...

His eyes fell on a bright red coat. With the yellow scarf, black boots, and hat, he could only assume the costume was Carmen Sandiego. He also couldn't help but think of Sam. They hadn't seen each other since the hurricane. Even if he wanted to, work had been too busy. Apparently any slim woman with dark hair reminded him of Sammi now. Great. As if he needed to think about Sam and his confused feelings for her more than he already did. Except upon closer inspection, it was Samantha. Now that her head was turned slightly, he was able to make out the familiar profile. Before he could think twice about it, he was walking up to her. "Hi," he greeted. "It's, uh, been a bit. Your cut looks a lot better." He gestured to the area he'd had to stitch up in the shelter. "Do you know if it'll scar too badly? And how's Clover doing?"

@sammiscott​

Mads: You know when you see someone on the street in a small town its polite to wave.

Mads: I mean I know I haven't been home in a bit, but, come H, it hasn't been that long.

Hugh: What?! You're in town? Why didn't you tell me?

It was impossible not to wonder if his mind went to the same memories that hers had, which then of course made her wonder if he had done his best to forget most of their time together. That possibility seemed so far outside the realm of all things ‘Hugh’, but even still Sam was almost tempted to ask. Would it be wrong to admit she missed those days? Sure, they had both changed, but it was entirely too easy to imagine curling up next to him now. No. She had to shake those thoughts out of her head. She couldn’t let herself think like that. Then he was talking about New York again and a wide smile spread over her face at the realization that he did still remember the little things, even now. "Oh man, I miss that place, too. Charlotte was pretty nice. Big and busy, but not like New York big and busy. I actually kind of liked living there for awhile. It was really nice for college, honestly.” What would things have been like if she’d just gone to school for veterinary medicine to begin with? Would they still be together? “You want me to live with you?” Sammi’s voice came out a little incredulous sounding, her face flushing brightly when she realized just how awkwardly she’d phrased that question. “I mean near you. Not with you, obviously. Like neighbors…” she amended before barreling forward with the conversation. “It would be great to live so close to the clinic.”

"I bet. If things were different I'd love to live in Charlotte. Maybe at some point." There was no way he would move out while his grandmother was still alive. A lot of things would have to add up for him to move away. It wasn't as if he hated living in Asteria, of course, but he did wish things were different at times. It took Hugh a moment to recover from Samantha's question, redness blooming across his neck and face. Clearly it was a slip of the tongue. Hell, even if for some weird reason she was head over heels in love with him still, there was no way she would ask that in her right mind. Just a slip of the tongue. Not that it didn't make it awkward. Not wanting to embarrass her, he let out an awkward chuckle, tugging on his ear ever so slightly as he did when he wasn't sure what to say, and moved on from the comment. "Um... I mean, sure? It's not like I can stop you. You'd be more than welcome to come and look at the houses around the area. It's only about seven minutes away from the clinic, so not a bad drive at all."

For a long moment, Samantha just stared at him in confusion. Had he really just said what she thought he’d said? Just as suddenly as he’d spoken, Hugh’s entire body went rigid and he was apologizing. Honestly, she didn’t even know how to respond, so she just tipped back her newly refilled glass of wine and chugged it to avoid saying anything. She used to be so comfortable around Hugh, and now it was like her brain melted into a puddle of moosh around him. There was still that underlying feel of comfort, yes, because he was still Hugh. But everything else felt a little like trying to navigate through the fog. Ever since they’d run into each other again, she’d been trying to sort through whatever it was she was feeling, and she still hadn’t gotten any closer to any sort of answer. Not even after hashing things through with a few of her friends and countless hours ruminating out loud with Mojo. Ela had spoken of second chances and how it was obviously fate that had brought her and Hugh together again, but Sammi wasn’t so sure of things as her friend seemed to be. They were still trying to navigate being friends. What if she broke the fragile bond they were rebuilding by taking a misstep? As soon as Hugh started talking again, answering her previous question, she realized she needed to get her mind out of the ‘what ifs’ and try to focus on the now. "That’s good… It’s about time we got a recycling center in town.” While refilling her glass a third time - maybe not the smartest move - Sam replied, “Nothing, really. I mean, there’s been a few discussions about what to do with the money that the auction earned, but nothing has been set in stone yet.” The two of them sat quietly for a time after that, during which Samantha finished off another two glasses of wine. She’d never been much of a drinker, so it was definitely helping to relax her finally. Maybe a little too much. “Where were you earlier? When you said that?” she asked, turning her eyes to meet Hugh’s.

