I am so sorry that this has taken like 2 weeks to get up, but junior year of highschool is a bitch. Four hours of homework a night and everything else on top of it, it is a challenge. But, I will still be updating, it just may be a little longer than normal.

Please read and review!

Disclaimer: I own Cameron, lol. That's it. Oh, and Kelan.

Chapter 9

Summer continued to skip down the sidewalk that lined the Hudson River. She hailed a cab and quickly got back to the Hilton to find a dozed off Cameron.

"Cameron! Wake up!"

She stirred but did not make an effort to get out from underneath the large fluffy blue comforter that was keeping her warm and her memory fresh of the events of the night that she had with Kelan.

"Cam, Kelan's here."

This proclamation caused her to jump out of bed and quickly straighten her clothes out and brush her hand through her hair.

"I'm kidding. But Summer's here!" Summer giggled as she saw Cameron's eyes droop. "Don't jump up to see me." Summer joked.

"Sorry. I am just tired. Long night with Kelan."

"How was it?"

"Amazing," Cameron said as she smiled.

"What did you do?"

"Went to dinner at-"

Summer interrupted her asking, "where's the ice cream?"

"Freezer. Anyways, we went out to Ruby Foos. They have great sushi we should totally go there one night this week," she added as an after thought.

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah, it was. Now, what caused you to go to Battery Park. Again? Alone?"

"Just thinking. You know, about stuff," Summer finished lamely.

"And what stuff would that be?"

The last few weeks, Summer had been mentioning a lot about a certain Seth Cohen that Cameron had remembered from one of their first nights there. She had been too oblivious to notice anything between them at that moment and then of course the little part where she may have gotten a little bit wasted. But, that was in the past and she was looking into the future now.

She had been noticing Summer's change in personality this week and was finally starting to see what kind of affect this guy had on her friend. It was pathetic, really, but she now knew what it was finally like. Even though her and Kelan had had what, one date, she was really thinking that this was something and someone that she could grow to love.

"A certain boy."

Summer couldn't even keep the growing smile off her face as Cameron also had a smile pop up.

"And what name would this boy have?"

"Seth. Seth Cohen."

"Ah, of course. What about that girl friend of his?"

"They broke up," she stated simply.

"Why?"

"She wanted to marry him. He didn't want to marry her."

"Summer," she scolded, "what did you do?"

"I simply did nothing. I just was there when he needed someone to talk to. We may have kissed a few times but that's all. I swear."

"You were there for him? When?"

"When he got a call that the Nana was in a coma at the hospital. All I did was go down there with

him and sit while he talked to her and then I went in and talked to her. I met her a couple times in high school."

"Well, that was nice, I guess."

Another smile came upon Cameron's face as she shook her head back and forth.

"What!" Summer laughed.

"Your unbelievable," she said as she continued to laugh.

"Yeah, well, what can I say. I don't give up on my man."

"Summer," laughing again, "he still isn't your man!"

"You just wait Cam, by the end of the next week, we will be like two peas in a pod again."

"Two peas in a pod? What are you, eight?"

"At heart," Summer said as she cocked her head to the side and gave a final smile before finally getting up and grabbing the mint chocolate chip out of the small freezer and a spoon.

She plopped down on the couch and picked up the remote flipping to the old movie station. Psycho was playing, and Summer chuckled as the famous murder scene in the shower came on. She had seen this Hitchcock classic one too many times that she could basically reenact the whole movie if she had a set.

"Ah, Sum, we watch this movie all the time," Cameron wined as she came into the room after changing her clothes.

She looked up and said, "Yeah, how about some of The Valley!"

"Oh yeah, sure. We did only make it to the middle of the second season last week. I still can't believe that you brought that with you. Necessities Summer, necessities."

"Oh yeah? Well who said The Valley wasn't a necessity?"

Summer looked on smugly. Cameron opened her mouth to say something sarcastic , but quickly closed it. Summer smiled in victory and put in the fourth disk of the second season. The tub on ice cream melting on the coffee table as the final credits finally showed up on the screen and both girls quietly drifting off to sleep.

---

The week went slowly by and Seth was starting to wonder what he was still doing in New York. Sure, him and Summer had met occasionally, although still nothing too serious. There had been several flirty times and a couple spur of the moment kisses but Seth really wanted to know if something was going to come of this.

He heard his cell phone beep signaling a voice mail. 'Huh, when did I get a voice mail?'

He dialed the number to get the mail and listened closely to the automated voice.

"One new message."

'God, just get to it,' he thought impatiently.

