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Josie turned off her computer with a sigh of relief. It was finally the weekend, which she desperately needed after a stressful week at work. She had turned in three separate stories that afternoon, all of which had taken quite a while to write. She loved being a reporter, but sometimes missed the low-stress life of copy-editing. Josie raced out the door of the Sun Times building and jumped into her car. She needed to hurry home, Sam was taking her out for their one year anniversary.
Josie's mood immediately brightened when she thought about Sam. She was crazier about him now than she had been when he first kissed her a year ago at the baseball game, if that was even possible. It seemed the more she knew about him, the more in love with him she became. And the incredible thing was that she knew he was just as crazy about her. He had moved in with her a few months ago, and there was nothing more wonderful than waking up next to him every morning and going to bed in his arms every night. As she drove home, Josie thought about how much everything had changed in the past twelve months. Last year around this time her life had been a complete emotional roller coaster. She was starting to realize that the feelings she had toward Sam, who was then her English teacher, were stronger than she cared to admit. He was acting as though he might have feelings for her, too, which only added more confusion to the situation. She knew that if she revealed her undercover status to him she would run the risk of losing her job. But she also knew that she was falling in love with him, and that her heart was being ripped out each she was forced to lie about who she really was. She was also concerned about the fact that Sam had a girlfriend, even though she couldn't figure out why someone as sweet as Sam would be with someone as seemingly rude and unpleasant as Lara. Sure, Lara was attractive, but she was almost positive Sam wouldn't date someone because of that. She remembered what he had said at the fair, that they had been together for five years. Maybe he just didn't want to break up with her. Josie didn't know what to think. Her situation was only worsened the day before the prom. Sam had come up to her outside when everyone was doing prom committee work. He had looked even more gorgeous than usual, and she felt her whole body go weak when he approached her. They started talking and ended up sitting on a bench behind a few bushes. She couldn't keep her eyes off of him as they sat down, even when she told herself that it wasn't a good idea to sit and stare. Suddenly he looked up and met her gaze. She felt as though he had locked her in a trance, a trance that was impossible to break. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure he could hear it. She stopped breathing as he moved closer to her on the bench and started to stroke her arm with his hand. She realized then that she hadn't been reading his actions wrong. His hand trembled slightly as he leaned in even closer, close enough so she could feel his peppermint-y breath on her face. Everything seemed like a dream- was it possible that Sam Coulson- beautiful, smart, wonderful Sam- was about to kiss her? Without thinking of the implications of her actions and going strictly by her desires she had leaned in as well, wanting nothing more than to feel his lips on hers. She closed her eyes and waited for him to kiss her. Suddenly, though, Sam seemed to realize what he was about to do, and pulled away quickly. Josie felt all the passion that had been building up inside of her deflate, looking down at her feet in disappointment. She realized quickly that Sam had done the right thing by not kissing her, though. She knew that if given an opportunity to kiss him, she wouldn't be able to just give him a little peck, and that he could get in serious trouble if someone caught them kissing. All she wanted to do was tell him that he wasn't doing anything wrong by kissing her, that she was of legal age, that she wasn't really his student, that she was in love with him. She knew that she couldn't though, if she wanted to keep her job. Josie was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize she was home. She pulled her car in front of their house and raced up the front steps, anxious to see Sam. She walked into their bedroom and found him standing in his boxer shorts and a white tee shirt, pulling on a pair of dress pants. He had just showered and his hair was still wet. The sight of him made her melt, even after all these months. He was the most handsome man she had ever seen. His face lit up when he saw her. "Hey beautiful," he said with a grin. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him. Their lips met. Even after all this time, Sam's kisses still gave Josie butterflies. "Happy Anniversary," she whispered to him between kisses. "I don't know how I ever got so lucky," he replied honestly. "Happy Anniversary to you, too." He made her feel like the most special woman on the planet, and she sighed blissfully as he continued to kiss her. Until she met Sam, she had never known it was possible for another human being to make her this happy or make her feel this good. And she loved the fact that she had the power to drive him crazy as well. "Our dinner reservations are in an hour, and it takes at least fifteen minutes to get there..." he said. He kept kissing her, slowly working his way from her lips down to her neck. "I'll get ready in five minutes," she responded. She had been waiting to be alone with him all day, just as she did every day. They made an effort to eat lunch together several days a week, and he usually came up to the office to visit her when he had a break from class, but that wasn't the same as when they could be alone. She suddenly thought about how she used to sit in his English class and imagine what it would be like to be Lara. Imagine what it would be like to kiss him, to have him hold her in his arms. