Disclaimer: I don't own these characters and do not receive any money for the following story.
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Thanks to all who took the time to read & tell me what you thought of part 1. Sorry for the long wait. A big thanks goes out to Patrizia and Shelle for your ideas and for helping me get me back on track when I lost my direction and Dixie author of The Night Before � for inspiration.
Feedback is greatly appreciated either mail me [email protected] or by leaving a message on the board �
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As the telephone began to ring, Josie yelped, completely startled. Indeed she was so nervous that her arms jolted with the shock and she accidentally tossed her cell phone into the air. Josie gasped as her eyes locked onto the phone. She watched as it soared, as if in slow motion, through the air. As it hit her light shade on the ceiling she made a heroic leap for it, thrusting both hands forward as if playing a game of baseball. Dimly she wished she had one (two even) of those huge leather catcher's mitts.
Josie flew through the air but she had set off too soon as she landed before the phone did with an agonizing thud and crack.
"Yow!" Josie yelled as her head hit her turtle tank. Her eyes rose from the floor just in time to see the phone come crashing down onto one of her turtle's shells.
Wincing and drawing a sharp breath through gritted teeth Josie painfully picked herself up into a half-kneeling, half-crouching position . "Oww, Oww, Oww," she said as she rubbed her head where she could feel a lump had already started to swell. Then gulping down an attack of nerves she reached inside the tank to retrieve the wretched phone. As she picked it up she almost dropped it again because her hands were shaking so violently with an amalgamation of excitement, nerves and adrenaline. Josie placed her free but trembling hand over her heart to try and calm it. As the phone continued to ring she closed her eyes, and through her t-shirt she could feel her heart pounding against her chest and thought for a brief moment it may burst out. ''I can do this�" she vowed to herself as she took a few deep breaths. Feeling mildly composed, Josie opened her eyes pressed the answer button on her phone and raised it to her ear.
"Hello?" Josie said breathlessly.
"Hey sweetheart, it's Mom," came the reply.
'Mom! It was Mom!' Josie thought in total shock. Her breathing suddenly became erratic and sounded similar to those short 'Beavis & Butthead' type laughs, as she felt her heart drop to her knees.
"Oh�it's you�" Josie said, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice, "� um, hi," she finished as her body wilted like an aging flower.
"Well! Don't sound so enthusiastic�" joked Janet Geller. "So, who were you expecting?"
"Huh?" Josie certainly didn't want to get into it with her mother at that moment, when she was already upset and disappointed about it. "Oh, Ummm� No one. What's up? Why are you calling me on my cell phone?"
"Does something have to be up in order for a Mom to call her favorite daughter?" Janet replied teasingly.
Rolling her eyes, Josie replied, drolly, "I'm your only daughter, Mom," but her lips curled up at the sides and all the pent up frustration and nerves that were wreaking havoc from Sam not having yet called started to ebb away. Her mother always could make her feel better, even if she didn't know something was wrong.
* * *
"Hey, don't worry about it, babe� So, how are you?" asked Abby.
Sam sighed heavily as he debated how to answer. 'God, it feels good to hear your voice,' he thought. Abby always had a way of making Sam feel at ease. "I'm� I'm�" Sam began. 'Should I just go right ahead and tell her?' Sam wondered, but couldn't bring himself to do it. "I'm good, I think�" he replied awkwardly.
"Hold on a sec," she said into the phone. Then Sam heard in the background, "Emma! Hey!" Once Abby had her daughter's attention she continued, "Don't tease Sammy! Why don't you take him outside and play, huh?"
Sam could hear his niece reply with a cute giggle, "'Kay, Mommy� Come on, Sammy!"
He laughed quietly. He still found it amusing that his sister had named her dog after him.
Abby watched with a smile as Emma skipped out the back door with their family dog, Sam in tow. "Sorry 'bout that," she said, her full attention back on Sam, "What were you saying? You think you're good?" Abby said, wrinkling her nose. "That doesn't sound very convincing�"
"Well, it's just� You see� Oh God, Abb� I don't even know how to say it!" Sam said, frustration and desperation lacing his voice.
