"Hey Summer," Ryan speaks to Summer's voice mail. "It's me, listen, maybe it would be better if we told them separately. So I was thinking maybe I'd tell Seth tonight and you could tell Marissa...maybe that'll be easier." Ryan sighs, "I don't know, just call me when you get this. It'll be okay."

When Ryan closes his cell phone he sighs again, the rest of lunch had been uncomfortable. Seth had been uncharacteristically silent and Marissa had chattered on not noticing that anything was wrong, while Rya had attempted to keep up with the conversation.

"Hey," Sandy sticks his head through Ryan's open door, "wanna talk?"

Ryan shrugs, "sure."

"So by Seth's prattle about winning Summer back I take it you haven't told him yet," Sandy comments.

Ryan shakes his head, "no. We haven't."

"Should I even assume you are?" Sandy questions.

Ryan runs a hand through his hair, "we are. We were going to tell Seth at lunch...but then Marissa showed up and Summer freaked out and took off."

"She re-thinking the relationship?" Sandy asks.

Ryan shrugs, "I don't know. Before lunch she wasn't. But I think it's harder for her to tell Marissa, part of her is still mad at Seth for being just like everyone else in her life."

Sandy nods, "that's understandable."

"But I'm going to tell Seth tonight to get it over with."

Sandy nods, "that's probably smart, before he hires a sky-writter to write his love for Summer in the air."

"I think I'll distract him until I can work up the nerve to tell him myself."

"Good luck," Sandy nods.

Ryan's about to follow Sandy out of the pool house when Ryan's cell phone ring, doubling back he picks up the phone after recognizing Summer's number. "Hey."

"Hi, I'm sorry to have disappeared on you. It all just got to be to much."

"I know, it's fine."

"I just left you."

"But hey, you remembered the codeword from when we had lunch with your mom, so I had some warning."

"Will you meet me for dinner?" Summer requests. "So we can have a simple meal before everything falls apart?"

"Of course." Ryan responds. "Do you want to pick the time and place?"

"Half an hour at Mickey's."

Ryan is late getting to Mickey's, Seth had insisted on bouncing ideas of Mission: Win Summer Back so insistently that Ryan had wanted to just scream to the truth to get Seth to shut up. Summer is already seated at a booth when Ryan gets there, "I'm sorry Seth was being, well, Seth."

"It's fine," Summer kisses Ryan when he slides next to her in the round booth.

"So I was going to tell Seth tonight," Ryan states.

"Actually, that's kind of why I called you."

"Why, you want to switch? You tell Seth and I'll take Marissa?"

"No," Summer shakes her head.

"Summer," Ryan stares at her, "what are you thinking?"

"Ryan, this isn't going to work. We were stupid to think it would."

"What?" Ryan asks, "they'll be okay. They'll understand eventually. Seth will be fine," Ryan assures.

Summer shakes her head, "you don't believe that."

Ryan sighs Summer understands him better then anyone else, "Summer I want to be with you."

"But I don't want to be with you," Summer's expression is blank.

"Summer, that's not true."

"It is," Summer nods, "I'm sorry, Ryan. This summer was amazing but..." Summer takes a long breath that shows Ryan she's trying to control her emotions. "We're way too different."

"You're scared to tell Seth and Marissa, I understand but we can make it through this. I know we can."

"Ryan don't make this harder, please." Summer's tone hardly changes, to most it would still sound even and calm, but Ryan can hear the plea in her voice.

"Summer, please just tell me what's going on."

"I've got to go." Summer stands and Ryan can see that she's having a hard time holding herself together and he watches helplessly as she hurries out of Mickey's.

The instant Lei Mei pulled open the door to her new house Summer burst into tears, "oh, sweetie. What happened?" She asks pulling Summer into the house.

"I broke up with him." Summer sobs.

"With Ryan?" Lei Mei asks completely taken aback at this statement.

Summer nods as Lei Mei leads her to the portion of the couch that doesn't have boxed piled on top, "just now. At Mickey's."

