| January 2 | Tuesday Evening |

~ Sam's POV ~

I was dreading walking into Jinx.

After the whole Emma encounter on New Years Eve, everything seemed to become a little bumpier. There was tension between Megan and I, because we were both worried and had no idea what Emma was going to do or say. I knew Jas had overheard some of the exchange that night as well, which meant she would most likely ask me about it tonight.

Things had spiraled out of control within minutes, and now I didn't know how to navigate it.

"What do you mean she knows?" Megan asked, arms crossed upon her chest. "You told her the truth?"

"No," I defended. "She basically accused me and didn't even give me a chance to explain."

Megan shifted. "So, you were planning on telling her the truth regardless?"

"Well, not the entire truth-"

"Oh my God." Megan placed her hand on her forehead. "She's gonna tell everyone she knows."

"That's not necessarily true."

Megan gave me a disapproving look. "She used to like you, Sam. You two broke up and she immediately accused you of having someone else. She knew something was going on way before we even did."

"Emma isn't impulsive like that," I reassured.

"And if she tells Shay?" Megan countered.

I felt my pulse quicken at the mentioning. She was right. Emma wasn't impulsive, but Shay used to loathe me. She probably still did for all I knew. And if Emma told her I had given Megan a ring, she would know it was serious. She would know I was happy. And Shay used to hate when I was happy.

I walked up to Megan and cupped her face in my hands. The worry lines on her forehead relaxed just a bit at the touch.

"I will talk to Emma," I said. "But I need to know what you want me to tell her."

I climbed out of my car and slammed my door, throwing my cigarette down and stomping it out. I hadn't smoked one in a while, but with everything going on, I was craving again.

As I walked through the parking lot, I noticed it would be only me and Jas for a few hours while we took inventory. Sara and Quinton wouldn't be showing up for another hour, which meant if Jas felt like prying, she would be free to do so.

I just had to endure an hour or two, and then I could bail since this wasn't my shift to work anyway.

As my hand reached for the door I felt my heart speed up in my chest. I could always be honest with Jas. It would make things easier instead of spreading the fire.

But she was connected to Baldwin, which could become problematic in the future. Maybe it was just best to lie...

I spotted her staring at a clipboard when I finally walked in. Looks like she hadn't bothered to wait for me to start. I was grateful.

She looked up. "Hey."

"Hey," I responded. "How far did you get?"

"Not far." She said. "We still have a bit to do."

We started working together to get this over as soon as possible, me remaining quiet most of the time. I figured if we didn't talk, the chances of the other night coming up was less likely.

But I should've known better than to think that the universe would me a break.

"So, what happened the other night?" she asked while scribbling on the clipboard.

I played dumb. "Other night?"

"New Year's Eve."

I swallowed. "What do you mean?"

By now she knew what I was doing.

"You and that girl... She sounded really angry. And you looked pretty upset," Jas stated. "Was that an ex?"

"Yeah," I said. "I dated her back in high school."

"Did things end badly or...?"

I sighed. I could just be and asshole and tell her I didn't want to talk about it, but that would just make me look worse. If I avoided the subject altogether, Jas would suspect something and ask around. But if I tried to weasel my way out, it might put her curiosity at ease...

"Not really," I answered. "We just weren't on the same page when it came to how we felt about each other, so I broke up with her."

"So why did she accuse you of lying?" Jas asked.

She was just going to keep hitting me with questions, and I had no idea what she had heard that night. For all I knew, she hadn't heard anything.

I finally faced her. "How much did you hear?"

She didn't even have to say anything. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know.

"I heard a lot of things I wish I hadn't," she claimed. "You were messing around with a teacher?"

Suddenly I wasn't sure if I could get out of this mess. She had heard the worst part of the conversation. The part I couldn't write off.

I stopped what I was doing and gave her my full attention. She felt the need to do the same.

"I met Megan through my brother the day before I started my senior year of high school," I started. "Shawn offered her our loft, so she lived with us for a few months. But a week after school started, my history teacher got fired, and Megan ended up being his replacement."

Jas's eyebrow raised. "Megan? You mean your girlfriend used to be your teacher?"

I just nodded.

"So, you and her..."

"No," I lied. "We were friends, more or less, but we were not romantically involved."

