AN: Thank you for the reviews. I really enjoy reading them, So please make sure you leave one. Well lets just say thats it for now. Please R/R

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Ryan had just gotten home not even and hour ago and already he couldn't help but let his mind wander to Marissa and how her past couple days had been. Well to be honest she was a lot of what he had been thinking about even while away. He promised he'd call her. And now that he was home he planned on doing so, after all they did have plans to make.

Making himself comfortable on his bed, he reaches his hand into his right pocket to fish out his cell phone. As he opens it and prepares to dial the number he realizes he doesn't have her number.

Utterly confused on how to come into communication with her without having to disturb the household in person he decides to just forgo calling her cell and call the Cooper house phone. Sending the call he waits for someone to pick up.

"Yello" Ryan hears a voice over the line and immediately recognizes it as Seth's.

"Hey man what're you doing?" He questions him making some small talk before he tells him to pass the phone to the new blonde house mate.

"Ahh nothing much, just got back from Summer's a bit ago." He lets Ryan know as he moves inside his living room confines and plops down on the couch attempting to make himself comfortable.

"So, is Marissa around?" He asks Seth trying to smooth the question in without Seth suspecting anything and making a big deal out of it.

But as he begins to hear Seth talk into the phone his hopes are unfounded. "Well, well what do we have here. YOU are calling to talk to Marissa. And here I thought you were calling to see how your best friend's day went. But nooo lets all just put Seth on the back burner and make him believe we wanna talk to him when we really wanna talk to my new sister. And here I am thinking that you call my house phone because you want to talk to me that bad." Seth exclaims with as much seriousness as he can, but can't help but let out a little chuckle himself.

"Seth, if it makes you feel any better I am interested to hear how your day went and trust me I know for a fact that I'll be hearing about it later," Ryan let's Seth know in a sarcastic tone knowing Seth would be over in record time as son as he knew he was done with Marissa on the phone, and once there he knew it would be nothing but rambles and video games, " but right now I just have some more important things to attend to." Ryan replies in a joking tone as if to make him feel less important than he really is.

"Oh Ryan. Ryan, that one really hurt." Seth replies but then decides to inform Ryan in Marissa news, "but I'm sorry to inform you that Marissa is not available right now." He finishes off remembering when his father had gone up to let Marissa know dinner was being served only to learn she was deep in slumber, or so he thought.

"What? Why?" Ryan questions, wanting a response a little less discreet than he has received.

"Oh, well she was asleep when both dad and me got here and she hasn't came down since so I'm guessing she's still asleep." Seth speaks informing Ryan on Marissa's current sleeping agenda.

"Oh" Ryan speaks as he goes quiet on his side of the line and begins to think, coming up with pretty much nothing he decides to speak up, "Well you wanna check if she's awake for me now." He asks with hope laced in his voice, seeing as this was his only choice.

"Sure, just hold on." Seth replies as he puts the phone on hold to quickly jog up the stairs and knock on Marissa's door.

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"Ugghh" Marissa lets a moan escape her slightly chapped lips as she wakes up only to wish she never had. She brings a hand to her head as she feels it throbbing and now begins to massage circles into it. The memory of what she did earlier that day comes slamming into her as the regret has crept up with it. Yet a part of her said it was worth it, worth the escape.

She turns her head to look at the clock only to have it read 8:43, and she realizes that she's pretty much slept her whole day away. She feels horrible though. She begins to try and sit up only to realize it might be a better idea to not. As she lets her head rest against the pillow again and her body begins to mold into her mattress again she's disturbed when she hears a knock on the door.

She contemplates whether she really wants any company right now or should just not say anything at all and pretend to go back to sleep. After a couple seconds of contemplation she decides to speak up, "Come in." Her raspy voice still slick with tiredness and sleep rings out through the room.

Seth opens the door and walk a couple steps into the room. He gives her a quick smile but as he studies her he notices that something might be wrong. Her face is etched with slight pain and her eyes look red and tired with slight circles and bags underneath them. She looks worn out and dare he say it, a little hung over? He decides to let it go and move it to the theory of she's had a rough week and has just woke up from a nap.

Marissa grimaces as the opening door makes a loud squeak and does nothing for her headache. She tries to give Seth the best smile she can muster at the moment but tries to divert his eyes and not meet them in fear he can read thorough them. As he comes closer she notices he's clutching the phone in his hand and decides to see what's going on, "So what's up?" she questions as her words snap him out of his thoughts and he refocuses.

"Oh, uh sorry if I woke you, but uh oh Ryan's on the phone for you." He let's her know what's going on through some sort of ramble but gives her a slight smile as he extends his hand clutching the phone to give to her.

"Oh" Is all Marissa says as she was not expecting that to be why he came up her. Instantly making her face brighten at the thought of Ryan, she's suddenly glad she let Seth come in. "Thanks." She tells Seth as she is able to muster a much more genuine smile in appreciation and she reaches for the phone and takes it from Seth's clutch. Now that made her dizzy.

"No problem." Seth's says as he turns around and walks out the door, shutting her door for her in the process.

Marissa subconsciously smooths out her hair and appearance as if Ryan would be able to see her through the phone. She was subconsciously hoping he would call sometime soon but now that he had she just wished she was more composed, prepared, and ready to talk to him.

