#

"Tyler, can you please just pick a dang movie?" Erika complained as Tyler finished watching his tenth movie trailer.

"They just seem so promising in the beginning," Tyler explained as he started another one.

Erika groaned as she hopped up off of my bed and came into the bathroom.

"How's it going in-" Erika began to say, but she stopped in the doorway and covered her mouth with her hands as soon as she saw me. "You look amazing, Rachel!" Erika held her hands out like she was taking a picture of me.

I styled my hair into long, tight curls that I brushed out to create large intertwining ringlets. My bangs curled away from my face and into my hair, adding definition to my cheeks and eyes.

"Our little baby is growing up," Artemis said as she stuck her lip out and cupped my face in her hands.

I blew a raspberry at her and she shushed me through a chuckle.

"Don't do that on your date, hun," she teased.

I rolled my eyes at her playfully and turned back to the mirror. I had on a black evening gown that stopped midthigh on my left leg, but had a piece of triangular fabric that continued slightly farther down my right leg. The rounded neckline showed just enough cleavage and had thin straps over my shoulders that connected to an open criss-cross pattern on the upper back. The lower part of my back was completely exposed.

A wave of guilt washed over me as I thought about Lucas.

What would he think about this?

I continued to worry as I regretted my decision more and more.

I'm not doing this to hurt him, I'm doing this because I've been alone for the last six months.

I hadn't heard a single thing from Lucas, and I still didn't even know why he left. It wasn't fair for me to sit around every day, hoping that when he comes back he would want to be with me. The uncertainty that I felt in my heart was debilitating some days. I had never experienced so much anxiety than I had since Lucas left. My guilt slowly turned into suppressed anger as I thought about it more and more.

"Hey, kid. Are you alright?" Artemis' voice brought me out of my daze.

I realized that I was squeezing toothpaste out of the bottle all over the sink. I sighed and set it down, trying to relax. Sam was going to be here any minute, and I still didn't know how to approach tonight.

"What if I officially ruin everything after tonight?" I asked quietly.

"Whatever is going on with Lucas isn't happening because of what you're doing tonight," Tyler said as he broke the silence. I turned to look at him, confused. He cleared his throat. "He already walked out. He doesn't get to come back and expect that you're sitting on the couch just waitin' for him," Tyler added, his voice getting slightly louder as he became more irritated.

"The life that you are living right now is yours and only yours, Rach," he continued as he rested a hand gently on my shoulder. "Do what makes you feel good right now, not what might make you happy in a few months."

Tyler's face was the most serious I had ever seen. I sucked in my bottom lip, trying not to cry at Tyler's sweet and inspiring words.

"Thank you, Ty. That makes me feel so much better," I said as I gave him a big hug. Erika and Artemis came over and joined in on the hug. I started giggling as my friends squeezed me.

Bum bum, bum.

Artemis quickly went to open the door.

"Well, hi there handsome!" she exclaimed as she moved to the side to let Sam in. He was about to greet her back when his eyes met mine.

"Wow," he exclaimed as he looked me up and down slowly, like I was going to disappear any minute. "You look gorgeous, Rachel."

He had on a navy blue suit with a white button down and a black tie. His lean build was outlined in the light coming in from the hall.

"Have her home by midnight!" Tyler yelled as he headed back to find a movie.

"No, don't bring her home at all!" Artemis yelled combatively.

She and Erika giggled as they closed the door, waving until the last second. I let out a quick sigh of relief that my friends weren't too crazy.

"Your friends are fun," Sam stated as he began to head down the hall.

"Yeah, they didn't do anything too embarrassing tonight," I walked next to him as we made our way to the entrance of the building.

"Oh, yeah? What's the most embarrassing thing they've done?" Sam asked with a mischievous grin on his face. He grabbed my hand as we got out onto the sidewalk. I interlocked my fingers with his and we headed to dinner.

#

We made it to the Space Needle just as I was finishing up telling Sam about the time that Tyler showed the entire staff a video of me performing in my high school talent show. My friends and I acted out the infamous scene from The Godfather.

"How did he manage to get the video?" Sam could barely breathe because he was laughing so hard.

"My sister, Sophie, showed it to him at our Christmas party, and I guess Tyler convinced her to email him the clip," I said as I gently wiped under my eyes to avoid smearing my makeup.

"Did y'all win?" Sam asked, his eyes hopeful that it wasn't a disaster.

"No, we lost to a classmate that could paint portraits with her feet," Sam stared at me blankly, trying to decide if I was serious or not. "No, really. She's incredible. I actually bought a piece from her a few years ago, it's in my office," Sam burst into laughter again.

