Chapter 16
Usual disclaimers...
A/N: Seth/Summer New Year's...sorry if this isn't as good as R/M's New Year's, but I had that great idea for them, and hopefully this is up to par. Also, any ideas for the ending to this story are appreciated. I'm trying to end it soon. Probably with Chapter 20. R&R!
Seth and Summer were on floats in the Cohens' pool. Summer had her sunglasses on and was (gasp!) reading a book. Okay, so Shopaholic didn't count as *deep* reading, but then again, had Summer asked anyone's opinion? Seth sighed as the cool water tickled his toes. With a drink in his hand and his girl by his side, Seth was very content.
Summer floated over to Seth and subtly took his hand. Seth smiled. Summer could be so sweet, when she wasn't busy being a bitch.
"Do you have any plans for New Year's?" Summer asked nonchalantly.
Seth pretended to think. "I'm not sure. I'm waiting for this one girl to let me know if she wants to get together."
Summer giggled. She loved it when they played these games. "If I was that girl, I would definitely say yes."
Seth raised his eyebrows in mock astonishment. "Oh really. Hold on one second," he put his hand to his ear in the shape of a phone. "Well, what do you know, she wants to make plans. So yeah, I've got plans."
Summer rolled her eyes. "Cohen, you are such a dork!"
"Ahh. Name-calling. The most endearing form of compliments," Seth brought in the sarcasm.
"I meant it in a good way," Summer insisted, "after all, I'm your girlfriend. Would I make fun of you?"
"No, of course not. Innocent little Summer would never make fun of someone. Especially if he was her boyfriend," Seth emphasized the words 'innocent', 'never', and 'boyfriend'.
"That's more like it," Summer was satisfied. And that seemed to be Seth's main purpose in life.
Kirsten popped her head out of the house. "Seth, can you go to the store for me?" She waved a list in her hand. "Everything's on the list. Oh, hi Summer."
Summer waved as Seth dipped under the water one last time. He shrugged apologetically at her. "Okay," he yelled back, seeing that his mom was still waiting for his answer.
Kirsten smiled and walked over to the pool to hand Seth the list. Much to his embarrassment, she kissed him on the cheek. "Have fun."
Seth turned around as a very wet body squeezed his just toweled-off one. "You didn't have to get out of the pool."
"I want to go with you," Summer stated. "I've never *really* been to the grocery store."
Seth laughed. "I don't doubt that." He re-dried himself and then wrapped Summer in the towel, seeing as they had only brought one towel out. They got dressed, Seth in a The Strokes t-shirt and shorts and Summer in a Juicy Glam short sleeve shirt and white terrycloth shorts.
On the way to the store, Seth rambled on about the grocery store. He couldn't believe Summer had never *really* been there before. So he had to get her up-to-date. Because Summer *really* wanted to know what was in each aisle. And that there were automated checkouts and ones with sales clerks. Okay, so Seth got a little too enthusiastic sometimes.
They found a parking spot in the crowded lot and walked into the store. Seth grabbed a shopping cart and steered it in the door. After a few purchases, Summer was "bored" and her feet hurt. Seth was about ask just *why* she had to wear platform sandals but decided against it. The last thing he needed was a rage blackout. Or a tantrum.
"Get in," Seth ordered. Summer looked at him, obviously confused.
"Get in," Seth repeated, pointing to the cart. Summer gave Seth a look that said, 'Are you crazy?' But this look soon turned to one of pleasure.
"Put me in," Summer said. Seth lifted her up and gently placed her in the cart. She had to sit Indian-style because her legs were too long. When she had settled in, Seth turned the cart into the next aisle. Summer giggled as Seth brushed by the shelves. He read from the list what they needed, and Summer reached out and grabbed the items.
"This is like, so much fun," Summer decided. As Seth narrowly missed an old lady with a walker, the woman's husband grumbled. Something about how kids these days had no respect. Yeah, okay.
After picking up eggs, lobster, bread, and other things on Kirsten's list, Summer was getting bored. Seth had to do something, and fast; a rage blackout was quickly approaching. He turned into the next aisle and then pushed Summer as fast as possible. They flew by a bunch of people.
