Hey, everyone! This is my final installment of the "New Chapter" series. I hope you have enjoyed it. I don't have a specific idea in mind yet, but I'm sure I will end up starting another story line soon. If you have any ideas, requests, or whatever, let me know. It's been a blast!
* * *
When Matt and Jen entered Sam's apartment with Guy and Aldys in tow, they enjoyed the expressions of surprise that Sam and Josie had on their faces. "Hey, look who we found!" Matt exclaimed, gesturing grandly behind him with his arm.
"Hey, Mr. C, hey, Josie," Guy greeted them. "What's up?"
"Wha�how�when did you�?" Josie couldn't seem to find the right words. Her surprise was certainly not hidden.
Aldys laughed and gave Josie a hug. "We met Matt and Jen at the Sears Tower," she explained.
"Well, they certainly knew how to draw attention to themselves, that's for sure!" Guy exclaimed.
Sam raised an eyebrow, casting his brother a look. "Oh, really? And just how is that, Matt?"
Matt blushed, still embarrassed about the security guard yelling at him. "Well�um�you see, we were�"
"It really wasn't that big of a deal," Aldys offered, bailing him out. "All he was doing was kissing Jen, but there's this security guard there that gives everyone a hard time. I felt so bad for Jen and Matt. She was yelling at them loud enough that practically everyone there could hear her."
"Yeah, she's a real pain in the ass most of the time," Guy agreed. "Aldys and I both thought that Matt looked like you, Mr. C, so we went over and asked him if he knew you. The four of us got to talking and we shared a pizza for lunch and walked around for a little while. We had a good time."
"Well, I'm glad," Sam said, "but enough of this formality. Guy, you and Aldys have both graduated. You can call me Sam."
"Oh, okay, Mr. C�I mean Sam." Guy chuckled, still getting used to the idea.
"So, how is it that you and Guy were at the Sears Tower together?" Josie asked Aldys, knowing full well that something was up.
"We're dating now," Aldys explained, smiling. 6 "I honestly don't know what she sees in me," Guy admitted, putting his arm around her. "I was such a jerk to her all through high school�I guess I did it because all that time I really liked her a lot, but I didn't think anything could happen. I couldn't ignore her. She's too stunning to ignore�so I treated her like dirt instead."
"I understand why you did it," Aldys told him. "It hurt, but I understood�All those stupid high school rules. Josie, you helped a lot with that. You made everyone realize how petty and stupid they were being. Even Kirsten, Kristin, and Gibby."
"They called her after graduation and apologized to her for the way they had treated her in the past," Guy explained. "They even invited her to lunch and they insisted on paying. You made such a huge difference with everyone, Josie. I know they'll always be grateful for it�and so will I."
Josie smiled, giving Aldys another hug and then hugging Guy as well. "I'm glad I could help," she said sincerely.
"Anyone need anything to drink? How about some snacks?" Sam offered.
"Well, actually, we should be going," Guy admitted. "We just stopped by to say 'hi.'"
"Oh, all right." Sam nodded, understanding. "Well, it was nice seeing you both. Stop by anytime."
"Oh, we will," Guy promised. "Actually, Matt was talking about making a movie and asked us if we wanted to be in it." He turned to Matt. "I'll give you a call and we'll work out a time, okay?"
Matt nodded. "Sounds like a plan. See you later."
Just after Guy and Aldys left, Josie stretched out her arms and yawned. "Actually, I should probably be getting home too," she confessed. "Work tomorrow�I have to get up early."
"Yeah. I'll walk you out to your car. I'll be right back, Matt," Sam said, giving his brother a look.
After Sam and Josie had gone outside, Matt rolled his eyes and fell back on the couch. Jen sat next to him, grinning. "What's the matter with you?" she asked, unbuttoning the top button on his shirt.
"Did you see the look he just gave me?" Matt asked, taking Jen's hand. "I have a feeling he's going to come up with some scheme to keep us awake so we won't do anything again tonight. Well, I'm not going to stand for it."
Jen giggled. "What are you going to do?"
Matt squeezed her hand, a sly grin on his face. "Not me. Us. But we have to hurry before he comes back inside." Clutching her hand, he stood up, pulling her with him. He led her into the guest bedroom and for a moment she wondered what in the world he could possibly be thinking.
"What are we doing?" she asked.
"It's been a long day. I feel like a shower, don't you?"
Jen laughed, but suddenly she had goosebumps. She stood there, frozen, as he let go of her hand and opened his suitcase, pulling out his robe. Next, he opened her suitcase and found her robe. He took her hand again. "C'mon! I think I hear him!" He pulled her out of the room and into the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind them.
Sam came back inside about five minutes later, puzzled that Matt and Jen were nowhere in sight. Scratching his head, he suddenly heard the water running in the shower and two people laughing. He shook his head, smiling. "That brother of mine," he muttered. "He thinks he has to be all sneaky with me." Sighing, he grabbed the People magazine that was laying on the coffee table in front of the couch and went into his bedroom, pushing his door until it was only open about an inch. He plopped down on his bed and opened the magazine. He couldn't help chuckling, thinking about the day's events. He had definitely learned his lesson, though, that was for sure. "She's ready�I'm ready�" he whispered. "Hmmm�" Suddenly, he had an idea. He reached over to his bedside table and picked up the Chicago area phone book that was lying there. He flipped through it until he found the number he was looking for and then he picked up the phone. "Hello. Yes, I'd like to make a reservation�" he said after dialing the number.
