Author's Note: Oh wow you guys, you are all so awesome. I got more reviews for Chapter 3 than I've ever gotten for anything I've submitted on this site before. Thank you so much, I can't tell you how much your words of encouragement mean to me. I've done my best to take what you guys have said into consideration. Here is some more Seth, Summer, and Seth/Summer stuff that I hope will make you happy. Please enjoy and feel free to give me any input you might have.

It was clichéd to be sure, but when Seth stepped out of the shower, he felt like a new man. It was becoming a tired litany with him, but it was still true, that he hadn't had a shower like that in a very long time. It seemed like everything he did since he got back to Newport was something he hadn't done in a long time. He wasn't sure if his memory was just terrible or his life really had sucked that much up to this point. Still, he had gotten used to showers with tepid or cool water, in a shelter or with a garden hose or some rusted out trailer in the middle of a Missouri wheat field. This had been an entirely new and refreshing experience.

The water had been scalding hot at certain points, and he had actually been able to adjust the temperature to suit his mood. It came out strong and constant and he had lost track of time. When he finally finished, and stepped out into the steamed up bathroom, he really did feel refreshed and almost reborn. His beard was gone, his face smooth and very sensitive to the flowing air around him. It had been months since he had shaved last and his skin wasn't used to being naked. He had even trimmed his hair a little, something he had learned to do a few years ago. It was like he had been transformed. All he needed to do was eat a decent meal and his attempt to live a different life would be complete.

He wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the bathroom door, watching all the steam rush out into the hallway. He made his way to his bedroom. His room. He kept repeating it over and over again in his head as he walked toward it. It was his. He opened the door and walked over to his bed where he picked up the cleanest set of clothes he had. It was not much. He pulled on a pair of faded, somewhat loose, jeans. He didn't bother much with underwear anymore, too much of a hassle and was usually a luxury he did without. To complete his simple ensemble, he slipped on a plain white t-shirt and some socks that he had found nestled deep in a nook of his duffle.

Slowly, he exited his room and ran a hand through his still wet hair. He wondered if Summer was still downstairs. He wondered when Ryan was finally going to show up. He wondered if his parents knew about him and if they were happy. He did a lot of thinking as he carefully made his way to the stairs. It was all he seemed to do these days. He strained his ears to listen, carefully, for any sign of impending problems. He heard Mikayla's excited voice, talking rapidly to her mother. He smiled. He really did like the kid. Ryan and Marissa had done good with her. He was an uncle with an adorable niece. It was kind of unbelievable.

He made his way into the kitchen and leaned against a wall, watching Mikayla bounce in her seat as she occasionally ate some cereal. She was just talking and talking, Marissa watching her with a fond smile on her face, and Seth saw what Marissa was talking about when she had said her daughter reminded her of him. Marissa's eyes connected with his and he smiled. She smiled back in return, her eyes wide and he knew she must have noticed his lack of beard. "Thank God."

Seth blushed slightly and lowered his eyes. "I figured it was the least I could do."

Marissa walked up to him and looked him up and down. "You do clean up nice. Although I think we need to get you some new clothes. Because this whole Kerouac chic you got going on just doesn't work for me at all."

Seth cracked a smile, his eyes lighting up. One of the few things he actually had in common with the woman in front of him. There were not many. "Kerouac chic? I never thought of it like that before, but I like it."

Marissa grinned. "I thought you would." She paused and looked at him again. "I know you hate being like every other supposed drone in Newport, but a 10 year old pair of jeans and a t-shirt may work for my husband, but not for you."

"Hey! This get-up" Seth moved his hand up and down his body, indignant, "is universal. Believe me." Marissa had no idea how many people out there in the world thought what he was wearing was the height of functional fashion.

"Okay, okay, so maybe you do all right with it, but we need to get you something else."

"I don't have the money to buy unnecessary clothes."

Marissa made a gesture of dismissal and circled her hand around her head. "I don't know if you've noticed, but we are not exactly hurting for money."

Seth looked down; he refused to look her in the eye. "That's your money, not mine." He had long ago lost his sense of entitlement and expectation that whenever he needed something he could just buy it. He had learned to save every penny.

"Fine. Then consider it a gift. Trust me, you need the clothes."

Seth sighed and looked at Marissa. Her jaw was set firmly, her eyes were uncompromising, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "All right." He didn't see much point in fighting further. He was sure he'd end up losing the argument anyway.

