Never Say Forever

The next morning, Sam woke up feeling calmed down and regretful for the way he acted the previous night to Kimmi. He felt bad and knew he was in the wrong. He felt the need to explain everything to Kimmi - that initially, he had dated her to get over Kaleah. He needed to tell her that she was right when she accused him of hiding his hurt with anger and taking his anger out on the wrong person. He needed to tell her something else, too. Something that realized that night as he laid in bed. Something that he really needed to say. He went upstairs to the dining room to find her, but when he got upstairs, he saw no sign of the Morgan women anywhere. Tyler was in the dining room, munching down on some cereal.

"Tye, what the hell man! I told you to come last night." Sam said. He had called Tyler last night, but fell asleep long before Tyler arrived.

"I did come last night, ya big dummy. You were passed out cold by the time I got here." Tyler explained. Sam gave him an annoyed look. "Hey! It's not my fault that my cab driver took an hour to get to my house."

"So then, what? You stayed over night?" Sam asked, confused. 

"I slept on the couch up here." Tyler said. "I spent the entire night consoling some pretty blondes. You know, this is a new record for you! Pissing off two hot chicks in one night!" Tyler smiled. Sam rolled his eyes and went to sit in the seat next to Tyler.

"So I take it you know the story?" Sam sighed. 

"Yup. Well, I know everything I need to know." Tyler laughed. "You messed up big time, man! There was like...a million mistakes made in this entire situation. Rookie mistakes."

"Like you know anything about women!" Sam accused.

"Hey, now. You are talking to classic ladies man. The women just love me." Tyler said, jokingly. The thing with Tyler was, that he talked a big game but in reality, most women were repulsed by him. "You shouldn't have told the L.A snob anything in the first place. That was your first problem."

"You don't think I know that?" Sam rolled his eyes. 

"Your second mistake was the whole telling Kimmi about your mom." Tyler said, as if Sam didn't know that either.

"I know, Tye! God, I shouldn't have told her anything in the first place. That one was obvious." Sam responded.

"Or...you should've just told her the entire story. About how your mom treats you or that you and her never have had a relationship since your dad died. It's either you told her nothing or everything. Then the mistake of going to your mom wouldn't have ever been made!"

"Tye...if this is your version of a pep talk, it's not working. I know all of this stuff already. What's your point?"

"I don't really have a point. I just like finally being in the loop of the latest drama." Tyler smiled a big smile. Sam shook his head and laughed under his breath.

"You were the one who backed off in the first place. Nobody kept you out of the loop purposely." 

"So what are you going to do about everything?" Tyler asked, going back on the serious topic.

"I have no clue." Sam sighed.

"Well what do you want?" Sam thought long and hard about what he truly wanted. He knew in his heart that what he had wanted all along was there, right in front of him, and he pushed it away. He had a tendency of doing that...pushing away the people who cared about him most. He was like his mother, in that way. Only it took him this long to realize that. "Sam?" Tyler interrupted Sam's thoughts when an awkward, yet ear piercing silence overcame them.

"I want Kimmi." Sam said, bluntly, as if it was a no-thought answer. He sighed and dropped his chin to his chest. "Man, I've really got to talk to Kimmi."

"Well that's not going to happen." Tyler said. 

"What do you mean? You know...you can seriously be the worst best friend ever. Sometimes, your way of making me feel better just doesn't work."

"I'm not saying that to put you down, Sam. I'm saying it because it's true." Tyler sighed. "I hate to tell you this, bro...but Kimmi's not here." Sam felt his stomach clench.

"What?" He asked, worriedly.

"She's getting on a plane in half an hour back home. It's too late, Sam. It's over."

"What do mean!? She's leaving!? What happened to her staying here?" Sam began to raise his voice, scared to no end of what he was hearing.

"I guess that without you to stay here for, Oklahoma seems like the better place to be for her. I'm sorry, dude. I could tell you liked her a lot." Sam looked at his watch and quickly stood up.