It was hard not to notice Sam chugging her glass of wine. Hugh didn't say anything. He rarely drank himself, and he was ready to follow suit. Anything to get his mind off all these thoughts. He had come to be at peace with the fact he knew part of himself would never truly be over their break up. There was always going to be a part of him that loved her, his best friend and his first love in so many ways, even if he was no longer in love with her. Their relationship had fallen apart because it killed him to watch her be someone he didn't believe she wanted to be in order to do what she felt she had to in order to be successful. It was one thing to follow your dream and another to hurt yourself to get it. There had always been the feeling it would end up badly, but he hadn't wanted to be right. All he wanted was for Sam to be happy - with her life and herself. Hugh drained his own glass of wine. "Yeah," he mumbled. He was no longer in the mood for small talk. "Makes sense." Finally the wine was beginning to calm his thoughts a bit. Her next question made him raise his eyebrow and turn towards her. "What? What do you mean where was I earlier?" he asked, confused what she was talking about.

While most people might not have appreciated his humor, it had always been one of Samantha’s favorite things about him. Which meant that when she laughed without hesitation at his joke, it was a genuine reaction. “I’m sure there are some people who appreciate it just as much as animals, though.” And just like that, her mind stupidly flashed back to all the times they would spend together, quietly cuddling on the couch while reading or watching television, and Hugh would almost absent mindedly run his hand through her hair and over her head - something she’d referred affectionately to as him ‘petting’ her on more than one occasion. She was pulled from her reverie by the surprise his words sparked in her brain. Unable to stop herself, she asked almost incredulously, “Really?” Hugh had always seemed to hate the city. Sam was sure that he had been more than happy to be free of the confines of it when he left, so to hear he missed even parts of it felt jarring. For as many people as there were crushed into small areas, the city was a lonely place, and in hindsight, Hugh had been her only true friend there. Everything else had been fake. “Yeah… I guess I mostly just have to decide which side of town I want to live on, really. There aren’t many places I liked in the downtown area, but I have found a few I really liked in Rosewood Hills…” Of course, mentioning that she couldn’t help but wonder if he lived there still.

Her smile and laugh was just as amazing as ever. Hugh didn't know if there would ever come a time he tired of making her smile and laugh, even if his jokes were terrible. "True. Depends on the person." It was a very different story if it was, say, Sam. All the times they had spent lazy afternoons on the couch curled up together. He'd always loved her hair and he loved running his hand over her soft locks while they relaxed. She had called it 'petting', and while it wasn't the word he would've assigned to the action, it was what he was reminded of nonetheless. Sometimes it was difficult to remind himself that he had left New York for a reason. At the same time, even as he broke up with her he knew that a part of him would always love and miss her in some way. It didn't make it easier when she was here and happy and away from the toxic part of her life that had torn them apart. How could he not want to be in her life?  "Yeah. I mean, New York may not have been my favorite place in the world, but that was mostly on me. There were plenty of good things about it. As much as I love Asteria, it is... a little smaller than I would like. I've only lived in two extremes. A city with 8 million people and a town with 5000. If nothing else I can miss that Thai place we used to like," he laughed. A nice medium would be his ultimate preference. "Well, I'm biased, but Rosewood Hills is great. The houses are pretty good for the price point. There's a few places around the little cul de sac where I live that look nice."

