Chapter Six: Home is a tentative term.
A/N: Reviewers rock my socks! Sorry about the wait, but I'm back at school and all my screening tests, finals, and sports are coming up! I try! Hope you like this one!
~December 16th~
Ryan and Summer, after much spirited debate, decided to fly in a bit early. You know, to hang out. The New York winters were very cold, windy, and bitter, so the Cali sunshine would do both of them good. Believe it or not, Summer's tan had faded, and she looked like a typical New York girl. Pale, thin, and fashionable with straight long-ish hair (the color varies). She couldn't wait to be back in her home state though, even if it meant facing Seth and Marissa. She knew that she had Ryan for her though.
In the week or so that had passed, they had become extremely close. It was hard to believe that one week could change a person's life so much, but it did. They went out for cocktails after work, and had a laugh at lunch the next morning when they saw their picture in the Society page of the New York Times. You'd be surprised that a high-ranking architect and a well- known fashion editor (well, maybe not that one) could get so much publicity. But they did. They had learned about each other, more than they had known going to high school. For example, Ryan knew that Summer couldn't live without Chinese takeout from a certain dinky little place in Midtown, and Summer knew that nothing irked Ryan off more than vanilla syrup in his coffee. The two had even shared a kiss, not one on the cheek, but a long passionate one in front of Summer's apartment. They both had been a little tipsy, but definitely remembered it the next morning. It didn't change anything, or make things awkward though.
Now, standing in front of their luxury flight to LA, they were closer than either of them could've imagined less than a month ago, when they weren't even sure the other still existed.
Summer was the first to break their comfortable silence.
"You ready?" She asked, staring up at his clouded blue eyes.
"Yeah." He responded, looking into her brown ones.
The two stepped onto the plane simultaneously.
This plane was definitely a luxury jet, not exactly private, but not commercial either. Summer had gotten them a place on it through connections at work. It was obvious that being an editor at Vogue gave you a lot of connections.
On the outside it was white, small, and sleek, but that was nothing compared to the inside. There was shag carpeting in a deep red, and velvet seats to match. Ryan just wanted to sink into one and sleep, but there were many other ways to spend your time on this plane.
On the back of each seat there was a plasma TV embedded into it, which was quite big. You could ask for a laptop and they would give you one, with lots of programs installed and ready-to-go on it. There was also a bar, and there was great food as well.
Ryan and Summer sat in their seats, both with one drink in hand. They toasted to California, to New York, to having a good time, to everything not Seth and Marissa. Ryan was only going because of Sandy and Kirsten, and Summer was only going because she thought Ryan needed a friend. Scratch that, she knew he did. As they took off, she realized another thing.
"Ryan, aren't you afraid of heights?" she inquired, curious where this large phobia had gone.
"Oh, um, well about three years ago, before I got on the plane to New York, I realized that I would have to get over it some time. I knew that I would fly a lot to visit Sandy and Kirsten...and I knew that it was the only way to get away from Seth or Marissa for a time. So, I worked on it. And now, I actually don't mind flying. It can be rather relaxing." He summed everything up in that mini-speech, and much to his surprise, Summer understood. She didn't need to know that even though for the most part he had gotten over it, he still was just a little bit scared of heights. That would probably always stay with him.
It was a quick flight. Five hours later they landed in LAX, and went to collect their baggage. There was a 2 ½ hour drive, and then with a mound of Louis Vuitton luggage, they checked into the Newport Hotel.
The Newport Hotel was fairly new, about six years old. It was very fancy, just like Newport itself. Kirsten had insisted that he either stayed there or at the house, and he obviously chose the hotel, no matter how much it reminded him of the Cohen's. All of them. After all, Kirsten had been in charge of designing it.
As they were checking in, Ryan eyed the architecture. *Not bad...* he thought. Kirsten obviously hadn't lost her touch. Him and Summer were led up to their room. It was very nice and all, decorated in pale blues and sea greens, but there was one problem. There was only one bed. After the bellboy had left and they closed the door, Ryan turned to her.
"You can have the bed" He mumbled, almost inaudible.
"What?" She said, not understanding thing. And then she did the most surprising thing.
She kissed him.
Ryan was pleasantly shocked. As they broke away from each other, she let a meek smile spread across her face.
"Sorry," she started "I've been wanting to do that for a while."
This time it was her time to be surprised as he leaned in and kissed her back.
"Me too." He whispered into her ear.
They shared the bed, but didn't do what you're thinking.
They decided that they didn't want to go fast, that they were both nursing broken hearts from years before, as much as they tried to deny it.
So they just lay there, kissing for what seemed like hours.