"I'm not letting her get on that plane!" He yelled, as he began to run towards the front door.

"Sam, don't even bother! The airport is like twenty five minutes away! You'll be too late." Tyler called after him. But Sam didn't care. Without another word, he ran out the front door and slammed it behind him. He had to at least try and make it. He just had to.

* * *

Sam drove faster than he has ever driven before. Any fear of a cop seeing him or running a stop sign went out the window the second Sam sat in the driver's seat of Kaleah's audi. He was never more nervous in his entire life. If Kimmi got on that airplane before Sam made it there, he will never let himself live it down. He would feel the pain and regret and guilt for what had happened last night for ever. He really cared about Kimmi and he knew he didn't even come close to deserving a second chance, but he had to try. He had to tell her something he's been wanting to tell her all night. If he could have 30 seconds to tell her how sorry he was, Sam would be subtly satisfied....even if Kimmi leaves anyway. At least he would know that he tried.

Sam pulled up to the airport with only minutes to spare. He parked right into the shuttle lane, but he didn't care. He didn't care if the car would get towed to some unknown destination and Sam would have to buy Kaleah a new vehicle. He was willing to do anything for that moment to talk to Kimmi once more before she had the chance to get on that plane and leave Sam's life forever. He ran inside the airport and bolted towards the airlines. He pushed passed crowds of people and shot himself through the metal detectors. Three security gaurds were running close behind him, but he didn't care, He pushed through another crowd of people, getting lost in all of the hustle and bustle. Eventually, he outran the security gaurds and his stomach fluttered as he began to approach the gate he knew Kimmi would be at. 

When he got there, the gate lobby was practically empty. Kimmi and Sloane were the last ones to get on the plane. He saw the back of Kimmi's head and knew he had made it. He was just in time.

'Final boarding call for flight 218 to Oklahoma.'  Sam heard the words from the PA system echo throughout the empty lobby. He didn't have much time.

"KIMMI!" He hollered as loud as he possibly could as he approached her.

"Kimmi..." Sam was out of breath and he finally came within arm's reach of the women he worked so desparetly to get to. "Thank god you're not on that plane." Kimmi didn't turn to face Sam. She didn't even say a single word. She let out a heavy sigh and shook her head as she lowered her face towards the ground. She had no interest in being talked out of getting on the plane by Sam....but she knew that if she turned and looked at the face she cared so much about merely 24 hours ago, it would be hard to reject him. Kimmi looked up at Sloane with pleading eyes and Sloane knew immediately what she had to do.

"You are some kind of jerk, Sam!" She hollered. "How dare you come here like this? I thought you were smart enough to realize that Kimmi no longer wants you! She left without saying goodbye. I thought that would be a pretty good indication to back the hell off!"

"Sloane! I'm not here to talk to you. I'm here to talk to Kimmi." Sam looked at the back of Kimmi's head, hoping she would turn around. If this was his last moment with her, he at least wanted to catch one last glimpse of her near perfect face. But Kimmi didn't turn around. She stood, frozen, with her back planted firmly towards Sam. 

"Are you retarded? Or just stupid?!" Sloane took a few steps towards Sam. "She obviously doesn't want to talk to you! So you can turn around, and take your sorry ass back home."

"I'm not going anywhere, Sloane. Not until Kimmi decides to get on that plane."

"She's getting on that plane with me, Sam. Whether you like it or not."

"You don't know that for sure yet."

"She's already decided, you idiot! Do you think she would be here right now, refusing to speak to you, ready to get on that plane if she hadn't already decided what she wants? You screwed up, Sam! BIG time! You messed with a big heart and the thing with big heart's is they break harder. You can't smooth talk your way out of this. The damage is done."

"Everything that happened was my fault, I get that, Sloane! But it was also a huge mistake and a very big misunderstanding."

"Nothing could be misunderstood about the way you treated her last night and what you said to me weeks ago! Face it. It's over!"

