Chapter 19
“Hi,” Jack returned as he fetched a bottle of beer and twisted the cap off. “Want one?” he asked her.
“Oh, uh … no, I don’t really drink beer,” she replied awkwardly.
“I should have known,” Jack grinned. “That friend of yours wouldn’t have any either. The way I see it, you’re made for each other.”
Sam blushed faintly.
“Why aren’t you outside with the others?” Jack suddenly asked before taking a swig of beer.
Sam’s blush deepened. She was certainly not going to tell him the real reason why she rushed inside, so she had to think up a quick excuse. “I … I just needed some fresh air.”
Jack raised his eyebrows and looked at her curiously. “Fresh air? Inside??” he said incredulously.
Sam averted her eyes, feeling defeated. “There was just so much going on out there, I wanted to be alone for just a few minutes,” she conceded.
“I don’t blame ya,” Jack said. “Sara was getting a little crazy with the music there. I offered to sing some sea shanties or some old Irish ditties, but she shot me down.”
Sam looked at him and started snickering. Jack shot a warm smile at her.
“So, you’ve known Sara since high school?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, just over twenty years,” she replied.
“Huh. How long have you lived here in Colorado Springs?” he asked.
“Um … almost two years,” Sam said as she avoided his eyes.
Jack’s eyebrows shot up. “Really! And this is the first time you’ve visited us!”
Sam’s blush remained and she nodded.
“What took you so long?” Jack asked dumbly.
Sam directed her gaze back to him and gave him an odd look before she snorted and began to snicker.
Jack grinned widely. Once Sam managed to calm down, he looked at her pointedly and raised his eyebrows, expecting an answer from her.
Sam’s smile faded and she cleared her throat. “I … I’ve just been insanely busy at work. Sara and I never had much of a chance to get together,” she fibbed as she gave a small shrug. Embarrassed, she immediately took a keen interest in her shoes.
Jack looked at her dubiously but, in the end, gave a shrug himself.
“So, I guess you and Daniel are pretty serious?” he suddenly blurted out, changing the subject.
Sam’s head shot up and she looked at him incredulously, caught completely off-guard by the question.
When she didn’t answer, Jack continued, “How long have you known each other?”
Sam was even more taken aback, if such a thing was possible, and her face flushed. She’d insisted on coming inside, and now she couldn’t wait to get back outside.
A realization came to Jack and he momentarily shut his eyes. “I’m sorry, that’s none of my business,” he said ruefully.
Sam took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She noticed Jack’s apologetic eyes boring into hers and it actually made her feel slightly uncomfortable. In truth, she didn’t find anything wrong with the how-long-have-you-known-each-other question, but was completely taken by surprise with the are-you-two-serious question.
“We’ve known each other about two months now,” she said quietly, her eyes still trained on the floor.
She tentatively looked back up at Jack, who was nodding thoughtfully.
“And you both work at that school?”
Sam nodded. “UCCS,” she said, suddenly gaining more confidence and not feeling as awkward as before. “He’s in Anthropology and I’m in Earth and Space Sciences. He gave a talk in our department about a month and a half ago, about a site in Scotland from the Mesolithic Era. It was very interesting.”
“Must be,” Jack said before taking another swig of beer.
Sam looked at him, frustrated, as his tone implied that he didn’t think much of anything Daniel was involved in. She hadn’t forgotten that he’d referred to Daniel as a geek when they were first introduced.
“He really is a brilliant man,” she insisted quietly, her countenance serious. “He has his quirks, as everyone does, but he’s truly brilliant and he’s sweet and caring as well.”
Jack looked at her and felt reality hitting him like a ton of bricks. He had called Daniel a geek earlier and hadn’t exactly apologized for it. Jack could be a real smartass, but he was never cruel about it. In the least, it was never his intention. Now he felt stupid as Sam was subtly putting him down for saying such a thing about her boyfriend.
