I Remember You (3 page)

“I have to go inside, Lance,” she said softly, pulling her hand back. “Please don’t call me again or show up here. Goodbye.” She turned and headed for the door, walking quickly so she had no chance to change her mind.

Thankfully her mom was in bed when she got inside. She shut the door firmly behind her and leaned against it, listening to the rumble of Lance’s car drive away. A sob ripped from her throat as she slid down the door to the floor and buried her face in her hands. She’d just said goodbye to her heart and soul forever.

Chapter Three

Present Day

Samantha pulled up to the pump at the gas station and got out. As she watched the numbers on the pump, her mind started to wander. She sighed and crossed her arms as she thought about a few weeks ago when she’d broke up with Jeff, the guy she’d been seeing for about a year.
What’s wrong with me?
Jeff was a good guy. He was good looking and a successful lawyer. He treated her like a queen. Most girls would kill to date a guy like him. She didn’t feel anything with him - no passion or excitement.

The pump clicked as it stopped and Samantha put the gas cover back on. She’d forgotten her bottle of water for yoga class, so she ran inside the gas station to get one. She didn’t want to be late for class and not get a decent spot, so she trotted inside and grabbed the first bottle she saw from the cooler. She took it to the counter and paid. As she turned to leave, she ran right into someone else approaching the counter and dropped her water on the floor.

“I’m sorry!” She bent down to get her water as the person she ran into did too.

“Hello Samantha.” A deep voice filled her ears as the stranger handed her the water. Her heart started pounding. Could it be? She looked up quickly. It was Lance!

“Hey Lance. What’re you doing here?” She asked nervously. She was surprised to see her old boyfriend at this gas station, let alone in town. He was a successful rock star now and she knew he lived in LA. She tried to casually look him over. He’d filled out some since they’d been together. His shaggy blonde hair was cut shorter now and he looked older, more mature. She had to admit he looked good. Time had been very kind to him.

“I had some business to take care of here for Mom,” he replied.

She smiled. Always such a mama’s boy. “How is she?” Samantha had always liked his mom. She’d always told Lance to treat her better and that the two of them were going to get married some day.
Boy did she get that wrong!

“She’s good. How are you?” He looked down at her with those piercing gray eyes. For a second she wanted to wrap her arms around him like old times. She’d never forgotten what his hugs had been like.

“I’m good. Busy writing. My first novel comes out in about a month.” She looked down at her shoes nervously, shaking the thought of his arms around her from her mind.

“That’s great, Sam,” he said with a smile. “I know how much you always loved to write. Congrats.”

She wasn’t sure why his words of approval made her feel so good. She glanced at her phone. She was going to be late for class if she didn’t leave soon. “I actually was headed to yoga class so I should probably get going.” She looked back up at him. “It was good seeing you,” she said softly.

He smiled at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling in the way she’d always loved. “It was really good seeing you too. Take care.”

She clutched her phone and water and headed out of the gas station, her heart pounding hard in her ears. Samantha took a shaky breath as she got into her car. Trying to get her bearings, she sat for a minute before starting it. She couldn’t believe she saw Lance after all of these years. She didn’t think she’d ever see him again here in town.

Samantha started her car and headed off to class. She was looking forward to yoga. Maybe it would clear the mess in her brain that seeing Lance had created.

***

Lance was a little shocked he’d run into Samantha. He hadn’t been back to his hometown in at least five years and the one time he was here, he ran into her.
Unbelievable!

Lance always hated coming back to his hometown. Once he’d moved his mom to LA to live by him, there was not much left for him here. His mom had some family business to deal with and since his band had a show nearby, he thought he’d come with her to give her a hand. He was only going to be here for two days and that felt like two days too long.

After she left, he went to the back of the gas station to grab a soda. His heart ached when he thought about Samantha. She was the reason he hated coming back. Being back reminded him of her. They hadn’t dated in over ten years, but he’d never gotten her totally out of his mind or his heart.

He went back up to the counter to pay, still thinking about her. She’d looked so good even dressed in a t-shirt and yoga pants. She still managed to take his breath away. All he had thought about while they’d talked was wrapping her up in his arms. He never forgot how her petite frame always fit so perfectly against him.

He couldn’t help but notice she didn’t have a wedding ring on. She must be single or at least not engaged or married. He shook his head as he went back out to his car, trying to clear his mind. It’d be silly to think she’d even want anything to do with him after all this time. The last time they broke up, she’d made it very clear she was done with him and he didn’t fit into her life or her future.

After the mess with Nicole, he couldn’t say he blamed her. It was the last straw in their volatile relationship. He went into a downward spiral after that night in her driveway. He fought like crazy with Nicole, not giving her the emotional support she’d wanted from him and demanding a paternity test as soon as they could have one. He’d turned to alcohol to dull the pain of losing Samantha. Even after finding out Nicole’s baby wasn’t his after all, he didn’t go after Samantha. She was better off without him, going off to a fancy college and having her whole life ahead of her with someone that deserved her.

His best friend Jason kicked his ass and eventually set him straight. He quit drinking so much and the two of them started a band. They moved to New York and got discovered playing in a club one night, signing a record deal. He had finally realized his dream of becoming a rock star, but it seemed like something was still missing from his life.

Lance got in the car and handed his mother her water. They drove back to the hotel making small talk. When they parked in the hotel parking lot, Lance’s mom put her hand on his arm before he could even open the door.

“I saw her,” she said to him softly, searching his eyes for any sign of emotion.

“Who?” Lance dismissed her. He didn’t want to talk about this with his mother of all people.

“You know who. I know you saw her too,” she replied with a huff.

