Marissa carefully steps out of the taxi unwilling to let Ryan see how unstable she really is in her shoes. A hand grabs hers, letting her lean on it to step round the multitude of puddles she glances up at a smiling Ryan.
"Wouldn't want you to have another gutter incident now would we"
"If I wasn't so glad of your assistance then I would belt you one right now Ryan Atwood", she replies with a smile.
She glances at the restaurant ahead, she hadn't been here before but it looked kinda like The Arches except a bit smaller. Gradually Marissa had begun to hate eating out at the fancy upmarket restaurants. That's why New York had been appealing to her on so many levels….there were the flash dressed up places to eat and then there was the relaxed wear whatever the hell you like places. Needless to say dates usually went better at the latter. It was funny how already she was comparing this to a date, she mentally berates herself unwilling to slip into the familiar pattern of coupledom….well it wasn't really familiar, it had been a while since her and Ryan….well you know.
A bored looking young girl steps forward to accept the coat Marissa hands her and Ryan passes over his.
"Service with a smile", he mutters as the girl walks away and Marissa tries to muffle a laugh as the girl looks around and gives Ryan a glare.
A short roundish man dressed in a suit with an absurdly bright tie approaches them a skinny folder clutched tightly in his hand. "How can I help you this evening, A table for two maybe?"
Marissa steps forward "We have a reservation for Cooper…"
The man opens his folder with a flourish "Ahh yes for 4?"
"Um no it'll just be the two of us….I hope that's not a problem"
The man draws himself up looking like an over inflated balloon. "Hmm yes then, right this way please."
Marissa glances sideways at Ryan who looks like he's trying very hard not to laugh. She gently pushes him forward and follows as the man leads them past tables, some are enclosed to give a private look and most of the other tables are seated in a spacious area that has window views from just about every possible position.
"Here we are and here are the menus", the man pulls out a chair for Marissa and places the menus on the table
"Thanks", Marissa smiles and puts her bag down next to her chair
"Hmmm….so can I get you something to drink maybe?"
"Ahhh yes a bottle of chardonnay thanks", Ryan asks flic.king through the wine selections
"Very good, I'll be back with that right away"
"Ohh trying to wine and dine me are you huh", she gives him a knowing look
"Its just an innocent bottle of wine", he says mockingly
"Do you suppose we should leave?"
"Well I guess we should", he gets up and knocks over his chair, Marissa starts to giggle while Ryan looks round wildly seeing he has gained the attention of all the remaining people in the restaurant.
She picks up her bag from beside her chair and swings it gently waiting for Ryan to finish his re-adjustment of the chair.
"Ryan Atwood if I didn't know any better I would say you are decidedly drunk", she states and moves over towards him linking her arm through his and begins walking him to get their coats.
"Hmm I wont disagree with you….but I'm not the only guilty party Ms. Cooper", he nudges her suggestively
"Well I'm not gonna deny it either, but if you hadn't asked for that other bottle of pinot noir then we would be fine…..Ryan where are you going?…..the way out is this way, that way is too the toilets"
He stops to contemplate for a second looking round "So it is" and he leads her off in the right direction
"Brrrr", Marissa rubs her hands together and stops looking round for Ryan. She notices him walking off to the left and shakes her head amu.sed
"Ryan!…hey wait up, just let me call a taxi okay" she walks as quickly as she can towards him and he turns around to wait for her.
"What for?….I thought we could just walk home, its not too far"
She begins to laugh "Because its freeeeezing cold, are you crazy"
He starts walking backwards still looking at her "Maybe…. but so are you so come on..", he smiles at her and she starts after him.
" If I get pneumonia your nursing me back to health ok?", she catches up to him her breath coming out in icy puffs.
Its quiet for a moment the only sound is the clicking of Marissa's heels on the pavement and the odd distant car engine.
