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!
* * *
Josie guessed what had happened from Sam's expression and grinned. "Well, you certainly kept it well!"
Sam looked up at Josie with a frown. "This isn't funny! I'm stuck! His parents are out of town!" He paused for a moment to take in Josie's face, which was screwed up in an attempt not to laugh. Finally, he saw the funny side and laughed a little. "Well, this is just great. I saw a friendly looking tramp back in the park�maybe I'll go crash on his bench."
Josie gave a little chuckle. "Don't be silly. You can stay here, there's plenty of room. And besides, I don't think those benches are made for two."
Sam smiled, "Are you sure your uncle and aunt wont mind?"
"They aren't here," Josie said, and quickly realizing how that might have sounded, she continued, "but even if they were, they wouldn't hear of you doing anything else." Josie unlocked the door and stepped inside.
Folding his jacket over his arm, Sam followed her inside.
He, like Josie, was immediately impressed by the house, and as Josie lead him to the kitchen to make some coffee he too noted with awe the huge collection of books.
He watched as Josie kicked off her shoes and padded around the kitchen, taking out mugs and milk and filling the coffeemaker. This was the first time he'd seen her in proper lighting all evening, the restaurant had been atmospherically dingy and the park ethereal and twinkly, but here under the bright fluorescent light strip she was lit up properly and Sam noticed for the first time the way her skin almost shimmered, like she was covered in glitter.
Even after five or so hours out, involving drinking, dancing and the outdoor elements she still looked beautiful. Her hair was slightly mussed up from the evening breeze and from dancing, however it made her look so natural and real. The little patches of dirt around the sides of her feet from wearing open sandals added to this effect. She captivated him in every possible way. Sam found himself insanely happy at this thought and also a little scared that he had met someone who had this kind of control over him at the allegedly tender age of 18.
"How do you take it?" Josie asked. Sam did not appear to be listening to her. "Sam?"
His eyes suddenly flew back into focus and he smiled over. "White, no sugar."
Josie placed a steaming mug of highly aromatic coffee in front of him on the counter.
"Sam, would you mind if I left you for a minute? It's just that, while I love this dress, it's not so practical for wearing round the house. I'm going to take a quick shower and then I'll be back. Do you want to borrow some clothes to sleep in?"
Sam sighed inwardly. He didn't want her to take the dress off. He didn't want the evening to end.
"Sure, I'll just wait here. I'm probably all right in these clothes, but if you have a T-shirt or something, it might be useful. Although I'm guessing your clothes are probably too small for me," he replied with a grin.
Josie beamed. Since she had come to England she had lost a good few pounds. She wasn't waif-like, however she felt far more comfortable in her clothes, and no longer felt the need to hide herself in sack-like dresses. Sam's comment, therefore, was a high compliment indeed.
"I wont be long," she said, before going upstairs. Once in the privacy of her own room, she slipped off the dress and carefully hung it on the outside of her wardrobe door. She pulled on a bathrobe and went to the bathroom where she showered as quickly as possible. Wrapping her hair in a towel, she entered Katie and Jack's room.
She took an old soccer shirt and a pair of casual shorts from Jack's drawer before returning to her room to dress.
She had not yet stopped to consider the implications and practicalities of Sam staying yet, and as she glanced over at the clothes she had got for him, she suddenly realised that Sam, Sam, was going to be staying over that night. And they would be alone.
All of a sudden Josie felt her stomach start doing horrible jumpy things, and her vision seemed to slip in and out of focus. Before her weakened knees made the decision for her, she sat down on her bed.
Josie didn't dare think about what was going through Sam's head. Was he staying because he liked her? Or was it just because there really was no appealing alternative?
If there had have been an alternative, like a friendly neighbor or something, she was sure he'd probably be there. But that didn't change the fact that he wasn't. He was downstairs, in the kitchen, drinking coffee.
Where was he going to sleep? Josie didn't know what to do. She didn't know the first thing about the etiquette of over night guests. Particularly those of the opposite sex whom you are extremely attracted to.
Should she offer him her bed and she take the couch, or vice versa? Or should they both sleep in the same room? That's what she always did when she was little and had friends over. But then that didn't seem right.
Feeling herself getting more and more flustered, she took a chance on her wobbly feet and stood up. 'Sort yourself out,' she thought to herself. 'He wont be fretting like this.'
