Thanks for the reviews again! Glad to see that they all want this to continue :) I was thinking of ending it at chapter 10 in the beginning because I didn't know what kind of response I would get. Well, after this chapter, things will be heading in a different direction. But I think everyone will like it ;) I just have to think of what else to write to add drama and suspense, but I have a few ideas up my sleeve. It will dig into other couples as well to spice it up a bit. Hope you like what happens in this chapter! :D Sorry for the late upload, btw. I have been SO busy with preparing for midterms and all, that day I just gave up and had some time for myself. I did fit in this chapter, though, for all of you! Enjoy chapter 10!

Shout-outs: ArianamaslowBTR25- Alright, I promise I won't end it soon :P Here's the next chapter for ya. You might know where this is going, but I'll try to add twists and turns. Hehe :3 Thanks!

Dreamer1992- ikr? A lot of stuff went down and some unanswered questions… But this chapter will help answer some :)

Taylor Shine- Ok, I won't end it :D I have an idea of making more chapters and then a sequel to after this ends! And yeah sorry this was uploaded later. I needed some time since I was typed out yesterday and I spent a few hours out to breakfast and watching a movie. But sh, I'm typing this during my mid-term review for English. hehe

Chapter 10: Three Little Words

CARLOS' POV:

Oh no. Krista's in deep shit now. All of us were. Sam just stormed out the door in nothing but a red tank-top and black booty shorts because we got her to say her true love for James. And she looked really pissed and upset. I for sure didn't know that Krista's "plan" was going to end like that. Hopefully Sam wasn't too upset with us. We just wanted to help. James ran after her, so maybe they could sort it out somehow.

But, for the meantime, we were all just sitting on Krista's living room carpet putting our accessories and such back on. Riley was quietly slipping on her other shoe as Logan was finishing putting on his jacket. I was clicking my watch back into place, listening to the only sound of Krista and Kendall arguing. No one else was daring enough to speak a word.

"Krista!" Kendall lectured, his hands slamming on the carpet. "What the fuck? Was that really part of your plan? You screwed up everything!" He sighed and threw his beanie back onto the floor, not bothering to touch it again.

Krista opened her mouth and grabbed onto her knees, pulling her legs closer to her chest. "I didn't think it would go this way!" she pleaded, her eyes starting to gloss over. "I thought that maybe they would get the hint about each other after the last question! Then I was going to stop! I didn't think Sam would react like that!"

"Well maybe next time you should think it over before you do something stupid like that again!" Kendall yelled, standing up to put his dog tags back on. "I-I just can't deal with this right now…" He grabbed his belt and walked out of the living room, heading to the kitchen.

"You seemed to agree with the plan too, Kendall!" Krista screamed after him, getting up and stomping after him. This didn't look good…

After they left the room, Logan groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "Wow…" he gasped, a puff of air coming out. "Did not see that coming…"

Riley nodded her head and murmured in agreement. "Yeah, I didn't either… But at least we learned something new about everything, huh?" She smiled and tried to lighten the situation. God she was so cute when she did that.

"Yeah" I said, a small grin forming on my face. I had to ask her something, just to make sure it was true. Cause I got the wrong impression before, but I didn't know if it was a mix-up on my part. "So…" I stuttered, my hands digging in my North face pockets. "Was it true what you said about never liking anyone in this room?" I hoped I didn't sound too sad or anything, but I just wanted to know.

Riley bit her lip and giggled. "Oh no," she denied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Krista made me say that as part of her 'plan'…" She made tiny little air quotes to emphasize her point. "I do, and I hope he sees that too…" Her hand moved over to mine, now playing with the fibers of the carpet. She held onto mine and gripped tightly, staring at my face and smiling again.

My heart jumped all around inside, happy that she did indeed like me. A childish-like smile formed on my face as I looked back at Riley. "I think he does" I replied, shuffling closer to her and putting my arms around her.

Logan just grumbled and flopped onto the couch. "Too. Many. Feelings. Here. Overload…" he mumbled into the pillow. Riley and I just laughed and held onto each other. Maybe this New Year wouldn't be so bad… Hopefully Sam and James could set everything straight.

