Author's Note
Thank you to everyone who wanted this to be continued. Genuinely touching responses to it. Sorry it took what I think might be over a month. Poor show on my part. Hope you all enjoy it and it was worth the wait! All feedback appreciated.
Summer was relieved that Ryan had let her finish talking once she had got into pitching Operation: Best Life. Not that she had told him it was called that. This was all very casual, as casual as flying the width of the continent could be.
"Well, you told me you were looking for someone to live with and well", she paused, gesturing around the flat. "Now that I've seen this place I agree. I think it would get really lonely". She waited to see his reaction.
Ryan raised his eyebrows.
"Sure…?" he paused, crossing his arms "Is this about Taylor? I'm okay, honestly. It has been months now and she is on a different continent. You didn't need to come all this way, I mean, not that I don't appreciate it"
Summer couldn't help a sad smile and felt the desire to hug him rise within her. There was an audible pain in his voice, even though he was trying to hide it.
"No no, not Taylor based...Ahh…", Summer realised now that Taylor had been mentioned the stakes seemed higher. Out with it Roberts, she thought.
"Okay, so Ryan...It is about Anna". Unlike the hurt he had tried to keep from his voice, Ryan made no attempt to hide the look of confusion that passed across his face.
"What about her?" he asked to clarify, his eyes flicking away as he tried to work out what was going on. Summer could tell his mind had latched onto something. "Is this to do with when I asked you if she was okay? Is she in trouble?" Summer watched his body language shift from confused to agitated in a matter of seconds.
"Ryan, it is okay", she held up her hands. "She is okay, she is safe", Summer paused, taking a breath. Since things hadn't worked out with Taylor, Ryan had been in a strange hadn't known what to do for the last half a year, she wasn't really sure if now was the time for it.
But Summer knew Ryan Atwood, and she knew that even on a good day he was prone to give into his need to save people. Between his potentially not great mental state and the fact that this particular person was a woman he cared about, Summer knew it was important to keep him calm and level. Focusing on what had happened to Anna wasn't a good idea right now, focusing on the future seemed the better option.
"She is okay", Summer repeated. "But she has left Brown, amicably. They've been really great about it...Turns out the board can be nice if you aren't an eco-terrorist, who knew?" Her voice might've gone a little too high at the end. Ryan's expression didn't change for consternation. Clearly not here for the jokes right now, Summer noted.
"Why? It sounded like it was going well. She told me about the specific professor she wanted to oversee her dissertation and some plan to get her to notice her".
Summer noted the mix of emotions in Ryan's voice and words. She suspected the true extent of Ryan and Anna's friendship was unknown to any of them. Ryan had a habit of not being entirely honest with himself on these matters. Anna, on the other hand, had doubted that Ryan talked to her out of anything other than politeness and pity when the idea of living with him came up.
'I think he felt bad after everything that happened with me, you and Seth honestly, so checked in on me while I was in a bad way, then I think he was too polite to stop corresponding'.
The tone in Ryan's voice told Summer otherwise.
"Yes, she told me about that as well", Summer sighed "Unfortunately that isn't going to happen. Brown are letting her transfer her existing accreditation...And she is transferring to…" Summer made a small hand gesture. "You guessed it, Berkeley! Turns out the WASC is a lot more accepting of accreditation transfers than you'd think for someone like Anna. Again, I think good grades and a lack of eco-terrorism are probably the two defining factors here".
Summer realised she was rambling slightly and coughed. Ryan's face had gone impassive.
"All of that to say, she will be heading out here. She needs somewhere to live, you need someone to live with". Summer held out one palm to represent each of them and then combined them in the middle, a gesture which had the desired effect of making Ryan smile.
"Okay. Okay", Ryan repeated, mulling it over and crossing his arms. He stopped for a moment, processing the new information. "And she is alright? Where is she now?"
Summer gave him a warm smile and moved closer, putting her hand on one of his tensed forearms.
