Chapter 15
"Hi," Marissa stands tentatively in the living room where Ryan is sitting feeding Aurora a bottle.
"Hey," Ryan looks up and offers Marissa a small smile. "Come sit," he suggests.
Marissa settles stiffly next to Ryan on the couch, "what are you watching?"
"Quintuplets," Ryan response muting the TV.
"Good show," Marissa comments, "they're on a hiatus...hiatus' suck, they think they can just make us wait..." Marissa bites her lip, "sorry, aggression."
Ryan nods, slowly, "she's asleep."
"I'll take her," Marissa offers.
"I can do it," Ryan struggles to his feet, careful not to jostle Aurora.
Marissa bites her lip, "okay..."
Ryan shakes his head as he sits down again, "I'm sorry, I think I'm just tired, so how are you?" Ryan gestures to the seat next to him.
Marissa settles on the couch, tucking her feet up under her, "I'm okay, but how are you?"
"Still a little sore, but mostly the pain medication keeps me from feeling much."
Marissa nods, "that's good. Any idea when they'll let you go back to school?"
"I don't know," Ryan shrugs, "I have a scheduled appointment in the Friday before your dad's wedding, so I guess I'll know then."
"Well you haven't missed much, if that helps." Marissa informs. "I mean nothing interesting has been happening...well Summer's avoiding Seth and me, but other than typical drama..."
"So it's cool that you're moving back in with your Dad."
"Yeah, Mom's avoiding me but I can deal with that, I'm only stuck there for another couple days anyway."
"So..."
"I've missed you Ryan," Marissa confesses.
Ryan's eyes lock on Marissa's, "I missed you too."
"Really?"
"Well I'm not lying about it."
"Did you make your doctor's appointment?" Sandy asks as he and Kirsten finish up the dishes.
"Yeah, they actually have a spot open for me tomorrow afternoon, just after Seth gets home from school. So he can help Ryan and watch Aurora." Kirsten responds drying and stacking the final plate.
"Good, I'll take off." Sandy offers.
Kirsten shakes her head, "no, don't worry about it. I've been thinking, I want a girl." In only a couple of days Kirsten had gone from not being able to handle the thought of having another baby to actually being excited about being pregnant again.
Sandy wraps his arms around his wife, "yeah?"
Kirsten nods, "it'd be fun to have two little girls in the house."
"Oh yeah, particularly fun when we have a teenaged daughter and a teenaged granddaughter to keep up with..." Sandy laughs. "So where is everyone, anyway?"
"Last I knew Marissa was going into the TV room to check on Ryan and Seth and Anna were upstairs doing the comic book thing," Kirsten responds. "But it is awfully quiet."
"We have two sons, both are alone with two very beautiful girls, the silence doesn't surprise me." Sandy responds.
"You don't think Seth and Anna are back together do you?" Kirsten asks surprised by Sandy's insinuation.
Sandy shrugs, "what I do know is they have been spending a lot of alone time together. Summer's out of the picture, so who knows?"
"We should go separate everyone and send the girls home," Kirsten states quickly.
Sandy nods, "I'll take Seth and Anna."
Kirsten walks into the TV room to find both Marissa and Ryan asleep, Marissa is curled up to Ryan, her head resting against his chest and his arm wrapped protectively around her. Kneeling down in front of them Kirsten whispers, "hey guys."
"What time is it?" Marissa asks with a yawn.
"It's only a little after 10, but you should probably get home Marissa," Kirsten suggests.
Marissa nods, "yeah. I'll stop by after school tomorrow, okay Ryan?"
Ryan nods slowly, "yeah, I'll see yah."
Marissa gently kisses Ryan's cheek before standing, "thanks for dinner Mrs. Cohen."
"You're welcome Marissa, good-bye." Kirsten takes Marissa's vacated seat. Gently pressing the back of her hand to Ryan's forehead and relieved not to find the fever she was told to watch out for Kirsten asks, "how are you feeling?"
Ryan clears his throat, "alright, I should get to bed though."
"Yeah," Kirsten nods, "Sandy'll be down in a couple minutes to help you upstairs."
Ryan nods, knowing that there is no point in resisting the help because there is no way he can make it up the stairs alone.
"So you and Marissa seemed very comfortable with each other," Kirsten comments slowly.
"Yeah," Ryan nods. "We're going to take it slow, see if we can ease back into the way things were, see if that's even possible."
Kirsten nods, "that's a very mature decision on both your parts."
"Tate I can't," Summer dodges his kiss, glancing out her window and up at her house.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean..." Tate apologies. "I just figured...Hell I don't know what I figured."
Summer nods, "I know what you figured, you figured we've been out on a couple of dates and I should want to kiss you...and I do want to kiss you...it's just I can't..."
"You can't because you still have feelings for your ex-boyfriend," Tate states reasonably.
"No," Summer shakes her head quickly. "I definitely do not have anymore feelings for Seth Cohen. We're over and so are my feelings for him."
Tate arches an eyebrow at Summer, "I think you just don't realize how much of an impact on you he had."
"You have no idea what you are talking about," Summer snaps. "You don't understand about the relationship that I had with Cohen so don't try to pretend you do."
"I'm sorry," Tate apologizes, "but I just call things like I seem them. And you seem to still have a thing for this guy, and that's okay, I'm willing to wait for you until you're over him."
Summer shakes he head, "I have to go in."
Tate nods, "you still coming to my game tomorrow?"
Summer nods, "of course. I'll see you later." Without another word Summer slips out of the car and toward her house.