“I shouldn’t have called him a geek,” he conceded. “I didn’t really mean it that way. I was impressed by all of his credentials and unfortunately I have this terrible habit of being very blunt and even sarcastic at the wrong time…” he trailed off. Especially when the person in question seems tons smarter than me, he silently added.
Sam looked at him, a bit surprised at his apparent change in attitude. The playful, joking, smart-alecky adolescent whom she’d first been introduced to was now acting like a more serious grown man – a grown man who’d realized he crossed the line into the realm of obnoxiousness when he first talked to her and her dear friend. It was quite a stark contrast.
“I … um … well,” Sam stammered, at a loss for words. If he was being sincere, she was glad that she’d made him see what a wonderful person Daniel was, and how highly she regarded him.
Jack smiled kindly at her and chuckled, apparently finding her awkwardness cute. “That outfit looks good on you,” he said after a beat.
Sam’s eyes widened briefly and her cheeks flamed, not quite expecting him to come out with something like this. At a total loss for words, she shifted uncomfortably and began staring at the bottle of beer in his hand.
Daniel’s eyes narrowed as he stood on the deck and observed Sam and Jack interacting with each other. From his vantage point, he could easily see them inside, although he couldn’t hear what they were saying. Jack must have wowed Sam with his charms at one point, as she was clearly laughing. Daniel rolled his eyes at the thought.
Now, they seemed to be chatting very closely. Sam appeared slightly awkward, as he witnessed her shifting uncomfortably and staring down at the floor. Daniel couldn’t be sure though. He did notice earlier how Jack seemed to be quite friendly toward Sam, especially when they first met him and when he was serving the food. Daniel was about to berate himself for being so suspicious, but after his first impression of Jack, he couldn’t put anything past the older man.
Suddenly, the four glasses of iced tea caught up on him, and he realized he had the perfect excuse to go inside. He briskly made his way toward the sliding door, his gait slowing somewhat as he neared it. He didn’t want to make such a sudden appearance as to give Sam a heart attack.
Sam stood silently and stared at the bottle in Jack’s hand. As he brought it up to his lips to take another swig of beer, her gaze shifted to the kitchen countertop.
“I didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I?” Jack asked with a hint of concern in his voice.
Sam shook her head slowly as she continued gazing at the countertop. “No,” she said in a very quiet voice as she shrugged.
She was just thinking about leaving to go back outside when she heard the sliding door shut quietly behind her. She quickly turned her head and found Daniel standing just inches away from it. Her face flushed when Daniel briefly looked at her before taking a few steps forward.
“Hey. Can you tell me where the bathroom is?” he asked as he turned to Jack.
Jack managed a slight grin. “Just how much of that iced tea did you have?” he asked impishly.
Daniel smiled sheepishly as a faint blush appeared in his cheeks. He wasn’t thrilled with Jack at present, especially after witnessing him talking to Sam, but at the moment all he wanted to do was relieve himself. “I, ah … I’m not sure … four, five glasses?” he said quietly.
Jack grinned and shook his head. “This way, end of the hall on the right side,” he said as he pointed to the left.
Daniel nodded gratefully. “Thank you.”
He was about to head in that direction when Jack held up his hand. “Ah! Wait a minute …”
Daniel turned back to Jack and looked at him curiously.
“I … I wanted to apologize for being such a smartass before … you know, with the whole ‘geek’ thing. I really didn’t mean it that way …”
Daniel thought he recognized genuine sincerity in Jack’s voice, and was a bit surprised to hear this coming from him after the way he acted when they first met. He couldn’t let Jack say any more though, because he was almost afraid that his bladder would explode.
“Thanks, I … ah … I really appreciate that,” he said quietly. “And now I really have to go,” he added with a hint of desperation.
Before making his way down the hall, he turned to Sam and his eyes met hers for a fleeting moment. “I’ll be right back,” he said before turning away from her and hastily making his way toward the bathroom.
Sam watched him leave and felt an uncomfortable warmth rise up in her cheeks. She was actually embarrassed, even a little ashamed, that Daniel found her with Jack. It wasn’t as if they’d been talking in a very friendly way, or very close to one another, but the fact remained that she’d been talking with Jack. She grew even more ashamed when she wondered what Daniel could possibly have thought when he saw them. She hoped he didn’t get the wrong idea.