Mikayla was watching the both of them talk, an impatient look on her face. Seth was watching her in his peripheral vision, very amused. It must have been killing her not to join in. He knew it would have killed him as a kid her age to have people talk around him. Finally, she jumped out of her seat and ran up to him, tugging on his pant leg. "What did you get me?"

Seth laughed and shook his head at her single-minded focus. "Shouldn't you finish breakfast first?"

Marissa looked down at her daughter with disapproval. "Yes, she should."

"But I don't wanna! I want my present. You prooomised." Mikayla whined and tugged on his leg again.

"I did." Seth looked at Marissa and she shrugged her shoulders in defeat. "All right, come on."

They walked into the family room, Mikayla talking incessantly, asking him questions about what he was going to give her, where did he get it, she even started asking him who he was and what his relationship to her father was again. He was amazed at her unflagging loquaciousness.

He walked up to his duffel and pulled it to the couch, where he sat down and began to dig inside. He stuck his head inside the bag, searching in the dark interior. He felt the couch shift and he knew Mikayla had just sat down beside him. She grabbed his arm, pulling on it, obviously wanting him to hurry up. He finally found what he was looking for but he didn't pull it out quite yet. "What I have to tell you is very important so please pay attention."

He lifted his head to make sure that Mikayla did as she was told. Her eyes were focused entirely on him, she was being very still, and he could see how hard it was for her to restrain herself. "Now, before I give you this, I want to tell you a little bit about him, okay?"

Mikayla nodded her head. "This is something very important to me. He has been my friend since I was your age."

"Seth." Marissa's voice trailed off in a warning tone. It was clear she knew what he was doing, but he had made this decision while he was showering. It was time, and he could not think of a more appropriate person.

He ignored Marissa's voice. "He's a great listener and he will always be there for you. You can always count on him to give you good advice and he won't ever leave you."

Mikayla nodded her head again. She was looking at him intently. "Before I give you him, you have to promise me that you'll take good care of him."

Marissa tried one last time to put him off his plan. "Seth, she's five. I'm not sure you want to do this."

Seth ignored Marissa again. He'd had a lot of practice. "I got him not much older than you, so can I trust you to treat him with the respect he deserves?"

Mikayla looked very serious. She was composed and Seth had the impression that this was the most serious she could possibly get. "I promise."

"Okay then." Seth pulled Captain Oats out of his bag and offered it to Mikayla. "This is Captain Oats."

Mikayla very gingerly reached out and touched the plastic horse. She had a kind of awed expression on her face and she carefully took Captain Oats from his hand. Seth felt an immediate sense of regret as the horse left his hand, but he squashed that feeling. He was getting a little too old for such things, and while Captain Oats had been literally his only friend for most of his life, it was time the Captain had a chance to watch over the next generation. It was time he got to help another member of the Cohen family grow up. Seth had always hoped someday he'd give his favorite toy to his own child, but since he was sure he'd never have his own kids, Ryan's daughter was the next best thing.

"Now remember, be careful."

"I will, I promise." Mikayla carefully ran her fingers over Captain Oat's back, and leaped up to wrap her arms around Seth, hugging him around his neck. "Thank you, Seth!"

Marissa sighed and shook her head. "That's Uncle Seth, baby."

"Thank you, Uncle Seth!" Seth chuckled. Mikayla didn't seem to understand the distinction, but Seth smiled in gratitude at Marissa. It was nice to be called Uncle. Especially since Mikayla clearly liked her present and Seth felt pleased, like he had done a good thing.

Seth gloated at Marissa, who stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Mommy, stop. I promised."

Seth laughed and redoubled his gloating expression. "I can't believe it. Here less than a day and he's already turned my own daughter against me."

Seth leaned back into the couch as he watched Mikayla play with the Captain. "What can I say? The Seth Cohen charm knows no bounds."

"Oh yeah, say that to Summer."

Seth felt like he had been punched in the gut. His eyes closed and he felt a little dizzy. But he quickly recovered, faster than he would have years ago. It was like a flash, a sudden intense burn, which quickly dissipated. Marissa looked horrified at what she had said. "Ouch, low blow."

"I'm so sorry, Seth, I didn't mean it like that." She really did look stricken.

Seth forgave her quickly. It wasn't her fault, she had said it without really thinking. Besides, just because he wasn't used to interacting with Summer every day didn't mean she wasn't. He knew what it was like, sometimes the past disappeared, and sometime it came upon you in secret, just waiting for a moment to strike. It was unbidden like that. "It's all right, Marissa." Seth looked around the family room. "Speaking of everyone's favorite season, is she still here?"

