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Jake shook his head, rolling his shoulders lightly, “Maybe Kitty would think it was super special but I don’t know man, I think I might feel like I’d be making an ass of myself, you know? It’s different when just like, remixing songs ‘cause that’s not me doing stuff, not really.” He shrugged, “But respect to you for having done it man – did it make her go all crazy for you?” He asked with a wink.
Jake chuckled, nodding at Sam’s words, “Yeah dude, no shit. I met a girl who could fix my computer the other day super randomly and one of my friends I bumped into on the street and… Yeah. There’s a ton of weird people – luckily I haven’t met any real freaky ones yet. Aside from the drunken people when I’m out doing my gigs.” He flashed a brief smile at Sam, feeling kind of good just hanging out and talking with the guy – they shared a lot of the same interests and Sam was just cool, like the kind of guy you always wanted to hang out with in High School but thought he was a jock, or something.
Thankfully, Sam was just plainly nice and really fun to hang out with – Jake couldn’t help his own boyish smile as Sam seemed a little awed by the huge arcade as well. Upon asking him what they should do first, Jake’s eyes immediately caught a machine with some kind of fighting game on it. He nodded towards it, before making his way over there, “Fighting game, hands down. Like, in High School, I’d always really want to play but the dudes were super crazy about it and I would’ve been even less cool if I had tried, so today’s my redemption!” He announced with a grin – pulling out his wallet and sticking a couple of coins into the machine.
Sam nodded a little hearing Jake’s opinion, and commented, “You know, you can always sing for her when there are only the two of you. It’s intimate and nice, she’d like it.” The blonde smiled a little when Jake started talking about remixing stuff because he totally got what his friend meant. He had some sort of help while he was doing his job. “Yeah, I guess so.” Sam could feel blush creeping up his cheeks as he responded to Jake’s question. He couldn’t help it, it was just…all the memories about him and Quinn always made him smile, and act awkwardly “It was kinda nice. And she was…well, incredible.” The blonde added looking towards his friend.
Sam’s eyes widened a little as he heard about a girl who could fix a computer. Like…he’d never met a girl who could fix a guy’s computer, “Wow, bro. Was she an IT student, or…?” He asked with a quirked eyebrow, “I know what you mean. When I played at the Universe there were tons of drunken people, but it made everything even more fun.” He chuckled a little, and put his hands in his jeans pockets, as they carried on walking.
“Fighting game? Someone wants to get his ass kicked!” Sam totally forgot that he was not ten, but almost twenty years old. Now his only goal was to beat Jake in this game. They came to the arcade to have lots of fun, and he really was planning to forget about the rest of the world, and just be crazy with his friend, “Alright. I’m so ready for this.” The blonde flashed Jake a grin, and couldn’t help but be excited about the evening.
After finding out that he was going to be spending Christmas in Lima, Blaine wasn’t exactly in the best of moods. He was only going along with it for Rachel, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to go. He just wanted to keep his girlfriend happy, and along with keeping his girlfriend happy, he also had to try and figure out what he was going to give her as a gift this year. He had a brief idea - which was pretty good considering he wasn’t the most organised guy in the world - but part of him was worried that Rachel would read too much into it, and it would freak her out. So, he was trying out plan B for the time being, and hoping that he could discuss his gift idea with someone first, hoping to get a different perspective.
So he’d invited Sam along - since he was pretty low on guy friends right now - their friendship was still pretty tentative, but he was working on it. With a little push he had a feeling they could be good friends someday, they were already working through their issues after all. Maybe with a bit more male bonding, they’d be good to go. He could hope anyway. Besides, who else could he have for this kind of thing? Sure, he could’ve invited Quinn, but well he really needed a guys perspective on this, and as much as he loved Quinn, she wasn’t a guy. So Sam would have to do.
