AN: ok, I'm skipping ahead like a month, and there is SS in it so yay!

Broken Seatbelts

Chapter 6: The Past and the Present

It had been a month since the accident. All the kids had healed. Only Seth had some trouble, but it wasn't much; it just hurt sometimes. But the doctor said he'd be as good as new in no time. All Seth could think was that it had been a month and he was still occasionally limping around the house trying to dull the pain in his stomach. Sometimes he wasn't sure if that had gotten the metal out of him entirely. He was also still puzzled by how a piece of his father's car had been shoved into his stomach, he figured it was a part of his car door, up near the window; it really was the only thing that made sense, it probably got smashed in the collision. The only reason he knew it was his father's car was because the surgeons told them the paint was blue, and Zach's SUV was black.

He hadn't seen Zach since that night, and he wasn't planning on seeing him either, but he figured it was inevitable, they went to the same school, but his parents got the dean to switch their schedules around.

Summer and Marissa had been spending much of their free time at the Cohen household, not that any of them minded; Seth and Ryan enjoyed their company; Kirsten was glad that the house wasn't always filled with testosterone; and Sandy didn't care one way or the other. About four or five nights of the week the girls stayed over for dinner and two or three of the nights they slept over. Although, Sandy and Kirsten didn't mind them sleeping over, the girls had to sleep in the guest room.

Marissa and Ryan were friends, they kept insisting, but they'd never be friends, especially when they acted like a couple every time she was over. But Marissa had Alex, which Seth used as a daily image. And Ryan… Ryan was fine on his own, it was about time, too, the kid just never seemed to be single for more than twenty four hours!

Seth and Summer were also acting like a couple, only they didn't have other halves. They both wanted more but at the same time were content with their closeness without a commitment. For now anyway. Their relationship included snuggling up while watching a movie, or holding hands while out. It wasn't gradual; the moment they first saw each other after the accident they had a silent, mutual agreement of some sorts. They never did anything more than the snuggling or the hand holding, but to everyone else who knew their situation, knew they would eventually. And everyone who didn't know their situation would assume they were together.

Summer was lying by the pool in her FCUK jeans and a plain black Calvin Klein tank top, listening to her i-pod with her eyes closed. She was staying over night tonight; her dad was out of town. It was late, and she was tired but she was so comfortable and the air was just right. She was listening to some new music she added to her itunes; Oasis. She wouldn't have known anyone was there if that person hadn't poked her side, causing her to jump and almost drop her i-pod.

"You jerk!" Summer exclaimed as she pushed Seth roughly. But her anger quickly faded as she saw the pain etched onto Seth's face. "Oh, my god! I'm sorry." She apologized and turned fully to Seth, forgetting her i-pod entirely, and hugging him lightly.

"Nah, its okay, its good. I mean, I didn't just recently have a piece of my car in me!" Seth joked as he wrapped his arms around the only girl, aside from his mother, that he ever loved. He laughed to let her know he was joking. "So how was school?"

Seth had opted not to go to school, that was one good thing about being in a car accident; guilt trips on the parents were easy to come by.

"Ugh, it was school, what do you think?" They were still in an embrace and Seth shifted out of it to sit on the lawn chair and opening his arms to signal for her to come join him. She did, sitting in between his legs, with her back resting on his chest and his arms wrapped around her. The simple feel of her subdued the pain every time. "I saw Zach today. He tried to talk to me, but Ryan told him to back off." There was a silence as Seth waited for Summer to continue. "It's not fair that he got off with barely a scratch, while you, Ryan, and Marissa-"

"And you." She had been excluding herself from them when talking about the accident because she still felt as if she was to blame, and Seth knew this.

"-got hurt bad."

"I know, Sum. It's not fair, but we are all fine. Marissa's fine, Ryan's fine, my dad's fine, and you and I are fine." Summer was about to protest but Seth cut her off. "Now, I'm not saying let's forgive and play Dungeon's and Dragons until the little wee hours of the night, because, well frankly, I will not be playing with any of his dragons in any of my dungeons." Seth, realizing his perverted sentence regressed. "Okay, I take that back, because that sounded more than wrong and that's not what I was trying to convey, but the point is that he'll get his. Eventually. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but eventually."

She craned her neck to look at him, it hurt but it was worth it. He was looking down at her with an understanding smile. She un-tangled herself from him, got up and leaned down to give him a kiss on the cheek. Seth was shocked by the feel of her lips on his cheek, but hid it.

"I'm tired. Goodnight, Cohen." Seth watched her as she walked away; it felt like hour before she got to the door. He just realized that she made the first move; she kissed him on the cheek! That was like a gold mine! They both knew that they were playing a game until one of them made the first move, but neither had, and that was mainly because of their reoccurring insecurities.

Seth was wracking his brain, trying to decide what he should do with this new turn of events. Maybe he should try the whole coffee/hot dog stand thing again. Or maybe he should do it the simple; kiss her and tell her that he loves her.

But what if that kiss on the cheek wasn't a first move? What if it was just that? A kiss on the cheek; a thank you.

He decided not to do anything about it because if it was just a 'thank you' kiss he'd feel like Captain Stupid. Not to mention, their little game would be over, and Seth didn't want the game to end unless the relationship was progressing.

Summer skipped on up to the guest room. Skipping? Odd, but it felt right. Just like when she kissed Seth on the cheek. It was pure instinct, and it felt right. It always felt right with him. Even way back in the summer before; at the whore-motel, in that puke worthy bed; the breakfast in the morning at the one star diner; the way he protectively held her close to him when she saw Coop's limp body in Chino's arms. And to this day it has always felt right, and will always feel right. But she's too scared of being hurt again, because she wouldn't make it if he hurt her again.

So she stays close to him, but she won't put her heart on the line again.