just my luck || sam

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

OUTFIT

From the moment she'd set a date with Sam to meet his grandmother, Chloe had been worrying about it. Fortunately, after the initial lapse in control where she'd inadvertently let him know how nervous the idea of meeting his family made her, she'd been pretty well able to make herself seem normal. As normal as she could given the fact that she'd actually gone out shopping for something to wear and taken her time fixing her hair and and makeup, anyway. She was sure Mason knew something was up and if he'd paid much attention at all, he was probably starting to wonder if he needed to beat up some guy. She hadn't given him any indication as to what was going on, though, and she figured he couldn't actually beat up a guy just for being her friend, anyway.

It took her nearly an hour to get herself ready, which was more than a little uncommon, but she really wanted to make sure Sam's grandmother liked her. She knew how important the woman was to him, and she half figured if she made a bad impression tonight, his grandmother might insist on Sam parting ways with her. He'd become quite a fixture in Chloe's everyday life since Mason had gone off to jail, and she didn't want that to change. Besides that, the more time the two spent together, the more she realized she needed his company.

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Chloe stared out the front window of her house. It seemed oddly formal that Sam was picking her up, but she had no idea where his grandmother's house was. Besides that, she didn't want to arrive alone, so this seemed like the most viable option. Even so, the waiting was nearly as nerve-wracking as the idea of meeting his grandmother had been to begin with.

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[SAMUEL JOHN HAYES]

OUTFIT

Sam was pretty excited, and yet oddly nervous, as he drove to pick up Chloe. It felt so much like a date. It wasn't of course, and they'd spent plenty of night alone at her place, occasionally with him sleeping on the couch if they stayed up chatting too late. But this felt different, it felt real. He wanted his two favorite women to meet, but even admitting that startled him, knowing just how much Chloe meant to him and as sure as he was that his grandma would like her, he was desperate that she did because he'd hate to have to chose.

He pulled up in front of her little white house, catching a glimpse of a huge looking man through the kitchen window. That was probably Mason, the ex-con brother with too much sexual energy. Sam let himself laugh, but he hesitated at the wheel. He wasn't sure he wanted to go up and meet this Mason. As such he just gave the horn a little honk to let Chloe know he was outside.

///

Mason heard a car horn and looked out the window. The car was nice for people around here, but nothing fancy. He could see that it was a man, as he'd suspected, with a mop of curly hair. Mason couldn't through stones when it came to hair length though, but he let out a huff all the same. Was Chloe dating him? She certainly was dressed up...

"I'm assuming that guy outside is for you?" He said calmly, walking into the living room with his eyebrow raised.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

The moment his car pulled up outside, Chloe began pacing nervously. Was he going to come to the door? That seemed very much like a date and would undoubtedly inspire a round of questions from Mason. Chloe wasn't entirely sure she was ready for that. Her brother knew her so well that it wouldn't be difficult to dodge his questions or his assumptions, and she wasn't sure she could keep hedging on her feelings where Sam was concerned. She was determined to keep him as a friend, but she couldn't ignore the nagging part of her that wondered if maybe she should let him be more. Of course that meant assuming he actually wanted to be more than just her best friend, and she had no real reason to believe that, either.

When his horn sounded from the drive, Chloe bounced to a halt and whirled toward the door. Unfortunately, she didn't make it there before Mason headed into the room, already asking potentially loaded questions. Maybe he just meant to be politely concerned the way a brother should, but his question seemed to insinuate that she was dating Sam, and she wasn't sure how to answer him. Biting her lower lip, she offered Mason a shrug. "That's just Sam," she told him, as if it should explain everything. "We're having dinner with his grandma. He's not going to rape me. And I'll be back later, okay?" she asked, offering him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning for the door. She had a feeling things would get awkward if she stuck around much longer.

