Untitled
~Circles~ Chapter 3
Ryan knew Marissa was on the other side of the door. She hadn't walked away yet. She was just inside, out of reach and he could feel her presence coming through the wood like waves of heat. He had to explain, and he had to know why she came to the pool house. He knew she was hurt and crying and felt so alone and he would rip the door off of its hinges to get to her if he had to. He took a step forward, but the door got farther away. Panicking, he ran at it and it grew smaller until it finally disappeared from sight. Out of breath, he heard laughter behind him and spun around to see his mother toasting him with a full drink in her hand. "Nice job, kid. That figures, you screwin' up big time again." Her words ripped through his chest, and he looked down to see vivid scarlet seeping through the bright white of his shirt. He instinctively pressed his hands over the wound and instantly closed his eyes against the searing pain. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes -
- and Seth was walking toward him, brown eyes full of concern. Ryan was sitting up in bed, clutching his chest, and looking around quickly, he determined that there was no door and no mother. He was gasping for breath, and his wifebeater was sticking to him, drenched with sweat.
"It was just a dream. You ok, man?" Seth walked to the bar and got a bottle of water, holding it out to him tentatively.
Ryan took a long drink and then held the cool plastic against his cheek. "Thanks." He twisted the cap back onto it and let himself fall back against the pillow. "Sorry."
Seth just shook his head as he settled back in to the chair. "Now, Ryan it really does wonders for the soul when you talk about things that are bothering you. That's what I heard on Oprah one time anyway." He generally didn't push Ryan too hard about talking, but it had seriously weirded him out when Ryan yelled, waking him up, and then sat up in bed grabbing at his chest like he'd been shot.
Ryan just gave him one of his patented exasperated side-ways glances from the bed.
Seth decided to try a different tactic. He would talk. Not that that was all that different, but he knew his own incessant babble relaxed Ryan when he was on edge. Took his mind elsewhere. Most of the time anyway.
"So. I had a phenomenal time at the party, except for not exactly at first because Summer drug me all over demanding introductions to one suit after another. Youngish suits with lots of money that drive very nice cars, I might add. Finally, I had to throw her across my knee and spank her for her bad behavior and that was when she saw the light and realized who her daddy was."
Ryan lifted an eyebrow his way, and Seth was encouraged.
"Yes Ryan," he nodded, "I"M her daddy. So I turned on the famous Cohen charm, which until tonight essentially did not exist, but - yeah - and by the time I was done she was like putty in my hands." Rubbing his hands together, he looked expectantly at his friend.
Taking the bait, Ryan asked, skeptical, "You made a move? On Summer?"
"No, my misguided friend, I did not have to, because the beautiful Summer Roberts -" Seth paused for the full dramatic effect. "Kissed. Me."
Ryan looked at him. "Were you drinking tonight, Seth?"
"No-oo." He shook his head for added emphasis.
"Do you have any witnesses to this?" Ryan wanted to know.
Seth finally crumbled. "Dude, you're killing me here! Is this so hard to believe? - Oh wait. I guess it is. But Ryan? It really happened."
"She kissed you." Ryan said flatly. Seth nodded his head encouragingly again. "Where?"
"Where do you think? And if you're thinking cheek? You're wrong."
Ryan finally smiled a little. "No, I meant where in the house did it happen? Did she drag you into the bathroom or into one of the closets? Where?"
"It was right out here by the pool. I was sitting by one of the tables and she came out looking for me wanting me to introduce her to some other financially whiz-type jerk and I told her no," Seth informed him proudly.
"Sooo, she kissed you because you wouldn't - " Ryan started, shaking his head in confusion.
"OK, here's what happened. I told her it was pathetic listening to her talk to these guys, when all they were doing was staring at her chest, and they didn't know her at all. How cool she is. And stuff. And I threw out some memories I had of her from our younger days, and she melted into a big puddle, and next thing I know she's got her lips all over me." He nodded at Ryan and pointed to his own lips.
