"Uh, Taite?" I looked up from the book I was reading to see my sister's boyfriend standing in the doorway to my bedroom. "Sarah needs you. Like now."
Throwing the book on my bed, I followed Troy down the hall not even bothering to ask what it was my sister needed.
As soon as Sarah saw me walk through her open door, she frantically waved me over to where she was seated on the pink loveseat in her bedroom. She was on the phone. When I sat down next to her, she pulled the phone from her ear and put it on speaker. She put a finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet. The phone screen lit up. It was Sam.
"I don't know, Sarah. I'm just kinda freaking out." At the sound of Sam's voice, my body automaticlly sank deeper into the cushions. "He hasn't called me in two days. Two days, Sarah. I think I came on to him too strongly. I think I blew it. I definitely blew it. He hates me... That's it. He hates me."
Sarah gave me a hard, narrowed stare before answering him. "Oh, Sammy, he doesn't—"
"There's no other explanation, Sarah! He... I... bloody hell I fucked everything up. I fucked it all up. I fucked us up. Fuck." He stopped talking. He was sniffling, like he had worked himself up enough to start crying. I sat still, listening silently, daring to swallow back the lump that had formed in the back of my throat. "Fuck, Sarah. What am I going to do?" He was definitely crying; his voice was breaking and splintered. He had never sounded so small. I crackled my knuckles, desperate for something to do with my hands.
"Sam, don't cry, honey. Don't cry." Sam sniffled in response. "I know this feels like the end of the world but it isn't. My little brother is dealing with the fact he's gone his whole life thinking he's straight, okay? Give him time."
I forced myself to keep my mouth shut due to the fact Sam had no idea I was listening, despite the fact Sarah's comment made me want to say quite a few things.
I pictured Sam nodding on the other line as he said, "Yeah. I know. I will."
"I'll get him to call you."
"Thanks, Sar. I owe you, love."
"No you don't. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
She hung up the phone, standing up off the couch to look down at me. Placing her hands on her bony hips, she glared at me, one eyebrow raised. She threw her phone onto my lap. "You know what to do."
Grabbing a hold of the awkwardly observing Troy behind her, Sarah left me alone in her room. She even closed the door.
I sighed, sinking into the couch. Flipping her phone over in my hands, I looked around her room. It was simple, and very neat. White walls, white furniture. The pink couch, the blue bedsheets. Everything solid colors, no patterns. She had three framed photos above the bed. One of the family, one of her and Troy, and one of her and a few friends. They were all in black and white. Everything was organized, everything had its place. It reeked of my sister.
I looked back down at the phone. After a minute of my fingers anxiously tapping on the screen, staring at the picture of Winnie Sarah had as her background, I unlocked it. After another two minutes, I pulled up Sam's contact information. Seven minutes later, I dialed his number.
"Sar?" He answered after six rings. "What's up?" He sounded frantic.
"Actually," I sounded extremely confident, despite how absolutely torn up and guilty I felt. "It's the other Jefferson. The handsome one."
Sam breathed what sounded like a sigh of relief. "Taite."
"Yup. In the flesh."
"How are... how are things?"
I chuckled slightly, feeling myself smile as I made myself comfortable on the couch. "Things are good, Ford," I paused. "I miss you."
"God. I miss you too, Taite. More than you know."
"What's California like? I've never been."
He laughed. "God I missed your voice."
"Sam," I felt myself smile. "It's been two days."
"Well, you haven't even called, Taite."
I licked my lips and swallowed back the guilty lump in my throat that didn't seem to want to leave, no matter how many times I tried to make it. I had been having an internal crisis the past few days. I couldn't stop thinking about the night of my birthday. The night I kissed Sam. The night he kissed me back. I had told him things I had been afraid to admit to even myself: that I was falling for him. Him being the key word, here. Him being a boy. Me thinking I'm straight. Everything was confusing. Nothing made sense except Sam and me. Together. I didn't know what that meant, but that's the only thing I knew for sure.
"I know, Sam."
