CHAPTER 11

A couple of hours later, Sam and Miguel finally got out of the bed in their hotel room, put on some clothes, and went for a walk. They hadn't done much talking in the past couple of hours (they had been a bit… preoccupied), so now they decided to catch up.

Miguel and Sam's stomachs both growled as they walked, and Miguel checked his watch. His eyes widened when he realised that it was already 8 pm. He turned to her.

"You hungry?" He asked.

"Starving." Sam replied. "Let's go get some dinner."

"Sure. Where?" Miguel asked. "I haven't been back here in years."

"Well, I can get us a reservation at the club because my mom and dad are members. We'd have to go back to the hotel and change though. It's pretty formal. I don't think they let in people dressed in a hoodie and jeans." Sam remarked, pointing to Miguel's camo colored hoodie and faded jeans. Miguel suddenly had an idea.

"You know what? I just remembered somewhere we can go. It's the best restaurant in the city, it has no line, and you can wear whatever you want."

Sam smiled and nodded.

"Lead the way…"

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"Okay. You're right. Best restaurant in the city." Sam laughed, as Sam and Miguel clinked their 7Up bottles together. Miguel had quickly sped through the drive thru line at McDonalds, and had driven them up to Griffith Park and the two of them sat on a bench next to each other, watching the sun slowly start to set. The orange gold stretched far and wide, the colour of fire hearths and tangerines. It was but the reflection of the dawn, the promise of the rising sun that came after the velvety night had had its say and the land had rested once more.

"See! Nothing beats the Golden Arches!" Miguel stated, triumphantly. "It's the best food in the world. That's why before I met you, when I was on vacation, I ate McDonalds every day for a month."

"Oh, God! You're gonna die of diabetes!" Sam exclaimed. Miguel shrugged and patted his stomach.

"Eh. At least if I die, I'll die doing what I love most: eating fatty, greasy food." Miguel replied. Sam giggled and rested her head on Miguel's shoulder. Miguel wrapped an arm around her and the two of them sat there in comfortable silence for a long while. Their relationship had been over the phone for so long that both of them felt ecstatic to just be holding each other again, huddling for warmth and relishing in the physical contact they had rather than staring at each other through a phone screen. Eventually, after the sun had completely set and stars littered the night sky, Sam looked up at Miguel.

"So, what happens now? With your job and everything?" She asked. Miguel smiled faintly.

"Well, I served my contract in Afghanistan and I met their demands. As a result, they're letting me serve out the rest of my enlistment being based out of a military base in Virginia. My home base will be in Virginia so I won't have to live on base or live abroad. I can live at home, and just go to work like a normal person."

"Until you have to go on dangerous missions." Sam said, glumly. Miguel nodded. He knew that Sam hated him risking his life time and time again on missions, but she knew there was nothing she could do to talk him out of it. Being a SEAL was who he was, and if she asked him to change too many things about him, he wouldn't be the man she fell in love with.

"Yeah." Miguel murmured, noticing the frown on her face. "But, hey, the missions wouldn't be that long! I'd still have time to come out to New York and see you!"

Sam nodded but didn't smile. She had a secret. Something she needed to tell Miguel as soon as possible. Something that could possibly end their relationship…

1 month ago…

KNOCK! KNOCK KNOCK!

"Come in!" Sam's boss called, and Sam stepped into his office one night. It was the week after Thanksgiving, and Sam had just come back from L.A, where she had spent the holiday with her family.

"Hey Mr. Strowbridge. You wanted to see me?" Sam asked. Her boss, the owner of the child psychology clinic she worked at, had left her a message that morning to come and meet him when she arrived in the city, and she had just seen the message.

"Ahh, yes. Sam, come on in. Take a seat." Strowbridge said, gesturing to the seat opposite him. Sam sat down and her elderly boss smiled at her. Sam wasn't smiling though. She was extremely nervous. Her boss had asked her to meet at 5 o'clock, which around the office was known as 'fire o'clock.'

Strowbridge noticed her expression and chuckled.

"Relax, Sam. You're not getting fired." Strowbridge remarked. Sam laughed, nodded and relaxed considerably.

"Oh okay. So why did you ask me here?" Sam asked.

"Well, you know how we're starting a new clinic in San Diego? Well, I want you to head the project." Strowbridge stated, blunty. Sam's jaw dropped.

"Um… what?" Sam stammered.

"You heard me." Strowbridge replied. "You're my best psychologist here. I need someone like you, someone I trust, on the West Coast, leading the project. So, what do you say? Yes or no?"

Sam's mind was whirring rapidly as she struggled to take in what her boss was offering. He was offering her her dream job! Normally, Sam would leap at an opportunity like this, but this time, she hesitated. She had people she cared about who lived, or rather would soon be living, on the East Coast, and moving West would mean that she'd never get to see them.

"Mr. Strowbridge. I'm really flattered. I need some time though to think about it." Sam said, finally getting over her shock and managing to speak again. Mr. Strowbridge raised an eyebrow.

"What's there to think about?!" Strowbridge exclaimed. "Triple the pay, you can hire whoever you want. And your family lives on the West Coast, right, so you can be closer to them. What's the holdup?"

"Well, you're… you're asking me to uproot my life and move! That's a huge decision! I have people I care about here! Friends! A boyfriend!"

Mr. Strowbridge nodded. He understood immediately what Sam's hesitation was about. Sam talked about her boyfriend a LOT, and he realised her fears of moving away was primarily due to him.

"It's about him, isn't it? Why are you reluctant to take the job." Strowbridge remarked. Sam didn't reply, but her facial expression told him enough. "Well, you could always hire him and he could come with you. Like I said, your whole team is entirely up to you."

Sam chuckled.

"Thank you so much, Mr. Strowbridge. That's really sweet but my boyfriend isn't a psychologist. He's in the military." She said, proudly. Strowbridge shrugged.

"So then hire him as a security guard. Whatever I can offer him will be surely more money than shitty military pay anyway." Strowbridge stated. Sam shook her head.

"He doesn't do that job for the money. He does it for the pride of serving the country, and I don't think he would appreciate the demotion, even if it does earn him more money. I'm sorry, Mr. Strowbridge but I can't take the job." Sam replied, her heart pounding. Strowbridge nodded.

"I understand. But can I just give you some advice, as a fellow psychologist who is pretty old and has seen or heard it all during his life?" Strowbridge asked. Sam nodded.

"Please." She said.

"Well, I'm guessing that if your boyfriend is in the military, you guys are in a long distance relationship?" Strowbridge said. "Well, you're young. You're living in the best city in the world and yet, you're spending your time in a relationship with your mobile phone. That's a massive sacrifice you've made for your relationship. Shouldn't he be willing to make sacrifices for your relationship too?"

"I appreciate the advice, Mr. Strowbridge, but I don't think relationships should be like that. An eye for an eye. Yeah people should make sacrifices in their relationships but they shouldn't keep score. Just because I made a sacrifice, doesn't mean he has to too."

"Sure, I agree with the not keeping score part, but you need to realise that you can't always put others first. At some point, you have to think about what's best for you. Put yourself first for a change. And if your boyfriend cares about you as much as you clearly care about him, you guys will make it work."

Sam took in what Mr. Strowbridge was saying and slowly nodded. He was right! Why should she be the only one to make sacrifices in their relationship? Sure Miguel's job was important, but so was hers! She was currently being offered her dream job and was leaning towards no? NO! She couldn't do that! 2-years-ago-Sam would have died for this opportunity. She couldn't just refuse it! If Miguel truly wanted to be with her, he could make a sacrifice of his own!

"You know what, Mr. Strowbrige? You're right!" Sam said. "I'll take the job…"