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* * *
Josie stood in her slip in front of the mirror on her dresser, her chin resting in her hand as she studied her reflection. She no longer saw the shiny, teen-aged face of "Josie Grossie" staring back at her, but the pretty face of a woman who was happy, successful, and�hopefully�loved by the most wonderful man she'd ever met. Twirling a strand of blond hair around her forefinger, Josie smiled at herself.
In the reflection, Josie could see the red dress she'd picked out for the evening hanging from her closet door. Though she'd owned it ever since her wardrobe makeover weeks ago, she'd never worn it. Up until tonight, she just didn't think she could pull it off. It somehow seemed too�flattering, she guessed was the word, and until now, she hadn't had felt enough confidence to wear it. It was a beautiful dress, and seemed perfect for "Reporter Barbie." It was a great combination of business style and sexy femininity, and formal enough for a prom. Even better, it flattered every aspect of her figure.
An hour later, Josie faced her reflection again, this time before a full-length mirror on the inside of her closet door. Her dress was perfect, her hair was perfect, and, she thought with a smile, her date was perfect. She slid her feet into her strappy red "Barbie heels," dotted on a little perfume, and grabbed her handbag. Sam would be there any moment.
Sure enough, less than five minutes passed before Josie heard her doorbell. She took in a deep, steadying breath and opened the door, praying Sam would like what he saw. Sam, dressed formally in a black tuxedo, stood on her doorstep with a single long-stemmed red rose and a book wrapped with a red ribbon. Josie's smile conveyed every ounce of joy she felt at seeing him there.
Sam allowed himself to admire her unabashedly; indeed, he couldn't take his eyes off her. Then he said with awe, "Josie, you look�" It was impossible to settle on the right word. Beautiful? Amazing? Stunning? Finally, he simply breathed, "Wow."
In an instant, Sam had made all her hard work at trying to look perfect for him worth it. Josie looked down at her feet and blushed. "Come on in," she replied shyly, stepping aside to invite him inside.
As she stood holding the door open, Sam walked past her and into the apartment. As Josie shut the door, she admired the way Sam's tux jacket seemed molded to his shoulders and sighed. He was, by far, the most handsome man she had ever met, at least, she thought, he was to her. He turned back toward her and their eyes locked. They stepped closer to each other, and Josie thought of concepts from high school physics: electricity, magnetism�
And then, Sam took a small step back and lowered his eyes, almost as if he were trying to maintain a hold on his self-control. He cleared his throat and then said with a soft smile, "Here, I brought something for you," offering Josie the rose and the book.
As Josie held the rose up to her nose and closed her eyes to savor its wonderful smell, Sam could not help but think of the first line of a famous Robert Burns poem, "My love is like a red, red rose�" knowing that, at last, he could completely understand the Scottish poet's sentiment. Tonight, he couldn't imagine a more fitting description of her.
After a moment of enjoying the sweet fragrance of the rose, Josie placed it in the crook of her arm to study Sam's other gift. It was a lovely hardbound leather copy of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's Sonnets from the Portuguese. "Oh, Sam," Josie whispered, untying the ribbon with trembling fingers. "Who told you?"
Sam looked puzzled. "Told me? Told me what?"
When she looked up at him, he could see tears glimmering in her eyes. "That this is my favorite."
On the first page was a line written in what Josie assumed was Sam's handwriting. In cursive writing that managed to be that rarest of combinations�masculine and neat�Sam had written a line from one of the sonnets:
"Josie, 'when I think that thou wast in the world a year ago . . .'"
It was almost unbelievable. He'd even quoted from her favorite sonnet in the book, the one about not yet knowing the person whom you were eventually going to love.
Josie's eyes rested on the page for a few seconds, then slowly rose to meet Sam's gaze. Unshed tears of happiness hung heavily on her bottom lashes. She whispered a fervent, "Thank you." Then, before she quite knew what she was doing, Josie stepped towards Sam and circled her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him for a warm hug. She closed her eyes as she breathed in his familiar smell and enjoyed the security of his nearness.
Although he was completely taken aback by her sudden show of affection, Sam was more than willing to wrap his arms firmly around her slender waist and hug her closer to him. He was amazed at how completely right it felt to have her in his arms. It was like she belonged there, like they belonged together.
After a long moment, they separated and Josie smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
"Don't be," Sam replied, letting his eyes convey his full meaning.
