005: Green Sweatshirt

Danny and Sam were in the library when he asked, the two sitting side by side against the wall, on the floor. They were reading some novel they were required to read, but they were mostly goofing off and such. They were in mid-laugh when Danny suddenly grew quiet. He looked at Sam, and finally realized that he was sick of just being her best friend.

He wanted to be more. Oh, so much more.

After a few moments, Sam finally realized that Danny was staring. She faced him, unaware of the blush that spread across his cheeks. She smiled a crooked smile, a reaction to his heavy gaze. "What?" she asked with uncertainty. "Do I have something on my face?"

Danny just shook his head. "No. No, you don't." And then, he continued to watch her squirm under his stare. Abruptly, the two started to laugh again, both of them unsure why.

"Will you tell me what's wrong?" Sam finally managed to say after having a good laugh, her breaths coming in short. She turned to Danny once more, tilting her head to the side for emphasis.

"What am I to you?" he abruptly asked, surprised by his own frankness. His eyes widened, but then returned to normal when Sam had a look of concentration, the teenager musing over his words.

After a few moments of silence, she murmured, "My best friend, Danny. You mean the world to me." Danny cast his eyes to his feet, wondering how to reply to that. Should he tell the truth? Should he lie and say he thinks the same? What if Sam didn't react the way he thought she would? What if the emotions Danny felt around her weren't what she felt?

Doubt. That was the one word that kept Danny from saying his mind on a daily basis. Danny always doubted that Sam would ever feel the way he did. But he would never know if he stayed quiet, now would he?

Danny raised his gaze to Sam, watching as she watched him. Her eyes grew soft, a weary smile making its way across her lips. "...what am I to you?"

Doubt. That was the one word that kept Danny from saying his mind on a daily basis.

But it wouldn't hold him back any more.

"More than the world, Sam," he said, his tone barely a whisper. "You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen, and I've always wanted to tell you." Danny hesitated to go on, but found that he just couldn't stop. "Everything you do amazes me, every smile and crinkle of your eyes making me fall more and more in love with you. You're the highlight of my every day, the first image I see in the morning." Danny closed his eyes, leaning his head against the wall. "I just didn't want to ruin our friendship by telling you this."

Danny waited for Sam to argue, to say that she didn't feel the same. But it was silent, like she was wondering what to say. Danny faced Sam with sincerity in his eyes. "I love you, Samantha Manson."

Suddenly, Sam lunged for Danny, wrapping her arms around his neck, knocking him to the ground. She started to laugh, something that Danny always loved to listen to. Danny chuckled as well, the two still on the ground. Sam nuzzled her face into Danny's chest, his green sweatshirt radiating his home's smell. She inhaled deeply, loving the feeling of being in Danny's arms. And she also -- "I love you too, Danny. With all of my heart."

Suddenly, Mr. Lancer's voice echoed off the walls: "Students! Time to go to fourth hour."

Danny and Sam looked at each other with smirks on their faces, trying to sit upright. Since it was the last time they were going to see each other for the rest of the day, Danny figured he was obligated to do something. But what? Kiss her? They had kissed before, though, and he didn't have enough time to make it a special kiss.

Sam cocked an eyebrow, as if wondering what Danny was thinking. He was just so mysterious with that pondering look on his face.

"C'mon, students," Mr. Lancer announced once more, his tone sounding aggravated.

Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, Danny slipped off his green sweatshirt. Sam smiled at his messy hair, his sincere expression, as the teenager handed her his sweatshirt. Sam took it hesitantly, still grinning.

"What?" she asked, eying the object in he hands.

"It's for you to keep," Danny murmured. Sam's heart fluttered as he smiled that lopsided smile that she loved so much. "For you to sleep in at night, for you to wear during the day." He paused, taking the moment to lock eyes with Sam. "A reminder of how much I love you."

Sam cocked her head, making Danny's urge to wrap his arms around her even more uncontrollable, before slipping the sweatshirt on. A small smile made its way across his lips, the sight of Sam in his sweatshirt making his heart skip a beat. At that very moment, she looked like one of the most beautiful young women Danny had ever seen.

"See you later, love," he whispered, kissing Sam on the cheek before bolting out the door. He left her sitting there, a hand on her cheek, wondering what had happened the past hour. A grin flickered across Sam's face as she got to her feet, her heart soaring. Silently, she followed Mr. Lancer out the library.

--

As said before, the two didn't have any classes together for the rest of the school day. But even without seeing each other, they both knew that something was different between them.

Danny belonged to Sam. Sam belonged to Danny.

And everyone could see in the way Sam showed off that green sweatshirt.