Chapter 3
Lucas sighed in exhaustion as he leaned his head against the back seat of the taxicab. As the cool air blew across his dripping, hot face, he allowed himself to think back to what had happened that afternoon.
Sami and Lucas called one last farewell to the Simons before turning towards each other. After a long, awkward silence, Lucas was opened his mouth to invite Sami to go to lunch or something; anything to keep her around him. She suddenly mumbled something under he breath and turned to walk away. Lucas grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Wait, where are you going?" Lucas asked frantically.
"Well, as much as I love standing here in silence, this is my vacation and since I had to spend my morning with you, I'd like to get going," Sami retorted.
"Sami, we had fun this morning," Lucas protested.
Sami was silent.
"Didn't we?" Lucas said weakly.
"Look Lucas, I really have to go," Sami said after a moment.
"Sami, please," Lucas pleaded.
"No, not now Lucas, I can't," Sami looked fearfully at him before rushing off.
"Always running," Lucas whispered.
"Excuse me sir?" The taxi driver looked strangely in his rearview mirror at Lucas
"Can you drop me off here and drop my clubs back off at the hotel?" Lucas questioned.
"Of course."
"Great, thank you," Lucas paid the driver and exited the taxi.
As he walked down the street, he attempted to clear his mind of the one woman who wouldn't go away. He leaned against the hard brick wall of a tiny diner and closed his eyes. Suddenly his stomach let out a roaring grumble.
"I guess I'm a little hungry," Lucas smiled for the first time that afternoon. He lifted himself up from his comfortable position against the diner wall and strode into the diner. "Table for one please," he announced to a waitress.
"One moment."
While the waitress looked for a table, Lucas took the opportunity to look around. His eyes immediately found the lone blonde woman sitting in a secluded booth in the corner with her head in her hands looking downright miserable.
The waitress returned quickly, ready to show Lucas his table.
"Thanks, but I see someone I know. I'm going to join her." Lucas slowly approached the woman's table. "Sami?"
She gasped and looked up in surprise, but with immediate recognition. "Lucas! What are you doing here?"
"I was golfing and was hungry," Lucas explained with a shrug.
"Oh," Sami replied inaudibly.
"Can I join you?" Lucas asked hopefully.
Sami nodded and he slid in across from her.
"So you have fun without me?" Lucas smirked playfully, but Sami could see the twinge of pain in his eyes.
"Yes," Sami answered, trying to sound as though she meant it. In truth, she had had a horrible day without Lucas. He was on her mind all day. She had an incredible time with him that morning and he was prepared to spend the entire day with her, she knew he was. She had to say no; she had to shoot him down. And her payment was an awful, lonely day. "No," she confessed.
"Me neither," Lucas said softly.
"Really?" Sami looked up in shock.
Lucas sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "Why'd you leave Salem?"
Sami immediately put up her invisible, but rock solid, walls. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Why?"
"I just had to get away from all the death is all," Sami replied unconvincingly.
"Is that all?" Lucas pressed.
"Yes Lucas, that's it okay?" Sami snapped and continued eating her dinner, habitually passing over pieces of it she didn't like to Lucas.
When the bill was paid, they both walked outside to be greeted by a sky full of glowing stars and a nearly full moon, shining down on them. Sami lifted her hand to hail a cab, but Lucas grabbed it instead. Sami looked at him questioningly.
"Let's walk, it's perfect for a stroll," Lucas began to pull her down the sidewalk.
"A stroll?" Sami repeated, lifting an eyebrow.
"Yes, a stroll," Lucas nodded in affirmation and tightened his grip on her hand.
Lucas felt content as the two of them walked hand in hand down the street. Everything was at peace.
"Calm before the storm," Lucas thought wryly. He knew in his heart why Sami left Salem. He needed to hear her say it so he could make his decision once and for all. He would get her to say it before the night was over.
Sami was in heaven. Here she was, walking down the street, holding Lucas Roberts' hand and grinning like an idiot. Weird. Unfortunately she knew her blissfulness wouldn't last forever and it didn't. Once they got back to the hotel, Lucas started up with that stupid question again.
"Lucas! I've already told you why I left Salem," Sami sighed in exasperation. "Why are you making an issue out of nothing?"
"Because I don't think that's all there is to it," Lucas informed her snidely.
"Damn, he knows me too well," Sami thought. "Might as well throw it back at him."
"Why, because that's not the only reason you left Salem?" Sami said softly, her voice gaining conviction with every word. "Why did you leave Salem?"
"Do you really want to know?" Lucas' eyes bore into hers, his hands clenched at his sides.
Sami's breath caught in her throat. Did she?