Josie flushed and looked down. "Oh!" she exclaimed, noticing that her rose had fallen to the floor when she embraced Sam. She bent down to retrieve it and hurried into the kitchen to pull a tall, thin glass vase from one of the cabinets. Then she ran some water into it and placed the rose on her counter. Rejoining Sam in the living room, she carefully set the poetry book on her coffee table.
"Ready to go?" Sam asked with a grin. He offered his arm to Josie.
"Definitely." She gladly took his arm, and felt a rush of warmth when he covered her hand with his.
* * *
The students of South Glen South had worked hard to decorate for prom, and except for the fact that it was entirely pink, their efforts were rewarded: the country club looked beautiful. But not everyone was thrilled with the gala affair.
Lydia turned in a circle, surveying the room with a disinterested eye. She had decided to dress as Hawaiian Barbie, and had a wig of blond hair that flowed down to her ankles. It weighed a ton and made her feel hot and stuffy, even though she wore only a floral bikini and huge dangling earrings. Lydia was beginning to feel the pressure of not yet having a story�just that day Rigfort had made it clear that he wanted from her something very soon.
Not only that, but she was growing increasingly tired of hanging around with high school girls every night. Before this assignment, she'd had quite a social life, and she missed it.
As the song "I'll Be" began to play, Lydia noticed Josie Geller had arrived at the prom, looking blissfully happy on the arm of Sam Coulson. She almost hadn't recognized Josie and actually had to do a double take to be sure of her identity. Gone was the shy, meek, plain Josie she had known before. In her place was a beautiful, graceful swan, a woman who plainly outclassed any other in the room. As she watched them, she prayed that Josie hadn't given away their secret to Sam. After all, both their jobs depended on it.
She watched them for another moment as they stopped in front of the Barbie Convertible backdrop, talking animatedly and gesturing toward it. Then Josie laughed merrily at something Sam said and they both smiled at each other. They really were sweet together, she decided as she watched them: a very handsome couple. There was no space wasted between them, and they never looked away from each other's eyes for long. They were so caught up in each other that it almost seemed as if they didn't see the throng of kids swirling around them or hear the chatter of hundreds of voices. They were in a world all their own. Lydia shook off a sudden pang of jealousy and turned away.
She took another drink of her spiked punch. Gibby had done a fine job on that, at least, she thought, wrinkling up her nose in distaste at the decor. Suddenly, she realized that the room looked a little hazy. Apparently the alcohol was starting to get to her a little. 'And not a moment too soon,' she thought, because she didn't know how she'd survive this ridiculous prom without it. She drained the remainder of her punch and turned to serve herself another ladleful.
An hour later, the deejay called Sam to the stage to stand with Ms. Knox. The time had come to announce the prom king and queen. He smiled a silent apology to Josie and left her side to climb the stairs and stand before the South Glen senior class.
Not surprisingly, Gibby, Kirsten, and Kristen were crowned the princesses, and the usual boys took their places beside them. Guy Perkins was declared the prom king. Lydia watched as he kissed his date, Aldys (what a long way that girl had come, and all thanks to her), and went to claim his crown.
Lydia was inordinately pleased when Aldys was named the queen. This had been her story idea, and apparently it worked. The class geek becomes prom queen; it would make a nice article on the sociology of high school. She watched as the class cheered Aldys, who was elegantly dressed as Medieval Barbie. She wept as Mr. Coulson placed the crown on her head, then Lydia watched as the crowd parted for the king and queen to dance.
While the other students watched them dance to the Cardigans' "Erase/Rewind," Lydia let her eyes follow Sam Coulson as he left the stage to rejoin Josie.
Even from across the room, Lydia could sense the incredible attraction between them as they locked eyes and smiled at each other. The heat between them was undeniable. Something didn't add up, Lydia thought, although in her current state of inebriation, she couldn't decide what. As if she thought it would help her powers of deduction, she refilled her punch again and drank it in one gulp.
"Hey, babe, isn't that like your hundredth cup?" asked the guy behind the punch bowl.
"Yeah?" she accused defensively. "And so what if it is?" Lydia said in a slurred voice, holding her cup out for more.
"Okay, I think you've had enough," he replied as he pushed her cup away.