* * *
Sam was twiddling a pencil between his fingers with ever increasing speed. He had, of course, just had pretty much exactly the same thoughts as Josie. He had no idea whether he was invited to stay out of pity or friendship. And when it came down to the actual physicality of sleeping, he didn't know where he should go. Should he wait for her to tell him, or should he assume he would be on the couch?
Sam ran his fingers through his hair roughly, pulling it into strange shapes before smoothing it down again.
Before he had a chance to make a decision, Josie was back downstairs and in front of him, brandishing shorts and a T-shirt.
"These should fit you. They're my uncle's; he won't mind," Josie said, smiling nervously, a deep blush on her cheeks. Unbeknownst to Sam, her mind had unfortunately picked just that moment to display to her an anticipated image of Sam getting undressed, which had done nothing to calm her already frayed nerves.
"Thanks. They'll be great." He replied looking up. Now it was the turn of Sam's mind to create inappropriate images. Josie stood before him in her nightclothes: a baby blue and white striped summer pajama set. The top had no sleeves, and was buttoned down the front, with a V shaped neckline. The bottoms were shorts that cut off about three quarters down her thighs. Both looked to Sam as if they were made of the softest brushed cotton, and combined with Josie's wet curls that hung around her shoulders and the fresh fruity scent of her shampoo, he was having difficulty tearing his eyes and thoughts away from her.
"I thought maybe we could watch a movie or something, it seems a shame to go straight to sleep." Josie said, then realizing how that sounded, quickly added, "I mean, it's not that late yet, really."
"That sounds great," Sam replied taking the clothes off Josie and smiling awkwardly "I should, uh, go and change first though, I guess. Where's the bathroom?"
"Upstairs, first on the right. I put some towels in there in case you want to shower."
"Thanks," Sam said, taking the clothes in one hand and his half finished coffee in the other before going upstairs.
As soon as she heard the sound of running water, Josie began to panic. Again. She started moving the furniture around in front of the TV, not sure whether Sam would want to sit on the floor, an armchair or the sofa. If he wanted the sofa, would he want it all to himself? So where would she sit?
She got blankets from the linen cupboard and piled them on the floor next to the sofa.
Josie returned to the kitchen and pulled some chips out of the cupboard and tipped them into a bowl before deciding they weren't necessary and putting them back in the bag. Then she changed her mind again and put them back in the bowl and put them on the coffee table by the sofa.
She went around the room turning on all four table lamps before turning off the main lights. She had just decided the atmosphere was now far too intimate and was going to turn the light back on again when Sam reappeared next to her.
"You have a good shower," he said, causing Josie to jump sideways. In a bid to hide her shock she sat down on the sofa, pretending that was why she had moved in the first place.
"The one at Pete's is a pathetic excuse for a dribble," Sam continued, not noticing Josie's discomfort.
Josie looked at Sam and felt her chest tighten. He was dressed in her uncle's clothes now, and the way they clung to him reminded her of the day in the library when they had first met and she had been aware of his taut muscular physique under his hockey shirt. Now she also had to deal with his legs. They too were muscular and tanned, and Josie had to remind herself not to stare. To top that off, he was also still damp from the shower, and his hair was decidedly ruffled and smelled dizzyingly good.
"I�er, what do you want to watch?" Josie said, nervously fiddling with a cushion.
"Oh, anything. As long as it's not a tragedy." Sam replied with a reassuring grin before sitting down next to her.
Josie hopped off the sofa as if it were on fire and opened the video cabinet. "Well, we have a plethora of musicals. Or there's some war films, or�I'm sorry, they're all old ones. Jack and Katie aren't into Hollywood stuff," Josie said.
Sam left the sofa and knelt on the floor next to Josie, scanning the titles. She was right; every film her uncle and aunt owned was a classic. He doubted there was anything in there from after about 1970.
"Hey! How about The Sound of Music? I just love that film." Sam said.
Josie was surprised; she had expected him to pick one of the war films, or the dramas, not a musical.
"Sure, that's fine by me. I have to warn you though� I may sing." Josie replied.
Sam grinned back at her and teased, "Do you have any ear plugs?"
They both laughed at this, before Josie put the video in the machine. Sam settled back onto the couch at one end, leaving plenty of room for Josie at the other.
As the film began Sam said quietly, "Do you mind if I turn some of these lights off? I prefer watching movies in the dark." He worried that this request might sound a bit odd, but before he had a chance to over explain his reason Josie agreed and switched off the table lights.
