Gregory drew her much closer to him. Before he carefully disentangle his arms on her.
“How are you?” She checked out him.
Gregory just moved his head and nodded. “I'm fine. A bit exhausted.”
Samantha stared at him. The same conversation again but it's never that boring for her. It's never that cold.
She stilled. She looked at him again. How can she say so? She never really had that grip to a key that will always be with her to remind her that what they have now is something that will still be there in the long run.
Gregory was hesitating when he saw how her expression change. Horror passed through her eyes when she looked at him. He wanted to check if she's okay.
She tore her eyes away from. Suddenly, she felt cold. The drumming of her heart makes the feeling a bit intense. Something she generally doesn't always feel inside of her.
But then... This is Gregory. He didn't have any red flags yet. He only showed her kindness.
Gregory did what he wanted. He touched her wrist. He lift his fingers to reach for her own. Then he held into it. “Are you alright, Sam?” He asked her.
Her eyes moved. She stared at him. “I'm okay. I am okay.” She repeated is twice. The last statement was for her.
Gregory eyes were still. He was weighing her reaction. Samantha is amazing and he liked everything that she let him show so far. But the expression she just had a while ago, he's afraid it's something that made his heart and mind felt troubled. He didn't like it.
--
They ordered food since it's already late for Samantha to cook dinner and she didn't even let Gregory be near in the kitchen to do the deed. She knows he's already that tired.
She was looking at her face in the mirror and put on some eye patches under her eyes. She smudge the moisturizing cream in her face. She then carefully pat it with her own fingers. She caught him staring at her. The man was preventing himself to openly show her the smirk he's been trying to have.
“You find this absurd?” She asked. The tone almost complaining.
Gregory groaned and leaned his head back on the sofa. “You're accusing me of something that I think I'm not even doing.” He uttered it in a playful manner that made Samantha's eyes roll for the first time.
“Well, perhaps would you like to try this out too? I really think you really wanted to try this out.” She told him.
The latter smiled in return. “I can.”
Sje then tapped the chair beside her. “Then come here.”
Gregory was still when she placed the facial mask in his face. She purposely choose the panda mask. The man was still closing his eyes. Samantha chuckled lightly after seeing his reaction.
“You're cute.” She told him.
Gregory's mouth moved. He liked what he said. “I know that already.” He uttered it playfully.
Samantha then gave another chuckle. “But you're cuter now.” She brought her fingers to tap Gregory's face softly. “I think you've been closing your eyes for while now, you need to open them.”
She expected him to be shock. Might as well whine. She expected something contradicting only to be surprise when Gregory smiled at her through the mirror.
She stared back at him. She saw their faces and the kind of stare she received from him. How can someone looked at him as if he's on the verge of falling?
Samantha clearly knows this looks. Those kind one can see from the movies. She isn't blind when it comes to this. Samantha smiled at him which he immediately returned as well.
“Sam” He was raising his head to stare at her.
Samantha looked down at him. Her eyes were gentle. “What is it?”
Gregory smiled, this time it was constrained. “I'm sorry for not giving you a call. I really should have called you. You stayed up late waiting for me.” Gregory's eyes looked at her.
He felt guilty. For the reason of trying to maintain a safe distance and to not give in too much. To not be someone woos that too invested in them, he gave in to his pride. In the end, it only backfired at him. He didn't like it this way.
He didn't like them to put a barrier in between them. He clearly saw the wariness that passed through Samantha a while ago. And he clearly doesn't want that. What he loved seeing, is her smile. Samantha being happy.
Samantha was astonished. Something fluttered away from her heart. The pang of pain she felt earlier vanished. A happy feeling entered its way through her heart space. She smiled at him. 
Gregory carefully reached for her fingers before he made gentle soothing touches to her hand. “Starting from on, I'll give you calls and messages.” He told her. 
Her eyes became lit with a glimmer of happiness, she couldn't help but smile at him. “So the terms and conditions changed now?” She asked him in a teasing way. She didn't remove the smile on her face even after she already had finished saying her words at her. 
Gregory nodded. He then stood from the chair, leaning down at her as he towered over her frame. He pulled her closer to her. He was hugging Samantha. Sam made taps on his back before she wrapped her arms around him. Hugging him back. She was smiling. She never had something like this before. 
Gregory tightened the hug he was giving to Samantha. He treaded his fingers on her hair. Before he pulled for a bit and planted a kiss on the top of Samantha's head. He murmured a word of thanks to her before he proceeded to hug her back again. 
Samantha remembered the conversation she had with Cassidy and her plan of letting the two of them join their trip. She slowly pushed him away. She saw how Gregory's face changed. She smiled to assure him. 
“Cassidy and Chase we're planning to go to her cousin's hometown. She invited me and you to join them.” She told him. 
Gregory nodded. He was having some mental difficulties in the office. But the work is something that could be resolve. He didn't want to miss this opportunity to spend some time with her, to know her better. He then nodded his head at her before he pulled her close again. 
Gregory gently tucked Samantha's hair back on the side of her left ear before he stared at her warmly. “Tell Cassidy that her invitation is accepted.” He replied.