"Fine." Lydia smirked acidly at him, crumpled her cup, and tossed it into the trash. She turned, swaying as she did so. She leaned back on the punch bowl table for support and watched as Aldys and Guy finished their dance. They really made a cute couple . . . and all thanks to her, she reminded herself proudly.
* * *
Sam left the stage, his eyes searching the crowded room for Josie. He found her instantly and they locked gazes yet again. Tonight she was hard to miss in that red dress . . . But even so, she looked incredibly, almost impossibly, beautiful. Although her eyes were only for him, he'd noticed that every other man in the room over the age of 18 was watching her. He could hardly blame them.
When he'd first seen her standing in the doorway of her apartment, he'd been floored. It was then, when he stepped in and handed her the rose and the book of poetry, that he realized he truly loved her. The kind of love that completely consumed him, heart and soul. The kind of love that he'd only read about in plays, poems, and novels. The kind of love that�until that very moment�had not truly believed existed. It seemed a little soon after Lara, but he reminded himself at the time that he'd stopped loving Lara long before he broke up with her.
He thought back to the first time he saw Josie at his Shakespeare festival, with her then long, brown hair twisted up and her strange, old-maidish dress. But yet, even so, he'd been attracted to her pretty smile, her wonderful sense of humor, and her obvious love and knowledge of the subject.
He pictured her at the skating rink with her hair tucked up under his baseball cap, and how it was the first time he'd really gotten a glimpse of the beautiful woman she would become. She had moved awkwardly on the skates, laughing at herself each time she fell. She had then made him pay for her embarrassment by beating him at pool four straight games.
And there was the night at the Delloser Club when she had so delightfully changed into this beautiful blonde that he was with tonight. She had taken his breath away when he saw her. He had missed her so much even then that he was happy to have her back in his life any way he could.
Then there was their ride on Ferris wheel, when he hadn't been able to deny his growing attraction to her any longer. Even though he'd believed she was happily married, he'd been unable to resist reaching up to touch the soft skin of her face.
He remembered the day they painted the Barbie convertible backdrop and how they'd laughed and teased each other all afternoon between the short moments that they actually put paint on the canvas. She had looked both ridiculous and wonderful covered with splotches of pink paint. And just thinking of their near kiss made his heart pound in anticipation.
And tonight� Well, tonight she was simply incredible.
Now as he approached Josie, he was certain that the love in his eyes must be unmistakable. He wanted to search her eyes for some sign that she felt the same way�her eyes that were always beautiful and full of expression�but he was afraid he might find nothing like that in them.
Josie was leaning against the wall, just finishing eating a piece of chocolate cake. As she noticed Sam approaching, she put the plate aside. Sam stood close to her and they took each other's hands, smiling at each other. "I'm glad Aldys won," Josie remarked.
"So am I." Sam suddenly looked puzzled. "How do you know her?"
"I met her that night at the Delloser Club."
"Oh . . ." Sam replied absently. His eyes wandered down to her lips, where there remained one or two small cake crumbs. "You have some, uh . . ." He couldn't speak; his longing to kiss her was too strong. He could only lift his hand to point at the side of her face.
Josie blushed, grinning sheepishly as her tongue darted out to lick at the corner of her mouth. "All gone?"
Sam swallowed hard and then half-whispered, "Yeah." They stared at each other for another long moment before he continued, "Do you�do you wanna�?" Sam gestured toward the dance floor.
Josie smiled shyly and replied, "Yeah, okay."
They moved onto the dance floor and as they found a spot for themselves, Sam pulled Josie into his arms as they moved slowly in time to the music. Josie melted into his embrace. She looked up and met his gaze and suddenly she was lost in the sheer depth of feeling she saw in his eyes. Josie knew at that moment that she could not lie to him for one second longer. He had to know the truth. She had to tell him. She knew with every fiber of her being that Sam could be entrusted with this secret. So telling him couldn't possibly ruin Lydia's story, could it?
She knew that she had to try. Her love for Sam was too strong, too deep for her to allow the charade to go on any longer, regardless of the consequences to herself. She looked up at Sam and met his gaze again, letting her eyes tell him she felt the same, but a little bit of her fear of telling him the truth also showed. She prayed with her whole heart that he would understand, that he could forgive her. "Sam," she whispered, "there's something I want to tell you�"
Sam smiled down at her, enchanted. Her breath smelled like chocolate, and her lips looked even more delicious. His breath caught in his throat when he finally saw in her eyes the reassurance he'd been waiting for: a glowing warmth that surely said she felt the same way for him that he did for her. The words of the song they were dancing to echoed in his head: "Please, please, please let me get what I want . . ."
