Summary: Following the abandonment of Ryan and Summer, Seth and Marissa seek comfort from whom neither had ever anticipated: each other.

Disclaimer: Still, nothing..

Rating: Clean.

Pairing: Seth/Marissa.

Feedback: Yay! 8 reviews this time:)

moon,gates,slaying: Glad ya liked it! No Ryan in this chapter.. but soon! ;)

LivingintheOCsucks: Thanks for reading and reviewing all 7 chapters! I'm so happy that you liked it!

A/N: I have been so busy, you guys have no idea! But I still should've found the time to post a few chapters here and there... Expecially when I said I would be updating more frequently! So, I have nothing else to say, really, other than I'm sorry. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter:)

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Seth closed his eyes for a moment, attempting to comprehend this new found information. "Summer's... here?"

"At my house." Marissa elaborated, nodding rapidly. She searched his pale face for any given clues to his feelings regarding the situation at hand. Was he happy? Scared? Excited?

"I see." Was all he said in reply. He appeared to be unusually calm- the very opposite of his true character.

"I see?" she responded, raising a suspicious eyebrow. "What is the matter with you!"

"I can't believe this!"

Seth and Marissa exchanged nervous glances, for they had both recognized that voice..

"You enlisted in the help of Cohen for your wedding arrangements!" For some odd reason, Summer perceived their stone cold silence as an invitation to join them on Seth's bed. "You poor thing."

Fearfully, Seth glanced to his side and came face-to-face with the person he hadn't seen nor spoken to in over a year.. The very same person who knowingly broke his heart into a million pieces after moving to the other side of the country. He could feel Marissa's eyes on him, waiting expectantly for him to break the eye contact between he and Summer, but for some reason he could not look away.

Summer could feel her heart rate increasing as she gazed into Seth's chocolate colored eyes, memorizing every aspect of them. Being just inches away, she had longed to be this close to him since the day she left.. But who was she kidding? She couldn't expect Seth to forgive her.. not after she abandoned him with such little notice and failed to leave as much as a phone number- just the many memories that hanted both of their lives. "Seth." she whispered so softly it was just barely audible.

Slowly, Marissa turned her attention to her former best friend. She couldn't be any more transparent if she were wearing a t-shirt that read 'I love Seth Cohen'. It didn't take long for Marissa to figure this out. Only one more factor remained uncertain: Was Seth still in love with Summer? Fearful of the outcome, Marissa turned toward the man with whom she would be exchanging her vows. His eyes were still locked with Summer's. He was, Marissa decided, probably contemplating wheter or not he should kiss her.

"Unbelievable." Marissa whispered, ensuring that the word was only within her earshot. Quietly, she stood up and left the room.

Her departure went unnoticed.. at least for a little while.

"I've missed you.." Summer offered, unsure of what was appropriate for their current situation. Following his lack of response, she inched closer, hoping that he would take a hint and kiss her.

"Just a word of advice," he finally said, clearing his throat before continuing. "You could try being a tad more subtle."

"If it's so obvious, then why aren't you kissing me?"

"We can't be doing this.." he replied, resisting the urge to follow her instructions.

"Why not?" she wanted to know. "You're suppose to be the one who chases me, Cohen!" she reminded him. "And now? I'm practically chucking myself at you, and you're turning me down? We may not get another oppritunity like this.. We're alone. Let's take advantage of it."

"Wait.." he said, panick rising in his voice as reality dawned on him. "Where did Marissa go?"

"Huh?" the subject of Marissa had completely slipped her mind. Needless to say, she was a bit preoccupied.

"Marissa," he reminded her, climbing off his bed. "You're best friend..?"

"Oh, that's right.. You were suppose to help her with wedding stuff." Summer replied, still oblivious to all the recent happenings in Newport. "Don't worry about it, Cohen.. I haven't seen you in over a year. She'll understand, just so long as I give her a full play-by-play later."

Without another word, Seth headed toward the door. He stopped midway to look back at Summer, just one last time. She was kneeling down on his bed, looking up at him with a hopeful expression. Her brown hair was darker than it had ever been before, without the Orange County sun to lighten it up. She was wearing a white halter top and a denim mini, and was as tempting as ever.

Now having a recent image of her engraved in his mind, he turned around and left the room with hopes of finding Marissa: The one person who had been there for him throughout all of this, and he had let her down. He may not have technically cheated on her, but he confirmed her worst fear: that Summer's return would have a great affect on him.. and that he would focus his attention on her rather than Marissa.

"Cohen!" A dejected Summer called out to him.. but it was hopeless. It appeared as though he would never forgive her for leaving. She got up to leave, but something on his night stand caught her eye. She absent-mindedly knocked Captain Oats off the table while reaching for the small piece of paper. She recognized her friend's name and said aloud: "Marissa's wedding invitation.. why didn't I get one of these?" For she had received a personal phone call instead. "Let's see who the lucky guy is.."

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