"Say what? What's happened? Are you all right?" Abby asked her voice full of concern. She had never heard her brother sound quite like this before.
"Yeah I'm fine, I'm fine, it's just that..." Sam trailed off again with a huge sigh as he walked over to his armchair and sank into it.
"That�?" Abby prompted. When it elicited no response, she coaxed, "Come on, Sam; you can tell me�"
When Sam still didn't answer, she started to guess. Jumping to the first, most obvious conclusion she said: "Is it Lara? Has that witch been bombarding you with 'take me back' calls? Ooh, I'll wring her pretty little 'high-society' neck!" Without letting Sam get a word in edgewise, fear and protection of her little brother took over.
"Don't do it, Sam� Please don't give in to her again. Lara doesn't deserve you. You don't need her, Sam�" Abby paused, and then said, "You deserve someone� Someone who'll really make you happy."
"Abb! Abb! It's okay�" Sam interrupted as he sat up in his chair. "It's not about Lara� I mean, that." Sam paused and sighed heavily with regret. "That's over. Although, yes, she has been bombarding me with calls�"
Sam rubbed his face with his free hand. He didn't like being reminded of Lara: he more than regretted not ending their relationship sooner.
"I'm sorry, Sam; I didn't mean to be so harsh," Abby apologized. "It's just� Well, you know� You've given into her so many times in the past that I thought� Anyway I'm sorry."
"It's okay," said Sam, knowing his sister hadn't meant any harm. He didn't blame her for not having faith in him. Sam smirked mirthlessly as he recalled all the times he had gone back to Lara. He bit his lower lip, a habit he had when he felt frustrated. 'All those times�' Sam thought, shaking his head faintly. He'd always given their relationship another chance, given her another chance.
He was still angry at himself for depriving himself of the happiness Abby would tell him again and again that he deserved.
There was a long pause. Abby was expecting Sam to tell her what was actually wrong; she stood against the kitchen counter twirling the phone line round her fingers, waiting.
But Sam still didn't know how to say it and he was trying to muster some courage, as it was the first time he was telling anyone his deep, dark secret.
"Sam?" Abby said softly, realizing then that something must be really troubling her brother. Usually he would tell her anything and everything, and he usually did. All their lives, they'd never kept secrets from each other all their lives. They had been there for each other through all the good times and the bad; they were the closest confidantes each other had and that relationship was immensely precious to them both.
After a moment Sam said calmly, almost too calmly, "I've done something�and I don't know what to about it�"
"What have you done?" Abby was beginning to get worried. 'It must be bad, if it took him this long to tell me,' she thought, swallowing a lump of anxiety.
After another lengthy pause, he said, "I've�fallen in love with someone." When Sam said 'love,' he could feel his heart swell inside his chest as Josie's face appeared in his thoughts. He was reminded yet again of the beautiful person that she was. He closed his eyes against the emotions, overwhelmed, but the vision of her face only became clearer in his mind.
"Really?!" Abby exclaimed, her voice the epitome of happiness. For the moment, she was too excited about that prospect to register the odd tone in Sam's voice when he said it.
"Really," said Sam.
"Oh Sam!" Abby said, as she somehow knew with her entire being that he meant it, truly meant it. A lump of delight and pride welled up in her throat. "That's wonderful!" Abby chuckled, and then continued jokingly, "Boy, you don't waste much time, do you?"
Sam closed his eyes and frowned. "It's not like that, Abby," Sam said. He felt bad enough that he had fallen in love with a 17 year old; he didn't need reminding that he had only broken up with Lara last week on top of it.
"Oh Sam," she trailed off her laughter, "I'm sure it isn't. I was only kidding! Don't forget, I was the one who knew you weren't truly in love with Lara before you did. And she sure as hell wasn't in love with you! So it's not as if that would bother me�" said Abby, sounding slightly matter-of-fact.
