Serendipity (Book 2)

iShould've Told You by Edio

Chapter 5

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Freddie didn't think she was serious. When he realized what was going on, he argued with her vehemently. If he wasn't freezing his ass off at that particular moment, he would've probably stuck to his guns. They went back and forth for ten minutes before Sam delivered an ultimatum. "You came here to talk and I'm not talking to you until you take off your clothes," she delivered with a perfectly straight face. There was a line he never thought he would hear from Sam Puckett, but she was adamant. As most of the arguments between them go, Sam got her way.

So there he was, sitting at the kitchen table, wearing a too small, fluffy, pink towel around his waist and another across his shoulders. Underneath he only had his wet boxers on - he drew the line there. The only other thing he wore was a scowl as he waited for Sam to come back from the laundry room. In front of him on the table was a steaming mug of tea that Sam was thoughtful enough to offer. Actually, she plunked the mug down in front of him and ordered him to drink it, but it was the thought that counted. Freddie grabbed the mug with both hands; the warmth was a relief to his still frozen digits. The cup shook as he brought it up to his mouth carefully. He was still struggling to control his shivering, but at least he can talk normally now. He winced as he sipped the hot tea, not because of the heat but because of the ridiculous amount of sugar Sam put in it.

He heard Sam on her phone as she was walking back to the kitchen. "Thanks Carls. I'll tell him. I know. Bye." She put her phone away as she stepped into the kitchen with a stoic mask still on her face. She had a towel around her shoulders she used to dry her hair. The old Sam would have had a field day and would have probably snapped a dozen pictures by now. This Sam was cold and uncaring - or at least that's how she pretended to be. She moved stiffly and with hesitation as Freddie watched her walk across the kitchen to the thermostat on the wall. She turned the heat up for him - another thoughtful gesture considering her icy demeanor. It was like watching an actor in a play moving around on stage, looking for the mark before facing the audience to deliver a line. It was part of what he'd been afraid of - why he didn't want to tell anyone he was sick. He didn't want to have to sweep up eggshells every time he talked to someone. Sam leaned back with her palms on the kitchen counter behind her and finally made eye contact with him. "Your clothes should be dry in an hour or so. Carly said she'll ask Spencer to come pick you up."

"Thanks," Freddie replied. "Can I borrow your phone?" He nodded towards his useless phone on the table. "Mine got waterlogged and I want to let my mom know what's up."

She walked over and handed over her phone. As she did, she touched his hand and a concerned look passed over her face. Wordlessly, she laid her palm on the side of his neck and left it there for a few seconds. To Freddie, the warmth of her touch felt wonderful. "You're still ice-cold," was all she said, and then she turned around and walked out of the kitchen. Freddie realized it was dangerous to have Sam touch him like that. It invoked emotions he wasn't prepared to deal with. Freddie tried to shrug off the feeling and dialed his mom's number.

With his numb fingers, it took Freddie a couple of tries to get the number keyed in right. He took a couple of breaths before he hit the call button.

"Hi Mom. It's me."

"Freddie? Where are you, sweetie? I tried calling your phone earlier but it went straight to voice-mail."

"My phone's dead." He didn't bother to tell her why. "I'm using Sam's phone right now."

"So where are you? Do you need me to pick you up?"

"No mom, don't worry about that. Spencer is coming to pick me up from Sam's house in a bit. I should be home in an hour or so. I have to take care of some things here."