Sam looked in the mirror. Celaena was his best friend, nothing more...right? He had been through this so many times. They were close, inseparable even. But now both of them were older, and he was pretty sure he was feeling something more. Some people would call it 'love'. Sam shuddered. He had never been in love. He had seen girls that were good looking, and thought that, but had never thought about a girl through every moment that he was conscious. But it was Valentine's day, so Sam had decided to organise a date. Neither of the pair had ever been on one, and he had tried to convince himself that this was just a normal dinner.
He had set up a table, two chairs, and all the necessities out in the training room. He had bribed the cook to make them something good. He had even paid one of his fellow assassins to play the piano. The room was surrounded with candles, and a trail of roses lead from her room to the room. He had told her to stay in the room from 5, get dressed nicely, and come out at 7, for her surprise. Of course, she had questioned, but she would do pretty much anything Sam told her.
Finally, it was time. A mix of excitement and nervousness fizzed through his veins like carbonated water. He stood in the training room, the piano softly playing, the candles burning, and their fat drops of wax rolling down their sides. It wasn't the best, but it was the most he could do. Just as he started considering whether to call the whole thing off, she walked in.
Her hair was braided, and twisted round and round her head. She wore a cornflower blue dress, with a tight bodice, and flowing skirts, encrusted with a few jewels. And on her head was a small, silver tiara, its tendrils forming flowers, the centre filled with what appeared to be diamonds. She smiled.
"Sam, this is...beautiful. No one has ever done anything like this for me," a small smile played on her lips, and Sam grinned back.
"You look lovely. Er, please, sit down." He pulled out one of the chairs, where she obediently sat. Then he also sat down, only too aware of the fact that his nerves were showing.
"The roses, they were so lovely. You'll have a right job cleaning them up though – Sam, are you...nervous?" Celaena smirked, trying to suppress her laughter.
"Um, kind of. It's just, I spent ages planning this out. I want it to be perfect, you know? You work hard. You deserve it."
"And it will be perfect," she responded.
Throughout the duration of the meal, Sam's jitters washed away, like pebbles on a beach. They ate all three meals, including scraping their plates clean, and finishing a bottle of the finest champagne. Both of them were a little tipsy, and neither could stop giggling.
"Care for a dance?" Sam asked, his speech a little slurred, a seductive grin plastered across his lips.
"I would," replied Celaena. So the pair danced. They danced long into the night, until their feet ached and the piano player was positively fed up. In the end, they were wrapped in a sort of embrace, swaying backwards and forwards, side to side, until Sam pulled away.
"Did you enjoy tonight?" He whispered. He was met with a nod of reply from Celaena. The pair stood, staring into each other's eyes, fingers interlocked, until finally, Sam bent his head down. At first, the pair's lips brushed, lightly, the touch lighter than a feather. Celaena didn't pull away. So Sam pressed his lips into hers again, firmer, but still gentle, giving and taking.
From that moment on, the pair who were once inseparable were now linked together by an invisible thread. No matter how far away they were from one another, the two would always be together.