face.

When the waitress left, she turned back to him. He asked, "So, how was your night?"

She smiled and said, "It was great, how about you?"

"Same as yours." He was quiet for a while and Marissa wondered what was wrong.

"What's on your mind?" She asked, concerned for him. He didn't say anything though, just shrugged. Marissa wanted to know what was bothering him, "Ryan, you can tell me."

He looked into her eyes, and she realized that there was a big problem. It had nothing to do with her though. She could only wonder what it was…..

Ryan Atwood went through the rest of the day with fake smiles and forced laughter. Yeah, he was happy to be with Marissa, but Jack's words were haunting him. Jack had told him he was worthless for the past couple of years. And as he watched Marissa laugh and saw the twinkle in her eyes, he couldn't help but wonder how long until she broke up with him. How long until she decided he was worthless.

He was now driving her home. He hadn't said much all day, and didn't plan to say much later. As they arrived at her house, she asked, "Do you want to come in for a little while? I don't think my dad will mind."

Ryan smiled a sincere smile and said, "yeah, I'd like that." They walked into the house to be greeted by Jimmy Cooper. He didn't seem very happy. Ryan immediately dropped Marissa's hand.

"Mr. Cooper." Ryan said. He didn't seem very happy still. Ryan noticed that he was eying Ryan's face and he suddenly became self conscious.

"Ryan, may I talk to you in private please?" Jimmy gave Marissa a look that told her to leave them alone. She sighed and walked upstairs and Ryan wished that she would stay down here and give him strength. "What happened?" Jimmy asked, his voice becoming soft.

"Nothing." Ryan replied. He wasn't ready to talk about it just yet.

"I know something happened, let me help you."

"It's over and done, you can't help me anymore." Ryan sighed and added, "Besides, you've done more than enough."

Jimmy didn't believe him though. "When you're ready, me and Sandy are here to talk." Jimmy called Marissa down. When she arrived, she looked afraid. Ryan gave her a reassuring smile and she seemed to relax some. "Marissa, the basketball is throwing a party tonight. And, Ryan's going to need something to wear. I thought you could help him."

Marissa smiled. "That I can do." She went over to Ryan and grabbed his hand. "Come on, we're going shopping." Ryan gave Jimmy a look and he started laughing.

That Night

Ryan finished getting dressed and put on his jacket. He heard a knocking on the door and opened it to reveal Marissa. He smiled and she leaned in and kissed him. "You look good." She said, letting herself in.

"You don't look so bad yourself." He said. Despite his bad mood, she really could take his breathe away.

She sat down on his bed and said, "Are you ready for the party?"

Ryan sighed and sat down next to her. "As ready as I'm ever going to be."

She put her head on his shoulder and reached for his hand. "I hate these parties. You always feel like everyone is watching you, because they are. They're also really boring." She smiled, then kissed his cheek. "It's a good thing I have you there."

Ryan felt himself smile too. "Yeah, a really good thing." He leaned in and kissed her. She deepened the kiss and he pushed her onto the bed, climbing on top of her. He started kissing her again but she shoved him back.

"Not right now, you're going to wrinkle our clothes." She got up and straitened herself up.

Ryan got up and kissed her again. "Okay, now I'm ready." She giggled and they walked out hand in hand, not knowing what the night was going to bring them.