A/N: Well, we know now that Marissa has been hooking up with the yard guy all summer so maybe we'll just pretend that Marissa lied when she said they kissed back in chapter 2 and they really have been hooking up all summer. She just didn't want to tell Summer everything. Make sense? Also, I'm gonna use a scene from the next episodes and pretend that Julie already walked in on them.

NYC and Silent Declarations of Love

"He bought you a kitten?" Marissa raised her eyebrows in question.

"Is there something wrong with that?" Summer poked her head out of Marissa's closet, which she was currently rifling through in the search of clothes.

"No, not at all." Marissa paused for a beat. "It's just…"

"It's just what?" Summer walked out of the closet now, a blue tank top in her hand. "Can I try this on," she asked, pulling it over her head.

"Yeah. But I'm just saying that you guys are like…" Marissa thought a minute. "What are you guys?"

"We're…" Not boyfriend/girlfriend but more than just friends. "…hooking up…" Summer said, almost hesitantly.

"What?!" Marissa's voice was almost a shriek. "Since when?" Marissa was sitting up very straight on the bed, looking at Summer in her mirror, waiting for her to spill all the juicy details.

"Um…November maybe?"

"Oh my gosh, Sum, this has been going on for like a month a half and you didn't tell me?"

"Hey, you didn't tell me about your little fling with the yard guy," Summer reminded her.

"We couldn't tell anyone. I already explained that." Marissa looked down at her hands before saying, "But it's not like that matters. My mom knows now anyway."

"What? How?" Summer spun around to face the real Marissa versus the mirror-Marissa.

"She kind of…walked in. On us. On each other."

"What did she say?"

"Well after she expressed her extreme distaste for anyone lower than her, she talked to me about firing him because she didn't want her daughter dating her own pool boy. Then I yelled and she yelled and finally said she wouldn't fire him. I think she doesn't want to piss me off more than she already has."

"Damn. Romeo and Juliet isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"Sum? That's not Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet's families were longstanding enemies and that's why they couldn't be together. Not because Romeo was the yard guy."

"Well whatever. I have a C in English anyway."

"Way to go," Marissa said, as Summer got up off the bed and peeled the shirt over her head. "So, let's get back to you and Cohen."

Summer disappeared into the closet. "I don't know what you're talking about, Coop."

"Oh come on," Marissa said. "You can't drop something like that and then just refuse to talk about it."

"Sure I can," Summer said, reappearing with another shirt, this time green. "Can I try this one on?"

"No. Not until you tell me everything."

Summer hadn't really told anyone what was going on with her and Cohen, obviously. In fact, she kind of wanted to dish out all the details to Marissa; to pretend like they were in middle school again and gossip about boys and clothes. Summer crossed the room and sat on Marissa's bed folding the shirt in her lap.

"Well, do you remember at the Black and White party when me and Cohen left early?"

"Yeah…" Marissa was listening attentively.

"We went back to his house and…" Summer paused and Marissa interrupted.

"Oh. My. God." She said each word like a separate sentence. "I totally knew you guys were going somewhere to get it on! I even said that to Lindsay. Hmph." Marissa appeared to be pondering the thought.

"Yeah, but I'm not done."

Marissa didn't even hear that last thought because she burst out with, "Wait! You were still going with Zach at the Black and White party. Slut!" She started giggling and covered her mouth in an attempt to hide it.

"Exactly," Summer said. "But you see, I wasn't going with Zach at the time me and Cohen…fucked."

Marissa's eyes widened at Summer's blunt language but she didn't say anything. She was used to Summer's straightforward openness by now.

"See, Cohen, Zach and I were the only ones who even knew that me and Zach broke up. If you could even call it that because it was only for, like, a day."

"You and Zach broke up? Why?"

"I don't know. There was a thing with drinks and Cohen and it was really confusing. But I was really upset. And he was there. We were, like, in that tiny bathroom that was in the hotel room and he gave me a hug. So then I looked at him and we kissed. And we were making out in the bathroom and I couldn't think about anything except that I wanted him so we went to his house and that's how it happened the first time."

"But then you and Zach got together again," Marissa said.

"When I woke up in Cohen's bed, I thought I had made a mistake. And so I got out of there as fast as I could and I avoided Cohen for, like, three days. It was super bitchy, I know, and it was killing me to treat him like that but I didn't know what else to do. I had to clear my head. Besides, three days is nothing compared to three months." Marissa knew Summer was referencing Seth's trip to Portland. "And Zach called and he was sorry so I was like okay because I was supposed to be with Zach. Because I couldn't…trust Cohen yet."

"Trust him how," Marissa asked.

