Here, together

Prologue

The car slows down when it gets close to the entrance. Bright stroboscopic lights slice through the dark shaded windows of the vehicule, illuminating the person who sits on the back seat. The woman breathes in, and out. She wants to shut down the nervousness that started to creep in her stomach since the moment she set foot outside her apartment. The person sitting next to her squeezes gently her hand. A simple gesture that says "I know" or "I'm here with you". The woman is grateful that at least, she doesn't have to do this alone. A smile appears on her face, a real one, and then their hands separate and she's alone once more. It takes all her energy to put on her Sam Elliot face—the one for the paparazzi, the photographers and the journalists waiting outside.
Sam gets out of the car, and immediately, the crowd cheers. The sound is so loud, but Sam is used to it. She politely smiles and nods at the hundreds of fans standing there, who must have waited hours just for a chance to maybe get a glance of her. Yelling and screaming follow her along the red carpet. Camera flashes pave the way like a path made of flickering lights. Sam feels like the lights capture her in succinct and separate moments. So many different angles and poses, yet, not one photograph can capture her truly, fully. Behind her, the person she loves the most walks graciously, nodding humbly at all the attention.
They make their way inside the building. Side glances, like silent messages. Their hands meet as soon as they pass the doors ; fingers intertwined like the tortuous path they took to be here, together.