Moonlit Man (bxb)

Chapter 4 - Now and Then

The following day, Sam and Kate arrived in his dorm room. First to enter was Kate, dressed in a black, high-neck tee and a long, grey dotted skirt. She accessorized this with a rose gold bracelet and expensive-looking pearls. Sam was wearing a dark green sweater, a pair of skinny jeans with his usual pair of black Converse.

"I can't believe you did that yesterday," Kate said, as she casually dropped her bag on the sofa near the door as Sam followed and closed it behind them.

"I know right, I don't know what came over me... I guess I wanted to challenge that bold statement or challenge him, I don't know..." He said, as he reminisced the green-eyed spectacle, he teased the day before, in front of everyone in the lecture hall.

Like usual, they headed towards the bed. Kate lay sideways with her head resting on one hand that was propped up by her elbow while Sam leaned on the headboard as he rested one leg up on top of the bed.

"So, have you had any more nightmares recently?" Kate inquired while she ran her fingers through her long blonde locks.

"No, I haven't. I think they come every fortnight or something." Sam answered as his weight shuffled.

"Well, do you want to talk about it? Tell me what you see." Kate casually inquired, wishing she could help relieve him of his night terrors.

"Well... it's always the same memory that comes back in flashes. I get cold sweats, my body tightens up and I feel like a massive weight is pressing down on me, preventing me from waking up." Kate looked somewhat concerned as he continued. "I go downstairs and head to the kitchen to see my dad..." A sudden knot had formed in the pit of his stomach as he fought the urge to shut down. Kate noticed his hands tremble and proceeded to gently place her hands on top of them.

"It's okay Sammy. You don't have to talk about it," she said, as she leaned in and consoled him. Sam's heart rate began to compose itself as he looked into her reassuring blue eyes.

"Thanks Katie." Those were the names they had for each other, 'Sammy' and 'Katie'. They were the only two people who could call each other these names. She preferred other people, those who didn't know her as well as her best friend, call her 'Kate'. Sam was now ready to move on and attempted to change the topic of conversation.

"So, how's it going with Veneno International?" He was more relaxed now and interested in what she had to say.

"Well, let me see. My family – if you even want to call it that – is ready for me to move on to phase two of operation, 'Make Kate CEO'. My father has enrolled me for extra business management classes so I can prepare to become the next operations manager in the finance and accounting department. The next steps would be to become a head of department, a manager and then a director."

Sam was surprised to hear this multifaceted plan and asked, "What was phase one?"

"It was getting into law school," she replied.

"Can your father not just skip the process and appoint you as CEO when he steps down from that position? I mean... he is the boss after all." Sam inquired, looking for ways to keep her talking.

"He could, but that would not sit well with the Board of Directors who essentially dictate the way in which the business is going. They wouldn't just want some girl who was born with a golden spoon in her mouth, one who inherited the role. They would want someone who is levelheaded, a person who has a background in business and most of all someone who can generate a profit. That someone is usually a 'man'. I don't believe for one second that if I wasn't an only child and happened to have an older brother, that I would even be considered for the role."

"Damn. I don't envy you Katie. It must be so hard being pulled in different directions, having all these eyes on you, people wanting you to mess up so they can take your position." Sam looked at Katie while twiddling with his fingers.

"The truth is – I don't know if I even want the job. Part of me wants to prove all of the board wrong and show them that I could – and would be an amazing CEO, while another part of me feels like I didn't really choose this path. It was kind of expected of me from a young age as my Dad wants to keep the business in the family."

"Well, I know you'll figure it out Katie. You always do... Besides, if you ever decide you don't want to be the CEO of a billion-dollar conglomerate, just appoint me and I'll be happy to." Sam joked, as he attempted to relieve her of the pressure she was feeling. Katie laughed and playfully pushed his leg off of the bed.

Although Sam was both sympathetic and protective of her, he also quietly envied her. She was the daughter of an international billionaire who loved her. She lived in a massive mansion. She never had to witness the dreadful feeling of not knowing whether she would have a roof over her head, or if there was food on the table. She never had to worry about hiding bruises from schoolteachers or lying about how she got certain scars and scabs. But most of all, she never had to suppress who she truly was: She could always be herself, one hundred percent of the time.

But there was one thing that intrinsically linked them both, apart from their quick wit and playful banter. It was the thing that had formed the bedrock of their solid friendship. It was loneliness. Years in the system made Sam distrustful as he prevented himself from getting attached to anyone. Kate remained reclusive and distant from people as she felt that they either wanted a favor or access to her money. The way in which they both overcame their respective feelings of loneliness was through each other. Their three years of friendship meant that they could tell each other anything, almost anything.

But Sam was still holding back. He had not yet revealed his deepest secret, something he never told a soul.