A/N- Okay, a quick update, I had some spare time and decided to give the story some juice. Enjoy.
The next morning, Marissa awoke; she was sprawled across Ryan's frame. Her head barely touched the pillow and her legs were tangled in his. She couldn't have been happier or more uncomfortable. She shifted a little to try and find some comfort. Her leg brushed against Ryan intimately and he shifted a little. His body's reaction to just a leg brush told made her smile. She positioned her body over his, and leaned down to kiss him as she straddled him. Ryan slowly awoke and responded to the kiss.
He opened one eye and all he saw was Marissa. Everything he was feeling was Marissa. He opened the other eye and took them both on a journey they would never forget.
"Wow." Was all that Marissa could manage to say, a while later.
Ryan grinned at her and reached over to brush a hand over her hair. "Wow, yourself."
Marissa just smiled back and kissed Ryan again. "Look, I don't want to ruin this moment but…" She was about to bring up the rest of what they had between them but she broke off as Ryan's finger touched her lips.
"Then don't. We have all day, let's not rush. I'm feeling like a shower, what about you? Why don't I go get started and if you feel like you want to be clean… join me." He smiled devilishly and got out of bed completely naked.
Marissa called out to stop him. "Wait. I want to come with you but I don't think I can make it on my own, I'm a bit exhausted. Can you help me?" She smiled widely as he came back to her. He reached both arms around her and carried her to the bathroom the same way he had the night before. He knew they were putting off the inevitable talk but really, this was so much better.
8181818181818181818181818181818181818181818818181818181818181
An hour later, Marissa was fully dressed and sitting on Ryan's bed waiting for him to finish getting dressed too.
"I thought girls were supposed to take longer than their men." She called out to Ryan in the bathroom.
"Well, there's this hot girl at the pier I wanted to impress so…" Marissa cut him off with a pillow right to his head as he came out of the bathroom.
"Oh so you want to fight, is that what this is about?" Ryan grabbed a pillow and chased her around the room, she screamed as he caught her. Marissa kissed him lightly.
"Look, Ryan as much as we want to avoid what we have to talk about, it will just get worse. I love that you want to keep it like this but if we push it away, it will come back bigger. I want to say one thing. About Johnny."
Ryan's eyes flashed at the name. "Look, if you have to talk to someone else about things and you can't talk to me for whatever reason, fine. BUT after last night, I wdon't want it to be Johnny. I don't care what he may have said to you, you weren't here. His eyes… I don't think he meant to kill me but I don't think he was going to swerve either."
Marissa reached out and touched Ryan's cheek. "I slapped him. Hard. Right across the face. I don't want to see him again. I can't believe I let him come between us. I was drowning. I didn't know what I was going to do, and you seemed to have your path mapped out perfectly. It just seemed weird if I talked to you. I'm sorry about that." She smiled at him. "I'm done with being the weepy girl who comes to her boyfriend and he takes care of her. I just wanted to spare you that too." Ryan gave her a hug.
"I don't mind if you need to cry to me, I just wish you knew what you wanted when it comes to me. I want to be there but I can't if you won't let me."
"I know. I need to be able to be strong by myself first and then come to you if that's not enough. You know? That's why…. Well, I am applying to Berkeley like we talked about but, I'm applying to a few universities that aren't near here. I just, have to make decisions for myself, based on me. I'm not saying I'm going, I'm just saying, I need to keep all options open. Understand?" Marissa kissed him again, trying to gauge his reaction.
Ryan smiled a little, his heart feeling hurt on the inside. But he didn't want to show it, he wanted her to be happy, no matter what. So he kissed her, punctuating the kiss by lightly biting her lip. "Yeah, I do. Enough talking though, right? Why don't we…" He never got to finish his sentence as they heard a knock at the door.
"Well, I guess we should have expected that." Ryan got up and walked to the door then opened it. Seth stood in the doorway.
"Hey man, what do you want to do toda…Oh, hi Marissa. Why am I not shocked you're here? Dude, it's like she lives here, it's kind of disgusting." Seth finished with a wide smile. Finally the two had worked out their differences!
"Thanks, Seth." Marissa said. "Is Sum inside? I want to talk to her."
"Yes, m'lady." Seth turned to Ryan as Marissa walked out, "So buddy, you coming?"
Ryan's eyes were sparkling with an idea. It was taking root and he liked it. No, he loved it. "Where's Sandy?" He asked as he and Seth left the poolhouse.
8181818181818181818181818181818181818181818818181818181818181
"Move in! You want Marissa Cooper to move in with us?" Sandy was staring disbelieving at Ryan's eager face.
"Well, you agreed to it once…" Ryan started his case.
"That was when she was moving to Hawaii! There's a huge difference in the two situations. I don't like this idea at all." Sandy stared at Ryan, trying to figure out what prompted this.
"Look, Marissa has been staying at Summer's, since her Mom went broke. Summer could probably use a break. Besides, Marissa has stayed here before. It makes some sense." Ryan's eyes were pleading with Sandy.
"No, it doesn't. Ryan she doesn't even go to the same school. Frankly, I just don't see it happening."
