This Time Around
Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C.—obviously!
A/N: So I'm back from my cruise...and it was fan-f*cking-tastic! Sun, sand, and surf...okay, well not the surf part—but what more could you want? Beats me. Anyways. Here's the third part, when I was going over part two, I realized that there was a mistake, so after I upload this one, I'm uploading chapter 2 again. No need to re-read it, unless you want to. On with the story!!
A/N 2: This chapter covers a little more than I had planned, but it all went together so nicely. The next (and probably final) part will be entitled "Reconciliation" or something of the sort. If there are any suggestions let me know. Please review!!
Chapter Three: Broken
"Seth, come on," Marissa whined, "It's been four and a half months. When are you going to drop that snobby bitch?"
I calmly sipped my latte, as my mind raced to answer her. "Patience, Marissa, patience. I mean, I know you're used to getting everything you want, when you want it. But I'm not Ryan and definitely not your mother."
"When, though?" she asked. Apparently, she had just missed what I said.
"You're going to have to wait. I haven't got her completely snared yet. These things take time," I told Marissa. I hadn't told her or Ryan that Summer had said those three special words the other week. It was getting to the point where if I didn't "break the news" to Summer, Marissa and Ryan were going to. Of course, they didn't know if I was going to dump her.
Hell, I didn't even know if I was going to do it.
Much as I hated to admit it, inevitably I would be forced to choose between my Ryan/Marissa and Summer. And that, my friends, was not something I was looking forward to. I missed the days when we were all friends.
*
"Seth, you seem a little uptight. Is everything okay?" Summer asked, putting a hand on my shoulders. I was tense, all right. She began to rub my back, finding all of the pressure points and kneading the knots out.
I gulped nervously. I couldn't help it. This whole "plan" thing was wearing me down. How could I choose? Marissa and Ryan had been my best friends for ages, back in the day when Summer would give me the time of day. But Summer...she'd changed. And she actually liked me. Loved me, even. Was I willing to give it all up?
"Summer..." I started, but she hushed me with the pressure of her smooth lips against mine. I tried to protest, really I did, but to no avail. Okay, so I didn't exactly try to push her away. But do you blame me? Didn't think so.
"So I can't wait to go to New York this summer. It's great that your parents were able to get you an apartment on such short notice. Too bad we're not sharing one," Summer mumbled, applying more pressure to the spots I moaned over.
"Yeah," I groaned, "I can't wait."
The only thing I was worried about was that Ryan and Marissa were getting their own apartment one floor above mine. Since Summer was going to be at mine quite often, there was a pretty big chance that they would run into each other.
Little did I know how big that chance was.
*
"Can we stop at Starbucks?" Summer asked, tracing small circles on the inside of my leg. Which, might I add, was making it very hard to concentrate on the road.
"Fine," I said, "But keep your hands off me and your eyes on the lookout for a Starbucks. You're distracting me."
We were on our way to a cute little bed-and-breakfast joint in Connecticut. Summer still had no idea who I was. And I wanted to keep it that way, for a little longer. Ryan and Marissa were plenty pissed when I told them about my plan for a romantic weekend getaway. I had to pacify them by saying I would definitely tell Summer during or after our rendezvous. That seemed to settle them down a bit, but they wanted me to do it in the midst of romantic activities, which I definitely wouldn't do. Revenge might be sweet, but my revenge wasn't going to be *that* sweet. If I even went through with it.
Sure, I'd been hurt, but high school was a long time ago. Was I still such a child that I needed to play games with people's emotions? Hell yeah. Well...I didn't know about Summer's emotions. Summer was in a league of her own. Underneath, she wasn't that boisterous, confident, popular girl from Harbor. She was fragile and insecure, and needed someone to trust, to be attached to.
