The Samantha Rain Mysteries

Chapter 22

22

The next morning, Sam descended as quietly as she could so she wouldn’t disturb her guest. Curious to what she’d find in the living room, she tiptoed through the hall and stuck her head around the doorframe.

The blanket had fallen down, but Lilith was still fast asleep and snoring. She looked so adorable and peaceful, it was hard to imagine she was a little dictator.

Down at her feet, Shadow perked up and with a big yawn, she abandoned the couch and trotted towards Sam. She sat down to scratch her ear and looked up with adorable eyes.

“Arf!”

“Shhh!” Sam hissed.

The puppy danced around her legs. “Arf!”

To avoid waking Lilith up, Sam lured the puppy to the kitchen and gave her an early breakfast. The pile of biscuits would keep Shadow quiet for at least a minute, which gave Sam time to think of something else.

She pottered through the kitchen for a little while until a very sleepy Lilith wandered in. Despite her tangled hair and wrinkled dress, she still looked absolutely gorgeous.

“Good morning,” Sam said. She turned to the coffee machine and brewed a hot coffee for her guest. The bitter, slightly burned scent filled the room and Sam smiled. The smell of morning.

With a yawn, Lilith sat down at the island. “Morning.”

“How are you feeling?”

“Like trash. Oh, my head.”

Sam drew her a glass of water and handed her some aspirin from the medicine drawer. “Here. I’m not surprised. I’ve never seen anyone drink that much.”

She waited for Lilith to regain some colour on her cheeks before she spoke again. “Are you ready to tell me what made you so upset?”

Lilith remained silent for a second. “It’s my father. He… The doctor said his disease progressed much faster than predicted. He… only has a couple of weeks.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Lilith brought her cup to her lips with shaking hands and spilled coffee on the marble island. She barely managed to put the mug back on the saucer and hid her head in her arms, muffling her voice. “I… I don’t know what to do. f**k!”

Sam quickly moved to Lilith’s side of the kitchen island and rubbed her back. “I’m here for you.”

Uncharacteristically, Lilith turned and leaned into the embrace. She pressed herself into Sam and closed her arms around her waist. For a moment, Sam thought she was fine. Lilith was a strong woman, she would be fine. But then her shoulders shook and a sob emitted from the vulnerable woman.

She tightened her grip, not sure what she could say. There weren’t words for a situation like this, at least, she hadn’t managed to find the right ones despite dealing with countless people that had been left behind.

Without really thinking about it, she stroked Lilith’s back in an attempt to soothe her. She couldn’t remember the last time she consoled someone that wasn’t Lilith.

She grimaced. No wonder Melissa divorced her.

The two women stood in the kitchen, not saying anything and yet, saying so much. Apart from the ticking of the clock and the occasional sob, the house was dead silent.

“What can I do?” Samantha finally asked.

“Nothing… I…” Lilith sniffled as she pulled back. She looked embarrassed and quickly wiped her tears away. “I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t have to act strong.”

She released a shaky breath. “Actually, I do. I’ll take his place after he’s gone, remember?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t grieve? Being sad isn’t a weakness.”

“It feels that way to me.” Lilith looked up at Sam. “Can… Can I stay a little longer? I’m not ready to go back home yet.”

“Of course. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you.”

Samantha hesitated before she spoke again. “Do you want to borrow something more comfortable to wear?”

“My dress is comfortable.”

“Is it?” Sam looked her up and down, wincing at the thought of sleeping in something so tight and impractical. That couldn’t possibly be nice to wear. “Really?”

The first smile broke through on Lilith’s face. “No, not really.”

“So… How do I look?” Lilith asked. Despite her confident appearance, her cheeks reddened as she twirled to show off the comfy clothes she borrowed. Without her tight black dress and her high heels, she didn’t look like herself anymore, and yet… Sam never really paid much attention to her clothing. What sane person cared more about her dress when they could look at Lilith’s face and be captivated by her smirk.

Sam gulped and her grip on the hot bowl of popcorn tightened. She’d never seen the other woman so vulnerable and confident at the same time. Without her usual attire, it was hard to imagine her as the tough and bossy person she was.

