Chapter 4
SAM
The sun dipped just beneath the horizon when Sam hopped off the bus later that day, the last few golden rays of light stretching upward and signaling the finality of the work day.
She glanced down at her watch to ensure that she would be on time, forcing herself to slow her pace when she did. As it seemed to be tradition these days, her trademark of habitually overestimating how much time she would need to get to her destination proved accurate once again.
After having to make a quick stop at the bank, exactly ten minutes ahead of schedule, she had more than enough time to walk to the restaurant.
In fact, she decided to take a moment to eagerly embrace the approaching dusk as the wind kicked up around her, forcing her to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear.
It had only been a few days since she’d last been able to see Charlie, so she was a bit surprised just how much she’d missed him. Though, to be fair, they had been practically glued at the hip since they met as children.
The memory flashed in her mind, and she absently rubbed her hand over her heart.
The two of them, all gangly long legs and buck teeth in desperate need of braces. Awkward as ever, but with one shy smile shared between them as their mothers chatted in the whole food aisle at the supermarket, the rest was history.
A gust of wind forced her out of memory lane and back to her conversation with Angel earlier.
Her notepad was already brimming with ideas from her earlier burst of creative energy, overflowing with hastily written chicken scratch that she knew even she would have a hard time deciphering later.
Whether any of these ideas would actually work as a romance, she wasn’t sure yet.
She’d most likely have to start from scratch, but she’d managed to scrawl a few new ideas in there.
A dull throb radiated from her temples, a result of all the caffeine she’d guzzled down earlier.
If she could just—
“Well, look who’s here already!” A voice called from behind her, jolting her from her thoughts. Sam turned, instantly recognizing the voice as her face broke into a wide smile.
Charlie walked toward her as he exited the nearby parking garage. He quickened his pace to catch up with her but easily closed the distance between them with a few long strides. She raced forward, all but throwing herself into his waiting arms as he lifted her feet off the ground and hugged her.
“You’re back!” she exclaimed.
Charlie laughed and gave her a quick squeeze before lowering her back to the ground. “I was only gone for a few days.”
She shrugged, a little embarrassed by her reaction. “I know, but it’s boring around here without you.”
She sometimes hated how true that was, but being her best friend meant that the significant amount of time they spent together was void without him there. But more than that, she just missed him. Not that she’d tell him that. He’d just get an ego about it, or worse, poke fun at her for it.
“Aw, I missed you too,” he teased, an almost knowing twinkle in those blue eyes of his.
“I thought you’d hit more traffic coming this way,” she said to change the subject, her hand rising to shield her eyes from the few rays of light that managed to slip around him.
Leave it to Charlie to be one of the only people in this city who could make her feel short.
Standing at just under six feet tall herself, it was a difficult feat in and of itself.
But as he was an entire head taller than she was, he was one of the few people that pulled it off.
Coupled with the fact that he was built like a linebacker, it was enough to make her feel small in comparison.
Charlie shook his head, running a hand through the soft waves of his light-brown hair.
It appeared almost golden with the way the sun hit it.
“Not as bad as usual. I left a few minutes early, so someone didn’t have to wait too long.
” He affectionately nudged her with his shoulder as they turned to walk the remaining distance to the restaurant.
“You know me, chronically early. Have a good day?” she asked.
The smell of his cologne filled her senses as the wind shifted in her direction.
It was earthy, the kind of smell that immediately flashed images of a log cabin out in the woods right at the peak of fall.
It was one he’d been wearing since he was old enough to buy his own cologne—and one that always made her think of him whenever she smelled anything similar to it.
“About as good as can be expected. You know how much I love having to be at the office,” Charlie joked, mimicking a rope strangling him with his free hand and eliciting a giggle from her. “You take the bus again?”
She nodded slowly and eyed him. “You really do hate me taking that bus, don’t you?”
“Can you blame me? You’re too stubborn to accept rides from me often; I have to practically bear wrestle you into the car the few times you even hint you’ll accept my help, and I really don’t like to think of you sitting next to some crazy person,” he defended.
