A/N As annoying Marissa can get on the show, I'm trying to shape her differently to be less, well, pathetic; but I am pro Marissa despite the many who may dislike her, so I'm trying to let her grow up and mature a little bit. I forgot, do I have to put those disclaimer things? Well I don't own the OC or its characters, but I do own the Kyle and Sarah in this story.

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"So, you just gave him pancakes and left?" Asked Kyle.

"Yes." Marissa replied as she continued to take down notes from her unit readings.

"Let me get this straight, he made you wait for like an hour, you drove all the way after getting his message that he couldn't make it, and you just went there to drop off pancakes, you didn't let him explain, and you just – left." Kyle repeated slowly trying to make sense of it.

"Yeah…" she said offhandedly without looking away from her page, "…that's pretty much it."

"You should've just let him explain",

Marissa stared at her page, letting the words on the page become a blur as she listened to her roommate go on. She sighed, setting her pen down. "Maybe I should've…"

"I'm not saying what he did was okay, I just think he might have a good reason you know…but hey, if you don't want to talk to him and he calls our place, saying you're washing your hair is okay with me too" finished Kyle with a slight laugh.

She smiled at Kyle's attempt to lighten the mood, "…thanks…maybe I was just being stupid, I hadn't seen him in a while; I missed him. The first time he calls. He stands me up, and as soon as I heard her name, I think I snapped."

"You snapped? By going out of your way to bring him his favorite kind of pancakes…Let's never cross you hey", said Kyle sarcastically.

"I think I just left without saying anything was so that I didn't just come out with something I'll regret." Marissa pointed out. "Anyway…new subject, thanksgiving is coming up soon, what are you doing?"

"Family stuff as usual, just going back home for the long weekend. What about you?"

"We're doing thanksgiving at Seth and Summer's this year, we figured you'd be going back home, but just in case, you're invited as well."

"That's sweet of you guys."

At that moment Marissa cell-phone that had been sitting on top of her books, began vibrating. She looked at the screen, Ryan was attempting to call her. Marissa looked at it feeling immobile and unsure if she should pick it up. Marissa looked to Kyle in hopes Kyle would tell her what she should do, but she shrugged back at her. In her hesitation to pick it up, the vibration stopped, and it went unanswered.

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Ryan hung up, she was either busy, or deliberately chose to ignore him. Either way he couldn't blame her. He sat at his study table looking out his window, examining the people and the streets around him as if he were going to find what he was looking for within it. He couldn't shake the sadness and disappointment he could see in her as she looked back at him by the doorway.

He looked to himself, dissatisfied. All he wanted to do was talk to her, explain why he couldn't get there, and make it up to her. She was thoughtful enough to come out of her way and bring him breakfast, knowing that he hadn't yet, and it made everything that much worse. Ryan left it out on the table, he couldn't eat it. Guilt would override his system if he even tried to.

The television in the lounge room went on. He got up from his table to check that Sarah must have been up already from taking her nap. There she was, in her pajamas watching a rerun of an old sitcom, looking like she was in a better state. He walked over and sat on the single armchair next to her.

"Feeling better?"

"Yeah…I'm okay." Sarah replied and nodded, returned her gaze to the television, watching the slapstick comedy on screen unfold, laughing loudly as it played out.

He looked back and forth between her and the screen. The Sarah that sat there cackling was a different Sarah to the one he was consoling only hours ago.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He persisted.

Sarah sighed and switched off the television now facing him.

"Ryan, I appreciate that you were concerned about me, I am…and when I'm ready, I'll explain okay, I just want to forget about it for right now." She came out politely, but switched the television back on in any case, and continued watching.

He couldn't help but feel agitated, despite her saying she was appreciative he felt like his efforts earlier to try and be a friend had gone in vain. He got up not wanting to press further, and just assumed when she was ready to talk about it, she would. Ryan got up out of his seat and walked off, disbelieving that, that same girl was the reason he ended up letting down one of his best friends. Ryan grabbed the keys to the car and walked out of the apartment. Getting downstairs, the beautiful weather was beating down on him, mocking and contradicting how he felt.

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Ryan's first instinct when he left was to drive straight over to Marissa's, but decided against it, knowing that right now he didn't have any words to offer her. The remorse began to set up camp in the pit of his stomach, driving around directionless, Marissa being the only thing he could think about. He pulled up to the parking lot, of a place that he was predestined to arrive at.

Who knew if she would even want to talk to him, or see him for that matter; Trudging up the stairs and walked heavily to the unit. Knocking on the door he waited patiently.

"Hey." The beautiful blonde greeted him.

"Hey, is Marissa here?" He sought.

Kyle just stared back at him in uncertainty as to whether she should tell him, but in observing his despondent expressions and body language, she gave in. "I was with her earlier at the library, she had to go somewhere to work on some group assignment."

Ryan stood there defeated, "Do you know when she'll be back?"

"I really don't know…Did you try her phone?"

He nodded, "It was off." Looking down to his feet contemplating what to do next, "Okay, uh…thanks, I'll just try again later…" he said as he turned away.

Heading back to his car he made his way over to Jacobs where she now worked, but of course knew he wouldn't find her there. Sitting in the back corner at a table by himself, he observed the people carry on around him. A mother sitting with her young daughter, wiping her cream smudged face. Two friends caught up in conversation with two frappes, a third member joining them, all now standing to exchange welcoming embraces. A regular, leaving a tip on the table and waving goodbye to the people at the counter noting they'd be back again the next day.