SAM'S POV:

I could not believe what just happened. Krista tried to set up the puny game of "Never Have I Ever" to make me admit my feelings for James. Well I hoped she was happy, since I confessed it right in front of the guy who could never love me back. The cat was out of the bag, and I wasn't even going to bother catching it. I was just going to let it completely disappear until no one spoke anything else about it. No matter how long it took…

After that one statement Krista made at the end, I stormed out of the house, not wanting to see James' face or reaction. Plus the fact that I was crying so hard after it. The tears were pouring from my eyes, my hands barely able to catch any of them. Once I left the living room, I ran outside and sat on the front steps. My legs were freezing from the cold cement, but it didn't matter. I rubbed my exposed arms with my hands as my body fell into another weep. The weeps were making my stomach contract, making me remember the feeling I had after Drew called me:

I tried to take in a breath, but my diaphragm locked up on me. I began quivering, my mouth opening like it was begging for air to come in. No matter how hard I tried to breathe in, not one bit of air would push its way in. My lungs were closing in, slowly crushing the shortened breaths of life I needed to take. Curling onto the floor, my knees met my face for the comforting fetal position. Then the shaking began, starting from my fingertips down to my feet. Arms, head, stomach, legs, feet, all uncontrollably twitching as I was clinging onto existence. I tried swallowing, but there was a huge lump in my throat that restricted my airways. Then the numbness set in, slowly engulfing my body and stopping all responses. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I was frozen, like a statue. The only sign of life was coming from my chest that was convulsing and screaming for air. This was not the way I wanted to die…

There was no way I was going to have another relapse of that situation. I knew the outcome would be worse. I would die here, because my love for James was so much stronger than the love I had for Drew. He seemed like only a distant memory right now…

In order to hold onto my sanity, I tried to grab the one thing that reminded me someone cared. James' locket he gave me on Christmas Eve. My hands went up to my neck, feeling around for the smooth silver chain. But I couldn't feel anything. It was gone. I dropped it into the pile when Carlos said that he never loved anyone in this room. The locket represented James' care, and with it gone, it only meant that my security blanket was gone. No one to hold onto anymore when I needed them. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I died here. I didn't have anyone else left anyway…

The sound of my cries droned out the sound of the front door opening. I had my hands in my face again, my toes hanging over the steps and probably catching frostbite or something. I felt a hand on my shoulder, the warmth spreading down my whole arm. It tingled, making my heart twitch in need. I knew who it was, but I couldn't turn my face to him. I knew what he was going to say.

"Sam?" he whispered in that same soft, scared tone I heard one week before. No, this was not going to repeat itself again. I couldn't let it. The only difference was that I was crying about James, not Drew. But it didn't make it any easier.

I pulled my body away from his, turning to the side of the steps and holding onto my thighs. "James, you really shouldn't be here" I cried, the tears dropping all over the cement. "Just leave, ok? Please…" I begged him, knowing that I couldn't control my feelings anymore or my reaction to everything.

"No" James firmly stated, sitting down right next to me. I could just feel his presence lingering around me, making me shake in response. I needed him away from me; that was the only way I could recover quickly. "Do you remember my promise to you?" he asked, clearing his throat quickly before continuing. "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…"

I couldn't believe it. James remembered every single word of the promise he made to me while we were sitting on my couch. And he spoke it with the same care as he did before. My tears slowed down a little, no longer flooding down my cheeks and onto my bare legs. Looking at my feet, I took in a small breath and closed my eyes. "Yes" I whispered into the cool air, my voice barely reaching James. I shifted my legs and tilted my body slightly, trying not to cry anymore. I couldn't show any weakness right now.

James moved his body to face my back and held onto my right arm. "Do you remember what I told you earlier? About how Drew was not the one and the guy you were looking for was closer than you think?" His voice read loud and clear with emotion, expressing sadness, care, passion, and desperation. But he only made it go slightly above a whisper as well.

I squinted my eyes closer together, remembering exactly that moment last week and what went through my head:

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.