She rolled her eyes. “That was one time, one time, and now you’ll never let me hear the end of it!”
“As I shouldn’t!” he protested, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “It was just about the only time you let me drive you around after that because you were so freaked out.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t like being carted around. It was obviously more convenient than trying to rely on the bus. But while they lived in the same apartment building and spent a lot of time together, she hated relying on him too much.
“Yeah, well, I’m fine now, so stop worrying about it. You are such a worrywart.”
Understatement of the year. Despite being the youngest son of the Backman family, Charlie radiated the protective aura that was typically associated with older siblings—a mantle happily handed down to him by his actual older siblings.
“One of us has to be. Will I ever be able to convince you to get another car?” he asked.
She shook her head, offering him a determined, albeit defiant, smile.
While the downtown area of Durham was walkable to a certain degree, the rest of the area required larger means of transportation, meaning she often didn’t venture too far outside of the city unless she called a cab or was going with Charlie somewhere.
Her own car had been stuck at the repair shop most of the year since… well, after what had happened to it.
“Nope! I work remotely anyway, so it’s not like I have a commute to worry about, unlike some people.”
Charlie scowled at her. “Ugh, fine. Someday, though, I’ll wear you down. Tell me about your day at least.”
She shrugged. “You know how it’s been.”
“I’m sure you’ll come up with something soon. Talk to Angel lately?” He offered one of his trademark dimpled smiles. The flutter in Sam’s chest forced her to let out a sigh to cover it.
“Yes, I talked to her earlier today. She sends her love.”
“What’d she have to say?”
She shrugged. “Oh you know, the usual. She’s gonna be in South Korea for her friend’s wedding soon, so she’ll be MIA for a bit.”
“And when is she coming down to visit us?”
Sam laughed. While Angel had been Sam’s roommate in college, Angel and Charlie had gotten on thick as thieves. If there was anyone who would be able to keep up with her friend’s energy level, it was Charlie.
“She said she’d let me know after she gets back to New York.”
“Good. You guys have any progress with book stuff?”
Sam eyed him. “Maybe…”
“Oh, tell me! What do you have up your sleeve?” Charlie asked as he quirked an eyebrow at her mischievously.
As they rounded the corner together, the mint-colored brick of the burger joint came into view, its facade perfectly juxtaposed against the traditionally red-bricked exterior of the building opposite it.
A perfect contrast—and a perfect distraction to put their conversation on hold until after Sam satiated her growling stomach.
“I’ll tell you about it in a minute. Let’s get food sorted out first.”
Charlie hissed out a sigh, aiming a playful pout in her direction. He let her go first as they got to the front door, so he could open the door for both of them, ushering her in with a grand wave of his hands.
Few things had changed since they were kids, Charlie’s sense of humor being one of them. She sashayed past him, flicking her long hair over her shoulder as she did.
The two followed the long red arrow drawn on the floor, which led to the order counter near the back of the restaurant. Charlie loved coming here, so Sam could practically feel him buzzing with excitement as they made their way past waiters and other patrons.
The hiss of the brewery equipment, sheltered behind the glass wall immediately to the right of the entryway, reverberated through Sam’s ears and piqued her interest. She briefly entertained the idea of ordering herself a beer to go with the burger she would most definitely be getting but decided against it.
She inhaled the heavenly aroma of grilling meat and salt that permeated the air. A delightful departure from her previous location’s lingering coffee scent. The sweet and bitter combination melted away into a savory aroma that already had her mouth watering.
In all the excitement of the day, she quickly realized that she’d forgotten to eat much of anything. The thought was punctuated by her stomach growling angrily, loud and persistent. A sound that didn't seem to escape Charlie’s sharp hearing as he stood next to her.
“You are absolutely hopeless, you know that?” he teased after they placed their orders and made their way to a table.
Sam immediately claimed the seat facing away from the window and draped her bag over the back of her chair for safekeeping.
“I may or may not have forgotten to eat. Besides, though,” she added pointedly before quickly sticking her tongue out at him, “mind your business.”
“Mature,” Charlie chided but almost immediately stuck his tongue out at her in return.