Wanted

Chapter 18

     I wake up the next morning to the sound of footsteps. I open my eyes and sit up. I see Sam walking towards me.

"Morning," he says, grinning.

"Where'd you go?" I ask him. He is holding something in his hands.

     "To get you food. I guess last night I didn't realize that we were taking shelter under a restaurant. Restaurants equal food." He smiles and tosses me a bag of pretzels. "Eat up."

     I scarf down the pretzels and reach into my backpack for water. My backpack. "Dammit," I say under my breath. I must have left it back at the abandoned house.

Sam looks at me, confused. "What?" He must have heard what I said.

"Oh, I just don't have any water. It's fine, though, they might have some in the restaurant." I stand up and turn to start heading towards the crumbling building.

"El, it's not safe in there. Here." He holds out the water he was drinking. I look down at the water but shake my head and continue looking for an entrance into the restaurant.

"Ella." He sighs and stands up. "Did you not hear me? It's not safe in there."

I roll my eyes. "You're not my mom. Please just let me do what I want." Usually saying something like that makes dudes back off. Not this one.

He grabs my wrist. "I will do no such thing. Just drink." He hold out his water again, I shake my head again.

"Germs," I smirk and twist my wrist out of his grasp. I'm no germophobe, but he doesn't need to know that.

He sets the bottle down and follows me inside. "You're a piece of work, El." He reminds me as he ducks under a piece of the fallen roof.

Okay. That's it. I turn around and face him. "It's Ella. E-L-L-A. Not El. Never El." I smile at him and he glares at me.

"Okay, Ella, thats how it's gonna be? Then you can call me Samuel. Not Sam. Never Sam." I roll my eyes at the repeat of my words.

"I'm not calling you Samuel." I laugh at the thought. Samuel? Who still gets called Samuel? It should always be Sam.

"Then let me call you El."

We continue the climb over fallen objects and cement. "That name is reserved for family and friends only."

"Aw. Now I'm hurt." Can't he just drop it? I don't respond.

We finally reach the back of the restaurant. I head through the doors to the fridge that obviously doesn't work anymore. It smells like hell back here. I grab four waters and hand three of them to Sam. He chuckles.

"What?" I ask.

"Why so many?"

"Just in case," I respond, closing the fridge.

He turns around and I follow him out of the building. Right before I'm out, a small piece of the roof falls on my foot.

"Ahh!" I drop the water and fall back on my butt. I try to move the fallen piece but it's being blocked by a slab of cement.

"Ella!" Sam drops the waters as well and comes to help me. He grabs the end of the piece of roof and pulls it off of my foot easily. I stare at him in awe. He helps me up and carries me back outside. He sets me on the ground and takes off my shoe. "What hurts?" He asks me. Him saying that makes me feel like a child but I tell him anyways.

"Im also bleeding..."

His eyes go wide. "Oh my gosh. You are! How did I not notice!" He seems panicked. He must really not like to see me get hurt.

He immediately takes off his shirt and rips off the bottom, throwing the rest behind him. As he wraps up my foot, I take the time to stare at his bare body. His stomach is home to chiseled and bronzed abs and his arms look strong. Not bulky and huge, just strong. He catches me staring.

"First time you've seen abs?" He chuckles and helps me up to my feet. I stabilize myself by resting my hand on his smooth chest. He smiles at the sudden touch. "You think you'll be able to walk?" I shake my head out of the trance he put me in without even trying and let go of him. I start to walk. My foot is pretty sore and cut, but I think I can walk.

"I'll be able to." I look back at him and see him staring at my foot.

"Seriously, El. If it hurts to walk I'll carry you." That's seriously the last thing I want. I don't need anyone to carry me. I'm not a child anymore. Also, I guess he's back to calling me 'El'. Great.

"I'm fine," I push.

"El." Man is he stubborn.

"No, Sam. I'm fine." I limp away from him.

"You're limping." Of course I'm going to limp. A piece of the roof just fell on me! I can deal with a slight limp.

"Ya. I know." I'm getting annoyed.

He shrugs. "Why don't you let people help you?"

Good question. I don't know. I guess right now I don't trust anyone with myself. I don't respond. Instead, I kneel down and grab the waters, handing the same three to Sam. "Please just put these in your backpack and we'll keep moving. No time to waste."

He listens to me and pulls his backpack over his shoulder. "One last chance to be carried..." he looks over to me with hopeful eyes.

"Not gonna happen."