CHAPTER TWO
October 31
Princeton, New Jersey
Exhausted after a two-hour, late-afternoon Economics exam, Sam returned to her dormitory on the west side of campus and slowly climbed the four flights of stairs that would lead her to her room, her bed, and some long overdue sleep. This had been the week from hell but it was finally Friday and she planned on taking a long nap before going out with Austin that night.
Reaching her room about midway down the hall, Sam vaguely heard the sounds of soft music coming from the other side of the door and figured that her roommate was home. It didn't click to her that the music wasn't the usual Metallica that her roommate blasted through the building at all hours of the day. Before even trying her key, she pushed on the door to see if it was open, which it was, and the strong smell of roses and lilies immediately wafted past her, awakening her senses. As she pushed the door open further, she saw over a hundred candles lit up all over the room, each adorned with an assortment of the flowers that she had smelled and she finally realized that the music was Edwin McCain.
He remembered.
Sam entered the room and came face to face with Austin who stood holding one white and one red rose, dressed in the same Prince Charming costume that he had worn to the Halloween Homecoming dance a year before.
While Sam fought to keep the tears out of her eyes, Austin's signature smile spread across his face as he crossed his right foot in front of his left, placed his left arm behind his back and bent over before her to offer her the roses. "My lady," he said.
Looking around the room, Sam raised her hand to cover her mouth, "Aust … How did … I can't bel … When … How did you …"
Austin slowly took her hand away from her mouth and held it tightly between his palms while he placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I had some help," he whispered.
"From who?"
"You mean, from whom?"
Sam rolled her eyes. Correcting people's grammar was one of the very few bad habits that Austin actually had. "Yeah, that's what I said, from who?"
Austin laughed at her while kissing the back of her hand, "Your roommate."
"You mean Tasha, my anti-social, Nazi-worshiping, borderline psychotic roommate?"
"That's the one." Austin crinkled his eyebrows together and tapped his chin, "It was sort of odd though, she was uncharacteristically eager to help."
Sam giggled, "I think she has a thing for you. She always gets flustered whenever you're around."
Austin wrapped his arms around Sam's waist to pull her to him and looked down into her chestnut eyes. "You're the only one I care about getting flustered when I'm around."
Sam smiled against his lips when Austin leaned in and kissed her again. "Seriously, what did she do? She hasn't said five words to me in the whole two months we've been here and I live with her!"
"She didn't do anything really other than let me in and agree to stay away for the night."
Sam's eyebrows rose in mock astonishment, "Stay away for the night, huh? What exactly did you have in mind my Prince?"
The playful look in his eyes answered for him. Sam watched his left eyebrow rise in suggestion, an expression that made her melt and he knew it.. That look was all she could take.
Sam stood on her toes to reach his lips while her hands slid inside his jacket and pushed it off of his shoulders. Austin did the same with her coat then moved his hand up the back of her neck and into her hair in order to tilt her head and deepen the kiss. It was only a few moments before Sam pushed Austin backwards until the back of his knees hit the bed, forcing him into a sitting position. The seductive smile that played across her lips made Austin dizzy, but that was nothing compared to the sight of her slowly and painstakingly unbuttoning her own top as she stood before him.
Sam shimmied out of her top then used the folded tie around his neck as a levy to slowly pull herself onto his lap before removing the tie altogether. Austin tried to kiss her again, but Sam turned her head away to instead tease him as she unbuttoned his shirt. With the release of each circular piece of plastic, Sam lightly slid her fingers underneath the fabric and over his hard, muscled chest. "No, no, no. You have to wait," Sam said as Austin tried to kiss her yet again. "Besides, this is as much for my pleasure as it is for yours." Once she had his shirt completely open, the pads of her fingers gently traced the lower lines of each pectoral muscle then down over the vertical indentation between the two sets of muscles in his stomach and then further down to the faint trail of hair that led to his navel.
