Arizona Sunsets - Sam Hubbard

VI

When Sam walked into beans&bites at 8am on Monday morning, as usual, he was greeted with the biggest smile he had ever seen on Liz's lips. As usual, with her apron around her hips and her coffee shop shirt on, she stood behind the counter, just wiping her hands on the dish towel she placed on the counter in front of her.

"have a wonderful good morning" she smiled at him while Sam put his cup on the counter. "Nice to have you back" she laughed before taking the cup. "A Flat White as usual?"

Sam just nodded while already pulling out his wallet. "Don't bother. I said today's on the house" Liz waved it off before turning around and adjusting the coffee machine.

She turned back to Sam and propped herself up on the counter as she smiled at him. "So how was the weekend?" she asked curiously. Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Pretty good. I did a little hiking and looked at the Scottsdale area a little more. Other than that, just worked out a little and chilled a lot. How was yours?"

"Pretty good. Had to work at the museum and Saturday night I spent with some friends. Nothing exciting though" she shrugged before turning back to the machine and taking Sam's coffee.

"For you" she smiled at him as she accepted the loyalty card Sam had placed on the counter and stamped it before handing it back to him. "I'll see you at the gym later?" she asked. Sam nodded. "Definitely" he smiled before raising his hand and leaving the store.

No sooner had the door closed behind him than Charlotte was standing behind Liz, looking at her with a sly grin. "So...handsome and you made up?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"His name is Sam" Liz smiled as she cleared away some dishes. "Of course. How did I not think of that" Charlotte slapped her forehead with the flat of her hand. "Why? Are you psychic now or what?" Liz laughed out.

"What, no, you know I don't believe supernatural shit like that. But it does make sense! We called him handsome, his name is Sam. handSAM" she explained with a grin on her face.

Liz shook her head laughing as she tossed her the dishtowel. "You're just impossible sometimes" she had to grin. "I know. And you love me for it. So how did you do it?" Charlotte asked.

"Did what?" Liz looked at her, confused. "Sailed around the world" Charlotte rolled her eyes. "Getting him to come back here and finally learn his name, you idiot".

"I approached him at the gym and apologized to him for being unfair to him and wanted to make up for it with a free coffee for him. He forgave me and we exchanged names" Liz shrugged.

"Wait, wait, at the gym? Are you stalking him, Liz?" Charlotte asked, shocked. "What, no?! We see each other there every time I do my work outs" Liz explained. "And you didn't think it was important to tell me that you see handsome every day at the gym?" Charlotte almost seemed offended.

Liz shrugged her shoulders. "I was sure you'd just read more unnecessary stuff into it" she muttered. "of course I would have" Charlotte gasped. "Okay, but be honest. He's probably pretty hot in the gym, isn't he? Sweaty and lifting weights?" she fanned herself.

"You can't imagine how hot" Liz had to grin. "Maybe we should change his name from handSAM to hot Sam" Charlotte mused, which made Liz laugh.

"But now back to you two. Did you just exchange names or did you exchange numbers and finally go out?" Charlotte asked with interest. "Just names" Liz mumbled. Charlotte sighed in annoyance.

"I was just getting my hopes up that something might finally happen...if you keep going at this rate, you might finally have your first date at Christmas" she shook her head disappointedly.

"Who says I even want a date with him?" Liz rolled her eyes, at which Charlotte laughed out loud and grabbed a tray. "Good one" she patted Liz on the shoulder before making her way over to the table where a few new customers had just sat down.

• • •

Later, as Liz ran on the treadmill, her music booming in her ears through her headphones, she thought about the whole thing with Sam. She had seen him very briefly earlier when she had entered the gym, but he had been in the middle of an exercise and hadn't noticed her.

Would she really want to go on a date with him? She hadn't even finished thinking about the question when a loud yes was already echoing through her head. She had to smile at the determination of her thoughts. Actually, she always worried way too much about everything, but not this time.

She didn't know much about Sam, well, except for his name, how he drank his coffee and what his routine was at the gym, nothing really. But somehow he was easy to talk to, she flirted with him without having to pretend or try hard in any way and it felt like she had known him forever.

She felt comfortable in his presence, which was not a given with his tall rather intimidating stature. But that smile....how much she could lose herself in that smile. And those eyes of his...his bright eyes when he smiled....

Once again, she had to shake herself out of her mind's eye before she slowed down the pace on the treadmill and drank from her water bottle before shutting it off altogether and getting off. The work out she had done in her mind with Sam had been even hotter than this summer day today...and fewer clothes had been necessary, well, none at all....

When she looked up from her phone and met Sam's direct gaze, a blush shot up her face. If he could have just read her mind.... She returned the smile he gave her and considered going over to him for a quick small talk, but after what had just happened in her mind's eye, she wasn't even sure she could get a clever word out towards him.

She just gave him a quick wave and headed for the hip thrust machine. Of course, it couldn't have been a machine that was less sexual right now, but she had to get through that now. Maybe she would let her mind wander back there again....

She adjusted the weight and got ready. Slowly she pushed the weights out of their holders and immediately felt the weight pressing down on her hips.

She hated and loved this exercise at the same time, yet she was glad when she had mastered her last pass and with the last of her strength she pushed her hips up to use her hands to get the weights back into their holders, but just when she was sure it was firm, everything slipped out again and landed back on her hips.

Liz drew in a sharp breath as she tried again, but once again the weights wouldn't lift and immediately went back onto her hips. "Fuck, fuck, fuck" she cursed softly to herself. Seemed like something was wrong and she was stuck in the machine for now.

No way she would get out of here on her own and her hips were already hurting too much from the weight that was still on them. Sighing, she looked around. Now, of all times, the machines around her were not in use.

She turned her head and there...Sam stood just a few feet away from her at one of the other machines, his back to her, headphones in his ear. "Sam" she called his name loudly, but he didn't seem to hear her. She sighed before calling out to him another time, but still no response from him.

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