A/N: Thanks so much for the awesome reviews on the last chapter! I'm glad you guys liked it! Today, Seth and Summer try to deal with the kiss… and Seth makes a mistake. We're nearing the climax of the story… in slow steps…Oh, and please don't hate me for the end of the chapter :(
Be My Baby
Rrrrring.
Rrrrring.
Rrrrring.
"Hi you got the machine from... Summer Roberts... and Craig Matthews. Unfortunately we're not around... or we're just too lazy to get your call... so... you know how this works. Beeeep."
"Summer? Baby, are you there? Just wanted to check on ya, hear how the party went. Well, um... I'm busy all day so I guess I'll call you in the evening. I love you. Bye."
Summer scratched her head and winced from all the loud sounds around her. Couldn't answering machines be like... quiet?
She slowly opened her eyes but flinched when the bright sunlight almost made her go blind. Burying her head in her pillow, Summer recalled the things that had happened the night before – even though she didn't want to be reminded of them.
It was still a riddle to her why in all world she had permitted Seth to come so close to her – and why she hadn't stopped herself from... yeah, not stopping it. And having been drunk and completely alone didn't justify that this kiss had really happened.
But the worst thing was – despite feeling so bad about having done a thing like this, Summer remembered the kiss as one of the most wonderful things she had experienced since Seth and her had parted ways during their freshman year. It had just been so right, so perfect, it was almost scary.
Summer shook her head, feeling a huge headache coming up, and forced herself not to think of the kiss as a positive event. It was a bad thing, a girl that lived in a well-working relationship kissing a guy that also lived in a happy relationship. It was something you should forget about as fast as possible.
But Seth wanted to talk about it, today, in the library. Summer hadn't wanted this to be so huge, so she had told him they'd see each other during class, and he just had to live with that. Opening one eye Summer lifted her head a little to check the time, and she almost fell out of her bed when she saw that it was already one p.m. All her major classes had already happened, including English which she went to with Seth.
From the little adrenaline shot in her veins Summer jumped up and ran into the bathroom, not knowing exactly why she was hurrying, since she had missed everything important that day, including the meeting with Seth.
While she was brushing her teeth Summer wondered why Seth hadn't already called her because she had missed their English class, and she tapped over to the answering machine, hitting the "messages" button to check if there were any messages from Seth she hadn't heard because of her deep sleep.
Beep. "Summer? Baby, are you there? Just wanted to check on ya, hear how-" Summer interrupted the message and shook her head, checking if there were any other messages except the one Craig had spoken just a few minutes ago.
Beeep. "You-have-no-new-messages."
Summer frowned and shoved the toothbrush in her mouth absent-mindly, wondering where the hell Seth was, and why he hadn't already called her. It was just so untypical of him not to call her after she had missed one of their dates. What was if something happened to him on the way home?
Shaking her head energetically, Summer cursed herself for assuming the worst just because Seth hadn't called. Maybe he just wanted to avoid her, and if that was the reason, she really couldn't blame him. What had happened the night before was just way too embarrassing, and it had destroyed so much between them – that was at least what Summer thought.
Maybe he was online.
Summer went over to the desk and switched her laptop on, still brushing her teeth while waiting for the system to start. After what seemed like an eternity, Summer had started the internet and logged in her chatting program, her heart sinking a little when she saw that no one was there.
She leant back in her desk chair and nervously flipped the toothbrush around in her mouth, her head spinning. She wasn't sure if this was just a normal hangover or the worries she had about Seth, but she decided that she didn't like it at all, no matter why her head felt like being on a carousel.
There was just one thing left. Her cell phone. Jumping up from the desk chair, Summer went into the sleeping room again, searching through her purse she had had with her at the club the night before, and she was kind of relieved when she saw that she had three new text messages.
She went over to the bathroom, cleared her mouth from the toothpaste and went back into the sleeping room, sitting on the edge of the bed and flipping her cell phone open.
First message.
"Sum, the incredible happened. I met a guy, Casey. Been dating for a few weeks now and I'm so in love. Talk to u soon. Luv, Coop."
Summer shook her head and rolled her eyes. From all the moments to say hi in weeks Marissa had just chosen the worst. So she had a new boyfriend...
"Who cares?" Summer snapped and stared at her cell phone. That was just so typically Marissa Cooper. Talking about herself and not asking how the others were. It was only her, her, her, and Summer was just too sick of it, probably one of the reasons why Marissa and her had lost contact since their High School graduation.
