Late Night Confessions
Sometime later, after the movie had ended; the four teens were found sleeping soundly either in certain rooms of the house or in the living room. Before that; Sam offered for Luna to stay in her room, while she slept on the sofa. "C'mon, Samurai; don't leave me alone" Luna begged adorably, "me wanna stay with you."
Sam couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly; since they've started dating, Luna (though she'd never openly admit it) had moments where she would behave like her eldest sister (just a tad bit.) As much as she wanted for the two of them to sleep in the same room together; Sam, unfortunately had to refuse. "Sorry, my purple pixie" she stated, petting Luna on the cheek "but the folks say we can't share a room together until after we're married."
Hearing Sam make the implication of them getting married caused Luna to blush so deeply, the red on her face almost overpowered the color of her eye shadow. After a moment of shy silence, Luna agreed to her girlfriend's terms and headed off for Sam's room; carrying her sleeping clothes in with her. Before she could get too far; Sam quickly snatched her from behind, turned Luna around and gave her a quick yet deep kiss.
Upon breaking apart, the two stared dreamily into each others eyes while smiling. "Enjoy my bed, sweet stuff" murmured Sam sweetly, "I love you, Purple Pixie." Luna gave a sigh and kissed the palm of Sam's hand. "But I love you more, my blonde bombshell" she chuckled with a "bedroom eyes" expression.
After the pair shared five more "I love you" statements, their friends gently brought them apart while chuckling softly. As Simon saw Luna being brought to the bedroom, he let out a soft raspberry of disgust. "Mommy, Daddy; will I be as weird as that, when I get a girlfriend" he asked, to which both parents simply replied with "let's wait until you're older to talk about that, Son."
Once everyone had been properly situated, all appeared quiet. The only sounds that could be heard were those of tired yet soft snoring all around the house. Then; at the hour of 2 AM, Sam began to stir violently beneath her covers.
Finally, with a dejected and tired sigh; Sam pushed herself up from the sofa and made her way to the kitchen for a drink. As she approached the room, however; Sam could hear soft sounds of rummaging from inside. Nervous, she plucked Simon's Wiffle Ball bat from off the floor and tiptoed towards the kitchen.
With a soft yet fierce battle cry; Sam jumped through the doorway, ready to take on the intruder inside. Then, a familiar voice suddenly reached her ears. "So sorry, mum" it cried in fear, "I swear, I'll pay ya back for it all!"
Confused, Sam reached for a nearby light switch for the stove light and flicked it on. Soon after, Sam saw that the "intruder" was actually Chunk; who appeared to be holding an armful of fridge contents. "Chunk...wow, you spooked me a little" she heaved with relief, "I thought you were a burglar, I was almost ready to bop you."
Chunk gave her a knowing smile and gestured at her bat, indicating that he was fully aware of her intentions. Upon lowering her guard, Sam asked what he was doing awake at such an hour. "I got a lil' case of the munchies, while I was sleepin'" he stated, "thought I'd make meself a sandwich."
Realizing that there was no real danger, Sam placed the bat back where she found it. "What about you, luv" Chunk asked from behind her, "why are you up and at 'em at this hour?" With a nervous chuckle, Sam confessed that she felt rather thirsty and wanted a drink of water.
With that; she hurried over towards the sink, filled up a glass, downed it in several seconds and proceeded back to bed. But before she could reach the doorway, she felt Chunk's meaty yet gentle hand on her shoulder. "Seems like there's more on your mind than just thirst, luv" he stated, "you wanna talk about it?"
Sam suddenly felt a nervous chill run up her spine, upon being asked such a request. "N-no...there's nothing wrong, really" she stammered softly, "I'm just feeling tired and want to get as much sleep as I..." There came a sudden murmur of "tut-tut-tut" and Sam could see Chunk shaking his head slightly at her.
"I think I know what's goin' on here" he suggested, "I've seen a similar look on my Luna's face, when she was in 6th Grade." Sam, raising a confused eyebrow at the man, asked Chunk what he was trying to say. "Before I can tell ya this story, I gotta show ya somethin' first" he whispered, while rummaging through his vest.
