A/N: I'm home, suffering from a terrible onslaught of allergies and I'm catching up on Lost episodes so I can watch the series finale. Sadness. Thank you for the reviews. This is kind of an importantly short filler chapter. It's just to move the plot along. Sorry for the shortness of this chapter.

Chapter Thirteen: iAm Single Again

Our first day in Spain was tiring and relaxing. I spent most of the day with Carly and it turns out, we were sharing a room, too. That was a terrible idea. It was us and two other girls that I didn't care to learn the names of. I spent the day by Carly's side, her hand occasionally falling into mine and our fingers lacing momentarily. But then she would fidget and feel the need to cross her arms over her chest. She would furrow her brow a little and wrinkle her nose in the cutest way possible. She had a way of making my stomach flip and my heart race without even trying to do it.

Carly's act of occasionally holding my hand kept up for the next four days or so. It wasn't until day five of our trip that she pulled me into the bathroom with her, saying that she needed my help with her hair. The other girls in our room didn't seem to care much.

"Carls, what the hell..." I only had my pants on halfway when she pulled me into the bathroom and before I could completely button my jeans, she had me pinned gently against the bathroom door. "What are you doing,"

"We need to talk,"

"We're talking," I replied to her, and she rolled her eyes at me, letting go of me. But my back was still pressed against the door. I couldn't move. I watched her sigh and she folded her arms over her chest again, leaning the small of her back on the sink counter, looking away from me. Something had come over her. She wasn't quite the same, she was nervous about something but I just couldn't place it.

"Sam, I can't do this." She began and I already knew what she was talking about. I knew that she meant it was me and that she wanted to stay with Michael and this was going to be the end of our friendship. "I don't like cheating on him like this."

"So break up with him," I whispered, breathing unevenly. She was trying to make this easy for both of us. I could tell. That's just how Carly is. She tries to make nice with everyone whenever possible. Sometimes, it just doesn't work out that way, like right now. No one can win in this situation. Well, Michael can. But neither Carly or myself can win.

"I can't do that and you know that I can't, Samantha." Oh, she was using my full name now? Fuck. I'm screwed. There's no way of getting around this. But she knows I need her in my life. I don't know if she knows the full extent of it. Honestly, I don't think she wants to know the full extent of it.

I bit my lip and nodded slightly to her, forcing a laugh. "So this is it, huh?" I asked. "This is the end of... all of it?"

"We can still be friends..."

"Yeah fucking right," I muttered to her, threading my fingers through my hair slowly.

"Sam, come on... we've been through worse than this,"

"I have but you haven't." She shot me questioning look. I rolled my eyes to her. Now or never, I told myself; I have to do it now. "I've done... a lot of thinking, Carls, and..." This is so much more stressful than I thought it would be. She gave me a perplexed look now. I knew she was curious as to what the hell I was talking about. I needed to just get to the point. "I love you," My voice sounded so weak and so broken, but I had to keep my facade. I had to keep my ground.

"I love you too, Sam."

"No, no... Carly, I'm in love with you." I noticed how her body stiffened at my words. That made me force a smile. I drew in a deep breath and turned my back to her, turning the knob to pull the door open. "Do you still need any help with your hair,"

"I think I can handle it, thanks." She replied, her voice as weak as mine had been only moments ago. I nodded slightly to her and moved out of the bathroom, pulling the door closed behind me. The other two girls were watching television. I slipped out onto the balcony that our room had and closed the sliding glass door behind me. My eyes focused on the lovely scenery of Madrid beneath us. It was magnificent and so beautiful, stunning... My hands gripped the cold metal railing tightly as I leaned over. I felt like I just wanted to jump. That's what she did to me. She made me think.

-x-

Day seven in Spain. I haven't so much as spoken a word to Carly, other than good morning or good night. We are still sleeping in the same bed and she still cuddles up to me in her sleep. I still put my arms around her when she curls her head into my chest and falls asleep with a smile pulled across her face. She rejected me because she's scared. That's all it is. She's terrified.

Today we were having breakfast at this fancy place across the street from the hotel we were staying in. Carly sat next to me. The whole time during breakfast, she was holding my hand under the table, making it almost impossible for me to eat. I am not left handed and she had my right hand in her left. Luckily, her boyfriend was across the dining hall and he couldn't see her antics. I'm a little upset with her. She's giving me mixed signals.

After breakfast, she wouldn't let go of my hand. I didn't mind. I squeezed her hand and she squeezed mine right back. I couldn't help but smile. She was getting to me again. I pulled her aside when we stopped at a strip mall of sorts and we stood alone in a somewhat dark alleyway in between shops.

"What is your fucking deal," I spat to her and she released my hand.

"I missed you,"

"I didn't go anywhere, Carls. I'm not going anywhere." I reassured her, folding my arms over my chest. I felt her arms wrap around me and she pulled me into a tight hug. My arms wrapped around her as well, keeping her close. I buried my face in the crook of her neck and smiled widely.

"Good, because I would be so upset if you left me." She replied, her words catching in my ear but they were directed at my hair. I knew she was smelling my hair. I didn't mind. It smelled just like hers and I hope she realized that. I hope she knew that I had started using her shampoo because I missed how close we had been.

We stayed like this for what felt like ages. I was the first to pull away, but she was the first of us to smile. She held me close and I pushed hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ears carefully. She leaned her forehead on mine and I matched her smile.

"Can I ask you something, Carly?" She nodded, her eyes closing. I noticed that her smile didn't falter. "Will you go on a date with me? Like, a real date?" I bit my bottom lip slightly and she nodded against my head again.

"Yeah," She replied softly. I could practically hear her smile widening. "You wanna do breakfast, lunch, or dinner?" She asked.

"Dinner, tomorrow night," I told her. "The café down the road from the hotel, on the corner." I continued speaking. But we had to break apart. We couldn't stay in this moment forever. Time just didn't allow it. Maybe time just wouldn't allow us to be together either. Only time could tell what our future could hold now.

A/N: Watched about two Lost episodes and I have a massive headache. I feel a lot better now than I did before, but I'm still really blegh. Keep reviewing and I'll keep cranking out the chapters!