"So?"
Ryan shot a look at Marissa and then resumed his study of the house before them. It was small, but well-kept, not nearly as run down as some of the other Chino houses he had shown her. "I don't know if this is such a good idea," he gritted his teeth and then chewed on the middle finger of his left hand.
Marissa rolled her eyes and rested her face on her own right hand, leaning in the window. "Come on, Ryan. Yesterday, you were all excited. It'll be fun – you get to see your nephew," she encouraged, her gaze drifting around the yard, which seemed a little empty for a party. "Plus, we brought cool presents," she added.
With a heavy sigh, Ryan cut the engine on the Range Rover and reached for the door handle. "Alright, let's go."
They stepped out of the car and Marissa slipped her hand into his as they approached the house. She would not worry about his connection to Cassie – she was Trey's girlfriend. She was not a threat. Today will be good, she told herself. She would get a glimpse into more of Ryan's past, and that was good. It would be good.
XXXXX
"This is it?" Summer asked as Seth directed his father's sports car under the "Camp Tacahoe" sign and onto the grounds of his childhood summer home.
Lush trees shaded the drive and several different birds were communicating around the car. He reached over the gear shift and took her hand, letting out a sigh of resignation. "Yes, Summer, this is it," he conceded, waiting for her to insult it's massive amounts of nature or something. This wasn't her world, and he understood that. He loved her because this wasn't her world, or in spite of the fact that it wasn't.
As they broke the plane of the trees, Summer's breath caught in her chest. It was gorgeous – so green and vibrant. And beyond the meadow, where several people their age were leaving their cars, was a glassy lake, the sun dancing over the surface and casting a surreal glow over the entire campground. A large pavilion with picnic tables, food, and drinks broke her continuous view of the lake, but welcomed them with a huge banner: Welcome Back to Tacaho.
Seth parked his car next to another sporty vehicle, and sighed as the both climbed out of the car. "This is beautiful, Cohen," Summer commented finally, slipping her hand into his. For a moment, she forgot about Sara and anything else they had argued about on the way to the camp – it was magical, romantic, almost.
A group of frat-looking guys walked past them, turning to cast a look at Summer while ignoring Seth completely. "Yep. It's good to be back," he mocked.
She squeezed his hand. It didn't matter if every guy in this camp looked her way – she didn't care. So long as one girl didn't look at her man, Summer would have a great time.
XXXXXX
"Thanks," Ryan turned to Marissa as they stood on the front porch. "For coming and everything."
She gave him her best smile and nodded. "I'm glad I could be here for you," she said, nudging his shoulder as he grasped her hand for support. "And you'll be glad you did this. Trust me."
His eyebrow shot up in a doubtful expression, but Marissa just squeezed his palm. "Alright." He raised his hand and started to knock.
But the door opened and a tall, dark-haired beauty stood in the doorway. "I wondered if you were going to sit out there all day," she laughed, pushing the screen toward them and motioning to the living room.
Ryan let go of Marissa's hand and accepted the hug that Cassie was offering him. She was his height, maybe a half inch shorter, with chin-length black hair and screaming green eyes. She was the kind of pretty that they don't put in magazines – the kind that is too normal for high fashion, but too intimidating to the average human being. And her wide smile, perfect white teeth, and the way she gripped Ryan was enough to make Marissa feel plain and invisible.
"You look amazing," Ryan complimented, blushing slightly as he looked over the woman before him. She was just wearing jeans and a wife-beater, not unlike he was, but she did wear it well. "I mean, just," he stuttered to clarify.
But Cassie made no attempt to hide it when her eyes swept over his shoulders and down to his shoes, and then traveled slowly back up to his nervous eyes. "And Trey wasn't lyin' when he said you did good for yourself, was he? Damn, Ry – you look edible," she laughed, turning and extending a hand to Marissa. "And you must be the girlfriend."
"Marissa," she introduced herself as Cassie pulled her into a hug.
"Hell, we're all family here, right?" she asked, laughing. "TJ had soccer practice this morning, so he'll be home in a little bit, just before the party starts. So, do you guys want something to drink or something?"
"Do you have tea?" Marissa asked.
Cassie nodded. "Southern Sweet Tea – is that okay?" Marissa nodded. "What about you, Ry? I got Corona with the slushy ice," she winked. "Just the way you like it."
Ryan nodded. "Sure. That'd be great. Thanks."
"Great. Make yourselves at home," she clapped her hands and started for the kitchen. "You know where everything is, Ry."
When she was gone, Marissa looked around the room, taking in the mismatched décor and the smattering of action figures that littered the carpet. She noticed the Playstation by the television, and the tower of anime dvd's and action movies. "He's definitely related to you," she commented, smiling over at Ryan.
He was leaning back on the couch, a lit cigarette in one hand and then other stretched out beside him. "Yeah, I guess," he shrugged.
Something about this Ryan, the one who was smoking and waiting for Cassie to bring him a beer, was throwing her off. This wasn't the Newport brother of Seth Cohen who escorted her to fancy parties and tapped a keg at the occasional beach-front rager. This was Ryan from Chino, the one that chilled in the afternoon with a long-neck bottle and a cigarette. This was the guy she didn't know, thought she would never meet. This was the Ryan she wasn't sure she could love.
XXXXX
After nearly twenty minutes of standing off to themselves, Summer was growing antsy. "Cohen, can't we at least get something to drink?"
He shook his head and noted the crew gathered at the pavilion. "No, Summer, we can't. Because those are the water polo players of Camp Tacaho."
"They have water polo here?"
"It was a metaphor, Summer. Look, I spent many a year getting harassed and tortured by them and I'm not really up for a rousing rendition of "Let's steal Cohen's underwear and throw them in the lake," okay?"
She rolled her eyes. "Come on. I thought you were, like, the king of this place. You loved it here."
He nodded and looked back over the meadow. "I did love it here, because anything was good compared to Newport. Didn't mean it was easy," he admitted, his eyes lighting up as they fell on something familiar.
Summer looked out to see a tall, shapely brunette with long curls and dark-framed glasses approaching them. "There's my main man," the young woman called with a laugh, her arms open.
Seth hugged her and then held her shoulders when he pulled back. "Sara, wow," he said, looking her over. She was taller than she was at twelve. And her dark eyes danced from behind the lenses of her glasses. The braces were gone, of course.
She giggled and patted her curls. "Yeah? No more Jew-fro, right? It's amazing what anti-frizz syrum can do." She let her gaze drift over him. "And you – well, you look exactly the same, man," she nodded.
"Yeah. Taller, though," he shifted uncomfortably and took a bit of a step back.
Sara looked over Seth's shoulder and smiled at Summer. "You brought a friend?"
She sounded somewhat disappointed, which gave Summer a sense of satisfaction as he stepped forward and placed her hands on Seth's hips, leaning her chin on his shoulder. "I'm Summer," she said.
Giving her a forced smile, Sara nodded and tucked her hands into the pockets of her khakis. "So, you guys wanna get something to drink or what?"
"That would be great," Seth stated, taking Summer's hand as he followed Sara to the pavilion.
Yeah, it would be great!