The only reply I had to this question was a small nod. That was enough for James, who grabbed me by the shoulders and spun me around so I was facing him straight-on. From here I could see that he was shirtless, the jeans he threw into the circle back on for who knows what reason. Maybe he took back what he said about loving someone in that room. I didn't know if that was a good or bad thing on my part.

His hands came up to my face, tilting it so my eyes stared right back into his. That mesmerizing color came back to me, allowing me to breathe out again. Even though I was still a wreck, the life seeped through my pores again. It was pretty pathetic that I relied on someone so much, since he only saw me as a friend. But that was the truth. My life depended on his, and that was a cold hard fact.

James' eyes looked deep within mine, slowly beginning to fill with water. That stare showed so much passion and care that I was nearly blindsided by it all. But I did not fall over or curl away again. Something inside of me wanted to stay right where I was and hear him. He swallowed and blinked slowly, getting ready to talk again. "I didn't say that just to make you feel better" he confessed, his words beginning to choke up. "I didn't say it just because you wanted me to. I said it because I meant it. I meant every single word that I said to you, and I still do. I said those words because I wanted to. And they are 100 percent true. You know I would never lie to you…"

My mind was blank, taking in the words he said to me. That last sentence made me ache from inside. My best friend never lied to me, but I did. Twice. Not just once, twice. I sniffled and held onto his hands with my fingertips. "I'm sorry" I wept, the tears building up in the corner of my eyes. "I'm sorry that I lied to you, James. I'm sorry that I lied to you about trying to find my true love and about being fine when I wasn't. I 'm sorry I couldn't tell you the truth since I knew you didn't feel the same. I'm sorry for everything that happened this past week. Everything. Basically, I'm sorry for loving you…"

James pulled away in reflex, making me realize that I was truly alone. James was going to leave me right here over this stupid incident. His hands dropped to go into pockets, searching for something. I bit my bottom lip and looked down, my head hanging below. My hands were now in between my thighs, trying to keep them warm. A single tear fell down my cheek again, landing on the cement and splashing everywhere.

I was just about to turn around again when I felt James take my hands away from my thighs. He opened them up and dropped something in each of them. My right hand held my cherished locket, while the left held the key James always held onto. Another memory came flooding over, taking me back to right after I asked about the lock on my locket:

My fingers ran in between the locket, noticing a little place for a key to unlock it. I looked in the box, noticing there was no key. "Um James, why is there a lock and no key?" I questioned, sounding confused.

James tried to calm down from shaking, digging in his pocket for a second. He pulled out a small silver key, holding it in his two right fingers. "Well, it's like a two-piece set" he started to explain, swallowing his growing nerves. "You have the locket and I have the key. The key unlocks the inside. The only way to find out what's inside is if we are together…" He stopped for a second, taking another breath in. "I mean, if we are both together like we are now. But you can't open it now!" James added in, answering my silent question. My eyebrows crinkled together, wondering why I couldn't open it now. What was in there?

I guess now was the time I was going to find out. Closing my hands for me, James looked right at me again and parted his lips to speak. "You don't have to apologize for anything" he began, his fingers tracing my wrist. "I understand everything you said. I'm still here. I never left you, Sam. Especially after that night you called me and cried. You don't how hard my heart broke, hearing you so upset and hurt. This locket, right here-" he tapped my right hand, "This locket was to show you how I'm never going to leave you. No matter what, like I said before…." He paused, rubbing the top of my hands with my thumb. "Open it" he stammered out, letting go of my hands.

My hands started shaking, curious because I was finally going to find out what was inside. My fingers turned the locket to the side, slowly sliding the key in to unlock it. A small click broke the silence, slowly unfolding the two heart locket sides. My eyes widened as they scanned over the cursive writing inside. On the left side, it read You're Never Alone. I clasped the locket harder, moving my eyes to the right side. In the most beautiful engraving I have ever seen, I saw three little words that changed everything. My lips began to tremble as I read the words I love you.

My breaths became shorter and louder, taking in what I just read. I love you. James Maslow had put the words I love you inside a personalized locket for me. A locket he knew I would always wear because it symbolized our care. Our friendship. Our love. I couldn't believe it. Was my best friend telling me that he loved me too? My lips moved, squeaking out a small "James…" before looking up straight at him.