"So tell me how you are", he looks at her suddenly serious and she wonders at the fact he has sobered up surprisingly quickly "…I mean about everything", he continues obviously mistaking her silence for something else.
She thinks carefully….that was a question she had been avoiding herself lately….mainly because she was….well ….happy. At first she had tried to deny it, but it was true…being fired from the Newport Group really wasn't the end of the world. She lets the clicking of her shoes fill her ears for awhile before answering Ryan's question.
"This may seem weird…but I'm really happy", Ryan looks at her sceptically. "No its true, I have no doubt that one day I will find a job in the interior design field again….but for now I'm happy just being….this ….whatever this is"
"Well I'm glad", and he slings his arm round her lower waist bringing her closer "Because if any one deserves it, its you"
"Thanks" and she feels a faint blush begins to emerge on her cheeks fighting with the external cold. She shivers slightly unable to chase away the freezing air wrapping itself round her legs…. pity she had chosen to wear a dress.
They cross a street and Ryan's arm still remains, Marissa remains silent thankful for the tiny bit of warmth he's offering. Their puffs of air mingle together forming one large icy cloud, the dim streetlights above seeming to distort the eerie puffs making them into weird shapes.
Abruptly she stops, unable to stand the pain coming from her feet anymore. "If I have to walk one more step in these godamn shoes I'm gonna keel over" she bends over and slips the straps off, releasing her feet from their agony and stands back up barefooted.
"Lets just call a taxi you cant walk the rest of the way like that", he suggests looking remorsefully at her feet, causing her to smile
She grabs him by the arm pulling him forward "No come on…..at least the cold ground is good for the burning in my feet"
"Alright then its not that much further now anyway", he matches pace with her hobbling and takes her shoes from her carrying them himself.
"Ryan…this is kind of a weird question, but…how come you live in that little apartment when you could have something so much bigger?", it was something she had been thinking about for a while. It did seem odd though, he made all that money and yet seemed to have no desire to get a big house away from the apartmentish style.
Silence meets her question much like Ryan's previous question did. But she waits patiently knowing that he'll eventually answer…
"I've thought about going somewhere bigger a lot of times….but really there seems no point….there's just me…imagine how lonely it'd be…me by myself in a huge mansion"
She nods understandingly and stares at the ground ahead
" But one day I'll build something perfect….something not to big or outrageous, like I have to design most of the time for every newpsie round here….but something right…", he shakes his head clearly seeming enough talking has been done about the matter.
Marissa nods understandingly and they turn right, into their street. Christmas lights on a house catches her eye and she stops.
"Wow….its incredibly over done….but ya kinda cant help but be impressed…", she turns to look at Ryan standing beside her. He just keeps looking at the house the light from the lights along the fence illuminating his face. He starts walking again and Marissa follows still trying to take in the immense array of lights.
Ryan points and steps up the driveway of the house a bit. "What the he.ll is that?", he goes closer to the thing. Marissa glances round the street before following him.
"..I think it's a santa claus", Marissa offers not really too sure herself
"Really…. It looks too melted to be that", he squints and tilts his head to the side. Suddenly the 'santa' comes to life whirring loudly and its arm moves side to side before coming too rest.
Marissa jumps letting out a startled "Ohh" and steps back quickly her heart beating fast, she's quickly followed by Ryan who gives it an alarmed look.
"Jeez, lets go….that thing would put kids off Christmas for life"
She begins too laugh and they continue walking, the apartment block getting ever closer.
"Holy shit I think my feet have turned into icicles", she shivers and shifts from foot to foot trying to generate some warmth to her toes.
"Just think of warm things like woolly socks and flannel pyjamas" he grins and taps the button on the lift for their floor.
"Ha ha" she mutters dryly and smirks as Ryan cringes at the sudden jolt of the lift going up
A few moments later the doors open and Ryan steps out eagerly. They turn left walking past the neighbouring apartments doors.
"Who's that", Ryan points ahead where a figure sits slumped against the door of his apartment.
