A/N: Would you believe that I'm over half way done with this story. There's only about five chapters left, give or take a chapter in either direction. When I started this story I knew I wanted to do a Seth/Summer/Trey triangle. And originally I planned on there being more RyRissa in it, as well, but the scene in this chapter may be the most of them alone as a couple that we see. However I ran into two problems, problem one is that Seth is really hard to write and I can write him I just have to be in the mood for it and I can't force it out, and I haven't found myself in the mood to write Seth. Secondly when I started writing Summer and Trey together I just kind wrote with the characters and let them write themselves, and now they've really grown on me as a couple… So I actually don't know how everything is going to turn out as far as whose going to end up together anymore…
Chapter Seven
"Damn it Cohen, answer your phone," Summer sighed into her cell phone as she listened to Seth's phone ring on the other line. Ever since he'd left for his internship in San Diego, he'd been nearly impossible to get a hold of, and she barely saw him at all. Maybe that was why she'd found herself clinging to Trey so much in the past few days, but then again Trey was just her friend, right. At least that's what she kept telling herself, but if Trey was just her friend, then why was she thinking about him as she waited for Seth to answer his phone.
"Hey you," Seth's voice finally.
Summer felt her muscles relax at his greeting and a smile immediately crossed her face. "Hey Cohen," she greeted him back her voice smiling the entire time.
"What's up honey?"
"Well I'm on my way to drop a few things off at the country club, and I thought I call to see what time you're gonna be here…"
"What time I'm gonna be there?" Seth raised an eyebrow at her question and let panic slip into his voice.
"Yeah for the charity fashion show that I did half the designs for and you're taking me too."
"That's today…" Seth's voice dropped a bit.
"You forgot…" Just like Cohen, Summer thought to herself, too involved in himself to remember that she too had things going on.
"Yeah I kinda did…"
"Well that's fine, just grab a suit and come on, if you leave San Diego now we'll have plenty to get ready when you get here."
"Well see the thing is…"
"No, stop there you have to come I mean I can't go without a date, and you're my boyfriend and…"
"Well I kinda have a thing myself… well not really a thing… it's a deadline for a new…"
"Cohen…" Hurt and annoyance rang for her voice.
"What… it's my job… Besides it's not like I'm going to miss anything I've been to a ton of Newport charity parties and they're all the same, a bunch of people getting drunk and pretending they actually care about the charity."
"Only you've never been to one where my designs are going to be featured."
Seth sighed, he knew he was fighting a losing battle, "Look, Sum I'm sorry… this internship is really important to me."
"Funny I thought I was really important to you…"
"You are it's just…"
"Whatever Cohen, I don't need to have a rage blackout while driving, so I'll talk to you later." Harshly she snapped her cell phone closed. Summer too a few deep breaths as she pulled her car over to the side of the road. "No, damn it, I am not going to cry," she fanned her eyes out and she tried to calm her breathing. "I will not let Seth Cohen the self obsessed, comic book nerd make me cry. If his little internship is more important that's fine, he won't take me I'll find someone who will."
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"Hello," An exhausted Ryan answered his phone.
"Hey, so I just talked to Summer, and she's pissed but she totally bought it. So I'm gonna get there at like nine. I need you guys to make sure that she doesn't try to not go, cause that would suck and totally ruin my plan," Seth frantically told Ryan as he shuffled through the pool house closet looking for something really nice to wear.
Ryan fumbled around trying to get his key into the front door, wiggling the locked as he pushed the key in, "Yeah well I don't think Summer's going to let anyone, even you ruin her fashion show. But we'll do our best to make sure she's there. Until then, I'm gonna take a nap, I'm tired," With a weak smile and a humble wave he greeted Marissa who was stretched out on the sofa.
"Long workout today?" Seth asked as he continued digging in the closet holding up shirt after shirt.
"No, I spent all day helping Trey moving into his apartment."
"Oh cool, so I guess he's doing okay and all."
"Yeah he is."
"Good, well hopefully I'll get a chance to get to know him better. I mean he's your brother and all. And he seems like he's really trying to turn things around."
"He is." With the phone still to his ear Ryan collapsed onto the couch, flopping his head into Marissa's lap.
"Ok man, well I'll let you get you nap, and I'll see you tonight."
"Alright see you then." Ryan snapped his phone closed and let his arm hang lazily off the couch. "Do we have to go tonight?" He looked up with pleading eyes to Marissa.
"If Summer's designs weren't in it, I'd be all for staying home," she reached down and gently stroked his hair. She watched as Ryan's eyes started to drift closed, and quietly smiled to herself. "I love moments like this," she whispered as she watched Ryan sleep. "Just being here with you, after everything… Just having you here… I thought I'd say this but I need you with me. Before I met you… I felt like love was this secret thing that everyone else knew about and was keeping from me, then I met you…" She leaned down and let her lips barely brush his forehead. "Promise you'll never leave…"
"I'll promise if you promise," Ryan's eyes slipped half open as he mumbled the words to her.
"You were sleeping you weren't suppose to hear any of that."
"What good does it do to ask me to promise something if you think I'm sleeping?"
Marissa shyly shrugged, he still made her feel like a school girl with a crush sometimes, "You were sleeping you weren't suppose to be listening, those were private thoughts, ones I tell you when I know you can't hear them."
Ryan reach up and rested his hand against her cheek, his eyes opened fully and softly his blue eyes met hers. Sometimes when he looked into her eyes, they looked so much like his own that he felt like they were cut from the same piece of material, like as cheesy as it sounded, like they were made for each other. His fingers grazed up and down her cheek, "You shouldn't have to wait until I'm not listening to tell me you're private thoughts, especially when I feel the same way." He leaned up and gently kissed her.
After breaking away, Marissa flattened herself on top of him, and rested her head on his chest, "I love you," she purred into his neck.
"I love you," he muttered back, letting himself drift into a peace rest that would prepare him for what would turn out to be one hell of a night.