Thanks to everyone who has been reading this story so far! As I said yesterday, here is the daily updated chapter for everyone! Shout-outs: Dreamer1992- Thanks I love this story, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I love typing it for you all! Now, without any further a-do, here is the next chapter…
Chapter 3: The Promise
The time that I spent in James' lap was something I knew I was going to cherish for the rest of my life. I didn't care that I was 20 years old and crying like a little kid, or I looked completely deranged with my body all tangled and twisted. All I knew was that what I needed right now was a friend, and that's exactly what I got.
James was still sitting on the kitchen tile, his knees tucked underneath him and spread apart slightly to caress me between. He slowly began to raise one knee up, balancing myself within his secure arms to make sure he never dropped me. With such ease, he stood up and began walking to the living room. I must have felt like a feather, my outer shell being the only thing holding me together. Inside, everything just seemed so empty since I was so weak. James must have noticed this too, because he carried my delicate body all the way to the couch before sitting down.
"Sam?" His voice was soft and worrisome, barely going over a whisper. I stirred slightly, shifting my cold body right next to his. Warmth seeped through his pores, making me feel cozy and safe. It traveled from his chest onto mine, soaking in all the way to my heart. That lonely and empty feeling disappeared, leaving behind something else that was indescribable. My heart ached, but not in the heart-broken way like before. It ached for something, someone. A smile, a hug, anything that reflected passion from this person. It just wanted love.
"Mmm" I mumbled like a child who was just woken up from a nap. I opened my eyes, only to grab his grey sweater and yank myself closer. After slowly blinking, I moved my fingertips up to his arm and slowly traced around the outline of his muscles. The fabric felt soft on my right hand, making it fall all the way to his chest. It stopped right in the middle, cupping around and feeling each heart-beat he took. Each heart-beat that re-started my heart, giving it life again. James slowly dropped my legs, gently laying them sideways over his sitting over on the tan couch. His right hand covered mine, intertwining his fingers with my own before moving them to the side. This caused me to tilt my head up and look straight into his perfect eyes. What I saw in there left me happily breathless. Swimming in his hazel eyes, I saw care, comfort, passion, and every other loving feeling you could mention. His face was full of worry, but I didn't even notice that. I was too caught up staring at the eyes of the man who was still holding onto me. Not one did I break this stare, afraid that his hope would dwindle down along with mine.
I was too caught up in the moment to notice that James was stroking my cheek with his left thumb. I had no idea how, but I was holding myself up with my own strength again on the couch. Instead of his arms squeezing around my body, they were around my shoulder and stomach. For one brief second, I glanced down to look at our bodies next to together. In that second, I realized that my connection with his eyes went away. I sat up on top of him, my legs shifting over to hang in between his. My hands let go of his, moving up to my face to try and rub away the evidence of before. His left hand was now rubbing my back, making me relax and sigh deeply. This let him know that I was somewhat better.
He touched my shoulder slightly, causing my head to turn to his. He didn't ask me if I was ok since he already knew the answer. I wasn't at all, clearly evident in my spasm earlier. "Do you want me to get you some tea?" James' voice was soothing, making my body tingle.
"Yes, please…" I worded with all the strength I had in me. It came out like a small squeak, however, showing how frail I was. I shifted over off of his legs and onto the couch cushion, my body flinching at the coldness. It was dead and dull compared to James, but I knew I would only be there temporarily. I watched him cautiously stand up, his arm barely pulling away from my body like it didn't want to budge. It dropped the minute our bodies were no longer touching, bringing all the warmth with it. He didn't even bother to adjust his bunched up sweater in the front or his wrinkled pants.
He walked into the kitchen, stopping in front of the phone and picking it up. After pressing the end button, he placed it on the counter and began to prepare the tea. While he was busy doing that, I was glancing around my living room. James' denim jacket was placed over the coat rack next the door, the spare key he has for my house right next to his wallet on the small glass table. I gave him that key after a year of our friendship, since he spent much of his time over here anyway. The only thought in my head was so much of a friend James was. I was thankful to have him in my life, even if it was just as a friend.
The sound of the microwave beeping snapped me out of my short trance. I curled up in the middle of the couch, my legs folded over each other on the side. My head fell back onto the back of the couch, positioning itself for maximum comfort. I could feel my eyelids starting to droop. I'll just close my eyes for one second. Then I'll open them up right away and stay awake. I let them close, bringing my eyes once again into darkness. The darkness I wanted. I knew James was right in the other room, so shutting my eyes was perfectly fine. I relaxed my body into the couch and breathed in one long breath before dozing off.
When I finally woke up, I was lying across the couch with my head on the small pillow James was leaning against before. The white afghan that usually stays folded up over the couch was draped over me, leaving me comfortable and warm. My vision was still slightly blurry, so I blinked a few times before fully opening my eyes. As my sight cleared, my eyes drifted over to James sitting on the brown leather chair near the television. He was staring right at me, his lips curling up slightly. "Glad to see you're awake" he said with a relieved look.
