As is my wont, this chapter contains a reference to one of my other stories, but it's not necessary to know that story to follow this one. I might also mention that the last chapter contained a probably too - clever - by - half reference to a much-loved film about twins.

Sam turned and saw Freddie through the glass locking up the car.

I guess you can take the boy away from the mother...

He was about to follow her in when he must've seen one of his shoelaces had come untied. He put one foot on the bumper and reached down to retie the shoe, the action making the leg of his pants raise slightly, so she could see his sock.

Her mind whispered another memory to her.

"Last night, I slept with my socks on."

"So?"

"JUST my socks."

Remembering that moment, the crazy thought crossed her mind that she'd bet no one would write a song about it.

And if they did, anyway, what rhymes with s...

She hurriedly turned back to the couple. A new, poppier song had begun playing and the girl was, not so discreetly, feeling her boyfriends bicep.

For a second Sam was her teenage self, pretending to hold Freddie up by his arms between her and Carly as his mother told off Lewbert.

it was the first time she'd ever touched him there. He always wore shirts that covered everything, so she was mildly surprised his arm felt toned, more so than she might've thought...if she had any expectations of his body.

"Just my socks."

God.

As he straightened up from tying his shoe, a car swept into the parking lot and would've hit him had he taken three steps. It happened so fast she scarcely had time to call his name.

No no no not again!

With relief she saw that the car missed him, but she couldn't stop her minds (or hearts) eye from seeing him as he had been, crumpled on the street that day. Her stomach curdled, just as it had then.

Willfully holding down the bile in her throat, she returned her hand to the Smoothie's doorknob and was outside before she knew what she was doing. Her eyes darted between him and the oblivious couple who were now crossing the lot, clueless about the accident they'd almost caused.

She knew she must've matured because she only briefly considered punching them both in the throat.

Instead she went to his side and pulled him further away from them, though he was in no danger now.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said. She kept him in her arms but tried to smile, succeeding only slightly more than she had, at keeping the upset from her voice.

"That was close!"

"Too close for me. I don't think I've had a miss that near since -"

"The lockers."

"-the lockers." They looked at each other and nodded.

What they were both remembering was the time Sam's own mother had crashed her car through the wall of the school, obliterating a row of lockers. They'd been no more than 10 feet away, because one of the lockers was the one Sam had been trying to torment Freddie into giving up.

Sam's mother was always having "accidents" of one kind or another though usually the damage was less dramatic and more emotional than physical. About a year afterwards, one night while they were eating ice cream on the fire escape, Sam would confide in him that her mother, while high, had told her that she and Melanie were exactly that: Accidents.

He looked at her in disbelief but she just shrugged.

So Sam's mom crashing through the wall was, really, less of a surprise than it should have been. But the way he'd instinctively reacted to it was.

He pulled Sam out of the way of any debris and almost into his arms (before catching himself).

I went to St. Christopher's Place cause
it reminded me of you
Remained there at night on French bread
Oh, but don't expect me to...

He'd felt awkward, strange. It was nonsense. She wasn't his to protect. Hell, in the early years of their knowing each other he needed protection from her.

Anyway, she was one girl who could look out for herself.

But in that moment, he couldn't stand the idea of seeing her hurt. His mind just shouted SAM! and he pulled her to safety without consciously meaning to.

(She was surprised she didn't mind his hands on her.)

Why had he done that? He would ask himself later.

It couldn't be...that was over half a year ago...you both agreed to go on like nothing ever happened.

But something had. Now he found he looked for her when he entered rooms, and his eyes were inclined to stay on her, so long as she didn't catch him.

Unkiss that kiss, she never could
Untouch that touch, she never would

Back in the present they walked back into the Groovy Smoothie and found the teenage couple was still dancing. Sam stopped to watch them again as he walked up to the counter. He started to ask, "What do you want?" But when he glanced her way to shoot her a smile, the tears in her eyes stopped him.

"I want to tell you something," she said.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter. The song is "Unkiss That Kiss" by Stephen Duffy.