"Is that an 'I-told-you-so' remark?" said Sam, momentarily offended because he was so off-balance. Then, he reasoned with himself, knowing Abby would never have meant it like that.
"No Sam," Abby vehemently protested. "Oh Sam, I'm sorry; I didn't mean for it to sound like that!"
"I know you didn't," Sam soothed, feeling guilty for snapping at her. "I'm sorry Abby, I didn't mean to be so defensive and I know you knew before me. Though, I think deep down I knew too, long before we did break up. I was just fooling myself into thinking that maybe Lara would change or I'd change� That nobody was perfect� That everyone deserved a second chance." Sam sighed and thought, 'They just don't deserve fifty!' "I just wish I had taken your advice and listened to my heart and ended things sooner," Sam said.
Abby listened to her brother's voice closely. She could hear the remorse fill his voice when he talked about Lara, and wanting to take Sam's mind of it she said, "I know Sam� It's okay now though, right? Lara's in the past�" Changing the subject, she said gaily, "So�who's this new person? Tell me about her�"
Glad of the change of subject, Sam inhaled deeply as Josie filled his thoughts and his body filled with warmth. 'How could I ever describe the most perfect woman in the world with words?' Sam thought to himself.
Realizing he probably never could, he said, "She's so beautiful, inside and out, that when I look at her, talk to her or even think about her, my heart melts and my knees weaken and I know right there and then without any reservation, that there's meaning to life�"
There was profound silence on the line.
Abby's breathing had become slow and deep. She was stunned at what she had just heard. She had never heard him say such beautiful words. As tears pricked her eyes all she could say was "Oh, Sam�"
"I know you'd love her, Abby," Sam said sincerely. "She's so smart, probably smarter than me!" Sam chuckled as he continued, "�and she's funny, she's kind-hearted, she's� Oh God, she's so perfect, Abby�"
"Gosh, Sam; she sounds wonderful! When can I meet her? What does she do?"
Sam bit his lower lip again and ground his teeth. Then he laughed a little awkwardly, "Well� She's umm� She's a student," Sam croaked, his voice barely able to escape past the nervous lump in his throat.
"Uh huh. Where's she studying?" Abby asked, not catching the meaning of Sam's words.
"Oh, you know," Sam cleared his throat again, "�here," he stalled, not quite ready to tell her.
"So�have you been out together?"
"Um, well� In a manner of speaking�" Sam said nervously.
"So how did you meet?" Abby asked.
"Sorry?" Sam frowned.
"I said� How did you meet?" Abby repeated slowly.
"Oh sorry� I thought you said, 'How does she eat?'" Sam laughed uneasily at that bald lie.
"Sam, why are you stalling? You know, I've been your sister for 26 years� I know when your hiding something. She's isn't married, is she?"
"No! No�" he repeated. 'Tell her!' he thought, but couldn't force the words out.
There was a pause. What would make her brother so upset about falling in love with someone so wonderful? Then Abby, being the smart woman that she was, put the pieces together. She gasped, "Oh Sam� She isn't, is she?"
"Isn't what?" Sam asked, but he knew that somehow Abby had guessed the truth.
Abby winced and continued. "She isn't studying at a university, is she?"
"No."
"And she isn't married� She's too young for that, isn't she?"
"Yes," Sam whispered.
"She's a student at South Glen South, isn't she?"
"Yes," Sam admitted softly, his voice filled with remorse and pain.
Abby groaned compassionately for her brother. "And that makes her�?"
Sam took a huge breath, held it for a moment and then told her. "Seventeen."
He exhaled heavily and grimaced when a pang of guilt hit him. 'She's 17,' he said again to himself. He'd let himself fall in love with a 17 year old� Although, thinking about it, he realized he hadn't had any control over it; he'd enjoyed the fall and he knew he didn't want to be out of it the hole he was now in.
"Oh geez, Sam�" Abby sighed.
