Chapter 23

Daniel’s expression grew serious as he and Jack crossed the lobby to the spot where Sam and Sara were sitting. His heart did a somersault as he saw that Sam still looked quite upset. It appeared that Sara was trying to console her.

“Hey, are you guys okay?” Daniel asked. He immediately blushed, realizing what a stupid question that was. Of course they weren’t okay.

Sara looked up at him and nodded. “Yeah, we’re okay.” She rose to her feet and looked at Jack gravely. He felt crushed when he witnessed the hurt in her eyes.

“I … I think it’s about time we had a talk, Jack,” she began.

Jack’s eyes met hers and he nodded slowly. He reached out and patted her softly on the shoulder before he looked around the theater.

“Not now,” she elaborated. “When we get home.”

“Oh, yeah … sure,” Jack said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Daniel looked from Jack back down to Sam, who was still sitting down. As their eyes met, he looked at her sorrowfully. He offered his hand to her and she regarded it tentatively before she took it and he helped her up off the floor.

“Daniel,” she began, her voice barely above a whisper. “I … I’m sorry about all of this.”

Daniel nodded quickly as his eyes turned to a crowd that was beginning to gather in their area. “We’ll talk about it later,” he assured her.

Sam felt slightly disappointed with his reply, but she merely nodded.

“It’s getting late,” Sara suddenly broke in as she looked at her watch. “I think we’re going to head for home now.” She patted Sam on the arm.

Sam looked at her and nodded.

“Are you going to be okay?” Sara asked her.

Sam briefly looked at Daniel and noticed the repentant look in his eyes. She turned back to Sara. “Yeah, we’re … I’m … going to be fine,” she said hesitantly, as if she didn’t quite believe what she was saying.

Sara smiled and nodded. “I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

Sam nodded.

“I’m really sorry about all of this, Sam,” Jack said sincerely. “I didn’t realize I’d crossed the line with my behavior. I recognize that you and Daniel are together and if we see more of each other in the future I’ll be sure to honor that.”

Sam was quite surprised at Jack’s admission and she wasn’t quite sure whether to believe him. She didn’t notice how the wary look Daniel had given Jack had softened into one of respect.

“Well, I … I guess it’s okay,” she said carefully.

Jack gave her a slight smile. “Sara and I are going to talk things out, and hopefully we can resolve this. I do love her very much and I regret that I didn’t realize how my behavior would affect her.”

“I hope you guys can work things out,” Sam said softly.

“Well, I’m sure we can,” Sara said. “And now, we really must be going. Sorry the evening turned out to be such a bust and we missed most of the movie.”

Sam gave a slight shrug before Sara and Jack started making their way out the doors.

“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Sara repeated just before they disappeared from sight.

Once they were gone, Sam and Daniel turned and looked at each other awkwardly, both nearly at a loss as to what to say to each other.

“I … guess we should head back,” Sam said timidly.

Daniel nodded silently. He held the door open for Sam as they left the building but had nothing to say.

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The walk back through the parking lot toward Daniel’s car was mired in awkward silence. The two of them looked down at their feet as they walked. Every so often, Daniel would sheepishly glance at Sam when she wasn’t looking. She would do the same, but neither of them said anything. It was clear that they were both quite uncomfortable.

As they reached Daniel’s car, they looked at each other for the first time in ages. Cerulean pierced blue-gray as their eyes met. Sam could see the intense apology reflected in Daniel’s face and he could see the deep anguish in hers. They stared at each other a moment longer before they embraced tightly.

Sam felt intense relief and her hardened, emotionless façade finally cracked, allowing tears to stream forth. “Daniel, I am so, so sorry about this.”

“Sam, don’t,” he said soothingly.

“Don’t what?” Sam asked, sniffling.

“Don’t apologize,” Daniel elaborated as he patted her hair down. “I’m the one who should be apologizing. I never should have jumped to conclusions like that.”

“I mean it, Daniel. I was never interested in Jack. I’m sorry if what you saw before made you think otherwise. I love you and I would never do anything to hurt you.”

“I know, Sam,” Daniel replied, his voice full of emotion. He pulled slightly out of their embrace, held her face in his hands, and kissed her lips softly. It was a small gesture but one that was meaningful nonetheless. He stared at her, his eyes apologetic. “Can you ever forgive me for acting like a jackass? It was plain to see that you had no interest in Jack before all of this happened. I should have given you more credit.”