Throughout the first twenty minutes of the film Josie and Sam sat at their respective ends of the sofa, not saying anything, trying very hard to look like they were watching the film.
However, pretty much since the film began Josie had been trying to decide how she should sit, whether she should curl up like she normally did when watching films, or lean on the arm of the sofa or just lean back into the cushions. It wasn't really a big issue, but in Josie's head each possible position had a thousand possible interpretations and so she sat looking like she had a steel pole down her back.
Sam had noticed Josie's obvious tension and found it somewhat amusing, but also highly confusing. He had spent the past few days believing this girl was completely unfathomable, but now a little voice in his head was trying to tell him that it was more to do with him not daring to believe what the truth was: that Josie might actually like him.
Every now and then she would fiddle with her hair, or cough quietly or fiddle with a cushion, displaying enough nerves that Sam could not deny the fact that she was tense in his presence.
In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Sam relaxed into the sofa, hoping Josie would follow his lead, which she did, although hers was a very structured kind of relaxed.
"You know, this has been one of my favorite films for as long as I can remember." He said quietly. Josie seemed startled at this sudden return to conversation. She had obviously been lost somewhere deep in thought.
"Me too!" she replied, glancing shyly at Sam. "I used to pretend I was Julie Andrews when I was little. I used to wander round the house yodeling. I drove my brother crazy! Come to think of it, I still do it sometimes!"
Sam laughed. "I can imagine. I never took it that far, although�well�can you keep a secret?" Sam sensed Josie was still a little tense and he was desperate to relax her, he hated the thought of her being uncomfortable in his presence.
"Of course!" Josie replied moving along the sofa a little and turning her body round on the sofa so that she was facing him, she curled her legs up underneath her and rested her head against her hand, watching Sam intently. "When I was little, I had this pair of Spiderman pajamas, and I wore them all the time. I mean, all the time. Whenever I had them on, I always thought I was Spiderman, that I had all of his powers. So one day, I can't remember if I thought I was being chased by some evil creature or what, but I decided I should climb down the side of the house. I mean, I was Spiderman� I could do anything!"
"Uh oh," Josie interjected, "I think I hear something painful coming�"
"You got it. A trip to ER later and those pajamas never saw the light of day again. I think that's why my interest in English went more into the theoretical side rather than the practical�"
Josie laughed with Sam at this and then leaned back against the sofa, clearly much more relaxed. The distance between them now was much smaller; indeed Sam could almost feel the warmth of her body on his skin. This thought automatically led on to the next, much more dangerous image of their skin pressed together, like it had been while they were dancing, except now in Sam's imagination there was no stiff material between them. All he could feel was the soft, silky smooth caress of her warm bare skin against his. A shiver ran down Sam's spine and he involuntarily closed his eyes, the image of them holding each other close like that becoming more and more vivid.
Blinking his eyes open again Sam busied himself with a handful of chips in an attempt to distract himself from Josie's arms, her legs, and her hair, which was brushing softly against his hand that rested on top of the back of the sofa.
Nestled on that warm sofa in the dark, Josie was feeling much more comfortable than she had been earlier. Sam's confession had made her laugh, and had made her feel much closer to him. She knew she had been told a very well kept secret and somehow she knew this meant he must trust her a lot.
However, their close proximity was still playing on her mind. This time it was less to do with her nerves about what was appropriate and more to do with the sensations that were running through her body and the thoughts that were invading her mind. He was so close to her that her entire body seemed to be aching from the desire to just reach out and touch him, and as if she did not trust herself, she had her hands clamped firmly under her thighs. Out of the corner of her eye she could see his face, he was only watching the film intermittently, his eyes fluttering shut every now and then, and then occasionally turning to her, at which point she would return her stare to the screen.
The darkened room was also making Josie's eyelids feel extremely heavy. The wine she had consumed had been telling her for the past hour to go to sleep, but her nerves had kept her awake. The voice of the alcohol had since been silenced by coffee, yet, now in a far more relaxed mood, her body seemed far more willing to shut down. Josie's thoughts were still running around like crazy in her mind, but her body had had enough for one day and soon the thoughts were being transformed into dreams that left a small smile playing on her lips as her head rested against the back of the sofa, and against Sam's arm.
