Disclaimer: I do not own these characters (well, some of them I do, but not the ones from the film obviously. You get the idea.) I am not making any profit from this (ha! I wish!) I am doing it out of my love for the film and a rather peculiar obsession with the whole Josie/Sam thing. I hope you enjoy the story and of course, any and all feedback is greatly welcomed at [email protected]. Cheers!
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Josie could not control her heart rate. From the moment Sam had knocked on the door, her heart seemed as if it had been beating at least twice it's normal pace. When she had opened the door and saw the look of earnest approval in his eyes, she had been sure it would burst through her chest.
Her breathing had also quickened and at several points on the journey to the restaurant, such as when Sam took her hand to guide her to the taxi and when he had shot her one of his devastating smiles inside the cab. She had felt seriously light-headed and had to close her eyes for a moment to try and slow her breathing down.
The restaurant Peter had selected was a small French bistro-style affair.
It was situated somewhere between Mayfair and Soho and, Josie noticed, was somewhat expensive. When they entered the restaurant, many of the diners looked up from their meals and conversations to watch them as they were taken to their table.
Whether it was because they were an odd combination (two males and one female) or because Josie looked so stunning was not obvious, however their looks made Josie feel extremely nervous, and the small amount of confidence Sam and Peter's flattering comments had given her was rapidly diminishing. She was sure she would trip over something, or use the wrong fork, or embarrass herself in some other terrible way.
After much persuasion, Josie and Peter convinced Sam to try snails, and as revenge he insisted Josie eat frog's legs.
She was surprised at how pleasant they actually were, and although her expression when the plate arrived and she had realized that they really were just little legs had caused great mirth between Sam and Peter, she ate them all, unlike Sam who just about managed to eat one snail before pushing his plate over to Peter.
Their main courses were far more traditional, and the three of them spent the next two hours talking animatedly, enjoying the food, the wine, the atmosphere, and the company.
When Josie had finished the last spoonful of a delicious coconut and passion fruit sorbet (not entirely French, but she couldn't handle any of the rich French desserts after two other courses), she sat back in her chair and moaned.
"I'm going to look like I am going to burst out of this dress after that!" she complained.
Sam looked up from his Tarte Tatin and smiled. "Josie, you could not look anything other than gorgeous in that dress!"
Josie blushed furiously and laughed, "I think you've had too much wine, Sam Coulson!"
Sam was about to deny it but he decided not to in the end. He didn't want to start laying compliments on thick or sound insincere.
An awkward silence followed and Josie was in a panic about how to resolve it when luckily Peter stepped in.
"So, this concert in Hyde Park, it's basically big band meets easy listening. That means it will be Sinatra, Julie London, Peggy Lee and that kind of thing. It's an annual event. I went last year and it was really good. They have this amazing dome stage with a big band and the singers are really talented. They smother the trees with colored lights and there's a wine tent and all sorts, there's even a dance floor! It's quite a social event you know. People get really dressed up for it."
"That's lucky, I had been wondering if I should have brought some jeans with me!" Josie replied.
"It sounds great! I just hope the dancing isn't compulsory, I am notorious for having two left feet and a bad case of no coordination!" Sam said, smiling nervously.
"You'll be fine. No one will be looking at you anyway; not when we have this divine creature with us," Peter said, winking at Josie from over his wine glass.
Josie did not know where to look. She was not used to this much attention and was actually starting to feel a little uncomfortable. She did not know whether to say thank you or to keep quiet. She didn't want to seem arrogant, but she also didn't want to come across as too self-depreciating either for fear of looking like she was fishing for compliments. So she smiled awkwardly at Peter and quickly steered the conversation back to the concert.
"Well, maybe we should be on our way then? I'd hate to miss too much of it!"
Sam and Peter agreed and called for the bill. Josie tried to pay for her share but Sam would not hear of it.
"Josie, you're our guest, please don't! You've saved me from another evening alone with the dull Englishman!" Sam joked, as Peter pretended to look offended.
Josie laughed and, realizing she was not going to win, put her purse away. The bill had been quite large and not paying her way had given her an uncomfortable sense of obligation now. She felt she in some way owed the pair of them, not just for paying for her food, but also for being nice to her and actually being willing to spend more time than was necessary with her.
They caught another taxi to back to Hyde Park. Being a balmy summer evening, the sky was a deep blue as opposed to inky black, and the fact that the glare from the thousands of lights over London drowned out the stars was more than compensated for by what Josie saw as they entered the park.
Peter had said they decorated the area with colored lights, however the effect of the hundreds of tiny twinkling lights that formed a criss cross ceiling over the pathway combined with the lights in the tress that looked like bizarre glowing fruits was that it seemed like a fantasy world.
