Author's Note

Turns out I'm capable of writing something mostly devoid of Ryan/Anna. Who knew. So this one is quite specifically due to thelastflightshome, who I more than recommend checking out. Safe to say it definitely would not exist without them.

Sold enough on Ryan/Summer that I had to give it a shot myself. Let me know what you think, and if I should write more.

I ain't really falling asleep, I'm fading to black.

Hi Atwood, Summer here. Sorry to call out of the blue and leave what will probably be a really long voicemail. Hope I didn't wake you or interrupt bro-time with Luke. Not sure what your bedtime is like these days with the whole no dating thing', Ryan listened intently as Summer went quiet. She hadn't woken him. His phone had been on silent while he was studying with Luke and Lindsay. An unexpected development during his third year that he had not even attempted to explain to Seth and Summer. His Berkeley bubble often felt like a different world to Summer, Seth and Anna's Providence bubble.

After what felt like a lifetime, Summer started speaking again.

'By the time you hear this I'll probably be on a plane for LAX or actually back in Newport. My battery is quite low so don't worry if I don't pick up. I'm sure I'll be fine…'

Another pause, Ryan was worried. Her voice was strained, as if she had been shouting and he knew the shaky tone of someone who had reached emotional exhaustion all too well.

'There is no easy way to say this Ry, so sorry if I sound dismissive as I say this. I think me and Seth are done'. Ryan almost winced as she heard her voice cracking before she could finish the final syllable. Ryan had suspected as much and his heart sang. As she kept talking he couldn't stop thinking about how unnatural it had sounded when she called him Seth and not Cohen.

'And I'm not sure it'll be like before. All that 'will they, won't they' star-crossed lovers crap. I know I'm a little close to events right now, so feel free to use this against me one day but…" Her sigh was loud enough that her phone mic didn't record it properly, the sound crackled through Ryan's speaker. "I'm tired Ry. I can't do it anymore. And I know you probably aren't the person to be calling but. Well, after the last fight you said to call you if I needed to, and I guess I need to. So I am, and I don't think you would just say that, that isn't like you..." she trailed off and for the first time Ryan could hear someone else talking at what he could only deduce was the airport. It would've been well past midnight on the East Coast. He found himself hoping the flight had been quiet.

As for what he had said during Summer and Seth's last big fight last year, Ryan was happy she had called. He had meant what he had said. The fight had been a blowout and a half. Him and Luke had ended up flying out there. After spending their first year in Providence apart, the close proximity of their second year living arrangement hadn't gone too well. Ryan knew Seth was uniquely ill-suited for the day-to-day compromises and lack of coffee-cart love declarations that came with living with a loved one.

It wasn't all bad though, that trip had provided him with some time to reconnect with Anna after their prolonged correspondence. Once peace had been finally restored to Providence, that is.

It had also helped to cement Luke's slightly estranged friendship with Seth and Summer. Maybe this blowout would have a similar silver lining. He certainly wouldn't object to seeing Anna again.

Ryan had always suspected Seth would struggle to live with a partner. He hadn't enjoyed being proved right every week. After three weeks of living with Summer, Ryan had to put a limit on the amount of time Seth talked about individual incidents around the house. After two months Ryan added more stipulations.

Despite this he hadn't soured on Seth any as a person, their bond was too strong for any lasting damage to be done, even if he didn't approve of how Seth approached his relationships. Ryan had just set out some much needed boundaries to try and ease the strain of their new situation. Ryan worried Seth used him a little too much like a crutch and over long distance it became especially acute. It was like he got all the rants with none of the comics or video gaming.

"Sorry, they called my flight. Looks like I'll be touching down at 10.15 in the morning, your time. Lucky me", she said, her voice jolted him out of his thoughts.. "I guess I'll head back to Dad's house and...I dunno, rot into one of the big chairs…" Ryan found himself wishing he had picked up the phone. She sounded exhausted and sad, and here she was spilling it all out to his answer phone. Smooth one Atwood.

"If you don't think Seth would freak out too much, could you come visit", she said after taking a deep breath. "Or could I come visit you? I really don't want to be alone in Newport for too long. No-one is there anymore. Dad isn't even in Seattle at the moment, he is out in China somewhere, Taylor is in Paris". She paused, Ryan knew it was because she had mentioned Taylor's name. There was a dull ache in his stomach at the mention of it, but that was all. It was a long time ago now. "And you guys are all in Berkeley. Would be nice to be near. Maybe I could…" she trailed off. "I'm getting ahead of myself, sorry. My head is all over the place right now".