Summer squealed, "Cohen, slow down!" Of course she didn't really want him to slow down. She ignored the dirty looks they were getting from the other customers. Seth rounded another corner and halted just in time. A young mother with a baby on her back was coming from the other way. She glared at him as Summer started to scream and the baby started to cry. Summer mentally made a note never to wear one of those "baby backpacks" when she had kids.
Seth decided that it would be safer not to push the cart that fast. They finished the rest of the trip quietly. But before they could get to the milk an employee of the store came over to them.
"We've received more than a few complaints about you two," the man said, without a trace of emotion in his voice. "You're going to have to leave the store."
Summer's jaw dropped in shock. Seth squeezed her hand, telling her to let him do the talking. The last thing he needed was for her to launch into a rage blackout on the employee. Then there would be trouble.
"Excuse me, but can I at least pay for my food? I was finished shopping anyway," Seth pleaded. The man shook his head.
By this time Summer was ready to explode. They hadn't hurt anyone, and it wasn't their fault that all of the other customers had sticks up their asses.
"Please leave through our special employee exit," the man said, guiding them towards a pair of double doors marked: Employees Only.
Summer couldn't stop laughing as they walked past one of the Dumpsters. "I can't believe we got kicked out of the grocery store!"
"What about my mom?" Seth asked. "She's not going to believe us either!"
Back at the Cohen house, a few hours later...
"Seth, I'm home," Kirsten called, "did you get the groceries?"
Seth and Summer were busy playing Mario Kart Super Circuit. Seth kept his eyes on the game. "Well, there was a slight problem," he began.
"Don't tell me you've been sitting there all day playing video games, Seth," Kirsten interrupted.
"Oh no, Mrs. Cohen," Summer stuck up for Seth, "We went to the grocery store."
"To make a long story short, we got asked to leave," Seth mumbled.
"I've got plenty of time," Kirsten shouted from the kitchen, "so get in here right now. Summer, sweetie, you can keep playing." Sighing, Seth kissed Summer and got up from his comfortable position on the couch. He dragged himself in the kitchen, hoping that his mom wouldn't be too angry. She didn't seem to be angry at Summer whatsoever. The ten-year- old boy in Seth wanted to blame it on her, much as he loved her.
"Well?" Kirsten cut to the chase.
"I was pushing Summer around in the cart and some other people complained that we were being dangerous or something. Totally stupid. We didn't even crash into anyone. And then, the guy wouldn't let us pay for the food. And we had gotten all of it!" Seth explained. Kirsten's frowned faded.
"You're not serious, are you?" The corners of her mouth were crinkling into a grin. Seth nodded, slowly. Was that it? Was he actually not going to get a lecture? "You are too much. You know that? Go ask Summer if she wants to stay for dinner. I'll order a pizza."
Seth walked back into the living room unscathed. Summer raised her eyebrows. "You're not in trouble?"
"Nope. Mom wants to know if you want to stay for dinner. She's ordering a pizza," Seth replied.
"Okay, I'm starving," Summer agreed. "Now come over here and get ready to get your ass whooped!"
A few days later...(The day before New Year's)
"Seth, you're up early," Sandy sat reading the newspaper in the kitchen. Seth stumbled over to the fridge and took out a frozen waffle and orange juice.
"New Year's is in two days," Seth mumbled. Sandy wasn't sure if Seth was talking to himself or Sandy. "I need to buy Summer a present. And where should I take her?"
"You could take her to the movies," Sandy suggested. Seth shrugged.
"We do that all the time."
"Mall?" Sandy joked. He knew that Seth avoided the mall as much as was humanly possible. And being Summer's boyfriend meant that most of his weekends were spent at the mall. So that was a no.
"Well, why don't you take her sailing?" Sandy said. It was romantic, quiet, and the boat was named after her. What more could a girl want?
Seth stroked his chin in a feeble attempt to look intellectual. "That's not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all. Thanks, Dad." He grabbed an everything bagel and ran upstairs. A few minutes later Seth came downstairs, dressed and chewing the last piece of his bagel. He grabbed the keys to the Range Rover.
"Where are you going?" Sandy asked. He still hadn't moved from his seat at the table.
"I need to buy a present for Summer," Seth replied. "See you later."
Seth drove to the jewelry store. He didn't know what he was looking for yet, but when he found it, he would know. Sure enough, it didn't take him long to spot the case that held gold charms. Summer had gotten a charm bracelet from Mr. Roberts for her sweet 16, among other gifts. She now had 6 charms. One was from Seth; the rest were other gifts from Mr. Roberts. He knew she had an "S" charm, so that was out of the picture.