Blaine leant back against the wall of the mall as he waited for Sam to show, gripping his coffee cup tightly in his hands, hoping that Sam would show sooner rather than later, because it was freezing outside, and he was pretty sure it was going to start snowing soon. Yeah, Sam really needed to hurry up and show soon, he thought as he took another drink from his cup.
Sam hated shopping. He wasn’t good at that stuff, and whenever he had to buy something, his mom helped him, or like last year- his girlfriend. Girls usually knew more about shops, and what to buy so he relied on them when it came to buying things. But Christmas was coming, and Sam knew he had to buy gifts for his family, and friends. He’d already had Quinn’s gift- he had bought it before he had left London, but now he had to get something for his parents, siblings, girlfriend and maybe Finn and Jake- his best bros. Sam hated shopping also because of one other thing- spending money. He wasn’t a wealthy person, that’s why he’d been saving money for Christmas gifts for months.
The blonde was a little bit surprised when Blaine asked him to go shopping with him, but he just couldn’t say ‘no’ to that offer. Both of them probably needed some help, so he figured out it’d be better than shopping alone. Besides, maybe Blaine’s good at buying things, so that he could make it all easier for Sam. They’d been trying to be friends, even if it wasn’t that easy considering their past, Sam was still willing to give them a chance. The blonde had grown up while he had been living in New York, and he knew that hating on people wouldn’t help anyone.
Sam entered the mall, and looked around, trying to spot the place when they were supposed to meet. He sent Blaine a quick text, telling him that he was there, and looked around the mall. Christmas tree, carols, and lots of people. “Here we are.” The blonde mumbled, and smiled a little when he finally spotted Blaine, “Hey, man.” He greeted him, “Just wanna let you know that I’m not good at shopping, but I hope we can figure something out together.”
Rachel decided not to press the whole Brody VS Sam issue that seemed to be going on, because for one it wasn’t her place to do so, and secondly, she could tell that Quinn was still struggling a little with the new arrangement, especially since Sam had thrown everything off by coming home months earlier than planned. But, Quinn was still one of her best friends, and she’d always be there for her, no matter what she decided to do. “Exactly, even though I’m not living with you anymore, it doesn’t mean that you’ve got rid of me,” she grinned, playfully nudging Quinn’s side, “But you’ll be okay, seriously,” she added with a nod, finding their seats in the auditorium and sitting down.
She laughed softly as Quinn spoke about not knowing what to do with her room, and scoffed visibly at the thought of her and Blaine managing to find space for all of their things. “Oh you have no idea!” she giggled with a slight shake of her head, “We managed to unpack a few things, like the bedroom is pretty much sorted, but there are still quite a few of my boxes scattered around the lounge that we just haven’t been able to find a home for yet,” she told Quinn with smile. “But I’m sure you’ll think of something to do with the room, maybe you could use it to store all of your photographs? You know, instead of keeping them stored in boxes like you have been?” Rachel had always admired Quinn’s talent for photography, and she knew that they deserved to be displayed more than what they had been, maybe now that Quinn had some extra space, it would give her the incentive to display them, at least that’s what Rachel hoped anyway. Who knew what Quinn would eventually decide to do.
The performance was beyond ridiculous, and Rachel couldn’t help but laugh throughout it, watching as Sam and Blaine bounced across the stage like a couple of children, dressed in neon colours, covered in face paint and those shorts! If she wasn’t seeing it for herself, then she wouldn’t believe it for a second, what’s more she still couldn’t believe that Blaine and Sam were performing together, and actually looking happy about it. When the hell did that happen? As the performance finished, Rachel jumped to her feet, applauding them both happily, laughing as she caught Blaine’s eye and shook her head with an amused expression on her face. She was kidding herself when she thought she’d be able to remain angry with him over this. “You’re insane,” she mouthed, winking at him and laughing as she watched him leave the stage with Sam. It took her few moments to compose herself and build up the courage to face Quinn again.