Then they went to sleep.
* * *
The next morning, Ryan woke up to find Summer gone. First he was worried, but then he saw the note she left on his pillow.
~Gone shopping! I haven't been to Fashion Island in AGES! Love ya! -Summer~
Ryan sighed. That was a close one. So he got dressed and did something HE hadn't done in a while.
He went for a run on the beach.
It was very, very nice at first. Ryan hadn't run by the water in forever. Sure, jogging in Central Park was nice, but nothing beats the Pacific Ocean, sparkling clear and blue. After he had jogged along the shoreline for about a mile, it got more crowded. He could see beach-goers in the distance, some nearby. He saw a couple walking down the shoreline, the woman light haired, the man sporting a "Jew-fro".
Ryan had a revelation.
"Shit." He muttered, realizing whom the couple was.
He veered to the left, trying to get them not to see him.
It was too late.
Both of them had a shocked look in their eyes.
They called out to him, just like they had 3 years before.
This time, he had no choice but to turn around, and face his fate.
"Hi." Seth and Marissa both said, quietly.
"Hi. Do I know you?" Ryan said coldly, and then turned around to get back to his running.
"Wait." Seth said, grabbing his shoulder.
Ryan turned, around, rage building up inside of him. It was the first time in years that he had seen the two, and those three years had made a difference. He could have easily said that he had loved both of them in different ways, but now the only emotion he felt was hate. The kind of deep, horrible hate that was reserved for his mom's old boyfriends. Now for these two as well.
"What?" For someone with his temper, Ryan was eerily calm. "What do you possibly have to say to me?"
"Just listen." This time it was Marissa who spoke, her eyes pleading, unaware that he felt like he did. "It was nothing at first. Really."
"But now you two are getting married." Ryan stated it, like it was some baseball statistic, a sure fact.
"Things happen. We still love you. Really. Why are you even here if you aren't happy for us?" She continued, her voice rising.
"Look, I wasn't planning on telling you two, but I guess now I will. I came because Sandy and Kirsten wanted me to. It means too much to them not to. After that, I'll be on the plane as soon as possible." He ALMOST regretted it, but remembered what they did to him and snapped out of it.
Tears were welling up in Marissa's eyes. Shit. He had forgotten about that. He softened towards her considerably, until Seth put his arm around her, reminding him of what never could be. Thanks to both of them.
"How could you SAY that to someone?" She wailed "I guess New York has changed you for the worse. I thought we could at least be friends after all this."
Ryan remembered his purpose. No matter how much she cried, she still hurt him more then almost anyone, with the exception of possibly his real mom.
"Shit Marissa, what do you expect. I agree, that was in the past, but you still cheated on me. With the person formally known as my brother!" He gave Seth a cold stare "Things aren't always peaches and cream, you know, in fact, they're the opposite with us. You realize how much I've wanted to do this for the past three years? To finally tell you two of-" He was cut off by the sound of his cell phone ringing.
Seth meekly cleared his throat. "Uh, dude, you might want to answer that, we'll wait to sort this out."
Ryan looked at him with a frown and gave him a half nod. He flipped his cell phone open.
"Heyy!" Summer's voice filled the earpiece. Ryan couldn't help but smile. Everything he felt towards Marissa and Seth was exactly the opposite with her. He wondered how her shopping conquest was. He didn't realize how soon he would find out. "Ohmygosh, its like, even better than I remembered at Fashion Island! I got like, a totally new wardrobe. All my co-editors are like, going to be sooo jealous!"
You could take the girl outta Newport, but you couldn't take the Newport outta the girl. This was way proven. Ryan spoke in hushed tones.
"Hey Sum, I wanna talk to you, but now's not a great time."
"Why? What's going on? Are you with another girl? Ohmygosh!"
"No Sum, I'm not with another girl. Of course not. Its just...well...I went running on the beach...and ran into Marissa and Seth. I was in the middle of telling them off. I gotta go, meet you in the hotel at 4, ok? Bye."
Ryan clicked the phone shut, and saw Marissa and Seth staring at him with wide eyes.
"What?!?" He snapped.
Seth was the first to speak up. "Were you just speaking to...Summer?"
"None of your business." He retorted, "I have to go. Pleasure running into you two. Buh-bye."
He walked away, leaving the other two with stunned looks on their faces.
Ryan picked up pace, the wind blowing at his back. He had not one doubt about what had just happened.
He had another girl who he cared about waiting in a hotel room for him.
* * *
Note: Worth the wait? I hope so. I tried to make it longer. You R/S-ers (like me) probably were happy with this one. Next chap should come quickly! Au revoir!
