Full Circle

Samantha and Matt’s relationship has progressed nicely over the past 9 months. After their first date back in January, they decided to make their relationship official. People were suspecting they were together, anyway. Putting a label on their relationship didn’t hinder their original plan. Dates were planned every two weeks and sex was held off for 5 months, much to Matt’s dismay. Other things have changed as well. Samantha moved in with Matt five months ago, in May. She quit her job at Sugar Shack in hopes of finding a journalism job, which she still hasn’t found yet. Matt, of course, told her not to worry about finding a job. He and the guys had just recently finished their self-titled album. They plan to release it in two weeks, on October 27th.

Today, Matt had a band meeting with Larry, their manager, about what to expect in the coming months, leaving Sam at home to take care of her daily house duties.

“Time to eat, Bella,” called Samantha, setting the golden retrievers bowl of food on the floor.

Bella sprinted down the stairs and over to her bowl, digging loudly into her food. Sam smiled and bent down to softly pet Bella’s furry head. “Good girl, Bells.”

She cleaned up the left over pebbles of dog food from the counter, while Bella ate, before taking the empty bowl and placing it in the sink. Just as she was about to move over to the couch, Matt came walking through the front door.

“Sammy?” he called, setting his backpack down by the door.

Bella ran to greet him first. Samantha followed and wrapped her arms around his torso.

“How’d the meeting go?” she asked.

“Good,” he said before leaning down to kiss her.

She groaned in satisfaction and grabbed his hand, leading him into the kitchen.

“You’re here just in time for lunch,” she said, digging through the fridge. “How does a sandwich sound?”

Matt grinned and nodded. He hopped up onto a stool and sighed lightly, running a hand through his Mohawk.

“Tired?” Sam asked.

“A little bit.”

She simply nodded. Not wanting to bug him further, she kept quiet as she fixed their sandwiches. They ate in comfortable silence, only making small talk about Bella’s begging. When they finished, Sam collected their plates and quickly washed them.

“You should take a nap, baby,” she suggested, caressing his back.

Matt laid his head on her shoulder.

“No, I’m ok. I was thinking we could go to the beach and relax,” he said.

“Okay, that sounds nice,” she replied, smiling.

“Great. Um. . .I need to go upstairs really quick.”

Matt sprinted up the stairs. Sam waited against the kitchen counter for him to return.

“Let’s go,” he said, rushing back into the kitchen, grabbing her hand as he led her towards the door.

They made it to the beach shortly after. They walked, hand in hand, to their spot. They sat cuddled up to each other, staring out into the ocean.

“Did you do any job hunting today?” Matt asked.

“Nope. I’m not having any luck,” Sam replied, somberly.

“Hey! Don’t get too down about it. I make enough money to support both of us. I want to provide for you,” he reassured.

Samantha let out a long sigh.

“I know, Matt. And I appreciate it; it’s just I enjoy writing about music. It’s something I’m actually good at.”

Matt bit his lip in thought.

“Maybe you should start a blog. You can write about music and won’t be criticized on the genre. Plus, I know our fans will support it.”

She slowly looked up at him with her brows raised in surprise.

“Omg, that’s fucking brilliant. Why didn’t I think of that?”

Matt laughed and shot her a smirk.

“Because I’m obviously more ingenious than you are.”

Samantha chuckled and lightly smacked his forehead.

“Calm down, your head is growing.”

“That’s domestic violence,” he said, removing his arm from around her waist.

Samantha shivered from the absence of his body heat and grasped back on to him.

“But I love you,” she said, playfully.

“I love you too, more than anything,” he said, turning serious.

He breathed out a sigh and nervously rubbed his hands together.

“We have to talk about something, Sammy.”

Samantha’s smile vanished.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

He played with a loose string on his shorts as he spoke, “Now that the album is finished, we have to start touring.”

Tour. That was the only word Sam picked up on. A cold chill racked her body and her palms began to get clammy as she dug her fingers, unknowingly, into the sand. Her mouth felt cotton dry but she somehow spoke. “And?”

Matt saw panic evident in her features. He had to act quickly!

“Well, with me being gone a majority of the time and you being here, I think I’d be best if we-“

“No. No!” She muttered.

She shakily stood up from the sand. “Not again. Don’t do this, Matt!” she yelled. “Please!” she let out a strangled cry and started backing away from him. Matt felt like the biggest asshole as he watched her cry out in disbelief.

“Samantha? Baby, I-. . ."

Samantha’s forehead crinkled in confusion when he got down on one knee. He slipped his hand into the pocket of his shorts and kept it there while he spoke.

“I know you think I’m going to break up with you again and that’s not happening. I’d be fucking stupid to let you go again.”

Sam visibly relaxed, though tears still streamed down her face.

“I’ve loved you since we were kids, Sammy. Remember when we were 15 and I got into that gang fight? And you walked me home and cleaned me up, despite being late for your curfew? That’s the day I fell in love with you. Why that day? I have no fucking clue. It just happened. You’ve always been with me through thick and thin. I know I said this before, but I’m going to stand by your side for as long as I can, baby. And I’m going to prove that to you right now.”

He pulled his hand from his pocket and revealed a jewelry box.

“Samantha Walker? Will you marry me?”

Sam stood there, flabbergasted, sucking in deep gulps of air. She felt as if she’d forgotten how to breathe. Is this really happening? She thought. She gazed at the ring he presented. It was princess cut with a square diamond placed at the center. Two sapphire diamonds were implanted on opposite sides of the center. It was absolutely stunning, more than she ever imagined. She finally focused her attention to Matt. He had tears streaming down his face. She kneeled down and hugged him tightly.

“Yes! A million times, yes!” she said between passionate kisses. He grinned wide and took her shaking left hand. He gently kissed it before sliding the ring onto her finger. Then he pulled her into his arms and held her. Samantha smiled, gazing down at her ring as he softly rocked her side to side. For the first time in a while, she felt complete. It only took them seven years to find their way back to each other. But here they are, back to where it all ended, to begin again: Full Circle.