She heard Jack clear his throat and she quickly turned her gaze up to him. She looked at him curiously as she noticed the faint smile on his face.
“I really meant what I said to him,” he told her frankly, just in case any doubts over that remained.
Sam nodded silently. She wondered if he was waiting for some adulation from her. He’d do best to keep waiting, as she was still feeling quite awkward and agonizing over Daniel.
His eyes studied her outfit (and not her body; that she was sure of) and his smile grew. “I really meant that, too,” he added.
Sam furrowed her brow in confusion. “I-I’m sorry?” she stammered.
“Your outfit,” Jack clarified. “It looks very nice on you.”
Sam’s wrinkled brow remained, and she coughed awkwardly. His comment seemed harmless enough, but Sam couldn’t help thinking that he seemed to be acting quite friendly toward her. She tried to brush the thought away, making an excuse that he probably acted this way toward most people.
“Well, I better get back outside,” he finally said, realizing that she was perhaps a bit uncomfortable.
Sam merely nodded. Jack studied her face for a brief moment and then gave her a friendly smile and a wink before heading back outside.
Once he was gone, Sam took in a deep breath and slowly let it out. She stood in the middle of the living room, trying to gather her thoughts and make sense of all that had just happened. She felt her cheeks burning when she reminded herself of the way Daniel’s eyes pierced hers before he turned away from her. She really began to worry that he’d gotten the wrong idea, no matter how irrational it seemed. She felt awkward, embarrassed, and ashamed, all as a result of running away from a song that reminded her of Joe. How silly was that?
She was pulled from her thoughts when she heard footsteps coming toward her. She glanced in their direction and saw Daniel making his way back to the living room. Once they made eye contact, she quickly turned her gaze down to her fidgeting hands. She felt too ashamed to even look at him.
“Sam?”
She tentatively lifted her gaze until her eyes met his. Inwardly she breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t find any anger, hurt, or dejection in his eyes. Rather, they were tinted with concern as he looked at her.
“Are you okay?”
Sam studied his face. His expression, coupled with his words, made it seem as though he was trying to make heads or tails out of what was going on with her. She realized he’d witnessed her hasty retreat into the house without any rhyme or reason. He was bound to wonder what was up, especially when he cared so much about her.
She forced a smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said dismissively.
Daniel’s brow wrinkled. “Are you sure?” he prodded. “I mean, the way you ran in here, you looked kind of … I don’t know … uncomfortable.”
Sam looked at him and nodded once again. “I’m fine,” she insisted quietly. She knew she owed him an explanation, but she couldn’t tell him exactly why she felt a need to run away from everyone. She was afraid he’d find the reason laughable. After all, Joe was ancient history now and she had no reason to dwell on that disastrous date anymore. Would Daniel understand something like bad feelings being conjured up simply by hearing a song on the radio? There was no need for her to second guess anything concerning him, but she was quite ashamed and she just couldn’t say anything to him at the moment.
Daniel’s expression revealed that he was a bit skeptical, as if there was some underlying problem that she wasn’t admitting. He then surmised that it had something to do with someone here at the party, and that she just didn’t want to talk about it in this setting. He could definitely tell that she was uncomfortable.
“Listen, do you want to cut out early?” he asked her, looking around to make sure no one was in the room as a precaution.
Sam looked at him curiously.
“I mean, face it Sam, you do seem uncomfortable. I can tell,” he said as his eyes drifted down to her hands as she was fidgeting with her old college ring. He looked pointedly back up into her eyes.
Sam briefly looked down, noticed how she was fidgeting, and immediately stopped. She directed her gaze back up to him and gave him a faint smile and a shrug. “I guess I’m not having the greatest time of my life,” she conceded.