"Trust him…not to leave again." Summer's story was starting to take a on a depressing undertone. Marissa placed her hand on Summer's back and began to rub small circles. "Then he kissed that girl and I was really mad. And when I woke up in Zach's bed, I knew I had made a mistake."

"You slept with Zach?" Marissa was clearly shocked.

Summer nodded her head glumly. "I went to Cohen's house even though it was like three in the morning and he took me inside. So then we talked some stuff over and then we fell asleep."

"Does Seth know you slept with him?"

Summer nodded again. "But he was cool about it. And so then we just started…having sex."

"Wow," said Marissa.

"Yeah."

The girls sat there in silence for a minute before Marissa said, "So, what's the cat's name?"

The sand squished beneath Summer's toes and she took comfort in the familiarity of California. She had walked this stretch of beach a million times, sometimes with Marissa, sometimes alone, and sometimes with Seth.

This time she was alone, and she didn't mind. She walked closer to the water, feeling it rush over her feet. The sun was setting and there wasn't anyone on the beach at this time of the day; everyone had gone home for the evening. She was thinking about heading back and turned to make her way back up the beach. She stopped though, when she saw a figure standing about fifteen feet away, watching her.

Smiling, she said, "How'd you know I was here?"

The person walked closer until he was standing in front of her. "Lucky guess," he said, before leaning down and kissing her. Seth pulled his hands out of his pockets to encircle her waist as her own hands went for his neck. She pulled him closer, nuzzling her face into his chest as his hands rested on her lower back.

"Really though, how did you know I was here?" Summer's words were muffled considering she hadn't yet taken her face out of his chest, but Seth could understand her.

"I stopped over at your house. Your step-mom told me that you went to the beach."

"Ah yes, the step-monster," Summer said, as she pulled away from him. She took his hand and they started to walk down the beach. They walked in silence as the sun finally disappeared underneath the ocean and the air took on a subtle chill. It had barely dipped below seventy-five degrees, but in her peach colored boy tank, Summer shivered a little.

"Here," Seth said, as he took off his track jacket and offered it to her. Summer smiled and accepted the coat. She knew that no matter how much Seth enjoyed watching certain parts on her body harden, he'd give her his jacket before seeing her freeze. Seth lifted his arm and Summer slid underneath, settling herself in the spot where she always fit perfectly.

Seth Cohen was quite possibly the best thing that had ever happened to Summer. And to think, she never would have known it had some kid in Chino had the guts to stand up to his brother. Thank god he didn't. Because now, Summer couldn't imagine not knowing Seth. He was such a big part of her life that she didn't even want to think about where she would be without him. He knew her ridiculously well; like, literally, inside and out. He even knew the little things like that she always ordered a chocolate milkshake when she went to McDonald's but vanilla everywhere else. He knew just what to say, or not say, to make her feel okay. He knew just where and how to touch her to make her go insane.

Speaking of which, he was doing that thing where he would put his fingers just under the hem of her shirt and his fingers would dance on the bare skin there. That always drove her crazy and he knew it. Now she just wanted to kiss him so she stopped walking and he followed suit. Turning to him she leaned up just far enough to brush a kiss on his lips. Pulling back a fraction of an inch she looked at him before he leaned back down for another kiss, deeper this time. She lightly opened his lips with her tongue all the while his fingers still tracing mindless designs on her bare skin.

Pulling back she licked her lips and gave him a sweet smile. "You really are a good kisser," she half spoke, half whispered.

"I try," he said.

"Let's sit," she said, as she led him towards the dryer part of the sand. Dropping her heels on the sand next to her, she sat down with Seth beside her. They looked at the ocean for a while before Summer lay down on her back. Seth laid next to her and they looked up at the sky that was now filled with stars.

She and Seth had done this a million times. One of the benefits of living on the coast of California was unlimited beach access, which Seth and Summer liked to take advantage of. On the weekends, when most of Summer's old "friends" were heading out to beach houses for this week's hottest party, she and Seth would come and sit on the deserted beach. She figured this was part of the reason Seth knew so much about her. They could sit and talk for hours, often times, not leaving until one in the morning. She knew Seth almost always got yelled at for it when he got home but, still, he'd sit on the beach with her until crazy hours of the morning because he loved her that much.

Yes, he loved her. She knew he loved her, not just because he told her, but he showed her too. And every time he said it, she knew it was true. When they were dating, he used to say it all the time. Now though, it's not as common. Sometimes, he'll let it slip by accident and other times, he'll know that she needs to hear it. He doesn't tell her too often though, because he thinks it will start to freak her out. Not to mention that they aren't exactly a couple.