"You're Caleb Nichol's grandson, right?" a saleslady walked over to Seth.
"That's me. Seth Cohen," Seth shook the woman's hand.
"What can I help you with?" the woman asked. "By the way, my name's Mary."
Seth pointed to the case. "I want to buy a charm for my girlfriend."
Mary unlocked the case and peered inside. "Did you have any ideas?" Seth shook his head. Mary pursed her lips. "Well, let's see. An initial is always sweet."
"She already has one," Seth said.
"What about a heart? You could have it engraved," Mary suggested.
"Well...okay," Seth agreed. "Can I look at the hearts?"
Mary spread a crimson velvet cloth on the top of the case. She took out some charms and carefully placed them on the cloth. "This one is 18 karats. And these three are 21 karats."
None of them caught Seth's eye. He wanted to pick out the perfect heart for the perfect girl. Mary took out a few more hearts. But none of these struck him either.
"I'll be right back," Mary told him. Seth sighed. None of the hearts were what he was looking for. But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what he wanted.
Mary returned with a black velvet box. She set it on the counter and opened it. In it were three hearts that seemed a bit bigger than the other hearts Seth had seen.
"These are lockets," Mary confided. "Twenty-four karats."
Seth's eyes widened. This. This was what he had been looking for. A locket. "Can I see that one?" Mary handed him the charm. "This is a one of a kind piece, you know." It was beautiful. It was a plain heart, but when you opened it there was a plain side for a picture, and on the other side, there was a space for an inscription.
"I'll take it," Seth grinned, and Mary smiled as well. "This is what I want engraved. First, can I get a rose on the left side? And then next to it, I want 'Summer- A Vila Mon Coeur Gardi Li Mo, Love Seth'"
Mary wrote it down on the order form. "Like this?"
Summer-
A Vila Mon Coeur Gardi Li Mo
Love, Seth
"That's perfect. How soon can you have it engraved?" Seth asked.
"Well, it normally takes about three weeks," Mary paused, and Seth felt his heart sinking. New Year's was in two days. Stupid, stupid Seth. He hadn't factored in the engraving part of gift buying. He was such a boy. "But, for you, I can have it in two days."
Seth smiled. "Can I pick it up around 4:30 in two days?"
"Sure. I'll go put this on our best engraver's desk right now. He's in a meeting right now but as soon as he gets in, he'll start it," Mary said. She went to put the locket away and came back. Seth had his Visa out when she got back. He handed it to her and she went to ring up the total.
"Sign here, Seth," Mary said, handing him a pen. Seth glanced at the total. It was a cool $415, with the engraving. His parents would understand. Besides, he could always tell them to take it out of his trust fund. Not that they ever would.
Seth walked out of the store, feeling happy. Mission accomplished.
Later that day, Seth called Summer. "Hey, Summer."
"So, do we have New Year's plans yet?" Summer asked, snapping her gum. Seth could hear her chewing. To some, it was annoying, but he found it adorable.
"Actually, yeah. I thought we could go out to dinner and then on my boat. We can get really dressed up," Seth said.
"That sounds perfect, Seth," Summer replied. "It's so sweet. And it gives me an excuse to go shopping for a new dress. And I'll need shoes, of course. You know what? I've got to go. I can't waste any of my prime shopping hours. Bye." Seth grinned as he heard the click of the phone. That's my girl, he thought.
Two days later...
Seth walked back into the jewelry store. He was all dressed up in his Armani tuxedo. His hair was under control, and he would soon be with the best thing that ever happened to him. Which was Summer, of course. He spotted Mary and walked over to her. Checking his Rolex, he saw that it was already 6:30. Dinner reservations were for 7:30. Which meant that he had to pick Summer up at 7. Assuming she was ready at 7.
"Hi Seth," Mary said. She walked to the back of the store and disappeared behind a door. A few minutes later she walked out with a small black velvet box. She placed that into the store's signature crimson red bag, and handed it to Seth. "On second thought, do you want to see it first?" Seth nodded.
She took it out and opened the locket. Seth smiled. It was perfect. The rose, and the inscription were flawless. Mary wrapped it back up and handed the bag to Seth again. "Have a happy New Year's," she called, as Seth left the store.
