~Surrender Chapter 4~
"Feels weird, doesn't it?"
Summer snorted. "That would be the understatement of the year." She looked around the Cohen's den in the dim light flickering from the TV. They had just finished watching a movie, the three of them on the bed Kirsten had made up. Seth was to her left, and Ryan was on her right, on his stomach with his head at their feet. If anyone had told her she'd be here a couple of weeks ago, she'd have called them mentally unstable. But just her presence here wasn't what Ryan was talking about. It was strange, but nice, to know that he understood how she was feeling.
Seth was looking from Ryan to Summer. "What?"
They both looked at him, not sure what to say.
"Ok. Let me be insightful guy here. This is one of those things that you never talk about, right, Ryan? And I never know if I should ask because I don't want to seem like I'm prying, or insensitive. Or if it will make you think about things you'd rather not. So we just don't talk about it. One of those?"
"I guess. I didn't know you thought that, though. I wouldn't think you were prying or insensitive, Seth."
"I know, man. But there are so many things I stumble over every day regarding why living here is so different for you, and they're so obvious, but I've been blissfully ignorant of it until right then when it hits me."
Ryan and Summer both looked confused.
Seth went on. "Look, it's like this. When you suggested we come here tonight, I thought it was because you were thinking along the same lines I was. Summer needed to be around people in a home, doing normal stuff, not someplace impersonal like a restaurant. She's been alone. What I didn't get, until you told Mom and Dad about her situation, was that you both don't know what it's like to have parents like mine. And then I feel like a dumb-ass for not knowing that all along."
"You're right. Your parents are what we were talking about, Seth. My parents being gone isn't something I thought or worried about before, because it just - is. My parents have never been home much. The housekeeper used to stay at night until this year. But now that I'm here, and after your parents were so concerned, and I'm going to sleep knowing there's going to be other people here all night, it's - weird. I don't know Ryan's story, but I get that he feels something like that, too."
Ryan spoke softly, not looking at them. "My mom left. She doesn't want me. I - I don't think she ever did."
Seth tried to say something, anything, wishing he hadn't started this conversation. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ryan, sensing it, held up a hand to stop him. "So Seth, your parents letting me live here - well I told you before it's the best thing that's ever happened. I can't tell you how strange it is to wake up in the morning and know you guys are here. And that you want me to be here. I still think sometimes I'll come into the house for breakfast and find it empty and all the furniture gone."
Summer's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "Ryan, that happened? Oh my God!"
He didn't answer, so she looked to Seth. He gave her a tiny nod.
"It's knowing that if I'm sick, your Mom will fuss over me. She worries about me working too much. Your dad is excited about me going to school and getting good grades. And he likes to play video games with us." Ryan turned on his side toward them and looked at Seth. "And you. You worry about making me remember things I'd rather not, and worry about upsetting me. It's so damned weird. In a really good way. But Seth, I don't expect you know that kind of stuff. I'm glad you don't get it, and I won't think you're stupid. Just ask." He smiled then. "I'm waiting for a joke about stringing sentences together now."
"Dude, we're like, having a moment. I can't ruin that with comedy."
Ryan sat up. "Riiight. Ok, guys, I'm going to bed."
"Ryan, you're ok?" Seth looked at him, worried.
"I'm fine. I'm glad we talked about it." He started to get off the bed and was surprised by Summer giving him a quick hug.
"Goodnight Ryan. Thanks."
"'Night, guys."
"So. I should probably get to bed too; you're probably tired. Are you tired?" Seth was suddenly nervous. He wasn't sure why.
"Are you afraid to be alone with me or something, Cohen?"
"Oh no. Maybe. Uh, should I be?"
"What would happen if I said yes?"
"Well THAT would be a different story." He put his arm around her. "How scared should I be? As scared as Luke was?"
Summer pulled away from him. "You guys are having way too much fun with that."
"Come on, now. Seriously, what did you expect? Watching Luke get pushed around by a girl? He almost cried! I'd have paid Peter Jackson to write and direct that scene."
