Page 52 of Without You, Scotch and Sammy 2

“Not noisy enough,” he argues. “We didn’t hear you come in.”

“If you had, you probably would have gotten her feet off your crotch, huh? And you might have stopped bitching about me first.”

He smiles arrogantly. “Nope. But I might have put your guitar back before you saw me with it. We all know how weird you are with these.”

“I’m sorry for having people over,” Sammy murmurs. “I mean, I know they’re your friends, but still, I ran into Luc today and he wanted to come up and play with Lily.”

“You don’t have to apologize for us, Sammy. We’re his brothers, and we’ve earned the right to come and go as we please.”

“I wasn’t sure if you were staying out again,” she continues shyly. “And it was late, so I didn’t say no when Luc and Ang wanted to hang out.”

She’s trying to apologize. I get it. I nod quickly, then ignore her long creamy legs that are out for everyone to see. I drop my attitude and look back into Luc’s eyes. “I’m here. You can go.”

He watches me a moment longer, but with his own small nod, he releases Sammy and sets the guitar on the floor so it leans against the shitty old couch. Luc stands and pats down the pants of his work uniform, then looking back up, he steps up to me and spits out through gritted teeth, “We need to talk.”

“Luc--”

He turns to Sammy and winks. “I’ll catch you tomorrow, Soda. Squeak slept like a rock the whole time we’ve been here, so I was robbed of snuggles. I’ll be back tomorrow to collect.” He turns back to me and slams his shoulder into mine on his way past. I sigh, but since neither Angelo nor Sammy seem inclined to stop us, I turn and follow him through the kitchen and down the back stairs into the freezing cold.

“Really? You needed to come all the way outside for this?”

Luc turns with fire in his eyes. “I’d break my hand on your face right now if I could, asshole. But it turns out you need to look respectable when you have those appointments with the adoption people.”

“Luc--”

“So instead I’ll hit you where it hurts. Her ankle is all bruised up because of you. I could almost see your laces imprinted in her skin. That’s why her leg was on me – because I forced her to show me. If you hurt her again, whether it was accidental or not, I’ll make it so they never find your body again.”

“Luca--”

He steps back from me. “You’re better than that.”

Shame washes through my body, then shame turns to anger. “What the fuck is going on around here?” I spit my words out between clenched teeth, even as soft snow lands on my face and lips. “Why is everyone buddy-buddy with her? Do you all forget that she ditched? How is it she’s been in town for a matter of days, and I’m the bad guy?”

“That’s just it, Scotch. You’re not the bad guy. You’re not even a bad guy. But she’s still a girl we all once loved.”

“So because she’s a pretty girl, her actions are forgotten just like that? It’s that easy?”

“No. Not forgotten. Definitely not forgiven. But we’re also not kicking her while she tries to explain.”

“She hasn’t explained shit to me!”

“Maybe because you aren’t listening! Maybe she’s too scared to say more than two words to you. I’ve spent half of the day with her, and I tell you what, Scotch, she’s scared, she’s lonely, she’s still mourning the loss of friends and family she once had. She’s terrified of you snapping at her every three minutes, she’s terrified of losing that sweet baby, she was scared out of her brains for how I was gonna react when I saw her. And you should have seen her face when Marc spoke to her! Her voice literally cracked when she asked Ang if I was mad. She’s sleep deprived and emotional because Lily hardly sleeps at night--”

“It’s ‘cause it’s too quiet--”

He glares at me for interrupting his rant. “And she’s doing it all while staying in a strange place with a guy she thinks hates her. And she’s walking with a limp that she’s pretending doesn’t exist.”

Fuck.

“That guy who just stormed into the living room with anger issues, that Sam doesn’t really welcome discussion. That Sam is so far removed from the Sam she remembers, that it must be like she’s staying with a complete stranger. She’s walking on eggshells around you, and she’s walking on eggshells even when you’re not in the same building.”

“Fuck, Luc--”

“The thing is, I know that high school Sam and grown and grumpy Sam are the same guy. One has a broken heart, and the other never even considered the possibility that you guys wouldn’t work out – that’s the pedestal we all warned you about. One Sam was brave beyond stupidity, the other is bitter and sad. But underneath it all, you’re the same guy.”

“I’m not the same guy, Luc. I’m literally not the same guy. She changed me - when she loved me, then she changed me again when she left.”

“I disagree. I know you from both sides of the coin. You’re still you. You’re just not quite as willing to jump in with two feet. Which is good too. A little self-preservation never hurt anybody.”

---