Shape Of Love

  “Well, I guess I can see why he was so eager to get out of here,” Lizette said. “It's so depressing and sterile in here. Everybody is sick or old.”

  “Yeah,” Kristy sighed. “What do you guys think? What should we do?”

  “What do you mean, what should we?” Lizette demanded. “There's only one thing that we can do. We've got to get over to Sam's house! We've got to clear all this up so that you two can be in love again! Without any silly complications.”

  “I don't know..” Kristy faltered. “He probably just wants to get settled in. Maybe we should just leave it be for now.”

  “No way!” Brad exclaimed. “Come on. We're on a mission now ladies. Let's pool our money and hail another cab. We've got to get to Long Island!”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Kristy was even tenser in this cab ride than she had been during the first. For one thing, she had thought that her anticipation would be ended by now. She had thought that she would come face to face with Sam only a few minutes after entering the hospital. She had thought that her suffering would be ended by now and she'd have an answer one way or the other. Sam would either accept her explanation and be happy to see her, or he would turn her away. Either way she shouldn't be sitting here in this cab, still waiting for that answer. There was also the fact that this cab ride was much longer than the first. Sitting still in a packed cab for nearly an hour did nothing to ease the tightening of her nerves. It felt as though they were being ratcheted tighter, being twisted tightly into highly-strung little knots.

  Halfway through the ride Brad turned to Kristy with a look of perplexity on his face.

  “Hey Kristy,” he said. “Why do you think none of your messages got through to Sam? Are you sure that you sent them to him? Is there any way that you sent them to the wrong person in your contact list?”

  Kristy shook her head.

  “No,” Kristy said. “I know that I sent them to Sam. In fact...”

  Kristy squirmed against Lizette's side as she dug into the pocket of her jeans, searching for her phone. She retrieved it a moment later, settling back against the seats to scroll through her messages.

  “Here,” she said, handing the phone across the back seat to Brad. “Look right there. I sent all of those to Sam. The first ones show that they were delivered to Sam. The others don't say that they were delivered though. It just shows that they sent. I don't know what that means. Either way, I got no answers to any of them. I thought that meant that he didn't want to talk to me. I thought maybe his parents had convinced him to forget me, or maybe he was mad that I didn't fight his parents harder to see him.”

  “No,” Brad said. “Sam would never do that. He wouldn't be mad about something like that. He always tries to be understanding of people.”

  Kristy nodded.

  “I think that's what I like about him so much. He's very sweet and easy to talk to.”

  “Geez,” Brad said. “I wonder what happened with those text messages...”

  “I have an idea...” Lizette said slowly.

  “What?” Kristy asked.

  “Well, I mean, Sam's parents lied to him about calling you. They lied about inviting you to come visit him, and they lied about you saying you didn't want to see him. Maybe...maybe they have something to do with this. Maybe they deleted your messages or blocked your number or something. That would be easy enough to do on an iphone.”

  Kristy turned to face Brad.

  “What do you think Brad? Is that possible? Is that something that they would do?”

  Brad shrugged.

  “I'm not sure,” he said. “I don't think I'd put it past them. It doesn't seem to be completely outside of the realm of possibilities.”

  “I guess not..” Kristy said softly. Her heart felt muted and heavy.

  Finally, the cab pulled up outside of Sam's house. The same small house that Kristy had visited with Sam only weeks before. Her heart began to speed as she recalled how that encounter had ended. It seemed that every time she interacted with his parents, there was nothing but screaming and anger. Maybe this was a bad idea...

  “Kristy?” Lizette said. “Are you ready?”

  The rapid beating of Kristy's heart was making her dizzy. Still, she bit her lip and nodded.

  “Yeah,” she said. “Let's go.”

  They paid the fare and made their way up to the door.

  Brad gave the door a brisk knock and the three of them stood there, waiting for a response.

  It came less than a minute later, and Mr. George was standing there in the open doorway. His face hardened as he saw who had come to call. He gave a quick look over his shoulder and then stepped outside, shutting the door behind him.

