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Chapter 13 Chapter 13 - Ice Cream and Hot Chocolate

Samuel lay in his large, four poster bed, on top of the dark red duvet. He was replaying the last few hours in his mind. His fight with his Dad, going to the club, and meeting Karen.

Karen. The thought of her brought a smile to his face.

A telly hung on the wall in front of him, and quietly played commercials. He was so caught up in his thoughts, he wasn't paying it any attention at all.

He grabbed a pillow and laid it on top of the pile he laid against. As he lay down, he caught a scent of Karen that he wore on his jumper. He inhaled deeply and imagined how nice it would be if she was lying next to him. She was so lovely. Just as he began to daydream about her, he heard the door to the flat open.

He called, "Arles?"

Arles stood in the doorway with a huge smile on his face. "Best. Club. Ever!"

"Yeah?"

"And , you never came back."

"I was here."

"Still pissed?"

"Nah. Just….thinking."

Arles nodded. "Yeah, well. I got a text from you."

Sam rose up and looked at him, "I didn't text you."

"Someone named Karen said you left your phone and your coat, at her place."

Sam fell back on the pillows. "Shit. I can't believe I did that."

Arles laughed and sat on the side of the bed. "So?"

Sam looked at his brother. "We just kissed. Nothing more."

Arles nodded in approval. "And yet you are lying here…thinking about her…..still…pissed."

"I'm not pissed."

Arles rubbed his hands on his trousers. "I'm pissed. Piss drunk."

"You don't drink!"

"I've decided to start. Oh wow. What a night."

Sam laughed under his breath. "Girl?"

Arles held up two fingers. "There were two, or maybe I'm seeing double."

Samuel laughed. "You nutter. Really?"

"No shit. And that's the best part. They were with Arles. Not….the famous Arles. Hell! One of them couldn't even say my name. The other one, won't forget it. Yeah, definitely two."

Samuel laughed and rubbed his face. "Damn, man."

Arles bit his lip. "This the same girl you walked home?"

"Yeah. She's….unlike anyone I've ever met. I couldn't keep my hands off of her. And when I touched her, it was like…..electricity. It took everything in me to leave."

"What did she say about that weird thing you do-"

"She didn't say anything about it. I was surprised to find that electrical sensation I got from her. Do you think it's possible that she's weird, too?"

"Someone as weird as you." Arles thought. "Hmm…tall order there."

Sam nodded. "Yeah. It was strange. It felt like my hair stood on end."

"You just kissed this girl?"

"Oh, I wanted to do so much more. I won't lie about it. I think she did, too."

He nodded. "Ring her."

"It's late."

"It's not. That school doesn't sleep. Why didn't we go to a proper University like that?"

Sam rose his eyebrows. "Mum would have never allowed that. You know her."

Arles shook his head in disapproval. "I remember a story about an Ivory Tower that Papa used to read to us. Samuel. I believe we grew up in one."

"An Ivory Island."

Arles snapped his fingers and pointed at his brother. "Yes!"

Sam chuckled and shook his head. "I wish I was more like you, man. Two?"

Arles chuckled and stood up. He took a box of condoms out of his coat pocket and tossed them at Sam. "I grabbed two boxes. I thought, I might as well."

Sam held up the box and rose his eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Arles pointed at himself. "I've decided. I'm not just going to survive here! Damn it. Sammy. No one knows who we are! This is what we always dreamed of. I'm going to enjoy the hell out of this."

Sam grinned. "I like how you think."

Arles tossed his phone on the bed and pat Sam's leg. "Ring that girl. I'm going to shower. I need to sleep this shit, off."

Arles walked out of the room and Sam picked up the phone to ring Karen.

She answered almost immediately. "Hello?"

He smiled, "I'm sorry to be ringing so late."

He could sense her smiling. "It's not late, Samuel. You can call me anytime."

"Did you finish your homework, then?"

"Yes. Just in time. I even worked in something about the Anglo-Zanzibar War. How about that?"

He grinned. "That sounds lovely."

She giggled. "Lovely? I suppose as lovely as a paper can get. Oh, I'm sorry. Just a second."

Sam heard someone talking to Karen.

Karen began to speak to him again. "I'm sorry. My roommate is going for coffee. She was asking if I wanted to go."

"Coffee? At this hour?"

She giggled. "It's the student center. There's ice cream, too."

"Now, that's more like it."

"Then meet us there. I can give you back your coat and your phone."

"Ummm….I'm not a student there, though."

"It doesn't matter. No one ever checks ID cards and you're with us. No one will mind."

He rubbed his face. "Umm…."

"I promise I'll try to keep my hands to myself-"

"That's not talking me into going at all, Karen."

She giggled. "Fine. We'll be there in ten minutes. Do you know where it is?"

He had no idea. "I'll meet you downstairs. I'm still in the area. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Perfect!" She exclaimed.

He ended the call and rolled off of the bed. "Arles!"