Sam wanted to hear her laugh, he wanted to kiss her, he wanted to tell her what he'd only just realized - that he loved everything about her and that he wanted to spend every day for the rest of their lives finding more and more things to love. Nervously, he replied, "There's� there's something I want to tell you too." He leaned in very close to share with her the secret of his heart.
* * *
Kirsten came up to Lydia and smiled. "Ohmigod, I cannot believe I got prom court." Her inane remark prompted no reply from Lydia. Lydia was busy staring at the romantic scene being played out before her eyes in the guise of Sam Coulson and Josie Geller. Kirsten followed Lydia's gaze and then asked, "Hey, isn't that your sister dancing with Mr. Coulson?"
Lydia rolled her eyes to herself and answered dryly, "Yeah."
"Weird. I mean, he's cute and all, I guess. But that must be weird for you, having your sister's boyfriend for a teacher."
'You have no idea,' Lydia thought to herself, but simply answered, "Yeah."
Eventually, Lydia's bored expression made Kirsten seek conversation elsewhere. Lydia turned her full attention back to Sam and Josie. Since she'd last looked at them, they had moved even closer, and were surely about to kiss. They radiated so much heat; her pulse beat faster just watching them from across the room. Yeah, she supposed Sam Coulson was "cute and all." So what on earth was Josie Geller doing with him?
Lydia tried to sort through her drunk, incoherent thoughts. Then her mind latched onto the only conclusion that made sense to her. Josie must have given away the secret. After all, the "lily white" Sam Coulson�who hadn't even given her a second glance simply because she was supposedly his student even when she used every feminine wile she knew on him�wasn't the type to date a married woman, let alone share such an incredibly romantic and erotic moment with one. 'So the only 'logical' solution,' thought Lydia, 'is that she went against old Rigfort's orders and told him about me.'
'How dare she?!' Lydia thought angrily to herself. 'She could get all of us fired!' All Lydia could think of in that moment was that Josie had been a liability to this storyline from the very beginning by involving herself with Sam Coulson. She had no right interfering that way! And now she had gone and blown everything!
In an alcohol-induced rage, Lydia barged across the floor of dancing couples, roughly shoving people out of her way until she stood (or wobbled) before Sam and Josie, interrupting them just before they were about to make their confessions to each other.
"Hey, sis," she said to Josie with thinly veiled acid lacing her voice. She almost laughed out loud as Josie and Sam quickly jumped apart, though she noticed that Sam still held on to one of Josie's hands for support. 'Isn't that cute? The supportive boyfriend�' Lydia sneered to herself.
Josie suddenly sensed that Lydia was hideously drunk, and Lydia knew she knew it. 'Good,' she thought, 'let her wonder what I'll do next�'
"Hi, Lydia," Josie said, her voice shaking with fear.
Lydia narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips in a show of defiance. "I can't believe you're hanging all over Mr. Coulson like this when you're already married."
"Lydia, you're drunk, aren't you?" Josie soothed, placing a hand on Lydia's shoulder to steady her. "Maybe I better call Mom and Dad."
Lydia viciously threw off Josie's hand and then looked back and forth between them. She didn't notice that some of the dancers around them were now staring at her. All she could see was Josie and Sam. Josie looked scared, and Sam seemed very uncomfortable. "Oh, cut the crap, Josie!" she announced furiously. "Who needs all the 'sis' stuff now?"
"Lydia . . ." Josie eyes pleaded with Lydia not to continue. If Lydia had not been drunk, she would have seen this sign and realized her error before it was too late. But Lydia was too far gone to catch such a subtle signal. Her angry haze blocked out everything but her version of the truth.
"So," Lydia leveled her intense rage at Sam, "how long have you known?"
Sam was startled by the sudden look of hatred he was receiving from Josie's younger sister. She was obviously drunk and poor Josie looked as if she were going to cry. The girl wasn't making any sense. "Known? Known what?"
"Lydia, let's get you home," Josie tried to intervene again, putting her hand on Lydia's arm again, this time a little more forcefully.