Summer rolled her eyes. "Dork alert! Cohen, Lord of the Rings is fiction, not part of everyday life. Well, the rest of the world's anyway."
"Hence the "write and direct" reference. Clearly I have not crossed over to fantasy life completely." He gave her an evil grin. "And look who knows what movies Peter Jackson directed."
Summer gasped, realizing he was right. "Oh my God! You're rubbing off on me! I'm becoming a dork!"
Seth smiled. "If you can't beat us, join us, baby."
Summer nudged his shoulder with hers. "Seth?"
"Summer?" He nudged her back.
"You want to tell me about - fire?"
"Fire? Oh. Um, fuego. La lumbre. Beautiful. Inspiring. Hot. Jugo con fuego. Burns. Summer. What else do you want to know?"
"Why you haven't kissed me." She said softly.
"I'm sorry, what did you say? I thought I was a dork."
"Seth, you have been so - good to me. Not just tonight. Can we start fresh?"
"What? I didn't know we were stale."
"Are you purposely making this hard for me, Cohen?"
"Summer I don't know what you're referring to. You don't even like me, remember?"
"I do too. Don't make me hit you."
"She says she likes me while threatening to hit me. Hmmm. I have been waiting a really long time for this moment, Summer. I think I need convinced that you like me, and told properly that you want me to be your boyfriend."
"Ok, I'll play it your way, Seth, but guess what you're going to be waiting a really long time for now?
Silence. "Oh." More silence. "Hey, that's not fair!"
"Maybe you could kiss me, and I might think about changing my mind."
"I'm being manipulated and bribed. With sex. And we haven't even kissed yet!"
She gave up and kissed him then. "How was that? Are you convinced?"
He smiled. "I've got two words for you, Summer. No. Tongue. Means nothing, remember?"
"Oooh! Cohen! You are such a -!"
Seth kissed her then, not letting her finish, and smiled against her lips as he felt her tongue find his. He broke the kiss, and pulled her closer to him.
Summer sighed. "I know. A notable Radiohead fan, right?"
"No, Summer. Your boyfriend."
"Feels weird, doesn't it?"
Summer snorted. "That would be the understatement of the year." She looked around the Cohen's den in the dim light flickering from the TV. They had just finished watching a movie, the three of them on the bed Kirsten had made up. Seth was to her left, and Ryan was on her right, on his stomach with his head at their feet. If anyone had told her she'd be here a couple of weeks ago, she'd have called them mentally unstable. But just her presence here wasn't what Ryan was talking about. It was strange, but nice, to know that he understood how she was feeling.
Seth was looking from Ryan to Summer. "What?"
They both looked at him, not sure what to say.
"Ok. Let me be insightful guy here. This is one of those things that you never talk about, right, Ryan? And I never know if I should ask because I don't want to seem like I'm prying, or insensitive. Or if it will make you think about things you'd rather not. So we just don't talk about it. One of those?"
"I guess. I didn't know you thought that, though. I wouldn't think you were prying or insensitive, Seth."
"I know, man. But there are so many things I stumble over every day regarding why living here is so different for you, and they're so obvious, but I've been blissfully ignorant of it until right then when it hits me."
Ryan and Summer both looked confused.
Seth went on. "Look, it's like this. When you suggested we come here tonight, I thought it was because you were thinking along the same lines I was. Summer needed to be around people in a home, doing normal stuff, not someplace impersonal like a restaurant. She's been alone. What I didn't get, until you told Mom and Dad about her situation, was that you both don't know what it's like to have parents like mine. And then I feel like a dumb-ass for not knowing that all along."
"You're right. Your parents are what we were talking about, Seth. My parents being gone isn't something I thought or worried about before, because it just - is. My parents have never been home much. The housekeeper used to stay at night until this year. But now that I'm here, and after your parents were so concerned, and I'm going to sleep knowing there's going to be other people here all night, it's - weird. I don't know Ryan's story, but I get that he feels something like that, too."
Ryan spoke softly, not looking at them. "My mom left. She doesn't want me. I - I don't think she ever did."