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever thought she would be where she was now. * * * Sam took her to a small, romantic restaurant for their anniversary dinner. Josie felt like she was on top of the world as she walked into the restaurant on his arm. She looked beautiful in her favorite black dress, and he was equally gorgeous in a coat and tie. The restaurant had a dance floor that was already crowed with couples dancing to a slow song. They sat down at a table by a big window and Sam ordered champagne. Josie watched him as he looked over the menu. He was everything she could ever want in a man. He treated her wonderfully, he was intelligent, he was sensitive, he was compassionate, he was funny, he was fun to be with� the list could go on and on. He looked up at her and grinned. "Whatcha doing?" he asked teasingly. She smiled at him. "Wondering how I ended up with someone so wonderful," she said. "I should be the one wondering that," he said, reaching across the table and taking her hand in his. She felt the familiar jolt run through her system as their hands touched. She couldn't believe there was still so much passion in their relationship. Sam stared at her thoughtfully for a second. "I remember the first time I realized I was in love with you," he said, squeezing her hand tightly, "It was at senior night. The fact that I was watching every person who walked by to see if it was you was a pretty good indicator. Then when we were on the Ferris wheel together, all I wanted to do was pull you in my arms and hold you forever." Josie smiled at him, touched by his words. "The first time I realized I loved you was the night at Deloser," she confided. "I couldn't stand seeing you with Lara. I wanted to go and peel her off of you." Sam grinned. "And as soon as I saw you at the club, I didn't pay any attention to Lara at all. All I wanted was to be with you." "Are you ready to order?" A waiter was hovering over them, his pen poised over a notepad to write down their selections. Sam ordered spinach lasagna and Josie ordered pasta and vegetables. The waiter took their menus and walked off. Josie turned and looked at the couples dancing. "Let�s dance," she said. Sam smiled. "Yeah," he said, standing up, grabbing her hand, and leading her out onto the dance floor. "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan was playing. They found an empty spot on the floor, and turned to face each other. Josie wrapped her arms around Sam's neck, wanting him more now than ever before. She sighed blissfully as he pulled her close to him. He smelled wonderful. They danced in silence, their bodies pressed up tightly against each other. As Josie buried her head in Sam's neck, she couldn't help but think about how different this was from the first time they danced together� Josie couldn't believe that Sam was asking her to dance. She was overcome with sudden shyness as she nodded to him and allowed him to take her hand and lead her out into the dance. It was funny how she had been so confident and carefree with Guy, but was at a complete loss for words when she was around Sam. Her heart had practically stopped beating when he took her hand. As they stopped in the middle of the dance floor, she just stood there, wondering how Sam was planning to "dance" with her. All the students surrounding them were dancing with their arms wrapped around each other, some of them kissing and some with their heads resting on each other's shoulders. The thought of dancing like that with Sam made her shiver with excitement. She knew, however, that he wouldn't do that, that he was too professional to act that way in public with one of his "students." He took her hands in his and stepped towards her. They danced in silence for a few minutes. As Josie watched Sam watching her, shyly looking down when they stared at each other for too long, she realized that she couldn't go on lying to him. He deserved to know the truth, if the look in his eyes was any indicator of how he felt towards her. She could feel his hands sweating and realized that he was nervous, too. She couldn't believe she had the power to make this beautiful man nervous. All she wanted at that moment was to pull him close to her, wrap her arms around his neck, and wait for him to give her a long, passionate kiss. She looked quickly at the couple dancing next to them. They were all over each other, while the space between Sam and Josie seemed painfully large. Josie couldn't help but see the irony in the fact that she and Sam were probably the oldest people out on the dance floor, yet they were the only ones who were unable to act on their true feelings. Josie looked down at her feet, trying to decide whether or not she should tell Sam now or wait until later when they could be alone. She didn't know how he would take the news- would he be happy because they could be together or would he be mad because she had lied to him? She looked up at him and saw him staring down at her, the love shining in his eyes. "Proms always