I love the O.C. and one of the main reasons why is because of the relationship between Ryan Atwood and Marissa Cooper. Now, I know a lot of people are "Team Seth & Summer" and don't get me wrong, they are so adorable. But for the reasons I'll list down below, I have a special place in my heart for Ryan & Marissa.
Their beginnings were a classic love story. This was from the very first episode, and you can tell that Marissa's a fancier girl while Ryan may be a little rough around the edges. The banter took off right from the first line, so you just knew something was bound to happen. 
They even recreated that moment here (talk about awesome): While they weren't together during each episode or season, they did get manage to "start over" in the second season, which led to this iconic recreation. So. Cute. 
You could tell from the first episode that they were going to be in each other's lives, regardless. Nods and smiles - for them, that was enough.
Even when they were "just friends", they had fun. A bike ride and laughter was their formula to a good day in Orange County.
He understood her and she helped him find his place in Newport. While Marissa seemed like she had it all, she was really falling apart at the seams, and Ryan seemed to understand how to help her through it. Marissa helped him navigate the Newport scene and made sure that he was comfortable in the new environment.
He let her go, multiple times. There was Alex, there was Johnny (sort of) and then there was Volchek. Ryan let Marissa move on with these people because if you loved someone, sometimes you still had to let them go.
And she did the same for him. When Ryan moved back to Chino, Marissa had to let him go to be with Teresa. She stepped back and tried the whole "friends" thing when he was with Lindsay too.
And then they got back together despite the rocky roads. Despite their other relationships, they couldn't seem to stay away from each other and eventually realized how strong they were together.
He protected and defended her. He punched Luke (more than once), beat up his own brother (after he attacked Marissa), kicked Volchek's ass (twice) and even punched the Dean of Discipline when he had his hands on Marissa. While it may not be the best way to solve problems, at least Ryan stuck up for her.
And he never failed to show up when she needed him to.
When Marissa got thrown out of her school's carnival, Ryan helped her walk away from the situation, no matter how much it hurt.
She brought him out of his "tough guy" facade. How cute are they? Look at Ryan, dancing away and smiling. Thank you Marissa for showing us that he's more than just a guy who wears a wifebeater and punches people. 
Also, will you just look at them? Power couple right there.
They both had past heartaches and had been hurt before, so they didn't expect the other to be free of scars. They didn't give up on each other, and they knew that they were better than their weakest moments.
While they may not have had as many funny moments as Seth and Summer, they had plenty of ones that were cute. I mean come on now, how can you not look at that and smile? She's squishing his face, they're so couple-y it kills me.
Sentimental. A thousands times yes to that statement.
The occasional one-liner hilarity. "Thank you" is the new "I love you too" in case you were wondering.
Or downright emotional. Don't even get me started.
Even though their relationship had an untimely end, they proved that they were always meant to be. And true love never really dies. I will always be team Ryan & Marissa, forever.
