five times + they learned something new
Five Times || @alwaysvacant || accepting
1) “I didn’t know you sang.”
Sam was in the tub enjoying a bubble bath and some much needed alone time, or so she thought. As she was currently belting out Friend Like Me from Aladdin, she didn’t hear Ray come home or walk to the bathroom door. It was cracked to let the steam out from her very heated bath but Ray was a gentleman and didn’t come any nearer than the door. But he did listen to her rendition of Robin Williams’s famous song and nearly made her jump out of her skin when he said, “I didn’t know you sang.”
2) “I didn’t know you played.”
Sam was walking to the bus stop after a long day at the hospital. She hadn’t called her dad for a ride because she was hoping to best her fear of public transit, or transit in general. Half way to the bus stop she heard a beautiful song playing lively and upbeat on the street; earning a small crowd. The tune ran all through her and she neared the sound, pausing every once in awhile to bob her head and swing her hips best she could to the beat, tapping a hand on her thigh to the tune before slowly making her way through the crowd to find Ray, an acquaintance she had made a day or so prior. She grinned brightly at him and clapped loudly as his song came to an end. “Ray, I didn’t know you played.”
Sam was watching a video of her and the boys, Romero and Xavier were watching Sam and Kincaid have a dance off. Sam had some moves but Kincaid was besting her. Sam laughed sadly at the images playing before her and she jumped when the door opened and Ray came in. He offered a cheerful greeting until he saw Sam wiping away tears and quickly trying to stop a video, almost guiltily. He asked what she was watching as he walked closer and he could see the desert camouflage before he recognized the uniformed Sam with three men. Sam tried to play it off but Ray knew better, knew her better. He sat beside her and gentle asked for her to play it; she hesitated but slowly hit play and the two watched in impregnable silence as the dancing continued and the laughing on screen the only sound between them. “That’s- That’s Romero and the one doing the robot is Kincaid,” Sam had rarely spoken about her friends in Iraq and never mentioned their names. Not to Ray. Not yet. Ray glanced at her and Sam smiled weakly, sniffling lightly and wiping at her eyes as Kincaid threw up his arms victoriously after having won the dance off. “That’s Xavier, he was a first sergeant and the love of my life,” Sam laughed bitterly as she watched said man wrap the screen version of her in his strong arms and kiss her head, whispering something in her ear that made her grin ear to ear. “You were in love?” Ray asked her softly and Sam smiled and shook her head lightly with a weak choke of a laugh. “I’ll always be in love with Xavier.”
Sam was reading the paper when Ray woke up. Sam rarely slept and had a habit of reading when she couldn’t sleep, afraid the television would wake Ray. She was sipping her tea when her roommate walked through the kitchen. Usually when Ray came out of his room he was fully dressed and ready for the day, sometimes well on his way out the door for his day or she was gone before he woke up on her way to her shift at the hospital, but this morning was different. Their schedules had aligned and they were both off so Ray kind of slept in and when he did finally mozy out of his room he was shirtless with just a pair of sleep pants. “Well good mor-” Sam paused at the state of undress her roommate was in and blinked momentarily distracted by how tone he was. She never looked at Ray as anything other than a friend but damn he looked good shirtless. Ray turned to regard her and Sam squinted at something black on his chest. “You have something,” she said gesturing to the spot on her chest. Ray looked at his chest asking what and Sam tried to direct him to what she was seeing but apparently his was blind. “No it’s oh my god is that a tattoo!? You have a tattoo!?” she squeaked hurrying up from the kitchen table to make her to her roommate and look at him. “Let me see let me see!”
5) “Oh my god you’re a chef.”
Sam had pulled a double and it was almost an eighteen hour day. She was exhausted and managed to make it home in a taxi without freaking out, although she made the poor man take the long way and it took about twice as long due to construction. The long pauses helped Sam relax and the slow pace was much to her liking but she did almost fall asleep in the cab. Once inside her shared apartment with Ray, the smell of seasoned chicken, mashed potatoes, and sauteed vegetables filled the air. Sam inhaled deeply and her eyes fluttered closed as she called, “Ray? Ray I’m home.” She shuffled into the apartment and fell into a seat at the kitchen table, pulling off her shoes as she watched Ray move about the kitchen. She watched him closely as he greeted her warmly and effortlessly tossed the vegetables. Sam’s eyes widened impressed with his skill in the kitchen and then he tore a piece of the chicken off to let her try. Sam bit the chunk of meat from the fork and the flavors erupted along her tongue causing her to hum deep in the back of her throat, eyes fluttering her closed as she playfully crossed her eyes. “Oh my god, you’re a chef!” She laughed and smiled brightly at him, amused with this new found knowledge. “You have to teach me some recipes!”
