Glitches

Chapter 29 - What's holding him together

My first thought was that Sam was sitting in our room. But when I checked it, he wasn't there. Next place was the room where we had met Paul for the first time. Still, he was nowhere to be seen. It was only when I went down to the parking cellar, I bumped into Max.

"Watch your step," he grunted, trying to walk around me.

But I quickly grabbed his arm, making him turn around with an annoyed expression.

"What?"

"Have you seen Sam around?" I asked.

"Yeah, I think I saw him outside."

He pointed with a thick finger on the slide, where the trucks and motorbikes could drive in and out of the building.

I thanked the young man, before I made my way outside. The fresh air hit me immediately, a smell of grass and wet asphalt filling my nostrils. I let out a satisfied sigh as the fresh air replaced the dirty and thick air in my lungs. For a moment I just stood there, letting the cold air caress my cheeks and nose, while it blew my short hair in front of my eyes.

A movement caught my eye, making me look to my right. It was Sam. He was sitting on an old bench right in front of the building, his hands placed in his lap, and his gaze kept forward. I slowly made my way towards him, taking a seat on the empty spot beside him. He didn't do anything, just kept staring straight ahead, a frown visible on his pale face. We just sat there in silence, enjoying each other's presence. The sound of the wind through the trees filled my ears, as I played with my fingers in my lap. I saw in the corner of my eye, that Sam was looking at me, before he let out a deep sigh.

"Sorry," he mumbled, turning his gaze straight ahead.

My expression turned into a frown, and I turned my head, so I was looking at the side of his head.

"For what? That you yelled at me?"

He just shrugged, quickly glancing at me.

"Yeah. I guess. I shouldn't have lost my temper like that."

"It's not a big deal," I reassured.

He just nodded, letting out a deep sigh through his nose. His black hair was ruffled, either from the wind or his hands. Maybe both.

"Do you have to go?" he asked, sounding like a little kid.

"Sam," I sighed despairingly, "she needs me. I would've done the same if it was you."

"I know, it's just..." he trailed of, "you don't know what's gonna happen. I don't want you to die. You know what Paul said. You'll be on your own. You won't be saved this time."

Finally, he looked at me, his eyes holding so much emotion it made my heart ache.

"Maybe," I said in a dull voice, looking at the ground in front of me, "but I don't have anything to come back to anyway."

"You have me."

My head shot up, my face twisted in a puzzled expression. Sam seemed to be thinking hard, his eyes holding a frustrated emotion, like he desperately wanted me to understand something I couldn't figure out. He had inched closer, our thighs touching on the bench sending a heat through my body. Gently, he took my hands in his own, keeping his eyes strained on mine, holding them in an intense gaze.

"Sam- "

"Have I told you how much I like your eyes?" he said, before I could continue.

"Brown, almost black. If the light is right, they gain this golden colour like leaves in autumn. Your eyes are one of my favourite things to look at."