“So….what did you think?” Rachel asked coyly, picking up her jacket and draping it over her arm, “I’m going to find Blaine and congratulate him, are you coming with?” She asked, a little more cautious this time, fearing that Quinn would think that she’d been deliberately ambushed, “I swear Quinn, if I’d have known that Sam was performing with Blaine tonight, then I’d have told you when I invited you, you know that right?”
Quinn smiled as she listened to how well her best friends were getting on in their apartment together, happy that after all of their fighting, they were able to get back to how their friendship had been before Rachel had moved out. “Well you know, if you have any spare things floating around, I am always willing to take them off of your hands.” She laughed, running a hand through her hair as she thought about what she was going to do with Rachel’s room. “Yeah, I might do. I’m thinking of putting a Murphy Bed in there, you know? So if someone does want to stay over, I can have a bed in there, but fold it away for space. Or maybe I’ll black out the window and make it a dark room…I don’t know yet. I’ll see what feels right. I’m in no rush to do anything with it at the moment, and I’m not really inspired to take that many pictures at the moment, so I don’t have too many to add to the collection.” She explained, hoping that she made at least a little bit of sense.
The blonde was in total shock to see that Sam was performing, when she’d been lead to believe that she was only going to be watching Blaine perform. She wasn’t sure whether she believed that Rachel wasn’t in on it or not, although she was glad that she may have been tricked into going there, because she was pretty shocked to see Blaine and Sam in those outfits. She would have missed out on this if she had spent the evening in her apartment, like she was planning on doing. She never thought that she would see Sam and Blaine dancing and singing together, at least not in this lifetime, after everything that had gone on between them two, they seemed to hardly be friends the last time that she had seen Sam and Blaine together. She stood with her friend as the performance ending, giving them the applause that they so deserved.
“I thought it was pretty funny…and they actually sing rather well together…not that I really know what I’m talking about.” She said with a smile and small shrug, slipping her jacket on over her shoulders. “Um…sure..I guess I could come backstage.” She said with an anxious smile. She and Sam were trying to be friends, and this was what friends did, right? “Yeah, I know. You looked just as surprised as I did when they came out on stage, don’t worry. It’s Blaine that’s gonna be at the end of my wrath.” She giggled, following the brunette as they headed backstage to go and meet Sam and Blaine.
Blaine grinned at Sam as he took in how excited Sam appeared to be after finishing the performance. It was the exact same way Blaine always got - the adrenaline coursing through his veins as he continued jumping around trying to use all that excess energy that he had left over. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he opened his bottle of water, taking a sip, and raising an eyebrow at Sam’s question. There it was, the question he’d been expecting the moment he’d asked Rachel to invite Quinn along. He knew he was probably in for some trouble from everyone involved, but it had seemed like such a good idea at the time - but at least Rachel had looked relatively happy when he’d left the stage, so he’d taken that as a good sign.
“Oh yeah, I uh…I forgot?” he offered, rolling his shoulder and sighing, “Okay, so I didn’t forget, but I knew how you’d react if I told you she was coming, and she’s one of my best friends, and I didn’t want Rachel sitting on her own out there, it just kind of made sense.” he paused, squinting his eyes a little as he took a moment to read Sam’s expression, “You’re not really mad, are you man?” he asked, especially he and Sam were still trying to rebuild their friendship after everything they’d been through.
They got changed quickly and walked out into the crowded hallway where Blaine started scanning the area in search of Rachel, when he eventually spotted her, he laughed left Sam’s side and immediately ran over to her, engulfing her in a tight hug and lifting her off the ground and spinning her around. “So what did you think?” he beamed, not daring to face Quinn right this second, fearing her wrath all the more.
Sam rolled his eyes playfully as he heard Blaine’s reaction to his question about Quinn, and he had to admit- he wasn’t surprised that the brunette didn’t mention that to him, “I’m not mad, but a little heads up would be nice.” He told the other guy with a small shrug, “Besides, me and Quinn are just friends, best friends actually…I mean…we’re trying to be best friends and all, you know, not big deal…” He knew he’d been rambling a little but he needed to let Blaine know that he wasn’t mad. Now he just had to figure out how to behave around Quinn, but that wasn’t a hard thing to do right?
