I'm sorry this took so long, you guys. I've been caught up in all of this college stuff, what with the common app and FAFSA and all that. Also, my role-play has been keeping my attention divided. However, I did get around to writing a new chapter. Once again, thank you for all the kind words and reviews. It's very helpful in the writing process.

So here you go - chapter seven.

The end of the rendezvous had arrived and Sam was folding his shirts and pants carefully, collecting his scattered clothing articles from across the room to pack them. His head turned to the right and he paused, dropping a shirt into his suitcase as he watched Ruby collect her makeup and zip it up into the black pouch she carried it in.

Her dark blue jeans met every curve of her waist and legs, and her black belt held them in place. Sam crossed his arms as he watched her, his head tilting to the side almost curiously. Not uncommonly, Ruby was wearing another black band tee - Led Zeppelin this time. He could read the front of her shirt now, seeing as she'd turned and begun to make her way over to the bed, where her suitcase was.

Ruby's walk wasn't graceful. She didn't glide or skate across the floor like many women did. She seemed to trudge, her footfall heavy and steps long. Her arms swung by her sides, even when she was only crossing the room. The odd thing was that Sam seemed to like something about it. It seemed powerful. She was confident enough not to care what people thought of her walk. And a walk defined a person in a way, didn't it?

"Stop staring, Sam," Ruby said casually as she brushed past him. There was no humor in her voice, and her eyes looked fairly serious, as if she were deep in thought. She wasn't too deep in thought not to notice his eyes on her, though.

Sam allowed the right side of his mouth to twitch up into a small smile, a dimple pressing into his cheek as he did so. He let out a breath and sat down on the edge of the mattress, his hands on his knees, taking a pause from packing. Ruby continued to place her things into her suitcase, however, her eyes never even darting up to look at him.

It was quiet for a long minute, and Sam finally looked back up and over to her. Her expression had barely changed. Her lips were pursed carefully, her brow slightly furrowed, and there was a slightly upset look in her eyes.

"Where's your head at?" Sam asked curiously, turning to settle one bent knee on the mattress, the other foot still on the floor of the hotel room, so he could get a better look at her.

Ruby seemed surprised by his question and she blinked, her hands freezing. "Excuse me?" she asked, looking up at him.

There was a pause, an awkward silence, as Sam realized what he'd asked. What had possessed him to ask, he had no clue. He'd never asked her something like that. He opened his mouth, but only a quiet, "Uh…" escaped. He shrugged stiffly as he decided to go along with it. "I mean, you look pretty lost in thought. I'm just curious, is all."

"Well, I'm not," Ruby lied smoothly. Her thin arms crossed across her chest, almost daring him to press further, and she watched him carefully. "Maybe I'm just tired."

Sam nodded, and Ruby went back to working, packing her bag carefully so that her things fit easily. "How'd you get so good at lying?" he dared to ask, a small smile on his lips.

Ruby almost slammed her makeup bag into the suitcase, fiery eyes glaring up at Sam. "What the fuck is your problem?" she demanded.

"Tell me yours and I'll tell you mine," he suggested.

"I don't have one, you stupid son of a bitch," Ruby laughed bitterly, her teeth gnashing down into her bottom lip.

Sam's eyes didn't miss how her teeth pulled at the skin of her lip. "Oh really?" he challenged.

"Yeah, really."

"You're biting your lip."

Ruby paused, shocked again. "What?" she laughed, confusion coloring her tone.

"You're biting on your lip. You do that when you're thinking." Sam paused, taking a deep breath and shaking his head. "When you're thinking hard about something, you chew on your lip. Or when you're lying. You've got a few other tells, but that's the biggest one. It's the one I notice most. You pick your nails sometimes, too, or you cross your arms. I'm a lawyer, Ruby. I know a lot about people. I can read people. I can tell when you're lying. You may sell other people easy, but not me. I've been sneaking around with you for months now, so don't think that I still don't know you or I'm dumb when it comes to you. I studied you. I know more than you'd think. How am I supposed to hide you without knowing things about you? I can't make up a good lie without knowing the truth."

Ruby's eyes were wide, her lips parted slightly, and her posture faltered.

Sam's pause only lasted a few seconds, not long enough for her to deny anything, before he continued on. "Now, normally, our trips are summed up simply. I fuck you and you fuck me and we end up fucking each other over every time because we know what we're getting into is bad and wrong and we know we shouldn't be doing it. And we like it, every time. Because we're broken somehow. There's something in you that's broken enough to still be standing in this room right now, and something broken enough in me that I'm saying all this. But every time, we get deeper and deeper into this. But this time, you're different. There's something different going on with you. First, you asked a ton of questions. Second, something flipped and you turned down sex, which you've never done. And then you let me hold you."

"You held me!" Ruby scoffed, the dark curls of her hair quivering as her head shook. "You're the one that did it, Sam! Stop accusing me of doing something wrong!"

Ruby was right, and Sam stuttered. He had held her. He had been the one to wrap his arm around her and press his face into her hair. She'd made no move to be close to him, but he had held her against his body while they slept. But she hadn't protested.

Standing, he walked over to her and kept the same defiant look in his eye. "Say what you want, Ruby. But something's going on here." He pointed at her, his long finger aimed at her chest.

Ruby scoffed again, shaking her head, and reached up to slap his hand away from her body. She gripped the wedding band she still wore on her thumb and jerked it off, shoving it at him.

"Oh my God," she laughed bitterly. "You've actually gone certifiable, Sam."

And with that, she shoved past him, darting to the door to exit their hotel room