Okay, I know. It's really short. But I think the next chapter's going to be quick, so never fear.

"Why don't we just..."

Ryan pulled a little harder on Summer's hand, her feet suddenly planted in place. She pulled her hand out of his grasp and folded it around her side.

"Why do you keep doing shit like this?"

Ryan sighed and gave in, crossing his arms too. "Doing what?"

"Lying to me."

"I didn't lie to you."

"I don't want to be here."

"You have to."

"I really don't."

"Just talk to him."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Why should I?"

"Because you loved him."

"You can't always believe what you hear. You don't know what's being left out."

"Summer, just..."

"No. You can't just expect me to do something I don't want to do, because you think it's best for me. I'm leaving."

"Summer."

Ryan turned around to see Seth carrying a thirteen year old boy over his shoulder. The boy was trying not to laugh, but Seth dropped him to his feet when he saw her. Summer thumped Ryan in the stomach and turned around, starting to walk away.

"Summer!"

Seth ran to Ryan's car, and leaned against the car door as Summer came closer.

"Cohen, let's not..."

"Can't you just talk to me?"

"What do you want to say?"

"I want you to listen."

"Love your opening statement."

"Can't you just stop thinking with your head for one second?"

"Well, Cohen, what do you want me to think with? My ass?"

"I just want you to listen."

Summer crossed her arms and pivoted onto one foot. She looked away from Seth's face, but didn't move. Ryan walked behind Summer and drove away. She just crossed her arms beneath her chest, refusing to look at Seth. After a few seconds of silence, she stomped off, thrusting out her thumb and letting her weight rest to one side.

"Summer..."

"What the hell were you thinking? You thought you'd strand me in the middle of nowhere, and I'd just fall in love with you all over again?"

"I didn't know what was going to happen. I was teaching John to stride. Ryan called me a few seconds ago, saying he was coming."

"So glad you have people like Ryan. You really need more people on your side, Seth. Everyone doesn't listen to you, and everyone feels so damn bad for you, because you're such a great person."

"I never said that."

"But you make Ryan do your bitch work. If you cared so fucking much, why didn't you pick up a phone? It's been three days, Seth."

"I know. And I really just wanted to talk to you."

"I've been here for over ten minutes, Seth, and you've said nothing."

"But I..."

Summer pulled her thumb down and pushed her hair back. She tightened her arms around her chest, looking up at him. Seth stuttered for a second, and she started to walk away.

"I knew her for three months. I met her at a beach, and she was asking about my boat. I told her I had wanted to get away. She was always nodding. Then, I blinked and I was asking her to marry me. She planned a wedding for four months...longer than I knew her. We got to the altar and I couldn't do it. I looked at her and I knew that I was just doing it, because I thought it would help me get over you. She was sweet, and nice, and pretty, and I couldn't feel anything, because all I thought about was how far you'd moved on. I told myself, and her, that I loved her, and she'd kiss the side of my face and say she loved me too. We would have...sex and woke up next to each other while the sun was coming up, and I couldn't feel anything. I didn't know where I was going next, and I didn't know who I was going to be doing it with. She was just there. And after I walked away from her, I spent another month sitting in the middle of nowhere, staring at the one picture I had that gave me the only comfort I ever got. And when I-I came back, and you looked like you did, and you looked at me like you did, I couldn't tell you what I came back to tell you. You asked why then a long time ago. It was because I wanted to tell you how miserable everyone was making me just because they weren't you. Brittany was everything that made me miss you, and being so serious with her made me think of all the people I wanted to see me get married. And that made me think of who I wanted them to see me be getting married to. And you were everything."

Summer was still standing in front of him with her back turned. Seth's arms had fallen to his sides, his chest barely moving.

"It's whom."

"What?"

"Whom. Think of whom you wanted them to see you getting married to. Not who."

"Why?"

"Because it follows a preposition." She turned around.

Seth nodded. "You're right."

Summer nodded too. She walked a few steps closer and stood in front of him. He couldn't feel his breath, but he could see hers filling her lungs, and leaving her.

She was looking at the ground, and slowly, she sat down on the pavement. She looked up at Seth, and he followed her down to the ground.

"I waited for you."

He nodded. "I know you did."

"I thought you were going to move on. I thought she was you moving on."

Seth stared at her for almost a minute, and decided to lean forward and cover her in his arms. She didn't move like he thought she was going to, but just let him hug her.

