A/N: I'm back from my vacation with a new chapter! I hope you like it! Oh and I know this story doesn't seem like a Seth and Summer story, but be patient… it will be one, in its own way… I promise! Otherwise I wouldn't have put it in the Seth/Summer category ;) So… please R&R!
A/N: Oh, and I know that none of you really likes Craig, andI guess that'sthe wayI wanted to write him.So... just wait and see what I let happen ;)
Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Heading for the library's entrance, Summer tried to think about anything else than Craig, if that was possible. Her anger still hadn't faded, it had just been replaced by the happy feeling in herself she always had when she met with Seth. Being with Seth was always funny, and he had a way to take all of her problems away… because there were no problems with Seth. With Craig, everything was complicated: business meetings, monthly rent, groceries, bills, in short, the daily lilfe.
When Summer had lived with Seth for their first weeks in Chicago daily life taken over their relationship, but there had always been a special kind of spark between them, even if it wasn't as huge as at the beginning of their relationship. And that spark had never gone away, at least when it came to Seth being a friend and comfort to her.
But Craig and her were a couple now, and Summer liked it most of the time – it were just days like this that kept creeping her out, the days they were fighting like they had today in the morning. Summer shoved Craig out of her mind and tried to concentrate on her meeting with Seth as she walked up the stairs to the library, silently summarizing all the work they had already done for their report.
A quick glance on her watch told her that she was too late for the meeting she had requested, and she smiled to herself when she imagined how Seth would react if he saw her being too late. When Summer arrived on top of the stairs she scanned the entrance area of the library for any sign of Seth, but he was nowhere to be seen.
She took a few steps into the library and frowned, searching for any sign of Seth, and she spotted him right away, leaning onto a column with his irresistible smile, his backpack hanging loosely on his left shoulder.
As soon as Summer approached him Seth pulled her into a tight hug, and Summer was glad for that, because being hugged was just what she needed right now. And if it was Seth who hugged her she felt even two times better.
The days flew by, and sooner than Summer could say Tallahassee, five days were over. Five days in which she had heard nothing from Craig, and in which she hadn't even tried to contact him. All she wanted was a little peace and quiet from their constant fighting and bickering over his job, and obviously, Craig felt the same way.
So today was the day of Craig's arrival, and Summer had no idea when his plane would be arriving due to their lack of conversation in the past few days. She had spent almost all day cleaning up the apartment, something she always liked to do when she was nervous. Ever since she had gotten up in the morning, the fight she had had with Craig had never left her mind, and she replayed the ugly words that had been exchanged over and over again.
Sure, she had said some nasty things to him, but they were true. And Craig hadn't exactly treated her like a princess either, and Summer figured that they both needed to apologize to each other – Craig a little more than her, maybe.
When the front door flung open Summer was just about to get herself something to drink, but when she heard Craig entering the apartment she stopped dead in her tracks.
"Summer?"
Sighing, Summer leant onto the kitchen counter without saying anything. Craig was the one who needed to apologize first, and she didn't want to interrupt him with that.
"Summer, are you home?" She heard how Craig's suitcase was put on the wooden floor and how he went over to the bedroom in his search for her. The tapping of his feet made her smile a little, but still, she didn't move.
A few seconds later Craig's blonde head poked into the kitchen. He wore a guilty smile on his lips and lowered his head as soon as their eyes met. "There you are. Hiding from me?" he asked and slowly went over to her, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek while Summer remained leaning on the counter with her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Maybe." She replied and looked at him with her huge brown eyes, almost forcing him to apologize.
"Well, I can't blame you." Craig said and shrugged. He brought his left hand which had been on his back all the time in front of Summer's face, and now Summer couldn't help but at least smile a little.
He had bought her a long-stemmed red rose and gave her his "forgive me" look she could never resist, and Summer shook her head, closing her eyes.
"No, this is..." she paused and opened her eyes again, this time giving him a hurt look. "You can't fix everything with flowers and sweets and that stuff. Do you have the slightest idea how your words hurt me?"
Craig pressed his lips together and placed the rose next to Summer on the counter, leaning closer to her. "I know." He said sincerely and stroked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear. "And I'm really sorry, you HAVE to believe me. I mean you were so right with everything you said. And I'm so sorry if I made you believe that you're only here to fill out my time when I'm not working. Because you aren't. I really do love you, Summer."
