Falling for Finch

Who is Brian Finch?

Brian's POV---

A date. Did I mean it? Was it really going to be a date? I haven't been dating since NZT, why should she change that? Would she notice that I was different from last night? That, unlike then, I wasn't on NZT today? Those were the things I wondered as I walked toward the hot dog stand I knew all too well. I got there before Sam so I sat down on a park bench that was near by and watched the world. It was the first time I was away from the CJC and the first time I noticed a lot of things about the way the world works. Like did you ever notice how-

"Brian?" Sam said interrupting my thoughts, "hey, are you ok?" She asked as she sat next to me. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine" I said standing up and resurfacing to the world. She stood up beside me saying "are you sure, you seemed a little zoned out?" It was sweet that she was so concerned even though she hardly knew me and the fact that she didn't know about NZT made me appreciate her concern even more. "Yeah," I said with a smile, "I was a bit zoned out, but just people watching yknow? I'm good, let's eat." I bounced a bit and touched her arm as we walked together to the stand and I said "two hotdogs please!" The man behind the stand smiled as he made the hot dogs and when he was done I paid him. I handed on to Sam and she said "I would have bought my own yknow?" We began walking back to the bench and I said "it wouldn't be a date if you paid for yourself." She smiled as we sat down and began eating out lunch. "So what time do you have to go back to work?" She asked and I scoffed under my breath a bit saying "tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" Sam asked confused, "did something happen?" I looked up from my food and over at her saying "yeah, it's complicated...work is a hard subject to talk about for me...there just isn't much I can say about it yknow?" She gave a sort of exhausted smile placing her hand on my knee and said "that's ok, I understand, but if you ever wanna talk I'm here ok?"

Sam's POV---

"Thanks" he said as he placed his hand on top of mine. I smiled a little, curious about this mysterious job, but not curious enough to let it ruin the moment. "Well," Brian said as he stood up leaving our hands to fall aside, "since I have the day off, would you be interested in further this date at all to, say, a walk to the park?" I stood up beside him and smiled saying "I absolutely would, but I should warn you, I hate first dates." Brian, always having the answer to everything, coyly replied with "well its a good thing our first date was yesterday then isn't it?" I laughed a little and we walked together toward the park, just like last night, but planned and intentional rather than spontaneous.

No matter how much he made me laugh, I couldn't help but notice that something about Brian was different today. I chalked it up to being upset about his mysterious job, but it seemed like some underlying thing that I just couldn't place. Even his eyes, his eyes were different today. It was like they were glossed over with some kind of artificial shine... While I was picking up on all of these things, he was picking up on everything else the world had to offer us. Brian pointed out detail after detail as if trying to show off and I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the sweet and charming guy from the night before. So, I asked.

Brian's POV---
"Brian," Sam said stopping me in the middle of my sentence. I figured something serious was up considering she stopped walking and turned to look at me. "Yeah, what is it?" I said, concerned I did something to upset her. She sighed.

"Brian, I really like you. Or, I thought I did last night anyways, but today...today you're just acting so different and I need to know if who you really are is who you're being now or who you were last night because I liked that Brian Finch a whole lot better than this one. And I don't know what's changed, but I need to know who you are if this is ever gonna be anything more than a friendship."

NZT. That was what had changed. Last night, when I met Sam, I wasn't on NZT, the pill had worn off. But today, Mike and Ike gave me a pill and Naz let me me go. Last night, no NZT. Today, right now, I was on NZT, that was the difference.
Because of the NZT I processed this immediately and then, because of Sam, I looked at the ground and said "I'm sorry." She lifted my chin and said "for what?"

The thing is, NZT may help me process all of the options and all of the best answers, but I still make the choice. Brian still decides what to do and say, NZT just gives him all the answers. So, I had all of the answers and all of the options and every single way that this could go wrong, but I kissed her anyways. I lifted my head and before I knew it my lips collided with hers. The NZT screamed no in my head, but the second I tried to pull away Sam deepened the kiss. I closed my eyes and felt her lips touching mine, her tounge fighting mine for dominance, and then, she pulled away.

"I... I'm sorry Brian." She said as she turned and began to walk away. "Sam, wait!" I called after her reaching for her arm and turning her around. My mind was a mess from the battle between the NZT and my emotions but I knew if I let her walk away now, I'd never see her again. "Don't be sorry, that was my fault. This is all my fault" I said speaking quickly. "Look, my job...there's a lot that you'll probably never be able to know about me and my life is really complicated right now, but I haven't felt this way in a long time. You make me feel something Sam, and I don't wanna lose that. The guy I was last night, that was the real Brian Finch. This guy, the know-it-all you've been having around all day, he's just trying to impress a girl he knows he doesn't deserve, but if you give me a shot...if you can trust the things I can't tell you, and I know that's asking a lot, but if you can do that I promise you, you'll never regret it."

Sam's POV---
I stood there a second and just looked at him. He seemed so genuine, so real, yet something about him was still wrong. I couldn't deny that there was something special to that kiss, but was it worth all the risk? I thought of Parker, my best friend, who would be pissed if she found out about Brian. But he just stood there and waited with those blue eyes staring hopefully at me. A chance. He just asked for a chance, and besides, there are things about my past and my job that he can never know so technically, we're even. The pros and cons bounced in my head slowly until finally, I looked at Brian and said "I don't need to know everything about what you do, I just need to know who you really are." He looked me in the eyes and said "give me the chance to show you." I took a hesitant breath, I have skeletons in my closet too and no ones ventured in there for a while so, I took the chance. "Ok," I whispered, "ok."