Everybody Hurts

Chapter 17

 Nerves fluttered in Sam's stomach as Eddie opened up the passenger door, offering her his hand. She took it, hopping down off the seat, her feet hitting the asphalt of the road with a thud. Her eyes looked up at Steve's house with trepidation, the very idea of facing all of them after her outburst at The Hideout making her want to lose the grilled cheese that Eddie had cooked for her as a late lunch.

It was a nice house. It looked like a basic American Craftsman with some touches of Spanish colonial. The colors were all earth tones, rusty orange siding with forest green details in the shutters, railings, and columns. Sam spotted a small balcony on the side that would be perfect for late night stargazing or watching the sun rise high into the sky with your morning coffee warming your hands. There was no garden but the front walk was lined with small trees, inviting and warm.

"Hey," he said, squeezing her hand in an attempt to assure her as if he knew the panic that was raging through her body. "It's gonna be fine. Seriously. These guys aren't going to care about any of that. And if anybody should be ashamed, it should be me. You just yelled. I'm the one who acted like an asshole. If they're still happy to see me, they're going to be overjoyed to see you. Nancy and Robin have been pestering me daily because you won't answer their calls. Trust me. They're going to be over the damn moon to see you."

She hoped he was right. Not only had she acted like a lunatic in front of them, then she'd ghosted all of them. Sam had only done it as an act of self-preservation, trying to keep herself from looking the part of the fool that she felt so deeply. It had nothing to do with any of them. But how would they not feel offended that she'd disappeared on them? She would have definitely taken it personally if the roles were reversed. They'd been so kind to her, welcomed her in, and then she'd ghosted all of them.

"I guess we'll see," she muttered softly.

"Seriously, you should have heard the tongue lashing Nancy gave me. She backed me up against the wall at the bar, her finger jabbing my chest so hard she left bruises. Man, that woman might be tiny but she is scary as hell. Then Robin started in on me, then Gareth ripped me a new one, and then I had to listen to Mama Harrington lecture me about being a good man. It was fucking painful, man."

Sam's face cracked into a smile, a quiet giggle escaping despite her fear. Leave it to him to make her laugh, to put her at ease, when she was feeling anything but. When Eddie had mentioned heading over to Steve's, Sam had tried everything she could think of to talk him out of it, including pulling off her shirt but he would not be deterred. Apparently, everyone was heading over for a cook-out and some drinks. They were all expecting Eddie but no one knew that Sam was accompanying him. He had a great plan to surprise them all, to remedy his screw-up. He was assuming it would be a good surprise but that remained to be seen.

What if they were all done with her? They barely knew her and she'd managed to dig into secrets that made them uncomfortable, create drama between them all, and then ignored them when they tried to reach out. What reason did she give them to want to keep her around? She'd given them no reason to. It wouldn't be hard to drop someone you'd only met a few weeks ago. None of them would be feeling any great loss if she was no longer there.

"Is it bad if it brings me pleasure that it was painful for you?" Sam teased, leaning into his side, her cheek resting against the soft fabric of his shirt, a stark contrast to the muscle of his bicep beneath it.

A chuckle shook Eddie's chest, his lips ghosting over her forehead, "Nah. I guess I did kind of deserve it."

"Damn right you did," she stated, poking him in the ribs, grinning when he arched his body away from her with a shriek. Oh, he was ticklish. That was good information to have and use to her advantage at a later time.