Lilith placed her hands on her hips, one eyebrow tweaked. “Well?”

Or maybe not.

“You look good,” Sam admitted softly. Lilith didn’t just look good, she looked… different. Dangerous. She was no longer unattainable perfection, but instead Sam could imagine what it would be like to live with her. Early mornings starting with the smell of coffee and fresh croissants. Lunch served on the patio or lazy afternoons on the couch. A domestic life spiced up with adventure and intrigue. An ideal combination.

“You okay?” Lilith waved a hand in front of Sam’s face. “Earth to Sam.”

“Huh?”

“You’re staring.”

Sam blushed red. “Sorry, just thinking.”

She placed the bowl of fresh popcorn on the coffee table and had a quick taste, mostly to distract herself. Buttery, lightly roasted, crunchy but soft at the same time. Every single kernel melted in her mouth and if she hadn’t had company, she would’ve inhaled the entire bowl in mere minutes. Naturally, she couldn’t do that with Lilith next to her. The other woman might get a heart attack if she saw Sam pig out.

She took her usual spot on the right side of the couch and patted the pillow next to her. “Sit.”

Shadow raced between Lilith’s legs and bounced up on the couch, happily occupying most of the seat.

“Not you,” Sam scolded affectionately. She pulled the puppy on her lap to make space and patted the couch again as she looked at Lilith. “You.”

The other woman sat down, not too far away, but not too close either. She left a perfect gap between the two of them and Sam couldn’t help but wonder if she’d done that deliberately or if that was just coincidence.

Lilith folded her hands on her knees and nodded. “So. What are we supposed to do?”

“Well… I thought we could watch a movie, eat popcorn, cuddle with Shadow. A girl’s night.”

“Girl’s night… But it’s morning?”

“A girl’s morning then.”

“Are we allowed to talk murder?”

“Depends.” The leather couch croaked as Sam adjusted herself. “What about it?”

“I’ve been thinking. There has to be a connection between the two bodies, right?”

“Agreed. I think we should have another chat with Fickle.”

Lilith tapped her chin. “I don’t think that’s the worst idea.”

“Really?” Sam’s eyes widened. She’d expected the other woman to put up more of a fight like the first time.

“Yes.”

“I thought it was bad business to meddle in Pixie affairs?”

“It is, but f**k that. I’m curious now.”

Maybe it was the grief, maybe it was Samantha’s influence, but Lilith sounded different than before. Sam wasn’t sure why her opinion had changed, but she was grateful. It didn’t matter what Pixies were and weren’t allowed to do in previous times, a new regime was about to start. Hopefully, one that demanded justice and honesty.

“I’m rubbing off on you.”

“And not in a fun way,” Lilith grinned.

Sam didn’t know how to retort so she just clicked her tongue and pretended not to hear the flirtatious tone. It was safer not to acknowledge that or things could get awkward.

The other woman folded her legs underneath her and leant against one of the pillows. “So what else do people talk about on a girl’s night?”

“I don’t know.”

“What? I thought you were the expert.”

“Hardly. I just suggested a girl’s night because I didn’t have a better idea.”

“Really? Okay, what do you usually do when you’re sad?”

Sam grimaced. “What you did yesterday.”

“Right… I’m sorry you had to witness that.” Lilith cast her gaze down and plucked at the hem of the old shirt she borrowed. She examined a stray piece of string like she’d never seen worn clothing and wound it around her finger, tighter and tighter until her skin turned red. “I… I didn’t sing, did I?”

With all her might, Sam tried to maintain a straight face. Just thinking about Lilith’s drunken songs made her chest rumble with laughter, but the other woman seemed insecure about it. Maybe at a different time, she would’ve teased Lilith about it but right now wasn’t appropriate.

She coughed her smile away. “No, you didn’t sing.”

“Oh, oof. I’m glad.” Lilith said with intense sincerity. “I’ve been told I sound like a dying cat.”

