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 awoke early the next morning. From the lack of outside noise, she guessed it must be before seven am. Her eyes were being quite disobedient, no matter how forcefully she told them to open, they would only slightly part, and even then her vision was decidedly fuzzy.
Her head was throbbing unpleasantly, and was soon accompanied by a disagreeable queasiness in her stomach as she remembered the previous night.
The actual events of the night before were still un-remembered, however the alcohol she had consumed was crystal clear in her memory.
Groaning slightly, Josie lifted her head and forced her eyes open fully. It was at this point that she became aware of her surroundings. She had assumed she was in bed, as that was where she (and most other people) usually slept. However it appeared she was in the lounge, on the sofa. The pressure in Josie's head was building up to an uncomfortable level, and so she decided the best way to remedy this was to lie down again. However, as she lay her head back down on the sofa, she realised that the usually squishy cushions had taken on a distinctly firmer, warmer feeling. The cushion then further surprised her by exhaling loudly.
Josie jumped up in surprise, her raging hangover subdued by her shock. Fast asleep where she had been sleeping was Sam. Despite the fact he was quite obviously oblivious to the world, Josie felt her cheeks redden in embarrassment.
'Oh God', she thought 'how long have I been squashing him like that for?' Josie struggled to recapture the events of the previous night, and managed to recall watching 'The Sound of Music' on the sofa with Sam. However she remembered distinctly that she had not been lying on him then. She must have fallen asleep and then fallen on to him while he was sleeping. At this thought Josie's embarrassment heightened, she must have trapped him like that all night.
Josie inwardly debated whether to wake him up or not, but then remembering how early it was, she decided to leave him be. He looked so cute asleep, his hair was pointing in all sorts of directions and the faintest of smiles was visible on his soft, temptingly kissable lips.
'I wonder what he's dreaming about,' Josie thought smiling and hugging her blanket around her. Her blanket? Josie could remember clearly that she hadn't had a blanket while watching the film, and the only other way it could have got on to her was if Sam had put it there. Despite the protestations of Josie's inner demons, she could not help a huge grin from spreading over her face. Sam sighed loudly in his sleep and his right arm moved from his side back to his stomach, his hand gently caressing his belly as if he thought there was something else there. Despite being asleep it seemed Sam sensed that whatever it was his hand sought was not there, and the smile on his face was replaced by a small frown. Josie watched all this in silent wonder. His hand had moved to where her head had been. Could it be possible he had wanted her to sleep on him like that? 'No' Josie scolded herself 'don't be silly'. But then, surely if he had not wanted her to lie on him, he would have moved her while she was asleep?
'Sam is a gentleman, he probably just didn't want to wake me.' Josie reasoned with herself. Despite the chorus of tinny voices in her head telling her to go back to sleep for a while, whilst also performing an elaborate tap-dance against her skull, Josie forced herself off the couch.
Whatever had happened the previous night, Josie was determined not to be embarrassed about it. She would simply act as if nothing untoward had happened.
Play it cool. That's what all the magazines told girls to do wasn't it? Josie padded across the floor so as not to wake Sam and headed towards the stairs to shower and dress.
And to find some Aspirin, she added mentally.
Sam was having a strange dream. He was at one end of a totally bare grey corridor. There were no windows, the only light coming from blinking fluorescent strips above his head. Squinting into the distance he could make out a figure. It was calling something out. He progressed slowly down the corridor and as he travelled further the voice got louder.
"SAM!" It was Josie. A surge of happiness flooded through Sam and spurred him into a jog.
"I'm coming, Josie!" he called back. He could see her now. She was standing in her blue evening gown, waving and smiling at him. He was almost there� THUD! He had hit what appeared to be a pane of glass that blocked the whole corridor. Confused, Sam felt his way over the glass. There was no way round.
"Josie!" he called, as she walked slowly towards him. She was crying into her hands.
"JOSIE!" he called again louder, thumping the glass with his fist. He knew he had to break through to her. Josie looked up at him, a sad smile on her tear- stained face.
"Oh Sam�don't leave me," she murmured, resting her palm on the glass. Sam placed his palm against hers through the glass "I won't, I promise." Josie smiled, but her smile quickly turned to a look of horror as the ground beneath Sam started to move, backward. He was being carried away from the glass.
Confused, Sam started trying to run back toward Josie, but the faster he ran, the faster the floor carried him away, until he was being hurtled down the corridor away from Josie.
"You promised me, Sam�" she called plaintively from the distance, but it was too late. Sam was aware of a hard surface fast approaching behind him as he flew backwards and�
Sam sprang up from the couch, breathing heavily. 'What a nightmare!' Sam thought rubbing his face with his hands. Looking up Sam remembered where he was. Josie was no-where in sight. The clock on the VCR told him it was just after 9am.
Having no hangover to speak of, Sam was easily able to remember the previous night, and he did so with a wistful smile. He could not remember a happier evening in his life than the one he had spent with Josie. Looking around the room, Sam could not see the subject of his dream anywhere.
"Josie?" he called out, but there was no reply. Standing up from the Sofa, Sam proceeded to look around the house, calling Josie's name, but she was nowhere to be found. 'She must have run out for something,' Sam thought to himself, before going into the bathroom to shower.
