"It blows my mind that you've never read Lord of the Rings before", Anna said, stretching on Ryan's pool house bed as he put the book down to get them both some water. The evening was drawing in, the sunset had tinged the sky a striking orange. "You just read it so naturally, even the poems. I feel like I'm always tripping over my tongue".

Ryan looked over at her from the kitchen counter, smiling warmly down at her.

"I don't think I'd even heard of it until Seth showed me the films. Reading a thousand pages about elves didn't exactly make you popular in my family…" he said. "I don't think Trey would've been too impressed. He'd probably just yank it out of my hands and throw it out the window". Ryan said, a short, breathy laugh escaped his lips. "I can hear him now. 'We don't read books. No wizard is going to wave his wand and make this go away'"

Speaking in imitation of Trey, Ryan's voice became low and harsh. Anna watched his ocean blue eyes narrow and contract as Ryan pointed a finger at the imaginary younger Ryan in front of him. He was mentioning his family more now, usually through humour to protect himself. But even if it had become slightly more frequent, the feeling of sadness and the desire to comfort him every time hadn't diminished in Anna in the slightest.

Slowly, he slumped back onto the bed. Not wasting a moment, Anna grabbed his right hand with both of hers.
"You do enjoy it though right? We can do something else I don-" Her sentence got lost as he sat up and moved in closer. Once she had stopped, he kissed her. Firm but gentle, his hand running through her short blonde hair.

"I love it, all of it", he said, his voice slightly rough. He reached out for his glass of water and offered her the other. "I remember walking past bookshops, comic book stores, and I just knew, like implicitly, that wasn't my life, that I wouldn't get to enjoy that stuff". After putting down the water on his bedside table, he reached out for her hand. As always, his hand engulfed hers. "Sometimes I dream that I'm back there...That this was all a dream. I know I've had some bad dreams". Anna watched his eyes unconsciously glance down to his wound "But yeah, not fun".

Anna realised she was holding his hand tighter than before. Perhaps to reassure him this was reality, as foolish as it sounded. They laid back onto the bed, the low, cool air was refreshing after the heat of the day. Now lying on her side, she wrapped her arms slowly around his chest and shoulders. She felt his heartbeat. It always seemed to beat faster after they talked about his family. His old family. After a moment's hesitation, she pulled herself closer and kissed him on the cheek.
"I'm here, if you want to talk about them. I've been scared of my dreams before", she said, trying to keep her voice sounding confident. Turning his head in towards her, he gently kissed her on the forehead.
"I know you are". She felt his grip gently tighten as he spoke. She knew he wanted to say more.

"I don't think I have the words". He said. "I'm worried if I start talking I'll just…talk in circles". Ryan said with a sigh, like even dredging up those words had been a challenge.

"You don't have to get it right the first time. There aren't perfect words. You practice at soccer. You study math. Your coach isn't expecting you to score for the first time. Your teacher would be rightly surprised if you walked in and cracked Gödel's theorems. Why should words be any different?"

"Because we use words every day", Ryan responded, not missing a beat.

"Not like this, we don't. We try to avoid using words like this". She paused, their eyes met. "Remember when I told you how Seth and Summer made me feel last year? I stumbled through every sentence, and I felt really stupid…But I said it, and you listened. And I'm really glad I did". Anna spoke gently, before watching Ryan consider the idea. At the mention of that night, he held her tighter.

"The next time I have one, I'll try". He said, the accompanying sigh clearly dispersing less tension than the last.
"No pressure", she said softly as her head came to rest on his shoulder and chest.
"No pressure", Ryan agreed, running his hand through her short hair. The call and response had become one of their many little rituals.

Quietly, they looked out at the pool house, then beyond the glass doors to the pool, the fake grass, the Cohen's house. Everyone before them had been dyed deep orange by the setting sun. The lighter parts of Ryan's hair had started to shine like gold.

