A/N This continues from where the last one left off. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on it, and I'm glad people have liked it so far. Thanks so much...

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"Are you okay?" she asked concerned having forgotten what she just asked.

Ryan slid out from under and began rubbing his head. Summer kept to herself while glancing back and forth between Ryan and Marissa. She felt something had been off and had a realization of what was wrong in the picture; 'Ryan hadn't told Marissa yet' she thought.

"Do you want some ice?" Marissa asked while setting the box down next to Summer.

The pain subsided and Ryan stopped rubbing his head. "No I'll be okay, thanks."

"Okay." The room stayed quiet for a moment and all of them thought Marissa had forgotten what she had initially asked. "Who's the hot girl?" she posed to them unexpectedly.

Summer's eyes widened immediately trying to think of a cover. She figured she'd interrogate Ryan first before Marissa knew anything. "Uh well…Me! I'm the hot girl!" she blurted.

Seth broke out straight after and caught on to Summer's plot and followed up on her lead. "Yes – She is hot!" he agreed as if he just had an epiphany.

Ryan soundlessly thanked them for not saying anything.

Marissa looked at them a little weird but went with it anyway. "O…kay…"

Summer thought she ought to get Marissa out of the room for a while so she can figure out what was going on.

"Boxes!" Summer said loudly.

"What?" Seth said looking at his girlfriend.

"I need boxes – Cohen and I need boxes, don't you Seth?"

Seth walked over placing some clothes that had been folded into a box. "I don't want boxes." He said totally oblivious to her new plan.

She rolled her eyes. "Well of course you don't want it"

Marissa observed her two friends totally perplexed.

Seth was still completely in the dark, "…then?"

"You just need it" she said while lightly slapping him on the arm.

"I just brought in another box" Marissa said trying to get some answers for this sudden desperation for boxes.

"No, no – that's not enough. Seth and I will fill this baby up in a matter of minutes. We need aallotttaa boxes." She exaggerated.

Ryan knew exactly what Summer wanted, and just kept quiet the whole way.

"Sum, the rest of the boxes were left down at my place, I'd have to go all the w-" Marissa said as Summer immediately took over cutting her sentence short.

"That's so great of you to offer – Cohen why don't you go with her", she said with an oversized smile, encouragingly.

"Eh…but… eh…it's far Summer." He weakly tried to argue.

Summer gave him a stern look which he knew better than to challenge and gave up. "Oh I know, come on Marissa, let's get boxes… ", he said while guiding Marissa out of the room.

Ryan watched them leave and saw he was cornered. Summer was intimidating and he knew she wouldn't stop until she found what she was looking for. He tried to pretend nothing was happening and tried to slide back under the shelf to continue dismantling it, when Summer brought him to a halt.

"Hold it Atwood." She stated bluntly.

He sat up and leant against the wall. "What is it Summer?" He said taking a breath.

"Why haven't you told her yet?" she said a lot calmer.

"I don't know, I just…I wasn't ready" he said solemnly

"Ready for what? It's not like it's a big deal or anything; you're not dating" said a confused Summer.

"I don't know Summer, I mean…if it were me, I wouldn't be comfortable with her living with some attractive guy… you know… yeah we're not together, but there's a lot of history, and a lot of stuff there that's not even…finished yet." He paused briefly. "You don't go around living with someone like…"

"like this half naked hottie…" Summer finished for him.

"…without there being any speculation that you'll probably hook up."

Summer raised an eyebrow, "Do you plan on hooking up with your roommate?"

"No…I don't know… anyway, that's far from…the point…I just don't want Marissa to think that I will."

"Do you want to get back together with her?"

Ryan became frustrated out of his own confusion. "Ye-.. No…I don't know… "

Summer empathized with him but still needed him to see things logically, "Okay but what are you going to do when she comes over? Pretend your roommate is a hot lampshade? There's no point trying to keep it from her. The more you try to hide something, the more it seems there's actually something to hide."

"I know… "

"And just because you're living with this girl, doesn't mean you'll hook up with her, and Marissa's smart enough to know that too. If this situation was just going to complicate things, why even take the apartment?"

"I…I didn't think about all this at the time…"

"Look, while Seth and I will always believe you're meant to be together, you guys have proven you can be great friends, and if that's the case, then this isn't anything you need to worry about; real friendships have survived a lot worse…you guys have survived a lot worse" she said warmly in efforts to set his mind at ease, smiling at him.

