"The timing just never worked out for us, Sam. If neither of us are in a relationship by the time we're back for our tenth reunion, we'll try it. No matter what. Deal?"
"Deal."
They kiss as Artie leaves for college, and ten years later, Sam is waiting with trepidation for Artie to roll into the tired old McKinley gymnasium. He talks to everyone from Glee club and the football team, almost everyone in some kind of relationship and doing well for themselves.
All things considered, Sam's doing pretty well too. He's got a nice job working at a planetarium in the research department. His job is fun and so are his coworkers, but he hasn't found that connection he wants. It's part of the reason that he's come to the reunion. If Artie hasn't either, Sam wants to try them out like they promised. It's a shot in the dark. After all someone as great as Artie has to have found someone by now. Heck, he might roll in with a whole army of baby Arties.
Sam spends the whole evening watching the door and waiting, but Artie never shows up. Feeling dejected (he wanted to see Artie most of all, available or not), Sam gets into his car and drives to his hotel.
When he opens the door to his hotel room, he almost yells out in surprise. Artie is sitting there, smiling a little at him. "Hey."
"Um. Hi," Sam says, stunned. "Um. The reunion is over. And not in my hotel room."
"Yeah, well," Artie shrugs a little, "I figure most of the reunion would have been people cracking jokes about my chair once they found out I went into medicine. I study how the brain works- to help with depression and anxiety and things like that."
"That's really cool," Sam says, relaxing a little, "going to help the world?"
"The people in it, hopefully," Artie says. "So what about the people in your life?"
"What about them?"
"Are there any?"
"You showed up to my hotel room and you don't even know whether I'm single?" Sam asks, laughing a little.
"Well, it wasn't the best laid plan," Artie admits, grinning back at him. "But I had to see you. We had a deal. I'm not going to hold you to it if you don't want to be held to it, but I wanted you to know that I still wish our timing had worked out."
"I want to be held to it. By you," Sam says.
"You're going to be held then," Artie says. He sniffs a little and makes a face. "but not until you change out of those rank ass clothes."
Sam laughs and pulls a pair of pajamas out of his bag. "Give me a sec, okay?"
Artie nods and Sam goes to change in the bathroom. When he comes out, Artie is situated in his bed, looking quite comfy. "You're really here then?" Sam sits on the bed gingerly.
"Yep. I'm here." Artie pulls him over so they're cuddling close. Sam likes the feeling. "How does this work? I'm working in Rochester, New York, and you're working…"
"In Boston," Sam supplies. "Maybe we just talk every day, send each other little gifts and things, and visit as often as we can. If we get really serious, we'll decide who moves where how, but for now, we should take it slow."
Artie presses his lips to Sam's. It feels so good to kiss Artie again. He never wants to stop, so that's what they do all night- murmur bits of their lives quietly to each other between kisses.