"I don't like this one."

Sam sighed. He had said basically the same thing to every apartment she had looked at: his complaints ranging from 'It's the wrong neighbourhood' to 'It's too far from my apartment' to 'I just don't like it'.

"I don't see why you can't just stay with me," he complained again, his whining voice echoing off the emptiness of the room and Sam felt like reaching out and smacking him across the head with her bag.

"Luka, we've talked about this…"

The truth was she, was petrified. She had been living with Luka for four months and already they had fallen into a routine. He would go to work, he would come back, they would have dinner, they would have sex. The same thing every day, except when she had to go to physical therapy for her leg and even then he would take time out of his day to drive her there. She had absolutely no independence. She just didn't want their relationship to become something ordinary because she knew that they were better than that, something profound.

Part of her also believed that she wanted to move out because it was less secure. When their relationship began, it was forbidden and now that they could actually show that they were in love Sam was scared that they might find that it became boring really quickly. Seeing him every day hadn't reduced the amount that she loved him, or how astonishingly beautiful she found him but she wondered just how long it would take for that spark whenever their skin touched to dissipate, for him to stop looking at her with that look in his eyes.

If she got her own apartment, she wouldn't see him all the time and so when they did finally see one another it would always be… something more.

"No, we didn't. You talked and I listened. You made up your mind and I had absolutely no say in the matter at all," his accented voice broke through her reverie and she saw the estate agent glance at the two of them with curious eyes.

Glaring at him, Sam simply raised her eyebrow and cocked her jaw.

"I like this one. There's enough space for me. It isn't too far from your apartment and the view isn't all that bad either," she commented, looking out of the window to the park across the street where she could see children playing on swings, paddling in a make-shift pool and climbing monkey frames.

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders before walking out of the apartment that she was viewing.

Sam turned to the young real estate agent who had been attempting to coyly glance at Luka every few minutes, while Sam hadn't been watching. Luka who had been completely 'unaware' of the young woman's obvious initial attraction to him had been at his utmost charming and flashing his most flirtatious smiles until Sam rolled her eyes and smacked him on the arm. Catching said woman's eye, Sam smiled apologetically and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"And the rent - it's...?" She asked as she glanced quickly out of the doorway but Luka was nowhere to be seen.

"It's six hundred a month," Miss Young said and Sam pursed her lips.

Glancing around her again, she nodded.

"Well, I'm very interested. I just have to go and talk to him," she jabbed her thumb in the direction of the doorway, "and then I'll get back to you."

Young nodded and began walking towards the door with Sam following close behind.

The ride back to his apartment was made in silence. Luka stared hard out of the windshield, Sam watching the world pass by at the side window, glancing to him every few minutes and shaking her head.

"I just don't see why you have to move out," he said once they were back in his apartment and he moved to the kitchen to brew some fresh coffee.

Sam flopped onto the sofa and dragged a hand through her curly tresses, dropping her head onto the back of the couch.

"It's not because I don't want to live with you, I just… I don't want us to become… routine," she said when he walked back down to her level and took one of the proffered cups from him.

She sighed as she felt the warm, cinnamon flavoured coffee glide down her throat. His amazing morning brew was one of the many things she would miss when she did eventually move out.

She felt him sit on the sofa beside her and saw him draw his leg up onto the cushion and turn his body towards her, throwing his arm across the back so his fingers could play with her hair. She bet he didn't even realise that he had done it. She copied his position but crossed her legs in front of her, lifting her hand to his.

"Sam… I don't want you to move out. I want you to stay here." He paused, glancing away from her. "With me."

Sam cocked her head at that and frowned.

"I'll still be with you, Luka. I just won't be living with you," she smiled and traced her thumb over his palm and saw his tongue dart out between is teeth.

His eyes were drawn to their hands and he frowned slightly, shaking his head evanescently, pulling his tongue back into her mouth.

"I just… I can't help but feel that this is a – a step back."

Sam smiled and pressed her head against the back of the sofa so she could meet his eyes and she saw him smile slightly, his eyes drifting up and down her face.

"In a way it is – but not the bad kind. Just – imagine you were on night shift for a week and didn't see me until the weekend: imagine what the sex would be like on that night," she said light-heartedly and smiled when she saw a grin spread across his face.

He shook his head slightly, dropping his eyes from hers then raising them to meet her again.

"It's not the same though," he whispered and Sam felt her breath stop half way up her throat. "– as having you when I want you," he finished seductively and leaned towards her.

"Like now?" She asked, her voice weaker than she had anticipated and she saw him try to contain a grin as he nodded.

"Like now," he muttered as he took the cup from her hand and placed it on the ground, pushing her body back against the armrest.

TBC