"I spoke to Sam," Jocelyn announced as Samuel Taggert wandered into the sunset saturated kitchen.

Orange and gold and yellow glinted off ever reflective surface, shards of light splitting the kitchen into fluorescent lights. The thin, wispy clouds on the horizon were tinted pink around the edges, the late evening orb burning through the thin layer, sunlight splicing out in a starburst of rays across the red sky, receding into the murky depths of violet and midnight. Jocelyn knew from experience that the pre-midsummer sun would disappear within the next twenty minutes and that the sky would transcend through a rainbow of orange, pink, violet and indigo – never quite reaching the black stage, even at midnight. Stars would begin to pierce the saffron sky, twinkling in the late night, having chased away the beauty of the daylight.

"How is she?"

Snapping her attention away from the view outside of her patio doors, she stared blankly at Samuel for a moment, meeting his cool blue eyes for a mere second before he broke the contact and continued towards the coffee maker.

"She was at work, on her break. She seemed fine, a little distracted though. Did you know that she had moved out of Luka's apartment?"

She watched as he carefully tipped a bag of coffee into the filter and the hazelnut drifted over to her, catching in her nostrils and she smiled deeply.

It was her favourite.

There was a 'thunk' as Samuel pushed the filter back in and pressed the red button to begin the process of coffee brewing.

"No," he answered as he turned towards her, leaning against the edge of the countertop and folding his tanned arms over his chest lazily. "When?"

Jocelyn shrugged raised her eyebrow.

"I don't know. A while ago I'm guessing."

"Has she and Luka split up?" He asked as pushed off the countertop and moved his five foot nine inch frame towards the dining room table that Jocelyn was sitting at with her i Home & Garden /i magazine.

She shook her head and reached her hand up to Samuel's as he rested his atop her shoulder.

"No, they're fine."

She let out a low grown of appreciation as Samuel began to massage her neck and shoulders. Concentrating on the sound of percolating water and the feel of Samuel's fingers winding out all of her kinks, Jocelyn was lulled into a state of relaxation.

What could have been five minutes or five hours later, Jocelyn heard an unfamiliar combination of 'drip, plop, plop, drip'. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she glanced at the coffee maker and instantly shot up, throwing Samuel back in surprise.

"Samuel!" She screeched, grabbing towels as she dashed for the floor around the coffee machine. "You forgot to put the mug in!"

--

"You didn't even tell me you were leaving!" She screeched into the receiver as she stood in her steamed up bathroom, the water from the shower splashing around her ankles. She could see her mottled reflection in the steamy mirror and she frowned at her mascara-scarred eyes before plopping angrily onto the toilet seat.

"I'm telling you now," he replied shortly, coldly and Sam made a shrieking noise in the back of her throat.

"What, when you're half way across the world? Gee, thanks for the warning, Luka."

"I could just as easily have called you from Croatia."

"You could just as easily have called me from Chicago!"

"I didn't have time." Monotonous. Icy.

Sam tightened her jaw and raised her eyebrow.

"You have to check in two hours before your flight leaves, Luka. You had at i least /i two hours to call me while you were still in Chicago. Not to mention the whole afternoon before that!"

She reached up and pushed her hand into her hair, gripping it tightly. His calm breathing on the other end of the line was driving her crazy.

She hated his stubbornness.

"I'm not going to fight with you about this."

"No, Luka, you never do," she muttered and shook her head in frustration.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked indignantly, and Sam could imagine the frown pulling his features.

"I'm not going to get into it," she replied in the manner he had before.

"No, Sam. I'm sick of this. You are always doing this and this time I'm not in the mood to listen to it."

"Wha-"

"I'll call you later; if I have a chance."

She wanted to reply but the dial tone was the only reply she would receive.

Snapping her phone closed, she could feel the tension building in her muscles as the insatiable urge to throw something gripped her.

She drew back her arm and volleyed her cell phone through the air, her scream of "Fuck!" doing nothing to cover the noise of her phone shattering on the tile floor.

"Fucking… fuck," she muttered under her breath and took a deep, shaky breath as she eyed the splintered pieces of metal and plastic being splashed with water from her still cascading shower.

Stomping over to the phone, her heel hit a soapy puddle of water and she lost her footing, tipped backwards jarring her back and cracking her head off the porcelain toilet seat.

Sam's last thought before the dark of unconscious took over her was:

"So much for non-slip tiles."

TBC