Disclaimer: I don't own anything regarding "The O.C." nor am I affiliated with any of the cast and characters used in the story. Anyone or anything that you don't recognize is mine, and anyone and anything else that you do recognize is not mine.

Against All Odds
Chapter 13 – This Time Around

If somebody told him that he would be asking Caleb Nichol for help regarding his upcoming date, he probably would not have believed him. Nevertheless, Summer deserved the best, and since Caleb and Julie never settled for anything less, he knew he could count on him to pull some strings. Seth remembered vaguely a few weeks ago that Summer mentioned a French restaurant that she had been dying to visit. It was fairly new with a high-profile chef, and a menu that will satisfy anyone and probably make him nauseous once he saw the cost. As it turned out, Caleb was able to help him. It didn't really hurt that one of their clients was a good friend of the owner, so after his coaxing, Seth was able to grab a hold of one of the best seats in the house.

Now all he really needed to do was pick up Summer, and let the night take shape on its own. It would be an understatement to say that he was a nervous wreck. It never really took him more than twenty minutes to get ready, but all of a sudden he had the urge to don the best suit, the shiniest pair of shoes, and the perfect tie to match the suit. Earlier that afternoon, he went to get his hair trimmed. He even shaved even though he just did it not too long ago. He knew that he didn't have to impress Summer, but he wanted to look nice for her.

As he got close to her apartment, he checked to make sure that the bouquet of flowers that he bought was okay. It was an old cliché, but he was hoping that Summer would like them. He didn't know what her favorite flower was, so he went with roses. He talked to the lady at the store for a bit as she questioned him about the recipient of the roses. She suggested that yellow would be appropriate, and since he was running late and figured that the lady knew what she was talking about, Seth decided to take her advice.

He parked his car on the side of the street once he arrived at her place. He checked his watch to see that he was on time, which means that he was actually a few minutes early. After checking to make sure everything was okay, he grabbed the bouquet and vacated his car. Unfortunately, things just never seem to run smoothly for him. As he was closing the door, it hit the flowers on the way and basically made them look like road kill.

"I just can't get a break," he said to himself as he looked defeatedly at the scattered petals on the floor. "Damn!"

He gave a sigh of relief, however, when one rose managed to survive the incident.

"I guess one is better than none."

Throwing the damaged bouquet away, he headed towards the front of the building and used the buzzer to get a hold of Summer.

"I'm here," Seth announced once she picked up.

"You're early," Summer said. "I'm impressed."

"Impressed enough to let me in?"

"You can come up."

As soon as the door was unlocked, Seth let himself in and used the three flights of stairs to calm himself down. He was hoping that the night would turn out well, but after the flower massacre, he wasn't so sure anymore. As he knocked on her door, he couldn't help but remain worried. Once she opened the door, however, all thought just escaped from his head.

"Wow… I… You…Wow."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Summer blushed as she gave him a smile. "Come in."

Summer was wearing layers of matte jersey that draped her body beautifully, create a charming and stunning look. Seth knew that it was some shade of red, but he lacked knowledge on that department. In any case, he couldn't really care less what exact color the dress was. She just looked great in it.

"You got a haircut."

"Oh, yeah, I got it this afternoon," Seth said. "Um, you know, because I needed it. Not because I wanted to look a certain way for someone."

"I like it," she smiled at him.

"This is for you," he handed her the flower as though it was the most unsightly thing possible. "I had more but I kind of ruined it."

"It's okay, Cohen," she said as she took the flower, taking its scent in. "I love it. It's really sweet."

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, putting his hands together.

"I'm ready," she said as she grabbed her belongings. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Le Grand Bernardin," Summer said excitedly as they got to the restaurant. "How did you…"

"Well, just because I talk about myself a lot doesn't mean that I don't listen to what you're saying."

"But the reservations… You made reservations, right?"

"Of course I did," Seth told her. "I had to pull a few strings, or actually call other people to pull a few strings, but we have reservations."

"This is so amazing," Summer gushed as she looked around the place.

"After you, mademoiselle."

"Ah, merci, monsieur."

Once they entered the restaurant, they were immediately lead to their seats.

"Someone will be here with you shortly," the man said in a thick, French accent.

"Seth, I can't believe you took me here."

"It's not a big deal."

"Do you know how much this place costs?"

"I'm vaguely familiar, but it's not a problem. Seeing you excited and happy is priceless."

Summer turned around and pretended to check out the place. She couldn't let him see her blush again. As much as a rambler as he was, he really knew what to say to make her heart skip a beat. She was grateful when the garçon finally came over to take their order.

"What would you like for your hors d'oeuvre?" the waiter asked.

"You pick," Seth told her.

"Je voudrais un choix des hors d'oeuvre, s'il vous plaît?"

"Ah, vous parlez français," the man said as he was both pleased and surprised.

"Un peu. J'ai étudié français à l'école."

"Qu'est-ce que vous désirez pour le dîner?"

"Je voudrais La Terrine de Foie Gras et sa Gelée au Porto."

