Punch Drunk Crazy

"So this is a a two bedroom, but there is a den that could be a third bedroom, two bathrooms, full renovated with in suite laundry."

Sam nodded her head slowly as Missy, her real estate agent read all of the specs on the Washington condo out to her. She glanced around from just inside the door, unsure of what exactly it was that she was looking for and why she was even here.

The condo had a little entrance way, enough room for a coat closet and a little table by the door for keys and bags, and to the left of the foyer was a large kitchen with white cabinets and marble counter tops with a pale green backsplash and a peninsula of counters with a little bit of a high ledge. Beyond that ledge and peninsula was the living room; floor to ceiling windows overlooking a few other buildings, some high rises, and a park.

“I'll leave you to look around, I'll be in the lobby when you're done.” Sam was barely even aware of Missy speaking.

Once she was alone Sam climbed up the metal spiral staircase to the second level of the condo which held the bedrooms and bathrooms. The den was small, just the right size for a home office, and next to it was the guest bathroom; walk in glass encased shower nestled in the corner of it, and beyond that was the second bedroom. She simply stuck her head in to look at the size, it was decent, before she headed all the way to the end of the hall where two frosted glass French doors opened up into the large master suit, probably double the size of her current bedroom.

It held a large walk in closet, an en suite bathroom and a balcony, which Sam stepped out onto and looked around. She pulled her light jacket tighter around herself, leaned against the railing and let out a breath of air.

Finally she went back inside, locking the balcony door behind her before she stepped into the bathroom and looked around. It had a double sink, which she had no use for but was a nice touch, there was a shower much like the one in the bathroom down the hall, but next to it was a large soaker tub, bigger than the one currently in her apartment now.

She tucked her hair behind her ears as she headed back downstairs and she took one more quick look around before she pulled the door closed behind her and met Missy down in the lobby.

“So, what did you think? Did you want to put in an offer?”

Sam tried her best to sound convincing as she said, “I'm gonna think about it, I'll give you a call tomorrow.”

“Alright, let me know if you want to look at anything else.”

With that Sam got into her vehicle and drove home, stopping only to pick up some Thai take out for dinner. She slipped into her apartment unnoticed, and stripped out of her clothes, leaving a path down the hall toward her bedroom, throwing on a pair of flannel pyjama bottoms and a baggy Havard t-shirt she hadn't worn in years.

She sat down on the couch, turned the TV on and started dinner. While she ate she glanced around her current apartment. The lease was almost up anyway, and maybe it was time for a change. She wasn't sure that living next to Tom was a great idea, she frequently found herself watching out of her peep hole as he came home alone, frequently.

When Sam had agreed to take over Paula's lease she had no idea what the six months following that decision would have turned into. She could have never predicted that she would fall in love with her twenty-one year old neighbour, or that she would be stupid enough to walk away from the only guy who ever made her feel important, and special, and worth something.

As she glanced around the apartment she started to wonder what her furniture and belongings would look like in the various apartments she had seen over the last week. She thought about what it might be like to live in the city instead of in Arlington, she thought about what it might be like to start over. She even thought about maybe getting a dog. But she chalked it all up to being lonely now that she didn't have the company she once did.

Her tablet lit up with a Skype call from Paula, and for a second Sam considered ignoring it but instead she hit accept and balanced the tablet against the base of the light on the table by the couch and wrapped herself up in a blanket as she turned the TV down and continued eating her dinner.

Paula, never one for sugar coating, asked her the moment the call connected, “Alright, what the hell is going on with you?”

“Hmm?” Sam wondered if she could get away with playing stupid.

“Don't you try to play stupid with me Samantha Elizabeth.” Paula told her, and Sam sighed as she continued, “You've been totally mia for almost two weeks. Your dad said you cancelled your plane tickets to go home for Christmas and won't take his calls or return emails.”

“You talked to my dad?” Sam asked her in surprise.

“I was worried about you, and hey! Don't you change the subject.” Paula told her, shooting her a look when she sighed.

Sam finished her mouthful of food and told Paula, “I broke up with Tom.”

