Girl in the White Dress: Sam's Story

by Nikki D. Walker

  “You could always ask Jay. I am ok with that. We have room.”

  “Are you nuts? I do not need three guys I have been in relationships with all in one room. Two is bad enough. They might compare notes,” I joked.

  She smiled. “As long as you’re ok.”

  “Sure.” As ok as a rabbit being chased by a fox.

  Chapter 16

  * * *

  Tim’s side

  “Yes, mom. I know, mom. Well, I love her, too. Yes, she is fantastic. We will eventually. Ok, I love you, too. Bye.” Tim thought talking to his mother could be utterly exhausting at times.

  Danny still was not speaking to him. Sam was avoiding him and moved back to Pennsylvania to do it effectively. In addition, since his mom found out what happened, she had been giving Tim the third degree about it.

  He needed to clear his head. Sam was trying to forget about him and he was trying to forget about her. At least on his end, it was not working out very well. Tim had fallen for her and fallen hard and people got hurt because of it. Before he could even start to repair anything with her, he needed to fix the situation with Danny.

  It had been about a while since Danny had called out Sam and Tim. He had not tried to contact him because Tim knew he needed a cooling off period and Tim’s parents reminded him of how hurt he was every chance they got. Way to be supportive, he thought. However, self-pity was not going to get him anywhere. He had screwed up and needed to make it up to Danny. He just was not sure how.

  Mind you, Tim’s mom was also upset because she loved Sam and now does not get to talk to her either. That Sunday Tim decided he was getting Danny’s favorite beer and pizza so he could attempt to fix their broken relationship.

  His parents knew he was going by the house but conveniently went out for the afternoon. Tim knocked on the door and heard Danny’s wheelchair scuffle down to the door. That was the moment that it hit him. He was a scumbag. Tim tried to take his handicapped brother’s fiancé. What the hell kind of person does that?

  “Can I help you?” he asked when he opened the door. At least he had opened it, right?

  “Can we talk?”

  He paused and looked thoughtful for a moment. “Fine, whatever.”

  They went into the living room and cracked open a couple of beers. They ate silently and Tim debated exactly what to say to him.

  “Danny,” he finally started. “I am so unbelievable sorry.” He stared at Tim blankly so he continued. “I screwed up. Nothing happened between us. You have to believe that.” Ok, so that was a bold face lie but he was already so hurt, he could not find out about that, too.

  “It doesn’t matter that nothing physical happened. I saw how you two looked at each other. I had never seen her look at me the way she looked at you that day on the porch. I couldn’t be with someone who is so obviously in love with someone else.” He paused. “You are my brother. You told her not to hurt me and yet you both did.”

  “I can’t express just how sorry I am, Danny.”

  “Do you love her?”

  “Yes,” he said without hesitation. Tim was ok telling him this truth. Somehow, this would be less hurtful to him. At least he knew it was not purely a stupid physical attraction.

  “And you two were willing to completely ignore your feelings to spare mine?”

  “Honestly, yes, we were. She really did love you, bro.”

  “Just not like she loved, loves you,” he said. Tim did not know how to respond to that so he guzzled the rest of his beer. Then Danny said something so unexpected Tim almost fell off his chair. “You should call her.”

  “I’m sorry; I don’t think I heard you correctly.”

  “Call her. You love her. She loves you.” Danny saw the perplexed look on Tim’s face. “Look, I learned the hard way life is short. I could have ignored what I saw between you two. I saw how much she tried with me but we all deserve better than being with someone out of obligation. So go, be with her.”

  It took Tim a few minutes to absorb what Danny had said. One small problem, though. She ran away. Tim explained this to Danny and he said if Tim really loved her, he would fight for her. He had a point but Tim also wanted to respect her decision. Tim told Danny he was going to give her the space she wanted and see what happened. If it was meant to be, it would be, right?

  At least Tim had his brother back. Danny told Tim about his new physical therapist, Melissa. He said she was flirty with him but he was not ready yet. Although, he did comment she had a nice ass. Yup, that was Danny.