"No, she had to go to L.A."

Seth shifted his attention completely away from Mikayla and to Marissa. He made sure to smile encouragingly every once in a while in his niece's direction; she was still seemingly enjoying herself. "Does she live there?" That was surprising. Seth thought that Summer, of all people, would never leave Newport. It was too much in her blood, too much a byproduct of the town.

Marissa suddenly looked nervous and avoided his eyes. "Ummm…well, yes and no."

Seth arched an eyebrow and brought a hand up to rub against his chin. He was so used to feeling hair underneath his fingers instead of bare skin that it was a little disconcerting. "That was delightfully vague."

"Ah yes, well, I mean, she goes to school there and she has an apartment there, but she also still lives here, and um, um –"

Seth rolled his eyes and encouraged Marissa, "Come on, Cooper, out with it already."

Marissa still wouldn't look at him, her face reddening slightly, but she did finish her explanation. "And her boyfriend lives there."

Oh. "Oh." That was it? Did Marissa think he hadn't already thought of that? Did she think he thought Summer had spent the last eight years sitting alone in her apartment, pining after some loser who had run away? Come on, he deserved a little more credit than that. Of course Summer had a boyfriend. A girl as beautiful and incredible a person as Summer Roberts was not going to go through life alone. That was his thing. "Is that all? I thought you were going to tell me that she like eats puppies or something." Then Seth chuckled at his own terrible joke. It was the best thing he could think of at the moment. So he was not quite the quick wit he used to be, so what? He was rusty.

Marissa laughed weakly and ran a hand through her hair several times. "I just thought – hell I don't know what I thought. You're right. It's been a long time."

Seth nodded affirmatively. "Exactly. Besides, it's not like she was exactly my biggest fan before I left anyway." And Seth looked at Marissa almost defiantly, as if daring her to argue with him. There was no refuting that statement in Seth's mind.

"That's not true, Seth."

Seth didn't want to hear it. Marissa was contractually obligated as Summer's best friend to defend her, but he knew the truth. There was no point in rehashing it and he really didn't want to watch Marissa flounder while trying to find some way to justify Summer's actions. "It is true, Marissa, and you know it just as well as I do. But look, that's all in the past now. I have done my best to get past it. I don't care if she has a boyfriend, a husband, whatever. She can do whatever she wants. In fact, I'm happy for her that she's found somebody. So you don't have to worry about me. I stopped – well, I stopped looking at Summer that way years ago." Seth sucked in a deep breath, calming himself. He had started to really get upset near the end of his speech and he had to remember that he was supposed to be acting unemotional and indifferent about the whole thing. Plus Mikayla was still in the room and it wouldn't do for her to see him get angry at her mother. So he calmed.

Marissa looked at him wide eyed and nodded slowly. "Ooookay, I can see that you're clearly over it."

Seth glared at Marissa and discreetly made an angry gesture in her direction. "Oh stuff it Marissa, regardless of how 'over it' I really am, I am soooooo not going down that road again. I learned my lesson the first time."

"That's good, because I think she really likes this guy." Marissa made a face and Seth instantly knew she was lying. But he didn't push the issue, because he didn't care. He didn't. No matter how much Marissa might think he did. Or how much hearing Summer might not be happy stuck with him. He didn't care.

"Better him than me." And the sad thing was, Seth actually meant that. He really did think he was better off unattached to Summer. She had destroyed him once, and never again. His urge to protect himself was too strong. "But enough about that, what's for breakfast?" He smiled cheekily at Marissa and she rolled her eyes.

Summer rushed into the restaurant completely flustered. She was only about 10 minutes late, which actually wasn't bad for her. Usually when she was late for her lunch appointment with Nick, he had to wait 20 or 30 minutes. She wasn't exactly known for her punctuality. Okay, so that wasn't true. She was very punctual; Marissa would call her anal retentive and just a little bit OCD, but Summer just figured it was part of her desire to constantly be in control. But with Nick, she just didn't care. He was Nick, that's all. Sometimes she questioned why she was even with him in the first place.

