| July 30 | Monday Evening |

~ Sam's POV ~

Since Crossroads was closed on Mondays, I was guaranteed at least one day off a week where I could do absolutely nothing if I wanted to. Of course, most of my off time was spent unpacking, so when Chris mentioned having an outing with our staff, I was more than happy to join. Apparently, there was this really cool bar down the street from where we all worked called Level Up that everyone went to, and I was looking forward to it.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?" I asked Megan. "'Cause it'd be really cool if you did."

"I'm sorry babe." She gave me a pouty face. "I just have too much planning to do."

I frowned at the rejection but understood. Megan had been working nonstop to get ready for her first year at Palm Vista, and I couldn't blame her for wanting to get everything as perfect as possible. I leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Alright, well, I'll see you later," I said. "Love you, babe."

"Love you, too."

I grabbed my keys and headed out, wishing Megan would meet some of my coworkers, but thinking maybe it was best she didn't come tonight. Perhaps a more lowkey setting would be best for that, especially since Jade was most likely going to be there tonight.

Eventually I was parking in our employee lot and walking toward the bar that was in sight now that I was looking for it. I could even see Ty and a line cook talking outside. I greeted them when I approached.

"Sam!" Ty exclaimed. "I'm glad you're here."

He followed me back inside and I spotted the rest of the crew that was here. Most of Level Up's clientele right now was our employees, but I wasn't mad about it. As I took in my surroundings, I understood where Level Up got their name.

A bar centered around famous video games lined the walls. They had Pac-Man, Tetris, Space Invaders and much more. They even had a ski-ball game and pinball near the door. The bar had already entered my favorite's list, but when I noticed the pool table, it soared to the top.

Me and Ty walked up to a table where most bartenders sat, including Mia and Jade. When we were in hearing distance, I greeted everyone and they greeted me back, excluding Jade, of course. I brushed it off.

"What are you drinking?" Ty asked.

"Ah, I'll just get a Vodka soda for now."

"On it," Ty said as he disappeared to the bar.

"No, I got it-"

But he was already gone.

"Just let him," Mia said. "He's crushing hard on the bartender and wants any and every excuse to talk to her."

I just smiled at Mia's explanation of Ty's motives, thinking it was cute. Then, Ty returned with my drink and handed it off to me, allowing the table to resume their previous conversation before we had arrived.

"I'm just saying, I'm a pro at pool," Jade bragged.

"Bet I can beat you," a guy sitting opposite of Jade countered.

"I will school you James. I've done it once before." Jade sipped her drink. "I can probably beat everyone in here with my eyes closed."

A part of me wanted to challenge her because, well, pool was my game too. I hadn't played in a bit, but once I shook the rust off, it was like riding a bike. Then, the logical part of me didn't want to say anything and let the subject change. If I played and beat Jade, it would just give her more reason to hate me.

"What about you, Sam?" I heard.

I snapped out of my thoughts.

"What about me?" I asked.

"How are you at pool?" James, a server, asked.

I just shrugged.

"Please tell me you can play so you can put Miss Cocky over here in her place," he included.

Jade finally looked at me with a smug expression.

"What do you think, Sam?" she teased. "Think you can put me in my place."

"I think she can," Ty included. "She looks like she can play."

"My money's on Sam too," James inserted.

I held up my hands. "Woah now, I'm not saying I can't play, but..."

"But what?" Jade teased. "Scared I'll wipe the floor with you?"

Her challenging words managed to get under my skin, fueling my desire to pick up a stick and show her my skills. The last thing I wanted was for Jade to one-up me in front of the rest of my employees.

"I just don't want to embarrass you in front of your coworkers," I countered.

My comment did exactly what I wanted, but I knew I was opening a can of worms I wasn't ready for. Jade stood from her seat, drink in hand with a smirk on her face.

"Those are fighting words, Sam," she finished. "So, let's do this."

We took our places at a nearby pool table as I grabbed a pool stick and waited for her to do the same. I knew this was probably a bad idea, but at least the others were watching from afar. Maybe I could use this as an opportunity to get to know Jade on a deeper level and understand why she hated me, if she actually did hate me at all.

"I think I'll let you break," she said. "You know, to give you a little head start."

"I don't need it."

She finished setting up the triangle in the center and looked up, allowing her challenging glare to lock with mine. After she inhaled a deep breath and removed the bracket, she just rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she agreed, taking position to break.

She did as so, hitting two stripes in and setting the game. Jade leaned over the table to shoot for another stripe but missed, allowing me to go for my solids. I hit one in and assessed the table for another shot.

"I'm surprised you showed up tonight," she said.

"Why's that?" I asked while leaning down to lock in my shot.

"You just seemed to have pretty strict boundaries." She watched me miss my second shot. "Or, at least you did with me."

I took a deep breath and instinctively rubbed my finger over my ring that had finally come back in from being sized. The relief I felt from finally being able to wear it in front of her allowed me to breathe easier and feel less guilty.

She leaned over the table. "I see you weren't lying about the engaged thing, though."

"Of course, I wasn't lying," I defended.

Jade fell silent with focus as she prepared to attempt a difficult shot. I watched but couldn't help but wonder why she thought I would lie about being engaged. Did it really matter that much? God, this is one of the main reasons I wanted Megan to come tonight!

She struck hard as a stripe fell into a pocket, almost effortlessly. Looks like I had my work cut out for me.

"It's not that I want to have strict boundaries." I watched her walk around the table, refusing to look at me. "I just... I've made mistakes in the past and I don't want them to happen again."

