Categories > TV > O.C. > Curve of the Earth
Chapter One: The Visitor
"You, me, pool house now!" Summer stormed into the Cohen house and grabbed Seth by the ear pulling him from the dining room table towards the back door.
"Ow ow ow, you know when I suggested we try something kinky, I didn't mean in a painful kind of way. Ow ow ow, could you please let go of my ear. I will willing go to the pool house."
Summer tightened her grip, until she finally flung open the door, and shoved Seth into the pool house.
"Ok Summer I'm digging the feisty, let's pretend I'm angry drag you out to the pool house and jump you thing. But my parents are like twenty feet away and while the know we have sex, they don't need to know we have sex."
"Right only we're not having sex until you explain to me where the hell Ryan is."
"Umm my guess would be Boston, where he usually is."
"Yea why is he in Boston, instead of Newport."
"Ok see I remember now the geography wasn't your strong suit in high school. See our country has two coasts, East and West. We are on the West Coast, on the East Coast is Harvard, where Ryan goes to college, therefore Ryan is on the East Coast."
"Cut the bullshit Cohen you know what I'm talking about."
"Look I called Ryan asked him to come home for the holidays because we missed him, he said he missed us too but he had to work over the holiday."
"Ok so then you just call Chino again and tell him what's going on, then there's no way he won't come home."
Seth sighed, but it was more of a huff than a sigh. He knew that this was just going to turn into them running around in circles, and arguing with the same points over and over. And when you haven't seen your girlfriend in three weeks the last thing you want to be talking about is another guy, even if that other guy is your best friend.
"Look Summer we've been over this already. I can't tell him, neither can you, it is not our place."
"Oh Cohen when did something not being your place ever stop you before?"
"Because Summer this really isn't our place. Anyway I already told you I asked Ryan to come home for winter break or at least just Chrismukkah, and he can't he's got to work at the firm over the holiday or he could lose his internship."
"That is always Chino's excuse, he never comes home anymore because he's got to work. Jeez he's not an architect yet, what could they possible need him for... He has to come home; he's needed here a lot more than he is there. Cohen we have to tell him. He deserves to know." Her eyes pleaded with Seth.
" No, Summer, it's not our place to tell him."
"Ok well then we'll just make him come home and she can tell him."
"What are you going to do Summer fly to Boston and drag him home." Seth watched as her eyes gleamed a bit with the mentioning of dragging Ryan home. "No, no way. If Ryan wants to come home then fine. But no one will be forcing or guilting him into coming home. And that's final.'
"But Cohen..." She gave a whine
"Summer, no." He stepped in front of her and crossed his arms. Treating her slightly like a child to get his point across.
"Fine. But I don't like this one bit."
"Deal with it, now I'm going to go join my parents for dinner, you coming with me?"
"Yea let me go touch up my make-up, I'll meet you in the house," she leaned in for a quick kiss and watched as he exited the pool house. "Alright Cohen, I'll play by your rules. If you won't let me bring Ryan home, I'll get someone else to do my dirty work for me. And I know just the right person."
"Hi, this is Cabot House right?" She looked around at her surrounding and then up at the red brick building she was standing in front of, which looked just like all the other red brick building that surrounded her. 'God I never realized how everything looks exactly the same around here' she thought to herself.
"Yea this is Cabot, can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Ryan Atwood, he's suppose to live here."
The guy called back to one of house buddies, "Hey you know an Atwood?"
"Yea that's the architetch kid, junior, dates that really hot pre-med girl for Eliot House. He lives in Bernard Hall, not sure what room though."
"Is that your guy?"
"Yea that's him," she gave a small grin at the thought of seeing him again after so long. "Could you point me in the direction of Bernard Hall."
"Sure, it's the red brick building over there." He pointed to the west after giving his vague description.
"Thanks," she smiled and walked away in the direction he'd pointed, figuring she'd find it eventually.
After over an hour of walking around the large courtyard, thinking that maybe she'd just run into Ryan, finally she'd found Bernard Hall. Finding his room had been simple, the first person in the hall she asked politely told her he was on the second floor in room 108. A nervous wave flooded her as she started to knock on the door.
"Hi, can I help you?"
The man standing shirtless in front of her was not Ryan Atwood. That is unless Ryan had dyed his hair black, made his eyes turn green, gotten about four inches taller, and spent his every waking moment in the gym. "Can I help you?" The man politely smiled and waited for a response.
"Sorry," she snapped out of her admiring trance. " You're not who I'm looking for, I was told this was Ryan Atwood's room."
"I'm Dalton, Ryan's my suitemate. His room number's actually 106, but the doors interconnect so it's understandable how someone might have thought this was his room. He's in his room and our doors open if you just wanna come in."
"Thanks," she smiled and pushed some hair from her face as she walked in preparing to face him. She could hear laughter and giggling coming from the other room.
"Ryan! You got company." He bellowed stepping out of her way.
Ryan looked up for tickling the girl on his bed. For a moment he felt like his eyes weren't able to catch up with his head, or maybe it was that his brain couldn't catch up with his eyes. But there was no hiding the shock on his face when everything finally came together, "Anna?!"