Sam plastered a fake smile on his face, as the girls walked up to him and he nodded at Blaine’s question, “Yeah what do you think?” He moved his head a little to look towards Rachel, trying to behave naturally. Actually, he kinda waited for Rachel’s opinion about their performance, because he considered her to be an expert there. “Hey, Quinn.” He finally decided to be polite, and acknowledge the blonde’s presence too, no matter how awkward it all was. “How did you like the performance? Blaine kinda called me and we just had a few rehearsals, and yeah…Wake Me Up happened.” He explained before giving Blaine another high five. Try to be cool, bro. Just try to be cool.
Quinn gave Sam another small smile as he helped her put her coat on, appreciating the fact that he was remembering the little things, because she was more than prepared to walk out without any kind of coat on, and probably freeze to death in the process. Tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear as they walked, she kept herself close to Sam the entire time. Sure, they may not have been acting in the way that they perhaps should have been as exes, or as friends, or whatever the hell they were, but she didn’t care. She didn’t like thinking about that, not when so many months ago, she and him had practically planned a whole life together. From where they wanted to move to, to how many kids they had wanted…but that was all gone, and Quinn wasn’t sure whether or not she was ever going to get those things, no matter how much she still loved Sam.
Tucking her hands into the pockets in her coat, Quinn lead the way to the church, walking in silence as she listened to Sam talk about going back to the city. That was all she wanted, was to be back home. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. I don’t want to keep you away from your life for too long, you probably don’t want to be here, God know’s I don’t…” Her voice was still quiet, but she wasn’t as nervous or scared as she had been earlier. She just needed to go home. “Y-yeah, I’m ready..”
Turning the corner into the church, Quinn was surprised to see Sylvie there, the lady who owned the local diner, someone she had been close to when she had grown up. She hadn’t seen her since her visit to New Jersey with Rachel, 6 months ago. “Hey Kiddo.” The older woman said, holding out a brown take out bag that was all too familiar to Quinn. “I saw you two arrive, and I thought you could do with some food. I know your house isn’t in the best of shape.” The woman explained. Taking the bag from her, the blonde looked up to Sam, a little surprised. “Thanks, Sylvie…You don’t have to stay for this, I know you didn’t know or…like my mum.”
Sam was a little bit happy to spend more time with Quinn. Sure, the circumstances were definitely not nice, but at least he could talk to her, and feel like they’re at least friends. He knew he still loved her, it wasn’t a feeling you forget a week after the break up, he knew his feelings were strong, and it’d take time to move on. They had everything planned, he could have practically seen their future together. He thought that they were perfect for each other, they were different, but they had been such a great match. But now? Not he didn’t know what was between the two of them, and if they’re really meant to be together like he had thought in the past. She’d moved on so fast, and it was hard to believe. But then was the kiss…and her body in his arms…it had felt so good. However, Sam didn’t want to push her into something she didn’t want to do, she had a boyfriend, and if she wanted to be with him again, she would have told him right? She’d had so many opportunities…
“You’re not keeping me away from my life. Don’t worry about it.” Sam flashed Quinn a quick smile, he’d even forgotten about everything that was happening in New York, he focused on helping her, because that’s why he had come to New Jersey with her. “Seriously, you’re the one that matters here. Don’t worry.” He told her sincerely, and followed her inside the church.
Seeing Quinn talking to a lady he didn’t know, he kept quiet, and just smiled a little bit at Quinn as she looked up to him. “What’s in the bag?” He finally asked, food was appreciated, especially because he knew that they wouldn’t planning to eat after the funeral. Quinn wanted to get out of New Jersey as soon as possible, and Sam was ready to do anything for her, so he accepted her decision.