A sad smile crossed Summer's lips and she took one of Craig's hands in hers, stroking it with her thumb. "I know."
Craig smiled. "Good. And I'm sorry that I said that your lifestyle was exaggerated, and that you only need me to pay for it. Because I know that your lifestyle is normal – just like mine. The only thing you like more are shoes."
Tilting her head, Summer smiled. "Shoes are important. They carry your weight and walk with you through the streets of your life." She said.
Craig laughed and pulled Summer in a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. "I swear we're never gonna fight like that again. Especially not right before I need to leave again."
Frowning, Summer gently pushed Craig away and looked at him, confused. "You need to leave again?" she asked and put her hands on her hips.
Craig shook his head. "Not for at least two weeks. I'm all yours."
Summer nodded. "I'm sorry for the things I said last week, and-"
A finger on her lips made Summer stop talking, and she looked at Craig with her eyes wide open.
"There's no need for you to apologize, baby. You haven't done anything wrong." He said and brought his face closer to hers, showing her how sorry he was with a long, loving kiss.
Studying was crap.
Summer decided that the minute she had opened her books and started to get some of the stuff into her head for her finals that were approaching in an incredible fast pace.
After her little make up with Craig the same had gone to unpack his stuff, and Summer had decided that she needed to study a little, since she was still far far away from her pensum. And she hated it when that happened.
The bad thing was, she wasn't even close to having finished all the stuff she should have. The good thing was, she was set to meet Seth later in the afternoon for some last works on their report. When Summer thought back at all the hard work the two of them had invested in the report she was already proud of herself getting an A. Seth, of course, didn't really care about his grade, and Summer figured the only reason why he had put so much effort in that report had been her.
Flipping through the pages, Summer winced. Everything that was in any way related to studying bored the hell out of her right now.
All of a sudden, Craig appeared behind her, kissing the top of her head. "I'm heading out for a jog." He said. "Wanna come?"
Summer sighed and shook her head, trying to smile at her boyfriend. "I can't. I have lots of... stuff to do."
Craig shrugged and kissed her again. "It's okay. School's your priority right now, I can totally understand that. Besides, you wanna keep your straight A average, don't ya?"
Summer sighed and looked down on her books, feeling frustrated. "I want to. But I don't want to read those." She said and pouted.
Craig smiled and patted her head. "Aww, poor baby. All of us had to go through it. I'm sure you'll be able to make it though."
And with that, Craig was gone.
Summer sighed and focused her attention to her books again, this time without problems on concentrating on them. Ten minutes later she was sunk deep into her own world of studying.
The shrill beep of her cell phone made Summer jump out of her zen-like state of concentration one hour later, and she stretched before she fumbled for the phone that was covered by loads of books and sheets. Flipping it open, she saw that she had one new text message from Seth.
She bit her lip as she read the message, and all of a sudden, her heart became thousands of pounds heavier.
"Hey Summer, my Mom just called. I can't come to our meeting, I'm sorry. Seth."
And when she read those words, Summer had a feeling of which she wished it wouldn't be confirmed, but deep inside herself she knew where Seth was now and why he couldn't come.
"Jenny, I swear if I have to study a single minute more I'm going crazy." Half an hour later Summer pressed her cell phone to her ear to shut out the Chicago city noise. She was walking along her favorite spot at Lake Michigan, which was the perfect combination of nature and city, with the huge skyscrapers on one side of the street and the light blue water of the Lake on the other. And she knew that Seth loved it too, and that was why she had come here in the first place.
This place always reminded Summer of California, Newport respectively. At least there was the sound of waves crushing in and out the shore here. Those familiar sounds made her always relax, and that was just what she needed right now, after her long studying session and with the problems that awaited her when she would find Seth eventually.
"God, I have such a bad conscience when you're studying all the time and all I do is watch tv with my book open in front of me." Jenny replied and sighed.
Summer smiled. "Baby, here's a tip for you. Turn the tv off and try to concentrate on the book."
Jenny made a strange noise at the other end of the line and shook her head for emphasize. "Nah, don't want to. Final exams are still weeks away, I have plenty of time."
"Well if you say so." Summer replied and shrugged. She had always thought that her best friend had been too lazy with her studying, and it was a middle world wonder that she had been passing all of her exams until now.
