Disclaimer: True to continued fashion – I do not own the OC.

A/N: So, currently fluffy is not my thing. I apologize. Really, I do. Eventually it will come. I promise. Stick with me till then. I'm working on it, it's just – you ever heard that saying that "art imitates life?" Yeah, well, that wasn't a lie.

Enough of the pessimistic mood – Read. Enjoy (hopefully). And, as always, review.

Oh & P.S. – thank you so much to all the reviewers. You guys are pretty much awesome. :)

Oh & P.P.S. – Italicized sentences are previously said sentences by other people (mostly Bethany, a few from Seth) that Summer's repeating in her head. I hope it makes sense in the story… let me know if it does or doesn't so I can rework future chapters.

Another added note – wow, this is really long author's note – I attempted my first SS oneshot the other day. It's called "Home" and if you haven't read it, go check it out & let me know what you think. Maybe I'll try more in the future… who knows?

Alright – seriously. I'm done.

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Seth looked up from his laptop, with his pen clenched between his teeth, when he heard a knock on the door.

He hesitated in answering, thinking it might be Bethany or Mandy or any other girl that might come along his way, but he opened the door, happy to see Summer standing there.

However, Summer didn't look so thrilled.

"Hey, Sum," Seth moved aside so Summer could walk in, "How was your night?"

Summer grunted as she walked into the kitchen, grabbing a Pepsi can from the refrigerator.

"Ahh, that good," Seth replied sarcastically.

Summer sighed, turning to face her boyfriend. "Look, I went out with Chad tonight. And I know you talked to him today. So I know you know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I was just really aggravated."

Seth sighed, smiling. Why yes, Seth Cohen was winner of the game. "Summer, it doesn't really matter. It's just, you don't need to try and make me jealous."

Summer grunted into her Pepsi can.

Seth looked up from his laptop again, "Seriously. You kind of have me, don't you think? We are living together."

Summer tried to smile, trying to ignore the growing uneasiness in her stomach, as she sat down on the couch next to him, kissing his cheek as she did so, "Yeah, we are." Summer's eyes turned to his laptop and all the work covering the coffee table. "What's all this?"

"Oh! Remember how I had a meeting with my boss tonight?" Summer nodded her head, waiting for him to continue. "Well, I got an assignment! I get to do some sort of research for this accounting firm in downtown LA. It's kind of undercover a bit – nothing illegal – and it's actually directly related to a case! I mean, I really have a lot of work to get done tonight and I'll probably only get two hours of sleep but finally! Something other than coffee runs!"

Summer felt happy for him and wished her insecurities – especially the ones that had come from talking with Bethany – would disappear so she could be just as happy too. Yeah, seconds earlier he had just said she had him but that was it. Sure, she had him but did he want her? Was their love slowly fading and quickly turning into a relationship of convenience? – Because they both knew they had to live together in order to keep their current jobs. There weren't any other roommate prospects available and both she and Seth knew that. Granted, back when they first talked about moving in together she thought Seth was ecstatic; basically telling everyone he knew – which, truth be told, wasn't a lot of people – that he was moving in with "Summer Roberts aka his girlfriend." But after the newness of the situation faded, did he still really feel the same or was it all simply routine?

Seth noticed Summer's quietness throughout his continued ramble and although he knew she was probably upset about losing "the battle," as he chose to call it, he didn't think she'd be this wrought over it. He placed his hand over her thigh and tried to catch her attention, "Sum?"

Summer looked up into his questioning eyes. She didn't know what else to do to calm her insecurities so she toppled him over backwards onto the couch, kissing the hell out of him. She figured if he didn't pull back there was nothing to worry about but if he did, well… she just really hoped he wouldn't pull back.

"Hey," Seth mumbled into her lips, "Hey, Summer… Come on, stop." Seth pushed her wandering hands away from his face and hair, gently moving her off of him so he could sit back up.

He pulled back.