"I needed you. Every minute you weren't here, I needed you for so much."

He just nodded.

"I still need you."

He nodded again.

Summer's small hands found Seth's back, rubbing the seam of his shirt. He pulled her harder into him, her back finally collapsing.

"Seth?" She asked into his chest.

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Not letting me go."

He hugged her tighter for another second, but stood up the next, taking her hand and leading her away from the road. He held both of her hands, standing behind her and resting his chin in her neck as she looked at the scene in front of her.

A sailboat rocked in front of her. She turned her head to look at Seth's face staring at the boat that seemed to be illuminated by the sun slowly going down.

"What about it?"

"You want a ride?"

"Now?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because you never have."

Summer looked at him like there had to be some better reason, but he didn't show her any. She shrugged lightly and had him lead her into the boat.

She sat down and looked at the wide ocean in front of her. Seth was moving ropes behind her, and before she knew it, they were moving. They just went a few yards off shore, but it seemed like a world away.

Seth sat down in front of her, leaning back on his elbows.

"So? What do you think?"

"I have no idea how you could stand this thing for more than ten minutes, Cohen."

He laughed, but nodded. "Takes a lot of practice."

"What do you mean?"

"I used to come out on this thing forever. Whenever I was ignoring my dad. Whenever you smiled at me, or at least in my direction."

Summer laughed this time. "That's a little...pathetic."

Seth just shrugged. "I thought about you a lot."

"Okay, you're creeping me out, Cohen."

"Seriously?"

"No. I'm jealous though. I never had a boat."

"You're lucky. You never left everyone you loved."

She didn't say anything. Didn't want to. He looked farther out into the ocean, and for a second, she thought she saw a hunger. But it disappeared when he looked back at her.

"So, when you were on this boat, thinking about me, alone, what would you think about?"

Half his mouth curled into a grin. "I was fourteen. What do you think I was thinking about?"

She smiled with her whole mouth and slowly inched towards him, pushing down on his knees to let his legs lay flat. With a hand on each side of him, she touched her lips to his, causing his hands to immediately come up to her cheeks.

"Are we going to tip this thing?" She whispered into his mouth. Seth shook his head.

She thumbed the waistband of his jeans and felt him smile against her lips.

"What?"

"Nothing."

When she kissed him again, Seth was still smiling. She didn't understand how much he had really been out on this boat. All the times he'd had fantasies where she was lying on top of him, kissing him like she'd never want to stop, loving him right in front of his face. The fact that she had been crying and yelling at him a few minutes ago, made this feel like some ultimate fantasy.

Summer kissed his bottom lip, nibbling softly. He pulled down with his feet on the boat so that he was lying flat on the bottom. He was slightly worried about the weight, but Summer made it all worth it.

She stripped her shirt over her head and leaned down farther to kiss him. Suddenly, he didn't want to go slow; he didn't want to wait to have her in his arms. He kissed her deeper, pushing his fingers into the skin on her lower back. She felt the heat resonating off of him and fingered his jeans again. He kissed her harder, and she undid the belt lying at the top of his pants, sliding her hands up the back of his shirt, pushing down harder with her body.

He really wanted this. He'd never lose it again. No matter what it was he had to do. He never wanted anything to interrupt this again.

Nothing could take him away from his princess.

...........................................................x

Chris sat at the end of the driveway. He watched each car go by. Uncle Ryan had said his mom was coming back soon, but so far nothing. Nothing. No one. He sighed under his breath; the cooler air coming in to brush his hair that Grandma said was getting too long against his forehead. He watched a car come his way, but turn before actually getting to him.

When the car passed, he saw two people walking up the side of the road. He stood up, squinting his eyes to see through the sun. They were laughing; one of them left the other, walking like she was drunk. Chris squinted harder to see the silhouettes, his eyes getting bright when he saw it was his mom. And Seth. And they were happy.

"Mo-om!" He ran down the empty street, catching the grins he got as he got closer to the two figures.

"Hey, babe. It's getting late; did you eat?"

He nodded. He grinned at Seth.

"What's happening, dude?"

Seth grinned back. "Chillin, little man."

Chris laughed and started to walk backwards as they got closer to the house.

Kirsten smiled when she saw the two of them; Sandy nodded slightly; Ryan just shrugged, and said, "Duh."