The wind blew some of Summer's hair out of her ponytail and she pushed the strands behind her ear, frowning when she finally spotted the familiar figure laying on a blanket on the small spot of white beach, staring in the cloudless sky.
"Listen, Jen, I'll see you later. Dinner at Margie's? At eight?" Summer asked and slowly walked towards the figure in the sand.
"Sure. See you then. Bye." Jenny answered and before Summer could reply Jenny had hung up. Summer frowned and stared at the cell phone in her hand. This was so typically Jenny, just hanging up when she thought there was no more need to talk. Summer flipped her cell phone shut and smiled as she saw that Seth had his eyes closed, arms crossed behind his head.
Without saying a word, she sat down next to him on the cold sand and looked down on Seth, wondering that he wasn't cold. It was, after all, only late February, and even if the blanket kept his body from the sand, the breeze was still crisp.
She sighed and looked out on the water, watching the boats out on the Lake. It was almost scary how peaceful the middle of such a huge metropolis as Chicago could seem. Just when her thoughts were about to drift off, Seth's voice pulled her back into reality again.
Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and frowned. "Where are you coming from?"
"I suppose I don't have to explain the thing with the flowers and the bees, do I?", Summer asked and smirked.
Seth made a face and yawned, looking really depressed.
Summer's face became worried as she noticed the strange look in Seth's eyes. She softly laid a hand on his arm. "What happened?"
Seth sighed and shook his head. "It's my grandpa..." he replied and trailed off, staring out on the water.
Summer lowered her gaze and bit her lip. The look on Seth's face didn't leave room for any speculations. "He died." She stated and looked up into Seth's face.
Instead of replying, Seth only nodded and sighed again.
Summer couldn't help the feeling of deep compassion for the boy who had been her closest friend over the years.
She lay her arm around Seth comfortingly and propped her head on his shoulder. "When?" she asked, her voice very low.
Seth sighed heavily and rested his head on top of Summer's. "Last night."
Summer nodded and pulled Seth closer to her.
For a long time, neither of them said anything. It was Seth who found his speech first. "I mean, this is just... I don't know." He mumbled and fumbled with his fingers nervously.
"I know." Summer replied and looked up again. "It feels like your world falls apart."
"Yeah but... I don't know, I' almost 23, this shouldn't affect me so much."
Summer smiled a little and took one of Seth's hands, squeezing it in hers tightly. "It doesn't matter how old you are. Your grandpa will always be your grandpa, no matter how old you are. It might feel different when he dies when you're still a kid, but that doesn't mean it's easier when you're grown up."
Seth sighed again and looked into Summer's eyes. "You know what Amy said?"
Summer shook her head.
"She said I should grow up and don't be a baby about it." Seth said, the hurtin his voice clearly hearable. "Great girlfriend I have there, huh?"
Summer's face was full of compassion and she started to stroke Seth's arm. "I'm so sorry." She said sincerely. "She'll never understand. She's never been through it herself." From what Summer knew about Amy this statement was correct. Through all her life, Amy hadn't lost a single relative. So how could she see what Seth was going through?
"But she's my girlfriend, she should at least try to understand how this feels." Seth replied.
Summer sighed and nodded. She couldn't help herself, but she knew that Seth was right about this. So before she said anything that might have hurt Seth even more, she decided to stay calm and just be there for him.
"I wonder what they're gonna do about Lilly." Seth said and bit the insides of his cheeks. "I feel so sorry for her."
"What do you mean?"
Seth shook his head. "I mean if they'll put her through all of this funeral stuff..." he trailed off when he realized how ridiculous that sounded.
"They're just gonna tell her and involve her in everything, I guess. She should be able to cope with it. She's a big girl, you know." Summer replied and smiled comfortingly.
Seth's head fell on Summer's shoulder and he sniffed, making Summer feel highly miserable for him. She placed a soft kiss on his dark curls and pulled him closer.
"But I don't think I can handle this." Seth said and sighed again.
Summer looked down on him and gave Seth a sympathetic smile. "I know why you can't deal with this like a grown-up." She said and winked. "Cuz you aren't."
At this statement, Seth had to smile as well. "Thanks, Roberts, you're so kind."
A content smile crossed Summer's lips. "I know."
"This is just so weird." Seth stated and jumped a little when the sound of his cell phone ringing in his pocket broke the magical mood that lay between the two of them. "Excuse me, I need to..." he said and held the phone up in the air for evidence.