"There's one, Seth," Summer pointed, and I turned on the left hand turn signal. I couldn't help but think of the days when I was acknowledged by an, "Ew, Cohen". Did Summer remember those days? Sure she remembered her days as Miss Thang, with all of her friends. But did she remember geeky Seth Cohen? Had she really not put two and two together? Okay, so she hadn't been the sharpest tool in the shed in high school. But come on, how could she be that clueless?
"I'll go in," I offered. I needed to get away from her. Summer's scent, her personality, it was all drowning me. I needed some fresh air, and time. To think, without Summer there, or without Ryan and Marissa's constant pressure.
"No, I'll go," Summer insisted. I shook my head at her, and she shook hers back, so I stuck my tongue out. Childish, I know.
"Why don't we both go?" I asked, knowing there was no way Summer would give in, but at the same time I didn't want to give in either.
Hand in hand, we walked into the Starbucks, which was crowded. Surprise, surprise. Summer announced that she had to use the bathroom, so I waited in line while she went. I was deciding between a Mocha or Chocolate Brownie Frappuccino when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around, and who else did I see but Ryan and Marissa.
"Hey, Ryan, Marissa," I said, beginning to sweat a little. Was it just me or was it getting really hot in there?
"Fancy meeting you here," Marissa smiled slightly. "Summer wouldn't happen to be with you, would she?"
I cleared my throat loudly. "She's using the bathroom," I managed to spit out. Shit. It was all over. Or it was going to be, in a matter of minutes. Fuck.
"Maybe I should go check on her," Marissa said innocently. "You know, it might be good for her to catch up with some old friends. Oh, wait she's done that already. Too bad Summer doesn't know it...yet."
"Know what?" Summer asked, walking up and lacing her fingers through mine. "Marissa?"
Marissa wrapped Summer in a huge hug. "I think we should forget what's happened between us. We've been friends for way too long to let a few lies get between us," Marissa said, and I couldn't tell if she was faking it or genuinely happy to see Summer.
"Okay, but we've got to have a long talk later," Summer squealed, after pausing for a moment, and squeezed Marissa tightly. "But what are you doing here? And how do you know my Seth?"
Ryan waved at Summer. "I'm sure you remember me, Summer. Ryan Atwood. Seth Cohen's foster brother. This is Seth Cohen, isn't it?"
All the color drained from Summer's face. "You know them?" She looked crestfallen, and I wished I'd never agreed to Ryan and Marissa's plan. Because I'd made my decision. It was Summer I wanted. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Well," I started to say, but Marissa cut me off.
"Summer, honey, I'm sorry. Seth was so happy that you didn't know who he was, so he wanted to take advantage of the situation. You weren't the nicest to him in high school. I guess he just wanted to take revenge," Marissa explained, and if she wasn't a girl, and Ryan's girlfriend at that, I would have slapped her.
Summer turned to me, with her sad puppy-dog eyes. "Is this true?" she asked quietly.
What was I supposed to do? It was true. I had just decided to rewrite the ending to Marissa's tale. "Summer...I'm so sorry."
"Save it," she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. I could tell she was trying hard not to cry, and didn't want to give me the supposed "satisfaction" of seeing her cry. She turned on her heel and made her way through the store to the doors.
"Summer, wait," I called. But she just turned around, stared me straight in the eye, and left. "Are you happy now?"
Marissa and Ryan actually looked a little stricken. "That didn't feel as good as I thought it would," Marissa admitted. "And we actually made up. She just forgave me like that. Summer really has changed."
"I feel like a jackass," Ryan told us.
"That's because you are one," Marissa reminded him, and gave him a peck on the lips. Meanwhile, I was getting angry at the way they just blew off the whole situation.
"Hello, earth to Ryan and Marissa. We were in the middle of trying to unscrew my life. Help, please," I snapped, and they looked up.
"Well...I think Summer learned her lesson. She actually got rejected by a guy," Marissa giggled. "So, what the hell are you waiting for?"
"Don't let her get away!" they shouted in unison.
I looked at them. "That's it? You wanted me to lead her on for all those months. And now that she's broken, you want me to go after her?" They nodded, grinning like idiots. God, I loved them then. "Okay."
