Chapter Eight - Hanging From The Silence

"Water or orange juice?"

"How about a Red Bull, I'm exhausted." Ryan smiled as he entered the kitchen, and standing next to Marissa at the counter. "And it's your entire fault!" Ryan poked Marissa playfully as she laughed, before going to sit down at the table. Marissa brought over a mug of coffee and placed it in front of him.

"I figured you could get your caffeine some other way, without making you completely hyper." Marissa smiled, perching on Ryan's lap at the table, wrapping her arms around his torso. "I'm so cold! My body is so not made for this kind of weather!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Ryan nodded, rubbing the small patch of skin that showed between her pajama top and bottoms. Marissa sighed, leaning her head in his shoulder. "Hey, where's your Dad?"

"Good point." Marissa replied, shaking her head. "I actually have no idea. He said he was going out for the night, but I don't know where…"

"You tried ringing?" Marissa shook her head again, answering Ryan's question.

"Anyway, I don't mind…" Marissa replied, her lips forming a smile. "I had you to keep me occupied." Ryan returned the smile, pressing his lips to her cheek, hugging her tighter as his face rested against hers.

"I don't want you to leave…" Marissa whispered quietly into Ryan's chest, sighing at the moment which they both knew would come too soon.

"Marissa…" Ryan replied, gently turning her face so it mirrored his own. As he stared into her blue eyes, his own glazed over at the sight of sadness that riddled her face, he tried to think of anything to say, anything to make her feel the slightest bit better, but no words came. Marissa dropped her head, before getting up from Ryan's lap and walking dejectedly over to the window again. Ryan looked down to the floor, shrugging his hands into his pockets as he got up and followed her path to the window, standing behind her and placing his hands uncertainly on her hips.

"I'm sorry…" Marissa shivered slightly as Ryan whispered into her ear after a moment of silence. She nodded, and felt Ryan's hands grip just a little tighter, searching for her hands. She intertwined their fingers, rubbing his palms with her thumbs as she turned around into his embrace.

"It's not your fault, Ry." She answered, looking down before looking quickly back up again. "It's just the way things go sometimes, I guess…" Ryan nodded, placing a hand under her chin, smiling as he tried to lift the mood.

"Hey," Ryan started, a smile curving on his lips. "Why don't you go get ready, we'll go somewhere…" Marissa returned his smile, her face brightening slightly.

"Ryan Atwood, do you want to go out on a date?" Marissa said, playfully smiling as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I thought you didn't do dates…" She laughed as Ryan smiled wider, turning them towards the door.

"Only for you, baby…" Marissa laughed at Ryan's answer, before letting go of his hands and walking out of the kitchen door. Ryan smiled at her retreating figure, before sitting back down at the kitchen table, wrapping his fingers around the coffee mug to try and replace the warmth.

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Ryan turned his head as he heard the key turn in the lock to the apartment, placing the magazine he had been flicking through back on the coffee table. Sure enough, Jimmy entered the flat, cheeks flushed from the cold and gripping a handful of letters.

"Hey, Mr. Cooper." Ryan stood up, brushing down his trousers and turning around.

"Hi, Ryan." Jimmy replied, walking over to the cabinet at the side of the room, tucking the letters into a drawer before sliding off his coat and hanging it on the hook. "How are things?"

"Good, good…" Ryan nodded, wringing his hands together as he sat back down. "Uh…so where you been?" He asked, wincing a little at how blunt that sounded.

"Oh, you know, just out and about." Jimmy faltered a little, before replying. "Figured I'd give you and Marissa some space." Ryan nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yeah, thanks…"

"You going out, you look pretty smart?" Jimmy asked, walking over to the couch and sitting down on the armchair opposite to Ryan.

"Yeah, I'm taking Marissa out to dinner." Ryan said, before looking up uncertainly, coughing slightly. "I mean, uh…if that's okay with you…" Jimmy laughed.

"Of course it's okay with me, Ryan." Jimmy responded. "Although I'm sure you would take her out even if it wasn't." Ryan laughed slightly, before looking a little confused. Luckily Marissa chose that moment to come out of her bedroom, clutching her purse and dressed up to the nines.

"Hey Dad!" Marissa exclaimed, shutting the door behind her and smiling at her father. Jimmy returned the smile, getting up and kissing her cheek.

"Hey kiddo, you look beautiful." Jimmy smiled at her, before nodding at Ryan and signalled towards his own room. "Anyway, I'm gonna go get some shut-eye; you kids have a good time tonight, okay?" Marissa smiled as Jimmy shut the door behind him, jumping round to Ryan as she did a little twirl.

