A/N: As always, thanks for reading and reviewing.

Disclaimer: I do not own the OC

-----------

Seth POV



I took out my handkerchief and wiped the moisture off my brow. Yes, the sun seemed closest in August, but that wasn't the only reason I was sweating - I had to speak with Anna.

I reached for the door and knocked it. At our six month anniversary, I'd presented her with her own key to my apartment. We were together so much that it was pointless for her to have to call every time she was coming over or for me to have to leave my key every time she left in my absence. As expected, she had hugged and kissed me to express her pleasure at receiving the gift but it had been two weeks and she still hadn't reciprocated the gesture. I didn't think I was expecting too much - since I'd given her my key, wasn't she supposed to give me hers in return? I didn't want to read too much into it, but lately, things just didn't seem to be adding up.

The door opened as she pulled it back so that I could get in. She frowned, holding the side of her apron in one gloved hand and the door knob in the other.

"Seth, you're early! I still have some cleaning to do," she said, walking back into apartment.

I shut the door behind me. I dragged my feet as I followed - I really wasn't ready for it, but I had decided that it was then or never. On meeting her, I'd known that I was about to embark on a very important phase of my life. It's not like I'd thought she was the answer to my prayers or anything but after meeting all sorts of girls, I'd always had it at the back of my mind that the right one got away. To me, meeting her on the train that day was fate giving me a second chance - and I wasn't going to blow it. This time around, I did everything by the book.

Flowers, candy, attention, honesty, great sex... I made sure they were all at her disposal. And it worked. Simultaneously, we fell in love. She had been a little hesitant about our relationship but it didn't take her long to see things my way. To me, she was the perfect combination of wit, intelligence, great personality and beauty. Plus she made me want to be a better man. Where she was weak, I was strong and vice versa. And everyone said so. Everyone loved her - my co-workers, my parents and my friends. However, lately, I was beginning to wonder in which ways my most important friend expressed that love to her.

With them, it really wasn't anything specific. Initially, I'd convinced myself that it was all in my imagination but lately, it seemed as real the expansion of my hair in humidity. I first started noticing the little things - the looks, smiles and so forth - after I had a conversation with Summer a month earlier.

We were engaged in our monthly phone call where we update one another about our lives.

"Yes, her dress is coming along. She's so damn picky. We've already had three fittings and she's still not satisfied with what I've done. Sometimes I could wring her neck," she said in a response to a question about Marissa's dress.

"Well, it's her wedding day - she wants it to be perfect."

"Yes, and I shouldn't complain. I charged the heck out of her Mom, seeing that it's a wedding dress and all..."

"Wedding dresses are supposed to cost more?"

"Yep. Which is particularly silly, 'cos you only wear them once, but I don't care. And they are the one thing celebrities don't expect to get for free. So it's win-win for me."

"True. And that is particularly lucrative in LA considering the average actress gets married at least five times," I joked.

" Exactly. See why I love people falling in love? Speaking of which..."

I already knew what was coming next and I could already feel myself blushing. "Yeah..?"

"I hear there's some intense love going in your dinky little apartment."

I laughed. "How many times am I going to tell you that for NYC it's quite huge?"

"See why I can never move over there? Other than the pollution, which would be just wrong for my skin, and the crazies, which is wrong for my mental state, forfeiting my cute clothes 8 months a year, which is just plain wrong, I would have to be happy to live in some ugly, tiny shack for the same price I'm paying for my three bedroom condo! Yeah... no can do. "

I kept laughing, Summer was a good friend to have. "But Anna has really spruced up the place though, you should see in now."

"Yeah, whatever. But I figured she'd have done something about it. There's nothing like love to put a woman in the mood to decorate."

"Well..." It felt great. Even though the relationship only included Anna and I, it felt great to know that all the people we cared about not only approved of our love, but actually derived pleasure from it.

"Yeah... I wonder when she and Chino will..."

"What?" I interjected.

"What?" she echoed in a small voice.

