Chapter 13

The Letter

Seth fumbled with the key in the lock. Ever since Summer had came back into the diner after leaving the messages she had been distant and awkward.

"Um, I'm sure Cady has some pyjamas for you to use. She's a little taller than you but…" Seth trailed off as Summer sat down on the couch.

"Right. Well, can you get me them then?"

"Yeah. Sure. Of course," Seth muttered. He headed into Cady's room and emerged about five minutes later with a pair of flannel P.J's. He was horrified to see Summer with her head in her hands, great racking sobs shaking her delicate body. He dropped the pyjamas to the floor and sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, come on. What's wrong?" he asked softly.

"I – I – I – I – I shouldn't be here," she sobbed.

"Is it really that bad?" Seth asked softly.

"No!" Summer cried, "and that's why I'm so upset. I should not have enjoyed myself as much as I did tonight Seth. I'm with Dominic, I… I love him."

Seth felt his heart drop. "Of course you do," he muttered, "You wouldn't be marrying him if you didn't."

Summer looked up and her eyes met his. "But I'm still in love with you," she said.

Before Seth could put his wildly racing thoughts into any semblance of an order, he was reaching for Summer's face. He put his lips on hers and kissed her deeply. It was long and tender and beautiful, and they were both equally disappointed when it ended. Seth used the pad of his thumb to wipe away Summer's tears, and she leaned into his palm.

"That shouldn't have happened," Summer said softly. Seth nodded.

"No."

"But I'm glad it did," she finished. Seth took her hand in his and stood up. She rose to her feet. She dropped her bag to the floor and kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck as she leaned up onto her tiptoes. He kissed her back hungrily. It had been too long since he had felt this comforted.

Summer pulled away suddenly. Seth looked down at her, disappointment evident on his face. She simply smiled softly and pulled her cami over her head.

"Now," she said, smiling at Seth's gaping expression, "How about you show me the way to the bedroom?"

"Are… are you sure?" he asked. Summer nodded, a small smirk playing across her full lips.

"As sure as I've been of anything else lately."

He nodded mutely and led her into his bedroom.


Seth awoke the next day with a huge smile on his face. At first didn't know why, but then he felt soft silky hair under his fingertips, and the soft rise and fall of a body beside him. He opened his eyes and saw Summer lying beside him. On a closer inspection, he determined that they were both completely naked. His smile widened.

Summer's eyes delicately fluttered open. She saw Seth, and instead of screaming and running a mile like he was secretly expecting she would, she smiled up at him.

"That was fun," she whispered. Seth nodded, stroking her hair off her face.

"Yeah, we should do it again sometime," he said. Summer laughed.

"I'm going to call it off," she said suddenly. Seth turned to her.

"The engagement?"

"Yeah. I've got you now. I need you Seth, and now I got you." Seth leaned in and kissed her again. "I love you," she said.

"I love you," Seth replied. Both wore looks of dozy contentment.

"You wanna get up?" Seth asked.

"ummm nope," Summer smiled, kissing him again.

"Another ten minutes?"

"Let's see if we can make that twenty," Summer joked.


Despite there best intentions, Summer and Seth didn't get out of bed until an hour later. Seth pulled his towelling robe around him and Summer pulled on the shirt he had been wearing the night before.

"Coffee?" Seth offered as they walked into the lounge.

"Mmmm," Summer practically purred. "Coffee would be nice."

Seth headed over to the kitchen and took out two cups. "It's instant. That okay?"

"Yeah. What have you got in for breakfast?"

"I thought we'd just had that," Seth smirked. Summer smirked back and leaned over onto the counter.

"Yeah. Any cereal?" Summer asked. Seth pointed to the cupboard over his head.

"Up there," he said.

Summer opened the cupboard and clasped her chest in mock-amazement. "Oh my God Seth. It's like a shrine to Cap'n Crunch!"

"S'all I eat," Seth proclaimed with pride. "I love the cap'n."

Summer laughed and grabbed a box down. "Talking of the captain," she took two bowls from a shelf. "Where is my second favourite plastic toy in the world?"

Seth leaned over her, brushing his arm with her chest and opened a drawer. Inside was Captain Oats.

"Seth!" she exclaimed, "Why is he in a drawer? That is so cruel!"

"Well he didn't want to go to Newport – too many memories, what with Princess Sparkle and all. He likes to stay in the drawer when I'm away because he's safe from burglars and whatnot. Besides, he has Cady's Forever Bears Keychain to keep him company."