I pushed my way past the people waiting in line and ran out the door. Summer was just pulling out in her car. Wait, that was my car!
"Summer, wait," I yelled, as she revved the engine. I jumped in front of the car, knowing that she wouldn't do anything stupid. Like run me over.
"What do you want? You've already broken my heart. Now, please, just get out of the way," Summer sighed, and wiped the tears from her face.
"Summer...it's not like that," I had to explain, even though Summer probably didn't want to hear it. "When I ran into you...and you didn't recognize me, it was like a second chance for me. I've liked you since forever and I knew you wouldn't give me a chance if you knew who I was. Come on, would you have wanted to go out with me if you knew I was Seth Cohen the skater?"
"No," Summer protested, "It wouldn't have mattered. I'm over the coolness thing. High school was a long time ago. But that's not even important. You led me on. The whole time I was falling for you, you were plotting with Ryan and Marissa to dump me."
"No, Summer, that was their plan. At first I was going to go along with it. But then I got to know you. And I found out that you weren't a bitch at all. I fell for you, Summer. I love you," There. I'd said it. Now, it was up to Summer to make her decision. Our love life was hanging in the balance.
Summer turned off the car and threw the keys to me. "I wish I could believe you, Seth. I really do."
She slapped me across the face, lightly, I noted. And then she hopped into a cab that had just pulled up, and sped away. Out of my life, and further into my heart.
I stood there for a while, feeling the sting of her hand on my cheek. I didn't even realize that Marissa and Ryan had come to stand with me until Marissa put her arm around me and laid her head on my shoulder.
"I feel like such a jackass," Marissa said, repeating Ryan's concerns from earlier.
"That's because you are one," Ryan teased, then put on a straight face when I glared at him.
"She left. She fucking left. And you know what she said when I told her the truth? 'I wish I could believe you, Seth'," I put my head in my hands. "I screwed up."
"Seth," Marissa soothed, "It's not your fault. Summer's a little stubborn, you should know that by now. But if you really want her, you've got to prove it. She thinks it was all a plan to put her in her place. Which it was, at first."
"But you should've just flat out told us that you had real feelings for her. Seth, we're your friends. We didn't realize that you wanted out of the plan," Ryan apologized.
"It's too late now..." I muttered. "But thanks."
Marissa pinched me. "What are you talking about? You've just got to approach her in the right way. Don't you remember the breakup of 2008?"
"Can I forget?" I asked. That year, Marissa and Ryan had had this huge blowout over...well, I can't even remember what it was about. Marissa was all ready to transfer schools just to get away from Ryan. He tried calling her, sending her flowers, and so on, but nothing worked. Ryan made some calls, and got the MTV video screens in Times Square to flash "Please forgive me, Marissa. You mean everything to me. Love, Ryan." That got her back. Oh yes, it did.
I wasn't as creative and romantic as Ryan. Well, at least that's what I had believed, seeing as I hadn't had a girlfriend until I was 17. But that's another story. Luckily, Ryan and Marissa wanted to help me win Summer back. How ironic.
"I remember that," Ryan laughed. "That was a hell of a lot of phone calls I made. Only for you, Marissa."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around Ryan. "I love you, babe."
I wrinkled my nose and pulled their heads apart. "Much as I love to see your PDA's, now is not the time. What am I going to do?"
*
Summer's answering machine picked up after the fifth ring. I'd been calling her every day, every fourth hour, for the last week and a half. So I knew her answering machine pretty well. We had a closer relationship than Summer and I were having. At least for now.
I got my hopes up every day. I woke up, determined that this was the day Summer would answer the phone, or call me back. I wasn't picky. Either would do.
After the fifth ring, I waited for the beep and began to talk. "Summer, please call me. I'm sorry. I miss you, and I don't know what I'm doing without you. Did I mention I'm sorry? Please call me back."