"You, me, pool house now!" Summer stormed into the Cohen house and grabbed Seth by the ear pulling him from the dining room table towards the back door.
"Ow ow ow, you know when I suggested we try something kinky, I didn't mean in a painful kind of way. Ow ow ow, could you please let go of my ear. I will willing go to the pool house."
Summer tightened her grip, until she finally flung open the door, and shoved Seth into the pool house.
"Ok Summer I'm digging the feisty, let's pretend I'm angry drag you out to the pool house and jump you thing. But my parents are like twenty feet away and while the know we have sex, they don't need to know we have sex."
"Right only we're not having sex until you explain to me where the hell Ryan is."
"Umm my guess would be Boston, where he usually is."
"Yea why is he in Boston, instead of Newport."
"Ok see I remember now the geography wasn't your strong suit in high school. See our country has two coasts, East and West. We are on the West Coast, on the East Coast is Harvard, where Ryan goes to college, therefore Ryan is on the East Coast."
"Cut the bullshit Cohen you know what I'm talking about."
"Look I called Ryan asked him to come home for the holidays because we missed him, he said he missed us too but he had to work over the holiday."
"Ok so then you just call Chino again and tell him what's going on, then there's no way he won't come home."
Seth sighed, but it was more of a huff than a sigh. He knew that this was just going to turn into them running around in circles, and arguing with the same points over and over. And when you haven't seen your girlfriend in three weeks the last thing you want to be talking about is another guy, even if that other guy is your best friend.
"Look Summer we've been over this already. I can't tell him, neither can you, it is not our place."
"Oh Cohen when did something not being your place ever stop you before?"
"Because Summer this really isn't our place. Anyway I already told you I asked Ryan to come home for winter break or at least just Chrismukkah, and he can't he's got to work at the firm over the holiday or he could lose his internship."
"That is always Chino's excuse, he never comes home anymore because he's got to work. Jeez he's not an architect yet, what could they possible need him for... He has to come home; he's needed here a lot more than he is there. Cohen we have to tell him. He deserves to know." Her eyes pleaded with Seth.
" No, Summer, it's not our place to tell him."
"Ok well then we'll just make him come home and she can tell him."
"What are you going to do Summer fly to Boston and drag him home." Seth watched as her eyes gleamed a bit with the mentioning of dragging Ryan home. "No, no way. If Ryan wants to come home then fine. But no one will be forcing or guilting him into coming home. And that's final.'
"But Cohen..." She gave a whine
"Summer, no." He stepped in front of her and crossed his arms. Treating her slightly like a child to get his point across.
"Fine. But I don't like this one bit."
"Deal with it, now I'm going to go join my parents for dinner, you coming with me?"
"Yea let me go touch up my make-up, I'll meet you in the house," she leaned in for a quick kiss and watched as he exited the pool house. "Alright Cohen, I'll play by your rules. If you won't let me bring Ryan home, I'll get someone else to do my dirty work for me. And I know just the right person."
"Hi, this is Cabot House right?" She looked around at her surrounding and then up at the red brick building she was standing in front of, which looked just like all the other red brick building that surrounded her. 'God I never realized how everything looks exactly the same around here' she thought to herself.
"Yea this is Cabot, can I help you?"
"I'm looking for Ryan Atwood, he's suppose to live here."
The guy called back to one of house buddies, "Hey you know an Atwood?"
"Yea that's the architetch kid, junior, dates that really hot pre-med girl for Eliot House. He lives in Bernard Hall, not sure what room though."
"Is that your guy?"
"Yea that's him," she gave a small grin at the thought of seeing him again after so long. "Could you point me in the direction of Bernard Hall."
"Sure, it's the red brick building over there." He pointed to the west after giving his vague description.
"Thanks," she smiled and walked away in the direction he'd pointed, figuring she'd find it eventually.
After over an hour of walking around the large courtyard, thinking that maybe she'd just run into Ryan, finally she'd found Bernard Hall. Finding his room had been simple, the first person in the hall she asked politely told her he was on the second floor in room 108. A nervous wave flooded her as she started to knock on the door.
"Hi, can I help you?"
The man standing shirtless in front of her was not Ryan Atwood. That is unless Ryan had dyed his hair black, made his eyes turn green, gotten about four inches taller, and spent his every waking moment in the gym. "Can I help you?" The man politely smiled and waited for a response.
"Sorry," she snapped out of her admiring trance. " You're not who I'm looking for, I was told this was Ryan Atwood's room."
"I'm Dalton, Ryan's my suitemate. His room number's actually 106, but the doors interconnect so it's understandable how someone might have thought this was his room. He's in his room and our doors open if you just wanna come in."
"Thanks," she smiled and pushed some hair from her face as she walked in preparing to face him. She could hear laughter and giggling coming from the other room.
"Ryan! You got company." He bellowed stepping out of her way.
Ryan looked up for tickling the girl on his bed. For a moment he felt like his eyes weren't able to catch up with his head, or maybe it was that his brain couldn't catch up with his eyes. But there was no hiding the shock on his face when everything finally came together, "Anna?!"
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