Seth arrived at Summer's house at 7:01. He took the jewelry box out of the bag and stuck it into the inside of his jacket. He shoved the bag into the trunk, where Summer was least likely to see it. Summer was ready to go at 7:09.
"You look gorgeous," Seth smiled, as Summer walked down her spiral staircase. Summer's stepmom, who had answered the door, nodded her head enthusiastically.
"You look gorgeous," she echoed. She wandered off to another part of the house. Apparently she was already drunk, even though she and Mr. Roberts hadn't even gone out yet.
Seth took Summer's hand they walked towards the car. Seth, being the perfect gentleman, opened Summer's door and helped her get in. She was wearing a white knee-length Moschino dress. It had a black bow at the waist and was pleated at the bottom. Low cut and form fitting, it looked like it had been made for Summer. Her white Stuart Weitzman shoes had tie-up ribbons, just like pointe shoes.
After they ate, Seth drove to the marina. They walked hand in hand along the dock.
"Here she is," Seth said, as they approached the Summer Breeze.
"I still can't get over the fact that you named your boat after me. Before you even knew me," Summer said, kissing Seth on the cheek.
"I knew I loved you before I met you," Seth replied. Summer laughed. Without knowing, Seth had quoted lyrics from the old song by Savage Garden.
Seth grinned. Though he didn't know what, he must have said something right. He helped Summer onto the boat. Soon they were sailing into the bay. Seth kept a bottle of wine and a romantic CD on the boat, along with a blanket. Just in case.
Summer watched the city shrink as they drifted farther out. Seth put in the CD and walked over to Summer as the first song started. He put his arm around her and they stood there for a while. Seth decided to give Summer her present now.
"I got this for you," Seth said, his voice lowering. He handed Summer the small velvet box.
"A heart charm! It's beautiful," Summer squealed, throwing her arms around Seth.
"Open it up," Seth prodded. Summer complied, and tears started to form in her eyes as she read the inscription. "There's no picture yet, but I though that you would want to pick one out."
"Oh, Seth," Summer was practically speechless. Seth wiped away the tear that had escaped from Summer's eye. "What does it mean, though?"
"Here is my heart, guard it well," Seth told her. "It's in French."
"Oh, Seth," Summer said again. "You are the sweetest." And then, "I love you."
Seth didn't know what to do, so he kissed Summer. His tongue explored her bottom lip, then her top lip, before venturing inside. Her tongue burned his; the passion was so intense.
"Do you want some wine?" Seth asked, after they finally broke apart. Summer nodded.
He opened the wine bottle and brought it and two glasses over to Summer. He handed her one glass and poured some wine into it. Then he poured some into his glass. They sipped the Napa Valley cabernet, a gift from Caleb's personal stash.
Summer broke the silence. "Seth, this is just so..."
"Perfect?" Seth offered.
"Yes. Perfect," Summer acceded. "I never would have imagined this. I mean, that a boy would do this all for me."
Seth slipped off his jacket and draped it over Summer's arms, as he noticed her shivering.
"Are you kidding? There are tons of guys who would kill to be your boyfriend. I can't believe that I'm the lucky guy," Seth admitted.
Summer answered this with a sweet, tangy kiss. Just then, fireworks boomed in the sky. How did she do that, Seth wondered. He guessed that it was her woman's intuition. Then he let his lips do the thinking.
"Happy New Year, Summer," Seth said, each word in between the now short, longing kisses.
"I love you," Summer replied between more kisses. Seth slipped off his bow tie and started to unbutton his shirt. Summer un-tied her lace-up shoes and turned around so Seth could unzip her dress. She then grabbed at his pants, practically yanking them down. In a somewhat gentle way; after all, the tux was Armani.
Later that night...
Seth and Summer lay on top of the blanket. The sky was midnight blue and the stars were twinkling.
"You know, they say the way you spend New Year's is the way you'll spend the rest of the year," Summer teased, propping herself up on one side to look at Seth.
"Well, we don't want to prove the saying wrong, do we?" Seth raised his eyebrows, and pulled Summer in closer to him.
Apparently not.
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated any of my stories lately! I've been really busy with exams and sports. Enjoy the chapter, and be on the lookout for new chapters for my other stories!!
Usual disclaimers...
