Page 101 of Shattered

Chapter 44 - Sam

Sam was awoken by a kiss to her forehead just as they pulled up next to The Market. She must have fallen asleep against his shoulder on the way back from the beach.

“We’re here,” Callum said as Sam tried to adjust her eyes to her surroundings.

The sun had now fully set, and Sam thought that night-time Charleston might have been an even better experience than day-time Charleston.

They made their way through the maze of streets she realized she would never fully know, but she didn’t feel lost or nervous. She was holding Callum’s hand and, for some reason, that small touch calmed everything in her. They hadn’t had this much consistent physical contact yet and she felt as though she was being spoiled by his touch. Even if there was a small part of her that recognized it wouldn’t last forever.

Being around Callum Barker was a constant flurry of trying to remain calm and enjoy the moment, but also waiting for the rug to be yanked from right beneath her feet. It took her a few minutes of dazed inner thoughts before she realized they were not, in fact, heading toward the festival.

“Where are we going?”

“I’m starving. I figured you might be, too.” Callum squeezed her hand.

“What about the rest of the group? Should we see what theywant to do?”

“I spoke to them on the drive back while you were sleeping. The festival is closed for the day and they’ve all headed back to the house. They had to use my truck for equipment, so we’ll have to Uber back later.” Sam nodded in understanding. “Do you have any preference for dinner?”

“I don’t even know what they have down here. So, I’m going to let you decide that one.”

“Good, I already made a reservation at my favorite spot, anyway.”

“Why did you ask, then?” Sam laughed, stopping to look at him in question.

He shrugged his shoulders before answering, “I don’t know. I would have canceled the reservation if you wanted something different.”

They continued to make their way down cobblestone streets lit only by street lamps and moonlight in comfortable silence until he slowed and then stopped near the water.

“This looks like a boat,” Sam observed as they entered a restaurant called Fleet Landing.

He laughed a little at her statement. “That’s kind of the point. Let’s sit out by the water.” Callum squeezed her hand as the hostess took them to an outside booth.

Sam looked over the menu, not really sure what to get. She could count on one hand the number of times she had ordered at a sit down restaurant that wasn’t her place of employment. She felt a moment of tense anxiety flood her system at the thought of how much of an outsider she was.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked as the waitress walked up to get their order.

“Um, what you normally get is fine.”

He furrowed his brow but didn’t push the question. “We’ll each get the shecrab soup to start, and then a bowl of shrimp and grits to share.”

“Grits?” she questioned his order just as the waitress walked off. “That’s breakfast food. It’s almost nine at night.”

“Trust me. It’s delicious.”

She turned back to watch the water and then felt his hand slide across the table and grab hers. He quickly started his finger drawings she had now come to expect. She stared at her hand and then back at him. She had come to love this feeling, and was beginning to realize it had now become a habit of his.

“Why do you do that?”

“Do what?” Callum asked.

“That.” Sam looked between them to where his thumb was pressing into the center of her palm.

“Oh. I don’t really know.” He pulled back for a moment before Sam reached back out to grasp his hand.

“I didn’t mean for you to stop. It feels good. It’s just, it seems to be a habit of yours, so I figured there was a story behind it.”

He shrugged his shoulders once more. “My mom used to do this whenever I was scared or had a nightmare. It had a calming effect, I guess.”

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