"I don't know how it happened really� It just�happened," Sam explained. "You know, what's worse is that I've read of similar stories in the paper� you know, student-teacher relationships�and I always thought that it would never happen to me, never. I mean�you know me, you know I'd never do something like that, don't you?" Sam asked, desperately needing his sister's reassurance.
"Yeah, I know you wouldn't Sam�I know. You're a good person, Sam; not the type to take advantage at all," Abby said sincerely.
"I mean I'd always thought that�that�" Sam's voice began to falter.
"That you were better than that?" Abby said, finishing her brother's sentence for him.
"No� Well, kind of, I guess� I was going to say I always thought that�" Sam sighed.
"That you'd find someone who you could be with? And live happily ever after?" Abby said, finishing his sentence once more.
"Yeah," Sam said softly, sadly.
"Oh Sam you know things, life, love�they never work out how you plan or how you think they will," Abby paused. "If they did, you probably wouldn't have spent 5 years of your life with Lara, would you?" Abby asked.
Sam lowered his eyes to the empty beer bottle he had in his hand and began peeling the label. "No," he admitted, his voice no more than a whisper.
"So, do you know how she feels about you?" Then she said, "I keep calling her 'she'� What's her name?"
Sam's heart lifted for a moment as he thought of Josie, "Josie. Her name is Josie," he said with a crooked smile.
"So�do you know how Josie feels about you? Have you talked about it or anything?" Abby asked.
Sam swallowed hard. 'How can I tell her that I already kissed her?' he wondered. He said instead, "Well I think she feels the same way, but I'm not really certain�"
Sam remembered how the kiss had ended � by Josie pulled away abruptly. "But today we did�um�or rather I did.." Sam lingered again, still not able to tell Abby the worst part.
"What did you do?" Abby asked, feeling like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.
There was another pause, and then finally Sam was able to admit. "I kissed her�"
Abby gasped.
Quickly Sam added, "Or, or maybe we kissed each other; I'm not really sure. Oh Abby, it was incredible! It was like no other kiss I've ever had in my entire life. I knew the moment I kissed her that this was the woman I was, am meant to be with," Sam said earnestly. After more silence on the line from Abby, Sam groaned, "Oh God, I've gone off the deep end, haven't I? Have I gone insane?"
Abby was silent for a moment, contemplating what to say. On the contrary, she believed every word Sam had said to her. She knew her brother; she knew he was not the type to just "fall in love" with students. Therefore, this one must certainly be very special. Special enough to make him fall in love with her against all odds.
Indeed, she felt sure that Josie was 'the one', for she couldn't see how this could possibly have happened otherwise. Abby was a firm believer in soulmates and she herself had felt the same and spoken with the same passion when she had met the man who was now her husband.
But Sam's situation was quite different. She knew how seriously society, and the law, took things like this. She knew Sam was on the brink of major trouble if Josie didn't feel the same way. She didn't want to see her brother get hurt; she didn't want him to lose his job as she knew teaching was Sam's passion.
She was about to tell him that he needed to forget about her, but then she realized something far more important than any of that and told him so. "You know, Sam, love� That's all that matters. If you have that, then you have all you'll ever need. True love, it only usually comes around once in a lifetime and its worth is never-ending. If you truly believe that Josie is the one, then don't let go."
Sam let out a relieved sigh. "Thank you, Abby� You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that�to know that I'm not going crazy�"
"No, Sam�I don't think you're crazy�" Abby smiled as she looked out her kitchen window and watched Emma as she rode on Sammy's back. She could hear her saying faintly through the glass, "Look at me, Mommy! Look at me!"
Abby smiled at her daughter's antics and continued, "After all, you said a similar thing to me when I met Bill. I really am happy for you, Sam, but I think you need to find out how she feels about you. Love is a risk, Sam; you know that. You've lost once� Sometimes you risk a little, sometimes you risk a lot, and once in a while, you risk everything you have. I think that's you this time around. If you want to be with Josie, then you will have to risk everything you have to do it. And only you know if it's worth that much to you."