"Hey, it's me. Just calling to see what's up and wondering if you wanted to get something to eat, maybe take some food down to Battery Park?" Seth smiled as he could tell that as she said 'Batter Park' that she was too smiling. It was just one of those things that he could always tell. "Or we could go to a movie, I hear there are a couple good ones out. So, yeah, call me back. Bye!"

He pressed the number that would delete the message and dialed her number.

"Hello?" Summer's voice pipped through the speaker and into his ear.

"Hey, it's me, what's up?"

"Hey! Nothing. Just on my lunch break trying to find somewhere to eat. You?"

"At another coffee shop. I feel like I have spent like 60 percent of my time in New York in some coffee shop or another."

"The beauty of the coffee shop. So did you get my message?"

"Yeah. Meet me at the Park by that one tree that we were at the other day."

"That one tree? Cohen, do you know how many trees are in that park?"

"Sum, you know that tree. You know, the one by the bench."

"Uh huh. How about I meet you on the dock that goes out a little bit. And to make it easy for you

to find me, I'll be wearing a red sweater."

"Planning your outfit already."

"Want me to wear a grey or black sweater and look like everyone else there?"

She stopped right in the middle of the busy sidewalk that she was walking on causing people to walk around her and put her and on her hip.

"Yeah, your right. Red it is. I'll see you on the dock."

"7:30 good?"

"Great."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye, love you."

Seth shut his phone and could practically feel his eyes bulge out of his eye sockets.

'Where in fuck did that come from? Love you? Am I crazy? Love? Do I love her? Why did I say that? Do I mean it? God dinner is going to be awkward. Should I bring it up?'

Thought after thought went through his mind as he tried to figure out why he said that.

Meanwhile, Summer had resumed walking but suddenly stopped when she heard those words, her eyes bulging as well.

'Love? What! That has got to be a mistake on his part. He was just almost engaged. I mean, I have no problem with him loving me since I love him, but, fuck! But, wow. Love. Did he mean it? Or was it just like what friends say to each other. You know, 'love ya!' God, Summer. This is big.'

Summer immediately decided that she had lost her appetite and chose to go back to work, thinking all the way there. The last thought that ran through her mind was, ' Dinner is going to suck if it is all of a sudden awkward. God, Cohen.' And she smiled a little and shook her head at how fast things could change.

---

"But Ryan, I don't wanna!" Seth wined into the phone.

"Buddy, it's for your own good."

"God, Amy totally fucked you up dude."

"Seth, chill. And she didn't," Ryan looked around the office making sure no one heard him,

"fuck me up."

"Dude. You are too blinded by love that you can't even see it!"

"Seriously. Just tell her that it was one of those 'Love ya!' things that girls tell their friends on the phone."

"No. I cannot do that. I would sound totally gay. 'Love ya'? Are you kidding?"

Ryan laughed. Yeah that sounded gay coming from Seth, but whatever.

Just then, Ryan had an awakening that he hadn't even thought of.

"Uh, Seth?"

"Huh?"

"Do you think that maybe you love her?"

"Duh," he dead panned.

"Ohhhh. So this could be a bigger problem."

"Yeah."

Ryan heard the line click and looked down at his cell to see who the other caller was. He was shocked to read what the collar-id said.

"Hey, Seth, can I call you back?" Ryan spoke quickly.

"Yeah, but don't forget I'm having a crisis."

"Okay, bye."

He switched lines quickly making sure that the person didn't hang up.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ryan."

"Hey! I haven't talked to you in forever. How's it going?"

"Oh, it's going. New York is moving fast."

'Yeah, tell me about it.' He said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing."

"So, I heard about you and Amy! Congrats!"

"Thanks, Sum. Yeah, I'm really happy."

"That's awesome."

"Yeah. So, is there a reason you called?"

"Uh yeah. I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about something. It's kinda important."

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, see Seth and I kinda have been spending a lot of time together and I know that you two are still really close and today, just now actually, he said 'love you'. Has he said anything to you?"

"Nope. I haven't talked to him since like two days ago. But, for the record, he probably meant it."

"You think?"

"I know."

"Thanks, Atwood."

"Sure. So how's the new job?"

"Ah! It's awesome!"

"That's great, Summer," sincerity in his tone.

"Yeah, it is. So how is everything coming along. Wedding plans yet?"

"Were still getting there," Ryan laughed slightly thinking about the upcoming work ahead of him.

"Oh my God! I have the best idea, Chino. I could like totally come out and help plan! I know that I don't know Amy or anything but maybe I could get to know her?"

Summer's statement came out more in question form and more innocent than she had intended.