Aside from the awkwardness between them, they could have been transported to the past. Spending time in the park had been one of their rituals in New York. No matter how busy they got, they had gone on their weekly picnics. At least they had until Samantha let it all slip through her hands. She shook her head, trying to keep herself in the present. She just had to keep reminding herself that she had had her chance with Hugh, and she had blown it. If she could keep that in mind, maybe she wouldn’t feel this confusing push and pull within herself. Maybe. All of the food was good, which didn’t surprise her. Hugh had inherited his family’s ability to cook and had always been better in the kitchen than she had been. He’d probably be appalled by the number of frozen meals she ended up eating throughout the week if he knew. Neither of them spoke for awhile and the food gave them a good excuse for remaining quiet, but after a bit, even that would fall through. Samantha cleared her throat self-consciously before taking a generous swallow of her wine, finishing off what was in the glass faster than she should have. “So, uh…” she rooted around in her head for a topic as she refilled her glass and settled back on the blanket a little closer. “Anything exciting going on at work? Or in your life? I mean, if you want to tell me.” Clearly she wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping those earlier thoughts in mind because all she could think about was how right she and Hugh had felt curled up together on their picnics - how nothing else mattered, even if all they were doing was reading their separate books or talking about anything and everything. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to get rid of the mental images, but that did her no good either, as she swore she could almost feel his arms around her again.

Hugh set down his plate of food and settled further down into the pillows with his glass of wine. He felt bad for leaving Sam to be the one steering the conversation, but his mind was a thousand miles away and for a moment he forgot he was there. That they weren't 20 with the world at their feet, so sure they could handle whatever life threw at them. "I always want to tell you," he whispered. He looked over to her, eyes clouded with memories of things in the past. Suddenly he was forced into the present and he stiffened a bit. "Sorry. I... shouldn't have said that." After taking a sip of his wine and setting it down, he cleared his throat. His brain needed to shut up. It had been ten years since they had been together. Seeing her again had made him realize just how much he had missed her, but he wasn't sure if he missed her or the idea of her. It was selfish and pathetic to think about trying a relationship again. Their shared past wasn't a reason for them to get together. What happened when the haze of nostalgia wore off? Would they still love each other, be compatible together? "Uh. Not really. Can't say much has changed. The recycling center is getting closer to completion, so that's cool. All in all his life had been monotonous in Asteria. He was in almost exactly the same position he was in when he had moved back. "How about you?"

Sam made a face about his ‘don’t worry’ comment, but she didn’t argue. It felt like a big deal, given how awkward things between them felt. After their date, she felt even less like she knew how to act around Hugh than she had before, and that was saying something. She was glad to hear his grandma was with his parents though - it was much safer for her to be with someone than alone in this kind of storm, although she hoped it wouldn’t come to anyone having to last for awhile anywhere. The ferocity of the storm outside made her think it was more likely than she wanted, though. 

Even though she didn’t topple over, Samantha was more than okay with sitting back down and letting Hugh get the cat. She hated feeling like some sort of damsel in distress, but she also didn’t want to pass out or cause more problems than she already had. While Hugh was gone, she took several deep breaths, almost meditatively, while gently rubbing the temple opposite the one now adorned with stitches. By the time he returned with the cat, she felt a little more level headed as well as physically better. Clover did look better now that she was warm and probably realized she was safe. Animals were smarter than people often gave them credit for, and the little cat was no exception. “She doesn’t look dehydrated, but I’ll double check.” It was too hard to stay seated and do a thorough exam, and since she was feeling more steady, Sam went ahead and stood up slowly, leaning over to scratch the cat behind her ears and murmur soothingly to her as she started to check her over for injuries. The poor thing squirmed and let out a warning yowl when Sam’s hands moved over her back left leg, causing Sam to frown softly. “I know, baby, I know.” To poor Clover’s disgruntlement, she continued to feel along the leg, grateful that she couldn’t feel any breaks or open wounds. “She’s fine other than her leg, which I’ll do an x-ray of when the power is more stable… Thanks again for bringing her in…" 

Samantha didn't stay seated long, rising to her feet in order to do a more thorough check on the cat. Hugh didn't argue, but he did keep a close eye on her in case she started to feel like she couldn't stand. In a way he was glad to have something to focus on instead of the swirl of emotions he felt whenever he saw Sammi. Hovering he could do. Beginning to sort out whatever he felt was a much more arduous task. He nodded as Sam confirmed Clover was alright beside her leg. "Of course." He kept himself from apologizing for causing her trouble. If he hadn't stepped in, she wouldn't have gotten hurt. There was nothing to do about it now. All they could do was prepare themselves for the long day ahead.