I heard him exhale a lengthy breath. "I know you can't see me right now, but I have the biggest smile on my face. Just from hearing your voice."
I closed my eyes. Sunlight streamed into the room from the open windows, hitting me in the face. "Me too, Sammy." I wasn't lying.
After a few seconds, he spoke again. "California is amazing. The weather's perfect. The people are really cool. Everything is great."
Before I had the chance to respond, Sam swore. He pulled the phone away from his ear slightly in order to talk to someone. "I'll be out in a second, Michelle! Bloody hell!"
"Sam?" I sat up slightly. "Where are you?"
He coughed. "Uh, like, right this second?"
"Yeah, right this second."
"Um, I'm in a closet. At this recording studio."
"Why are you in the closet?"
"Well I was in a meeting and I saw Sarah was calling and I hoped it was you, so I kinda left the meeting and went into this closet to answer the phone."
"Sam Ford!"
"I know, Taite, I know, I just wanted to say hi, I haven't talked to you in ages—"
"Get out of the closet this second, Sam!" He laughed. I felt myself smile. "I'm not kidding. These things are important! I'm hanging up. Call Sarah when you're done. Good luck!"
"Wait, Taite—"
"I said bye, Sam!"
He laughed. "Bye babe."
I hung up before he could say anything else. I didn't leave Sarah's room, though. I laid on her couch with my eyes closed to think about Sam's voice, his laugh, his answering my call in the middle of a meeting, for just a few more minutes before I had to go to work.
__
The next day was Saturday. I woke up and instantly called Sam.
"Taite Jefferson. Don't tell me you stole your phone back from mommy. You shouldn't have this back for another week."
I rubbed my lip, trying to hide the smile on my face. I caught my dad's eye from across the living room. He was looking at me above the newspaper he was reading, wire framed glasses hanging low on his nose. He had snuck me my cell phone for the weekend because my mom was away on business. He winked at me before letting his eyes fall back on the news.
"Mom's away. Hilton snuck me the phone for the weekend," I stood up from the chair I was sitting in and parted from my dad with a wave. "What's up with you today?"
Winnie tailed me to the back porch where I sat down on an Adirondack chair and listened to Sam complain about the four separate meetings with four separate record labels he had to attend the past week, as per his manager's request.
"She wants me to move to an American label. She thinks Broadbase UK is too small. She thinks they aren't as capable of helping me 'reach the masses.' Personally, I just think she wants more free trips to California."
I laughed. "So, have you decided on one?"
"Yeah. I signed with Sony yesterday. They have some pretty big names and Michelle did all the research and bull and decided it was the best. I chose to just follow her lead."
"Sometimes I forget you're a superstar."
"Good. That's how it should be," he paused. "Speaking of which..."
"Yes, superstar?"
"I'm singing at this festival crap in Paris in two weekends. You, uh, up for coming?"
I balked. "To Pairs?"
"Yes."
"With you?"
"And the family. But yes."
"For the weekend?"
"Yes, Taite."
"Paris, France?"
Sam chuckled on the other line. "Yes, Taite."
I tried to swallow back the excitement in my stomach. "This all sounds very..."
"Fun?" Sam tried. I could picture the smile on his face.
"I was going to say romantic."
I was met with silence on the other line. I ran a hand through Winnie's fur, wincing, hoping I didn't say the wrong thing.
"Well, yeah. I guess it does sound a little romantic."
I smirked. "Does this mean I have to put out?"
Sam laughed genuinely. "Of course not."
"Alright. I'll ask mom when she gets home tomorrow night."
"Yeah. Sure. Let me know."
I stood up from the chair, grabbing Winnie's leash from the basket on the porch. "I will. I'm off on a run with Win, though. I'll call you tonight."
"Call me before 6 your time? I need to get some sleep."
"Of course."
Needless to say, I called Sam later that night. I climbed the stairs after dinner, locked my bedroom door, and tucked myself under the covers. I dialed his number from memory.
"Taitey?"
"Mmhm?"
