25

The house felt... different now.

Not louder.Not quieter.Just... slower.

Chris had gone upstairs without a word.Nick was still on the floor, knees up to his chest, no longer scrolling.Matt leaned in the doorway, arms crossed, watching Sam with this look in his eyes — like he knew his friend had just hit something deeper than infatuation.

And Colby? Colby hadn't moved from his spot on the couch. He just sat there. Quiet. Present.

Because Sam was still holding Chris's phone.

Still watching that video.

Still listening to her say:

"This is my first tattoo.It's Sam Golbach's signature."

⸻

Sam: quietly "I didn't even believe in myself back then.Not really."

Colby: low "She did."

Matt: soft "Before she had a platform. Before she had followers. She chose you like a prayer. Not a performance."

⸻

Sam set the phone down on the table.

He didn't cry.But something in him settled.Something old and ugly — shame, maybe. Doubt. Grief.It loosened its grip.

Because she knew him back then.

The haunted version.The tired one.The boy with his back against the wall, smiling for the camera and crumbling between takes.

And she still inked his name into her skin like it meant something good.

⸻

Nick (gently):"You don't have to say anything to her yet.But if you don't... you'll think about this forever."

Sam: barely audible "I already do."

⸻

The room fell silent again.

For a moment, the weight of it was too big to move.But then—a notification buzzed.

Colby's phone.Not Sam's.

Colby (reading):"She just posted."

⸻

They all went still.Not panic.Not excitement.Just... stillness.Like whatever it was — it would matter.

⸻

[Melinda's TikTok – 10 seconds. She's in her kitchen, laughing at something off-screen. Messy bun. Oversized hoodie. Flour on her wrist. She turns, holds up a whisk, and sticks her tongue out at the camera. Caption: "This recipe is going to give me trauma. Or diabetes. Either way, I'm in."]

⸻

Chris (from upstairs): "Was that a baking video?!"

Nick: "She just posted her spine on main, got followed by Sam, revealed her first tattoo was his signature... and now she's making COOKIES??"

Matt: grinning softly "That's her, though. She doesn't change."

Colby: watching Sam "She's not trying to impress you. She's just living. That's why you trust her."

⸻

Sam just smiled.

Not big. Not performative.But real.

Because somehow that ten-second video said more than any DM ever could:

She's not holding her breath waiting for him.She's just being herself.And that's what makes it safe to fall.