Sam was about to ask what he was searching for, until Chunk let out a triumphant cheer and withdrew a small photograph from his vest pocket. In it was a young yet somewhat familiar young girl. She had long hair that went down to her shoulders, a girlish light purple shirt, white earrings, black Mary Jane shoes and white socks worn high.
The moment she saw the girl's square-patterned skirt, Sam let out a gasp. "Is...Is that...Luna" she cried with surprise, to which Chunk answered with a simple smile and nod. "This was a year before she became the sweet girl you know her now" he chuckled, "before that, she was a rather quiet and gentle lass."
Sam couldn't help but giggle at the description; to her, the idea of Luna being "quiet" seemed darned near impossible. Upon looking at the photo again, she smiled a kitten grin and little hearts fluttered over her head. "Aww! Even back then, Lunes was as cute as a button" she cooed softly, "you've got to get me a copy of this pic."
Chunk wholeheartedly agreed but suddenly realized he was getting a tad off-topic. "Moving along; after she discovered herself and the time came for Luna's first show, you'll never guess what happened" he stated, which made Sam feel rather curious. After darting his eyes side-to-side, he leaned in close so that he could whisper into her ear.
"On the night of her first show...Luna almost backed out" he murmured, "almost choked herself up with worry she did." To say that this revelation surprised Sam would be a tremendous understatement. "Are you serious, Luna almost chickened out" she cried, "but...but she's the raddest chick I know, nothing freaks her out."
Chunk applauded the girl for her supportive nature towards their mutual comrade and fellow rocker. But then, he added that no one is without some anxieties. "Since then, I could sense whenever Luna is gettin' cold feet about anything" he said with pride, "and right now...your feet are colder than the Artic Circle in January."
Sam was prepared to make some form of retort but the shaking in her knees stopped her from trying. Defeated, she plunked herself onto a chair and sighed. "Come, come luv; tell ol' Chunk what's wrong" he urged softly, tilting up Sam's head from beneath her chin.
At first, Sam felt like continuing with putting up her defensive "walls" and lying to her friend/loyal roadie. But she slowly realized that she'd be lying to herself, instead of the other way around. With a deep sigh and a mildly distressed look on her face, Sam decided to come clean.
Meanwhile in the hallway, the door to Sam's bedroom opened and Luna exited with a yawn. Feeling the slight gurgle of nature's call within her, she headed off for the bathroom. The moment she left, two minutes later; she was about to head back off to sleep.
Then, at that moment; she suddenly heard the sounds of voices coming from the kitchen downstairs. She took a couple of steps down, trying not to get too close, in order to hear the voices more clearly. "Before I tell you anything, you must promise me to never speak a word of what I say to you" one voice ordered softly, "especially not to Luna...if she ever found out, I'd be mortified."
It didn't take long for Luna to realize that the voice belonged to Sam. But who was she talking to, why was Sam talking about her...and what, exactly did Sam think she'd be ashamed of. "No worries, luv" murmured the second voice, "I won't say anything until you want me too."
Luna let out a soft sigh of relief, upon recognizing Chunk's voice. But she still wondered why they were talking to each other so late at night. Curious, she took one more step and put a hand to her ear; with hopes of hearing their conversation more clearly.
After two minutes of silence, Sam finally began to speak. "I'm guessing you know about mine and Luna's 'date' during the Astonishing Quest competition, right?" she asked softly, "and about how much the two of us struggled during the challenges." Chunk nodded slightly, informing Sam on how Luna told him everything; even the parts where she doubted their relationship.
Sam clutched a hand to her chest, as if feeling her heart being crushed. As much as the memory of their flub ups during the contest bothered her. It was the implication Luna made about finishing the remainder of it as "friends" that almost shattered her spirit.
"I really tried to show my stuff at the challenges Lunes was good at" she admitted, "but I just ended up screwing things up royally for us both." Chunk nodded in understanding, remembering when Luna told him how some of the stuff they did wasn't quite her "thing." "As I recall, though" he murmured, "you both shared one thing in common...you both lacked baking skills."
Sam couldn't help but laugh at the mention of the baking challenge. At the same time; on the steps, Luna also shared a muffled giggle of her own. Despite losing the challenge and getting dirty in the process, they both had a good laugh and hug over it.
