He'll Be Back
Chapter four
It was dusk as he sailed into Newport. There should have been a welcoming party and theme music playing as he came up to the dock, but instead it was growing dark and there was silence as he tied up his boat. He gathered up his crap, slung his bag over his shoulder and grabbed the cooler and sleeping bag up as he walk home.
He stood at the door to his house contemplating knocking. He didn't want to make a huge deal about being back just in case they weren't overjoyed he survived and wanted to punish him. Well he did always love to be the center of attention. He leaned over and pushed the doorbell. The door had opened and they were both shocked to see who was standing on either side of the door.
"Ryan?" He said opening his arms for a hug. "You're the last person I expected to greet me,"
"Well, I wasn't expecting you to ring your own bell."
"So are the parental units angry with me?" Seth asked
"I think that you kno-"
"Who's at the door," Sandy asked walking towards Ryan, "Seth! Kirsten you'll never guess who decided to come back to the nest." Sandy crossed his arms and with a smile shook his head in amazement.
"Seth," Kirsten said running to the door and pulling him into a crushing hug.
"Mom, I can't breath," Seth said struggling to get free from his mother's death grip.
"I'm sorry," She said loosen her arms. "Come on let's go sit down." They walked at the kitchen table. "Seth, sit up straight," He sat up straight and looked scared.
"Son, something to eat?" Sandy asked,
"S-sure," He said looking over at his mother.
"Seth I don't understand what you were thinking, you could have gotten yourself killed. Don't get me wrong, we're glad you're safe, but you have to realize what we went through."
"I'm sorry I just… I don't know… wanted a break from all the drama in this town. " Seth offered meekly. "With Ryan gone I was sure that everything was going to fall to shit."
"Well, kid, you insured that it did," Sandy said putting a plate of pasta in front of Seth.
"We aren't going to ground you or anything, but if you ever think of trying something like this again…" Kirsten said, "Wait, you have lost car privileges until school starts up," Seth moaned, and she smiled at Sandy realizing that she had picked a good punishment.
"Ryan, man," Seth called into the pool house.
"Yeah?"
"You going to tell me why you're back?"
"She miscarried,"
"Nice man, you never were one for many words, right to the point" Seth said. " You didn't have to stay and offer a shoulder to cry on?"
"She told me to leave, it's too complicated, I don't want to mess things up for her and Eddy."
"You're a good guy," Seth said sincerely, after a moment's pause he looked at the door, " Want to go get your ass whipped?"
"Bring it!" and with that both boys darted to the main house.
They sat and played well into the night. In Seth's room he found it as he had left it. With cleaned sheets and a pile of folded laundry. He stripped down to his briefs and got under the blue sheets. Looking over at his clock he saw the red numbers glaring 3:45. He looked over again to check that he wasn't mistaken and a photo caught his eye. Tomorrow he would have to deal with Summer's rage black out, tonight he was going to just sleep.
She woke up that morning with a familiar feeling in the pit of her stomach. She walked slowly to the bathroom willing the feelings to go away. "Morning," Her step-monster said. She was wearing a white terry bathrobe and matching slippers. She held a margarita glass to her mouth although it was well before noon.
"Isn't it early to be drinking?" Summer asked with her eyes shut and her back against the wall.
"It's happy hour somewhere, besides it's not as if you aren't hung-over, I know that expression,"
Summer took her cue and walked to the bathroom to promptly empty the contents of her stomach. "Flush twice, and spray some of the vanilla stuff," Summer heard through the door. She sat exhausted on the floor. The funny thing was that she hadn't even been drinking the night before.
Lying in bed she heard her phone vibrate on the wood of her nightstand. She reached her had over and flipped it open. "Hello,"
"Um… hey," he said nervously.
She nearly dropped the phone, the one time she didn't look at who was calling he is on the line. "How nice of you to drop a line, are you stranded mugged and naked in some slum?"
"Huh?"
"Never mind, I just didn't realize that it was on your radar to check in with me."
"Summer,"
"No you listen Cohen, I am going to call the shots, you left me with an open ended relationship so I am going to give us both some closer, I don't ever want to see you again."
"We go to the same school that is not realistic."
"Fine then you aren't to talk to me, starting now," with that she flipped her phone shut and curled into a ball to cry.
That wasn't how it was supposed to have gone. He was to tell he that he missed her and that he loved her so much that he turned around his boat in the middle of the ocean to come and be with her for the rest of the summer. She was supposed to laugh and tell him to get his butt over to her house for hot wild sex that would solve everything and let them both know how much they meant to each other.
She hadn't meant to break up with him. She had had it all planned out. He was to say he was stupid and she was to let him think about how pissed she was for a few days but then they would be fixed and happy. When he had called she just let it loose. She wanted to call him back and tell him that she was joking, but it wasn't the place or the time for that, he had to come and get her. Knowing Cohen, he would come.