July 17

Toronto, Ontario

I pull Sam out of the taxi, practically drag her really, tugging her up through the gated drive of my house, entering my code at the alarm box.

I woke up early this morning after Ry, Greyson, and I spent the night here to tidy and prepare everything for today.

"I promise, Sam. Liam will be fine with the boys. You need a little R&R and some girl time, I promise you'll be back at the hospital before Liam's tests later."

Ryan, Greyson, and I have planned to divide-and-conquer today. They want some time with Liam, planning to take him to the park down the road from the hospital and just hang out, guy time they'd said.

Despite Sam's objections, I know this will be good for her. I'm not sure when she last just took a moment to herself. My job this afternoon is to make sure she does precisely that.

On the agenda: Poolside lunch, which is already ordered, a little swim, then I'd bought face masks, and I'd even convinced my favorite nail salon, Kimberley's, to send two of their team members for at-home manicures and pedicures.

I pull her with me up to my bedroom and hand her a spare bathing suit. She's much taller and slenderer than I am, so I loan her one with strings that she can adjust to suit her slim body.

Sighing, she takes it from me and starts to change. I hand over the sun lotion, extra sunglasses, and a towel before I change into my suit.

Ten minutes later, I'm sitting on the edge of the pool, dangling my legs in the water. Music rolls out softly from the outdoor speakers, and Sam's stretched out in the sun on a lounge chair, still slightly fidgety but relaxing a little more with each moment.

Sliding into the pool, I smile. "Jump in, Sam, water's perfect."

I watch as she turns over onto her side, looking over at me. Rolling her eyes, she tosses the glasses aside and jumps in the water. I watch her for a minute, seeing the small, brief look of pleasure that slides across her face. Sam's a competitive swimmer, so I know she's missed this feeling.

She swims a few laps, then rolls to her back, floating. I let myself drift over to float beside her, turning my head to look at her.

Neither of us speaks, content to float in silence. I don't want to pressure Sam to talk or do anything, I only want to give her a small break in a difficult time.

The intercom buzzes from the door, and I climb out to race through the house, wet feet sliding on the wood and tile. I must have been floating there for a long time if lunch is already here.

I pay for the delivery and head back out. I've ordered fresh salads from my favorite shop downtown with fresh fruit smoothies and lemon squares for dessert. I grab a baguette and butter on the way through the kitchen.

Sam's already out of the water when I walk through the glass doors to the pool. We sit happily in the sun, letting the warmth dry us, chatting easily about nothing in particular while we eat.

"Tell me about your family, Sam. Your brother studies out west, any other siblings?"

"Do four-legged siblings count?"

I laugh, "They absolutely do."

"Then, I have another younger brother, my dog, Joey. Everyone says I picked him, but really, he picked me. I was volunteering at the animal shelter downtown, and there he was, this flea-ridden mangy dog who just walked over and sat on my feet."

"When did you adopt him?"

"He's nine; we've had him for four years now. Took some doing with my parents, that's for sure. Mom wanted a Poodle, can you imagine?"

Laughing, I take a sip of my smoothie. "Is Joey a mix, then?"

"All Canadian mutt. He's got a bit of everything, so it seems."

Sam tells me stories of Joey eating her mother's prized peonies, and how her dad makes him homemade meatballs every Sunday for their family dinner. My heart clenches a little.

We lost both our family dogs a couple years ago—first, Tobin, from old age, then Milo two years after that from cancer a little more than a year ago. We've never been a dog-free household, and I'm itching for my parents to take the plunge and get another puppy.

But I focus back on Sam, begging her to show me pictures. He's a sweet reddish brown with an adorable white snip on his forehead, his chest. I laugh as she shows me pictures of him leaping off the dock for balls, swimming in their pool, licking her face.

She looks so different in these pictures, happy, joyful, full of life. Now, she seems a little like a shell of herself, and my heart breaks for her.

She moans in pleasure as she eats the lemon square, and I grin, taking a massive bite of mine too. The lemon custard explodes in my mouth, and I laugh, catching a drop at the corner of my mouth with my fingertip. If my mother saw me now, she'd probably scold me for licking my fingers or eating without a napkin.

