Chapter Twenty-One #2
“Probably being a mom,” Alex answered. “When someone else is relying on you to explain the secrets of the world to them, you figure things out quickly.” She pulled Sam in for another soft kiss.
It made Sam feel so warm and cared for that it nearly brought tears to her eyes.
“Besides, we’re together now,” she pointed out.
“And it’s like no time has passed at all.”
“Everything is the same.” Alex tilted her head. “But different.”
“Different,” Sam agreed. She looked down at their still clasped hands and squeezed them. “And better.”
They arrived at a cozy neighborhood café that Sam hadn’t noticed the night before when they were driving.
From the outside, it looked charming. It was tucked on the corner of a tree-lined street.
Ivy draped over its weathered red brick exterior.
A hand-painted sign hung above the entrance, and the daily specials were neatly written on a chalkboard sign.
Inside, the space felt warm and cozy. String lights hung from exposed wood beams, casting a soft glow on the few booths and mismatched vintage tables.
The air carried the scent of coffee and baked goods, and Sam’s stomach rumbled again.
Alex laughed and led them to a booth by the window, where they slid in opposite each other.
Alex picked up the handwritten menu and studied it, while Sam studied her.
Sam still didn’t know how they ended up together after all these years, but she was determined not to lose her this time.
“I never thought I’d see you again,” she said softly.
With each passing moment, she was becoming more and more certain that she belonged here, with Alex.
Alex put her menu down and looked up, her face searching Sam’s.
“I never thought I’d see you again either.
” She smiled widely, her warm eyes reassuring Sam.
“But here we are. Now, I could ask what you’re going to get, but instead I think I should guess.
” She turned her attention to the waitress who had just approached their booth.
“We’ll both have coffee, please.” She looked at Sam, who nodded in confirmation.
“And I’ll have a sausage and cheese omelet with a side of hashbrowns.
And she will have chocolate chip pancakes, crispy bacon, and a side of french fries.
” She raised an eyebrow at Sam, who smiled and nodded again.
The waitress scribbled down their order and headed back toward the kitchen.
“Some things never change, like your totally bizarre breakfast order.” Alex leaned back in the booth, a sigh escaping her lips. “Do you still stack it all together like some kind of intricate breakfast puzzle?”
“What can I say?” Sam grinned. “Pancakes make everything better. And I just love fries.” She shrugged. “And of course I do. It’s all about the ratios, you know?”
After a few minutes, the waitress delivered their coffees and some waters. Sam was pleasantly surprised that the waitress brought real maple syrup when she asked for it. She stirred some into her coffee and took a grateful first sip.
“How’s the house coming along?” Alex leaned in over the table, placing her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand.
“You know, it’s just about done,” Sam answered. “The work that you did, and getting the boys to help, well, it really put me so far ahead of where I thought I’d be by now.”
Alex didn’t say anything in return, and they lapsed into a slightly awkward silence. Sam felt the weight of what was going to be looming between them very soon. She didn’t feel ready to face that yet, so she decided that the safest thing to do was to change the subject. “How’s Sophie?”
Alex’s eyes lit up at the mention of her daughter. “She’s doing great. She’s having a blast with her dad. They went camping for a few days in the mountains, and Scott taught her how to fish.” Her eyes sparkled with pride and affection. “I swear, there’s nothing that kid can’t do.”
“I’m sure she takes after you,” Sam said. “You’re amazing.”
“You don’t have to say that.” Alex blushed and looked down at her hands.
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it.” Sam reached across the table and lightly rested her fingers on Alex’s arm. “And how’s living with your parents?”
Alex took a deep breath before exhaling.
“Well, that’s been an adjustment, obviously.
No one expects to be living back home with their parents at this age.
” She shrugged. “But it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.
It’s been so nice to have them around to help with Sophie.
” She looked up at Sam, face unreadable.
“Besides, I’m hoping that it’s only temporary. ”
“Here we go…” The waitress set down several plates between them. The interruption was a welcome reprieve from the weighty direction the conversation seemed to be going.
“Need anything else?” she asked, looking between them.
Sam and Alex both shook their heads. They gazed at the spread in front of them before eagerly digging into their breakfasts. Sam exhaled, feeling herself relax. Conversation was put on hold for now.
As she ate, Sam stared out the window at a group of teenagers kicking a ball around in the small park. “Looking at them reminds me of us,” she said, gesturing with her head toward the group.
Alex turned to watch them, a smile creeping across her face. “That feels like a lifetime ago.” She chuckled, her eyes twinkling. “Remember the first time that we skipped school?”
Sam laughed, her shoulders shaking from the force of the memory. “How could I forget?” she said with a grin. “Your mom grounded you for like a week. And I got a lecture about being a bad influence.”
“Little did she know…” Alex raised an eyebrow. “It was worth it, though.” She reached out and touched Sam’s wrist. “Every moment with you was worth it.”
Sam turned her palm up and captured Alex’s hand with her own. “Yeah,” she whispered. “It was, wasn’t it?”
Alex looked down at their joined hands, a small smile playing on her lips. “I used to think about this a lot,” she said, lightly squeezing Sam’s hand. “What could have been, you know? If only…” Her voice trailed off.
