A/N: Thank you for your reviews. This will go a little slower than my first fic and be Summer-centric for the first few chapters but I promise Seth will come in and with (in Bullit's words) a BANG! I try to use third-person-close narration so you can't really get into both Seth & Summer's heads… maybe I'll go for another style in my next fic. Anyways, please give it a chance… the drama WILL heat up. Seth will be making an appearance in chapter 4… the sooner you review the sooner he'll be in the picture!

And shouts out to: Sarah, fastforwardd, IwillRuleTheWorld, jjr, taseynell, and ela05 for submitting the first reviews of the story. I really appreciate your feedback.

Disclaimer: I am not creative enough to own these folks.

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Summer stirred. She wrapped the blanket around her to get more warmth. The sun leaked through the blinds casting light onto her face. She opened her eyes and looked around. She wasn't in her room. Jed's arms were wrapped around her. And her head was pounding.

"So you're alive," Jed said, sitting up in bed.

"What happened?" Summer asked, yawning.

"You mean you don't remember your ten shots of tequila?"

"Huh?" She tried to recollect her memories. Night. Party. Cohen. "No."

"Yes, it was very un-Summery of you. Luckily, we didn't have to call an ambulance, and you kept everything in. Although it is your week to clean the apartment…"

"Great," Summer said. She looked down at her hand, where she saw something scrawled on it. She brought her arm closer to her face, squinting to make out the writing. Nick – 917.382.4873. "Jed?"

"What, hun?" he asked.

"Who is Nick and why is his number on my hand?"

"Hmmm… I don't know. Although, if I had to guess, it would be that guy that you were grinding with all night."

"I did what, now?"

"You finally let loose, Summer." She shrugged.

"I think I need to go shower," she said, as she got out of Jed's bed.

The warm water was soothing although it didn't help her recollect anything from the night before. Sure, she had gotten drunk in high school, but hadn't had more than a social drink here and there since going to college. Getting wasted seemed so… juvenile. And here she was, back at square one, with the name of a strange man scrawled in sharpie across her arm. Summer got out of the shower and dried off, changing into an oversized NYU hoodie and a pair of flannel pajama pants. She popped some bread into the toaster and brought it into the living room, lounging on the secondhand couch that she had acquired.

"So, aren't you going to ask me about him?" Jed asked, entering the living room and sitting next to Summer. She just shrugged her shoulders. "He is really, really cute."

"Is that so?" Summer replied, deadpan. "And he saw me in one of my finer moments, too."

"Yep, he got to experience the Summer Roberts dirty grind, got tequila spilt all over his really nice top, and still left you his number. If only you could remember his sapphire blue eyes… and dirty blonde hair… and…"

"Why don't you date him?" Summer snarked back.

"Let's not get into it," Jed replied. "I think you should call him. After all, you're the only one whose walls haven't rumbled this year."

"That doesn't mean I don't get any…" Summer said, defensively. "In fact, I went out with Jordan, remember – the analyst from JP Morgan, just last week." Jed raised an eyebrow.

"Summer, I know that you did no more than kiss him on the cheek and thank him for dinner. It's college… it's all about making stupid mistakes and exploring and having crazy, wild sex. You're in New York… live the whole Sex and the City lifestyle."

"If I call him back will you leave me alone, Jed?" Summer asked.

"Okay, but only if you go out with him."

"Deal," she said, extending her pinky finger.

"Deal," he replied.

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Summer walked along Ninth Avenue until she saw the place. Vynl. She opened the door. The restaurant seemed swanky with leather booths and glass tile walls. She stood along the bar. No matter how much Jed described the man to her, Summer still had no idea exactly who Nick was. Did they hit it off, or was he only into the standing lap dance that she was performing for him that night? She looked at herself in the glass. Her blazer was fitted and well-tailored and dressed up her tight jeans. She had on a new pair of high-heeled boots and a looser camisole. Jed had already approved of her outfit, so why was she so nervous? It was just another date. Another date that would end in a kiss on the cheek and a thank you for dinner and nothing else.

And then he pulled up. He was wearing a vintage button down shirt and a pair of well-worn jeans. He looked stylish without being overstyled. His hair was sandy brown and slightly wavy, not floppy or frizzy, but instead naturally well-kempt. And then there was his smile. As he approached Summer, his mouth opened and formed a warm smile, showcasing his perfect, white teeth. She was mesmerized by his blue eyes and could look right into them.

