"So what time does Summer's plane get in tomorrow?" Ryan asked casually as he drove down the streets of Newport on his way to drop Marissa back at Julie's house after yet another night of talking, laughing, and smiling over dinner. This time though it was followed by a heated competition between the two at the mini golf course. Marissa had shamelessly gloated over her win, not knowing at all that in the past couple years of golfing with business associates, Ryan had become quite skilled on the greens, but decided to let her win anyways, just to see her smile that one perfect smile.
Looking over at her, Ryan couldn't help but chuckle as he caught her staring out at the coastline, completely oblivious to anything he had just said. It had been a few weeks since they had started to get reacquainted, but Ryan could still count the number of days he hadn't seen her on one hand. He didn't know exactly what they were doing, but he knew it had to stay platonic. At least for now anyways.
"See something interesting out there?" Ryan questioned, raising his voice so she would actually hear him this time.
"Huh?" she muttered, confused, as she whipped her head around only to see Ryan staring at her expectantly as they sat waiting for the lights to change green. "Oh, sorry.. I just got distracted.." Marissa explained as she realized she couldn't remember anything that had gone on in the car since they got in. The car started to go again and Marissa turned back towards the window. "I missed the ocean.." she quietly explained more to herself than to Ryan as she gazed out at the dark blue mass of water, tiny specs of light decorating it from the sailors still out on their yachts.
"Didn't you live by the Atlantic?" Ryan asked, somewhat sarcastically, a smile covering his lips as he continued to split his gaze between her and the road.
She turned back to him, a smile on her lips as she rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but.." she shrugged, "its different."
He watched her cautiously, trying to read a deeper meaning to her words, but finding nothing but nostalga for the past. He felt the same thing. Turning on to Julie's street, Ryan decided to have another go at his earlier question now that he had her attention. "What time is Summer going to be here?"
"Well I have to be at the airport to pick her up at six," she started to explain, sounding more than a little excited to see her best friend again, "and then I'm bringing her back to drop her stuff off and change and then its off to dinner at The Arches."
"Ooh, sounds like fun," Ryan commented as he finally pulled into the Cooper driveway. "Is Aiden going with?" he asked, hoping to keep the conversation going so he wouldn't have to say goodbye so soon as he shut off the car, neither of them making any moves at all to get out.
"Oh yeah, Summer informed me that would have to kill me if I left him at home," she explained with a giggle. "I think she misses him more than she misses me."
"Well she is coming out for your birthday, isn't she?" he pointed out with a grin as he let his hand reach across the car and rest on the head rest of her seat. "That's gotta say something right?"
"I don't know, I'm convinced its just an excuse," she explained in fake sarcasm, her smile betraying her mock seriousness. Tearing her eyes away from his for a moment, Marissa looked up at the McMansion before them and noticed there wasn't a single light on, meaning her mom and Aiden must have already drifted off to sleep. She didn't know why though, it wasn't that late. Looking to Ryan's dash she read that the clock said 11:15, way passed the 9:30 she had told her mother she'd be back by. Time with Ryan lately seemed to pass by faster then she could ever remember. She knew why too. The muscles in her face hurt from smiling so much, and she could feel all of them protesting as she slid her gaze to meet his and flashed her pearly whites at him again as she motioned to the house. "You want to come in for coffee or a drink or something?"
Ryan watched her hesitantly, knowing he should just say his goodbyes and go, but also knowing that was the absolute last thing he actually wanted to do. "Sure," he agreed with a shrug before both of them got out of the car. The moon was full that night, and he could see the beams bouncing off her shiny hair as he followed her up to the door. She was even more beautiful than he remembered all those five years ago, if that was even possible. Her long legs taunt legs, her golden brown flowing hair, her lively blue green eyes.. It took everything in him not to give into his desires and dreams that had been in the back of his brain for the last half a decade and grab her up in his arms.
Marissa stuck her key into the lock and let it click before letting the front door fly open. Dropping her purse by the door, she started to pull of her jacket as Ryan followed her in the house.
"Wow, nice place," he commented, his eyes wide as he looked around the overly lavish entry way. "I can't believe your mom lived here by herself."
"I know, but what's even crazier is that I think she can't wait until me and Aiden find an apartment and she has it to herself again."
"You start looking for a place yet?" he asked curiously as he followed her towards the kitchen, his eyes focused on the sashaying of her hips.
"No, I figured I'd wait 'til I had a little bit of money put away," she explained as she reached into the walked into the kitchen, turning around so she could lean against the counter and meet his gaze. "I mean that is if this job ends up working out.. Which by the way I know you had something to do with."
Ryan's gaze suddenly started to move across the room, focusing everywhere but on Marissa as he tightened his hand on the back of his neck. "What? Me? No, not at all.."
"Seth told me," Marissa interrupted, a smile on her lips as she watched how cute he was squirming.
"He did?" Ryan sighed, finally looking back at her, his face scrunched up in worry. Marissa let out a soft laugh and nodded. "Damn Seth can never keep a secret.." he muttered to himself as he moved to stand next to Marissa, leaning on the counter himself as he looked at her. "Look, I didn't mean to step in like that, I just thought that you needed something and Sandy had been looking for secretary for awhile so.."
"Ryan its okay," she interrupted, a silly grin on her face as she turned her body towards him.
"It is?" he asked skeptically turning his body towards her as well.
Marissa was suddenly more than a little aware of how close they were and felt her next breath come out shakily. She pulled her gaze away from his, absently looking down at his stomach. She bit her lip as she moved her hand forward letting her index finger play with the buttons on his plaid button down shirt. "Yeah," she breathed out before sliding her gaze up his body until she met his eyes. Those bright blue eyes she thought about day in and day out since she left for Rhode Island. "Thank you," she whispered, her lips curling into a sweet half smile.