It wasn't that she didn't like the guy, she did. Well, kind of. He was attractive, very successful, smart, sort of funny, and he treated her with the kind of adoration she was accustomed to. But still, she didn't really know why. She knew that she didn't have a future with him, that she was positive of. They had been together for nearly a year and they might as well have been dating a week for all the connection Summer had developed with him. She often felt like she was in a holding pattern, simply waiting for the person she was supposed to be with to come along, and she just stayed with Nick so she wouldn't get bored and lonely.

She was just following her SOP. There was a very careful pattern she had developed over the years. Find a guy, date him for a while, typically a year, maybe a little more, then break up with him once she got tired of his desire to get more serious. Rinse and repeat. And who wouldn't want to snatch her up, she was a great catch?

She didn't get too attached to anybody; it was totally against her policy on dating. She wasn't about to let herself get hurt like that, or ever appear that vulnerable with a guy. She had seriously considered breaking all her rules once, but she had screwed up that opportunity like she tended to screw everything else up in her relationships. And of course the one person who could mess with her mind, make her rethink her entire life plan, and lose all rational thought had just walked back into her life. The bastard.

So it wasn't because she was late that she found herself out of sorts, it was of course because of Seth freaking Cohen. God damn him. Him with the oddly enticing wild hair, scrawny body that wasn't so scrawny anymore, and piercing eyes that always made her feel as if he wasn't just looking at her, he was looking inside her. He had always had the ability to pierce all her walls and leave her naked before him. And not in the way she still occasionally dreamed about. Why the hell did she still have to find him so damn hot? Seeing him without his shirt, even if she hadn't recognized him at first, was probably the worst thing that could have happened to her. She would never understand why she was attracted to Seth as much as she was, as he was pretty much the opposite of her type, but even after eight years and countless boys, she had yet to meet anybody who even came close to generating the kind of feelings he created inside of her. It was totally nonsensical but she couldn't deny the fact that it was a hundred percent true. And now he was back, partially in her life, and she had no idea what to do.

She hadn't even wanted to go to this stupid lunch when she had left Marissa's, but she thought she had to because Nick wanted to talk about something "important". Whatever the hell that meant. Staying at Marissa's and talking to Seth was important. Finding out what the hell had happened to him was important. Getting him to actually acknowledge her was important. Nick's stupid lunch wasn't important. If he asked her to move in with him again, she couldn't be held accountable for the resulting rage blackout.

She weaved past lunch tables, with quietly talking customers, and searched for her boyfriend. She found him in a corner booth, typing away on his blackberry. She rolled her eyes at the sight and slowly walked toward him. She had to speak up to get his attention. "Hey."

He looked up, startled and set his phone down on the table. "Oh hey."

Summer sat down and slid to where she was at a 45 degree angle from Nick. "Sorry I'm late, Marissa had something important she just had to tell me." She made sure to roll her eyes and infuse her voice with just enough frustration to make it sound believable.

"It's all right, I'm kind of used to it by now." He flashed her a quick smile and looked at his blackberry one last time before slipping it in the pocket of his suit jacket. He reached out and placed a hand atop her own. "I'm just glad you're here."

Summer nodded absentmindedly, pulling her hand out from under his and picking up her menu. Straight to the point, that's how she liked things. "So you wanted to talk about something today?"

Nick sighed and picked up his own menu. "Well, I was hoping we could talk a little first before getting right into that, but I guess we can just do it now if you want."

Summer folded her menu and set it down; she already knew what she wanted. She put her hands primly in her lap and stared expectantly at her boyfriend. "Let's get it out of the way so we can enjoy the rest of lunch." She attempted an encouraging smile at the end, but she didn't think she was very convincing.

"Fine." Nick was silent as he stared at his menu. Summer wasn't sure if he was sulking or actually looking diligently for something to eat. After taking considerably longer than her to decide on a choice, he put his menu down and looked directly into her eyes. She shifted in her seat a little nervously, but managed to maintain her mostly impassive stance. "I guess I'll just get right into it then." He paused and took a deep breath. "The firm is sending me to London," he paused again and this time he looked at his silverware, "and I want you to come with me."

Summer had no idea what to say. "Excuse me?"

Nick still didn't look up from his fascinating fork. "It's part of an exchange program they have with their international offices. It's supposed to foster improved relations between different cultures and nationalities within the company as a whole. And to help increase productivity and all this other bullshit that I don't really understand." Nick finally looked up from his fork and locked eyes with her. "It's only for four months."

Oh, well if it was only for four months, then okay. Summer wanted to smack her boyfriend. Hard. "Four months!?" She exclaimed a little louder than she meant to and flushed when she saw some of the nearby lunch patrons looking at her. "Four months? Are you serious?"

