It was dark when Ali woke up. 

She must have fallen asleep. There was a warm pressure on her feet where Scout had climbed on the bed and settled on her. She could hear his gentle snoring.

Her phone was still clutched in her hands. It was after 6 pm. Anxious she had missed a call from Sam, Ali quickly checked it.

Nothing. No call. No text.

Sam was MIA.

Where had it all gone so wrong? This morning she had woken up with hope in her heart. Sam had found her, tracked her down somehow. His showing up was a bit of a blur, along with what happened afterwards, but the fact he was there had meaning. And he had stayed with her, taking care of her.

She was dying to talk to him, to figure a way through whatever this was between them. If only she had not left this hotel room. Pushed back her meeting. Sat down and listened to him. Surely today would have turned out differently. The horrible phone call would not have happened. She wouldn't have pushed Sam away. Sam would be here with her now, holding her, kissing her, talking to her.

But thoughts of what might have happened didn't help. What she needed to know was what did happen. Why had Sam not made it for their lunch date? Ali could not make sense of it. Sam had insisted on making the reservations himself this morning.

That train of thought lead to more questions. Why had he decided to go to a bar first? Or instead? Why had he decided to go to a bar at all? Drinks after work with the gang from the Foundation were one thing, but drinking in the middle of the day when he was supposed to be meeting her, was another thing. It was just not like Sam.

But then maybe, Ali pondered, she should admit to herself it was possible she didn't really know Sam. She had met and fallen in love with Sam Freemont, a carefree bartender on the other side of the country with no responsibilities or anyone but her to focus on. She was now living with Sam Harrington, thrust back into familiar patterns from his old life full of weighted memories and family expectations. Who was the real Sam?

Ali hadn't been prepared for the impact moving back home would force upon their relationship. Before she didn't have to share Sam, he was all hers. They spent days in each other's company. Now, Ali felt she barely had any time with Sam. He was always being pulled in so many directions, keeping commitments, trying to satisfy everyone, making them happy.

There in the dark, with tears dampening her pillow, Ali considered she hadn't been looking at this situation from Sam's perspective. She had been resentful Sam was not doting on her as he had when they first met. She had been upset at him for spending time with others instead of isolating himself with her. She had been angry when he had to rearrange their plans to accommodate an important meeting or opportunity.

She had been selfish.

Sam had put her first. Not always, but many times. Managing the press after Jack's little stunt, the trip to Fiji, seeking her out last night to talk. And so many other little moments she could not count.

He was trying. Trying and failing sometimes. But Sam was attempting to make it all work. Could she say the same of herself?

Ali sat up in bed and wiped the tears from her eyes. Scout raised his head and looked at her as if to say "You Ok?". She played with his soft ears and kissed him on the top of his head.

"Not really Scout, but I will be."

Ali got out of bed, had a quick shower and changed into a pair of comfy yoga pants and one of Sam's pullovers she had purposely packed the night she left. Opening her laptop, she pulled out her checklist from the event and started going through each item.

This event was going to go off without a hitch. Not solely because she felt she had something to prove to Sam's family. It was going to be perfect for Sam.

An hour later, Ali's stomach was rumbling. When was the last time she ate? She couldn't remember, maybe the caterer's taste-test this morning. Looking over at Scout, the dog was watching her every move as if anticipating her thoughts. "How about a walk Scout?"

At the mention of the word "walk" the dog was up and moving towards the door. Ali grabbed his leash, a warm coat, a hat and her phone heading for the café around the corner.

The city which never sleeps was in the middle of the mid-week hustle and bustle slip from evening to night crowd. Restaurant windows steamed up from the cozy comfort inside pushing against the damp cold that threatened snow on the outside. People, bundled in thick winter jackets rushed past hell-bent for destinations unknown. The cacophony of horns from the mass of taxis that clogged the streets created the traditional rush hour sonata.

It didn't take long to get to the café. Ali tied up Scout to a post outside, frozen fingers fumbling to form the knots. She always underestimated how cold it was here. She should have worn gloves. Maybe a scarf as well. After assuring Scout she wouldn't be long and promising to buy him a treat as well, Ali pushed open the restaurant doors.

The smell of good coffee mixed with hints of freshly baked bread and cinnamon assaulted Ali. It sent vibrations to the part of her brain that controlled basic needs and her mouth began to water. She ordered a cappuccino, a made to order sandwich and cheese roll. The latter she shared with Scout while sitting on a bench in a parkette across the road.

