fic - travelogue
fandom: The OC
title: travelogue
rating: PGish
word count: 1,558
disclaimer: I don't own anything OC related or any of these pictures that I googled.
author's note: This fic is for shakespearebint since she commented on my Pay It Forward Meme a while ago. Ryan on a roadtrip.
author's note 2: This is slightly experimental. Light on dialogue and, well, hopefully neat.
author's note 3: I haven't forgotten these! I just need marination time. Hopefully this works, it's always tricky picking up something from the past and getting back in the zone.
- travelogue 1/5 -
- travelogue 2/5 -
------------------
Houston reminded me of LA. Or Seattle. I'd never had dreams of 'seeing the world' before meeting the Cohens. California was where I knew I'd always be. Why would I need to spend money to see anywhere else?
But I've been to New York and to Florida and Rhode Island, not counting all the cities I'd been to on this trip.
And even though Houston might look like all the other cities at night, the heart was different than the others.
Luke's rushing me to get back in the car so I can't take a backup shot, but hopefully this will work.
------------------
"Why do we have to go to the airport, Summer? I'm supposed to get my brothers cowboy hats and I know Ryan's going to rush me when I'm shopping," Luke complained as Ryan stifled his groan and turned into the lane for the airport.
"It's a surprise, hopefully one that won't get me evicted," Summer said.
Ryan glanced at Luke. They didn't like surprises and their trip had gone well until now.
"You're upsetting the balance," Ryan pointed out.
"No, I'm fixing it," Summer said. "Stop there, I'll be right back."
She disappeared into the airport leaving them idling in the pick-up lane.
Houston was nice enough, but he felt like everyone in town was related to Bullitt and it creeped him out a little. Scratch that. A lot.
It was sticky hot but he knew that Luke and Summer were relieved to be back in the English speaking land after the tumultuous miles across the border when the gas from constant Mexican food kicked in.
He wondered if the mystery guest was payback for bad ventilation.
Luke started fumbling with the radio to find a station that wasn't country and he distracted himself by watching the short skirted women in cowboy boots strutting around.
He caught himself ogling familiar legs and had a flush of guilt when he recognized Summer at the top of the legs.
Seth didn't know how lucky he was. Or maybe he did and that's what the ring was for.
It took a moment for him to realize who was walking with her but she was unforgettable. And unexpected.
"Damn. Taylor gets hotter every time she goes to Paris," Luke said.
------------------
------------------
This was Summer's friend's place where we stayed on our trip through Louisiana.
When I'd seen pictures from the bayou in movies and books, I expected it to be peaceful, but there are croaking frogs and chirping birds and splashing in the water that I didn't want to identify.
It was peaceful, but not the way I thought it would be. No cars, no tourists, just the sound of the hound dogs barking in their pen and the bats swooping down to eat the bugs buzzing around the hanging lights on the pier.
It was nice.
------------------
We sat on the short pier in folding chairs and drank beer out of a cooler.
Ryan wondered when Taylor was going to start rambling about 'uncivilization', but she seemed oddly comfortable.
She looked great with her hair pulled back in pigtails and short-short denim shorts that showed off her perfect legs. The low cut tank top didn't help him look elsewhere either.
Luke was telling a story about Newport when Holly dared everyone to go skinny dipping and ended up being the only one in the water and got a rash she couldn't explain to her parents.
But Ryan couldn't focus on anything but Taylor's bare knee bumping against his on the pier.
And when Summer and Luke went inside to get more mosquito spray, she leaned over and kissed him.
He forgot everything that made them break up and pulled the pigtails down so he could lace his hand through her long hair.
"I love you. There's no one else I'll ever love as much as you. And if we can't make it work, then we'll never be happy with anyone else because I know you love me, too," she said.
Ryan didn't have a chance to respond because Luke and Summer were back.
But he held her hand for the rest of the night, until the moon was high overhead and they were out of beer.