Bouncing out the door, Chloe hurried down the walk, ignoring the chill of the air on her arms. She really ought to have thought ahead enough to purchase a sweater or something. All she had were hoodies, and none of those would have matched her outfit. Without a jacket, though, her only option was to get to Sam's car as quickly as possible. Seconds later, she'd yanked open the passenger door and climbed into the seat, her mood instantly brightening with Sam's company. "You know my brother's going to spend the rest of the night wondering who you are and what we're doing, right?" she asked, closing the car door and fastening her seatbelt.

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[SAMUEL JOHN HAYES]

Sam watched her bounce out of her house and practically run down the lawn. Either Mason was that annoying, she was that cold, or she was that happy to see him. He decided to assume the latter. He laughed as she buckled up and stated her comment about her brother. "That's what makes it fun." Sam said, looking up and catching Mason looking at them through the window. Not in a creepy way really. Sam leaned forward, across Chloe and waved, as if to say, 'gotcha'. "You really could have told me the dude was so immense." He teased, pulling away from the curb.

After a short drive, they arrived at his wooden little farm house. It was a rustic place, semi-modern and mostly put together. The walkway was covered in leaves and lights shone from the big windows, allowing one to peek inside. Sam smiled as he unbuckled. "Here we are." He announced, feeling silly, this was his home but really his grandmother's house. It was a weird feeling somehow, bringing a girl home to grandma. Of course, when he picked up women, he tried to get them to go anywhere but home, but his grandma never butt in to his personal life or asked too many questions. In fact, on some occasions she had made pancakes for his one night stands.

Sam smiled at Chloe, who looked a little nervous nd waved for her to follow. "Come on," He prompted, jogging up to the door to unlock it, the door swinging into the house. Sam stuck his head in first, waiting for Chloe.

"Mormor, we're here." He called, causing his grandmother to come into view. She was a stout woman, plump and short, with an austere, wrinkly face. But her bright blue eyes sparkled with silent laughter as she smiled. Her gray hair in a wispy bun. "This is Chloe." Sam said, letting her step inside and closing the door behind her.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

Chloe rolled her eyes at his comment. "He's pretty much a teddy bear," she insisted, though everyone knew Mason was actually capable of at least beating someone up. As far as she was concerned, Sam had nothing to worry about. Mason wouldn't hurt him if he knew how much it would hurt Chloe, and she figured she'd actually admit to it if need be. "You know you'll have to meet him eventually, right?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at Sam. "It's only fair, really. With me going to meet your grandmother and all..." Aside from that, she really wanted to avoid too much further speculation on Mason's part, and the longer it took her to introduce Sam to him, the more he was likely to wonder.

The ride to his grandmother's house was shorter than Chloe had expected. Sometimes she forgot how small the town really was. Fortunately, though, it didn't give her too much time to overthink things. Still, when they parked in the driveway, she couldn't help but hesitate for a moment in the car. When Sam waved for her to follow him, though, she let out a long sigh and followed him up the path to the front door, nervously bouncing on the balls of her feet as he opened the front door. She watched as his grandmother stepped into view. She might have become even more anxious if it hadn't been for the good humor she could easily detect from his grandmother. Clearly she was the source of Sam's humor.

Feeling a little more reassured, she stepped into the house, more than a little grateful when Sam closed the door behind them. She hated to admit how cold she was due to her poor choice of clothing. "Hello," she greeted the woman, offering her a shy smile and inching closer to Sam for comfort. She hardly realized she was moving until she bumped into him, which only caused her to blush and chuckle a bit. Sam had mentioned that his grandmother would appreciate her spunk, and Chloe felt a new wave of anxiety as she wondered if that usual spunk would ever catch up to her despite her nerves.

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[SAMUEL JOHN HAYES]

Sam laughed and nodded. "Deal, but I may buy catchers gear or something, just in case." Mason was huge and obviously a protective older brother. Sam knew he had to be a good guy though, he was related to Chloe. That had to count for something, right? Chloe obviously loved him, so Sam would try his best to make a good impression.

