Ash jerked awake, consciousness suddenly thrust upon her. Her fingernails scratch at the air like she was fending off an attacker. It only took a moment to recognize her own bed. She couldn’t remember how she got there. The last thing she recalled was being at Randy’s house. The bulge in his robes, the smoky Scotch on his tongue, his body pressed against hers. His hand over her mouth…

Oh fuck.

She looked down at herself, her hands checking her body like she was searching for a knife wound. Under the blankets, she was fully clothed in her favorite pair of pajamas. A relieved sigh was halfway out when the thought struck her.

She had almost been… Randy had almost… Randy drugged her!

That fucking bastard!

Images popped into her mind, filling the gaps in her memory. Pushing him away. The chalky pill being forced through her lips. Randy’s smug, self-satisfied expression. The shattering vase and the sharp crack it made when she smashed it into his head.

I hope that motherfucker gets brain damage.

It still didn’t explain how she got home. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness, and her gaze stopped on the beanbag chair where Sam fell asleep. A smile crooked her lips, the memories coming back to her like remembering a fleeting dream. Not all the details, but enough that she understood.

Sam came for her, held her and made sure she was safe. Her face flushed, recalling she had been stark naked, and she had a nagging thought she’d basically molested him, her hands marveling at the sensation of his jacket over his hard muscles. She’d never given his flannels enough credit. They were so soft…

His rough tongue running along her finger. His soft, sweet lips against hers.

Wait a second. Did I kiss him?

Maybe being drugged wasn’t all bad. It gave her the courage to make a move, something she’d been fantasizing about recently but wouldn’t have acted on otherwise. The urge overcame her to stretch like a cat lying in a beam of sunlight. A smile grew on her face, and it didn’t show any signs of leaving. Then she remembered Veronica’s text.

A pillow hit Sam square in the face.

“Ow!”

A second pillow joined the first.

“Okay, I’m awake!” He peeked out from behind the pillow he held up for protection. “Oh, thank god, you’re awake. Are you—”

Ash threw a third pillow, which Sam easily deflected. “You asshole!” She looked around for something else to throw.

“What? What did I do?”

“What did you do? You tell me, you fucking liar.”

“Nothing happened, I swear! I brought you home, got you dressed, and put you in bed. That’s it!”

“Aren’t you a knight in shining fucking armor? You didn’t take advantage of a drugged girl. Congratufuckinglations!”

“I get the feeling you’re not happy about something.”

“I’m talking about you and Veronica!”

“What are you—”

“You said nothing happened, but I got a text from her that had a lot more to say.”

“Oh.”

“Oh? OH? That’s all you have to say!?”

Sam struggled up from the beanbag, raising his hands to surrender or calm her it didn’t matter. She wasn’t having it. “I don’t know what she told you, but I can explain.”

“Explain?” Her voice rose an octave, and she whipped the covers off her with a snap. “Explain how you got a blowjob but couldn’t sack up enough to seal the deal? How you were going to let our parents die? You can explain? Explain how you were going to let me have sex with Randy even though you knew I wasn’t ready! Explain that!” She leapt out of bed intending to jab her finger into his chest, but her legs weren’t ready to support her. She stumbled and would have fallen if Sam hadn’t caught her.

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“I’ve got you.” His voice was soft and quiet.

She bit back the angry retort, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She nodded, her tear-stained cheek brushed against his T-shirt. “I know.”

He helped her back to the bed and sat next to her. “You’re right. I lied about Veronica.” He rubbed his face like he was trying to scrub away bad memories. “Things weren’t going well at the restaurant, and she was flirting with the waiter. I thought I blew it. She said the date was a bust, but as I tried to salvage things, she suggested we get a hotel room.” He blew out his lips and ran a hand through his hair. “Things were definitely heading in the right direction at the hotel.”

Ash’s stomach tightened, but she stayed silent.

“She gave me a… She started to…”

“Blow you. Jesus, Sam. Grow a pair already.”

“Fine! She started to blow me. Happy? But I…” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

“Eww!”

“Not like that. I mean I couldn’t go through with it. I stopped her, and I got out of there.”

“Really?” She hated how soft and hopeful her voice sounded.

Sam smiled, the worry lines easing from around his eyes a bit, and he almost looked boyish. “Yeah, right? I should get a medal or something. The first guy to stop mid-blowjob.”

