Disclaimer: (Unfortunately) I don't own anything OC or Fox related.
Set after The Heights.
Ryan and Marissa exited the Ferris wheel, still caught up in their first kiss. Ryan's arm slung around Marissa's waist; she laughed and leaned into his side.
From behind them came a voice., "Hey, Chino!"
Ryan turned around just in time collide with Luke's fist.
"Stop it, stop it, Luke!" Marissa screamed.
Ryan, caught off guard by the blow, swung back around and threw a punch in Luke's direction.
Marissa screamed and crumpled to the ground. Oh fuck, he'd hit her instead.
Ryan crouched down. "Marissa, Marissa, are you okay?"
Hearing the commotion and seeing her best friend lying on the ground, Summer ran over to help Marissa.
"Chino, get the hell out of the way!" Summer yelled.
Ryan looked around; Luke had disappeared into the crowd. Typical. Luke started trouble and then left, leaving Ryan to take the blame for everything. He was exactly like Trey.
"It's okay Summer, it was Luke's fault, not Ryan's." Marissa got to her feet, her cheek already swelling up.
"Come on Ryan, let's go." Marissa turned to Summer. "Really, everything's okay. Well not with Luke, but with Ryan and me…" Her voice trailed off and a smile came to her face.
"Oh!" Summer now understood what'd happened. She gave Ryan a knowing smirk. "Sorry Chi… I mean Ryan."
Ryan turned from Summer back to Marissa. "Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to take you home?" Crap, here they were, finally together, and everything was ruined. He didn't want to take her home yet, and he felt like she was slipping through his fingers already.
"No, I don't want to go back home with my face looking like this. Can we go back to your place? Maybe you can get me an ice pack or something." She managed a half smile despite the swelling from where he'd clobbered her.
"I think I can arrange that," he said sheepishly.
Ryan went to find Seth to tell him they were leaving early and that he needed the Range Rover. "Dude, you and Marissa. Finally. Man, that is awe-some. Yeah, I'll try and get a ride home with Summer."
Back in the Range Rover, Ryan kept looking over at Marissa. Was this really happening? He and she… were they together, finally? Yeah. She'd chosen him, and he was going to do whatever it took not to mess this up. He should've been more aware of where Luke was when they got off the ride. Surely he'd seen the whole thing – Ryan and Marissa laughing, kissing, kissing some more. He'd just been so caught up in everything when they got off the Ferris wheel. He had to find a way to make some peace. He couldn't go back to lock up after what the Cohens had gone though to help him out, and he didn't want to lose Marissa when they'd finally gotten together.
"Okay, we're here, Chateau de Cohen." Ryan laughed as he opened the passenger door to let Marissa out of the truck.
"Wait, I, um, can we go to the pool house instead? I just don't really want to run into the Cohens," Marissa said, pointing to her cheek.
"Yeah, sure, let me grab an ice pack from the kitchen. You can wait here, or go ahead and walk over. I'll be there in a sec."
She let herself into the pool house and looked around. It still looked so… Cohen-esk. Ryan didn't have very many things to make the place "his." It was a lot like her own "space" now that she was living with her dad and sleeping on the sofa. So different from the large bedroom she'd had with all of her stuff. Her stuff, what good did it all do her now, huh? Her dad was living in an apartment, trying to find a way to stay out of jail; her mom, still living in the mansion next door with Caitlin, was acting like life was normal. What was "normal" any more? The fact of the matter was that her parents were getting a divorce, and Luke had been cheating on her with Holly and God only knows who else. She'd finally acted on her growing feelings for Ryan, and that seemed to be the only thing that felt right in all of this. And now, here she was, in his room. She wondered how much experience he had. Would he laugh that she'd only had sex once, with Luke? She couldn't believe she'd held out that long to lose her virginity and it all turned into such a gigantic mess. If she and Ryan did it, she vowed it would be different.
"With Ryan, I'm guessing that experience equals knowledge," she half-whispered out loud, smiling to herself.
Breaking her revere, Ryan walked into the room with an ice pack. "Everything okay?" he asked.
Marissa jumped slightly. "Huh? Oh, yeah, fine, thanks." She rushed to raise the ice pack to her swollen face.
She sat down on the edge of the bed and continued to hold the pack to her face. Funny, she'd caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror of the Range Rover and was frightened by what she saw, but oddly enough, it didn't really hurt. She was just hoping to reduce the swelling before her dad saw her. She would have to make sure her mom didn't find out, she already hated Ryan as it was.
"Marissa, I'm so sorry, I never wanted to do anything to hurt you, and then I wind up punching you right after our first kiss…" His voice trailed off as he looked at her. God, she was beautiful, ice pack and all.
"It's okay Ryan, really, I feel fine. I just didn't want my dad to freak out." She looked around the room and went back to her thoughts of Ryan's possible experience. "Would it be okay if… well, I just don't want to have to see my dad right now, so would it be okay if I stayed here? With you?" She looked at him pensively.
