Tuesday Afternoon

Sam

"And that's a wrap! We'll get this edited and put out later today. By the way guys, it's confirmed, SourcefedNerd and Phil are headed to Fantastic Fest. I'll get the papers out to you later this week." The production manager let us know.

"Nice going Sam, we only had about 2 years worth of blooper footage today!" Whitney said to me in a tone full of friendly sarcasm. The tiny blonde and I were becoming close friends fast. She was t quite Maude; the lack of star wars and puns confirmed that, but she was very funny, we had good chemistry and I genuinely liked her. There were already people commenting 'Wham' or 'Shitney' but no subreddit had appeared. Yet.

"I know! Finally broke my record." She gave me a huge grin as she bid her farewell and headed towards her desk to pack up her stuff for the day. I lingered on set slightly longer, shifting slightly on the spot as I checked my phone.

I had a message from Maude.

'Hey, I'm on the red carpet tonight for the BBC. Wish me luck.' She had some interview with some actor or actress most likely. Maude absolutely adored her side jobs, especially when they landed her in VIP events and such. Maybe one day she'd be up there getting interviewed herself.

'You'll do great babe.' I answered back quickly. Putting my phone back into my pocket, and humming a little tune as I threaded back to my desk.

I gathered my stuff into my backpack, said my goodbyes to everyone in the office and headed for my car. The weather was slightly dull today; clouds cast a shadow over the city despite the high temperatures. I sat in my car for another second, waiting for the air condition to switch on and ventilate before I suffocated inside the car. I scrolled through my email on my phone when I got an interesting offer from Groupon.

This would certainly interest Maude.

A coupon for what seemed to be a promising day out. One Maude would adore.

Maude

"By the way, are you free Thursday?" The second message popped up on my screen.

"Yeah, actually I am." I typed back. This was likely another date night, and knowing Sam, it was bound to be a damn blast.

"Cool, I'll pick you up at 6 from your flat that evening." Woo. I couldn't help but grin sheepishly at my phone.

I was fully dolled up, as I had an important job tonight. Well, as important as nerding out in front of a camera could be. I was wearing heels, one of the three times so far this year, peaking just below 6ft. Sam was still a little bit taller than me, but not by much. I headed towards the door.

"Now, Zelda, you be good." She stared at me with big, large puppy eyes. "No chewing through my game cables, okay?" She cocked her head in confusion. "Eh, whatever. Stay safe babe." Shutting the door behind me and heading for my job.

I strutted my stuff down the stairs of my apartment block. Waiting for my driver downstairs, I was getting a few cat calls from guys walking past and others driving. It was disgusting - I rarely experienced it anywhere else in the world. But they were right - I looked kick ass. It was a shame I wasn't seeing Sam tonight.

Sam

Maude killed it that night, and I was watching her interview the next day, at work on my MacBook. I had booked the groupon for the both of us and I was excited about tomorrow. An entire four hours of just cheese and wine tasting. I could already imagine her smile when she would've realised where I'd taken her.

It was a bit of a way out though, and I wanted to drink as well, and despite most likely not going over the limit I really disliked drunk driving in any circumstance, meaning I was probably going to have shell out $70 on an uber to hers, then to the Vineyard, back to hers, and then one home...Or I could knock ten bucks off by not going home. But I guess I'd then have to spend ten bucks on a packet of -

Bad thoughts! I tapped myself on the forehead and shaked slightly to bring me back to reality.

"Hey, is that Maude?" Filup had snuck up on me while I was lost in my mind. He pointed at my screen. I jumped slightly before my brain registered the question.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's her." I fumbled over my words, and my fingers fumbled over the touch screen trying to close the video.

"I can see why you like her so much. Nice going, Sam." Giving me a cheesy smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I dead panned, trying my hardest not to smile coyly.

"Oh, come on dude, I haven't even met the girl and I know something is going on between you two." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Me and Whit are covering News today, you've just got a part in some Nuclear Family sketch. Steve asked me to give you your script." He plunked down a small file of A4 pages. "Catch ya later...unless you're busy." He gave me an overtly obvious wink and raised his brows, before turning and leaving back where he came from.

"See...ya..." I half mumbled as I thought about what he just said.

The skit went fine that day. I got home and unwinded, and calculated the total cost of the trip. Forty bucks for the experience. Sixty bucks for a taxi. Her face - priceless. Also, getting the opportunity to cuddle with Maude afterwards was well worth the one hundred bucks. It seemed like everything I did now was for her. Apart from marathoning TV shows that is.

I still missed her. Despite seeing her once or twice a week, it wasn't the same as having her next to me 9 to 5 every day. Turns out the American dream was an Australian bombshell.

Even thinking about her got my heart racing. I didn't know truthfully what was happening between us; whether we were just friends fooling around or heading for something more serious, but whatever it was I wanted to be around her.

The sky outside began to dim. The wistful feeling seemed to disappear. I could really only be hopeful for the future. I booked the taxi (since it was actually cheaper than an uber) and shut down my laptop. I sunk into the sofa and switched on the TV. Reruns of the office.

Yessssssssssssssssssss.

