K Darblyne - Unbroken Season 1

“Well, I…ah…”

“Hey,” Sam turned around and took a step closer to her bed so that she could touch her hip against Brooke’s shoulder, then leaned down and whispered in her ear. “It really did make my day go faster.” Sam winked and gave her another quick kiss but this time on her cheek.

The stunned woman touched her check, feeling for the kiss, hoping that it would not be the last one she would share with Sam, once she found out her misfortune. Mustering all the courage that she could, Brooke admitted, “Sam…I think I just screwed up royally.”

“Huh?” Sam looked to her lover. “Would you care to explain that a little more in detail?”

“Janet and I met for lunch and well…” Brooke took in deep breath.

“Hey,” Sam rubbed Brooke’s hand with her own. “If you’re worried about introducing me as C.C.’s roomie, I understand.”

“You noticed, huh?” Blue eyes darted to green. “I just wanted to see how good the chances are for you to intern in the area…” Brooke paused. “You know, one that would be perfect for you and…well…” she shrugged her shoulders. “Your Professor knows about us now. I guess it was that look on my face that gave it away when I asked you to tell C.C. that I loved her.”

“Well…you know what I say.” Sam wrapped her arm around Brooke and gave her a squeeze. “I say that I don’t care who knows. I thought we were clear on this, Hon.”

“Yeah, but…I also signed the paperwork to accept an intern…” she looked over to Sam, hoping that she would understand. “Now, C.C. thinks you’re going to be sent to Siberia.”

“Ah…You’re giving someone a chance.” Sam thought for a moment, suddenly realizing her lover’s hopeful intentions. “Oh…oh, I see.” The blonde pursed her lips deep in thought then verbalized them. “C.C. doesn’t think that your friend will keep me here now…huh?” She studied her lover, then got up and walked a step or two away. “Brooke…answer me two questions, okay?”

“Well, yeah. You know I will, Sam.” Brooke’s brow furrowed as she contemplated what they might be.

“I know that Humphreys is married, but did she ever…I mean…when you were younger…have a crush on you or try to date you?”

“No,” the answer came without Brooke having to even think about it. “Why would you even think such a thing? Sam, Darlin’, you know that you’re the only one who captured my heart.”

Sam looked to C.C. seeing the mirrored denial on her face. “I know.” Sam’s softly spoken words showed her sorrow for having to ask the question. “I…I was just trying to figure out where the Professor was coming from.” She gazed into Brooke’s face, hoping to be forgiven. “Okay, now for the second question. If she’s your friend, wouldn’t Janet want to see you happy?”

“Yeah…” Brooke nodded. “I would hope so.”

“Well, why worry about it?” Sam shrugged her shoulders and let out a sigh. “She’ll make the right decision Brooke, face it.”

“But you didn’t hear the whole…” Brooke raised her hands and used her fingers to make quotation marks in the air. “How would everybody react if they found out that she knew about us and kept you here?”

“Brooke, Honey…” Sam tried to reason with her, “…it’s out of our hands, whichever way it goes.”

Sighing, Brooke finally nodded in agreement. “I know. I’m sorry, Sam.”

“Hey, I appreciate the thought.” The blonde smiled radiantly just thinking about working side by side with her lover. “If it happens that I would get assigned to your company, we’ll just be the professionals that I know we can be.” Sam cleared her throat, “And what we do in our spare time…well…” the young woman smiled lecherously at Brooke, “…that is for us to know.”

Overcome with the biggest grin that she thought her face could ever have, Brooke’s mood changed dramatically as she got up from the bed and wrapped strong, loving arms around the blonde. “I love you, Sam.” She gazed into the woman’s eyes for only a moment before she was compelled to give actions to her emotions and slowly brought their lips together in a kiss.

After the kiss ended, Brooke shyly chuckled.

“What?” Sam’s eyes searched her lover’s face.

“You know, I never did get dessert after lunch with Janet.” Dark eyebrows wiggled a time or two, and then Brooke’s smile grew bigger as her one eyebrow temptingly challenged her mate.

C.C. sat there on Sam’s bed watching the romantic little interlude play out right before her very eyes until she dreaded what might be next. “Ah…” the brunette jumped up from the bed. “Well, look at that.” She tapped her totally absorbed sister on the shoulder. “Why don’t we all go out for dinner? Then you can have dessert, while I study in the library. Hmmm…?” Brown eyes sparkled at the thought of her idea and she tried to move her sister toward the door.

“That’s just like you, Chase.” Brooke shook her head as she still maintained eye contact with Sam. “You’re always thinking with your stomach.”

“Hey, if it was my stomach that I was thinking with, Sis, I’d send out for a pizza and stay home.”

Brooke turned her head toward her sister. “Oh…excuse me. Let me rephrase that.” Blue eyes glared at the brunette. “Just like you Chase, always thinking with my wallet.” Brooke showed her sister a contemptuous grin, thinking that she’d hit the nail on the head.

Undaunted in her effort, C.C. reached for the door while still tugging on Brooke’s sleeve. “Well, that…and my roomie.” The brunette rolled her eyes and smiled. “Come on, Brooke, we all know how much better you perform on a full stomach.” C.C. winked at the blonde and then took off running through the now opened door.

“…Sometimes we raise our guns of pain but I’ll be your defender… So lay down your arms and Baby, let’s Surrender… “

The bustle of the collegiate bar wasn’t distracting to the woman as she sat in her small booth focusing on the box in front of her. She’d spent many a time in this bar during her college years, sipping a cold one and just thinking of how she wanted her life to be. It stood to reason that now she was doing the same thing.

