Chapter 20

The rest of June seemed to go by in a blur. Sam and Daniel saw each other as often as possible in between obligations at the university. Daniel’s were in the form of meetings with his new graduate student and Sam’s were in the form of administrative business and seminars, one of which was given by her. Her wish of having an astrophysicist give a talk in her department had finally been granted, although not quite in the form she’d expected. She was asked to give a lecture on aspects of time dilation!

Since Sam had attended his lecture, Daniel thought it was only fair to return the favor and he attended hers. Of course, her colleagues were quite aware of their friendly association, Elizabeth more than anyone. Sam was a bit worried of what the other woman would say to their colleagues, but in the end she berated herself for these insecurities. Her relationship with Daniel was nothing to hide anymore. Nevertheless, Elizabeth kept her mouth shut and let Sam do the talking.

Sam was delighted that the notion of her relationship with Daniel was well-received by everyone. Of course there were a few jokes, but they were all on the lighthearted side. John Kleagle, the mineralogist, couldn’t resist prodding Daniel to find out which specific area of geology Daniel’s masters degree was in. He gave Daniel a mock disappointed expression when the younger man informed him that it was sedimentology and stratigraphy. Daniel nearly took him seriously before the twinkle in Kleagle’s eye emerged.

Sam had run into Elizabeth in the ladies room and the brown-haired woman couldn’t help noticing Sam’s birthday gift from Daniel yet again. She casually remarked that she hoped Sam would get Daniel something equally terrific for his birthday. After playfully retorting that that was none of her business, Sam realized that she didn’t know when Daniel’s birthday was. He’d never mentioned it to her. She decided that she had to get it out of him one way or another.

She succeeded one evening not long afterward. She was at his apartment, sitting on the couch and leaning forward with her elbows propped up on the coffee table. She glanced appreciatively at the emerald bracelet on her wrist.

“Daniel, I just realized something,” she began.

Daniel looked up from his cup of coffee and raised his eyebrows.

“You’ve never told me when your birthday is … or was …”

Daniel’s face flushed as he became embarrassed. The fact that he’d never mentioned his birthday to her was something of which he was well aware. What embarrassed him was the notion that he initially wanted to keep it from her because he didn’t think it was such a big deal. He realized that was ridiculous; he knew Sam’s birthday and had even helped her celebrate it. It only made sense that she’d want to do the same for him. What reason was there to keep it from her?

“July 8th,” he mumbled, shutting his eyes.

“What?”

“July 8th,” he repeated a bit louder. “But it’s not a really big deal.”

The hell it wasn’t. Sam knew that Daniel was a quite humble and unassuming man, but the notion that his birthday wasn’t a big deal was silly. He’d helped her celebrate her own birthday and had even bought her a gift. She cared for him so deeply that she was obligated to do the same for him.

Her eyes wandered over to his VCR and then to a newspaper ad for an electronics store, which advertised movies on sale. The words that Daniel had spoken partially in jest to her more than a month ago suddenly became audible in her mind:

“Make it an Indiana Jones movie and I’m there.”

A large grin found its way on Sam’s face as she hatched a plan. After she returned home, she flew over to the calendar on the wall in her kitchen, took a blue pen, and, on the 8th of July, she wrote “Daniel’s Birthday” in her neat handwriting. In a moment of inspiration, she drew a small smiley face with glasses and shaggy hair. The result made her chuckle to herself.

Two weeks later, on the very date he’d given her, Sam surprised Daniel by appearing in front of his door, her arms laden with various packages. A bewildered Daniel let her in and watched as she set the large, gift-wrapped packages down on his coffee table before running into the kitchen with a smaller box and sticking it in his fridge.

She made her way back to the living room and sat down on his couch, excitedly inviting him to join her and open the presents. He lifted a single eyebrow as he sat down beside her and curiously took the larger package, which was a bit heavy, into his arms. Sam said not a word, but grinned in anticipation and prompted him to open it.

Daniel’s gifts turned out to be a DVD player and a set of three movies. He was quite embarrassed to be receiving such extravagant – in his mind, anyway – gifts from Sam. She reciprocated with small kisses and “don’t be silly”-isms, as she insisted that the player wasn’t that expensive, and reminded him of the gift he’d given her.