We joked around a bit more until the Space Needle came into full view as we rounded the corner. It was surrounded by skyscrapers, and its orange top was reflective against the city lights. The sky was a beautiful mixture of pinks and blues as the sun was just starting to set.

"Wow, that's incredible," I whispered.

I felt Sam put his left hand on my lower back. His palms were warm against my skin, but I shivered slightly at his touch.

"I know. It amazes me every year," he says softly. "This is the tenth time I've been to Seattle for this conference and it never gets old."

I turned towards him and stepped back slightly.

"Oh, so you bring someone to eat at the Space Needle every time you come here?" I teased him as I crossed my arms.

Sam gasped, not realizing I was messing with him.

"No, no, this is the first time-" I started laughing and cut Sam off. He smiled and sighed deeply as he placed his hand over his heart. "Wow. I thought that I was in the dog house for a minute."

We headed towards the elevator to go up to the top of the Space Needle. As we moved up, the view of the city became more and more breathtaking. I could see farther across the tops of the buildings. The Ferris Wheel along the pier was spinning with beautiful purple and pink lights. The restaurant was also a sight to see. It was curved because of the shape of the Space Needle and the walls were lined with windows.

"Hi, do you have a reservation?" a bearded man asked us from behind the counter.

"Yes, it's under Marconi," Sam answered. The man nodded and grabbed two menus.

"Ahh, Mr. Marconi. Right this way," he smiled and led us towards the back of the restaurant. I looked out the window as we walked, the sky was growing darker and the lights from the city were becoming brighter. He stopped next to a beautiful red booth in the corner. The backs of the seat were lower than normal, so you could still see the skyline.

Sam sat down in the booth and scooted towards the middle. He gestured for me to sit down on his left, and I could feel his eyes following me as I did. We were sitting close enough now that our knees touched. A waiter brought over a bottle of wine and a glass pitcher of water for our table.

"I've never eaten at a restaurant where they let you fill up your own water," I said quietly to Sam.

He smiled sweetly as he filled up our glasses.

"It's so you have a little more privacy while you're dining. They don't stop by as often," his voice was low and sultry, and he was giving me that intense stare again. I could feel my stomach turn slightly.

"Well, I suppose that makes sense," I said awkwardly as I looked down at my menu, not sure how to act around him.

Sam followed my lead and looked over his menu as well. After a few moments of discussing our options, we decided what we wanted. The waiter came back just in time and Sam ordered for us. After he handed the waiter our menus, I looked behind him at the view.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful," I mumble.

Sam turns towards me slightly as he places his left arm on the back of the booth behind me. He doesn't follow my gaze out the window, instead he looks right at me.

"Neither have I," Sam crooned.

My eyes met his, and the corner of his mouth curved slightly into a smirk. His hair looked darker under this light, making his appearance even sexier. I could see some stubble forming around the edges of his chin. My entire face felt like it was on fire as he looked me over. I smiled at him seductively as I reached for my glass of wine.

"Rachel," he began. I could feel my heart pounding when he said my name. "We should probably address the horse in the room."

I blinked at him a few times before giggling.

"I think you mean elephant," I said as I sip from my wine. It had hints of blueberry in it.

"When has an elephant ever been in a room? A horse is much more likely and it still takes up a lot of space," Sam defended. I started laughing, unable to dispute his point.

"Okay, what horse in the room?" I asked, still giggling.

"The fact that you're married," he said bluntly.

I almost choked on my drink. His eyes were gentle, and he chuckled a little.

"I just want to know who is letting a beautiful, smart, and sexy woman like you slip through their fingers?" he said to me in his slow, southern draw.

I knew that I was blushing, and it felt like my stomach was being twisted. I cleared my throat, collecting myself.

"I haven't seen him or spoken to him since November." The words came out quieter than I expected.

"So you've been separated since then?" he asked, tilting his head down. I shook my head at first, but then paused.

"No, not exactly."

Sam raised an eyebrow at me.

"He's in another state then?" Sam guessed. I shook my head again, and his eyes were telling me to continue.

"He's sort of...in space right now," my voice was practically a whisper. Sam's mouth dropped open.

"Hold on, let me get this straight," he set his wine glass back down on the table before looking at me again. "Your husband is an astronaut?" I nodded my head and Sam looked away from me. "So he's an American hero, is what you're saying?" His expression was light and he was smiling as he shook his head. I laughed politely in agreement, not sure what to say next. "Is this the first time he's been in space? Away from you?"

"No, he's been up three times before," I answered him as I brushed my hair behind my ears.

"Why is this time different?" Sam's tone was gentle but his eyes were serious again. I looked at him and bit my lip.

"He, umm..." I began, trying to figure out how to explain it simply. "He's only ever been gone for a few weeks or months at a time. This mission is nine months long."