Maude

I was bouncing up and down in excitement, humming to myself. Zelda hopped up and down beside me, occasionally attacking my legs. I was almost ready to leave. The final touches were going on - perfume, breath check, desperately trying to get circulation into my cold hands.

It was a warm afternoon outside; not perfectly clear. Clouds circled around, but none with the intent of rain, and the sky remained a steady marine blue. There was probably only an hour or two left if sunlight today, but it would most likely remain warm for a while. I knew this, and still opted for a black cardigan over a knee length dress in navy. My hair was more wavy today as I didn't actually want to do too much to my hair. There was a problem with Sam's love of surprise dates - which was that I never had any clue as to what I was supposed to wear.

I was wearing a pair of converse for that reason - they were more versatile than a pair of heels. And I enjoyed being smaller than Sam.

His knock came at the door, and as I opened it I couldn't help the smile that formed on my face as I saw him. He smiled back at me, scanned me up and down and opened his arms.

"Hey!"

"Hey." I said back and engulfed him in a hug. We broke off and his stubble tickled me as I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

I don't know how he had so many different smells, but each one was intoxicating. He was wearing a light black blazer over a white button up. He was wearing pretty casual trainers and black jeans. It seemed like I had dressed fairly appropriate.

"Come on, the taxi is waiting downstairs and that meter is running for sure."

I didn't question the taxi; but I hoped that meant alcohol was involved. I liked to drink socially. Well, I liked to drink. I liked to drink with Sam, and I also like to drink with drunk Sam. I remembered exactly what happened with drunk Sam last time. I like drunk Sam.

The car downstairs was a midrange merc. This thing wouldn't be cheap, and I appreciated the effort. Sam got into the back with me, and gave the address to the driver. The drive was around 45 minutes. Sam and I talked back and forth quietly as to not to disturb the man. We finally pulled up outside a quaint village house, with a large area of farmland behind growing all sorts of crops. It had a countryside vibe to it.

"Thanks man." Sam slipped the guy the money and a pretty hefty tip - at least I assumed he did, since the guy looked pretty happy. Sam got out of the car and wrapped his arm behind my back, leading me forward. "Come on."

"What are we doing out here?" I asked him. We were in the middle of nowhere.

"You'll see." Was all he told me. When Bunny wanted to be romantic, he really was. He had a heart of gold; his boyish charm got to me every time. And his balls of steel.

We walked inside the building and it was much, much larger than it looked on the inside.

A girl who was dressed as a waitress approached us. "Good afternoon, sir, madam. Do you have reservations?"

"Uh, um, yeah, under the last name Bashor." She nodded and started reading through her reservation booklet. Typical Sam, stumbling over his words. His face kind of just dropped in defeat as he sighed heavily and gave me a straight face smile. I giggled slightly and gave him a sympathetic look, but I think it made him feel worse.

He reached down and intertwined his fingers with mine, squeezing slightly. I squeezed back. He still made me feel giddy and I couldn't do anything about it. Taking a look around, the rustic atmosphere and large bottles of wine on the wall made me assume this place was a winery. Everything was in dark or brown wood, and there was a bar and bar stools to accompany it. It was sophisticated and proud, and didn't really seem like the type of place a twenty three year old would be.

Well, I guess he has a cougar to impress.

"Okay Mr Bashor, your group will be beginning in around ten minutes. Please take a seat, and we will be with you shortly."

Group? I was slightly confused at this point. We sat down in old vintage chairs, covered in brown leather. More people walked in after us. Many were older than me; all were older than Sam. It seemed like it was mostly couples, but Sam kept his silence about what was going on.

A man walked over to our group.

"Hello everyone, and welcome to the Vintage Wine and Cheese grand tour."

My head snapped towards Sam who was grinning from ear to ear. I couldn't help but mirror him.

"Bunny!" I mouthed to him as I stared with wide eyes.

We began to walk around the place trying our different wines and a complementary cheese. I didn't know how long this would last, but I was going to appreciate heaven while I was here. I put my head against Sam's shoulder in one of our breaks. He was having a good time too; it was too bad he had the alcohol tolerance of a 9 year old girl. Albeit, he did seem okay, but he'd already had 8 half glasses of different wines and I knew he'd be gone soon. The cheese was helping absorb the alcohol, but soon enough it would be inevitable. I wouldn't be far behind, I knew, but I could definitely outlast him.

I slipped underneath his chin, and leaned back into his chest. "You're the cutest." I told him. He extended and reached his arms around my waist, and held my hands against my hips.

"It's all for you. I'm glad you're enjoying it."

That boy made me smile.

Sam

They say time flies when you're having fun. Incorrect. Clothing flies when you're having fun.

The evening had gone much too quickly for my liking. Maude looked like a happy camper, and I was so happy that she was happy.

"Babe, walk me up." She said as we got out of the taxi, stumbling slightly.

"Of course." I told her.

I paid the taxi driver, and decided if I were to go home I'd get an Uber - it was probably cheaper by now. It was around 11, and that's when taxi rates ended to spike around here. I wasn't black out drunk, but I had definitely drank enough to where I was slightly out of judgement.