When we've had enough of the pool, I tell Sam to wait in my room for a moment. I dart into my bathroom and fill the large clawfoot tub with hot water, bubble bath and set a new shaving kit on the ledge as well as all the bath products you could want: a fresh loofah, body scrub, oil, lotion, face masks all the latest Elle and Cosmo magazines and a stack of fluffy towels. I light a few candles then lead her in.

"Relaxation officer Elle's orders," I giggle as I say it, leaving her in the bathroom, giving her some much needed time on her own.

I take the time to clean up from lunch, put my own face mask on, then grab a shower. I dry my hair, pulling it into a long, loose French braid before sliding into a pair of Lululemon yoga pants and matching tank top. I check my watch, Thelma and Marianne will be here in thirty minutes for our manicures and pedicures. With the time it will take to set up, I guess I'll check on Sam in forty minutes or so.

I curl up on the sofa and read for a while, not really making any progress in the book. This summer, I'd decided to reread my favorites from classic literature with a focus on romance. I already completed the Bronte sisters collected works, and I'd switched gears for A Tale of Two Cities, but the story isn't exactly lifting my mood today, and I struggle to focus.

My mind wanders to my brother as I stare blankly at our family portrait on the wall. Despite the promises to write, he's only managed once in the five weeks he's been gone. Mum and Dad will go for visitors' day in August, just after my birthday. I hope he and Logan are having fun.

I'm a little envious of the freedom he has. Wes only plays winter sports, so his summers are entirely free. I've been enrolled in competitive sports spanning all seasons, never allowing myself to take a break. Exercise is one of the few outlets I have to release, let some steam out and quiet my mind when it races or when I put too much pressure on myself.

Sighing, I drop my book and wander to the back deck. I stand there, watching the sunshine dance over the rippling water in the pool until my doorbell rings.

The next hours pass quickly, too quickly. After saying goodbyes to Thelma and Marianne, I admire my bright red toenails and fingernails. Sam does the same with her electric purple color. It's a cheerful colour, and I loved seeing Sam laugh as she selected it.

Sitting on the floor of my bedroom, I prepare to add a light coat of makeup to Sam's naturally beautiful skin. I only want to enhance what's there, not cover anything up, just to give her a relaxed glow before sending her back to see Liam.

We chat as I work, and she smiles as I order her to suck her cheeks in, smile, blink quickly, and so on.

I tell her about the days spent at the festival and Jules' place, just a few highlights, focusing on my relationship with Greyson, rather than the group activities, so she doesn't feel left out.

"Do you know Greyson well, Sam?" I figure I can ask Sam that she'll tell me if she doesn't want to answer.

"I'm not sure anyone really knows Grey, not any more than he'll let us know him."

Well, then she knows Greyson pretty well if she already knows that.

"Has he always been so hard to read, so turbulent?" I can't think of a better word.

He's always been different, reserved. A little on the outside of our group, but not through any lack of trying to include him. We just accepted him the way he was. Sometimes moody, sometimes distant, sometimes there, too. And those moments when he was fully present, were made all the more special for it.

Sam's large brown eyes meet mine in the mirror again. "He's different with you, Elle. Different with everyone now, after you. I don't know if you can see it, but he is."

I slide a brush gently over her cheekbone, adding a small highlight to her skin. "Different, how?"

"Calmer, steadier, more affectionate. Maybe a little kinder. It's the small things I notice. Like the other week, Grey had you tucked up as close as he could get you, then I saw him hold on to Liam's arm while we were all hanging out. I also saw him hugging you and Ry in the hall when I stepped out to speak with the nurse. I've never seen him be that affectionate with anyone, and I've known him for four years."

"Honestly, Sam, I think that has more to do with his love for Liam, than anything to do with me."

"Don't forget Grey's been friends with and even visiting Liam long before you joined our little group, and I've never seen him like this before."

I don't really know what to make of her words. I'm glad to see Greyson opening up and letting his friends in, but I hope it's because he decided; not to because I've forced him to. I want to be there for him, but I don't want to be his emotional compass. I tuck this information away for later. "Do you think that's a bad thing?"

"I think it's intense. But he's always been intense. It doesn't have to be good or bad, depending on how he manages it."

"Enough about Greyson, he's like a Rubik's cube, one attempt to solve him leads to a thousand possibilities and a thousand and one questions. Tell me how you met Liam."