I paused for a second, thinking of something, anything that I could say to make her talk to me. I was running out of things to say, honestly. I'd bought Hallmark cards just for the sake of stealing their one-liners. I rented all those break-up-and-make-up movies. In fact, they knew me by name at the Blockbuster. And we had only been in New York for a month. Can you tell I was desperate?
The machine beeped again. Had I really been thinking for that long? Summer's answering machine could hold messages up to 4 minutes and 29 seconds long. Then, I heard a breathing noise coming from the receiver. And I wasn't that stupid. I knew it wasn't me.
"Summer?" I asked in disbelief. After dozens and dozens of messages, was she actually going to speak to me?
"Seth...what do you want?" Summer sounded tired.
"Can I talk to you? Can we meet up for coffee or something?" I was miserable without her and she needed to know it. "I'm miserable without you."
"Okay...whatever. Please stop calling. I can't sleep, I can't eat, because every time I try I'm reminded of you. When I hear your voice, I shut down," Summer said, her voice practically inaudible.
"Meet me at the Starbucks on Broadway and Grand," I told her. "In twenty minutes."
My heart was racing. Call me crazy, but after a week and a half without talking to or seeing Summer, I felt like I'd been to hell and back. I was a fool in love. And enjoying every second of it. I grabbed my keys and wallet and left the apartment.
I ran the four and a half blocks to the Starbucks, ignoring the weird looks people were giving me. Normally, when someone was running, they were exercising or chasing someone. Of which, I looked to be doing neither. Oh, or they were being chased by someone. Which was also not happening.
When I got there, Summer hadn't arrived. Figures. She probably took a taxi, even though her apartment was closer to the store than mine. Girls.
I ordered drinks for the both of us and sat down at a table. I couldn't stop shaking, and every few seconds I had to look out the window to see if my raven-haired beauty was coming.
I prayed that she wouldn't stand me up. She'd already broken my heart once, way back when. I didn't need it broken yet again.
Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C.—obviously!
A/N: So I'm back from my cruise...and it was fan-f*cking-tastic! Sun, sand, and surf...okay, well not the surf part—but what more could you want? Beats me. Anyways. Here's the third part, when I was going over part two, I realized that there was a mistake, so after I upload this one, I'm uploading chapter 2 again. No need to re-read it, unless you want to. On with the story!!
A/N 2: This chapter covers a little more than I had planned, but it all went together so nicely. The next (and probably final) part will be entitled "Reconciliation" or something of the sort. If there are any suggestions let me know. Please review!!
Chapter Three: Broken
"Seth, come on," Marissa whined, "It's been four and a half months. When are you going to drop that snobby bitch?"
I calmly sipped my latte, as my mind raced to answer her. "Patience, Marissa, patience. I mean, I know you're used to getting everything you want, when you want it. But I'm not Ryan and definitely not your mother."
"When, though?" she asked. Apparently, she had just missed what I said.
"You're going to have to wait. I haven't got her completely snared yet. These things take time," I told Marissa. I hadn't told her or Ryan that Summer had said those three special words the other week. It was getting to the point where if I didn't "break the news" to Summer, Marissa and Ryan were going to. Of course, they didn't know if I was going to dump her.
Hell, I didn't even know if I was going to do it.
Much as I hated to admit it, inevitably I would be forced to choose between my Ryan/Marissa and Summer. And that, my friends, was not something I was looking forward to. I missed the days when we were all friends.
*
"Seth, you seem a little uptight. Is everything okay?" Summer asked, putting a hand on my shoulders. I was tense, all right. She began to rub my back, finding all of the pressure points and kneading the knots out.
I gulped nervously. I couldn't help it. This whole "plan" thing was wearing me down. How could I choose? Marissa and Ryan had been my best friends for ages, back in the day when Summer would give me the time of day. But Summer...she'd changed. And she actually liked me. Loved me, even. Was I willing to give it all up?
