Finding You

8: Birthday

WILL: 

Something is ringing beside me.

With my eyes still closed, I reach out for my alarm. Is it really morning already?

I grasp nothing but the air, the ringing continues. My hand reaches for the bedside table and I feel around for the alarm that is usually on the right-hand side. I press snooze and go to bury my head under the pillow but the ringing resumes. My eyes open halfway to see that it is my phone that is ringing. I grab it quickly and I blink several times, adjusting to the brightness to see that it is Sam.

"Hey, you okay?", I murmur hoarsely conscious that the sound could've woke up Ji or dad. 

"Can I... come over? I just had a nightmare and I just..." she quivers softly letting out little sniffles. 

"Hey, hey it's okay I'll come over", I hush lifting myself out of bed and pulling on a hoodie. 

Before she can let out a string of excuses I rush out the door as quietly as possible.

"I'm already halfway there, just come to the door I'll be there in literally two minutes", I reassure her as I hang up. 

By the time I reach her doorstep, she's already standing there with her arms wrapped around her chest trying to keep herself warm. Her light eyes are puffy with tears. My heart sinks as a little tear seeps down her pale cheek. 

I pull her into my arms as soon as I walk into the house. She smells of sweet perfume and rain, how she would always smell. She lets out sobs, shaking silently as her head rests just under my shoulder. 

"Shh, it was just a bad dream. Just a dream okay? None of it was real..." I whisper into her hair. 

I pull her head up from my chest and wipe away her tears. I place both of my hands on the sides of her face and lean down to press my forehead against hers. 

"I know you think you're all alone, but you're not" I whisper with an unwavering voice. I would tell those exact words to Sam every time I felt her confidence trembling, and it was true she wasn't alone at all. She never failed to make those around her feel loved, she has this warming quality and I guess these words were my way of returning the favour. Everyone deserves to feel loved, but especially her. 

She closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths.

She pulls me into another embrace.

"Thank you, Will", she says softly before we both go into her bedroom. 

Some might say it's strange that we're so comfortable sleeping in the same bed together even though we're just friends but I guess... that's how it's always been for us.

We had gotten through the first few episodes of season one of The Office before she had fallen asleep with her head on my shoulder. Re-watching The Office had become a ritual for us, it was Sam's ultimate comfort show and soon it became our thing. I paused the episode and put the laptop away, and soon fell asleep beside her. 

***

What feels like only a couple of hours later something is tapping me on the shoulder, then on the cheek and then on the forehead.

"Yes, Sam?", I groan with my eyes still closed. 

In response, she just flicks my forehead like she usually does when she's getting impatient.

"Okay, okay what is it?", my eyes open to her stood at the foot of the bed with a stack of pancakes in hand.

There's a lit candle on top of the stack.