Julie's surprise

Sunday morning dawned bright and sunny. Julie sat at the kitchen table, drinking a coffee and looking at the morning paper. As she turned the page she couldn't help but gasp. There … in front of her … on Page 3 … was an article on Ryan and Marissa headed 'ARE THEY LOOKING TO MAKE IT PERMANENT?'. There were two photos. One of them, walking hand in hand through the mall and another of them, kissing, in front of a jewellery shop window.

Kirsten heard the sharp intake of breath and looked across at what Julie was reading. She moved around so that she could look over Julie's shoulder.

"I guess it was only a matter of time." Kirsten stated.

"What do you mean by that? You can't mean you think they should be getting engaged already?" Julie asked.

Kirsten scowled at her "I meant… before the paparazzi managed to catch them out. I think it's amazing that they have managed to keep it under wraps for this long."

"This long? She's only been back in the country for 2 weeks. Did she go looking for him as soon as she arrived?"

"No. If you really want to know, I think Summer organised a dinner for the four of them to catch up but Ryan was a no show. He got caught up at work or something and apparently Marissa thought he was avoiding her so he asked her out for drinks to prove that that wasn't the case and the rest as they say 'is history'."

"I can't believe it's all happened so quickly." Julie said shaking her head.

"Yeah" Kirsten couldn't help but smile as she thought about Ryan and Marissa "But…if you see them together…. they can barely keep their hands off one another." She smiled again as she looked back at the photos. "They look good together don't they?" Kirsten suggested not really needing an answer. It was blatantly obvious.

"Um…I…." Julie didn't know what to say. She was still in shock.

"What? Don't tell me you're going to deny that they are a good looking couple? No matter what you may think about Ryan you have to admit that he is a good looking guy. I wasn't asking you to bless the union or anything. It was a simple question." Kirsten was getting angry again. She still couldn't imagine how Julie could have been so selfish to break Ryan and Marissa up in the first place.

"No. It wasn't that. I was just…surprised at…" Julie wasn't sure she knew how to explain. "how ….happy she looks. I mean she is almost… glowing." Julie realised that she hadn't seen Marissa look like that for….. she didn't know how long …. a number of years.

Kirsten calmed down a little. "If you could just see them? It would do your heart good. They are so much in love. Whenever they are around one another it's as if no one else exists." She added. "What does the article say?"

Julie read a little and then looked up. "It doesn't really say very much at all. Just that the sighting confirms the suspicion that they are in fact seeing one another …all the rest is just supposition. Apparently they were shopping together at South Coast Plaza yesterday and were seen going in to a jeweller's store. But it says here that they weren't carrying any bags when they left and apparently no one in the store would reveal what they were looking at. It says that it was at first thought that they had purchased a sapphire and diamond ring but it was later confirmed that Marissa was wearing it when she entered the store." Julie frowned. "I don't remember her ever having one of those." Julie looked up at Kirsten. "You don't think…." She couldn't even bring herself to say it.

"What? That maybe they ARE going to make things permanent? Who knows?" Kirsten smiled loving the thought that Ryan and Marissa would one day wed. "If you see them together then I think you would realise that it would be the most natural thing in the world. But they are not silly kids any more. My guess would be that they won't be in any great rush. But then…" Kirsten shrugged her shoulders "After what you have put them through… maybe they have decided that they have wasted enough time already. I guess you'll have to ask your daughter about that – if she decides she wants to speak with you." Kirsten said surprising herself with the venom on her words. "Of course I could ask my son but I don't need to. I trust him to make the right decision and I know that he will include us when he feels the time is right."

Julie smarted from the obvious insult. "Do you think she will come to lunch today?"

"I honestly don't know. Ryan said he would let us know when he knew for sure. I expect he will call shortly. But I'm warning you now. Unless he has managed to work some sort of miracle…. Let's just say… the way she was on Friday…" Kirsten shook her head. "I don't like your chances…. Still… if anyone can talk her in to it, it will be Ryan. But even if they don't come, Seth and Summer will be here and I don't think you should expect much of a welcome from them. We have all been affected by what you did."

Julie looked at Kirsten. She didn't know where this would all end. She decided to go and call Dan. She felt the need to hear a friendly voice. Not that she wasn't concerned about what he would think if he ever found out exactly what she had done. But at least for the moment she knew that he would brighten her day and it sounded like it might be the only bright part she would have to look forward to.

---

Sunday morning, Marissa awoke nestled in to Ryan's chest. She went to move and felt the cool metal on her cheek. Smiling she lifted her hand and played with the thin platinum chain around Ryan's neck as he stirred.

"Good morning." He said as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Good morning." Marissa kissed him softly. "I haven't gotten used to this around your neck yet."

Ryan smiled. "Do you want me to take it off? I could do a strip." He suggested thinking about her reaction to his strip yesterday.

"Funny boy. When you're naked and the only thing you have on is a platinum chain then taking it off does not constitute a strip. And besides I don't want you to ever take it off. It's meant to stay there always." Marissa started to pout, pretending to be offended that Ryan would take off her gift.

Ryan kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose. "Don't pull that face on me. You know I have no intention of taking it off. I love it."

"You love it?" Marissa pushed sounding surprised.

"Well. I like it." He said and then as he watched the smile fade from her face he added. "Really like it." He stressed. "And I'm sure once I get used to having something around my neck all the time, then I'll love it." He smiled. "How can I not, knowing that you gave it to me."

"Crawler. Just think yourself lucky. We could have got one of those big thick gold chains and then you'd be complaining about how heavy it was."

"I didn't think they were quite me. A bit too ostentatious for my liking." Ryan screwed up his face indicating exactly what he thought of the idea.

"What do you mean? I know a lot of guys who wear them." Marissa asked.

"Yeah? Are they mostly European with lots of thick black chest hair?" Ryan quizzed.

Marissa nodded. "Maybe." She smiled seeing where he was going with this.

"Well, they'd need one that thick just to be seen through the chest fur. I'm very happy with what I've got."

"Hmmm. Me to." Marissa replied and began to run her fingers over Ryan's body to make sure he knew what she was referring to.

He could feel himself responding. He was still amazed that she could make his body react with just the smallest touch. "You didn't mind about the watch?" Ryan asked.

"No. You should have just told me in the beginning that the one you were wearing was special to you. If I'd known that Sandy and Kirsten gave it to you for your 21st then I would never have suggested replacing it. Anyhow, I think this is better." She said as she played with it some more.

"What even without the chest hair?" Ryan smiled.

"Mmmm." Marissa started to kiss down his chest starting near his neck and slowly going lower hesitating at his nipples for extra attention. "I'm… not… a…" She said kissing him in between each word. "big… fan… of… chest… hair…"She looked up and smiled at him. "I… like… this… chest… just… how… it… is." By the time she was finished she was under the sheet and down below his belly button. "Well look at that. I've found something else I like too." She smiled as she started to work her magic on his hardness.

"Ris… Maybe you shouldn't do that?...I don't know if I can stop.." Ryan gasped out barely able to control himself.

Marissa ignored what he was saying and continued with what she was doing; loving the sound of him losing control and knowing that she was the cause. It still amazed her that she could get almost as much enjoyment out of making him feel good, as she did when the roles were reversed. She knew that was only because she loved him so much that making him happy was the most important thing in her life. She had not really thought about it until now but it all of a sudden it hit her that maybe that was what true love was….when someone else's happiness became more important to you than your own. And if that was the case then she was definitely in love.