By My Side - Sam/Aomaris Fanfiction

29) Matthew's Birthday

Saturday arrived sooner than expected and I woke up earlier than usual. I got up quickly and dressed. Sam was silent the entire time and I watched him curiously. He seemed nervous.
"Sam? You okay?" He startled and stared at me for a second before pulling himself out of bed and pulling me to his side for a quick hug.
"Yeah, I'm just..." He trailed off and I sighed.
"You're worried something will happen to me today, aren't you?" He didn't answer and I wrapped my own arms around his waist. He rested his chin on my forehead, sighing, and I closed my eyes.
"Sam, I'll be fine. Especially since Ronnie is coming over today. I don't think whatever is controlling me will do it in front of a human who doesn't know anything." Sam nodded, but I could still sense his worry. "Come on, the others will already be downstairs." I knew it was a bit of a white lie; Ronnie did indeed know about the boys and their powers, but I couldn't tell Sam that for more reasons than one. I didn't want him worrying on a day that was supposed to be happy.

Ten minutes later, everyone was sat in the dining room after a delicious breakfast that Matthew insisted on cooking, even if it was his birthday. We were planning on heading to the arcade today, seeing as Matthew wanted to go and hadn't gotten a chance to. We were only waiting for Ronnie to be dropped off and then we could set off hopefully before 10:30. Suzu and Naomi had updated Mika a couple of days ago, saying neither of them could come. Naomi had an interview for a part-time job at the Pink Lady café and Suzu was off visiting her family on the other side of the city.
"Do you know when Ronnie's gonna get here, Nix?" Matthew asked me. I furrowed my eyebrows and checked my phone.
"He should be here any minute-" The doorbell rang. "Speak of the devil..." I muttered to myself. I hurried out into the foyer and opened the door to reveal my best friend. I stared. Could he have looked more emo? Then again, I couldn't talk. I was wearing a skirt covered in sacrilegious symbols and a t-shirt depicting cats messing with a Ouija board. I smiled and waved him inside, leading him into the dining room to introduce him to everyone.

"Guys? This is Ronnie. Ronnie, that's Sam, Damien, James and Erik. You already know Mika and Matthew." Each of the boys made a little gesture to indicate which one they were and Ronnie waved back somewhat shyly. I noticed Matthew staring at him with a faint blush on his cheeks and I smirked to myself.
"Are Naomi and Suzu coming?" He asked me. I shook my head.
"They're both busy with family stuff, I think they said."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Matthew called excitedly. One by one, the boys trooped out of the door and into the minivan James had bought with the help of me and Mika.

The arcade was indeed fun and everyone enjoyed it. Even James liked it more than he let on, very proud that he'd beaten Erik at some kind of basketball game. Matthew and Ronnie spent most of the day together and Damien noticed too, turning to give me a small knowing smirk, which I returned before I noticed I couldn't see Sam. I frowned and wandered around, looking everywhere before I spotted him and had to cover my mouth to stifle the laughter. Surprisingly enough, he was by the claw machine, but less surprisingly, was getting incredibly frustrated by it. I sidled up to him and stayed silent as he spent the next ten minutes or so swearing under his breath as he failed to grab whichever thing he was going for.
"You know these things are rigged so you'll never get anything, right?" I said suddenly. Sam jumped at the sound of my voice and stared at me.
"How long have you been there?" He asked. I shrugged.
"About fifteen minutes. Why?" Sam shook his head and glared at the machine with so much fury I was reminded of how he sometimes looked at Matthew for a moment.
"I hate these fucking things." He said. I chuckled.
"I wouldn't waste your time on it. They sell most of the stuff in here at the shop anyway."

Unsurprisingly, Sam was irritated for the next half an hour, but it didn't take long for him to regain his pride after he beat Erik, Damien and James on the air hockey tables.
"Hey, Nix?" I jumped and turned around. There stood Matthew, looking both apprehensive and excited.
"'Sup, Matthew?"
"I'm uh... I'm planning on coming out to everyone. At dinner tonight." He said in a rush. I stared at him for a moment before hugging him, which he returned.
"That's great! Ronnie'll be there though, is that okay?" I asked, glancing at my friend who was talking animatedly to Sam by the racing game. Matthew nodded.
"Honestly, I'd kinda prefer it if he was there. I mean, you know why..." A blush dusted his cheeks and I smirked but didn't say anything. Across the room, Damien smiled and I knew he'd picked up on that as well. "And if he's there, I know there are two people who know what I'm going through." I smiled thoughtfully.