"C'est un choix magnifique," he said before turning to Seth. "Et vous, monsieur?"

"Ah… Oui… Je…" said stuttered as Summer looked at him with pity.

"Il ne parle pas français," Summer smiled at the waiter.

"Ah, je comprends," he said before switching back to English. "What would you like for dinner, sir?"

"I would like the… uh… Les… Cuisses… de… Grenouilles… Provençale."

"That's an excellent choice, sir," the man said, trying not to laugh at Seth's attempt of French.

"Are you sure, Seth?"

"I heard it was good."

"But do you even know…"

"I'm fine, Summer."

"What would you like to drink?"

"How about the best champagne in the house?" Seth told him.

Summer was about to protest, but she didn't want to upset him. She knew that he was trying so hard to impress her, even though he really didn't have to do it.

"That sounds good," she added as the waiter jotted it down and left.

"This is a nice place, huh?"

"It's great."

"I'm really sorry about earlier," Seth apologized. "The last thing that I wanted was to embarrass you and I just…"

"You'll never embarrass me," she said without thinking of the consequences.

"Right," Seth said as it suddenly became awkward again.

They sat in silence until the appetizers came. They said a few words or two to each other, but ultimately they just ate in peace. Then again, the night was only about to get worse.

"Summer Roberts," a man exclaimed as he approached their table. "I didn't expect to see you here."

Seth looked up and noticed that guy looked eerily like Luke, except with a darker hair. He seemed friendly, but Seth can't help but feel threaten. He was suddenly thinking that maybe he was one of Summer's ex-boyfriends.

"Mark," Summer said as he put down her fork. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm actually having dinner with a few clients. I told you earlier."

"Right. I remember now."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I'm having dinner with… Seth Cohen."

"Cohen," Mark said as he turned to Seth. "Do I know you?"

"I don't think we've met before."

"You do the charity speeches at the hospital downtown."

"Yes, that's me."

"That means you're Caleb Nichol's grandson," Mark said as though he just made the greatest discovery. "That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"You see, I've been calling and asking Summer for months now to go on a date, and she hasn't replied to any of them. It was almost as if I didn't exist or something…"

"Mark…" Summer started to say as she realized that he was somewhat drunk.

"And now here she is having dinner with you… In this fancy restaurant… How long have you been here?"

"A little over two months."

"I've been asking Summer for six months," he said as he held up his hand. "Count my fingers… Six."

"Are you okay, man?" Seth started to get up, catching on that Mark was drunk.

"Me six… You two… And now she's dating you…"

"Maybe you should go back to your seat."

"Watch out for her… Ha… She only wants your money…"

"Mark…"

"What else does this guy have that I don't?" he yelled at Summer. "I can take him, but now I know what you're up to… What a coincidence? One of the richest bachelors in the country… All of a sudden you're available…"

"You need to chill out," Seth said, grabbing him by the shoulders.

"Don't touch me," Mark said as he stumbled backwards. "I'm telling you, she's nothing but a gold-digging bitch."

Seth didn't know what happened next, but from what it looked like, he did a convincing imitation of Ryan. Conveniently, their dinner arrived, along with the manager of the restaurant.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Cohen," the manager said, who Seth recognized as the man who lead them to the table. "This man will not bother you anymore."

Seth just nodded as he gently massaged his right hand.

"Enjoy your frog legs," Mark cried out before the manager dragged him away.

Seth didn't really understand what he was saying as he gave an apologetic look towards Summer.

"Bon appetit!" the waiter said before he left them.

"These look…"

"Exactly what Mark said," Summer told him.

"No… He said enjoy your… Ha… These are frog legs, aren't they?"

"Well, sautéed frog legs, but it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Summer smiled at him sweetly, as though to say that he should have listened to her.

"Bon appetit indeed," Seth said as he picked at his dinner with a fork. "Are you sure this is edible?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I'm really sorry about the whole Mark fiasco," Summer apologized as they were now walking outside.

"Don't be," Seth told her. "The guy was an asshole. I can't believe you didn't set him straight when he said all those awful things to you."

"You did."

"Oh yeah, I totally showed him," Seth said. "I'm sure Ryan will be proud."

"Well, thank you for that anyway."

"So what was his deal? Was he your ex or something?"

"We never dated. Ever. He just kept asking, and I just didn't want to take him up on his offers. I knew he was a jerk from the beginning, so I guess tonight just proved that my instincts were right."

"Do you think he'll get fired? He said he had dinner with some clients."

"It depends how big the clients are," Summer said. "Can we stop talking about him now?"

"Fine by me," Seth said. "I just really wanted this night to be perfect, and you could say that the dinner was…"

"The dinner was fine."

"For you."

"Well, next time find something that we could both enjoy," Summer said before growing serious. "I appreciated it though."

They walked some more, passing people left and right. Seth couldn't help but notice the number of couples walking along the streets. He wondered if people thought they were a couple. They were walking together, although they weren't exactly joined at the hip. A question suddenly formed in his head, and he scolded himself for how lame it was, but his mouth was already blurting out the words before he could process them entirely.