Daniel returned the faint smile before he glanced
at his
watch. “It’s almost
Sam momentarily gazed out the door and saw Sara talking with Jill and Janet, as well as Sara’s parents. “Think we can stay for another hour, hour and a half?” she asked Daniel timidly as she turned back to him. “The party ends at seven, so I guess they’ll be having dinner. But, I don’t want to leave too early …”
Daniel looked into her eyes and nodded. “Why don’t we leave just before dinner then, say four or four-thirty?”
Sam’s lips twitched upward in a faint smile and she nodded. “Okay.”
Daniel smiled and squeezed her arm before leaning into her and kissing her on the cheek. For the moment, the feeling of uneasiness left her and she beamed. Daniel chuckled affectionately when he noticed how her face lit up.
“So, what are we going to do until then?” he asked her as they made their way back to the door.
“Well, I figure I’ll talk some more to Sara and Janet … and maybe Jill’s husband will ease up enough to allow us to have a real conversation,” she said dryly.
“Mmm. Maybe I’ll talk a bit more to Sara’s nephew,” Daniel said quietly so that his voice wouldn’t carry out onto the deck.
“Sara’s nephew?” Sam asked curiously.
Daniel nodded. “Did you know he was studying anthropology in college? He gave it up and decided to get an MBA instead.” He rolled his eyes.
Sam snickered. “He didn’t seem very business-oriented to me, especially with that ‘we’re going to live with the dolphins’ comment.”
“Maybe he wants to buy out Sea World,” Daniel said with a crooked grin.
Sam carelessly let a giggle escape her throat, and she was unsuccessful at suppressing it further when she turned back to Daniel and saw a satisfied smile on his face.
Sam spent most of the remaining time talking to Janet and Jill, who was finally given elbow room as her husband chatted with Jack for a while. They reminisced about their high school days and spent some more time catching up with each other. Daniel politely stayed with Sam as they chatted. After a while he felt slightly awkward, so he talked to Sara for a little bit and was introduced to her father. He also spent some time chatting with Thomas again, still a bit incredulous over the younger man’s career decision. Chiding him for it was way beyond Daniel though, so he merely expressed interest in Thomas’ future job plans.
When Sam and Daniel met up again, it was just about four-thirty. Jill and her husband were also leaving early because they were taking in a show that evening. Sam was glad that she and Daniel wouldn’t look as bad for cutting out early. They watched as Sara and Jack said their goodbyes to the couple, as well as exchanging hugs and handshakes. Sam hoped that, since Jill had left first, Sara wouldn’t give Sam and Daniel quite as hard a time about leaving.
She gave Janet a big hug as she said goodbye, hoping that it wouldn’t be too long before they saw each other again. Janet wrote down her address and phone number for Sam so they could stay in touch. In turn, she said her goodbyes to Sara’s parents and sisters, who were a bit surprised that Sam was leaving already, but they didn’t object as strongly as Sara undoubtedly would.
After she said goodbye to everyone, she turned toward Daniel as she felt him give her arm an encouraging squeeze. The two of them made their way inside, where Sara and Jack were still standing at the front door watching Jill and her husband drive off. Sara turned when she heard Sam and Daniel’s footsteps.
“Hey, you two … is something wrong?” she asked curiously.
Sam blushed faintly and shook her head. “No, uh … we …” she trailed off.
“We have to get going now,” Daniel filled in, his tone apologetic.
Sara looked at them, nearly taken back. “What? You’re leaving now? There’s still dinner and dessert!”
“Sara makes a mean chocolate torte,” Jack added as pulled her close to him.
“I’m sure she does,” Daniel returned with a disarming smile. “I’m sorry, we really can’t stay.”
Sara turned her curious eyes over to Sam and looked at her pointedly.
“I wish we could, Sara … the party was great, it was great seeing everyone again, and the food was very good,” Sam said, fibbing just a bit.
On that last point, Jack gave a smug grin, prompting Sara to roll her eyes.
“But, we really have to go. We have some … things to do,” Sam finished awkwardly, wishing she had more time to think up a credible excuse.