Standing up from the bed, sighing as she smoothed down the front of her dress. She really didn’t want to go, and there was no way that she wanted to make Sam sit through the service either. She didn’t want to talk, didn’t want to lay flowers…she wanted to get in, say goodbye, and get out. It might have been seen as disrespectful, or rude, but she didn’t care. She didn’t care about the woman, she like her, and she didn’t want to be in New Jersey any longer than she had to. She wanted to be back in her apartment. It made it better to have Sam there, because she knew that there is no way that she could have done it without him there, especially with the lack of electricity. She would have just arrived and left if she had been alone, but no. Sam had left her grounded, and that was better than her taking off and doing nothing at all.
“Thank you, Sam..” She whispered, making her way out of the house, because she couldn’t deal with being in the house any longer. “We don’t need a cab or anything, we can walk from here. Besides, why should we pay for a cab for this? I don’t want to go, the later that I’m there, the better.” She said, grabbing her coat, and waiting for Sam to step out of the house before walking down the pathway to start their way to the funeral. “Can we not stay for very long?” She asked, her voice quiet, not really wanting to stay for longer than absolutely necessary.
Sam followed Quinn downstairs, and just nodded as she spoke making sure that he wouldn’t interrupt her, because all she needed now, was probably just talk a lot to feel a little bit better. He could ramble about anything when he was stressed, so he completely understood that, “You’re welcome” he whispered back, knowing that she had thanked him so many times during their time in New Jersey, but he didn’t need her to say that. He was being a good friend…even if they quite didn’t behave like ‘just friends’. “Okay, we can walk there…I don’t mind.” He told her before helping her to put on her coat. Sam always tried to behave like a gentleman.
As they walked towards the church, Sam crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded again at her words. As much as he wanted to take her hand in that moment, he knew it’d be inappropriate. They weren’t a couple anymore, and Quinn had a boyfriend…but he missed holding her hand. He missed the little things so much. “We won’t. We’ll make sure that everything’s fine, we’ll go to your house, take our stuff and go back to New York. Is that okay?” He asked, and knew that they had just reached their destination. He turned his head to look into Quinn’s eyes, “You ready?”
Tina smiled sweetly at him,”Well you are the meaning of awesome- I mean you are talented in so many things from art, to music to just being an amazing person.” She couldn’t help but say nice things about him, he was just too…perfect. “Well my cousins are the one that set up the skype call for my parents- they are completely clueless as maybe as yours. Parents don’t really know much about technology which in come ways is good,” she chuckled lightly it was weird how a like two strangers could be. “Wow you are pretty athletic, I can tell that you really do love sports. Unlike me I prefer to be inside sleeping,” she admitted to him honestly. “I really hope that I do get the chance to meet them one day,” she smiled sweetly at him.
Tina bite her lips lightly, Sam had kissed her it she looked at him lightly and spoke softly,”Yeah it did feel right,” she perked up,”I honestly don’t mind at all….I really like it,” her smile widen as he placed another soft kiss against he lips but frowned a little before he pulled and looked into her eyes. He was being serious which made her a little nervous,”I really like you too Sam.” she took hold of his hand lightly,”What is it Sam?”
Sam blushed a little when Tina mentioned that he was awesome. She’d been telling him all of those things all the time, and he didn’t know how to respond to it all. It’d been flattering, but at the same, he completely disagreed with her. “Thanks, Tina. But, you’re definitely one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. You’re super duper amazing, which means you’re even more amazing than I am.” Sam smiled, hoping that he was making sense. Because he was being totally honest with her. She was amazing, but somehow he thought to himself that maybe he really wasn’t worth her attention. He, a guy who had broken Quinn’s heart, and now he was afraid that he might hurt Tina. He’d never do that though, he was just scared. Maybe Tina was too good for him? “Oh really? Well, maybe I should ask my little sister and brother to do this for them. It’s not a bad idea.” The blonde haired boy admitted, making a mental note to tell Stevie and Stacey about it. “Inside sleeping is good too. I mean…everyone needs it, so it’s nothing bad right?” Sam said jokingly, trying to make the atmosphere even better. He knew that some of his jokes were lame…but he just couldn’t help himself.