Marissa shrugs and they cautiously draw closer….until they are close enough for Marissa to know exactly who it is…
She quickens her pace leaving Ryan several paces behind, anger pulsing through her. She stops in front of the figure. "You have some nerve", she says with as much hatred as she can pour into the sentence.
Daniel looks up startled, "Ohh I guess that means I've been talking too myself for the past half hour then", he pushes himself up from his sitting position
She looks confused at him and Ryan bumps roughly past her "What the he.ll are you doing here", his anger almost rivalling Marissa's
She reaches out and grabs Ryan's shoulders pulling him back, resisting the urge to let Ryan pound him.
"I'm here ta talk to Marissa, nothing else", Daniel glares at his former college friend
"Well I don't think you really have that right now do you", Ryan pulls out of Marissa's grasp and levels up close to Daniel so they are eye to eye
"Oh so now you think you're the better one huh" he laughs condescendingly "Did he ever tell you about how he played our professor for architectures daughter in college…."
Marissa glances between Ryan and Daniel uncertain whether to be concerned with his words. Ryan sends her a pleading look further confusing her
"Shut your mouth Dan you know it wasn't like that" he growls pushing him roughly so he rams his body loudly against the apartment door.
"Ok come on Ryan that's enough….Daniel if you wanna talk we'll go outside", Marissa grabs Ryan's hand coaxing him back.
"No, you know what fine if you wanna talk I'll leave", he stalks off down the hall opening the door to the stairs where he disappears.
Marissa glances at Daniel angrily "So are you gonna invite me in", he smiles at her…
In the stair well Ryan paces back and forth along the step and occasionally he walks up and down a level trying to relieve the buzzing in his ears and the need to just generally punch something.
Stupid frikin Daniel didn't know what the hel.l he was talking about. All he knew how to do was charm the pants off women….literally, but Ryan had been smart enough to know not to interfere with him and Marissa while they were dating.
What really riled him up was what he has said about …..her….who he'd dated at college. He didn't know anything about what had happened only assumed…. no one knew about her except for Kirsten….it had gotten pretty serious for a while there. But then ….everything had fallen apart.
He sits down running his fingers through his hair trying to put things mentally in perspective…he'd give them 10 minutes, surely that was enough time for Marissa say whatever she needed to say….yeah 10 minutes…that was plenty of time.
And he leans against the step, trying to imagine what's being said….
She taps her foot impatiently waiting for his incessant 'heartfelt' drone to be over.
"Ok I've heard what you've had to say….but really it doesn't matter you did what you did….and you have to live with that. Just realise that I have gotta live with what you did too….I lost my job, I cant just snap my fingers and magic up another", she stamps her foot emphasising her irritation, tired of the conversation. She didn't need to hear his apologies it wouldn't change anything and it sure as he.ll didn't make her feel any better.
"I'm sorry, I cant take back what I did", he has the dignity to at least look remorseful
"I know….just go….please….this talk may have made you feel better, but just know that I will never forget this….never", she stares him down and he glances away unable to meet her eyes for long.
"Alright", he sighs shrugging his shoulders " Well I guess this is goodbye….have a nice life Marissa Cooper", he waves and walks slowly off down the hall not looking back.
She sags against the wall all the energy sapped from her. When she glances up again Ryan's standing in front of her, his hands deep in his pockets and his head slightly bowed. Her eyes meet his and he gives her an uncertain smile. She smiles back half heartedly, it's a smile full of questions and relief.
"Soo…", he moves beside to slump against the wall beside her
"Ryan?", she asks softly
"Yeah?"
Their gazes lock and she reaches forward touching her lips too his, uncertain of whether the sentiment will be returned she pulls back a second hovering close, barely a breath separating them.
"That felt right", he whispers barely audible. And this time he reaches forward pulling her as close as possible letting everything else fall away….
Phewww glad that ones outta the way….so please tell me what you think I love reviews!