"What did you just say?" I knew what she'd said but I just wanted her to repeat it.

"What do you mean?"

"Summer, did you say 'she and Chino?'"

She was quiet for a moment. "You think I said 'Chino?'"

"Summer, you said 'she and Chino?'"

She laughed nervously. "Why would I say that, Seth? It obviously makes no sense."

I didn't buy it for one minute - she only called me by my first name when she was nervous or scared. Either way, I didn't like it.

"Summer, is there something I should know?"

"Oh, Cohen, relax. Why in the world would I talk about Ryan? If I did, it was simply a mistake. Just chill - you are so killing the mood." Then she went back to talking about wedding gowns.

As far as I knew, Summer and Anna weren't buddies so I really doubted that she could have gotten that impression from her. And I knew Marissa couldn't have alluded to it because the last time she was here, Anna and I were together , so who was telling her these tales? Ryan? Yes, they weren't the closest of friends but they DID share the occasional phone call... the entire thing just didn't make any sense. Regardless, Summer hadn't been very good at covering up her mistake and from that moment I knew that something was definitely up - my Mama didn't raise no fool.

So, I went into investigator mode. I didn't go as far as going through their things or anything like that, but whenever I went to Anna's place, I checked the caller-id to see if Ryan had called or, if Ryan was going somewhere on his own, I always made sure I checked out where Anna was. And each and every time, I came up empty. So as far as I knew they weren't having an affair. But then again, I didn't really search very hard. I think I was a little too scared to actually uncover anything because the thought of my girlfriend and my best friend together made me physically ill.

But the little things were hard to ignore. For example, whenever Ryan came into the room, Anna's body language changed and she didn't talk as much or she suddenly remembered that she had work to do or a place to be. And Ryan had definitely changed. Granted, he'd never been one for talking much but we had seriously cut down on our SethRyan time. Whenever I wanted to go out with him, he was always busy and when Anna and I hung out with him, he always made sure he stayed away from us. I'd previously thought it was out of consideration for our relationship and privacy but lately, I'd wondered if it was for another reason. Maybe it was because he was jealous and didn't like seeing us together. The whole idea was absurd but still... Plus, other than little things like these, there was a very obvious reason for my concern; whenever they spoke to one another, I almost felt like grabbing a machete to cut the tension. I had thought that it would dissipate once they got to know one another better but as far as I could tell, it just kept getting worse. I'd reached the point that I could no longer watch in silence. So I had to talk to Anna about it. I had wanted to speak with Ryan, but I wanted to hear her side first and make sure I knew what was going on before I did that. Besides, she was my girlfriend and I owed her that much.

She walked into the kitchen and resumed her chores. I followed her and stood by the counter, watching her.

She looked at me, underneath furrowed brows. "Seth, you can sit down on the couch and watch something - this won't take long. Or you can grab the cloth and help me wipe down the counter." She smiled. "Which is it?"

I didn't say anything - I just stood there standing. I'd practiced my speech for three days but all it took was standing in front of her for it to escape my memory.

She dropped the plate and studied me. "Seth, is everything o.k.?"

"Would you like to sit down?" I asked, hoping to buy some time.

"No. You just say what you want to say," she said with apprehension.

I exhaled. "I don't know how to say this..."

"Just say it!"

"Well, this might sound ridiculous, and please if it is, just tell me it is and I will never ever mention it again. It's so ludicrous, I don't even know how I could think it, but it's been on my mind for a while and I just want to make sure I'm wrong about it then I can relax and we can just put it in a box and throw away the key."

"Just spit it out."

"Ehm..."

"Seth!"

"O.K... I'm sorry I have to ask this but is there something going on with you and Ryan?"

"Oh, I see," she said turning the tap back on and picking up a dish to resume her washing.

"Anna..." I implored. Her actions scared me to death. I'd just wanted her to burst out laughing telling me what an idiot I'd been, thereby restoring my faith in our relationship but I didn't even know what to make of what she was doing instead.