A large smile lit up Daniel’s features as he realized what DVD movies Sam had given him: those of the Indiana Jones trilogy. He insisted that Sam had overstepped her bounds, but the infectious grin on his face revealed otherwise. He showed his appreciation by embracing her and kissing her back, as well as forcing her to sit and watch all three with him, which she was only grateful to do after they set up the DVD player. They partook of the birthday cake she’d brought as they watched the movies.

Daniel’s thirty-second birthday wasn’t spent quite as he’d intended. If you had asked him anytime before three months ago, he’d tell you that he would rather spend it on an archaeological dig in Giza, uncovering some wondrous artifact that might help explain some enigma present in an aspect of ancient culture; or finding some new pictographs in an area of South America that had already been thoroughly excavated; or finding evidence that the evolution of modern man dates back even further than had been previously deduced.

But, three months ago, he met a sweet, caring woman who had quite a few things in common with him – a woman whom he seemed so comfortable talking with during their first meeting that he wondered if they knew each other well in another life. He even entertained the silly notion that they could be soul mates. He’d stepped back and reflected on how lonely he had felt a great part of the time, mostly due to the fact that he didn’t have much family and was estranged from his parents. As corny as it might have sounded, meeting her had helped fill the void. Forget the DVD player and movies – Sam’s love, understanding, and friendship were the greatest birthday gifts he could ever ask for.

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Three days later, the happy memory of Daniel’s birthday still fresh in her mind, Sam sang along to her Sade CD as she dusted the furniture in her living room. She’d put it off for quite some time and now that she finally had a day off, there was no longer any excuse.

She was in mid-song when the telephone rang. She hit “pause” on the stereo and made her way into the kitchen.

“Hey, Sam! You’re home today?” Sara greeted her.

“Yeah, I didn’t go in. I’m not advising anyone this summer and there weren’t any seminars scheduled for today, so I didn’t need to be there. It’s a good thing, too, because the furniture really needed a good dusting,” she said wryly.

“Oh, boy, that sounds like a lot of fun!” Sara joked.

Sam couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Anyway, I just wanted to tell you again that it was great seeing you guys at the party. I know I told you the last time we spoke, but it was great to have you there and it was nice to finally meet Daniel,” Sara said sincerely.

“Thanks. We had a nice time,” she replied, mentally crossing her fingers as she’d just told a half truth. “It was great seeing everyone again – Jill, Janet, your parents and your sisters. Congratulations and the best of luck again to your nephew.”

“Thanks, Sam. He’s a great kid. Everyone was really happy to see you again, too. It’s such a shame that you had to leave so early,” Sara continued, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Sam blushed faintly. “I know. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we really had to get going.” Her blush grew as she knew that Sara wasn’t going to accept this as an excuse.

“Why?”

Sam briefly rolled her eyes. “We … we had dinner reservations.”

“Oh,” Sara replied after a beat, sounding as if she’d bought it completely. Sam inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Anyway, I was wondering if you guys will be free next Wednesday,” Sara changed the subject.

Sam furrowed her brow in confusion. “That’s the sixteenth?” she asked tentatively as she made her way over to the calendar on her wall. She couldn’t help grinning when she caught the Daniel smiley face she’d drawn on the eighth.

Sara replied in the affirmative. “I was thinking that the four of us could go out to dinner and then catch a movie.”

“The four of us??” Sam wondered. Her cheeks flamed when she realized she’s actually wondered out loud.

“Yeah,” Sara began suspiciously. “You and Daniel, and me and Jack … who else?”

“I …” Sam hesitated. She felt torn. She didn’t want to turn a night out with her friends down, but she was a tad reluctant when she thought back to the way Jack was acting toward her at the party. She then berated herself; there was no reason to worry. If the four of them were going out to dinner and a movie and would be together at all times, Jack wouldn’t have a chance to flirt with her. She didn’t think he would dare do it in front of his wife, either. Still, she had some reservations.

“Sam?”

“Sorry,” she replied, flustered as she was dragged out of her thoughts. “I guess it would be fun, Sara, but I have to ask Daniel what he wants to do.”

“Okay, that’s no problem. Just get back to me after you talk to him,” Sara answered.

“Uh, yeah, of course, but …”

“What’s the matter?”