They got into the house and Chloe inched closer to him. He couldn't feel emotions of course, but he could tell she was nervous and he put his hand on the middle of her back, trying to subtly comfort her. But based on his grandma, that wasn't too necessary.

She grinned a toothy grin, "Hej hej, so nice to meet you. I always tell Sammy its not fair that I don't get to meet his lovely friends. Who will I bake for? I say." She babbled lightly, taking Chloe by the hand. "But silly girl you must be cold," She wiggled her finger at Chloe while opening a linen closet and pulling out one of Sam's hoodies. "Now, you call me Mormor, or Lucia, I don't care."

Sam found himself chuckling, watching the exchange. Mormor was in rare form tonight. Obviously, she too was excited about meeting Chloe. But at the sound of his laughter, his grandma turned to him, "Sammy, why didn't you say she was so cute? I won't live forever you know, and you promised me many grandchildren, you remember that don't you?" She said looking at him seriously.

"When I was 8...?" Sam said after a moment. He vaguely remembered that. He shook his head and changed the subject. Sam looked at Chloe, she was very cute. He shrugged at her lightly, trying to ease the tension she was probably feeling. "Mormor, she's my friend."

Lucia scoffed. "Stupid boy." She shrugged at Chloe as if to say, 'am i right?' before she held up a hand. "I must check the cookies." And with that, she rushed out the room at remarkable speed into the kitchen.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

She wasn't entirely sure how a little old woman could be so intimidating. Somehow, though, Chloe figured she was more afraid of her than she would've been of some big, burly guy. The feel of Sam's hand at the small of her back made things a little more bearable, though, and Chloe couldn't help but relax against him just a little. Feeling reassured, she smiled at his grandmother. "Well, you can bake for me any time. I love to eat," Chloe assured her, starting to feel a little more normal. Of course that only lasted until the woman insisted she must be cold and offered her one of Sam's hoodies. Chloe grinned bashfully and accepted it, slipping it over her head. She was nearly a foot shorter than Sam and her frame was much smaller, so it hung on her like a dress, easily surpassing the hemline of the dress she was wearing underneath. "Thank you," she murmured, shifting uncomfortably on her feet.

Her cheeks heated up at Mormor's bluntness, and Chloe directed her gaze toward her feet. She hated to admit that the woman's apparent intention to foster a romance between Chloe and Sam was actually rather appealing. Their friendship was important to Chloe, though, and she didn't want to make things awkward by trying to change them. Biting her bottom lip, she forced herself to look back up and plastered a smile on her face, trying to return herself to a semi normal state. She chuckled at their conversation and ignored the slight embarrassment she could feel coming from Sam. His grandmother certainly was making things more awkward than they had to be.

Maybe it was the formality of the evening or the implications associated with meeting his grandmother. Either way, Chloe was vaguely aware that she was starting to appreciate the idea of actually being more than Sam's friend. The realization was only reinforced by the sting she felt when he insisted she was just his friend. Chloe quickly averted her eyes, focusing them on her shoes again, as she moved a way from him just a little. She chuckled a little and offered his grandmother a smile, silently thinking that she did agree. Sam wasn't overtly stupid, but he did seem to be slow on the uptake sometimes. Of course she had an advantage in that she could tell how people were feeling. He didn't have the same talent and, to be fair, she'd given him no reason to think she wanted to be anything other than friends.

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[SAMUEL JOHN HAYES]

Sam rolled his eyes lightly and blushed softly. As his grandmother left the room, he looked at Chloe. His sweatshirt fit her like a dress and for a moment he felt a pang of lust, wishing that his hoodie was all she was wearing. How romantic... He shook his head lightly, trying to clear the cobwebs in his brain. Maybe he was stupid, but the last thing he wanted to do was scare her away. He didn't want to lose a friend. Chloe had given him no signal that she wanted to be anything but his friend--well, besides dressing up and coming here tonight.