A/N: Seth/Summer New Year's...sorry if this isn't as good as R/M's New Year's, but I had that great idea for them, and hopefully this is up to par. Also, any ideas for the ending to this story are appreciated. I'm trying to end it soon. Probably with Chapter 20. R&R!
Seth and Summer were on floats in the Cohens' pool. Summer had her sunglasses on and was (gasp!) reading a book. Okay, so Shopaholic didn't count as *deep* reading, but then again, had Summer asked anyone's opinion? Seth sighed as the cool water tickled his toes. With a drink in his hand and his girl by his side, Seth was very content.
Summer floated over to Seth and subtly took his hand. Seth smiled. Summer could be so sweet, when she wasn't busy being a bitch.
"Do you have any plans for New Year's?" Summer asked nonchalantly.
Seth pretended to think. "I'm not sure. I'm waiting for this one girl to let me know if she wants to get together."
Summer giggled. She loved it when they played these games. "If I was that girl, I would definitely say yes."
Seth raised his eyebrows in mock astonishment. "Oh really. Hold on one second," he put his hand to his ear in the shape of a phone. "Well, what do you know, she wants to make plans. So yeah, I've got plans."
Summer rolled her eyes. "Cohen, you are such a dork!"
"Ahh. Name-calling. The most endearing form of compliments," Seth brought in the sarcasm.
"I meant it in a good way," Summer insisted, "after all, I'm your girlfriend. Would I make fun of you?"
"No, of course not. Innocent little Summer would never make fun of someone. Especially if he was her boyfriend," Seth emphasized the words 'innocent', 'never', and 'boyfriend'.
"That's more like it," Summer was satisfied. And that seemed to be Seth's main purpose in life.
Kirsten popped her head out of the house. "Seth, can you go to the store for me?" She waved a list in her hand. "Everything's on the list. Oh, hi Summer."
Summer waved as Seth dipped under the water one last time. He shrugged apologetically at her. "Okay," he yelled back, seeing that his mom was still waiting for his answer.
Kirsten smiled and walked over to the pool to hand Seth the list. Much to his embarrassment, she kissed him on the cheek. "Have fun."
Seth turned around as a very wet body squeezed his just toweled-off one. "You didn't have to get out of the pool."
"I want to go with you," Summer stated. "I've never *really* been to the grocery store."
Seth laughed. "I don't doubt that." He re-dried himself and then wrapped Summer in the towel, seeing as they had only brought one towel out. They got dressed, Seth in a The Strokes t-shirt and shorts and Summer in a Juicy Glam short sleeve shirt and white terrycloth shorts.
On the way to the store, Seth rambled on about the grocery store. He couldn't believe Summer had never *really* been there before. So he had to get her up-to-date. Because Summer *really* wanted to know what was in each aisle. And that there were automated checkouts and ones with sales clerks. Okay, so Seth got a little too enthusiastic sometimes.
They found a parking spot in the crowded lot and walked into the store. Seth grabbed a shopping cart and steered it in the door. After a few purchases, Summer was "bored" and her feet hurt. Seth was about ask just *why* she had to wear platform sandals but decided against it. The last thing he needed was a rage blackout. Or a tantrum.
"Get in," Seth ordered. Summer looked at him, obviously confused.
"Get in," Seth repeated, pointing to the cart. Summer gave Seth a look that said, 'Are you crazy?' But this look soon turned to one of pleasure.
"Put me in," Summer said. Seth lifted her up and gently placed her in the cart. She had to sit Indian-style because her legs were too long. When she had settled in, Seth turned the cart into the next aisle. Summer giggled as Seth brushed by the shelves. He read from the list what they needed, and Summer reached out and grabbed the items.
"This is like, so much fun," Summer decided. As Seth narrowly missed an old lady with a walker, the woman's husband grumbled. Something about how kids these days had no respect. Yeah, okay.
After picking up eggs, lobster, bread, and other things on Kirsten's list, Summer was getting bored. Seth had to do something, and fast; a rage blackout was quickly approaching. He turned into the next aisle and then pushed Summer as fast as possible. They flew by a bunch of people.
Summer squealed, "Cohen, slow down!" Of course she didn't really want him to slow down. She ignored the dirty looks they were getting from the other customers. Seth rounded another corner and halted just in time. A young mother with a baby on her back was coming from the other way. She glared at him as Summer started to scream and the baby started to cry. Summer mentally made a note never to wear one of those "baby backpacks" when she had kids.
