Page 60 of Almost Priest

“Sure.” She waved for him to enter. It was his room after all.

“You okay?” He pressed the door closed and sat on the bed.

“I’ll live. Just embarrassed.”

“There’s really no need to be embarrassed. No one’s making fun of you. We were all worried.”

She plopped down on the bed and sighed.

“What happened, Sam?”

Resigned, she admitted, “I have anxiety attacks. I’ve had them since I was a kid. They don’t come as often as they used to, but when they do come, they can sometimes cause me to black out. What you just saw was a pretty bad one.”

“Is it Colin? Is that what you’re stressed out about?”

She looked at him. He didn’t seem angry or to be judging her, only curious. “It’s a lot of things, school, my parents, graduating, job hunting…Colin.”

“What’s going on between the two of you? I know it’s more than friendship, Sam.”

She pressed her lips together and refused to cry. Barely whispering she said, “I love him.”

“Does he love you?”

She nodded.

“So he’s not taking his vows?”

She shook her head. “He’s still becoming a priest. He never led me to believe this would change anything and I knew it changed nothing going in.”

Colin marcheda long way from the house and when he’d gone far enough he roared at the injustice of the world, angrily forking his fingers through his hair and kicking a rock into the distance.

“You got it out now, buddy?”

He spun on his heel and found Kelly watching him.

“Go back to the house,” Colin growled.

“I don’t think so. How about you tell me what’s going on between you and Sammy.”

Colin gritted his teeth. “Mind your own business, Kelly. I’m not one of your bar patrons dying to bear my soul to you.”

“How ‘bout to Sam? Would you bare your soul to her? Maybe you already did.”

“Fuck you. You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Maybe not, but I’m gonna give it a try. I think while our golden boy Braydon has been otherwise occupied you took it upon yourself to entertain Sam, pretty little thing that she is. At first it was all just charity and compassion for a stranger left alone among a pack of wolves, but then you realized there was a lot more to her then you first saw. The more time you spent with her the more you fell for her. And now she’s leaving and you’re too much of a pussy to admit you may be human after all and actually go after what you want most.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Colin nearly snarled.

“Maybe not, but I do know that in my entire life I never saw you look at anyone the way I caught you looking at her this morning. Do you love her?”

Before he could answer he heard Braydon yelling from the house and marching toward them. “Yo, Colin! I need to have a word with you.”

“Great,” Colin muttered under his breath.

Braydon marched right up to him and shoved him in the chest. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Stunned that he was being attacked Colin shook his head. “What are you talking about?”

---