I nodded. While I was happy to watch hockey, sports in general weren’t my thing. “Becca and I did quite a few outdoor dates. She liked camping so we did some of that. I don’t think camping was for me, though,” Sam commented, shaking his head.
“And then, I suppose I’ve been to a lot of dinner dates. That’s pretty common, right? But a lot of those never went anywhere.”
All of that sounded like something I could top, so that gave me confidence.
“Well, I won’t argue that we should try camping again,” I teased. “This kind of outdoor date is much more my style.” The yacht was wonderful, the gentle breeze of the water ruffling my hair, and the stars getting brighter overhead as the night sky dimmed.
It wasn’t an experience I would ever have thought to treat myself to. But I was glad Sam had! This was a (second) first date to remember.
“Do you remember our first first date?” I asked, my mind traveling back to the fries and milkshake that we’d shared. Even though it wasn’t anything special, it had still been memorable.
That gave me confidence, too. Whatever date I planned didn’t need to be perfect. Just the fact that it was me and Sam together would make it worth remembering.
“I do,” Sam informed me with confidence. “We went to the diner next to the knitting shop my grandmother used to love. It’s closed now, the diner. Weirdly the knitting shop is still going.” It had closed a few years after Sam had left and was now replaced by a bookshop. Every time I went there, it still reminded me of our first date.
I smiled softly, taking a step closer to Sam at the railing. Right on cue, he wrapped one warm arm around me, pulling me closer so I could nestle against his body. “That may not have been as grand as this, but it was still a pretty great first date,” I told him.
Sam hummed his assent, probably taking the same stroll down memory lane that I was. We’d talked for hours, about all our favorite films and TV shows. We hadn’t agreed on most of them, but that had just added spice to the conversation.
“You’ll be glad to hear I have a new favorite film,” I teased. At seventeen, it had been Legally Blonde, which Sam had laughed at me for. It was a bit obvious for a future lawyer. “Argo is probably a bit more your speed, yeah?” It had been Sam who’d helped me discover that I could like films other than romantic comedies - though I still had a soft spot for a good love story.
“Oh, I don’t know, I’ve really gotten into romantic comedies,” Sam informed me but then grinned, letting me know he was only teasing. “Ten years of films to catch up with!” Sam added. He moved in to bump his shoulder against mine. “There’s a lot of things we’ll have to make time up for,” he hummed.
“But also!” Sam added. “New things? I think it’s good that we can make new experiences. I... I know it’s strange for us to re-date, but it’s also pretty exciting? I want to learn all about your new things, your favorite films, your favorite everything else you’ve discovered in the past ten years.”
I couldn’t stop the smile that spread across my face. “Yeah,” I agreed. “I think catching up with ten years of your life sounds very exciting!” It was a lot, but in a good way.
“Think of all the long phone conversations we can have,” I added, seriously. If we were going to make long-distance work, we had to make the things we could do while living in separate countries feel as exciting as the things we could do when we met up.
Long phone calls felt like a good way to start. “I probably won’t be able to stay up to talk to you after games, with the time difference.”
“But you can leave me voicemails!” Sam teased. His expression did become a bit more serious as he reached to give my hand a squeeze. “It will be awkward timing sometimes, you’re right.” He nodded. “But if we have to make a calendar of when we can talk, then that’s okay, too.”
The thought made me laugh a little. Was this what we’d come to? Having a calendar for when we could talk? But! If that was how we made things work, then I was willing to give it a go.
And with how different our jobs were, we’d probably have had to make a schedule even if we were living in the same place. It wasn’t going to stop us from making this work.
“I like how seriously you’re taking this,” I said, snuggling even closer to Sam. “It shows how much you want us to work out.” No one had ever made me feel as important to them as Sam did. I wanted to show that I felt the same.
Glancing up, I smiled as Sam’s eyes met mine. “I’m going to book tickets out to see you,” I promised. “How about after your first game of the season?”
“Sure! Anytime!” Sam nodded energetically. “I can pay for them,” he added. Before I could object, Sam shook his head, turning towards me. “No, listen,” he said. “I have more money than you, so let me pay for the tickets. Or at least for an upgrade to first class. I want you to come and visit me and never worry about the cost.”
While I could understand his argument, it still made me frown. It wasn’t as if I couldn’t afford things myself, so I pointed that out. Sam nodded. “Okay. Well, how about you put your money into a savings account?
