The junior staff's little stunt caught Monika's attention the most, and she tilted her head to see Sam just sitting there, his face contorted and, most of all, confused. She stared at him too, and just like everyone else, she was waiting for his next move. Sam knew he couldn't escape this situation, so he took a deep breath before putting down his cup of cold soda. He stood up and nervously pulled on his clothes before walking towards the crowd where his friends were. His friends parted and cleared the path for him, and without them on the way, he could now perfectly see the face of the woman who had been taunting his daydreams and was visiting his mind once in a while. Once he was a few feet away from the woman, he shifted his eyes to his friends. He was afraid to meet the pair of black eyes that were already looking at him, but he needed to. "Hi," Sam croaked, his voice a little bit pitchy and high. He cleared his throat before trying again. "Hi," he said once more. "Hello, Sam," M

"I do. I miss you, baby. So much. So fucking much. So damn much." Monika chuckled as she relaxed against the embrace. He knew it was too early, and he promised to take things slow, but he couldn't help himself when Monika was the one who initiated the move. He slowly snaked his arms around her waist and snuggled his head around Monika's neck. He felt her sobbing lightly, and he let her be. He himself wanted to cry over what's happening right now. He was waiting for months—years even—to touch Monika again, to see her, to hug her, and now that it's finally happening, it's too much for his vulnerable heart. "I love you, Monika." Silence. "And it's not the platonic kind of love. I love you more than that." "No shit, Sherlock," Monika muttered, and Sam laughed so loudly at the latter's reaction. "What? You really believe I'll pretend to be in a relationship to prevent my manager from interfering with my partner or my career? I did that because I wanted to be with you," Sam shoved playf

Sam cries with her, quieter, needing to spend comfort more than to receive it, his chest leaden with soreness, and he is constricted, but surprised, to find the beast slithered back to where it came from, letting him breathe a little easier. Monika has been quiet for a few minutes, but Sam just strokes her hair and back, giving her space. "Did you draw them because you couldn't talk to anyone?" Sam feels a surge of cold rippling down his spine, even though it's almost too warm inside, with the sun streaming in through the windows. "Yes. I'm bad at writing and talking about how I feel, so I draw." He inhales Monika again, taking comfort and strength, reminding himself that he has no reason to keep hurting in silence. "You're not bad at it. When you do, you're not. You just have to do it more." Monika moves back, forcing Sam to open his arms, his head moving up, following Monika standing. She offers a hand to Sam. "It's uncomfortable here; let's get into bed." Sam smiles softly,