A/N: Ok so I was going to split this into two chapters but I'm too lazy too upload two files right now, so it was written as one chapter so I'll just leave it that way. Also this story is going to take a backseat for a couple of weeks because I got a burst of inspiration and I'm going to finish up Curve of the Earth. So enjoy this and once COTE is finished I'll come back to this one. It's all mapped out and actually there's only Eight chapters of this story left.
Chapter Ten
"…Ok well we're getting ready to leave right now. Summer and I are riding with Seth, and the Cohen's and my parents are going to follow behind us…" Marissa informed Ryan off her plans via the telephone. He had been in Reno for five days preparing for his fight, and she'd missed him more than she had thought she would. A part of her had wanted to get on a plane to Reno that morning so she could just see him and be with him.
"Your parents? Like you mean the Cohen's and your dad right?" Ryan lay in his hotel and stared at the ceiling trying to picture Marissa's face as he talked to her.
"And my mom."
Ryan groaned, "Haven't we already learned that your mother and I in the same room isn't exactly a good combination?"
"Well, she heard us talking about going to see you fight and kinda invited herself along, what was I suppose to do I mean she is my mom."
"Yeah, yeah I know, I just kinda wanted you to myself, I miss you."
Marissa smiled to herself as she felt her stomach jump, "I miss you too, and I promise you will have me all to yourself for as long as you want, I won't let my mother get in the way of that."
"Hey Coop," she called from upstairs. "Ask Chino what I should wear."
"Summer wants to know what she should wear."
"Clothes." He sarcastically responded.
"Aren't you the funny man… I'd better go help her get ready or we won't make it to Reno anytime before next week. But I'll see you before your fight?"
"Actually probably not, it's kinda hectic before a fight."
"Ok, but I'll be the first person you kiss after you win right?"
"If I win."
"You'll win, I'm going to be there so how could you not. You gotta win for me."
He gave a short laugh, "Yeah I'll win for you."
"Ok well I'm gonna go, I'll see you in a few hours."
"Ok see you then."
Marissa reluctantly closed her phone and turned around to see Summer standing over her shoulder.
"You two make me sick you know that?" Summer joked to her friend. "Ok so I found this," she motioned her hands up and down her body for Marissa to see what she was wearing.
"Looks fine," Marissa told Summer right as their doorbell rang. "Oh that must be Seth."
"Oh God I can't believe your making us ride with him." Summer forced a smile as Marissa opened the door.
"Summer," Seth tried to greet her as he walked in the door only to be taken aback by how amazing she looked. His eyes traveled from her face down to the fitted low cut pink halter top, they continued down to her jeans and matching pink heels.
"Speak much Cohen?"
"Yeah," he shook himself out of his Summer induced trance. "Umm you guys ready to go, my parents are waiting in their car outside."
Marissa grabbed her purse, "More than ready," she skipped out the door.
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"This casino is so tacky," Julie Cooper commented as they all took their seats in the second row back from the ring. "And I mean we're not even ringside, you'd think the boxer could get us better seats."
"Mother, Ryan's not the main event, I'm sure other boxers have family here too."
"My point exactly we're here and he's not even the main event he's what the first fight isn't that really low in boxing standards."
"Julie, he's the second under card match on a title fight, that's pretty damn good, and these seats are great." Jimmy rebuked her comments.
"Ok Mr. Coop but this whole place stinks of stale beer."
"Summer!" Marissa reprimanded her and shot her a look.
"Sorry," Summer gave an apologetic smile as she realized she'd backed up Julie to some extent.
"Well I think it's great I love the Reno," Seth commented.
"Son you think you love the Reno, we should do The Vegas." Sandy threw his hand against his son's back.
"Yeah well I think it's nice, I've never been to a boxing match before," Kirsten added in just for good measure.
Marissa shifted in her seat. She was beginning to think she should have just made the trip alone. All she really wanted to do was see Ryan and not have to worry about everyone else.
"Oh he's cute," Summer commented pointing to one of the guys setting up in a fighter's corner. "You think Ryan could introduce me?" Marissa looked to Summer and rolled her eyes.
"Excuse me," A man in a dark suit and a hotel security badge stood at the end of their row and spoke. "Which one of you is Marissa Cooper?"
"That's me," she coyly raised her hand.
"Would you mind coming with me Miss."
"Excuse me sir, is my daughter in some kind of trouble," Julie jumped up directly in the man's face.
"No ma'am and could you please have a seat. Mr. Atwood has requested your presence in his locker room, so if you'd like follow me."