Sam nodded, "I know. It is worth it to me if I can end up being with her�"
Abby nodded, knowing just how he felt. But still, she warned, "Just be careful how you go about this, Sam. This is not exactly an ordinary scenario, here�if things don't go just right, you could find yourself in some pretty hot water� But then, nothing to do with love is ever ordinary is it?" and they both smiled.
* * *
Josie lay stretched out on her loveseat in misery. Her eyes were closed; she was remembering the look in Sam's eyes just before he kissed her. 'Or did I kiss him?' Josie wondered before she thought, 'No, I'll not think about that.' Then she corrected herself again, 'No, we kissed each other�'
Josie let herself get lost in the memory; her first such memory and she would cherish it forever. Josie allowed herself to be washed away with the belief that Sam did care about her�even though he hadn't called her yet.
Josie hugged one of her needlepoint pillows, imagining it was Sam. In her mind, she was replaying their kiss: the way when Sam gazed at her so deeply that she felt sure he could see right through to her heart. Her heart, which was pounding as furiously now as it was then. She remembered the jolt of electricity between them when he reached out and touched her; she remembered feeling the warmth rise inside her when he ran his thumb over her lower lip. Josie put a hand through her hair just as Sam had, caught in the throes of her memories.
But then, her fantasy veered off from reality as she imagined Sam saying, 'I love you, Josie�' as he leaned in to kiss her. Just before his lips met hers, she replied, 'I love you, too�' and then their lips met and both off their worlds stopped dead. All else fell away, all but them and the sole awareness of each other and how they felt like they were somehow kissing with their whole heart mind and soul. As their lips parted and the kiss deepened Josie snaked her arms around Sam's neck and he in return wrapped his arms around Josie, one hand crept up the back of her shirt to rest at the base of her spine on her bare soft skin and the other found it's home in her silky hair.
"Ohhh," Josie groaned aloud, "Don't do this to yourself, Josie. The higher you climb the further you fall�" She rolled onto her side facing the couch, tossing the pillow away angrily. But still, every time Josie blinked she saw the image of them kissing as if burned onto the inside of her eyelids.
The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to hold onto the indescribable feeling of a man having feelings for her, if only for just a little while longer. She wanted to go to sleep for just one night, just one, with that distinctive, beautiful, content feeling that she had always longed for. She wanted to wake up, just once, with the knowledge that someone cared about her. She had never had it before and she wasn't ready to let it go yet.
'What's twenty-four hours?' Josie asked to the heavens. 'I'll tell him tomorrow. He'll understand�won't he?' Josie had wanted and waited to experience the feeling she had now her whole life. She felt somehow, however wrong it might be, that she owed it to herself, to the Josie Grossie that was still inside her, to all the 'Josie Grossie's in the world. Maybe it was selfish, but that craving inside of her was to great and had been there for too long. The longing had been built up, had grown so much in her heart and mind throughout her life and the feeling was indeed glorious, more glorious than she had thought it would be. Josie had read about it in poetry and spoke of it in plays, she had seen it in other people, that look, that sparkle in their eye the way they radiated a special happiness just from the knowledge that someone cares about them. But in all Josie's 25 years, she had never experienced it; she hadn't even come close, until now.
Josie knew she needed to finalize her story idea, since she had no intention of doing the article Gus was expecting. She just needed to gather a little more research for her actual idea. So Josie decided she would tell Sam at the prom tomorrow and not tonight.
She'd choose her moment carefully and she would tell him all about herself, about who she really was, and then she would beg for his forgiveness.
* * *
Sam wandered around his apartment, muttering to himself under his breath; he paced from room to room, biding his time. He thought about all his sister had said, about all the advice as well. Though he knew Abby was right, a different emotion possessed him. Sam knew without a doubt that he was in love with Josie, but he was afraid of being rejected; that she didn't feel the same way. He was afraid of that look on her face after they had kissed a look so full of pain and anguish and�dare he say it?�remorse.