Lucas sighed in exhaustion as he leaned his head against the back seat of the taxicab. As the cool air blew across his dripping, hot face, he allowed himself to think back to what had happened that afternoon.
Sami and Lucas called one last farewell to the Simons before turning towards each other. After a long, awkward silence, Lucas was opened his mouth to invite Sami to go to lunch or something; anything to keep her around him. She suddenly mumbled something under he breath and turned to walk away. Lucas grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Wait, where are you going?" Lucas asked frantically.
"Well, as much as I love standing here in silence, this is my vacation and since I had to spend my morning with you, I'd like to get going," Sami retorted.
"Sami, we had fun this morning," Lucas protested.
Sami was silent.
"Didn't we?" Lucas said weakly.
"Look Lucas, I really have to go," Sami said after a moment.
"Sami, please," Lucas pleaded.
"No, not now Lucas, I can't," Sami looked fearfully at him before rushing off.
"Always running," Lucas whispered.
"Excuse me sir?" The taxi driver looked strangely in his rearview mirror at Lucas
"Can you drop me off here and drop my clubs back off at the hotel?" Lucas questioned.
"Of course."
"Great, thank you," Lucas paid the driver and exited the taxi.
As he walked down the street, he attempted to clear his mind of the one woman who wouldn't go away. He leaned against the hard brick wall of a tiny diner and closed his eyes. Suddenly his stomach let out a roaring grumble.
"I guess I'm a little hungry," Lucas smiled for the first time that afternoon. He lifted himself up from his comfortable position against the diner wall and strode into the diner. "Table for one please," he announced to a waitress.
"One moment."
While the waitress looked for a table, Lucas took the opportunity to look around. His eyes immediately found the lone blonde woman sitting in a secluded booth in the corner with her head in her hands looking downright miserable.
The waitress returned quickly, ready to show Lucas his table.
"Thanks, but I see someone I know. I'm going to join her." Lucas slowly approached the woman's table. "Sami?"
She gasped and looked up in surprise, but with immediate recognition. "Lucas! What are you doing here?"
"I was golfing and was hungry," Lucas explained with a shrug.
"Oh," Sami replied inaudibly.
"Can I join you?" Lucas asked hopefully.
Sami nodded and he slid in across from her.
"So you have fun without me?" Lucas smirked playfully, but Sami could see the twinge of pain in his eyes.
"Yes," Sami answered, trying to sound as though she meant it. In truth, she had had a horrible day without Lucas. He was on her mind all day. She had an incredible time with him that morning and he was prepared to spend the entire day with her, she knew he was. She had to say no; she had to shoot him down. And her payment was an awful, lonely day. "No," she confessed.
"Me neither," Lucas said softly.
"Really?" Sami looked up in shock.
Lucas sighed and shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "Why'd you leave Salem?"
Sami immediately put up her invisible, but rock solid, walls. "I don't really want to talk about it."
"Why?"
"I just had to get away from all the death is all," Sami replied unconvincingly.
"Is that all?" Lucas pressed.
"Yes Lucas, that's it okay?" Sami snapped and continued eating her dinner, habitually passing over pieces of it she didn't like to Lucas.
When the bill was paid, they both walked outside to be greeted by a sky full of glowing stars and a nearly full moon, shining down on them. Sami lifted her hand to hail a cab, but Lucas grabbed it instead. Sami looked at him questioningly.
"Let's walk, it's perfect for a stroll," Lucas began to pull her down the sidewalk.
"A stroll?" Sami repeated, lifting an eyebrow.
"Yes, a stroll," Lucas nodded in affirmation and tightened his grip on her hand.
Lucas felt content as the two of them walked hand in hand down the street. Everything was at peace.
"Calm before the storm," Lucas thought wryly. He knew in his heart why Sami left Salem. He needed to hear her say it so he could make his decision once and for all. He would get her to say it before the night was over.
Sami was in heaven. Here she was, walking down the street, holding Lucas Roberts' hand and grinning like an idiot. Weird. Unfortunately she knew her blissfulness wouldn't last forever and it didn't. Once they got back to the hotel, Lucas started up with that stupid question again.
"Lucas! I've already told you why I left Salem," Sami sighed in exasperation. "Why are you making an issue out of nothing?"
"Because I don't think that's all there is to it," Lucas informed her snidely.
"Damn, he knows me too well," Sami thought. "Might as well throw it back at him."
"Why, because that's not the only reason you left Salem?" Sami said softly, her voice gaining conviction with every word. "Why did you leave Salem?"
"Do you really want to know?" Lucas' eyes bore into hers, his hands clenched at his sides.
Sami's breath caught in her throat. Did she?