"Summer..." I started, but she hushed me with the pressure of her smooth lips against mine. I tried to protest, really I did, but to no avail. Okay, so I didn't exactly try to push her away. But do you blame me? Didn't think so.
"So I can't wait to go to New York this summer. It's great that your parents were able to get you an apartment on such short notice. Too bad we're not sharing one," Summer mumbled, applying more pressure to the spots I moaned over.
"Yeah," I groaned, "I can't wait."
The only thing I was worried about was that Ryan and Marissa were getting their own apartment one floor above mine. Since Summer was going to be at mine quite often, there was a pretty big chance that they would run into each other.
Little did I know how big that chance was.
*
"Can we stop at Starbucks?" Summer asked, tracing small circles on the inside of my leg. Which, might I add, was making it very hard to concentrate on the road.
"Fine," I said, "But keep your hands off me and your eyes on the lookout for a Starbucks. You're distracting me."
We were on our way to a cute little bed-and-breakfast joint in Connecticut. Summer still had no idea who I was. And I wanted to keep it that way, for a little longer. Ryan and Marissa were plenty pissed when I told them about my plan for a romantic weekend getaway. I had to pacify them by saying I would definitely tell Summer during or after our rendezvous. That seemed to settle them down a bit, but they wanted me to do it in the midst of romantic activities, which I definitely wouldn't do. Revenge might be sweet, but my revenge wasn't going to be *that* sweet. If I even went through with it.
Sure, I'd been hurt, but high school was a long time ago. Was I still such a child that I needed to play games with people's emotions? Hell yeah. Well...I didn't know about Summer's emotions. Summer was in a league of her own. Underneath, she wasn't that boisterous, confident, popular girl from Harbor. She was fragile and insecure, and needed someone to trust, to be attached to.
"There's one, Seth," Summer pointed, and I turned on the left hand turn signal. I couldn't help but think of the days when I was acknowledged by an, "Ew, Cohen". Did Summer remember those days? Sure she remembered her days as Miss Thang, with all of her friends. But did she remember geeky Seth Cohen? Had she really not put two and two together? Okay, so she hadn't been the sharpest tool in the shed in high school. But come on, how could she be that clueless?
"I'll go in," I offered. I needed to get away from her. Summer's scent, her personality, it was all drowning me. I needed some fresh air, and time. To think, without Summer there, or without Ryan and Marissa's constant pressure.
"No, I'll go," Summer insisted. I shook my head at her, and she shook hers back, so I stuck my tongue out. Childish, I know.
"Why don't we both go?" I asked, knowing there was no way Summer would give in, but at the same time I didn't want to give in either.
Hand in hand, we walked into the Starbucks, which was crowded. Surprise, surprise. Summer announced that she had to use the bathroom, so I waited in line while she went. I was deciding between a Mocha or Chocolate Brownie Frappuccino when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around, and who else did I see but Ryan and Marissa.
"Hey, Ryan, Marissa," I said, beginning to sweat a little. Was it just me or was it getting really hot in there?
"Fancy meeting you here," Marissa smiled slightly. "Summer wouldn't happen to be with you, would she?"
I cleared my throat loudly. "She's using the bathroom," I managed to spit out. Shit. It was all over. Or it was going to be, in a matter of minutes. Fuck.
"Maybe I should go check on her," Marissa said innocently. "You know, it might be good for her to catch up with some old friends. Oh, wait she's done that already. Too bad Summer doesn't know it...yet."
"Know what?" Summer asked, walking up and lacing her fingers through mine. "Marissa?"
Marissa wrapped Summer in a huge hug. "I think we should forget what's happened between us. We've been friends for way too long to let a few lies get between us," Marissa said, and I couldn't tell if she was faking it or genuinely happy to see Summer.
"Okay, but we've got to have a long talk later," Summer squealed, after pausing for a moment, and squeezed Marissa tightly. "But what are you doing here? And how do you know my Seth?"
