HI.

-

One day.

One fucking day.

Yet it seemed like an eternity.

They had been officially broken up for one day, and yet here sat Seth on the beach by himself, not being able to bare it any longer.

He kept replaying their last two conversations through his head, over and over. And all that was generated was this unique and unfamiliar hurt. One that surpassed any other that Seth was ever familiar with, or even in the same league

He was just sitting there cross legged, hands playing in the sand, thinking.

Thinking about them, how they have had such kind moments together, how she made him feel, her smile, laugh, her fun loving energy, her unique attitude and personality.

And all that this made him come to a conclusion with, is how much he is going to miss them.

And the tears start up again.

God he is going to miss her.

Being the one she calls when she is lonely. Being the one she shares her most personal thoughts with. Being the one she trusts and cares for. Being the one she wants to be intimate with.

And all of these things where things that she wanted to do. She wanted to share her thoughts with him. She wanted to be intimate with him.

He lay back on the sand, breathing in the fresh air, and he says to himself. "She would smile..."

He was thinking about the way that he use to be able to walk up to her from behind and surprise her, holding her waist and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

And she would smile….

She would smile and take his hand in her's and they would make their way to where ever they were going.

And the words float through Seth's head.

She would be happy when he would do those things.

He made her happy.

-

If you were to look over at Summer, you would guess she was daydreaming about being executive designer for Gucci.

But she wasn't.

She was thinking about Seth Cohen.

She was sitting at her study table, supposedly studying for a test coming up. She was playing with her long necklace, placing in her mouth, then twisting it around her fingers, gazing out the window in truancy. Her head was slightly tilted to the left, with a happy smile gracing her lips.

Marissa looked over to check up on her. She was sitting on Summer's bed, also studying. She sighed in relief as she saw Summer doing much better then before.

Summer had being walking around aimlessly through the halls by herself at the end of school, lost completely in her thoughts. Marissa had spotted her and had been completely weirded out. Summer wasn't crying or anything she was just thinking, deeply.

Marissa had asked what she was thinking about, while guiding her to the student lounge, but Summer just shook her head.

Marissa had offered to come back to Summer's to hang out and study, basically just to keep an eye on her. Summer wasn't being herself, and Marissa was starting to worry about her.

She looked up once again to check on Summer, before returning back to her book to continue studying.

Two minutes later Marissa heard a sniffle.

She looked over at Summer and saw the personified sight of pure sadness.

Her bottom lip was pouted; her eyes brimful of tears with her shoulders slumped, still gazing vacantly out the window.

"Sum, it's okay sweetie." Marissa moved her legs over the side of the bed ready to move over to her. "Sum?"

She was just about to move over to her, but was stopped when Summer's vacant stare was altered onto her.

She opened her mouth, words teetering, anxious to be freed, but destined not to.

Marissa gestured for her to come join her on the bed, of which Summer complied, languorously getting up and moving onto the bed. She crossed her legs facing Marissa who moved back to her original position.

She regarded Summer, her thoughts intertwined with should I or shouldn't I. "It's okay sweetie."

Summer, after a moment shook her head. "It's really not." she stated in a morose exasperated voice.

Marissa looked on empathetically. She reached out, placing a comforting hand on Summer's knee. "It just takes some time."

Summer sulkily bit her bottom lip. "It's just…- I don't know."

"I'm sorry sweetie."

Summer shook her head at her memory's. "You should have seen how so messed up things were for us today." She looked up to meet Marissa's eyes. "We basically said hello, and then you should of seen how… how …- I don't know the word, he was just so vulnerable – but - no, not that." She closed her eyes in frustration, gesturing with her hands. "He was so unsteady, like, raw.- I don't know…." She sighed in defeat.

She breathed waiting for the frustration to pass. "He was just so sad."

To this Marissa had nothing. She just moved forward engulfing her friend in a hug.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing."

Marissa looked at her confused. "What do you mean nothing?"

"He said about 5 words, said bye, then started to walk off." She whispered, the emotion from reliving the conversation seeping into her tone.

She bit down on her tongue "He would have just walked away if I didn't ask him for a hug."

Marissa silently 'Ohhhed' before saying softly. "Well it's not that bad. I mean you guys just broke up, ending a conversation is going to be awkward for a while." Marissa tried to reason, trying to tone down the apprehension that was vibrating from Summer.

Summer squished her fingers together, her breathing was starting to deregulate itself. "He didn't walk me to class."

Marissa raised her eyebrows in question.

"He always walks me to class. He has been from the beginning of the year," she tilted her head slightly in a self loathing way, "all the way back from when I was lil miss bitch to him." She tried smiling it off, but the emotion completely overwhelmed it.

They were quite for a moment. "What do you think will happen with you two?" Marissa questioned trying to open Summer up, let her thoughts be said out loud, let them circulate.

"I honestly don't have a clue." Summer sighed.

"Want do you want to happen between you guys though?"

Summer looked up the proposed questioned giving her a supplement of energy. "See that's what I'm even more uncertain about." Marissa urged her on with her eyes.

She tucked some hair behind her ear before continuing. "Its different because… I don't know – you know cause… ." She took a deep breath; Marissa could see the tears starting to build up.