  Kristy and Lizette stepped aside to make room for Mr. George on the porch.

  Mr. George closed him eyes for a moment, as he was so completely overwhelmed by the situation that he couldn't even progress without taking a moment to shut himself off and compile his thoughts.

  Eventually, he opened his eyes and spoke to them in a voice that was hard and quick. It sliced through Kristy like a machete.

  “What do you want?”

  “Mr. George, I just wanted to talk to Sam,” Kristy said. “Is he awake? Can I speak to him for a moment?

  “Absolutely not!” Mr. George snapped. “I already told you that I don't want you anywhere near him!”

  Kristy took a moment to purposefully harden her resolve. Then she took a step forward and looked Mr. George straight in the eyes.

  “Mr. George, Brad tells me that Sam is upset that I haven't contacted him. He thinks that I never came to see him in the hospital. Worse than that, he is under the impression that I want to break up with him. I don't want to break up with him. I never said that I wanted to break up with him. But he thinks that I do because you lied to him.”

  Mr. George's face was unreadable during this pronouncement, but at the conclusion of it, he sent an accusatory glance over at Brad. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, but Brad cut him off.

  “Yes,” Brad said tersely. “I am the one who told Kristy all this. I normally try to stay out of other people's business, but Sam is really upset about this whole thing with Kristy, and his emotional pain is all your fault. I don't like that. You can tell him you disapprove, but you can't lie to him and keep secrets from him-”

  “I can do what I want!” Mr. George hissed through clenched teeth. “He is my son. I know what's best. You're a bunch of kids and I want you to get off my property now!”

  “Mr. George, you're not thinking this through,” Brad pressed. “I'm Sam's best friend. He's gonna talk to me eventually and I'm gonna tell him everything that happened. I'll send him a text or something. Although, I guess you could try to steal his phone again. You know? So you could delete my text messages and block my number?”

  The look of fury and shock on Mr. George's face told Kristy that Lizette had been correct in her assumption. Mr. George had blocked her from Sam's phone.

  Mr. George clenched his eyes shut and balled his hands into fists.

  “Leave! Now!” he hissed. “Get out or I am going to call the police.”

  The front door swished open behind him then. It was pulling inward with a whooshing, as the weather-stripping rushed against the laminate floor inside. Then a face appeared behind wearing a look of pained confusion.

  “Sam!” Kristy gasped.

  Mr. George spun in Sam's direction and moved to block the doorway.

  “Go back inside, Sam. You're not well enough to have visitors. Seeing this girl is only going to upset you.”

  Sam gently placed a hand on his father's arm and moved it out of the way, sidestepping him and pushing his way out onto the porch.

  “You're the only one upsetting me right now, Dad,” he said. “You know that my room is right over there. I did hear a lot of what you guys were saying.”

  Mr. George's face was crimson. A light sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead.

  “Did you really block Kr
isty from my phone, Dad?” Sam asked. “Did you really delete some text messages she sent me?”

  Mr. George didn't answer.

  “Because you didn't deny it and that makes me think that you did it,” Sam said.

  Mr. George clicked his tongue and stepped back into the house, slamming the door shut behind him.

  Sam turned to face Kristy. He took a step towards her and Kristy felt tears beginning to build in her eyes.

  “Kristy?” Sam asked. “You were really trying to get in touch with me this whole time?”

  Kristy nodded.

  “Wow,” Sam said. “That's so good to hear. My parents said that you didn't want to see me anymore. That wasn't true?”

  Kristy shook her head.

  “No,” she said in a choked voice. “Of course not. I don't want to stop seeing you. I really like you. And if I did want to stop seeing you, I wouldn't just bail on you like that. I'm not that cold and mean. I wouldn't just leave you hanging and not even talk to you.”

  “I knew it,” Sam whispered. “I knew it was weird that I hadn't heard from you. I knew you weren't the type of person to just not care while I was in the hospital.”