Ryan heard the airport announcement ring out with a flight number, destination LAX.

"Well, that is me Ry. I'll tell you more tomorrow. Well, today for me, your tomorrow. Time Zones eh?" she laughed nervously. "I'm looking forward to seeing you, sorry to dump this all on you. I was really hoping you'd answer at some point…" One last pause. "Talk soon". And after a few moments of rustling, the voicemail ended.

He sat down on an armchair that him and Sandy had spent a good hour trying to get into his flat last autumn. He looked at the time, 12.10am. Rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, he pressed the replay button on the message and listened intently as Summer's sad voice said 'Hi Atwood' yet again.

Summer was numb boarding the flight and barely remembered sitting in her seat. She just about registered that the plane was near empty. She was the only person on her row of three seats when the flight took to the sky.

She felt the adrenaline that had got her through the fight, out of the flat, to the airport and onto the plane start to dissipate. Now the plane was in the air, she slowly moved the armrests up and laid down across all three chairs on her side, clutching her backpack in her arms.

Her mind was swimming with everything Seth had said to her, everything she had said back. Words that couldn't be taken back, that would be hard to reconcile. She thought about how her twenty-fourth birthday would be here soon. How she had been with Seth, on and off, since she was sixteen. At that moment, she thought she would most likely never see him again.

Anger, loss and confusion all swelled within her and fell away in a repeating cycle until the numbness returned. With the lack of stimulation from her emotions or her environment, she felt her eyes grow heavy with fatigue.

She awoke to the announcement they were coming in to land.

I am pleased to report that we are approaching LAX on schedule. Please adjust your watches to local time, 10:05am currently. Hoping to be 10:35am by the time we disembark if the runway is clear.

The pilot went into the usual spiel that Summer had heard dozens of times before. Thanks to our partners and sponsors etc etc. She sat up, surprised she had slept so consistently before she remembered that it had been a draining week that culminated in one of the worst evenings of her life. She took deep breaths in and out as sat in the middle of the three seats in her row. The few passengers that had been on her plane shuffled out, Summer walked out into the bright Californian sun, feeling the heat of the sun and the tarmac acutely in her clothes that were meant from Rhode Island.

Home, she thought with an air of sadness. Home with no-one to greet you. No-one here, no-one in Newport.

With no-one to keep waiting, she slowly walked down the stairs to the runway. Seth and Anna were back on the East Coast, good luck to them. Taylor was in Paris. Her father was in what? Chengdu. A city that apparently had twice the population of New York. Ryan, Luke, Kaitlin, Sandy, and Kirsten were all in Berkeley. And here she was in LAX, ready to go home to a giant, empty house. The same giant empty house her father had tried to fill with bad romance after bad romance. To Summer at that moment, Love seemed to be the source of everything that had gone wrong in her life.

She tried to push the thoughts aside, only half succeeding as they fought back hard, demanding to be heard. Waiting silently and patiently for her luggage, she realised how calm she was. Normally in an airport Seth was panicking about something or other. Missing baggage, terror attacks, being late for a connection, getting a window seat.

But now he wasn't there, and no-one was waiting on her. No-one had any expectations of her. She was on her own, travelling on her own locomotion.

I guess there had to be a small plus after all, she thought.

Still, in that moment she wished she had been able to reach her Dad, or Taylor, or Ryan.

She saw her bag appear on the carousel, bringing her back to the argument that had occurred as she hastily and angrily packed the bag. Seth looming over, equal parts panicked and despondent at the situation.

She reached out her hand and let the handle slide into her palm with a light thud. The travel case was heavy, even while arguing as she packed, she didn't travel light. She had left a lot at Seth's, a lot that would need to be collected. She marvelled at how much stuff two people could buy when they were miserable. Not even just for themselves. Seth had bought her gift after gift, just to try and see her smile for a few minutes. She had done much the same.

Summer felt tears forming in her eyes. She had tried so hard.

As Summer left her departure gate, she blinked and then blinked again.

This is it, I've gone mad. Lack of sleep and collective trauma has pushed me over the edge. Maybe this is what happened to Mom.

She didn't get a chance to complete the thought as the man on the bench outside stood up.

"Hey stranger, fancy seeing you here", Ryan said with a small smile. "Hope you don't mind me interrupting the vibes of solo travel". Summer heard her travel case thud to the floor as she ran into Ryan's arms, her head slotting against his chest.

"Oh god Ry", she said as he closed his arms around her.

