Ruby Red, The Sequel - The Romance Story Continues (Complete)

Chapter 8

Sam sighed with contentment. He was sitting on the couch, Ali tucked up beside him, sipping a nice glass of wine and contemplating what to do with the weekend that stretched out in front of him. Just him and Ali for three nights.

They had considered staying in town for dinner when Ali returned from her shopping trip that afternoon but had opted to take the early train back to the Hamptons. Sam had had enough of the hustle and bustle of the city, preferring to keep things just the two of them. Instead, for dinner, Sam whipped together a simple pasta dish out of the few ingredients that were on hand in the house.

To say cooking was not one of Ali's skills was a bit of an understatement. Sam smiled, thinking her failed attempts to help in the kitchen. She was a willing student, but the basics of cutting vegetables seemed beyond Ali's talents. Still, it was the effort that counted, and she kept him company, chatting away about her day. Besides Sam actually liked to make Ali food. It made him feel useful.

Sam stroked a lock of Ali's dark hair and wound it listlessly around his finger. He was so happy it was just the two of them again. No responsibilities, no outside world interrupting them.

Ali turned towards Sam and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "My love. Can I ask you a question?"

"Mmmm," Sam nodded, focusing on her luscious lips.

"You and Victoria - what happened there?"

Feeling like he had been yanked out of a dream, Sam concentrated on sounding unruffled. "Um...you mean when we..." he still didn't know how to define the relationship,"...we were in high school?"

"Yes."

Shifting to try to find a more comfortable position, Sam avoided Ali's gaze. "Well, we...hung out and ....then we didn't."

"You broke up?"

"Well, not exactly." Sam really did not want to talk about this but it seemed Ali wasn't going to let it go. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to tell her about Vicky. And that night. After everything that happened, Sam never had the chance to discuss it with anyone. How does one start such a conversation? So hey, I was screwing this girl and in the process I got my brother killed - it just didn't roll off the tongue.

Ali seemed to sense his discomfort and made a move to relieve it. But she wasn't giving up on the topic. Instead, she tried an easier tactic. "How'd you meet her?"

Sam huffed. It was a safe enough question to answer. "My best friend, Greyson...you remember him? He lent me the money to leave home." Ali nodded. "Well, he was dating Vicky's best friend, Brinn. Her only friend really."

"D'you mean her only friend?"

"Brinn and Vicky...well they came from a different background than most of us. They didn't come from money - earned scholarships to get in."

"So, Victoria is smart." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes..." Sam drew out the word. "She was ...or is brilliant with numbers, math was her sweet spot. For Brinn it was English. She was an amazing storyteller." Sam thought back to one of the stories Brinn had written about first loves. It was so sweet, so innocent. So Brinn. "But the two couldn't have been more different. Brinn was light and ...well a little naive. Vicky was dark and ....experimental."

Ali placed her head on Sam's chest. "Tell me," she whispered.

It was a gentle request and suddenly Sam wanted to tell her everything. It would be so good to get it all out. She would listen. Opening up about his past when they met, telling Ali about his actions in high school, acting out to try to gain the attention of his parents, had been good. She didn't judge him. On the contrary, Ali had reflected Sam's feelings of jealousy over his parent's obsession for Thomas, the other son with the burgeoning political career. Ali knew what it was like to feel neglected, second fiddle to determined parents.