"You pulled back," Summer whispered.

"I… ah… what?" Seth questioned, genuinely confused, rubbing the back of his head with his hand. "What was that - you attacking me? I just told you I have to get this work done tonight. I'll probably only get a few hours of sleep as it is. This new case is really important to me. And then suddenly you feel your sexual drive go into action so my own priorities don't matter? What the hell is wrong with you lately?"

Summer felt tears reaching the corner of her eyes. "I didn't… I don't… Jesus, Seth I don't fucking know!"

Seth stood up from the couch; "Summer, you can't keep jerking me around like this. I mean it. And you can't keep trying to parade other guys in front of me while I'm trying to fend off all the mounds of girls that are suddenly vying for my attention."

Summer sat there shocked. Seth backed down immediately. Yeah, Seth didn't mean for that to come out that way – or any way, really.

"Mounds of girls?"

"I didn't mean it like that." Seth shook his head, trying to stay calm.

"Mounds of girls!" Summer's voice grew louder and reverberated throughout the tiny apartment. In the back of her mind, she knew Bethany was listening intently to every word of this new forming argument but she couldn't help but let the anger get the best of her.

"Summer, will you just calm down? Let's be rational here. I'm not doing anything wrong. I don't think I'm ever doing anything wrong. But lately, for some reason, you've been trying to make it seem like everything's my fault."

Summer grunted again, rolling her eyes, not allowing the tone in her voice to calm or back down. "You're flirting with other girls! How is that not your fault?"

"I am not flirting with girls!" Seth shouted with as much intensity back, closing his eyes in aggravation, letting his attempt at staying calm during this new argument disappear.

"Oh, right. So girls are forgoing the introductions now and just right up in your face kissing you?"

Seth's voice softened a bit, noticing the screaming match he and Summer had found themselves in, "You know that's not what happened."

"I don't know that at all! Almost everyday you come home from work with Bethany attached to your side. Who knows how many other bimbos you're flirting with everywhere you go!"

"Where the hell is your trust in me? I don't go around flaunting myself off and you know that! I don't even have anything to flaunt off! God… Summer, honestly what has gotten into you!"

"Nothing! Absolutely nothing. I guess I'm just finally realizing my boyfriend doesn't think I'm enough anymore," Summer's tears that had been held back so far in the argument started to cascade down her cheeks.

"Summer," Seth walked closer to her, his voice softening as he got closer, "Why do I always have to reassure you about this?" Seth smiled and rubbed her cheeks with his hands, lightly laughing, "God… you should be the one reassuring me."

"Are you sure that Seth loves you as much as you think he does?"

Summer couldn't think. And the only action she could muster up was to tear her face away from Seth's hands.

"Maybe you have something to worry about, Summer."

Bethany's voice from their earlier conversation was bellowing in the silence of Summer's head.

"Summer…" Seth reached for her again but she pulled away.

"Face it. Maybe your relationship isn't as strong as you thought it was. Maybe it's about time to realize you've taken it as far as you two can go and that you both should just move on with the rest of your lives. Separately."

"No!" Summer yelled throwing a pillow from the couch at Seth's chest to keep him from coming closer. "Just… no. Don't."

"Summer, stop it."

"Hey, Summer... Come on, stop."

Now Seth's controlling voice from minutes earlier, pushing her lips away from his clouded her shaky mind. Summer fell to the floor, covering her face to hide her sobs.

Seth watched her for a few moments, speechless. Never in their past few weeks of fighting had Summer broken. She always tried to come out the fighter, never backing down. Maybe he had played the game too hard. Maybe he had really hurt her.

Oh, God. He had hurt her.

"Summer," Seth fell to the ground in front of her, gathering her in his embrace, "I didn't mean to hurt you, Summer. Come on, baby. Don't cry."

"I didn't mean to hurt you, Summer."

Summer pulled away abruptly and stared coldly at Seth, "Don't touch me."