“I have to admit that I felt a little hurt when it seemed that you thought I was doing something that I would never do in a million years. Mostly, I just felt really awkward about what happened. Sara is one of my best friends, and for her husband to be flirting with me like that … God, I can just imagine how she must feel.” She sighed heavily.

Daniel nodded grimly. “I guess they’re going to talk things out. I hope they can come to a resolution – it would be ridiculous for them to break up over something like this, just as it would be for us to grow apart.”

Sam felt like she was dealt a blow to her chest. “Daniel? You were worried that we’d grow apart … over this?” she asked in a small voice.

Daniel blushed faintly and nodded. “I know I was jumping to conclusions, and I guess I’m overreacting here, but I was … almost afraid that I’d lose you. I don’t think I could ever handle that.” His voice nearly caught and he awkwardly cleared his throat.

Sam exhaled slowly and blinked a few tears. “Oh, God, I … I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything, Sam. It’s all my fault – well, no, it’s Jack’s fault for making advances toward you in the first place, but it’s also my fault for presuming that you welcomed his advances. I hope you can forgive me for that.”

A faint smile appeared on her lips. “Of course I can,” she replied softly as she reached up and began stroking his hair. “You know I love you.”

“I do,” Daniel nodded, returning her smile. They embraced once more and kissed tenderly. Daniel heard the sound of shuffling feat and quickly directed his eyes off to the side. He blushed when he found a young couple with three kids looking at them curiously. They were shaking their heads, amused, and two of the kids were giggling.

“Well, ah, I suppose we should get going,” he said awkwardly.

Sam laughed softly upon witnessing the color change in Daniel’s face. She looked past him at the spectators and gave them a playful little wave. The couple gave them a sheepish smile and hurriedly moved their kids in the direction of their car.

“It slipped my mind that this area isn’t exactly private,” Daniel said, giving her an uneasy smile.

“Hey, I’m just as guilty,” Sam grinned.

Daniel chuckled quietly. “Well, I guess we’d better get going all the same. It’s getting a bit late.”

Sam looked down at her hands and nodded. “Actually, I don’t think I’m ready to go home just yet,” she said after a pause. She looked quickly back up at Daniel.

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Daniel ended up treating Sam to some ice cream in an old-fashioned ice cream parlor downtown. It was a sort of peace offering, as he still felt very guilty about upsetting her earlier. Actually, he didn’t think ice cream was such a bad idea himself; he’d started with a headache and the cold treat helped take the edge off it …

… At least until he ate a bit too much in one sitting.

“Brain freeze?” Sam asked with an amused grin upon seeing him shut his eyes tightly and wince.

Daniel nodded quickly and touched his forehead. He looked back up at Sam and blushed as he caught her grin. Her amused giggles turned affectionate.

“Plus, having two nice, large amalgam fillings doesn’t help matters,” he said grimly, gesturing to the back of his mouth. “Well, I guess that’ll teach me to savor every bit of ice cream as if it were my last.”

Sam smiled warmly at him and reached out to pat his arm.

Daniel smiled back before his eyes drifted down to her dish of pineapple sorbet. “How’s yours?” he asked.

“Very good,” she replied. “I’ve never had pineapple sorbet before, but it’s good – not too sweet.”

Daniel nodded. “Good,” he said quietly.

“Want to try some?” she asked, gesturing to the dish.

“Oh, ah … no, that’s okay,” he shook his head. “I still have to work on this.” He gestured to his rather large sundae that consisted of coffee ice cream, hot fudge, caramel and marshmallow sauces, crumbled Oreo cookies and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and whipped cream.

Sam shook her head and grinned. “Do you usually get that?”

“I don’t come here very often anymore, but they remember me well enough … I guess you could say that this is my usual.”

“I don’t see how you can eat all that and be so thin,” she said.

Daniel shrugged. “Performing archaeological digs involves some semblance of physical activity. I guess that keeps me in shape,” he said unconvincingly.

Sam looked as if she wasn’t buying it. “Really? How often do you do that, Daniel? I mean, it’s not on a weekly basis … right?”

