Page 31 of Sam & Justin (Gomillion High Reunion #4)

Reunion - Sunday

I was thirty-nine, and for the first time ever, I wasn’t happy when I crossed that town line out of Gomillion.

The whole drive back to King’s Bay, I wasn’t thinking about how pleased I was to escape.

I was thinking about what I was leaving behind.

Who I was leaving behind. I kept replaying our kiss in the parking lot, the way neither of us wanted this to be over.

It wasn’t a goodbye, and we both knew it.

It was a beginning of something. I just didn’t know how it was going to become anything more than a beginning.

Not when I was leaving him behind. I almost wanted to turn around, take him in my arms, and never let go.

But I couldn’t do that, because I had a life in King’s Bay. I had shit I had to get back for: clients and friends, the whole nine yards. I couldn’t just disappear back to my hometown and stay there.

I got home a few hours later, and my apartment felt colder.

I’d gotten too used to Justin’s warmth. How the fuck had he made that big of an impression after only seventy-two damn hours?

That wasn’t the type of person I’d ever been.

Took me at least two months to fully warm up to my ex-husband, but I guess that was different.

I didn’t have any history with Tim when we’d met, and I had more history with Justin than I’d even known.

Because he’d felt some kind of way for me back in high school, even if he hadn’t known it back then.

I made quick work of unpacking my bag and tossed it in the bottom of my closet.

I was just about to figure out what I was going to do for dinner when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

I figured it was probably Axel, making sure I got in alright.

When I saw the name on the screen, my face split open in the kind of smile that made my cheeks hurt.

Justin

Did you make it home?

Sam

Been home about 15 min.

You get everything wrapped up at the school?

Justin

Just finished. About to take a shower.

I thought about him in the shower, all sudsed up with water dripping down his face, and I suddenly really wished I was back in Gomillion.

Sam

Damn wish I was there.

Justin

I wish you were too.

I swallowed hard and fought the urge to try to get him to send me a picture.

I had more than enough mental images from that weekend, enough that I’d be jacking off to memories from my high school reunion for a while.

Of course, I hoped we’d get a chance to make new memories, but it seemed a bit too soon to be asking about that.

Sam

Enjoy your shower.

Think about me.

Okay, I didn’t fight the urge to be flirty too hard.

Justin

I will.

I didn’t think he much minded, not with that kind of reaction. I tucked my phone back in my pocket and got back to trying to find me some dinner.

Monday After the Reunion

The whole night, I was tossing and turning thinking about Justin.

Even though he’d been all toppy when we’d fucked, he’d fallen asleep in my arms. I liked a man who didn’t mind being the little spoon after fucking me right through the mattress.

I could still feel him every time I moved, a dull throbbing reminding me of the nights we’d shared, and I hated the fact that it was going to fade.

I was tired as hell when I got to my office.

I had four clients scheduled, and I had to give them my full attention.

They deserved that, even if my mind wanted to keep wandering back down the highway.

Between clients, I kept checking my phone while I did my therapy notes.

Justin and I had a staggered conversation going since last night, when we texted all through dinner, and he roped me into watching some modern day fairy tale show on a streaming service we both had.

I didn’t really get the appeal but texting him about it made me feel like we were together.

We’d ended up watching two or three episodes before he said he was tired and went to bed. That’s probably why I ended up tossing and turning, really. The fact that I knew how good it felt to be in his bed, and while I’d always liked my own bed and my own space, it felt too big now.

Our conversation staggered in fits and bursts all day. A text here and there, just sharing tidbits about our work days. I missed him. It’d been twenty-four hours, and I missed him something awful. I didn’t know how the hell he already had that kind of an effect, but he did.

Thursday After the Reunion

I made plans to meet up with Axel after work on Thursday.

We’d texted a few times during the week, but I hadn’t told him much about Justin.

I knew he was itching to hear about it. Not just about Justin, but the reunion as a whole.

He’d been the one to talk me into going, and this time last week, I’d never thought I’d be thankful for it.

I thought I’d go, have a shitty time, and then come home to tell him I told you so when he started acting all high and mighty about me taking his advice.

