Sorry it's been a while; I just couldn't find any time on work experience.
This is the longest chapter so far, and I feel I may have rambled quite a lot, and maybe fallen into a whole cliché conversation. I'm really not sure about this chapter, so any feedback would be really very appreciated.
I'm not sure where I'm going with this story next, or how long it will be, so I'll just see where I end up!
It was quarter to seven when Samantha Nixon stepped out of her car, having just parked on Stock Road. She brushed down her dress, checking for any creases. She was wearing a low cut black dress which clung stylishly to her petite figure and flowed to just above her knees, with an elegant black jacket.
Sam examined her reflection, for the hundredth time that night, in a shop window and still wasn't sure if the dress was a good idea. She had bought it for a wedding a couple of years ago and it hadn't seen the light of day since. She had decided it was for very special occasions only (considering its rather large price tag). But then, she thought to herself, wasn't this a special occasion? Her first real date with Phil Hunter was surely something she would remember.
Sam pushed her dress worries to the back of her mind, pulled her jacket closer to her in the cold evening and walked the short distance from her car to the corner of the road.
Phil Hunter being Phil Hunter, Sam expected him to be a little late and she wouldn't have been annoyed if he was. But to her great surprise, as she rounded the corner of Stock Road, Phil was leaning casually against the outside of a trendy Italian restaurant, as if he had been there for a while. Sam quickly glanced at her watch and noticed it was still only ten minutes to seven.
"Are your clocks fast or something?" Sam said with a smile as she approached Phil.
He looked up at her, about to shoot back a witty response, when his mouth appeared to stop working. Phil's eyes widened as he took in the sight of Sam in her dress with her hair curled and a sheepish smile of her lips.
"Wow" he breathed. "You look… amazing." Phil stepped forward and kissed Sam's cheek. She smiled widely.
"You don't look too bad yourself." Phil was wearing a suit but it was much nicer (and probably more expensive) than the ones he wore for work. It looked designer with a tailored fit which complemented his body perfectly. He wore a shirt underneath but no tie; instead a few buttons were undone, revealing a glimpse of his lightly tanned skin.
Phil said nothing, just smiled and took Sam's arm, leading her into the restaurant. Sam was impressed; the place was filled with couples talking quietly, soft lighting and the smell of delicious food.
A waiter approached them.
"Good evening, welcome to Il Forno. Do you have a reservation?" He spoke with a heavy Italian accent.
"Yes, it's under the name Hunter." Phil said.
The waiter checked a book by entrance and nodded.
"Okay, Mr and Mrs Hunter, this way please."
Both Sam and Phil were caught off guard by the waiter's mistake. Sam didn't know whether or not to correct him but assumed that Phil would put the waiter straight. To her surprise Phil just smiled.
The waiter was walking towards a table in the far end of the restaurant and Phil had begun to follow him. When he realised that Sam hadn't moved, he stopped and turned back.
"Come on, dear, this way." He said with a playful smile. Sam just rolled her eyes and followed him to their table.
Once they were seated, their waiter passed them a menu each and left them to decide. Sam read her menu absentmindedly; she was becoming rather distracted by Phil watching her whilst she read. It was cute, but also quite annoying.
"Stop it." She smiled.
"What?" Phil said, feigning ignorance.
"The gazing." She laughed.
"I don't gaze at you!" He said, trying to sound serious but failing miserably.
The waiter reappeared at their table.
"Have you decided yet?" He asked.
"Yes. I'll have the house speciality pizza and a beer please." Phil replied.
"And for your wife?" The waiter said with a smile. Sam's head snapped up to look at him, her eyes wide, and Phil almost choked trying not to laugh at her face.
"She'll have the spaghetti carbonara and a white wine please" Phil said and the waiter nodded and left.
"How did you know that's what I wanted?" Sam asked, genuinely shocked.
"It's your favourite." Phil said simply, smiling. Sam was surprised at just how well Phil knew her.
"I never realised you knew that much about me. Or that you even noticed things like that." She said with a gentle smile.
"Sam, I've known you for over 6 years now. You've been my closest friend at work for at least 4 of those. We've been through a lot together, me and you. I guess you just pick these things up." Phil said with a sincerity that Sam rarely saw in him.
"Yeah, it's been a long time hasn't it?" Sam smiled. "A lot of stuff happened since I met you."
"It sure has." Phil said, and for a moment Sam and Phil were lost in their memories of the past, and of each other.
Soon their waiter arrived with their drinks. As Sam sipped her wine, Phil was talking about when they first met.
