Chapter 36

Leah could feel an uncomfortable sensation washing over her when she saw Sam waiting for her. Had he waited like that when Emily had gone out? Sam had obviously been waiting for her, Leah could tell by his face. But was the same face he had worn for Emily?

Leah put on her best fake smile and climbed out of her car. Suddenly, she was engulfed in a bone-crushing bear hug.

"I've been waiting," Sam whispered to her, kissing her hair.

Normally, Leah would've giggled and blushed. But today, all she could think was...Did he really? Or was there something in him that wished she was Emily?

Leah pushed off Sam and grabbed the bags from the trunk. When Sam reached for them, she pulled them back.

"It's okay," Leah said, walking up to the house. Right now, she didn't want Sam seeing all the things she had bought. It seemed slutty and ridiculous now. She would return them as soon as possible.

----

Sam frowned in confusion. What was going on?

He had realized something was wrong when Leah had pushed him off when he had hugged her. That wasn't her normal reaction. She would always blush or do something else that was cute.

Then there was the bag thing. Leah had never refused his help to carry her bags , she may not have wanted him to see what she had bought. But if that was the case, she would've laughed and told him to be patient or some other remark to tease him.

Something was obviously wrong with Leah. And Sam didn't want that. He had just begun to earn her trust completely. They were finally back on track. He didn't want them to slip off now!

----

Unfortunately, it seemed like they were for the rest of the day. Sam noticed that Leah was unusually quiet. Her answers, for example...

"So how was the shopping trip? Bet it was boring since I wasn't there."

"I guess."

Not Leah-like at all.

Then there was she acted. Whenever Sam put his arm around her or kiss her, Leah would respond. Then just as Sam was thinking everything was alright, Leah would suddenly freeze and leave the room.

At first, Sam brushed it off. She was probably just tired from the shopping trip. She probably had to walk quite a bit and her legs were probably still sore.

However, dinnertime was when Sam realized it was serious.

He had taken Leah's hand and said, "I love you."

Then Leah burst into tears.

"Leah!" Sam exclaimed, jumping out of his chair. "What's wrong?"

Leah didn't answer, tears still pouring out of her eyes.

"Leah, are you okay?" Sam asked, taking her hands in his. "What's wrong? What's the matter? Come on, tell me! I'm here for you! Tell me everything."

Sam was so strong that he didn't notice Leah trying to pull out of his grip. He only noticed Leah's face...Leah's beautiful face messed up with tears...

"Let me go, Sam!" Leah shouted.

Sam quickly let go. "What's wrong, though? Tell me."

Leah looked down at her hands and began fidgeting with them. She suddenly looked like a first-grader who got caught cheating on a test. If the situation wasn't so serious, Sam might've found this amusing.

But there was nothing funny about this situation. Sam could see that.

"Lee-Lee..."

"Sam..." Leah said at the same time. They both looked at each other. Neither of them laughed.

Sam spoke first. "Come on, Lee-Lee. Tell me. What's wrong? Did someone hurt you?"

Leah looked down at her hands again. "No...not totally..."

Not totally...

"What can I do?" Sam asked. "Tell me. I'll do anything to make it go away..."

To his surprise, Leah glared at him. "Was that what you told Emily whenever she began to cry? That you would solve all her problems?"

So this was about Emily...

"Leah," Sam sighed. "Don't tell me you still think I'm..."

"I saw Paul, Jared, and Quil today," Leah told him. "At the mall. They were talking about...about you and Emily..."

Sam pulled Leah onto his lap. "What did they say?"

"They were talking about...about how it was nauseating to be around you...for some time," Leah answered. "About how you kept thinking about having sex with Emily....they said that the only reason why you suddenly stopped was because I was there..."

"Did they tell you this?" Sam demanded to know.

Leah shook her head like a five-year old. "I was...eavesdropping...I guess."

Sam sighed. If Leah had been eavesdropping...that was pretty big...no one hated eavesdropping more than Leah...

"Is that why you're so upset?" Sam asked her. "Because I had sex with Emily?"

"No," Leah hiccuped. She began to cry again. "It's just that...I...I was just wondering what it as like for you...when you were doing it with Emily and...I don't know...I guess--"

"Wait," Sam cut in. A smile crept on to his face. "Are you...jealous?"

"Maybe," Leah answered, avoiding his gaze. "It's just that...you and Emily...I mean, she was your soul mate so I don't blame you if you think having sex with her was better..."

"So that's why you're upset?" Sam said. "Because you still think I love Emily more?"

For a second, Leah was still.

Then she nodded.

Sam couldn't help it: he laughed.

"It's not funny!" Leah exclaimed.

Sam didn't hear her. He continued to laugh out loud. Leah...jealous...

"Shut up!" Leah exclaimed, standing up. This time, she stamped her feet.

"Okay, okay," Sam gasped, bringing Leah back to his lap.

"So that's why you were upset?" Sam asked her when she was back in his lap. "You were jealous?"

"Well...not completely," Leah said. "I just figured...having sex with her must've been a whole lot better...I mean she was your soul mate..."

"I only did it once," Sam cut in. "Didn't they mention that?"

"Well, yes," Leah admitted. "But still...it sounded like you loved it. Jared said that you kept thinking about over and over..."

"Look, Leah, I will be honest," Sam told her. "Doing it with Emily was...great..."

"SEE!" Leah exclaimed, standing.

"But," Sam added, grabbing her back. "that's just it. It was great, nothing else. Do you remember the first time we had sex? Or last night?"

Leah stayed silent.

"That wasn't just great," Sam told her. "It was...unbelievable...magical...out of this world..."

Still no reponse.

"I only did it once with Emily, because...I didn't want to do it again," Sam admitted. "I mean, I know she was my soul mate and all and yes, I did love her, but...I always told you, at times, I saw her as a punishment for what I was. Do you know how many times I've accidentally called her 'Leah' while we were making out?"

Leah could feel the corners of her mouth slightly turning upward.

"Yes, I did love Emily and yes, sex with her was great, but," Sam continued. "That's nothing...nothing...compared to what we did...on your birthday...last night..."

"This morning," Leah added with a slight smile.

"That's my girl," Sam whispered, giving her a soft kiss.

Yay! everything is all better!