"You alone?"
Everything in me tingled.
"Yes."
"Good."
__
The next night, I found my mom in the kitchen before she was headed up to bed, exhausted from her business trip. I gave her a hug and a kiss, and then I brought up Paris.
"So, Sam has this concert he's putting on in a few weekends."
"Oh, lovely." My mom was looking through the fridge, presumably for leftover chocolate cake.
"In Paris."
She gasped. "That lucky boy!" She closed the fridge, pulling out the chocolate cake with a devious smile on her face. She didn't bother heating it up or taking it out of the container. She dug right into it with a fork, leaning up against the kitchen counter looking at me.
"He invited me to come watch. And stay for the weekend."
My mom's eyes lit up. She put down the fork, swallowing the cake before smiling. "How nice of him!"
I nodded, stepping closer to her with a smile, thrilled with how well this was going. "And I'd love to go. I will pay for the flight and everything. I have some money saved from work."
As she started nodding, about to speak, my sister barged into the kitchen. She embraced our mother and welcomed her home before promptly stealing the fork out of her hand, and taking a bite of the cake.
"Oh I have the best idea," My mother glanced between my sister and I. "Why don't both of you go? You haven't been on vacation in forever. Dad has been so busy and you kids did so well in school, it would be so fun for you to have a vacation weekend with the Fords!"
Sarah's eyes began dancing. "Vacation?! Yes! Where?"
My mom grabbed my sister's hands excitedly. "Paris!"
My sister squealed. My mother grinned. I fought the urge to scream. I grabbed Sarah's wrist, turning her attention back towards me. "Sarah," I glared at her, hoping she would get the message. "Sam invited me to Paris. Not you." It was supposed to be our weekend: me and Sam. Not me, Sam, and Sarah's weekend.
"He won't mind me tagging along," Sarah shook me off and turned back to our mother. "The shopping, mom. It's going to be insane."
The two of them went on for another five minutes about Paris and shopping and macaroons before I had had enough. I left unannounced, ignoring my mom's calls of goodnight. When I got upstairs, I slammed my bedroom door. Before I had the chance to rip something in half, Sarah peeked her head into my bedroom.
"Taite! This is going to be amazing!"
"Sarah! Jesus!" I pulled her into the bedroom and shut the door, leaning up against it. "Did you not get that this was supposed to be a romantic weekend for me and Sam? Did you seriously not get that?"
The small O shape her mouth formed told me she seriously didn't get that.
"Oh, Taitey!" She fell backward onto my bed, covering her mouth with her hand.
"Yeah. I know." Defeated, I slid down the door and landed on the ground. "So tell mom you've changed your mind or something. I don't need you ruining this for me."
"Taite, you know I love you. And Sam. But it's Paris."
"So?!"
She stood up. "I'll stay out of your way completely, it'll be like I'm not there. And I'll keep Lottie out of the way, and I'll get to go shopping, and you'll get to kiss Sam and have the romantic weekend you've been dreaming about. It'll work, Taite. It will."
I sighed, rubbing a hand over my eyes. "If it doesn't, you're dead." She squealed, then bent over and kissed me hard on the forehead.
"Love you, sweet cheeks." I moved so she could pull open the door. She left with another kiss on my head. The frickin suck up.
I called Sam.
"So? Can you come? Did you talk to your mom?"
"Yup."
I could practically hear him frown. "Don't sound too excited, Taite."
I sighed. "I'm sorry, Sam, I'm excited. It's just..."
"What? Did someone... is everyone okay?"
I snorted. "Everyone is fine. Especially Sarah. She's just absolutely thrilled to come to Paris with me."
Sam, despite my sarcastic and clearly unamused tone, laughed. "That's why you're upset? Because Sarah's coming too?"
"Yes Sam, that's why I'm upset! It was supposed to be romantic! It was supposed to be our weekend!"
I heard Sam breath out deeply. His voice had dropped lower. Quieter. More intimate. "Don't worry about that, Taite. I'll make it worth it."