Marissa had to contain herself from jumping out of her seat and skipping as she followed the large man in front of her. He led her past other security guards and handed her a yellow badge, "This will get you through any of the other security, he's in the third locker room on the left, but you might want to knock first anyway."
She smiled and nodded at the man. Slowly she made her way down the hall, her heart pounded harder with each step as she got closer to the door. By the time she got there her mouth had gone dry and she was practically shaking with anticipation. She gave three soft knocks on the door, waited a brief moment until she heard his voice bellow come in. She first just opened the door enough to poke her head in, "Hey," she said her voice almost childlike.
"Hey!" Ryan bounded from the bench, and pulled her into the room, kissing her before the door even had a chance to close. "I missed you."
She leaned in and kissed him again, "I missed you too, I thought I wasn't going to get to see you before the fight?"
"Couldn't wait," he returned to kissing her.
Marissa gave a soft moan as he kissed her, and wrapped her arms around him; he was slick with sweat already. He was a warrior getting ready to go to war, and she could feel that vibe in the room. "How much longer til you fight?"
"First fights already starting, so not long. They'll be in her in a minute to tape up my hands and glove me, give me instructions I've heard a million times. Then I go out there and fight."
"Ok but could you make it quick, because I want you to myself," she joked with him.
"I'll see what I can do," he smiled and kissed her again. "How was the drive here?"
"Long, mostly listened to Summer and Seth fight over the radio and watched Seth ogle Summer."
"He really likes her you know."
"Yeah he kinda makes in obvious, but he won't make a move."
"Give him time, he will, he's man."
"Ryan, he's had ten years."
"So he's a late bloomer."
"So you think we'll double date with Seth and Summer?"
"I don't double date." Ryan laughed and moved in kissing her again. "I hate to do this but…"
"I gotta go huh?"
"Yeah unfortunately, I gotta get ready."
"Fine, just make it quick." She laughed and kissed him deeply one more time before exiting the locker room, and returning to her friends and family.
"Oh man kiddo, you just missed a hell of a fight, three knock downs in the first two rounds," Jimmy Cooper sounded like a kid on Christmas day.
Summer leaned over into Marissa's ear, "How's Ryan?"
"Good," she nodded her head several times behind her answer.
"Ok, so my next question, how are you?" Her voice full of serious concern.
"I don't know," Marissa took a hard swallow, "Ask me after he's fought." Just as Marissa finished her sentence the ring announcer stepped into the ring. "Our next match in scheduled for ten rounds of middleweight action. Are you ready?" The crowd screamed, and Marissa and company hit their feet yelling and clapping. "Fighting out of the blue corner, wearing silver trunks with black trim and weighing in at 160 pounds, from Chino, California Ryan Atwood."
They continued to yell even louder, Marissa didn't take her eyes off of Ryan from the time he got in her line of sight. She didn't even heard the announcer call the other fighter into the ring, and Summer had to pulled at her pants leg to get her to sit down.
"Ok boys, I gave you the rules in the locker room, let's have a clean fight, keep in above the belt, now touch gloves, wait for the bell and come out fighting." The announcer finished, and Marissa took another hard swallow as her body tensed up waiting for the match to start.
The bell rang and both men came out fast and hard. First both jabbing to the face. Ryan dodged a haymaker to the body and countered with a straight right, hard enough to cause swelling in the fighter's left eye. Ryan used his skill to hone in on the swelling sending hard jabs to the eyes until the bell rang.
Sandy and Jimmy were on their feet, screaming and pulling their fists. Marissa gave a sigh of relief as the first four rounds went quickly with Ryan controlling most of the fight. But in the fifth round she took a real scare. Early in the round, Ryan took a sharp hook to the liver, which threw him off guard just enough to allow the other fighter to land a huge upper cut, followed by a left hook that immediately cause his eye to start bleeding. The blood distracted Ryan, and allowed the man to rough him up and by the end of the fifth round the cut on his left eye had gotten larger and there was swelling in his right cheek.
Summer reached over and took Marissa's hand, "It's half way over."
"I know," Marissa nodded.
Julie Cooper smelled her daughter fear and pounced, "Is this really what you want to be with, a man you have to worry about every time he goes to work. Do you really want to sit here with your stomach in knots and…"
"Julie," Kirsten interjected. "Let it go."