Ryan smirked at Seth. "That's cool man. How was it, or do I have to ask? "
"I think the idiotic grin on my face since then speaks volumes in itself."
Ryan laughed, put his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments. His smile faded. "Marissa walked in on me and Gabrielle."
Seth felt a victory in getting Ryan Atwood to talk. He mentally patted himself on the back. "Dude, I figured. How bad - um - was it?"
Ryan continued looking at the ceiling. "Pretty bad."
Seth had to know. "Pretty bad as in removal of clothing bad, just kissing bad, or what?"
There was a moment of silence. Ryan looked at him. "Why does that matter?"
Seth was afraid his mouth had gone too far already, but he continued. "Well, I'm looking at this like, Marissa was back with Luke, right? "
Ryan gave a short nod and his eyes went back to the ceiling. "Looked that way to me. But - "
"But what? If it was just kissing, then what's the big deal? She was all over Luke tonight." Seth slapped himself on the forehead. "Sorry, man."
Ryan shrugged. "That's why I was in here. Didn't want to watch." He was quiet a minute, then he added, "There was some clothing - gone. It was -it was bad. But I don't get - "
Seth waited. He knew it would come out eventually. He'd said this much.
Ryan turned on his side and looked at Seth. "The look in her eyes. She was so - hurt. Really hurt. And why did she come out here anyway?"
"I wish I could tell you. Did you talk to her at all later? I figured you were waiting for her watching the driveway."
Ryan closed his eyes and rolled onto his back. "She told me I was too late."
"Ouch," Seth thought to himself. Yep. Ryan was not only going to be broody guilt guy for a while, he was also going to be broody guilt guy that isn't sure if he read the situation right.
Seth looked out the window at the morning sun sparkling on the pool. They'd only been asleep a couple of hours. He laid back in the recliner. "You feel like going back to sleep?"
"Yeah."
"Me too. No more dreams, though, Ryan. Oprah says so."
"I'll try."
~Circles~ Chapter 3
Ryan knew Marissa was on the other side of the door. She hadn't walked away yet. She was just inside, out of reach and he could feel her presence coming through the wood like waves of heat. He had to explain, and he had to know why she came to the pool house. He knew she was hurt and crying and felt so alone and he would rip the door off of its hinges to get to her if he had to. He took a step forward, but the door got farther away. Panicking, he ran at it and it grew smaller until it finally disappeared from sight. Out of breath, he heard laughter behind him and spun around to see his mother toasting him with a full drink in her hand. "Nice job, kid. That figures, you screwin' up big time again." Her words ripped through his chest, and he looked down to see vivid scarlet seeping through the bright white of his shirt. He instinctively pressed his hands over the wound and instantly closed his eyes against the searing pain. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes -
- and Seth was walking toward him, brown eyes full of concern. Ryan was sitting up in bed, clutching his chest, and looking around quickly, he determined that there was no door and no mother. He was gasping for breath, and his wifebeater was sticking to him, drenched with sweat.
"It was just a dream. You ok, man?" Seth walked to the bar and got a bottle of water, holding it out to him tentatively.
Ryan took a long drink and then held the cool plastic against his cheek. "Thanks." He twisted the cap back onto it and let himself fall back against the pillow. "Sorry."
Seth just shook his head as he settled back in to the chair. "Now, Ryan it really does wonders for the soul when you talk about things that are bothering you. That's what I heard on Oprah one time anyway." He generally didn't push Ryan too hard about talking, but it had seriously weirded him out when Ryan yelled, waking him up, and then sat up in bed grabbing at his chest like he'd been shot.
Ryan just gave him one of his patented exasperated side-ways glances from the bed.
Seth decided to try a different tactic. He would talk. Not that that was all that different, but he knew his own incessant babble relaxed Ryan when he was on edge. Took his mind elsewhere. Most of the time anyway.