A/N: Reviewers rock my socks! Sorry about the wait, but I'm back at school and all my screening tests, finals, and sports are coming up! I try! Hope you like this one!
~December 16th~
Ryan and Summer, after much spirited debate, decided to fly in a bit early. You know, to hang out. The New York winters were very cold, windy, and bitter, so the Cali sunshine would do both of them good. Believe it or not, Summer's tan had faded, and she looked like a typical New York girl. Pale, thin, and fashionable with straight long-ish hair (the color varies). She couldn't wait to be back in her home state though, even if it meant facing Seth and Marissa. She knew that she had Ryan for her though.
In the week or so that had passed, they had become extremely close. It was hard to believe that one week could change a person's life so much, but it did. They went out for cocktails after work, and had a laugh at lunch the next morning when they saw their picture in the Society page of the New York Times. You'd be surprised that a high-ranking architect and a well- known fashion editor (well, maybe not that one) could get so much publicity. But they did. They had learned about each other, more than they had known going to high school. For example, Ryan knew that Summer couldn't live without Chinese takeout from a certain dinky little place in Midtown, and Summer knew that nothing irked Ryan off more than vanilla syrup in his coffee. The two had even shared a kiss, not one on the cheek, but a long passionate one in front of Summer's apartment. They both had been a little tipsy, but definitely remembered it the next morning. It didn't change anything, or make things awkward though.
Now, standing in front of their luxury flight to LA, they were closer than either of them could've imagined less than a month ago, when they weren't even sure the other still existed.
Summer was the first to break their comfortable silence.
"You ready?" She asked, staring up at his clouded blue eyes.
"Yeah." He responded, looking into her brown ones.
The two stepped onto the plane simultaneously.
This plane was definitely a luxury jet, not exactly private, but not commercial either. Summer had gotten them a place on it through connections at work. It was obvious that being an editor at Vogue gave you a lot of connections.
On the outside it was white, small, and sleek, but that was nothing compared to the inside. There was shag carpeting in a deep red, and velvet seats to match. Ryan just wanted to sink into one and sleep, but there were many other ways to spend your time on this plane.
On the back of each seat there was a plasma TV embedded into it, which was quite big. You could ask for a laptop and they would give you one, with lots of programs installed and ready-to-go on it. There was also a bar, and there was great food as well.
Ryan and Summer sat in their seats, both with one drink in hand. They toasted to California, to New York, to having a good time, to everything not Seth and Marissa. Ryan was only going because of Sandy and Kirsten, and Summer was only going because she thought Ryan needed a friend. Scratch that, she knew he did. As they took off, she realized another thing.
"Ryan, aren't you afraid of heights?" she inquired, curious where this large phobia had gone.
"Oh, um, well about three years ago, before I got on the plane to New York, I realized that I would have to get over it some time. I knew that I would fly a lot to visit Sandy and Kirsten...and I knew that it was the only way to get away from Seth or Marissa for a time. So, I worked on it. And now, I actually don't mind flying. It can be rather relaxing." He summed everything up in that mini-speech, and much to his surprise, Summer understood. She didn't need to know that even though for the most part he had gotten over it, he still was just a little bit scared of heights. That would probably always stay with him.
It was a quick flight. Five hours later they landed in LAX, and went to collect their baggage. There was a 2 ½ hour drive, and then with a mound of Louis Vuitton luggage, they checked into the Newport Hotel.
The Newport Hotel was fairly new, about six years old. It was very fancy, just like Newport itself. Kirsten had insisted that he either stayed there or at the house, and he obviously chose the hotel, no matter how much it reminded him of the Cohen's. All of them. After all, Kirsten had been in charge of designing it.
As they were checking in, Ryan eyed the architecture. *Not bad...* he thought. Kirsten obviously hadn't lost her touch. Him and Summer were led up to their room. It was very nice and all, decorated in pale blues and sea greens, but there was one problem. There was only one bed. After the bellboy had left and they closed the door, Ryan turned to her.
"You can have the bed" He mumbled, almost inaudible.
"What?" She said, not understanding thing. And then she did the most surprising thing.
She kissed him.
Ryan was pleasantly shocked. As they broke away from each other, she let a meek smile spread across her face.
"Sorry," she started "I've been wanting to do that for a while."
This time it was her time to be surprised as he leaned in and kissed her back.
"Me too." He whispered into her ear.
They shared the bed, but didn't do what you're thinking.
They decided that they didn't want to go fast, that they were both nursing broken hearts from years before, as much as they tried to deny it.
So they just lay there, kissing for what seemed like hours.