As the hot water sluiced over his body, Sam recalled the events of the previous night. Even the memory of dancing so closely with Josie sent a tingle down his spine as his heart beat quickened. And then the way she had fallen asleep on him when they got back, Sam had never shared such an emotionally intimate moment with anyone, even though Josie had been dead to the world. His entire body and soul ached to be near her. When she wasn't around Sam felt strangely empty, as if some important part of him had been removed. When she was near him, the feelings of happiness and love within him were so great and intense he worried they would just spill out of him.
Her image was so vivid in his mind, he could see her beautiful smile, her deeply hypnotic blue eyes, he could even smell the peachy aroma of her hair. Although, he reasoned, that could be due to the fact that her shampoo was right there next to him in the shower.
He picked up the bottle and inhaled it's delicate fruity aroma, closing his eyes and allowing his mind to convince him that Josie was there in the shower with him. Sam was just beginning to enjoy this idea, when his conscience snapped him out of it.
He shouldn't be thinking about her like that when she didn't even know how he felt.
Indeed, since Josie had murmured Sam's name the previous night, he had resolved that today, he would tell her exactly how he felt.
He wanted to explain to her how much he loved her, how every time he saw her his heart felt fit to bust from all the love inside for her. He wanted to run his fingers through her silky hair and tell her how beautiful she was to him, and how since the first moment they had met, her warm personality and kindness had trapped his heart and soul. Then he wanted to kiss her beautiful mouth, so gently, and whisper to her that he would never be complete without her.
And he had to do it soon. His flight home left at 1:30pm, which meant he had two hours to get himself back to Pete's and off to Heathrow to check-in for 11:30am.
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Josie had gone out to the local shop to get some more milk and some bread, so that Sam could have some breakfast. Her cool resolve of earlier that morning had completely vanished, along with the last traces of alcohol in her bloodstream.
She was now back to being a panicky wreck.
After she had had her shower she had spent half an hour sitting in the lounge, just staring at Sam's sleeping figure, aching with the desire to reach out and touch him. Twice she had had to check herself as her hand crept dangerously close to his hair.
She just couldn't do it. It was as if she had a little devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other.
The Angel was telling her that Sam felt the same way and that she should be honest with him. The Devil was telling her she wasn't good enough for him and to leave him alone. Unfortunately, due to a lifetime of authority in Josie's mind, the Devil's voice was much louder.
And so in a last ditch attempt to stop herself from embarrassing both of them by doing something she'd regret, she made herself go out.
Outside it was a beautiful sunny morning. Josie had never been particularly fond of Mondays, but today, she couldn't help but be in a good mood. Every time the little Devil surfaced to dampen her mood, the Sun forced him back into the darkest recess of her mind. And the Sun also served to strengthen the Angel's voice, and by the time Josie had paid for her shopping, she had decided she was going to come clean with Sam. He was leaving today, and if she didn't tell him she never would and then she'd never know. If his response was negative, the distance his return to the States would put between them would help ease the pain of rejection anyway.
Steeling her nerves, Josie put a smile on her face and walked bravely down the sidewalk.
Her mind elsewhere, she didn't see the motorbike courier until it was too late. Crossing the street a block away from home, the motorbike skidded to avoid her, and almost succeeded. However the rear wheel escaped the rider's control and it swung out and towards Josie, catching her from behind. As the wheel came into contact with Josie's leg, she was propelled forward and flung through the air about 6 feet. She landed back on the ground with an almighty thud, her foot twisted awkwardly underneath her, and her head making heavy contact with the curb. The milk she had bought was flowing freely from its shattered container, creating a white halo around her head.
Josie managed to half open her eyes but couldn't distinguish anything, everything was blurred.
"Sam," she murmured softly, before she slipped into unconsciousness.
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It was 10:30am. Sam had to leave soon if he was going to get back to Pete's and get to Heathrow in time. Josie had still not returned from wherever it was she had gone, and Sam's nerves were shot to pieces. He had to talk to her before he went, but to Sam it seemed that Josie did not want to be spoken to.
He had spent the past hour fighting off demons, telling him that she wasn't interested, why else would she be avoiding him like this? At first his resolve had remained strong as he told himself she would be back in time. But as time went by and she didn't return, the demons battled their way into Sam's mind and set up camp.
'She doesn't want to know,' Sam thought dejectedly, wistfully fingering the rug under which Josie had slept the previous night. 'You should just forget it. You were a fool to think she'd ever want you in the first place,' the demons chimed in.
Sighing heavily Sam accepted the miserable truth. Josie had woken up and remembered the night before, she'd been disgusted with Sam's behaviour and presumptions and had gone out so she wouldn't have to see him before he left.
Picking up the phone on the coffee table, Sam dialled for a taxi. The sooner he got back to the States, the sooner he could start trying to get over her.
When the taxi arrived, Sam debated whether to leave a note for Josie. But deciding she had made her message entirely clear to him, he concluded that it would be for the best if he didn't trouble her anymore. As Sam climbed into the taxi, he took a long look back at Josie's aunt and uncle's home, deep in thought, feeling as if somehow he were no longer complete. He was so caught in his own mind that he didn't even realize that the cab had to detour to the left to avoid the part of the road blocked off by the police car.
Sam made it to the airport just in time for the last call for his flight. Pete went over a checklist with him at the departure lounge to ensure he hadn't left anything behind in his haste. Everything was present and correct. It was only as the plane soared into the sky, away from England, that Sam realised the one thing he had forgotten, the reason why he felt as if he were missing something. It's because he was�perhaps the most important thing.
He had left his heart with Josie.
END OF PART ONE
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