Chapter Fourteen: "Good Time."

"WHY?" ANMOL AND I ASKED at the same time.

Sam crossed him arms. "You know what? That guy out there has been pissing me off nonstop every practice, every game because at every second- every chance he gets he ends up talking about you. Every chance he gets Anmol. He's asking about you because you're too shy to talk to him and I honestly think you should talk to him."

"B-"

"And I mean talk to him. Stand tall. Have an actual conversation between two adults." He urged even further and I raised my eyebrows because I knew just a little bit that Sam was playing matchmaker.

That's when I said wow in my head for the second time of this long night.

Anmol took a long deep breath. "You're going to talk to him aren't you?" I asked, putting my hands in the pockets.

"Alright, I'm going to find him and bring the man here." Sam huffed, taking off his leather jacket due to the heat rising in the house before I took it as he walked out.

I shrugged his jacket on as Anmol grumbled under her breath before looking concerned. "Hey, I kind of saw what happened over there. With that guy and the weed. You seemed really apprehensive when he offered it to Sam."

I sighed. "Yeah."

"I don't mean to say anything. I don't do drugs but... it's just weed. They also use it for medical stuff. It's not like it's heroin or cocaine."

I nodded quickly, waving my hands. "Honestly I get it. It's just weed and some people wouldn't be overreacting but it's different when it comes to Sam. He's done some things before and I don't want him to go from thinking 'oh it's just weed' to 'oh it's just LSD' or 'oh it's completely fine and safe to inject yourself with a needle filled with stimulants'.. He'll resort to a very bad place and I'm just looking out for him."

Before Anmol could open her mouth to say anything the door to the bathroom opened again. Sam shoved Derek through the door and closed it behind himself, sighing. Derek looked down at Anmol with a smile on his face. "Hey."

Anmol took a deep breath, "Hi." 

"Okay, I think we'll you two some space," Sam clapped his hands. "Meanwhile, Hazel and I will be outside."

"Hazel?" Derek questioned, looking confused in a way that made me want to laugh.

Sam and I made our way outside but I couldn't help but press my ear against the door, hoping awkward silence wasn't filling the air. It wasn't. Good. Their voices muffled on the other side. 

"I can't believe you just did that," I muttered as he slid against the wall and sat down on the floor opposite the bathroom door.

"So you and Derek?" I asked him, referring to not just what he did but what he said before we stepped foot of this building.

Sam narrowed his eyes at me, not really understanding what I was getting at. "What about Derek and I?"

"I meant that you're friends with him? Like to the point of friendship that when he's not even in the room you can call him a mate?" I had to say this with a smile on my face because Sam barely made friends outside of our group so to have him actually call someone his friend was an accomplishment.

"He's alright," Sam muttered, leaning his head back and glancing over at me. "What? Why are you smiling like that? I mean I love your smile and it's beautiful but you're smiling at me creepily right now."

"Jerk," I muttered before the same smile returned to my face. "Because you rarely ever call someone your friend. It just reminds me how much you've changed since I met you. I barely hear you call Caleb your friend."

Sam gave me a look, his green eyes looking like they were glowing because of the dim light in the tiny hallway. Some people came out of a room and walked towards the living room, passing their way between Sam and I and avoiding his outstretched feet. "I can't call Caleb my friend because he's not just my friend."

"Then what is he?" I urged him to say the things he hides all the time and never admits.

"Caleb's..." He trailed off thinking for a second. "Caleb's like a brother but he's also more than a brother to me, you know? He's family and he's my best friend-see I said it happy now? Wipe that smile from your face. Anyway, Caleb is one of the only people I know that'll stick with me through success and failure. I mean, he's crazy, random and weird as hell but he's also going to be my best man at our wedding."

That's when my heart went into overdrive when Sam said our wedding and the sly content look on his face said it all. Whenever he spoke about the future, he always included me in it. I want to be included in it and I'm glad he wanted me on the ride with him for as long as it'll take us.  

I took a seat next to him and we settled in silence- well as silent between us because the party was still a go and the music was clearly heard from here.

But then the silence between us at least was turned when I could hear the joined laughter on the other side. "Sounds like they're having a good time." 