"No, it's not over!" Sam could feel his face getting hot again. He almost felt like he could slap Sloane right then and there.

"Sorry, buddy, but it actually is over." Sloane hollered back. Sloane grabbed Kimmi's hand and began to guide her towards the boarding gate. "Come on, Kimmi. Let's go home." Sam started to panic as he saw the two of them begin to walk towards the gate.

"It's not over!" He hollered. "It can't be over!" He took a deep breath. "KIMMI, I LOVE YOU!" Kimmi stopped in her tracks as soon as she heard what Sam said. She slowly, and hesitantly, turned her head and looked him in the eyes.

"What did you just say?" She asked, in almost a whisper.

"I love you, Kimmi. I love everything about you." Sam smiled sweetly as Kimmi began to walk back towards Sam.

"Kimmi!" Sloane called after her. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Get on the plane, Sloane. I will be there in a minute." Kimmi said, without braking eye contact with Sam. Sloane grunted and stomped through the gate and out of site, leaving Sam and Kimmi almost entirely alone in the lobby.

"Before I ever met you, I really cared about Kaleah. I cared about her more than I've ever cared about anyone in my entire life." Kimmi lowered her eyebrows as Sam spoke, not sure why he would even bring Kaleah's name up. 

"Why are you telling me this?" She asked, through a raspy voice.

"Before you and Sloane showed up, Kaleah and I were finally on good terms. We had been fighting and arguing constantly because she had felt the same way about me once before, and I blew it. We came to an agreement that we would be friends and nothing more. Of course, I wanted to keep Kaleah in my life so I agreed, despite the fact that I've always wanted to be more than that since the day I met her."

"Sam...I don't really want to hear this..." Kimmi tried to stop Sam from talking, but he kept on going. 

"Then, you showed up at my doorstep." Sam said quickly.Kimmi was suddenly interested in what he was saying. "You had an annoying Oakie twang and was half dressed. My jaw dropped the moment I saw you and ever since then, I haven't been able to get over how beautiful I think you are." Kimmi smiled, and felt her cheeks tint pink. "Everytime I was around you, I only focussed on you. I had no other thought in my head, besides all of the things I wanted to do with you. The only thing I was ever certain of around you was that I was distracted. My thoughts were totally taken over by nothing but you and not a single thought of Kaleah ever entered my mind. I thought that being around you would keep me distracted enough until I got over Kaleah."

"So you were using me." Kimmi felt her eyes swell up with tears as she said the words.

"To be honest, yes. At first, I was using you. But that was only at first..." Sam smiled, hoping that would change things. By the look in Kimmi's eyes, it didn't. "Once you and I spent some time together, I started caring about you...alot. You were more than just some attractive distraction from Kaleah to me not 2 days after I was with you. I developed feelings for you that I don't develop easily. Feelings I've only ever experienced twice before in my life. I fell in love."

"Oh Sam...love is a big word to use. We've only known each other for a few weeks." Kimmi said, still fighting back tears. "I don't want you to be saying this to me, just out of guilt or sadness to try and keep me here, but not really mean it."

"I do mean it. I know it's only been a few weeks, but I also know my feelings for you are real." Sam sighed. "My anger is a problem. I know that already. I've always had an anger problem...it's a family trait. But when I'm with you, I find it easier to control my anger. I know I blew up last night, and I know there is no way for me to ever take that back, but I can promise you that it will never happen again." Kimmi smiled.

"My plane is about to take off Sam..." She said quietly, barely looking at him anymore.

"Don't go." Sam whispered. "Please? I don't want you to go anywhere." Kimmi shook her head and looked Sam in the eyes again.

"You hurt me, Sam. The fact that it was THAT easy for you to break my heart like that scares me. Staying here will be a life changing decision for me. How do I know that I won't get treated that way again?" Kimmi asked.