“I know we’ve talked about this before, but … Jack is a flirty type, isn’t he,” Sam began uneasily.

Sara seemed to be caught off-guard by Sam’s remark. “W-Well … why?”

Sam’s face turned crimson. “Oh, um … no reason,” she blurted out.

“You’re thinking of the way he acted at the party,” Sara said, slightly amused. When Sam didn’t answer, she continued, “Sam, I told you he was a big kid. He is a big flirt, but it’s all harmless. If it wasn’t, I would have thrown him out on his ass ages ago.”

Sam managed a slight grin. “I guess I’m being silly, huh?” she said ruefully.

“Um … yeah,” Sara teased. “Nah, don’t worry about it. You’d never met Jack, so you didn’t know what to expect. He knows that you and Daniel are together.”

Sam wasn’t quite so sure about that and she hoped that the older man wouldn’t try anything like make advances toward her. She tried to put her fears aside and convince herself that he wouldn’t be able to try anything like that with Daniel around.

“Okay, I guess you’re right. Dinner and a movie would be fun,” she conceded.

“It’ll be more than fun,” Sara said. “Is O’Malley’s okay? It’s one of Jack’s favorite hangouts and I’m not sure if he’d let us go anywhere else.”

“That’s fine, Sara,” Sam smiled.

“Great. As for the movie, we’re thinking of seeing ‘Starship Troopers.’ What say you?”

Sam snickered softly. “That sounds great. I’ll ask Daniel and I’ll let you know.”

“Okay, talk to you later.”

Sam grinned and shook her head after she hung up. It seemed that Sara had read her mind, as she was a bit of a sci-fi buff and had been meaning to see “Starship Troopers.” She wondered what Daniel thought of it.

Speaking of Daniel, she began to feel a bit uneasy about asking him. She didn’t think he’d object to dinner and a movie, but she remembered how Jack had been obnoxious to him at the party. Did he want to be in the company of such a man? Granted, Jack had apologized to him, but Sam couldn’t help thinking that his first impression of Jack left a bad taste in Daniel’s mouth.

Sam decided she would call him later and resolved not to dwell on it for the time being. She sighed before going back to her housework.

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“Dinner and a movie with Sara and Jack?” Daniel asked curiously after a beat.

Sam blushed madly, trying to picture his expression as she spoke to him on the phone.

“Um … yeah,” she replied uneasily. She’d only been talking to him for a couple of minutes and already she had a bad feeling about this.

“Well, it sounds fun. I’m not going to be busy on Wednesday. I think a night out would be great,” he said in an upbeat tone, which surprised Sam.

“Really?” she asked dubiously.

“Sure,” he replied as a hint of suspicion began to creep into his voice. Sam remained silent, prompting him to continue. “Is something wrong, Sam?”

“I just … I just thought you wouldn’t be so thrilled over the idea, since Jack was coming and he wasn’t exactly polite to you at the party,” she said carefully.

Daniel paused and she could hear him sigh. “I guess I can see why you’d think that,” he said thoughtfully. “He didn’t make such a good first impression, but he did apologize, Sam, and he didn’t keep it up the rest of the time we were there. That makes him okay in my book.”

Sam was almost surprised to learn what a forgiving person Daniel was as she pondered his statement. There really wasn’t any reason to be surprised; she’d known it since she apologized for her gross oversight of judgment and the way she’d treated him during the whole Joe fiasco.

“If only everyone could be as understanding and forgiving as you are, Daniel,” she said softly.

“It’s not something that makes me any special. Everyone should be forgiving and understanding; they’re just not,” he replied, ever so humble, with a touch of regret in his voice.

A little smile grew on Sam’s face.

“Enough of this,” he suddenly said, shifting gears. “Let’s go out on Wednesday for dinner and a movie.”

“Okay,” she said, her smile growing. “Sara suggested going to O’Malley’s.”

“That sounds good,” Daniel replied. “And the movie …?”

“’Starship Troopers.’”

“I’ve been wanting to see that,” he said.

“Me, too.”

“Then it works out perfect,” Daniel said brightly. He heard Sam laughing gently, and it warmed his heart.

“Okay, I’ll tell Sara we’re definitely on for Wednesday and I’ll get back to you with the details,” Sam said.

