My Heart is Yours by Amanda Morey Page A

onto
the chilly bottle of Coke.
    “I wouldn’t say that.” Sam started as she popped
open her own bottle of her Coke.
    Juliana raised her eyebrows as she took a sip of
soda.
    “Well, you just said it out loud before I did. I
knew I loved him I just didn’t say it.” Sam reasoned.
    “’Cuz you’re stubborn.” Juliana pointed a finger at
her.
    “No.” Sam bristled.
    Juliana raised her eyebrows again.
    “Okay, partly because I’m stubborn.” Sam admitted as
her shoulders slumped. They both laughed. A sound akin to the
tinkling of bells.
    “Okay, so you two have been dating for over a year
now.” Juliana said.
    “I know. Hard to believe.” Sam’s eyes looked off
somewhere far.
    “Have you two . . .” She trailed off.
    “Have we what?” Sam asked.
    “You know . . .” Juliana wiggled her eyebrows.
    “What?” Sam asked, her face scrunched.
    “Have you slept together yet?” Juliana let tumble
out of her mouth.
    “Oh!” Sam said. “No. We haven’t actually.” She
sipped her glass of ice water peering down into the glass. Sam
liked to have a glass of water with whatever it was she was
drinking most of the time.
    “Really?”
    “Yes. Really.” Sam swished the ice in her glass
around and listened to it clink.
    “Sorry. I just mean that you’ve been going out a
while, it’s a little surprising.” Juliana shrugged.
    “Oh, yeah, I know. I guess it is a long time to date
someone without sleeping together.” Sam said; really, she had no
clue whether it was or not.
    “Why haven’t you?” Juliana asked.
    “I don’t know.” She paused. “Come on Jules, you know
how shy Jason is. It took us forever to start dating and then it
was probably four months before we even made out.”
    “Have you thought about it?” Juliana traced the
opening of her Coke bottle with her finger.
    “Of course I’ve thought about it.” Sam said slowly.
“We just haven’t discussed it.”
    “I’m sure he thinks about it a lot.” Juliana
smirked.
    “Uh, yeah I guess.” Sam’s cheeks were on fire.
    “Oh, I’m sure he does.” Juliana wiggled her eyebrows
again and winked.
    “Yeah, maybe.” Sam let out a small giggle.
    “Well it’s bound to come up eventually.” Juliana
took a sip of her soda and looked pointedly at Sam.
    “I know.” She said and took a sip of her own Coke to
have something to do with herself besides talk.
    “What are you gonna do when it does?” Juliana peered
at Sam through her dark red lashes.
    “I don’t know...” Sam looked down into the ice in
her water glass.
    Sam thought about that for a moment. Of course she’d
thought about it, but never discussed it with Jason. They were both
really shy and that would make for quite an awkward conversation.
She shook her head, shaking off the thought for now.
    ***

 
    J uliana was back at
Princeton for her second year. Sam was still working at the
library, saving up for college. Jason had gotten a job. He couldn’t
afford to go to college either. He also didn’t think he was good
enough to go to college. They both worked five days a week. Sam
worked from ten to four and Jason worked from nine to four. Three
nights a week Sam took night classes at her local community
college. All the free time they had was spent together.
    It was Friday night; Jason and Sam were walking home
from the movies. He had his arm slung around her shoulders. He
pulled her to him and planted a quick kiss on top of her head.
    “Have you talked to Juliana?” He asked.
    “Yeah. She’s doing well. Busy with classes.” Sam
said.
    Jason looked over at Sam. Nobody else would be able
to tell, but he knew how much it bothered Sam that Juliana was at
Princeton and she wasn't.
    “You know, you’ll get to go someday too, babe.” He
said.
    “To Princeton?” She said sarcastically, turning
toward him.
    “Well, uh, I don’t know about Princeton.” He said,
scratching the back of his head and grinning a little. “But you
will get to go to college. I mean, you’re