Second message.
"Sum, never knew a hangover could be so terrible...how's yours? I'm dying and just wanted to say bye. So, bye :( See ya, Jen."
Summer laughed a little and shook her head. And that was so typically Jenny. Exaggerating whenever she could, but still in a cute and nice way. Summer sighed and decided to give her best friend a call later that day, when her state would be better than... well, dead, as Jenny called it.
Third message.
"Sorry that I wasn't there today. Knee hurts like hell. Twisted it last night. Went to the doctor's. We need to talk. Call you when home. Seth."
A weak smile crossed Summer's lips, and she was relieved that she hadn't been the only one who had been missing their meeting today. But the good feeling she had mixed with worry immediately when she read about Seth's knee and that he even had to see a doctor. There were some memories from the night before of Seth sitting on that leather couch next to her, rubbing his knee and saying something about getting drunk with freshly operated knees wasn't such a good idea or something. She didn't remember correctly thanks to the amount of alcohol that had been running through her system the night before.
Closing her eyes, Summer flipped her cell phone shut and fell back onto the bed. She sighed and shook her head.
"We need to talk."
Gosh, how formal that sounded. Were her fears really coming true and Seth's and her relationship would be ruined for, like ever, just because of one tiny, little kiss?
For the thousandth time since she had gotten home from the club, Summer grabbed a pillow and "argh"-ed into it as loud as she could, silently cursing herself and her weak willpower over and over again, even though she knew that that wouldn't change anything. But it helped her to bear everything better.
Just when Summer was about to start another roll of "argh"-ing the cell phone that was laying next to her started vibrating, and Summer jumped a little when she saw the caller ID.
"Cohen"
Blinking twice Summer sat up and ran a hand through her hair. At least he didn't choose to avoid her, and that was a good sign. Taking a deep breath, Summer flipped her cell phone open.
It was time to face the truth.
So that was what it felt like to turn 23. Dealing with the world's worst hangover, feeling dizzy from the Paracetamol against the pain that was in your knee with every step you took, having a girlfriend who didn't care about your state since she was sleeping like a stone since her drinking session the night before, and having a best friend you just kissed – with tongue. In her boyfriend's absence.
Just because you couldn't control yourself. Just because she had looked so beautiful with her big brown eyes after you had caught her from falling. Just because you'd been wasted, with no control over what you were doing.
Seth sat on a bench in the middle of the campus near the main fountain, waiting for Summer to arrive so that they could talk about their "lip service" from the night before.
He felt like a wreck, and he was sure he even looked like it. His head was spinning, his knee was hurting, and his stomach rebelling. And every five minutes one of his stupid relatives would call him and wish him a happy birthday.
At least Seth had been wise enough not to tell his parents that he had twisted his knee once again, because if his mother ever found out about that she would've probably been jumping on the next best flight to Chicago, his little sister in tow, and would have visited him.
And just the mere imagination of this situation made Seth feel even more terrible than he already did. So he preferred to suffer in silence, just like a real man. Ryan would have been proud of him, of that he was sure.
"Cohen?"
A very familiar voice pulled Seth out of his little spiral of self-pity, and he looked up, shielding his eyes from the afternoon sun, to see Summer standing in front of him, looking probably just as wasted as he did. He forced a weak grin and motioned her to sit down next to him.
Summer sat down, kneading her purse in her hands, looking quite nervous. Seth gave her the best smile he could manage and nodded.
Summer cleared her throat and pointed out to Seth's knee. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked worriedly.
Seth nodded. "Yeah yeah, I twisted it, and now there's this liquid running in..." he saw how Summer's face turned from worry into disgust, and he grinned. "Do you really wanna know?"
Summer swallowed and shook her head, her eyebrows raised. "Not in so much detail."
"Okay, I need to take pills to numb the pain, and I need to wear this pressure dressing to stabilise the joint." Seth explained. "So no big deal."
Summer nodded and started to drum on her purse with her fingers.
"So, about last night..." she said and started to massage her neck, a thing she always liked to do when she was nervous.
"We've made a big mistake – a huuuge mistake." Seth said and nodded to himself.
Summer bit her lip and shook her head yes. "True." She glanced up to Seth who stared into the distance. "I just... we were drunk and..."
"We shouldn't have done it." Seth replied, leaving no room for any other arguments. He noticed how harsh his answer had sounded and looked over to her. "I mean, it was just wrong." He added in a much softer tone.
