Author's Note: I decided to write a little out of my own comfort zone. Let me just warn you here, there are some, let's just say, intimate moments in this story. Goodbye.
I hear the door open, then close. The vibrations echoed throughout the whole house. He must be home. Finally. I've waiting for this moment to come ever since he left. I make my way down the stairs, trying to hold in the excitement in my steps. No way am I going to be an overly attached girlfriend, the second my boyfriend comes home from traveling by his lonesome, I don't want to be all over him. He'll need his space, and I respect that. He's probably really tired too. I don't know if he got enough sleep on the plane.
I turn the corner, expecting see his smiling face. When I take a look, I start crying.
"What has happened to you?" I screech in between sobs. I couldn't take seeing Sam in this condition, with blood dripping down his nose and lip. On his hairline there are a couple of scratches that'll leave some deep scars. Surrounding his eye, there is a purple and blue ring, slowly blending into the battered and bruised skin around it. "Sam, talk to me!" I run to hug him. So much for not being an overly attached girlfriend.
"It's alright, honey, I just got a few scratches." Sam went to wipe the blood that was about to drip down from his chin, but he missed. My eyes watched the blood drip down onto the hardwood floor beneath him.
"Just a few scratches? I don't think so!" I say, feeling a little bit better that Sam was being tranquil, but my head was still hurting from the change of emotion in such little time. Still, I wanted the whole story. The truth. And I wanted it now.
Sam didn't talk. Instead, he just stood there, staring at my eyes. I could see his eyes shifting between mine, and I couldn't help but notice how innocent they were. It hurt me to know that someone would hurt him, as sweet as he is. It got me furious.
"Sam, please talk to me. I want some answers!" I tugged on Sam's shirt, and looked at his face once again. The cuts were still open, bleeding as time went by. I grabbed a paper towel from next to the sink and walked back over to where Sam was and blotted them carefully.
Sam moaned in pain while I dabbed. He jabbed his fingernails into the skin of his palms. "Careful, I'm still sore." With him saying that, I hugged him again, making sure not to hurt him with the pressure. I just wanted to hold him, let him now that I'll get him cleaned up in no time.
"Are you mad at me or something?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Quinn, why would you think that?" Sam grabbed my hand. I could feel the dry, beaten skin of his palm against my smooth fingers.
"Because you aren't talking to me. About what happened." My fingers twiddled around his, waiting for an answer.
"Can we not talk about it. I would rather have this discussion when I'm all cleaned up." He let's go of my hand. I bend down to wipe the blood that had dripped onto the floor earlier before it dried.
"I'll go start the bath. Why don't you sit down in the meantime, I don't want you to put any extra stress on your legs. They might be sore, too. But I have no clue what is, since you aren't giving me any extra information."
"My legs aren't sore, in fact, my lower body is just fine. Just my-" he motioned to his face. Only his face hurt. I tried to assure myself it'd be okay, and then made my way to the bathroom as Sam refused to sit down once again.
My shaky hand reached over to turn the knob of the bathtub. I turned it counterclockwise almost all the way, making it lukewarm. I watched the water pour from the spout and fill up, and at the same time, thought about what could have happened to Sam. It definitely seemed to bother Sam; otherwise he would've had no trouble telling me about it.
When the tub was three-fourths of the way filled, I got up off of the side of the tub and exited the bathroom. The rush of cool air from getting out of the stream-filled room felt refreshing on my face. "Sam, your bath is ready," I started as I walked on over to the kitchen, where Sam was (finally) sitting down on one of the chairs.
I walked over to him with my hands out, grabbing his waist. Realizing I was trying to help him up, not trying to seduce him, he put his arms on my elbows and found his footing.
He leaned his head on my shoulder as he walked next to me. My arm grasped around his shoulder when I realized how backwards this was scenario was. He was usually helping me out, being the "man" for me, but now that I was the so-called "man." The weird thing was, I was starting to like it. I knew that he was vulnerable to me right now, and I could make him do whatever I want. Maybe that'll come in handy later. Right now, I have to focus on getting him back on his feet and feeling better.
