Escape

Chapter Ten

We sway back and forth for another few songs, no words between us. We don't need words. I can feel everything he would want to say. I lift my head and glance at the clock on the wall behind Samuel.

I gasp, "Oh my god. It's already 2:00 am." I look up at Samuel. He turns and looks at the clock.

"Wow, yeah I guess it is." He says with a rasp to his voice.

"I better go, I guess." I say, wishing I could stay here and dance all night. But the exhaustion from work is starting to creep back into my sore body.

"Yeah, of course," He smiles. "I'll grab my jacket and I'll walk you home." He smiles and turns to grab the leather jacket off of the chair. He holds it out to me.

I laugh and don't bother to fight him. I grab the jacket and wrap it around myself.

We walk out the front door of the bookstore and I wait as Samuel locks the door with what look like janitor keys. There has to be fifty keys on that keyring.

He turns back to me, "Shall we?" He smiles as he holds his arm out in the direction of my apartment. I nod and begin to walk beside him.

The walk is quiet, but not awkward or uncomfortable. Samuel walks with his hands in his front pockets and glances over at me.

"I, uh, had a really nice time." I say, breaking the silence between us.

He smiles, "Yeah, me too. I know it was probably a bit over the top, but it's been a while since I've... well you know." He laughs and shrugs his shoulders.

I playfully bump my shoulder into his, "No, it was perfect. It really was." He laughs and rolls his eyes.

"You're very polite," he says as he laughs.

He takes his hands out of his pockets and walks with them at his sides. His knuckles brushing against mine. I smile and uncurl my fingers tapping my ring finger to his. He laughs softly and slides my hand into his and laces our fingers together.

We walk hand-in-hand without much conversation. But it's a comfortable silence. His thumb rubs over mine and I tighten my grip on his hand.

We arrive at my apartment and our hands separate. I turn to him and remove the leather jacket.

He holds his hands up, "Hang on to it for me." He smiles.

"Samuel, it's freezing out here. Please, take it." I hold it out and he pauses. I can practically see his breath it's so cold out, "I promise, I don't need an excuse to come to the bookstore. Seeing you will be the only excuse I need." I laugh and hold out his jacket once again.

He laughs and runs his hands through his hair. He grabs the jacket from me and wraps it around himself.

He pauses for a moment, "Well, um, goodnight... Payton." He smiles and studies my face.

"Goodnight." I return, waiting. I'm not sure what I'm waiting for, but I'm waiting for something. Anything.

He takes a step towards me locking into my eyes. He leans into me and places a kiss on my cheek. He leans back up and goes to turn around as I grab his arm. He turns towards me looking confused. I take a step into him with my hand still on his arm, keeping eye contact and place my other hand behind his head and wrap my fingers into his dark hair. He smiles and grabs me by my waist and pulls me in closer. He pauses a moment before bringing his lips to mine. I feel his hair fall onto his forehead and brush against mine. The kiss is tender, soft, and not nearly long enough.

He pulls back, leaving our foreheads connected.

He sighs, "I really like you Payton." His eyes are closed. I nod against him, holding our connection. His eyes flutter open and look into mine.

"Okay," He stands up straight, letting me go, "If I don't leave now, I'm not going to." He laughs. "So, I'll, um, see you soon?" He asks. I nod at him and smile, shoving my hands into my jean pockets. He nods as he turns away and starts to walk back towards the bookstore. I swear, sometimes I think he lives there. He gets about twenty steps away before he turns and glances in my direction. Even from this far, I can see him smile as I watch him walk away.

I shuffle through my bag and find the keys to my apartment. I open the door and walk inside, quietly closing the door behind me. I put my back against the door and rest my head back while I process the incredible evening I just had. I touch my cheek and I can still feel his hand caressing my face as he pulled me deeper into his mouth. My skin fills with goosebumps at the memory. I recall how soft his lips were as I run my index finger across my bottom lip. Who would have thought, the man covered in tattoos and cold jewelry would be so kind and comforting? Such a rough exterior to a warm kind-hearted person.

I break from my trance and walk upstairs. I change from my jeans into my warm pajama pants. I go to remove my t-shirt until I smell a familiar smell on it... cedar. His cologne must have rubbed off on my shirt as we were dancing. I decide to keep the shirt on and wear it to bed, allowing the memory of the evening to lull me to sleep. I crawl into bed, pulling the covers up to my ears. The apartment gets very cold at night. I slowly begin to drift off to sleep with visions of flickering candlelight taking over my mind.