| November 24 | Saturday Night |

~ Sam's POV ~

I grabbed liquor bottles and beer cases and handed them off to our barback for the night who continued to stack his cart. We were busy here at Crossroads, and it was nice to be distracted from everything going on outside of work. Of course, it was still strange to have to work around Jade, who refused to talk to me unless she needed something. Something like more alcohol due to her depleting reserve behind the bar.

"That should be enough," I said.

The barback nodded and took off with his cart of alcohol and headed to the bar.

I took my time heading back to the floor, knowing I wasn't necessarily needed right now. Then, as if the universe read my thoughts, I heard a voice through my earpiece.

"Sam, it's Jade. I have an incoherent patron and need security. Now."

"Shit," I mumbled to myself before radioing security. "Hey, I need Don to meet me with Jade, please."

"Copy," Don, our toughest security guard, answered.

I quickly made my way through the back and emerged out the kitchen, seeing Don's massive figure making his way to the bar. My eyes switched to Jade who was no longer mixing drinks, but rather shouting at a customer who was clearly instigating her. It seemed to be escalating by the second, so I rushed over.

"I paid for my ticket... to this damn show just like... everyone else!" he slurred.

Jade's panicked and angry eyes found me as she signaled to the man she had called us over here for.

"Now gimme a damn drink!" he shouted.

"Sir," I called over the noise. "I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the premise if you continue-"

"Who the fuck are you?" he asked sloppily.

"I'm the bar manager," I answered sternly. "And if Jade deems you too intoxicated, she's legally required to cut you off."

Don, who seemed already fed up with the guy, gave me a look, asking if it was time to throw him out yet. I sighed and shook my head. I had to at least try and reason with him before we went through extensive measures. But before I could, he proceeded to make his case worse.

"What's with all these uptight bitches!?" he hollered.

Then, he threw his empty plastic cup at Jade. There was nothing in it but ice and a tiny black straw, but it was a violent action. Jade looked up in fury, and I swore she was seconds away from jumping over the bar and pummeling the guy. I signaled for Don to escort him out.

"You motherfu-"

"Jade," I said. "Let's go outside."

"What? No! He just threw his fucking drink-"

"Stop," I demanded. "Because if you cause a bigger scene, I will have to fire you. Now, let's go."

As awkward as the encounter was with Jade, I knew it was the right thing to do. It was my responsibility to protect my staff, and if I let Jade get her way, I would have no choice but to fire her. So, instead of letting her do what she wanted, I escorted her out through the back.

She stormed out the back door and didn't bother holding it open for me. I watched her shakily reveal a pack of cigarettes and a lighter before placing one between her lips. Her anger was justified, but we as bartenders had to deal with stupid people all the time. We had to take a lot of things we shouldn't have to, so I would give her a minute to smoke and gather herself.

"You don't want one?" she wondered.

"No," I declined. "I'm uh... quitting my bad habits. Cold turkey."

"Why?"

I shrugged. "It's just time."

"Does that include attempting to cheat on your fiancée?" she spat.

Ouch. Okay, well, it was clear she was still upset over what happened a few weeks ago. I couldn't blame her. I hadn't addressed it since it happened. That, on top of the anger she was feeling right now, was the perfect concoction for disaster.

"It does," I answered calmly. "It also includes no smoking, no drinking, no self-sabotage, and an array of other things."

That's when Jade looked at me with wide eyes.

"You told her?" she wondered.

I just nodded.

Her eyes traveled over to my left hand and noticed the presence of a ring, which must've been shocking because she remained silent. It was nothing short of a miracle that Megan was willing to stick around after everything. Jade must've recognized that as well.

"She must really love you."

"Yeah," I agreed.

Silence surrounded us, but there were still a lot of things left unsaid. I knew I needed to apologize, but I wasn't sure if she was in the right headspace to hear it at the moment. I stepped closer to her.

"Jade, look, I'm really sorry," I apologized. "You were right, about everything. I was trying to self-sabotage because I'm going through some shit, and I never meant to involve you in it."

She just continued to smoke while side-eyeing me.

"I should've never tried to kiss you," I admitted. "And I know you probably don't wanna hear this, but I'm so grateful that you didn't let me."

"Stop," she demanded.

I fell silent.

"I didn't do some noble deed, Sam," she answered. "I did what was right, okay? So, you don't need to thank me, so just... stop."

My head shook in confusion, not understanding why she wasn't taking well to my apology. Was I saying something wrong? Offensive? Of course, she wasn't obligated to accept it, but this reaction wasn't what I had anticipated.

"Alright then," I finished, deciding it was best if I just left her alone. It was clear she didn't want me out here with her. Besides, it seemed like my presence was just making her anger worse.

But before I could disappear back inside, I heard her groan in frustration.

"Sam, wait."

