“Tell me more.”
“Just that he told you to stay away from me, and here we are. I don’t know what this is,” I gesture vaguely at us, “but I was wondering what Ethan would think.” I look at my hand and lightly retrace Sam’s scar again. He doesn’t flinch or tense up like I would have expected. “I was just wondering if Ethan would be mad at me.”
Sam’s quiet for long enough that I think he won’t respond. He finally says, “He wouldn’t be mad at you, Kat. Me, on the other hand?” Sam rubs his hand up and down my arm in soothing circles. “He’d be furious with me. At least initially. I think he’d come around once he realized how much I love you. At least, I hope he would.”
Did Sam just say he loves me? Isn’t it too soon for that?I’m not sure he realized he said it. I don’t dare look at him, so I keep my focus on my hand tracing his scar.
Not understanding the direction of my thoughts, Sam continues, “Ethan could never be mad at you. Especially not for this. As for what this is, I was hoping I could call you mine.”
I meet his gaze again, searching his expression. “Yours?” It comes out in a croak.
Sam’s body tenses under mine. “Yeah, I mean, unless you don’t want that?”
I lightly brush my lips along his. “Yes, I’m yours.” I look back down at my hand and continue lightly tracing his scar, running my fingers down to where it ends at his ribs.
Sam kisses the top of my head, and his body relaxes again. “Are you truly interested in exploring today before you leave?”
“What else do you have in mind, Sammy?”
“I was thinking,” he says slowly, “I would much rather stay here where I can keep you all to myself. Preferably without clothes,” his hand dips from my arm to my bare waist where my tank top has shifted up, “but I can be persuaded if you really want to leave this bed and go out.”
“Mmmm. I’d love to stay here for as long as we can.” I playfully nuzzle my face into his chest. My stomach makes its presence known at that moment, growling loudly. Sam chuckles at the sound. “But I suppose my body is going to need to be fed, sooner, rather than later, I’m afraid.”
“I can either make you breakfast or I can have it delivered.”
“I thought you didn’t want to leave this bed? Or was that just posturing?”
“Delivery it is.”
***
True to his word, Sam and I spend the majority of the day in his bed, only leaving for brief periods. We cuddle, talk, and watchThe Princess Bride. We both laugh at the jokes and quote our favorite parts.
I avoid packing until the very last moment—I want to soak in as much of Sam as I can before I know we have to say goodbye. We won’t see each other for a month—not until he moves back to Charleston. The thought of us living in the same city again sends a surge of electricity through my body.
When it’s time for Sam to take me to the airport, the air feels thick as my mood turns somber. I don’t think it’s just me who feels this way.
Being with Sam this weekend makes me feel more connected to him. More trusting that his feelings for me are genuine.
Maybe we have a chance to move beyond the past. Maybe Sam really is choosing me this time.
Sam parks along the curb when we get to the airport. “Fuck, I don’t want you to leave,” he says as he kisses my forehead, my nose, my cheeks, and finally my lips. “I want to keep you here and never let you out of my sight.”
“My dad would frown upon you kidnapping me.”
“Ugh. Fine. Leave me if you must.” Sam nuzzles his face into my hair.
“I don’t want to leave either. I want to stay here and never leave your sight. A month is a long time. But I think it’ll be here faster than we realize. Besides, you’re going to be busy packing.”
Sam runs his hands along the length of my back, stopping just before the curve of my ass. “I’m not packing anything. I’m hiring movers for all of that. Packing sounds like the worst time, so I’m not doing it,” he laughs.
Sam grips my hips and pulls me towards him. Once my body is flush against his, he lightly tugs on a few strands of hair before tucking them behind my ear. He looks down at his watch and then back up to me. “Time to go, Kitty Kat,” he sighs. “As much as I want you to stay, I know you can’t miss your flight.”
I tighten my arms around his waist and bury my face into his chest, trying to hold back the tears I feel prick the corners of my eyes. His arms tighten around me again. I’m not sure how long we’ve been standing here, breathing each other in, when I release him and take a step back.
“Text me when you land and call me when you’re home?”
“Of course. Don’t go falling in love with someone else before you move back to Charleston.” The words are out before I realize what I’ve said. I try to laugh them off as if it were a joke. But truthfully, I’m worried he might do just that.