I softly smiled back at him, stretching my back in the mean-time. As I pushed the loose wavy hair out of my face, I looked over at the living room clock. 10:24 AM. Did I really sleep that late? I guess after crying so much my body was exhausted. "Wow, I really was tired" I groaned as I pushed the covers off of me.
"Yeah, I came in to give you your tea," James pointed to the blue cup sitting on the coffee table, "and you were out like a light. I didn't want to wake you up for it, so I just laid you down and covered you up…" He ran a hand through his short brown hair and down to the back of his neck to rub.
"Thanks, James." I smiled and reached for the now cold tea. But I didn't mind, it was the thought of James getting it for me that counted. "Sorry I fell asleep. It's just been a rough day" After sipping the cold tea, I placed it back down on top of the coaster. My throat felt the cool drink slide all the way down, refreshing my body. "You know you didn't have to stay while I was asleep. You could have left. I don't want you to be late to the studio and all…" Suddenly, I felt bad that James stayed behind to look after me. It was like he had to since I was a wreck. My face turned into a frown as I pulled my legs up to my chest again on the cushion.
James' face fell after I spoke. "No, it's ok. I want to stay with you. You need me, and I'm not going to leave you any time soon either. I already called up the studio and told them I wasn't coming. They understand. The guys are worried for you… I'm worried for you. I just want you to be safe…"
His words made me stop and take back my previous thoughts. He was obviously scared for me, but he was here right now because he wanted to be. He wanted to help me through this and support me. And for that, I knew I had to show him how much it meant to me.
I stood up and shuffled right towards James. He watched me move over to him, almost knowing what I was going to do. He straightened up in the seat and took his hands off his knees. His eyes looked over my whole body, something I had never seen him do before. They traveled from my feet, up my legs, over my chest, and right to my face. He locked eyes with mine, not fidgeting once when I sat down on his left thigh and hugged him. I wrapped my hands around his neck and sunk my head on top of his left shoulder. His hands went right back around my waist, pulling me right next to that heart-beat I needed so much.
Who knew if what we were showing right there was support, help, comfort, care, passion, love, or anything else. The one thing I truly felt was security. Security in the strong arms that held me like they never wanted to let go. We swayed in the chair for a little while, James not moving me off of his lap once. I could feel his chest rise and fall, our breathing patterns in unison. My nose nuzzled into the curve of his neck, not even caring of what signals I was giving to James. We were friends, best friends to be exact. I trusted him with my life, and he knew that very well. This was nothing more than two friends comforting each other in a time of need. I wasn't going to let myself over-think anything and get my hopes up.
James was sliding his hand up my stomach to the back of my neck, gripping onto me like he was going to lose me. I never knew I scared him this much. I could only imagine what went through his head seeing me scrunched up on the tile and unresponsive. That pain was probably worse than the pain I felt, seeing your best friend slowly fall apart right in front of you. That pain could sting in your head and heart, lingering there forever.
Pain. Analyzing that word sent a sharp pain jolting up my back. I wobbled on James' lap, his arms reaching out to grasp me as I arched my back. I had completely forgotten about scraping my back earlier. It now was coming back to me, making up for the numb hours in which I felt nothing but love. The pain flooded over me, making me grunt out and get off of James. The heat of my wounds was trapped in my tank-top, burning and stinging the raw flesh. Trying to dull the pain, I locked my back and slowly began walking to my spot on the couch.
James' eyebrows crinkled together as he watched my actions. He could tell I was in pain, the sadness painted over his whole face. It looked worried and scared and… guilty? Why would James Maslow be guilty for my pain? I did this to myself, freaking over a break-up and almost dying. Even if he arrived earlier, I still would have acted the same.
"Oh god" he sighed as he stood up off the brown chair. "Sit down on the couch. Let me see your back…" Instead of arguing and complaining like I would usually do, I obeyed his every command. Crossing my legs on the couch, I sat facing the fluffy cushions and drew circles on them. My back was angled towards the middle of the couch, allowing for James to sit down next to me and observe. Without warning, I felt his hand land on the middle of my back, making me cringe in pain. He moved down to the bottom of my pink tank-top, slowly lifting it up and to the side. The coldness crawled up my back, going up my spine and creating tiny goose-bumps along the way. "Sam…" James gasped after taking in the sight of my back. I could only picture how red and scratchy it looked. "Why did you do this to yourself?" His voice sounded on the verge of tears, each word coming out of his mouth poking at him for not being there. The palm of his hand swept over my back, cautiously examining my wounds. It was warm and inviting, making all the agony disappear for one second. Just for one second I felt nothing but love again, but then it was gone.
"I-I thought it would help take away the pain…" I choked out, my own emotions getting the better of me. I quickly pulled my tank-top down, conscious of what James saw and the reaction. My body turned towards him, my head hanging down to stare in my own lap. I was shielded only by my own little wisps of hair falling in front of my face. Playing with the strings on my pajama shorts, I swallowed my tears and spoke up. "Any other pain seemed better… Anything to hide the pain from Drew…" Once my small confession was over, I looked up to James in such shame of myself. Drew was only one guy, even if he was my soul mate. But after everything, I still was just so new and raw.