Summer sighed and leant on the back of the bench, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "It was. And we should've stopped ourselves."
Seth nodded again and an awkward silence fell between them, leaving Summer nervous as hell because she still didn't know where they were standing now. Looking down on the floor, she noticed that Seth tapped with his foot, a clear sign that he was nervous as well.
A tiny laugh escaped Summer's throat and she shook her head. "Okay now." She said. "We've got two possibilities."
This caught Seth's attention and he looked her in the eyes again, the eyes that he could have drowned in if he wanted to.
"We either choose to let this thing come between us – you know, ruining our friendship, not talking to each other, those awkward silences..." Summer pointed from herself to Seth and back.
Seth's stare at her intensified. That sounded interesting. "Or?" he asked, moving closer to her.
Summer smiled a little and went on. "Or we just forget about it and try to go on like normal people. I mean we were drunk and we didn't know what we were doing..." she held up her forefinger. "Plus, it's not like we haven't done it before."
A smirk crossed Seth's lips and he looked away again, sighing. "And it was my birthday." He said. "It was your present."
Summer grinned. "Yeah, it was just a special present. One that only I'm allowed to give you." She sounded proud at the last comment she made. Well it was no wonder, Seth and her were best friends since High School, she was allowed to feel special for that.
"Except for Amy." Seth added and raised his forefinger.
Summer nodded and looked down on her knees. "Right. Except for Amy." She didn't even know why, but thinking about Seth having a new girlfriend felt like a knife being pushed through her heart – which was strange because it had never felt like that before.
"And except for Craig on your side, huh?" Seth asked and nudged her playfully in the ribs, not noticing the strange look on her face.
Summer was ticklish as hell when it came to her ribs and she squeaked as she felt Seth's fingers poking her. "COHEN, DON'T!"
But it was too late and Seth's fingers had already reached her whole torso, tickling the hell out of her. In a useless attempt to make Seth stop the tickling Summer reached for Seth's body as well but failed to tickle him back since she was laughing so much.
"Cohen, please!" she yelled and tried to shove him back.
When Seth saw that Summer was completely out of breath he let go of her eventually and leant back, sighing happily.
When Summer had gathered herself she shot Seth the angriest look she could manage and hit his thigh with her fist. "You-are-so-mean." She said and pouted, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
"Well Summer, you said you didn't want the kiss to come between us. And that's what friends do, they tickle each other." Seth stated and folded his hands behind his head.
Summer looked down to the floor and her gaze became serious again. "So the kiss is like forgiven and forgotten?" she asked, not daring to look into Seth's eyes.
Seth nodded enthusiastically. "Forgiven and forgotten. Let's just call it a brainless moment."
"I'm so glad we could manage this so easily. I was worrying sick last night that I might have lost you due to this." Summer said, her voice barely above a whisper. "And you're my best friend. I can't lose you."
A sweet smile crossed Seth's lips and he laid an arm around Summer's shoulder, pulling her close to him. "Summer." He lifted her chin with his hand. "You won't lose me. Never. I promise."
Summer looked up to him and gave him her warmest smile. "Thank you." She said and leant onto Seth's chest, closing her eyes. She inhaled the familiar scent of his aftershave and smiled again. This was feeling way too good for a woman who was in a relationship, but Summer couldn't help it. Maybe it was just PMS that made her so emotional, but she was sure that everything she felt for Seth was pure friendship... right?
A very familiar voice woke her up from her dreams.
"Well, look who's here, all cuddling!"
Seth and Summer both looked up, spotting Chris coming up to them, grinning broadly. As fast as she could Summer sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, and she watched Seth do the same.
"Hey Chris what'ya doin' on campus? I thought you were way over the studying stuff." Seth said and held out his hand for Chris to shake it.
"I'm here to see some people that are in different relationships making out." Chris said and grinned only more, his gaze wandering from Summer to Seth and back again.
Seth made a face to Chris and looked over to Summer who now sat very far away from him, obviously feeling very unease at the moment.
"Shut up." Seth said. "I'm not discussing this with you again."
"Oooh, bad mood?" Chris asked, amused by the situation.
"Yes." Seth replied. "I've told you like a million zillion times before that Summer and I are just friends. And I would highly appreciate it if you wouldn't make the same stupid jokes over and over again."
Chris held up his hands in apology, a little taken aback from Seth's harsh comment.
