Sam stood in front of the mirror in her room and hooked her dangling ear ring through her lobe. She took a step back from the tabletop in front of her to observe her full length in the mirror. She had had her hair cut and styled that day, but had ended up washing it herself when she got home. It was now hanging in loose waves, parted to the side. Her long fringe was swept to the side and the side that had the least amount of hair was twisted back and held in place with a clip with a rose design on it. Her eyes were dark and smoky, her lips pale and cheeks blushed. Her hands glided over the silk material of her dress. It was a deep, deep red and fell to just above her knees and was held up with two thin straps across her shoulders. The neckline was daring, but not too much to make her feel uncomfortable. The dress was light but hugged her body until it reached her hips and it loosened and floated down to her knees. She had black, three inch heels on with a rose corsage on the strap across her toes.
She felt beautiful.
When she heard the door open to the bedroom she flicked her eyes to Steve and smiled at him. Raising her hand to the thin silver necklace that hung around her neck since she was fifteen years old, she fiddled with the catch and placed the chain on the table.
"You look amazing," Steve said with a soft smile on his lips, as he leaned against the doorjamb.
She smiled again, nervously, and nodded.
"I wish you could come, to meet all my friends from work," she whined and he stepped into the room.
He reached out and touched her arm and ran his fingers down until he came into contact with her hand.
"Me too. But I promised my parents I would pick them up and you know what they get like... and besides, there's always the New Year Party."
Sam nodded and leaned her head against his chest as she thought about the Christmas party she was rather late for.
She let Steve hold her for a few more seconds, before moving away from him and spraying on her Armani Night perfume.
"I am so late," she told him as she moved around him and grabbed her coat.
"I love you, babe," she heard him say as she walked out of the door.
- -
"If you look at that door one more time I'm going to send you out of it," Luka heard Abby's voice protrude into his brain.
He turned to her and frowned. Taking in her appearance again, he smiled at the long dress she had chosen that was distinctly Abby - not too girlish but not too simple.
"What?" He asked as he took another sip from his third bottle of beer.
"You keep looking at the door," Abby said again and he nodded. "Who you looking for?"
"Oh, Sam." He saw Abby look at him in question and he shrugged his shoulders. "I just have something to tell her about one of her patients." He couldn't believe how easily that lie had passed out.
"Oh, Luka come on!" Abby complained indignantly.
"What?" He asked, throwing his hand up somewhere near his face.
"It's the Christmas party, Luka. Leave work alone for the night."
He was silent for a second and then nodded.
"I'm going to go talk to Susan. And try and avoid Romano and Weaver," Abby whispered with mock secrecy and placed her finger over her lips.
Luka smiled and placed his hand on her elbow as she walked away.
He sighed. He couldn't stop thinking about Sam. His lips were still forming electricity whenever he remembered the brush of her skin against them. He hadn't been able to get back to sleep after she left his apartment what was now over a week ago. When she had come into work the next day, Luka had been sitting at the nurses station (the only place where he could find some peace and quiet) and when he opened his and saw her, he noticed that she was holding his sunglasses in her hand and that she wore a sympathetic smirk at his sleeping form.
Who was he kidding? It wasn't sympathetic. It was down right mocking.
He shook his head and smiled as he remembered the look. And the feel of her hand in his hair as she attempted to flatten it in the places it stood on end.
He turned back towards the table and glanced at the door again.
He stopped breathing.
There she was. In a dress.
"Lijep..." He said under his breath as he watched her reach a hand up to her face and push away an imaginery hair behind her ear.
He couldn't believe how quickly he reverted to Croatian whenever he thought about her. It was ridiculous to think that that meant anything, but he had never thought of a woman in Croatian since Danijela.
His eyes followed her as she walked through the crowd nodding to people and hugging a few. Her dress was moulded to her form gently, hugging her and showing off the tiny waist that he knew would probably fit into the ring his hands made when joined together. Her dark eyes were made only darker than normal by the make up she had applied. Her legs that were bare from the knee down were pale but beautiful, her ankles adorned with the straps of her high heels.
He was hypnotised.
Sam was well aware of the azure eyes that watched her as she made her way further and further into the hall and she kept raising her hand to her hair or fiddling in the place that her necklace normally hung. When she finally reached the table of drinks that he was standing in front of, she was thoroughly parched and nervous as hell.
Reaching out, she grabbed onto a bottle of Budweiser and took a swig from it. Only then did she raise her eyes to him and smile.