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The Doctor sat in his office onboard his ship reading a letter in his own, untidy handwriting, for the third time. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

The sound of someone knocking on the door made him look up.

Lewis smiled at him and sat down on the sofa. "Rose said you were still up here. She doesn't seem as angry."

He closed the file. "Oh, Lewis. I've really screwed up."

"Rose?"

"No. Well. Maybe."

Lewis propped his feet up on the table in front of him. "Ah. That's what everyone thinks. You'll work it out."

He nodded. "Yeah, anyway. Well, did you have a look at your ship?"

Lewis chuckled. "I'm grateful, man. But, I have no idea what I need with a huge ship."

He tossed his hand up, "Ah. You're a Primus! I'm sure it will come in handy. Tuwo Wenck isn't using it anymore."

"That's bordering on distasteful." Lewis warned him.

The Doctor sat back and crossed his arms. "You're right. Sorry."

"What's going on, John?"

He looked back at him. "Have you spoken to Arles? I mean, really, had a chance to know him?"

"Not really. Seems like a good man, though."

"A man." The Doctor chuckled in disbelief. "These are children! 18!"

"That's a man among Quauhtin. And humans, too."

He bit his lip and shook his head. "Gosh, I really hope not."

Lewis looked confused. "Is this still about Arles and Genie?"

"No!" He remembered. "I had lunch with her today and she told me it isn't him."

Lewis laughed, "I knew it. What was the bet?"

"Five grand?" He asked.

Lewis rubbed his face. "Hell, I'm so relived…I don't even care."

"How about a ship, and we'll call it even?"

"Done!" Lewis clapped his hands together. "And I have the honor of telling everyone I won it in a bet! That's lucky for a Quauhtin!"

The Doctor laughed, "That's true. I had forgotten about that. Well, that settles our bet."

Lewis rubbed his hands together excitedly. "Brilliant! I will call her something to remind us of this."

The Doctor crossed his arms and became consumed in his thoughts again. "If it's not Arles, who is it?"

Lewis rested his hands on his head and relaxed. "I have no idea. My money is on someone we won't meet for a long time. Someone from the future."

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, too."

"Unless it's Legate?" Lewis suggested.

"Nah. Tony Tyler was adamant he doesn't have a girl. I trust he would know."

"Tony Tyler. Legate told me he was gay."

"He is?" The Doctor asked in surprise.

"Yep. So, that rules him out, too."

The Doctor tapped the desk. "My brother is gay. Wow."

"Never saw that coming?"

"Blindsided." He told him.

"It's really not a bit deal."

"Oh, I know it's not."

"Unless you now think he's got something going on with Arles?" Lewis teased.

The Doctor threw Genie's Goofy doll at him. Lewis' quick reaction caught it easily and laughed at his friend. "Damn. I might have been able to get another ship off of that."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and laughed under his breath. "You suck, Lewis. Just so you know."

Lewis rose his eyebrows and laughed at his friend.

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A huge crowd of students all filed out of the dorm. Karen was with them. Samuel spotted her immediately holding his coat. She was wearing a sweatshirt and a stocking cap. Her long hair hung down around her face. She smiled as she walked over to him. "Five minutes away?"

He shrugged his shoulders and took his coat from her. "I live closer than I thought I did."

She pointed at the blue ski jacket that he wore. "And you've brought a different coat."

He walked behind her and put his wool coat back on her shoulders. "I've decided to let you have this one."

She looked surprised. "Really?"

"A girl from Florida, living in New York? Do you even have a thick coat?"

She laughed, put on the coat properly, and pulled the collar to her face. "It smells like you. Are you sure?"

"Positive." He smiled warmly at her.

She smiled, "Thank you, Samuel. Oh, I love it."

He offered her his arm, which she took and they started to follow the rest of the students down the frozen sidewalk.

He noticed that she had put on snow boots. "At least you are dressed a bit warmer."

"My roommate did my laundry for me. That is our deal. I loan her my notes, and she does my laundry."

"Does she not take notes?"

"She doesn't go to class. She has to work. I go to class, so…she just reads my notes and sits the tests."

Several of the students picked up handfuls of snow and threw it at one another as they walked along. Samuel laughed with them. All of them were so playful and energetic. He couldn't believe it was nearly midnight there. Did these people ever sleep?

"I was just playing in the snow today."

She smiled. "I love snow. It never snows in Florida."

"Is that why you went to University, so far away from home? To see snow?"

She giggled, "Yes. And the entire thing of just, getting away. Seeing something new. Starting over. Being around people who you've never met."

He held the door open for her and they went inside of the student center.

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Samuel and Karen sat at a small, round table across from one another. Both of them had taken off their coats and hung them on the back of the chairs they were in. Karen sipped a mug of hot chocolate and Samuel had finished eating three bowls of ice cream.

"You are making me cold." She told him.

"Me? What? Eating ice cream?"

"While it snows outside. You are crazy."

