Lunch at the Cohen's
Kirsten had really mastered the art of cooking and everyone was enjoying their meal. Whenever the conversation seemed to lull, Sandy could always be relied upon to find a topic to keep it flowing. It was interesting, it seemed as if everyone had picked up on Ryan and Marissa's vibe and there was very little discussion about the "old days". No one wanted to deal with what had happened before. They discussed current affairs, movies and fashion – well at least the girls did. And…It turned out Seth was a expert on Victoria's Secret as he'd basically memorised the entire catalogue… which of course brought him another dead arm from Summer.
"Why is everyone always hitting me?" Seth whined.
"Probably because you are always being as ass" Summer replied.
"I'm sure there must be something I can do to stop this…. Father you're the lawyer. Can you organise a restraining order against Summer and Ryan to stop them from hitting me."
"Well I could I guess… but then you'd be pretty lonely. They are your best friends." Sandy smiled.
"Hmm true…Captain Oats has lost a little of his appeal over the last couple of years."
"So do you still want me to go ahead with the restraining order?"
"Hmm…hold fire for the moment …I need to think it through. …If they are nice to me I may give them another chance."
Kirsten looked at Marissa who was watching Seth and laughing. "We have basically the same conversation every Sunday. He hasn't changed at all. I don't know how Summer puts up with him." She explained.
---
Summer sat there watching her 'family' as she liked to think of them. These were the people most important in her life. The people she would do anything for.
It was like they were back in high school. Seth and Sandy having a go at one another… Kirsten trying to keep the peace… Ryan and Marissa making eyes at one another, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there was another person on the planet. The only thing different was the food. Home made by Kirsten was definitely something that they weren't used to back then. Sure she had started trying to cook when they were in Senior year but it had taken her a while to perfect it. Now she was a terrific cook and they all looked forward to one of her meals.
Summer sat watching the banter between them and wished that the day would never end. It seemed so right. How had this ever changed? Well she knew it had changed because Marissa had had to move away when Caleb and then Jimmy had left Julie and her with no money… forcing Marissa to become the breadwinner of the family. But why had it taken so long for her to come back to them?
And something had definitely happened between Chino and Marissa in final year of college. Summer didn't know exactly what, Chino had never exactly explained but he had returned from New York that New Year a shell of his former self saying Marissa had moved to London. He had gone, on what Summer termed, a 'bonking spree' and she worried a bit about his sanity. She didn't know who he was. Certainly not the Chino she had come to think of as one of her best friends. He never for a moment pretended to feel anything for the women but pure lust, and they all knew that. He never promised to even remember their names but he must have been really good at what he was doing, because there was never a shortage of women waiting to fill his bed on any night of the week.
By the end of college he seemed to have gotten over it and since the time that he had started his business he had been almost a singularly driven man, in throwing himself totally into making his business a success.
There had still been a continuos supply of women keen to be the woman in his life but it was almost as if he had turned off that part of himself and closed it down just like you might close down part of a factory and he had turned himself into a factory that built an incredible business that was Atwood Constructions. For a while he would take a partner on his arm to a function, if it seemed appropriate to do so, but for the last couple of years he had gone alone, fed up with the 'hand bags' that were nothing more than accessories to his life; preferring to go alone. He was successful enough that no one would ever question anything he did.
Summer could see just from looking at him that this was a different Ryan. He looked years younger and yet, there was an uncertainty about him.
He could barely take his eyes off Marissa for even a moment and yet there was an uncertainty that she recognised. Marissa had been right. They really didn't know what was happening between them.
Summer just hoped that this time they worked it out. She couldn't bear to see her two friends hurt again. She thought back to her conversation with Marissa and something had troubled her. Marissa had seemed to indicate that it was Ryan that had broken her heart. Summer had always thought that it had happened the other way around. She wondered what really happened. She knew that Ryan had never spoken about it to anyone, not even Seth. She wondered if she would ever have a chance of getting the full story from Marissa. She decided if the opportunity ever arose then she would try to find out exactly what happened. Who knows, maybe she could help make sure it never happened again.
When they finished lunch they started to clear the table and Sandy said.
"Why don't you four go and do something together. You could go down to the pier and get an ice cream or go to the diner for a milkshake."
"What do you say Marissa?" Seth asked.
"Sure." Marissa said looking at Ryan for some sign from him.
He just smiled and said "What about we clean up first?"
"No. Just leave that to us. We oldies have got nothing better to do. And when we've finished we can have a little rest until you come back." Kirsten added.
"Okay then… let's go." Summer said pulling Seth towards the front door. "I vote for the diner."
"You would. I think you're addicted to those Black & White milk shakes." Seth laughed as they all piled into his Range Rover.
---
Back in the kitchen Sandy was stacking the dishwasher while Kirsten put the leftovers in the fridge.