“I'm sorry what? But... you liked him so much, and he was so nice to you, and he was cute.” Paula said, making Sam roll her eyes. Paula asked her, “Why'd you do it?”

“I don't know. I thought it would just be easier this way. Like my life would just go back to normal when I didn't have to worry about what people thought of my barely legal boyfriend.” Sam told her honestly, letting out a heavy sigh when she was done speaking.

Paula's brow raised and she asked her, “And hows that working out for you Einstein?”

Narrowing her eyes Sam said, “Not good. I was stupid, it was a stupid decision and I'm stupid.”

“So go over there and tell him you're an idiot and fix things!” Paula exclaimed and Sam shook her head. She groaned, “Why not?”

“Because, I can't just dump him and then two weeks later be like 'I didn't mean it'. Besides... who was I fooling? It's not like we could have ever worked anyway.”

Paula shot her a look, “Says who?”

“Everyone.” Sam muttered, and she let out a sigh before saying, “You should have seen the way the girls at that game looked at me, how they spoke to me... how they spoke about me. It's gonna be like that everywhere we go Paula.”

“So what, you think both of you being miserable is worth it just to save yourself a little difficulty? Sam do you realize how stupid you sound right now?” Sam sighed and Paula went on, “You should have just tuned everyone else out.”

“Now you sound like Tom.” Sam muttered.

“Yeah well, maybe he's smarter than any of us thought he was.” Paula said with a shrug of her shoulders. She then told Sam, “I gotta go. I will talk to you later. Please consider going over there and asking him to forget the last two weeks ever even happened.”

So Sam put the tablet back on the coffee table and went back to eating, trying desperately not to give any thought to Paula's words. She had just finished dinner when someone knocked on her door, she had planned on ignoring it until she heard Lauren's voice on the other side, “Sam?”

Letting out a sigh Sam got up from her comfortable spot on the couch and approached the door, she pulled it open, leaned against it and asked Lauren, “What do you want?”

She held up a bottle of wine and said, “I come bringing apology wine. I can't drink it but I figured bringing apology juice would warrant a punch to the nose and as you know, it took me three doctors to get this nose.”

Despite her best efforts Sam chuckled, and she stepped aside, letting her into the apartment. Lauren slipped out of her jacket, hanging it up on the coat rack before she put the wine in Sam's fridge and joined her on the couch. Sam asked her curiously, “So what are you doing here?”

“Attempting to apologize, if you'll accept it that is.” Lauren told her, and when Sam's brow raised she took in a deep breath and started in on her apology slash explanation, “I shouldn't have said the things I said to you, I think... no... I know... that I was just projecting my issues onto you and it all just came out wrong and I shouldn't have done it.”

“What do you mean your issues?” Sam asked, brow cocked.

Lauren sighed, bit down on her lip for a moment before she admitted, “I cheated on Jared.”

Sam stared at her, jaw nearly dropped, in shock.

“I know.” Lauren said, continuing when Sam didn't have any words for her, “Actually... I can't even say I cheated on him... affair... I had an affair. For almost a year. It's well over now but...”

“With who?” Sam asked her curiously.

“Some guy from work. I don't even know how it happened it just did and then it just kept happening.” Lauren told her, pushing her hair back from her face and bouncing her knees up and down.

“Wow.” Was all Sam could say.

Lauren nodded slowly, “Sam... this baby... I don't think it's Jared's.”

It was like a switch flipped. Something snapped. Sam got up from the couch and told Lauren, “All this time you've been judging me for Tom, implying that dating someone who made me extremely happy isn't right just because he's a few years younger than me. You've made me second guess every decision I've made over the last four months, you made me feel like... you should have just kept that to yourself.”

“I know I-”

“Please go.” Sam told her, walking to the door. She pulled it open and when Lauren opened her mouth to say something else Sam cut her off to say, “Please get out of my house.”

Lauren grabbed her coat and left, and Sam had to exercise some serious self control not to slam her door shut so hard it would fall off of the hinges. She paced the floor in front of the door for a few minutes, before she pulled her hair away from her face, securing it in a low pony tail and going back to the couch.