"That is a very long time to be away from your wife." Sam nodded slowly.

I darted my eyes away from him and swallowed.

"That's not really the problem," I whispered. I glanced back at Sam and saw that his lips were parted slightly and his brows were furrowed.

"He left for this mission without telling me goodbye," my voice was barely audible over the muffled sounds of guests talking and eating. "I told him that I wanted to start a family, and he left." I clarified as I bit my lip again to prevent myself from crying.

Sam cleared his throat and scooted closer to me, our thighs touching. He placed his right palm on my hands in my lap before speaking.

"I understand why you've been so hesitant with me now," he whispered. "I'm sorry that he hurt you like that. You didn't deserve that." I looked up at him, his face just inches away from mine.

"You barely know me, what if I did deserve it?" I was surprised that the question actually came out of my mouth. It was something that I had been asking myself since he left.

"You're right, I have only known you for about thirty six hours," Sam chuckled. "However, in that time I can see that you are someone who wears their heart on their sleeve," he paused and studied my face. "I know that you're smart, and you're kind, and you make friends everywhere you go." I could feel my eyes starting to sting. "Your friends seem like they would do anything for you, which just adds to your amazing persona. When I hear you laugh it fills my heart with joy."

His words were so sincere that I could feel my heart beginning to swell, pushing some of my pain out. Sam slowly moved his hand up my shoulder, sending goosebumps down my arm.

"And I think that you are the most intoxicatingly beautiful woman I have ever met." He ran the back of his hand along the side of my face, causing a ripple of anticipation down my neck. I had never had someone look at me so intensely or say anything that romantic before.

Sam leaned in and stopped, his nose just barely touching mine. The skyline behind him was illuminated against the night sky, and I could see the specks of brown in his dark green eyes. He waited a moment, making sure it was what I wanted him to do. I fluttered my eyelashes at him seductively, causing him to close the small gap between us and kiss me tenderly on the lips.

I hesitated at first, but quickly melted into his kiss. He removed his right hand from mine and placed it on the outside of my knee. I reached up and placed my hand on his neck, playing with the collar on his dress shirt. He deepened the kiss as he slid his hand slowly up to my waist, tugging at the fabric on my dress slightly. His fingertips found their way to the backless part of my dress, and he gently stroked my skin.

"Rachel," he whispered as he pulled away from me. "Please come back to my room with me."

I looked at his eyes and his grip on my waist tightened. I nodded at him quickly in agreement without saying anything. He threw a couple of one hundred dollar bills on the table as he stood up. He reached out his hand and I took it hastily. We passed our waiter as we quickly made our way to the front of the restaurant.

"Is everything alright?" he asked as he approached Sam and I.

"Yes sir, we just have to go. I left you a tip on the table," Sam nodded his head at the waiter as he quickly led me out of the restaurant and into the elevator.

As soon as the doors closed, Sam put both of his hands on my hips and kissed me passionately, swirling his tongue around in my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he gently guided me towards the wall of the elevator. I was practically sitting on the railing as I let Sam's hands explore the fabric of my dress.

The movement of the elevator and the way Sam was kissing me almost made it feel like I was falling. As the elevator slowed and reached the ground, Sam pulled away from me and grinned devilishly.

"You are somethin' else," he said slowly as he shook his head at me. I pressed a quick kiss to his neck and pulled him out of the elevator as the doors opened.

#

The walk back to the convention center was only a few minutes, and we mostly walked in silence as the tension between us built. Sam walked much faster as we entered the building, pulling me with him. The glass on the outside was illuminated with gold light and people were walking on every floor. The last night of conferences was always very busy as people hung out with new friends they made. Sam guided me up to the hotel, his arm still snug around my waist.

As we rounded the corner to the hall, I started to panic. I couldn't justify what I was doing to anyone else, not even to myself. I could force myself to forget about Lucas for small periods of time, but he was all that I could think about right now.

"Everything alright, darlin'?" Sam stopped walking and moved in front of me.

"I'm sorry, Sam," I whispered. "I'm just not ready for this."

His eyes softened as he rested his hands on my elbows. His touch was only semi comforting, but it wasn't his fault.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you, I swear," I fumbled with my words, feeling how tacky they sounded.

"That's okay," he said, his tone delicate. "I had fun tonight either way."

The ball of shame unwinded in my abdomen as Sam grinned at me. He looped his arm around my back and began walking me towards my own room. I leaned into his side, trying to thank him for being so considerate. He gave me a small squeeze and kissed the side of my head.

I couldn't help but wonder why such a charming man was so invested in me. The connection I felt with him was undeniable, and fighting back was like swimming against a current.