She had said it to him before. Back when they were together. And then he left. So she doesn't say it anymore. She feels bad, because she knows that he doubts whether or not he loves her, but she can't say it. She's too afraid that if she says it; if she lets herself believe it, he might leave again. So for now, she just keeps her mouth shut.

She felt Seth lace his fingers through hers and she smiled. After a few moments, he said, "I know we didn't talk about it a lot before…I left but, uh, I got a letter the other day."

"Letter? What kind of letter?" Seth was taking on a serious tone, which he never did unless, of course, he wanted to talk about something serious.

"College," was all Seth said.

"Oh, right."

Towards the end of junior year, the four of them hadn't talked about college a lot. There was a whole lot of drama going on and Ryan hadn't even applied anywhere. Seth had no clue what was going on with Marissa. He knew that Summer's father wanted her to stay close to home. UCLA or USC…something like that. He had applied to some colleges, a few of them being in New York. He thought it would be pretty cool to go to school there. Every time he tried to bring it up though, Summer would tell him that she didn't want to talk about. She'd say it was just going to depress them to start talking about college now. However, he applied to a few California colleges, the same ones Summer was going to, just in case.

"I got accepted to NYU." Seth spoke slowly, waiting for Summer's reaction.

Silence swallowed up the air around them as Summer tried to make her brain work. She had always known that they would have to have this conversation but, somehow, it had snuck up on her. It had just come too soon and she wanted to backtrack about ten minutes in their conversation.

"Oh, that's…that's great." She tried her best to sound happy for him when inside of her everything was shutting down.

"Yeah," he said.

"So, are you…gonna go?" She really did not want to hear the answer to her question and hoped that maybe the sand beneath her would open up and swallow her so that she wouldn't have to.

"I'm not sure," he said, and Summer breathed a little sigh of relief, hoping upon all hope, that he would decide not to go. She knew it was selfish of her to wish that and that she should want what's best for him but she couldn't help but want him to stay. She didn't want him to leave her. Again.

"Well, that's cool," she said.

"Yeah." His voice was quiet and seemed just a little unsure.

Summer knew that Seth had applied to some of the schools she had, but she also knew he had done it just to make her happy. She, herself, hadn't received any acceptance letters yet, but now, there was less reason to hope for them. Maybe, if she got rejected, she could convince her father to let her go to New York with Seth.

Or maybe that was a completely unrealistic idea.

She rolled onto her side, scooting as close to Seth as possible, not even caring that she was getting sand all over her clothes. She rested her head on his chest, finding the spot where she could hear his heart beat. He had moved his arm so that she was laying on it and she knew it must be going numb but she also knew that he didn't care. She placed her hand on his chest as his free hand went to her hair.

They laid like that for a really long time. They didn't speak and Summer tried to push all thoughts of college and New York to the back of her mind. His fingers played in her hair as she fought with the tears at the corners of her eyes. She didn't know why she was crying. It wasn't even like he had accepted or anything. She was just scared of…of losing him. It's not like he was her boyfriend, where then she might have some sort of say as to how he spent his future. No, they were friends, so she had none. Her tears won out in the end, and a few spilled over, rolling silently down her face.

She had no idea how he knew, considering his face was turned up to the sky and hers was turned away from his, but somehow he knew. His hand moved from her hair and gently wiped at the few tears trickling sideways across her face. He didn't say anything, didn't ask why she was crying, and didn't tell her that it would be okay.

He just sat up, taking her with him, and pulled her into to him. He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his chest. More tears leaked out and she tried desperately to stop them. She felt foolish for crying because he hadn't even made his decision yet, so she used everything she could to make them stop. He kissed the top her head and rubbed her back. With her face still in his chest, she breathed in, taking in his familiar smell. She wanted to remember that smell, just in case.

"Baby, let's go home," he whispered in her ear.

He hadn't ever called her baby before; no guy had. Sure they had called her things like babe and honey but she hated those. Now though, she decided that baby was kind of nice.

"Okay," she said as she let him pull her up into a standing position. Keeping his arm wrapped tight around her, he led them away from the beach and towards his car.

She knew he wouldn't bother her about why she was crying. He wouldn't bring it up; he'd just let her deal with it on her own time and if she wanted to talk about it, he would be there. In fact, she was sure he knew why she was crying which made her feel bad because that probably made him feel like shit. So that's why she was going to put on a smile and be happy. Because she loved him.

Even if she wouldn't say it out loud.

Okay, I'm really not sure about the way this chapter came out but oh well. And I know everybody uses New York in their fics for picking colleges and I am going to follow suit. I'm just too lazy to try and think up something else and I think that Seth would be most likely to do the New York thing.