Just for This Year

Chapter Twenty-Six

Thursday
October 31

The Day It Happened: Part 4 of 5

Sam was, of course, oblivious to Lila's plight. But then again, any problems slipped away when he was with Charlie. And now that he was with Charlie, nothing else mattered to him. They were in the basement with some other people at the party. Some he knew, some he didn't. They made sure to keep people from his older sister's room, not wanting to damage anything in it.

They were sprawled lazily on the couches, some kids playing card games in the corner. Various drunken yells and hollering could be heard all around the house. Sam was just happy everyone was having a good time. Last he saw his sister, she seemed to be having fun, and he could only hope that remained the case. He hated seeing her hanging around Ashton, but he knew for a fact that she was just being civil considering they were on a team together. He didn't mind the other football players that much, they weren't as arrogant as Ashton.

Charlie and Sam sat on a couch together, watching people enjoy themselves at the party. They were sat so close together that Sam was practically sitting on top of him. Charlie felt so warm, and it was a comforting feeling. Sam couldn't get enough of Charlie, he was intoxicating. Sam's costume got in the way slightly, but neither complained about it.

Charlie insisted he put the hot dog costume back on and Sam instantly obliged. He knew he would do anything that Charlie asked him to. But he also knew that it would be reciprocated. And so, he forced Charlie to wear a costume he had from a few years back— a baker. He had stolen an apron and a hat from his older sister who owned a bakery, and she never noticed. Sam thought Charlie looked adorable in his outfit, the tall white hat drooping to the side slightly.

Sam leaned his head against Charlie's, wanting to feel as close as he could to the boy. These weeks apart were the longest either had gone without seeing one another, and Sam wanted to make up for every lost minute. Charlie smiled down at the boy, leaning into his touch fondly.

"We're good, yeah?" Charlie checked softly, fingers crinkling his red solo cup nervously.

Sam sent him a reassuring smile, turning his head over to face him clearly. "Yeah, we're good. Really good."

Charlie beamed at him, pressing a kiss against his forehead. "Good."

But of course, that couldn't last. A boy named Spencer from some of their classes stumbled over to them, locking eyes on Charlie. He lit up, slapping a hand on the boy's back as he said, "Hey, man! Saw you in the FaceBook group, you excited for Cutlers?"

Sam froze.

What?

He slowly turned his head over to the sandy-haired boy. Charlie looked like he just got caught running from the scene of the crime, hands still dripping in blood. His wide eyes were locked on Sam, waiting for his reaction. It looked like Charlie wanted to run, like he was twitching towards the nearest exit. Like he wanted to run and never stop running.

"Cutlers... as in Cutlers State College?" Sam asked him slowly. Charlie only kept staring, his mouth opening and nothing coming out. "You're... you're not going to Oakside?"

Sam just needed to hear it from Charlie. He just needed to make sure he heard him right. All he could do was hope that Spencer had him mixed up with someone. He couldn't lose Charlie. Everything he did was to make sure he could stay with Charlie. He didn't think it was one-sided, he thought Charlie wanted to be with him too. He didn't imagine that, did he? He swore he said that.

It was the kiss. Sam was sure of it. He drove Charlie away. He was the reason that Charlie was moving across the country from him. He was gonna put a world between them before he was win Sam.