“Yeah. As sure as I can be, anyway. I don’t have anything I feel comfortable putting so close to the wound. I’ll be fine, I promise.” Sam wasn’t actually sure she would be, but it couldn’t hurt worse than it already did, right? Well, she was wrong on that count. It hurt a lot more than she had anticipated, but she gritted her teeth and stayed as still as possible, doing her best to focus on walking Hugh through the necessary steps. He did well, but she still breathed a sigh of relief when he was done, dropping the gauze onto the exam table and frowning at how shaky was. “Alright. Honestly I think if I stand up just yet though I’ll fall right back over. I’m still feeling a little…” Sam held out a hand and tilted it side to side, mimicking the swaying motion people felt when woozy. “Seriously though, thank you again. I know that wasn’t easy. And even though I’m sorry you’re stuck here, thank you for bringing Clover in. I know a little girl who is going to think you’re a superhero.” The little cat was safe in the other room with food, water, and a soft bed, but as soon as Sammi felt steady enough, she had every intention of going and checking over the poor cat. 

“Your grandma is at your folks’ place?” It wasn’t just small talk, though it did give her something to focus on. She truly still cared about all of Hugh’s family; she still privately thought of them as just an extension of her own, despite everything that had happened. She watched as he started to clean up the rest of the blood around the wound, only wincing a few times when he had to dab over the fresh stitches. Even with the pain though, she found herself just as mesmerized by his blue eyes as she’d always been, and she didn’t realize she was staring until he pulled away from her after finishing. Clearing her throat, Samantha finally pushed herself up from her chair, only swaying a little in the process. “Do you think you can help me with Clover?”

He was unsure of who was happier when it was over, him or Sam. Despite his lack of squeamishness, he was feeling a little woozy himself. "Glad I could help. Don't worry about me being stuck here, it's not a big deal." As long as Sam wasn't uncomfortable with his presence after their basket date, he was fine being there since he parents knew he was okay. If nothing else he was glad Sam wasn't alone anymore. He didn't think it was a good idea for anyone to stay by themselves during the storm, much less with so many animals to take care of. 

"Oh, yeah. She's fine. Everyone's safe in my parent's basement, they can last down there for a while," he assured, finishing up cleaning her wound. Afterwards he cleaned up the items they had gathered, washed his hands, and sat across from her. The second after he sat down Samantha was standing up. He immediately stood up with her, ready to catch her if she fell. "Don't push yourself. Stay here, I can get her." The last thing he wanted was for Sammi to exert herself too soon and get hurt even more. Hugh stepped over to the small area in the other room that she had set aside for Clover. The cat looked better now that she wasn't out in the cold rain to Hugh's delight. It looked like she had a bit of food as well. She had curled up in the fluffy bed, tucking the fleece blanket around her. Clover opened her eyes as she heard his footsteps come over. "Hey, there. Doing better?" She didn't respond, and he scooped up the bed and blanket with her inside it so she wouldn't be more disturbed than she already had been. He brought it into the other room and set the bed down on the table so Sam could bring her chair over and sit down to look at the cat. "She looks a lot better. Ate a few bites of food, but I couldn't tell if she drank any water."

“Okay.” Samantha wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or disappointed that he hadn’t meant to set up the picnic this way. Hell, she wasn’t even sure how she actually did feel, and she wasn’t about to dive into her feelings right then. “Thanks!” she called after Cass, trying to rein in her curiosity on what the woman might have been pantomiming to Hugh. Sam didn’t miss the way his hand went to his ear, but she didn’t comment on it. In a way, knowing he was nervous made her feel a little less so, odd though that was. Maybe because it put them on even footing? “Oh, cool. I only know her a little through work. She seems nice.” Honestly Sammi knew her brother better, but she didn’t mention that part. “Yeah, starving actually,” she admitted before following suit, setting her shoes off to the side and settling onto the blanket before accepting the glass of wine with a thanks. She watched as Hugh pulled out various bits of food, her smile widening when she saw the pie at the very end. God, she loved that woman’s pie. “You really did kind of go all out, didn’t you.” She said it as more of a statement than a question, but she meant it in good humor. Grabbing one of the BLTs, she sat back and took a bite, humming in enjoyment. “This is really good, Hugh,” she told him after swallowing the mouthful she had taken.

