Title: Again

Chapter Eleven: Deception

Author: Jaycee

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The next few weeks were exactly like that. They would meet every night at the beach, where they would have dinner and talk. On Friday nights, they would check in the Drake Hotel, staying there until the wee hours of the morning, and if they can, they would stay there until Saturday afternoon.

Josie would tell Sam that she should pay for the room that they book since it's really expensive. "Come on Sam! I should be the one to pay sometime. What you're doing is really expensive." She would tell him. "Honey, I tell you, no. I'm the man here and I should be the one paying. It's okay. Really." He answered. "That is so sexist of you. Not because you're the man, you should be the one paying."

He then would walk over to her and kiss her passionately to silence her. She'll give in to the kiss; because of course… it's Sam's kisses. When they pull apart for air, she'll smile at him to show that she'll shut up. "There. Now, keep quiet." He teasingly. "Okay. I'll keep quiet… if, you let me pay for something."

Sam threw his hands up in exasperation and would pull her in his arms and give her an affectionate hug. "You are one relentless woman, Josie Geller. Okay, I'll let you pay for dinner. But, that's it, okay?" "Okay." Then they would fall back in bed and stay there until they have to leave.

* * * Sam called Josie on Wednesday evening since Lara was out in a party and Rosie was already asleep. "Hello?" "Josie! How are you, honey?" "Sam! I'm fine. I miss you, that's all. Where are you?" She asked. "I'm at home." He answered, as he got comfortable on a leather recliner.

"You shouldn't be calling me from there. Lara might find out." She said nervously. "Don't worry Jos. Lara's out on a party." He heard her let out a sigh of relief. Sam chuckled at the sound. "Don't worry about a thing sweetie." Josie laughed. "Okay. I won't. Oh I almost forgot. I got great news." "What is it, honey?" He asked as he sat up expectantly.

"Gus assigned me to a story at Racine. And he rented me one of those cottages things. You like to come?" "Yeah. Of course I'd like to come. When?" "Well, its this weekend, until Wednesday." "Five whole days?" "Yup. He told me that aside from writing a story, he's also giving me some time off." Josie said happily.

"I have to think of something really big to let me out of the house and out of my work for five days." He said wonderingly. "Honey, you don't have to stay for the whole five days. It might lead you to trouble." Josie said, concern lacing her voice. "Josie. I want to be with you. I'll do anything to spend more time with you." He said sweetly.

"Aww… you are just the sweetest thing." She said tenderly. "I wish I could kiss you right now." "I wish I could kiss you right now too." Sam said laughing. "Let's think about the trip later. So, what else is up with you?" Sam asked. Josie then launched on a detailed description of her day. They stayed like that for a few more hours, since Lara wasn't home yet. 1 a.m. came, the door slowly opened while Sam was laughing over what Josie was saying.

"Sam! Who are you talking to?" Sam turned around and saw Lara at the doorway, looking at him suspiciously. He might have looked like a silly teenage kid right there laughing giddily over the phone. He held up a hand and gestured that he's on the phone.

* * * Josie looked at the phone, as Sam's end became really quiet. "Sam? Honey? What's wrong?" "Abby?" She heard him ask. "Abby?" She asked, bewildered. "Abby, I have to go. Lara's here." He said hurriedly. "She's there?" "Yeah. She is. So I'll just talk to you later, okay? I love you so much." He said as his voice dropped down a few octaves.

Josie giggled. "I love you too." "Never ever forget that I love you so, so much. I always will. Remember that Abby, okay?" He continued, and she can hear the smile on his voice. "I will always love you too." "I love you so much. I really have to go. I'll see you later." "Okay. I love you too, Sam. Sweet dreams." She whispered. "Sweet dreams Abby. I love you."

Then he softly hanged up. She giggled at what Sam did. Then her laughter turned to tears as she realized that they would probably be lying for the rest of their lives. "No. I won't cry about this. I love Sam and I'll do this, until he tells me otherwise." She told herself. But that didn't stop her from crying until she fell asleep.

* * * Sam rubbed his face nervously as he hanged up. He didn't expect Lara to be back so soon. But, at least he was able to tell Josie how much he loved her, even if he pretended that she's Abby, his older sister. "How many times should you tell your sister that you love her, huh Sam?" Lara asked mockingly as she took off her shoes and sat on the big couch.

