Chapter Thirty-Five: Fool Proof Plans

"To get you and Atwood back together…"

Marissa's jaw dropped, her eyes darting back and forth between the smiling Seth and Summer. She closed her eyes and shook her head, opening them again and trying to form what to say in reaction to that. It's not like she could blurt out the fact that she and Ryan might already be back together. They hadn't even spoken for weeks and then were suddenly thrown together to get everything out…resulting in a nighttime grope session. She didn't know where they stood now. They never officially finished their talk. She assumed they were together again, but who ever knows with them? What if their weekend was just a one time thing? Close quarters, high tensions – anything could happen, right? Summer put a hand on Marissa's leg, shaking it encouragingly. "Coop, our plan is fool proof." Summer said, smiling widely. "Seth and I have been talking about it, and we think it's really gonna work." Marissa tried to smile, nodding with Summer and looking as enthusiastic as possible. "Uh…what'd you have in mind?" Marissa asked, her voice high and quiet in nervous anticipation.

Summer looked at Seth and grinned, looking exceptionally excited for her friend. "Well we obviously need to get you two alone together for a while…although I'm sure you had a lot of angry interaction over the weekend." Marissa laughed nervously, thinking back. Summer probably assumed Marissa was still mad at Ryan for being so distant early on. She had been pretty clear during their phone call that Ryan was not her favorite person at the moment. She wanted so bad to say that things were better now…that they had talked and were honest with each other for the first time in months. She was just caught off guard- confused about everything she seemed so positive about five minutes before. "Well…Sum, you don't have to do this." Marissa said, trying to easily shake it off. "It's okay, really." She got up from the bed and ran a hand through her hair, letting her other hand slip into her jean pocket. Summer's face fell as she got up as well. "Why not?" she asked pleadingly. "Come on, Coop. I thought this was what you wanted…"

Marissa sighed, feeling bad for trying to dismiss Seth and Summer's attempt for relationship reconciliation. Of course it's what she wanted. It's what she always wanted. She just wasn't sure of how they'd go about it without pushing Ryan too far. She'd accept their help for now…hoping in the back of her mind that things wouldn't turn outside of their favor. There were so many instances on television when a friend tried to get people together, only to push them further apart when they'd go along with it. Of course she hoped it wouldn't happen here…even if she and Ryan weren't officially back on. Marissa looked down at her feet, completely surrounded by tension and pink carpet. "I don't know, you guys." she said in defeat. "I just don't think it's going to work." Seth crossed his arms and thoughtfully nodded, secretly agreeing with Marissa. He was forced into the action by a certain girlfriend. He wanted to help Ryan and Marissa, but knew how Ryan got when people meddled in his relationships.

"If anything I think we should do it ourselves when the time comes." Marissa continued. Summer's shoulders sank as she nodded as well, looking toward Seth with sad eyes. She shrugged, disappointed but understanding. "I appreciate it, Sum. I really do." Marissa said, reaching out to her best friend for a gentle hug. Summer half smiled, patting Marissa's back until they pulled away. "Now…" Marissa started again. "If you'll excuse me, I wanted to do some laundry and get cleaned up, so I guess I'll just see you two later." Marissa gave Seth a wave, walking across the room to open the bedroom door and emerge into the hallway. Seth and Summer stood alone, silent and awkward. Summer put her hands on her hips and gave Seth a side glance. "So…" he said with wide eyes. "You wanna make out?" Summer shrugged her shoulders and walked toward Seth, who casually leaned against Summer's mirror dresser. "…Whatever." she mumbled.

Marissa stood in the laundry room, sorting the different colors of her dirty clothing. She made piles of whites and colors, throwing the garments aimlessly on the floor and atop the dryer. Her mind was elsewhere, daydreaming about her plan to see Ryan later on that night. What would she say to him about Seth and Summer's plan? Half of her wasn't sure but the other half actually loved the idea. They'd arrange some time alone for them…nobody would interrupt…they could finish their talk for real this time. Maybe she should let them help her and Ryan just this once. They'd both feel good about it…

Loud high heeled footsteps were heard from afar, clinking against the hardwood floor, approaching the open laundry room. Marissa's daydream came to end as Julie appeared before her, leaning against the doorway with an alcoholic drink in hand. "Oh, hi honey." she said, smiling at Marissa and fiddling with the stirrer in her glass. Julie noticed Marissa's messy piles and less than enthusiastic expression at her arrival. "What's wrong?" she asked, setting her glass on the shelf opposite the washer and dryer. Approaching her daughter, Julie lightly rested a hand on Marissa's arm, looking at her with concern. Marissa looked up to meet Julie's eyes, dropping the laundry and leaning against the washing machine. She rubbed her cheek and sighed, picking up her head again. "Nothing, I'm fine." Marissa said. "I'm just tired from the plane, I guess." she admitted. Julie nodded, understanding how tiring a plane ride could be sometimes. She used to travel all the time with Caleb when he was alive.