Lance sighed. “Yeah, I ran into Samantha. We talked a little bit. Her first book is coming out soon.”

“That’s great. I’ll have to look for it. How is she?”

Lance got out of the car and came over to help his mother out. “She’s good, I guess.” He ran his hand through his hair. “We didn’t talk very long.”

“Is she married? Kids?” She kept pumping him for information as they walked into the hotel.

His mother never knew when to quit when it came to Samantha. Lance rolled his eyes. “Mom, I don’t know. She didn’t have a ring on but she said she was headed to yoga class, so maybe she just wasn’t wearing it.”

His mom smiled at him smugly. “So you looked, huh?” Her gaze softened. “In all seriousness, you should call her and see her tonight. We don’t leave until morning and what else are you going to do? You can talk. Have you ever told her that Nicole wasn’t pregnant with your baby?”

Lance shook his head and gave his mother a look of reproach. “No Mom, not a good idea. When we broke up all those years ago, she made it clear she was done with me and I realized she’s much better off without me anyway. Besides, I don’t have her number.”

“I bet you could get it if you really tried. You know people.” She shrugged.

“Mom,” he looked at her sternly. “Please.Drop.It. She has her life here and I have mine in LA. We’ve both moved on. It was a chance meeting. It meant nothing.”

His mother put her hands on her hips as they arrived at their rooms. “Lance! Don’t even give me that crap! I
know
full well you think of her all the time. She’s the reason you can’t settle down with a girl for more than a few weeks. She’s the one you write all your songs about. I’m your mother! I know you, so don’t try to fool me and tell me otherwise. And I know you two belong together whether you like to hear it or not. There’s a reason you ran into her today. Fate has stepped in. Don’t ignore it!”

Lance shook his head and unlocked the door to his hotel room, opening it. “Whatever, Mom. You couldn’t be more wrong.” He turned to her before walking into his room. “I think I’m going to stay in for dinner. I’ll see you in the morning.” He didn’t want to listen to her talk about Samantha the rest of the night. He suddenly wasn’t very hungry anymore anyway.

He walked into his room and shut the door behind him, leaving his mom standing open-mouthed in the hallway. He felt bad for talking to her that way, but she couldn’t seem to get it through her head. He and Samantha were done. Fate had nothing to do with it, right?

He went right to the mini bar in his room and opened a beer. He flipped on the TV and flopped down on the bed. He decided he was going to drink his dinner tonight. Maybe enough alcohol would drown out the memory of Samantha from his mind.

***

Samantha got home from yoga, her head no clearer than it was right after she saw Lance. She thought for sure she’d gotten him out of her system years ago. Sure, she had followed his success a little bit. She didn’t listen to his music much so she didn’t have to listen to him sing about all the women he sounded so in love with, but she couldn’t be more proud about the fact he was a rock star like he had dreamed. She always knew if he put his mind to it, he could succeed at whatever he wanted to.

She wondered how his child was that he’d had with Nicole. She knew he wasn’t still with Nicole, so how long had that relationship lasted? Was he a good dad? He had issues with his own father, so she had a feeling he made a real effort to be a good dad to his child. Her eyes filled with tears, remembering how at one time she had thought she’d be the one having children with him.

She sighed and threw her keys on the table and opened the refrigerator. Maybe a glass of wine would calm her nerves. She poured a glass of her favorite wine and grabbed her latest celebrity gossip magazine. Surely some mindless reading would numb her brain for a bit.

She took a sip and started to page through the magazine. She almost spit out her wine when she got to the page about Lance and his latest girlfriend breaking up. She felt a surge of hope in her chest. He’s single! Samantha chuckled then as she looked closer at the picture. That girl was beautiful. He’d never give her a second look after being with someone like that. She was too plain looking with her shoulder length dark blond hair and green eyes. She glanced down and smiled. Her chest sure couldn’t compete with those girls either but at least her breasts were real.

Samantha threw the magazine on the coffee table. Obviously that wasn’t going to get off of Lance tonight. Maybe some writing would distract her. Losing herself in her characters was usually a good way to put aside real life if even for just a little bit.

She fired up her laptop and opened up a new, blank document. She’d been toying with a few ideas for her next book, so now was as good a time as any to get started. Samantha turned on the radio, turning it to her favorite local station. She let out a laugh as one of Lance’s songs came on the radio. Maybe fate
was
trying to tell her something.

She suddenly remembered she’d heard on the radio earlier in the week Lance’s band, the Forbidden Gods, had a show nearby tomorrow night. That would explain why he was in town now to take care of some family business.

Samantha pulled up the band’s website. She clicked on the “Tour Dates” tab and scanned the list. Sure enough, the Forbidden Gods have a concert tomorrow night in the town about an hour away. After a few clicks, she discovered the show was sold out.
Bummer!
She did a search on Craigslist and found a ticket for sale. She sent an email to the person who placed the ad and was excited to receive a quick response minutes later stating they still had the ticket and it was hers if she wanted.

She read the email over and over again.
Should she?
Why though? What was the point? Wouldn’t it make things harder for her in the long run? Finally, she decided,
what the hell?
She had nothing going on that night and he wouldn’t even notice her in the huge crowd. She replied to the email and made arrangements to pick it up tomorrow around lunchtime.

Samantha finally shut her laptop with a frustrated sigh. There would be no writing done tonight – or tomorrow probably. She was too wound up now at the thought of going to Lance’s show. She snuggled up on the couch and decided to watch some mindless TV for a while. When she finally headed to bed, she managed to drift off with memories of Lance playing his guitar for her in his mom’s basement. She couldn’t wait to see her rock star ex-boyfriend in all of his glory.

Chapter Four