“Sounds good. Talk to you later, Sam,” Daniel said after an affectionate chuckle.

“Bye, Daniel.”

After he hung up the phone, Daniel sat on his couch and pondered what had just transpired. He thought about Sam’s change in attitude between the start and end of the conversation. She seemed so hesitant when she first spoke to him and he knew right away that she had reservations about making these plans. She’d said that she didn’t think he’d want to see Jack after the way he treated Daniel at the party. Truth be told, Daniel wasn’t exactly pleased as punch to spend any more time with the older man, but he went along with it because he didn’t want to be a party pooper and he somehow thought that Sam would not be too pleased with him if he declined the invitation.

Something made him wonder if there was more to her uncertainty. He remembered her telling him at one time that Sara could be overbearing and would make her feel awkward, but it wasn’t really on display at the party and her words just before didn’t seem to indicate that.

Daniel reminded himself of her more upbeat tone at the end of the conversation and decided he wouldn’t think about it any further. He realized it was actually a double date and thought it might be fun. He opened up his date book, circled the 16th of July, and wrote “Dinner/movie with Sam, Sara and Jack?”

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Sam ran a hand through her hair before applying a light mist of hairspray. It was twenty minutes after five and she and Daniel were going to be meeting Jack and Sara at O’Malley’s at six. Daniel was going to pick her up and then drive over to the restaurant since her house was on way.

She looked down at herself, hoping she was dressed all right. It had been quite a hot day and the evening was supposed to be quite warm as well, so she decided to wear something fairly light. She picked out a white halter sundress that ended just above her knees with a light blue floral pattern. The material was a cotton-spandex blend and she blushed as she realized how it accentuated every curve of her body. She thought about changing into something more decent when she decided she was being ridiculous. She’d gone through half her wardrobe already and didn’t have much time before Daniel would be there.

She had all but forgotten her uneasiness with the fact that Jack was going to be there and that he was quite a flirt. If it was still plaguing her, she certainly would have decided against wearing this dress. She had decided that Jack wouldn’t be a threat. If Sara was so sure that Jack was harmless, Sam didn’t need to think twice about it.

She lightly sprayed herself with some of her favorite perfume and gave herself another once over in the mirror before she heard the doorbell ring. She slowly made her way down the hall and toward the living room. As she looked out the window and spotted Daniel’s car, she could feel her heart thudding against her ribcage. After knowing Daniel for more than three months and being in a serious relationship with him for two months – two months exactly today – she still got excited as if every date with him was the big first date.

As she made her way into the foyer, she noticed a few folded papers sitting on top of the small table. They had slipped her mind as she focused on primping. She unfolded them andscanned them quickly again, experiencing the same unease and surprise she had when she had first come across the information. A few days earlier, she’d been trawling the internet for information on archaeology, her interest sparked by viewing the Indiana Jones movies with Daniel. She’d come across the website for the American Museum of Natural History and had taken a keen interest in a page about an exhibit known as “Petra: The Lost City of Stone.” It detailed a once-flourishing ancient Near East city that was subsequently neglected for centuries. Sam enjoyed reading about the exhibit and had printed out the text, as she thought about showing it to Daniel at some point. She had nearly done a double take when she found out who the curators were …

“Doctors Claire and Melburn Jackson.”

Sam had clicked on the “About the Curators” link and was taken to a page with three paragraphs detailing the Jacksons’ impressive experience in the field of archaeology. Two photographs revealed a man and woman who bore a striking resemblance to Daniel, leaving no room for doubt on their identities. She’d studied their pictures and felt a twinge of resentment as she thought back to what Daniel had said about them. They were his parents and they had basically cut off contact with him because of his career decision. The resentment was replaced by pity for Daniel. He’d told her that he missed his mother, and the way he was talking made it seem like he wished he could see her again. She tried to honor his request of not getting involved. Nevertheless, she had printed out the page with their photos and the notes about them and kept it with the main notes on the exhibit.

The sound of the doorbell ringing once more pulled her from her thoughts and she started. Daniel was at the door and in her hand was information and photos about his parents. Thinking quickly, she folded them back up, ran into her home office and threw them into her desk drawer before hurrying back into the foyer.

She opened the door and was greeted by a smiling Daniel. “Hey there,” he said softly.

