42 Unshackled (1/2)

Sam and Annie were still sitting on the couch watching TV in an awkward mood when they were called to eat lunch by aunt Li, Sam stood up right away but Annie stayed sitting, he looked at her and said

”You are not coming ?”

Her head was in her palms, she looked at him through the gap in her fingers and said

”I'm too embarrassed to face my mom...”

He sighed, grabbed her hand and pulled her to the kitchen where lunch was already on the table, aunt Li was sitting on a side of the table and looked at them coming hand in hand.

When she saw her mom Annie tried to free her hand from Sam's grasp but she couldn't, he was holding tight enough to not let her run but not strongly enough to hurt her.

Aunt Li smiled and gestured them to sit, she was waiting for them to start eating.

”Woaaah it looks delicious !”

Said Sam while pulling a chair for Annie and sitting on the one next to it.

”Let's dig in, Jin and Wei are both eating outside today.”

Said aunt Li while smiling, Annie was red of embarrassment and couldn't lift her head, she kept staring at her feet.

Sam didn't hesitate and started grabbing food from every plate and put it on his.

He and aunt Li were eating normally, only Annie kept acting weird until her mom couldn't take it anymore and said

”Why are you acting like this ? Me and your dad already saw how you looked at Sam right when he came in yesterday, it's normal to fall in love with such a handsome boy so stop acting shy and eat before it gets cold.”

Sam wasn't expecting her to talk so bluntly and stared at her a second, he had been acting tough for awhile but couldn't help but blush too and lower his head, Annie lifte her eyes and looked at her mom, when her mom nodded gently she finally smiled and started eating too, she was afraid her mom would mistake her for an easy girl as she and Sam hadn't known each other for that long but she was happy that her mom could understand her.

While they were eating Sam said

”Aunt Li, thanks a lot for keeping Em so long and letting me stay yesterday. I'll be going home after lunch, it has been a very long time I didn't get home and I want to clean up before Em goes home.”

”I told you you don't have to thank me ! Both you and Em are welcome here anytime you want.”

She answered and smiled gently, since his mother had died it was the first time he felt this warmth. From his parents's old friends some had helped out by giving him money or a job but none had stayed close to them so he felt warmth from none of them, they were probably doing it by 'obligation', he also didn't have any close family except Em, he had met some of them when he was young but never saw them again, feeling this again made him happy. He smiled brightly but his eyes had started watering, he was after all only a 19 years old young man that had lost his parents when he was 16 years old, once again having this feeling of belonging to a family made him tear up.

”Ahh Sam are you crying ?!”

Annie that was looking at him since earlier stood up and got close to him. He wiped the tears that were about to spill and answered, still with a smile on his face

”Don't worry it's nothing.”