"Hello" Marissa lets the single word slip into the speaker of the phone but regrets it as soon as she hears her own tired and worn out sounding voice.

"Hey" Ryan's deep, comforting voice is heard. Marissa instantly feels better just by hearing his voice, knowing he wants to talk to her. But she's scared. Of what? She's not exactly sure. But she doesn't know what comes over her just by hearing his articulation. Why does she feel this way, what makes her feel this way about him? Why him? What is it he does to her? She doesn't know, but that's why she is so scared, how is it that this boy, this boy she barely even know, who she just met, has her and her emotions running senseless?

But before she can get more engrossed in her own thoughts she hears his voice break through the phone again, "So" Ryan begins, "What's up? How you been? Haven't talked to you in a while..." He lets his interested pumped voice fade out.

"Hmm, well aren't we full of questions today." Marissa begins teasingly as a genuine smile begins to grace her lips. "Well" she continues trying her hardest to sound normal although she knows he must hear the heaviness and tiredness laced in her voice, she continues though trying to dodge the question that she knows he is inevitably going to ask, "To answer your first question, nothing much. I've been okay...good. And yeah I know we haven't, no thanks to you Mr Traveler. But anyhow how bout you, how was Palm Springs?" She continues to tease him but is still really interested in his past week. So with her own questions, she continues to try and dodge his.

"Well, well aren't you the funny one, but yeah I'm good, and well let's just say Palm Springs coulda been a little less boring, and a little more fun." Ryan lets her know as he thinks about his time out of town where all he pretty much did was have some bonding time with Sandy. He snaps back into his thoughts though as he hears the line go quiet, he can't help but think though, she sounds a little tired? Exhausted? Worn out? He wonders if something is wrong. Or is it just because she had only recently woke up from a slumber. Should he ask?

Yeah he should ask.

"So" he decides to continue...and ask, "You sound a little, I don't know, tired, worn out...are you okay?" He timidly asks, he doesn't know, will she get mad? Is he overstepping an imaginary boundary? After all they haven't know each other too long. Ughh it's so frustrating, why is he so insecure with this girl? Why does she have him over analyzing all of his thoughts? How is it she has sent him on such a tailspin?

Marissa knew his question was coming. She couldn't help the way her voice was sounding at the moment and she couldn't take her actions from earlier back now. Butttt...she didn't have to tell him about it either. Right? "Yeah. I'm fine" She tells him in the most convincing tone she can muster. "I'm just, I don't know, really tired, and I just woke up so yeah..." She trails off trying to see what he would say.

And as he begins to accept her explanation and change the subject... She knows he's bought it.

Yes, home free.

"Oh, well I guess I'll get to the point then" He begins as a smile is produced on his face, "I actually called to see if you we're still up for the beach..." He trails off as he hopes she will fill in the rest.

And she doesn't fail to accomplish, she lets out a quick shriek of excitement and finishes his sentence, "Tomorrow...would be great." She lets him know excitedly. She was dying to visit the beach and let her toes linger in the thousands of sand grains.

"So, just a wild guess here" Ryan begins teasingly, "but you're excited aren't you" He finishes, the fake bewilderment evident in his voice.

Marissa can't help but scoff, "Haha" She mockingly answers him, "Aren't you the funny one" She begins to laugh as she uses his same words from earlier to mock him.

"Wow real original" he playfully teases her, the hint of sarcasm showing in his voice. "And as fun as it has been talking to you, I have to go now, I actually haven't eaten yet and I'm gonna go have a late dinner..." He trails off but before he can say goodbye she interrupts him.

"Oh, did you just get here?" She questions, a bit saddened by the fact he has to go now.

"Yeah, I did actually not that long ago. I've been here probably like an hour or so." Ryan quickly fills Marissa in on his recent doings.

"Aww so you chose to call me instead of choosing to pig out." She comments and continues, "Aww you so wanted to talk to me that bad." She continues to tease him.

"Uh, well, umm, nah I just, I, I didn't wanna wait and bug you too late at night, in case you were asleep or something..." Phew, Ryan sighed, he's now totally flustered, his cheeks now successfully a noticeable crimson but he's pretty sure his excuse is plausible, right? Oh geez, he's so glad she can't see him right now.

Marissa lets out a smug laugh as she only wishes she could see him right now, but decides to let him off the hook easy. "Alright, alright, I believe you. So I guess you gotta go now." She fades, again not wanting him to go yet but knowing he should.

"Yeah" Is all Ryan musters, glad for the topic change but not so happy about hanging up. "So I guess tomorrow, I'll pick you up at...noon. Deal?" Ryan lets her know as he makes their outing for tomorrow final and definite.

"Yeah, sounds good, so good night"

"Yeah, night." Marissa hears his final words and then the click of the phone. Ending her own call she can't help the idiotic grin forming on her face, even though her head is still pounding. Laying her head comfortably on her pillow again she lets her eyes begin to flutter shut, know that not only when she wakes up will her hang over will hopefully be cured but she would get to see Ryan soon too. So she lets her eyelids shut one final time for the night, with nothing but excitement for tomorrow coursing through her.

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Please R/R