James grasped my hands together again and held the stare. "I love you Samantha" he admitted, making my heart stop for a beat. Just one beat. A single beat. Stopped because of surprise and love, knowing that the one person I loved for two and a half years loved me back. His hands went up to my face again, to wipe away the tears falling from my eyes. "I always have, since the day our friendship was born. I didn't say anything, though, because I thought you didn't feel the same. But hearing you say those words inside made me realize that we both did. Our friendship wasn't based off of support. It was based off of love. The love we had for each other. This whole Drew incident made me see that I don't want to lose you. Not to any other guy or anything else. I want you to be mine and only mine. I need you in my life. Don't ever leave me."

I moved my hands over to James' face, holding each side as I smiled at him. Yes, a smile. Not a fake smirk or something reading in my eyes. It was a genuine smile that stopped every single tear. They were gone, replaced by the love and passion swirling around in my body. "I love you too James" I told him, my eyes shining brightly while looking into his. It was then I realized that the one emotion I couldn't read in James' eyes before was love. It was because I forced myself not to recognize what was right in front of me. And now that I did, everything just seemed to fall into place.

James smiled right back at me, his pearly white teeth matching mine. He pulled me in for a warm hug, my back leaning on his chest as his arms wrapped around me. He kept rubbing my arms and legs, trying to make sure I stayed warm. But I was already warm. Those three little words brought back all the life I ever lost before. My heart was burning with passion, relaxing my body into James'. He stroked my hair, his head resting on my left shoulder. "You don't know how good it feels to hear you say that" he whispered, squeezing me tighter since he knew I was his. His chin was rubbing on my skin, the soft breaths coming from his nose making my body twitch. They were happy twitches, my raging emotions begging for more. James leaned right next to my ear, his hair getting tangled in mine. "Samantha, will you be mine?" he asked in a soft, loving tone.

I tilted my head sideways to stare at his. With another smile, I answered a positive and clear "Yes." He spun me around and pulled me by my waist, leaning in to spontaneously kiss me. His lips met mine in a romantic embrace, the warmth making me melt more into him. The passion was clearly evident between us, the tingling sensation returning to my body. That feeling on my lips was real, and it belonged to only me. Only me. No one else in this world could have him.

He pulled away after, turning his head to stare at me biting my lip. "I really can't get enough of that lip gloss!" he spoke, licking his bottom lip. I giggled and bit mine again, teasing him into thinking he wasn't getting another. "And to think you told me I wasn't getting anymore kisses from you…"

I playfully smacked him in the arm and looked at him. "I don't have to give you anymore…" I joked, raising my eyebrows at him. "I mean if you don't want me to…" I turned my head to pretend like I was going to stop.

"NO!" James yelled, holding me tighter around my waist. "I want more. Plenty more." He laughed and placed his hands over mine, which were holding onto his strong arms. "Well…" he sighed happily, rocking me in his arms. "Here's to new laughs, new adventures, new memories, and most importantly, new love."

"Yes" I agreed, leaning into his chest again just as fireworks went off in the sky. The atmosphere lit up in bright colors of yellow, white, red, blue, green, and purple. I gasped at the beautifully timed sight, moving my head back to James. "Happy New Year" I spoke with a smile.

"Happy New Year to you babe" James whispered in my ear, stealing another quick kiss on my cheek. After a few seconds of just watching the fireworks, he patted my arms and started to stand up. "We should probably go inside right now…" he said, pointing to the door. "They're probably wondering what's going on out here…"

"Yeah we should…" I agreed, standing up right after him. He held out his right hand, only to be grabbed by my left. Walking in unison, we made it to Krista's door and opened it slowly. We were ready to tell everyone what just happened between us. Who knows what they were thinking, but hopefully it wasn't anything bad. Stepping inside the house, we both looked each other and smiled. What better way to start off the New Year than with each other…

So, how'd you like? Now I hope no one is disappointed with the chapters that followed after. Those will reflect Sam and James' relationship, focusing on some points in the way. Don't worry, there is still some other drama that I have stored up my sleeve. You'll just have to keep reading to find out ;) Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite! Love ya!