Sam knew Josie was asleep from the moment her head touched his arm. Soon, however, it was pinned against the sofa by the weight of her head. Sam turned to look at Josie's sleeping form and smiled. She looked so comfortable and happy, the smile on her face indicating that she was enjoying a good dream. Sam could only wonder what it was about, but he hoped he featured prominently in it.
He remained still for about ten minutes, just watching her sleep. A small section of blond curls had fallen across Josie's face and was rising and falling gently with each of her breaths. As she sank deeper into sleep, the curls rose and fell less and less until they barely moved. It was at this point that Sam started to get cramp in his arm. He had to free it, however he did not want to wake Josie up.
As gently as he could, he tried to pull his arm free�but he couldn't. So instead, he tried to lift Josie's head with his free arm. He had just managed to lift her head a little when she made a small moaning noise. Fearing he had woken her up, Sam froze, but Josie was still asleep. She simply let out a big breath and then rolled over towards him, so that she fell onto his chest.
'Well,' Sam thought, looking down at her lying on him, 'at least my arm's free.'
He looked down at Josie, whose head was resting against his upper chest and grinned. Her upper lip was caught a little on his T-shirt, making a very funny picture for Sam. He held his breath and tried not to laugh because he knew if he did, the vibrations would surely wake her up.
Sam then thought about this some more. Maybe he should wake her up. He wasn't sure that it was right for her to be sleeping on him, if she was to wake up suddenly, she might be embarrassed, or even cross with him for not moving her. But she looked so comfortable, and though Sam hated to be selfish, he liked having her that close to him. He had been fantasizing about it all evening!
Josie moved again and snuggled her head against him, releasing her lip. She also brought her right arm up and wrapped it around his lower torso, so that she was half hugging him.
Involuntarily, Sam drew breath sharply. Just like earlier on the dance floor, he was faced with the impossible situation of having Josie so intimately close to him, and him unable to act on it. Again the exquisite sensation of utter pleasure and complete frustration coursed through him. He could feel her heart beating against his chest and felt her breath hot on his skin, even through his T-shirt.
Sam became increasingly worried of his reaction to having Josie close to him like this. Despite being a good looking teenager, Sam had only ever been out with one girl he would consider being a 'proper' girlfriend, and that relationship had been when he was 6 years old. So the physicality of his situation now was as new to him as he knew it must be for Josie.
He had fooled around with other girls, but had never been as close as this to someone he really cared about. Loved, even.
Suddenly Sam's train of thought was shattered. Had he really just thought that? He shook his head in disbelief. He was 18! What did he know about love?
But the small voice in his head that he had been ignoring for days now was getting louder and louder. The strange pleasurable stranglehold he felt around his heart wasn't heartburn. The surge of happiness he felt whenever Josie looked his way or spoke to him wasn't some kind of mental discrepancy. The way his whole body tingled whenever she was around him had nothing to do with the temperature. He was in love.
"I'm in love with Josie Geller!" Sam whispered to himself, astonished.
And with this momentous realization, the urge to bend forward and kiss the lips of that girl he loved became almost unbearable. He knew he was going to have to wake her up before he did something he wouldn't regret, but that she might.
At that moment Josie shifted again and rested her head a little higher up on his chest, as her right arm squeezed him tighter. Sam held his breath, trying to force the incredible sensations away and regain control. He was about to tap Josie on the shoulder when she murmured in her sleep, "Oh, Sam�" and then snuggled further into his embrace.
Sam was shocked into silence. He stared down at her for a few seconds before a huge grin appeared on his face. He didn't dare believe what he had heard, but he knew he had heard it! Josie had said his name, and if the blissful smile on her face was anything to go by, she wasn't having nightmares.
Sam gently ran his fingers through Josie's hair, reveling in the cool silkiness of each curl. With his other hand he reached over the end of the sofa to the pile of blankets Josie had left there. Trying to keep as still as possible, he unfolded a large red fluffy blanket and spread it over Josie. He smoothed it over her back, allowing his hand to rest on her spine for a fraction longer than was strictly necessary. He then bent forward and very gently planted the softest of kisses on Josie's hair, before flicking the TV off.
As Sam slipped into a warm and happy sleep, his right arm slipped down across Josie's shoulders, enveloping her into a warm embrace, their sleeping figures entwined both in reality and in their dreams. Now the room was completely silent, apart from the sounds of their breathing and the synchronized beating of their hearts.
* * *