look! another chapter, and only a day after I posted the chapter eight! truly, I couldn't wait to post anymore. both chapter nine (tada!) and chapter ten are written and typed up, so I will be posting THE FINAL CHAPTER tomorrow. crazy, huh? hopefully you're enjoying the series, I've had such a lovely time writing it! while I do like this chapter, I definitely think chapter ten is better. so at least I'll be ending on a high note!

special thanks to ur1onlybravecoward, Texasgirl2014, StylishCandy, and lovelyMESS for leaving me reviews. you are all amazing and I love you. thank you from the bottom of my heart.

now, enough of that sappy stuff. here's chapter nine! ONLY ONE CHAPTER LEFT...

Veneer

He should have listened to his better judgment and stayed away from her, yet the temptation had been far too great. But now their relationship is over (he didn't leave the loft for weeks) and he has to deal with Carly talking about and inviting her over and Freddie kissing her in the hallway (does he even know about that sweet spot beneath her ear?) so Spencer puts on a façade and acts like nothing has changed, that she didn't break his heart or that there's not still a box of her stuff in his closet.

Collide

It had been ages since they'd seem each other. He stayed in Seattle (it had always been home) and she traveled around the country (home was still a mystery to her) and like most people apart, they lost touch. But then she received an invite for a gallery opening and she couldn't seem to fly back to Washington fast enough. He didn't know she was coming (it was all Carly's idea) and she spent most of her time at the opening watching him from a distance instead of admiring the art. But a strange piece caught her eye (was that her old remote?) and she took her eyes off him for a moment. When she turned back, she found herself face to face with him ("Sam…") and even though her hair was longer and his eyes were now framed with glasses, it was as if nothing had changed.

July

She moves into the loft in July. She's twenty-five years old and has a job (it's okay work, at least the pay is decent) but she still doesn't have enough cash yet for her own place in a part of the city that's worth paying for. He's thirty-six when she moves in (thirty-seven in the fall) and his girlfriend does not approve. His girlfriend does not approve because Sam moved in and it's July and Sam's walking around in boxer shorts (are they his?) and tank tops and they can see all sorts of straps on her shoulders (the skin there looks enticingly soft). She complains to him, as if the month is supposed to mean something. It's July when Spencer breaks up with his girlfriend and finds out exactly how soft Sam's shoulders are.

Repeat

It's the last thing he expects out of her mouth as she lies next to him in bed ("So do you think we should get married?"). He's so taken aback that he asks her to repeat the question—she does so, but not before slugging him in the arm. When he's finally able to process her words (and revel in the warmth spreading across his chest), he rolls over to fish something out of his nightstand and turns back to press a small object into her palm. He watches with a wide smile as she slides the ring appraisingly onto her finger, and then laughs, because he should have known better than assume they'd have a proper proposal.

Experience

As free-thinking as Spencer was, he was hung up on society's view on their relationship. Sure, he was eleven years older than her, but hadn't he always acted youthful and she seen far more than her peers? But he couldn't get over the fact that when he had his first kiss, she was taking her first steps. When he lost his virginity, she lost her first tooth. In the end, it made no difference that she was crazy about him, because he assumed he was crazy for even considering it.

Jealous

After telling her repeatedly that a relationship would never work between them, he shouldn't be feeling that white-hot flare of envy when she went out on dates with other guys (and returned with swollen lips and starry eyes), but he did.

Dawn

Neither of them are early risers, but Sam finds herself waking up early some mornings just to see the way the pale sunlight illuminates his features, before grabbing the camcorder and screaming him into wakefulness.

Jagged

Two weeks after graduation, she cornered him by the hallway to his bedroom and kissed him, rising on tiptoe to reach his mouth. He was stunned, but kissed her back; he was afraid to touch her, but even more afraid not to. They continued with this (whatever it was) throughout the summer in secret and he promised himself he wouldn't get too emotionally involved (he was a lover and she was a fighter) but he couldn't fight against his heart in the same way that she did. When autumn arrived she disappeared, running off to Chicago or New York (or somewhere else with brighter lights than Seattle), leaving behind a jagged hole in his life that he could never seem to fill.

Desire

He knew he was doomed the moment he let her move in. It didn't matter than she was sister's best friend and could easily beat the crap out of him if she wanted to—there was a young, beautiful female living in his apartment that liked his art and laughed at his jokes. And all of a sudden, he stopped seeing her as his sister's best friend and started seeing her as Sam, his hot and deceptively dangerous roommate, and he wanted her.

Steady

His father is injured overseas, Carly talks about dropping out of NYU, his art isn't selling, and yet the only steady thing he can rely on, is the normally unsteady blonde whose fingers are laced tightly with his.

and that's nine! what did you think? hopefully it met your standards!

drop me a line and let me know, I thrive on feedback. :)

x

fandrastic