  Kristy began to cry then. Sam brought his hands to her face and stepped in closer, pulling Kristy right up against his chest.

  “Hey, we'll just wait over here for you,” Brad said. “Come on, Liz.”

  Kristy pressed herself against Sam's muscular body, letting her tears fall against his chest. She listened as Brad and Lizette shuffled off the porch and across the lawn.

  Kristy place a hand on Sam's chest and felt him wince sharply.

  She gasped and took a step back.

  “I'm sorry, Sam! Are you alright?”

  Sam grimaced with eyes shut tightly and gave a curt nod.

  “It's okay,” he said tightly. “My fault for hugging you. I just have a few broken ribs, so everything is pretty messed up in my torso right now.”

  “Oh Sam,” Kristy whispered. “I'm so sorry that this happened to you. That must have been terrifying.”

  Sam nodded.

  “Yeah,” he said. “At the time it kind of was. It didn't seem like they were ever going to stop. I just curled into a ball and waited for it to be over.”

  “I wish I had been there to help you,” Kristy whispered.

  Sam shook his head.

  “No, Kristy,” he whispered.

  He brought up a hand to cup Kristy's chin. She blinked up at him and tears shimmered on the surface of her luminous eyes.

  “I'm glad that you weren't there,” Sam said. “Getting beaten up myself was one thing, but I couldn't have lived after watching you hurt. If those animals had touched you, that would have been more than I could bear. If they had kicked and pummeled you like that, my heart would have just exploded I my chest. My grief would be too great to survive. I'd never be able to continue after seeing something like that...”

  Kristy choked on a sob.

  “That's so sweet, Sam,” she said. “I've never had anyone say something so romantic...I just-”

  Kristy found herself overwhelmed by emotion then and she couldn't continue speaking. She began to cry, softy and Sam stepped forward, gathering her up in his arms. He leaned into him, placing her forehead against him. She made sure to be gentle, as she brought up her hands to rest lightly against his chest.

  “Don't cry, Kristy,” Sam whispered into her ear. “I'm here. I'm here with you. And I am so, so glad, to be holding you in my arms.”

  Kristy sighed, reveling in the feel of Sam's body against hers. His breath on her ear. His stubble against her forehead.

  She had him back. She was back in Sam's arms. She was his again.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Kristy awoke to the warmth of bright sunlight streaming across her cheek. The instant that she woke, she felt a fresh of wave of bliss overtake her. It had been only three days since that day at Sam's house, but since then everything in her life had become an absolute wonder. She loved waking up each morning and seeing what the day would bring. She didn't think that it could even be possible for her to feel any happier. Every inch of her was filled with a pure and intense bliss that radiated from every inch of her body.

  Kristy rolled onto her side and propped herself up on an elbow. She smiled softly down at the warm, sleeping form next to her. Sam's lips were parted slightly and his chest rose and fell in the peaceful rhythms of his sleep.

  Kristy smiled as Sam gave a snort and murmured something intangible. It was so cute the way he muttered and moved about in his sleep. Sam's active sleeping habits didn't even bother Kristy, despite the fact that she was a notoriously light sleeper. It was something that every roommate she'd ever had had commented upon. Even when she was a kid at summer camp, her bunk-mates had told her that it was too easy to wake her. Every little noise and flutter of the wind would have her darting upright in her cabin bed. But now with Sam sharing her bed, she was sleeping through the night. She'd never felt such comfort and peace.

  Sam groaned as his eyes flickered open.

  His eyes met Kristy's and he gave a wide grin.

  “Hey there, gorgeous,” he said. “What are you doing? Watching me sleep?”

  Kristy's eyes darted away guiltily.

  “No!” she exclaimed. “I wasn't....It's just that I just woke up...I was just...uh..”

  She brought a hand to her face to cover the redness blooming in her cheeks.

  “Oh no! Stop that!” Sam laughed.

  He reached up to gently push aside Kristy's hand.

  “You should never hide that beautiful face,” Sam said. “It's a crime to keep great works of art from the public!”

  Kristy giggled.