Summer pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and nodded shyly.
Seth gave her a quick smile, flipped the phone open and stood up to get some privacy.
From the look on Seth's face Summer could tell that it was Amy who called. She couldn't help it, but whenever Seth talked to his girlfriend he had such a special facial expression that couldn't be described.
Summer took the occasion to slowly stand up and straighten her skirt. She had been out for too long already and she really needed to get back to studying. Clearing the back of her skirt from the sand, she walked over to Seth and tapped him on the shoulder.
Seth spun around with an unnerved expression on his face and sighed, rolling his eyes towards the cell phone receiver.
Summer couldn't help but smile and nod. She pointed out towards the street and mouthed the words "I need to leave" to him.
He didn't seem to understand what she wanted from him, and he put a hand on the end of the receiver. "What's wrong?"
"I'm leaving." Summer said again, this time louder.
At that news, Seth's face saddened a little, and a small "Oh" escaped his mouth. "Already?" he asked.
Summer nodded and put the strap of her purse closer to her shoulder. "I need to study some more. I haven't reached my pensum for today."
Seth nodded and forced a little smile. "I guess I should do that too."
"See you in English tomorrow?" Summer asked and turned half-around.
On the other end of the line, Amy seemed to say something that made Seth unnerved all the way again, and he rolled his eyes, whimpering a "yeah" into the receiver, and giving Summer a nod.
The same smiled and waved as a goodbye, making her way in the direction of the streets again.
As she was walking for the elevated train, she thought about the Cohen family and how Caleb Nichol's death would stir things up for them.
Summer had never felt more compassion for Seth and his little sister. And she couldn't blame Amy for not understanding what was going on in Seth's mind right now. No one who had never been in a situation like that couldn't possibly understand.
And therefore it was good that Seth had a friend like her. Because she understood him completely. Well, someone needed to.
It was almost unnormal that Craig was around, and Summer couldn't help but feeling a little confused when she found him laying on the bed, only wearing his boxers and a seductive smile on his lips.
"Here you are." He said in a low voice and patted to the empty spot next to him. "Join me."
Summer frowned and took her jacket off, tossing it onto her reading chair that was situated next to the window. "Why are you so happy?" she asked while she put her shoes off, wiggling with her toes as she did so.
Craig laughed a little. "You're here." He replied.
Summer forced a weak smile and sighed, falling onto the chair. She leant her head back and sighed.
When she didn't answer, Craig became impatient and sat up a bit. "Hey baby. Come here." He said and started patting the empty spot again.
Summer closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm sorry baby, but I'm really not in the mood." She replied.
Craig pouted and let himself fall on his stomach so he could reach Summer's feet, and he started to massage them from off the bed.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "And don't say nothing cuz I know that there is."
Summer lifted her head and looked down on her feet as she felt the pleasant massage Craig's hands gave her, and she started to relax a bit. Ever since she had left the beach, Summer's thoughts were circling around only one topic – the death of Caleb Nichol, and how sad and depressed Seth had been about it. And now, in Craig's hands, she felt how her tension slowly went away.
She looked up from her feet and into Craig's eyes and sighed.
"Seth's grandfather died last night." She said.
Craig stopped the massaging and gave her a look that was full of compassion. "Oh. Tell him I'm really sorry."
Summer nodded and leant her head back, closing her eyes again. Just as she had closed them the image of Seth on his blanket on the beach crossed her inner eye again and she longed to go back and comfort him like she had before.
"Come on." Craig said and sat up. "Come into the bed and talk about it."
Summer shook her head again and let out a bitter laugh. "Craig, I don't wanna come to bed... I just need to think." She replied and rubbed her eyes. "Plus, I'm really tired."
Craig smiled and went over to Summer to place a sweet kiss on her forehead. "So if you're tired the best place to be is the bed." He said, trying to convince her to join him.
"Craig, please-"
"Summer, we see each other so rarely these days... all I want is a little cuddling with you, nothing more." Craig interrupted her, giving her one of his baby boy looks she loved so much.
And just like every time, the baby boy look worked and Summer had to grin. "Fine." She said and stood up, still smiling at him. "You win."
Behind Summer's back Craig started to have his own little victory dance, obviously being very proud of himself.