"Why do you care?" He asked as he stood up and walked towards their room. "It's just weird that's all." "I love my sister so much. So I just felt that I have to tell her that." He said defensively. In any case, that was the truth. Lara rolled her eyes. "Ookay. Whatever." "You just don't understand it because you don't love your sister as much as I love mine." He answered.

"I love my siblings. I just don't go around telling them that everyday. And I don't tell them that on the phone over and over." She answered huffily. "Can you please stop picking on me? I love my sister and I want to tell her just that." "Fine!" "Fine! I'm going to bed. Good night Lara."

As he walked towards the bathroom to change, he smiled as he replayed the phone conversation in his mind. "Five whole days with Josie! Now I have something to look forward to." He said to himself, looking forward to the days he will be spending with the love of his life.

* * * On Saturday morning, she drove towards the little cottage that Gus has rented for her. She called Sam earlier in the morning, and he asked for the directions saying that he will meet her there. Her heart was pounding so much because of the excitement that she's going to spending almost an entire week with Sam. She finally reached her destination, and she slowly got out of her car, grabbing her overnight bag and laptop, together with her working portfolio.

She took out the keys for the cottage from her shoulder bag and slowly opened it. "Wow…" She breathed as she took in the quaint prettiness of the place. It was painted in light brown, a brown rug in the middle, a table and two chairs for dining, and the lone queen sized bed in the middle of the room. The bathroom was separated from the room by a Chinese curtain, and the kitchen just beside it.

A vase of pretty blue roses was on the table and when she looked at it, she saw a card saying that the flowers are from Gus and Anita, saying that she have a pleasant stay there at the cottage. Anita placed a small winking face at the side of her name and Josie blushed as she realized what that meant.

Anita knew that Sam was following her there at the cottage, and even if she doesn't approve of their relationship, she told them that they have fun. She placed down her things on the floor and walked towards the bed. She sat down and was awed at the extreme softness of it. She lay down for a moment and closed her eyes as she drifted off to a deep slumber.

* * * Sam parked his car beside Josie's and slowly walked towards the cottage, his arms filled with a bottle of wine, a bouquet of fresh magnolias, and his duffel bag. He knocked at the door and waited for Josie to open it. He stood there for a few minutes, but Josie still hasn't opened the door. He listened in and realized that there's no movement from inside.

Feeling a sense of panic growing in him, he turned the knob, and to his surprise, the door swung open easily. He walked in with alarm, wondering what happened to Josie. "Josie? Josie?" He called out as he placed his things down on the floor, beside Josie's bags. Then he saw her, sleeping peacefully on the bed, her arms wrapped around a pillow.

He smiled as he tiptoed towards her and kissed her softly on the forehead. "I love you." He whispered and he saw her smile and snuggled deeper into the pillows. He looked around the room and saw the kitchen. He decided to cook them some lunch, so that when Josie wakes up, she would have something to eat.

* * * After two hours, Josie slowly opened her eyes and stretched sleepily. Her nose was met with a delicious aroma as she slowly sat up. She then saw Sam cooking over the stove, wearing a pair of sweatpants and a white t-shirt. She smiled lovingly as she looked at the tender scene in front of her. He doesn't seem to know that she's awake, so she gingerly walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and placed a kiss on the nape of his neck.

"Hey." She greeted simply. Sam turned around and smiled crookedly at her. "Hey yourself." He kissed her on the nose and hugged her tight. "Morning sleepyhead." Josie giggled against his chest. "Morning chef Coulson. So what are you cooking?" She asked as they slowly rocked back and forth. "I'm making Caesar's salad, and some sweet and sour pork."

"Where did you get the food?" "I checked the fridge and saw it there. The fridge is really stocked." He answered as he kissed the top of her head. "I didn't know you could cook." She said as she snuggled into his arms. "I'm a man full of surprises." He answered, eliciting a giggle from Josie. "Yes you are." She said as she stood on her toes to kiss his nose.

His eyes met hers and he slowly leaned down to meet her lips with his. She achingly parted her lips and they kissed slowly, sensually. Josie ran her hands through his hair, hearing him moan. They pulled apart and Josie pointed to the stove. "You're cooking Sam." She reminded him.