  Tim tried to keep busy with work and spent a lot of time in Hyannis with Brian, who just found out he was going to be a dad. Tim was so happy for them but could not suppress the pang of sadness that it was not him and Sam. She was so great with the kids at Fowler School. He could only imagine how she would be with her own.

  So many times, he had picked up the phone to call her and he chickened out each time. Wuss. He still could not believe how well Danny had handled it. Tim thought for sure he had lost his brother and he was so truly blessed that he had not.

  He was surprised; however, when he told him he received an invitation to Trinity’s wedding. “Are you going?” Tim asked.

  “I think I am.”

  “You do realize Sam will be there, right?”

  “I do. Melissa has already agreed to be my date.”

  “I thought you weren’t interested.”

  “I’m not,” he said. “But I can’t be the pathetic guy in the wheelchair with no date. So she agreed to be my date for the event.”

  “I see. It has nothing to do with maybe making a certain girl uncomfortable by bringing a hot date?”

  He laughed. “Well, maybe a little. But she deserves it.”

  He was right. Sam and Tim both deserved it and so much more.

  Chapter 17

  * * *

  Trinity and Derek’s wedding was beautiful and she looked gorgeous. Derek could not stop smiling at her. I hoped to someday to find that kind of love. I quickly thought of Tim and pushed it out of my head. Not today. Matt looked sharp in his tuxedo and I had to look away. We had been drinking champagne in the limo and by the time we arrived at the reception, I was feeling good. Probably too good. We all knew that alcohol was not my friend but I kept going back for more. I was doing ok until I saw Danny come in with his date. My heart dropped. He looked so happy. Part of me was glad he was happy and the other part could not help thinking “What the hell?” He was supposed to be mourning our relationship. Bastard.

  He had not seen me, yet, fortunately. I made my way to the restroom quickly. I was almost there when I heard my name. Damn. I turned around and saw Danny.

  “Hey, you!” I probably sounded way too cheery.

  “Hey, Sam, this is Melissa,” he nodded to the pretty woman by his side.

  “Nice to meet you,” I lied. “How long have you two been dating?” (I was drunk. Remember that.)

  “Oh, um, about two months,” he said. He looked a bit thrown off by the simple question. Melissa was fiddling with her bracelet. Whatever.

  “That’s nice. It must be getting serious if you’re going to weddings together.”

  “Uh, sure. Are you here with anyone?” Way to change the subject Danny. I racked my brain for a believable, non-pathetic answer and came up blank. Damn.

  “Well, um…”

  “There you are, sweetie. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” I felt familiar arms wrap around my waist. When I turned around, Matt planted a kiss smack on my lips. What the hell? Seeing that I was confused and not planning to offer an explanation anytime soon, Matt introduced himself.

  Danny looked at me quizzically, clearly remembering exactly who Matt was. He stuck out his hand, “Danny. This is Melissa.”

  “Nice to meet you both.” He turned to me. “But if you don’t mind, I would like to spin this gorgeous girl onto the dance floor.”

  Before I could object, we were in the middle of the dance floor swaying to “Lost in Love” by Air Supply,
which reminded me about my first date with Danny. I glanced back over to him but he was nowhere in sight. Trinity had requested an absurd amount of eighties music to play at the reception. Air Supply and Journey were two of her favorites. I think Michael Jackson was up there, too. Journey, I understand. But Air Supply? Really? They had a couple of decent songs… but I digress. After I got my bearings together, I thanked Matt for saving me. We really had not said much to each other all day. I know I was trying to avoid him but I was not sure why he would avoid me.

  “No problem. Trinity saw Danny corner you and gave me a quick explanation so I could come rescue you.”

  “Ah, well. Thank you.” I started to pull away. “Mission accomplished.”

  He stopped me. “Sam, don’t. Dance with me?” he pleaded. How could I resist those eyes and that smile?

