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

Chapter 42

Ali didn't bother knocking this time, she opened the door and walked right in.

Victoria stood in the middle of the living room, a fuchsia coloured kimono wrapped tightly around her. "Ali," she blurted. "I didn't mean for you to find out this way."

"Oh shut it Victoria. Enough with the lies."

Victoria's mouth opened and closed a few times. Then she turned to Sam. "You're not going to let her talk to me like that are you, Sammy?"

Ali cringed at the saccharine way Victoria pronounced the childish version of Sam's name. It was like this woman was stuck in the past. They were not kids anymore.

Sam, for his part, didn't come to his old friend's defences. Nor did he denounce her pleas. Instead, he gripped Ali's hand tighter.

"I'm not leaving you," Ali told Sam and his hold loosened slightly. Then, turning back to Victoria, she added, "Where's Sam's stuff?"

"What...I don't..."

"Victoria," Ali demanded. "Where?"

The brunette tilted her head slightly and purred, "In my bedroom."

Tugging Sam along with her, Ali made her way towards the darkened room down the hall. She dreaded what she would find as she pushed open the door. Searching she flicked a switch on the wall and the room was flooded with light.

It was by no means large, but it had enough space for the usual furniture one expected of a bedroom - bed, side tables, dressing table, wardrobe. A full-length mirror and an old-fashioned wooden chair were stuffed into a corner. On that chair, lay Sam's shirt and black leather jacket, neatly folded. On the floor in front sat his shoes, with the socks placed one inside each. Not exactly the scene of a passionate escapade. Scanning the room, Ali noticed Sam's wallet and phone on the bedside table.

Ali dropped Sam's hand and beelined to his phone. Picking it up, she gave a sigh of relief when it lit up with notifications of all her unread incoming texts on the locked screen. It was proof he wasn't lying. He hadn't seen her texts.

Then Ali looked at the one item in the room she had been avoiding. The bed. Ali expected the worst, but Victoria couldn't even stage the scene properly. The bed was still made, rumpled here and there on one side as if someone had been lying there. But otherwise, there was no evidence anything untoward had happened in this room.

Ali wiped away a tear threatening to escape. The time for crying was over. It was time to get out of here. But, first, she wanted answers.

Looking at Sam, who stood mute in the doorway, Ali knew he needed answers as well.

"Sam, get dressed." He seemed to need directions, as if not knowing what to do. "Meet me out in the living room."

"Ali, I didn't..."

Ali placed a hand on his shoulder as she moved towards the door. "I know."

Sam put his hand over hers. Gently removing it, he brought her palm to his lips. "I love you."

Squeezing his hand, Ali gave him the reply she thought he was looking for. "I love you more."

Sam's face softened, the crinkle weakening. Ali gave him a feeble smile, told him to dress quickly and pulled away.

When Ali returned to the main part of the house, Victoria was in the kitchen pouring herself a glass of something brown from a short stout bottle. "Sam find his stuff okay?" The woman spoke as if this was a perfectly natural situation.