The Mistake

Over

Samantha

"Sam." My eyes snapped open and I sat up on the bed with a gasp, my heart pounding. All I could see was Terrence's face. I had spent all night dreaming of yesterday. I scoured my room in an irrational search of Terrence lingering there in the shadows, ready to finish what he'd started.

I calmed down when I saw my mother in the doorway, looking at me with a concerned frown. "Sweetie, are you okay? I'm sorry if I woke you, I just wanted to see if you wanted breakfast." She held a bowl of pancake mix in her arms, dipped her finger in it and licked it. "I'm making pancakes." She still had yesterday's clothes on, and I could tell she had just gotten home.

"I'm fine, you just startled me." I said quickly. "I'm going to go take a shower." I walked past her quickly and locked myself in the bathroom. I turned on the shower and let the cold water rain over me as I calmed myself down.

Nick had left so fast yesterday, he said it wasn't over yet. What if something had happened to him? How long until it really was over? Should I even believe him anymore?

My mom knocked on my bathroom door just as I finished showering. "Sweetie, someone's here to see you. I'll be upstairs if you need me." Nick. "Oh, I left you some pancakes on the counter by the way."

My nervous heart pounding, I shrugged on the first blouse and jeans I could find and opened the front door, my heart dropped a little when Nick wasn't leaning on the doorway as I expected. Instead, Jacob stood there, his concerned expression hardening into another I couldn't quite understand.

"Jacob." I muttered, dazed. "What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?" His jaw was hard-set and his voice was cold.

"Yeah, of course." He walked in, I didn't bother shutting the door behind him. My mind was foggy and I couldn't think of why he was here looking so angry. "What's up?"

He paused for half a second. "What's up? Is that all you're going to say to me?" I was about to ask what he meant when I remembered. My eyes and mouth went wide and I stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"Jacob, I-"

"Save it," he waved me off, took a few steps past me and turned towards me again. "You know, I didn't see you the whole fight, and when it was over I started looking for you. When I couldn't find you I started to get worried and I thought something had happened to you or you were lost or something. Just to have Callie or Cami or what's-her-name tell me you'd run off with Nick before the fight even started."

"Jacob that's not what happened. I can explain."

"Alright, explain then. I'm really eager to hear why you ditched me." He crossed his arms and leaned into me a little, patiently waiting. After a few seconds of trying to figure out what I could say, I gave up and sighed. I couldn't tell him the truth, but making up a lie was useless as well. I was too terrible a liar to pull it off.

"I can't give you one." He rolled his eyes and shook his head at me, as if unbelieving. I reached for his hand when I thought he was going to turn away from me. "Jacob, I can't tell you why I left with him. And I'm so sorry I left just like that. But please trust me when I tell you I didn't have a choice."

"You couldn't have let me know, at least? Maybe call me after you'd left? I mean, you had me searching all over the place for you Sam." He said, but calmer now, a gentle expression on his face.

"I know, and I'm so sorry. My phone died." At least that part was true. He waited a second, narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, you can't tell me why you left. But just tell me this. Did something happen between you two?"

I took half a step back out of surprise. I shook my head immediately. "What? Of course not, Jacob. I promise." I spat.

He nodded and then gave me a wry smile. "Good. But even if it had," He grabbed my hands and looked at me, something about those dark eyes not letting my gaze wander off.  "I wasn't about to let that asshole take you away from me." My heart fluttered and I blushed.

"I hope I'm not interrupting."

I felt Jacob's hands tense around mine when saw him.

Nick. My head turned at the sound. My heart jumped wildly when I saw him with crossed arms at the entrance of my house, watching us with hard-set eyes. His hair was damp and tousled, the cuts ripening into dark bruises on his face. The door had remained open after I forgot to shut it when Jacob came in.

He scowled at the sight of my hand intertwined with Jacob's, but it was gone as soon as it came.

I dropped my hands from Jacob's, almost involuntarily. "Nick."

"What are you doing here?" Jacob said through his teeth. He was pissed.

"Why don't you ask Sammi?" He flashed a lopsided grin at me, enjoying the reaction it provoked in Jacob.

Jacob gave me a pointed look. "Jacob, can you give me a few min-?"

"-Don't worry," he strided over to me. "I'll make this quick." He turned to me and locked his eyes on mine, something made it impossible to tear away. "It's over. For good." He said, words meant only for me, words that gave me the reassurance I needed. I felt a weight lifted off of my chest.

I wanted to talk, to ask him what had happened, but before I could answer, Nick turned around and walked away, cold as ever. I couldn't help thinking if Jacob hadn't been here when Nick showed up, he wouldn't have left just like that.

***

Jacob left shortly after Nick did. He didn't mention it again, but I knew he was ticked off by his sudden arrival. He didn't seem to buy the idea there was nothing between us.

And even though nothing had actually happened between Nick and me, I didn't know why saying it felt like such a lie.