That was Austin's breaking point. His eyelids fluttered closed over his eyes that had rolled into the back of his head. His groan was completely guttural when he placed his hands under Sam's rear for support then quickly stood up, lifting her with him, and turned around where they both fell onto the bed behind them. Austin pulled away slightly to remove his shirt completely before returning to Sam to finally feel her lips again.
Sam broke the kiss to move to his neck and Austin tilted his head back and to the side, his eyes closed, allowing her full access to him. "God Sam," he hissed, pulling away to look seriously into her eyes. "Is this … I mean, are you sure? Is this okay?" He supposed he was being a little presumptuous, but they had been together for a year now and he wanted her so badly.
"I'm sure Austin. I love you and I want to be with you more than anything."
Austin smoothed the hair away from her face, "God baby. You don't know how long I've wanted this, wanted you … how long I've waited for you," Austin said as he leaned down and gently kissed each of her cheekbones. Sam pressed her lips to his and wrapped her arms around him, her hands ran through his hair and then down his back before she grabbed onto his rear and pressed him into her, pushing his hips hard against her thigh. "Oh God Sam …" Austin moaned against her mouth, his tongue feverishly exploring and stroking hers as he unconsciously thrust his hips into her, in sync with the movements of his tongue.
Sam decided to take control and pushed him over onto his back to move on top of him, kissing and licking down his neck, pulling his skin between her lips, then moving on to his chest. Austin's breathing grew heavier and he moaned softly when she licked around the edge of his nipple and took it between her teeth, biting it playfully. Sam shifted positions so she could move her body lower, but never removed her tongue from his skin – lightly kissing his abs, tracing the lines of muscles in his stomach with her tongue, moving ever lower down his body.
"Sam," Austin whispered running his fingers through her hair. "What are you doing babygirl?" Austin gasped when he felt her fingers slide into the rim of his pants and boxers and he gripped onto the blanket beneath him.
"Sshhh … " she breathed heavily against his skin. Sam slowly eased her fingers along the inside of his boxers then around to his back, reveling in his moan that ensued. Sam was so absorbed in him, the sounds he was making were driving her insane and they turned her on in the worst way. Sam's mind was running in circles until, suddenly, all of his movements, sounds, even his breathing seemed to stop. At that point she heard it too – the knocking at the door.
Austin slapped his hand over his forehead, "I can't believe I forgot about this."
"Forgot about what?" Sam asked.
Austin sat up and threw his shirt back on his shoulders but he didn't bother to button it.. He then handed Sam her shirt and waited as she put it on with an utterly confused expression on her face. When they were finally decent, Austin stood up and headed for the door, "I ordered room service."
Sam looked at him strangely, "Room service? In a dorm?"
Austin smiled at her as he opened the door where she saw Derrick, Austin's roommate, standing dressed as a waiter with a room service cart in front of him. Derrick noticed the state of Austin's shirt and silently questioned whether he should go away. "It's all right Derr, come on in." Austin replied to his roommate's unasked question.
"Well then, on tonight's menu we have a little of everything." Derrick wheeled the cart into the center of the room to better display the entrees to the couple. Raising the metal domes on two of the plates, "Chicken Parmesan for two or Filet Mignon for two." Then he raised the third dome from its plate, "Or two hot, greasy Big Macs and two sides of french fries with honey dipping sauce for the lady." Derrick pointed to a plate on the second shelf of the cart, "For dessert, chocolate covered strawberries with whipped cream or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream. And our finest bottle of Cristal." Derrick pulled a bottle out of the ice bucket on the top of the cart and added in an undertone, "As long as you don't ask where it came from."
Austin and Sam both laughed at him because they knew Derrick likely swiped the champagne from his father's liquor store. And, aside from the fact that they were all under twenty-one, taking a $250 bottle of anything from his father was definitely grounds for a severe lashing. Unlike Sam, Austin had an awesome roommate.
"Derrick this is amazing." Sam looked over the contents of the cart again and then back up at the would-be waiter.
