"Two Years, Four Months & 27 Days"
Rating: K+
Just a quick little note: Don't hate me just yet or give up halfway through...just keep reading. :P
Chapter Twenty-Six
Joey entered the apartment to find that some of the people had started to leave. She made her way over to Aden and Ruby. They explained that Sam had apologised to them for her reaction to Charlie, which they'd gratefully accepted, before Sam had taken off to Joey's room to spend some time alone. "Do you think I should go talk with her? See if she's okay?" Joey thought loudly. "I think you should leave her for now, wait til the wake is over. She probably needs some time to herself," Aden replied. "Guess you're right," Joey agreed. "So how you coping with all this?" Ruby asked her. "I'm getting there. It's been hard and surreal," Joey answered, "I'm glad I've had Sam here to support me." "And you and Charlie? Have you forgiven her?" Aden questioned. "There's nothing to forgive Aid. I know that it wasn't her fault. Look this um...gathering is starting to break up. I should probably spend some time with the other guests," Joey told them. Aden and Ruby nodded leaving her to it.
A few hours later, Joey sighed as she looked around at the empty apartment. There were food bowls and drink cups littered throughout the place, but Joey couldn't be bothered cleaning up. That can wait. I need to see how Sam's coping. As she edged closer to her room, she heard Sam sobbing. Entering her room, she found her friend curled up on her bed crying herself to sleep. Joey moved to lie down next to Sam and she leaned forward to wrap herself around the taller girl. She looks so fragile. I don't know how to make this right. Joey slipped her arm around the girl. "Talk to me Sam. Tell me what's going on in that pretty head of yours." "I don't wanta talk about it Jo. I don't have the words," Sam replied quietly. "It's just me here. I need you to talk to me. You'll regret it if you shut me out again. You need to talk about your feelings," Joey encouraged.
Sam turned around in Joey's embrace, facing the younger girl. "My feelings? I feel lost Joey. Like I can't breathe. I might've spent most of my life joking around and teasing Nathan but...he was my brother and I love him. And now he's gone because Charlie..." Sam trailed off, regretting speaking that name. Joey looked into her eyes, "Sam, Charlie's not responsible for this. She tried to save him. She wanted to. It just wasn't meant to be. Trust me on this," Joey appealed. Sam wiped away a tear that had fallen down her cheek, "I know, I do. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be blaming her but...I just feel like I should be blaming someone. And she's just the one caught in the line of fire. It's wrong I know. I can't help it. I just don't know what to do anymore. I need you to be here for me," Sam told her. "I am here for you Sam. Anything you want. You're not alone. We'll get through this together," Joey smiled.
Joey felt the brunette's hand move towards her, squeezing itself so the underside of Joey's fist rested in her own slightly curled palm. Sam noticed that Joey didn't make an effort to move her hand. Joey uncurled her hand and their fingers awkwardly, yet solidly entwined. After a few minutes, Sam gave her hand, which had not been removed, a quick but firm squeeze and her smile grew in assurance. Joey smiled, finding her dark haired companion all kinds of endearing in that moment, and then frowned. Why does this feel so wrong...but kinda right at the same time? Sometimes talking about your feelings isn't the best option. Sam felt Joey stiffen and her breathing stop, then in direct defiance, her own sped up. Joey, acutely aware of Sam's reaction to their closeness, tried to force it to the back of her mind and ignore it for reasons her brain was desperately trying to throw at her. But Joey's brain had either frozen or been boiled by her sudden flaring body heat. Whatever had happened, it was preventing her from being able to do anything. So they laid there, wrapped in a silence that wasn't exactly awkward, but charged with the quiet. Like it was feeding off itself and emitting a buzz that was impossible to pretend wasn't there.
Sam lowered her body so close to Joey's it almost stopped her breathing. Sam leant forward slowly, capturing Joey's lips with her own. Joey's heart fluttered wildly in her chest. It was soft, done in a manner that could have almost been perceived as friendly if they'd ever had the kind of relationship where kisses were very common, but they weren't. Soon Joey was kissing Sam with a need that was previously unknown to her, a passion she'd only felt echoes of in her dreams. But the dreams involved another certain brunette...Joey's head was spinning, because she was kissing Sam back. She wasn't too far gone to be unaware of that, but the act itself made it very difficult for her to stay grounded. She was drowning, floating, completely lost. Why is this happening? I should stop this right? But I need something to help me through the loss. The need to hold onto whatever she'd just found caused her brow to furrow, even as the kiss continued, a new longing heart-wrenchingly etched onto her face. It caused her to finally release Sam's hand, desperate to find a closer form of contact, which she found when she caressed the brunette's cool cheek and skin met skin. Someone whimpered, and Sam hazily felt Joey's newly free hand grasping at the side of her shirt, pulling her down, up and closer all at the same time. Joey's body reacted, pressing itself against the one above her, hormones raging as if from the effects of a new drug she'd discovered. She was sure her lungs were on fire, and that her chest was going to burst.