"Now ... about that little rest we are having" he raised his eyebrows at her suggesting anything but a rest.
"Down boy we have more important things on our minds." Kirsten smiled, loving the fact that her husband still found her desirable.
"We do?" he looked at her with his best disappointed puppy dog eyes.
"Yes we do." She laughed.
"Okay it was worth a try …So…what do you think?" Sandy asked.
"About what?" Kirsten replied playing dumb.
"You know about what? Ryan and Marissa. Isn't that what 'we' have on our minds? Although they really aren't what was foremost on my mind." Sandy said trying one more time to persuade his wife to come to bed with him.
"Yes it was. You're just trying to not deal with it…You saw it too?" Kirsten looked at him obviously worried.
"You'd have to be blind not to see it. They could barely take there eyes off one another." Sandy admitted.
"I know." Kirsten said with a worried look.
"You don't approve?" Sandy asked.
"It's not up to us to approve. He's a grown man, more than able to make his own decisions. I just don't want to see him get hurt again."
"I know… but what can we do?" Sandy asked.
"We can't do anything. Just be there for him in case anything does happen. Don't get me wrong there's a part of me that can think of nothing better than the two of them being together. I mean I want to see him happy and let's face it he was happier today than he has been for years but…"
"But?" Sandy asked.
"Well you know….you know what he was like in that final year of college. And even when he started the business. He was almost driven…There was no room in his life for anything besides the business. I know, if we or Seth and Summer ever wanted him, he would be there in a moment. But other than us, he cut himself off from everyone. It's only been the last 12 months and this project with the low-income homes that has finally seemed to restore his …I don't know…humanity. Is that the word? It's almost like it's brought him back from the dead. He had cut himself off from his emotions. I'd hate to see him go back to the way he was." Kirsten explained.
"Yeah well he's a big boy now…we have to let him make his own decisions…and from the look of him he's already made his choice. And from what I could tell, so has she. But isn't she only here for a couple of months? I mean what happens then?" Sandy asked.
"That's what worries me. I can't see there being any future in this. They lead such different lives now. She lives in Europe. He works in the States."
"I know. You don't think he would take off after her. Do you?"
"I guess anything's possible. We'll just have to wait and see."
"Do you think I should have a talk to him? You know just make sure he has thought it through?" Sandy asked.
"From the looks of them, I think it's too late for that."
They all got into Seth's Range Rover, Summer and Seth in the front and Ryan and Marissa in the rear. Ryan looked at Marissa and smiled. He was desperate to hold her and kiss her. The occasional touch under the table at lunch wasn't nearly enough. It may have only been a few hours since they were in bed together but it felt like forever. They kept staring at one another trying to convey to one another how they were feeling without actually touching, oblivious to the fact that Seth was watching them in the rear view mirror.
"Okay… I know you all think I'm self absorbed but even I can tell there is something going on and I'm guessing that Summer has already got it all out of Marissa because its one of the things I love about her. That she persists until you break." he explained.
She smiled and lent over and kissed him. "I'm glad you're so proud of me."
"Yeah. But I think the two in the back should just give up the game and come clean. I mean it's only us now, no parentals in sight, and I don't see why you should have to keep everything from me?" Seth suggested.
"Probably, because you would tell everyone." Marissa said.
"That's not true. I can keep a secret." Seth replied indignantly.
"Yeah… What's your record? About 2 days?" Ryan added.
"Hmm…. I'm not sure I've ever lasted that long. But I am getting better." Seth replied.
Marissa and Ryan looked at one another. He put his arm out and said "Come here." and she moved to lean her head on his shoulder laying her hand on his leg as he wrapped his arm around her.
"So?" Seth asked.
Ryan smiled "Well we didn't want to tell anyone just yet because we figured you would all think that it is too soon.? He kissed Marissa softly on the lips. "But…well….things sort of happened when we got together. So…anyhow… I have asked….and Marissa has consented……."
Seth's heart started to pound. This couldn't be happening. Ryan couldn't get engaged before him. Summer would kill him. They had been talking about it for ages now, and he fully intended to propose, he just hadn't gotten around to it. Ryan couldn't do this. Seth could see that there was something special between Ryan and Marissa but they couldn't rush into this. It would be wrong on so many levels. He had to stop them. Plus it could be the only way to stop Summer from killing him. Perhaps if he had a heart attack that would stop Ryan from saying anything more but since he was driving that may not be such a good idea.
Ryan noticed Seth turning pale. He knew that Seth had been procrastinating about proposing to Summer and Ryan had specially selected his words to make Seth uncomfortable and it certainly seemed to have worked. He watched his brother almost hyper ventilating and decided he should put him out of his misery. "….To being my girlfriend." Ryan lent over and kissed Marissa sweetly again.
"Aw man…. how could you do that to me." Seth said starting to return to his normal colour as he felt the blood returning to his head.