He looked amazing. He wore a black shirt with the top three buttons undone and flashing an expanse of dark, tanned chest and a simple pair of black suit trousers. His hair was styled in a way she had never seen before: messed from the back and fuzzy looking (in a good way) on top. His eyes were so dark that, if she didn't know any better, she would have thought that he applied some eyeliner. When her eyes met with his she blushed slightly and looked down to his nose.
"Hey," she managed and looked back towards his eyes.
His jaw was hanging slightly open and Sam tried not to smile too much, while being secretly pleased by his reaction.
"Hi," he whispered back and she saw his eyes travel up and down her body again. "You look..." he trailed off as his eyes dipped down again and his arm reached out and touched her wrist lightly. Sam's breath hitched and she shivered slightly. "Amazing," he breathed out and Sam struggled to breathe.
She smiled and took a gulp of her drink.
"You don't look too bad yourself," she replied and told herself that she wasn't flirting with him.
She saw him smile as his eyes drifted over her again. The look in his eyes was one she knew she would never tire of.
"How are you?" He asked after a minute or two of complete silence and Sam knew instantly that he had had at least two beers already.
"I'm fine, what about you?"
He nodded but didn't say anything as he turned and surveyed the room. Sam followed his example and ran her finger over the rim of her bottle. Neither of them said anything and simply stood there, basking in the company.
From behind them, a young student rushed around to the front of them baring a camera.
"Come on now, snuggle up for your picture!" He sounded severely intoxicated.
Sam was about to protest but as she felt Luka's arm glide across her waist, all brain function stopped and she leaned into his side for the sole purpose of holding herself up.
"Say cheese!"
Sam laughed at the over-exuberance of the student who she didn't even recognise and heard Luka say light-heartedly:
"Sira," with a gentle laugh.
When the flash went off and the kid moved away, Sam turned to face him - noting his arm still around her waist - and raised her eyebrow at him.
"You did it again," she said matter-of-factly and Luka looked down at her with a frown on his face.
"Did what again?" He asked genuinely confused.
Sam laughed and leaned her forehead on his chest lightly before stepping out of his grip. She told herself that she didn't see a look of disappointment in his eyes.
"Sira?" She mimicked him, deepening her tone and doing a really bad imitation of his accent.
He laughed, loudly, and gained the attention of a few of the people around him - including Abby, who turned to him with a shocked smile on her face.
He quieted after a few seconds and tried to stifle his laughs but Sam could see he was dying to chuckle again. She shook her head and turned to Abby who was making her way over to the both of them.
"Sam! You look great! I told you the red one was the one for you," Abby said as she surveyed Sam's outfit as Luka surveyed Sam's body.
"You helped her pick it?" Luka asked and Sam and Abby looked at one another questioningly.
"Yeah... when we went shopping two weeks ago," Abby replied and Sam chuckled. Sam saw Abby look around as though looking for someone. "Where's Steve?" Sam told herself that the look that was currently gracing Luka's features was not one of disappointment. "I thought you said he was coming?"
Sam looked down to the ground and shifted her beer bottle from hand to hand.
"Yeah, he was." She glanced up at Luka and told herself that she did not see jealousy in his eyes. "But uh... His parents called, they're flying in from Boston tonight and wanted him to pick them up."
"Oh, right," Abby said sympathetically and put her hand on her arm and gave it a squeeze.
"Ach, no, I'm fine," she told her in honesty.
"Good. So, uh... can I talk to you about... uh... your hair?" Abby attempted to be covert and failed miserably and both Sam and Luka rolled their eyes.
"Okay, okay, I get the message. I'll be over there," Luka pointed in the vague direction of Carter and walked away sending a smile to both the women.
"So, my hair?" Sam said when Abby was silently watching Luka.
"Are things with you and Steve... you know, okay?"
Sam pulled her head back slightly and nodded after a shocked pause.
"Yeah, they're fine, why?"
"Just that he's not here tonight. I know you were really looking forward to introducing him to us."
Yeah, like I'd look forward to a bullet in the head, Sam thought icily.
"Nah, we're fine."
Abby nodded and took Sam's arm.
"You really do look great. And I think most of the guys would agree," Abby winked and Sam rolled her eyes while she laughed. "Come this way, Susan and Jing-Mei are waiting by the chocolate fountain for us!"
"Chocolate fountain?" Sam asked incredulously and followed Abby, while telling herself that the eyes burning into her back were not Luka's and, if they were, they were looking at Abby and not her.
TBC