A/N I'm so sorry this took so long to be updated, I hope there's people still reading and up for reviewing. Thanks all.

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"Glad it's over?"

"Absolutely; how do you think you went with yours?"

Summer thought for a moment, "Pretty good…I hope. Thanks for offering to give me a ride home. I'll just be a minute." Summer said as Ryan followed her into the Design building early in the afternoon. It was their last day of grueling trials. The two of them had both met up just after leaving their respective exams that assess how well they've applied themselves and paid attention all fall. "Seth and Marissa won't finish their last one until a lot later, so he's got my car."

"Yeah don't even worry about it." Ryan replied as he trailed behind her as she entered one of her regular classrooms that were full of mounted photography work.

Summer walked over to a cupboard in the far corner and began sifting through projects in search for her own pieces and began piling them up, as Ryan took a seat behind her at a desk and brought her work closer to him. "Do you mind?" He asked, before he continued to browse.

She turned around quickly to see what he'd been referring to, "Oh, not at all…" she answered as she turned back to get on with her search.

Ryan began scanning through photographs she had taken that were carefully laid out in a display folder. Cautiously he turned each page as he studied one photo after another. Portraits of strangers, as the shutter would try and capture in one split second; who they are, how they were feeling; lines on their faces that represent roads they've traveled, smiles on their faces that indicate joy in their lives.

"These are amazing", Ryan said quietly, greatly impressed by this talent Summer had to capture life at its best.

Summer turned back to the table carrying another pile of her work and set it down and began organizing it to give it some sort of order. "Thanks Chino, that's sweet of you." She smiled appreciatively at his compliment.

Ryan kept browsing through her work and grabbed another folder. It was people he knew. There was Seth, standing in a courtyard, rugged up in a woolen bomber jacket holding an umbrella as the rain bucketed down; looking to no one in particular, but as if he were waiting for someone to come.

"What's Seth doing?" He asked, curiously.

Summer looked over to the photo he'd been looking at, "Oh, he's waiting for me to come out of class." She said casually.

Ryan furrowed his eyebrows, "but you're right there taking his photo…"

"Oh he didn't know I took that. I was hiding."

"Why?" Ryan wondered a little unsure.

"I do that sometimes…."

"Do what?"

"Take photographs when people aren't looking." She said, nonchalant.

"That's kind of uh…scary. Like stalker-scary." He smiled

Summer slapped him on the arm good-naturedly, "No it's not. I only do it to my friends."

"Oh, that makes it not scary." Ryan said sarcastically. "I like them though…" he said referring to more of her photographs, "you've really got a knack for this, they're great"

"Yeah, I love doing the portraits, but I also enjoy taking the photos when they're not watching. When they don't feel like they're being put on display and you just capture someone just as they are; not posing, not feeling self conscious, totally unprepared and unknowing…"

Upon flipping over he opened to a photograph of a familiar figure; his own. It was taken outside of the cafe Marissa worked. He was standing there facing east in complete stillness and the people that brushed past him headed west were all a blur. The Ryan in that photo looked lost, lonely, longing for someone who seemed they were yet to arrive; the black and white image really was quite remarkable. Ryan couldn't believe what he saw, it was that Sunday where he went over to talk to Marissa, but Ethan had gotten there first. Looking into that photograph he remembered the day well. "How'd you get this?"

She set down a piece of work she had been holding and once again looked over at what shot he was focusing on and bit her lip. "I was there…that day…across the street. I was really just after action shots you know, just everyday kind of street scenes, but then I saw you."

"You saw everything…" He said rather confounded that someone had been watching him without his knowledge.

"If everything means, did I see Marissa leave with Ethan…then I guess so." Summer said giving a half smile with an empathetic look in her eyes. She paused briefly before asking, "…why didn't you just call out to her that day? You were there to talk to her weren't you?"