They all laughed. Summer especially. She obviously knew what Ryan was about to say and she enjoyed watching Seth's discomfit.
"So I'm guessing that drinks on Friday went well?" Seth asked as he recovered.
"You have no idea." Marissa smiled and kissed Ryan gently.
"No… But I'm guessing Summer does and my little munchkin will tell me all… I have ways of getting her to talk. Actually I have ways of getting her to moan." Seth smiled.
"Seth...Too much information…actually much too much." Ryan stated.
"Aw... you can talk…from the glow in the back seat, I'm guessing you're either radioactive or there has been a lot more than talk going on between you two."
Ryan looked at Marissa and smiled. "Maybe we're radioactive?"
"Yeah. And I'm Spiderman." Seth muttered.
---
When they arrived at the diner they took a booth towards the back. Summer and Seth on one side and Marissa and Ryan on the other. The waitress came over and took their orders and kept looking at Marissa and Ryan, almost ignoring Summer and Seth who just thought it was funny. She came back a short time later and asked for Ryan and Marissa's autographs. They chatted for a few minutes and then another waitress brought over their drinks and chilli fries and she wanted autographs as well. Ryan and Marissa obliged and went back to talking with Seth and Summer, not realising that the diner had been slowly filling up and was now almost packed and there was a crowd starting to form outside the door. Seth looked up. "Umm… Either they are giving away free food here or there is some other special attraction and I have a feeling it might be you two."
Ryan and Marissa turned and realised what he was talking about.
"What are we going to do?" Marissa said.
"Um...let's get out of here." Ryan called the waitress over. "Could we have our bill, please?"
She smiled and made her way over to the cashier's desk and spoke to the woman there, who made her way over to talk to them.
"Hi… I'm Carole the manager… Your food is on the house. We haven't had this many people in the diner on a Sunday afternoon since….well ever… so please feel free to come back whenever you like. You're good for business." She added smiling at them.
Ryan smiled back. "Thanks Carole. I'd rather just pay. But we would like some help. Do you have a back way out of here that we could use? It seems a little crowded out the front."
Carole looked out the front door and noticed what he meant. There was a real crowd out there now. "Sure you have to go through the kitchen. But that's not a problem, just follow me."
"If it's okay we'll be there in a minute." Ryan replied.
"Okay whenever you're ready" she smiled and moved away.
"Okay here's what we're going to do. Seth. Can you go and get the car and meet us in the lane out the back?"
"Sure just give me 5 minutes to get through the crowd out there. But before I go, I think we should synchronize our watches." Seth looked very serious, obviously enjoying the sudden change to his normal Sunday afternoon activities.
"Seth… forget your watch. Just do as I said and we'll meet you out the back in 5….Okay? You go now. We'll see you soon." After Seth left he turned to Summer. "Summer, In a couple of minutes.… you and Marissa go to the bathroom. While you're there, I'll go and pay. When you come out just meet me at the cashier's desk. Don't come back to the booth. We'll sneak out of the kitchen from there. Okay?"
"This is really fun." Summer said. "I wonder if Seth is being stealth?"
"Summer you definitely spend too much time with him." Ryan laughed.
"Okay off you go" he said and the girls left.
Ryan sat for a couple of minutes more and then made his way over to Carole.
He handed her $100 and said. "Thanks for your hospitality but if anyone asks I'd prefer it if you said we were never here." Ryan suggested.
"Sure…for a tip like that I can forget you really quickly." She said just as the girls arrived from the bathroom. "Okay... follow me" and she folded back the counter to let them through.
They made their way through the kitchen to the back door and Carole checked outside for them. When she saw Seth entering the lane she said. "Okay. He's here."
"Thanks Carole. Remember we were never here. Do that and I promise we'll be back again." Ryan stated.
"Okay I look forward to seeing you. Good luck."
They ran out the door. Ryan grabbed hold of Marissa's hand as he pulled her into the waiting car. A few people had realised what they were doing and had started to come around the corner…. some with cameras in their hands.
They jumped into the car and Seth took off in a hurry
"Okay ColeTrickle… Floor it." Summer called.
"Summer you really need to get over of this Tom Cruise obsession." Seth said.
"Shut it Cohen." She turned to Ryan and Marissa and laughed. "Well that was fun. No one could ever say life around you two is boring."
"I guess we probably shouldn't have gone out in public just yet. I feel a bit like the freak show at the circus." Ryan said.
"Yeah I can see the similarity." Seth agreed.
Marissa hits him on the head from behind.
"Ow…Not you… Ryan I meant. You improve the look." Seth stated trying to get back in Marissa's good books.
"Sure… But … I can't believe the crowd there." She looked concerned.
"Don't worry. Hang around with Chino long enough and you'll get used to it." Summer replied.