Ryan waved at Summer. "I'm sure you remember me, Summer. Ryan Atwood. Seth Cohen's foster brother. This is Seth Cohen, isn't it?"
All the color drained from Summer's face. "You know them?" She looked crestfallen, and I wished I'd never agreed to Ryan and Marissa's plan. Because I'd made my decision. It was Summer I wanted. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Well," I started to say, but Marissa cut me off.
"Summer, honey, I'm sorry. Seth was so happy that you didn't know who he was, so he wanted to take advantage of the situation. You weren't the nicest to him in high school. I guess he just wanted to take revenge," Marissa explained, and if she wasn't a girl, and Ryan's girlfriend at that, I would have slapped her.
Summer turned to me, with her sad puppy-dog eyes. "Is this true?" she asked quietly.
What was I supposed to do? It was true. I had just decided to rewrite the ending to Marissa's tale. "Summer...I'm so sorry."
"Save it," she whispered, tears pooling in her eyes. I could tell she was trying hard not to cry, and didn't want to give me the supposed "satisfaction" of seeing her cry. She turned on her heel and made her way through the store to the doors.
"Summer, wait," I called. But she just turned around, stared me straight in the eye, and left. "Are you happy now?"
Marissa and Ryan actually looked a little stricken. "That didn't feel as good as I thought it would," Marissa admitted. "And we actually made up. She just forgave me like that. Summer really has changed."
"I feel like a jackass," Ryan told us.
"That's because you are one," Marissa reminded him, and gave him a peck on the lips. Meanwhile, I was getting angry at the way they just blew off the whole situation.
"Hello, earth to Ryan and Marissa. We were in the middle of trying to unscrew my life. Help, please," I snapped, and they looked up.
"Well...I think Summer learned her lesson. She actually got rejected by a guy," Marissa giggled. "So, what the hell are you waiting for?"
"Don't let her get away!" they shouted in unison.
I looked at them. "That's it? You wanted me to lead her on for all those months. And now that she's broken, you want me to go after her?" They nodded, grinning like idiots. God, I loved them then. "Okay."
I pushed my way past the people waiting in line and ran out the door. Summer was just pulling out in her car. Wait, that was my car!
"Summer, wait," I yelled, as she revved the engine. I jumped in front of the car, knowing that she wouldn't do anything stupid. Like run me over.
"What do you want? You've already broken my heart. Now, please, just get out of the way," Summer sighed, and wiped the tears from her face.
"Summer...it's not like that," I had to explain, even though Summer probably didn't want to hear it. "When I ran into you...and you didn't recognize me, it was like a second chance for me. I've liked you since forever and I knew you wouldn't give me a chance if you knew who I was. Come on, would you have wanted to go out with me if you knew I was Seth Cohen the skater?"
"No," Summer protested, "It wouldn't have mattered. I'm over the coolness thing. High school was a long time ago. But that's not even important. You led me on. The whole time I was falling for you, you were plotting with Ryan and Marissa to dump me."
"No, Summer, that was their plan. At first I was going to go along with it. But then I got to know you. And I found out that you weren't a bitch at all. I fell for you, Summer. I love you," There. I'd said it. Now, it was up to Summer to make her decision. Our love life was hanging in the balance.
Summer turned off the car and threw the keys to me. "I wish I could believe you, Seth. I really do."
She slapped me across the face, lightly, I noted. And then she hopped into a cab that had just pulled up, and sped away. Out of my life, and further into my heart.
I stood there for a while, feeling the sting of her hand on my cheek. I didn't even realize that Marissa and Ryan had come to stand with me until Marissa put her arm around me and laid her head on my shoulder.
"I feel like such a jackass," Marissa said, repeating Ryan's concerns from earlier.
"That's because you are one," Ryan teased, then put on a straight face when I glared at him.
"She left. She fucking left. And you know what she said when I told her the truth? 'I wish I could believe you, Seth'," I put my head in my hands. "I screwed up."