"But why?" Lei Mei wants to be sympathetic but right now she's confused.

"Because of Seth."

"Do you still have feelings for Seth?" Lei Mei asks gently.

"No," Summer shakes her head. "Seth and Ryan are brother's...the Cohen's are the only family Ryan has. Sandy says Seth would get over it eventually. And yeah, sure, he'd get over me eventually but he'll never forget what Ryan did." This short monologue takes Summer almost ten minutes to gasp out in which Lei Mei listens without interruption and Jason appears to bring tissues, only to disappear again.

"Don't you think maybe this should be a choice Ryan should make for himself?"

Summer shakes her head, "I thought about that but that way is harder."

"How?"

"If Ryan decided on his own that he couldn't do that to Seth then I'd have to watch him walk away just like everyone else in my life." Summer takes several long breaths before continuing. "And if he chooses me I'd have to watch him destroy his relationship with Seth."

"You really love him, don't you?"

"More than anyone else in the world. And I don't know what to do now, it hurts...physically hurts." Summer sobs again, clinging to Lei Mei. "How am I supposed to see him everyday and know that I can't have him? That I gave him up?"

"Summer, how lovely of you to stop by," Seth's greeting startles Ryan out of his brooding thoughts at breakfast days later.

"Good morning Summer, would you like a bagel?" Sandy had been filled in on the break-up and covers his own surprise at seeing Summer with his offer of food.

"No," Summer smiles a smile only Ryan knows as fake. "Thank you though."

"What can we do for you on this fine morning Summer?" Seth asks.

"Cohen, we're not getting back together so you can just chill on the smooth talk."

"But..."

"I have an announcement to make and you can't talk me out of it so you're going to have to accept it and get over it," Summer states quickly as if she'll lose her nerve.

"You can't guarantee that I can't talk you out of it," Seth states while Ryan remains quiet watching Summer intently.

"I'm moving."

"Where? Not, gasp, to the numbered streets?" Seth jokes.

Ryan on the other hand expects the words before they are out of Summer's mouth, "no. To North Carolina, with my mom."

"What?" Seth asks quickly, "I didn't even know you had a mom."

"She's been out visiting and we've been getting to know each other, she's having a baby and she's got this new life. And she wants me to be a part of it," Summer shrugs her small shoulders. "So I'm going to give it a chance."

"Summer, you know that North Carolina is on the other side of the country, right?" Seth asks.

Summer nods, "my mom lives in a small beach town."

"You know it's cold there, right?"

"Cohen," Summer snaps, "I've taken all of this into account. I'm going and I leave in two days. I told Coop, she's planning a going away party, but I should go. I have a lot of packing to do, so I'll see you guys later."

"Summer..." Seth trails off and follows her out of the kitchen.

Ryan stands still, not knowing how to respond to this news. "Ryan?" Kirsten asks.

Ryan shrugs, "guess that's that," and walks back to the pool house.

"This is a private beach," Summer states not even turning to face Ryan as he approaches.

Ryan ignores the comment and takes a seat beside her, they sit together without looking at each other and without speaking for a long time. "So you're moving?"

"Yeah, you know It'll give me the chance to get to know my mom," Summer responds.

"Summer, look at me," Ryan requests gently.

Summer doesn't respond and Ryan quickly moves to kneel in front of Summer, placing both hands on either side of her face, gently wiping at the tears on her cheeks. "You act like you don't care, but I know that's not true. Talk to me."

Summer shivers despite the warm air and the instant her eyes lock on Ryan's she gives in, "I can't watch you ruin everything you deserve for me."

"Summer..."

"Ryan, please..." Summer pleads. "It hurts just to see the expression on your face when Seth walked through that door."

"Seth and I can work through our problems, it's not up to you to solve them."

"I don't want to be that girl, Ryan," Summer whispers.

"Summer I want to be with you," Ryan repeats his words from days earlier.