"Sam what...what are we doing?" Joey asked desperately searching for an answer to their actions as she reluctantly pulled out of the kiss. "We're getting through this pain together," Sam responded. "You kissed me?" Joey asked confused. "You kissed me back," Sam reminded her. Joey tried as hard as she could to keep her breathing calm and steady, but was finding it increasingly difficult. She'd never felt anything like what she was experiencing and she was unsure about how to deal with it. Isn't Charlie the only girl I'm meant to be having feelings for? Are these real feelings I'm having or am I just trying too hard to be supportive? The only thing she was fairly certain about was that she wanted to kiss Sam again. "Is this okay?" Sam asked, suddenly very hyperaware of the closeness of their bodies. She felt silly asking such a question, when only minutes earlier they'd been making out furiously, but it was as if they'd regressed back to the 'first date' stage. "Yeah." Joey replied, nodding and watching her hands as they settled on Sam's hips. "It really is." Joey sighed into another kiss, briefly thinking about how soft Sam's lips were, how good it felt to have the girl's arms around her, pulling her closer. And then she was lost in it. In the swirly haze of new-familiar feelings that sent tingles from toes to scalp.
She was so wrapped up in these new emotions coursing through her, she didn't notice Charlie standing at the doorway of her room. Having been so elated at the thought of spending some time with her flame, and turning up early for their dinner date, she had let herself into the apartment. Charlie heard the voices in the room, and was shocked by what she had just witnessed as she walked in. Without a sound, Charlie ran from the apartment and out into the cold air. Just wishing she could process what she'd just seen. But Charlie had walked out at the wrong time. A minute later and she would have seen Joey pulling away from her embrace.
"I can't do this," Joey suddenly decided. I mean I do want this...but not with Sam. Why didn't I see that before? Letting go of Sam's hips, she sat up and moved against the bed head. Sam pulled herself together, and leant against it as well. "I'm sorry," Joey apologised, "This isn't right. I know that it feels right but..." "You're in love with someone else," Sam remembered. "Yes. I am. And just because I'm not with officially Charlie right now...it doesn't mean I should be using you for the comfort I need right now," Joey confessed. "I know. I didn't mean to make moves on you – today of all days – I just don't want to be lonely. But this isn't the way to go about it is it?" Sam asked nervously. "No it's definitely not. We're friends, and I really don't want to keep complicating that. I don't want to be lonely either, but that doesn't mean we should be together. I know I'm probably completely confusing you with my whole 'come here, go away' routine. Hell I'm confusing myself! I just know that right now I should be with Charlie. I'm sorry I hurt you," Joey told her friend beginning to cry, "I'm sorry I keep hurting everyone."
Sam was confused but wanted to console the other girl. Sam placed her hands on Joey's arms and immediately the younger girl moved forward grabbing the other girl tightly, crying into her shoulder. "Shhh… Joey… It's okay." "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" Joey kept repeating those words. After letting the girl cry for a few minutes, Sam gently pulled away but kept her arms around Joey. "Joey, I'm not mad. We've both made mistakes, and I understand why this is wrong. I know that you don't want to be with me. Charlie's a lucky girl to get you. To get your heart…because it doesn't matter what I say or do, I'll never have that. You aren't hurting everyone Jo. Yourself maybe but you need to do what's right." Joey saw Sam lift her head and look into her eyes. Sam seemed scared. "Sam?" Joey whispered.
Sam leaned forward, and kissed Joey lightly on the cheek for a few seconds before pulling away. "I like you Joey. But that's not enough. I can't be the girl you want to be with. So I'm gonna stop trying to be. You need to be with Charlie. She's the one you need to be with," Sam convinced her. Joey took Sam's hand in her own. "Thanks. I kinda like you too for being so supportive. Actually I should get ready, Charlie was gonna stop by tonight so we could go out for dinner. I just hope she'll open up to me and talk to me for once. We're okay right?" Joey queried. "I hope it goes well for you too. And yes we're okay. We're friends, I get that now. I know that's all we'll ever be, and I'm glad. I don't want to lose you," Sam commented. Joey smiled at her, "Good 'cause I'm not about to give up on you too. So since you're my friend and all…" "Yes Jo," Sam tried to get her to continue. "Well you're probably going to think I'm a complete spaz…but…what should I wear on my date?" Joey giggled. Sam threw a pillow at Joey's head, "You total spaz!"
Charlie was still wandering the streets trying to work out what she'd seen happen between Joey and Sam. I've lost her was the continuing thought running through her mind. Can I ever forgive her for her betrayal? I'm not even sure how much or betrayal it was. I was too afraid to interrupt and find out. Was it only a few kisses? Are they together? Is that why she agreed to dinner tonight...to tell me and break my heart? Or was this a one-time fling that she's not planning on telling me about? Forgiveness is the key to any possibility of a future together. She forgave me didn't she? It only took...over two years. I don't want to lose that much time between us again. I love her too much to give up on our whole relationship right? I guess I have three choices here: 1) I can let her go. Never forgive her. Never see her again. Never spend a whole night wrapped in her arms... 2) Go back to her apartment. Find Sam, grab her by her pink and brunette hair and yank her away from my Joey. Then kick her ass! Charlie cocked her head at the thought of that image...Interesting...Or um 3) I can forgive her. Understand that Joey was upset and needed someone when I wasn't there. Do what I need to so we can have a future together with my soul mate. I can fight for her. I can win her back...I think I know the answer.
Ok now I'm gonna need a small favour from all my favourite readers...the next chapter has barely been started and I'm having some writers block at the moment so I'd like you all to vote and give me an answer to the multiple choice Charlie offered. It's like one of those 'Choose Your Own Adventure' books to get to the next part of the story or well really just help me choose the way to go with the next few chapters. Only one rule: you can only make one choice. No mixing up a bit of each of the choices. And of course you must have a fantastic reason for your choice lol! See I'm finally giving you guys what you want with this story but only if you vote lol! But I have a feeling I know how this might pan out :P