Ryan sighed, "I don't know, she was kind of, preoccupied…"

Summer just nodded knowing exactly what he had meant. Turning over another leaf there she was, as beautiful as she was in all her simplicity. He knew that spot, it was where Marissa had taken him that one afternoon. It was a close up. The suns rays glowing behind her as she held up a dandelion in front her face and Summer had captured the exact moment she had blown its delicate strands away; the wind carrying it into the air and swirling around her, glistening in the light like a blessing from heaven. Getting caught up in the romanticism of it all, he almost forgot the blunt realities, but the powers that be had sent him back into his place as he turned one more page; the extended version of the same photograph he'd just been looking at. It was Ethan. No matter where he went it felt like he couldn't escape this guy. No matter what he did or where he went there he was, and there'd she been right beside her. As she blew out the dandelion, he stood adjacent to her, blowing each strand causing it to swirl magically around her.

Summer took a glimpse at what he was now giving his undivided attention to, "I took that a few days ago…She invited me to go with them, have lunch…"

"Did they know you took it?"

"They knew I was taking photos, they didn't know I took that one, no…"

So what did that mean? That they need not pose, but they just naturally looked amazing together and their chemistry easily transcended into this tangible object. "They look…great together…" He said softly.

Summer took a seat by him and said somberly, "You don't honestly believe that do you?"

"They do, don't they?" He aimed at Summer, rhetorically.

"Yeah they do." She said honestly, a little too blunt which he didn't at all expect.

"That was…"

"Well do you want me to lie?"

Ryan took a deep breath, "It's probably best anyway…"

"…and you know what's best?" She asked. "They're just friends."

"Everyone keeps saying that…but it's not what it seems like." Ryan replied shaking his head.

"Like you and Sarah seem like you're just friends?" Summer said frankly, wanting to get her thoughts on this subject out into the open, but letting her words slip in the moment.

"What does that mean?" He said taken aback.

Summer looked him straight in the eyes, "It means things aren't always as they seem."

"She's moving on…any guy would be an idiot, not to want to be with her."

"Like you?" Summer offered him a small smile as he looked up and stared back at her. "She's trying…but I don't see it working out for them. I know her, she's my best friend." Summer said plainly. "She still loves you."

"It's hard…you know…seeing them together."

"It was hard for her too I've seen how you are with Sarah, so has Marissa. If you don't know what I mean then I think you need to think about that, and if I were you, I'd go back and re-trace your steps to find out where you went wrong…" Summer said, gravely.

Ryan ran his fingers through his hair and stared back into her photograph, "It's too late…she loves me as her friend-"

He began but Summer had cut his line short, "I don't think I need to tell you, Seth and I are like your biggest supporters, we'd love nothing more than to see you two happy. But lately, now don't get me wrong because I believe you're meant to be together, but I think she deserves to be happy, even if right now it means she's not with you."

Ryan reading into Summer's expression lost for words at her truth.

"Then again like I said, I know her. She will love you; the only way Marissa knows how to love you." Summer finished laying it out clearly on the table for him.

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On the drive home, in parking his car, getting through the door, heavily walking up the stairs, Ryan thought about every word Summer had said. Her last words in particular were the ones that had been simmering in his thoughts most. Trying to make sense of everything that had gone on and attempting to piece together the vague signals that Summer had tried to instil into his system; her words about Sarah, her answers about Marissa. It was like being caught up in a fog, everything was a haze. Even after all this, he still wasn't sure as to how he felt about anything. Was he only after Marissa just so someone else couldn't get to her instead? If that were the case, then it wouldn't be fair to make false declarations if he wasn't absolutely sure.

In entering the apartment, it was eerily quiet. Setting his keys down he heard a soft sound that had been stemming from a nearby place. He paused for a moment before he heard soft whimpers that were coming from Sarah's room. Cautiously, he walked over and leant his head towards her door before knocking softly.

"Sarah?" He asked warily.

"Yeah?" She said softly, trying to hide her sadness.

"Are you okay?"