I’d really been looking forward to getting to be smug, but that asshole just had to go and be right.

I wasn’t looking forward to telling him that part, but I did want to tell him everything about Justin. Well, almost everything. I didn’t have any intention of going into details about the two nights we spent together. There were other things I’d rather tell him about instead.

My phone buzzed as I pulled into the parking lot of Pie in the Sky, the best pizza joint in King’s Bay. Axel’s car was already in the parking lot, so I knew the text wasn’t from him saying he got caught up at the tattoo shop. I had a good feeling I knew who was texting me, and I was right.

Justin

I still have your tie.

Sam

Keep it. Hate those things anyway.

Justin

Why?

You looked good in it.

Sam

Feel like they’re choking me. Not in the sexy way either.

I watched as the little bouncing bubbles that said Justin was typing appeared, disappeared, and then reappeared.

It went on like that for a good two minutes, the whole time I knew Axel was inside waiting on me.

I was about to give up on finding out whatever thoughts my comment spurred in Justin’s head when he finally sent back his answer.

Justin

Good to know.

I didn’t know what the hell that meant, and I really wanted to know. But I also knew if I walked in there with a half-chub, Axel was gonna give me hell.

Justin

Tell me more?

Well, damn, that was fucking tempting. But again, Axel was waiting.

Sam

Later? About to meet Axel for dinner and don’t think he’d be as into my boner as you would.

Justin

I’m glad to hear that.

That he’s not interested in your dick, not that you’re going to dinner with him.

I mean I’m glad you’re going to dinner with a friend, so I’m glad to hear that too.

Can you just delete all of those messages and pretend I replied with something really smooth?

I sent him back a laughing emoji and promised to text him later when I got home.

When I went inside, I found Axel immediately.

He had his head bent down over his phone, his brow furrowed at whatever the hell he was reading on the screen.

I was twenty kinds of curious, especially since he didn’t even seem to notice me coming up to him.

He didn’t look up until I was talking to him, which wasn’t like Axel at all.

He always noticed when someone joined a table he was at.

I used to joke he had some kind of radar or something, because I’d seen him wake up from a dead sleep on my couch when Tim came into the living room at least twice.

“What’s got your panties all in a twist?” His head jerked up like someone yanked him up by the back of his head, eyes wide. I also noticed the way he flipped his phone upside down like he was hiding the screen. “You hiding someone from me, Axe?”

He schooled his features back into that shit-eating grin I knew too well.

“Not hiding anyone,” he said all nonchalantly, like I hadn’t just caught him looking guiltier than a kid with their hand in the cookie jar.

I raised an eyebrow at him. I might have wanted to tell him all about my weekend with Justin, but this sounded more interesting.

Axel never acted that way about anyone. He kept his hand protectively on his phone.

“Just not saying shit until I know what this is.”

“Do I know her?”

“Who said it’s a her?”

Now that was news to me. I studied him for a minute.

He’d always been strictly chick-ly. He wasn’t giving anything away, other than that grin of his, and I didn’t know if he was pulling my leg and fucking with me, or if he was talking something real.

I kept looking at him for a few minutes, hoping he’d go on and give me some kind of clue, but he didn’t.

I could’ve left well enough alone, but I knew Axel.

He’d baited the hook, and he needed me to take a big old bite from it. “Do I know him ?”

“You know one of them.”

I had so many questions, and I wanted to ask all of them.

Unfortunately, the server chose that moment to come over and take drink orders.

I was forced to hold my tongue while I ordered a beer.

The moment she walked off, I was able to give him all my focus.

“One of them? What the fuck did you get into while I was gone?”

“Me and Lana decided to have a bit of fun.”

“Thought you and Lana were done, and she was seeing that new guy?” Axel cocked his head to the side and gave a half shrug that told me everything I needed to know.

“Axel, you fucked your ex and her new guy?” He nodded.

“Shit man, and here I was going to tell you all about my exciting weekend thinking it was something special.”

Well, I knew it was something special. Maybe not as earth shattering as whatever the hell he had going on with Lana and her new guy, but it was special to me.

“Turns out, him and Lana are about as serious as me and Lana were.”

“So not all that serious?”