“If only your mom hadn’t caught us?” Sam tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice.
“Yes, there’s that,” she admitted. “But also, it didn’t need to take twelve years.” Alex’s voice caught at the last words.
Sam looked up, her gaze searching Alex’s face, which now showed disappointment and sadness.
Her chest ached at the thought of the life they could have shared—if Alex’s mother hadn’t caught them, if they had been braver and fought for their love back then.
Or if they had been less stubborn as grown-ups.
Alex drew a shaky breath. “I’m sorry, Sam.” Her eyes flicked down to their clasped hands on the table. “I only wish I had done something, anything, sooner.” Her shoulders lifted in a small shrug. “It didn’t need to be this complicated.”
Sam reached across the table and took Alex’s other hand, holding both gently and firmly in her own.
Their eyes met across the table, and Sam could see the vulnerability and uncertainty in Alex’s eyes.
All she wanted in that moment was to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay, that they would be okay.
“It’s a lot to take in,” she admitted. “But it’s also kind of nice.
We have a chance to start over. And yes, maybe things should never have ended in the first place, but all those years helped make us who we are today.
And while there are things that I would change, I think we ended up exactly where we’re supposed to be. ”
Alex smiled shyly at Sam in appreciation. “I guess life has a funny way of turning out, doesn’t it?”
The waitress returned to refill their coffees, breaking the spell. She didn’t seem fazed at seeing them holding hands across the table. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked, pen poised and ready.
“No, no, thank you,” Sam said, leaning back again in the booth. She looked up at the waitress. “This has been great.”
“No problem, ladies.” She paused to finish scribbling on her pad before tearing off a sheet and placing it on the table between them.
“You can pay at the register when you’re ready.
” She gestured over her shoulder toward a small counter by the door.
She turned to leave, then paused and spun back around to face them.
“You two make a lovely couple,” she said, winking. And with that, she was gone.
Sam watched her retreating form as it disappeared behind a swinging door. “Well, that was…”
“Yeah,” Alex agreed before they both burst into laughter.
But in the back of her mind, Sam felt something knocking at the corner—a question about tomorrow, about what would happen when the weekend was over.
She pressed her fingernails into her palm, the slight pain anchoring her in the moment. She didn’t have to figure it out today.
After driving back from the city Saturday morning, they settled into the comfort of Sam’s house.
By afternoon, Sam’s old bedroom had become their sanctuary.
Inside, time seemed to stand still, and the world outside—its weights and responsibilities—felt like just a theory, something they might consider later, maybe, if they felt like it.
Sam was flipping grilled cheese sandwiches as Alex padded into the kitchen.
Sam felt her breath catch when she turned and saw her wearing one of her shirts and nothing else, the hem barely brushing the tops of her thighs.
Her hair was loose and partly tangled from their time in bed, and her cheeks were flushed with sleep.
She didn’t think she had ever seen anything so beautiful.
She quickly turned back to the stove so Alex wouldn’t see that her eyes had begun to tear up.
Alex walked over and pressed her body against Sam’s back, wrapping her arms around Sam’s waist as she did so. “Hmm, grilled cheese,” she said. “You make the best grilled cheese sandwiches.”
Sam laughed. “Flattery will get you everywhere, but it won’t get you forgiven for stealing all of the blankets.”
“I was cold and naked,” Alex muffled into her back. “I made a judgment call.”
Sam turned into Alex’s arms and gave her a soft kiss. Alex hummed contentedly. Reluctantly, Sam pulled away. “These are going to burn if we’re not careful,” she warned.
“Well, we can’t have that,” Alex said, reaching around Sam to turn off the burner. She kept Sam’s gaze as she moved the skillet with the sandwiches away from the heat. Sam opened and closed her mouth, gaping like a fish.
“If I’m not mistaken…” Alex drifted back until she hit the center island, then pushed herself up to sit on it.
“I think we started something here on this countertop a few days ago,” she paused to pull Sam’s shirt up and over her head before tossing it lightly aside, “and we never got to finish it.” She grinned and ran one of her hands down the center of her body in invitation.
Sam bit her lip and stared, a slow grin beginning to spread across her face.
She glanced back at the skillet to make sure the stove was off, then slowly moved between Alex’s legs.
“I think you’re right,” she whispered, leaning in to capture Alex’s lips in hers in a kiss that burned with immediate heat.
Later, they lay sprawled across the couch, limbs tangled, the air heavy with lazy intimacy. They had finished their reheated grilled cheese, and now neither of them spoke. The room smelled faintly of toast and skin.
Alex’s hand rested on the bare skin of Sam’s thigh, tracing light, absentminded circles. “I don’t think there’s any place I’d rather be than right here. Like this.”
Sam didn’t answer right away. Just let her hand slide under the hem of Alex’s shirt, fingertips brushing the curve of her back. “I like this day,” she finally said.
“It’s not over yet.”
“Exactly.”
Alex’s mouth curled at the corner. She reached up and kissed her then, slow and sure like a promise.
Neither of them moved for a long time after that.