"Don't thank me, it was all his doing." He motioned toward Austin. "The idea, the entrees, everything. I'm just the poor schlub who got suckered into wearing this outfit."
Sam ruffled the dark red curls on the top of his head and kissed his cheek, "Well I think you look wonderful Derrick. Not as handsome as my Prince Charming over here, but definitely a close second."
Derrick looked over at his roommate, "Well Ames, I think that's my cue to leave. I wouldn't want to steal your girlfriend from you on your anniversary and all."
Sam closed the door behind Derrick after he left. Turning back to Austin, she didn't know what to say. "I can't believe you did all of this. This is just the sweetest thing."
"Ehh, it's nothing," Austin replied nonchalantly. "Well, even though we were interrupted from some very interesting activities, I'm famished. So, what would you like, the chicken or the …"
Sam stopped Austin from lifting the covers off of the plates by pulling his hands into hers and turning him to face her. Standing on her toes, she pressed her lips to his and softly said, "I love you Austin Ames."
Austin smiled, "I love you too Sam.
One Week Later
The sound of the freshman psychology book slamming shut echoed through the quiet university library earning Sam many angry glares from the people around her. She mouthed a 'sorry' to those closest to her, but they didn't seem at all forgiving. Deciding she had had enough studying for one night, she grabbed her many books that were strewn all over the table and shoved them back into her bag before heading back to her dorm.
After traveling the equivalent of three city blocks in the cold November air, Sam stopped in the main lobby of her dorm to get her mail before heading up to her room where, hopefully, her roommate from hell would not be home. Both she and Austin had had a tough week so they planned on a quiet night in with a rented movie and whatever else they might come up with. Maybe they could pick up from where they left off the weekend before.
There were no sounds coming from the other side of her door when Sam finally reached her room, which made her breathe a sigh of relief. After unlocking the door, Sam dropped her bags in the chair at her desk while reaching for the phone to call Austin. As she flipped through her mail, she listened to the ringing and then the answering machine that picked up, "Hey, you've reached Austin and Derrick's room. Leave a message."
"Hey Austin, it's me. I'm back from the library so come on over whenever you're ready." Sam hung up the phone and threw away the three credit card offers she received before reading the letter that Rhonda had sent her. Sam thought nothing of the fact that the last letter had no return address on it and that she didn't recognize the handwriting, but when she finally read it her entire world came crashing down around her.
Sam,
I debated for a long time whether I should even get involved by telling you this but I don't think that anyone else was planning to. We never knew each other well so I don't think it's important that you know who I am, but I've always admired and respected you and I really feel that you have the right to know about this. I knowit will come as a shock to you and I'm sorry for any pain it will cause, but if it were me I would want to know.
As I'm sure you know, at the end of August, when North Valley High had its end of summer party, Austin was there but you weren't with him. To make a long story short, he got extremely drunk. So much so that he didn't know where he was and he barely knew who he was. I'm telling you this just in case it will affect any decisions you may make. He truly did not know what was going on, but he ended up leaving with Shelby.
I know Shelby pretty well and just after you two left for Princeton she told me that she had slept with Austin that night.. Again, I debated whether or not to even get involved, but last week Shelby also told me that she was pregnant and I just couldn't stay out of it any longer.
Shelby said she's going to tell Austin and I'm sure she will because she has always been trying to figure out how to get him back. Hopefully Austin will be honest with you and tell you everything, but if he hasn't even told you that they slept together then I'm not sure what he will do.
Sincerely,
A Friend
Sam's hands were shaking so badly that she could barely keep hold of the paper and she couldn't even see through her tears. She didn't know what to do – part of her wanted to be rational and let Austin explain, while another part wanted to bite his head off, and still another part never wanted to see him again. Sam reached for the phone and dialed his number again but there was still no answer. She needed to clear her head so she grabbed her coat, locked the door behind her and headed out into the freezing cold night air.
