Chapter Eight

Lucas brought the last few dishes over to the counter next to the sink and Sami smiled at him, "Thanks. I'll just finish doing these dishes, it won't take very long." She turned her back to him but not before he saw the look on her face. Lucas knew by the look that something was really getting to her. He hated that. All he wanted to do at that moment was soothe away all the signs of confusion and frustration he saw in her face.

"Sure." Lucas ran one hand through his hair nervously, "Sami, can I ask you something?"

"I guess so." Sami started up the water and poured some dish soap into the sink.

"You've been acting like you're upset about something lately. And don't pretend I'm imagining things because I know there's something wrong and I want to know what it is."

"Why? So you can laugh at me?" Sami asked.

"No, that's not it at all." Lucas sighed, "I don't want you to be unhappy. I wish you wouldn't shut me out. I'm right here and I can help you. Whatever you're having trouble with, you shouldn't have to go through it alone."

Sami flushed and looked away. She had tried not to let it show but she had been in a bad mood lately, thanks to Brady not letting her call off the bet. She would love to tell Lucas everything and get it off her chest. She turned to face Lucas and her eyes met his concerned brown ones. He really cared what happened to her and, unlike Brady, he actually gave a damn about her feelings. He looked so worried about her. She couldn't bring herself to push him away again, not when he was looking at her like that.

"Lucas, I- Brady and I had this agreement that-" before she could finish what she was saying, the door to her apartment flew open and Brady appeared.

"Don't you ever knock?" Sami demanded, unable to ignore the icy blue hostility and anger in his eyes.

"Sami, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Brady asked through clenched teeth. Sami scowled at him but turned to Lucas.

"Would you mind? This should only take a few seconds." she told him.

"No problem." Lucas said, a little bewildered by the look on Brady's face, "I just remembered I left something in my car anyways." Lucas left the apartment but stopped outside the door to hear what Sami and Brady were saying.

"Are you trying to screw things up for yourself or something?" Lucas heard Brady demand angrily.

"I didn't do anything wrong." on the other side of the door, Sami was wishing Brady wasn't always in the wrong place at the wrong time. What did Brady do, stand outside her apartment door and listen to everything she said? Did he even have a life?

"You were about to. I should have just let you tell Lucas the truth. Then I could have came in here and you would have lost. We already made it clear that we had to keep this a secret. If I find out that you told Lucas, you know what's going to happen to you." Brady reminded her.

"I wasn't going to tell him though." Sami protested.

Brady gave her a knowing look, "I'm not going to believe you. This is really hard on you and you're cracking under the pressure. I'm figuring that it will only take another week before you lose it completely."

"Get out of my apartment." was all Sami said in response. Lucas took that as his cue to get away from the door and hurried over to the elevator. As he made his way towards to his car, he thought about Brady and Sami's conversation. He really didn't have any idea of what to make of it but he didn't like the way it sounded. It had sounded like Brady was threatening Sami.

"If I find out that you told Lucas, you know what's going to happen to you." The ominous tone in Brady's voice as he said those words rang in Lucas' ears. Lucas pulled some magazines out of his glove compartment and started back towards the apartment.

Sami went back to the dishes after she had managed to get Brady out of the apartment. She flung a plate into the sink aggressively, causing water to splash upwards and hit her nightgown. She couldn't contain the tears of frustration and anger that streamed down her cheeks, tears that she tried to wipe away with her hand. Her tears were relentless, built up from weeks of trying to hide her true feelings about everything. She was so tired of Brady and his smug attitude. He was so sure he was going to win the bet. And at the rate she was going, it was a definite possibility.

Then there was Lucas. No matter how moody she got, he was still sweet to her. Not to mention the fact that he never listened to her and continued to run around in his underwear, complicating her feelings even more. Sure, she lusted after him, how could she not when he was always half naked? But there was also something more, something she wouldn't be able to sort out with this bet making things even harder on her.

Lucas re-entered the kitchen and approached Sami. His eyes trailed down to the wet patches on Sami's nightgown, openly admiring the way the water caused the material to cling to her skin. Sami turned to notice him ogling her and she crossed her arms over her chest protectively.

"This isn't a wet t-shirt contest." she informed him in a cross voice, trying not to let him see that she was crying.

No, it's better, Lucas thought to himself but didn't say it out loud. After Sami had punched him in the bathroom, he was afraid to hit on her. Because he was afraid she would hit on him back and not the good, 'I-think-you're hot' kind of hit on but the bad kind of hit on. He noticed her tear-streaked face and his suspicions about Brady were intensified when he saw how upset she was.

Instinctively, he enveloped her in his arms, not even thinking about how she would react. His hands brushed against her bare arms, her skin feeling like an exotic silk under his palms. God, she was so beautiful. There was no way he would let Brady do anything to hurt her.

"What did he say to you? What is he doing that's making you so upset?" he whispered in her ear, lacing his fingers through hers. Sami leaned into the security and warmth of Lucas' body, willing her tears to stop.

"I can't tell you." she murmured, her tears beginning to slow.

"You were going to tell me before." Lucas urged gently, "You can't let him do this to you Sami. He isn't hurting you in any way, is he? Or threatening to hurt you?"

Sami shook her head, "No, it's nothing like that. It's not even a big deal, I'm just getting too emotional about it. I'm fine."

"You're not fine." Lucas countered, "You haven't been fine for a while. Whatever Brady is doing, it's having a serious effect on you. Just tell me what he's doing to you and I'll do everything I can to make him stop."

Sami sighed, "There's nothing you can do. And I have to keep this to myself."

"Sami, is it something I did? Did I do something that made you stop trusting me? Is that why you can't tell me?" Lucas asked softly, as if he was afraid to hear the answer.

Sami didn't even hesitate with her reply, "Don't even try to tell yourself that. You've been such a great friend and I never did tell you how much that meant to me. I would tell you what's going on but it would it probably make things worse in the long run. I can handle Brady, he's a wimp anyway."

Sami turned so she was facing Lucas. He still looked doubtful, like he didn't totally believe her. Trying to put his uncertainties at ease, she wrapped her arms around him. Things were already tense with Lucas because of the bet, the last thing she needed was for the situation to worsen because Lucas thought she didn't trust him.

"It's not your fault." she clarified, hoping he would believe her now. For a few moments, she reveled in the feeling of being surrounded by Lucas. She wished she could tell him the truth, that she could just let him hold her for the rest of the night like this. She wanted to be able to love him without restraints. But because she had made this bet with Brady, it would be over a month before she could finally have that chance.