Nick nodded his head enthusiastically. "Look, I know you've said before you didn't want to take things too fast with us, but we've been together for 10 months now and I think this would be a great experience for us. Together." He was smiling hopefully at her and she felt terrible for instantly hating the idea. But she couldn't help it, she didn't want to leave her home and family for that long.

She carefully thought over what she wanted to say. She didn't want to go, but she didn't want to ruin things by saying no, so she had to make sure she worded her response carefully. Which was kind of pointless as she seriously doubted their relationship would last four months apart anyway, but she didn't want to break things off if she could help it. "Nick, I can't leave here for four months. You know that. The new quarter is just about to start and there's Marissa, and Mikayla, and my father, and so many other things." And Seth, but she didn't say that part out loud. She wasn't stupid.

"That's what's so great with this program though. You can take classes in London and they'll transfer back to UCLA. I looked it up." Nick looked very proud of himself. Summer frowned. If he was right, then her biggest objection didn't have as much weight to it as she thought. Maybe four months in London wouldn't be so bad. She'd be away from Seth at least. But then she didn't want to be away from him. God, she was so confused.

"They'll transfer?"

"Yes! And we'll have our own place, completely provided for by the firm. And remember, Paris is only a tube ride away." Summer had to smile at that. Nick did know her weak spots.

"So we'll be living together."

Most of Nick's enthusiasm died away and he began looking worried and apprehensive again. "Yeeeah. But think of it this way, it's only four months. It's not permanent. It's the perfect situation to find out if we're compatible like that."

Summer fiddled with her fork and thought about it. Nick was right, it was a pretty good set-up. She looked at him critically. He was damn cute; he had beautiful blue eyes and short black hair that provided a fantastic contrast. He was taller than her, which she loved, and she had yet to tire of running her fingers over his body, of feeling his skin ripple under the tips of her fingers. He was smart and had life goals, which she found very attractive. She liked knowing that her partner wanted something out of life and wasn't afraid to get it. And he was nice and treated her with respect, which too many boys in her life had failed to do. It wouldn't be that bad to give him a shot, to see if maybe he was the one she had been looking for. Plus, the shopping. Oh the shopping she could do in London and Paris. It was almost too tempting to pass up. "I'm not making any promises, but I'll think about it."

Nick smiled brightly, his whole face lighting up. She had never created that kind of happiness in him before and she was a little taken aback. "That is fantastic. Thank you so much, Sum."

Seth sat in the lawn chair completely relaxed. He had a Mountain Dew in one hand and a phone in the other. Mikayla was laughing and playing around in the pool and he had promised Marissa that he would keep a careful eye on her while she went to the grocery store to buy some much needed supplies since he was living there now. Seth was mildly surprised that Marissa had left Mikayla completely alone and in his care, especially after her freakout the night before, but whatever problems she might have initially had with him being around her daughter seemed to be gone.

Seth was certainly not about to jeopardize that trust. He had spent about 20 minutes playing with Mikayla in the pool, which had been quite an experience itself. He had forgotten how much fun a pool could be. He had quickly opted out of the pool experience though and moved to watching from the sidelines. He wanted time to process everything and think about all that had happened over the last 18 hours or so. It was a lot to go over.

Mikayla didn't need him to entertain her anyway. She seemed perfectly content to play with Captain Oats in the water, something he had initially been against, but she had convinced him that she would make sure that the Captain didn't drown. After that, he just made sure she kept her floaties on and didn't get too close to the deep end. He was actually kind of bored, and for the first time in his entire life, Seth had never been happier or more content to be as bored as he was. He had no worries, besides the ones in his head. He didn't have to worry where he was going to sleep tonight or if and what he was going to eat or if the guy that had been following him for the last 10 minutes was going to rob him and leave him dying in an alley. He just had to make sure his niece didn't drown, which was a nerve-wracking experience, sure, but he still felt very comfortable around the water and he was confident he had the task firmly in hand.

He smiled as he watched Mikayla and Captain Oats perform an especially acrobatic maneuver and then shifted his attention to the phone in his hand. He needed to make a call. He had wanted to call his parents, but Marissa had already done that and they were reportedly on their way down. The earliest flight they could get was for later in the evening, and Seth was doing his best not to let that can of worms bother him at the moment. He wanted to savor this time with his niece as much as possible. But he still needed to call Anna.

