Julie awoke sometime around nine in the morning with a quiet groan. Her back ached horribly and her neck was stiff as she struggled to sit upright. Taking in her surroundings, Julie realized that she was in the Cohen's living room on their plush couch. She sighed heavily as she stood up and walked toward the kitchen. Inside the brightly lit room, the brunette blinked at the harsh sunlight. Once her eyes adjusted, Julie saw that she was not alone.

"Can we talk now?" Ryan asked from the refrigerator. He closed the door and looked at the woman standing a few feet away from him.

Julie yawned. "I thought we spoke last night."

Ryan gestured for her to sit down at the island and she did. Pulling a chair out and sitting down, Julie looked at Ryan. She hid her confusion with the expertise that came with years of hiding things, and he didn't suspect that she was onto him. Little did Ryan know that Julie Cooper was always aware of what was going on around her.

"I need to tell you something else." Ryan's voice was calm but his heart was pounding wildly in his chest. "If you have a moment."

Julie nodded, unable to say anything. Ryan had something else, something important, to tell her? Her mind flooded with possible scenarios as it usually did when she was in this sort of situation. When he spoke again, Julie realized that this was not the bad boy from Chino she had met four years earlier. The young boy she had once known was no longer a boy; he was now the very adult man sitting next to her, with his striking blue eyes and just-out-of-bed hair.

"Could we get together for coffee sometime?" Ryan blurted the first thing that came to mind.

The brunette, now showing a half smile, allowed herself nod once again. Coffee with Ryan wouldn't be so bad… right?

"Coffee would be fine," Julie smiled warmly. She stood up from the low backed chair and started to walk out of the room, when Ryan caught her arm.

"Are you sure?" He asked, his blue eyes sparking in with concern. His grip on her arm was just enough to keep her standing there, and he knew it.

Julie turned to look Ryan in the eye, her smile still in place. "Yes, Ryan, I'm sure. I'll see you tonight?"

Now reassured that Julie was fine with going out, it was Ryan's turn to nod. He left her arm slip through his grip, but clasped his hand around hers when she was almost an arms length away.

"See you at eight."

Ryan managed to tear himself away from her and walk out of the kitchen, out to the pool house. He was somewhat emotionally torn; he was going out for coffee with Julie, but she was Marissa's mom and that could possibly cause some bad reactions and maybe even some awkward situations. But if Julie was able to work past all that, if she wanted to, so would he.

"Ryan?" Julie's voice rang out from the kitchen door just as Ryan was walking into the pool house. "You're not going to wear a wife beater, are you?"

Ryan smiled, suddenly feeling supremely confident. "No. I'll wear something else." Julie grinned back and Ryan walked into his own mini-home. While the mixture of emotions swirled inside of him, his smile was still firmly in place.

"Everyone knows that wife beaters are for the second date," He replied so Julie could hear. He laughed to himself and settled down onto his bed to get a bit more sleep. Yes, he had what could be construed as a date with the mother of his dead ex-girlfriend. The way Ryan looked at it, he truly had feelings for this woman, and nothing could stop that. He either had to act on them or ignore them. Drinking coffee with Julie certainly seemed a lot easier than ignoring the fact that he did care for her. Only time, which was something they both had plenty of, would tell.

Thanks for reading!