Daniel blushed faintly. “No. Okay, to be honest, I’ve always been thin. My parents have always been thin, so I guess it’s partly genetic – metabolism and all that.”

Sam noticed that his voice became slightly agitated when he mentioned his parents and she instantly regretted pushing this subject. “Well, it’s not really a big deal,” she said in a small voice. “I was just thinking how lucky you are. Sorry.” She averted her eyes.

Daniel sighed. “No, it’s okay.” He gave her a faint smile when she looked back up at him. “Actually, you’re quite lucky yourself. You’re in very good shape, Sam.”

Sam blushed. “I, uh … thanks,” she said, not expecting the compliment. “I try to exercise as much as I can. I mostly walk and do a little bit of running …”

Daniel looked at her expectantly.

“Yeah, I’ve always been thin, too,” she conceded. “So has my brother. I guess we have Dad to thank for that … or Mom …” She trailed off and looked away.

Her gaze returned to Daniel when she heard him speak again. “We’re both lucky.”

She gave him a genuine smile. “In more ways than one,” she said.

Daniel smiled back before directing his attention back to his sundae. “Guess I better try finishing this before it melts,” he said dryly, prompting an affectionate chuckle from Sam.

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It was close to eleven o’clock when they finally arrived back at Sam’s house. After the ice cream, they spent a bit of time walking the unusually quiet streets of downtown Colorado Springs, arm in arm, just talking about whatever subject came to mind. However, the incident earlier that evening did not come up in their conversation at all. They talked about their experiences with living in Colorado Springs, especially about how they were different from those where they’d lived previously.

When Daniel pulled up in front of her house, Sam asked if he would like to stay for a bit, with the promise of some coffee. Daniel would have declined, thinking that the coffee ice cream was enough, but he didn’t want to pass up an excuse to spend just a little more time with her.

Finally, just before he was about to leave, Sam brought up the subject of what happened in the theater. Even though they’d both atoned for their misunderstandings, they hadn’t really talked about it much at all and she wanted to reiterate that Jack’s advances were unwelcome.

Daniel felt that she didn’t have to do such a thing. He knew that he was wrong for immediately assuming that she appreciated Jack’s advances. If anything, he was upset that he’d hurt her. Still, if she felt better in getting it off of her chest, Daniel didn’t object to it.

“Daniel, I love you and I always will,” she declared as her eyes bored into his. “No one can take your place. I really hope that you understand that now.”

Daniel beamed at her. “I do, Sam,” he replied softly. “I do.”

With that, they locked lips and kissed softly. Aware of how deep their love was for one another, they were reluctant to bring it to an end. Unfortunately, it was very late and they were both exhausted after all that had happened earlier.

Daniel reluctantly pulled away from her and looked soulfully into her eyes. As she took in his handsome chiseled features, Sam had to try hard to stifle some animal instinct that threatened to take over. For the most part, she succeeded.

“Can you stay the night?” she suddenly blurted out, as if she wasn’t quite aware of what she was saying. Unfortunately, she was.

“S-Sam?” Daniel suddenly stuttered. “Are you sure?”

Sam blushed furiously. She was of two minds: really wanting Daniel’s company, but not wanting to rush too quickly into things for fear of driving him away. “I … um … well, I just don’t want to be alone tonight,” she said weakly.

Daniel studied her face and then nodded in understanding. “Okay.”

“I just don’t know what we’re going to do about sleeping arrangements,” she said, nervously scratching the back of her neck. “I have a spare room, but there’s a pile of junk in there since I don’t use it much. I, um … I guess you can take my bed and I’ll sleep on the floor …”

Daniel held up his hands. “Sam, no. I could never make you do that. I’ll take the couch,” he said, hooking his thumb in the direction of said piece of furniture.

Sam’s brow furrowed. “Are you sure?”

Daniel nodded. “I don’t want to inconvenience you. This will be fine.”

Sam looked back up at him and reluctantly nodded. “Okay. If you need any blankets, I have some in the hall closet.”

Daniel shook his head. “No, that’s all right.”

“Oh. Okay,” Sam said quietly.

Daniel smiled at her before he put his arm around her and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Sam.”

Sam beamed. “Goodnight, Daniel,” she said before making her way down the hall.