Then they went to sleep.
* * *
The next morning, Ryan woke up to find Summer gone. First he was worried, but then he saw the note she left on his pillow.
~Gone shopping! I haven't been to Fashion Island in AGES! Love ya! -Summer~
Ryan sighed. That was a close one. So he got dressed and did something HE hadn't done in a while.
He went for a run on the beach.
It was very, very nice at first. Ryan hadn't run by the water in forever. Sure, jogging in Central Park was nice, but nothing beats the Pacific Ocean, sparkling clear and blue. After he had jogged along the shoreline for about a mile, it got more crowded. He could see beach-goers in the distance, some nearby. He saw a couple walking down the shoreline, the woman light haired, the man sporting a "Jew-fro".
Ryan had a revelation.
"Shit." He muttered, realizing whom the couple was.
He veered to the left, trying to get them not to see him.
It was too late.
Both of them had a shocked look in their eyes.
They called out to him, just like they had 3 years before.
This time, he had no choice but to turn around, and face his fate.
"Hi." Seth and Marissa both said, quietly.
"Hi. Do I know you?" Ryan said coldly, and then turned around to get back to his running.
"Wait." Seth said, grabbing his shoulder.
Ryan turned, around, rage building up inside of him. It was the first time in years that he had seen the two, and those three years had made a difference. He could have easily said that he had loved both of them in different ways, but now the only emotion he felt was hate. The kind of deep, horrible hate that was reserved for his mom's old boyfriends. Now for these two as well.
"What?" For someone with his temper, Ryan was eerily calm. "What do you possibly have to say to me?"
"Just listen." This time it was Marissa who spoke, her eyes pleading, unaware that he felt like he did. "It was nothing at first. Really."
"But now you two are getting married." Ryan stated it, like it was some baseball statistic, a sure fact.
"Things happen. We still love you. Really. Why are you even here if you aren't happy for us?" She continued, her voice rising.
"Look, I wasn't planning on telling you two, but I guess now I will. I came because Sandy and Kirsten wanted me to. It means too much to them not to. After that, I'll be on the plane as soon as possible." He ALMOST regretted it, but remembered what they did to him and snapped out of it.
Tears were welling up in Marissa's eyes. Shit. He had forgotten about that. He softened towards her considerably, until Seth put his arm around her, reminding him of what never could be. Thanks to both of them.
"How could you SAY that to someone?" She wailed "I guess New York has changed you for the worse. I thought we could at least be friends after all this."
Ryan remembered his purpose. No matter how much she cried, she still hurt him more then almost anyone, with the exception of possibly his real mom.
"Shit Marissa, what do you expect. I agree, that was in the past, but you still cheated on me. With the person formally known as my brother!" He gave Seth a cold stare "Things aren't always peaches and cream, you know, in fact, they're the opposite with us. You realize how much I've wanted to do this for the past three years? To finally tell you two of-" He was cut off by the sound of his cell phone ringing.
Seth meekly cleared his throat. "Uh, dude, you might want to answer that, we'll wait to sort this out."
Ryan looked at him with a frown and gave him a half nod. He flipped his cell phone open.
"Heyy!" Summer's voice filled the earpiece. Ryan couldn't help but smile. Everything he felt towards Marissa and Seth was exactly the opposite with her. He wondered how her shopping conquest was. He didn't realize how soon he would find out. "Ohmygosh, its like, even better than I remembered at Fashion Island! I got like, a totally new wardrobe. All my co-editors are like, going to be sooo jealous!"
You could take the girl outta Newport, but you couldn't take the Newport outta the girl. This was way proven. Ryan spoke in hushed tones.
"Hey Sum, I wanna talk to you, but now's not a great time."
"Why? What's going on? Are you with another girl? Ohmygosh!"
"No Sum, I'm not with another girl. Of course not. Its just...well...I went running on the beach...and ran into Marissa and Seth. I was in the middle of telling them off. I gotta go, meet you in the hotel at 4, ok? Bye."
Ryan clicked the phone shut, and saw Marissa and Seth staring at him with wide eyes.
"What?!?" He snapped.
Seth was the first to speak up. "Were you just speaking to...Summer?"
"None of your business." He retorted, "I have to go. Pleasure running into you two. Buh-bye."
He walked away, leaving the other two with stunned looks on their faces.
Ryan picked up pace, the wind blowing at his back. He had not one doubt about what had just happened.
He had another girl who he cared about waiting in a hotel room for him.
* * *
Note: Worth the wait? I hope so. I tried to make it longer. You R/S-ers (like me) probably were happy with this one. Next chap should come quickly! Au revoir!