'Oh but her eyes!' Sam thought. He couldn't have read them wrong, could he? He was sure he saw love in them�or could it have been something else like fear? So torn, he put off the phone call to Josie, telling himself that he would do it after this and after that, but he never did.
Following a great deal more pacing Sam found himself in the kitchen and began to wash the dishes, which had been there since breakfast. 'How convenient,' said a little voice from inside him.
Half way through washing them, Sam stopped abruptly. He leaned his weight with both hands onto the edge of the sink, stooping slightly. "Oh this is ridiculous! � Just call her you, idiot! What are you: a man or a mouse?" Sam said to himself.
He left the sink with a huff. He went to his refrigerator and reached inside for another beer. With another beer in hand, Sam closed the door of the refrigerator. He leant back against it and answered defensively, "I'm a man."
'Then why don't you call her?' said a little voice inside him.
He cracked the bottle open, still unable to quite face his fears. Defensively, he answered the voice aloud, "I mean, men drink beer don't they?"
Then he swigged the beer carelessly, causing a small amount to pour out the top of the bottle and down his shirt. Sam sighed. Annoyed, he shook his head as he glanced down at his shirt.
Then almost in answer, he felt rather than heard the response, 'And you know who doesn't drink beer?'
'Mice�' he thought to himself. 'Therefore I must be a man and I can call her, I will call her, I mean�'
Sam frowned, feeling desperate. "I want to call her, God, I really want to call her, more than anything�" he said aloud.
Sam closed his eyes and admitted, 'I want to hear her voice�the way it travels through me, pouring into every crevice of my body, the way it makes my entire body tingle with warmth and alertness�' He sighed, remembering the feeling.
Sam felt like he no longer had any control over his thoughts or actions. 'God, how did this happen?' Sam thought, placing his beer on the side counter. He paced the kitchen from one end to the other and back, psyching himself up. "I can do this�" he said, clasping his hands together then releasing them. He looked as if he was warming up for an Olympic race. Sam looked out the kitchen window over the sink; he hunched his shoulders and braced himself against the counter with his arms. "I used to call women all the time�I mean, what is the big deal here?"
Sam stopped dead in his tracks, sobered. His conscience told him what he not only needed to hear, but want he already knew in his heart, 'The big deal, Sam, is that Josie isn't just some random woman, is she? Josie is someone who you are in love with and that takes her out of any league you've ever categorized any of those other 'women' ' the voice said. 'Should you even be calling her a woman? Don't forget, Sam, she's only 17� Didn't it cross your mind, even for a second, the very big line you stepped over today?'
Sam knew what he needed to do. He walked over to his fridge and removed the picture taken the day he and Josie had painted the backdrop together, holding in his hand and staring at it for a long moment.
Seeing Josie, if only in a picture, caused Sam to completely overcome the fear that he now admitted was the reason why he hadn't yet called Jose. Looking at her face smiling up at him made his heart fill with warmth and made him realize one clear thought: he was truly in love with her.
With his index finger, Sam gently touched Josie's face, and, as if by magic, the spark of chemistry he had felt when he'd held her face earlier that day sparked again when he brushed his finger back and forth on the photo. Holding the picture in one hand, Sam walked straight to his phone and picked up the receiver with the other.
Though he hadn't meant to, he had memorized Josie's number on his way home. He'd tried not to, but after reading it once, he had instinctively repeated it over and over again. He dialed�
"Hello?" came Josie's voice, tinged with both hope and fear.
"Hi, it's�" Suddenly Sam was unsure how to introduce himself, 'Sam Coulson? Sam?' he wondered. "�Sam," he said after a short moment, remembering that Josie herself had used his first name more than once that day.
"Hi�" After a long pause, Josie admitted shyly, "I thought you had forgotten about me�"
'That would never happen�' Sam thought. Little did Josie know that Sam had thought of virtually no one else since the day they had met.
