Found You in the Algorithm ~ Sam golbach

22

10:32 AM.
The message was opened.
Read.
Seen.

And Sam hadn't typed a single word back.

Not one.

⸻

He was still sitting on the couch, hunched forward, elbows on his knees, phone hanging loosely in his fingers. The screen had gone dark, but he hadn't moved.

The boys were quiet.

Colby sat beside him — not touching, just close.
Chris paced once, then twice.
Matt stood in the doorway, arms crossed, unreadable.
Nick sat on the floor with wide eyes, chewing a nail like it owed him money.

⸻

Chris: finally breaks "Dude. Say something."

Sam: still staring ahead "I don't know what to say."

Colby: "Try... 'thank you'? Or maybe: 'you made me cry in front of my friends like a bitch'? That one feels accurate."

Matt: "You really don't get it, do you?"

Sam: quietly "Get what?"

Matt: steps closer, voice lower
"She didn't just respond.
She told you she got your pain tattooed into her skin.
She told you your words saved her.
She told you to say hi to your dead grandmother."

Chris: soft "That wasn't a reply. That was a confession."

⸻

Sam pressed his knuckles against his mouth.

His stomach twisted.
Not with nerves — but with recognition.

He'd read thousands of messages from fans.
He'd gotten letters, tweets, long paragraphs after tours.
But nothing ever felt like this.

Nothing had ever felt like someone telling him he mattered in ink.

⸻

Colby: "You don't have to text back right now. But you have to do something. You can't leave her on read after that."

Sam: voice barely there "She called me sweet boy."

Nick: "And you are, Sam. You're the human version of a hot chocolate with a panic attack. She sees that."

Chris: "So what do you wanna do?"

⸻

Sam finally looked up.
His eyes were pink, but dry.
And his voice didn't shake when he answered:

Sam:
"I wanna make sure...
...that if I respond...
...she knows I'm not playing a part.
I'm not trying to flirt.
I'm not leading her on.
I just—
...I see her, too."

⸻

The room went still.
And for once, no one had anything to joke about.

Matt: genuinely "That might be the most Sam shit I've ever heard."

Colby: "So you're not texting back yet?"

Sam: shakes head
"No. Not yet.
Because when I do...
...it's gonna mean something."

⸻

The boys nodded.
No more teasing.
Just respect.

Because for the first time in a long time, Sam wasn't just reacting to a message.

He was feeling chosen.
And realizing... maybe he wanted to choose back.