He stared at her as if trying to process what she said. "Oh yeah." He said as if an afterthought. He slowly released her and turned back to the stove. "What can I do?" She asked, looking around. "Well, first, you can change your clothes to something more comfortable." He answered, pointing at her business suit. She looked down and smiled.

"Oh yeah. And then what?" "You can set the table." "Okay. Be back in a minute." She then disappeared behind the Chinese curtains, clutching a pair of denim shorts and a shirt. She emerged later on, in a more comfortable stance. Sam stared at her long legs, evident through the short denim shorts that she's wearing. "You look beautiful Jos." He complimented.

"Thanks Sam." She then started to fix the table. A few minutes later, they both sat down and ate their lunch talking in low voices about everything that has happened in their lives. Sam told Josie how Rosie decided that she's going to be an actress when she grows up and joined a small nursery play at school, that will be shown a month from now.

"Does she know where you're going this weekend?" Josie asked worriedly, imagining Rosie's sad face when she realized that she's not going to be spending her weekend with her father. "What did you tell Lara anyway?" Sam blushed and shook his head. "It's a secret." He answered as he took a bite of his sweet and sour pork.

Josie frowned. "Tell me Samuel James Coulson!" "I knew that I shouldn't have told you my full name." He said. Josie silenced him with a mock glare. "Come on. Tell me. I tell you everything." She pouted. He stared at her for a moment and took a deep breath. "I picked a fight with Lara last night."

"What?" "Yup. I told her that she should stop picking on our daughter." Josie nodded slowly. "And then?" "Well, I packed up Rosie's things and then brought her to stay with my parents for a while. They're here in Racine too." "What? Sam, what if they find out about us? What did you tell your parents then?"

"I told them that I want sometime alone so I can leave Rosie with them. They bought my story, because they know how miserable I am with Lara. And they really miss their granddaughter." He explained. Josie stood up and gingerly sat on his lap. He grinned as he clasped his hands together on top of her stomach.

"Honey, you can't always pick a fight with Lara every time were going to have a long weekend together or something. She might eventually get suspicious of where you're going." Josie told him as she rested her cheek on his hair. "I know. But, what can I do? I want to be with you." He answered thoughtfully.

Josie smiled warmly at him and placed a brief kiss on his lips. "I want to be with you too. But I never ever want you to get in trouble." Josie whispered as she started to nibble his earlobe. "Hmm…" He breathed as he rubbed her back encouragingly.

 Her lips left his ear and traced his jaw line and then kissed his lips deeply. They pulled apart, both pulsating with desire. "We should clean up first." He whispered. "Yeah. Before we go to bed." She agreed and stood up.

She placed the remaining food in the fridge and they washed the dishes, getting the two of them in a water fight. As soon as they were finished with the dishes, Sam splashed Josie with water for the last time. Josie squealed with laughter and splashed him back. He wrinkled his nose at her and grabbed her into an embrace. She came willingly and they slowly backed towards the bed…

* * * Sam woke up the next day and saw Josie already sitting up on the bed, all dressed up, and her laptop open. She was glowering at the screen so much that he almost believed that she's mad at the laptop. He sat up and moved beside her. "What's the matter?" He asked, as he kissed her cheek.

She extended a hand and placed it on his cheek for a while before placing it down on the bed. "I need to go out for a while and interview the man who is adopting street children into his home." She explained. "And that makes you mad because…?" He asked. "I don't want to leave you." Sam chuckled. "I know the feeling. Don't worry sweetie. I'll be here waiting, counting the seconds till your back in my arms again." He said beautifully, making Josie's lower lip to tremble in an effort to hold back her tears.

But despite her efforts, a sole tear fell from her lashes. "What's wrong?" He asked quietly as he gathered her in his arms. "That has got to be the sweetest thing that anyone has ever said to me." She said tearfully, as she buried her face into his chest. "That is because you are the sweetest thing that has ever happened to me." He answered. Josie looked into his eyes.

"I love you Samuel James Coulson." "And I love you Josephine Geller." Their lips met in a sweet kiss. "I'll get going now." She whispered. "Okay." He nodded. She stood up and smoothed her skirt down. "I'll be back in a few hours, okay?" She said tentatively.

"All right. I'll be right here waiting for you. I love you." She leaned and kissed him softly. "I love you too. Bye." She then walked out of the cottage. He stared at the door until he heard the rumbling of the engine. As the car sped away, he lay back down on the bed, counting the seconds until Josie is back with him again.