"Look, she's applying to other universities, far universities. And besides the obvious fact I want to spend more time with her, I want to convince her that what we have is worth staying for… I … care about her, a lot and I want to be with her, but she has to want it as much or it won't work out." Ryan stared into the depths of Sandy's eyes, trying to figure out what he was thinking.
"You love her? Love?" Sandy questioned Ryan with his intense gaze and Ryan nodded.
"Yes, so much."
Sandy sighed, "I'll talk to Kirsten but and we'll see. Don't make me regret this."
Ryan smiled, walked over to Sandy and gave him a huge hug. "I never could have gone to my Dad with something like this." Nothing else he might have said would have made Sandy happier. He just smiled at Ryan and pulled him closer.
8181818181818181818181818181818181818181818818181818181818181
"Ryan wants to have a romantic night at the poolhouse? How is this any different than every Friday night? You guys are always making out." Summer's eyes were confused as she went through the closet with Marissa.
"I don't know, Sum but Ryan said he wanted it to be a special night. So I want it to be special." Marissa picked out a dress and Summer quickly put it back.
"Maybe he just wants to make sure he gets some tonight, I mean you guys were apart a long time." Marissa's shocked face looked at Summer for a few seconds.
"Summer!" Marissa stopped a second. "Wait, you really think so?"
Summer smiled at Marissa and said, "Well we know what part of the human body most guys think with, but I'm sure the night will be… kinda romantic although, it's hard to picture Ryan like that, even still."
"I know, he's different with me though. I wish I knew what this was about though. And I wish I knew what I was going to wear." Marissa stared at herself in the mirror, terrified and she didn't know why.
8181818181818181818181818181818181818181818818181818181818181
Ryan glared into his mirror, his stomach in knots.
"Dude, I still can't believe Mom and Dad agreed to this. Marissa moving in. Oi. The bathroom will never be available, you guys will always be in the poolhouse doing the dirty, I see the downfall now."
"Seth, calm down. And if Marissa's always in the bathroom then we can't always be in the poolhouse at the same time. Besides, I don't know if this is the best idea anymore." Ryan grabbed another shirt for the third time from his shelf. What did you wear when you asked a girl to move in with you.
"Dude, you know you want to. And anyways, would she stay in the guest room or in here with you?" Seth was sitting on the bed watching Ryan frantically get ready. It was funny how nervous he actually was.
"Oh, I don't know. I guess we'd work that out if she says yes. What if she doesn't want to? Would that make things different?" Ryan's eyes seemed like those of a trapped animal. Seth did the only thing he could think of, he got up and slapped Ryan right across the face.
"Sorry but you were getting weird. Calm down, she's going to be here soon, you'll figure it out. Don't worry, you'll get the answer you want."
"What answer?" Marissa walked up in a short black dress and Ryan all but fainted at the sight of her and the question.
"Um, for the video game. Jeopardy's such a bitch. Yeah, so Sum and I, we'll go now, you know. We'll see you later okay. Good luck Ryan." He paled as soon as he said it. Marissa's eyes narrowed and glanced at him. Before she could ask Seth continued, "With the game. Jeopardy. Yeah. Okay, bye." He quickly ran away.
"Well, he's acting weird." Marissa stared after Seth.
Ryan walked up to her and put his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. "You, look, like a Goddess." He kissed her and continued "Forget about him, anyway."
"Already forgotten. That little table for two with the roses and candles I passed on the way in, are they for us?" Marissa questioned as she took hold of Ryan's hand.
"Well, yeah." He smiled. "It's not grilled cheese this time, I ordered in."
"Really? Well that sounds great. Why don't we go eat? I'm excited for dessert." She said in a sexy voice.
"Oh, were we having any?" Ryan teased her and Marissa smiled back.
"Oh, yes we are." And they walked out to the table to eat.
"So, I saw Johnny today, he tried to talk to me but I left him in the hallway when I rushed to class. He didn't bother me but I…Ryan? Ryan, are you listening?" Ryan was staring just over her shoulder. She turned but there was nothing there. She was a little hurt that he hadn't been paying attention to her.
"Have I ever told you how incredibly beautiful you are. So beautiful it throws me sometimes. I'm looking at you and I think, wow I'm with her." Ryan looked up then, realizing everything he had said. Marissa's eyes were glistening.
"Wow. Where did that come from? Not that I didn't appreciate it, I just…"
"We don't get to tell the people that matter to us how much unless something terrible happens and it shocks us. I want you to know that you matter so much to me. I love you so much, I love what we have. I don't want to lose it and I don't need to have something tragic happen before I tell you."
"Ryan, what's going on? Did something happen? Are you okay?" Marissa's eyes were puzzled mixed in with happiness and fear.
"No, everything's okay. Perfectly fine. I wasn't sure about tonight but just watching you, listening to you talk, I realized I want that, all the time." Ryan reached over and put his hand on hers. "I want to talk to you all the time and be able to. I talked it over with the Cohen's, Marissa. I want you to move in with us… with me."
A/N Cliffhangerrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, review it folks, if you could.