"Atwood, trust me. For the third or maybe fourth time, she is okay. She is a tough cookie. And I'm sure she'll be touched you got all pent up over here in your new brood cave". Deliberately ignoring the question about where Anna was, Summer felt him relax slightly at her touch. His hardened muscle gave way ever so slightly, but enough.
"Okay. I'm sorry, we just messaged quite a lot. Things seemed to be going well for her. And then she just disappeared, about…" he trailed off. "Anyway..."
Summer knew the timeframe better than Ryan did, but she let him speak. She had been in Providence with a front row seat to Anna's last few months.
"So you are asking me if she can live here? Why isn't she here asking me this?" Ryan asked, caution in his voice, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly.
"Not so much, 'can Anna live here' and more, if Anna were to ask if she could live here, would you be open to the idea? You know, conceptual stage, like one of the sketches you showed me last time we were down". Ryan looked down to her, now they were closer the height difference was more pronounced. She could see his chest rising and falling behind his crossed arms.
"Okay. I mean, I think you probably know my next question".
"Yes, Seth knows and gives his depressingly mandatory consent", Summer shook her head in only slightly exaggerated consternation and sighed. Ryan gave a slight smile, but there was more sadness on his face then there had been before. Summer worried he was remembering one of the myriad bad memories from their teenage years.
"Depressingly mandatory", he croaked out.
"I try not to think about it honestly. Cohen has an incredible knack for laying claim to people". Ryan opened his mouth but the words died there and he closed it again. Summer felt her heart sink slightly. Even after all these years it seemed Seth loomed large here.
"I don't think it is a good idea…" Ryan said, sighing. "I mean", words failed him. Summer ever so slightly tightened the grip on his arm. The desire to hug him was still there. She knew better than maybe even Seth how to deal with Ryan's discomfort when it came to articulating his emotions.
"Atwood," she said, before changing her mind, "Ry. It is okay. here is no pressure here and nothing can go wrong. Things are different now". Summer looked up at him, right into his deep blue eyes. Eyes she realised were cloudy with doubt. He had been hurt badly, twice in two years, and a hundred times before that.
"You say that", Ryan smiled sadly, as if reading her mind. "Something always goes wrong when I'm involved". He drew back slightly, away from her touch. "If she is in a bad way, if something has made her leave Brown, I don't want to make it worse".
Summer walked slowly towards him.
"Ry", she said softly. "It is okay, you don't have to decide now. Just think about it, okay? We can talk about it more after dinner if you want. Seeing as I just wrangled myself into some more Sophie-Rose time". She said, genuinely thrilled. Ryan gave a slight laugh, but it came heavily out of his tense chest.
"Okay, sure", he said, giving her a weak but genuine smile as he walked away to the window. "But don't be disappointed if I still don't know the answer..."
"Ryan", she said, shaking her head. "I mean it, no pressure, okay? Take your time. Let yourself feel and think and we can talk about it more. I'm in no rush to get back to the East Coast". Summer looked across at him. Right now, Che would've said that Ryan had the aura of a wounded animal.
"Okay", he said slowly after a few moments, breathing out a single, stilted breath.
"I don't know if this is the heat or the jetlag, but I'm going to hug you now, because you look like you need it", Summer said, making a short beeline for him. He just managed to uncross his arms in time as her head connected against his chest.
"That's okay", he said, and she felt his arms close around her, his breathing levelling out.
Between the situation with Anna and the concerns about her Father and Seth in her own life, she needed the hug as well. For a few minutes they stayed there, rocking gently back and forth occasionally in the silence.
"Thank you Sum", Ryan said, his voice slightly croaking as they pulled away.
"And thank you, Ry", she smiled up at him. "Now I genuinely need to do something in town for Dad, but I'll be back here and you can drive me to the Cohens for some delicious dinner". Ryan smiled and nodded.
"I was actually thinking of walking, it is a cool hike into the Berkeley hills from here. About forty minutes?" Ryan said, ponting out the window. "Do our bit to save the planet and enjoy the view on the way?"
"You know just what to say. But if I get tired of wearing heels up that hill you are carrying me, got it?" Summer said, pointing to his arms.
"Deal", he smirked. "Will you come back here? When you are done with...whatever you are doing?"
