12. Chapter 12

Chapter twelve

S am rubbed her burning eyes, blinking against the fluorescent lights as she picked up her phone. The day had bled into a haze, just like the one before had after she’d left Liz’s office. It was all blurring together.

“Hello?” she mumbled into her phone, barely aware of the people she passed in the office lobby. Leaving for the day should’ve felt like freedom, but this time it felt more like surrender.

“What’re you doing right now?” Scarlett’s joyful voice rang through the speaker in her ear.

Sam groaned, stretching her throbbing neck and shoulders. “Leaving the office. Why?”

She stepped through the glass-paned doors and into the chilled night air where people ambled past on the sidewalk.

“Come bowling with us.”

Sam stepped back beneath the overhang of the building as a chill ran through her body. She’d felt out of it all day, even after getting an extra hour of sleep that morning.

“I don’t think I’m up for bowling,” she mumbled, wishing she’d ridden her bike to the office instead of walking the few blocks. At least then she wouldn’t be standing there, freezing, waiting for her feet to move.

“Oh, come on. Don’t be lame,” Scarlett said, a playful edge to her words. “Terrence will be there, and it’s been forever since you guys hung out. He’s excited to see you.”

Sam frowned. She’d already cancelled on her once that week when they were supposed to get dinner. So even if she didn’t feel up to it, she owed it to her to go.

“Okay,” Sam breathed. “Sure. Send me the address.”

***

The bowling alley hummed with the low thrum of background music and the rhythmic clatter of pins being struck. The faint smell of oil and fried food filled the air, mingling with the bursts of laughter and cheers from nearby lanes.

Sam tried to keep her focus despite the endless fog of exhaustion that hung over her.

“Sam! Over here!”

Scarlett’s voice pulled her attention, and she spotted her waving from their lane, where Jess and Terrence were already seated. She forced her legs to move, trying to look presentable and not like she’d just spent the entire day feeling like her body was fighting a losing battle.

“Sam!” Terrence exclaimed, rising to his full towering height as she approached. His dark, muscular frame gave him a commanding presence, but the warmth of his boyish smile softened the intensity.

“Hey,” she said, mustering a smile as he pulled her into a crushing hug.

“It’s been forever,” he said, stepping back and giving her a once-over with a playful grin that made him seem much younger than he was. “Scar said you’d be here, but I didn’t believe her. How’ve you been?”

Sam chuckled dryly. “Busy. You know how it is.”

“I’ll bet,” he replied with a laugh. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“Hey,” Jess said, her voice drawing Sam’s attention as she shifted on the bench to make room.

“Hey,” Sam replied, exhaling the first real smile she’d managed all day as she slid onto the seat next to her.

They settled into a rhythm, easy conversation flowing around her, though Sam barely registered most of it. She nodded along, forcing herself to laugh at the right moments, but her mind was elsewhere—floating, fading in and out.

Scarlett had just bowled a spare when her phone buzzed on the scoring table. She glanced at the screen and let out a small groan.

“Shit,” she muttered, standing up and grabbing her drink. “I forgot I was supposed to call my mom tonight. She’s been hounding me for days about the schedule for the rehearsal dinner.”

Terrence chuckled where he stood beside her. “Want me to handle it? I can charm my way out of it for you.”

Scarlett raised an eyebrow at him. “Oh, you think so?” she teased, then sighed, glancing at Sam and Jess apologetically. “Sorry, I should go take this before she starts blowing up my phone.”

“Its fine,” Jess said with a wave of her hand. “Take your time.”

Terrence grabbed his jacket and placed a hand on Scarlett’s lower back. “I’ll come with you.” He turned back to Sam and Jess, flashing a quick grin. “Don’t cheat while we’re gone.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes affectionately as she led the way toward the exit, already dialing her phone. Terrence followed, throwing a quick wink over his shoulder before they disappeared into the crowd.

Jess’ voice cut through the fog. “Tired?”

Sam shrugged, picking up her ice water. She took a sip, the cold biting against the soreness in her throat. “Long work days. Not feeling too great today,” she admitted.

Jess frowned, concern darkening her eyes.

“How are you feeling, though?” Sam asked. “You sound a lot better than yesterday.”

Jess glanced away, clearing her throat. “Yeah,” she drawled. “I wasn’t sick, just—not in the mood to do much.”

Sam watched her, waiting to see if she would tell her what she already knew.

Jess’ throat bobbed as she swallowed, eyes still fixed on the scoring monitor. “Liz and I broke up.”

Sam waited a beat to see if she would say anything else, but she didn’t.

“I’m sorry,” Sam said softly.

Jess’ eyes flicked up to hers as her head cocked slightly to the side, eyes narrowing. “You don’t sound surprised.”

An apologetic frown pulled across her face. “I saw Liz at the office yesterday.”

Jess gave a knowing nod, her lips pressing together in a hard line. “Great,” she muttered. “I’m sure she just couldn’t wait to tell you all about it.”

Sam shook her head. “We had work to do. We didn’t really talk about it all that much.”

Jess gave one small nod.

“I really am sorry, though.”

Jess glanced at her, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “You know,” she began, her voice casual, “it feels weirdly—fine. Not great, obviously. But it’s not the end of the world either.”

Sam raised an eyebrow, surprised but relieved to see Jess handling it that way. “Yeah?”

Jess shrugged, tracing the edge of her cup. “I mean, it’s not like I didn’t see it coming. We were just drifting for a while. I kept thinking we’d get back on track, but—” She shrugged, her expression light. “It just wasn’t there anymore.”

Sam nodded slowly, letting Jess’s words sink in. “So, you’re okay with it?”

Jess stared off for a moment before nodding slowly. “Yeah,” she said, looking back at her. “I think I am. I’m sad it didn’t work out, but we were—going in circles, you know?”

Sam watched her, searching for anything hidden behind the words. “Makes sense. Sometimes it’s better to just let go.”

“Exactly.” Jess leaned back, exhaling deeply, as if breathing out the last remnants of the relationship.

A flicker of relief filled her chest. The last thing she’d wanted was to see Jess hurt, and hearing her talk about it with such clarity made Sam’s own shoulders relax.

“Plus,” Jess added with a smirk, “now I don’t have to pretend to love those late-night war documentaries she was always so into.”

Sam let out a laugh, shaking her head. “Gonna go back to late night horror instead?”

Jess groaned, but her eyes gleamed with a playful glint. “Probably not.”

Sam smirked. “So what, you only pull out the horror movies when you’re trying to make a move on someone?”

Jess’ eyes narrowed as she grinned. “You know, it turns out most girls aren’t that terrified when it comes to jump scares. So that move only ever worked on you.”

Sam chuckled, feeling the mood shift back to their usual ease. Jess seemed brighter than she had the last few times she’d seen her, like she’d shed a layer that had been weighing her down.

“What did we miss?” Scarlett asked, as they returned. She dropped her phone on the table, sliding into the seat after Terrence.

“Just Jess admitting her hatred of war documentaries,” Sam replied with a grin, nudging Jess’ shoulder. Jess shot her a mock glare, but the amusement in her eyes was unmistakable.

“Good,” Scarlett declared, lifting her drink. “Here’s to more fun and zero war documentaries.”