Julie rubbed a hand up Marissa's arm, looking around at the mess of clothes around the small room. "Alright well I'll tell you what…" she started. "How about you go shower and take a nap…and I'll finish up here." Marissa stood up straight, moving in to hug her mother. Julie held her tightly, smiling to herself at Marissa's sudden affection. It was something she had never really felt before, knowing very well that her previous behavior had yielded that result. "Thanks, mom." she said, pulling away and backing out of the laundry room and into the outside hallway. Julie was left in the jungle of denim and cotton, bending down to pick up a few random t-shirts that lay on the ground. She let them rest on the side shelf, noticing to herself that a particular shirt was soaking wet. She squinted her eyes and lowered her face to the material, wondering why it was so soaked completely and had the faint smell of men's cologne. Shrugging it off, she opened the lid of the washer and tossed the shirt inside, picking up another pile and doing the same.

Marissa slowly climbed the stairs, turning the corner and entering her bedroom. She shut the door and leaned against it, scanning the plainness of what used to be one of the Robert's guest rooms. She took a deep breath and took a few steps forward, going into the bathroom and facing the door that adjoined her and Summer's rooms. She could hear various slurping noises coming from the other side, followed by a few muffled giggles from Summer. I guess now wasn't a good time to mention she was okay with their plan. It wasn't something that needed rushing anyway. It took long enough to get Ryan back…let the two of them think they persuaded Marissa into it.

Turning around, Marissa leaned into the shower, twisting the faucet knobs. Water squirt out of the shower head, becoming a falling pool at the bottom of the tub. Marissa tugged at the bottom of her top, lifting her arms to pull it over her head and toss it into her room through the open door. She did the same with her jeans and other remaining clothing, leaving her in the buff to stand vulnerably in front of the sink. She pushed the shower curtain to one side, allowing enough room to step into the tub and become engulfed in the water stream. The room quickly filled with warm steam as hot water pounded on Marissa's chest and shoulders, immediately relaxing her and allowing her daydreams to return. Images of the weekend flashed through her thoughts, forcing a smile on her lips. It felt so good to be in Ryan's arms again…so right that it almost hurt. Although she didn't know why their relationship was always the hardest, she knew that each and every moment together with him was worth the hardship. He was worth it.

He slept soundly in the silenced room, darkened slightly by the setting sun that was disappearing on the horizon. His position didn't change as he laid, his chest rising and falling with every serene breath. His eyes were tightly shut, flashbacks and fantasies passing in and out of his sleepy brain. She was there, of course, taking over his dreams as always. Even in sleep, she was with him. She would always be around. Always be there to comfort him. He pictured her face, a bright white glow surrounding her outline. The image of her took his breath away…still and quiet, like an angel. His angel. He could see her smile, her blue eyes seeming even brighter in the whiteness, sparkling with more emphasis than he had ever seen before. She put her hand out, looking him in the eye and telling him it was okay…that everything would turn out al lright and she would be there to protect him. He took her hand and held it tightly, standing next to her and looking over the vast scene before him…

He opened his eyes in an instant, feeling warm lips pressed against his forehead. His eyes widened as he took sharp breaths, looking at his surroundings. Marissa lay beside him, her face and body merely clear through the dusk. He sat up, resting on his elbows and trying to calm himself down. "Hey sleepy head…" she said, her voice soft and gentle. Her hand rested on his cheek, sliding it up to his hair and then down again. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I didn't mean to scare you…I knocked but no one answered, so I figured I'd just come in." Ryan sat up completely, running a hand over his face and shifting to the side of the bed so Marissa could sit comfortably. "I just had a really weird dream." Ryan stated, blinking repeatedly to try and wake himself further. Marissa looked at him with worry. "Why, what happened?" she asked. He looked down at his feet, thinking of the way she had looked. What was that about? "Uh, nothing, nothing...it's not important." he said, trying to wave it off and not make it a big deal. Marissa shrugged, moving her body so they could sit waist by waist on the futon. "Was I in it, at least?" she asked hopefully. Ryan half smiled, recognizing those same bright eyes he had seen only a minute before. It's like he knew she was there with him or something. He felt the warmly presence.

"Of course you were…" he admitted. He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her into him as their foreheads touched. He tilted his head, leaning into her and capturing her lips in short kiss. They pulled apart and glanced into each other's eyes, Marissa feeling extremely at ease in their relationship for the time being. "So…I actually have a story." she said, pulling away from him so she could slide down the bed and lay flat against the pillows. "Apparently, Seth and Summer have come up with a way to get the two of us back together." Ryan raised his eyebrows, following her action and resting his head against the pillows as well. "Oh yeah?" he said, laughing for a second at the irony. "Yeah." Marissa muttered. "But I actually think it's kind of a good idea." Ryan grunted, not really knowing what to say or how to react. He kind of thought they already were back together. I mean…he just kissed her without a problem, right? They never did finished their talk. Things were complicated.

"Summer said how the two of them want to arrange some alone time for us…so, that's always a good thing, right?" Ryan nodded, thinking of how good that actually sounded. Alone time. No blabbering Seth, no ringing cell phones…just him and Marissa. Maybe this could work. "Sounds good…" he said. Marissa grinned and dug her face further into the pillow, looking over his tired face. "I think so." she said. "We can make Seth and Summer think they helped…and secretly be having some good alone time." Ryan smiled too, leaning his head forward to peck her again. "I like that plan." he mumbled under his breath. Marissa quietly giggled and moved closer to him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. "Me too…it's fool proof."