* * * On Monday afternoon, Josie was sitting on the bed, writing her story in her laptop, while Sam was on the table, checking his students' papers. She looked up when he heard him chuckle. "What is it, sweetie?" He looked at her and carried his things to the bed and sat beside her. "Nothing. One of my students wrote a poem about his pet iguana." He showed her the paper.

She laughed as she read the words. "Oh my iguana, you are my one and only love-ah?" She sputtered out which sent them both to fits of laughter. "Kids today…" She breathed. "Are getting worse and worse by the year… except for a few notable exceptions." He finished, thinking about Aldys and her friends, and the other bright students that are in his class today, as he composed himself.

"I know. It makes you wonder where the things that their teachers taught them went." Josie said as she wiped the tears from her eyes. He shook his head and they both went back to their work. Thirty minutes passed, and Sam heard Josie sigh in annoyance and grabbed a ponytail holder from her bag.

He peeked at her and saw her gathering her hair in his hands. "Jos?" "Yeah?" She asked as she let her hair fall back on her shoulders. "Can I do that?" He said and pointed to the holder in her hand. "You're going to tie my hair for me?" She asked incredulously. "Yup. Can I?" He said, grinning boyishly.

She squinted at him and handed him the ponytail holder. He crawled behind her and gently took her hair into his hands, and brought it to his nose, inhaling softly. 'God, she smells amazing.' He thought to himself and then he swept it off from her neck and placed soft kisses on her long creamy neck. "Sam… what are you doing? You're supposed to put my hair into a ponyta…" She whispered as she leaned back to give his lips more contact to her neck.

"I know…" he breathed as he slowly made his way to her jaw. "So, what are you doing…?" She asked again as she slowly turned and her lips met his. Sam threw the ponytail holder across the room, making Josie laugh quietly. He pushed the papers off the bed and made it tumble to the floor so that he can lay Josie down. "Ow…" She winced as her back made contact with her laptop.

"Oh, I'm so sorry honey." He whispered. Josie nodded and turned the laptop off and then placed it gently on the floor. "There…" She whispered as she lay back and let Sam on top of her. He was on the process of opening her buttons when a cell phone rang. Josie smiled guiltily, buttoned her shirt up and sat up to fish her phone from her tote bag sitting on the floor beside the bed.

"Hello? Rob! What is it? You know where I am. I'm here in a cottage in Racine. Yes, I'm on assignment. Gus rented me a cottage for five days. It's his way of telling me to take a break. What? No I don't have a man with me." Josie met Sam's eyes, which are now bulging. She shook her head and she laughed nervously.

"What made you think that? Why are you asking me where I go at nights? You're not my boyfriend." She was starting to get annoyed now. Sam placed a hand on her arm to calm her down. "I'm older than you Robert. You shouldn't be asking me this questions!" She said angrily.

A few minutes passed as she just sat there in stony silence, waiting for her brother to say something. Sam rubbed her shoulder soothingly. She sighed and nodded. "I'm sorry Rob. I know, I know. You care for me; that's why you're doing this. I just… I guess I'm not used to you asking me so many questions. Okay. I need to go now. I have to get back to my writing. Yeah. I'll see you on Wednesday. Kiss mom, dad and Georgia for me, okay? Bye Rob. I love you too." She hanged up with a sad look on her face.

"What is it?" He asked as he took her in his arms. "Rob is starting to get suspicious. And I don't want that." She said. "Oh honey." Was all he can say as he rested his face on the nape of her neck. "I'm scared Sam. I keep on thinking that one day; everybody might find out, and then I'll lose you again. I don't know if I can go through that again. And then, when they find out, that will lead the news back to Lara and you might lose Rosie, and I know that you don't want that to happen, and I don't want that to happen." Josie said, sighing audibly.

Sam gently turned her around. "I'm scared too Josie. But I don't know if I can go through the pain of losing you all over again. I love you too much." He said as he brushed her hair away from her eyes. She closed her eyes. "I love you too."

"We'll get through this together. And nobody will ever find out, don't worry." He assured her and leaned to kiss her, conveying his strength to her. She responded fervently as their problems started to fade away in the distance. They parted slightly and Sam grinned at her mischievously.

