19
“Hurry up!” Sam shouts from the top of the hill.
I don’t know what I was thinking. He said he was going for a run. It’s my day off from classes, and I was bored, so I thought, why not? I’ll tell you why not! Because Sam is a fucking masochist.
“Fuck you!” I yell with a groan. A sharp pain stabs me in the ribs with every ragged breath I manage to suck in.
I bend over, hands on my hips, gulping in deep breaths.
My lungs are burning. How can anyone find this enjoyable?
Sam’s chuckle flows down the hill like a mocking echo, letting everyone know how unfit I am.
My knees buckle beneath me, and my body gives up, falling to the ground in a wheezing heap.
I close my eyes in an attempt to shield them from the beaming sun.
Beads of sweat drop from my head onto the grass.
A shadow appears, blocking the sun from my face.
I open my eyes to see Sam standing above me, an amused grin on his face.
And he’s not even fucking panting. Asshole.
“I thought you said you worked out,” he mocks, bending down into a squat.
“I said I had a Pilates machine at home. I didn’t say I ran fucking marathons and was ready to hike up fucking hills.”
He hands me his drink bottle. I prop myself up on my elbow and squeeze the water over my face, opening my mouth to catch the water as it streams down.
“You should come by the gym. I’ll get you running up hills in no time.”
“Does that seem like something I want to do?”
He holds out his hand, offering to help me up as he continues to laugh at my expense.
I let him support the full weight of my body, his muscles flexing as he pulls me to my feet.
Leaning my body against his, he wraps his arm around my waist, and the muscles in my legs scream at me to stop moving, begging me to lie back down.
“You’re going to want to stretch or you’ll be sore tomorrow.”
“Fuck you,” I say again, gripping onto the bottom of his oversized tank.
“Fine, don’t stretch. But I don’t want to hear you complain tomorrow when you can’t sit down to pee.”
“Is this why you love working at the gym? Because you enjoy torturing people? I honestly don’t see how you have any clients at all.
You’re mean.” I slip my fingers into the tight pocket of my yoga pants, retrieving my car key.
“Here, you’re going to have to drive. My legs don’t work anymore.
” I pass him the key, and a sparkle of excitement lights his eyes.
“Wait, you do know how to drive, right?”
“Yes, smart ass. I know how to drive. I’ve been driving since I was thirteen.
We had an old pickup on the farm. I’m probably a better driver than you.
” He jabs his finger into my ribs, tickling the spot he’s come to learn is my most sensitive.
I let out a squeal, pushing myself away from him.
My knees instantly wobble, and he grabs for me, securing his arm tightly around my waist again.
“I can imagine you on a farm, in your boots and flannel, playing the harmonica around the fire.”
“I don’t play the harmonica.”
“Shut up. This is my Sam on a Farm fantasy.”
He laughs, clicking the button to unlock the car. He helps me into the passenger side and jogs around to the driver’s side, where he slides into the seat and begins to adjust everything to accommodate his height.
“Seriously, though, tell me more about life on the farm with your sisters. It sounds like you had the perfect postcard life growing up.” My head drops, and I let it fall back onto the headrest. The air conditioner blasts into my face, and my eyes close.
“It was kind of perfect. Mum and Dad both worked on the farm. My sisters and I would help out before and after school. On the weekends, I played a lot of sports. Basketball, football and, in the summer, cricket.” He pauses. I can feel his eyes on me. “Are you asleep?”
“No, I’m just resting my eyes. Keep talking. I like your voice. Tell me about your sisters.”
“Well, there’s Ruby. She’s the oldest. She owns a bakery, and she likes to think she’s in charge all the time.
You know, a typical first child. Then there’s Charlotte, Charlie.
She’s set to take over and run the farm when my parents decide to take a step back.
I’m next. Then, Hazel. She’s a bit of a mess, and then there’s Sadie, the baby.
She’s about the same age as you, but you wouldn’t know it.
They all coddle her. She can’t do anything for herself.
” He pauses again. I hear the indicator, and the car turns.
“I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like to.
They’re always busy on the farm, and it takes almost six hours to drive there, which is a little hard without a car. ”
“You can borrow mine if you ever want to visit them,” I offer, as the car pulls to a stop. I open my eyes and see that we’re in the parking lot of our apartment.
A sweet smile plays on his lips. “That’s nice of you.”
“Yeah, well. I’m a nice person.” I shrug. “Maybe you could take me one day. I’ve never been to Mildura, and farm life sounds nice. I’d look adorable in a pair of pink work boots, don’t you think?”
“So adorable,” he says with a laugh. “Are you going to get out of the car, or do I have to carry you inside?” I contemplate this for a moment. “Or we can sit here for a bit.”
I wiggle my toes in my now-tight runners, lean forward and loosen the laces. Sooner or later, I’m going to need to pee after all that water I drank, but for now, I’m enjoying sitting here.
“Can we stay for a little while? I don’t think my poor, tortured legs could make it to my apartment.”
The soft buzz of the electric seat hums as Sam slowly lays it back, bringing his arms behind his head. He interlocks his fingers and turns to look at me.
“You’re a prince, you know that? Keep telling me about your family. I always wanted brothers and sisters, but it never happened, until Abi’s family adopted me, of course.”
“How did that happen? I know you’ve said that you lived with Abi’s family a lot of the time, but you never mentioned the backstory there.”
“Is it hot in here?” I ask, shifting my weight in the seat, suddenly feeling warm. Sam turns the engine on, lowers the windows, and turns the engine off again, letting a breeze flow through the car. I take the drink bottle from the cup holder and squirt some into my mouth.
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m trying this new thing where I’m open and honest. No masks, just me. The short version is that my mother left when I was ten, Dad travels for work, and I needed someone to look after me.”
“And the long version?”
“Shit, ok.” My thumb is between my teeth before I realise I’ve lifted my hand.
“I haven’t seen my mother since she left.
Everything kind of fucked with me, and I ended up seeing a lot of psychologists.
Dad was worried about me, but he couldn’t leave his job.
He didn’t want to hire a stranger, so Rita and Daniel offered to let me stay with them while he was out of town.
Which was more often than not. Abi went from being my best friend to the sister I never had, and her parents weren’t shy about stepping into the parenting role.
They’d yell at me to do my homework and ground me if I missed curfew.
When I was at home, I did whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.
You’d think that would be the teenage dream, right?
But some nights I’d end up back at Abi’s even when Dad was home. ”
The metallic taste of blood lingers on the tip of my tongue. I pull my thumb from my mouth and rub it on my thigh. Sam quietly watches me, taking me in.
“Anxious habit,” I say, in a breathy laugh. “I guess I grew up a little differently from you, huh?”
“Not that different. You were surrounded by people who loved you. Genetics aren’t what make a family, Luna. They don’t have to come in a nuclear form. You chose Abi, and her entire family chose you. And, well, now you have me.”
There’s a comforting warmth to Sam’s eyes, lulling me into believing that I could say absolutely anything and that he would sit right there, listening, not judging and still choose me even after hearing every dark thought that has ever entered my mind.
But a soft, cautious whisper in my mind warns me not to let him in.
I want to trust the warmth, let it soak over me and make me whole, but I’m not willing to risk opening the floodgates and losing him forever.
“I think I’m ready to go inside now.”
Sam nods, closing the windows before opening his door. He rushes over to the passenger side and offers his arm as I step out of the car.