"Hi," Marissa stands tentatively in the living room where Ryan is sitting feeding Aurora a bottle.
"Hey," Ryan looks up and offers Marissa a small smile. "Come sit," he suggests.
Marissa settles stiffly next to Ryan on the couch, "what are you watching?"
"Quintuplets," Ryan response muting the TV.
"Good show," Marissa comments, "they're on a hiatus...hiatus' suck, they think they can just make us wait..." Marissa bites her lip, "sorry, aggression."
Ryan nods, slowly, "she's asleep."
"I'll take her," Marissa offers.
"I can do it," Ryan struggles to his feet, careful not to jostle Aurora.
Marissa bites her lip, "okay..."
Ryan shakes his head as he sits down again, "I'm sorry, I think I'm just tired, so how are you?" Ryan gestures to the seat next to him.
Marissa settles on the couch, tucking her feet up under her, "I'm okay, but how are you?"
"Still a little sore, but mostly the pain medication keeps me from feeling much."
Marissa nods, "that's good. Any idea when they'll let you go back to school?"
"I don't know," Ryan shrugs, "I have a scheduled appointment in the Friday before your dad's wedding, so I guess I'll know then."
"Well you haven't missed much, if that helps." Marissa informs. "I mean nothing interesting has been happening...well Summer's avoiding Seth and me, but other than typical drama..."
"So it's cool that you're moving back in with your Dad."
"Yeah, Mom's avoiding me but I can deal with that, I'm only stuck there for another couple days anyway."
"So..."
"I've missed you Ryan," Marissa confesses.
Ryan's eyes lock on Marissa's, "I missed you too."
"Really?"
"Well I'm not lying about it."
"Did you make your doctor's appointment?" Sandy asks as he and Kirsten finish up the dishes.
"Yeah, they actually have a spot open for me tomorrow afternoon, just after Seth gets home from school. So he can help Ryan and watch Aurora." Kirsten responds drying and stacking the final plate.
"Good, I'll take off." Sandy offers.
Kirsten shakes her head, "no, don't worry about it. I've been thinking, I want a girl." In only a couple of days Kirsten had gone from not being able to handle the thought of having another baby to actually being excited about being pregnant again.
Sandy wraps his arms around his wife, "yeah?"
Kirsten nods, "it'd be fun to have two little girls in the house."
"Oh yeah, particularly fun when we have a teenaged daughter and a teenaged granddaughter to keep up with..." Sandy laughs. "So where is everyone, anyway?"
"Last I knew Marissa was going into the TV room to check on Ryan and Seth and Anna were upstairs doing the comic book thing," Kirsten responds. "But it is awfully quiet."
"We have two sons, both are alone with two very beautiful girls, the silence doesn't surprise me." Sandy responds.
"You don't think Seth and Anna are back together do you?" Kirsten asks surprised by Sandy's insinuation.
Sandy shrugs, "what I do know is they have been spending a lot of alone time together. Summer's out of the picture, so who knows?"
"We should go separate everyone and send the girls home," Kirsten states quickly.
Sandy nods, "I'll take Seth and Anna."
Kirsten walks into the TV room to find both Marissa and Ryan asleep, Marissa is curled up to Ryan, her head resting against his chest and his arm wrapped protectively around her. Kneeling down in front of them Kirsten whispers, "hey guys."
"What time is it?" Marissa asks with a yawn.
"It's only a little after 10, but you should probably get home Marissa," Kirsten suggests.
Marissa nods, "yeah. I'll stop by after school tomorrow, okay Ryan?"
Ryan nods slowly, "yeah, I'll see yah."
Marissa gently kisses Ryan's cheek before standing, "thanks for dinner Mrs. Cohen."
"You're welcome Marissa, good-bye." Kirsten takes Marissa's vacated seat. Gently pressing the back of her hand to Ryan's forehead and relieved not to find the fever she was told to watch out for Kirsten asks, "how are you feeling?"
Ryan clears his throat, "alright, I should get to bed though."
"Yeah," Kirsten nods, "Sandy'll be down in a couple minutes to help you upstairs."
Ryan nods, knowing that there is no point in resisting the help because there is no way he can make it up the stairs alone.
"So you and Marissa seemed very comfortable with each other," Kirsten comments slowly.
"Yeah," Ryan nods. "We're going to take it slow, see if we can ease back into the way things were, see if that's even possible."
Kirsten nods, "that's a very mature decision on both your parts."
"Tate I can't," Summer dodges his kiss, glancing out her window and up at her house.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean..." Tate apologies. "I just figured...Hell I don't know what I figured."
Summer nods, "I know what you figured, you figured we've been out on a couple of dates and I should want to kiss you...and I do want to kiss you...it's just I can't..."
"You can't because you still have feelings for your ex-boyfriend," Tate states reasonably.
"No," Summer shakes her head quickly. "I definitely do not have anymore feelings for Seth Cohen. We're over and so are my feelings for him."
Tate arches an eyebrow at Summer, "I think you just don't realize how much of an impact on you he had."
"You have no idea what you are talking about," Summer snaps. "You don't understand about the relationship that I had with Cohen so don't try to pretend you do."
"I'm sorry," Tate apologizes, "but I just call things like I seem them. And you seem to still have a thing for this guy, and that's okay, I'm willing to wait for you until you're over him."
Summer shakes he head, "I have to go in."
Tate nods, "you still coming to my game tomorrow?"
Summer nods, "of course. I'll see you later." Without another word Summer slips out of the car and toward her house.