------------------
------------------
This is a shot from when we were leaving the blues club in Mississippi. It's almost like a picture from the past with the old car and the dawn breaking over a sleepy town.
The club had been smoky and steamy and the music had been smoky and steamy, too. Our clothes were sticking to us when we stepped out into the humid morning but Taylor was giggling with her fingers looped through my belt and Luke was staggering along with Summer down the street, not because she was drunk, but because of the last song.
We wouldn't talk about it tomorrow, but I doubted any of us would ever forget that club, even if we never found out its name.
------------------
Ryan yawned and grunted his thanks to the waitress when she put the pancakes down in front of him.
Taylor and Summer were off shopping and Luke was in the bathroom brushing his teeth again and he figured it was a good time to call Seth.
He hadn't been avoiding his brother, but he had too much to tell him to do it over the phone.
"About time," Seth answered.
Ryan smiled, pouring syrup over his pancakes and listening to Seth's scolding rant while he cut them into triangles with his fork. "It is time, actually," he interrupted when Seth took a breath. "Alabama was where we were meeting you, right?"
"Where are you now? You're, like, behind schedule," Seth pouted.
"No, we're not. We're in Mississippi."
"Why the hell are you in Mississippi?" Seth gasped.
Ryan smiled again. "It's on the way to Alabama."
"I hear Summer invited a guest, but I refuse to sit in the back," Seth said.
"Cooties still bothering you?" Ryan asked. "We have a system for the seat assignments. And I, kind of, like having Taylor around."
"Oh. I'll deal. But you'll have to teach me how to work the system so I can get shotgun," Seth said.
Luke returned, rubbing his hands together at the sight of the food. "Is that Cohen? Tell him I get shotgun, I've got seniority," he said.
"Oh hell no," Seth said in his ear.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Ryan said. "Don't be late, and go to the bathroom when you get off the plane."
"Is there a system for bathroom breaks, too? I'm so behind," Seth sighed. "Tomorrow."
Ryan closed the phone.
He was looking forward to seeing Seth again. As much as he enjoyed hanging out with his friends, and Taylor; Seth was family. He needed a Cohen around to get him back on solid ground again.
------------------
------------------
I don't know who took this picture, I found it when I was flipping through the pack.
I know I didn't take it because if I had taken the shot, it wouldn't have been that steady.
It had to be late in the night because they kept wiping the bar clean from our endless spills.
But nobody got sick and I'm grateful that this is a picture of the whiskey shot and not the karaoke that came later.
I was happy and carefree and I had friends that I knew would take care of me and not get me arrested or beat up. I'd had nights like this in college, but never with the friends that knew my past beside me.
We were young and alive and had lives to celebrate.
------------------
Taylor somehow hooked Luke up with one of the hotel girls and sent Seth and Summer out to dinner and scored Ryan and herself a bona fide 'honeymoon suite'.
He hoped Summer and Seth's engagement wasn't putting ideas in her head, but she'd made it clear over the past few days that she was serious about getting him back.
Luke and Summer had been pleading her case and surprisingly, Seth was the only one that was giving him the benefit of the doubt.
The only doubt he had was if she'd stay this time. Seth knew that nobody could promise that apart from Taylor. Ryan just wanted to enjoy the rest of the roadtrip, and the hot sex his occasional girlfriend was giving him.
Sex always made a trip better.
She dressed up in stilettos and black lace and fed him strawberries and chocolate kisses from her mouth.
She said she'd love him forever.
Forever was a long time.
But after two rounds of sex and a soapy massage in the tub, he fell asleep with her head leaned on his chest and her breath over his heart.
Forever was a long time. But he didn't know if it would be long enough. Or maybe it would be too long.
He wished he could tell her that he'd love her forever, but he had already promised that to someone else. Someone he couldn't take it back from.
He loved Taylor. But he didn't know if it was enough. And any time she asked to be let go, he knew he'd let her go. And he didn't know if that was fair, to either of them.
It was enough for now.