I stopped and looked at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap like that. I just..." She sighed and flicked the end of her cigarette into the ashtray. "Listen, I'm glad you and Megan are working it out. I am. And I'm glad I didn't let you fuck it all up, but the truth is, you messed with my head too, in more ways than one."

I just stared at her in confusion.

"I thought I was doing better," she admitted. "I thought I was moving away from my toxic traits, but the truth is, the only reason I didn't let you kiss me was because I know what it feels like to be left. To be abandoned... But I wanted to kiss you. I still do, and that's not fair, because I feel used and manipulated. Shit, after it happened, I even thought, just for a moment, of canceling my plans to move to California."

"I hadn't connected with someone like I connected with you in a long time," she continued. "Then you made me like you, and you ruined whatever sense of friendship we had."

The heaviness of the situation settled on my shoulders. I hadn't realized... Jade liked me? It was clear it had taken her a lot to admit this to me, but I didn't know what to say back. Was there anything I could say?

"I..."

"You don't have to say anything," she interrupted. "I just needed to get it off my chest."

Then she pushed past me and left me standing outside, alone.

* * *

When I was younger, I had never experienced any type of remorse when I emotionally manipulated and hurt people. Old Sam wouldn't feel guilty for what Jade had admitted to her. If anything, it would've just fueled her ego. I realized this, and it made me sick. The only upside was that now, I felt horrible for what I had done, which meant I wasn't as bad as I used to be.

I quietly tried to make my way inside the house, attempting not to wake Megan if she was already asleep. It was pretty late, so it was likely she was already curled up in our bed. The door remained cracked open, which was a hopefully silent "join me when you get home."

After entering my bedroom, I immediately headed to the master bathroom, removed my work clothes and showered. Sleeping next to Megan for the first time in weeks last night had felt strange, but not unfamiliar. Of course, I was grateful that she had opened up and allowed me to do so regardless.

I allowed myself to slowly slip into bed and attempted not to disturb her too much but failed. She squirmed and groaned, then brought her right arm across my chest, her hand resting in the curve of my neck. A chill ran down my body as I nestled my head into her open hand, realizing how much I had missed this type of affection.

"I love you..." I whispered into the dark. "I love you so much."

As my vision adjusted to the dark, the contour of her face became clearer. The moonlight crept through the curtains that weren't fully closed and danced across her smooth skin. I couldn't help but move in closer and press my lips against her head.

"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me," I continued. "And I can't promise I won't make any more mistakes..." My arm snaked around her body and pulled her closer. "But I promise I will never make this mistake again."

Then, out of nowhere, Megan's tired voice broke the silence.

"Promise?" she mumbled back.

"I promise," I confirmed.

"Mmm..." Megan sighed and allowed me to hold her.

She continued to move her hand into my hair as her face buried itself into my neck. The affection almost became too much, but at the same time, not enough. I pulled my face back and stared at her. Then, she reached up and planted a tender kiss on my lips.

It sent an electric current through my entire being. I buzzed with a high I hadn't felt in a while. She made no sudden movements to pull back, so I allowed my hand to travel up her back. My fingers traced over the edge of the tank top she was wearing, and then the soft skin on the part of her back that was exposed. Our lips danced while her hand remained in my hair and my fingers played on the back of her neck, eliciting small bumps to rise on her skin.

Then my hand traveled over to her face and held her there just a little while longer. I didn't want her to pull away yet. There was a deep desire for more. I was craving physical touch, like I was a parched traveler in search of water. She moved to a better angle so we could continue kissing and my hand hooked itself under her knee to pull it over my hip. In this moment, I wanted nothing more than every inch of her touching me.

The kiss was deepened as Megan's tongue grazed my bottom lip. My body was aflame. It was like the tears in my heart were slowly being sutured back together, stitch by stich, kiss by kiss. Tears welled on my waterlines, but I didn't want to cry. I didn't want her to know that this kiss meant everything to me, only because I didn't want her to stop.

But she pulled away.

"Not tonight," she whispered. "I'm tired, and... I just can't yet..."

My heart shuddered in pain, but I understood where she was coming from. If she wasn't ready, that was okay. I had to give her time to make decisions with a clear head. I had to give her time to forgive me, fully, even if it hurt me to wait. She deserved all the time in the world to make a decision. It was the least I owed her.

"Okay," I answered.

She didn't say anything else after that. She just cuddled closer to me and rested her head against mine before dozing back off to sleep. I allowed my mind to settle and enjoyed the feeling of her in my arms. If she weren't such an amazing and selfless person, I would be alone tonight.

So, I would continue to wait, because Megan deserved my patience. Lord knows after everything I had put her through over the years, it was the least I could do.

***A/N***

Yeah, I know some of y'all are probably mad that there was no sex, but listen, its still a bit early... and there's still time. Hope everyone is doing well. So far, we're all good on my end. And thank you again to everyone who wished me well! I truly appreciate every single one of you!

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Be Proud. Stay You.

Lauryn