Let It Be

Chapter 23

Sam and I sat out on his back porch like we usually did a few night later, a fire going in the pit by us. Sam was telling me a story about his 'younger days' with Emile, animated and laughing while I drank hot chocolate and laughed along with him. I loved it when he was this happy. Which he hadn't been for a while.

Sam broke off in his story, and I noticed he was looking at me with a secretive smile. "What?" I asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"You have whipped cream on your lip."

I laughed embarrassedly, and he reached out to me. He hesitated a second, then brushed his thumb across one side of my mouth.

As we were gazing at each other, a sigh bubbling up in my chest while his hand lingered on my mouth, Paula walked out the door and was suddenly standing beside us.

"Uh huh," she said, sounding smug. "What did I tell you?"

Sam rolled his eyes at me but grinned. "Thanks Paula," I replied with a semi-forced smile, knowing she wouldn't leave us alone unless I admitted defeat. "You were right, Sam and I should be together."

"I know."

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Later that evening while I was washing up my hot chocolate mug in the sink, I heard something suspicious from the TV.

I turned and stared bewilderedly at the screen where the news was reporting a story of a hit and run. "I know him," I breathed in surprise.

"Who?" Sam asked, drying my mug for me.

"The suspect, Benjamin Tracy."

Sam came over from the kitchen after I sat down on the couch. He sat and watched the news for a minute. "How do you know him?"

I replied mechanically. "He was my driver."

"Your driver?"

I winced. Well that was a crap bit of my old life to accidentally reveal. Oops. "He was a private driver back in Sacramento. He came and drove me to school every day and took me home."

"You're dirt poor but you could afford a chauffeur?"

"He arranged it," I finally explained softly. "He was very protective of me."

"Yeah, right."

I winced again. "Maybe protective is the wrong word. Possessive."

"Fat load of good he did, trusting you with a guy like him."

"Benjamin didn't do anything to me." Well, except keep tabs on me wherever I went and reported to him when I tried to go somewhere else, or when I was late. The consequences of those were always painful. I cringed at the thought.

Sam picked up the remote. "Let's change to channel."

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I was supposed to be reading my English assignment a couple of nights later, but Sam was sketching. He was bent over the sketchbook, drawing intently, and I took the opportunity to just stare at him. We sat facing each other, folded knees pressing together.

His dark hair kept falling into his eyes, and when he brushed it back, he smeared graphite dust on his forehead. He kept shooting glances at me, but he wasn't meeting my eyes, but looking at different areas of my face.

"What are you sketching?"

Smiling broadly, he straightened up and tore the sketch from the book.

"Here," he said, looking satisfied.

I took the paper. Sam had drawn me. Or at least, it resembled me, but it was not the me I saw in the mirror every day. My eyes were bright, my mouth set in a gentle smile, looking radiant. "Is this how you see me? You make me look beautiful." I could see his love for me shining from the picture.

"You are beautiful."

A shy, satisfied smile crossed my mouth. "Thank you, Sam. I think you're pretty, too."

He laughed, and pulled my hand to his mouth. Smiling broadly, he kissed my knuckles. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

"I mean it."

Looking introspective, he asked, "Have you always been attracted to me?"

"Always. I used to get butterflies when I saw you in class, before we even spoke."

"Used to?"

"Well, it's just given that I still do."

He turned my hand over and traced patterns on my palm. "I feel them for you, too. And just for the record, I thought you were beautiful the first time I saw you. It used to kill me that I could not get to know you."

"Why couldn't you?"

"I did not want to hurt you."

"What's changed?"

His eyes softened as the met mine. I sighed at the look burning in his eyes. "I fell in love with you."

Contentment flooded my veins, softening my body. "I love you, too, Sam."

"Kiss?" he asked.

My smile broadened. "Please."

He leaned towards me, putting first his hand on my cheek, then his mouth on mine. I smiled against his lips, and felt him answering with a grin of his own. Then I got lost in his kiss, where I happily spent the next few minutes.

Finally pulling back, I kissed the tip of his nose, then said, "Now hand over the sketch book. I want to draw you this time."

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Another short chapter for you. The next one will be another big one, so strap in!