And there’s also the small task of creating some sort of buffer so Kira doesn’t get suspicious…..
Sam eventually nodded and lingered while I gathered my clothes and dressed, finally heading out to get in the shower after first inviting me to stay the night at her place again. On her way out there was a look on her face that let me know that if Angel hadn’t shown up, this bedroom would’ve probably been our only scenery for the day.
Angel quickly looked away when I stepped out into the living room to get my shoes and keys. She pretended to be engrossed, reading the label on the back of a canister of peanuts she found to snack on in Sam’s cabinet. Apparently the offbeat wakeup-call left her unsure of what to say to me.
“Morning,” I said, half-laughing as I slipped my shoes on.
Barely lifting her head, Angel smiled a little and gave a small wave. “Morning.”
“It’s uh…it’s good seeing you again. Been a while,” I added.
She nodded. “Yeah…it has. Things going okay? You gonna be in town awhile?”
It dawned on me that Sam hadn’t told her the news. “Actually, I moved here a few weeks ago. So…yeah, I’ll be around.”
Her eyebrow hitched upward. “Really? I hadn’t heard.”
I nodded despite the fact that she wouldn’t lift her head to meet my gaze. Before things got any weirder, I decided to make an exit, but first I grabbed a hundred dollar bill from my wallet and shoved it in Sam’s purse on the table beside the door.
“Let her know this is for whatever she needs to fix her phone, would you please?”
Angel looked up to see where I’d put the money and then lowered her head again. “Yeah, sure,” was all she’d say back.
I shook my head and unlocked the door. “Well…I’ll see you around, I guess.”
She only looked up to give another polite smile and wave. “Okay. Take care.”
On the other side of the door, I laughed again, thinking to myself that getting caught this time might’ve even topped Sam’s mom walking in on us when we were kids. At least that time there wasn’t any full-frontal nudity involved…
*****
Sam
I tapped my fingers on the counter at the phone store, waiting in silence while the salesman searched for another glittery pink case like the one that’d been destroyed the night before. Angel hadn’t said much to me and I hadn’t said much to her either. However, when the guy went to check the backroom, she turned toward me and leaned her elbow on the glass showcase beside us.
“Okay…let’s just put it all out there. What the hell’s going on?”
I shot her a look and smiled so hard that it hurt. “Straight to the point, huh?”
She shrugged. “No sense in beating around the bush.”
I shook my head and let out a sigh.
She nudged me. “For real, though. You have some explaining to do, ma’am. Clearly you’ve been keeping secrets and I don’t like it.”
I smiled again and lowered my head. “What is there to tell?”
Angel shot me a look that I could feel without even glancing her way. “Sammy…don’t play games with me. I’m sitting up all night worrying about you, wondering why you’re not picking up the phone, then I walk in to find your stuff in pieces on the floor, cushions hanging all off the couch, and you don’t think there’s anything to tell?”
I laughed a little when she let out an irritated ‘Hmph…’
“I mean…I don’t know what to say! We’ve just been hanging out since he moved here.”
“That looked like more than hanging out,” she said, raising her eyebrows accusatorily.
Laughing, I looked away when I felt my cheeks get hot. “Can we please not talk about that?”
“Oh, hell no! We’re talkin’ about it! I’m traumatized!”