* * *
Two months passed, and it was now the beginning of August. Sam had taken Josie to meet his parents when all of them went to their cabin on Lake Michigan. They'd been back for weeks now, and Matt and Jen had gone back to Michigan for good. Although Sam missed his family a little bit, he was glad that things had calmed down a little bit once again.
When Sam had made that phone call in his room two months before, he had made reservations at a fancy Victorian Bed and Breakfast that he and Josie had driven by once. It was a few blocks away from South Glen South High School, and he remembered Josie talking about how beautiful she'd thought it was. When he had called that day, it turned out the soonest they could reserve a room for him was the first Friday in August. Evidently the place was extremely popular. Sam could see why, and he jumped at the chance he was given.
Well, the first Friday in August had arrived at last, and Sam and Josie rode in Sam's car to a small parking lot in the back of the vast gray-blue building. The main entrance was in the back, so they got their two suitcases out of the trunk and made their way inside. They entered a small room with burgundy walls and a small dark wood rectangular table pushed up against the far wall. A bell above the door had rang when they entered, and they heard footsteps and a petite older woman hurried into the room. "Oh, you must be the Sam Coulson party!" she exclaimed. "Come in, come in! I've been expecting you! I'll show you to your room!"
Sam and Josie smiled at each other as they followed the woman out of the small front room into the hallway. There was a spiral staircase at the end of the long, dark hallway and they began to climb it. They passed the second floor and continued on to the third, coming to another long, dark hallway. They walked to the end of this and stopped at last in front of a door on the left. "Here's your key," the woman said, handing it to Sam. "Will the two of you be needing anything? If not, I'm going to turn in for the night."
It was already nine o'clock in the evening when Sam and Josie had arrived. Sam had fixed dinner for the two of them at his apartment. "No, we're fine, thank you," he told the woman.
"All right. My name is Mrs. Willis. My room is on the first floor next to the kitchen if you need anything at all. I will see you at breakfast."
"Goodnight," Sam and Josie said in unison as Mrs. Willis headed down the hall and back downstairs. Once she was gone, Sam put the key he'd given her in the door and turned it. He opened the door and let Josie go in ahead of him.
"Oh, it's gorgeous!" Josie exclaimed as she looked around the room. A huge bay window looked out onto the street, and a king-sized bed and bedside table took up a large portion of one of the walls. Across from the bed was a dresser. The floor was hardwood and an ovular red rug had been placed in the middle.
"I asked for the best room they had," Sam told her, setting his suitcase down next to hers beside the bed. She was sitting on the cushion of the bay window, looking down at the street. Now was the perfect time, Sam knew. With shaking hands, he reached into his suitcase and pulled out a small gray velvet box. Concealing it in his closed hand, he approached Josie and sat across from her at the window.
"Oh, Sam, isn't the view wonderful?" Josie whispered. "I feel like we're sitting on top of the world!"
Sam took her hand, biting down on his lower lip. "I'm always on top of the world when I'm with you, Josie Geller," he whispered. He opened his other hand and then popped open the lid on the gray box, revealing a diamond ring. The diamond was in the shape of a heart, and it was small, but when Sam had seen it at the jewelry store, he could picture it on Josie's finger almost immediately. "Josie Geller, I love you so much. Will you marry me?"
Tears of happiness streamed down Josie's face and she nodded, holding out her hand so that he could slide the ring onto her finger. "Of course I'll marry you, Sam!" she exclaimed. Once the ring was on her finger, she threw her arms around him and embraced him tightly. Then she pulled back, examining the ring. "It's so beautiful. It's perfect!"
"I'm glad you like it," Sam whispered, standing up and pulling the curtain on his side of the window closed. Josie stood up now as well and did the same on her side to insure privacy. They walked over to the bed and Sam pulled back the covers. Josie stood there and watched him. "It's nice and soft," Sam remarked, pushing down on it with his hand. He was suddenly a little nervous. He sucked in a breath, happy to see a confident grin on Josie's face.
"If I take my shirt off now, are you going to run away from me?" Josie asked, climbing up on one side of the bed.
Sam shook his head, chuckling as he climbed up on the other side of the bed beside her. He unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the floor, and when he looked back at her, he was surprised to see that she had already removed her shirt and pants, and she lie there on the bed in nothing but her bra and underwear. Sliding his feet under the covers as hers were, he reached over and gathered her into his arms. As he placed soft kisses all over her face, she reached down to unbutton his pants and slide them off him. Once they were off, he kicked them on the floor, helping her remove her bra and underwear. He placed soft, sweet kisses all over her body and she held tightly to him. He wanted to go slow to make sure she was ready, but to his surprise, she slid his underwear off him and rolled onto her back, causing him to end up on top of her.
When it was over, Josie got up to turn out the lights and Sam pulled her back into bed and close to him, kissing her on the cheek. Neither of them spoke for long minutes, but finally Josie whispered, "I love you, Sam."
"I love you too," he replied, running his fingers through her hair. They lay like that for a long time, neither of them even trying to sleep. They talked in whispers and made love again and again, and had only gotten about two hours of sleep apiece by the time the sun came up. It didn't matter though. All that mattered was that they were together, finally, and that they would stay that way forever