He didn't want to apologize for mormor, she was right. He was stupid, and Chloe was 'so cute'. Sam moved closer to her and debated taking her hand. What could he say? What could he do? But he realized the longer he sat there and debated, the more time Chloe would have to feel his emotions.. damn those powers. Why didn't he have any?

"She's right you know, you are so very cute," Sam finally settled on with a simple smile, an honest and quiet smile. He met her eyes carefully and couldn't figure out exactly what to say, but before he could decide on what to tell her, his grandmother walked back in with a tray of cookies.

"Here you go, Pepparkaka," She said with a smile, setting down the tray on a table. "Sit sit," She urged. She settled into an armchair and Sam took Chloe's hand and sat on the couch, pulling her down beside him. His heart was hammering, and she could probably tell. As much as he loved cookies, and his grandmother, he realized what he wanted to tell Chloe, and now he couldn't.

"They're like ginger snaps," Sam told her with a smile, gingerly picking a cookie off the tray, taking a bite and giving his grandma the thumbs up. She laughed and shook her head.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

Sometimes, Chloe hated her powers. As Sam's grandmother left the room, she realized that she could feel an odd combination of excitement and anxiety coming from him. Something like the strange feeling of butterflies that usually accompanied a crush. Having never felt it from him before, her first assumption was that she was completely incorrect and that maybe she was projecting her own emotions onto him. After all, she'd felt that same way more than once tonight. Staring at her toes to hide her own blush, Chloe shifted a little uncomfortably, not at all sure what to do. As Sam moved closer, though, she could feel his insecurity more strongly, and she finally realized that what he was feeling was all his own, though she still wasn't convinced she wasn't misinterpreting it.

Glancing up at him through her lashes, Chloe offered him a small smile, quietly enjoying the awkward and utterly adorable moment. She hadn't dated a lot and, as such, had little experience with this sort of thing. But she did know that if she was going to take a chance with anyone, it would have to be someone who knew her well enough to know when to back off. Truthfully, Sam was the only one she knew who fell into that category, so it made sense that she'd be willing to consider dating him. But then she was rushing things, wasn't she? All he'd told her was that she was cute. Shaking her head, she realized she hadn't yet answered him. Emotionally loaded conversations always went one of two ways with Chloe. Either she rambled incessantly or she carried on an extensive internal dialogue and forgot to speak out loud at all. Blushing, she let out a nervous laugh. "Thanks," she murmured. Then, regaining a little of her confidence, she looked up at him again. "I hope you know you're never getting this hoodie back." If he thought she looked so cute in it, he probably wouldn't mind her keeping it anyway. The fact that it smelled like him and happened to be excessively comfortable was just an added bonus.

Chloe's gaze returned to her feet as the moment lapsed into an awkward and loaded silence. Clearly Sam wanted to say more, and Chloe could feel is internal struggle as he tried to decide what to do or say next, but he never got the chance. Blowing out a sigh that was equal parts relieved and exasperated, Chloe turned a slightly hesitant grin toward his grandmother who had returned brandishing a plate of cookies with a name Chloe couldn't pronounce. At the woman's urging, Chloe let Sam lead her to the couch and took a seat, too preoccupied with the way her hand felt in his to pay any attention to what he was feeling. She gratefully accepted a cookie, glad for some small semblance of normalcy, and smiled at the little old woman. "Thank you, Mormor," she told her, nibbling at the edge of it. She was sure it was delicious, but she didn't have enough energy left over to focus on the taste.

After dutifully finishing her cookie, Chloe turned her gaze toward Sam. "I need a smoke," she declared, assuming she wasn't the only one who did. Anxiety and sexual tension had a way of creating a nicotine craving in most smokers she knew. "Care to join me?"

[SAMUEL JOHN HAYES]

Sam didn't care if he never got the hoodie back, as long as he could be with her, see her in it. It dwarfed her, and she looked so cute that way. Not to mention the sense of boyish pleasure at seeing her in his clothes and having it look like she had nothing underneath. Normally he tried to dismiss those sort of thoughts about Chloe, but he couldn't help it this time.