"If you aren't sick of me", she said, smirking.
"Not even slightly", he replied.
Summer pulled out her phone once she was far enough from Ryan's new flat. She selected her home phone number back in Newport. It rang out for what seemed like forever before someone picked up.
"Blanche?" Anna said down the phone, speaking in a lower tone to try and disguise her voice.
"Hello there Rose, a devastatingly beautiful woman reporting in". Summer said, flicking her hair back as she deployed their code phrase. It probably wasn't necessary for it to be that complex but as Anna started giggling down the phone, Summer was happy to have come up with the idea.
"How are you? How is he? How did it go?" she asked in a flurry.
"Better than expected...I think..." Summer paused, wanting to get the awkward part of this conversation out of the way. "Anna, would you consider flying here?".
As Summer had expected, there was no response down the phone.
"I don't know…" she said quietly. "I don't want to guilt him into something he doesn't want to do. I think that is more likely if he can see me". Summer sighed. These two were a pair. Or they might be, if they'd stop hiding from the world.
"That is because he cares about you", Summer said, switching her phone from one ear to the other. No response.
"Okay, I'll be down in a day or two", Summer continued when it became clear Anna wasn't going to respond. "Do you feel safe? Do you have everything you need?"
"Oh yes, I'm eating takeaway and catching up on my classics, if you were here it would be perfect", Anna paused. "Did you know your Dad still pays for every movie channel in this house even though no-one lives here?"
"That really doesn't surprise me Rose", Summer said, trying not to reflect on her Dad's insistence on keeping that house functional.
"Are you sure you are okay?" Summer needed the peace of mind before she got back to Ryan.
"I'm a lot better", she said earnestly, "I'm sorry I worried you. I'm okay. I'm getting there", Anna's manner was stilted as she fumbled over her words. "I even got on your Dad's rowing machine earlier...Though I think I did it wrong. Then I nearly threw my back out trying to pick up one of his dumbbells", To Summer's relief, she kept laughing. It was good to hear her laughing again. When Summer had helped her get settled in the Newport mansion, she had been worryingly quiet and withdrawn.
"You won't lack dumbbells in the Berkeley flat either, I can tell you that. Dad and Ryan are cut from the same cloth on that one. Few words, big weights. Like the opposite of Cohen", Summer said, knowing that a Seth jab usually got her smiling.
Instead, there was silence again, the line crackled slightly with the lack of input.
"Are you sure you are okay being away from Seth this long, and jetting all over the place. I don't think I'm helping you lower your carbon footprint". This time Summer laughed.
"Don't sweat it, just giving me more incentive to stick to being vegan. And I think time apart actually helps. Maybe it is some sort of distance makes the heart grow fonder dynamic. Whatever it is, Seth has a horde of nerds to keep him busy and I'm here for you and Ryan, okay?"
Anna didn't respond again for a moment. She had become more guarded, not that Summer could blame her.
"Thank you Summer, I'm not sure what I did to deserve all this but thank you, so much". Anna's voice cracked slightly at the end. Summer's mind went back to when they were sixteen or seventeen. Anna standing there, having only just broken up with Seth. Telling both of them separately exactly what they needed to get over themselves and save their relationship after all the heartache and struggle.
"I think you know, but if you need reminding, I'll tell you over wine and Chinese takeaway when I get back. Anyway, I should probably go, if that's okay?"
Silence again as Anna processed the situation.
"Yes, all good sorry. World Cinema is about to start showing Battleship Potemkin, I hear it is one of your favourites". Summer's brow creased in confusion.
"Not sure I follow you Rose. Is this some geek joke of yours?"
"Kinda, yeah", she said, Summer could hear her smile. " I'll tell you over Chinese", Anna paused, considering her next words carefully. "If it seems appropriate, tell Ryan I hope he is well".
"I'll see how tonight goes. And maybe you'll be able to tell him yourself soon enough anyway". Summer hinted playfully. The line went silent and for a moment Summer thought she'd put a foot wrong.
"I hope so", Anna said, in a voice just above a whisper.