“I’m glad.” Sam smiled brightly hearing that the kiss felt right to her too. He was worried for a second that maybe he had done something she didn’t want to happen, but she seemed to be pretty happy about it. His smile widened as he heard that she liked him back, but it faltered a little after she’d mentioned the ‘but’. “It’s just…” he squeezed her hand a little. “I want to be honest with you, Tina. Because you’re a great girl, and I really mean it.” He looked in her eyes again so that she’d know that he was being honest, “I’ve been through a rough break up recently. And I gotta say…I haven’t really moved on…I mean, I’m trying, it’s just uh…” He leaned back on the couch, “It’s hard, because it was all my fault and I feel like a shit, and I don’t wanna hurt you too, because you’re so great, and I totally do not deserve you.” He’d been rambling a little but he just couldn’t help it, “I’m afraid I might screw up this…whatever it is between us…”
Quinn wasn’t sure if this was the safest thing for her to be doing with Sam right now. She was having all of her old feelings rush back to her, and although she was still doubting herself about everything that had gone on with Sam since they had broken up, and her trust had been broken. But she didn’t want to think about that now, because what she needed was the comfort that came from laying in Sam’s arms, and comfort was all that she wanted. She didn’t want to feel so empty or alone like she had been, she wanted to feel like she belonged somewhere, and if this was the only way how, then so be it. But although she knew that she shouldn’t be doing this, especially with Brody waiting for her in New York thinking that she had been on a school visit, but this was Sam…and he was the only person who knew how to calm her down at times like this.
Quinn knew that she and Sam were probably doing something wrong, but she couldn’t help it. This was exactly what she needed right now, and it was really was helping her. “No this…this is what I wanted…” She whispered back, her arms moving to sit over his, so that she could feel even closer to him. She didn’t care what people were going to think about this, because as far as she was concerned, nobody would find out. They weren’t really doing anything wrong, were they?
Laying in the darkness was hard, but in a way it made things easier for her. Looking in the direction of his face was a little tricky, but without seeing it, there was a smaller chance of her doing something that she’d regret. Not that she was going to regret what she was about to do. She couldn’t explain it, maybe it was the tiredness, or that she was a little confused about everything, but the blonde leaned forward and pressed a soft, familiar kiss to Sam’s lips for a moment, before pulling away. “Night, Sam…thank you…” she whispered, closing her eyes.
It was awkward, and he was so conflicted. He knew they sort of shouldn’t have been doing this, and maybe if the circumstances were different, they wouldn’t, but…Quinn’s mother was dead, and Quinn needed him. She needed him to comfort her, and Sam was ready to be there for her anytime, any day, no matter what. Maybe she just needed someone who would hold her, she couldn’t count on her dad, well there was Brody, but the other guy didn’t know anything about her past, and Sam knew how insecure Quinn was about it, so he knew that it would be another big thing for her. Telling another person about her deepest secrets. That’s why he wasn’t surprised that she called him, and that she wanted him to hold her.
“Okay, cool.” Sam smiled a little to himself, glad that he was doing the right things. He was a little bit confused feeling her arms sitting over his, but he didn’t mind it at all. He liked the contact they were making, it was so familiar and damn…it made him feel good. Like nothing bad had happened. “You’re welcome. You know that I’ll always be here for you, right?” He smiled brightly, but was surprised feeling her lips against his. He kissed her back instinctively, feeling that familiar thing inside…the flutter in his heart…damn those feelings. He tightened his grip around her as he closed his eyes, trying not to think about what was about to happen the next day. Because it was supposed to be one of the hardest for Quinn…and probably for him. He hated seeing her crying, and being upset, and he’d do his best to support her. He just didn’t know if he was ready to do that. If he’d be able to do that. He knew her better than anyone, but he it’d be an emotional day for him too. Funerals weren’t the nicest things in the world, besides when they had been a couple, Sam had really wanted to meet Quinn’s mother, and he was kinda upset that it’d never happen.