"I want to be with you too," Summer's answer changes and her voice is high and it's obvious she's holding back a sob. "But we can't, Seth is your brother. Marissa is my best friend. But most of all," Summer takes a long, controlling, breath, "I can't do it to you. I love you and I don't want to see you in pain, and that's why I have to go." Ryan pulls Summer close to him as she cries, "putting a country between us is the only way I know how to cope with all of this."

"Summer," Ryan's voice is gently as he brushes some of her dark hair off of her cheek.

Summer slowly opens her eyes, "what happened?"

"We fell asleep," Ryan responds as Summer lifts her head from Ryan's chest.

"The Cohen's are going to be worried," Summer scrambles to her feet.

"Probably not," Ryan responds, "I'm sure they figured I was coming to see you."

"We should go anyway, Coop's got that party for me tonight proceeded by a day at the spa."

"I wish it didn't have to be this way," Ryan whispers.

"You know it does."

Ryan nods, "I know."

"Dude, where were you. You never came home last night," Seth is alone in the kitchen when Ryan gets home.

Flashback

"I wish I could tell you I love you in front of all of Newport tomorrow."

"Well you can't," Summer's words aren't harsh, just sad. "We aren't the type of people to betray our best friends Ryan, and us being together would make us something we're not and that's not something I want to build a relationship on."

Both fall silent at the truth of Summer's words, and nearly half an hour passes before Ryan breaks the silence, "remember the first night we spent at this beach?"

"You'd just gotten back from Chino, you were grieving for your baby."

"I think part of me fell in love with you that night, I saw a totally different side of you."

Summer smiles, "I think the first time I realized I had feelings for you was when you walked into the women's restroom in one of the nicest restaurants in Newport just to see if I was okay."

"I love you Summer, and I honestly don't see that changing, but maybe, maybe, we're not meant to be together. Not now, at least. Maybe years down the road our lives will be ready for each other and maybe this summer was just a glimpse of that. But right now, I think you're supposed to be in North Carolina and I'm supposed to be here, you know, dealing with Seth. But one day things will be different."

"One day," Summer whispers.

End Flashback

"Hello, you alive in here?" Seth brings Ryan out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, sorry."

"So, where were you?"

"With a friend."

"A friend? That's all you're going to give me? A friend?"

"Seth drop it okay? I'm going to go sleep, wake me up when it's time to leave for the party."

"A friend?" Seth calls after Ryan.

"Are you sure we can't convince you to stay?" Marissa asks, she, Summer, Seth and Ryan stand in a circle in a corner of the party.

Summer shakes her head, "this is something I have to do."

"Well, then present time," Marissa grins producing a box. When Summer removes the wrapping paper Marissa states, "it's a web cam, I got one too so we can talk to each other..."

"I love it, thanks Coop," Summer hugs Marissa tightly.

Seth hands Summer a box next and before she even opens it he starts explaining, "I figured Princess Sparkles would get lonely."

"Oh Seth, Captain Oates?" Summer whispers.

Seth nods, "we had a long chat, we agreed this was best."

Summer hugs him next, "I'm sorry it didn't work out with us."

Summer can hardly look at Ryan when she and Seth break apart, he clears his throat, "Summer I just want to say wo ai ne." Ryan's voice elevates so that several people around him can hear, "wo ai ne." (English translation from mandarin Chinese...I love you).

Summer hugs Ryan and as she pulls away she responds, "wo ai ne."

Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Stern &

Mr. and Mrs. Sanford Cohen

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their children

Anna Marie Stern

to

Seth Ezekial Cohen

Saturday, the 27th of June 2015

at four o'clock in the afternoon

Newport, California

Summer, please come. I know we haven't seen each other in years, but Anna and I would really love for you to be here. After all, you are such a huge part of our past together. Everyone is going to be here for it, Marissa and Ryan even. Marissa's coming all the way from France, I'm sure you can come across the country. Please come.

Seth

A.N. So it's done. I can hardly believe it. It took forever to get this chapter out but it is out and I hope you guys love it! Please review! I know it's a little sad but you can end it however...Does Summer go to the wedding and see Ryan and realize she's still in love with him? Well that's up you!