Ryan looked brought his knees inward and let out a sigh, "Thank…", giving her a look of appreciation.

As if rehearsed, Seth and Marissa arrived right on time with boxes at hand.

That evening they managed to take everything over to Ryan's new place, and Marissa stayed behind to clean up in case Kyle came back. Sarah was obviously out, and Seth and Summer had to leave shortly after, leaving Ryan alone. He stood up against the door biting his bottom lip and took one look at his new surroundings. He didn't know why, but he felt living there was going to change things, he didn't know what yet, but it was something he thought he should brace himself for.

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Marissa began clearing the coffee mugs that sat on the table and began washing up. She headed for Kyle's room and changed her sheets and covers and made sure Ryan hadn't left anything behind. Upon tidying Kyle's desk she noticed 'Architecture and the International Style', and knew straight away it was his. 'I'll just give it to him tomorrow.' She thought to herself.

For the rest of the night she sat in front of the television, flipping channels at random and having no real interest in what was on. The dorm was a lot quieter than what she was used to. Sitting in her pajamas she looked over to the room that Ryan had recently been sleeping in. He hadn't been there for very long but now he was gone everything just felt…empty. 11:06 - She sat there alone, wondering what he was doing, if he was settled, if he was sleeping, if in some strange way he was sitting by himself and feeling as lonely as she was. It'd only been a few hours but she found herself yearning to make some sort of connection with him. She wanted to call, but truthfully didn't really have anything to say, she just wanted to hear his voice and feel the security that came with it.

She grabbed her phone and punched his number on the keypad, before activating the call button, she thought for a moment, 'it's late', and decided against it and closed her cell. Maybe this distance was actually giving them the time away from each other that they were meant to be having.

Upon closing her phone a light came on and the incoming call signal went off with Ryan's name appearing on the screen. She smiled, letting it ring once more before picking it up.

"Hey did I wake you?" he asked sincerely

"No, not at all, I was just up watching some television." she said. "Are you moved in?"

"I've got a few more things to unpack, some furniture to re-assemble, but pretty much…you know to tell you the truth, I couldn't sleep." He said wearily.

She imagined him lying awake in bed in his wife-beater and flannel pants, staring up at the ceiling in darkness. "To tell you the truth, neither could I…"

"Why is that?"

"It's eerily quiet here. It's kind of unnerving actually." She said honestly. "What about you?"

He sighed audibly over her receiver, "just doesn't feel like my home yet, you know…"

Marissa laughed slightly but understood, "Yeah well the very first night never does…"

Ryan continued trying to put into words what had been sitting on his mind, "I just feel…-"

"…far", Marissa finished for him softly having intended only herself to hear it.

"Yeah…far." He agreed, which made her surprised he heard.

"Maybe we'll have that time apart now like we were meant to have." She said trying to make a joke out of it in attempts to lighten the mood.

"…Yeah", Ryan said unconvincingly. The two had gone quiet all of a sudden, they both knew what the other was thinking, but was unsure of who would come out and say it; so Ryan did. "… We'll still see each other just as often Marissa…I'm not in the same building but-"

"Yeah I know…it's not…it's not that far." She said.

"Yeah, and plus I'm on campus everyday…"

Both of them felt like they had to convince themselves that everything would stay the same, but neither were sure that it would.

"I better let you go, it's getting late." He said politely.

She didn't want him to go yet, even if they said nothing the whole night, she wanted to feel him near her for as long as she could. "Okay…" she said in a subdued tone.

He paused for a few seconds before letting her go, "…Goodnight Marissa…"

Sadness came over her just with his goodbye, she didn't know why, but it felt all too real, like it were permanent. Taking a breath she ended their conversation. "Goodnight Ryan."

Marissa aimed the remote and flipped off the television, walked unenthused towards her bedroom and shutting the door, she climbed into bed and stared out at the moon that glistened in the cloudless sky. Her emotions wanted to take over her body but she lay still trying to reassure herself that nothing was going to change. In the other part of town where Ryan now lay in his own bed, in his new home, he looked out upon the same moon, now taking his turn to wonder what Marissa was doing. Was she still awake? Had she gone to sleep? Was she lying down alone, feeling as unsure as he was. The night spun round, and offered up to them a new day.

