3

True to form Danny had left Martin and Samantha to go and talk to some hot girl by the bar, in a non-too subtle attempt at getting them to talk to each other.

As of yet it hadn't worked. They sat silently side by side in the booth, staring forward and absently sipping their drinks. Martin had hoped to talk to Samantha, indeed he had promised himself that he would talk to her but sitting there he was reduced to an awkward mess as her smell intoxicated him, filling his nostrils and making him dizzy. God, he wanted too reach across and touch, she was so close…if he just moved his hand a little to the left…just a little further!

Damn it! Samantha moved her hand to take a drink of her martini.

It was probably for the best, Martin couldn't control himself around Samantha, she made him do things through no fault of her own other than the way she bewitched him with her smile. Granted he hadn't seen her smile in a while…hmm, it must be something else. Was Samantha-ness a word? If not he was going to ring up the right people and demand that they made it one.

Yep that was it, Samantha's Samantha-ness was what made him love her so much, nothing would change that now, and he was hooked for life.

Time to take the plunge.

"So are we actually going to talk tonight or are we too far gone even for that?" Samantha turned her head to look at him, her eyes glassy from the effects of drink.

Thank god, thought Martin, I couldn't talk to her if we were both sober

"What do you mean?" she asked, looking confused.

"Well since Danny left us, in his oh so clever attempt to play matchmaker between us you haven't even looked at me, let alone talk to me!" he clarified.

"I told you two I didn't want to come out didn't I? Sorry I'm not the best company tonight." Martin bit his tongue from saying what he really wanted to say and looked at her. She was definitely sad about something.

"Want to talk about whatever it is that's getting you down?" he offered "I mean, we are still friends right? We should still be able to talk about things and help each other out."

Samantha looked down at her drink, anywhere but at Martin's sweet face.

"I'm fine." She muttered.

"Oh yeah right! Come on Samantha, we dated for nearly ten months! I know you better than that. Tell me, I'll help you" he said earnestly.

"As much as that sounds appealing to me Martin, the thing that is getting me down is you and this whole crazy situation that we've got going on, I don't know what to do Martin because I know I hurt you and I know that you will never be able to forgive me so therefore I should move on, but I can't move on when I see you every day and I don't even think I want to move on because then it would be like letting go and you can't let go of something that was the best thing that ever happened to you, even if you didn't realise it at the time." Samantha didn't know if it had been the drink or the way Martin's eyes bore into her that had made her say all that but it was out there now, she had nothing else to say to him.

Martin looked on at Samantha totally stunned. She sighed and stood up, grabbing her jacket and purse.

"I'm sorry Martin, for everything. Tell Danny I said bye, I'll see you tomorrow." She said not looking at him as she left their booth and walked out the door.

When Samantha got home she went straight to bed and cried her eyes out.

God, what the hell is wrong with me, tough Samantha Spade crying over her boyfriend. Ex boyfriend, ex boyfriend, gotta remember that. She thought ruefully as she wiped her eyes on the corner of what was his pillow.

As she went about her nightly routine she tried to pull herself together. It was so hard though, Martin was the one that was making her feel like this and Martin was the only one who could make her happy again. Kiss and make it better so to speak.

She padded back into her bedroom and flopped down on her bed, reaching across for her cell phone. Looking at the pictures of her and Martin together and reading the text messages that he had sent her always made her feel better. She smiled at one of the pictures that she had taken of Martin one morning. He looked so sleepy and rumpled, she couldn't resist taking it.

Her phone vibrated in her hand, giving her a shock. It was a text message from Martin. Her heart skipped a beat at his name next to the unopened envelope. She clicked read and a ghost of a long forgotten smile crossed her features as she read it.

"I know its hard Samantha. Dealing with all the office cupids around now I understand why you were reluctant to tell everyone. I'm sorry things didn't turn out differently. Maybe it doesn't have to end this way though. Love, M xx"