Chandler
CHANDLER
S weat drips down my face as I move the washing machine I bought into the house from the bed of the truck. I let out a grunt when I set it in the kitchen outside of the laundry room door. I need a break. It’s still fucking hot in this house. I need to get the damn air conditioning fixed after I put in the washer. There's no way I can go another week without air conditioning.
I’ve only been here a little over a week, and the place is starting to feel like home again the longer I'm here. The only problem is that every time I go into the living room, I think of Sam and the way her eyes lit up while we painted the walls and put up shelves. The way she seemed so focused, so excited to bring this place back to life.
I still haven’t heard from her since I left, and each day I don’t hear from her, I lose hope that I'll ever hear from her again. She really made this place what it is, and even though there's still a lot of work to be done, I'm determined to finish it.
I look out of the kitchen window. It’s getting dark outside, so I may as well take a break before installing the washer. I crack a few windows to let the airflow so the place doesn't make me feel like I'm inside Satan's asshole and step out onto the porch, looking at the beauty of the sunset.
It’s cooler outside than it is indoors, and I take a deep breath of fresh air, enjoying the view. I smile to myself, remembering catching Sam take a picture of the sunset while she sat on the porch swing. There’s a twinge in my chest.
What if I fucked everything up by moving here? Did I make a mistake with what I did? No one has ever made me feel the way she does, and I'm not sure anyone else ever will. I want to call her again ,but I doubt she’ll answer.
The sounds of a car driving down the road interrupt my thoughts. I look to my left, toward the dirt road, to see a black sedan driving so fast that dirt creates dusty brown clouds behind it. Who is that? No one drives out here unless they live here, and I haven’t seen any new neighbors. I watch the car stop on the dirt road just past the house and do a three-point turn to go back in the other direction. It drives slowly past the house and then turns, parking in the driveway. I tilt my head, trying to remember if I've seen the car before, but I haven't. Who the hell is showing up here?
When the car door opens, they step out of the vehicle, and warmth flows from my chest through my entire body.
I’m so surprised I can hardly speak. I stand on the porch like an idiot, just staring at her with a stupid smile on my face.
“Hey," Sam says, shutting the car door. She places her hands on her hips and looks up at the house. “I almost forgot where this place was.”
I watch her make her way up the porch, looking as radiant as ever. God, I’ve missed her. I have to stop myself from wrapping her up in my arms, from pulling her close and kissing her until she can’t think. Did my plan actually work ?
“What are you doing here?”
“You tell me. You sent my information to everyone in town. How did you even find out?”
“Penny," I say. "She came into the office when you were gone and gave me your business cards. I took them and made copies. And Cheyenne is a really good marketer, so," I rub the back of my neck.
“So, you took it upon yourself to go out of your way and make sure all of my business was here in your town?”
“Yes, I did. And I’d do it again, Sam.” She looks away, and my heart breaks a little. But she's here for a reason. I have a chance to fix this, or at least tell her how I feel, how I've always felt. “Sam, please, look at me.” She does, and my heart skips a beat. “I wanted to tell you before the word got out. I wanted us to figure something out to make this thing between us work. But then Ken and his big fucking mouth ruined all of it.” She doesn’t say anything, so I keep going.
“I know that I hurt you, and I never wanted to do that. That was the last thing I wanted. And I know you think I’m some playboy who can’t be in a normal relationship, but I swear to you, Sam, I will do whatever I can to prove you wrong. If you end up staying in North Carolina or not, I will prove to you that I want this.”
When she looks up at me, she looks like she might cry. Fuck, I can’t get this right. “Sam, I know what I want. I want you. And if you think maybe there’s a chance, then I think it would be worth a shot.”
“You really want this, ?”
“Don’t you?”
She scoffs. “Of course, I want this! Why do you think I was so mad at you for leaving me behind? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since…” She trails off for a moment.
“Since we first met," I say, and she stops talking, looking at me intently. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since we first met. God, Sam," I let an exasperated sigh, everything I’ve felt for her bubbling to the surface.
“," she says, but I can’t wait any longer. I need to get this out.
“I love the way your nose scrunches up when you get mad at something I’ve said or the way your eyes get dark when you’re turned on. I love that you say whatever is on your mind and that you drink weird coffee. It actually smells nice! I love making you smile and making you laugh, and I loved running through the rain with you. I just..” I pause for a moment, looking into her eyes. “I love you, Sam.”.
“.” Sam smiles at me, and my knees go weak when she says, “I love you too.”
I grab her hand and pull her close, wrapping my arms around her waist and slamming my mouth onto hers.
Her surprised gasp turns to a muffled sigh, and I feel all of the tension leave her shoulders as she melts into me. My entire body tingles when she wraps her arms around my neck, our tongues gliding against each other. When we pull away, she lets out a breathy laugh, her eyes shining so brightly they almost knock me over.
“I’ve missed you so much," I whisper.
“I’ve missed you too.”
She kisses me again, and when we pull away, a thought occurs to me.
“When do you go back to Florida?”
“Well, considering my entire client base is now in North Carolina, I may have to move down here.”
I smile, elated. “Seriously?”
She laughs and shakes her head. “Not here, in the house with you, but I think I might have to look at getting an apartment if I want to make sure to be on schedule for my clients.”
"That's fine with me. I want this. "
"I know," she says, running her fingers through my hair. "I want this too."
“Just promise me we’ll have sleepovers,” I say.
She smiles. “Of course! What about tonight?”
“Tonight, and the night after that, and the night after that. It’s an open invitation.”
“Good,” she says with a smile that makes my heart soar. “Because I haven’t found a hotel yet.”
I grin at her and pull away to grab her hand. “Are you hungry? Should we celebrate with some dinner?”
She smiles wide, her eyes shiny with excitement. “Pasta?”
“Of course! What else would it be?”
I take her hand and lead her inside.