"And the holidays are just around the corner." Summer whispered.

Marissa raised her eyebrows. Once again she wasn't following. "What you mean."

"I won't ever see him." She once again whispered. The emotion sinuously building up.

"Of course you will sweetie. You will see him at the party's and events." Marissa wasn't liking how down Summer was. She had never seen her like this.

Summer midly huffed. "Cause those places are so good to have a normal conversation." She said sarcastically.

Marissa quietly suggested, "Well what about the weekly Newport societal party's? You can sit down at a secluded table and talk and do whatever without being interrupted."

Summer slumped her shoulder's, bowing her head. "Greeeeeeaat….So I can see him once a week. Awesome…"

Marissa thought about another suggestion before shrugging thinking it couldn't hurt. "You could call him…"

Summer looked up, her eyes still moist, body language still screaming misery. "I can't just call him." she sighed wiping her face with her hands. "I respect him. I'm not going to impose on him even more. I've already hurt him enough."

Marissa's eyes started to water to, just at the sight of how miserable Summer looked. "Yeah, that was a pretty silly idea. Sorry." She said sheepishly. "Calling the Ex is always tricky."

There was that ear piercing silence again. It lingered before Summer slowly looked at Marissa.

"Ex…." She barely whispered.

"Ex boyfriend…." In the same voice. She released a small breath. It was kind of an exasperated huff. "He's my Ex boyfriend."

She sniffled before blinking a few times. She bowed her head tucking some hair behind her ear once again. She looked up at Marissa in an innocent, naïve pure manner.

A tear escaped sliding down her cheek.

"Seth Cohen is my Ex boyfriend."

-

Seth had finished up having some 'alone time' on the beach and was walking back to his house.

His alone time didn't really have the desired effect.

It started out alright, ended badly.

He was sorting out where he felt he and Summer stand, and how he wanted things to be between him. Because he still wanted to be friends and that stuff, it was just hard to endure these crazy warms of fire and wild impulsive burst of pain and hurt that were pitching a tent and making him home.

And he really didn't want to let Summer down.

She was really trying with him, but he just couldn't. He in truth wanted so badly to try and reciprocate the same effort and control that Summer had shown, but he just couldn't.

He shuddered at the word control

It's just that when he was trying to be strong for her, those feelings ripped open upon the moment he saw her, took her in.

As his alone time session flowed along, it became infatuated with memories of him and Summer, and it would really sting.

He would remember telling her a joke, making her laugh, and a delicate floury balloon full of dejected would burst in the pit of his stomach.

He would remember them kissing and being intimate, them being together on his bed as Wonderwall floated in the background, and a intricate vase encased of self worthlessness would shatter in his chest.

And all those resounding thoughts from the day that she dumped him resurface. The ones that revolve around being useless, oscillate with inadequate, married to hopeless.

He ambles in through the, of course, unlocked Cohen front door, eyes a slight shade of red, lips dry and nose moist. He walks his lonely path straight to the pool house, opening the doors, of course without knocking, and trudged in.

Ryan was sitting on the bed, on the phone.

"Hey watcha doing?" Seth asked monotonedly, unconcerned that Ryan was on the phone.

Ryan just raised his eyebrows, implying that he wasn't available at the moment.

Seth went over taking a seat on the side of the bed. "Nothing? Oh cool, so you can talk."

Ryan only now realised how abysmal Seth looked. Being kind of conscious about the severity of his appearance said, "Hey Marissa, I got to talk to Seth, he is definitely looking worse for ware. I'll talk to you later kay."

He hung up the phone moving to a position so he was facing Seth. "What's the go with you?" He said quietly.

Seth pushed the nail of his thumb into his for finger. "I don't know." Was all he said.

Ryan thought to himself for a moment. Seth not talking really scared him.

"How was your walk?" He asked lightly. "Did it do you any good?"

Seth shrugged. "Not really."

Ryan hesitated, he really wasn't sure how to make Seth talk. It's never been a thing anyone has had to do before.

"What did you think about? Do you know where you're at?"

Seth shrugged once again. "I got nothing dude." He realised an emotion sheathed sigh before continuing. "You try to think clearly, but then every single thing becomes embalmed with her and then the memory's start, and then the residing feelings, and before I know it I'm fucked, just sitting there looking like a pathetic loner with tears in my eyes….and sand in my jeans." He tried to say the last part as comic relief when the tears started to diffuse into his eyes half way into his speech.

"See look at me" he said gesturing with his hands. "Fuck I'm pathetic." He said aggravated.

Ryan had no answer, and the silence grew.

"Your not pathetic Seth." He tried to reason. "It's just how it is."

Seth sat there, legs crossed, mulling over Ryan's words. "It's how it is huh."

That ear piercing silence that was happening to be around lately enveloped the room.

Ryan looked up to try and read Seth's face. He was busy in thought still mulling over Ryan's words.

It's just how it is

The moments lingered and he could see Seth gradually climbing his way to his conclusion.

The ear piercing silence came to an aching death as the words left Seth's mouth.

"I can't do this"

-

Pretty please review.