"I can't prove anything to you standing here in the airport. And I know I can't ask you to just trust me...but just trust me enough to try!" Sam stepped a little closer to Kimmi. "All I ask is for you to try. I will prove to you that I am the guy you fell for in the first place." Kimmi smiled.

"What makes you think I fell for you?" She giggled, jokingly. Sam giggled with her. "You really want me to stay?" Kimmi asked, a little sweeter.

"Yes. More than anything in the world." Kimmi sighed and took Sam's hand. She smiled and slowly nodded her head. "Okay." She said. "I'll stay." Sam opened his smiling mouth to say something, but Kimmi cut him off. "But! If you ever pull anythin' like that again on me, you are payin' for my ticket home!" 

"Okay, deal." Sam smiled wide, his eyes beaming and his chest pumping. He was so happy that he got Kimmi back. Kimmi started laughing to herself and shaking her head. "What?" Sam asked, confused.

"Samson Fairchild...you are one smooth talker." Kimmi giggled. She pulled on his arm and swung her arms around him and met his lips with hers. She kissed him hard, but playfully...just as excited to be back with Sam as Sam was to be back with her.

Sam pulled away from Kimmi's lips and looked out the window as the plane she was supposed to be on took flight. Sam took a deep breath, relieved that she didn't get on it.

"Suh-loane is goin' to be SO mad at me!" Kimmi giggled. "Wait! My luggage is on that plane! Every piece of clothing I own is in tha suitcase!"

"Don't worry. Clothes are replaceable. Besides, you will need a new wardrobe of you are going to live here now. Sunset Valley is not like Oklahoma...at all."

"I can't afford a whole new wardrobe." Kimmi sighed. "I guess I need to get a job now."

"But until you do..." Sam smiled. "...I'll take care of you." Kimmi mirrored Sam's expression. He took her face in his hands and stared deeply into her eyes before kissing her one more time. 

Kimmi pulled away from Sam.

"You know what this means, though...don't you?" Kimmi asked him. Sam shook his head. "We need to tell...." Kimmi saw a dark haired woman approach them from the corner of her eye. She looked over at the woman and quickly shoved Sam away from her. "KALEAH!" She hollered.

"I still think it's too soon to tell her. She JUST got over her dad's death and I think one drama at a time is all that girl can handle." Sam chuckled to himself, but quickly stopped when he noticed Kimmi's frightened expression staring over his shoulder. He slowly turned around to see what Kimmi was staring at and was shocked when he saw Kaleah standing right there. 

"Kaleah!" Sam stepped away from Kimmi and walked towards Kaleah. "Wow. You look good! you look much better, now. And your hair! It's getting so long." Sam tried to touch Kaleah's hair but she pulled away instantly.

"Yeah, my hair's okay." Kaleah said, in a monotone. She was not pleased and Sam was determined to try and change the subject so he wouldn't have to explain.

"It looks great! I love it." Sam smiled uncomfortably.

"Kaykay..." Kimmi cut in. "We were just talking about..."

"...about how much you guys love each other? Yeah. I heard the entire thing." Kaleah interuppted.

"What!" Sam faked laughed as if Kaleah was way wrong. "We weren't talking about that. That's crazy talk."

"Sam..." Kaleah sighed. "Don't try and make me look stupid. I know what I heard and i know what I saw."

"What are you doing here, anyways?" Sam asked, avoiding the explanation once more.

"What does it look like I'm doing here? I'm here to see off my cousins." Kaleah rolled her eyes. "Now, stop lying to me, Sam! And quit changing the subject. What the hell is going on here?" 

Kimmi stepped forward and pushed Sam to the side, facing Kaleah.

"Kimmi, it's okay. I will tell her." Sam said, resting his hand on Kimmi's shoulder. Kimmi shrugged his hand away and shook her head.

"No, Sam. She's my cousin! I'm going to tell her." She sighed and turned her attention back to Kaleah. "Kaykay, I know this is something you weren't expecting, and you are probably going to be mad at us for a long time. But me and Sam...we care about each other. A lot. We have for a while now and we can't help our feelings."