She laughs at my comment, "You're not wrong. Be patient, even I can see Grey really cares for you. I know the boys from the team have been ripping him about it, but he just takes it."

Sam picks up her mineral water and takes a sip, meeting my eyes in the mirror as I stand behind her to do her hair. "Anyway, since you asked, I'm warning you in advance. It's a total cliche, Elle. Promise not to laugh."

Grinning back at her, I cross my heart, wordlessly making the promise, and hoping I can keep it before plugging in the curler.

"We met at the club when we were thirteen, well, Liam was fourteen; January baby. It was a little over four years ago. I'd just moved to Toronto, like a week before, and it was my first time there. I knew like one person in the entire city. I'd left my dad doing some paperwork, assuring him I could find the locker room on my own." Her eyes light up as she looks at me through the mirror, amused by the memory.

"I'm turned around, looking for the locker room, and just as I'm about to open the door, I hear a voice behind me saying 'Don't think you want to do that.' I realized then that I was about to walk straight into the men's room."

"Anyway, aside from that fact, his voice startled me and I nearly had a heart attack, fumbling some of my stuff in that awkward, graceless teenage way."

"Liam introduced himself, helped me pick up my things, took my gym bag, and walked me down to the ladies' locker room. I actually met his mom that day too, she was on her way out, looking incredible, polished, and just so sophisticated. I was immediately intimidated."

I laugh, "I guess Jacqueline can have that effect on people."

Sam nods vigorously, "That she can, but she was still so kind. She offered to show me around the locker room, helped me find my locker, and when I came back out to go meet Dad, Liam was sitting on the bench, waiting."

"He's all young, awkward, lanky swagger, but he comes straight up to me and asks, 'Do you have a phone?', and I'm so surprised, I just hand it to him. He laughs and flips it open, typing his phone number and sending himself a text. When I saw it later, he'd written himself a love note from my phone. 'Hey Lancelot, nice meeting you. Let's do it again sometime.' He'd already replied to my message by the time I read the thread."

"I nearly died laughing. Like who is this boy, this self-dubbed knight-in-shining-armor, as he put it? His response made me realize I'd either have the best kind of friend, at least, or a first boyfriend if I played it right. He'd texted back to his own message, 'If you insist. Who am I to disappoint a lady?'"

Meeting her eyes in the mirror, I start to laugh, really laugh. "Are we thinking about the same Liam?" The Liam I've met is shyly affectionate to Sam, at least in public.

"He's different when we're alone, or when he's just with Grey and Ry. But I think he used all his swagger that day. Since then, he's just been the most considerate, loving, special boyfriend. He's the love of my life. I have no doubt about that."

I smile at her through the mirror, happy to see the memories make her smile, but also very aware of her sadness. I'm glad I've met Sam, even under these circumstances, which are so horrible, her spirit is just beautiful. I tuck her strength and grace close to my heart, knowing I'll remember this time forever.

"That's a beautiful story, Sam. I can see why you're over the moon for him."

I finish styling her hair, adding a few curls into the thick brown mass of it and brushing it out, adding a little paste to create a fresh, beachy, relaxed look.

I sit back to admire my work, swiveling her on my desk chair so her back is to the mirror. I hold another little handheld mirror up so she can see the results from the back. Her smile warms my heart as she takes in her fresh, glowing skin, slightly darkened eyes, and the loose curls I've created.

"Thanks for this, Elle. I've never really had a good girlfriend. Liam was the first person I met here, then Grey and Liam. The girls at my school suck."

Like Liam, Sam's a year ahead of me in school, but she goes to the co-ed French immersion school down the road from Landon.

Sam reaches up to hold my hand on her shoulder. "I can't tell you how much I actually needed this. I never would have guessed it myself. Thank you for being a good friend, bossy, but good."

I laugh and hug Sam from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder and pressing my cheek to hers. "Anytime you want to come back here, let me know. I'm down most Thursdays, some Fridays, and every Sunday. But, enough about that, let's get you back to your boy, so he can admire you too."

- - -

I love the budding friendship between Elle and Sam, and I hope you all feel the same way! I'd love to hear from you in the comments, or let me know but voting on the chapter if you liked it!

Xx Toria