------------------
title: travelogue
rating: PGish
word count: 1,558
disclaimer: I don't own anything OC related or any of these pictures that I googled.
author's note: This fic is for shakespearebint since she commented on my Pay It Forward Meme a while ago. Ryan on a roadtrip.
author's note 2: This is slightly experimental. Light on dialogue and, well, hopefully neat.
author's note 3: I haven't forgotten these! I just need marination time. Hopefully this works, it's always tricky picking up something from the past and getting back in the zone.
- travelogue 1/5 -
- travelogue 2/5 -
------------------
Houston reminded me of LA. Or Seattle. I'd never had dreams of 'seeing the world' before meeting the Cohens. California was where I knew I'd always be. Why would I need to spend money to see anywhere else?
But I've been to New York and to Florida and Rhode Island, not counting all the cities I'd been to on this trip.
And even though Houston might look like all the other cities at night, the heart was different than the others.
Luke's rushing me to get back in the car so I can't take a backup shot, but hopefully this will work.
------------------
"Why do we have to go to the airport, Summer? I'm supposed to get my brothers cowboy hats and I know Ryan's going to rush me when I'm shopping," Luke complained as Ryan stifled his groan and turned into the lane for the airport.
"It's a surprise, hopefully one that won't get me evicted," Summer said.
Ryan glanced at Luke. They didn't like surprises and their trip had gone well until now.
"You're upsetting the balance," Ryan pointed out.
"No, I'm fixing it," Summer said. "Stop there, I'll be right back."
She disappeared into the airport leaving them idling in the pick-up lane.
Houston was nice enough, but he felt like everyone in town was related to Bullitt and it creeped him out a little. Scratch that. A lot.
It was sticky hot but he knew that Luke and Summer were relieved to be back in the English speaking land after the tumultuous miles across the border when the gas from constant Mexican food kicked in.
He wondered if the mystery guest was payback for bad ventilation.
Luke started fumbling with the radio to find a station that wasn't country and he distracted himself by watching the short skirted women in cowboy boots strutting around.
He caught himself ogling familiar legs and had a flush of guilt when he recognized Summer at the top of the legs.
Seth didn't know how lucky he was. Or maybe he did and that's what the ring was for.
It took a moment for him to realize who was walking with her but she was unforgettable. And unexpected.
"Damn. Taylor gets hotter every time she goes to Paris," Luke said.
------------------
------------------
This was Summer's friend's place where we stayed on our trip through Louisiana.
When I'd seen pictures from the bayou in movies and books, I expected it to be peaceful, but there are croaking frogs and chirping birds and splashing in the water that I didn't want to identify.
It was peaceful, but not the way I thought it would be. No cars, no tourists, just the sound of the hound dogs barking in their pen and the bats swooping down to eat the bugs buzzing around the hanging lights on the pier.
It was nice.
------------------
We sat on the short pier in folding chairs and drank beer out of a cooler.
Ryan wondered when Taylor was going to start rambling about 'uncivilization', but she seemed oddly comfortable.
She looked great with her hair pulled back in pigtails and short-short denim shorts that showed off her perfect legs. The low cut tank top didn't help him look elsewhere either.
Luke was telling a story about Newport when Holly dared everyone to go skinny dipping and ended up being the only one in the water and got a rash she couldn't explain to her parents.
But Ryan couldn't focus on anything but Taylor's bare knee bumping against his on the pier.
And when Summer and Luke went inside to get more mosquito spray, she leaned over and kissed him.
He forgot everything that made them break up and pulled the pigtails down so he could lace his hand through her long hair.
"I love you. There's no one else I'll ever love as much as you. And if we can't make it work, then we'll never be happy with anyone else because I know you love me, too," she said.
Ryan didn't have a chance to respond because Luke and Summer were back.
But he held her hand for the rest of the night, until the moon was high overhead and they were out of beer.