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As it was bright and beautiful the night before, Marissa woke up to a cloudy sky, with only hues of grey to be seen for miles. She sat up and dropped her head down to her knees, her body still unwilling to get out completely from the warmth her quilt had provided. She figured she'd go over to Ryan's new place today considering she hadn't seen it yet and return his book to him. Finally forcing herself out she made her way to make breakfast. She lazily walked through with her eyes half open and was surprised to find someone sitting at the kitchen table.

Marissa took a sharp breath, "Oh my god you scared me!"

Kyle sat eating cereal and reading the paper, "It's about time you woke up." She laughed looking at a disheveled Marissa.

"When did you get here?" she asked while grabbing the box of cereal and pouring the contents into a bowl.

"Earlier this morning" Kyle answered.

Kyle was also a freshman studying a degree not too different from Marissa's. Kyle was the epitome of what it was to be the girl next door; everything you could've imagined of what that may be she was the complete embodiment. She had soft blonde hair that fell straight down with a slight wave that seemed effortlessly tamed. Her eyes were a stunning shade of brown with slight hints of green woven through. Kyle wore a smile that lit up a room and had a physique of a former teen pageant contestant. But through all her beauty she was the sweetest most down to earth girl you could meet, and she bore no facades, just a simple what you see is what you get kind of girl that had a healthy relationship with her family. Kyle and Marissa got on straight away. It was refreshing for Marissa to find someone who had such a positive take on life that hadn't been tainted yet with harsh realities that existed.

Marissa sat down opposite her with her bowl of cereal, and grabbed a section of the paper Kyle was done with. "How was your trip?"

"It was okay, my grandfather wasn't feeling too well which is why I went back, plus I started to feel a little homesick, so it was good that I got to catch up with them."

"Is your grandfather okay?" Marissa asked sincerely.

"Yeah, I think he'll be okay. What about you, what'd you get up to, and where's Ryan by the way?"

Ryan, at the sound of his name she came to suddenly realize where he now was. "He uh…he found a place actually, he moved into to his new apartment yesterday."

Kyle had actually been given a rundown on the saga that is Ryan and Marissa by Summer a while back. Although she hadn't known Marissa for long, she was insightful enough to see that something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Kyle asked.

Marissa had been playing with her breakfast and swirled its contents hypnotically.

"It's Ryan isn't it?"

"What? Oh…no…Anyway, I better get going, I'm going to go drop off a text book he left behind and go to the library and get some study done."

"Okay, I'll see you later then, you going be back to eat here for dinner, I'll cook?" she smiled

"Yeah, I'll see you later, I'll bring back some movies" she said while putting her dish in the sink. "It's good to have you back" Marissa said as she patted her on the shoulder and made her way to her bedroom to get ready.

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The new day for Ryan had come in the form of bird that was perched on the tree outside and was making excruciating noise, which abruptly woke him up. He tossed and turned in attempts to fall back into his slumber, forcing the pillow over his head in hopes to drown out the sound. The screeching gave no signs of coming to an end any time soon. Ryan compelled to wake up if he were to keep his sanity. He left the room with his hair in total disarray and went to brush his teeth. Sarah was already up and was propped against the kitchen counter with a coffee in one hand and reading what seemed to be her horoscope.

"Morning sunshine." She said patronizing him.

"Morning…Don't you hear that?" He asked while still hearing traces of the infuriating noise.

"Hear what?" Sarah said ignorant to what he was referring to.

Ryan walked over searching the cupboards for a mug, in need for some caffeine. "The bird" he stated.

"Oh that…you get used to it." She said while grabbing her toast that had just popped out.

Ryan looked at her, "You mean it's there every morning?"

"No, no, just sometimes, and it stops after like an hour." Sarah mentioned offhandedly.

"Great" Ryan said under his breath as he rolled his eyes. "I'm going to go have a shower" he said as he poured out the remainder of his coffee down the sink.

As he began walking out the room she called out after him. "Actually there might be a chance I used all the hot water…but maybe not, check anyway."

Ryan was soon getting frustrated and just wanted to get through this first morning unscathed. A knock came at the door shortly after.

"I'll get it!" Sarah proclaimed with no direction.

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Sarah answered the door and was confronted with a doll like figure that she hadn't met before. "Can I help you?' she asked quite frankly.