"Seth," Marissa soothed, "It's not your fault. Summer's a little stubborn, you should know that by now. But if you really want her, you've got to prove it. She thinks it was all a plan to put her in her place. Which it was, at first."
"But you should've just flat out told us that you had real feelings for her. Seth, we're your friends. We didn't realize that you wanted out of the plan," Ryan apologized.
"It's too late now..." I muttered. "But thanks."
Marissa pinched me. "What are you talking about? You've just got to approach her in the right way. Don't you remember the breakup of 2008?"
"Can I forget?" I asked. That year, Marissa and Ryan had had this huge blowout over...well, I can't even remember what it was about. Marissa was all ready to transfer schools just to get away from Ryan. He tried calling her, sending her flowers, and so on, but nothing worked. Ryan made some calls, and got the MTV video screens in Times Square to flash "Please forgive me, Marissa. You mean everything to me. Love, Ryan." That got her back. Oh yes, it did.
I wasn't as creative and romantic as Ryan. Well, at least that's what I had believed, seeing as I hadn't had a girlfriend until I was 17. But that's another story. Luckily, Ryan and Marissa wanted to help me win Summer back. How ironic.
"I remember that," Ryan laughed. "That was a hell of a lot of phone calls I made. Only for you, Marissa."
She smiled and wrapped her arms around Ryan. "I love you, babe."
I wrinkled my nose and pulled their heads apart. "Much as I love to see your PDA's, now is not the time. What am I going to do?"
*
Summer's answering machine picked up after the fifth ring. I'd been calling her every day, every fourth hour, for the last week and a half. So I knew her answering machine pretty well. We had a closer relationship than Summer and I were having. At least for now.
I got my hopes up every day. I woke up, determined that this was the day Summer would answer the phone, or call me back. I wasn't picky. Either would do.
After the fifth ring, I waited for the beep and began to talk. "Summer, please call me. I'm sorry. I miss you, and I don't know what I'm doing without you. Did I mention I'm sorry? Please call me back."
I paused for a second, thinking of something, anything that I could say to make her talk to me. I was running out of things to say, honestly. I'd bought Hallmark cards just for the sake of stealing their one-liners. I rented all those break-up-and-make-up movies. In fact, they knew me by name at the Blockbuster. And we had only been in New York for a month. Can you tell I was desperate?
The machine beeped again. Had I really been thinking for that long? Summer's answering machine could hold messages up to 4 minutes and 29 seconds long. Then, I heard a breathing noise coming from the receiver. And I wasn't that stupid. I knew it wasn't me.
"Summer?" I asked in disbelief. After dozens and dozens of messages, was she actually going to speak to me?
"Seth...what do you want?" Summer sounded tired.
"Can I talk to you? Can we meet up for coffee or something?" I was miserable without her and she needed to know it. "I'm miserable without you."
"Okay...whatever. Please stop calling. I can't sleep, I can't eat, because every time I try I'm reminded of you. When I hear your voice, I shut down," Summer said, her voice practically inaudible.
"Meet me at the Starbucks on Broadway and Grand," I told her. "In twenty minutes."
My heart was racing. Call me crazy, but after a week and a half without talking to or seeing Summer, I felt like I'd been to hell and back. I was a fool in love. And enjoying every second of it. I grabbed my keys and wallet and left the apartment.
I ran the four and a half blocks to the Starbucks, ignoring the weird looks people were giving me. Normally, when someone was running, they were exercising or chasing someone. Of which, I looked to be doing neither. Oh, or they were being chased by someone. Which was also not happening.
When I got there, Summer hadn't arrived. Figures. She probably took a taxi, even though her apartment was closer to the store than mine. Girls.
I ordered drinks for the both of us and sat down at a table. I couldn't stop shaking, and every few seconds I had to look out the window to see if my raven-haired beauty was coming.
I prayed that she wouldn't stand me up. She'd already broken my heart once, way back when. I didn't need it broken yet again.