Would he be able to read her face? Know what she was thinking? Should she even be thinking it? She knew it was way too soon, but somehow, it all just felt so right. Like she could just let loose; she felt so safe with him. She'd been attracted to him since they first met outside by the driveways and bummed a cigarette. From then on, it seemed that he was always around. One of the few people who made sense right now, whom she could trust. He was so honest, so not like everyone else in her life. Her attraction had grown over time. She knew it'd only been a few weeks, but she felt as if she'd known Ryan forever. She also knew that she was falling in love with him.
He looked at her questioningly. She wanted to stay the night? Sure she didn't want her dad to see her, but since it was so late, he wouldn't even be up. By morning, the swelling would've gone down for the most part. He'd fantasized about them together, but… Get it together Ryan, he thought. He didn't want her to know what he was thinking. If things worked out between the two of them, then maybe someday he'd see his fantasies come true, he just needed to make sure not to mess things up.
"Sure, I can, um, get you some sweats and a T shirt to sleep in." He left her rather quickly; he had to get it together before she figured out what he'd been thinking. It was too soon. She'd only ever been with Luke once, from what Summer had told Seth, and Seth had told him. Would she ask him what kind of experience he had? Should he tell her the truth? That he'd never had a girlfriend, but had slept with plenty if girls. No, he couldn't tell her that, it would freak her out.
"Here you go," he said as he handed her some clothes to wear to bed. He'd also changed into an undershirt and a pair of sweat bottoms.
Marissa looked up at him, standing there in his tank top, holding out some clothes for her to sleep in. Suddenly, she felt really clear about what she wanted to do. She set the ice pack down, took the clothes, set them on the floor, looked up at Ryan, took his hand, and smiled at him. He has to know what I want him to do, she thought to herself.
Ryan looked at her, reaching her hand out to him. Holy shit, what was she doing?
Marissa pulled him down to the bed, on top of her, and started kissing him. Kissing him like on the Ferris wheel. Kissing him because it just felt so right, and she didn't want to wait any longer.
"Marissa, wait, what're you doing?" What was he saying? He sure as hell didn't want her to stop, but he also didn't want her to be doing something she'd only regret later. That would kill him. He sat up on the bed.
She also sat up and pulled away slightly. Did he not want to?
"I mean, are you wanting to, are you leading to… or am I jumping to conclusions? It's just that it's so soon."
"Don't you want to be with me? I thought that you and I…" She started to pull away farther. Crap, now he probably thought she was easy or something.
"NO, wait, I mean yes, YES, of course I want to be with you. I've wanted you for so long, but it's so soon, and you and Luke…" His voice trailed off. Shit, why did he say Luke's name?!?
"Ryan, I don't know what to say, I just feel different with you, like we've been together forever, like I can trust you to not leave me, like we're meant to be together. I know it is really soon, but I feel really sure about this. I feel safe with you."
He looked at her. He loved her. He'd loved her for awhile now. He'd had no intention of telling her so soon, he knew it was too soon. It could be the kiss of death on any relationship they may have. He'd never told a girl he loved her; hell, he'd never told anyone he loved them. Not his worthless mom, not Trey, no one. He'd probably screw it up. He didn't want to blow it and scare her off. But he didn't want to have sex with her without telling her he loved her. He wanted this to be different than other times. Marissa was different.
"Marissa, I want this to be right, to be special. I want this, and I want you, but I want it to be more than sex; I want to make love to you, and to hold you in my arms, and tell you that I love you." Ryan looked at her, the words just rushing out of his mouth.
She looked at him. Did he just tell her he loved her? Did she love him? This was so different than it had been with Luke. She'd loved Luke, but it felt more forced. Like they were expected to be together. Lord knew her mom was always pushing her to be with Luke, it just had seemed easier to make everyone happy and play along. Now, here was Ryan telling her he loved her. He looked so sincere. Sincere and scared at the same time. For the first time, she was in love with a guy for her own reasons, and Ryan loved her back.
She looked like she was going to cry, "Ryan, I love you, too."
He leaned into her, held her in his arms, and started gently kissing her, feeling his mouth on hers, feeling her breath on his face, wanting her with every fiber of his being. He guided her back on the bed.
"Hey Ryan, you are never going to believe who kissed me!" Seth walked into the room, and only then saw Ryan and Marissa on the bed. "Oh shit, I'm sorry man. I am so sorry. Sorry Marissa. I was just, um, leaving." Seth turned around and left the room as quickly as he entered it.
Ryan looked at Marissa; shit, she was getting up from the bed.
"Ryan, um, maybe you're right and we need to wait for the right timing. It's late, I think I'll go ahead and go home; I don't want to get you into trouble with the Cohens. Seeing the troubled look on Ryan's face, Marissa kissed him again.
Ryan got up, grabbed a jacket, and headed for the door to take her home. Tomorrow, he was going to have a little chat with Seth.