Owen closed the door behind him and his stomach flipped sickly at the shuddering hollow thud which followed his action. The bass from the music was suddenly beating it's way through his spine and bouncing around in his chest. The stars could be seen through the windows; half opened drapes and curtains allowing slanting orange light to spill down the walls and onto the thick carpet.
He looked at the mahogany panelling of the door as though suddenly remembering why he had sought the room in the first place.
He seemed disembodied from the fact that he and Sam had wanted to speak and become closer; That they had left the loud music and the beer pong and their friends in order to simply speak in a room where they were not fighting to be heard. He felt that the few minutes previous had existed in an alternate reality to that which lay beyond the door where he now stood.
That perhaps If he stepped back inside the room, that the world and it's natural progression of time would operate differently. Perhaps he could move through the mahogany frame and enter a place where time might mystically reset.
The carpeted floor seemed to be tilting beneath him and he didn't release the door knob for fear of tipping with it. He breathed heavily and stared some more, remaining as motionless as one can when shock grips them.
"Hey man, you know that girl that you want to fuck..? That girl with which you have a genuine social and emotional interest? ... Why don't you scare her witless so that she'll never speak to you again? That's a good tactic." He growled to himself angrily, sarcasm coating his tone with a thick bitter glaze. He was deeply self loathing in a way he had never expected to feel. Of course he rationalized that he wanted Sam in a way which he had never before experienced; or he would never had made such a drastic move as he had. But he struggled to justify it as he thought of the consequences. He stood for a few more moments to wallow in his reproach before he heard a minute shuffling from inside the room.
The door which had acted such a stark source of stability for him dropped out from beneath his fingers suddenly and he tipped forward, barely catching himself as he stumbled. Their hands joined on either side of the door, both wrapped around brass knobs; Sam and Owen silently stared at one another. He straightened up and dropped his hands to his sides passively, eyeing her steadily to ascertain if she appeared afraid. But the girl looked up at him evenly, perhaps even with a small smile on the edge of her lips. Owen stepped back a step for good measure. "We arrived together," she stated in a broad statement which broke their strange pregnant silence. "So we should leave together or else Tania will think something is wrong."
She stepped closer to him and tugged at the arms of his jacket to pull the knot tighter around her small waist. She was shifty, but she didn't seem apprehensive and he was relieved that she was clean-faced and no longer violently emotional. The door was closed behind her and Sam flipped her hair over her shoulder easily, turning away and walking a few steps down the hall in a small, smooth gait. She stopped and looked back at him with an edge of irritation, she shook her one hand in a gesture which communicated as her calling him to her.
He walked the few steps in a wide stride and came to a stop beside her.
"*Isn't* anything wrong?" He breathed, astonished at her reaction. His heart pounded as he battled with the taste of relief, hoping desperately he would be allowed to savor it.
She looked up at him again and her eyes softened as she observed the worry in his face. He looked down equally as he felt her hand come to rest on his forearm. "I didn't scare you?"
Her eyes widened slightly and he thought he had offended her. "Of course you did you fucking ... sociopath. You ... You forced me." She uttered very softly, her hand dropping away from him. Her eyes seemed to glaze as she recalled it and he watched her lips as Her tongue darted out nervously to lick them.
"Yes... I did."
He had the decency to look ashamed, his eyes darkening and his hands fisting slowly at his sides.
"I - don't mind. I ... Can't be upset with you. I am trying to be."
His heart leapt at her answer, he swallowed the taste of ash in his mouth. He was doing a lot if swallowing...
She frowned deeply and looked around the shadowy hallway absently. "Why don't I mind?" She asked him vaguely, her eyes seeming suddenly watery. He lifted a hand, being sure she saw it coming and giving her plenty of time to refuse him. His fingers slipped from the edge of her jaw along her cheek until his palm lay against the left side of her face. She lifted a hand to join his, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. It was like a chest-to-chest hug, it felt so intimate. She sighed and stepped against him with her eyes still closed. "No one's ever made me feel that way." She breathed shakily.
"I'm *so* sorry Sam." He breathed, cradling her head against his palm tenderly.
She opened her eyes and pulled away. "Don't be!" She stepped back to look at him sternly, her voice dropped to a gentle lilt. "Don't be. I ... I want to do it again."