She picked up her phone, dialled the last number she called, and when the receiving end answered she was quick to say, “Missy, it's Sam. I want to put an offer in.”

- - -

Tom was gathering his things; phone, wallet and keys, from the kitchen counter when Mike and Kelly walked into the apartment. He glanced over his shoulder at them as they walked in, but went back to shoving things into the pockets of his jeans. They both watched him, taking in his outfit; jeans and a long sleeve, with a fitted jacket. It was a big change from his usual sweats and t-shirts lately.

Curiously Mike asked him, “What's up man?”

“Nothing.” Was the only reply Tom gave him.

Kelly offered, “We were gonna watch a movie if you wanted to join? I made way too much popcorn, it's the kind with melted chocolate on it.”

She knew it was his favorite.

“No offense, but I don't really feel like hanging out with you guys, third wheeling.” Tom told them, and when they went to object he said, “I'm actually gonna go out. I probably won't be home tonight.”

He let the apartment door slam shut behind him as he walked swiftly to the elevator, got inside the minute the doors opened and hit the button to the lobby. He drove to a nearby bar, one he used to frequent often, when he had been single, and ordered himself a beer before he sat down at the bar.

He hadn't been there for more than fifteen minutes, long enough to down his entire beer, when a blonde took the stool beside him. She leaned into him as she spoke, “Would it be too forward of me to ask if I could buy you a drink?”

He smiled back at her, “Not at all.”

She wasn't his type, he wouldn't be going home with her, not in a million years, but it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy a free drink with her. So when the bartender brought their second round, a beer for him and some kind of cocktail for her, she introduced herself, “I'm Lea.”

“Tom.” He told her, taking a swig of his drink.

“You here alone?” She asked curiously and Tom smiled against the mouth of his beer bottle.

“Not anymore.” He told her, almost sleazily.

She smiled brightly at him, “Does that line actually work?”

“Why don't you tell me?” Tom asked her with a small smirk on his lips.

“My place is like five minutes from here, wanna get out of here?” She asked, and, despite her being wildly not his type Tom was about to say yes. So close in fact that his mouth was open, the words were on the brink of coming out, and then, a brunette across the bar caught his attention.

He got up, placed enough bills to cover his first beer on the table and said, “Sorry, I can't.”

“Asshole.” He laughed as he heard her scoff this as he walked away.

Pushing his way through crowds of people Tom finally reached his destination, and he gently placed his hand on the brunettes shoulder, and when she turned around and saw him she smiled, “Tom! Oh my gosh, it's so good to see you again.”

“Hey Ari.” He said softly, allowing her to hug him, and even gently hugging her back.

“How are you?” She asked him, leaning into his side and getting up on her tip toes to allow him to hear her better. Or maybe she just wanted him to feel her pressed up against him in hopes that it might jog his memory about how good things used to be between them when they had no clothes on. Either way, he thought maybe it was working.

“I'm good, I'm good. You?” He asked her.

“What?” She feigned not being able to hear him over the noise. When he leaned closer she asked, “Do you want to get a table? Catch up and stuff.”

Tom nodded and he followed her to a table, where they were immediately served with more drinks, and Ari sat close beside Tom in their booth, her hand on his thigh as she leaned into him and Tom asked her, “So, how are you, what have you been up to?”

Ari smiled up at him, through her mascara coated lashes and told him, “I'm okay, just focusing on work and stuff.”

He didn't know why he asked, “Have you been seeing anyone?”

“I was for a little bit, but not for a while now.” She told him honestly, and when he nodded slowly she pushed into his side gently with her body, and smiled, asking, “What about you?”

“Nope.” He also wasn't sure why he said this.

After a few rounds of drinks Ari leaned even closer into him, rubbed his thigh and asked him, “We were good together, weren't we?”

He should have told her the truth, he should have told her that actually they were awful together, but for some reason he didn't, for some reason he told her, “We were something.”

“Do you miss me Tommy?” She asked him with a smile.

He leaned over to speak quietly into her ear, “Not you, but I did miss something.”

Ari let out a laugh, she clearly thought he was joking, even though it was so clear that he wasn't joking, at least to him. She looked up at him and asked, “You wanna get out of here?”