This is my first fan fiction on this site, so I hope you all will like it. This story will mainly be Charlie's POV throughout his friendship with Sam. It's a bit AU, circa 1998. I'm rating it T for now, but I will adjust it as necessary. Please review! I'll definitely keep going if I know that there's interest :)

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around." – Bob Marley

Chapter 1

I was never really one to celebrate the weekend by pouring several shots of the best cheap alcohol my friends and I could afford, but tonight, I participated. My best friend, Michael, held up our last shot for a toast – to whom or what exactly, I had no clue.

"Before we run this city tonight, I want to propose a toast."

"Oh come on, Mike. Let's just take the bloody shot already," his friend Aaron whined. They weren't exactly my friends to be quite honest, but Michael always tried to drag me along so I would at least try to fit in our last semester of college.

"Alright, alright – I propose a toast to us! May we live forever, just not in infamy like our dear friend Aaron."

While Aaron mumbled something most likely obscene, we all raised our glasses high in cheers before allowing the burning liquid to further intoxicate our bodies. I could feel the sensation instantly, and in that very moment, I could feel the pull holding me back loosen exponentially. I turned to my friend Michael and offered a nod of confirmation – I was ready.

As we made our way to the bar, I was beginning to feel freer. Julian and Georgie were shocked when I struck up a conversation with them as we made our way through the streets of the city, but they didn't hesitate to become animated with me as we talked about the men's hockey tournament in the Nagano Olympic Winter Games. Thanks to my dad, I knew a good amount of the sport even though I couldn't keep up with the player statistics Julian and Georgie were spouting off. My attention briefly turned to Michael as he looked over his shoulder to me again flashing me a smile. Ever since middle school, Michael has always been there for me – even though I was quiet, even though I never really participated, and even though he was far more outgoing and popular than I. He cared.

The famous watering hole came into view building up all of our excitement. Aaron howled at the sight like a wolf to the moon, which made us all follow suit. It was fun, believe it or not, and I honestly couldn't wait for the mischievous night to unfold. I could feel the anticipation bubbling over as we entered the bar and flashed our IDs. The guys made their way to the bartender to grab a round of shots for us all, but my eyes were drawn to the group of girls huddled by the jukebox. Well, my eyes were drawn to one girl in particular.

While flipping through the selections, the girl spouted out options to her friends – all of which were denied. I was captivated by her demeanor and slender figure as she leaned against the jukebox studying the musical profiles. I could tell that she found the perfect tune in the way that she threw her head back in satisfaction and shot her hands in the air in joy as the track began to play. It was almost as if the girl didn't have a care in the world by the way she twirled her body around and bounced across a small area of the bar with her friends. I found watching her completely intoxicating, and I wanted nothing more than to feel as free as she seemed to be. Actually, I knew right then that I wanted to be free with her.

I was interrupted from my fantasy by Julian slapping my shoulder and pulling me to the bar. Aaron, in the rambunctious way that he always does, cheers our group as we all threw back another shot and let off a Rick Flair "Woo" in celebration. I couldn't help but return my attention to the beautiful girl now a few feet from us. She was undeniably beautiful. She was radiant and her smile was absolutely infectious; I didn't even notice that I had a smile plastered on my face in turn. Michael followed my gaze and immediately sprang into action. One minute he was beside me and the next, he was talking to the friends of the beautiful girl I desired. Instinctually, I followed his lead and made my way over as well.

"Ladies, this is my dear friend Charlie. Not that he's as handsome and I am, but he's a close second – don't you agree?" Michael always had a way of doing that. I felt my cheeks turn a shade red as the girls directed their attention to me. The others felt like a true analysis of whether I was more or less handsome than Michael, except hers. It was warm and inviting, which somehow made me feel more comfortable.

She locked eyes with me a stepped closer extending her hand to me with an introduction, "Hi Charlie, I'm Sam."