Ryan sat on his pool house bed, reading. He already had loads of homework, even thought it was only the fourth week of term. He finally came to end of the chapter, and folded the page over, so he could remember where he was. He sighed, and leant his head back onto the pillow, closing his eyes. Everything should be going back to normal, he thought. But it's not. He wasn't thinking about Seth and Summer, but him and Marissa. He couldn't understand why she went off with some pool guy, when she said she loved him? Okay, he had ruined it all by going back to Chino, but did she just think that a couple of months would make a difference to his love for her?
As if an answer to his daydream, there was a sudden knock on his pool house door. Probably Seth coming back to talk about Summer again.
"It's open!" he called, and to his surprise, Marissa came walking through the door, looking upset.
"Hey." She said, still standing by the door, looking uncomfortable as she glanced around the room, seeing if anything had changed. It hadn't. He still had his school books piled up on the counter, and his shoes lined up neatly in the corner. Most importantly he still had a picture of him and Marissa, taking pride of place on his nightstand.
"Hey." he replied, unsure of what to say around her. He saw her looking around unsurely too, so it made him feel better to know that he wasn't the only that thought this was awkward.
"It's like nothings changed in here." Marissa stated, coming towards the bed. She gestured as if too say, can I sit down? And Ryan nodded his head.
"Yeah, I know." Ryan replied, and sat up. "I like it this way." Marissa smiled, looking at the picture on his nightstand.
"Me too." She said, reaching out and picking it up. "You still have this picture." She smiled even wider up at him. She could remember that day perfectly, as if it were yesterday. It was just after Luke had left, before Teresa came back. Ryan, Seth, Summer, and her had all gone to the beach, and after had lunch on the pier. Seth had taken the picture without the two of them noticing, and seeing this picture, Marissa thought it was the best way to take it. The two of them were standing at the edge of the pier, just as the sun was setting. Marissa's head was on Ryan's shoulder, smiling, and Ryan was gazing adoringly down at her. Their hands were intertwined, and Marissa had Ryan's old leather jacket draped round her shoulders. It was the perfect picture of the perfect couple. Ryan smiled sadly. He wasn't going to admit to her that he had carried it around with him when he was in Chino, the very picture which could brighten his day when he saw her happy face, their two happy faces, so in love.
"Yeah, I remember that day." Ryan said, almost huskily, Marissa noted. "It was great." Marissa ran her hand lovingly over the picture, and placed it carefully back on the nightstand. "I'm sorry, Marissa." Marissa looked up, surprised.
"Sorry for what, Ryan?" She asked, confused, edging a little bit closer to him.
"For leaving you." Ryan replied. "Looking back, I don't know how I managed to do it."
"Neither do I." Marissa said, remembering the day he had told them all he was leaving. "I don't know how I let you go." The two smiled at each other, despondently, and Ryan tentatively put his arm around her shoulder.
"I just want you to know, even if I never said, or if I didn't say it enough, that I love you." Ryan whispered, sending shivers down Marissa's spine as he said it. "And I don't know if you feel the same way, or if you've moved on with that pool guy, but I will never stop loving you." Marissa closed her eyes, her heart awash with guilt. She buried herself into Ryan's shoulder, and to his surprise, she started to cry.
"I'm sorry, Ryan." She sobbed, clinging on to him for dear life, it seemed. All he could do was hold her, and let the pain be washed away by the tears that were flowing down her cheeks, onto his shirt. He held her close, stroking her hair comfortingly, and slowly it seemed like Marissa was drained from her pain, and stopped crying. She breathed in his scent, noticing it was the aftershave she had bought him the year before, and to her, it felt like home. That was when she realised that she couldn't live without him.
"Ryan." She whispered, looking up at his calm face, into his deep blue eyes, filled with trust, which could portray so much without any words. "I love you too." Ryan broke out into a smile, which, too him, seemed only Marissa could bring to his face. He gently placed his arm around her neck, and leant in to kiss her. Their lips met, and from that moment on they realised that everything was going to be alright. For now, anyway.
Summer was lying on her bed reading the latest issue of Cosmopolitan when she heard her phone ring. Sighing, she rolled over to her bedside table and picked up her pink phone.
"Hello?" she answered, resuming her normal position on her purple quilted four poster bed.
"Summer? Hi." Seth replied, uneasily. He was in his room, and for moral support, Captain Oats was lying beside him.
"Cohen?!" Summer sat up excitedly, but her tone of voice came across as angry. "Why are you ringing me?"
"Um, o.k., this might no be the best time to talk to you. Have you had rage a blackout recently?"
"Well, actually I haven't. I think its because I haven't been around you." Summer hit back, her bitchy attitude slowly resuming.
"Ouch, burn, Summer. Way to ruin a guy's self-esteem. I guess Zach's the source now huh?"
"No, like I said I haven't had one in a while. Zach and I are getting along just fine. It's great, perfect in fact."
"Well if its that perfect, I guess you would say no to a date on Saturday then?" Summer sighed. Why didn't he just give it up?
"Nope." Summer replied, lying back on her bed. "My social calendar is full, as usual. And, just for the record, even if it was empty, I wouldn't go out with you. Been there, done that, got the emotional scars. Now, if you would excuse me, I need to go walk my dad's poodle."
"Um, since when did your dad take a liking to poodles?"
"Well, over the summer a lot of things changed round here. Too bad you were too busy on your sail boat to catch them. See ya." Seth heaved a sigh as he heard Summer hang up. He placed the phone back on the charger and picked up Captain Oats.
"Well, it looks like its just me, you and a Chinese Takeaway on Saturday night then, Oats." He stared up at the ceiling and then heard a knock a the door.
"Seth, you in there?" Sandy called through the door.
"Yes. Come on in to the Bedroom of happiness." Seth rolled of his bed, and opened the door.
"Your mum says to go get ready. Caleb and Julie have invited us round to dinner." Sandy explained.
"What? I actually have to set foot in the Haunted Mansion?" Seth replied, shaking his head. "Damn and here I was, hoping I'd escape the pleasure of that."
Sandy laughed lightly. "Well, in this house, everything the wife says goes. You'll learn that when you're older. I think Caleb said he's got some news he needs to tell us."
"Hey, maybe their moving to Alaska!" Seth said, starting down the stairs. "Or some other cold place where we could never see them again." Sandy laughed at his witty son, and followed him down the stairs.
A/N What do you guys think so far? Hope you enjoyed it. Any comments feel free to review. By the way, I prefer Ryan/Marissa to Seth/Summer so don't blame me if I'm not very good at writing them k? lol Thanks!
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