James reached for my hands, squeezing and stroking them together in mine. "Hurting yourself is never the answer. You're lucky your back doesn't look too bad right now. You could have had a serious injury… " he began to scold, never losing his soft and calm tone once with me though. "Drew is not worth wasting your pain on. No one is. You need to realize this. It will only help you later on. Please don't result to physical pain or harm to help yourself. I don't want to lose you…" Instead of his hands being around mine, they were holding right onto my face as I stared back at him. Those six ending words he said went straight to my heart, causing my love for him to increase even more. I didn't even know that was possible. He could never know about it, however, since it would ruin my only other stable male relationship. Right now, I was just focused on trying to make myself better, for my sake and my friends, especially James.
"I don't want to lose you either…" I replied with glistening eyes. "You are my best friend on this earth, and I have no idea what I would do without you… I'm just in an emotional state right now from everything. I promise I will make myself better again. For myself, my family, my friends, but most of all, You…" A single tear was sliding down my cheek, only to be wiped away by James. "But I know it's going to be hard. Drew was supposed to be my true love, the one I could spend the rest of my life with. And then when he cheated, it showed how he's not the one. I guess my one love is out there, but I just have to look a little harder to find him…" There it was. My first lie ever spoken to my best friend James Maslow. The only lie I would ever tell him for the rest of my life. I knew my love was out there, and it just happened that he was sitting right in front of me. James was the one, the one I wanted to lose my last name to (and my virginity) and cherish a family with. But once again, I could not tell him out of fear. Fear of rejection, a broken friendship, and a broken heart. In order to ensure that we would never lose what we had, I had to ask James one thing.
His thumb was still stroking my left cheek, slowly moving up and down to wipe away any tears that snuck down. "Yes, PLEASE never do this again…" he spoke in a pleading and practically begging tone. The amount of care he had for me was expressed in every word. "I can't see you falling apart right in front of me again... And Samantha," this was the first time he had ever spoken my full name to my face, "Drew was not the one for you. You deserve someone who will come over just to spend time with you, to listen to your phone calls in the middle of the night, to hold you when you need help, and most importantly, to be there when you need him most. And trust me when I say this, he may be closer than you think…" I was completely speechless at what James said in response. Who was he describing? It surely could not have been himself; he just didn't see me in that light. I could not get my hopes up, no matter how much I wanted it to be true.
Now seemed like the perfect time to ask him my one and only question. "James?" I began, looking deep into his eyes that reflected care and help in return. He looked straight back at me, locking our eyes once again for what seemed like a special connection. "Can you promise me that, no matter what happens between us, what we go through in our friendship or what happens in the future, we will always remain best friends and never lose what we have?" My plea was stuttering out of my mouth, trying not to choke up on my words and break-down all over again.
James' head titled up slightly, making us on complete eye-level with one another. His hands were firmly grasping my face, but yet they still felt so light and gentle. Without ever losing his hazel eyes from my now lgolden brown, he opened his mouth and made a promise that I would forever keep engrained in my memory until the day I die. "I, James Maslow, promise on my heart and soul that I will never leave you, Samantha, and this perfect friendship that we have established for two-in-a half years. No matter what happens between the two of us, what we both deal with in our friendship, and anything that we face in the future, I will remain by your side through every bit of it. And if I do break this commitment, only by some supernatural force that pries me away from my forever promise, I will take complete and utter consequences for all my actions. But I know that will never happen, because I will never hurt my one best friend on the planet. My girl, Miss Samantha Anne Joneston…"
So, I hoped everyone liked this chapter! I know it's longer and is a little sappy, but I had to show in some way how strong their friendship is. The next chapters will move by a little faster with days going by and all. Other characters will be getting involved too, including Krista who Dreamer1992 allowed for me to incorporate into the story. The BTR boys will show up as well ;) IDK if any of you noticed either, but I slipped in some BTR song titles into this chapter. This wasn't done intentionally, but I noticed afterward that I think I included two maybe? I know one I did at the end, but maybe one at the beginning? Keep an eye out for them, and whoever comments the first review with the titles includes can give me one thing they want featured in the next chapter :P
QUICK QUESTION: Do any of you want a chapter to be in James' point of view, or a combined chapter including both Sam's and James'? If you could leave me a review with your answer to that question, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, I have been noticing that the only number going up is my views number. I need for people to review, favorite, and follow in order to let me know to continue on. If I don't hear from people, I'm going to assume that no one wants an update. Therefore, I think it would be better (for my especially) to only update after a review is posted. I won't be doing it daily unless I get some notice that you all want more. So even if it's just a smiley face or a quick comment, leave a review for mwah! This way, we can all continue on with the story. Thanks again for taking the time to read my story, it means a lot! I'll let you go now… Keep reading!
~Sam