"So. I had a phenomenal time at the party, except for not exactly at first because Summer drug me all over demanding introductions to one suit after another. Youngish suits with lots of money that drive very nice cars, I might add. Finally, I had to throw her across my knee and spank her for her bad behavior and that was when she saw the light and realized who her daddy was."
Ryan lifted an eyebrow his way, and Seth was encouraged.
"Yes Ryan," he nodded, "I"M her daddy. So I turned on the famous Cohen charm, which until tonight essentially did not exist, but - yeah - and by the time I was done she was like putty in my hands." Rubbing his hands together, he looked expectantly at his friend.
Taking the bait, Ryan asked, skeptical, "You made a move? On Summer?"
"No, my misguided friend, I did not have to, because the beautiful Summer Roberts -" Seth paused for the full dramatic effect. "Kissed. Me."
Ryan looked at him. "Were you drinking tonight, Seth?"
"No-oo." He shook his head for added emphasis.
"Do you have any witnesses to this?" Ryan wanted to know.
Seth finally crumbled. "Dude, you're killing me here! Is this so hard to believe? - Oh wait. I guess it is. But Ryan? It really happened."
"She kissed you." Ryan said flatly. Seth nodded his head encouragingly again. "Where?"
"Where do you think? And if you're thinking cheek? You're wrong."
Ryan finally smiled a little. "No, I meant where in the house did it happen? Did she drag you into the bathroom or into one of the closets? Where?"
"It was right out here by the pool. I was sitting by one of the tables and she came out looking for me wanting me to introduce her to some other financially whiz-type jerk and I told her no," Seth informed him proudly.
"Sooo, she kissed you because you wouldn't - " Ryan started, shaking his head in confusion.
"OK, here's what happened. I told her it was pathetic listening to her talk to these guys, when all they were doing was staring at her chest, and they didn't know her at all. How cool she is. And stuff. And I threw out some memories I had of her from our younger days, and she melted into a big puddle, and next thing I know she's got her lips all over me." He nodded at Ryan and pointed to his own lips.
Ryan smirked at Seth. "That's cool man. How was it, or do I have to ask? "
"I think the idiotic grin on my face since then speaks volumes in itself."
Ryan laughed, put his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling for a few moments. His smile faded. "Marissa walked in on me and Gabrielle."
Seth felt a victory in getting Ryan Atwood to talk. He mentally patted himself on the back. "Dude, I figured. How bad - um - was it?"
Ryan continued looking at the ceiling. "Pretty bad."
Seth had to know. "Pretty bad as in removal of clothing bad, just kissing bad, or what?"
There was a moment of silence. Ryan looked at him. "Why does that matter?"
Seth was afraid his mouth had gone too far already, but he continued. "Well, I'm looking at this like, Marissa was back with Luke, right? "
Ryan gave a short nod and his eyes went back to the ceiling. "Looked that way to me. But - "
"But what? If it was just kissing, then what's the big deal? She was all over Luke tonight." Seth slapped himself on the forehead. "Sorry, man."
Ryan shrugged. "That's why I was in here. Didn't want to watch." He was quiet a minute, then he added, "There was some clothing - gone. It was -it was bad. But I don't get - "
Seth waited. He knew it would come out eventually. He'd said this much.
Ryan turned on his side and looked at Seth. "The look in her eyes. She was so - hurt. Really hurt. And why did she come out here anyway?"
"I wish I could tell you. Did you talk to her at all later? I figured you were waiting for her watching the driveway."
Ryan closed his eyes and rolled onto his back. "She told me I was too late."
"Ouch," Seth thought to himself. Yep. Ryan was not only going to be broody guilt guy for a while, he was also going to be broody guilt guy that isn't sure if he read the situation right.
Seth looked out the window at the morning sun sparkling on the pool. They'd only been asleep a couple of hours. He laid back in the recliner. "You feel like going back to sleep?"
"Yeah."
"Me too. No more dreams, though, Ryan. Oprah says so."
"I'll try."