They sat on the couch and dutifully ate a few cookies. Sam hardly tasted them as his brain kicked into over drive, trying to figure out what he wanted to say here to diffuse the tension his grandmother was blissfully ignoring She had a way with that, nothing phased her. Mormor gave him a little look right before Chloe stood up and announced she needed a smoke.

"Yeah I'll come with you." Sam nodded, getting up and trying not to run for the door.

Mormor chuckled and shook her head, "While you two smoke, I'll finish making your dinner." She said with a little wave of her head, bustling into the kitchen. She never let Sam smoke inside, she didn't want the house to 'smell like death' or 'smell like the bottom of a boot'.

Sam opened the door and went to sit on the porch, fumbling for his cigarettes and lighter. With slightly shaking hands he lit up and sighed, feeling a little calmer. But he couldn't stay still, it wasn't his style. "She's right, I am stupid." He said, mostly to himself, looking over at her. Her eyes looked wide, maybe it was nerves and Sam just wanted to kiss her, right there on his porch, but she ment to much to him to blow it like that.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

When he didn't argue with her determination to keep the hoodie, Chloe offered him a smug smile and snuggled into the warmth of the sweatshirt, letting the sleeves tumble over her hands. She felt safe all wrapped up in something that reminded her so distinctly of Sam. Safer than she'd felt with anyone other than her brother. It was a nice change, she thought, even if it was a little hard to process.

Never in her life had Chloe experienced a snack that took so much effort to enjoy. She watched Sam silently as he gobbled down a couple of cookies, wondering what he was thinking. Just being able to detect his feelings wasn't enough to let her know if she was reading him correctly. Venturing a glance at his grandmother, Chloe offered the woman a small smile, wishing she could find a way to thank her for her interference without being too obvious. In the end, though, she decided the best option was getting away from the woman for long enough to sort things out with Sam.

Before Mormor had even finished her comment, Chloe had turned for the door, impatient to figure out just what was going on. The moment she made it out the door, she realized her blunder, though. In this dress, she had no pockets. That meant she had no cigarettes and no lighter. Of course she knew Sam had both, but she was almost afraid to open her mouth for fear of what she might say to him at the moment. Instead, she stared out at the yard for a couple of seconds while she listened to the telltale click of his lighter. As he repeated the confirmation of his grandmother's earlier accusation, Chloe smiled to herself. She hadn't imagined whatever she'd felt earlier, she knew, because the odd butterfly feeling was back. Meeting Sam's eyes, she crossed the porch, stopping just in front of him. Waiting for him to decide what to do, though, seemed completely illogical given the confusion that seemed to be creeping into his mind. Chloe's eyes flickered toward his lips, which were parted just a little as if he was planning to say more. Before he had the chance, though, she let out a short and slightly musical laugh. "Would you just shut up and kiss me already?" she demanded, her eyes locking on his in a plea that she couldn't make any more obvious.

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[SAMUEL JOHN HAYES]

When she walked over, he wasn't totally sure what she was going to say, or do. Maybe she just wanted a smoke? But at her words, he smiled and wordlessly tossed his lit cigarette to the ground, cupped her face in his hands and planted one on her. Her lips were soft, sweetened by the cookies he could still taste, mixed with the taste of smoke that had settled on his tongue. Sam kissed her like he meant it for a good long while before he pulled away. But he kept his face close, his hands moving around her waist.

"You know what that sweatshirt's made of?" He asked with a little laugh. "Boyfriend material." Sam couldn't lay off the jokes too long, and he'd had that one in his pocket a while. But he paused to just look at her. She had the best eyes. Such a sweet little face... The difference in height, frankly adorable.

