The Heart of Cars

Chapter 26

I get to the new development, well new to me, and drive until I get to the last house on the left. I park my birth car in the driveway and get out while grabbing my bag. I had called Sam before I left my dad's house and he said he would meet me here. I go towards the door while looking around the neighborhood. It doesn't seem like much. Your average home-after-home development. Except this one is for the matches at last year's festival. All years get their own until they start a family and then they can live where ever they want, like my dad does. I hear the door open and look over at it to see Sam filling up the doorway. "Hey Sam." He says hi back and motions for me to go inside. I follow him in and I see the living room to our right and dining room to our left between two white wooden doors. I follow him up the stairs that are straight in from the front door. We walk up the flight of stairs and I see three doors. He tells me one is supposed to be our bedroom, a guest bedroom, and a bathroom. I nod and say that I'll probably stay in the guest room for a little bit. He looks at me weirdly after I say that but doesn't say anything. He shows me the master bedroom and I smell his cologne everywhere. "Geez, use enough body spray today?" I ask laughing a little. Way too much. Was it on purpose? He never used to even wear body spray. "Nope." He says seriously. I laugh and shake my head. I open the door to the guest room and throw my bag onto the bed. I turn around and see Sam right there. "Hi. How's the personal space working for ya?" I take a step back and roll my eyes. I walk out of the room after he doesn't say anything and go downstairs. "We need to talk, Jo."

"I know." I say softly and go into the dining room and through the door on the right side of the room to the kitchen. "There is an easier way to do that."

"Well, I didn't know where that was." I sit on a stool by the bar and look at him leaning against the counter to the right of the stove. The kitchen has glass cabinets with a white wooden border around them and a stainless steel fridge, sink, stove, and dish washer. I see the cabinets are full of dishes and wonder where they came from. Sam seems to read my mind and says they came with the house. I nod and look at him. He looks the same as he always does. His hair is a little longer but nothing else has changed, or so it looks like. "So what do you want to talk about?"

"You lied at the festival. Why?"

"Colton wasn't there. I was going to choose him but he wasn't anywhere to be found."

"They why choose me? You could have chosen neither of us."

"No, I couldn't. The king said I had to choice one of you, no exceptions."

"Did that go with his other rules?"

"It doesn't matter."

"What was the consequence of you disobeying?"

"I would have had to go back to River Run." I say and watch the still black marble countertop. He doesn't say anything for a few minutes, then says "Oh." I laugh at the statement and nod. "I don't want you to hate me for choosing you because he wasn't there but you will. I don't understand why you didn't stop the king from finalizing it but it doesn't matter."

"How was training?"

"Difficult, but it was good. I don't think I could stay in it like my father did but it was almost all good."

"Almost?"

"Yeah," I take a deep breath before telling him something that will piss him off, "Colton was my commanding officer."

"What? And your father allowed that?" He yells and walks up to the opposite side of the bar. "He didn't have a choice. The king set it up that way." I say quietly. He punches the wall next to the fridge and puts a hole in it. I know better then to say anything. I sit there quietly and look at my nails. I hear the front door slam and I stand up. I go to the front window in the living room and see him take off in his truck. I lean my forehead against the cool window and decide to call someone who I have missed most of all. I hear it ring a few times and then a sleepy voice answers my call. "It is only 9 am. Whoever is calling better have a damn good reason."

"Oh, my reason isn't that good. I'll call back when you wake up more."

"No!" I wince at the way Brittany screams in my ear over the phone. I laugh and sit on the couch. "Miss me much?"

"Of course! You haven't written me back in four months. You were supposed to be back by then. What happened?"

"I had to do something."

"Oh, okay. Secrets are needed from me?"

"For now. How do you feel about dragging your butt out of bed and onto your couch for a movie day? It's been a long day already." I hear her laugh a little. "I can definitely move out of bed but only if we can invite my brothers."

"Not all of them."

"No, Colton is still gone." I nod to myself and hear her ask a question softly. "What was that?"

"So you told Sam that he was training you huh?"

"Yeah. You move yet?"

"It's that bad?"

"No, it's worse. I'll tell you when I get there."

"Okay, love you." I snort. "Oh save it for your match." She laughs and hang up. I get out to my car and drive over to Brittany's house which is in the development ten minutes away. I get to her house by memory of the dozens of maps she drew me and get out of my car. I hear the door open quickly and barely catch the princess who ran and gave me a hug. I hug her back and hear a car coming down the road. I look and see a black two door car making its way towards her driveway.

*edited*