"So, where were we before we were rudely interrupted?" Josie tapped a finger to her forehead as she jokingly pondered over the question. "I think, that we were in the process of…" Her hands went to the bottom of his t-shirt and she pulled them off. He beamed as he began to unbutton her shirt, which is actually his shirt that she insisted on wearing for the day.

As he slowly eased the shirt off her shoulders, a phone rang again. "Damn!" He cursed out loud as he realized that the phone ringing is his. Josie raised an eyebrow, smiling, and handed him his phone from the bedside table. "Hello? Rosie? Princess, why are you calling me?" He said into the phone.

He stared at Josie and he saw her face fell on the notion of who was on the phone. She started to button her shirt again and stood up, grabbing her laptop and placed it on the table. "Yeah princess? Daddy misses you too, you know." He watched her as she grabbed a pair of her sweatpants and put it on. She sat on the chair and proceeded to putting on her running shoes.

"Okay princess. I'll talk to you again later okay? I love you too. Tell Papa and Nana that Sam said hello, okay? Bye Rosie." He hanged up and jumped off the bed as Josie opened the door. "Josie. Where are you going?" He asked, grabbing her arm gently but firmly.

Josie stared at him. "I need some fresh air Sam." She said, and she looked down at her shoes. Sam placed a finger under her chin to tilt her face up. "Honey, what's wrong?" She closed her eyes and tears fell out. "I just can't go back to bed after your daughter called. I feel too guilty." She confessed.

"Josie, we're doing this because we love each other. We're not intentionally hurting my daughter." He said as he rubbed her arm soothingly. "Please Josie? Don't go out. I'll miss you too much." Josie slowly shook her head. "I… I'm going out. I'll just go to the park that I passed yesterday. I… I'll see you later."

With that, she turned around and got to her car and sped off. "Damn it!" Sam shouted as he sunk into the bed. He knew what Josie is feeling and God knows that he doesn't want her to feel that. He loves her too much, and to see her hurting was just breaking his heart into a million pieces. He knows what he should do. And even if it would break his heart… He'll do it just for her.

* * * Josie sat on the green grass in the small park just four blocks from the cottage that they're staying in. She stared the blank screen of her laptop, waiting for the creative juices to seep into her brain. After a few more minutes, the screen was still blank. "Argh!" She exclaimed as she closed the laptop furiously.

"My brain is not functioning!" She said out loud. All she can think of right now is Sam… how she wants to be lost in his arms once again… "What we're doing is wrong… we can't continue this… someone is bound to get hurt someday." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked up to the sky, as if asking for help.

* * * An hour later, Josie opened the door to the cottage slowly and walked in. She looked around and saw Sam's duffel bag in the middle of the room, all packed. "Sam?" She said as she saw him looking out the window. He turned around and smiled sadly when he saw her.

He walked towards her, stopping about two feet away from her. She gestured at his bag. He nodded and took a deep breath. "I'm going." He said simply. "I know." She answered. "I just can't handle the fact that even though we are happy together, you're still hurting inside. I can't handle the fact that you're scared… I can't handle seeing you cry every time… it just breaks my heart. So, let's just end this." Sam choked out, running a hand through his hair.

"I… agree…" She whispered as she tried to hold back the tears. He bent down and grabbed his bag. "So, I guess, this is it." Josie said as she stared at the floor. "I guess it is." He replied. Josie swallowed back the sob rising in her throat. Sam walked towards her and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Goodbye Josie." He whispered and walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind him. As soon as she heard his car drive away, Josie broke out in sobs. She fell on the bed and buried her face in the pillow. Sam's pillow… and she can still smell the sweet fragrance of his hair. "Goodbye Sam." She whispered hugging herself.

Then her nose picked up Sam's aftershave. She looked around, finding what he could have left that triggered the smell. "It's his shirt. I'm still wearing his shirt." She decided as she brought the sleeve closer to her nose, and inhaled deeply. "Sam…" she whispered as she went under the covers, and wept.

* * * Sam brushed the tears away from his cheeks as he drove towards his parents' house to fetch Rosie. "Oh Josie…" He whispered, his heart constricting agonizingly. "I have to do it… and we both know it." As he stopped on a red light, he remembered her… her expressive blue eyes… her lovely mellifluous voice… her lips…

He closed his eyes painfully, trying to shake out the memories. "I just have to forget about her. It's over, and that's it." But he knew that no matter what he did, Josie would remain in his thoughts forever.