Summer turned around all of a sudden, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "Stop the stupid dance." She said and pointed over to the bed. "I thought you were so obsessed about the bed, and now I don't see you anywhere in it."
Craig grinned and jumped on the bed, crawling under the blankets, Summer curling up next to him, her head resting on his chest. "I feel so sorry for Seth." She began and sighed again. "His parents have kept his grandfather's disease a secret until it was too late."
Craig stroked Summer's hair as he listened to her, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head every now and then.
"And now he's gone and Seth didn't even have the chance to say a proper goodbye and everything."
Craig sighed and looked down on Summer's tiny head, smiling to himself as he realized once more how much he loved her.
Now Summer went on. "So he's hurt, confused and depressed all at the same time now. I feel so sorry for him..." And once again, Summer's thoughts drifted off to Seth, his miserable image from before jumping in and off from her inner eye over and over again.
"I know what'll take your mind off of things." Craig said and lifted Summer's head to kiss her. But just before their lips met, Summer shoved Craig away angrily and sat up a bit. "Craig, I told you I'm not in the mood for this."
Craig shook his head and sighed. "Summer, he's just a friend of yours. And you've barely known his grandfather. So why are you making such a big deal out of it?" he asked, his voice unnerved.
Summer rolled her eyes and sat up completely, putting a distance between her and Craig. "He's not just a friend. He's my best friend. And he's the only one who's always been there for me." She replied.
"What, and you think that I'm not always there for you?" Craig asked, his eyes widened twice their size.
Summer threw a hand up in the air and rolled her eyes again. "This isn't about you, Craig!" she yelled angrily and stood up again, putting her hands on her hips.
"So what is this about?" Craig asked and crossed his muscular arms in front of his perfectly shaved chest.
Summer closed her eyes and counted to three before answering and losing her temper completely. Why in the world didn't Craig understand that the bond that Seth and her shared was something special, and that she practically felt Seth's depression and grief?
"This is-"
The ringing of her cell phone interrupted Summer from saying anything more, and she went over to her purse to take the call, smiling a little when she saw that it was Seth who called her.
"What is this, Summer?" Craig asked, ignoring the ringing of Summer's cell phone.
Without answering, Summer turned her back to him and took the call. "Hey Seth."
"Hi." Seth said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Summer frowned. "What's wrong? Why are you whispering?"
Seth sighed and Summer heard how he closed a door. "Amy's asleep. Listen, I kind of need to ask you a favor." He said and slumped down on his living room couch.
Summer blinked twice and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Sure, what do you need?" She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around, an angry glare on her face. "What?" she asked, her voice bitchy.
"I-I'm sorry, I-"
"Not you Seth. Hold on." Summer said and put a hand on the receiver, raising her eyebrows in Craig's direction.
"Say Seth I'm sorry about his grandpa." Craig whispered and nodded for emphasize.
Summer rolled her eyes and turned around again. "Craig says he's sorry about your grandfather."
"Oh. Thanks." Seth said and sighed again. "So, the favor-"
"Cohen just ask. You know you can ask me anything."
"Okay. So... it turns out that Amy's sick. Like really sick, with fever and coughing and everything." Seth said and closed his eyes, rubbing them with his free hand. His head felt like exploding, which was no miracle regarding everything that had happened in the past few hours. "And my grandpa's funeral is this weekend. And Amy wanted to go with me, but it seems like she can't now. And so I was wondering..." he rubbed his neck and sighed.
Summer smiled to herself as she heard how Seth tried to ask her if she wanted to come with him to California, but she didn't say anything. She wanted to hear Seth say the words himself. "You were wondering?" she asked and twisted a strand of hair around her finger, something she always did when she was on the phone.
"I don't wanna go alone, Summer." Seth said with so much pity in his voice that Summer's heart felt like exploding from compassion. "I'm kinda scared of going back all by myself, you know."
Summer's face softened and she smiled dreamily. "When do I have to be at the airport?" she asked.
Seth sighed happily and sat up straight on his couch, a tiny smile on his lips. "You're coming with me?" he asked.
Summer nodded and smiled. "Sure I am. Someone's gotta make sure that you don't get lost on the way back to California."
Seth grinned and nodded, lowering his eyes. "Thank you Summer. Really."
Summer closed her eyes. "I'm happy to help you."
"Um, so, about the flight – let's say I'll get a cab and pick you up tomorrow at around 8 am?" Seth asked.