The sun was out but the air was cold, and this café managed to entrap warmth; sheltering its visitors who were all interacting, having some sort of attachment to another. On the other side, Ryan sipped his coffee feeling disconnected. Wishing that by some miracle Marissa would come in as she'd done numerous times before, walk over and greet him; that he could invite her into a warm embrace and rewind the events of the morning.

Ryan went back to Marissa's later that evening, but she was still yet to come home. No matter where he went or what he did, he felt like he just kept missing her, like they had become two ships that would pass each other by, occasionally meeting up at port. He couldn't go back home with the image of her sadly walking away still ingrained in his memory, so he decided to wait there figuring she would go home some time. Kyle refused at first, trying to convince him he should just come back another time, but his incessant begging let him in.

He lay there wondering where she could've been at that hour. His needless worrying was like déjà vu of a similar occurrence not too long ago. The sun had set a long time ago and he lost track of how long he'd been lying there. Wrapped up in her quilt and inhaling the scent of her pillow, he couldn't bring himself to leave and give up, having a sudden desperation to hold onto something that had anything to do with her. The minutes kept challenging his body, as he fought to stay awake, but the comfort that enveloped him. His eyelids closed, losing at 1.48.

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Marissa yawned, completely exhausted, with sleep the only thing on her mind. Slowly, she walked to her bedroom, with her eyes half shut. She went to her closet and began changing, when walking over to her bed it was the first she caught sight of her bed already being slept in. If it wasn't for the light post outside that was illuminating his face, she would've already yelled and clobbered him with her lamp. But she just watched him, lying there peacefully, wondering how long he must have been there, or even why he was there to begin with.

He began stirring, his eyes were slowly opening to see if anyone was there, looking out at Marissa who stood there next to him, he was trying to wake, but was feeling disoriented.

"Ma…Marissa?" he whispered "Is that you..?"

"…yeah it's me"

"Wh…what time is it?" he asked, trying to rub his eyes and fight himself to wake up.

"It's almost 4, sshh…just go back to sleep." As much as she could've easily slapped him out of his slumber for doing what he did at breakfast, and now depriving her of a nights sleep on her own bed, she stroked his head until he forgot all about waking up. Whatever it was they would deal with it in the morning, so she went back to her closet and grabbed an extra pillow and blanket and kindly let him rest as she made her way out to the living room.

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Ryan woke up later on that morning, dazed and confused, only realizing moments later why he had woken up in Marissa's bed. He walked out, still in his clothes from the previous day, adjusting to the bright rays. There she was, sitting by the kitchen table looking out at him, as if she'd been purposefully waiting for him to come out, so he walked over and sat beside her.

"'Morning…" she greeted him softly with an expectant look on her face.

"hi…" replied Ryan. "Kyle here?"

"No, she went for a run."

He took a deep breath knowing that he had to clarify what happened the day before, "…I'm sorry, for…yesterday, I never intended on not showing up…you must think I'm an ass" he said while attempting to smile at her.

She didn't answer, this time she would stay quiet and listen to his explanation if he had one.

Her silence made him uneasy and tried to get through his next sentence, "I was about to leave, I was, I was heading out the door when Sarah walked in."

Marissa wasn't too impressed upon hearing her name, "…and then?"

"She looked like a wreck. She'd gotten into some argument with her boyfriend, and came home that morning and started to break down. I thought I'd just ask if she was okay, but it ended up on her giving me this rundown on all these things that I couldn't help her with."

"So why'd you stay?" Marissa asked feeling the need to clear that up at least.

"I just felt compelled I guess. It's crazy but since I've been living there, I've hardly ever seen anyone come by to see her, there's her boyfriend, occasionally a few people have quickly come and gone, but I don't really think she has any real friends…I just, felt bad for her, not having anyone."

Marissa just nodded slowly, acknowledging that she understood while she kept her eyes focus on the fruit bowl in front of her.

"I'm sorry, for not showing up. I really did feel terrible every minute I knew you were waiting…" Ryan said sincerely trying to get her to look at him.

She let out a long breath, "Ryan Atwood, always there for the damsel in distress…" she paused then gave him a warm smile letting him know that she was forgiving him, and he returned it gratefully. She knew she didn't have to forgive him so soon, but she also knew that this thing he does, was just part of who he was, and if he wasn't that way, they possibly would've never gotten together.

He wrapped his arm around her and they both leant up against each other on the side of their heads. He felt relief overcome his entire body, now knowing that she was forgiving him. Ryan stared down into her, and could see she was changing. Right in front of his eyes she's was quickly becoming this beautiful and mature young woman, stronger and a lot more independent than when her first met her. He was appreciative that she had such a good heart, which was what makes him love her so much more, because of her kind nature.

"Sorry about kicking you out of your room...you could've just stayed though I wouldn't have tried to feel you up." Ryan said chuckling.

She laughed, "Well I was trying to be polite, besides you were sprawled out across three quarters of it, I didn't want to have to roll you over. You're no feather you know."

"How about I go home to have a shower, you stay here and get changed and I'll come back to pick you up and have breakfast like we should've done yesterday. Then after we'll go back to my place and spend some good old quality Ryan-Marissa time on the ps2, capped off with a possible viewing of something totally cheesy in the Meg Ryan genre…"

"I didn't know you had a play-station at your house." She said with a puzzled look

"Yeah, I didn't, Summer was complaining that Seth-Ryan time was always at their place, so I was forced to get my own for when Seth came by. So, Deal?"

"Yeah, deal." She said smiling and giving into him.

Ryan got up and kissed the top of her head as he made his way to leave, "Okay, I'll see you in a bit."

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A/N The next post will be up shortly and will focus mainly on their day together.