Sam didn't want to let go of her, but he could still use a smoke but he tried to ignore the craving for nicotine and focus on the craving for her. "I always did think you were attractive." He admitted with a smile.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

For a moment, she'd wondered whether she was taking too much of a risk in so blatantly demanding what she wanted. But Sam didn't seem to mind, and within a moment, he'd flicked his cigarette away and was moving to give her just what she'd asked for. Closing her eyes, Chloe surrendered herself to the moment, hardly bothering to register whatever Sam was feeling or to contain her own emotions. Chances were, they were feeling pretty much the same, so it wouldn't hurt anything if he managed to get a dose of her emotions.

When they broke apart, Chloe was out of breath, her cheeks pink, and her eyes glowing. She offered him a shy smile and tucked herself against his chest, enjoying the rumble she felt while he spoke. One of her eyebrows quirked up at his joke and she chuckled at him, standing up again so that she could shake her head. "Really? I had no idea boyfriends were made of cotton! No wonder I haven't been able to find one!" she replied, feigning astonishment before sticking her tongue out at him. Truthfully, though, she was delighted by the realization that their sudden change of relationship hadn't changed anything.

Briefly, she found herself wondering just what their relationship ought to be classified as now. Were they still friends? Clearly not just friends, but maybe friends who kissed occasionally? Or would he want more? And if he did, how much more would she be able to give him? She was vehemently opposed to the idea of marriage, even if it hadn't come up at this point, and she didn't want to string him along if he expected that as the end result.

Fortunately, his words drew her out of her musings and she grinned at him. "I know," she replied, chuckling a little. After all, she had picked up on it a time or two. She'd just chosen to believe she'd misinterpreted things. "By the way, you should realize that you're required to come to my birthday party now." It seemed out of the blue, but talking about normal things might normalize her a little. At the very least, it might offer the opportunity to hash out the potential new label being put on their relationship.

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[SAMUEL JOHN HAYES]

Sam laughed, a little out of breath--mostly just from the emotion, not that one kiss had worn him out. She mentioned cotton and he stroked her hair, meeting her eyes with a wink. "Well, you have one now, if you want one." He said at there comment about not finding a boyfriend. Obviously, that could have been risky, but she hardly seemed the type to kiss him and then pretend like nothing had happened, and Sam didn't believe in friends with benefits. You had to be friends with anyone you were dating, thats what made a good relationship. In any case, Sam would be her boyfriend if she didn't mind the label.

It was a strange though, they had been friends for years and he'd never been as sure that he cared romantically until his grandmother had bugged him. He'd gotten glimpses, as Chloe probably had as well. But right now, he knew somehow that he wanted to be with her, for as long as he could.

She mentioned her birthday party and he found himself laughing again. "Like I would miss a party," He joked. But he hadn't considered not going to her party. He wouldn't have missed it for the world. Sam smiled and studied her face unabashedly her eyes sparkled and the freckles across her nose seemed to smile at him... and her lips...

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

Biting her lower lip, Chloe considered the offer. She wasn't all that keen on relationships because most people expected them to lead to marriage. Sam knew that, so he couldn't exactly claim to be surprised when she didn't want to let things get that far. Even so, she didn't want him to get attached to the idea or to somehow think that she would come around with time. But she knew him well enough to know that this moment was going to change everything between them. It was all or nothing with Sam. He wasn't going to settle for acting like her boyfriend without calling it as much. Finally, she let out a little sigh. "Just don't go getting any crazy ideas," she warned him, knowing he would know what she meant.

Inviting him to her birthday party seemed at once trivial and monumental. On one hand, she felt like a child, doling out invitations to the people who were important to her. On the other hand, though, she'd never actually had a boyfriend attend a party with her, and it seemed like including him in that sort of event should be a part of the process. Besides, now that she was letting herself really think about her feelings where he was concerned, she realized she didn't really want to spend her free time without him.

Wrapping her arms around him, Chloe gazed up at Sam, vaguely wondering how much time they would have before his grandmother was finished with dinner. When her eyes locked with his, she felt her breath quicken, and she knew that one kiss wasn't going to settle things for them. Not tonight, anyway. Her gaze flickered toward his lips, and she tilted her chin up, silently begging him for more.

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