Sara grinned knowingly as she came to her own conclusion as to what Sam meant. Sam and Daniel saw through her expression and blushed.
“Okay, you don’t have to spell it out for me. It was great having you guys here,” she said, changing her tune slightly. “It was great to meet you Daniel and I hope we’ll be seeing a lot more of you in the future.”
Daniel’s eyebrows shot up, surprised by her statement as he thought she knew that he and Sam were in a serious relationship.
“I mean, I hope we see you guys again very soon,” Sara elaborated, realizing she hadn’t quite phrased it right.
Daniel smiled and nodded. “It was nice meeting you guys, too … even if we didn’t quite start out on the right foot,” he said as he turned to Jack.
Jack gave him a half smile and nodded. “Hey, you’re a scientist,” he said. “I like scientists.”
Daniel furrowed his brow in confusion at the statement, but shrugged it off, thinking it was just Jack’s funny sense of humor. He looked off to one side and nodded.
Sara reached out and gave Sam a final hug as Jack and Daniel shook hands.
“Bye, Sam, I’ll call you soon, okay?” Sara told her as Sam and Daniel were about to step out the front door.
Sam smiled and nodded. Her smile faded when she turned to Jack and noticed the very friendly smile plastered on his face. “Bye, Sam!” he said in a nearly lyrical tone. Sam coughed slightly and then forced a smile.
Daniel’s brow knitted as he witnessed Jack’s friendly display. He quickly turned to Sara and said, “Congratulations to your nephew again.”
Sara smiled kindly and nodded. She waved to them as they made their way down the front walk and then down the street to Daniel’s car.
Daniel glanced quickly over at Sam as they drove back to his apartment. Once again, he could tell that something was bothering her.
“Sam, are you all right?” he asked.
Sam paused before answering. She had to tell Daniel what was bothering her. If she couldn’t tell him about the music reminding her of Joe, she had to tell him at least part of the reason why she was distraught.
“No … not exactly,” she said quietly.
As they sat at a red light, she looked back up at him and noticed him looking at her, concern radiating from his deep blue eyes. She studied his face for a moment before continuing.
“All this talk of marriage,” she began, sounding agitated.
Daniel’s eyebrows drew together.
“First Jill, then Janet, and now Sara’s nephew,” she continued.
“And that bothers you?” Daniel asked curiously.
Sam’s cheeks flushed when she realized what she’d said. She shrugged slightly. “I don’t know.”
Daniel looked at her dubiously as her tone betrayed her words.
“I guess it’s silly … I mean, it’s my own fault. They’re more outgoing than I am, and they probably didn’t let their jobs take up every minute of their lives. I …” She trailed off when she noticed Daniel looking at her thoughtfully. “… It’s stupid. I don’t know why I let it get to me,” she said ruefully.
“No, it’s not,” Daniel said softly. He turned his head back around when he noticed the light changing to green. He decided to change the subject and keep the conversation light.
“So, um … what do you think about Jack?” he asked. He winced inwardly when he realized that his tone sounded a bit flippant.
Sam shrugged. “Well, Sara was right when she said he’s a big kid,” she conceded as she tried to think of something positive to say about him.
“Yeah,” Daniel said, drawing out the word somewhat. “I couldn’t help noticing that he seemed to get a little … ah … flirtatious with you.” He blushed and felt like kicking himself for making it sound like he was jealous.
Sam felt a little pang of guilt stab her in the chest. “I hadn’t noticed,” she said quietly. Of course, that wasn’t exactly true. She had noticed that Jack had gone out of his way to be friendly toward her, quite possibly to the degree of flirting. She remembered how Sara had once told her that Jack, being the big kid that he was, would sometimes engage in harmless flirting. As a result, she tried to chalk it up to Jack just being Jack. She wasn’t entirely sure that it was harmless, but she was entirely sure of her feelings for Daniel, so she decided not to let it bother her.
“If he was flirting, he’s wasting his time,” she told him as they stopped at another red light.