"Sounds good. I'll be ready. So, see you tomorrow?"
"See you tomorrow." Seth replied, confirming Summer's question.
"Okay. And Cohen?"
"Hm?"
"Try to get some sleep. You look terrible." Summer said and grinned to herself.
"I will. I feel better now that I know that you're coming." Seth replied and hung up, leaving Summer's heart full of joy. After she had closed her cell phone, she remained sitting on the edge of the bed in silence, thinking about Seth and what he had just told her. He was just adorable. And kind, and sweet, and nice... and-
"Don't tell me you're going to California this weekend."
Craig's voice interrupted Summer's thoughts and she turned around, lowering her gaze. "Amy's sick. And Mr Nichol's funeral is this weekend. And Seth doesn't wanna go alone." She explained and crossed her arms in front of her chest. The last thing she wanted now was a discussion about her weekend plans.
Craig sat up fully now and shook his head. "I don't believe you. This is the first weekend in weeks that I'm home and that we can actually be together and you're leaving."
Summer raised her eyebrows and put some more distance between her and Craig. "Excuse me? Do you wanna tell me that it's okay that you're gone all the time, and now that I chose to leave for ONE SINGLE weekend you're blaming me?"
Craig bit the insides of his cheeks and shot Summer an icy glare. "Why do you have to go with him, anyway? Isn't he grown up enough to deal with a funeral by himself?"
At that comment, Summer's jaw dropped and she stood up from the bed, heading for the door. "You're such an ass." She said and left the room without turning around.
By the time she was in the kitchen Craig had already followed her, still just wearing his boxers. Summer tried her best to ignore him and poured herself some diet coke in a glass, not looking at him once.
"So you chose to ignore me now?" Craig asked and sat down on one of the kitchen chairs while Summer went over to the window, watching the sun setting on the horizon. "Come on now. You need to admit that it's not really grown-up from him not to go to a funeral alone. It's not such a big deal."
That was enough. Summer spun around, and if looks could kill, Craig would have been laying dead on the kitchen floor. "You don't know him. And you don't understand him. AND you don't know how important he is to me!" she yelled.
"I know how important he is to you. In fact, I think that he is too important to you!" Craig shouted and stood up again, anger rising in him as well now.
"What do you wanna say now? That I'm in love with him or what?"
"To be honest, yes!" Craig replied and shook his head. "It's disgusting how you forget everything else as soon as he calls! You would do like everything for him. And I ask you not to leave me for one fucking weekend and you're leaving never the less!"
Summer closed her eyes and tried to suppress her anger. "I guess that's called friendship." She spat and headed for the kitchen door, Craig following her to the bedroom where she put on her shoes and jacket. "STOP FOLLOWING ME!" she yelled all of a sudden, tears in her eyes. She didn't even know where those tears came from, but she was convinced that they were angry tears.
Summer sighed and put a hand on her temple, gently rubbing it. "If you think that I'm helping him just because I'm in love with him you don't know what friendship is." She paused and looked at him, her eyes hurt and full of tears now. "But I guess you could never know what friendship is, let alone love. You're around so rarely that you can't make any friends – or give me the love I deserve. Seth is always there for me – and where are you?" she paused and took a few steps to the front door, opening it.
Ignoring the bewildered look on Craig's face, she went on. "Oh, I forgot. You're on business travels. Because your job is more important than me. So sorry if I make friends while you're gone. And sorry if unlike you, my friends care for me. And sorry again that I care for them."
Craig reached out for Summer and touched her arm, a hurt look on his face. "Summer, I-"
Slowly, Summer turned around and closed her eyes, some tears falling down her cheeks. "I don't wanna talk about it. I'm going to California whether you like it or not." She said and turned around again. When she reached the steps, she paused, and whispered, almost unhearable: "It's nice to see that you don't have a clue of what I feel for you."
And with that, Summer headed down the stairs, wiping away her tears, leaving Craig standing alone in the doorframe, with only his boxers on. He sighed and slowly closed the door. Summer's words had hit him heavily, and he knew that she was right. He was barely around these days, and Jenny, Seth, Chris and everybody else were just her friends.
He hated that he had to go away so many times, but he already had a solution for the problem. Well, not a solution for the problem, but he had a plan how he could prove to Summer how much he loved her. And he knew she would like it.
Next chapter: The Last Goodbye