"The good time might turn into a real good time if you know what I mean." Sam laughed, "They'll be fine. It's good they're talking." 

"Yeah," I told him. "Speaking of you and Derek again...how is soccer?"

"Football is going great. I told you we won our game a couple days ago right?"

I nodded. "Yeah you could've scored according to people but you gave the ball up and had assisted instead. For a cocky person you sure are very humble."

Sam scoffed, nudging his shoulder against mine. "I did it because I wanted to. It was an important game for the guy. How about you? You haven't really spoken much about your time on the field."

"I haven't gotten much playing time and Tanya has been sure to bother me about it. A lot." I almost hissed, leaning my head back against the wall.

Sam looked displeased at the mention of Tanya. "She's bothering you?"

"Oh my God being on the field again is so amazing. Holy, I got the ball from that girl, she didn't see it coming. At least I get to experience proper time on the field unlike some people," I mocked her accent because scowling. "I want to throw her tea and crumpets at her face."

"Don't mock my culture," Sam said with a lazy smile. "You didn't tell her off?"

"Well after the fifth comment towards me and Anmol practically holding me back, I figured she wasn't worth getting kicked out of HDF."

A couple of footsteps sounded from the small hallway, and two people entered, both of them laughing. They made their way over to the bathroom when I suddenly spoke up. "It's kind of occupied."

The pair scurried away to do their business somewhere else. "Oh, so Jon Ming rang me up today."

"Really?" I asked him.

"Yeah he's home. Came back early to work on some demo. He's made a lot of money the past couple of months in LA. He's on his way up."

I nodded, feeling happy for my friend. I looked over at the bathroom door at the same time Sam did. "You don't hear anything either right?"

I shook my head, getting up slowly. Sam raised an eyebrow following my lead and taking the chair quietly from handle. He pushed himself up against the door trying to hear what was going on their when I saw his expression change to one of amusement.

He slowly twisted the handle and the pushed the door open still holding it when we were greeted with a very comprising sight.

Sam and I exchanged glances before turning back to Anmol and Derek who were basically living out the expression of 'kiss and make up'...very heavily.

For the third time that night I said wow in my head.

Sam cleared his throat and the two pulled apart quickly, Anmol looking embarrassed and Derek had the widest grin on his face. "Well then," Sam exhaled looking over at me. "See? A good time. It didn't even take that long." 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Can you wait one second?" I asked.

"Sure." He said.

I held my phone in one hand before taking a couple steps back and making the shot, the curving and hit the back of the net.

"Did you make the shot?" Justin asked me.

"Obviously." I told him with a small laugh. It was so great to hear my brother's voice. I see how tall he was now. If he grew or didn't grow during the months we weren't living together. He was able to grow actually facial hair in the months I was away and I saw that on Skype but it wasn't the same. I couldn't put him in a headlock or throw pillows at him when he annoyed me. The one thing I could tell was that his voice had definitely gotten deeper.

"What? You're not saying anything." He pointed out.

"I'm sorry. I just can't get over your voice. It's absolutely crazy that that part of puberty just so happened to hit you when I leave home."

"Shut up at least my voice isn't cracking anymore. Remember summer and your friends kept mocking me the entire time?" He muttered.

I barked out laughter. "I swear Emma mocked you too."

I could imagine Justin rolling his eyes now. "But she actually apologized."

"What's going on between you two now?" I asked him. Emma and her incredibly horrible sister, Alexis spent the entire summer with the Cahill's and wherever she was Justin followed like a lovesick puppy. 

"We're pretty great. I mean the distance thing is always going to be hard but you know what they say 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'."

"I'm sorry, who are you and what have you done to my little brother? I don't think you're Patrick anymore." I said referring to his old nickname.

Justin laughed deeply. "In case you haven't noticed Sandy, I'm not stupid. Emma and I are great. I just hope we'll be great for a long time."

"At least you'll get to see her soon."

Justin sighed. "Yeah, Christian won't stop reminding me about it. I remind myself every day. It's marked on my calendar, the day she arrives for god's sakes but every single time he brings it up as if it's supposed to embarrass me."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah I know and c'mon I mean I love Emma and it's not-"

"Wait, wait, wait," I cut him off, sitting in the middle of the field and looking up at the night sky and the lights illuminating the field. "You love her?"