"How long has this been going on for?" Kaleah asked, anger obvious across her entire face.

"A few weeks." Sam said, softly, scared of Kaleah's reaction.

"We wanted to tell you..." Kimmi said quickly. "But with what you were going through with the loss of your father, we figured it would all be just too much for you to handle. We were trying to do the right thing."

"Lying to me and sneaking around is doing the right thing?" Kaleah asked.

"We were trying to protect your feelings." Sam interjected.

"Why would you think you had to protect my feelings? You think I couldn't handle my roommate and my cousin dating?" Kaleah accused.

"I'm very aware of yours and Sam's past, Kaykay. I know you used to care about him." Kimmi said. Kaleah looked at Sam with sad eyes, and for a moment, Sam swore he saw pleading across her eyeline. Suddenly, Sam felt a knot tighten in his stomach. Was he really doing the right thing?

"Used to, being the key word." Kaleah said sharply, still glaring at Sam. Sam didn't know what to say. He could tell Kaleah was hurt, but he also knew that she had set some ground rules only a few weeks ago about then just being friends. Sam knew he was imagining things. Kaleah wanted nothing more from Sam....not anymore.

"I know it's going to be shocking for you. It's a huge deal! We understand that. We don't expect you to forgive us right away...but just know, we're here for you whenever you are ready to talk about it." Kimmi spoke sweetly, as though she was talking to a wounded child. Kaleah turned her gaze from Sam over to Kimmi and back to Sam. Unsure of her next move, she faked a smile. 

"I'm totally okay with this!" Kaleah said, overly bright and bubbly. Kimmi beamed with excitment and hugged her cousin.

"You are!?" she squealed.

"Yeah, of course I am! This is so great. My best friend and my cousin in love!" Sam noticed something weird about the way Kaleah was talking. Either she was a whole level of excitement that Sam had never seen before, or she was faking it. Kaleah pulled away from Kimmi and avoided looking Sam directly in the eyes.

"Are you sure you are okay with this?" Sam asked, accusingly. Kaleah glanced over in Sam's direction, but quickly averted her eyes.

"Yes! Of course I am, Sam! Why wouldn't I be?" Kaleah said. "So, hey! Does this mean you are living here now?" Kaleah asked Kimmi. Kimmi nodded.

"I just couldn't bare the thought of being away from him. I'm going to find an apartment in town and stay here for at least a little while longer."

"Oh, this is so great! It's going to be so nice having a family member living close by." Kaleah chimed. Kaleah interlocked her arm through Kimmi's and guided her towards the exit of the airport, obviously indicating that they were ready to go home. Sam hesitated before following. He couldn't decide what he felt hurt from. Either the fact that Kaleah didn't give a crap that Sam was with someone else, or the fact that she was hurt and hiding it. Sam had no clue what Kaleah was up to...but he was determined to find out the truth...sooner or later. 

Kaleah and Kimmi chatted the whole way home about the different areas she could try and get an apartment in. Sam stayed out of the conversation as much as possible, leaving himself the only company of his own thoughts. When they finally got home, Kimmi and Sam walked towards the front door, hand in hand. Kaleah was following close behind and twirling her hair around her finger. The moment she noticed that Kimmi and Sam were holding hands, she stopped following and suddenly felt a wave of insecurity. Her stomach fluttered and her heart pounded.

"Kaykay, are you alright?" Kimmi asked when she noticed that Kaleah was holding back. Kaleah snapped herself out of her trance and nodded her head wildly.

"Yeah! I'm alright. You guys go ahead....I've got something I have to do." Kaleah quickly headed back to her audi, started it, and backed off the driveway without giving Sam or Kimmi the chance to ask any questions.  

Sam and Kimmi ignored Kaleah's random disappearance and headed into the house. Tyler was pacing back and forth in the foyer, obviously worrying about what was going on. When he saw the two of them walk in holding hands, he began to cheer.