We walked into the bathroom together, and I started to pull off his shirt. "I got it," Sam winked as he pulled off his clothes one by one.
"You're so alluring right now, until I remember that you are hurt and you need this bath!" I chuckled at the faces Sam was now making trying to instigate even more, and basically pushed him into the tub. I hovered over the edge of the bath, cupping water with my hands and bringing it over his head. I brought some of the excess water back into my hands and smeared it all over his face. He winced a little bit; I suspected the warm water burned his cuts.
"Why don't you join me?" Sam asked, raising one eyebrow. I looked at him with an are-you-serious kind of look.
"Here's a deal. If you tell me what really happened, which means the truth-" I made sure to extra emphasis on the word "truth," "I will join you," I teased him a little by rubbing my hands on his chest and then around his neck. I brought my face close to his lips and then looked at them, just like I would do with a usual kiss, but pulled away.
"Why did you do that to me?" Sam asked, obviously startled by my decision of leading him on and then stopping midway.
"Because it'll make you tell the truth," I moved my fingers around on his shoulders and then kissed the trail that they made. He leaned in close to me, his head on my shoulder, and then whispered in my ear.
"Matt. It was Matt." He said in a raspy sort of tone and then lifted his head and looked me in the eyes. He leaned in to kiss me but I put my fingers on his lips, shaking my head. I put my head on his shoulder and then whispered, "Tell me who this 'Matt' guy is."
I heard him take a gulp of his own saliva, like he was stalling to tell me the truth. "Matt Rutherford. Remember him?"
I pulled back sharply from Sam's shoulder. "The guy who was on the Titans? In the Glee Club?"
Sam's lips tilted to the side. "Yes, him."
My eyebrows form a triangle in confusion. "He beat you up? Why?"
Sam leaned up over the edge of the bathtub, and I was basically leaning into the tub while his arms wrapped around me.
"Yes. Because he started making-" Sam paused to shake his head in disgust, "fun of you."
I squeezed Sam tighter, wanting him to tell me more. I couldn't believe that I was actually friends with him in high school. "Tell me more."
"He was first making fun of me for being with you, moving in with you before we even got married. He started talking about how it was disgusting, that you know, you had an affair with Puck before me, but I don't even know why that matters because that was five years ago. I told him that it didn't bother me because I loved you, then he just wouldn't stop running his mouth. I'm sure that you know what happened next," he released from the everlasting hug once more and gestured to his face.
I scanned his face, trying not to wince at the pain he must be going through. His cuts were bright red, almost bulging out of his face because of the warm water activating them. "Wait, you met him in New York? What were the chances of you seeing him there?" I still was trying to absorb the new information. It was funny how I either get no information or be pelted by too much. There was no in between.
"He and some other girl hooked up and are spending a little time together there, apparently. Vacation, I guess."
I figured I got enough information from him for now. "I'm just glad you're safe. Maybe this incident will be a perfect excuse to go traveling with you on one of your little 'man trips' that you take every so often."
Sam laughs, "I call it a 'man trip' for a reason. Or do you want me to rename it to a 'get-away-from-my-girlfriend' trip."
That's it. He's just so darn cute. I slowly strip down to my lingerie and hop into the tub with him, not caring about them getting wet. He slides over, but there still isn't much room for the both of us to lay next to each other, side by side. I overlap him a little, and then flip over to my stomach. I slowly creep up towards him and kiss him on the lips. I could feel him smile through the kiss, which makes me smile too. I grab onto his shoulder and push up with my arms, and he leans upwards too. He turns his head, and I move mine to match his movements. He grabs my lower back, which sends a chill up my spine. My hand moves down his leg, and he grabs mine. I shift over once more to my side, and he follows. The water shifting as we move, my body is raising in temperature not only because we are in a steamy bathtub, but also because of the tension between us. Why didn't I get into the bathtub with him earlier?
Our breathing got heavier as our kiss went on. "I love you," Sam huffed.
"Love you too," I answered, and pressed my lips harder against his.