Marissa seemed a little hesitant, having never seen Ryan's place and never really hearing anything about his roommate, she wondered if she was even in the right building. A little startled by the brazen young woman who was comfortable enough to prance about in her underwear…"Umm, its okay I think, I think I have the wrong place." She stuttered out feeling a little intimidated by the person in front of her. "Thanks" she said as she turned back on her way to the stairs.

"Hey wait!" the audacious girl called out to her. "Who were you looking for?"

Marissa looked back upon hearing her yell out, "Uh…his name's Ryan, but that's o-" and she was immediately cut off.

"Sunshine? Oh yeah, he lives here." She said bluntly.

"Excuse me?" said a baffled Marissa. 'Sunshine?' she thought to herself.

"Ryan – Irritable guy of little words…but cute too I guess." She said, breaking it down for Marissa a little further.

Marissa didn't know what to say, 'was this his roommate?' she questioned in her mind. The girl answered straight after as if seeing right through her.

"I'm his roommate." She offered her hand out for Marissa to shake it. "Sarah" she stated.

Marissa walked slowly towards her and shook her hand a little undecided. "I'm Marissa…is he uh… here?" she wondered. "You're his roommate?" she asked again as if not hearing the first time.

"S-a-rah." She repeated as if she were talking to a child which Marissa showed no appreciation for or amusement. "Yeah, he's having a shower, come on." Sarah said inviting her in. Sarah turned around and led the way in, and Marissa followed suit. "Take a seat."

Marissa studied the room and let her eyes wander across the apartment as far as she could see. Her eyes led her to a family of g-strings that were well rested on the sofa; not to mention the extended relatives consisting of bras, corsets, and other laced intimate apparel. When Sarah asked her to sit, she stood confounded as to where she could even possibly place herself amongst the laundry.

Marissa wondered whether Ryan's new roommate was ever going to put on actual clothes. She sat uncomfortably with her bag in her lap and still clutching Ryan's textbook. She sat there thinking why Ryan didn't bother telling her, but came to the realization that, 'that', she thought as she looked at Sarah who was finishing off a piece of toast, was exactly the reason Ryan had avoided telling her.

Marissa stayed silent and kept her thoughts quiet; she was confused, she felt like he had lied to her when she knew he really hadn't. Now concluding that Ryan was going to be living with this woman and there was nothing she could do about it. She was gorgeous, and Ryan would have to be an idiot to not see that. Marissa stared at the floor waiting for Ryan to come out, she kept thinking to herself when suddenly her thoughts became cluttered and called to a halt when music suddenly came blaring out of the portable stereo in the kitchen.

Juvenile's 'Back that ass up' graced the apartment. To someone who didn't know better, it was one of those rap songs that you could sense had an accompanying video clip that was nearing on pornographic with half naked women dancing on SUV's, and every second word was a profanity. As if things weren't bad enough, she turned to her left to find Sarah dancing still in her underwear and bouncing about cleaning the kitchen.

'Attractive… not to mention sanitary' Marissa reflected sarcasm in her head. She felt the air in the room grow thicker and couldn't help but feel threatened by her and she had a number of reasons why she should be. She felt irritated in her own skin and didn't attempt to talk over the music, so she set the book down on the coffee table, took one last glance at the apartment and its shameless occupant by the oven, and headed out the door while Sarah's back was turned. Marissa had to get out of there.

Ryan walked out a few minutes later dressed and towel drying his hair. He was graced with a similar scene that Marissa had gotten up and walked out on not long ago. He noticed on the coffee table his architecture book and remembered he had left it at Marissa's…'Marissa!' he thought hastily, as he made his way to the stereo to turn it down.

"Hey! I was listening to that!" Sarah said as she turned around from wiping down the sink.

"Where's Marissa?" He asked sternly.

Sarah had a short term memory for anything she didn't care for, "Who!"

"- Marissa" he said a little calmer, "Was Marissa here?"

'Marissa' she mimicked to herself as she concentrated, "Tall girl – totally in love with you, yeah she was here, don't know where she went though. I turned around and she was gone."

Ryan gave up on interrogating Sarah further, because it was getting him nowhere. He looked around aimlessly seeing the scattered underwear and taking another look at the half-naked Sarah, he could only imagine what kind of first impression Marissa was given. Ryan needed to talk to her, quickly grabbing his keys and raced out the door, without a clue where Marissa could possibly be.

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