Luna couldn't help but brush her hand against her cheek slightly. For it was the same one Sam nuzzled all the flour off her face on. That moment of physical contact felt blissful, to her.
At that moment, Luna's train of thought was disturbed by her friends suddenly restarting their conversation. "After that, we both agreed that we aren't as perfect as we thought" Sam said with a sigh, "but we promised to be open to what each of us likes, from then on." Chunk chuckled softly at the revelation; referencing their little movie night moment, just hours ago.
"This is all well and good, luv" he stated, "but somethin' tells me there's more to this than you're letting on." Sam's eyes widened slightly in shock, realizing she couldn't hide much from her friend for long. With a heavy heart; she, at last came right to the point. "It's about one of the challenges we did" she blurted out sullenly, "the one at the dance hall, downtown."
On the steps, Luna gasped softly in surprise; remembering how much she excelled in copying the instructor's moves...and how poorly Sam tried to do the same. "As I recall, luv" Chunk's voice spoke up suddenly, "you told Luna that dancin' wasn't quite your 'thing?'" Sam let out a dejected sigh and then added how much she wished it could be her thing.
"Hanging out and playing music with Luna is wonderful" she stated, "but dancing together would be more awesome than an eternity of private SMOOCH concerts!" From the way she spoke, Chunk could sense the true sincerity in Sam's words on the topic of dancing. "If that's what you really feel; then, why not dot it" he asked, "Luna would be overjoyed to have you as any kind of partner, dancing or otherwise."
At that moment, both Chunk and Luna suddenly heard Sam sniffling; followed by the sounds of choked sobs. "I wish I could, I really do" she whimpered, "but it's not as easy as you think." Chunk could see that the girl was, obviously distressed and thought about ending the conversation there. But Sam refused and insisted on getting the issue off her chest right away.
"The truth is...I really wanted to dance with Luna, that day...but I can't" she said while swiping her arm across her eyes. Chunk raised a curious eyebrow and asked what she meant by "she can't." As much as Sam tried to answer directly, the most she could let out was a soft muttering of whispers.
Chunk tried two other attempts to get a clearer answer from the girl. But both ended up the same way, with Sam muttering the same unintelligible whispers. After one final attempt; Sam, with her fists clenched tight and sorrow blazing in her eyes, finally blurted out the truth in one single outburst.
"I CAN'T DANCE, ALRIGHT" she roared loudly, "I'VE TRIED AND I'VE TRIED, FOR YEARS BUT...BUT NO MATTER HOW HARD I WORK AT IT, I ALWAYS TRIP OVER MYSELF!" Upon realizing how loud she was shouting, Sam clamped her hands over her mouth and mentally prayed that no one heard her. Thankfully, the only other sounds heard were those of her family and friends snoring in bed.
But unknown to Sam, Luna heard every part of her outburst from the stairway; her face frozen with shock. After taking a moment to calm down, the young blonde rocker continued her story. "Ever since I discovered my musical talents, I've wanted to dance as well as play" she explained, "but every attempt ended the same way."
Using her hands, she began to do a finger puppet demonstration of herself dancing and consistently tripping up multiple times. "One time, while dancing; I tripped over my left foot and fell into the dirty laundry basket" she said with a grimace, "I smelled like my dad's work clothes for three days straight, after that!" Chunk let out a soft chuckle but did his best to hide it, upon seeing Sam's bothered expression.
After that, all was silent for what felt like ages. Then, Sam let out another sniffle and wiped a few stray tears away. "So...now, you know my secret" she sighed, "go ahead and laugh at me like anyone else would." Chunk felt utterly shocked by such a suggestion, proclaiming he'd never laugh at someone's expense. "But everyone else has" Sam blurted out, "my brother, some of my relatives, my neighbors even my parents (at one time!)
"Well...I ain't like those lot, Mum" Chunk assured, "besides, not bein' able to dance is something many people deal with." Sam's shoulders slumped sadly and her head hung low with shame. "True...but everybody else I know knows how to do it" she whined softly, "my friends, my teachers, my parents...even my little brother dances better than me."
