“Hello?”
“Are you home?” Nick barked curtly into the phone. His voice was distressed she countered.
“Yes.” She said as she drew her eyebrows together, trying to decipher his voice.
“Open your door.” He commanded through the phone. Her eyes widened in shock and she looked at Phillip as she answered him.
“You’re here? You’re in front of my house?” She swallowed hard and both she and Phillip stared across the living room at the front door of her apartment.
“Open the door, Sam.” He said, his voice agitated and then the line went dead.
“Does he know I’m here?” Phillip whispered.
“How the hell would he know that?” She said as she glanced down to look at herself. Not much changed since he had seen her an hour ago.
“I’ll hide in the bathroom. Hurry up and answer the door.” He said as he ran towards her bathroom. She looked after him perplexed. Why was he hiding? She shook her head once the door closed behind him. She stood still, staring at her front door. Why wouldn’t her feet move? Nick banged on the door, lighting a match under her ass. She hurried to the door and swung it open.
When the door opened Nick stood in front of her, his fist in the air ready to pound her door again. Lucky for her door, she got there in time. “What are you doing here?” She asked.
He ran his hand over his short hair and let out a strangled breath. He didn’t say a word for a moment and instead of answering her question he just stared at her.
She studied his face, and noticed how frazzled he looked. His eyes darkened as his head dipped lower, traveling the length of her body. She could feel the heat creeping up inside her as she stood under his heated stare.
“Do you have any idea what I just endured?” He asked roughly, his hands falling to his sides as his eyes held hers.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about?” She stammered.
“Your father just gave me the No Glove, No Love speech.” He bit the side of his cheek and struggled to remain calm. “I couldn’t shut him up. I tried to tell him nothing would happen between us. I told him he had nothing to worry about, that you couldn’t stand the sight of me.” He paused and watched her swallow. She gripped the edge of the door, not sure where he was going with this or why he had decided this was so urgent he couldn’t wait to tell her. “Then he asked me why? Why can’t my daughter stand the sight of you?”
She bit her lip as she watched him shuffle his feet, not able to remain still.
“I couldn’t answer him because for the life of me, I have no idea why you hate me so goddamn much? What I do know is that I’m stuck with a woman who hates me for two days and a four hour car ride, each way, scares the shit out of me.” He took a deep breath. “Why do you hate me Sam? Is it because I left? Is it because I don’t call you Samantha?” Is it because I came back? Because I honestly have no fucking idea how the girl I left almost seven years ago, the girl who looked at me like I was everything to her, can look at me now like I’m the devil.” With each question his voice grew louder, until he was shouting at her, demanding her to answer him.
Sam absorbed his words and her grip on the door tightened as her knees threatened to buckle. Her mouth was suddenly dry, so she swallowed. She couldn’t recall a time in her life where she had seen Nick so unhinged. They stared at each other, for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was barely a minute. She heard him mumble a stream of curses before he closed the distance between them. It took her a moment to register what was happening, and before she could, his hands cupped her face and his mouth crashed down upon hers.
Sam’s head spun as his lips glided over hers evoking every emotion that had been lost for nearly seven years. His mouth wasn’t gentle as she remembered, but rather desperate. His thumbs did, however, gently caress her jaw as his tongue slid between her lips and found her own. She heard a moan escape and wasn’t sure if it had come from her or him. His tongue slid over her, sampling her flavor. Before she could find her will to pull back, her tongue responded to him. Greedily they reacquainted themselves with their mouths, savoring what one another offered.