Meeting with meaning

After stopping at home to shower, you head to meet Sam at the bar. Lili was a bit upset about being left behind, but you know she’ll be better soon. Emi didn’t seem to mind, and teased you a bit, calling this meeting a ‘date’. There was just enough truth to that to get you to blush, and both girls were giggling as you headed out the door.

When you head into the bar, you see that Sam has already arrived. She waves at you as you walk in, and you go to join her at the table. There’s a beer waiting when you sit, and she smiles as she sips the one in front of her.

“Hopefully you don’t mind if I already ordered you a beer. I figured you’d be thirsty after prying the girls off of you.”

You laugh, shaking your head. “They were surprisingly good about letting me go. Well, Emi was. Lili was sulking a bit at being left out.”

Sam chuckles. “Sounds about right. So, not to pressure you but…spill it!”

You laugh again. “Right, I’m sure you want to know all about what’s happening.”

You explain to her everything that’s been going on, from first meeting Harold to the visit to his estate. You tell Sam everything you can remember, including the speculation on Emi’s origin. You also tell her about Harold’s request. When you finish Sam looks thoughtful.

“Wow. You weren’t kidding when you said that a lot has happened. So…this is the guy who created the original hybrid? And she’s his wife?”

You nod. “If you believe his story, yes.”

She shakes her head. “That’s wild. Assuming he told you the truth, that explains a lot of the gaps in what information is out there. When he got blackballed, I’d expect that a lot of his story got scrubbed. Scary how much power these people seem to have.”

You take a drink of your beer. “So, what do you think? What should we do?”

Sam pauses, looking at you curiously. “Am I included in that ‘we’?”

You blink, a bit surprised by that question. “I…yes, I’d say you are. Is that okay?”

She smiles. “It is. I’ll admit, part of the reason I asked to be alone with you was because I wanted to ask you something as well.”

You take another drink to cover your continued surprise, though you doubt you’re fooling Sam one bit. “Oh? And what’s that?”

Sam takes a drink if her own, and she looks away for a moment. “Well. I wanted to know what’s happening here. With us.”

You look at her, and she smiles. “Are we dating? Or is this just a bit of fun?”

You only hesitate for a moment. “I’d say that it’s up to you. As for me, I’d prefer if it was more than just some fun. Hell, after the teasing I got from Emi and Lili, I’d say they’ve already decided that we’re dating.”

Sam laughs. “Well, I suppose I shouldn’t disappoint them, should I? Let’s make it official, and call this a first date.”

You smile and nod. “I can get behind that idea.”

She takes a drink. “So, back to the subject at hand, I’d say yes, we should do what he’s asking. We were going to be doing that anyway, right?”

You nod again. “I suppose so. But what if he’s not as trustworthy as we hope?”

Sam shrugs. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. However, if he wanted to betray Emi to CompanionCorp, he would have done so already.”

You sigh. “I just worry. I don’t want to hurt either of them.”

Sam nods. “Me either. I may not know you three super well yet, but obviously I like you all a lot.”

You chuckle. “I’d say. Well, what’s life without a little risk, right? And besides, the money couldn’t hurt.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “Can’t disagree there. So it’s settled. And meanwhile, we can dig into his story, see what else we can find.”

You nod. “Probably a good idea.”

By now, you’ve both finished your beers, and Sam flags down a waitress. You both order another beer, and at Sam’s insistence, you both order a meal, just simple burgers. She tells you that the food here is quite good, despite it primarily being a bar. The two of you fall into pleasant conversation, and when the food arrives, it turns out that she’s completely correct. The burger is fantastic!

After you finish eating, Sam pats for the meal, as she said she would. The two of you get up, and walk together towards the door. Once outside, she stops you.

“So…a good first date?”

You smile. “It was for me. You?”

She nods. “Same. Although, there’s one piece missing…”

You catch her hint, and step closer, putting your arms around her waist. She smiles, closing her eyes as you lean in. Your lips meet here, and the two of you share a long kiss, holding each other close. After a while, you separate, and Sam sighs, a smile on her face.

“There. Now it was perfect. See you soon?”

You nod, as she slips out of your arms. “For sure. Sooner the better.”

Sam grins, and waves as she walks to her car. You watch her go, before doing the same.