The bell rang starting the sixth round, and though he was tired and hurting Ryan stood up. The world seemed to move in slow motion as he heard Joey call to him, "Put this motherfucker out Ry." He took a quick glance down to Marissa, and then the world started to move again. Ryan felt a burst of energy and didn't give his opponent a chance to do anymore damage. A succession of quick jabs to face followed by a hard upper cut to the chest and a right haymaker to the head that sent the man back. Ryan took advantage of this and kept the pressure on, jab jab hook, upper cut, body, head, body, body. Finally with the man backed into the ropes Ryan threw a straight right, and a hard uppercut to the chin, sending him to the canvas. Ryan stepped back and waited for the ten count, he felt the blood trickle down his eye as he waited. The man tried to stand but was caught by the ref who immediately waved the fight over. Joey jumped into the ring and raised Ryan's arm before pulling him into the corner to stop the bleed in his eye with adrenaline.
After the final announcement was made, Marissa breathed a bit easier, but it was Summer who pointed out her stress. "Coop, your hands are blue, what were you doing fighting yourself?"
Marissa look down at her hands, she had been holding her own hands so tightly the circulation had been cut off. She released her own hands and took a deep breath, wondering if maybe her mother had a point was this really the kind of man she wanted to be with?
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"Man that was awesome," Seth told Ryan as they sat down for dinner after his fight. "You were like…" Seth made mock punches into the air. "And he was like…" Seth threw his hands in front of his face in cowardice. "It was great."
"Thanks man," Ryan gave a pain smile, his face was swollen quite badly and his eyes butterflied together.
Marissa laid her head onto Ryan shoulder, "You were amazing," she told him, just above a whisper.
"Chino, I must admit you kicked serious ass out there…. Oh who's that?" Summer pointed to another boxer, who was the third man, she asked Ryan about since his fight ended. Seth turned his head and rolled his eyes.
"Jimmy Haviland, featherweight next in line for a title shot."
"Which means money, and he's cute… Introduce me?" She'd been asking Ryan this question all night and every time he'd declined.
"Married, two kids." He said to Summer, then leaned down to Marissa. "Hey," he whispered, and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
Summer saw something in Marissa's eyes when Ryan kissed her, she couldn't tell exactly what the emotion was but she knew it wasn't good. "Coop, you want to go to the bathroom with me, please?"
Marissa shrugged and followed Summer, as soon as they were out of earshot Seth practically jumped across the table at Ryan. "Dude I am totally bombing with Summer, here. I mean she keeps asking you to introduce her to other guys."
"Seth, in order to be bombing you kinda have to be talking to her. You haven't said three words to her."
"See that's the part I'm not so good at the whole speaking to her thing, yeah it's not such a good idea. I mean when I picked her and Marissa up I tried to speak, and nope nothing, got all choked up."
"Relax and be yourself, then if you bomb, at least you tried." Ryan gave him the only advice he could think to give. He was more worried about Marissa, she too had barely said three words since his fight and something was off, he just couldn't fight out what.
The girls returned and they made their way through a meal, talking about the fight and their reactions to the fight, and the drive to Reno, and the possibility of going to Vegas. At one point during their meal another fighter had approached their table and congratulated Ryan on his fight, stating he'd heard rumors of a match up with Ryan and one of the top contenders. Ryan smiled at the thought but responded humbly by simply saying, "We'll see."
"Ok Coop are you ready to go yet? Cause I heard my bed in Newport calling my name. I mean no offense Chino, but there is no way I'm staying in this tacky hotel."
Ryan shrugged at Summer; "Hey it's free. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow when I get back." H e gave Marissa's hand a squeeze.
"You're not coming back with us?" Marissa turned in towards him; she was under the impression he'd be riding back with them.
"No I gotta stay here so I can get paid for my fight, and stuff."
"Oh," Marissa turned to Seth and Summer, "Well you guys go ahead and go then, I'm gonna stay here with Ryan tonight, that is if you don't mind."
"Of course not," he smiled first to Marissa, then to Seth.
Summer shot Marissa a look of 'you can't do this to me' proportions. "Are you sure Coop, I mean the carpet here is so cheap."
"Summer, I can handle cheap carpet, I wanna be with Ryan tonight, he looks like he needs to be taken care of."
"Whatever, let's go then Cohen, the faster we go the faster I'm home."
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"Do you have something I could wear?" Marissa asked Ryan as they settled into his hotel room. "I didn't think to bring any clothes."
"Yeah sure," he moved slowly across the room, to wear his bags were, and wince in pain as tried to squat down to them.
"I'll get," Marissa bounded to him, as she heard his pain. "You just go lay down."
