I Know You

Chapter One

"Hey baby," Sam's smooth voice flowed through the speaker as soon as I picked up the phone.

I eased back into my chair and smiled a little, running my fingers along the mahogany desk of my office.

"Hey yourself,"

I could hear him shuffling around and patiently waited for him to talk, imagining him pulling the sheets over the bed, trying to tidy it up before I got home.

"Want to have lunch?" Came his reply and I gazed up at the clock, not realizing that it had been almost four hours since I had eaten anything. A growl from my stomach told me that it agreed.

"Yes, please. Should I meet you there or-" I left the question hanging.

There meant a local café we had found while searching for places to eat near my office so it would be easier for me to go down there every day during lunch break and be back quick enough to not be late.

"I'll come to your office," He said and cut the call abruptly.

I stared down at my phone, my anxious mind playing back the conversation in my head, wondering if the slight worry in his voice was actually there or whether I had just imagined it. I took the free time I had to quickly forward and reply to whatever emails I had received from my boss before reading through another manuscript. Even after a year of working in a publishing company, I had not gotten tired of reading as my sister said I would. In fact, I had come to love it even more.

My head shot up when I heard the door open and there stood my boyfriend in his usual I-didn't-bother-dressing-up-because-who-cares attire, his arms already spread out to welcome me and as soon as I got up and practically melted into him; I knew everything was okay.

"Hello, beautiful," He murmured against my hair, kissing them lightly, the familiar touch of his hand sliding up to play with the ends of my dark hair, the burgundy dye starting to fade away leaving behind a sort of chocolate brown color.

"I'm hungry," I mumbled against his chest, not wanting to let go. Even with my heels, Sam still managed to be taller than me.

Sam slowly stepped away from our warm embrace and raised his hand to reveal the all too familiar brown paper bag with a yellow M on it.

"McDonalds!" I couldn't stop the squeal that escaped my lips, grabbing it immediately to smell the mouth-watering scent, "Sam, you are a lifesaver." I kissed his cheek before settling back into my chair as he brought out the contents of the paper bag.

"A McChicken for the lady with fries and coke," He said, placing the items one by one in front of me, "And nuggets for me." He pushed up the sleeves of his sweatshirt before opening his box of nuggets.

Sam gave me one of his lopsided smiles as I devoured my burger before I sat back against my chair, tucking my hair behind my ear as I looked out the window which took up one side of the room, my heels tapping against the wooden floor; while others had asked for a carpeted floor, I had asked for it to be bare. I liked the light sounds my heels made against the hardwood floor.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me for a nugget yet," I turned my attention from the window to Sam before shaking my head with a laugh.

"I'm surprised you haven't finished by now," I said with a teasing smile.

Sam shook his head before looking down at his hand, twisting the watch which hung loosely around his wrist.

"Everything okay?" I questioned, tilting my head to the side, reaching out a hand to curl my fingers around his.

"Yeah," He replied shortly, doing the thing he did whenever he lied. Looking everywhere but my eyes.

I decided to not push it. That was the thing with Sam and me; one of us would be upset and the other would not push them for answers. It was the way we had always been.

I gazed at the clock on my desk, letting out a small sigh when I realized that lunch break was over. Getting up from my seat, I stood in front of Sam, a silent acceptance of his silence, a silent gesture to let him know that whatever he was disturbed about would be okay.

"I love you, you know that right?" Sam looked up at me, his forest green eyes almost boring into mine.

There it was, the three words I couldn't get myself to say back to my own boyfriend. The memories coming along with the words were too painful to push back. Flashes of the love I once had but lost.

I gave him a curt nod and he placed his palm flat against my chest, feeling the heartbeat under it. It was his way of knowing that I did love him; the steady beats of my heart.

"Sam, I have a meeting," I reminded him, gently taking his hand in mind before placing my lips over his knuckles gently.

It was almost painful for me to look at the all too familiar gaze of sadness masked by an understanding on his face.

"I'll see you at home," He whispered quietly, leaning in to press a kiss on my forehead before stepping back and leaving.

I leaned back against my desk, taking a deep breath in to calm my racing thoughts. The blur memories of my past threatening to surface each time I took a breath.

"pull yourself together, come on," I whispered to myself before fixing my hair and stepping out if my room.