"Hi Nick," Summer said, assuming that this was the man that she had a date with.

"Summer," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Didn't know if you'd remember me after the amount of alcohol…"

"I can hold my liquor," Summer retorted.

"Alrighty. Want to get a table?" Nick signaled to the hostess who seated them into a half-booth towards the back of the restaurant. The waitress came and placed glasses of water in front of them and the two looked at the menus. After ordering, the two stared at each other in an awkward moment.

"So, Summer, tell me more about yourself," Nick said.

"Um… I'm a sophomore at NYU, majoring in marketing. You?"

"Columbia. Junior. Economics. So are you from around here?"

"No. I grew up in Newport Beach. It's in Southern California. I just wanted a change of scenery, you know? Start all over again."

"I hear you. I was living in Chicago prior. Although I guess the seasons are the same… well, the weather here is a bit milder." Summer looked stunned.

"I'm freezing most of the time here."

"Said like a true California girl," Nick said with a laugh as the food was placed before them. "Do you like to listen to music?"

"I went to a lot of shows back in high school. Death Cab. The Shins…"

"Indie."

"Yeah."

"We should go to some shows, then."

"I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself," Summer retorted as she took a stab at a piece of lettuce.

"You're right. I'll just have to win you over tonight."

"Game on," she said. She didn't know why she wanted to bicker with Nick. Usually, she tried to be as pleasant as possible during the meal to get it over with. Nick was different, though. She couldn't put her finger on it, but there was something there.

The two continued through the meal, laughing, bickering, finding out more about one another. Nick enjoyed indie music, indie films, yet still had a soft spot for – what he called – bad television. In fact, he was even familiar with the Valley, he had admitted to Summer, blushing. They talked about their families, their friends, their hometowns. For the first time since Seth, she actually felt a connection. And this time, there was the possibility for a relationship.

Nick and Summer walked out of the restaurant and along the West Side Highway until they reached the Clinton Cove pier. They sat on the deserted benches and stared out onto the Hudson River, where high-rise apartments were being constructed on the banks of New Jersey.

"I miss the water," Summer admitted as she stared at the boats moored in the water.

"If I remember correctly, Manhattan is an island."

"True, but I mean the beach. The sun. The waves."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to go swimming in the Hudson," Nick admitted. Summer shivered as a gust of wind blew in their face. Nick took her hands, rubbing them in his to warm him. She placed her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent. He let go of her hands and wrapped his arm around her, and she looked into his eyes. After a brief hesitation, they leaned in and kissed. It was slow and sweet, not too intense but more than a peck on the lips. Church tongue, Summer thought, recalling The Wedding Singer. They pulled apart, each slightly blushing.

"It's getting late. Want me to take you home?" Nick said.

"Don't worry, you live all the way uptown, which is, like, so out of the way."

"Fine, at least let me put you in a cab," he suggested. His dimples showed as he smiled.

"Okay," Summer agreed, as Nick took her by the hand and led her to the road, hailing a cab. A cabbie pulled up and Nick and Summer said their goodbyes.

"Call me, sometime," Nick whispered. Summer responded with a peck on his lips and waved as the cab pulled away.

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"How was it?" Jed asked as Summer entered the door.

"Did you stay up waiting for me to get back?"

"I stayed up… although, to be honest, I was hoping that you weren't going to come back tonight… or come back with Mr. Dreamy."

"Hah."

"Then I take it that it didn't…"

"We're not on Sex and the City, Jed. This isn't kiss and tell," Summer said, feigning annoyed.

"So something did happen!" Jed said, pulling his body up on the couch and sitting Indian style. He patted the cushion next to him, signaling Summer to sit down. "Tell me all about it." Summer let out a sigh and sat down next to Jed, taking off her boots.

"He's nice. And charming. And funny…"

"You like him!" Jed yelled. Summer blushed.

"I do not. He was just a nice dinner companion."

"Sure, Summer, keep telling yourself that. I'm expecting a date number two." She softly hit him with a pillow before retiring to her room.

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Don't worry, Seth will be in the picture soon enough.