“I wouldn’t know.” Sam shrugged. A little white lie never hurt anyone and if this made Lilith feel better, it was worth it. She reached for the remote to switch the tv on and the default channel jumped on, adding muffled voices and flashy images to the room. “What do you want to watch?”

“I don’t know. I don’t watch tv.”

“What? Why not?” She flicked between her usual programmes and paused on one of her favourites. “Have you ever seen Diamond Thieves?”

“No, what’s it about?”

“Diamond thieves.”

“No, really?” Lilith sneered.

“Sorry. It’s really fun. Ten contestants try to break into a museum and steal the diamond. Winner takes all. Obviously, they’re not allowed to commit actual crimes and the museum is in on it. It’s a way for them to improve their security and gain attention for their collections as well.”

With a shrug, Lilith nodded. “Sounds fun.”

She didn’t sound too enthused, but Sam didn’t blame her. Right now, anything and everything she did was simply distraction. An activity to keep herself occupied while she waited for the inevitable.

Sam reached across for the bowl. “Popcorn?”

Lilith shook her head but Shadow’s ears perked up and she pushed her nose in the air. With a couple of sniffs, she located the smell and lunged for the bowl.

“Uh-uh, that’s not for you.” Sam pushed the puppy away, but the hellhound pushed her snout through her fingers and managed to snatch a kernel or two.

Sam lifted the bowl up, holding it above her heads. “Naughty!”

Undeterred, Shadow dug her paws into Sam’s chest and climbed her on her quest for treats. On her way up, she came across Sam’s mouth and licked some remaining butter from it.

“Ewwww. No, bad dog. Bad dog!” Sam jolted up and as she pushed the hellhound away, the entire bowl of popcorn rained down, covering everything. The couch, the table, the floor. No flat surface had been spared.

“Arf!” Shadow greedily hoovered up the kernels, her tail wagging a thousand miles an hour.

Only stunned for a second, Samantha yanked the puppy away from the popcorn. “Stop, stop! You snack monster!”

With the puppy in the air, she took stock of the situation and locked eyes with a less-than amused Lilith. She stared at Sam with her signature murderous glare, some of the effect undone from the kernels stuck in her long hair.

As much as Sam tried to hold back, she couldn’t. Her laughter echoed through the room, startling the yapping puppy. Shadow stared at her like she’d gone crazy and tried to get closer to the popcorn stuck in Lilith’s hair.

“I’m sooooo sorry,” Sam snickered. She tucked the puppy under her arm and used her free hand to pick the white kernels off of Lilith. “Don’t mind me, just harvesting some popcorn.”

“This is not what I expected from a girl’s night.”

“But aren’t you having fun?”

Lilith glared at Sam, her eyes spitting fire. “Does it look like I’m having fun?”

“A little bit.”

“I’m not,” Lilith denied, but she didn’t sound very convincing.

With a grin, Sam plucked the white kernels out of Lilith’s hair and combed her fingers through the locks to make sure they were clean. Focused on her actions, she didn’t realise Lilith’s frown had lifted.

“Sam.” She caught Sam’s hand and the two women froze, locked in each other’s eyes. The tension crackled, something neither could deny, even if they wanted to.

“Uumm… Lilith?” Sam broke their gaze and stared at where the other woman was touching her.

With a gulp, she looked back at the Nox. Lilith’s eyes were shimmering blue, dancing with flecks of light. Mesmerised, Sam leaned forward, drawn in by the playful spectacle. Maybe it was the magic, or maybe it was just Lilith. She didn’t know and she didn’t really care.

Just as their lips brushed together, Shadow barked and the tension shattered. The two women pulled back, Sam with heated cheeks and Lilith with a pained look.

“Sorry,” Sam muttered, even though she wasn’t sure what she was apologising for.

“No, ahem… No, it’s fine.” Lilith scratched her head and shifted back and forth on the couch, making the leather shriek. “I’m… I think I’m going to freshen up in the bathroom.”

Before Sam could reply, the other woman dashed away. Her shoulders slumped down and she released a tense breath as she stared after the fleeing figure.

What did she just do?