"He's cheating on Sparkle with a Forever Bear skank?" Summer laughed. She extracted Captain Oats and held him to her chest. "I've missed you," she said to him. "And so has Princess Sparkle. She wants a reunion pretty soon y'know." She put Oats down on the top and poured milk onto the cereal.

"We've missed you too," Seth said, handing her a spoon. He took the coffee's he had just made into the lounge and returned to get his cereal and Captain Oats. Summer took her own cereal and followed him.

Seth switched the telly on and watched as a familiar blonde woman presented a breakfast show.

"Why LA?" Summer asked suddenly. Seth turned to her and shrugged.

"I didn't want to go too far. I was planning on coming back."

"What, three years later?" Summer asked, but she was smiling, trying to keep the tension light.

"No, two weeks. I wanted to give you time to grieve. I wasn't helping you out, I was worse than you were."

"So… why didn't you come back?" Summer asked confused, suddenly realising that Seth leaving hadn't been as straightforward as she had thought.

"Because of the letter," he replied. Summer narrowed her eyes.

"What letter?"

Seth laughed out loud despite the fact that he wanted to cry. "Do we have to talk about this? I thought you said we couldn't."

"No, I said we couldn't talk about it during our date. This is the morning after."

"The letter that said you loved me as a friend and that you were no longer in love with me, okay?"

"Who the hell sent you that?" Summer gasped, "Was it Mom? I knew there was some kind of ulterior motive for her sending me to that spa retreat. So what did she say? 'Summer is no longer in love with you, as she has told me countless times?' That sounds like something Mom would say. My God, what a bitch! Is that the real reason you never came back?"

Seth stood up. "Are you high or something?"

"What?"

"Why are you doing this Summer? You sent me the letter. You sent me the text afterwards. You took my heart and slammed it onto the floor!" Seth yelled. Summer stared at him blankly. "You know, metaphorically speaking."

"What, I metaphorically sent you a letter?" Summer asked confused.

"No, the heart bit. You know the slamming and the… you know, why am I explaining this? Don't put the letter onto your Mom Summer, you sent me the text too!"

"Text? Seth, I didn't have a phone to send you a text. I told you, my Mom sent me to a spa retreat for the week, to get over you leaving and my dad dying. No communication with the outside world allowed!"

"Oh, so your phone just magically sent me a text saying that you meant every word about the letter and that I shouldn't come back?"

Summer suddenly narrowed her eyes. "Seth, is this some lame way of trying to take the blame off you? Because, let me tell you, its out of order. I forgive you Seth, why can't you let it go? I didn't send you a letter. I wanted you back. I still want you back," she started crying again. "I love you Seth. I wouldn't even look at another man after you left. I went on my first date three months later and that was only because Marissa forced me to. She said you'd got in touch with Ryan and you weren't coming back. You didn't love me Seth and I believed it. I hate myself for that but I did!"

Seth looked at her, trying to fight back a wave of emotion. He wanted to hug her but he couldn't. He physically couldn't. He got up and went into his bedroom. He emerged with a piece of torn and sellotaped paper. He shot it at Summer forcefully and she flinched a little, before taking it and reading it through tear-obscured eyes.

Seth watched her reading it. Watched her expression change from one of heartbreak to one of shock.

"I – I didn't write this," she said.

"I know," Seth found himself saying. He didn't know how, but he just knew that Summer was telling the truth. She'd have to be one hell of an actress to fake the look of shock on her face.

"It's typed," she said softly, "it could be from anyone."

"Someone who didn't want us together," Seth said roughly.

"Who?"

"Dominic?" Seth said through gritted teeth. The idea had only just hit him a few seconds previously, but he held onto it like a dog and a bone.

Summer however shook her head firmly. "No," she said. "Why would he? I didn't even really know him. He was just a friend of a friend, no-one special. He didn't even know about you. I never told anyone about you – it hurt too much."

Seth closed his eyes, hoping it would act as a barrier against the overwhelming guilt he felt at putting the woman he loved through so much pain. It didn't work.

"Then… who was it?" he asked.

Summer's head shot up and she got a glint of something in her eye. It looked like fury. "I've got a call to make," she said.


AN: So, they're together... YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSS! ooh, sorry, had to get that out. So the letter. Finally. Over. Woohoo. Finally.

Next chapter is where it gets exciting. You didnt think it would be that easy did you? heh heh, I am so evil. But you love me, right? Right? Right? Anyway, just a little drama because- well, what would Sethummer be without a little drama? I'll tell you were they would be, boringland. Although, I do wish that Josh would just let them be sometimes.

Aww whatever. Please review.

Leanna :)