Summary: Marissa and Summer have some post Seth poolside chat time, until Marissa is surprised by asecret visitor.

Story Notes: This is no more than three days after the last act. This act is the start of a new dawn and story arch for this series. I will deal with a few acts to wrap out the summer and then we will come into the senior year. Acts will start to jump more than by a few days or weeks.

The title for this act comes from… "In Three Days" a poem by Robert Browning.

Disclaimer: I don't own the O.C. But I'm really looking forward to the season three premiere. So you better be watching it too if you live in the US or Canada and physically can.

Feedback Notes: Haven't received much in a while. Hope this changes with the addition of new chapters. They should be coming in more frequently now seeing I wrote to far ahead. I just had to feel in between.

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The two best friends sat lazily on lounge chairs.

"Coop, you know you still haven't told what went down with Cohen."

Marissa tiled her head over and sighed.

"Went down? It wasn't a Long Beach brawl."

"Seriously Coop. Hook a girl up with some details."

"I flaked. He flaked. The end."

"Come on, you had to have said something."

"There were words of emotional weight, yes."

"Ok? So?"

"And then he flaked and used you and Ryan as his excuse."

"An excuse for what? To not be friends anymore?"

"Yeah, well, yeah."

"And that's it?"

"The details are a little fuzzy."

"Coop, this thong is running up my c-atch!"

"Hmm, what?"

"My cu… crotch! Hello!" "Man I need to buy me some new bikini's. Me, you, shopping, tomorrow."

"Ok, seems fair seeing I have no plans with Cohen. What a bitch for leaving me during the last weeks of summer freedom."

"Wow, Coop, you sound like me."

"Hmm. Whatever."

"I think you miss him. You…"

"If you say love him I'll hurl…. Hurl this magazine upside your head."

"Ok, chill Coop. I wasn't even thinking love, but now that you went all freak on me."

"I'm cool. Let's just drop the subject of Seth ok?"

"Fine. So you think I should go for the classic Hawaiian or those great new designs Calvin Klein has?"

"Isn't Kline a little yesterday for you."

"Yeah, your right. Todd Oldman is so the new Klein, again."

Pebbles were being thrown directly at Marissa.

"Did you just feel that?"

"Feel what Coop?"

"Someone is throwing…"

"What are you talking about? We're the only ones out here."

One hits Marissa in the neck.

"Oww! What the…?"

"Coop, stay sane."

"I am sane. Seriously someone is throwing rocks at me."

She turned behind her and saw nothing but green bushes.

"Excuse me a minute."

"Whatever."

Marissa peered around the bushes and saw nothing. But she heard. Light whispers were coming from afar. Or more like light heckles. When she couldn't make out the voice she tried to follow its sound. Whoever it was scurried away but left some evidence behind. Marissa knelt down and picked a piece of folded comic book paper. There along the empty borders read as follows.

Ditch the chick and meet me back at your house.

Snoochie Boochies

Marissa closed the note and slipped it under a rock. She then returned to Summer.

"Hey."

Summer nodded.

"Hey."

"Must of just been some bird or something."

"Ah, ok," Summer replied back in a confused tone.

"So my tan is totally becoming a burn. I think we should cut this short."

"Well I do have to get ready for my dinner date with my dad. But we are totally hooking up tomorrow."

"Yeah, totally."

Summer grabbed the jeans and t-shirt that lie beside her chair and slipped them on. Her head turned away and looked out to the green bushes wondering what great mystery lied behind. She tip toed over and saw nothing. When she turned back to talk to Marissa she was gone, vanished from site.

Marissa cautiously creped up to her front door and looked to her left and right. She wondered who had left the note and feared it could be someone she didn't know. Her hand hesitated on the doorknob, but she mustered enough courage to turn it. She took a deep sigh when she peeked through the crevice and saw no one was there. Step-by-step she made her way through the opening of her house and led herself into the living area. She started to fear the silence and called out to anyone who might be there.

"Hello! What's this note about?"

"Marissa! Over here!"

Marissa jumped. She was clearly startled. She tried to compose her nerves and turned her head. The only thing in site was a mad lunatic waving his hands.

"Over here, by the pool doors," Seth said in a very stealth voice.

Marissa sighed from relief. But she was now annoyed.

"So Summer, is she…?"

