Different Forms of Happiness

Part 23

Chapter 22 - Graham

Graham watched the secret look between pass between Mrs. Miller and Sam.  He knew that they had come to an understanding, that somehow the two had found a common ground.  Glancing towards his friend, Graham wondered if Scott was that common ground.  Could the way they both felt towards Scott bring them together?  Or was he wrong?  Were they just putting on happy faces until they all left?  No, he thought with a smile.  If Sam were angry, it would show on her face.  She was one of the worse people when it came to hiding emotions.

Someone slapped him on the shoulder, making his attention fall from Scott.  Looking at Max, he knew that the man was trying to send him a secret message.  Graham sent him a confused expression.  Max cleared his throat while nodding his head towards Scott.  When Graham still did not understand, Max let out an annoyed noise.

"Sam," Max spoke up.

She glanced towards them, her dark eyes lighting up. "Yeah?"

"Let's dance," Max said with a smile.  Walking towards her, he held his hand out for Sam to take. 

With a small laugh, Sam let Max pull her to her feet.  As they were leaving the kitchen, Max cleared his throat, getting Graham's attention once more.  "You want to dance?"

"No," Graham answered, his face scrunching up in confusion.  "I know I'm your date, but I don't really know if I'd feel comfortable—"

"I think," Mrs. Miller interrupted, "that they're trying to clear the room so my son and I can have a small chat."

Graham glanced towards Sam who was biting her lip to keep her laughter at bay.  "Right," he drawled with red covering his cheeks.  "I'm just going to..."

"Leave," Sam said with a laugh.  Dropping Max's hand, she grabbed his.  "Come on.  You can have the first dance.  Max has danced with me before; he can wait."

Raising an eyebrow, he followed her from the kitchen.  "Do I even want to dance with you?  As far as we know, you have two left feet."

Shooting him a look that clearly said that she would prove him wrong, she continued through the house.  Graham followed behind, a smile on his face but questions in his mind.  What was it that Sam had talked about to Mrs. Miller?  What was she hiding?  Who were her parents that Mrs. Miller seemed to know so well?  And how did Sam feel towards Scott?  Was she falling for his best friend, or did she feel nothing towards Scott but friendship?

Hands curled around his neck, bringing his attention back to the present. With a smile, Sam started to sway back and forth.  "I get it.  You're the one who can't dance."

Shaking his head at her, he laughed.  "You got me." 

There was no way that he was going to tell her what had caught his attention.  That so many questions had been flying through his head, making him forget where he was.  Instead, he began swaying with her, stepping one way before stepping the other.  It wasn't what he was used to, but it was strangely nice. 

"What's on your mind?"

Shaking his head, he looked down at her.  "I don't know what you mean."

Her lips puckered slightly and a disbelieving expression flew onto her face.  "You expect me to believe that, Graham?  I may not have known you for very long, but your face is an open book."

"Funny," he said while tickling her side slightly.  "I was thinking the same about you earlier."

She jerked away from his hand and glared.  The glare didn't hold much power over him, maybe because she was laughing along with it.  "Stop trying to change the subject.  What's wrong?"

Stepping away from her, he held his hands up in surrender.  "No more tickling you; I promise."

"Tell me what you want to know," she demanded while stepping closer to him.

With her arms wrapped around his neck and his hands on her waist, he caved.  "What were you and Mrs. Miller talking about?"

"I changed my mind.  We don't have to talk."

"Sam, just tell me."  She shook her head at him.  Widening his eyes, Graham put on his best puppy-dog face.  "Please?"

Sam glanced away from him before slowly turning to him once more as if she expected his pleading expression to be gone.  "Fine," she groaned in annoyance.  "She was friends with my parents when they were younger."

Unconsciously, he let the music guide his movements.  With countless dance lessons as a child, he had almost every dance memorized.  She looked at him in shock before following along.  "You said were," he mumbled while flinging her out for a twirl.  When she came back to him, he smiled.  "What happened?'

"The same thing that could happen to us if we are not careful," she answered before dropping his hand.

He reached towards her before groaning when he realized exactly which song it was they were dancing to.  With his new partner, he smiled reluctantly.  Normally, he would have wooed the woman off her feet, made it to where she was following him around all night eating his every word.  Right now though, he just wanted Sam back.  He wanted to know what she meant by her last comment.

Finally, when the time came, he sent the woman back to her partner.  When Sam came back into view, he immediately pulled her back into his arms.  "What do you mean about that?"

"I love you both," she said with a smile.  "You're the best friends I've had in a while.  Max has been my friend since I was a child, but you two, I feel as if you two actually choose me to be your friend.  That may not make sense to you," she mumbled with a laugh, "but it's hard to explain."

The music died down around them, but Graham stood in the same spot.  "No," he told her, "I understand completely.  Scott and I were thrown together so much as children that it was impossible for us not to become best friends.  It's nice to know that someone has stuck with you for that long, but it's even nicer to know that someone chose you."

A small smile curled the corner of her lips.  "Exactly, but I hope the friendship between all of us will be the sticking kind.  I don't know what it would feel like not to have one of you in my life."

"I promise," he said in a hard tone.  "No matter what happens, you and I will always be friends."