make me sad," he said, breaking her train of thought. "Everyone graduating and moving on�" Josie wasn't quite sure where that had come from. She figured he was trying to fill in the uncomfortable silence that she, too, was experiencing. Not that he made her uncomfortable- just the opposite, in fact- but she knew that they were both in the position to let their emotions get the best of them and end up doing something that would get both of them- him in particular- in serious trouble. Josie decided to ask the question that had been bothering her ever since the night at Deloser. She had to know about Lara. "Is your- girlfriend here?" she asked shyly, looking down at her feet in embarassment. "No," Sam said. "I'm alone." Josie felt a wave of happiness sweep over her. Why hadn't he brought Lara? Did it have something to do with her, maybe? "In fact," Sam continued, "We broke up last week." Josie felt euphoric. As Sam looked deep into her eyes, she couldn't stop the idiotic smile that she knew was pasted on her face. She felt giddy. Sam had broken up with Lara! And after five years! "It's funny, because 'prom' comes from 'promenade,' and you can't promenade alone, can you?" she babbled nervously. Good God, she thought to herself. Where did that come from? But Sam seemed enchanted by her words. "You're amazing, Josie Geller," he said, their eyes locking in another one of those dangerous trances. She knew then that she had to tell him now. She prayed that he would be understanding. She opened her mouth to tell him but he beat her to it. "Have you thought any more about Dartmouth?" he asked, his eyes never leaving hers. Josie gulped. It was now or never. "Yes," she said, her voice shaking, "and there's something I want to tell you." With a flick of her hand she removed the airplane pin from her lapel. There was no way in hell that the entire staff of the Sun Times was going to hear her confession. She knew that confessing the truth to Sam would likely cause her to lose her job, but it was worth it if it meant she could be with him. Of course, she didn't know if he would react favorably to the news, but it was appearing more and more likely that he would be receptive. He was starting to look a little nervous as well. "There's something I want to tell you, too," he said slowly, looking as though he was unsure as to whether or not he should say whatever he was about to say. That was when she had spotted the whole thing with Aldys and the dog food. Which brought her back to the present situation. The song had ended and the dee-jay was playing a faster song. Josie removed her head from Sam's shoulder and looked at him. He was gazing at her lovingly. She returned his gaze and closed her eyes as he brought his lips down on hers. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. Thinking about situations like the prom made her appreciate the fact that she and Sam no longer had to hide their feelings for each other. Josie pulled away from him and glanced over at their table. She realized that their food had already arrived. Hand in hand, they walked over and sat down. Their dinner conversation was long and meaningful. They talked about the past year and about how much both of their lives had changed for the better. They talked about Josie's job and about how South Glen's Graduation was looming in the near future. Josie noticed that Sam wasn't talking as much towards the end of the conversation. He seemed preoccupied. She figured he was probably tired. They got in Sam's car after dinner and Josie observed that he still wasn't talking very much. He also seemed tense, which was uncharacteristic of him. She wanted to get home quickly so she could give him his anniversary present: a helmet signed by Gordie Howe. She had looked everywhere to find one, and finally found one on Ebay. She knew he would love it. Suddenly she noticed that they weren't driving in the direction of their house. "Where are we going?" she asked curiously. She didn't know he was planning to do anything else after dinner. Sam grinned at her. "It's a surprise," he said mischeivously. Josie was perplexed. They loved to go to movies, but a movie didn't seem like a very romantic thing to do on their anniversary. They weren't dressed well enough to go anywhere really fancy. They were right by South Glen South, in fact, which added to her confusion. Sam noticed Josie's confused state. He merely smiled, adjusted the rearview mirror, and continued driving. Five or so minutes later, he put on the right blinker and turned into a lot that Josie instantly recognized as the parking lot of the baseball stadium where she and Sam had shared that magical first kiss 12 months ago. But tonight the stadium was far from packed, as it had been when what seemed like the entire city had showed up to get a glipse of the 'Never Been Kissed' reporter and her mystery man teacher. Instead, tonight, the stadium was dark and deserted. Sam pulled the car into one of the numerous empty parking spaces and shut off the engine. "For old time's sake," he said to Josie as he opened his car door. He got out, shut the door, and walked around to open hers. Josie was speechless as she stepped out of the car. How incredibly romantic of Sam to bring her here! Sam put his arm around her waist and led her up the stairs into the stadium. She leaned into his body, wrapping her arm around his waist as well. They walked in silence. Josie shivered with pleasure as Sam's hand slowly wandered up and down the side of her body, dancing