"How come we always end up at your place?" I asked her.

"I don't really know. Are you complaining?"

"Not at all."

"Good. Now shut up and come in." She said, pulling me by my jacket with two hands into her apartment.

.

..

...

I was glad I changed clothes after work, before going to get Maude in the afternoon. I wouldn't get so many strange looks going back in today. I actually woke up fairly early, in time to get to Sourcefed - too bad I didn't have my car. I was half tempted to call in ill and spend the rest of the day here with her. I couldn't really complain though - no hangover, and a sleeping Maude on my chest. I sat up slightly in bed, and saw Maude groan slightly and rub her face into my body. I pulled up the sheets slightly - I did consider myself fairly polite and would've liked to preserve her innocence; but as I tried to remove my self from the bed I felt her grip tighten on me.

"Don't go." She was pleading.

"I have work. Remember, SourcefedNerd?"

"I might drop into work. That way I can drive you in."

"Thanks, I just need to go shower." I headed towards her bathroom.

I didn't expect her to follow me in.

There's not many times you come out of a shower feeling dirtier than before.

I wore the same clothes as yesterday (I kind of had no choice) apart from the blazer -which Maude had on. I assumed I wasn't getting that back, and generally accepted it.

I should probably start buying clothes just for her, considering I'd already lost a fifth of my wardrobe to her greedy hands.

We blasted some tunes on the radio on the driver over.

Maude

Sam's jacket was warm. It smelt like Sam. And it went with my outfit. Therefore, Sam's jacket was now my jacket.

I wore it proudly into Sourcefed. There were a few new faces I didn't recognise, but I had a massively warm welcome from all the people I did know.

I walked alongside Sam when we were stopped by a stranger to me, and someone who seemed to know Sam.

"Hey, whose this buddy?" The person asked Sam.

"This is my girlfriend, Maude." There was a two to three second silence, until Sam kind of realised what he said.

"I mean this is my friend, who is a girl, who is named Maude, and um, she used to work here, haha, ha." His face lit up. He tried to play it off cool, the guy scoffed and gave him a knowing look.

"I'm his girlfriend, Maude."

The guy just laughed at us and walked off.

"So you're my girlfriend now?" Sam was full on blushing, his face bright crimson.

"Yeah, I guess I am." I'm glad that we were official now, actually.

Rumours travel quickly, so I guess it wasn't a surprise that 5 minutes later I was swarmed.

Thanks a lot, Sam.

I saw Bree approaching me, walking very quickly. I turned to walk away - "No no no." I heard from behind me.

"Hey, Bree!"

With a knowing look and a sly smile she spoke:

"Called it. Thanks for letting me win the office pot."

"Huh?" I was confused.

"Yeah, we all put 5 bucks in from the day you joined to how long it would take for you to start dating. I won over 200 dollars."

"Forty of you were really willing to bet on Sam and I getting together?"

"Worth it! Come on, I'll buy you lunch today and you can tell me all about it."

Sam

I was currently on the phone arguing with Daren.

'Two weeks!' He shouted at me over the phone. "Two weeks Sammy Bashor!" I cringed at the nickname. He was the sixth person that had either texted me, called me or talked to me. He was half congratulating me and half wringing me out for letting Bree win the draw.

"Don't you know betting is a sin?"

'200 bucks Sam! And you couldn't wait two weeks to call her your girlfriend!'

"I'm sorry. Anyway, I gotta go. I'm sure when you're a big name rapper it'll mean nothing to."

I heard him scream as I hung up.

"Dude, I totally called it as soon as we walked in on you after the live stream." Ricky called to me. As he came and leaned against my shoulder.

"Albeit, we thought you were having sex." Star called from behind him. They chuckled in unison.

I just blushed and kept my mouth closed.

"Congrats anyway." Ricky fist bumped me, and I reluctantly returned it. I wasn't too happy, but I was a bro dammit, and bros do not leave other bros hanging. He promptly went back to doing important things.

"Hey Sam 'I've Got A Girlfriend' Bashor!" That cheerful voice, and merciless humour.

"Hey Whit." I could only sigh.

The teasing was never gonna end.

The shoot went uneventful other than the massive reel of bloopers we had every time Whitney made of fun of Maude and I. Sometimes it was all in good humour - other jokes seemed slightly salty. She had a boyfriend of her own though, so I shrugged off any suspicions of jealousy or anger as a joke taken too far. I was probably just being paranoid.

Maude

"So." Bree began. I was currently picking through a small chicken caesar salad. She raised one eyebrow at me. She put down her utensils, and put both her palms out facing each other about an inch apart. She began moving her hands away from each other.

"Just say when."

A few seconds passed.

"You know what I'm talking about, right?" Some uncertainty in her voice. I nodded.

"No way." I gave her a sassy look.

...

"When." I finally replied.

A short silence.

"Really?!"

"Really."

So sorry about the long wait, and the fact this chapter isn't extravagant! I hope you all enjoyed regardless. Hopefully I'll see you guys soon (no promises, school is hectic!) but long live Smaude! See you guys on the next chapter.