Daniel furrowed his brow before Sam gave him a loving smile. As she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, the wrinkles in his brow faded and he grew a smile of his own. She wanted to reassure him that no one could take her away from him and it seemed to do the trick.
“Hey, I know it’s a little early, but do you want to get some dinner?” he suddenly asked.
Sam nodded, not having to think twice.
“How does O’Malley’s sound?”
The color came back into Sam’s cheeks when she remembered that this was where she met Joe for dinner. The bad memories threatened to invade her mind once again and she tried to dispel them to no avail.
“I … I’d rather not,” she said uneasily.
Daniel could sense something was bothering her again. “Why not?” he asked her pointedly. “I mean, we could go somewhere else, but … I’m just curious. Why not?”
Sam sighed heavily. “It’s where I met Joe for that … that date,” she blurted out.
For a fleeting moment, pity shone in Daniel’s eyes. Then his expression changed and he sighed. “Sam, you really need to put this behind you and move on. This guy is out of your life, thankfully, and you have no reason to dwell on it any longer. What he did to you was horrible, granted, but it’s really time for you to move on.”
She looked into his eyes and felt her blush deepen. She realized how ridiculous she was acting and was surprised that Daniel wasn’t going to run out of patience and give up on her. She slowly nodded. “You’re right, Daniel. I’m so sorry that I’m ruining things for us by dredging up this incident every free chance I get. God, I’m so foolish.”
Daniel exhaled and looked at her sadly. “Sam, you’re not foolish and you’re not ruining things for us. I was quite distraught and angry over what happened to you. I hate to see the people I care for taken advantage of. You’re a sweet person and you didn’t deserve that. But, it’s been two months and I was sure that you’d gotten over what had happened.”
“I did,” she insisted. “It’s just that, certain things that remind me of it will conjure up bad feelings for me.”
Realization shone in Daniel’s eyes as he thought back to Sam running inside Sara’s house. “Is that what happened earlier?” he questioned.
Sam gave him a bewildered look.
“When you ran inside the house?” he clarified.
Sam looked at him briefly and then nodded. “The song that was playing was the same song that was on the radio in Joe’s car before he did all that … stuff,” she nearly choked out. “But that wasn’t the only thing that was bothering me. It was a few things combined.” She paused again and shook her head. “I was acting ridiculous, and I feel so stupid now,” she finished bitterly.
Daniel looked at her before he reached over and caressed her hand. “Sam, please, it’s okay. It doesn’t make me love you any less. I just want you to promise me that you’ll try to put it behind you once and for all and not let it ruin your days. Can you do that for me?”
Sam’s eyes met his and she was touched by the sincerity and love for her in them. She smiled and nodded slowly.
Daniel smiled back and reached over to give her a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek once he’d pulled over in front of O’Malley’s. After he let her go, he patted her on the back and smiled. “Well, we’re here. Do you want to give this place a try?”
Sam smiled and nodded. He smiled back and they exited the car, making their way to the entrance of the restaurant.
Sam and Daniel had a nice dinner at O’Malley’s. As they were early, there weren’t many people there and they were seated quickly. Sam looked over at Daniel and any bad memories of being with Joe had finally subsided for good. She was determined to put this behind her once and for all. As for Daniel, he was a touch uneasy at first that they might actually run into Joe, especially after his unfortunate confrontation with him. He berated himself for thinking this way and decided that it didn’t matter; he was here to enjoy dinner with Sam.
After dinner, they returned to Daniel’s apartment. Having refused coffee and dessert at the restaurant, Daniel put on a fresh pot for them and put out some chocolate walnut cookies that he’d purchased from a bakery the day before.
Over coffee and cookies, the two of them sat and talked for hours. They shared stories, secrets and dreams, talking and laughing as two friends who were totally comfortable with each other only could. Daniel told Sam the stories behind some of the artifacts in his apartment and even taught her how to play the Jackal and the Hound game after she pleaded with him. He admitted he was a bit rusty at first, not having played it since college, but after he began to show her, he got his rhythm back and they played it at least a dozen times. At first it was because Daniel kept winning and Sam didn’t want to stop until she won at least one game. She vowed that she would beat him and she finally did on the last game. She put on a little display of victory, causing Daniel to grin and shake his head. He chuckled affectionately at her.