"I thought it was obvious." My brother muttered. It was obvious but I've never ever heard him fully say that he did love her. I knew he liked her. A lot. Like a lot. But for him to actually say he loved her was a first.

"Does she know this?"

"No," He said bluntly. "I'm not going to tell her over the phone or in a text message that I love her. That's low even for our generation."

"True." I agreed.

"But can I confess something?" Justin whispered after a moment.

"What is it?" I asked softly.

"I'm kind of nervous as to what her reaction would be when I tell her. Is that normal?"

"That's normal." I told him.

"It is?"

"It is."

He sighed and I could hear shuffling on the other side. "Dude, you sound tired. Take a nap. Have you gotten enough sleep?"

"It's just school. I'm not that sleepy," He spoke too soon because he yawned. "Oops."

"Yeah oops, go to sleep J." I told him.

"Alright, bye Sandy."

"Bye Patrick." I laughed softly feel a major wave of homesickness hit me as I hung up on him.

"Was that Justin?" a voice asked and I almost jumped out of my skin.

"Holy fudgenuggets, you scared me." I put a hand to my chest, looking up at Sam who was looking back at me with amusement.

"I didn't think my presence was that frightening." He murmured, taking a seat next to me on the ground. "Why you here?"

"Why are you here?"

"This is funny."

"How?"

"We both end up finding each other without a text or a call. It's interesting."

He looked at me with those green eyes I fell in love with, the intensity of them making a shiver rake through my body but not because of the cool wind in the air. I nodded slowly, managing to rip my gaze away from his own.

"How did you get the lights on?" Sam asked me. "I was going to go to an indoor field when I noticed these ones were on."

"Coach. He was in his office and left them on for me when I told him I wanted to practice but they're on a time frame so we only have until 10."

I took out my camera and watching as he put his cleats on. When he finished tying them up, he raised his stretched his legs out like I was doing and I casually took a picture of our shoes.

I showed it to him and he rolled his eyes. "So aesthetic."

"I know." I told him with pride, putting my camera on top of my sweater and placed my phone there too.

He helped me up and looked at me with concern as I played around with the ball at my feet. "You alright?"

I nodded, not saying anything. Tanya's words from the other day about me not getting time on the field bothered me and something else she had said days ago was bothering me too.

I dribbled the ball away from Sam before stopping it. I took a few steps back before running forward and kicked the ball. I thought the ball wouldn't go in but it curved and hit the back of the set. I sighed in satisfaction, walking over to go get the ball when suddenly I heard a basic ringtone from Sam's phone.

Sam had a ringtone for every single person on his phone so when it wasn't a song that was playing but a Marimba ringtone blaring from it I knew it wasn't from someone that was in his contact list.

When I had managed to retrieve the ball and was going back to Sam, I noticed him looking down at the phone. It was still blaring but I knew from the look on his face that he recognized the number and wasn't happy with who was calling.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

He waited for the ringing to stop and turned his phone off. "Nothing." He muttered.

"Who was it?" I asked him concerned because he looked bothered.

Sam didn't look at me. He kept his eyes trained on his off cell phone before shoving it in his pocket. He took the ball away from me keeping his focus on it. "No one important."

"Sam-"

"Hazel, just drop it." He exasperated, running a hand through the top of his hair and stopping the movement with his ball.

I licked my lips and stepped forward, my arms crossed. "I don't want to pry but don't shut me out."

Sam put his foot on the ball, pushing it behind him as he stepped closer to me. I watched his hands reach for my arms that were covered by the arms of sweater but then he reached out to the exposed skin at my neck and I shuddered because his hands were cold. "I'm sorry. I would never shut you out."

"I know," I told him, looking down at the grass before looking at him. "It' just that...I can tell you're upset. You know that I'm here right?"

"I know and I'm so fucking grateful that you're here, I wouldn't want it either way. We've known each other for about nine months and you don't know how happy I am been just standing next to you Hazel." He whispered that last sentence and pressed a kiss to my temple, before hugging me by the shoulders.

