Hard to Get

"Don't tell me you have to leave," Tammy said as soon as Sandy got off the phone. "Yeah, that was Billy. He needs me to do something for him. But I will be back as soon as I can." He said as she kissed him on the mouth. "You better," Tammy told him as he pressed a light kiss to her hand and left.

Suddenly alone, Tammy realized how tired she was. She had been on the go all day in classes, hanging out with Marina, and then preparing for her date with Sandy. Sandy. He was one handsome, nice guy and even though they were roommates for a while, they were just starting to get to know each other. He had been the one constant thing in the worst time of her life; the only one who seemed to understand. He was completely honest with her and gave her a shoulder to cry on when she needed it. Even when she pushed him away, he still came back wanting to take care of her. Aside from that, however, she felt there were real sparks between them. Her skin tingled when he touched her. He made her feel like no one else ever had.

Tammy intended only to lay down for a few minutes, but before she realized it, she had fallen into a deep sleep. Pleasant dreams of Sandy played in her head. He stood behind her, lightly running his hand over her bare shoulder and then down her arm. He kissed her neck as her arm went up and around his neck. When she turned around and faced him, they kissed, and then she layed her head on his shoulder while he rubbed his hands up and down her back...

Meanwhile, Sandy walked back into the hotel toward Tammy's room While he loved working at Lewis Construction, tonight was a special night and he was less than thrilled about being pulled away. While Billy was explaining the short task he needed Sandy to do, he noticed Sandy looked anxious. "What's the matter, son? You got a hot date or something," the older man asked. Sandy smiled. He had become family to the Lewises and they could read him like a book. Without any details, he simply smiled and said, "or something." He quickly finished the task and now, he and Tammy could pick up where they left off. He had wondered what it would be like to make love to her for quite a while and they had a few times where they almost did, but he wasn't going to rush it. It would happen when it was meant to be.

As he got closer to Tammy's room, an unusual smell distracted him out of his thoughts. Smoke! Maybe someone had a fire in their room. It couldn't be Tammy's though. His mind then flashed back to an hour ago and he remembered the candles that Tammy had burning in her room. He picked up his pace and ran as fast as he could. When he got to her room, sure enough there was smoke coming from underneath the door. He tried the doorknob and it was locked. Panic struck him as he banged on the door and called Tammy's name. "TAMMY!" No answer. Instinctually, he stuck his foot out and kicked in the door, almost with no effort.

He felt the fire burning his skin as he got down on the floor and crawled over to the bed. Looking up, he saw her laying peacefully on the bed and reached over to shake her awake. Sandy saw her panic when she awoke and saw the flames around them. Both of them coughed, desperately willing oxygen into their lungs. Sandy regained control and noticed the look of terror on Tammy's face. He took ahold of both her arms and said, "It's OK, we're going to get out of here." He grabbed a blanket, threw it around her, and then escorted her out the door.

Tammy wasn't even aware of how they both got out of the room, but somehow they did and she found herself outside. A comforting hand began rubbing her back and telling her it was over and everything was going to be alright.Tammy gradually began to breathe normally and Sandy put his arms around her and held her. A sudden realization hit her as she looked at Sandy, "You saved my life," she said, emotion etched in her voice. He lightly caressed her face with his hand and looked into her eyes. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

They would have kissed if they hadn't been jerked out of their thoughts by the sound of sirens getting closer and closer. When the fire trucks and ambulances pulled up, Sandy put his arm around her and together, they walked toward them. As they walked, Tammy noticed that Sandy was beginning to walk slower and had turned completely pale. "Sandy, are you OK?" she asked, tightening her hold around him. He nodded, obviously having trouble speaking. His breathing became more labored and he eventually collapsed right into her arms. "Oh, my God, Sandy?" She was shocked and unsure what to do until a hand touched her shoulder. "Miss, are you alright?" She looked up at the paramedic and he guided her over to the ambulance where Sandy was soon wheeled on a stretcher.

When Tammy entered the emergency room, the first thing she saw was Reva standing in the waiting room and immediately walked into her aunt's waiting arms. "Oh, sweetie," Reva said, as she hugged her niece and together they watched Sandy being wheeled into the exam room. Reva guided her over to the chairs where they sat down. "How did you know?" Tammy asked. "Frank called me when he couldn't reach your mother to tell me a fire had been reported at your building. Are you OK?" a concerned Reva asked as she scanned Tammy over for injuries. "I'm fine. It was just so scary the way he collapsed. He saved my life, Aunt Reva." Reva put her arm around her as Tammy lightly laid her head on her shoulder. When she saw Rick come out of the exam room, she shot straight up and asked, "How is he?" Rick reassured her, "He's going to be fine. He's being treated for smoke inhalation and has a few burns but he'll recover. You can go see him if you like."

Tammy immediately walked past Rick and into Sandy's room. He looked up and smiled when he saw her. When he saw her walk toward him, he thought she was going to kiss him, and was surprised when she reached out and hit him on the chest. "Hey, you don't have to hit a guy who's already down. What was that for?" he asked. "Don't you ever scare me like that again." she said as tears came to her eyes and she threw herself into his arms. He stroked her hair as she continued to lay on his shoulder. She looked up when she heard a mysterious sound coming from Sandy. At first she thought he was in pain, but then she discovered he was laughing. "What's so funny?" she asked. "I'm sorry, you're just so darn cute when you're like this." he answered. "I'm gonna be fine, you know. I'm a tough guy." Tammy reached out and touched his face. "Yes, you are," she said and then paused for a minute. "I'm sorry our date got ruined." Sandy shook his head, "its not ruined, we just took a little detour, that's all." She kissed him passionately on the lips and then he urged her to lay her head on his shoulder and put his arm around her. They joked and laughed with each other until they were to tired to talk and spent their date in each other's arms. Their future looked good together.

The End