He found her book. He waited until the next day and she went to the poolroom but Sam found Diane's book. The one that had been driving him so crazy just to get in. For all of her airs, Sam knew he finally had her. Not only was he in it, but there was an entire chapter dedicated to him. It was simply called- "Sam".

As he rapidly glanced through the pages it was starting to dawn on him just how much he meant to Diane. There were quotes all right, some of them made him laugh out loud. But there were observations- how nice he looked when he wasn't always messing with his hair or having a mirror in front of his face. There were also little touches, like how she felt when she was around him. He didn't have time to read thoroughly, but he'd seen something about two rods in a lightening storm causing electricity, whatever that meant.

So Sam quickly put the book back in her purse, but he couldn't stop smirking. He had power over her now! He could throw this in her face, and he would, every chance he got. Then it dawned on him that he would have to admit to reading the book and how he'd come about reading it, and even Sam Malone realized that he couldn't do that to himself.

So he went about the day, taking mental notes of Diane. If she did that to him it was only fair that he did that to her, right? So he started to observe the little things, like her haughty little laugh whenever she found something amusing. Or her habit of nervously brushing her hair out of her face whenever she was confronted by Carla about something. Or how white her teeth were. Just stupid, silly, trivial little things that shouldn't have mattered to him at all.

But by the end of the day, after watching Diane so closely, he realized just how much those little things meant. She was odd, quirky was probably a better word. But when she finally caught him looking at her at the end of the day, it was then and there he knew that he'd come to a new appreciation of Diane. Of course, he would never admit it to her- he hated admitting it to himself.

"What are you looking at Sam?" Diane smiled softly as she gathered her belongings.

"I wasn't looking at anything."

"I saw you. You were looking at me."

"I had an eyelash in my eye."

She patted his hand. "If you say so, Sam." That was one thing Sam hadn't made a mental note of that day- just how smug she sounded when she said his name like that.

"What, you don't think I was looking at you do you?" he laughed as obnoxiously as he could, on purpose.

"We both know you were. I think your little secret is out."

"What would that be?"

"That you like me," she laughed.

"What? Are you kidding? I'd sooner date Miss Piggy than you. I'd rather go out with my great aunt Selma who falls asleep while chewing her dinner with her false teeth than to go out with you. I'd rather Coach knock me around with my old ballbat than to go on a date with you!" He protested.

"Who said I'd even want to date you?"

"Your…" he started to admit to reading the book, but he knew that he couldn't. Instead he settled on a simple "Good night, Diane."

She wanted to fight back, but if he wasn't going to make the effort to continue the debate, why should she? She looked at him closely and offered back a good night.

Yes, he smiled, she was definitely growing on him.

TBC