Seth's reply was stern, but gentle. "Stop it. Don't push me away. You need to tell me what's going on."

"No. I don't need to do anything." Summer stood up, walking towards the bedroom.

Seth called after her, "Summer. Please. Just stop."

Summer reached the bedroom and closed the door without turning back towards Seth. She walked limply over to the bed and sat on Seth's side, falling sideways and laying her head in his pillow that smelled faintly of his body scent.

She was losing him. She was sure of it now.

He hadn't said he loved her once during that entire argument, or drama fest, or whatever you wanted to call it. He had said 'stop' plenty of times but never said 'love.' And he didn't mean to hurt her.

Oh God, was he hurting her.

He wouldn't kiss her. He had mounds of girls chasing after him. He didn't mean to hurt her.

Summer hadn't cried this much in so long. Actually, now that she thought about it, she hadn't cried this much since the weeks following Marissa's death.

And with that thought, her tears turned into racking sobs wishing her best friend could walk her through this and tell her that she and Seth were meant to be and that they would get through this. After thinking this, she evilly laughed to herself. She should be past Marissa's death by now. She shouldn't be wallowing in already shed tears and instead should be out finding a new best friend to become her maid of honor for her future wedding.

A wedding she had always hoped would have Seth playing the part of the groom.

Summer concluded she was fucked up. Here she was, pathetically crying about a dead best friend and a failing relationship.

All she needed was a reassurance. A reassurance about anything.

Cause nothing was making sense anymore.

Summer lay there crying into Seth's pillow, trying to fall asleep for virtually four hours.

Seth hadn't once tried to come into the bedroom.

She saw the light that was coming from the hallway turn off at nearly 3am. Summer thought Seth would be coming to bed now and maybe they could forget the fight ever happened. Forget that Summer had pushed him away and forget that he had hurt her.

But he didn't come.

Summer waited. At 3:14am, she got up from the bed and quietly opened the door and took a peek out into the living room.

Seth was sleeping on the couch.

Summer retreated back into the bedroom, this time falling quickly asleep on her side of the bed to the sounds of her own cries.

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Summer was getting damn irritating lately, keeping all her emotions holed up, not voicing them to Seth. Seth had thought they had gotten past this back in high school. She didn't need to hide from him. She didn't need to put up her guard and push him away when she started feeling a little emotional.

But for some unknown reason she was resorting back to her high school ways.

And Seth hadn't a clue what to do about it.

He tried to work some more on his assignment knowing he had to get it done and also thinking it would help him keep his mind off of Summer.

Too bad it wasn't working.

After three hours he still only managed to write two pages of information. He inwardly cussed out Summer for making him feel this way; for making him incompetent when it came to getting his work done. But he just couldn't stay mad at her.

Because she was Summer. And he was Seth. And he loved her with every fiber in his scrawny, swimmers build body.

Seth finally gave up and shut off his laptop and the living room light, deciding it would probably be better to sleep on the couch for the night. He didn't have enough energy for Round 2 with Summer and he needed to get at least some sleep so he could muster up a terrific excuse for his boss as to why he only had two measley pages of information.

He lay with his head facing towards the ceiling, wishing he knew what was wrong with Summer. He didn't mean to play games with her so much that it hurt her – he just wanted to stop the constant arguing.

Seth loved Summer, but did she love him? Was it even worth working this hard in their relationship anymore?

Seth shook his head, scolding himself. He knew immediately that of course it was. But did Summer feel the same?

Because if she didn't, well, he might as well jump off a cliff because he really didn't think he could ever live without her. Even with all the girls that had made their single status known to him in the past few months, he knew he could never love any of them remotely as much as he loved Summer Roberts.

Suddenly, a single tear escaped his eye, running down his defined cheekbones.

Seth turned on his side and slowly faded into dreamland – where everything in reality was only a scary nightmare.

And for the first time in almost a year, Summer and Seth didn't sleep through the night against one another's beating chests.