"So, what do you think?" Marissa asked, gesturing towards her outfit, a simple strappy black dress with a silver necklace which Ryan had bought for her for her birthday a few years back. Ryan smiled at the sight of her.

"What do I think?" Ryan got up, still smiling to place his arms around her.

"Yes, what do you think?" Marissa replied, smiling as she took his arms and placed them around her waist.

"I think you look beautiful…" Ryan said seriously, before leaning in to connect his lips with hers, rubbing her hips gently with his fingers. Marissa smiled, pulling back as she undid the top button of his shirt, brushing her fingers down his chest.

"You're looking pretty good too…" Marissa stated, taking his hand and pulling him towards the door, grabbing her purse from the sofa in the process. Ryan took his jacket from the hook which was situated behind the door, passing it to Marissa

"It's pretty cold outside." Ryan said, draping it around her shoulders as Marissa smiled widely, gripping his jacket tighter around her.

"What about you, you can't freeze to death…" Marissa replied, taking his hand and rubbing it with her own.

"Ah, see…that's where you come in handy…" Ryan smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist as he leaned into her, the two of them walking out of the apartment together.

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"Ryan, this place is expensive…" Marissa said quietly, gesturing at the exquisitely designed menu. "I mean…"

"Marissa, its fine…" Ryan smiled back at her, rubbing her hand gently under the table. "Besides, I want to treat you…I'm leaving in two days remember…" Marissa's face fell at the mention of his departure, before quickly smiling to cover it up.

"Yeah, well..." Marissa recovered, replying to Ryan's previous statement. "What I want to know is how you can afford a place like this." Marissa nudged Ryan gently, smiling, as he laughed slightly.

"Didn't I tell you?" Marissa looked up questioningly as Ryan asked the question. "I got a job at the Bait Shop." Marissa looked shocked for a second, before laughing.

"You're working at the Bait Shop!" Marissa answered, between her laughter. "…Why!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do on a Saturday night…" Ryan said, a smile playing on his lips. "I mean, you're not there to keep me entertained after all." Marissa smiled sadly, before looking down at her hands in her lap. After a minute or two, she leant her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Hey, I've, uh, been meaning to ask you something…" Ryan said quietly, gently taking a hold of Marissa's hand as he turned towards her. The moment was interrupted as a voice shrieked into both of their ears.

"Marissa!" Marissa turned her head at the mention of her name, peering around the restaurant until her eyes rested on Britney, who was waving from a few tables away. Ryan groaned inwardly as Marissa turned back to him with a concerned look on her face. Britney got up from her table where she sat with her parents, and made her way over to their booth.

"Hey you guys!" Britney exclaimed. "I had no idea you would be here tonight!"

"Yeah, trust me, if I had known you were coming, we definitely would have skipped it…" Ryan thought, looking at Britney with a slight look of disappointment on his face. Trust someone to interrupt just when he had something important to say, it wasn't that he didn't like Britney, he just found her…annoying. And Courtney-like, which wasn't a good thing. And the fact that she had just interrupted didn't do a thing to help her cause. He looked over to Marissa, who smiled uncertainly at him, as Britney sat down opposite them both.

"Hope you don't mind me joining, you know what it's like with the parentals, so boring." She smiled widely at the two, picking up a menu. "You guys ordered yet?"

"Actually…" Ryan cut in, smiling falsely across the table. "We were just leaving…." Britney's face fell. Ryan nodded, as he turned to look at Marissa, who looked confused. Ryan pulled out his wallet from the table and placed a few bills under the menu, leaving Britney left on her own.

"Ryan!" Marissa called, out of breath as they ran out of the restaurant laughing. "I can't believe you just did that!" Ryan stopped, drawing her into his arms as they stood out on the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry…" Ryan answered, his face falling as he saw Marissa's face flush from the cold and begin to shiver. "I just ruined the whole evening didn't I?" Marissa laughed.

"What? No!" Marissa answered, smiling as she leaned into him. "I don't think I could stand an evening with "Miss Popular" either." Ryan laughed as he took her hand, walking back down the sidewalk together.

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Ryan wasn't quite sure how they had ended up there, but in between a piggy-back and a stop-off at the coffee house, Ryan and Marissa were sat on a bench over looking a river, in the middle of nowhere. They sat contently together, Marissa's head on his chest and their hands intertwined. Sitting in the comfortable silence that conceded between them, they watched the world go by, and in that moment, they felt perfect.

But perfection never comes without its flaws…

The moonlight glistened down on the couple as the night passed by, the two blissfully unaware of the situation slowly forming around them…


A/N:- So yeah. Please, PLEASE, review! Tell me what you like/don't like…just anything. Please: )♥