"You know, I hated you back then." He said sadly.
"I know I wasn't exactly great to you, but I never really understood why you hated me so much." Sam replied thoughtfully.
"You came in, and on your first day, you blew everyone away. I mean, you were so damn smart, and so bloody good at your job. And then practically the next day, you were made Acting DI. I'd been at Sun Hill for a while then, and you just came in and took that job before I'd even got a look in. I mean, I knew you were better for the job than me of course, but I guess I resented you being so… good. Can you understand that?" Phil looked up at Sam for the first time since he started speaking and was surprised to see a smile on her face.
"Of course I understand. I knew you would resent me taking that job. But I didn't know that you thought I was smart, or any good. I figured you hated me because you thought I was a useless woman who didn't know what she was doing!" Sam laughed.
"I never thought that." He said genuinely. "So, while we're on this subject, why did you hate me so much?" He grinned.
Sam laughed. "Well I came in and you gave me a pretty hard time. And you were cocky and had no time for rules or authority. I didn't really appreciate your sometimes unorthodox style of policing back then. And that killed me because you were a damn good copper… and far too attractive for your own good." Sam smirked and shook her head.
"Well I suppose that's not too bad." Phil laughed. "So when did you stop hating me?"
"This is so us; spending our first date talking about hating each other!" Sam exclaimed, smiling, before she answered him. "I'm pretty sure it was when we were in the tunnels with Weaver. All that intense emotion, you know? And I suppose it didn't hurt that you spilled your heart to me and actually apologised for how you'd acted towards me."
Phil nodded. "That was the turning point for me as well. I mean, you didn't have to be there with me. You risked your own life to save me. It was like, I realised that you might put up this hard-nosed façade, but actually you're a really… warm person, you know?"
"Yeah, I tried to hide behind that façade because I was so worried about screwing everything up at work. It was the same for me; I saw the real you then. The Phil Hunter that I sometimes think only I see. I saw that you weren't a cocky, sexist womaniser who only cares about himself; you're actually a really great guy." Sam said, smiling awkwardly; a little embarrassed. Phil just laughed.
"Well I'm glad that's not how you think of me anymore!" He said. Sam smiled more easily now.
As the waiter appeared with their food and they began to eat, Sam remembered another important time in her relationship with Phil.
"You remember when Abi was abducted?" She said.
Phil was a little tack aback. "Uhh, yeah, of course."
"Well, that was another time I saw the true you. I mean, you were amazing to me back then. I honestly don't know how I would've got through that without you. You were the only one that believed me." She smiled.
"Well that's what friends are for, right?" Sam nodded. "And anyway, God knows where I'd be right now if it weren't for you." Phil chuckled. "You've saved my skin more times than I care to remember." Sam just smiled.
They continued to eat their meals, chatting comfortably about the times they had spent together.
As Phil finished his pizza he remembered a case they had worked on a few years back which had stuck in his mind.
"Do you remember when we investigated that guy who might have had typhoid?" Phil asked.
Sam thought for a moment, and then an expression of recollection crossed her face.
"Ahh yes," she said, "you and your hypochondria." She laughed.
"I am not a hypochondriac!" Phil exclaimed, rolling his eyes.
"Of course you're not." Sam smirked.
"Anyway," he stressed, "you were so flirting with me that day." He smiled playfully.
"I was not!" Sam insisted.
"Oh come on Sam, remember all that stuff about not getting too close to me?" Phil leaned forward across the table and winked suggestively at Sam.
Sam remembered her comments on that day, and blushed a deep shade of pink. Sensing his victory, Phil leaned back again and grinned smugly.
"Yeah, well, I wasn't the only one! You're the one who chose the desk opposite mine and told me it was so you look at me!" Sam smirked.
"I meant it you know." Phil smiled playfully at Sam. She was exasperated; he was supposed to be embarrassed about that like she was.
Their waiter reappeared and Phil asked for the check. When he returned soon after, Phil reached for his wallet and grasped Sam's hand as she went to grab her purse."My treat Sam." He said.
"Phil, come on, this place is expensive. And besides, it's a matter of principle." Sam insisted. Phil had wanted to treat her but he understood, and respected, her ideals.
"Okay then, I'll get this one and you can get the next one." Sam nodded her agreement, whilst her heart did somersaults at the mention of another date.
Phil paid for the dinner and they stood to leave. As they walked out of the restaurant, Phil's hand rested on the base of her back; just where it was meant to be.
Thanks for reading, and please review. Xx