I breathed him in, hugging him back, my hands going up his sweater covered back and to his shoulders. Nine months. Wow. I took three of those months and wasn't with him when I could've fallen for him much quicker than that if I had known my feelings. But that didn't matter right now because we were together but I couldn't stop that stupid things that Tanya had said come to my mind.

"What's wrong?" Sam immediately asked, pulling away and keeping his hands by my neck, running his thumb over my jaw.

"Nothing." I tried to tell him but he gave me a look and that look usually meant that I should tell him. He never pried either but I think he knew that this was bothering me a lot.

"I know it's not nothing." Sam said. I know the thing you were mad about before was nothing too.  

"It's just...you know how we had that week back in March where we were trying to get each other out of our systems by being together I guess which was really stupid and immature because clearly that made things worse-or better-"

"Hazel."

"Sorry. And you know how I...cheated on Cedric but then Cedric and I-"

"Had that whole discussion and words were said about using and now your friends?" Sam summed it pretty vaguely but accurately.

"Yeah," I kept my attention on the Nike symbol on his sweater. "Tanya kind of overheard about this and she called me a cheater."

"What?" Sam stared at me, obviously feeling even more bothered than he was before.

"She said because I cheated on Cedric then that means that she thinks I'm probably going to cheat on you as well."

Sam didn't say anything for a second, his eyes searching mine as his eyebrows furrowed. He took deep breaths and I knew he was getting angry but not just from that small info I told him but from the person who had called as well. He took his hands off my neck, putting a hand on his head. "Seriously?"

"Sam. It's just Tanya," I tried to blow it off. "It's wasn't that-"

"Hazel, don't tell me that it wasn't that serious because I know you and I know that from the time she's said this till now, it's been stuck in your head. Am I right?"

"You're right."

"That girl just doesn't know when to quit it. I'm okay if she bothers me and her presence makes me feel violated but you?" He took a deep breath. "Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

He pulled me towards him and our bodies were so close I couldn't put my focus on anything. "You what I learned in class?" 

"What?" 

"I've learned that there are five types of love; companionship, friendship, charity, family and intimacy," I'm not even surprised that he's managed to take something he learned from a lecture and apply to our lives. " You know what the Greek word is for intimacy love is?"

"Pretty sure it's Eros. " I whispered as his hands grabbed mine and intertwined our fingers together.

"Our love is Eros love." He teased and I grinned at his need to educate me in this moment. 

"It started as friendship love in a weird, twisted way where you were annoyed of me every five seconds," I laughed under my breath when he said that and he smiled. "But eventually it turned into Eros love. And because I'm completely in love with you..." He trailed off.

I couldn't help the smile that came onto my face. "And I'm in love with you too..."

"Then we fight for our relationship to work because we can make it work. I have so much hope that we can make it work that I can envision our future together. So Tanya calling you a cheater doesn't mean shit because even though what we thought was the mature thing at a point was honestly fucked up, we won't cheat on each other."

"I know."

"But Macy can I at least admit something?"

"What?"

"If I have to have my heart broken by someone one day, it'll have to be you and only you because you are the only person I will give my heart too." He whispered before pressing a kiss to my lips briefly.

I haven't felt overwhelmed like this in a long time. "Wow,"

Sam got this cocky look on his face. "That was pretty sentimental for me, wasn't it?"

"Kinda," I admitted, holding a hand to my chest at the feeling in my chest after his words. "But it was..."

"It was."

"Heartfelt. Sweet." I said that last word out loud and it sounded weird coming out of my mouth.

Sam noticed that too. "Did Macy Victoria Marie Anderson just say sweet?"

"I'm glad you find me amusing," I muttered.

"Next thing you know you'll be calling me things like baby."

"No." I didn't mind when he called me that but me calling him that is a no...and it would just be weird.

"Or hot."

I didn't say anything to that because I think it but rarely ever say it out loud.

"Or something like... sweet cheeks."

"What?" I burst out laughing, my hands lightly hitting and staying on his chest because I would never ever call him that.

Sam grinned before fetching the ball back and grabbing me by the hand as if he hadn't just poured out his heart to me. "C'mon, let's play football."

"Soccer."