Sam had been walking around campus for over an hour with still no feasible resolution. In a million years, she never would have thought Austin capable of this, but then she realized that she didn't really know him all that well. How could she know what kind of person he really was? People are always what you want them to be in the beginning of a relationship so that you'll like them. Yes, they had been together for about nine months at the time of the party which is far longer than 'the beginning of a relationship' but she still hadn't slept with Austin yet.. Maybe that was it, maybe he was getting sick of waiting and he knew Shelby would be more than willing to give it up one last time. And Sam didn't care what the letter said, in her opinion, being drunk was no excuse for anything.
But what if the letter was a hoax? Sure, the writer made every effort to sound sincere and truthful but what if it was just someone from back home trying to, yet again, cause problems for them? Sam remembered the pep rally and then Shelby's constant flirting with Austin even after he and Sam were together. And Sam couldn't forget the continual crises that Shelby always found herself in from which she, of course, called Austin to save her; like the time Shelby called him late one night saying that she had run out of gas on some back road in the valley. Since Austin is the kind soul that he is, he went to help her only to find that she still had a half a tank. So what if this was just another one of Shelby's scams? There was only one way Sam would know for sure.
Sam headed for Austin's dorm hoping that he was home by now because she honestly didn't know what she would do if he wasn't. When she finally reached the building, she took the steps two at a time until she reached the third floor and headed straight for Austin's room. Sam made a point to step away from the peephole when she knocked, but she wasn't sure why. It wasn't like Austin had any reason not to open the door if he saw her standing there. After a few seconds, she heard his voice as he approached the door, "I cannot believe this. How could this …" Austin opened the door in mid-sentence. "Sam?"
Even though Sam hadn't asked him a single question and Austin hadn't said anything to her other than her name, Sam's worst fears were confirmed when she saw Shelby sitting on his bed with a satisfied smile on her face.
"Sam, what are you doing here?"
Sam's brain was so muddled that she actually found herself wondering whether he was justified in asking her that; whether she even had a right to be there. She pushed it out of her mind, took a deep breath, and asked the question that she needed answered. "What I want to know is what is she doing here?"
Sam waved her hand in Shelby's direction but never took her eyes off Austin, even after Shelby started talking. "I came to tell Austin the good news," Shelby stood up and moved closer to the door while Austin gave her a look of warning, which she ignored.
"Wh … what news?" Sam asked cautiously.
"That he's going to be a father. We're going to be parents." Shelby leaned up against Austin and hung on his shoulder. "Aren't you going to congratulate us Sam?"
The look on Austin's face told Sam that he wasn't going to deny it and she felt like she had never seen him before in her life. The manbefore her was a complete stranger to her now. The pools that had formed in Sam's eyes completely spilled down her cheeks at the revelation while she backed away from the two standing in front of her. Austin tried to reach for her, "Sam, wait!"
"NO!" Sam nearly tripped in her haste to avoid his touch. "Don't you come any closer to me," she hissed.
Austin froze. He watched as Sam ran away from him and, in all probability, out of his life, but he couldn't move. She didn't want to have anything to do with him and he had no idea what to do. In the end, it was Shelby's voice that made it clear for him, "Don't worry about her Austin. She'll be fine."
Austin took off running in the same direction Sam had gone, but it wasn't until he hit the cold concrete steps in front of his dorm that he realized he didn't have any shoes on. "SAM!" Looking around, he could see no sign of which direction she had gone. The thought that he had lost her was practically crippling him at that moment and he couldn't keep his own tears from forming. "SAAAAAAAAM!"
Austin tried again to determine where she had gone, but he didn't see anyone around. "DAMN IT!" Austin's fist connected with the steel doorframe causing his knuckles to split open. He held it in his shirt to stop the bleeding and, with no other choice, Austin turned to head back into his dorm. That's when he noticed the small, crumpled piece of paper on the steps and stooped to pick it up. Austin ran his bloodied fingers over the tear-soaked spots on the page …
Sam,
I debated for a long time whether I should even get involved by telling you this but I don't think that anyone else was planning to. We never knew each other well so I don't think it's important that you know who I am, but I've always …