Finding Sam (Featured)

Chapter 21 - Stay

Traffic heading home from Lorena's house was slow, but it gave me time to think. Though Erik and I barely spoke that afternoon, it felt as if we had spoken — but not with words — for words could never have relayed the way my body responded to him as he held me while we danced. No words would have been able to say that I trusted him more than the way I let go his arms, or looked at him instead of peering behind him to make sure that we weren't about to bump into someone.

I couldn't understand why I was running away from him. Why was I so scared?

By the time I reached the house, my mood had sunken like a ship taking in more water than it could take out. I decided to take advantage of the cool breeze of the early evening to do a quick run along the Strand. All that dancing had actually rejuvenated me, and with a dark mood suddenly descending upon me, I wanted to have it up again. There was nothing like endorphins to do that, I thought, as I slipped out of my dress and changed into my usual running clothes.

This time, instead of running south towards Redondo Beach, I made my way north towards Manhattan Beach. It was much better lit and I figured I'd run all the way to the north end and make my way back before the ocean air would get too cold.

For a Friday, the Strand had its usual evening runners. Most of them had the same idea of running till the north end of the Strand, just before the street lights were non-existent and then turn around, making our way back south.

I could feel the ocean air turning colder as I made my way back home. As a cold breeze blew, I regretted not wearing a sweatshirt. The fog was rolling in from the ocean, blanketing the water and I began to speed up. I'd seen the fog roll in a few times from Eric's house, and it felt strange and beautiful at the same time. You could actually see it crawl over the water towards the beach, then engulf the house, leaving tiny droplets of water clinging to the outside of the glass.

"Hey, Sam! Wait up!"

It took me a few seconds to realize that someone was calling my name before I stopped running As I looked around me, I realized that I had just ran past Erik's house. The doors to the studio were wide open and he was leaping over the railing to get to me.

Despite the chill in the air, running had actually kept me warm. But now that I had stopped, the cold seeped right into me, and I shivered.

"I was just at your house," he said, striding towards me like it didn't require any effort. He had changed from his shirt and slacks earlier to a t-shirt and running shorts. He was out of breath, not from jumping over the railing, but from running on the treadmill.

"Why?" I wrapped my arms around me, wishing I hadn't rushed out of the house without a sweatshirt.

"You forgot your phone at Livvy's," he said. "Come inside. It's cold."

He didn't have to ask twice. He helped me climb over the balcony railing and ushered me inside. He shut the sliding doors behind me and locked them.

"Where is it?" I asked. I didn't remember leaving my phone anywhere.

"It's in the car right now. I was planning on driving back later maybe," he said. "You don't have a landline, do you?"

I shook my head. It was not smart not to have a landline, especially when one had children, but I couldn't afford the extra charges to keep one. "No, I don't. I need to get home, Erik. I don't want to interfere with your Friday plans."

"You're not interfering with anything," he said. He opened the closet and retrieved two thick white towels. One for me and another for him. He was perspiring from his own run, but at least he wasn't chilled like I was.