"No I got it," he waved her away and dug in his bags pulling out a pair of drawstring pants, and a tee shirt for Marissa, and a pair of pajama pants for himself. "Here," he handed her the clothes and politely turned his back.
Marissa started to change but was distracted as she noticed Ryan beginning to undress. Once he removed his tee shirt and pant, left only in his boxers, she noticed the bruises on his side. She wanted to cry she knew that he was in pain, and she didn't like the feeling of having to watch him in pain. Ryan turned around, then turned back around.
"Sorry, I figured you'd be done changing."
"It's ok," she told him, her eyes still fixated on his naked chest. It was then that it occurred to her that tonight had been the first time she'd seen Ryan shirtless, and she must say she'd been impressed with his body. Marissa smiled to herself at the thought, then pulled her legs off the bed to change. "You know, you don't have to turn around, I mean it's ok if you see me change Ryan."
Ryan slowly turned around, "I. I guess… I was…"
"Being polite, I get it." She smiled and pulled her shirt off, and pulled his over her body. "It's ok though, I mean I'm comfortable with you seeing my body Ryan." She finished dressing for bed, and Ryan watched as under his shirt she removed her bra and threw it to the floor.
A silence feel between them and Marissa sat on the bed and curled her knees to her chest as Ryan dug in his bag. Something was off about her, he had felt it at dinner and it was still in the air. "Are you ok?" He finally got the nerve to ask her, slightly worried about her response.
"Yeah I'm fine," she answered, as she brushed the hair from her face and stared at her toes.
"You're lying to me," Ryan told her, as he took a seat on the bed next to her. He wanted to take her hand, to hold her, to do something to fix whatever was wrong. The problem was he didn't know what was wrong.
"It's nothing really, I mean I'll get over it." She was unconvincing.
"Marissa," he reached out and touched her face, feeling her skin quiver under his touch. "What it?"
"It's stupid it's nothing, let's just go to bed and not worry about it."
"No, I want to know what's wrong, you can tell me."
Marissa swallowed thickly, and cleared her throat. "It's just… I don't know seeing you fight it was…" She paused and sighed.
"You didn't like it." He answered for her.
She began talking at a mile a minute, "Well I mean I did, and it was great seeing you win and I can tell it really is your passion, but I mean no girl wants to see the man she loves get the hell beat of out of him."
Ryan froze, his eyes grew wide, and he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. Marissa realized as soon as she finished what she had said and she as well froze. That wasn't supposed to happen. "Ryan I…"
He put his hand up to silence her and stood from the bed. This motion sent Marissa in a panic, it was too soon, she knew that, and now she felt not only stupid but also vulnerable. Ryan took a few paces across the room, then stopped to look at her. "What did you say?" He asked her his voice hoarse.
"Ryan I didn't mean, I mean I meant… but I didn't mean…"
He put his hand up again, "What did you say?" He asked again his voice more defined this time.
Marissa bit her lip and looked up to him, her eyes bleed with sincerity, "I said the man I love," she whispered, "I love you." She swallowed and looked back down at her feet.
Ryan choked back, unsure of what to do; he sighed and ran his hands through his hair, to stop them from shaking. It over took him, in a passionate and intense gesture; he crouched down by the bed and reached out to touch her face. He kissed her both hard and gentle at the same time, he kissed her deeply with passion.
Marissa took his face in between her hands as he kissed her, he couldn't say the words back, but she could feel them. She could feel him trying to say everything he felt with the kiss. She leaned back urging him onto the bed without breaking their kiss. He climbed onto of her, balancing his weight on his hands, the position put him in pain, but he was too overwhelmed to feel it.
"Ryan…" Marissa breathlessly broke away from him, she looked into his eyes and saw them clouded over with the love and passion he couldn't verbally express. She ran her hands through his hair and down his face. She stopped and traced his lips with her fingers, "Make love to me."
Ryan moved in and kissed her again, his kisses butterflies all over her face, her eyes, her chin. Marissa ran her hands up and down his back, lightly tracing the muscles with her fingers. She was ready for this; she was ready to be with him, everything in her told her it was right. Ryan kissed down to her neck but as he reached her collarbone her abruptly stopped, pausing he caught his breath.
"What's wrong?" Marissa asked, worried about his pain.
Ryan caught his breath, then looked up at her apologetically; "We can't… I don't have…" He paused slightly embarrassed, "I guess you could say I'm unprepared." He tried to joke.
