Chapter Seven

Lucas' eyelids fluttered open and he shifted positions on Sami's bed so that he was looking down at the warm, enticing body lying next to him. Sami was still sleeping, her hands resting on his chest. Lucas smiled softly and leaned down to begin placing little butterfly kisses on her face. He started on her smooth forehead, then trailed down one cheek and moved along her jaw-line.

"Mmm." Sami let out a purr of approval as she opened her eyes to meet Lucas' chocolate brown ones. She sat up in the bed and pressed her lips against Lucas' before saying anything.

"Good morning." she whispered, squeezing his right hand and gazing up at him adoringly. She couldn't remember the last time she had woken up feeling this complete and this happy. There had been those other times when Lucas had spent the night, but they were nothing like this. She finally knew that he felt the same way she did and that he understood that he was the only she wanted to be with.

"Good morning." he responded, nuzzling her neck before checking the clock that hung in Sami's room. When he noticed the time, he turned back to Sami with a look of remorse on his face.

"I've got to go, baby." he said in a hoarse voice, "I promised my mom I'd get some things to her by noon and I still have to go pick them up at Salem Place."

Sami looked disappointed, "Okay." she said finally, but held onto his arm, "Lucas, what happened last night was one of the most incredible things I've ever experienced. Thank you."

He smiled gratefully at her, "It was the most amazing thing that's ever happened to me too." he told her, "You don't need to thank me."

"I could meet you at the Java Café for lunch after you give your mom whatever you need to give her." Sami said hopefully.

"I'd love that." he answered. Sami raised on of his hands to her face and kissed his fingertips. Lucas had heard that your fingertips were one of the most sensitive places on your body and he believed it, especially when Sami ran her tongue across his fingertips delicately, causing all the nerve cells in his body to feel like they were on fire.

"I love you." she said once she had let his hand fall back down onto the bed. Lucas loved the way she said that to him. She could say it to him over one hundred times a day and he would never get tired of hearing it.

"And I love you." he told her, giving her one last kiss before relocating his boxers and leaving her bedroom. Sami sighed happily and fell back against her pillows, pushing her tangled blonde hair out of her eyes. It was still so hard for her to believe that everything had turned out so well. Lucas was hers. And she would make sure that nothing would ever change that.

Lucas walked down the streets of Salem Place after he had finished talking with his mother. He made his way towards the Java Café, his fingers touching the velvet case that sat in his pocket. He had seen the bracelet in the jewellery store window and it had reminded him so much of Sami, he had to get it for her. He was in such a good mood, he had even went so far as to say hi to Nicole that afternoon, who had been with Brady.

Sami wasn't at the café yet but he was early so he slid into one of the chairs at the café. He flipped through a newspaper half-heartedly as he waited for Sami to arrive. He heard a flurry of movement at the table behind him and heard the sickeningly sweet voice that was unmistakably Belle. He heard her mention his name and his back went rigid.

"I can't believe Sami is doing this to him." Belle went on, ignoring the warning look on Shawn's face, "She is doing everything she can to use him to make Brandon jealous and he doesn't even see it. She doesn't care about him at all and I just feel awful for him. No one deserves to be treated like that."

"Belle he is sitting right behind you." Shawn hissed, keeping his voice down so Lucas wouldn't hear him, "And you don't even know if that's true or not."

"Yes I do." Belle shot back, acting as if she hadn't heard his comment about Lucas sitting right behind them, "I heard Nicole tell Brady that Sami was the one who got Nicole to get Brandon back in Salem. And Nicole and Sami have become very close. Why would Sami voluntarily spend time with Nicole Kiriakas, unless she wanted to get back together with Nicole's brother? Sami has never cared about Lucas and she never will. Someone should find a way to tell Lucas that before he humiliates himself even more."

"It looks like you've already done that." Shawn retorted, shooting his girlfriend a look of disgust. He didn't know what had gotten into Belle lately. She was getting so catty and what she had just done to Lucas was horrible. Ever since Brandon had come back, all Belle seemed to want to talk about was Brandon and how Sami didn't deserve to get him back. Once again, he wished he could spend more time with Jan. The brief conversation he had with her at the auction had been great. Spending time with Jan would definitely be more enjoyable than spending time with Belle these days.

Lucas didn't turn around to look at Belle and Shawn, he couldn't move. He was frozen, unable to decide what to do. He wanted to scream, he wanted to hit someone. He didn't even know who he wanted to hit, whether it was Belle, Brandon or Sami. Then he realized he was most angry at himself. For being stupid enough to believe Sami, for being stupid enough to let his guard down and reveal to her how he felt. And for being stupid enough to think that things were going to work out great for himself and Sami. They wouldn't. Not when the only one Sami wanted was obviously Brandon.

His anger and mortification slowly ebbed away, leaving him feeling drained of any emotions except loss and wishfulness. He wished he had been the one that had been able to capture Sami's heart, instead of Austin and Brandon. But they must have had something Sami wanted, something that he never had, that he would never have. He felt like a complete idiot. The way she had looked at him last night, there had been no doubt in his mind that she cared about him. She really was an ace liar. She didn't actually care about him, he was just another instrument she had used to try and get Brandon back.

He was so preoccupied with these thoughts, he didn't hear Sami approach him. Only when she slid into the chair across from him and placed her hand over his did he realize she was there.

"Sorry, I'm late, I-" Sami started, then watched in confusion as Lucas abruptly stood up. His anger returned and his dark eyes seared into Sami's angrily for a moment before he turned and stalked away from her. Sami stared after him in shock. She had no idea what had just happened. Everything had been fine between them this morning and now he had ran away from her. And that look. That wounded, furious, 'I'll-never-forgive-you-for-this' look he had given her just before bolting in the other direction.

Sami propped her elbows onto the table, letting her forehead rest on the palms of her hands. Belle turned around to see the dismayed expression on her sister's face and then turned back to Shawn with a catty smile on her cherubic face.

"That should teach Sami not to try and get Brandon back." Belle told Shawn in a low voice, "Brandon's too good for her. I bet there's lots of nice women who would love to date him."

"That's good to know, Belle." Shawn said sarcastically, growing more fed up with his girlfriend at every word that came out of her mouth. If she liked Brandon so much, maybe she should just go try and get him. Shawn stifled a sigh as he tried to figure out a way to cut this date short so he could talk to Jan or Phillip, anyone but Belle. He tuned Belle out and looked over at the confused expression on Sami's face and felt a pang of sympathy for her. He didn't know what her intentions were concerning Lucas and Brandon but he had a feeling that Belle wasn't one-hundred percent accurate with her theory about Sami wanting to be with Brandon. If she was, then why would Lucas' behaviour upset her so much?