“Jason? Oh my god, what are you doing here?”
Sam rushed over to him and he lifted her up in a big hug. I was a little pissed off until I recognized who it was. Jason was a freshman the same time Sam was, and I remembered them meeting in the Freshman Seminar class I taught and becoming close friends. I also remembered Jason having a boyfriend in that same class. He was the only guy I didn’t mind touching Sam like that.
“You look awesome, girl! Even in the sweltering July heat! I’ve been meaning to contact you since I moved back. How’s the family? Marc and Bella good?” I cringed at hearing Marc referred to as Sam’s family.
“Bella’s good. She’s five now, believe it or not. She starts first grade this September. Marc, well. . .” Sam scrunched her face at Jason. “Marc’s gone. We broke up and he’s working in Chicago.”
“Wow, has it been that long since we spoke? I’m, well, sorry—”
Sam laughed. “Don’t pretend you’re sorry. It’s okay. I know you didn’t like Marc and I don’t blame you. I was stupid for a long time before I finally got a clue and threw him out.”
“Sounds like a story I’d like to hear over dinner soon. I just moved to Chelsea last month, and I’dloveto hear how you tossed him out on his sorry ass.” Sam chuckled and swatted Jason on the arm. He looked over Sam’s shoulder and finally noticed me standing there.
“Lucas? Hey, I remember you, how’s it going?” Jason reached out to shake my hand.
“Good! Nice to see you, Jason.” I wrapped my arm around Sam’s waist as I shook his hand. Jason looked between us. His eyes grew wide as he smirked at Sam.
“You’re withLucas, now?” Sam rolled her eyes and leveled Jason with a glare. It was adorable how she still got embarrassed about having a crush on me. I tried not to laugh and make it worse.
“Yeah, you and I have a shit to catch up on. Same cell, right?”
“Yep, give me a call, and we’ll make plans.” As she gave Jason a goodbye hug, he whispered something in her ear, and she smacked him on the back.
“You know it! Good to see you again, Lucas.” Jason waved as he strutted away, disappearing into the sea of organic farmers.
Sam finished shopping, and we headed back to my apartment. I didn’t want to upset her, but I couldn’t resist messing with her on the walk back.
“So, how many people knew about the crush you had on me? I’m a little hurt. I was the last to know.” I made a sad face, and she scowled at me.
“Please. Spare me. You knew from that first day I met you at Daina’s. Can you let me keep a tiny bit of dignity? Jason was a good friend, and nice enough to listen to me ramble on about a lot of things. He even told me once I should tell you.” She huffed and shook her head.
I stopped walking and pulled her back.
“I really wish you had.”
Sam’s shoulders slumped, and she lowered her head.
“We’ve been over this. Telling you back then would have probably done more harm than good. We were in completely different places in life. It would have gotten awkward, and maybe even cost us our friendship—which I would’ve hated. Stop feeling bad about it.”
I nodded, and we kept walking. After stopping to get chicken—thank God—we headed back to my apartment and didn’t speak much the rest of the way.
Sam insisted on cooking alone in my kitchen. I came in to get a beer from the fridge, and she didn’t turn to look at me. I wished I had left it alone and kept my mouth shut.
“What’s different now?” Sam asked as I left the kitchen, not looking up from what she was stirring.
I stopped and narrowed my eyes at her. “What do you mean? Different about what?”
She turned from the stove to face me and folded her arms.
“All that time, you knew damn well how I felt about you. I was right there for the taking for three years. I meet up with you years later, and everything is different. I guess I don’t understand why for as long as I knew you, I was nothing more than a friend, and then one night at a bar changes everything. When you think about it, it really doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
Itdidn’tmake sense when you thought about it. I never expected to feel so much for Sam now, and Idefinitelydidn’t expect to feel it so fast.
I shrugged. “I suppose you could see it that way. Truth is, there were times I saw you as more than a friend, more than I let on. That night you came to see me present at that Finance Club seminar, I caught the way you were looking at me—like I was a superhero, and you were amazed by me. It humbled me to think you saw me that way. When we had coffee afterward, and I walked you to the train, I almost kissed you.”
Sam’s eyes grew so wide they almost bugged out of her head.
“I thought I imagined that. You really wanted to kiss me?”