When Sam spoke, his voice was deep and heavy with meaning, "No, far from it," he replied.
Josie's breath caught.
* * *
After some nervous chitchat and the ice was broken, Sam tried to get down to the real purpose of their call. But as soon as he broached the subject, the ice was back. "So�today was�" Sam searched for the right word.
'If you don't say good, I'll start crying�' Josie thought. She was unable to breathe, hanging on his every word.
"Unexpected," Sam said finally. 'Well, now that was brave of you, Sam�' he thought in self-disgust.
"Unexpected?" Josie repeated. 'Good unexpected?' she thought and almost said, but didn't.
"I mean, interesting," Sam corrected, finishing the thought in his head: 'As well as the most longed for and wonderful kiss I've ever had�'
"Good interesting?" Josie asked hopefully, finally unable to stand the suspense.
Sam swallowed painfully and stuttered, "Did� did you think it was er�good�interesting?"
'Totally!' Josie wanted to squeal but decided against it. 'Keep your cool,' she told herself. 'Forget for a moment that you're on the phone to the most perfect man in the world�'
"It certainly was�something�" She trailed off, wanting to smack herself in the head. 'Cool Josie�' she berated herself, "not cold!'
Not exactly the response Sam was hoping for, he said, "Josie, umm, I should apologize� I shouldn't have done what I did today�"
"You shouldn't?" Josie asked anxiously, pain exploding in her heart.
'Did she actually sound wounded?' Sam wondered. Still, he didn't dare take any chances. "No, I shouldn't have."
"Oh�" she mumbled, crestfallen.
Not being able to bear hearing Josie sound so sad, he tried to explain, "I mean, you're my student Josie, and�and I'm your teacher�and I kissed you and�"
"�and I kissed you, Sam," Josie interrupted.
"You did?" Sam asked, stunned at the power behind her words. 'My God, I didn't imagine it!' As Josie's words sank in, he couldn't stop his heart rate from jumping when she said his name. Dimly, he wondered if it would always have that effect on him; he hoped and prayed that it would.
"Couldn't you tell?" Josie asked, appalled. 'Oh no! I'm a bad kisser�' Josie thought. 'Maybe I did it wrong�' Josie's face went beet red, and a part of her wished the world would open up and swallow her.
Sam rushed to answer, "Well yes� at first� but then, you know� You pulled away and you looked as if I'd put the fear of God in you, so then I didn't know what to think�" He swallowed hard; he couldn't believe he was having this conversation with Josie. Josie! It seemed so momentous, so strange and so wonderful all at the same time.
"I know. I'm sorry about that, it's just that�"
"You don't have to explain, Josie," Sam interrupted, "Not unless you want to. After all, I'm more the one who should be doing the explaining�" Sam paused. When he spoke again, he noticed his voice had unintentionally dropped an octave or two, "I guess I just thought that you felt the same way�"
Josie took a deep breath, and after a pregnant pause, replied, "I did, I do�feel the same way, that is�" Josie was unable to stop the slight tremor in her voice, as her mind processed the significance of what they had just admitted to each other.
Sam swallowed down a nervous lump in his throat and asked the million-dollar question; the question that had been running through his thoughts endlessly, since he first knew he had feelings for Josie; the question that had an answer that Sam knew instinctively would be life altering: "What is it that you feel, Josie?"
As Sam waited for her answer, his heart's pounding was deafening. And then, he felt as if all his senses had suddenly become extra sensitive: he could hear Josie's rapid breathing on the other end of the phone, he could still smell the hint of her perfume on his clothing, feel the shivers running through his body at the sound of her voice, he could see her glorious eyes as his fixed on the photo of them that he held in his hand�and most of all, he could taste the incredible sweetness of Josie's kiss from that afternoon. He knew without a doubt that the next few moments, good or bad, would be etched in his mind forever.
After a long pause, Josie asked with her voice trembling, "Oh, Sam�Don't you know?"
* * *