Hundreds of people, mainly in their thirties and forties were milling around the park, some dressed up like Josie and the boys, some just in regular clothes. They could hear the soft lilting strains of Lou Rawls' 'Summertime' drifting across the park, although they could not yet actually see the stage.
Josie had walked through Hyde Park numerous times since she had been there and could not believe how it had been transformed for this evening.
She hadn't realized it, but she had been standing still, her mouth slightly opened in awe, for quite a while.
"Amazing isn't it?" Sam said quietly as he came up beside her.
"Oh it's so beautiful! It's like something out of a fairy tale!" Josie replied, breaking her gaze to turn and smile winningly at Sam. He smiled back and offered his arm to her, which she took happily.
'Just like Cinderella, and you're my Prince Charming�' Josie thought inwardly, with a smile.
Peter was talking to one of the ushers situated outside the large white marquee that was the wine tent: a pretty girl, probably about their age.
"Trust him! Shall we head over to the stage? He may be some time by the looks of it." Sam said looking over at Peter with a grin. Peter was leaning against a tree and had said something that had made the girl laugh and blush simultaneously.
"Okay, lets go!" Josie replied.
Sam called over to Peter that they were heading for the main stage, and Peter gave Sam a knowing look and a wink that, thankfully for Sam, Josie did not see.
The stage was not huge; although the fact every inch of it was being used by the large band did nothing to enhance its dimensions. A large dance area was situated directly in front of the stage and was framed by many large circular tables where groups of people were sitting and chatting.
They had arrived for the latter half of the concert, so the dance floor was pretty full, as were the tables. However Sam spotted one that had only a few people sitting around it and after asking those already there if the seats were taken, he and Josie sat down to take in their surroundings.
Josie still seemed to be in awe of the layout and decor and she resumed looking around with a look of wonder.
Sam noticed the look in her eyes was not dissimilar to the look in them that surfaced when she was talking about Shakespeare. He recalled the day they first met in the library and how he had been amazed by her honest fascination with the Bard.
If he was honest with himself, every single little thing about Josie amazed him: from her intelligence to her beauty to her unwavering humility.
She was such a magical creature. Sam still couldn't get around the fact that she was there with him, in London of all places. Sam was not a big believer in fate, however he could not deny that this was a huge coincidence and that it must have some significance in their lives; what this significance was however, was more difficult to determine.
There was no doubt in Sam's mind about his feelings for Josie, however she seemed so guarded of hers, he could not decide what to do. If he was to tell her how he felt, this would be the perfect moment, very romantic and somehow fitting. However if he told her and he had it all wrong, it was quite possible he could totally ruin the evening, if not the whole trip, for both of them.
The silence between them that Sam had at first found comfortable and intimate was now becoming suffocating and nerve-wracking and so he decided to break it.
"Would you like a drink, Josie?"
Josie, who had up until then been watching the people on the dance floor, turned to look at Sam. "I'd love one! Whatever you're having will be fine. Just don't leave me alone too long!" she replied.
Sam grinned and then left to join the queue at the second wine tent.
Josie was not usually a drinker, however the colony of butterflies that had been fluttering in her stomach since Sam had picked her up had worsened when they had arrived at the Park and would only be calmed by wine.
She watched Sam's retreating figure until the sea of spectators engulfed him.
Letting out a small sigh she leant back in her chair and gazed into the crowd of dancers, focusing on no one in particular.
Indeed, ever since they had sat at the table she had not really been paying attention to anything.
She had started to look around, however she caught sight of Sam staring absent-mindedly at her, and she started to turn away. But then she realized he wasn't actually looking at her and she turned back, just long enough to see that there was something different about his eyes. The glazed look of lack of concentration was tinged with something else that Josie could not identify. He wore a slight frown on his face that seemed to be borne of confusion, but Josie could not even begin to guess about what.
Looking away before she broke his gaze, Josie instead allowed her thoughts to linger upon Sam.
What she felt for him was unfamiliar. It went beyond what she had felt for Billy Prince. This new feeling seemed more real, more tangible, and yet more out of reach.
It was an irritating fact of life, she decided, that the things we desire the most are usually the things we cannot have.
Josie desperately wanted to believe that Sam had feelings for her too, but her ever rational mind ruled this possibility out. Her heart persisted in telling her that Sam's attentions and kindness were surefire signs of his attraction to her, but her head told her, in a much louder voice, that they were signs only of a good upbringing.
When Sam had gone to get her drink, Josie used the time alone as a chance to recapture her thoughts and to really take in the atmosphere.
