.get.to.know.me.

.sam's coffee-cup-spinning game had become almost as obsessive as his gaia-thinking-sessions. The cup was swirling dangerously fast as his fingers guided it round and round, spin after spin...
honestly, he couldn't believe it. how could gaia not know about all that had happened to them that night? how could she have no felt it all, not remembered any of it?
somewhere within himself, sam had always known that there might be a chance that gaia didn't remember, or had forced herself to forget... but that had always been a worst-case scenario and he had never really prepared for it to happen... because, i mean... how often to worst-case scenarios happen? well... apparently, the past thanksgiving of sam's life was one of those rare times that the world had decided to rage against him.
and never, not once, had he pictured himself having to explain it to her... and, oh god, could he actually do this?
swallowing tightly, sam groped 'round for the right words. all he knew, was that he couldn't tell her about what he had felt, until he was sure that she wasn't totally repulsed by what had happened.
after smoothing one hand through his hair, he looked back up at gaia, and suddenly the words were just there as he recalled it all,

"i found you... like you said, in my room. you were sleeping in some of my clothes and i just... god gaia, you looked like something really bad had happened, i was scared for you..."

sam paused to make sure that gaia was following, and also to press back a lump-like thing that had begun to form witin his throat.

"the rest of it... i don't know... i kissed you gaia, and you kissed me back. you passed out, and i came with you to the hospital, stayed with you... until your foster-mother told me to leave... i didn't want to... i want you just to know that i'll never regret thanksgiving... never."

by this point, a blush had conquered sam's cheeks as he remembered his vow to never tell her what he had felt, until he was sure that... -- oops, too late for any of that now.