Seth decided that it would be safer not to push the cart that fast. They finished the rest of the trip quietly. But before they could get to the milk an employee of the store came over to them.
"We've received more than a few complaints about you two," the man said, without a trace of emotion in his voice. "You're going to have to leave the store."
Summer's jaw dropped in shock. Seth squeezed her hand, telling her to let him do the talking. The last thing he needed was for her to launch into a rage blackout on the employee. Then there would be trouble.
"Excuse me, but can I at least pay for my food? I was finished shopping anyway," Seth pleaded. The man shook his head.
By this time Summer was ready to explode. They hadn't hurt anyone, and it wasn't their fault that all of the other customers had sticks up their asses.
"Please leave through our special employee exit," the man said, guiding them towards a pair of double doors marked: Employees Only.
Summer couldn't stop laughing as they walked past one of the Dumpsters. "I can't believe we got kicked out of the grocery store!"
"What about my mom?" Seth asked. "She's not going to believe us either!"
Back at the Cohen house, a few hours later...
"Seth, I'm home," Kirsten called, "did you get the groceries?"
Seth and Summer were busy playing Mario Kart Super Circuit. Seth kept his eyes on the game. "Well, there was a slight problem," he began.
"Don't tell me you've been sitting there all day playing video games, Seth," Kirsten interrupted.
"Oh no, Mrs. Cohen," Summer stuck up for Seth, "We went to the grocery store."
"To make a long story short, we got asked to leave," Seth mumbled.
"I've got plenty of time," Kirsten shouted from the kitchen, "so get in here right now. Summer, sweetie, you can keep playing." Sighing, Seth kissed Summer and got up from his comfortable position on the couch. He dragged himself in the kitchen, hoping that his mom wouldn't be too angry. She didn't seem to be angry at Summer whatsoever. The ten-year- old boy in Seth wanted to blame it on her, much as he loved her.
"Well?" Kirsten cut to the chase.
"I was pushing Summer around in the cart and some other people complained that we were being dangerous or something. Totally stupid. We didn't even crash into anyone. And then, the guy wouldn't let us pay for the food. And we had gotten all of it!" Seth explained. Kirsten's frowned faded.
"You're not serious, are you?" The corners of her mouth were crinkling into a grin. Seth nodded, slowly. Was that it? Was he actually not going to get a lecture? "You are too much. You know that? Go ask Summer if she wants to stay for dinner. I'll order a pizza."
Seth walked back into the living room unscathed. Summer raised her eyebrows. "You're not in trouble?"
"Nope. Mom wants to know if you want to stay for dinner. She's ordering a pizza," Seth replied.
"Okay, I'm starving," Summer agreed. "Now come over here and get ready to get your ass whooped!"
A few days later...(The day before New Year's)
"Seth, you're up early," Sandy sat reading the newspaper in the kitchen. Seth stumbled over to the fridge and took out a frozen waffle and orange juice.
"New Year's is in two days," Seth mumbled. Sandy wasn't sure if Seth was talking to himself or Sandy. "I need to buy Summer a present. And where should I take her?"
"You could take her to the movies," Sandy suggested. Seth shrugged.
"We do that all the time."
"Mall?" Sandy joked. He knew that Seth avoided the mall as much as was humanly possible. And being Summer's boyfriend meant that most of his weekends were spent at the mall. So that was a no.
"Well, why don't you take her sailing?" Sandy said. It was romantic, quiet, and the boat was named after her. What more could a girl want?
Seth stroked his chin in a feeble attempt to look intellectual. "That's not a bad idea. Not a bad idea at all. Thanks, Dad." He grabbed an everything bagel and ran upstairs. A few minutes later Seth came downstairs, dressed and chewing the last piece of his bagel. He grabbed the keys to the Range Rover.
"Where are you going?" Sandy asked. He still hadn't moved from his seat at the table.
"I need to buy a present for Summer," Seth replied. "See you later."
Seth drove to the jewelry store. He didn't know what he was looking for yet, but when he found it, he would know. Sure enough, it didn't take him long to spot the case that held gold charms. Summer had gotten a charm bracelet from Mr. Roberts for her sweet 16, among other gifts. She now had 6 charms. One was from Seth; the rest were other gifts from Mr. Roberts. He knew she had an "S" charm, so that was out of the picture.
