Chapter Four

The Proposal

The party went well. By nine o'clock everyone was suitably tipsy, or, in the case of Seth, extremely wasted.

As was tradition in all Newport parties, there had already been a scandal when Caitlin Cooper found out that her high-flying husband Nate had been getting high in other ways in the toilets. They had stormed out of the party after Caitlin assured Marissa that her children were fine to stay with the nanny tonight as Nate would be staying in a motel.

By ten, everyone was seated after enjoying a luxurious five course meal, and Dominic was ready to give his speech.

Marissa fidgeted in her seat uncomfortably, knowing that getting Seth to make himself scarce was going to be no easy feat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Dominic started, taking over the stage with his boyish good looks.

"Hey Seth," Marissa whispered. Seth turned to her with one eye closed.

"Yesh Marisha?"

"Um… Could you give me a ride home?" she asked, suddenly filled with inspiration. Seth looked at her like she was stupid.

"Ryan, I think your wife's suicidal. She wants to get in a car with me behind the wheel. And I think I might be a little tipsy."

Ryan threw Marissa a look, and Marissa nodded her head towards the stage, and then at her wedding ring.

"What?" he whispered

"What, what, what?" Seth said in a loud voice, which caused several people to turn around. Summer, thankfully was not one of them. "tell me." He said, whispering now.

"Nothing," Marissa said softly. Throwing herself back into her seat.

"I need to relieve myself of all of my bodily fluey-ma-bobs"

"Yes!" Marissa said. Ryan and Seth turned to look at her.

"um, Ryan. Don't mean to upset you, because you are my brother – yes you are Ryan, you are my brother. Buuuuttt… but I think your wife – just a little crazy"

Seth stood up suddenly, and then sat back down. "Whoa, didn't realise I was so tall. Slowly," he tried again and this time managed to stay up.

"You need me to come with you Seth?" Ryan asked.

Seth dropped his voice to a whisper and put his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Ryan, as much as I like the homosexual – and I do Ryan, I really do – I am not one. And you Ryan, need to work on your marriage – Gay husband, insane wife. Marriage councillor will have a field day."

With that, Seth managed to quietly make his way out of the marquee, not too taxing as Marissa had purposefully chosen a table near the exit.

Marissa breathed a sigh of relief.

"Care telling me what that was about?" Ryan asked.

"Later. Just enjoy the moment," Marissa replied, pointing up to the stage.

"…And isn't the place beautiful ladies and gentlemen?" Dominic asked. The audience muttered in approval and clapped heartily. "And the woman who made all of this possible, Miss Summer Roberts. Will you please welcome this beautiful woman up to the stage?"

The Marquee burst into applause as Summer got up, her face a little flushed but with a huge grin.

"Thankyou," Summer said when she got up. Dominic seemed to be contemplating something. He got the microphone again and spoke into it.

"Summer is a truly amazing woman…"


Seth stumbled into what looked like a toilet, only without cubicles, sinks or even mirrors.

"Whoa, must be drunker than I thought," he muttered.

"Can I help you," a woman's voice asked from behind him. Seth turned to the source of the voice and squinted. A tall woman with short auburn hair was stood looking at him in amusement.

"Um, this isn't the bathroom," he stated dumbly. The woman laughed into her hand as she walked towards him.

"No, this is the cloakroom."

Seth looked around and sighed. "Ah, that would explain the jackets and… stuff"

"Yeah," she laughed, "That would explain the jackets and… stuff."

"Well miss…?"

"Meagan"

"Well Miss Meagan, could you direct me to the little man's room?"

Meagan put her arm in his and smiled at him. "Certainly," she said as they walked back towards the marquee where the toilets were on the other side.


"…And now, I want to ask you a very important question Miss Roberts," Dominic said. He knelt down onto one knee.


Seth stumbled around the entrance of the marquee. He turned and saw Summer on stage. Meagan saw it too. She stopped and gasped, she wasn't expecting this.


Summer stared down at Dominic in amazement. Her mind cleared and she couldn't think of anything else except the soft pleading look in Dominic's blue eyes.


Seth stared in amazement, his world clouding around him. The first time he saw Summer and she was on stage. With a man, kneeling. He suddenly started drawing parallels. Sure he hadn't been on a stage when he'd proposed. He'd been on the beach, in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. And she had been wearing a red bikini as opposed to the short red dress she was wearing now.


"Summer, will you marry me?" Dominic asked.

Summer gasped as he held out a diamond ring the size of Manhattan.

"Y…" she started, but in the distance she heard a very loud and very drunken, "What!" She froze, knowing the voice was so familiar to her yet not wanting it to be true.


Seth stood in amazement at the words that had just come out of his mouth. Meagan was looking at him with an odd expression on her face, reserved for raving lunatics probably. But hey, he was one of those anyway.


Summer turned, her eyes met Seth's and in an instant, the whole world went fuzzy. She fainted.

AN: Okay, so no real Seth Summer interaction – but there will be. Next chapter will be a flashback so the chapter after that will have Summer confronting Seth. I have got a plan for this story but I realised that I haven't put any clues in at all, so it will seem quite sudden so sorry for that, but then maybe it'll be like when Summer finds out its quite sudden. Yeah, that's it, it's a device! Hee hee.

Anyway, I can't promise that my updates will be thick and fast at the mo because I've got family over from Australia staying at our house and my A-levels to do. But I'll try and update religiously anyway. Thanks for reading :)

Leanna xx