------------------
------------------
This is a shot from when we were leaving the blues club in Mississippi. It's almost like a picture from the past with the old car and the dawn breaking over a sleepy town.
The club had been smoky and steamy and the music had been smoky and steamy, too. Our clothes were sticking to us when we stepped out into the humid morning but Taylor was giggling with her fingers looped through my belt and Luke was staggering along with Summer down the street, not because she was drunk, but because of the last song.
We wouldn't talk about it tomorrow, but I doubted any of us would ever forget that club, even if we never found out its name.
------------------
Ryan yawned and grunted his thanks to the waitress when she put the pancakes down in front of him.
Taylor and Summer were off shopping and Luke was in the bathroom brushing his teeth again and he figured it was a good time to call Seth.
He hadn't been avoiding his brother, but he had too much to tell him to do it over the phone.
"About time," Seth answered.
Ryan smiled, pouring syrup over his pancakes and listening to Seth's scolding rant while he cut them into triangles with his fork. "It is time, actually," he interrupted when Seth took a breath. "Alabama was where we were meeting you, right?"
"Where are you now? You're, like, behind schedule," Seth pouted.
"No, we're not. We're in Mississippi."
"Why the hell are you in Mississippi?" Seth gasped.
Ryan smiled again. "It's on the way to Alabama."
"I hear Summer invited a guest, but I refuse to sit in the back," Seth said.
"Cooties still bothering you?" Ryan asked. "We have a system for the seat assignments. And I, kind of, like having Taylor around."
"Oh. I'll deal. But you'll have to teach me how to work the system so I can get shotgun," Seth said.
Luke returned, rubbing his hands together at the sight of the food. "Is that Cohen? Tell him I get shotgun, I've got seniority," he said.
"Oh hell no," Seth said in his ear.
"We'll see you tomorrow," Ryan said. "Don't be late, and go to the bathroom when you get off the plane."
"Is there a system for bathroom breaks, too? I'm so behind," Seth sighed. "Tomorrow."
Ryan closed the phone.
He was looking forward to seeing Seth again. As much as he enjoyed hanging out with his friends, and Taylor; Seth was family. He needed a Cohen around to get him back on solid ground again.
------------------
------------------
I don't know who took this picture, I found it when I was flipping through the pack.
I know I didn't take it because if I had taken the shot, it wouldn't have been that steady.
It had to be late in the night because they kept wiping the bar clean from our endless spills.
But nobody got sick and I'm grateful that this is a picture of the whiskey shot and not the karaoke that came later.
I was happy and carefree and I had friends that I knew would take care of me and not get me arrested or beat up. I'd had nights like this in college, but never with the friends that knew my past beside me.
We were young and alive and had lives to celebrate.
------------------
Taylor somehow hooked Luke up with one of the hotel girls and sent Seth and Summer out to dinner and scored Ryan and herself a bona fide 'honeymoon suite'.
He hoped Summer and Seth's engagement wasn't putting ideas in her head, but she'd made it clear over the past few days that she was serious about getting him back.
Luke and Summer had been pleading her case and surprisingly, Seth was the only one that was giving him the benefit of the doubt.
The only doubt he had was if she'd stay this time. Seth knew that nobody could promise that apart from Taylor. Ryan just wanted to enjoy the rest of the roadtrip, and the hot sex his occasional girlfriend was giving him.
Sex always made a trip better.
She dressed up in stilettos and black lace and fed him strawberries and chocolate kisses from her mouth.
She said she'd love him forever.
Forever was a long time.
But after two rounds of sex and a soapy massage in the tub, he fell asleep with her head leaned on his chest and her breath over his heart.
Forever was a long time. But he didn't know if it would be long enough. Or maybe it would be too long.
He wished he could tell her that he'd love her forever, but he had already promised that to someone else. Someone he couldn't take it back from.
He loved Taylor. But he didn't know if it was enough. And any time she asked to be let go, he knew he'd let her go. And he didn't know if that was fair, to either of them.
It was enough for now.
------------------