TIMELESS 13
Chapter 1
Sam and her friend Jen ran across the campus to their classes. They were freshmen at college and neither could believe they were actually college students. Every time they thought of it, they'd grin at the other in disbelief.
Sam was missing her fiancé Jake, but they had spent a day out at the private lake where Sam used to go camping with Jake and his brothers when she was younger. The day was spent swimming naked, making love, eating, making love, swimming and making love some more. To Sam, it had been wonderful to bond this way with Jake again and she couldn't wait to marry him when she finished college in four years.
Jake wasn't sure he could love her anymore than he had before they went. Now he found a little more love in his heart for her. Their day had been great and he couldn't wait until they were married and could spend every moment, awake or asleep, together.
Then they had gone to Reno to visit Jake's brother Adam. They had stayed in Adam's house while in Reno. Adam owned an outdoor activity store which sold everything you would need to be outdoors; camping equipment, mountaineer equipment and hiking equipment.
Adam also had an indoor climbing wall. Sam had been on it before, but Jake had not. Adam guided Jake on how to climb and put Sam through a refresher course before letting them up on the wall. The two lovers had teased each other as they climbed, enjoying this time together before they split up to head for their individual colleges.
Jake was attending a college in eastern Nevada which was five hours away from the area where he and Sam lived. Sam would be attending a college three hours to the west in eastern California, making them a total of eight hours away from each other.
It was the furthest they had ever been away from each other, even with Sam having spent two years in San Francisco when she was younger, and neither was looking forward to it. They knew they wouldn't see each other often and both hated the thought of being so far away.
They were sure their love would survive though. They had been friends since Sam was four and Jake was six, teasing each other that they had found their soulmate at the time, even though neither had realized it.
They had survived Sam living in San Francisco for two years. They had survived injuries; both had been mauled by horses and suffered compound fractures of their legs. They had survived so much together that they had no doubt that they would survive this separation.
The night before they split, they had spent the night together at a hotel in Darton, loving each other well into the night and the next morning. They would sleep short periods of time, only to wake up and begin to love anew.
When it was time to part, Sam sobbed against Jake's chest, clinging to him, not wanting to let him go. Even though she had been through this two years in a row now, she still hated to see him go.
Jake hugged her to him, ignoring his family and his shyness as he did. He hated public displays, but he understood Sam's sorrow. He loved her with his soul and he too hated that they'd be so far away from each other.
It was one thing to have her here in Darton County where her family and his could keep an eye on her. It was something else again to have her three hours west and on her own with Jen.
Jake trusted her absolutely, but he couldn't help worrying about her. That was his job as her boyfriend and future husband, he felt.
"We'll be back at Thanksgiving," Jake whispered to remind her.
"Three months," Sam sobbed.
"Think of the reunion," Jake said, teasingly.
It didn't work. She sobbed harder and Jake's mouth twitched.
"I have to go, Brat," Jake told her.
Sam clung to him tighter.
Jake's mouth twitched again. He looked over to see his family grinning at the two of them.
Sam pressed her mouth against Jake's before taking a step back. Bryan, one of Jake's brothers, put his arms around Sam bringing her up against his chest. Sam's hands gripped his arms around her as she watched Jake wave before getting into his Avalanche. His eyes met Sam's briefly before he turned the key and pulled out.
Sam felt Bryan's lips brush the top of her head.
"Three months won't be long, Sammy," Bryan told her. "You'll be busy at school too and it will fly by."
"I hope you're right, Bryan," Sam wiped her eyes, turning to hug and kiss Jake's brother.
"I'll come visit you if you want," Bryan offered.
"I'd love that," Sam told him. "You can bring Cara if you want."
"We'll see," Bryan had responded.