“Nah, not yet,” Jake admitted with a slight shrug, “I’m kinda like, keeping it a secret till the time’s right, you know? So she’ll be super blown away by my awesome abilities,” he said with a grin, nudging Sam in the side playfully. Jake was a little apprehensive about going to a club, since, well – it was what he did most nights anyway and when you spent most of your evenings in a club trying to make a name for yourself (as much as he loved it) you got a little sick of it. So when Sam instead suggested that they go to an arcade, of all things, Jake’s grin widened and he nodded enthusiastically.
“Yeah, dude! That sounds awesome, I might even beat you at some of the games or something,” he flashed Sam a grin, “how have you been doing since the last time we hung out?” He asked, curiously – he’d been thinking of the dude a couple of times, but something had always gotten in the way of actually texting him so he’d been really glad when Sam had gotten to him – truth was that Jake really needed some real dudes he could just chill out with and maybe get some advice from, like, bro to bro kind of stuff. They started walking towards the closest arcade and Jake wrapped his coat a little tighter around himself – it was getting really kind of cold.
“Riiight. Surprise. Chicks love surprises.” Sam told Jake completely seriously, even if Quinn claimed that she wasn’t a fan of surprises, Sam knew that she loved it. “You can sing a love song to her during a party or something. That usually works, and I speak from experience.” The blonde smirked, and nudged Jake back as they walked down the street. The night was a little bit chilly, well it was December, so Sam was glad that he wore his favourite jacket. He didn’t particularly like this month, because of how cold it was, but he could get used to it. Sam smiled and was glad that Jake seemed to be thrilled about the idea of going to an arcade, it was something he’d been secretly dying to do for weeks.
“I’m gonna kick your ass bro. We’ll see how much you’ve learned.” The blonde grinned, it was awkward to feel like a teacher, but at the same time it was kinda…satisfying? Hearing the question, Sam sighed, and nodded a little, “I’m cool. Just y’know…making my life awesome and interesting.” New Jersey, Quinn, Tina, work…it was all super confusing, and it wasn’t easy for Sam to deal with well…everything. “How about you, man?” The blonde asked, and looked towards the other guy. They still hadn’t known themselves well, Sam only knew that Jake was a DJ, and that was pretty much it, but that night was a good opportunity to get to know him better. He needed a dude friend to talk to, especially now, when Finn was so busy with his band, and Sam didn’t want to interrupt…whatever his friend had been doing.
Even if Sam wasn’t work there, he was the saver for Lorenzo’s birthday. Nick’s mom told him to buy something, even if it was expensive. Anyway, they we’re both paying for it. “I really thought that you were working there, you know a lot of things.” Nick laughed. He also thought in his head that he was stupid and he never recognized that Sam was just someone like him: a customer. He should have seen it after all, there was no name on his shirt for this. A hockey player isn’t someone that wants to be popular, eh? He was just someone normal as the others. As Sam was just another fan of Marvel just like him and a couple of other persons.
“Yeah, he’s going to be really happy for all of this.” Nick said, smiling to him. He was a real fan of Marvel universe too. He passed to the cash register and he looked at Sam, smiling. “Thank you again for all of this, I wasn’t here to make me another friend, but life is a curious thinkg, eh? I know where to find you if I need any other help for the comics universe.” He laughed. “But well, if you need any geek conversation. This is my phone number. Or if you want to meet Lorenzo some day… just ask. He will love you, I’m sure of this.” Nick smiled.