Lydia shook off Josie's hand and spoke again to Sam. "Oh, come on. It's obvious from the way you two are acting that you know. When did she tell you?"
Sam was beginning to lose patience with the girl, although he tried not to show it. "Tell me what, Lydia?"
Josie pleaded with her, "Please, Lydia. Please don't do this. You don't know what you're saying, please�"
Lydia gave Josie another one of her acidic looks and slurred, "Oh I know exactly what I'm saying, Josie. I can't believe you'd stab me in the back this way!" she fumed. People in a ten-foot radius of them had stopped dancing and were watching the scene unfold with interest. Oblivious to the attention she was attracting, Lydia speared Sam with another look, pointed her finger to herself and revealed, "I'm not seventeen, and I'm certainly not a high school student. I'm an undercover reporter. And we�" shoving her finger in Josie's general direction, "are not sisters, thank God. We work together." Lydia smiled condescendingly at her. "She proofreads my stories. And she's sure as hell never been married." Lydia laughed at the mere possibility. "I'd be surprised if she's ever been kissed by a guy, let alone married to one�" Lydia trailed off into silence as she realized a horrible truth.
At that instant, even though Lydia was almost blind drunk, she realized that she couldn't have been more wrong in her conclusion.
Josie stood off to the side, still shaking her head in denial as fat tears began rolling down her cheeks, her eyes bleak and agonized. And Sam, who had released Josie's hand at some point during Lydia's tirade, was now looking at Josie with the most pained expression of hurt and betrayal Lydia had ever seen.
The three of them stood there for what seemed like an endless moment as the crowd of happy prom goers stood staring at them in shocked disbelief.
It was Sam who first broke the spell by bowing his head and excusing himself. As he turned to go, he took one last look at Josie, a look so desolate and painful that it made even Lydia want to cry. Both Josie and Lydia watched him weed his way through the crowd and push open the door to the outside.
Lydia swallowed and tried to ignore the sudden nausea and pounding in her head she was experiencing. "Josie, I'm drunk�" she stammered, as if in apology. "I'm s-sorry." Then, after a beat, Lydia opened her eyes wide and stared back at the crowd that was now staring at her. "Oh God. My story�"
Josie waved her hand to silence Lydia. "Your story?!" Lydia had just ruined her�and Sam's�life and all she could think of was her story? Josie was nonplussed. Josie continued to stare at her, as if she was waiting for Lydia to look her in the eye, but Lydia couldn't bring herself to do it. Without another word, Josie also walked off, intent on finding Sam. Drunk, miserable, and now alone, Lydia began searching for a ride home.
* * *
The Chicago spring air was chilly at night, and Josie hugged her arms to herself as she ran outside, wanting desperately to find Sam before it was too late. Deep down, though, she knew it was already too late. She had no idea what she could possibly say to Sam to make this up to him. Somehow, "I'm sorry" didn't seem like enough. She'd always know that Sam was good-hearted enough to forgive her; she only prayed that he would. Most of all, she tried with all her might not to hate Lydia for what she had done.
Finally, Josie spotted a familiar form sitting on the steps in front of a beautiful fountain, pastel colors cascading down the spray of water as it fell back to the pool below it. It could have been such a romantic setting, but now� Josie took a deep breath and walked closer to him. She could see him tense, as if he knew she were there. "Sam?" she asked in a small voice.
He turned his head and looked at her for a moment but then faced the fountain again and did not reply.
Josie's heart felt like it was breaking into tiny little pieces. Digging deep, she found some courage and crossed the distance between them and sat down next to him on the steps and wrapped her arms around her knees. There was so much to say, and she wanted to steel herself against crying. But she had no idea how to start. Sighing, they just sat, together but alone, for several moments before Josie began, "Sam, I know words are cheap," his silence and refusal to meet her eye made her spirits sink even lower, "but I hope you will at least believe me when I tell you how sorry I am. It was never supposed to be like this."
His eyes were focused on the ground. "Frankly Josie, I don't know what to believe anymore." His words were hard, but he didn't say them unkindly.
"I can explain," Josie said, a pleading note to her voice.
"Please don't. I've heard about as much 'explaining' as I can handle tonight." Sam stood and slid his hands into his pockets, taking a few steps toward the fountain, leaving his back toward her and he bent his head forlornly.
