Crave
I'd like to dedicate this chapter to OCgirl411 who is currently working on a fanfic trailer for this fic
*lets out an excited squeal* I can't thank her enough!
Seth approached the pool house cautiously after school, from the door he could see Ryan on the bed with Summer lying half on his chest, she was fast asleep. Ryan was flicking through channels on the TV.
He nodded to Ryan silently when his brother noticed him enter. Ryan turned the already low volume of the TV down even further, "hey," he greeted quietly.
Seth gently took a seat on the edge of the bed, he glanced at Summer, "man, it's hard to believe anyone would want to hurt her."
"Seth, man, she wouldn't want your pity," Ryan gave Seth a pointed look, and reached to lovingly stroke some hair away from Summer's sleeping face.
"I'd like to kill whoever hurt her -" Seth began.
"-yeah me too, man," Ryan's voice was hard.
Seth looked at him, the question clear in his eyes, "has she told you who... who hurt her?"
Ryan shook his head.
Seth shrugged, "I guess I should've known. You'd have beaten them to a pulp already I guess..."
Seth's eyes were drawn to Ryan's hand lying nearest to him on the bed, it had became a fist and his knuckles turned white, "it's probably best I don't know. I'd be in prison for murder right now..." he looked down to Summer who shifted slightly.
As Summer began to stir Seth stood ready to bolt out the door, "shit, I didn't mean to wake her up."
"Nah, she needs to wake soon or she won't sleep tonight. Though she does seem to sleep easier in the day," Ryan stoked Summer's face gently as she opened her eyes and frowned at him for disturbing her.
As she let out a yawn she sat up, stretching she looked over to Seth, "hey Cohen."
Seth gave her a small smile, "hey Summer."
Summer turned to Ryan, "I feel we need to vary our screen time activities," she gestured at the TV they'd been watching all day, and a smile creeped onto her face, "wanna go beat Seth at video games?"
Ryan grinned, "sure, it's not hard."
"Hey!" Seth objected as the pair pulled themselves up and they all headed for the main house.
Later around the dinner table Summer took a deep breath and looked to Sandy and Kirsten.
"I have a favour to ask from you guys, you've done too much for me already - letting me stay here, feeding me - I really appreciate it. I hate to ask more from you but it's just something I can't do myself - but if you don't want to please say no, you don't have to -"
"-Summer," Sandy interrupted, "don't be silly, you can ask anything of us and we'd do it."
Kirsten nodded in agreement, "although to be honest you're making it sound like we've done a lot more than what we have. Staying in the pool house and eating our food is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Anything else we can do to support you, sweetie, we'll do it."
Summer took in a shaky breath, "it's a biggie."
"Anything," Kirsten confirmed.
"When my dad comes for me tomorrow... will you tell him... what happened? I know it's a lot to ask -" tears pooled in Summer's eyes and Ryan reached to take her hand.
"Of course we will," Sandy nodded, his voice thick with emotion.
"If were honest, we worried you wouldn't want him to know. I think he needs to know and if you want us to do it then that's perfectly OK," Kirsten said with a smile.
Summer looked down into her plate, "he's going to be so disappointed in me," she said quietly.
"Hey," Ryan squeezed her hand, "he's got nothing to be disappointed about - you couldn't help what happened to you."
"He's going to be disappointed I didn't report it," Summer clarified. "Knowing Daddy, he'll want me to report it now - or at the very least hire a Private Investigator to find out who... who did it."
"Well if he finds out he can let me know," Ryan murmured under his breath.
Summer looked at him, "don't you do anything stupid Atwood."
Ryan jerked his hand away, "how can I?" he hissed, "you won't give me anything to go on! A name! A description! What he was wearing!"
Summer gave him a hurt look, "because you want to go and kill him. And I won't have you getting yourself into trouble over me!"
"Then forget about you -" Ryan stood, his anger building, "what if he's doing it to some other girl right now, huh? You want that to happen?"
Summer winced at his words.
"Ryan, calm down and sit down," Sandy barked.
"Look," Ryan breathed out hard, his voice lower as he brought his anger back in check, "I get the reasons you don't want to go to the police, the interrogation, the questions, the risk of the whole of Newport knowing your business -" his volume went up a few notches, "- what I don't get is why you won't tell me! You've told me all the other sick details for fuck's sake!"
Summer stood, her own eyes now blazing with anger, "I'll tell you again!" she yelled, "because I don't want you to get in trouble! I don't want you to go to prison for attacking someone or worse case for murder!" She swallowed and spoke more calmly, "and a part of it is selfish - that I need you right now. But another part is that I care about you, and I won't let you suffer for me."
She glared at him for another second and then sat back down, ignoring the huge temptation to walk out. Summer ultimately realised this was the safest place for her to be.
In order to bring the normality back to the dinner table she ignored everyone's stares and she picked up her fork and shovelled in some food.
Everyone remained silent as they waited for Ryan's reaction.
Slowly he sat back down to and looked at Summer, still eating vigorously, "you know as good as it is to see you eating, you should probably chew it."
Summer swallowed what was in her mouth, glared at him for a second and then turned to Kirsten and Sandy, "thanks for saying you'll tell my Dad. I really really appreciate it." Her head turned towards Ryan, but she didn't meet his gaze as she spoke, "the selfish part of me wants you to go and beat the bastard up too, Ryan, don't think I don't want that. But I want you here with me more." And with that she stood and left the room.
Ryan stood to follow her, but Kirsten stood too, "how about, you cool off and I'll go talk to her," Kirsten said gently.
Ryan went back to the pool house after a brief chat with Sandy and Seth. Summer and Kirsten had been elsewhere in the house talking.
He started on his punch bag, needing to relieve some tension.
A short while later he felt someone's presence behind him, he turned to find Summer looking at him sheepishly.
"Hey," she greeted.
Ryan steadied the punch bag and then moved toward her, "hey."
"So, I guess that was our first fight, huh?" She bit her bottom lip and looked at him anxiously.
"C'mere," Ryan murmured, seconds later she was in his arms.
"I'd hurt anyone that hurts you," Ryan told her speaking into her hair, "but not if you don't want me to."
Summer swallowed and stepped back, "then I trust you to tell you this."
He kissed her forehead, "what's that, Sum?"
She took his hands and met his eyes, "6 foot, blonde hair, piercing green eyes."
It dawned on Ryan what she was telling him and his heart both shattered with devastation and exploded with anger.
Summer's eyes glistened with tears, "earring in his right ear, stubble, green t shirt and jeans, black hoody, converse."
Ryan couldn't respond in any other way than to scoop her up into his arms and bring her to the bed where they wrapped around each other before falling into a troubled sleep.
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