"No, please continue, I am sure you have more," she said, not turning her gaze from the plate in her hand.

"No, that's it."

She nodded. "I see. And what makes you ask this question? You know... just out of curiosity."

I placed my buttocks on the counter and leaned on it. "I don't know, it's just a feeling I get."

"Oh... you feel that I'm some kind of slut, is that it?"

"No..."

"Oh, I think screwing two best friends would classify me as such. Well, at least if I do it separately, is that it?"

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all!" My temper slowly rose. I couldn't understand why she wasn't denying it.

"Oh, I see, then you think I am using you to get to Ryan... oh.. no... of course not. Ryan and I are plotting against you behind your back -that must be it then," she said, washing a glass ferociously. I kept staring at her hands for signs of blood because I was sure it was going to break.

"Is that it?"

"Anna, of course not!"

She nodded. "Oh... now I get what's happening." She turned off the tap, pulled her gloves off, grabbed the freshly washed glass, opened her fridge, got out a half empty bottle of peach schnapps and poured herself a drink. She took a gulp and glared at me.

"This IS what you are doing, right?" she asked.

"What now?"

"You're trying to break up with me, right?"

"What?" I'd certainly not anticipated that response.

She walked past me and sat on one of the chairs in the dinning room. She placed her glass on the table and stared into space.

"You're doing the classic guy thing. You piss off the girl so much that she just has to dump you out of frustration... all because you can't be man enough to break up with her yourself. Is that it Seth?" She turned, looking me over from feet to face. "I never figured you for a coward."

"Anna, what's all this? All I want to know is the truth. All you have to say is 'no.' I don't even know what all this is about."

She got off the chair and started pacing her dinning room, looking at me occasionally.

"Although this would make perfect sense - this is classic Seth Cohen."

"What?"

"This is what you did in High School."

"Really? I asked you about Ryan in high school too?"

"No. Instead of breaking up with me, you just ignored and mistreated me so much that I had to do the breaking up for you. Yes. It makes so much sense now. I guess you are indeed a coward."

"No, Anna," I said firmly. I had had enough of the accusations. "Just answer my question: Is anything going on with you and Ryan?"

"No, you answer mine," she shot back. "Are you trying to break up with me?"

"NO!"

"Are you sure? 'Cos it sure as hell looks that way. Just do it, Seth Cohen. Just break up with me."

I put my elbows on the counter and placed my head in my palms -everything was messed up. It was even worse than hearing 'yes.'"

She kept pacing the room. "And I'm not letting you off easy this time. No... you're going to do the dirty work this time around. If you want to break up with me; just say it."

She stopped moving and leaned on the wall, looking away from me.

"Just say it!"

I kept quiet.

"Just say it! Say you don't want to be with me, say you don't love me. Say you want to break up with me!" she commanded.

I still didn't say anything - she was beginning to freak me out. I wondered if her overreaction was really her just doing what she was accusing me of i.e. making me do the dirty work by breaking up with her.

"Just say you don't want to be with me and I'll understand, instead of this bullshit you're doing now, Seth! Say it!" she shouted. "Just say you don't want me. I won't argue. But you're going to have to say it."

She was beginning to give me a headache. I straightened my body and approached her. She kept saying, "Just break up with me," as I got closer to her. I reached out my hand to touch her.

"Don't touch me!" Tears were forming in her eyes.

I didn't comply and caressed her face instead. "You've gotta know that I love you."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to..." I couldn't complete my sentence because the tears had begun to fall. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my handkerchief and carefully wiped away her tears. Then I slowly kissed both of her eyes.

"So, are you saying that you are not breaking up with me?" she said finally.

"No, Anna, how could you think that? I love you."

She looked satisfied. "Alright," she checked her watch. "I'm going to have to finish the dishes later - we don't want to miss the play," she said right before she walked into her bedroom.

The entire time I waited for her return, I couldn't help but observe that she never answered my question.