"Yeah, she's great." Cass was great, but not really what he planned on talking about during their platonic date. If it meant they could keep things light and easy, though, he would accept it. He felt awful for putting Sam in this position without thinking how it might look. This was the date she had paid for after all. He had gone and fucked up what had been a perfectly fine hour together with the constant reminder of their past and asking her to relive something special to them. Ten years after their breakup made it difficult for him to want to get overly emotional about it, but at he moment he was beginning to feel it. Sam sat on the blanket while he busies himself with the food. There was little he could do to change the situation now. All that was left was to try and keep any awkwardness away. Hugh wasn't sure if if the non-question was a compliment or not, but he bit his lip and turned his gaze away from hers. "Uh, yeah," he said, not exactly ashamed but a bit bashful about it. "Thanks. I'm glad you like it." While he might not be as good as his grandmother, he wasn't helpless in the kitchen. More than anything it made him happy when he made things the people he loved enjoyed. Whether he was in love or not, he would always love Sam and wanted to make her happy. Being here made it impossible not to think about all the times they'd shared like this. Getting away from all the urban squalor of the city and being able to enjoy a small area with grass and trees and happy people relaxing amidst the busyness of their daily lives. Laying back on the blanket while he watched Sam eat, curling together as they read a book and let the warm breeze wash over them, holding hands when they strolled down the pathway to reach their favorite spot. Suddenly he wasn't sure what to talk about anymore. They had exhausted small talk, so every question felt like too much to ask anymore. It wasn't as if their relationship was fully repaired. He doubted she wanted him to bring up the past when all she was trying to do was have a simple few hours of fun and relaxation. Where was the boundary of their relationship now? What constituted as too much? He was at a loss.

Samantha winced at his words, figuring that had to have been a huge letdown. Even if the woman had ended up as a friend. Though part of her was sort of glad to hear that he wasn’t actually dating anyone, having Mikael’s words confirmed. Then again, that feeling of being glad was probably getting ahead of herself. Just because they were both single and talking again didn’t mean anything. Hell, it didn’t even mean they would actually ever be friends again. But still… 

She managed to laugh at herself, shrugging her shoulder and grinning ruefully, knowing that he didn’t mean anything rude by his comment. Besides which, it was completely true. She might not be trying to be a professional dancer anymore, but she was still the sort of person to be focused and driven; sometimes a little too much was all. "Having people to visit is good, too, but I don’t think anything replaces the companionship an animal can offer,” Sammi mused, thinking of her own affectionate cat with a smile. Her brows jumped in surprise at the last bit, wondering if he actually thought she had come up with a good solution or if he was just saying that. “Yeah, still in Asteria. I think the dads would revolt if I tried to move anywhere else anyway. Not that I want to,” she added quickly, unsure of why that was important for Hugh to know. “It’s home, you know? I can’t actually imagine living anywhere else, even if I do occasionally miss the speed of the city.”

Hugh was happy to get on a topic that was a little less nerve wracking than dating. “Definitely. Humans just aren’t as fun to pet,” he joked lamely. Of all people Samantha would know how special a bond with an animal could be. He knew he had already been crumbling when he spent time at the shelter, hating to leave all the animals there. It was hard enough knowing that he couldn’t find them an amazing forever home with the snap of his fingers. He smiled as she talked about Asteria. “I know exactly what you mean. Even I miss New York sometimes, although maybe not the speed.” He stopped himself before he could say he didn’t know how she had lived alone for such a long time. It had been his fault, one of the things he still felt terrible for. Leaving her all alone in a city with 8 million people when they were so young and had relied on each other for so long. “There are lots of great places around, though. Decent price point too compared to other places,” he rambled, knowing the information was useless but not knowing what else to say after remembering what she’d gone through because of him.

