“I knew all about their history.” Laurel and I purposely told Sam and Austin to wait outside while we finished packing, but we actually needed to discuss what happened last week between Irish and Sam at the studio. She’s aware that not only was I okay with it, but I’m also the only one who listened to them talk about everything while I was around.
I couldn’t believe it as I looked at her. “Are you serious?”
“Hey, I had no idea she was going to be there performing that night, and I couldn’t really fill you in on everything at the party, Cari. It was a party, you know.”
“And what about after the party?”
“I completely overlooked it, assuming everything was fine between them. That was my mistake, the first rule is to always keep your friends informed.” I made sure to pack the medicine kit in my backpack because, honestly, it was the only thing on my mind while getting ready for the road trip to the private resort we’re staying at for a few days. Things could go south at any moment. “I can't believe you're the one who got them to finally talk. If it were me and Austin, I would have had her kicked out for good already.”
“If you had seen them, you would have realized how much they were hurting from what they had done to each other.”
“Well, atleast now you understand what Sam went through before.” I hurriedly transferred the rest of my belongings to another bag to ensure I didn't forget anything, rather than I'm the one to get upset about forgetting something, Sam and I would rather argue about it. “Please tell me you and Sam have talked about it, Cari.”
Laurel set aside her packing and turned her gaze to me. “Why?”
“There’s no reason for it now, Laurel. He’s clean for so long, so we shouldn’t bring it up just because they mentioned it.”
“I think it creates a huge difference expressing to him that you see where he's coming from.”
“He knows.”
“Choosing not to speak and genuinely conveying that to him are two separate matters.” Sam and I spent a lot of time side by side after everything that had happened at the studio last week. I could tell Sam was filled with many emotions, including a sense of relief. I knew because he came to me with a calm demeanor and instead of seeking solitude, he chose to hug me.
The rest of our days felt like our usual ones, but they were softer and more gentle. It feels like our mornings and evenings are bathed in soft light from the windows and a gentle breeze when we dine in the backyard. It was a comfort to know that no matter what happened, he still decided to return to me. I won’t lie, when I found out Sam had used drugs in the past and never told me, I felt like he hid it from me out of shame. We’ve avoided the topic because he's not interested in talking about it. It seems to me that every day, he deliberately steers clear of that subject, knowing how difficult it is for him. My reason is that I didn’t want to bring up that conversation either, as I didn’t want to remind him of those difficult times. It was tough and filled with darkness. I found it hard to accept that Sam went through such a difficult experience, but because I wasn't there, I have no control over it and I can only offer him my support whenever I can.
“We’re sorry for taking so long, we were deciding on which bikinis to wear at the beach.” When we finally came downstairs, Laurel said to them and gave me a quick wink, as if it offered me some reassurance.
“Are we all set to go?” Once we got into Sam's vehicle, I quickly buckled my seatbelt and confirmed that everything was ready to go.
“Let the road trip begin!” Austin abruptly shouted from behind us as Sam began to drive away.