By the time Sam had returned, Josie had thought herself into so many circles, she could no longer think straight. In an effort to stop the warring voices of self-doubt and hope, she drank the wine a little he had poured from the bottle in his hand too quickly and hiccupped a strange squeaky hiccup.
Sam laughed at the noise as Josie blushed, for perhaps the hundredth time that evening, and apologized for her lack of manners. However in Sam's mind that little nuance she had made her only more attractive to him and thus only served to increase his painful longing for her.
Finishing his wine quickly, Sam resolved he could not just sit there all evening torturing himself; he had to test the waters.
Biting back his nerves, Sam stood up and walked to Josie's side of the table and stood in front of her, putting out his hand formally, he asked, "Madame, may I have the pleasure of this dance?"
Josie looked up at him, a look of bewilderment mixed with pleasant surprise on her face. Normally she would have been appalled to be putting herself into the center of attention, but the alcohol she had consumed had loosened her inhibitions. "Of course, good sir!" she replied, taking the offered hand and standing up.
"Just remember, I did warn you about my feet!" Sam quipped as they made their way to a gap on the dance floor.
"Don't worry, I'm no 'Fame' extra either!" Josie joked back.
The song being played at that moment was 'I Say A Little Prayer' by Dionne Warwick, which was a little hard to dance to, and so Sam and Josie just wiggled around a bit, laughing at each other and trying hard not to cause injury to anyone around them.
However the song ended and the next one was 'When I Fall In Love' by Nat King Cole.
Sam and Josie both looked around to the other dancers awkwardly, only to have their own private fears realized when they saw people coupling off and dancing closely.
Sam's mind was in turmoil. He had known something like this would happen; indeed it had been part of the reason he had asked her to dance. However now that he was actually faced with the prospect of dancing so closely to Josie, his heart had gone into overdrive.
Josie, meanwhile, was feeling the beginnings of what was sure to be her biggest embarrassment yet. She was sure Sam was uncomfortable with the idea of dancing so intimately. She could read it in his eyes. However, she assumed it was because he didn't want to, not because he was so nervous, so she just stood there, looking around helplessly.
Sam looked at Josie. The embarrassed, afraid look in her eyes suddenly made him want to reach out to her and comfort her and therefore spurring him into action.
He reached out his left hand to her gently and connected it to her right one. Josie turned suddenly to look at him. Sam simply smiled warmly at her and then placed his right hand on her waist.
The touch of his hand there sent a bolt of fire through Josie's stomach, straight up to her heart and she felt herself melting. Almost instinctively she reached around him with her left arm and placed her hand at the base of his back.
Thus connected, she tentatively looked up to his face where her eyes met with his, and Josie saw again that indefinable look in his eyes which was now fixed in them prominently. Whatever the look meant, it was burning into her, filling her with the most exquisite heat. Her breathing had quickened and every nerve ending in her body seemed to be tingling.
Suddenly Sam smiled at her, and Josie felt herself inwardly explode with happiness and an aching desire for him. They moved together slowly, their eyes not parting for even a second.
Sam was absolutely transfixed with Josie's beauty, and from the look in her eyes, he was starting to believe that maybe his feelings were not entirely unrequited. When he had put his hand on Josie's waist he was sure he had felt her tremble and she had not stopped smiling since the song began. Sam was acutely aware of Josie's hand on his back, it had rested quite still for a minute or so, but now he was sure he could feel her thumb moving in small circles, gently rubbing his spine through his jacket, and the feeling was incredible. It was as if Josie had a physical grip on his heart, it was an uncomfortable feeling but one he definitely did not want to end.
However, the song finished, and Sam was contemplating how to break the silence when the next song struck up. 'Fever' by Peggy Lee, sung by a woman who impersonated her very well.
Sam swallowed his words as he felt Josie pull closer to him. Her arm was now wrapped around him and their bodies were pressed together firmly. He was a little startled by this bold move, but looking down at Josie he realized she was just as shocked as he was. It seemed that perhaps the reduction in space between them had been a mutual, unconscious decision, and so rather than increase any embarrassment, Sam accepted the new position and decided to enjoy it.
The space around them further decreased, as more couples joined the dance floor. Sam pulled his left hand gently from Josie's and, taking a deep breath, rested it at the base of her spine. Josie, taking the lead from Sam, echoed this move and thus had both of her arms around him.
Josie was starting to feel the effects of the wine she had drunk and was now feeling quite relaxed. If she had been stone cold sober what she was doing with Sam at that moment would have turned her into a nervous wreck. But in the grand tradition of alcohol, her confidence was boosted and she felt nothing but comfortable, and perhaps a little sleepy.