Brooke reflexively took a long draw on her bottle of beer, letting her gaze fall upon the label as she brought it back down to the table. Molson, huh? I even knew back then. A smile lit up her face as she thought of her numerous toasts throughout, the years all ending in that same rambling phrase of hers. She found it coming off of her lips once again, then smiled, “Sam Addams forever, but Molson for life.”

She snapped open the box in front of her and looked at the ring inside, letting her eyes transfix on it as her mind conjured up the image of one, smiling blonde. Hesitantly, Brooke’s fingertip touched the stone, admiring the dazzle that came from it, even in the subdued lighting of the bar. It immediately brought the stored images of Sam’s twinkling eyes to the forefront of her mind and there, she held her breath, reveling in the love that they shared. Lost in her thoughts, Brooke never saw her sister enter the bar and wave in her direction.

“Will you look at that…” C.C. shook her head as she started over in Brooke’s direction, “…she’s probably thinking about tonight.” The young woman sauntered along the length of the bar, then turned to cut through the crowd. As she quickly stepped around a table or two, she dodged an ill begotten hand reaching out for her backside. C.C. turned to glare at the owner of the wayward extremity as she grabbed it and politely laid it back down on the table.

Looking directly into the young man’s eyes, C.C. smiled. “You know, you’re cute but that claw of yours leaves a lot to be desired. I’d think twice before you use it again or I’ll have to sic big sister on you.” The young woman stepped slightly to the side and glanced over at the booth where Brooke was seated. “I’d hate to have to interrupt her from her thoughts,” C.C. turned back to the pensive young man. “She gets a little upset when someone hits on her baby sister.”

She watched as the young man looked over to the booth and then slowly nodded. She could tell that his fancies were already changing to that of a slightly older woman. “I’d reconsider that thought if I were you.” C.C. tapped him on his forehead, “She’s already spoken for and trust me, you don’t want to meet up with the other half of that love connection.”

“Bigger, huh?” He looked up into C.C.’s face and waited for an answer.

A knowing smile came to the brunette’s face as she thought about her roommate. Deciding that no words could equivocate Sam’s small stature, she simply stated, “And very possessive.” Seeing the look of dismay on his face, C.C. patted his hand in a comforting fashion, then left, moving toward her sister’s booth.

Pausing for a moment before sliding into the booth, C.C. eyed the small box but couldn’t make out what was held inside it. “Well, you didn’t have to buy me a gift for letting you have the room tonight, but thanks,” the brunette slid into the seat as she reached for the box. “You know, gift wrapping and bows say so much more but this will be…”

Blue eyes stared at C.C., and a low growl started in Brooke’s throat as she quickly snapped the box lid shut, encasing it in her hand.

“Whoa! And I just told that jerk,” the young woman pointed her thumb over to the table with the now chastised man, “that Sam was the possessive one.” C.C. sat back in her seat with her hands in her lap. “Boy, was I wrong.”

Brooke took in a breath and shook her head. “Nope, you were right. Sam’s possessed me for longer than I’ve even known her.” The older woman looked back at the label on her beer bottle. “C.C. do you…I mean…would you…” she bit at her lip, “…if you were Sam…I mean.” The musician’s mouth became dry and she hurriedly reached for the bottle of Molson to help her out of her bind. Setting the bottle back down after taking a drink, Brooke half choked on her last swallow as she tried to speak. The words just weren’t coming, so she did the next best thing, she opened the box and sheepishly turned it so that her sister could see what it held.

Seeing the ring and how nervous her sister was acting, C.C. made light of the situation. “Damn, Brooke, how’d you know what I wanted for Christmas?”

“Not you, stupid.” Brooke glared at C.C. “It’s for Sam.” The woman’s eyes softened with the sound of the name. “I’m…I’m going to…”

Brown eyes lit up, “Propose?” C.C. looked at her sister, and shook her head. “Damn, what’s making you move so fast now, when it took you thirty years to meet her?”

“I…I don’t want to lose her, C.C. I can’t…I’d…” Brooke took in a deep breath and then let it out.

Seeing that her sister was on the near side of panic, C.C. snatched the ring right out of the box and tried to slide it onto her finger. “Damn, I thought all rings came in my size…a perfect seven.”

“They do, but I had this one sized down to Sam’s finger already.”

“She knows and she didn’t tell me?” C.C. put the ring back into the box and watched as Brooke closed the lid. “I’m going to have to call her up on the Roommate’s Rights Act. Holding out important information on me like that just ain’t fair.”

“She doesn’t know, C.C. I haven’t even asked her yet.”

“Then how would you know what size her finger is?”

Brooke smiled. “C.C. when you get to know someone intimately, you know everything about them.” The dark-haired woman winked as she teased her sister. “You ought to try it sometime, but that takes longer than a date or two.”

C.C. stuck out her tongue, aiming it directly at Brooke just as the waitress came around.

“Can I get you another beer?” The redhead directed her question to Brooke, as she carried a tray of empties in her hand.

“No thanks, but you could bring over a Shirley Temple for my baby sister here.” Brooke nodded toward the brunette who was now trying to hide her act of childishness by wetting her lips. “C.C., would you like a cherry with that?” Brooke could see the actions in her sister’s face building up to another tongue showing episode.

“Yes, thank you.” C.C. smiled at the waitress as she kicked Brooke’s boot under the table.

“Oww…” Brooke shot a glare at her sweetly smiling sister. “I’ll…I’ll be fine with this,” Brooke picked up her bottle and raised it up to the waitress before bringing it to her mouth, taking a sip from it.

“Okay, I’ll go get your drink.” The waitress moved away, casting a look or two over her shoulder to the booth she’d just left.

“Thanks, Sis. Now I’ll get carded every time I come in here.” C.C. flicked her hair back over her shoulder. “You’re not helping my image any.”