  “Stop it, Sam!” she said. “You're just too much for me.”

  “Yeah?” Sam murmured. “Well, you're everything to me.”

  Sam pulled Kristy down into his arms, and Kristy went gladly. She was gentle, as Sam was still healing.

  After the lies from his parents had been exposed, Sam had decided to spend his convalescing period in Kristy's apartment. Actually, he'd been worried about intruding or being a bother, and he had considered using his emergency credit card to get a room in a motel off campus. But Kristy had insisted that he stay with her. She wanted him close. She wanted to help him heal.

  Kristy lay down in his arms and looked up at his face. She still felt a flutter in her gut when she gazed at him. She didn't think she'd ever met a man so handsome, and with each day that she learned more about him, she only became more attracted to him. His eyes held so much love and gentleness, but there was also a strength and a protectiveness in them. His arms were large, but they held her tenderly. The slope of his nose was exquisite. The stubble on his face drove her wild. Gazing up at Sam, Kristy felt as though she were devouring something decadent. She felt as though she could eat him with her eyes.

  “What are you thinking right now?” Sam asked in a whisper.

  His lip curled up in a smile, and he reached up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

  Kristy's heart thudded and quickened in her chest.

  “I was just thinking of how incredibly handsome you are,” Kristy said.

  “Well, thank you,” Sam said with a smile. “I'm glad that you like the way I look.”

  “But that's not all that I was thinking,” Kristy said.

  “Oh yeah? What else were you thinking?”

  Kristy dug her teeth into her bottom lip and averted her eyes, letting her fingers trail along his chest.

  “I was just thinking,” she breathed. “How hard it's been sleeping next to you these past few nights and not....um.....”

  Sam gave her a nudge in the side.

  “Go on,” he urged. “Whatever it is you can tell me. Am I keeping you awake? Am I hogging the bed? Do you want me to get a motel room after all?”

  Kristy darted up, looking him in the eyes.

  “No! No!” she exclaimed. “But that isn't it at all. You're not bothering me...
.well, not in a bad way anyway...”

  Kristy saw confusion written across Sam's features. He wasn't catching the hints that she was throwing. She sighed internally. Men. You always had to be so blunt with them. They were just terrible at picking up cues. Everything had to be laid out neatly before them. Kristy realized that her thinking was unfair, even as the thoughts assaulted her. She was generalizing, and that was probably unfair to all of the men that she hadn't met. Still, Sam certainly fit these preconceived notions. His blunt and forthcoming nature was something that she enjoyed about him, usually. Right not she just wished that he could read her and do what she wanted, without her going through the embarrassment of having to ask.

  “Okay,” Kristy said.

  She took a deep breath to steady her nerves.

  “I was trying to say....it's been difficult sharing a bed with you and not...being touched by you.”

  Sam's eyes widened and his lips parted.

  A furious heat broke out across Kristy's face, but she urged herself not to look away. She didn't want to hide her face from him. She wanted to watch his reaction. She couldn't quite read his face now then. There was a blending of expressions occurring and Kristy wasn't quite sure of the emotion that they culminated in.

  “Kristy? Are you saying what I think you are?”

  Kristy brought her head up and down, slowly. She watched Sam's face as she did so. It appeared to exhibit something like anxiety. Or maybe it was excitement. She really couldn't tell.

  But then Sam sat up and gripped Kristy firmly by the waist, thrusting his lips against hers, and Kristy realized what emotion his features had displayed; Longing. Sam wanted her. Kristy felt this in the way Sam's hard lips crushed against her own. She felt it in the way his breathing was ragged on her face and throat. She felt it in the pressure of his hands on her hips, and the way his fingers splayed out, caressing the hollow of her belly in soft, circular motions.

  Kristy sighed and kissed him back.

  His hands began to drift lower, sliding down her hips and lower back until they were gently cupping the swell of her rear end.

  Kristy gasped as he began to knead and toy with one hand, and then brought the other up to slide beneath the blue tank top that she'd slept in.