Amber Eyes

FORTY TWO

"So," I say, breaking the silence between us. "How've you been?"

He tugs at his watch, eyeing it as if it's the first time he's seeing it. I noticed back in the room that he has a fascination with watches - he owns a shit ton of them and I'd be surprised that he can afford them all if I didn't know who his aunt is. "Good. You?"

"Same," I answer. "You said you had something to talk about."

He nods. "I do."

I wait for him to continue but when he doesn't, I look at him, observing his expression that clearly says that he doesn't know what to say. I tug at his sleeve, gesturing to him to speak.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry," he blurts out. I don't say anything because I figure that he needs time to think out his thoughts. My interruption won't help him at all. So I wait for him until he begins to speak again. He stops walking and so do I as he nervously plays with his watch. "I've been avoiding you for a while now because I didn't want to talk to you. I thought you would judge me for whatever I said and.."

He trails off, looking up.

"And I said some mean stuff about you. I don't even know you much. You're not like Asher and Nate and I trust you enough to know that you wouldn't use me. You're not like them and I'm so sorry to compare you with them. I told you so much and you heard me and-" he breaks off, running a hand through his hair. "You'd tell me if something is going on, right? With Asher and Nate?"

I shake my head, biting back the honest response. No, I can't tell you. Because there's too much to tell and you'd get so mad when you hear about Nate. You guys would fight again. You'll probably end up with a broken face. And he'd be so mad too. If not mad, he'd just smile and say something that shows that he's interested and amused. But I don't think that either of you both know each other. What I'm doing here - talking to both of you and trying to get to know you - am I missing something? Are both of you actually who you are telling me you are?

"I'll tell you if it's related to you, of course," I say and I almost think that he's pointed out the difference between his words and mine. Either he doesn't, or he doesn't really care about it at all. All he cares about is how much he hates Nate. "You weren't at the party. Summer's."

"I wasn't." He sighs. "I did meet my aunt today but I wasn't there yesterday. I'm not exactly a fan of Nate and all his friends."

I nod, understanding. "Fair." I let out a breath, bracing myself to ask a question that isn't exactly a good one to ask at a moment like this. "Does he still...?" I trail off.

"Hit me?" He raises his eyebrow, then shakes his head. "Nope. He hasn't. It's a surprise, honestly. He doesn't even talk to me like he did before. When he looks at me, he just avoids me."

Somehow, that makes me feel a little better.

"That's a good thing, I guess," he mutters. "I like it better when I don't have his attention at all."

I silently agree with him. Him and Nate are better off without talking to each other and I hope Nate has realised this as well. Speaking of which, my heart skips a beat as I realise that I have to meet Nate at night today. We've agreed to do so after dinner but somehow, the thought of us meeting just a little after I meet Sam makes me feel a little guilty. Isn't that exactly what happened on that night as well? I shake that thought away for now. If something happens, I'll deal with it then and there.

"You know you can talk to me, right?" I tell him.

He smiles, putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close to him, catching me a little off guard. I hear his laughter in my ear and I find myself smiling as well, knowing that Sam is one of the few friends I can count on, and that I have to keep him away from everything I'm here to do, no matter what. "Believe it or not, you're the only person other than my brother who knows about this. You're the first person I'd turn to in case anything happens or I want to talk."