"Yay!" He hollered, clapping his hands. "You got to her in time and now you're in love again!"

"Tyler!" Sam laughed as he felt himself blush. Tyler looked at Kimmi.

"So you forgave him?" He asked her.

"Let's just say that Sam is very good with words." She giggled. "He persuaded me to forgive him." Tyler smiled big.

"Thank goodness!" He hollered. "I was not looking forward to dealing with Sam being all depressed and lonely for the next month or two with you gone. I am so stoked about this! I actually like this girl, Sam." Tyler smiled as Sam slapped him on the arm.

"Shut up, Tyler." Sam said. 

"So since you guys are back together, and Kimmi is quite obviously staying in Sunset Valley for a while, are you guys going to tell Kaleah?" Tyler asked.

"She knows." Sam said quickly. Tyler's expression went from excited to shocked in the matter of an instant.

"She saw us at the airport." Kimmi explained.

"How did she take it?" Tyler gasped. "Was it as awful as you expected it to be?"

"Surprisingly, no." Sam said, pleased with his acting skills. He was still unsure of how Kaleah really felt, but somehow felt the need to keep her facade going. "She actually took it very well."

"Well that's great!" Tyler beamed, again. "I'm happy for you guys." 

Kaleah pulled up to the local salon in a hurry. She slammed on her breaks and parked her car, determined to get inside. She practically ran to the front door, hoping desperately that they wouldn't be busy. When she walked inside, there was no costumers there. Kaleah smiled in relief.

"Hello, may I help you?" A woman with red hair asked. She must've been the woman that Kaleah had replaced for those few weeks. She looked like she knew what she was doing, so Kaleah knew that she couldn't be a new employee.

"I need some work done to my hair. Now, please." Kaleah said sharply, heading into the back of the salon.

"Woah, woah, woah!" The red head hollered, cutting Kaleah off in her tracks. "Do you have an appointment?" She asked Kaleah.

"I am in the middle of a very dramatic crisis. I don't have an appointment, but I need my hair done now!" Kaleah hollered back at the red head. The woman glared at Kaleah through peircing green eyes, but eventually let up and led her to the back to do her hair.

"Okay, darling. What would you like done?" She asked as Kaleah stood up on the makeover pedastel.

"Cut it all off." Kaleah demanded.  

Hours went by and Kimmi, Sam and Tyler got tired of wondering where Kaleah had gone. They decided to forget about it and headed to the basement for a very intense game of fooseball. Half an hour later, they heard the front door open.

"Hello?!" Kaleah called as she walked in the front door.

"Down here, Kaykay! We're plain' fooseball! Come play!" Kimmi hollered back before taking a spin at one of her men. She missed and, being as competitive as she was, grunted in frustration.

"Don't touch the poles without the rubber handles, you idiot!" Sam yelled at Tyler.

"Well learn how to handle your men, stupid!" Tyler yelled back.

"Hey guys...." Kaleah said she approached the fooseball table. The boys were too into the game to look up, so they both murmered a slight hello back. But, when Kimmi looked towards Kaleah, she stopped playing immediately and gasped.

"Kaleah! What did you do to your hair?" She hollered. That got the boys attention, and they looked up and gasped as well. 

"What's the big deal?" Kaleah said, through a fake smile. "I wanted a change!"

"That's a pretty drastic change.." Tyler commented.

"I was getting sick of my old hairstyle. I don't care what you guys think...I like it." Kaleah said.

"But your hair looked so good..." Kimmi said softly.

"Yeah! I just told you how good it looked at the airport." Sam explained.

"Yeah....I know." Kaleah said to Sam, snottily, before retreating back up the stairs and towards her bedroom.

"Uhh...guys?" Tyler said once Kaleah was out of hearing range. "I don't think she took the news as well as you both thought." Kimmi looked over at Sam, and Sam looked back over at her with worried eyes.

"Oh boy..." Sam said under his breath.