"That sounds good. I'm sure Amy would die to meet you. Hell, she basically knows your whole life story up until now."

Ryan totally didn't even think about what he had just said until Summer asked, "What?"

He grunted.

"Well, let's just say that when Amy and I got together, you were all Seth talked about even

though he was with Jenny. So, she knows everything. She's like your own Seth Cohen by now

only in female form."

She smiled. "Right. You know, after all these years, you really are the talkative one."

"I have taken on a role of talking. I never even noticed that until now."

"Your welcome."

"Thanks."

"Okay, well I should get back to work. I will talk you later this week and set up a time for me to

fly out to visit."

"Take care, Sum. And tell Seth when you see him that I am sorry I didn't call him back. Bye."

"Okay, bye. Wait, huh?"

'Too late. He already hung up,' she thought to herself.

Summer walked swiftly back to the Time Warner Building where the numerous people were setting up for different things. The fashion show was still four days away but that meant then staying to take things down and then of course the meetings. Summer wondered what Seth was going to do in terms of staying or not. 'He couldn't just leave, I mean the Nana is in a coma!'

Right at that very second, Summer knew that she had to do something. She needed to go to Seth and find out what that really meant. Was it just lust? Or was it really true love? She hoped it was the later, but she could never be to sure.

Again, she grabbed her purse that she had set down on one of the chairs and threw her white jacket over her shoulders. And, with that, Summer was out the door.

She tightly pulled her coat around her and wondered aloud what she was going to say to him. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she had no idea where he was. She thought that he maybe down at Battery Park since she had seen him there that one night, but she felt as if he was at the hotel that he had booked after leaving the Hilton.

Seth had figured that he was going to book himself a 4 star hotel and charge it on his parents Visa. He thought he deserved it. So, the next day after seeing Summer by the water, he hailed a cab and went to Columbus Circle to find himself one. Summer of course told him to go there since it was right by where she was going to be working for the next several days and told him, "it would just be so easy! We could go out during my lunch breaks and the movie theater is only three blocks down!" He had easily come upon the Mandarin Oriental Hotel that Summer had suggested and booked the cheapest room that he could – $955.00 a night. For five nights.

Summer walked into the lobby of the hotel demanding to know which room Mr. Seth Cohen was staying in.

"Mr. Cohen is staying in our 'Superior Room' on the 51st floor room 5125."

"Thanks."

She took the elevator up to the 51st floor and got out, looking around to see what direction in which she needed to go.

She went right and came upon his room. She stopped, was she really ready to ask him this? She lifted her hand and knocked hard three times. No answer. She knocked again. Again, no answer. She finally got annoyed and just decided to yell, "Cohen!" into the door.

She grunted and turned around, walking to the elevator to go back to work. Summer pressed the button signaling down and the doors opened. She looked up only to be met by Seth.

"Uh, hi."

"Hey. Where were you just now?" She asked rudely.

"I was at that coffee shop, remember?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

She really wished they could backtrack time and totally redo this morning.

"So, what's up?" Seth said, trying to make light the situation at hand.

"Oh you know, lunch break."

"Yeah, I remember you telling me that like 20 minutes ago. So, I think I am going to go back to

Newport tomorrow."

'WHAT! He can't leave now!' her mind was spinning and she knew she had to stop him.

"No."

"No?"

"That's right. No."

"Um, okay. Why?"

"Because, I don't want you to leave."

She smiled to himself but didn't show it.

"Is there a reason?"

"Yes," she said.

"What is it?"

And she did what her heart told her to, she kissed him. Hard. Right there in the middle of the elevator and the hallway. The doors of the elevator had tried to close about twelve times now, but was stopped each time by their bodies.

She broke apart and hugged his small waist.

"That's why," she said, speaking into his chest.

He hugged her back. As much as he liked these non-couple kisses with Summer, he wanted to set some things straight. Did he even want a relationship already? He remembered talking to Ryan and how he had told him that he did indeed love Summer.

"I'll see you tonight. 7:30, don't be late. And remember, I'll be wearing the red sweater."

"Sum, wait, I want to talk to you about that phone call!"

He yelled out to her, but the doors had already closed. But, on the other side, Summer had heard him, and she smiled to herself because she already knew the answer that she was looking for.

Hey, thanks for reading. I feel like this may be getting a little boring so I think that I may only have like 2 or 3 chapters left, but I am not really sure. Like, it could be 4 or 5 more, I just don't know. Also, I am thinking about bringing Jenny back for 1 or 2 more scenes. Good idea or not? I'm just trying to bring some more drama into this.

So, please review! And let me know what you think and as always, suggestions are totally welcomed.