Chapter 12
The Date
Seth picked Summer up at seven O'clock on the dot. Summer, who had been sat for the last hour trying to justify exactly why she was going on a date with Cohen, was in his car by 7:02 on the dot.
"Wow," he said when he saw her. She was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a red cami with chocolate brown lace. "You look… you look fantastic."
Summer couldn't stop a delighted smile from crossing her face. "Thanks. I was going to wear my princess dress but decided it might not be appropriate." Seth laughed as he pulled out of the drive, his dark blue vintage Cadillac glinting in the setting sun. "Where are we going?"
"Um… it's kind of a surprise," Seth said.
"Does that mean we're driving around until we find a place that has enough free car spaces to get a seat?"
"Oh yeah. That's exactly it Summer," Seth said sarcastically.
"I really wouldn't put it past you Cohen," she said. Neither of them seemed to realise that Summer was using her pet name again. It felt so natural. They felt so natural.
Summer mused how unusual it was that they could be relaxed and happy around each other, this close to a divorce, after all the pain they had caused each other. She forced the eventual point of her thought ramblings firmly into the back of her mind.
"…It's special," she heard Seth say as she tuned back into the conversation. "And kind of… um far away. We'll probably get there about eight, eight-thirty."
"Seth, just tell me where we're going! Am I overdressed?"
"You're beautiful," Seth answered truthfully.
"Not the question ass face," she laughed, hiding the fact that she jst wanted to climb over the gear stick and jump him right there.
"Gee, well that's great Summer. You really know how to take a compliment there don't ya?"
"Well, not knowing how to take a compliment is better than assuming every single little comment made about you is a compliment," Summer threw back.
"Well…" Seth started, "No actually, that was good. I have no comeback for that." Summer stuck her tongue out at him and shrugged her shoulder coyly. "Very cute," Seth muttered, not sure whether he was trying to be sarcastic or truthful.
"I am aren't I?" Summer laughed.
Seth silently agreed
An hour later and Summer could not remember laughing so much ever. Well, not since Seth had left anyway.
"No!" she protested as Seth laughed, "you can't have 'the phonetic alphabet' in I Spy. A) it isn't a 'thing', it's like, a way of communication, and B) it does not begin with an 'f'. I thought you were smart Cohen."
Seth's mouth gaped open, and Summer couldn't help but think that he looked like goldfish. A very adorable goldfish. "No – no, I mean. I still hold onto the argument that car license plates can be identified as the phonetic alphabet because that is how people speak them on – you know, telephone conbversations withinsurance people and…"
"Whatevs Cohen. Just face it, you have officially lost your smartness."
"Nuh huh – I am still smart, I'm just… like concentrating on driving and not really, you know, trying. In fact, I'm only playing to humour you."
Summer gasped in mock-outrage and slapped him on the arm. "You suggested the dumb game!"
"Yeah, like, five minutes ago. It gets old fast Summer. It doesn't have the staying power of the more classic car game like – like alphabets, or yellow car or…"
"Cohen, don't dis I Spy, okay? You're just a sore loser."
"What, I am not! Oh wait, we're here." Seth pulled into a parking lot and Summer found herself in the midst of a lot of glowing lights and the sound of really loud pop music.
"Seth, where the hell are we?" Summer asked, All she could see where flashing lights. She turned around to look out of the back seat and gasped. A Ferris wheel dominated the skyline. "A carnival?" she asked slabbergasted.
"Yeah, I hear its really good. It comes here once a year and my flatmate Cady always goes," Seth imformed.
"Cady. Is that a girl?"
"Um, I think so," Seth joked. Summer nodded fighting back on the wave of jealousy that crept over her.
"Interesting choice of date destination," Summer said.
"It's different. Shall we go?"
Summer linked Seth's arm, feeling a surge of warmth run through her body at his touch and let him lead the way
"Seeeeeeeeeth you jeeeeeeeeeeerk!" Summer squealed as the Twister Tornado flung her body about in the seat. She was sat on the outside so she kept banging into Seth.
"Ow. You may be small Summer but you're still crushing me," Seth yelled asshe banged into him again.
"You're fault Cohen. You shouldn'thave brought me on this ride."
They carried on screaming and playfully bantering until the ride ended. Summer stepped off her cart onto the metal floor with shaky steps.
"No more Cohen. You have dragged me on practically every ride here. No more!"
"Aw," Seth whined, "But we still haven't been on the Crusher." He pointed over to a ride where the people on it where screaming in terror as it threw them arund like rag dolls.
"What? No way Cohen! I am not going on that thing. What time is it anyway?"
"9:30. Wow, can you believe we've been here for an hour and a half? How time flies when you're having fun, huh?"
"I have been having fun Cohen. A lot of fun. But all the excitement has made me starved. Can we eat?"
"Can we eat? Why of course. Choose from the best of American cuisine, right here Summer. See, we've got Horseburger here, literal Hot Dog over there, and French fries over there. With a side of grease of course."
"Hmm, well, you really sold the literal Hot Dog to me Cohen, but how about we go find a diner or something?"
Seth threw his arm over Summer's shoulder. "Well Summer, I think that may be the best idea you've had all night.
After getting back into the car, Seth drove for another half hour until he got to LA. He took Summer to his favourite diner, The Dive and they took a booth at the back.
"Hey, this place really doesn't go with its name," Summer thought aloud. "It's kind of smart."
"Why thank you Summer. Your approval means so much to me, really it…" he clutched his heart, "it gets me right here."
Summer through a napkin at him and smiled. She grabbed the turquoise menu off the table and stared at it for a while.
"Hi there. My name's Katie and I'll be serving you this evening. Would you like to order now?"
"Hey," Seth said flashing her a smile that made her beam. "I'll have a beefburger, fries and a coke and she will have…"
"Um, a chickenburger, fries and an evian," Summer said. Katie wrote their orders, smiled, and promised that they would be there any minute.
"Wow, so – you're a regular here?" Summer asked after a while.
"Yeah. She must be a new girl, she doesn't recognised me," Seth smiled.
"Oh yeah, because you're so memorable Cohen," Summer said sarcastically.
"I am. You don't see someone as dorky as me every day," Seth replied.
"True, you got me there."
They ate their dinner and talked as if he had never gone away, and as if she was never engaged. In fact, for this evening, they had both forgotten these facts.
"Shit Cohen, its 1:45!" Summer said, checking his watch from across the table.
"My God! Time really does fly. You can't go home this late," Seth informed
"So what am I supposed to do? Sleep in this booth all night?"
"No can do. This place closes at two a.m," Seth said. "You could stay at my apartment."
"What?" Summer narrowed her eyes.
"You can stay in Cady's room," Seth said quickly. "She's gone to visit her parents – that's why she wasn't at the carnival tonight. She doesn't like being in the apartment on her own."
"Seth, stop rambling okay? I'll stay at your apartment tonight."
"Right," Seth said softly.
"Just let me leave everyone a message so they don't think I've been abducted."
Seth watched as Summer headed out, painfully aware that their date was over.
AN: Okay, don't get mad. The letter issue is coming up in the next chapter, I promise. I just didn't want to ruin the date. I don't know why I did the carnval thing, I just had this image in my head and that was it. Did it work?
Okay, thankyou sooooo much for all the fab fab reviews.
FYI, Summer was talking about having sex in front of Seth in the last chapter because she wanted to make him jealous. She loves him, he hurt her, she's pissed. See?
You know what? I'm going to just post the next chapter straight away because I had al day today to write so I've got a few chapters out. And this way, you won't get too mad that I didn't write about the letter in this chappie :)
Please review
Leanna :)