"Can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"You know what, never mind. You'll probably laugh at me."

"Cohen, what is it?" Summer said with an amused look on her face. "I promise I won't laugh."

"Well, I was just thinking that maybe… You know, possibly…"

"Just say it."

"Can I hold your hand?"

Seth looked away before he could see her reaction. 'What was I thinking?' he thought to himself. 'That was so lame. I can't believe I just said that.' Before he could continue reprimanding himself, he felt Summer's left hand reach for his right. He looked over to see her looking at him with a smile on her face.

"You didn't have to ask."

Seth managed to smile back as they kept walking. The truth was his heart was going a mile a minute. Sometimes he wished he could just tell her that he loved her right then and there, but he knew that they had to take this relationship a little bit slow. Saying that you love someone could be a good thing, but it could also backfire. They found an empty bench at what was most likely near the edge of Central Park. Seth waited for Summer to be seated before sitting down himself.

"So I have to tell you something," Seth said. "Before talking to you this morning, I actually spoke to Ryan about the situation, and basically told him everything about what I felt and stuff."

"Is that why you've been acting all weird?"

"Basically. I mean, I was finally able to admit everything, and having them out in the open just made them more real."

"I guess that makes sense."

"You're not upset that I told Ryan?"

"To be honest, I talked to Coop as well," Summer laughed. "I told her that you were annoying, and that you ramble a lot of nonsense. Let's see, what else? Oh yeah, I told her that you can be immature, and that I have to constantly take care of you. It's like sometimes, you know, I don't even know why I bother."

"Maybe I should have complained about you to Ryan as well," Seth joked.

"Well, I also told her that while you get on my nerves, I hate it when you're not around. Even though I joke with you and boss you around…"

"You do do that a lot."

"You still do all these really nice and sweet things like tucking me in bed, cooking me dinner, making me laugh, changing your Thanksgiving plans… All these things that no one had ever done for me."

Seth just stared at her as she went on and on about her feelings. Earlier that afternoon, he was so excited that she accepted his proposal that he didn't even think about anything else. The fact that she felt something genuine for him really meant a lot.

"Are you going to say something, or are you just going to stare at me?"

"I'm sorry," he said, smiling sheepishly. "It's just that you didn't say any of these things earlier, and it's just… It's really nice to hear it from you."

"I'm just scared, you know," Summer said. "Does that even make any sense?"

"I'm so relieved to hear you say that," Seth told her. "I'm scared too. I know that I've done my share of mistakes in the past, but I don't want to mess this up. I'm scared that… Well, I know that I'm no Jimmy Stewart or Humphrey Bogart or Tom Cruise, and I know that I'm going to do my best to be that guy for you, but someone else might come along… I'm scared that I'm going to lose you again."

"Well, then I guess you better make sure not to lose me then," Summer said as she got up and started to walk away.

"What do you want to do now?" Seth asked once he caught up with her.

"Ice skating."

"Ice skating? You mean, right now?"

"No, but I always wanted to do it. You've seen the Rockefeller Center and all those people there."

"I've seen them make a fool of themselves."

"It's fun."

"You're fully aware of my lack of balance, so you're on your own right there."

"I think it would be funny to see you on ice skates."

"I'd do anything for you, but you can forget all about the ice skates."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was almost midnight when Seth drove Summer back to her apartment.

"Bizarre evening, wasn't it?" Seth made small talk as he got out and opened Summer's door.

"It was nice," Summer said as she stepped out.

They walked towards the front door as a familiar sense of uncertainly loomed upon them.

"So I had a great tonight," Seth said.

"Me too."

They stood there for probably a minute, unsure of what to do next. Knowing that he had to make a move any time soon, he decided to lean in and give her a kiss on the cheek.

"I'll see you later."

He turns around to leave, but Summer grabs his arm.

"Wait…"

Her grip caused him to turn and face her. They eyes were almost at a level with each other since Seth was situated one step below. Being so close to her, he couldn't help but become dizzy. The smell of her perfume was really messing with his head, all he really wanted to do was kiss her, but it wasn't the right time. Maybe they were moving too quickly. He did only start holding her hand.

He was brought out of his reverie when Summer reached a hand up to his face. He really didn't know what happened next. As soon as he felt her kiss, all he could do clutch at the fabric of her dress behind her back, not wanting to let her go. The outside world had suddenly evaporated, and everything bad thing happened that night and everything else seized to exist.

A moment later, she pulled away.

"I… Uh… That was…" he started to stutter.

Summer bit her bottom lip for a brief moment before smiling, unsure herself at what just happened.

"Good night."

"Good night," Seth said as he watched her disappear into the building.

He touched his lips as he walked back to his car. In spite of himself, he couldn't help but smile. For the first time, he wasn't the one being aggressive, and he loved every second of it. He noticed that some of the petals from the bouquet still remained in his car. He never really figured out what it meant. All he knew was that he and Summer had a chance for a new beginning, and this time around, he was not about to lose her again.