“You know, I let you win that one,” he joked to her as she joined him on the couch once again.
“What??” she protested. “You have to be kidding! That did not seem like a deliberate loss to me.”
Daniel gave her a shrug. “I was getting tired. I’ve been known to slip up when I’m tired.”
Sam rolled her eyes and then playfully stuck her tongue out at him. “Sure, any excuse not to let me have a true victory – can’t admit you were actually defeated.”
“Because I wasn’t – not technically, anyway,” Daniel shot back. “Hey!” he exclaimed as she playfully swatted him across the chest.
She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, and then suddenly broke out in giggles. The giggles turned into peals of laughter, and before long he was laughing along side of her.
“Geez, we’ve been in a serious relationship for only about a month and we’re already fighting,” she said as she calmed down. “I mean, we’re not even married yet.”
Daniel immediately stopped laughing and looked at her curiously, almost incredulously.
Sam’s cheeks flamed when she realized what she’d just said, especially the ‘yet’ part. “I … I mean … well, you know …” She trailed off awkwardly.
Daniel studied her face and managed a crooked smile. He averted his eyes and nodded.
Sam slowly exhaled, relieved that he seemed to know what she meant and wasn’t going to give her any grief over it. She suddenly looked down at her watch and gasped when she realized it was 11 PM. “Oh, my God, I didn’t know it was that late.”
Daniel’s eyes widened when he looked at the clock on his VCR. He felt a wave of sadness hit him when Sam moved to get up off the couch and fetch her purse. He got up and slowly went over to her as she made her way to his door.
“I’m sorry. I really should get going,” she said apologetically.
Daniel’s eyes bored into hers as he stood in front of the door. “Stay,” he said simply.
The word hit Sam and almost threatened to knock her out cold. She merely stared at him.
“Please stay the night,” he continued. “It’s late, you’ve had a long day … you don’t want to be alone, do you?” He realized he was hardly making sense as the words tumbled from his lips, but his deep feelings for her were causing him to act impulsively.
Sam breathed in and out slowly and sadness crept into her eyes. “I … I can’t.”
Daniel looked at her curiously before her words sunk in and he averted his eyes. He blushed faintly as he realized exactly what he’d proposed to her. “I’m sorry,” he said, almost inaudibly as he kept his head down. “I’m rushing things, aren’t I? I’m doing exactly what you said you didn’t want from a guy.”
Sam looked at him pitifully as she felt a twinge of guilt deep inside her. “It’s not that I don’t want to; I do, believe me. But, I can’t … not just yet.”
Daniel finally lifted his head so that his eyes could meet hers. He knew that Sam loved him and that her decision wasn’t anything personal. He knew that Joe had tried to rush her and made her feel uncomfortable. He didn’t want to lose her by doing the same exact thing. “I know,” he nodded.
A smile slowly spread across Sam’s lips. “If you don’t mind, I would love a goodnight kiss,” she said.
Daniel smiled back before he put his arms around her neck and enveloped her in one of the most warm, tender kisses she’d ever experienced. As their lips locked, she moaned softly, not wanting the kiss to end. He echoed her moans as his fingers snaked through her hair and their tongues intertwined. He didn’t want to end the kiss, but he knew that if they went any further, she would end up spending the night and perhaps the two of them weren’t quite ready for that. At that instant, their lips parted and they stared soulfully at one another. They seemed to be reading each other’s minds, silently agreeing that they would wait just a little longer before taking the next step.
They embraced tightly before finally letting go of each other. Sam turned back to Daniel and smiled as she made her way out the door.
“Goodnight, Daniel,” she said, smiling genuinely.
“Goodnight, Sam,” he answered, his tone warm but
slightly
reluctant. Her smile grew and she gave
him one last loving gaze before she made her way down the hall toward
the
elevators.