"You're Caleb Nichol's grandson, right?" a saleslady walked over to Seth.
"That's me. Seth Cohen," Seth shook the woman's hand.
"What can I help you with?" the woman asked. "By the way, my name's Mary."
Seth pointed to the case. "I want to buy a charm for my girlfriend."
Mary unlocked the case and peered inside. "Did you have any ideas?" Seth shook his head. Mary pursed her lips. "Well, let's see. An initial is always sweet."
"She already has one," Seth said.
"What about a heart? You could have it engraved," Mary suggested.
"Well...okay," Seth agreed. "Can I look at the hearts?"
Mary spread a crimson velvet cloth on the top of the case. She took out some charms and carefully placed them on the cloth. "This one is 18 karats. And these three are 21 karats."
None of them caught Seth's eye. He wanted to pick out the perfect heart for the perfect girl. Mary took out a few more hearts. But none of these struck him either.
"I'll be right back," Mary told him. Seth sighed. None of the hearts were what he was looking for. But he couldn't pinpoint exactly what he wanted.
Mary returned with a black velvet box. She set it on the counter and opened it. In it were three hearts that seemed a bit bigger than the other hearts Seth had seen.
"These are lockets," Mary confided. "Twenty-four karats."
Seth's eyes widened. This. This was what he had been looking for. A locket. "Can I see that one?" Mary handed him the charm. "This is a one of a kind piece, you know." It was beautiful. It was a plain heart, but when you opened it there was a plain side for a picture, and on the other side, there was a space for an inscription.
"I'll take it," Seth grinned, and Mary smiled as well. "This is what I want engraved. First, can I get a rose on the left side? And then next to it, I want 'Summer- A Vila Mon Coeur Gardi Li Mo, Love Seth'"
Mary wrote it down on the order form. "Like this?"
Summer-
A Vila Mon Coeur Gardi Li Mo
Love, Seth
"That's perfect. How soon can you have it engraved?" Seth asked.
"Well, it normally takes about three weeks," Mary paused, and Seth felt his heart sinking. New Year's was in two days. Stupid, stupid Seth. He hadn't factored in the engraving part of gift buying. He was such a boy. "But, for you, I can have it in two days."
Seth smiled. "Can I pick it up around 4:30 in two days?"
"Sure. I'll go put this on our best engraver's desk right now. He's in a meeting right now but as soon as he gets in, he'll start it," Mary said. She went to put the locket away and came back. Seth had his Visa out when she got back. He handed it to her and she went to ring up the total.
"Sign here, Seth," Mary said, handing him a pen. Seth glanced at the total. It was a cool $415, with the engraving. His parents would understand. Besides, he could always tell them to take it out of his trust fund. Not that they ever would.
Seth walked out of the store, feeling happy. Mission accomplished.
Later that day, Seth called Summer. "Hey, Summer."
"So, do we have New Year's plans yet?" Summer asked, snapping her gum. Seth could hear her chewing. To some, it was annoying, but he found it adorable.
"Actually, yeah. I thought we could go out to dinner and then on my boat. We can get really dressed up," Seth said.
"That sounds perfect, Seth," Summer replied. "It's so sweet. And it gives me an excuse to go shopping for a new dress. And I'll need shoes, of course. You know what? I've got to go. I can't waste any of my prime shopping hours. Bye." Seth grinned as he heard the click of the phone. That's my girl, he thought.
Two days later...
Seth walked back into the jewelry store. He was all dressed up in his Armani tuxedo. His hair was under control, and he would soon be with the best thing that ever happened to him. Which was Summer, of course. He spotted Mary and walked over to her. Checking his Rolex, he saw that it was already 6:30. Dinner reservations were for 7:30. Which meant that he had to pick Summer up at 7. Assuming she was ready at 7.
"Hi Seth," Mary said. She walked to the back of the store and disappeared behind a door. A few minutes later she walked out with a small black velvet box. She placed that into the store's signature crimson red bag, and handed it to Seth. "On second thought, do you want to see it first?" Seth nodded.
She took it out and opened the locket. Seth smiled. It was perfect. The rose, and the inscription were flawless. Mary wrapped it back up and handed the bag to Seth again. "Have a happy New Year's," she called, as Seth left the store.