He laughed. "Best time to eat ice cream."

She reached in the jacket pocket and handed him his phone. "And there you go. You got a ton of messages. I didn't read them."

He looked at the phone, "It's okay."

He had gotten a lot of messages. "Wow. I'm never this popular." He told her as he glanced over the messages.

One was from Rose informing him of a family meeting in the morning at his place. He groaned and slipped the phone back in his pocket. The rest of the messages could wait.

"I remember your brother had an odd name….."

"Arles. That's not odd."

"I've never heard anyone else named that. Where does it come from?"

Sam shook his head. "I really don't know."

"Well, I texted him to tell you I had your phone."

"He told me as soon as he got back to our flat."

She giggled. "A flat. That's so….English."

"Apartment. Whatever."

She sipped her hot chocolate. "I feel like I owe you and apology."

"Why?"

"Samuel, I shouldn't have…."

"What? Kissed me?"

She covered her face. "It's just. I'm here to go to school, not to get distracted by ….. a boy."

He nodded his head. "I can respect that."

"I mean, I have a scholarship and that's the only way I'll be able to continue to go to school-"

"No. It's really okay." He smiled and sat back. His heart sank.

The news was playing on a telly nearby. The reporter smiled, "And in other news today, at the Stark Expo, the closing ceremonies seem to be set for the rest of this week. With hot tickets going for over $3,000 each just to get in."

Karen pointed at the screen. "I would love to go to that."

"Would you?"

She sipped her hot chocolate and nodded. "Oh yes. Seems like fun."

The reporter continued, "Meanwhile, Tony Stark and Johnathon Smith's offices have announced the opening of a new school in upstate New York, The Maria Carbonell Institute."

Karen pointed at the telly. "Can you imagine that? Is it supposed to be like a high school or something?"

Pepper Potts appeared on the screen. She sat comfortably in a chair inside of the studio. Samuel looked surprised. He didn't know she was going for an interview today. He scratched his chin, "Huh."

"Miss Potts, thank you for joining us." The reporter spoke.

"Thank you."

"Now, tell us about this school."

"Tony and John have collaborated together and have found a lot of talented individuals. They simply want to offer them the opportunity to succeed as much as they can in life. And thus-"

Samuel was grateful that another student came by and changed the channel on the television.

Karen tossed her hands up, "Well, damn. I was watching that."

"Want me to change it back?" Sam offered.

"No. It's fine. I really like her though. She seems….so smart. Very classy. I wish she did more interviews."

Sam nodded his head. "Yeah."

"What did they say the name of the school was?"

Samuel looked back at her, "The Maria Carbonell Institute."

"Who is Maria Carbonell?"

Samuel grinned and looked away. "You don't know who that is?"

She sipped her hot chocolate. "Well, no. Why would I ask if I knew?"

He laughed and sat back, crossing his arms. "Maria Carbonell was the mother of Tony Stark."

"Oh. I've never heard her maiden name."

"The property the school sits on, was donated by him. She educated him at home until he was….ummm….I don't remember."

"I didn't know she did that. Wow. Why didn't he name it Maria Stark? Everyone knows who that is."

He shrugged his shoulders. "They hear Stark and they think of him. Or his Dad. The last thing he wants is another building with his name on it."

"Really? How do you know that?"

Samuel realized he had said too much. "Ummm…. that's what I heard. Anyway."

Karen noticed how quiet he had become. She reached across the table and grabbed his hand. It immediately caused his hand to tingle. The sensation spread the longer he held her hand. He looked up at her just in time to see a smile spread across her face. "Samuel, that is so strange."

"What is so strange?"

"I just feel, so…..at ease with you."

He looked to his side at the people who had been in her dorm watching the game. They all surrounded a pool table and were laughing with two students who were playing. "You don't feel at ease with them?"

"It's hard to explain." She told him as she threaded her fingers through his. The sensation continued and traveled up his arm. The voices in his head got quieter. He remembered what she had just told him.

He closed his eyes. "You, are here to focus on your schoolwork. That's what you said."

She bit her lip. "May I take it back?"

"Yeah?" His heart might have stopped beating. He was sure it had skipped a beat at least.

"Please?"

He chuckled. "Sure."

She sat down her hot chocolate on the table.

He moved to the other seat to sit next to her. She hadn't let go of his hand and watched as he brought it up to his mouth to kiss.

She leaned over and was only inches from his face. "Sam. Promise me that wasn't our last kiss."

He looked into her eyes and smiled. "Not if you don't want it to be."

She cupped his face with her hands, warm from holding the hot chocolate, and began to kiss him. He felt the same sensation as he did before. He tingled from his toes, all the way up through the tips of his hair. He gently held her chin with his fingertips. She laid her forehead to his and whispered. "Would you walk me back?"

He looked in her eyes. "Of course."

"And stay?" She whispered.

His face spread into a smile. "If you want me to."

She bit her bottom lip, "Oh, I really do."

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