"I'm here, I'm here", he repeated softly, keeping an eye on her case just in case. "Hope I didn't spook you".

"I mean, I thought you were a hallucination. Kinda still do actually", she said, laughing as she looked up at him. She realised she had left tears and what remained of her make-up on his dark blue t-shirt. "Oops, sorry".

"It is okay, you can just hallucinate me a new one alright?" he said with a smirk.

"Not funny", she said, moving back into the hug.

"Kinda funny?" he asked.

"Kinda funny", she said, without moving her head away from his chest.

After a minute or two of silent hugging, Ryan spoke again.

"Want to sit down while we work out what we are doing next? I'm worried someone is going to zoom off with your case". Summer gave a small sigh, disengaging from the hug and pulling her travel case to the wall. Ryan took the middle of the three seats, Summer sat beside him.

"You didn't need to come, I feel super bad", she said, turning her head as she finished the sentence. "But thank you, so much".

"You don't need to feel bad. I decided I was coming out last night. Only way I knew I was getting any sleep. And besides, the flight takes about 25 minutes longer than it takes me to walk from my flat to the Cohens' house", he shot her a big smile. "So yeah, don't add guilty for me to your list of baggage at the moment, okay? I had a pretty good six hours sleep" He put an arm around her and pulled her in slightly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like death...After the cat dragged him in".

"I figured as much…" Ryan sighed.

They sat there in silence, comfortable silence. Ryan wanted to give her time to think. He knew she'd talked in her own time. He could only assume this entire thing had been born from her and Seth not having enough space. What she needed now, he believed, was space.

After a few minutes, Summer pulled away.

"Are you going to fly back today? Do you need to be back in Berkeley?"

"Not for a couple of days. Three at a push. You'll have to tell Luke why I missed racing though", he said with a gentle smile. "That's a joke by the way, I'll tell him, he'll understand". Summer smiled.

"You don't need to treat me with kid gloves Atwood, I'll be okay".

"You'll forgive me if I keep doing so until we get you home. I can rent a car and drive you to Newport if you want".

Summer didn't respond immediately. 'Home'. The word sounded hollow. She had grown up in Newport, but no-one was there. As she had said in the voicemail, what could she do but rot into an armchair there.

"Ry…" she said, trailing off before she had even began, he perked up.

"Yeah Sum?" he asked.

"I think I want to go to Berkeley with you...Does that sound crazy? Be honest".

This time it was Ryan's turn to not respond, he looked forward for twenty seconds, watching the people pass by.

"That could work", he said, turning to her. "I don't think it is crazy at all. I came here because I didn't think you should be alone. Only difference is that you'll be trading a multi-bedroom mansion on the coast for the sofa bed in my office". Summer turned to him, a faint smile on her face.

"That sounds like exactly where I want to be right now".

Ryan insisted on carrying her travel case.

"I'm just slightly concerned you are going to pass out", he said.

"I slept loads on the flight!" Summer protested as they walked.

"You are trembling", he observed

"That could be the cold!". She shot back.

"Summer, we are in California not Providence".

"Then it could be rage".

"Not a source of comfort either" he said as they made their way to the ticket kiosk.

"Looks like we should be back for a late lunch", he said. "Never thought I'd say it, but it beats driving". Ryan said as he arranged the flight. Summer looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks again, for all of this".

"Again, not a problem...Thanks for calling me, for leaving me the voicemail. Sorry I didn't get to my phone".

"You don't need to apologise", Summer said in disbelief. "But what were you doing up to so late anyway, Atwood". She mockingly narrowed her eyes. "I thought it was confirmed Bachelordom for you, occasional pixie-chick flings aside". As she said flings aside, she raised her eyebrows. Ryan looked embarrassed but managed to smile at her impending reaction to the news of Luke and Lindsay.

"Nothing untoward, I swear. I'll tell you all about it when we are on the flight, it'll definitely distract you".

"Distraction sounds good, I don't want to think about…", she hesitated. "Seth, for a while". Ryan nodded solemnly.

"I can understand that. I haven't spoken to him. Weirdly, he hasn't messaged or called me".

That isn't so weird, Summer thought.

"There is a lot you've missed out on, I'll try not to keep you in suspense too long", she said, the words taking effort to speak.

"No rush, no pressure. I'm patient and not going anywhere". Summer gave him another faint, in many ways Ryan was the opposite of Seth.

"Thank you, again", she said as she gently rested her head against his shoulder and upper arm. "Do you mind if I doze until the flight?"

"Not at all", he replied.