It was definitely a surprise. Even more so to hear that it had been Hugh’s idea. Samantha had honestly just assumed it was something set up by the stables, but apparently not. Was there some meaning she was supposed to take from this? Or had it not actually crossed his mind what it would look like? Sam didn’t actually know which one she preferred, but then Hugh was speaking up and from his tone it was obvious that he was just as nervous as she was. She blinked slowly before climbing down from her horse. “No, it’s okay. I’d like to stay. I mean, you obviously went through a lot of trouble…” Only moments later another rider appeared on a massive black horse, and judging by the ease the woman rode with and the bright smile, she guessed this had to be the owner, Cass. She told them she was there to take the horses for a bit so they didn’t have to worry about them while they ate, which made sense to Sam. She turned back to survey the layout, willing her heart to stop racing. It wasn’t until she heard an odd noise behind her that she turned and saw Cass very obviously mouthing something to Hugh before trying - badly - to pretend she hadn’t been. Oookay. The woman gave them another bright smile before taking off with the horses, turning back once to flash them a huge thumbs up. “I take it she’s a friend of yours?”

Only when Sam started getting off her horse did Hugh follow her, wanting to make sure she wanted to stay. "I mean, not enough trouble that I would be offended if you didn't want to stay. I guess I... didn't really think about how it looked until now. I swear I wasn't trying to make you uncomfortable or hash up anything." Hugh would feel horrible if she was uncomfortable on the date she had paid for. Perhaps the thought of all their picnic dates in Central Park, laughing and teasing and feeling like the world was at their feet, had influenced him just a tad. He wanted to tell Samantha that he didn't mean to bring up the past. It was more than enough that he was in her life at the moment. His heart clenched in his chest at all these thoughts, but he was interrupted when Cass made a noise to get his attention. She mouthed something unintelligible to him. He cocked his eyebrow and shook his head that he didn't understand. Cass mouth slower, and he mouthed back "WHAT?", before he saw that Cass was looking back at Sam. Fantastic. Cass smiled as if they hadn't been caught by Sammi before taking the horses away and giving them a thumbs up. Hugh tugged his ear as he did when he was nervous. "Oh, Cass? Yeah. Yeah, she's cool." If this turned out terribly, he was so getting back at her. "So. I hope you're hungry." He knelt down to take off his shoes, setting them next to the blanket, and sat down on the picnic blanket. Uncorking the wine, he poured two glasses and handed one to Sam. Then he opened up the basket and took out the containers of food he had prepared; BLTs, some pasta salad, fresh pineapple, and, of course, two healthy servings of his grandmother's triple berry pie.

Sam let out a defeated sigh when Hugh’s hand covered hers, but she didn’t pull away, only moving one hand to hold the towel to her forehead again. He wasn’t wrong though, which is why she didn’t argue, either. If she couldn’t even thread the needle, she’d probably make an even bigger mess of her temple, and it wasn’t a place she really wanted to give herself a grotesque scar if she could help it. “You’re right, I–” She cut off as Hugh offered to do it for her, her eyes rising from their hands to meet his in surprise. “I mean… I probably could. Are you sure you want to?” It wasn’t like she would be angry if he couldn’t. This went above and beyond what he should be expected to do. “Uh… Since it won’t slow the bleeding, I can get some gauze and wet it so I can hold it just below the cut, that’ll help draw the blood away so you can see better.” Sam made a face as she thought things over. She didn’t have anything like a local anesthetic besides the topical kind, and she didn’t want to put that too close to the cut, so she finally shook her head. “I’ll just suck it up. Can’t hurt worse than it already does, right?” she laughed weakly. Finally pulling her hand out from under his, she grabbed some gauze and forceps, taking the gauze into the back to wet it at the sink before she came back into the room and sat down on the chair again. “Okay, first you’re going to have to thread the needle…” Sam continued to talk him through things, explaining which way to hold the curved needle, how far apart the stitches should be, and how to tie off the thread. She didn’t rush him, knowing that it would only likely rattle him, and the gauze was drawing most of the blood into it anyway.

Was he sure he wanted to? He was sure he didn't want to, that was for sure. But if it was necessary for Sam, he would do it. Hugh nodded and watched as she thought about things, trying to calm his nerves. It wasn't as if he was particularly squeamish, but this wasn't putting a band aid over a paper cut or cleaning up a mess. This was literally sewing up Sammi. There was nothing in the world that could calm his nerves. She told him she would go without anesthetic and his face went pale. "What? You're sure? There isn't, like, some sort of cream or gel you can put on it? Even some ice, if nothing else." It was hard enough to do it despite knowing she couldn't feel it, but having to see her in pain because of what he was doing was going to make it ten times worse. 