A smile spread across her face as she looked him over. He was dressed in khakis and a blue and white plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She briefly glanced down at her dress and realized how well their outfits complemented each other.

She grinned widely as her eyes traveled up to his head. Does he ever cut his hair, she thought amusedly and then immediately took it back. In truth, she’d grown fond of it. It was a part of him – a unique part of him that was just endearing to her. She snickered softly.

Daniel caught her and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“Um … sorry,” she said awkwardly, clearing her throat.

His smile returned.

“Come on in for a few minutes,” she told him as she stepped aside to allow him entrance. Daniel nodded and moved past her into the foyer.

“Did I ever tell you what a nice place this was?” he asked her.

“Maybe,” she replied with a shrug. “It’s certainly not as attractive as your apartment though.”

“Don’t say that,” he admonished her lightly. “It’s attractive in its simplicity; it’s not over-complicated. In other words, it’s exactly like you.” He finished his description with a sweet smile that made Sam blush faintly. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and she beamed.

Daniel followed her into the kitchen, where she went to retrieve her purse. As she grabbed it off the table, she noticed him standing near her phone and watching her.

“Do you want anything to drink before we go?”

Daniel shook his head and smiled. “Nah, I’m okay.”

Sam nodded and watched as he glanced at her calendar, as something had apparently caught his eye. She made her way up to him and her cheeks flamed when she realized he’d seen the Daniel Smiley Face she’d drawn on his birthday.

He turned to her, a pinkish tinge to his cheeks and an amused grin on his face. “W-what’s this?” he asked.

Sam immediately took interest in the white sandal styled shoes she was wearing. “It’s … um …” she stammered.

“It’s a smiley face with glasses and long hair … is that supposed to be making fun of me, Sam?” he teased her.

Sam fearfully lifted her gaze to meet his mock hurt expression.

“I mean, I don’t blame you – I do look like a geek with this plaid shirt, large-framed glasses and mop of hair,” he said in a teasing, self-deprecating way.

“No, no, it’s not,” she blurted out, laughing sheepishly as she finally getting the courage to speak. “I was just being … cute … when I did that. I was in a funny mood, honestly, Daniel.”

Daniel gave her a crooked grin before he pulled her close to him and stroked her hair. “You are cute,” he told her before kissing her on the cheek.

“Don’t beat yourself up. You don’t look like a geek. The clothes, the glasses, the hair – it’s what makes you, you and I love every bit of it. Don’t ever change, Daniel,” she smiled.

Daniel’s grin changed into a sincere smile. “I won’t if you won’t,” he said softly.

Sam smiled widely. “Hey, you know what today is?” she suddenly asked.

Daniel’s brow furrowed in confusion. “No, what?”

“It’s our two month anniversary,” she said a bit cryptically.

Daniel looked at her blankly.

“Two months ago today we began our serious, steady relationship,” she clarified for him.

Daniel opened his mouth and his eyes became wide in realization. “Oh! That’s right,” he said, a touch flustered.

“Don’t I get a present?” she asked him impishly.

A mischievous smile spread across Daniel’s face. “Well, I wanted to surprise you, but since you asked so nicely …”

He trailed off as his lips locked with hers and he kissed her tenderly. They embraced as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he fingered her soft blonde hair. Several moments later, their lips parted and blue eyes pierced blue eyes.

“Oh, thanks, Daniel,” Sam said breathlessly, a touch of disappointment in her voice as she didn’t want the kiss to end.

“There’s plenty more where that came from,” he said, giving her a mischievous grin. “But we mustn’t keep our company waiting, must we?”

Sam sighed and looked downward. “Nope. Sara was a bit suspicious as to why we left the party early, so I can only imagine how she’d be if we were late tonight,” she said, rolling her eyes.

Daniel nodded grimly as he handed her purse, which had fallen on the floor, to her. Sam gave him a little smile as they made their way out of the kitchen into the foyer and then outside. She locked up and then joined him in the car. Daniel squeezed her arm and gave her a quick little smile before starting up the car and heading off.

“Dinner and a movie … should be a lot of fun,” he remarked once they’d gotten down to the end of the street.

Sam nodded and secretly hoped that he was right.

To Chapter 21

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