She rested her head against Sam's shoulder, the alcohol diffusing the importance of the possible implications of this move. She allowed her body to do pretty much as it pleased, comfortable in the presence of Sam, as she closed her eyes.
Sam was filled with the most impossible ecstasy. Having Josie pressed so tightly to him, her arms encircling him and holding him tight, her soft yielding feminine figure crushed against his lithe masculine one was heaven in itself, however add to that the way she was lazily moving against him and Sam was in the most tantalizing hell!
Sam looked down and saw that Josie appeared to be half asleep, and it didn't take a genius to figure out the cause of this.
Sam sighed quietly. Josie being tipsy would explain a lot, particularly the sudden surge of confidence that had resulted in her being wrapped around him right now.
Sam's happiness of the moment deflated some at the realization. He was only too familiar with the effects of too much wine. More often than not it made you much freer with your emotions that you would be normally be, and often tricked you into believing things to be true that definitely aren't.
He wanted to believe that Josie's affectionate behavior was earnest, however to reciprocate would be unfair. He would be taking advantage of her at her most vulnerable, a despicable thing to do, especially considering that she probably didn't want to be that close to him anyway. This thought shocked Sam into cold realization of what he was doing and so as soon as the song ended, Sam gently loosened her arms from him. Josie looked up at him with her eyes half shut and a slow seductive grin and Sam felt his heart being pulled in two different directions. Part of him just wanted to kiss her right there and then and to hell with the consequences, but his more sober, responsible side was telling him to get her back over to the table, get her a coffee and try to keep the conversation light.
"You know, Sam," Josie said slowly and carefully, "you really dance rather well�"
Sam smiled at her, finding her slightly slurred speech and wobbly movements amusing now. "Yes, well that could be more to do with your head spinning rather than my dancing ability," he replied, placing a hand on her shoulder and steering her through the crowd back to their table.
Josie sat down on her seat a little too quickly and for a second she tottered uncertainly on the edge before Sam gently took hold of her upper arms and guided her back onto the seat.
"You need a coffee, I think," he said with an amused smile.
"No really, I'm fine, I've only had a couple of glasses�well, maybe 5 or so�" Josie replied, looking up at Sam all wide-eyed innocence before blushing slightly.
"Exactly. You stay here and try to stay still while I get you one," Sam said.
Josie nodded meekly and looked back to the crowd with a shiver.
Sam noticed this and immediately removed his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. "Here, this should keep you warm."
Josie smiled again and said thank you, pulling the material tighter around her shoulders as Sam headed back to the wine tent.
She immediately became aware of how warm Sam's jacket was, and she could smell his light aftershave on the material. It was as if he had his arms around her again, like he had on the dance floor.
Josie smiled to herself and hugged the jacket a little closer, closing her eyes to relive those few beautiful minutes when she had been sure Sam had wanted her.
Dancing with him had been scintillating; the heat she had felt coursing through her was less to do with the physics of their closeness and more to do with it's possible meaning and outcome.
When he had put his other arm around her as well Josie's thoughts had ceased to follow any logical pattern as they rushed around her head, resulting in the most beautifully dizzy sensation she had ever experienced. She had been on the verge of saying something to him when the song had ended and he brought her crashing back to reality by disengaging their bodies. He had done it the second the song finished, as if he couldn't get away from her fast enough, which he probably couldn't. Determined not to let her feelings show Josie had smiled and pretended to be drunker than she thought she was (although really no acting was needed), in an attempt to diffuse the tension.
Oh, but he had held her so close! Josie could still feel his strong arms wrapped around her body, pressing himself against her. Josie allowed a little sigh to escape her lips before she opened her eyes.
Sam was sat directly opposite her, a bemused look on his face and the smallest of smiles playing at the corners of his mouth.
Josie widened her eyes in shock and embarrassment before opening her mouth, and before she could stop herself, she was talking. "Oh! Hello! Gosh, I didn't know you were there. I wasn't asleep�um�well, maybe dozing but�oh! Is that my coffee? Great!"
She grabbed the cup from the table and busied herself by blowing on its surface and taking little sips so as to hide the look of pure humiliation she was sure was plastered all over her face.
Sam was perplexed, when he had returned to the table Josie had her eyes tight shut and a dreamy smile on her face, she was moving slightly, but not to the beat of the music. It was as if she had a different song playing in her head, keeping time.
Her expression had changed at one point and her brow had furrowed and instead of smiling Josie was chewing on her lower lip. However then the smile had returned, accompanied by a little sigh that had turned Sam's legs to jelly.
She was either drunker than he thought she was or she had been deep in thought, and her outburst when she had realized he was sitting there could have been a result of the wine or of embarrassment. In the dim lighting Sam could not make out which, and sensing it was probably none of his business he chose not to mention it.