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Daniel left rather early the next day to go home and feed his fish. Sam received a promise of a phone call and reluctantly said goodbye to him. She blushed faintly upon remembering that she couldn’t sleep too well the night before and had ventured out into the living room. She’d found Daniel snoring softly with his glasses crooked upon his face and a magazine spread across his lap. Grinning, she’d removed the glasses and set them down on the coffee table, replacing the magazine as well. She eyed the afghan that was draped over the top of the couch and, without a second thought, removed it and spread it over Daniel. She then took to stroking his long hair and pushing it back from his face before planting a kiss on his lips. Watching him sleep so serenely made her feel better and she was able to get some sleep. When he awoke the next morning, he didn’t question the fact that his glasses had been removed during the night. He had a pretty good idea of how the afghan got there, but he didn’t question that either.

Not long after he’d left, Sara called Sam. Apparently, she and Jack had had a long talk regarding Jack’s behavior. Luckily they had come to a resolution and were going to work things out. Even though it would be hard to keep from being a big kid, Jack promised that he would treat Sara with nothing but respect – which meant cutting out the flirting. Sam was very happy to hear that they had worked it out, as she knew they belonged together and wanted her best friend to be happy.

She’d spoken to Daniel the next day and told him as well. He seemed glad that the two of them had come to an understanding and especially that Jack was going to try hard to mend his ways. Their conversation was quite short and Sam didn’t see very much of Daniel in the following week. She only interacted with him through sporadic phone calls. He was intensely apologetic whenever he spoke to her, but he insisted that he was quite busy.

It was the evening of July 28th when Sam received an unexpected surprise. It was a fairly warm evening and she was decked out in a short sleeved, floral print t-shirt and a pair of denim cutoffs. She sat barefoot in a chair in her home office, casually reading a book that she’d been meaning to finish for several months. It was a book about relationships and how to figure guys out. She’d bought it back around the time she started communicating with Joe.

She grinned upon reading one specific sentence: “If a guy is really into you, he’ll move mountains to be with you.” It reminded her of Daniel. Her grin faded when the reality that they hadn’t been together for just over a week sunk in. Granted, he said he was busy and he did talk to her on the phone, but she was really starting to miss being with him.

She was about to go back to reading when the doorbell suddenly rang. Sam nearly jumped out of her seat. She glanced at the clock and realized that it was just after eight o’clock.

Who would be bothering me at this hour? she wondered as she recovered. She threw the book down on her desk and sauntered out of the room, not bothering to put her shoes on.

When she opened the front door, her heart nearly leapt up into her throat.

“Hi, Sam,” Daniel said shyly. His warm smile and timid tone of voice were at odds with each other.

It was Daniel. Daniel was standing in front of her door. Daniel was standing in front of her door, wearing a light blue dress shirt and dark gray dress pants.

“Uh … D-Daniel,” she stammered, finally finding her voice. “I, um … Hi!” Her cheeks flamed when she realized she sounded like an awkward adolescent.

Daniel chuckled affectionately before giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. As he studied her face, he remembered the reason he was standing in front of her door and his smile slowly faded. “Sam, I have to talk to you about something important,” he said earnestly.

Sam looked at him curiously before giving a small shrug. “Okay. Come on in …”

“No,” Daniel interrupted. “I … I can’t. Will you take a ride with me?”

Sam furrowed her brow in confusion. “Well, yeah, I guess so,” she said. “Just give me a few minutes to change.” She looked ruefully down at the very casual clothes she was wearing.

“No, that’s okay. You really don’t have to,” Daniel insisted.

“Oh,” Sam said after a beat. “Okay. Can I at least put my shoes on?” She gave him a crooked grin.

Daniel laughed softly. “Sure.”

Sam smiled and gestured for him to enter before making her way back to her home office. Daniel waited in the foyer until she returned two minutes later, wearing an old pair of running shoes.

She grabbed her purse off the table and locked up as Daniel made his way outside. Not a word was exchanged between them as they entered the car. Daniel gave her an endearing smile before he turned the ignition on. Sam leaned her head back and sighed, trying not to let her curiosity get the better of her as they set off in their journey to God-knows-where.

Or, perhaps more appropriately, to Daniel-knows-where.


To Chapter 24

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