"Boy, I'm sorry if I hit a nerve here." He said and walked on. "Call me when you're in the mood for fun again." And with that, Chris was off, not turning back once.
Seth shook his head and let himself slump against the back of the bench, running a hand through his hair.
"He was just joking." Summer said all of a sudden.
Seth looked over to her and shook his head. "Yeah but he doesn't know when to stop. He has made this joke so often and he still doesn't get sick of it."
"You know him." Summer said in a weak attempt to jump in for Chris' defence.
"But still, Summer. Do I ever make jokes about him being gay? No. Because that would be just lame. And that's what his jokes about us are. Lame."
Summer shrugged and glanced at her watch. "If you say so. Listen, Cohen, I need to go. Meeting Jenny in a few."
Seth nodded and smiled at her. "I'm sorry for my rage blackout here."
Summer grinned and shook her head. "Cohen, you know as well as I do that you're not capable of having rage blackouts. It's my territory."
Smirking, Seth stood up as well. "Okay, you win." He said and placed a kiss on her cheek. "See you in class tomorrow?"
Summer nodded and smiled. "Sure. We need to figure out a presentation for our report. I want it to be good."
"Sugar, you're working with me, it just can't be bad."
Summer wrinkled her nose. "Too much confidence here."
Seth shrugged. "That's the way I am."
Summer waved and turned around. "Oh, shut up, ass." She said and winked at him.
Seth smiled back and nodded. "Whatever you say Summer."
And with that, both of them went their own ways again – Summer for the cantine to meet Jenny there and Seth for the elevated train station – still not able to get Chris' words from before out of his head.
Was there really more between Summer and him than just friendship? And was it ok that they had gotten over the kissing thing so easily? Or should they have discussed it more?
But Seth was convinced that the kiss didn't mean anything. After all, they didn't love each other and that took the seriousness of the issue away – right?
When Seth came home Amy awaited him, still in her underwear. She had obviously just woken up. She ran over to Seth and practically threw herself at him, crossing her legs around his waist, kissing him hard. "Weeeelcome home!" she sung and grinned broadly.
Amy wasn't heavy, but heavy enough to make Seth's knee weak, and he slumped down on the floor, taking Amy with him. He bit the insides of his cheeks as a flash of pain shot through his leg, and he rested his head on the wall, closing his eyes and waiting for the pain to fade.
Amy's eyes widened and she took Seth's face in her hands. "Oh my gosh, what hurts?" she asked and tilted her head.
Seth still gritted his teeth with his eyes closed, and he shook his head. "Nothing." He said and forced himself to open his eyes again.
When he looked at Amy she had one of her eyebrows raised and her lips curled, a definite sign that she didn't believe him. "Right." She said.
Seth couldn't help but laugh, and he shook his head again. "I'm not good at acting strong, am I?" he asked and smirked.
Amy grinned broadly and softly stroked Seth's cheek. "I'm sorry baby, but you're not." She said and kissed him again. "Better now?" she asked when they pulled apart again, and Seth frowned. "Mmmmh, in fact, it's still hurting." He mumbled and pulled Amy closer to him, and pretty soon, the two of them lost themselves in a long passionate kiss that made Seth forget everything: the pain and even Summer, which was a surprise because Summer had been the only thing that had been on his mind ever since last night.
When they pulled apart, Amy smiled softly at Seth and tilted her head once again. "I bet it's better now." She said.
"Yeah." Seth nodded and his grin faded, his look wandering down his leg to his knee. "I twisted it last night." He explained. "Screwed it up again."
"Oh." Amy's frowned and she gently stroked Seth's knee. "So drinking wasn't the best idea, huh?" she asked, and Seth grinned, shaking his head. "Not really." He replied and sighed.
"But I have a present that'll make it better." Amy said and crawled into Seth's arms, resting her head on his chest.
"You do?" he asked and placed a kiss on her head. "I love presents."
Amy grinned broadly and sighed. "My sister send some photos of Tiffany. She's grown so much since last time we saw her, you wouldn't believe it." She said, a dreamy look on her face.
Seth smiled as well as he thought about Amy's little niece Tiffany. She was a really cute baby, and Amy was completely and totally in love with her. "Yeah, when they're that young they grow so fast, it's insane." He said. "When I think back of the time when Lilly was so small she needed new clothes like every week."
Amy grinned. "Seth?" she asked.
"Hm?"
"I think I'm ready."
Seth frowned and looked down on his girlfriend. "Ready for what?"