His face was white as she came back into the room. Despite the anxiety within him, he paid close attention to what Samantha showed him. Once she had finished, he took a deep breath and threaded the needle. He did his best to make it quick and painless and neat. Finally he tied off the thread, just like she had shown him, and he leaned back to admire his handiwork. Objectively, he felt he did pretty decent. He would be happy as long as the doctor that did end up seeing her said it wasn't a complete mistake. "Okay. All done. I can clean it up and you can look if you want," he offered.

"Mhm,” she hummed in agreement. Chemistry was one of the most important things in a relationship; at least in Sam’s opinion. “And imagine how disappointing it would be to feel like there’s amazing chemistry between you and someone you’ve been talking to online, but then you meet them in person and there’s just nothing.” Not that she could ever imagine anyone being disappointed by Hugh, even if he did consider himself boring. It did make her wonder how things would have gone had they met as adults on a dating app. As far as she was concerned, there was still very obvious and palpable chemistry between the two of them, and she wasn’t honestly sure if it would ever fade. “Maybe. Could have been in surgery, too. I’m still pretty terrible about actually taking breaks to eat.” Sammi’s grin brightened at the mention of the young blonde. “She’s a huge help, on the shelter side and the clinic side. She’s gonna be a great vet once she’s through school, believe me.”

“Depending on if your grams was okay with it, it might actually be worth looking into at some point. If it was just her taking care of a pet, it would be more difficult, but I know you’d help out. Maybe like a senior cat? They’re usually pretty good about not being in the way and most of them just want to cuddle in their old age.” There were several older people in town who came in to see the animals just as a pick me up, and Samantha shamelessly did her best to try to pair them up with an animal that would mesh with them. Senior pets were harder to get homes for than kittens and puppies, so she did her best to get them homes. “Besides, I hear you have a pretty good connection with one of the vets here in town,” she added, blushing once the words were out. It had sounded a lot more teasing and less flirty in her head.  She cleared her throat before shifting the subject, not wanting to possibly make him uncomfortable. “Uh, I’ve actually been looking into buying a house eventually. Odds are high I’m going to end up as one of those crazy old cat ladies once I have room for them all.”

"Don't have to imagine since that's what happened with my other date. Could've been a lot worse I guess. She's great as a friend, and I'm more than happy to make new friends, but, well, it's called a dating app for a reason." Perhaps deep down he knew that he was chasing something impossible, that he was trying replicate a relationship that made him feel the way Samantha had. It was scary how quickly he could see feeling that same way again after all these years. He knew rekindling their romance should be far from his mind when this was only their second time seeing each other again after so much time apart. It was hard when they still seemed so compatible. When Sam had made it clear that she was very much single and letting fate take the wheel as he was. 

The topic shifted and Hugh grinned. "For shame. Although I guess it's good to know some things never change, right?" Sometimes Sammi was too ambitious, too busy, for her own good. He would take a few skipped meals over ruining her relationships any day of the week. "I have no doubts about that. She's a very awesome person." Emmi was kind and genuine and caring and he had no doubt she could do whatever she set her mind to. "A senior cat isn't a bad idea. She's got a pretty steady stream of people to keep her company but I know she misses having an animal too. Maybe I should come to you with all my problems if you're going to fix them this easily." That had sounded a lot better in his head. He laughed at Sam's comment, seeing a light blush spread across her cheeks when she said it. So far they seemed to be neck in neck when it came to awkward comments. "Crazy old cat lady seems like a pretty good idea to me. That's great you're looking into buying a house! Still in Asteria, right?" He tried to make it seem nonchalant, like he wouldn't be upset if she left Asteria. It was just his luck that they ended up reconnecting right as she was leaving town again.

