“No worries. You staying the night isn’t our normal protocol.”
“Yeah, but I should know how to act like a decent human being. I could have at least woken you up so you could have locked the door behind me.”
Sam licks his lips, his gaze flicking away before meeting mine again. “So, why did you leave then?”
“I don’t know.” I let out a heavy sigh. “Waking up still in bed with you freaked me out. I didn’t think things through the night before, and I wasn’t prepared for the outcome.”
“And what was the outcome?” Sam asks, his voice quaking with curiosity.
My pulse flutters as I stare at him. I want to tell him the outcome was me enjoying waking next to him. That I slept better than I have in a long time because of his arms wrapped around me, and I want to do it again. I want to explain these feelings bubbling within me.
But I can’t.
It violates our agreement, so I settle for, “That I panicked because I had to rush to get home in time to get ready for my classes.”
Sam’s shoulders sag as he slowly nods. “I can see how that would be stressful.” With a deep breath, he says, “No more meetups during the week, then. We’ll stick to Saturdays only.”
As much as I know I should feel relieved, I’m almost disappointed. But I know it’s for the best. “Thanks, Sam.”
“So...” he says, rocking back and forth on his heels. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“One o’clock.”
“Awesome.” He juts his chin to the door. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
***
It’s a beautiful day for a walk. Sure, it’s only thirty-five degrees, but the sun is shining and there’s no wind. Plus, there was a light snowfall last night, and the ground glitters in the sunlight. It’s fitting scenery for my uplifted mood.
After my talk with Sam yesterday, I feel so much better. Knowing that Wednesday wasn’t as bad as I thought takes a weight off my shoulders I didn’t realize I was carrying. His understanding about only meeting on Saturdays helped too. I’m lucky to have such a great frenemy.
I practically skip around the corner to Sam’s apartment. As I reach the stairs, his door opens, and I whip my head up with a smile on my face to greet him. Was he watching for me? He must be as excited as I am.
The smile drops from my face when a woman’s laughter stabs my eardrums. In a panic, I duck into alcove for the lower-level apartments, pressing my back to the wall. Footsteps sound on the stairs, so I peek.
I see Sam’s Converse sneakers walk down first, in step with a pair of fuzzy Uggs. His jeans and sweatshirt then come into view, contrasting the form-fitting leggings under a plush sweater next to him. When they reach the bottom step, I see his arm around her shoulders as her long blondish hair cascades down like a waterfall.
My chest constricts around my palpitating heart. It’s beating so loudly, I can’t hear what they’re saying, but I can hear her giggling at his every word.
Is this really happening? Is Sam with another girl? After everything he said about not sleeping around, he goes and bangs some bimbo.
He lied. Again.
Nudging her toward the parking lot, they turn their backs to me, so I make my escape. I tear away from the alcove. My jelly-like legs don’t let me get far, though, and I end up collapsing behind a nearby tree. I bang my head against it.
How could I be so stupid? I fell for all his charm again.
My lungs struggle to work. I can’t seem to suck in enough oxygen. I need to get out of here.
When I peek around the tree, I see them chatting next to a car. Sam’s back is to me, but the blondish girl is facing me, and she has the happiest expression on her face. She looks like she’s just had the best time of her life.
If she was with Sam, I understand why.
My stomach drops when she throws her arms around his neck and pulls him in for a strong hug, planting a gigantic kiss on his cheek. I lurch, but hold down the nervous vomit threatening to rise. Clamping my hand over my mouth, I lean against the tree once again.
With my eyes squeezed shut, I fight the urge to cry. I refuse to shed any tears over this. Over him.
A car door shuts and an engine roars to life. My eyes pop open. I lean over to watch Sam wave his hand in the air before shoving it into his pocket as the car drives away. The huge smile on his face when he turns around makes my jaw quiver. The fucking snake is happy about this.