As she was about to bite into her meal, Ali felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Her first thought was Sam. Scout offered to guard the sandwich for her, but Ali opted to put it back into the bag. Licking a film of mayonnaise off her fingertips, she unlocked her phone.

It was a text message. But it was not from Sam. It was from Victoria.

I have the list of donations.

Ali had emailed earlier telling her the final tally of the items for bid on in the action was needed. They were the only thing holding up printing the program. She quickly typed back.

Great. Can you email them?

There was a pause before Victoria replied

Left my laptop at work.

I have a paper copy here at home.

Do you want to come pick it up?

Pick it up? What was this girl thinking? Ali would just jump in her car and drive to the suburbs for something so trivial. She countered.

I'll send a courier right over.

Victoria responded immediately:

No.

There was a slight pause. Ali watched the pulsing dots.

It's private information.

I don't want anyone accidentally getting their hands on it.

Ali rolled her eyes. Victoria was being dramatic again. The girl had to make everything so difficult. Ali weighed her options. She could wait until tomorrow for the file and risk another screw up. Or she could run out there, pick it up and be done with it. Ali had been after Victoria for days about the list of items and it had been excuse after excuse as to why she could not produce it. Here she would have no way to delay anymore.

Fine. I'll come pick it up now.

What's your address?

By the time Ali got on the road, it had started snowing. To the average New Yorker, this would not even have registered never mind been a concern. But she was new to driving in snow. Ali was nervous. She doubted her decision but pressed on. She needed the list.

Texting Sam before getting behind the wheel, Ali wanted him to know why she wouldn't be answering his texts if he sent one. There was going to be no room for misunderstandings moving forward. Ali was determined. They would be able to work through anything if they could just find time to talk.

Victoria's neighbourhood looked like it was out of a movie set. Concrete high rises had given way to brick townhouses as soon as Ali crossed the bridge over the Hudson River. Then the landscape shifted again and single dwelling homes with patches of grass as front yards became more prominent. When her GPS indicated she was at her destination, Ali swooped into the open spot in front of the grey brick home with a wide white porch. Maybe her luck was changing. Hopefully, she could be in and out of this place quickly.

Before exiting her car, Ali obsessively checked her phone for any sign of Sam. No response to her last text. She quickly tapped out a new text, updating Sam stating she was a Victoria's and would be back in the city soon. She waited a moment to see if he responded. Nothing. With a sigh, she stuffed her phone in her purse and got out of the car.

Light illuminated the porch and Ali knocked on the door. When Victoria swung it open, Ali didn't know where to look. Victoria stood before her looking like she had just rolled out of bed, her hair freshly tousled from an especially vigorous nap. Or something else from the looks of her attire. Dressed in hot pink shorts and a matching lacey slip of a top, she was sweating from her recent activities. Ali suppressed an eye-roll.

"Oooh, it's cold. Come on in." Victoria ushered Ali inside, closing the door behind her.

Ali found herself in a small entrance way. To her right was an open concept living room, kitchen arrangement decorated in burnt oranges and rich reds complementing the warm dark wooden features. To her left was a cupboard ending in a gap leading to the rest of the house. Down that hall, a darkened door stood slightly ajar. In fact, the whole place was dimly lit, almost romantic. Ali wondered if she was interrupting something and said so to Victoria.

"Oh!" Her eyes darted towards the hallway and the open door and then quickly back to Ali. There was an odd expression on her flush face. "It's no problem."

"Well, I'll just take the file and go. Leave you to it." Ali forced a smile. This woman was so uncouth. She knew Ali was coming, had invited her over. She could have at least put on some decent clothing for the few minutes Ali would be here. Did she want Ali to know she was entertaining?

Ali heard rustling from the darkened room down the hall. Was that the creak of the door opening? The last thing Ali wanted was to meet one of Victoria's lovers. She stepped forward and held out her hand. "The file please, Victoria."

The brunette was making a show of looking for said file. Ali tried not to sigh in exasperation. She didn't have time for whatever this game was. She needed to get back to the city. She needed to be there when Sam returned. If Sam returned.

"It's around here somewhere." Victoria shuffled papers on a table, eventually pulling out a red file folder. "Found it!" she exclaimed.

Ali sighed with relief. "Great. Thank you." She tucked the folder into her purse and turned to leave.

"Ummm, wait." Victoria seemed to have more to say. Ali turned back towards the woman. What now, she groaned internally.

But Ali never got to find out what was on the other side of that thought. Because what Ali heard next sent her world spinning.

A groggy voice called her name.