The door clicked open, and a tear-stained Sarah stood by the doorway, "Roy left me…"

Ryan sighed in sympathy, "he didn't deserve you…"

Sarah walked back to sitting cross legged on the edge of her bed, leaving the door open for Ryan to come in. He walked in and sat beside her. "I don't even know what happened, got into this fight, but what's new right? He just left me, said he didn't want to see me ever again. That's that."

"Sarah, you don't need him, if he can't appreciate you, then he doesn't deserve you…" He said softly as in the split second afterwards, the words he just spoke had managed to slice its way into his own situation with Marissa.

"He had his flaws, but he had his moments…"

"You'll be okay…Life will go on" Ryan replied, trying to find her words of comfort.

The salted teardrops continued to roll down her flushed complexion. "He's all I've known, for so long…I don't have anyone else…"

Ryan turned and faced her with concern brought through his gaze, "Hey…that's not true…you have me." He said as he brought his hands toward her face and brushed back a loose strand of hair.

Upon his touch she shuddered. Unlike Roy, he was gentle. His hands rough but he was tender. She looked into his eyes and it was like watching a timid ocean. They just stared into each other for a brief moment, letting the silence fill the room like a container. She felt safe with him, knowing he could do know harm, and she found herself attracted. His subtleties drew her further into him unintentionally. She needed someone, someone to hold her and care for her like no one else had. Being in Ryan's presence like this was all new territory; she'd never been so close to someone with such innocence and no intentions of forcing her to do anything she didn't want to. Suddenly, she found herself drawing herself further toward him, leaning in and brushing her lips against him. He couldn't respond, she persisted and sat there letting her soft lips glide, until reality had kicked in and he quickly moved his head backward.

"Sarah…" He said at a loss.

She looked down a little embarrassed and drew her eyes back upon him, "I'm…I'm sorry", she stuttered out. "I just…I thought…" obviously reading his intentions completely wrong.

"I'm sorry…I just meant…" He took a deep breath. "We're friends, right?"

She replied trying to salvage some dignity, "Yeah…I'm sorry…with everything…I'm sorry…I think I just got caught up…"

Ryan decided to let it go, knowing that she's just going through an emotional roller-coaster and that she meant nothing by it. "look it's okay…" he said shaking his head, "…don't worry about it." He paused, "friends…"

Sarah nodded, "Of course…"

As he patted her on the shoulder before making an exit out of that unexpected situation, he had an epiphany. Grabbing his keys and drove to a place he was more often than not, likely to end up.

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"Ryan, I wasn't expecting you…" Marissa said with a smile on her face as Ryan stood by her doorway.

"Hey, I was wondering if you were busy…" He said with relief that she had been home.

"Marissa, it's starting…" A male voice from inside was calling out to her.

Ryan gave her a curious look.

"Ethan's here…we're just…watching a movie." She said quietly, "…but you're welcome to join us." Marissa added quickly to try and be polite.

The look on Ryan's face quickly fell and tried to save himself by quickly washing it over with an unperturbed expression, "No…it's okay, I was just in the neighborhood. I'll uh…I'll talk to you soon." He said as he turned away from her and began walking off.

It was obvious to her something had been wrong and she attempted to call out to him, but he pretended he hadn't heard and kept on walking. She rushed back inside with a vacant expression on her face and Ethan turned to see what the hold up was.

"Are you okay?" He asked with slight confusion.

"Yeah…actually no…it was Ryan, he seemed troubled, I wanted to talk to him but he walked off." She said as her forehead wrinkled.

"How do you know?"

"I just…I could tell…" she considered going after him and stayed silent for a moment contemplating if she should.

"…its okay, I'll wait" Ethan answered for her making it easier as he gave her an understanding smile which she was thankful for.

"Thank you. I'll be back soon, I promise." Marissa answered as she gave him a friendly peck on the cheek and brought her car keys just in case and walked quickly out the door and increased her speed to try and catch up to him."

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