We were getting on the train in 2 hours. I had been so excited last night, that I hardly slept. I could see that Sam had probably not slept either, considering he was still shaking with excitement. When he saw me walk outside, he waved me over. Everyone took their chance to eat outside because it was sunny and it had been raining most of the month. I plopped down next to Sam happily as I watched our friends start to play baseball.
"Packed yet?" I asked him as I watched Bobby slide into home base.
"You know it. I can't stop thinking about how long we'll be gone. New York must be having some serious issues," he said.
"Nothing we can't handle. We'll only be gone 4 or 5 weeks anyway. Time will fly by," I smiled at him sweetly.
As we continued to talk, Jean and Scott passed by, giving off a jealous vibe. Sam and I quieted down as they went back into the mansion.
"Whoa, did you see that? They're totally pissed because they aren't going," I said laughing slightly. As much as Jean and Scott were family to me, they did get on my nerves for thinking they were so mature and experienced. Its nice to see them get a reality check.
"Yeah they'll get over it once we leave. Come on, we should get going," Sam said as he offered a hand to help me up.
Our friends wished us luck as we loaded our suitcases into the X Van, and we collected the research from Rahne and Roberto. Logan soon made his way out of the house, and we were off to the train station.
When we arrived, Logan explained to us the hotel we were staying at and wished us luck. Sam and I boarded the train, knowing we would be there shortly. We were both consumed in our own thoughts for half the journey. My mind thought about how beautiful New York was, if I was ready for a mission this important, and finally, I focused on Sam. He sat with one foot on the bench, looking out the window across from him. No one else was on the train except us and a snoring old man a couple rows down. I traced over every detail of Sam, his broad shoulders, strong hands, and handsome face. I felt myself blush violently at my thoughts, but didn't stop. Sam's head suddenly turned in my direction, snapping me out of the trance. I blushed even more, for I had been caught staring. Sam looked at me for a few seconds, and I began to feel a bit insecure. It wasn't like I was Jean, I wasn't flawless or lusted after. I was plain. The only thing I could brag about was my chocolate colored hair, which I never needed to style. I fingered and twirled it nervously waiting for Sam to speak.
"Are you okay going on this mission with me? I mean I know I can be annoying sometimes so-,"
"NO!" I interrupted him loudly. I bit my lip embarrassed, and cleared my throat before I continued at a normal volume. "No Sam, I would've picked you over anyone. You're my best friend, and you aren't annoying. I just got caught up in my thoughts is all."
I swear I saw him blush slightly, but he turned away for a moment. I got up from my bench and went to go sit next to him, and he smiled as I plopped down and brought my knees up to my chest. For a while, we talked about personal stuff, cracking jokes and trying to suppress fits of laughter. Soon though, I felt my eyelids get heavy, and I blacked out. I woke up to Sam nudging me lightly.
"Amara. Amara we're here get up," he whispered.
I opened my eyes reluctantly, to find that I had fallen asleep leaning against Sam. I pulled away embarrassed, and yawned. We gathered our luggage, and made it to the lobby of Grand Central Station. People were everywhere. I felt like I was lost in a sea of faces, and for a second I thought I might lose Sam in the crowd. My eyes began to dart around in panic, when I felt a hand wrap around my own and lead me out of the station. I looked up to see Sam smiling reassuringly, and he held my hand tighter. Almost falling back into my lovesick trance, I snapped out of it, when I noticed all the lights coming from the city. I gasped in awe.
"Oh my god," I said jumping up in delight.
New York was sparkling, and this was just one piece of it. I looked up at Sam to see his reaction to the city, but his eyes were still fixed on me.
"What?" I asked chuckling slightly.
"Nothin. I just like to see you so happy," he said turning away.
"That's so sweet. Well, we aren't getting anywhere standing around, lets get to the hotel. We start patrol tomorrow," I said happily.
After checking in, we made our way to our rooms on the top floor. They were right across from each other, so I was relieved. We were both tired, and decided to turn in early. We opened our doors with our room keys, and turned to look at each other.
"Umm, goodnight Amara," Sam said backing up embarrassed.
"Night Sam," I said backing into my room and accidentally hitting the side of my wall. I laughed nervously before closing the door, and leaning against it for several moments. I finally pushed myself off, and looked at my room. I smiled brightly, the Professor outdid himself this time. The room was the perfect size, with a luxurious bathroom and queen sized bed with a poofy comforter. I sighed and plopped down feeling the softness of the bedding engulf me. After a while I began to feel tired, and a bit alone. I changed into my nightgown, and went to turn off the lights. Right as I reached for the switch, I looked to the direction of Sam's room. I wanted to talk to him again already, and it had barely been an hour and a half. I walked out of my room and looked at his door for several seconds. I gently knocked, but then tried to retreat back to my room, right before the door opened. Sam looked wide awake, and only had his jeans on. I could here a movie playing in the background, and didn't know what to say. I began to fiddle with my hair again, getting a few strands caught on my finger. I pulled them away quickly, and Sam smiled at me.
"Want to watch a movie?" he asked.
"I'd like that."