Josie stayed on the steps, still hugging her knees. "I just wanted you to know that I had no intention of hurting you." She paused, wanting some sign that a confession of her feelings would be welcomed, but Sam did not respond. Instead, she continued, "I felt like I had no choice. I was going to tell you as soon as I was able to�"
"Josie," Sam cut her off, finally turning to face her. "I think enough has been said this evening. I really need to be alone right now."
Josie bit her lip and she trembled as the tears threatened to come pouring from her eyes. For a few seconds longer, she studied Sam's form against the blue- greenish light of the gorgeous fountain in front of them. At last, she realized that it was over. Nothing she could say or do could repair the damage that had been done. Resigned to her fate, she stood up and said again softly, "I'm so sorry, Sam." And with that, she began to walk away.
Every step she took away from Sam felt like another dagger was being stuck into her heart. She hadn't known it was possible to feel this much pain and survive.
"Wait." Was that Sam's voice? She realized it was when he called again, "Josie, wait."
She stopped and turned to see him striding towards her. Josie didn't realize how badly she had been shivering until Sam took off his coat and wrapped it around her. "Thank you," she whispered brokenly as tears spilled from her eyes and rolled in fat droplets down her cheeks.
Sam gently brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "Come on, I'll drive you home."
"Sam, you don't have�" Josie argued. But Sam would brook no arguments.
"Look, no matter what happened tonight, I'm not letting you walk home alone." He fell into step beside her and placed his hand on the small of her back as he guided her to his car in the parking lot.
He was such a wonderful person�a fact that made Josie feel even guiltier for being the agent of his unhappiness. His kindness to her, even in the face of her betrayal, also made her soul ache all the more from the knowledge that she'd probably never see him again after tonight.
But the pain was from more than that, she decided. Besides the wonder she felt at everything he said or did, she saw that she loved him more and more. Oh, God, she thought, as the tears started anew, she was in love with him. Why hadn't she figured it out sooner? He was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and now she would lose him.
The short ride back to her apartment was silent. Sam pulled up to the curb and shifted the car into park. They both stared out the windshield, listening to the hum of the motor idling.
Finally, Sam broke the silence. "I'm sorry it had to end like this."
Josie wondered briefly what Sam meant by 'it'. The evening? Or their relationship? She turned to Sam, looking at him for the first time since she'd realized that she truly loved him. Her eyes wandered over his face, wanting wanted to memorize every detail�especially those amazing green eyes of his. She knew she'd remember them for years to come, that they would haunt her, but she didn't care.
Desperation made her try one last time. "Sam, before I go, please let me at least offer a brief explanation. I can't bear the idea of you thinking I did this to hurt you�" She broke off as she tried to control her sobs.
Sam studied her briefly before assuring her, "I don't think you meant to hurt me. I hope I know you better than that. But if you feel like you need to explain, go ahead."
Josie sighed and then began, "First of all, I think you'll remember that Lydia's the one who told you that she was my sister, and that I was married."
Sam thought for a moment. "That day we were talking in your office and she barging came in," he recalled.
"Right. And I hated carrying on the lie, but I felt that I had no choice. Once the lie had been created, I had to go along with it. But it just kept getting worse and worse. That's where Merkin came in. I needed a 'husband' for the bowling alley."
Sam smiled in spite of himself. "Muffin." Then his face grew serious again. "What about the 'divorce'? That was an unnecessary touch, don't you think?"
Josie looked him straight in the eyes. "What choice did I have? If you thought I was married, we couldn't be together."
Sam stared out the windshield again, let out a long breath, and wrapped his hands tightly around the steering wheel. "I should be angry�furiously angry, in fact."
Josie looked down at her hands resting in her lap. "Yes, and you'd have every right to be."
Sam let out a long sigh. "But I'm not," he added, turning back to her. "What I am is tired and confused. I need some space for a while to figure all this out."
Josie understood the polite dismissal in his tone. "I'll go." Josie reached down and opened the door, then stepped out of the car. She shrugged off his coat and placed it gently in the seat where she had just vacated. She couldn't meet his eyes as she said brokenly, "Goodnight, Sam." She was thinking that maybe she should have said 'goodbye' instead.
"Goodnight." He watched her walk up to her front door, unlock it, and go in. Even after the lights went on and he knew she was safely inside, he sat staring at her house for a few more minutes before he drove away into the night.
* * *