Seth arrived at Summer's house at 7:01. He took the jewelry box out of the bag and stuck it into the inside of his jacket. He shoved the bag into the trunk, where Summer was least likely to see it. Summer was ready to go at 7:09.
"You look gorgeous," Seth smiled, as Summer walked down her spiral staircase. Summer's stepmom, who had answered the door, nodded her head enthusiastically.
"You look gorgeous," she echoed. She wandered off to another part of the house. Apparently she was already drunk, even though she and Mr. Roberts hadn't even gone out yet.
Seth took Summer's hand they walked towards the car. Seth, being the perfect gentleman, opened Summer's door and helped her get in. She was wearing a white knee-length Moschino dress. It had a black bow at the waist and was pleated at the bottom. Low cut and form fitting, it looked like it had been made for Summer. Her white Stuart Weitzman shoes had tie-up ribbons, just like pointe shoes.
After they ate, Seth drove to the marina. They walked hand in hand along the dock.
"Here she is," Seth said, as they approached the Summer Breeze.
"I still can't get over the fact that you named your boat after me. Before you even knew me," Summer said, kissing Seth on the cheek.
"I knew I loved you before I met you," Seth replied. Summer laughed. Without knowing, Seth had quoted lyrics from the old song by Savage Garden.
Seth grinned. Though he didn't know what, he must have said something right. He helped Summer onto the boat. Soon they were sailing into the bay. Seth kept a bottle of wine and a romantic CD on the boat, along with a blanket. Just in case.
Summer watched the city shrink as they drifted farther out. Seth put in the CD and walked over to Summer as the first song started. He put his arm around her and they stood there for a while. Seth decided to give Summer her present now.
"I got this for you," Seth said, his voice lowering. He handed Summer the small velvet box.
"A heart charm! It's beautiful," Summer squealed, throwing her arms around Seth.
"Open it up," Seth prodded. Summer complied, and tears started to form in her eyes as she read the inscription. "There's no picture yet, but I though that you would want to pick one out."
"Oh, Seth," Summer was practically speechless. Seth wiped away the tear that had escaped from Summer's eye. "What does it mean, though?"
"Here is my heart, guard it well," Seth told her. "It's in French."
"Oh, Seth," Summer said again. "You are the sweetest." And then, "I love you."
Seth didn't know what to do, so he kissed Summer. His tongue explored her bottom lip, then her top lip, before venturing inside. Her tongue burned his; the passion was so intense.
"Do you want some wine?" Seth asked, after they finally broke apart. Summer nodded.
He opened the wine bottle and brought it and two glasses over to Summer. He handed her one glass and poured some wine into it. Then he poured some into his glass. They sipped the Napa Valley cabernet, a gift from Caleb's personal stash.
Summer broke the silence. "Seth, this is just so..."
"Perfect?" Seth offered.
"Yes. Perfect," Summer acceded. "I never would have imagined this. I mean, that a boy would do this all for me."
Seth slipped off his jacket and draped it over Summer's arms, as he noticed her shivering.
"Are you kidding? There are tons of guys who would kill to be your boyfriend. I can't believe that I'm the lucky guy," Seth admitted.
Summer answered this with a sweet, tangy kiss. Just then, fireworks boomed in the sky. How did she do that, Seth wondered. He guessed that it was her woman's intuition. Then he let his lips do the thinking.
"Happy New Year, Summer," Seth said, each word in between the now short, longing kisses.
"I love you," Summer replied between more kisses. Seth slipped off his bow tie and started to unbutton his shirt. Summer un-tied her lace-up shoes and turned around so Seth could unzip her dress. She then grabbed at his pants, practically yanking them down. In a somewhat gentle way; after all, the tux was Armani.
Later that night...
Seth and Summer lay on top of the blanket. The sky was midnight blue and the stars were twinkling.
"You know, they say the way you spend New Year's is the way you'll spend the rest of the year," Summer teased, propping herself up on one side to look at Seth.
"Well, we don't want to prove the saying wrong, do we?" Seth raised his eyebrows, and pulled Summer in closer to him.
Apparently not.
A/N: Sorry I haven't updated any of my stories lately! I've been really busy with exams and sports. Enjoy the chapter, and be on the lookout for new chapters for my other stories!!