With a sigh, he turned the phone on. It was now or never. He still remembered the number she had given him years ago, and he worried that it was no longer good. There was only one way to find out. He heard a dial tone and then it rang four times. Somebody picked up and he sucked in a deep breath, unsure of what to say. "Hello?" It was a man's voice and Seth froze. "Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Um, yes, sorry. Is Anna Stern there?" He hoped she would take his call.

The man's voice turned friendly. "Oh, sure. May I ask your name?"

"Um, it's Seth. I mean, Seth Cohen."

"Okay, just give me a second."

Seth waited and he waited and he waited. Mikayla asked him a question, he answered and she went back to playing happily. The phone was still glued to his ear. Suddenly there was screaming. "Seth!? Oh my God, Seth? Is that you?"

Seth had to pull the phone away from his ear about an inch. "Whoa, Anna, too loud."

Anna lowered the volume of her voice but her enthusiasm had not faded at all. "Oh my God, it is you! Are you okay? Where are you?"

Even after all their time spent apart, Anna still made him smile. It was kind of sad, but in a good way, that Anna was his only real, human, friend. She was his longest friend. She was the one person who he believed really understood him, who got him in a way nobody in his life had even tried to. He missed her. "I'm fine, Anna, good actually. I'm back in Newport."

Anna gasped and there was silence on her end for a while. "Seth, that's amazing! You've seen Ryan?"

"Not yet, but I will soon. He's been out of town."

"Oh Seth, I'm so happy for you! I knew you would come to your senses eventually and make the right decision."

Seth chuckled and felt himself relax a little. Talking to Anna was easy, even if he had been a complete asshole the last time he saw her. "Well you know me, without you to guide me along, I'm hopelessly lost."

He knew Anna was grinning now, could even hear it in her voice. "I have been telling you that for years, but do you listen to me? Of course not!"

Seth's smile faded and he became a little more serious. "Yeah, speaking of – " He never finished.

"No, Seth, it's okay. Not now, all right?"

"I need to say something, Anna!" He needed her to know how sorry he was. He needed that.

"You can tell me when I get to Newport."

Seth blinked and leaned back to look at the phone in his hand as if it had suddenly transformed into something bizarre. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Yeah, I'm booking my flight right now."

"Anna, no, that's not necessary. I can't ask you to do that."

"Are you kidding? I haven't seen you in four years. I need to make sure you're okay myself." She paused, and the silence between them was very uncomfortable. "You don't think I trust you to make that assessment yourself do you?" It was a subtle reminder of the last time they had spoken to each other and Seth winced.

"I – I'm sorry, Anna." He practically whispered the words, but they were full of all the regret and sorrow he felt.

Anna sighed. "Not now. Later, I promise."

"Okay." He didn't know what to say.

"You just better make sure you're still there when I show up."

"I promise, Anna." No matter how much time passed, no matter how much distance there was between them, hell, no matter how much he had genuinely changed, he was still compelled to follow the orders of certain women and Anna was near the top of that list.

Seth collapsed onto the couch with a heavy sigh. He was exhausted. Chasing Mikayla around was a full time job, he didn't know how Marissa and Ryan did it. Just putting her down for her nap was like running a marathon. The girl was relentless in her stalling techniques. But he had finally managed to get her to succumb. If there was one thing Seth understood, it was the mind of a child. It helped that he still was one in a lot of ways.

He limply picked up the controller to the TV, turned it on, and wondered where the hell his sister-in-law was. It didn't normally take this long to go grocery shopping, did it? Seth tried to remember back to when he was 16 and his parents went shopping. How long had it taken them? Maybe she was buying out the whole store. He wouldn't put it past her.

And then he heard the front door open and he yelled out, "Finally, Marissa. I was starting to worry you'd ditched town this time."

He turned down the volume of the TV and waited for Marissa's sarcastic reply. There was nothing. Confused, and slightly worried that somebody may have just broken in, he craned his neck to see what was going on.

Oh shit. Ryan was standing not more than 20 feet from him, a blank look on his face. Seth quickly scrambled to his feet, putting as much distance between the two as possible. He held his hands close to his sides. "Oh h-hey Ryan, you're not Marissa." Seth let out an exaggeratedly fake laugh. "Oh this is a little awkward."

Author's Note: Now before you get mad, just remember I only said I'd introduce Ryan in this chapter, not that I'd do anything else. Heh.