"Sam!"

"What?" Sam tried her best to act innocent but Tom saw straight through it.

"Sam don't try and fool me, you were getting dressed for work weren't you?"

Sam said nothing.

Taking that to be as near to a confession as he would get Tom scooped her up and plonked her back down into his bed before she had a second to protest.

"Tom this isn't fair, I'm coming to work!"

"Sam if you even try to come to work today then I will stay off myself, lock the doors and hold you hostage."

One look at Tom's face and Sam knew he was serious.

"Fine" She muttered, burying her face in the duvet.

"Oh Sammy don't sulk" Tom teased.

"I am not sulking", came the muffled reply from beneath the duvet.

"Oh really? In that case would you care to explain why you have taken fort under my duvet?"

When Sam didn't reply Tom sensing victory dived down next to Sam on the bed and began to tickle her mercilessly from under the duvet.

Sam squealed for him to stop.

"I'll stop when you promise to take the day off."

Nothing.

Tom carried on for approximately 2 seconds then,

"Ok ok I promise just STOP!"

Tom stopped.

"Thankyou Samantha I appreciate your compliance."

"Shut up." Sam's tone of voice was something to do with the use of her Christian name as well as the fact she'd lost but she couldn't keep her grudge for any longer because Tom was planting tiny kisses on her lips and begrudgingly, kicking herself for it she couldn't help but kiss him back.

"Tom will you let me go back tomorrow?" Sam was fully away she was a whining like a 4 year old but she really didn't care.

"Sam you know most people would relish the day off?"

"Well I'm not most people"

"No" Tom agreed affectionately, "No you're definitely not"

For a second Sam forgot her cause and allowed herself a shy smile up at Tom who was returning her grin. Then she remembered he hadn't actually answered her question so she dropped the smile and titled her head up so her eyes met his.

"Can I Tom?"

"Fine I'll speak to Zoe" Tom comprised.

"No Tom, you can't" Sam's voice raised in pitch in her panic, startling Tom.

For a second Tom looked confused, and his face clouded as it dawned on him. As of the moment he and Sam weren't in a public relationship, he was forgetting what had happened over the past year and was acting as if they had never broken up; well he had never left her.

"Of course, sorry Sam." He muttered looking down, breaking their eye contact.

"Tom it's ok, you don't have to apologise every time someone brings something up that involves the past, what happened between us.

Tom smiled gratefully but still looked down so Sam titled his head up by his chin so his eyes met hers once more.

"Tom I tell will them."

Them was her colleagues at the ED, her closet friends.

"I just have to wait a bit, until the time is right."

Tom understood.

He nodded once and then took Sam's face in his hand and kissed her softly.

"I have to go Sam, and yes you can go back tomorrow but it's your neck on the line with Zoe."

Sam practically jumped up and down with excitement.

Tom shook his head and rolled his eyes, only his girlfriend would almost wet herself at the prospect of going back to work a day earlier. But he loved the way she loved her job and he loved her childish excitement, it was a side he didn't get to see as often as he liked and so he wasn't going to chastise her for it. It was good to see her smiling again.

"Bye Sam, there's food, films, make yourself at home."

"Love you." she shouted as he made his way downstairs.

"I know." he shouted back, cheekily."

"Oi."

"Love you too."

"Better."

The door slammed shut.

Sam lay back. She knew that she really should start to think about telling Zoe and the others about her and Tom but it felt so hypocritical, she had spent a year grimacing at his mention and to be crude, bitching about him. Now she had to tell her friends she'd taken him back, she'd look weak. Not that she regretted her decision, she loved Tom and she knew if push came to shove she'd tell the truth but as much as she hated to admit it the route of cowardice, the one where she keep Tom her dirty little secret was becoming the increasingly easier option.

She brushed the though aside, Sam Nicholls wasn't a coward was she? She promised herself she would tell Zoe before the end of the week and sat up once more feeling satisfied.

A month later and she still hadn't told anyone.