“Yeah, I told you, maybe that’s because I’ve been a fan of Marvel and all that stuff since…forever.” Sam laughed bringing back his childhood memories. He quite had no idea what it all had started, he’d been reading comic books since primary school or earlier. Well…earlier he couldn’t read, but at least he could stare at the awesome drawings. “What do you like though? Are you a NYU student?” Sam asked knowing that he had said a lot about himself, but Nick never mentioned a word about what he did or was interested in, and Sam didn’t want the guy to think that he was being rude or something.
“I hope so. It’s all about making your brother smile. I know that awesome feeling.” Sam smiled thinking about his siblings, because he loved them more than anything, and would literally do anything for them. “Alright. I’ll call you or text you…or whatever. You can’t find me here that often though…I usually work or study…New York life, right?” He shrugged, and was a little bit surprised with Nick’s offer…they’d just met and he already offered him meeting his younger brother? Quite unusual, but very nice.
Although she was feeling really down about the whole situation that was going on the whole time, but being there with Sam, it made her feel better about everything. She even forgot that they weren’t there as a couple from time to time, and it seemed to make her feel better, thinking that she was there with Sam, and nothing had changed, and the past few months hadn’t happened at all. As much as she wanted to be laying in that bed with Sam, she still felt nervous about calling out to him, because she wasn’t sure what they were and weren’t allowed to do as two friends any more, even if she was certain that she still loved him, regardless of Brody that was back waiting for her in New York, thinking that she was away on some kind of school trip, instead of laying in the same bed as her ex-boyfriend, on that she had planned a life with at one time or another.
Feeling Sam climb into bed with her was familiar, and gave her a pang of guilt and sadness in her heart. It was so familiar, just something as simple as sharing a bed, something they had done hundreds of times…and yet it was different. Because they weren’t a couple, and it wasn’t supposed to be done by them. Closing her eyes as she felt his arms around her, pulling her tight into his body, and she could feel the warmth of his body against hers, something she had missed in the past few months. “I’m better, now that you’re here.” She said, her voice soft. A part of her knew that these things shouldn’t be said by her, but she couldn’t help it. She was in a bad place, and Sam was the only person who could help.
Turning in Sam’s arms, she moved so that she was facing him. She knew that this wasn’t the best idea for them to be in this close a contact, but she didn’t care. Looking to his eyes, she licked her lips quickly. “Thank you for doing this, Sam. I know it’s not easy…especially being here…with me…but thank you. I…I really needed you here.”
Sam was a little bit confused, because he didn’t know if he was doing the right thing. Did she want him to hold her or just lay next to her? But having her in his arms brought back so many memories, it always felt so right, and it wasn’t any different this time. For a while he brought back the last summer, when he could go back from work, and climb into bed just to fall asleep next to her. He usually had woken her up then, because he had always desperately wanted to hold her in his arms, but she hadn’t seemed to mind it. They had had all mornings to sleep and cuddle, after all. It was something Sam had loved, the little things that had made their relationship so special. Sure, there had been time for physical contact, but his favourite moments were the little, the intimate ones they had shared, even if it was just cuddling in bed.
He smiled a little when she admitted that she was better, and he rested his chin on her shoulder, just like he used to. He didn’t mean to do this, it was just a habit, “I’m glad. But I didn’t know if you wanted me to hold you or just lay next to you…” He whispered, his hand instinctively moving to touch hers, but he moved it away quickly, You aren’t together anymore, Sam. It was really hard to remember about that now, especially when they’re so close.
“It’s okay. You needed me and I’m here. I know it’s hard. I completely understand you, so it’s all good. I don’t mind being here. In fact, I’m glad that you called me.” His eyes met hers, and he was just glad that it was dark around them so he couldn’t see how gorgeous they were because it might have ended bad for both of them then. “You’ll be fine. I know it. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met…it’ll be hard, but you’ll get through it.” He told her sincerely, moving his hand to her cheek, and stroking it gently with his thumb. He’d be probably in a bad place when it’d be about his mother, so he knew how hard it was for her.