After a moment, Ryan's gaze came to rest on Anna. Her eyes fixed on something through the glass door. In the evening sunlight, Ryan once again saw the golden flecks in her eyes become a deep, glowing amber. He thought it was beautiful, he thought she was beautiful. He wanted to tell her. But once again, the words didn't find him.

He picked up the worn copy of Fellowship of the Ring.

"Ready for a bit more? Or do you want to head down to the beach before dinner?" Anna raised her head slightly, enjoying the warmth he radiated and kissed him tentatively on the neck.

Too focused on each other, they both missed Seth appearing at the glass door. Realising that neither were going to notice him, he reluctantly knocked. The knock made them both jump slightly. When Anna saw it was Seth, she instinctively moved her head off his chest and shoulder. She wished she hadn't, they were just laying on a bed, above the covers, fully clothed. Seth should have nothing to take issue with.

"It is okay. If I am forced to endure this strange new reality," Seth said, raising his hands, showing his open palms as he walked into the pool house. "I guess I should get used to this sight".

Turning her head, Anna tried to gauge Ryan's reaction. After a moment, he smiled.

"Thanks man".

"I will say though", Seth continued. "I thought you two would be strolling the beach, or skimming stones or at least in the pool". He absent-mindedly gestured back out the open door. "Something a bit more new couple on the block and a bit less old man and his wife on the prairie".

"We are happy here, thank you", Anna said, surprised at how annoyed the comment had made her "We started taking it in turns reading aloud while Ryan was stuck in a hospital bed and…well, it stuck".

Anna realised she sounded petulant. If Seth's plan had been to put her on the defensive, it had worked. For a moment, she wondered if Seth was using the same plan Summer had at Palm Spring to undermine her and Seth's relationship.
"It is a nice way to unwind man. You should try it sometime", Ryan said, slotting their bookmark into the book and placing it on the bedside table. "Do you need us to help out with dinner?"
"Possibly. The old man is running late due to our old friend, the Balboa Heights. He kindly asked that we start dinner early or order takeout. Anything to stop my mom from cooking. As I have absolutely no desire to cook, I've come to visit Zhuge Liang in his cottage. Please do not make me visit two more times before you say yes". Seth clasped his hands together as he finished his esoteric reference.

Smirking, Ryan looked towards Anna.
"Shall we help him out?"
"Only if he promises to play a different game", Anna replied, narrowing her eyes.

"Please Anna, Ninja game is a sacred act between two men", Seth shot back.
"I keep telling you Seth, the game is set in China! There are no ninja-". Anna stopped mid sentence, taken aback as Ryan kissed her on the cheek before getting up off the low slung bed.

It wasn't just the kiss, but that he had done it so casually, and in front of Seth. Her momentary hope that she hadn't gone red was dashed by Seth's little laugh.
"Hey, that was effective", Seth said, holding the door open for Ryan. "Maybe this Zach-Summer, Anna-Ryan world won't be so bad after all". Anna was dismayed to find herself laughing at Seth's joke. As she watched them leave the pool house, a warm feeling came over here, the anxiety of the confrontation receding. It was nice to see them getting along once again. The events of the summer suddenly felt very far away.

As she sat in the pool house alone, Sandy's words echoed through her mind. They had left the hospital to get Ryan's belongings. Preparing for the long stay. They had found Seth's room empty. Something she had given Ryan while they had been hiding their relationship had made her cry in the pool house. Sandy had put his hands on her shoulders.
"A lot has happened. A lot more is going to happen. Every day will feel like eternity but Ryan will get better, trust me. When it's all over, it will all seem like a bad dream".

Sandy had been right, it had gone on forever, and it had been over in minutes.

Getting off the bed a few moments later, she caught up with Seth and Ryan on the farside of the pool. Seth was mid-way through a story about Zach and Summer, Ryan already had his arms folded. Sensing her by his side, he let her loop her arm around his. She traced his gaze past Seth, beyond the pool and onto the Pacific. Just like the pool house, both Ryan's eyes and the calm ocean had been dyed a beautiful orange by the setting sun.