  “Ok.” Air Supply was over and another sappy love song came on. I had to admit it was nice being back in his arms again. He always made me feel safe, until he screwed it up.

  “Can we go outside and talk?” he asked.

  Oh hell… Was I really that irresistible? I laughed to myself. That was a joke. “Sure.” Why not? I liked to make bad decisions.

  We went out into the hotel lobby. It was huge but we found a secluded corner. “So, how have you been?” I asked.

  “Ok. I’m working at WSC now as the assistant football coach and I’m taking some art classes, too.”

  That’s great!” Matt had always loved to draw. My mind drifted to the lily drawing he had given me before we started dating.

  “Yeah, it is. What about you?”

  “Oh, a little of this, a little of that…” My life is a mess, I added silently. “I am graduating in May.”

  “Great! Will you be teaching?”

  “I was substituting but there isn’t much open at home. I still need to complete my student teaching before I can actually get out there. I passed all my teaching exams though.” This was not awkward at all, I thought sarcastically.

  “That’s good.” He fumbled with his fingers. “Sam?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I know we didn’t really leave things very good last time we saw each other.”

  “Mmhmm.” That was putting it mildly, since I had stormed out of the restaurant.

  “I truly wanted to apologize again. For everything. I did not like how we left things and you have every right to hate me. I just wanted you to know that I am so unbelievable sorry and I hope someday we can maybe be friends. I miss having you in my life.” He sounded so sincere. I could not really stay mad at him forever, could I? I was pissed at him for cheating on me but I had done the same thing to Danny. I did not want to be a hypocrite.

  Maybe because I was still drunk or maybe because it was about time it happened but I burst into tears. I was a blubbering idiot.

  “Oh my God, Sam. Are you ok? I am sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

  I got a hold of myself enough to speak. “It’s ok. It is not you. There’s just a lot that’s been going on.” He wiped a couple of tears from my cheek. “I forgive you, Matt. It was a long time ago and people change. It is ok. You broke my heart but it’s in the past.” I stuck my hand out. “Friends?

  He smiled. “Friends.” He stood up and motioned to the reception hall. “What do you say we make that other ex-boyfriend jealous by grooving out on the dance floor?”

  I laughed. “Grooving, eh?”

  “Yup.”

  The rest of the night, I actually managed to have a good time. Matt was hilarious all night and made me feel much less awkward about Danny being there. (Although, do not get me wrong, I still felt horrible for hurting him but he was clearly trying to throw his new girlfriend in my face and I had to react somehow and having fun was a much more pleasant option than self-pity.)

  “Hey, when are you heading back home?”

  “Um, probably Monday morning. I’m crashing at Trinity and Derek’s tonight because they got a hotel room and tomorrow I’m bringing them to the airport for two.”

  “Do you want some company bringing them to the airport?”

  Hmm, that could not possibly be a good idea. “Sure.” I just keep making one bad decision after another. Go me.

  “Ok, I’ll meet you at their apartment then?”

  “Sounds good.” Not. I did not know why my mouth was not listening to my brain. Had I learned nothing from the Jay experience? I got to the apartment about three. I had not realized how exhausted I was until I stopped and actually sat down. Next thing I knew it was morning and the sun was pouring in through the shades. I had slept in my bridesmaid’s dress on the couch. That explained my stiff neck and the four-inch heels on the floor explained my sore feet. It was eleven according to the clock in the living room. Matt was coming by at one thirty so we could pick up the newlyweds for two and get them to their flight to Italy. Derek had turned into much more of a romantic than anyone of us had given him credit for. He surprised Trinity with the destination a couple days ago. He had started a savings account without her knowing so that he could surprise her. He thought he would have a few more months to save, so instead of the two weeks he had originally planned, they are only going for one.

  I decided a long, hot bath was in order before Matt arrived. The warm water and bubbles felt fabulous. I must have soaked longer than I thought because I heard a knock on the door. I threw on my robe and hoped I was decent enough.