She punched him in the shoulder. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Sam let out a deep breath. “Because—”

“Because you’re a pussy,” she finished for him.

He nodded. “Yes, that. But things were complicated. I’ve…” He trailed off again, then took a deep breath and forged ahead in a rush. “I realized a few days ago that I still have feelings for you. But I didn’t know how to tell you. Because you were with Randy, and I didn’t want to get between the two of you.”

Despite the warm fire kindling in her stomach, a question fluttered around her brain. “Still?”

A blush crawled up his neck and blazed across his face. “Um…yeah… I’ve sorta liked you since the eighth grade.”

“Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

Sam let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Take your pick. Because I was shy. Because I was scared. Because I didn’t know how. Because we were best friends, and after losing our parents…” He didn’t have to finish the sentence.

“You didn’t want to risk losing me, too.” She knew that fear all too well. They lapsed into silence, neither one saying anything or daring to look the other in the eye.

“Why did you show up at Randy’s house?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about what you said. About not keeping secrets and how people should tell each other how they feel. So, I came to tell you before it was too late.”

She nodded toward his knuckles. The skin was angry and scraped raw. “Did you beat the door down?”

“Oh, um…” He laughed nervously and dragged a hand through his hair again. “I sorta…knocked Randy’s dad out.”

“You what?”

He told her about trying to barge into Randy’s house, how his dad answered, and how he wouldn’t let Sam in to talk to Ash. Then, with no little embarrassment, he told her that he punched the man in the face and jumped over him to find her. By the time he was done, her hands covered her mouth.

“Oh my god, Sam.”

“I know…”

“No, Sam. Oh my god… You didn’t!”

“It's not that big a deal. Given what was happening in the other room, I doubt he'd—"

She cut him off. “That wasn’t Randy’s dad.”

“Umm… what?”

“That was the butler!” She broke into uncontrolled laughter. “Randy’s dad…is still…in Atlantic City.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.” Laughter stopped her from answering, tears streaming down her cheeks. “It’s not that funny! I just assaulted a guy.”

“Eh, he’s only the butler.”

“That’s a little harsh...”

“He was protecting a date rapist, Sam”

“…but fair.” Sam nodded, clearly feeling better about his class-A misdemeanor.

She bumped his shoulder with her own. “It was very gallant. I appreciate you knocking out the hired help to save me.”

He tentatively reached out and placed his hand on hers. “When I got there, Randy was unconscious, and you were…naked.” His voice dropped to a whisper like he was afraid to ask. “What happened?”

Ash wished then she hadn’t thrown all the pillows. She needed something to hide behind. She had never been good at… feelings. Emoting wasn’t really her thing. But, she supposed, Sam mustered the courage to tell her how he felt, so she could at least do the same.

She told him what happened. How she threw herself at Randy and—with a deep breath, she rushed through this next part—how she realized Randy wasn’t the one she really wanted to be with. Told him how she had to escape to the bathroom because she was almost a gibbering mess. How she’d just decided to not go through with it when she received Veronica’s text. Sam winced when she explained how the text fueled her decision to have sex with Randy.

Then she told him that she couldn’t go through with it and how Randy had given her a party drug to get her in the mood.

“That asshole!”

“Don’t worry, I took care of him.”

Sam chuckled darkly. “Yeah, no kidding. I saw.” They were silent for a moment until he finally spoke. “So… Veronica’s text made you mad?”

Their eyes met, and a knowing grin appeared on his lips. She rolled her eyes and stayed silent until he persisted with a raised eyebrow. “Fine! Yes, all right? I was jealous. Happy? Even though our families are in trouble, I admit I was happy when I thought nothing happened between the two of you.”

“So why didn’t you tell me?”

A beat of silence passed, and they answered at the same time.

“Because I’m a pussy.”

“Because you’re a pussy.”

… and then burst into laughter.

She wiped the tears of mirth from her eyes. “So…what now?”

Sam glanced toward the window where the sky was turning from red-orange to purple. “We’ve got about an hour until the new moon…”

She hit him again. “Are you really trying to get in my pants? Now?”

Sam held up his hands in surrender. “Only to save the world!”

A laugh burst from her. “God, I don’t know if that’s the worst or the best pickup line I’ve ever heard.”

“Depends if it works or not.”

Ash grinned and leaned against him, brushing her lips against his.

“I guess we’ll just have to see…”