on her back and her hips. As they entered the stadium and stood at the top of the stairs, Sam spoke. "I was halfway up those stairs when I heard the buzzer go off," he said, turning to face her, then reaching up and gently stroking her face with his hand. "I was dying at the thought of you thinking I wasn't coming." Josie smiled at him and gazed lovingly into his eyes. "I really thought you weren't coming," she said, "and I didn't know how I was going to live without you." Sam moved his hand from her cheek and started to play with her hair. Their eyes locked. Josie leaned in so that her face was only a few inches away from his. She could feel her heart race at his nearness. He looked so incredibly sexy with the moon shining down on his face. "You are the sexiest man alive, Sam Coulson," she whispered. She loved to tell him how sexy he was because she knew he was completely unaware of his beauty. He leaned in and gave her a long, slow kiss, gently massaging her lips and tongue with his. He certainly knew how to drive her crazy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and was about to suggest that they go back home so they could really celebrate their anniversary, but he slowly pulled away from her. "C'mon," he said, grabbing her hand and leading her down the stairs. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, he opened the gate for her. She stepped out onto the field. He closed the gate behind them and led her towards the pitcher's mound. The last time she walked toward this pitcher's mound there was a knot in her stomach the size of a bowling ball. That had been the longest walk of her entire life. She remembered thinking that the next time she walked away from that mound she would either be in the arms of her one true love or completly and utterly heartbroken. She turned and looked at Sam, squeezing his hand tightly. Her second walk toward the pitcher's mound was definitly better than her first. Definitly less stressful. She wondered why Sam was so intent on walking out here. The more she looked at him, the more she wanted them to hurry home. "It was the best feeling in the world when you looked up and saw me," he said, interrupting her thoughts. "And I didn't know if I should say something to you first, or just kiss you. I didn't want to come across as being too forward� but I couldn't help myself." She laughed, remembering the moment like it was yesterday. "Yeah, when I saw you running toward me, I was both ecstatic beyond belief and totally terrified. I was thinking, oh my god, now I actually have to kiss him! What if he thinks I'm a horrible kisser?" "You didn't have much to worry about," he said, stopping as they reached the pitcher's mound. She wondered what he was planning on doing now. He was starting to look nervous again, and she could feel his hand trembling slightly in hers. He turned toward her, reaching out and taking both of her hands in his. His hands were trembling more this time. "Josie," he began, taking a deep breath, "I love you." She wondered why he was so nervous. They said that to each other all the time. "I love you, too, sweetie," she said. "This past year has been the most wonderful year of my life," he continued, his voice shaking slightly. "When I'm with you I can be myself, and I know you love me and accept me for who I am. You make me laugh. You make me feel better when I'm unhappy. You challenge me. Besides being the woman of my dreams, you're also my best friend." Josie felt tears come to her eyes at Sam's words. "I know that forever is a long time," he said, "and I always thought I would have to be with a woman for quite a while before I decided she was the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. But I can honestly say that I knew you were the only woman I could ever be happy with before we even started dating. Before I ever kissed you, or held you in my arms, or fell asleep beside you, I knew you were the only woman for me." Josie could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, could feel her heart pounding in her throat. She watched as Sam slowly dropped down on one knee, still holding on to her hands. He let go of one of her hands and reached into his coat. "Josie Geller," he said, slowly pulling a beautiful diamond ring out of his pocket and gently slipping it onto her finger. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?" Josie could only stare at the gorgeous ring that Sam had chosen for her. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She was shaking and crying all at once. She and Sam had talked about marriage before, but she couldn't believe it was actually happening. She knew one thing for sure, though: she wanted to be with Sam Coulson for her entire life, too. She was so overcome with emotions that she could only utter one word. "Yes." Sam's face erupted into a huge grin. He stood up and pulled her tightly to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, never wanting to let him go. Finally she pulled back slightly so she could look at him, at her future husband. There were tears in his eyes, and she could feel the tears still streaming down her face. Her hands were resting on his shoulders, the same way they had a year ago on this exact night after their lips had met for the very first time. He took his hand and gently stroked the side of her face. Without a word, she grabbed him and pulled him to her, giving him a long, passionate kiss. And he kissed her back.The End.
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