AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The people I’ve met, the memories we’ve made, will always be a part of who I am. A part of the woman I’ve grown to become. They’ve helped mold me into a strong, vibrant woman.
Even Sam’s death has made me stronger. I’m a survivor.
But this weekend changed me more than any of the years I spent here. It healed a part of me that’s been broken.
The reason acceptance is the hardest step is because it’s final. Once you really, truly accept someone is gone, the pain becomes real. You don’t have another chance to tell them you love them. To show them you care.
In your mind, you didn’t do it enough when they were alive.
The truth is, if you truly love someone, you don’t have to say the words. Your actions will always be enough.
Sam knew I loved her. She knew she was my best friend. I told her often, but I didn’t have to. My actions spoke loud enough.
And vice versa.
I will never question how much she cared about me. How much our friendship meant to her. It was everything.
Which is why it made having feelings for Jay that much harder. I wasn’t willing to lose her for a chance with him. In a sense, I cared more about her than I did my own happiness. More than I cared about Jay.
And that’s okay.
Sam deserved our love.
No matter how we feel about each other, no matter what happens in the future, Sam will always have our love. Mine and Jay’s. Because you don’t stop loving someone after they’re gone. You just love silently.
I’m zippingup my suitcase, scanning the room to make sure I have everything, when my phone rings.
“Spence,” I say, drawing his name out. The hairs on my arms are standing on end. There’s only one reason he would be calling.
“Are you still in town?” His words are rushed and he sounds out of breath.
“Yeah. I just finished packing. I’m about to leave. Why?”
“Stay there. I may need your help.”
“Spencer—” I start, but the line goes dead.
Pulling my suitcase off the folding stand, I hear something hit the floor and immediately begin searching the area. Out of the corner of my eye I spot a screw by the leg of the stand, and after setting my suitcase aside, I pick it up to inspect it.
The drive has been stripped and the treads are practically bare. It’s obvious the screw has been worn down over the years. It’s small, barely an inch in length, and rusted.
Spencer bursts through my door at the same moment I notice the return air vent is hanging lose.
“We know who it is,” he says after slamming the door behind him.
“That’s great, Spence,” I reply excitedly as I attempt to put the screw back into place with only my fingertips. “Is he in custody?”
“The chief is on his way to pick him up right now. I wanted to tell you in person. Where’s Jay?”
“He already left,” I reply, pressing my hand against the vent as I continue to fidget with the screw, causing the one on the left to wiggle itself lose and fall to the ground.
“Breaking things before you leave?” he asks, crouching down beside me.
“I didn’t break anything. This damn screw fell out and I was trying to put it back in and the other one fell out.”
“Here,” Spence says, picking up the fallen screw and nudging me out of the way. “Let me try.”
Securing the vent to the wall with his hand the way I was, Spencer attempts to put both screws back in place. Once one is seated, he moves to the other, causing the first to fall back out.