Marissa caressed his back and laughed to herself, "Just my luck."
"I didn't expect too, I mean…"
"It's ok," she smiled and gave half a laugh. "I didn't really expect anything either."
Ryan rolled off of her and onto his back unable to withstand the pressure on his sore body any longer. Marissa moved into the crook of his arm, and pushed the covers down, "Is it going to hurt you, if I sleep like this?"
He pulled her onto his chest; "I can handle the pain."
Marissa smiled and lift herself off of him, and began undressing, leaving herself in only her thong panties. She noticed Ryan fixated on her, but in a passionate and confused way, "I probably should have asked you first, but can we at least be skin to skin tonight. I just want to make sure you're real."
"I'm real," he told her, and kicked off his pants, leaving himself in only his boxers, and pulled Marissa down to him the pulled the covers over them.
"I love you," she whispered and she carefully clung to him.
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"Cohen are we there yet?" Summer asked changing the radio station for the fifth time in ten minutes.
"No, and could you leave the radio alone long enough for one song to play? I mean the radio sucks enough without you making me listen to ten sucky songs in five minutes." Seth said annoyed with her. She had barely spoken to him and when she did it was only to talk about all the boxers she'd tried to get Ryan to introduce her to.
"So the married boxer we saw at dinner, I saw him checking me out, you think he thought I was cute?"
"He was married, and could you shut up about those boxers for five minutes, please." Seth 's voice was almost at a yell.
"Geez Cohen what crawled up your short, have one too many gas station expressos tonight?"
"No I'm just sick of you talking about guys who Ryan wouldn't introduce you to, and even if he did they would only have one interest in you."
"Oh is that right, the only reason any guys would be interested in me would be for sex right?" She yelled annoyed at him.
"No it's just they don't know you."
"And you do?" Her voice bled harsh sarcasm. Seth pulled the car to the side of the road and slammed it into park, "Cohen what are you doing?"
"When Marissa was in rehab everyday that she was sober you sent her a yellow rose for friendship to let her know that you'd always be there. Junior year of high school Zach Stevens cheated on you two weeks before prom and you were so heartbroken that you'd get to school ten minutes early so you could cry before he got there, because you pretended not to know about it until after prom was over. And in sixth grade you were so nervous you could barely speak when you had to read your poem out loud in front of the class because you cared about what the other kids thought."
"What poem?"
"I wish I were a mermaid and were friend with all the fish…"
"Wait, wait, how do you remember all that stuff," Summer was confused about what was happening, and trying to fight a smile.
"I've been in love with you since I was ten years old, and without trying everything you've ver done anywhere near me has been burned into my memory." Seth swallowed back both proud of his confession and embarrassed at the same time.
Summer couldn't explain where it came from, or why Seth Cohen, was no longer the 'Ew Seth Cohen,' she'd always seen. But something changed at that moment in the car. Summer reached forward and grabbed his face and kissed him, Seth out of shock couldn't respond. It was everything he'd ever wanted, and he was too shocked to take advantage of it.
"No one has ever said anything so sweet, and yet very creepy Cohen, to me. I never thought any guy could ever pay that much attention." She leaned forward and kissed him again. This time Seth responded, his heart was beating out of his chest. There on the side of the interstate, parked in his mom's Range Rover, he was kissing the girl of his dreams. Summer Roberts had kissed him, twice. The world felt new, not only to him, but also to Summer. She had just realized that everything she'd ever search for in a man was right in front of her, and had she not been so blind and judgmental she might have seen in sooner.
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The bedside clock read 2:30am, Ryan was exhaust but hadn't been able to sleep, He and Marissa had laid in bed and talked for hours, until finally her words turned to mumbles and feel asleep in his arms for a second time. He knew he could get used to having her with him, in his arms at night, sex or no sex. It wasn't important to him, she was important to him and just being with her made him feel more alive than anything. No one had ever told him they loved him before, the words had never been said. When she said them his heart wanted to exploded, and still he couldn't say them back. He couldn't understand why he couldn't say them back; he'd wanted to. He almost said them three weeks earlier after their first night together, but he couldn't. So he tried to tell her tonight in another way and he was pretty sure she'd gotten the message. But just in case… He looked down to her sleeping figure, her legs intertwined with his, to where you couldn't tell where one of the ended and the other began, he liked it that way. Ryan reached up and ran his fingers through her hair careful not to wake him.
"I love you too," he whispered, she might not have been able to hear him, but it was his way of making sure she knew he felt that same way about her.