Even after the first run in with Hugh, Samantha had wrongly assumed that talking together at the party would be awkward. It still was, to an extent, but it was a heck of a lot easier than she had figured it would be. It actually thrilled her to know that they could still get along fairly easily, and encouraged her to think that there may actually be a chance for them to strike up a friendship again. Of course, she had to push aside the other thoughts that followed on the tail of that, courtesy of Mikael and his need for gossip and romance. She laughed at the joking about drinks, nodding her head in agreement. "Oh, at least one drink, for sure.” Maybe it was so easy because he wasn’t actually talking about having sex with someone so much as having not had sex with someone. As ridiculous as it was, she couldn’t deny the tiny thread of jealousy that had woven its way through her when Hugh talked about dating. “I think I’m just old-fashioned. I know everyone says you can really get to know someone better over the internet or whatever, but I still want to know if there’s going to be that instant chemistry, y'know?” When he changed the subject again, Samantha nodded before cocking her head to the side, looking at him in surprise. “You did?” Not that he didn’t love animals or anything, but she hadn’t seen him come in at all. “That’s great, though. We rely a lot on volunteers to keep things running.”

"Exactly," he agreed when she mentioned instant chemistry. "Don't get me wrong, I like that it's more comfortable just starting up a conversation, and there are plenty of other appeals, but overall it's not the same. There's always going to be something about meeting someone for the first time and having chemistry with them. Or even knowing someone and then gaining feelings more slowly." Like they had. Then again, they had been children when they had met. If things had been different, if they had met later on in life, Hugh could see himself being instantly interested in her. He forced himself to not go down that train of thought. There was nothing either of them could do to change the past and he didn't want to get emotional about it right then and there. "Yeah. I didn't see you around, I guess you were at lunch or somewhere else. Emmi Valentine was the one who showed me around." Hugh had hoped he wouldn't run into her, not wanting to make things awkward when he hadn't known if she'd come to the party or not. It broke his heart when Emmi had mentioned no volunteers in the past few days. Now with things between him and Samantha more comfortable, he vowed to stop by more often. No longer would he need to worry about running into her. "Grams is doing decent enough but I'm not sure it would be the best idea to bring an animal into the house at the moment, so I figured it was a good compromise. We'll see how it goes." He gave her a small smile.

Of course Hugh would be kind about everything, but Samantha still felt horrible about keeping him from his family, even if it wasn’t intentional. “I know, I know…” Actually his parents would probably be more upset if they found out he had left her alone after that knock to the head. Seated in the chair, she waited patiently while Hugh texted presumably his parents, her eyes on the floor in the meantime. Once he was in front of her though, her hand lingered on his arm as he met her eyes and smiled. She could blame any light-headed feelings or flips of her stomach on the head wound and not on the complicated feelings that swirled around her heart whenever she was around Hugh. The nostalgia of their picnic date had made her feel even more confused about her feelings for him; Sam wasn’t sure if they were rooted in the past or if they were blooming all over again. It was ridiculous to think that she had never truly stopped being in love with him. There was a difference between being in love and loving someone, and it had been over a decade. It made no sense, right? It was was easier to keep her eyes focused on Hugh than it was to do anything else, so she caught his frown as he was cleaning her forehead. Sam hadn’t realized the cut was that wide, but she had everything in the clinic needed for stitches. “Okay… we can do that. Everything is here…” Taking over holding the towel, she rose unsteadily to her feet and went through the drawers, gathering everything she’d need to stitch up a wound. As soon as she let go of the towel to try and thread the needle though, she realized her hands were shaking too much and the blood had immediately started to drip down toward her eyes again. “Shit.” There was no way she could do it for herself.

When Hugh had said stitches, he hadn't thought about right then. He had hoped they would stop the bleeding enough for her to wait until medical professionals could get to her. But the wound hadn't stopped bleeding, and the fact was Hugh was pretty sure they would be stuck in there for at least another ten hours if not considerably more. As much as he hated to admit it, she needed them now. He knew there was no way she was going to do it herself. She would only be able to see the cut with a mirror, and her hands were shaky. Hugh was not a medical professional by any means - human or animal - but even he would be better than what she could do. Probably. He grimaced as she stood up and looked around in the drawers. Gently putting a hand to her back to get her attention, he put his hand over hers to stop them from shaking. "Sam, you're going to hurt yourself." He took the sharp needle and thread from her. "I... I'm not sure if it's the best idea for you to do this on yourself. Do you think you could walk me through it?" It couldn't be that hard. It was just like mending clothes, and it didn't even have to look as neat. Probably. "What other supplies do we need? Do you have something to numb it?" There was no way he was going to half-ass these stitches. Hopefully most of the supplies she used on animals would work for humans too.