Alison opened the door to the house. She had a bag of groceries with her. She saw Ryan sitting inside on the couch, alone. It seemed like he was just pondering his thoughts.
"Hey, I missed you when I came home for lunch today," Alison said to Ryan.
"Yeah, sorry about that," Ryan smiled.
"Where were you?" Alison wondered.
"I was visiting an old friend… Marissa," Ryan admitted.
"Oh," Alison said. She looked hurt.
Ryan saw the look on her face and replied, "It's not like that. I just wanted to catch up. I mean, I hardly got to talk to her at the reunion, and I just felt like there was more to be said."
"And?" Alison wondered.
"And what? I had turkey sandwiches with Marissa, and her daughter, Emma. I just wanted to know what she had been up to all these years," Ryan shrugged.
"How is she?" Alison asked.
"She's good. She doesn't have the life she started with, but she seems to like it," Ryan said.
Alison looked at him oddly.
"She used to be quite wealthy, when we were teenagers," Ryan informed her.
"Oh." Alison paused. She did not know what to say. "Do you still care about her?"
Ryan took a deep breath. He was not sure how to answer this. Marissa would always be a huge part of his past, but he knew she had no place in his future - at least romantically. Finally he said, "I'll always care about Marissa. I mean, you don't go through that much with one person, and not care about them at all. Marissa and I will never date again, obviously. It never worked before, and it there is no way it would work now, but I'll always care about her. She was a huge part of my life for years."
"Do you still love her?" Alison asked.
Ryan paused. How could he answer this so she would understand? He looked at Alison and replied, "Not in the way I love you. I'll always love Marissa, just like I love Seth, but not the way I love you."
Alison remained silent. She wanted to believe Ryan, but something told her that they would always have a connection – one far stronger than she and Ryan could ever have.
Ryan looked at her. He could tell by the way she was acting that she felt this was practically like cheating. "Alison, you have nothing to worry about. Marissa and I never worked, anyway. We always fought, and believe me – that would still be true ten years later," Ryan assured her.
"I know," Alison replied. "I guess it's just that everyone else seems to imagine that you and Marissa are meant to be, and I can't help but wonder that as well sometimes."
"I know," Ryan said, "but you're just gonna have to trust me on this one. It's like Seth and Summer – the other girl you met at the reunion. Everyone thought they were meant to be, and now, they are just good friends – that's all."