A faint blush of shame began to coat the girl's tear-stained cheeks. "It's the biggest shame I've ever had to hide" Sam murmured, "and if Luna were to ever find out, who knows what she'd think of me then!" Upon hearing his, a severely disappointed expression formed on Chunk's face.
"Don't be spoutin' nonsense like that, luv" he murmured, "Luna loves you more than anything and she would never let somethin' like not bein' able to dance change that." At that moment, the soft pitter patter of footsteps could be heard from nearby. With a fright, both Sam and Chunk turned to see who was approaching.
To their relief, it was only Luna standing at the doorway and she had a sleepy yet concerned look on her face. Sam, worried that she may have been caught, tried her best to act casual. "Luna, sweetheart...uh, what a surprise" she whispered while smiling nervously, "I was just uh...chatting with Chunk about a dream I had."
Alas, Sam's attempts to fool her boo were fruitless; upon seeing the "don't you try to fool me" look on Luna's face. "No disrespect meant, Samurai" she began, "but there's no point in lyin' to me...I heard everything." To say that Luna's revelation terrified Sam would be a gross understatement.
Soon; she felt the color drain from her face, her knees started quaking and her breathing became slightly shallow. Then; much to her surprise, she felt Luna's arms wrap tightly around her in a big hug. When she finally calmed down, Sam gave Luna a confused stare.
"You...You're not ashamed of me, Lunes" she asked timidly, which made Luna feel rather offended. "Ashamed, why the "H" would I ever be ashamed of you" the purple-clad rocker exclaimed, "so you can't dance, it's no big whoop to me." This caused Sam to push herself out of Luna's arms and stare firmly into her eyes.
"It is a big deal to me, Lunes" she insisted, "your music fills me with such energy that I want nothing more than to boogie like there's no tomorrow with you!" In an instant, her mood softened and all the fire in her eyes seemed almost extinguished. "I just...I don't know how to dance the right way" she confessed, "anytime I try, I just...screw up."
Upon seeing the look on Sam's face, Luna knew just what to do and say. She placed both hands upon her cheeks, gently lifted her head up and brushed away a tear with her right thumb. With a soft smile and a loving kiss on Sam's cheek, Luna whispered "'Don't pout like that, luv...your face is too pretty to be wrinkled up by frownin'.'"
Sam sniffled softly through her nose and mildly chuckled at Luna's words. "I...I should sue you for copying my lines, missy" she murmured softly, which Luna countered with a swift kiss on her lips. "I'm only copyin' because it's true" she stated, "I don't ever wanna see my girl think so little of herself."
Though touched by her girlfriend's supportive nature and kind words, Sam still felt racked by shame. "I just...I really wish things were different" she murmured, "I wanna help us win that contest...but how can that happen, if I can't dance?" It didn't take long for someone, namely Chunk, to propose a solution.
"Here's an idea, luv" he offered, "how's about you come take some dancin' lessons from me and Luna, every weekend until the day of the contest." Luna nodded her head enthusiastically at the idea, while Sam appeared to be undecided. "No, guys; I don't want to be a bother" she insisted, "besides, Lunes could always find another dance partner...like George."
Almost instantly, Luna shot down the idea; revealing that George and Ruth were already slated to be partners. Before Sam could offer up another alternative choice, Luna silenced her with a truly passionate kiss. Upon breaking away, the two ladies stared at one another with a penetrating bedroom eyes expression.
"No dice, Samurai" Luna whispered huskily into Sam's ear, "there is no other partner I want than you, in dancing or in life." Hearing this line caused Sam to playfully shove her girl against her shoulder. "Holy crud, Lunes" she giggled madly, "that has to be the corniest line you've said to me yet!"
Luna only rolled her eyes playfully at her; teasing Sam on how, deep down, she loved the cheesy romantic one-liners. After that, both girls agreed to the lessons with a kiss and returned to bed. Before heading back, Sam thanked Chunk for providing a friendly ear for her.
"Twas no problem at all, luv" he said with a smile, "me and Luna are always here, if you need us." With all that said, Chunk finished making the remainder of his sandwich and the girls tiptoed back to bed; making certain not to disturb the rest of the house.
(AN: So...now, Luna knows the truth; lucky for Samurai, she loves her no matter what. But with the contest on the horizon, will Sam do well in her lessons; tune in next time