She took a deep breath and tilted her head, observing another possible shot laid out on the table. I couldn't help but wonder what was going through her head. Did she think I was just full of shit?

Then she looked up.

"Like what?" she asked.

Jade was guarded when it came to personal information. I could tell. I was the same way, even after years of practicing to be more open. Maybe, for her to relate to me, I had to be honest. Maybe, for her to trust me, I had to give her something.

"Well, I managed a bar back in Missouri and I wanted to be the cool manager," I revealed. "I wanted my employees to respect me but know that they could trust me at the same time. I wanted them to feel comfortable."

She leaned down, shot and missed, signaling it was my turn, listening in silence the entire time.

I studied the table. "The other manager ended up catching feelings and kissing me without my consent." I spotted my shot and leaned down. "Then I had a bartender take advantage of me and try to blackmail me and threaten my relationship so she could keep her job, even though she was a shitty bartender."

I made my shot and continued my turn.

"I just don't want to give anyone, not just you, the wrong idea because I really like this job and I wanna do it right," I finished.

I made another shot and looked up, seeing Jade studying me intently. She didn't look as calloused, which meant I had possibly gotten my point across. She uncrossed her arms and relaxed her shoulders.

"You're actually pretty good," she observed.

I laughed at her backhanded compliment. "Thanks."

I hesitated to take another shot because it seemed like I didn't have one to take. All my solids were in difficult places.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Sam," Jade said. "I'm sorry."

I gave her a soft smile. "It's okay."

Then I leaned down and gave up my turn by hitting a few balls to break them up.

"So, what's her name?" Jade asked.

I smiled at the thought of Megan and the opportunity to brag about her. It was something I had been dying to do.

"Her name's Megan..."

* * *

I walked into our home by midnight only to see Megan still going strong at her computer.

"Have you at least eaten dinner?" I asked.

"I did." She laughed nervously. "And I'm almost done with my lesson plan."

I couldn't help but smile as I walked over to her. There was this longing in my heart for her because of our busy schedules recently. It was a relief to hear that she was almost done.

"I missed you," I whispered into her ear.

She smiled and turned to face me. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

Our lips teased against each other, but I was trying to hint that I wanted her to follow me to the bedroom. She needed a break and I needed her.

"I missed you too," she whispered into my mouth.

"So..." I kissed her neck. "Come to bed with me."

Those soft eyes looked up as I allowed my hands to find hers. I pulled her up from the chair and led her to our bedroom that was still lined with a few moving boxes. We could deal with that later. Hell, we could deal with a lot later, but right now this is what I felt we both needed.

Her back hit our bed as I hovered above, my lips kissing the base of her neck while my hands teased at the edge of her shirt. She allowed me to slip it off over her head only to leave her torso completely exposed. I couldn't help but smile at the sight.

She moaned into my ear as I kissed against her jaw and my hands massaged against her naked breasts. Her legs gripped against my sides while her hands tangled in my hair. She smelled clean, like she had just showered, and her lips tasted like wine. I guessed she must've had a glass before I had come home.

I quickly removed my clothes and hurried to do the same with her shorts. She laughed at me when I stumbled because of my eagerness. I couldn't help but laugh with her as I lowered myself to her center.

"You must've really missed me," she teased.

"You have no idea."

I brought her into my face as I heard her vocally gasp at the contact. A smile stretched onto my lips as I tasted her arousal and watched her body relax. It really sucked when we were both too busy to focus on each other, but I knew it was part of growing up, but that didn't mean it didn't suck.

Her eyes disappeared behind her eyelids as I continued and stroked my hands up her soft thighs. I went on for a few minutes, making sure she was worked up enough before stopping, bringing my hand to where my face had previously been, and entering her. A low moan escaped her throat in response.

"Sam..." she whispered.

"Yeah?" I asked with a smile.

She smiled in response as I deepened my motions and watched her respond. It was the sexiest thing in the world, honestly. In this moment, I could think of nothing better.

I felt her release approaching as she tightened around me. My lips crashed into hers as she hungrily devoured my lips. Her hands tightened their grip in my hair as I picked up my speed. We were on fire, and I couldn't help but think things hadn't felt this... steamy in a while. I certainly wasn't mad about it.

"Yes," she hissed into my ear.

Her tight grip on my hair released as her short nails dug into my back. Even though it was slightly painful, I couldn't help but find it hot regardless. I bit into her skin and sucked, feeling her climb higher and higher, knowing she would fall very soon.

"Sam," she whimpered, her legs tightening against my hips.

I rubbed and bit and kissed until she couldn't take it any longer and finally hit her climax. He back arched and sent her breasts into mine. Our skin was on fire as I felt the waves of her pleasure wash against me. I smiled into her neck and kissed in response. God, I really had missed this.

I rolled onto my side as she looked at me, a longing expression on her face. One hand rested on my hip as she slowly came down from her high.

"I love you," she whispered while her hand rode over my hip and waist.

"How much?" I asked.

She smiled. "Sometimes, too much, I think."

Then we were together again, our lips dancing while I allowed my heart to be filled with the affection and intimacy it had been missing. It felt so good to be able to talk freely about Megan with my coworkers. It felt so liberating no longer having to hide or lie. And I never wanted to go back to that, ever again.

***A/N***

WOW. Sorry that took for fucking ever guys, but I've been working hard on another story AND some exciting stuff that Wattpad has asked of me. I can't wait to share it with you all. It's gonna be awesome.

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Once again, thank you all for being so patient. It means the world to me. And, as always...

Be Proud. Stay You.

Lauryn A Brooks