"She went home I think"

Marissa wanted to be angered but her first reaction, after coming close to Seth, was to greet him with a genuine smile and maybe a hug.

"Seth, oh my. What about your art… What are you doing back?"

She rushed up to hug him as though it was a natural part of her daily routine. When she started to pull away they awkwardly met each other with a half smile and electric sparks. She resisted the urge to give him a light kiss. He did the same and clumsily tilted his head.

"Smoochie Boochies," she said, her tone changing.

"Hey Jay is a love stud. I inspire to be as romantic as him," Seth replied.

"I ditched Summer for you?"

It was clear Marissa was loosing her glow and the charm of seeing Seth return was wearing thin.

"Hey, don't be too excited now. I did come back for you and Comic-Con!"

He eagerly whipped out two passes.

"Wow, Seth, great. So you came back for what exactly? Well besides your little geek fest."

He felt hurt she used such phrasing. She never had before.

"Ok, if you want full disclosure. I was there preparing for entry at this little art workshop."

"hmmhm"

"And so I was drifting over my notes. My sketches. And I came across a few I did of us. Long-short-story. Two weeks of summer with you are better than my silly little art workshop with a bunch of other geeks."

"I could have told you that. I think. Actually I really wanted you to go."

"Yeah, but I'd get so lonely for …"

"For what exactly? My warm supple body? My hot wet kisses? Or just my friendly company."

"Look, Marissa, you know we can't go down that road for all the obvious…."

"And not so obvious reasons. Wait, where have I heard that line before?"

"What I'm saying is, is. Look, there's no reason that I should of bolted when the least we could have is an amazing friendship right?"

"So I'm supposed to forget that we kissed. And you pretty much declared your undying love to me?"

"Yeah so we kiss… Wait, undying love? I never said anything about love."

"Well you did say I made you feel things. I made your heart race. I made you feel appreciated. All things someone would say if they were in love."

"You're crazy. Anyway, I remember a little something about when our tongues were playing tonsil hockey there in that bed of yours."

"Oh, what's that?"

"You admitted you were feeling those things too."

"Did I say that?"

"Yup ya did. So I ask you this Marissa. Are you in love with me?"

"Scoff, now look who's crazy. Can't a girl just feel special from a special friend. You're my special friend Seth."

"As you are mine."

"Well then all is settled."

"It is?"

"Yup"

"But what about comic-con? Are you gonna come with me or not?"

"I might. That is if you can keep your paws off of me."

"Hey, nothing but special friend here. But if I start making weird, retarded, noises and my hand spastically hits you in the breast, just remember, I'm your special friend."

Marissa smirked.

"Well should I tell my parents then? Well my mom anyway," Marissa asked.

"Hmm, I hadn't really thought that one out yet. Well, we, naww. We should tell our folks. I couldn't bare to give my mom another heart attack. If she thought I was running away from Newport again it would not be good."

"Yeah, cool. But I was kinda wanting to give my mom a little scare."

Seth laughed.

"Ok, hmm, how about we don't. Because usually when you give her a scare she calls the cops and rents you a padded room."

"Right, that's probably not so good. I'll tell her tonight. So when do we leave?"

"Well, registration is Thursday and since today is Wednesday that means… tomorrow."

"Oh. I'll have to pack then."

"Try to keep the load well below the Summer minimum."

Marissa laughed.

"I think I can do that." "So when should we meet up?"

"I'll call you later. I've got some stuff to handle."

"Like?"

"Like stuff. Crucial, important, stuff."

"Well when you're done with your stuff give me a holler."

"Oh I'll holler back girl."

Marissa gave a weird look before responding back.

"Right, so talk to you soon?"

"Wait!"

"What, yeah?"

"That stuff…"

"Yeah?"

"It's, it's. I'm going to tell Ryan."

"You're going to tell Ryan…?"

She was unsure what he was getting at.

"Well that we are going together."

"He's so busy in Chino with his baby boy he'll barely notice we're gone. But whatever."

"Aren't you going to tell Summer?"

"That I'm going on a trip to Comic-Con? Big news there."

"I'm serious. You're not just going with anyone."

"You know she's cooler with this friendship thing than you think." "She's the one who convinced me to go talk to you. To see you."

"To kiss me?"

"Ok, no, not that. But, yeah I'll tell her. I don't want her to think I'm out there dead or something."