All Ryan could do at that point was nod, his body somehow forgetting to breathe as he felt her breath on his lips as she spoke. All he could concentrate on was the way her pink pouty lips moved and gently parted as she stood in front of him, and how her eyes seemed to sparkle even in the dim light of the kitchen. Hesitantly he leaned forward just enough so he could feel her nose graze against his. There seemed to have been a heat wave in the kitchen in the past few seconds as Ryan felt almost every part of him starting to sweat with nerves and tension. Reaching out his hand he let it fall on her hip as all thought of keeping this platonic and the consequences of his actions left him. All he could think was that Marissa Cooper was standing before him after all this time, the once beautiful, naive girl from high school he fell in love with, now the breathtaking, mature women of his dreams, and he still loved her. He wanted her, no, he needed her. He tightened his grip on her hip as he felt her trembling under his touch. She wanted this just as much as him. Without a second thought, he tilted his head to the side before brushing his lips against hers.
It was soft and sweet and gentle and in that moment he found what he had been trying to find after all this time. He had been trying to find her. Suddenly he regretted letting her ever leave his life as he felt her hand trace upwards from the buttons on his shirt to the back of his neck, her fingers finding their somewhat familiar place in his hair. He captured her lips again, both of them to shy and uncertain and too scared to ruin the perfect moment to deepen the kiss, so they just enjoyed the simple feelings and tastes of their lips and bodies so tightly pressed together.
"Ryan?"
Both adults snapped apart as fast as they could, creating as much distance between them as possible as the little boys voice cut through the air.
"Why 're you here?" Aiden asked groggily as he rubbed at his eye with one closed little fist. "Its past sleepy time.."
"That it is," Marissa agreed as she crossed the room to where her son was standing in the doorway, "and I know one little boy that is up way past his."
"Its not my fault.." he tried to explain in his exhausted state as his mother kneeled in front of him, "Grandma didn't tuck me in right so I couldn't go asleep."
"Aww, you poor baby," Marissa said teasingly as she straightened out his little Yankees t-shirt and his dark blue pajamas pants covered in little baseballs, to which Aiden stuck out his tongue. "So why don't you go crawl back in bed and I'll be up in a minute, okay Aid?"
Aiden nodded and started to turn to head back upstairs when she caught sight of Ryan again and remembered suddenly something from earlier in the day. "Grandma got me a baseball bat today, she said Ryan could teach me how to hit.."
"Maybe he can, but right now you need to get up to bed sweetie, okay?" Aiden nodded again and this time actually made his way out of the kitchen. Marissa rose to her feet and watched the little blonde mop of hair saunter up the stairs until it was out of sight before turning back to Ryan. "Sorry about that.."
"Its okay," Ryan quickly interrupted, flashing her a awkward smile as she started to cross the room to him. Suddenly he started to feel incredibly guilty about what had just gone on. He had to set it right, and fast. "I should probably go.."
Marissa nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah, and I should probably.." she motioned back up towards the stairs and Ryan nodded as well. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll call you. And I'll definitely be over Wednesday to have dinner with you guys and Summer," Ryan explained quickly, a small smile on his lips. Marissa nodded awkwardly, before pulling him into a hug, which seemed to linger forever until Ryan managed to pull them apart. "Uh.. I'll see ya.." Ryan muttered quickly before flashing her another awkward smile and moving past her towards the door.
"See ya.." Marissa said quietly after him as she stood in the kitchen, a little bit confused about what just went on.
Ryan got back into his Jeep and immediately fished out his cell phone which he had conveniently turned off during his time with Marissa. Turning it on, he immediately went to read his missed calls. He groaned to himself as he read that he had 7 missed calls all from the same number. Katie's apartment. He couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly guilty for what just happened in the kitchen, not because he was cheating on Katie, but because he felt like he was cheating on Marissa. Well that wasn't going to happen anymore. He was going to fix things tomorrow.
&&&&
Marissa tiptoed her way into Aiden's room thinking that he was already asleep, but the second he heard his mother's footsteps his eyes snapped open.
"Hey sweetie," she whispered to him as she made her way to his bed. Carefully, she pulled the sheets up to his chin.
"Hey mommy…" Aiden murmured, closer to sleeping than being awake. Marissa smiled at him as she pulled an extra blanket off dresser and spread it out across her son, tucking it in all around his little body beneath the sheets. She leaned down and kissed him gently on the forehead before moving to sit next to him on the bed. "Was that the right way to tuck you in?" She whispered, a smile tracing her lips as she brushed her fingers his hair.
Aiden nodded, his body shifting a little under the covers as he fought against sleep. "..you and Ryan have fun?"
"Yeah, we had fun," Marissa told him honestly, her smile growing as she thought over the night. "Maybe next time you can come with us if you'd like?"
"I'd like that.." Aiden agreed, letting out a heavy breath as he let his eyes fall closed. "I like Ryan," he continued to murmur through his sleep as he finally drifted off.
Marissa's smile began to lose its luster as she watched her son's breathing fall into rhythm. That was the first time she'd ever heard her son say he liked another guy, Ryan being the first man to ever really come into Aiden's life other than Summer's fiancé Jake, who was always out of town and really not into children. She could see Aiden becoming more and more attached as Ryan spent more time around. She just hoped she was doing right by Aiden by starting to get involved with Ryan, if that's what they were doing. She just didn't want Aiden to get hurt.