"I could have given up a thousand time, in the past, it was so easy.
When the thought came to my mind, there was no convincing me.
Plant me feet to face it all, side-by-side or a phone call.
Living in tension with you still feels better, better than I've ever known."
"Vicious Love." by - New Found Glory.
If you love someone enough let them go, if they love you enough they would come back. It was a crap cliché and it sucked more than he ever thought possible. As she passed him the small box his heart dropped through the floor faster than an a sinking ship. He was tempted not to open it, pass her it back and ask her not to do it. Yet he knew he couldn't, wouldn't, ruin her chance of happiness. She was happy, or at least, she acted happy if whistling was anything to go by. His happiness was not important in the grand scheme of things.
Flicking the box open he looked up and into her sapphire blue eyes. Eyes he would never get sick of look at, ones he could easily lose himself in. When he pointed out that most people wore them on their finger he was relieved when she said she hadn't said yes yet. Even though there was no hope for him, for them, he was still hopeful she would say no to this shrub and they could go back to the way they were.
They both knew they could never be more than they were. He was still her CO, she was still his 2IC. Even if she was only his 2IC she would still be by his side. He would rather have that than nothing. Closing the box he held it out for her to take, their fingers brushing against each other as she took it back. He wondered how it would feel to see that ring on her finger if she put it on? Could he still stay impartial when she belonged to someone else? Deep down he knew he didn't want to find out, didn't want to think that his Sam belonged to another man.
His Sam, she would never be his Sam, she had never been his Sam. Their love was forbidden, never to find its wings and fly high. He gave her one last look as she looked at the box in her hand before turning and walking away. He was walking away from the woman he loved, yet he was doing it for her. That's what he would keep telling himself.