  “Hey,” Matt said when I opened the door. The fact that he gave me a quick once over did not go unnoticed. “I know, I’m early.” I glanced at the kitchen clock; it said noon. I knew I had not been soaking for three hours.

  “Just a tad,” sounding obviously annoyed.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “You’ve been saying that a lot lately.” Ok, yes, I was being bitchy. In my defense, I had not had any coffee yet and I had not planned on Matt seeing me wearing only a short robe.

  “I know.” He held up a bag. “But I came bearing ziti. Truce?”

  “Depends. Blue Bird?”

  “Of course.” Damn. How could I stay mad when he brought my favorite food? That was not playing fair.

  “Ok, fine, sit. I’m going to make myself decent.” He mumbled something as I went into the other room. “What was that?”

  “Nothing,” he said.

  I quickly put on jeans, a T-shirt, and my pink fuzzy slippers.

  “Sexy,” he eyed my slippers.

  I stuck my tongue out. “Comfy.”

  We at lunch and made small talk until it was time to leave. I hated how easy it was to slip back into the comfort zone with him.

  Trinity gave me an odd look when I showed up at the hotel with Matt. “I picked up a stray,” I joked.

  “Ha. Ha. Ha.” Matt said.

  “So, are you two ready?” I asked.

  “Uh, yeah. I just have to grab one thing. Derek, sweetie, will you and Matt put the luggage in the car?”

  “Sure,” he kissed her head. Aw. “See you ladies in a few.”

  She turned to me as soon at the hotel room door closed. “Care to explain?”

  I could not really get upset at her reaction. “Friends.”

  “Friends? Did he sleep over? Do I need to burn my sheets?”

  “Whoa! Back up! First off, I crashed on your couch as soon as I got in. Secondly, thanks for having such a high opinion of me.”

  “It wasn’t meant to be insulting. I saw the two of you at the reception.”

  “I repeat: friends. He came over, brought ziti, and accompanied me on the ride. That’s all.”

  “Just be careful. I saw how he was looking at you.” I had also noticed and secretly liked it. Bah.

  “Everything will be fine.” I assured her.

  “Whatever you say. Are you still heading back tomorrow?” We started walking to the car.

  “Depends on the weather. Supposedly, we are getting one hell of a storm tomorrow afternoon and I don’t feel like driving in it.”

  “Good plan. You can stay at the
apartment all week if you want anyway.”

  “Thanks.” The drive to the airport was uneventful. Trinity and I sang loudly from the backseat.

  I gave her a big hug when we arrived at the airport. “Have fun! Be safe! Take lots of pictures!” I yelled as they headed to the security gates.

  “Absolutely! Even if we don’t leave the room!” she yelled back.

  “Ew! I don’t want to see those!”

  She winked at me as Derek tapped her on the behind and shook his head.

  Matt and I headed back to the car. “Dinner?” he asked.

  Sigh. Oh, why not? “Sure.”

  Chapter 18

  * * *

  No, no, no! Oh, God. I woke up Monday morning and panicked. I tried to remember the night before. Matt and I had gone to dinner and shared a bottle of wine. Then we went back to his apartment to watch a movie, shared another bottle of wine… ok well this was not heading in a good direction at all. I really needed to stop drinking. Ok, maybe nothing happened. I looked under the covers. Damn, naked. I slowly turned around and saw Matt sleeping. Shit!

  Ok, after that second bottle of wine everything was a bit fuzzy. How did I get out of here without making an ass of myself? I slowly got out of bed and tried to find my clothes. That was fun. I then realized I was stuck here because he drove yesterday. Really? Could this situation get any worse?

  As in response to my rhetorical question, my phone dinged indicating a new text. “Sam, we need to talk. Please call me – Tim.” Oh, you have to be kidding me. I looked at the bed and saw Matt stir. I quickly tossed my phone into my purse.

  “Hey, where are you going?”

  “Um, coffee?” Sure, that sounded feasible.

  “I just bought the new Keurig machine and there are some K-cups in the cabinet.”

  “Ok, thanks. Want one?”