The two of them sat at the table in a silent kind of limbo for a good ten minutes before a voice came over the speakers from the stage announcing that the event would be ending in twenty minutes.
Sam looked at his watch. It was shortly after 11:30pm, and they hadn't seen Peter for over an hour.
"We should look for Peter before all the crowds start moving," Sam said, looking around him at the slowly dispersing couples.
Josie nodded and then spoke, "No need! I can see him from here." She smiled and pointed to the center of the dance floor where Peter was visibly entwined with the girl from the first wine tent.
Sam laughed and excused himself. As he approached Peter and the girl he felt more than a little embarrassed� He was going to need a crowbar to separate them!
"Pete?�Uh�excuse me?" he began. No response.
Sam tapped Peter firmly on the shoulder and this time he looked up. "Hey, Sammy boy! How're things going with Josie?" he put heavy emphasis on Josie's name, accompanied by a dirty grin.
Sam laughed the comment off without answering. "We're about ready to go, are you coming?"
Peter smiled lazily, looking at the girl who had her head resting on his shoulder.
"Sarah here has invited me back to her place for a coffee, so no. You've got the key to the flat, so you'll be okay. Making a night of it with your lovely lady?" Peter asked suggestively.
Sam sighed in mock despair. "No, I am not! I am going to get her home and then get a cab back to the flat. I hope you have an�interesting�evening."
Peter grinned lopsidedly. "Yeah, whatever. See you tomorrow!"
Sam grinned and headed back to the table where Josie was finishing the last drops of her coffee.
"Peter won't be joining us again this evening, it seems he's indisposed�" Sam said with a smile.
"There's a surprise!" replied Josie, placing the cup back on the table.
"Shall we go and get a taxi then?" Sam asked. Josie nodded and together they walked to the nearest exit, which was just behind the stage.
The fading strains of 'As Time Goes By' were still audible as Sam hailed a black cab over. Taking a last wistful look over her shoulder at the lights in the park, Josie climbed in.
"Vicarage Gate, please," Josie said as soon as Sam was inside the car.
"Have you had a nice evening, Josie?" Sam asked as the car moved off from the curb.
"The best! I can't wait to tell Katie and Jack about it!" Josie replied enthusiastically. "Thank you so much for inviting me."
For once, it was Sam's turn to blush. He wanted to tell Josie how there was no need to thank him because her presence there had meant he'd had the time of his life, however he could not. Instead he said simply, "The pleasure was all mine," and then instantly regretted saying it when he realized how cheesy it sounded.
The rest of the journey was spent pretty much in silence, Sam and Josie both convinced in their own heads that the other did not want to talk to them.
Sam was beginning to fear that the consequences of his behavior on the dance floor had spoiled any possible chance he had with Josie and Josie was convinced that Sam was not at all approving of her slightly drunken, overly friendly behavior.
Since they had left the dance floor all the easiness had dropped out of their relationship. Neither one felt relaxed around the other, and conversation was kept to a minimum for fear of saying something inappropriate.
When the taxi arrived in Kensington, Sam paid the fare and escorted Josie to the front door.
"Thank you again for inviting me out this evening. I've really had a great time," Josie said, smiling nervously and hoping that the shadows cast by the street lighting were covering her embarrassment.
"That's quite all right. It's been so nice to see you again," Sam replied, suddenly remembering he was leaving on Tuesday.
Josie had also forgotten this fact and had the lighting been better, Sam would have seen the crest fallen look that was now on her face.
"Well hopefully we'll meet up again, although when I don't know. I'm pretty much going straight to Northwestern when I get back."
Sam let out an inaudible sigh. "Yeah, it's a shame really. We'll just have to use our English skills and make sure we write lots, I mean, every now and then."
Josie smiled "That would be nice." There was a silence. "Oh, I guess you'll be needing this back�" Josie handed Sam his jacket, shivering slightly as the cool evening breeze slipped around her body.
"Now, are you sure you'll be okay getting back to Peter's flat?"
With a grin, Sam answered, "I'll be fine. He gave me the job of 'keeper of the key'."
Sam fumbled in the pocket of his trousers for the key and then froze. Quickly, he checked the other pocket, and then all the pockets of his jacket. Suddenly it seemed as if a lead ball had landed in his stomach and beads of nervous swear trickled down his back.
From the suddenly panicked look on Sam's face, Josie knew something was wrong. "Sam, what's the matter?" she asked, concerned.
He patted his pockets one more time and then sighed heavily. "Well�" he began nervously, "It seems that I've got a bit of a problem�"
"And what's that?"
"I've lost the key."
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