Another City Of Lights.

Chapter 21.

December, New York.

Sam's POV:-

I remember that I loved going to that weird little restaurant with my parents when I was little.
It was just down the street from our house, and it was cheapest place available at that time.
It wasn't much, just a bunch of odd, pastel coloured chairs and tables arranged haphazardly around a central grassy area, with the cook grilling, and soaking chicken in sauces on the other side.
But what I actually remember about that place, is the cats. That place used to be surrounded by cats, which were increasing in number every day. And the most surprising thing was, that nobody ever complained about them either. I always used to see people giving leftovers of their food to the hungry animals, while their children played with them.
It never failed to amaze me how totally unhygienic that might have been, and how it actually became one of the best memories that I have.

I'm suddenly reminded of those cats when I see a black one sitting on the curb outside of the diner. It's not doing anything, just sitting there and staring straight ahead at us, not at all bothered by the snow that's stuck to the ground. I'm about to pick it up, when at the exact same moment Remy lets go of my hand, and bends down to pick it up.

He's holding the squirming cat with one arm, and scratching it's head with the other hand. The cat really seems to be enjoying it too.

Here's the thing about Remy: he's actually genuinely that nice. Like, incredibly nice, on a totally different level. He's literally just existing to make others happy, like this cat for example.
And well, me too, I guess.
That unforgettable morning, when I had woken up with a distinct lack of clothing, and a bad headache, and had thrown up all over him, only to scream bloody murder in his face when I had realised the severity of what I had done; Remy had been all reassurances.
I knew in the back of my mind that he must've been freaking out too, but he didn't show it. He apologised, millions and millions of times. And kept his distance, even offered to move out of his own apartment for a couple of days.
And me? Well I had gone straight to the doctor after I had managed to get dressed.
Thank God for the two years of medical school, otherwise I'm sure I wouldn't have acted accordingly.
I didn't know, and frankly I was too awkward to ask Remy if he had used protection. But I assumed the worst, and went to get myself checked. The doctor put me on the pill, and asked me to be careful the next time.
I hadn't actually told Remy any details of this trip to the hospital, and at that time I didn't know if there was going to be a 'next time', but I still kept on taking the medicine, mainly because I realised I wasn't to be trusted myself.
After that, I wasn't sure what was going to happen to us, but later that following day, Remy came home and asked if I would like pancakes. And so he took me out that night and introduced me to this place, which apparently he loved coming to, and which served the best breakfast at night.

Remy easily finds our spot. It's the third table from the door, right next to the window. It has been for two months now, and no one bothers to sit here except for us. Nobody actually comes here after midnight anyways, for that matter.
I take one last glance at the cat we left outside, and join Remy at the table.
He has already ordered for the both of us, and the waitress, Maggie, gives me a smile as she passes me on her way to the kitchen. She's a kind woman. Always giving me extra whipped cream with my coffee, and letting us stay here as long as we want.

I take off the scarf I had around my neck as I sit down. It's snowing outside now, and even though I'm fully covered in layers and layers of clothes, I still feel cold.

Remy's sitting there scrolling through his phone. His hair, a little longer now, is tucked under a beanie, and his nose is red. It's kind of cute, and it makes me smile.
He passes his phone towards me after a couple of minutes, and I look at him confused.
"These are the courses I was telling you about earlier, take a look", He says.
He has been on my case recently. Always trying to ask me what I would do if I hadn't already started medschool. What I would like to study.
And last night, he had suggested that I should apply to NYU.
The idea seemed next to impossible to me. I couldn't even afford to live on my own yet, and there was no way I could get in to college and pay my way through it. No damn way. I was working at a crappy diner, this wasn't for me.
But Remy was persistent. He had been showing me the many different courses he thought I would like, and he already had a plan for it. When I told him all of the negativity in my head, he suggested that I work through the summer and save up money, and apply in the fall. And he offered to pay for what I couldn't. I didn't want him to pay for everything in my life here. But I can't deny that I wasn't thinking about college too now.

When our pancakes and waffles arrive, we eat them slowly, too involved in discussing every option NYU has to offer. Our coffee grows cold, but we hardly notice. Because there's a whole list of writing courses that I have now found, and I can't contain my excitement. I didn't even know these classes existed, because we didn't have anything like this in Karachi. And now for the first time since I came here, I realise that everything is possible now. I had already given up on my dreams when I got a job at that diner, but this is real, this can be done if I try hard enough.

Remy doesn't say much throughout the night. Even by the time when I've had three cups of coffee and I'm rambling like crazy, he just laughs along to everything I say. And it's oddly very comforting.

When we walk back home in the snow, with our feet sinking in it, and the warmth of the coffee gone by now, I realise it's mainly because of him that I'm thinking like this about my future now. If he didn't keep pushing me to think about it, I probably would never have considered it. And even though nothing is certain right now, I still feel good about it, because atleast I'll try.

And with this sudden realisation, or maybe due to the adrenaline in my body because of the excitement, or maybe for some unknown reason, I don't know why but I don't pause to think before I throw my arms around him and kiss him.
I don't think about the guilt I've been carrying around inside of me since that one night two months ago, and I don't pause to think about anything else.
But then it really doesn't matter, because he kisses me back.