She seemed to ponder over what I had just told her, and I could feel myself sweating. Maybe telling Jas the truth, or at least some of the truth, was stupid, but what else could I do?

"You're aware of how bad that could look, right?" she finally said.

I inhaled. "Yes."

"So that girl the other night... She's just assuming you and Megan were together?"

I nodded. "When I broke up with her she just believed I was hooking up with someone else – I was kind of a whore in high school – but that's all it was. An assumption."

"Did you move here to be with Megan?" Jas asked.

"No," I lied again. "I moved here with Blair and Tony. I just wanted to get the hell away from Baldwin, but Megan also wanted to come here for her grad program. " I searched for a quick

"Shit."

"Shit indeed," I agreed.

Jas tapped the clipboard. "Well, this will stay between us. I'd hate for you and Megan to get in trouble, especially if she's planning on continuing her teaching career."

I smiled. "Thanks Jas. That's means a lot."

And with that, I had managed to divert one catastrophe.

* * *

I walked into my apartment with high hopes that when I told Megan about Jas and I's conversation, she wouldn't flip her shit.

I was nervous, don't get me wrong, but there really was nothing I could do to evade telling her the truth. Or some of it. Obviously, I wasn't telling the entire truth since Megan and I had been romantically involved towards the end of my senior year. God, just thinking about that getting out made my heart pound in my head.

Megan was sitting on the couch with Charlie when I rounded the corner. Those blue eyes still had a look that screamed 'Please tell me my life isn't ruined'.

"So..." She looked up at me. "What's the damage?"

I sighed. "She heard most of what Emma said the other night..."

"And you told her I used to be your teacher," she stated.

"Yeah." I sat next to her. "But she thinks I moved up here with Blair and Tony and just so happened to meet up with you again. And that's where this all started..."

She stared at the TV instead of me, which made me nervous. I knew this wasn't easy for her, and I absolutely hated lying about how we came about, but we had to be careful. Jas was right. This could look very bad in the future if we weren't careful.

"God..." Megan buried her head in her hands. "This is... This is just great. Absolutely fantastic."

"Babe," I comforted. "It's alright for now. Jas isn't gonna tell anyone."

"And Emma? Shay? Just imagining the people she could tell makes me want to leave the state," she confessed.

I took a deep breath and watched Charlie curl up in Megan's lap, sensing the high intensity of the situation. Even she was uncomfortable.

"Emma is next on my list," I said. "I will text her and see if she wants to meet for lunch. She was pretty pissed the other night..."

"Yeah, because she probably still likes you."

I took Megan's hand. "That doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is that she doesn't tell the wrong people the wrong things."

I watched Megan inhale and exhale slowly. She was starting to calm down, which was much needed if she wanted to keep me sane. There was only so much damage control I could do right now. It was the just waiting that was getting to her.

"I'm sorry this is happening," she apologized. "I should've known better than to choose a school so close to Baldwin. I should've known that most of your class would come here for college-"

"This isn't your fault," I interrupted. "We will get through this, okay? Nothing about us has ever been easy. And we've had it pretty great, in my opinion. This is just a rough patch."

She just gave me a nod. "Okay."

I looked away from her and composed a text to Emma. I needed to sit down and talk with her and make sure she kept her mouth shut. I would not let her jeopardize Megan and I's relationship.

And I needed to get to her before she told Shay.

* * *

As my hand fell on the door handle of a local coffee shop, I felt my pulse in my head. This was the second time today I would have to explain myself to someone, but this time, it was more urgent.

It was crucial that I said all the right things at the right times, because Emma knew me better than Jas. She knew more, which made her more dangerous.

I just had to play my words right.

The smell of coffee and the sound of light chatter swarmed my senses. I spotted her all the way in the back at a table for two near the window. She was staring at her cellphone.

My feet reluctantly carried me to her, but I had no idea what to expect. God, I just needed this to go well.

She looked up and caught my gaze. And to my surprise, she gave me a smile. It was weak, but at least it was something.

"Hey," I greeted as I sat.

"Hi." Her eyes never left me. "So... what did you want to talk about?"

I just stared at her. She couldn't be serious? Wasn't it obvious what I wanted to talk about?

I sighed. "We need to talk about New Years."

"Why?"

"You know why."

"Because you're scared I'm gonna tell everyone the truth?"

"No," I fumed. "Because if you're going to tell people, I want you to know the real story before you potentially ruin someone's life."

