Cold Play
a Garden State story
by Hermione
Sam was sitting at the window when Andrew woke the next morning. He was still chilled after spending a good portion of the previous afternoon in the rain, having followed his good friend Mark on an expedition. He gave his nose a rub, smiling thoughtfully as Sam twirled the end of her curly brown hair absentmindedly. He didn't want to break her concentration just yet...she looked so beautiful with the bright sunlight streaming in around her.
Samantha was amazing. She'd blown him completely away when they first met; at the doctor's office, no less. Andrew had gone to have a series of headaches checked out, and Sam....well, Sam.
Andrew slowly sat up, stretching his arms over his head. His grunt caused Sam to turn from the window, and she grinned. God, how he loved that smile!
"It's about time you got up, sleepy head!' she hopped to her feet, and made a mad dash for the bed. She leapt onto it, throwing her arms around him. He smiled softly, touching her lips with his pointer finger.
"How long have you been sitting there?" he asked, finding his voice to be a bit hoarse. That didn't surprise him, though, as his throat felt like it was on fire. He also attempted to ignore the pressure that was beginning behind his eyes, a feeling he experienced more often than he liked. A sneeze was coming, and the last thing he wanted to do was to loose it in front of Samantha. He wouldn't give in, not yet.
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe an hour or so. Couldn't sleep...you know how it is. Or, at least I think you do. We seem to be on the same mental plane or something." she giggled, and Andrew gave a small laugh in return. He'd grown accustomed to her giddiness; she'd talked his ear off when they met, but he'd been more intruiged than freaked out.
"Just like I can tell you're going to sneeze," she said, tapping the end of his nose. "I can tell, because you have little crinkles forming on your forehead. You could be thinking, but, God, it's like..." she peered over his shoulder at the clock on the nightstand. "Friggin--eight thirty, and no one thinks properly at that hour! So just let it out, okay? I'll promise you I won't be grossed out or anything."
Andrew raised an eyebrow, and she offered him the corner of her sleeve. "Tissue?" she asked, and that seemed to be the cue he needed.
"HahKSHHHH!" he covered his mouth with his hands, snapping forward at the waist. Sam rubbed his back comfortingly as he came back up for a breath, though another sneeze was quick to follow. "HehKUSHHH!" he sniffed, rubbing his nose with the back of his wrist. He felt a bit weird when she didn't bless him, but then he remembered that she didn't believe in God. She seemed to notice his discomfort, and her cheeks turned bright red.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm weird about the whole "bless you" thing. I don't think it's really all that necessary, you know? I mean, a sneeze is a natural function--not some extraordinary phenomenon. Just like burping or farting or whatever, you know?"
Andrew snorted with amusement. "You're a character," he whispered, and she took his cheeks in her hands.
"But you love me," she teased, kissing him on the forehead. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and kissed her back.
"Yeah," he breathed. "I do."
She used the corner of her sleeve to rub his nose, and he jerked away with surprise. "What are you doing?" he laughed, and she cocked her head to one side.
"I told you, I'm not grossed out by stuff like that. Come on." she fetched a real tissue, and pressed it into his hand. "Blow."
Andrew did as he was told, though the simple process was exhausting. "Ugh," he muttered, flopping back against the pillows. "Ib sick."
Sam felt his forehead. "I could have told you that," she said. "But you don't have a fever. Probably just a head cold. It'll go away in about two days, I'm guessing."
Two days. Andrew groaned--he was scheduled to return to Los Angelas the following morning. The flight arrangements had been finalized the night before, and they were difficult to change. The last thing he wanted was to be sick as a dog on a six hour flight.
"So you're really going back," Sam suddenly spoke, and Andrew glanced at her.
"What?" he whispered, and she lay down beside him.
"To LA."
He nodded, and she blew out her breath. "I wish you'd reconsider going, Andrew. I mean, I know we've just met, but I...I'm sure this relationship could go places! How couldn't it, with how everything went last night at the canyon?"
The canyon. The infinte abyss, as Sam called it. "I love you," he told her softly. "I love you so much."
She took his hands tightly in hers, and pressed them against her lips. More silence passed between them, and when she looked at him again, her dark eyes were filled with tears. "Then don't go?" she asked, her voice cracking.
He struggled to sit again, and pulled her close. "I have so much to take care of before I can promise you anything," he told her. "Don't think of my leaving as the period at the end of a sentance. Think of it as an elipses."
Sam wet her lips. "An elipses." she lowered her head.
"Yeah. Like...we're not exactly sure how this is going to go."
"You're gonna sneeze again," she whispered, and Andrew's breath suddenly hitched.
"Gotta stop doing that," he told her, and turned away. "HuhETCHHHSHHH!"
Sam rested her head against his shoulder, enjoying the feel of his strong hands rubbing her arms. "You're shivering," she whispered, and he burried his face against her neck. When she wasn't around, the memories of the horrible things that had occurred in his life left him completely. He felt nothing but the warmth of her love.
"Andrew?" Sam began, and he replied with a soft "Shhhhh." she closed her eyes, feeling tears falling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them with the heels of her hands, and listened to the fall wind blowing outside the window.
"HuhKSHHHHH!" Andrew let out another sneeze, and Sam pulled away from him, smiling softly.
"Bless you," she whispered, and he smiled.
"Thank you," he replied.
"When it comes to love, we have to compromise," Sam chuckled. "Now lay down, and I'll go and get you some juice. Your throat probably hurts." she kissed him again, and hopped once again to the floor. Andrew watched as she hurried through the door, taking this time to close his eyes for a light doze. He had found himself at last, found what he stood for. He stood for Samantha, and that was all that mattered.
Character's names and places do not belong to me. The characters belong to Zach Braff, who not only wrote, but directed this wonderful film. And well, the place is New Jersey, so naturally I dont own that ;)