Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sam was having the time of her life. Also, she was, apparently, now officially seeing Taylor. The thought made her giddy. When Taylor had introduced her like that to her ex, she didn’t think she could swoon any more. If she did, she’d start feeling like a cartoon character with hearts floating above her head.
Then she’d gone and called her babe . She didn’t even know where that had come from. All she knew was Liz gave her the ick factor, and she was extremely jealous in that moment.
There was something so different about this date compared to ones she’d been on with guys in the past. A feeling of everything clicking into place, a neon sign lighting up to say: “ This is how it’s meant to feel”. There were no questions floating around in her head, like: Should I say this? Should I do that? Should I look like this? Everything currently whispered… yes . And she was just going with it.
They were now wandering around the other half of the festival, hand in hand, with no particular place to go. Her head was bopping along to the current dance beat as she watched the DJ, completely immersed in her own track, dancing along with a few young kids in front of her as they giggled and showed off their best moves to each other.
“Think you can fit in dessert?” Taylor squeezed her hand and gestured with her chin over to an ice-creamery stall.
“There is always room for dessert,” she replied. It was one of her favourite quotes her mum always used to say, and the thought made her smile. They meandered over to join the line, reading the board of flavours.
“Muhallabia sounds good.”
“Muhallawah?” Sam asked, looking around.
Taylor pointed to the bottom of the board. “It’s a medieval flavour. How cool is that?”
“Well I still don’t even know what it is, but I’m in.”
“Bowl or waffle cone?”
Sam gave her a look.
“Cone?” Taylor guessed.
“Duh!” Sam grinned.
Two cones later, they stood around a fire pit, people-watching, Sam also unapologetically Taylor watching. She’d call her more handsome than pretty tonight, and it was more of a turn-on than she ever thought possible. What could she say? She liked a woman in black jeans and a sweater. It was simple and so damn huggable. Especially as she stared straight back at her across the fire, licking that cone like it was in another spot entirely. She squirmed. Taylor smiled. Then it widened as her eyes grew darker.
Oh. She knew exactly what she was doing.
Sam crossed her legs and tried to concentrate on her own ice cream. She was unfortunately one of those messy eaters though, and this damn thing was melting all down the sides and all over her hands. Standing in front of the fire probably wasn’t helping either. Taylor handed her a napkin from her pocket, chuckling away.
She’d just popped the last bite of waffle in her mouth when Taylor’s eyes lit up.
“Oh! I love this song!”
Sam tuned in to what was playing. She didn’t recognise it, but it had a cute beat. She didn’t have a chance to think about it any further before Taylor grabbed her and dragged her through the crowd.
“Taylor! Where are we going?”
“Come on.”
“That’s not an answer!” She laughed, stomping along behind her.
Taylor stopped abruptly, whirling around as Sam ran into her, giggling. Then she looked around and realised they were standing in the middle of the dance floor.
Sam started shaking her head. “Oh no. Nope. No way. I am not a dancer.”
Taylor broke out into the chorus, grabbing Sam’s hands and refusing no as an answer. Her smile and energy were infectious, and Sam couldn’t help but return it.
She rolled her eyes but smiled, joining in with her own bop along. By the second chorus, she was completely into it. Everyone around them forgotten, she sang along with Taylor, both of them grinning like complete idiots.
The song ended with a round of applause from the DJ and a few people around them.
“That was Like You Like That —and she certainly does.” The DJ winked at Taylor, who gave a thumbs up in return.
Both breathless, they stepped off the stage, arm in arm.
“So,” Taylor started.
“So,” Sam parroted, still grinning, high off the energy.
“Thought I’d double check, do you like me like that?”
She didn’t warrant it with an answer. Instead, she grabbed the front of Taylor’s jumper and kissed her. People jostled their way around them, and she couldn’t care less. This was the build-up, the culmination of everything over the last couple of weeks. Taylor must’ve felt it too as teeth and tongues clashed. It was messy, and it was perfect.
Then she felt a drop of water.
And another.
They broke apart as the sky began to open up.
“Uh oh.” Taylor held her hands palm up. “Do we need to get out of here?”
Still flushed, Sam looked her right in the eye. “I think we need to get out of here for more than just the rain.”
Taylor’s face told her all she needed to know.
They made it back to Sam’s place in record time, the storm making itself well and truly known as they dashed inside through howling wind and lashing rain.
“Thanks for driving me home,” Sam almost shouted over the roar outside as she shut the door with much more force than usually required.
“You’re welcome,” Taylor replied, wiping the water off her face and hair, messing it up completely in the process. “I didn’t think that storm was meant to hit until the early hours.”
Sam took off her jacket, shook it, and hung it over a dining chair. “Seems Mother Nature had other plans.” She tamed her own windswept hair, threading it through her fingers.
To Sam, the bad weather was like a safety blanket, knowing it would keep people out of the public storage yard outside and ensuring her dad stayed over on his boat, so she could feel like they had complete privacy with no more unwarranted drop-ins. Still, she walked over and locked the front door this time, pulling the curtains over the glass doors to give them even more seclusion. In this moment, it was the first time she felt like she was outgrowing the space, maybe the whole area. The open seas were calling, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to come back. Taylor was becoming more of an anchor in her life each day though. And that thought alone scared her the most.
She turned back to face Taylor. Now was not the time for those thoughts.
“Do you want a drink?”
Aware they were completely alone, the nerves started to inch their way back in as Sam thought about progressing things beyond a kiss. But she didn’t want to be in her head right now. She wanted to own this moment. This night.
“I think I’m good,” Taylor said, leaning back on the dining table, her legs crossed at the ankles. She gave Sam a look that said the ball was in her court. She was waiting. Ready.
Sam stepped into her space, closing the distance as her hands landed on either side of Taylor on the table. She could do this.
Time to listen to her gut.
No.
Lower …
…and just let go.
Her body was in control, her mind a servant to anything it wanted. She met Taylor’s eyes, a mixture of curiosity and simmering heat. The golden flecks amongst the green roaring to life in their own challenge.
Sam ghosted a kiss over Taylor’s lips, barely touching, her stare never wavering. She caught the hint of cinnamon from their ice-cream as she paused to take her in and capture the moment.
Outside, the rain hammered on the roof above, the wind roaring through any crack it could find. Yet they remained still. The calm amongst the storm.