Our table fell quiet, but I didn't feel bad. I liked Emma. She was a cool person, for the most part. But this whole situation was compromising something I had with someone I cared more for, and I wasn't going to let her do that.

She leaned over her mug of coffee. "You care about her a lot."

I felt my heart constrict. "I do."

She sighed. "Tell me, then."

"Megan – Miss Adams – was pretty good friends with my brother, Shawn, and she moved in with us the day before senior year started," I confessed. "Now before you jump to conclusions, she was my roommate before she was my teacher."

Emma's wide eyed narrowed, but she seemed to realize that that was in fact, the truth.

"When she got the teaching job, it was pretty awkward, but she wasn't planning on living with us forever." I watched Emma's reaction. "Megan moved out at the beginning of December and that was that. She was just my teacher. And yeah, we had a different relationship compared to her other students, but it's because she lived with me for a few months. That's all."

"And nothing ever happened?" Emma wondered.

"No," I lied.

"Even while you were with me?"

"Especially never when I was with you."

"Then why didn't we work out?" she asked in a small voice.

The look on her face made me believe that Emma had once loved me, even when I hadn't.

"Because I just wasn't in the right place for a serious relationship," I answered. "But I never cheated on you."

She palmed her cup with a sad look on her face. "So, when did you and Miss – Megan – happen?"

Alright, it was showtime.

"The summer after high school," I said. "I moved here with Blair and Tony and I met up with her not long after. I mean, we were friends because of Shawn, and so we decided to catch up. She told me she was attending Mizzou for a grad program and I was working at an auto shop in town for the time being. One thing led to another..."

"She was wearing a ring," Emma said. "I noticed it on her hand the other night... Did you give her that?"

"For her birthday this past year," I answered. "It's just a ring she really liked. We're not engaged or anything."

"You gave her a promise ring?" Emma laughed. "Are you five?"

I realized she had bought everything I had said, which overshadowed her making fun of me. I smiled in relief.

"Look, you and I both know I need to take baby steps." I leaned back into my chair. "I just knew a gesture like giving her a ring would let her know I was serious about us."

"How long have y'all been dating?"

"About a year and a half." I shrugged. "Give or take a few months."

"Wow," Emma said. "I'm surprised."

"Why?"

"Because your Sam Carson." She sipped her coffee. "I never would've thought you'd settle, much less give a girl a ring."

I smiled. "Yeah, well, I've done a lot of growing up."

There was a look on her face that still gave the vibe that she was hurt, but I didn't know why. I had explained myself. I had told her Megan and I hadn't been a thing before I graduated. So what was the deal?

"You okay?" I wondered.

"I just can't believe you thought I'd tell everyone," she confessed. "I mean, I was shocked but, I don't know... telling someone never crossed my mind."

I looked down in shame. She was right. But her reaction the other night hadn't helped the cause.

"We know how bad this relationship can look to people who know our history," I started. "Especially you and Shay. But her career means a lot to her, and our relationship could potentially jeopardize her teaching reputation. Especially if people believe we were romantically involved before I graduated."

I saw a look of sympathy cross Emma's features, and I was glad. I had hit a nerve somewhere, but I think it had more to do with me caring about Megan on that level. She had never expected that from me.

She smiled. "You really have done a lot of growing up."

"I've had to," I answered.

"I'm sorry I blew up the other night," she said. "It just caught me off guard. And maybe I had this dumb idea that you and I could maybe reconnect..."

I just gave her an understanding smile.

"But I'm not gonna lie, you and Megan do look good together." She looked up. "It feels weird not calling her Miss Adams."

"It took me a while to get used to it too," I confessed. "But it was especially weird while living with her."

And with that, everything seemed fine. At least for now. Emma and I caught up and I actually got to talk about Megan to her without being fearful of something going bad. She seemed genuinely interested in my life over the past year, as I was for her.

Then after a few hours, I left, knowing that Megan's career was safe, and that we could finally go back to normal.

At least for now, anyway.

*** A/N ***

Well, so sorry this took me longer than expected, but as most of you know I'm a pretty busy gal! I hope this continuation is turning into something that all of you could enjoy long term. I do enjoy writing about Sam and Megan a lot.

Anyways, let me know what you think and as always, Happy Reading!

-Lauryn