Seth tried to say something, anything, wishing he hadn't started this conversation. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ryan, sensing it, held up a hand to stop him. "So Seth, your parents letting me live here - well I told you before it's the best thing that's ever happened. I can't tell you how strange it is to wake up in the morning and know you guys are here. And that you want me to be here. I still think sometimes I'll come into the house for breakfast and find it empty and all the furniture gone."
Summer's hand flew to her mouth in shock. "Ryan, that happened? Oh my God!"
He didn't answer, so she looked to Seth. He gave her a tiny nod.
"It's knowing that if I'm sick, your Mom will fuss over me. She worries about me working too much. Your dad is excited about me going to school and getting good grades. And he likes to play video games with us." Ryan turned on his side toward them and looked at Seth. "And you. You worry about making me remember things I'd rather not, and worry about upsetting me. It's so damned weird. In a really good way. But Seth, I don't expect you know that kind of stuff. I'm glad you don't get it, and I won't think you're stupid. Just ask." He smiled then. "I'm waiting for a joke about stringing sentences together now."
"Dude, we're like, having a moment. I can't ruin that with comedy."
Ryan sat up. "Riiight. Ok, guys, I'm going to bed."
"Ryan, you're ok?" Seth looked at him, worried.
"I'm fine. I'm glad we talked about it." He started to get off the bed and was surprised by Summer giving him a quick hug.
"Goodnight Ryan. Thanks."
"'Night, guys."
"So. I should probably get to bed too; you're probably tired. Are you tired?" Seth was suddenly nervous. He wasn't sure why.
"Are you afraid to be alone with me or something, Cohen?"
"Oh no. Maybe. Uh, should I be?"
"What would happen if I said yes?"
"Well THAT would be a different story." He put his arm around her. "How scared should I be? As scared as Luke was?"
Summer pulled away from him. "You guys are having way too much fun with that."
"Come on, now. Seriously, what did you expect? Watching Luke get pushed around by a girl? He almost cried! I'd have paid Peter Jackson to write and direct that scene."
Summer rolled her eyes. "Dork alert! Cohen, Lord of the Rings is fiction, not part of everyday life. Well, the rest of the world's anyway."
"Hence the "write and direct" reference. Clearly I have not crossed over to fantasy life completely." He gave her an evil grin. "And look who knows what movies Peter Jackson directed."
Summer gasped, realizing he was right. "Oh my God! You're rubbing off on me! I'm becoming a dork!"
Seth smiled. "If you can't beat us, join us, baby."
Summer nudged his shoulder with hers. "Seth?"
"Summer?" He nudged her back.
"You want to tell me about - fire?"
"Fire? Oh. Um, fuego. La lumbre. Beautiful. Inspiring. Hot. Jugo con fuego. Burns. Summer. What else do you want to know?"
"Why you haven't kissed me." She said softly.
"I'm sorry, what did you say? I thought I was a dork."
"Seth, you have been so - good to me. Not just tonight. Can we start fresh?"
"What? I didn't know we were stale."
"Are you purposely making this hard for me, Cohen?"
"Summer I don't know what you're referring to. You don't even like me, remember?"
"I do too. Don't make me hit you."
"She says she likes me while threatening to hit me. Hmmm. I have been waiting a really long time for this moment, Summer. I think I need convinced that you like me, and told properly that you want me to be your boyfriend."
"Ok, I'll play it your way, Seth, but guess what you're going to be waiting a really long time for now?
Silence. "Oh." More silence. "Hey, that's not fair!"
"Maybe you could kiss me, and I might think about changing my mind."
"I'm being manipulated and bribed. With sex. And we haven't even kissed yet!"
She gave up and kissed him then. "How was that? Are you convinced?"
He smiled. "I've got two words for you, Summer. No. Tongue. Means nothing, remember?"
"Oooh! Cohen! You are such a -!"
Seth kissed her then, not letting her finish, and smiled against her lips as he felt her tongue find his. He broke the kiss, and pulled her closer to him.
Summer sighed. "I know. A notable Radiohead fan, right?"
"No, Summer. Your boyfriend."