Amy sat up and stroked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling insecurily at Seth. "I want one too."
Seth raised an eyebrow and shook his head, not able to follow the conversation that was going on.
"I want a baby." Amy said and nodded for emphasize. "I think we're both ready."
Seth's eyes widened twice their size and he jumped up. "Ouch! Damn it!" he shouted and held his knee as he shook his head, looking down on Amy. He leant onto the wall. "I think I might've heard you wrong..." he said and narrowed his eyes. "But I kinda heard you say that you wanted a baby."
Amy stood up as well and took Seth's hands in hers. "No, you've heard correctly..." she said and smiled. "Wouldn't that be fantastic? You, me, and a small little teeny tiny cute baby. We could have our own family!" she chimed and her cheeks brightened from excitement.
Seth shook his head in shock and brought a hand to Amy's forehead. Amy shoved his hand away and frowned. "What you're doing?"
"I was checking if you've got a fever or are in some kind of delirium that makes you say those things." He replied and Amy crossed her arms in front her chest.
"Stop joking Seth, I'm serious." She said.
Seth nodded, his eyes wide open. "So am I." he replied. "I mean having a baby? What devil took possession of you?"
Amy shot Seth an angry glare. "Nice. I'm serious, you assface." She snapped and made her way to the kitchen.
Seth laughed and went after her. "Amy, having a baby – now – is ridiculous! Neither of us has a college degree or a safe income – we couldn't give a baby what it deserves." There had to be some way to talk some sense into that woman.
Amy turned around and shook her head. "You know, it's not all about the money." She said and narrowed her eyes. "It's about love. And we both have so much love to give to a baby."
"Geez, that can't be true." Seth mumbled to himself and rolled his eyes. "Do you even listen to yourself? We're so NOT ready for a baby. Not in a million years." He looked around and searched for a possible hidden camera, in case his girlfriend was playing a mean joke on him. "I mean we hardly agree on what we're gonna have for dinner, how could we agree on important decision that would concern our child?"
Amy lowered her gaze and shook her head. "Fine." She snapped and continued her way to the kitchen. "Now I know that you don't love me."
Seth's eyes widened and he shook his head, desperate. He really was at a loss for words right now. "What?" he exclaimed. "What stupid fuck do you wanna say now?"
Chewing on her lower lip, Amy turned around and shrugged. "A baby is the coronation of love between two people. And you don't wanna have a baby with me. Which means that you don't love me."
Seth closed his eyes, hoping to wake up from this insane nightmare he was just having. There was only one possibility that had made Amy go crazy like that: she was still drunk from her little session last night. That was the only explanation he had. "Please Amy." He mumbled and took a few steps in her direction. "Just because I don't wanna have a baby with you doesn't mean that I don't love you." He paused and rolled his lips inward.
Amy's gaze softened all of a sudden and she blinked. "Really?"
Seth forced himself to nod. "Yeah." He said, and his heart ached as soon as he had confirmed her question.
All of a sudden, Amy went over to him and fell into his arms. "You really love me?" she asked, her voice full of hope. Had the moment she had waited for so long enough finally arrived?
Seth swallowed and closed his eyes, an image of Summer appearing in front of his inner eye as soon as his eyes were shut. Her smile was infectious, and she was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. And the kiss from the night before had been... just paradise.
When Seth felt how Amy hugged him tighter his mind wandered back into reality again and he opened his eyes, sighing heavily. "I guess." He whispered, and in his mind, it was Summer he told the words. "I love you."
Amy squeaked as soon as Seth had said the words and she almost smothering him out of euphory. "Oh Seth." She said. "I love you too. I really love you."
Seth closed his eyes again to stop his head from spinning. All of a sudden he felt like throwing up. Was it from the painkillers he had recently taken or from his hangover? Or did he feel sick because he had just told Amy the biggest lie? He didn't love her. The realization of that came crushing down on him like an avalanche and he swallowed as Amy hugged him only tighter.
Had it been fair to tell Amy he loved her just to shut her up?
No, it hadn't.
But he didn't exactly tell Amy the words... he told them to Summer which had appeared in his head all of a sudden.
The more he thought about the past 24 hours, the sicker he got, and all of a sudden, Seth broke free from Amy's hug and ran into the bathroom, throwing up into the toilet. A few minutes later he leant back and sighed.
This birthday was getting better and better.
Next chapter: Walking On The Water – someone saw the kiss… and Seth calls Ryan.