11:50pm.
"Sam, hurry up! You're gonna miss it at this rate!" Rachel exclaimed as she took a sip from a can of diet cola. Sam walked out of the bathroom.
"Calm down! Besides, peeing carefully can take time! Oh no, why are you still drinking that crap?" Sam asked as he took a seat next to Rachel.
"You only say that because it's diet cola." Rachel replied.
"I don't understand why you drink it. It's not like drinking that's gonna stop you getting fatter in your current situation, is it?" Sam teased. Rachel glared at him.
"You know what I love most about you, Sam? Your charm. I can hardly believe you're single."
"That's sarcasm isn't it?"
"You bet your ass it is, Evans."
Sam would've teased her back had her laugh not been so adorable it distracted his thoughts.
…
11:58pm.
"Rach, you're gonna love it. The whole apartment just fills with colour. It's awesome; the neighbours have good taste in fireworks." Sam explained as the two stood at the large window looking up into the night sky.
"Okay then, last minute toast. To the best roommate ever. Here's to next year." Rachel smiled, tapping her can against Sam's.
"Amen." Sam said and Rachel giggled.
"Oh, here we go!" Rachel exclaimed.
10, 9, 8…
Rachel and Sam put down their cans and kept looking out the window.
7, 6, 5…
The two looked at each other and gave a bright smile.
4, 3…
Rachel looked down to Sam's hand, and reached for it with hers.
2, 1…
Rachel's hand found Sam's at the moment fireworks filled the air and crowds celebrated the dawn of a New Year on the TV. Sam struggled to determine if the fireworks were real or in his head; a touch of a hand had never moved him in such a way before. He'd held girls' hands before, of course, but it was different this time. He'd known there to be sparks with a kiss or a hug, but never a touch. How could the touch of Rachel's soft fingers mean more to him than any long-term relationship he'd ever had?
He couldn't explain it, but it just did.
He looked at Rachel, trying to see if she felt it too, but she was looking up at the fireworks. Inside, however, the fireworks were a reflection of her heart. Rachel always knew Sam was someone different from the second she saw him. She smiled at him in a way she never had before, yet she couldn't control it then just like she couldn't control it now.
A touch was all it took to change their views of the world. No matter how bad things may get in the future, they'll always have that moment when the touched. The moment that made them feel like they wouldn't care if the world ended at that second.
One touch that made Rachel know everything was going to be okay. One touch that made Sam realise he never wanted to let go.
"It really is beautiful." Rachel said as the room filled with colour.
"Most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Sam said. But he wasn't talking about the fireworks.
…
The next hour or so was filled with board games, TV, laughter and music, but eventually Sam and Rachel grew tired and weary, said goodnight and went to bed. They never talked about the moment when they held hands and their world tilted just a little more towards the light, but they didn't need to. It happened and it was theirs, and that was good enough for them.
"Sam?" Rachel said through the walls between their bedrooms.
"Yeah?"
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Rach."
"Promise me something, Sam."
"Anything."
"Learn how to cook." Rachel teased.
"Only if you don't set anything on fire." Sam returned.
"Touché. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
…
Rachel didn't sleep that night. She had realised just how much her life would change in a few months.
Sam didn't sleep that night. He had realised he was uncontrollably, indescribably, ridiculously and truly in love with Rachel Berry.