Nineteen

I sighed in frustration, looking down at the empty canvas in front of me. This was supposed to be my final project for one of my classes, and I was supposed to turn it in in less than a week. I had been staring at it for almost two hours that morning, but I couldn't find the inspiration to actually come up with something to paint.

I leaned back on my chair and let my head fall, staring up to the ceiling that was as blank as my mind and my painting. Closing my eyes, I breathed in deeply, only to exhale loudly afterwards.

- What's up? – Sam startled me, making me turn to face him. He was leaning on my doorway, his hair up in a bun and sipping from a steaming mug of coffee in a pair of sweatpants. Very shirtless, I might add.

- I'm supposed to at least start today with this project if I want to finish it on time, but I can't really find something I want to paint – I explained.

- What's the instruction?

- I can do whatever I want as long as it's something I haven't done for this assignment before. It shouldn't be this hard - I slightly groaned, lifting my head up to go back to staring at the empty canvas.

- Mhm, have you tried something abstract? Like the one you did last time, the one that we hanged in the living room.

- It's Realism class, I can't – I sighed as he took a couple steps in, sipping from his cup.

- Some dead fruit? Like still life or whatever that shit is called – he then suggested, stopping right beside me.

- It's boring. And I've already done that – I replied.

- Paint Brooke.

- I already did.

- Then paint me – he shrugged, placing his mug on my desk.

- What? – I chuckled.

- You heard me, draw me – he went on, leaning back against the wooden table to face me, crossing his arms over his chest – Like one of you French girls – he added teasingly, quoting Rose's words in Titanic.

- I'm not painting you naked in a necklace, thank you – I spat back, slightly blushing at the mere thought of Sam's naked body in front of me.

- What a shame – he chuckled – But for real, Gwen, you could paint me.

I looked at him, still processing what he had suggested.

- I don't know – I sighed after some seconds.

He was indeed very paintable. I remembered the first time I had seen him, in which the first thing I had thought was how perfect his bone structure and features were, and how good of a model for my drawings he could turn out to be.

- It's the first and only time you'll hear me offering to voluntarily stay still for more than five minutes – he joked, grabbing his mug again and taking another sip of his coffee – I don't promise anything about being quiet. But you should consider it. You've got nothing better, anyways.

Some seconds went by before I finally agreed.

- Okay – I nodded, more to convince myself than to let him know it was alright – It will take a couple of sessions though, I won't be able to finish it today.

In spite of knowing every single detail on his face and not really needing him as a live model, if I wanted my final project to stand out, I needed it to be as perfect as possible. So, having him there would let me focus on whatever I could miss if I painted him by heart, providing a particular lighting and being more authentic.

- It's fine with me – he shrugged, placing his now empty cup back on the desk– Should we start now?

I nodded, getting up and grabbing a hair tie from my nightstand as I made my way out of the room. Putting my hair up in a messy bun, I walked into the living room, grabbing one of the unused chairs from our messy dining table and took it back into my bedroom. Looking out my window to examine the morning light coming from it, I placed the chair on a particular spot, complimenting the illumination with my lamp as well.

- Okay, I need you to sit down there facing me – I instructed. He did as I said, a playful smirk playing on his face. The bastard was enjoying this.

Biting down on my lower lip to keep my semblance, I stood in front of him and undid his bun, letting his hair fall down smoothly from the knot it had been in. I rearranged the strands a little bit, so that they perfectly cascaded around his face and neck, tucking some of them behind his ears.

I grabbed his shoulders carefully, straightening his spine, and turned him a little bit so that the light would hit on the right spots. His skin felt warm as I slid my hands down his arms, rearranging them in a way his position looked more relaxed. I could feel his intense stare as the tips of my fingers smoothed over his skin, creating an awkward tingle in my lower stomach. I took a couple steps back to my seat, tilting his face so that he would face me in the right angle. Placing my fingers under his jaw, I moved his head around cautiously, our eyes not being able to leave each other until I found the right position.

- Don't you want me to put a shirt on? – he cleared his throat after a couple seconds, not breaking his posture.

- No, it's alright. Your bare chest fits the concept better – I timidly smiled, preparing my brushes and oils.

Two hours later, I had already sketched his whole frame and painted the base colour of his skin. I had finished the shadows on his collarbone and long neck, having perfectly painted his bony shoulders and arms too. It wasn't a complete close up, but more of a medium shot, so I had painted his upper torso as well, paying attention to all the ridges and dents his muscles created. I had left his face blank, not painting his hair either as I knew it would demand even more time.

Sam had stayed still and almost completely silent throughout the whole process, not complaining even once, which I was thankful for as chattering would have been a big distraction. What I still couldn't prevent from diverting my attention was his stare. The way he looked at me sent shivers down my spine. I could feel his eyes on me as I analysed his body, and even though none of us was moving closer, I could feel the burning on our skin as it ached to finally meet. The sexual tension between us had built up to an almost unbearable point, intimacy and desire filling every corner of my room.

The fact that we had only shared a few innocent kisses ever since his band's show didn't help. We were clearly longing for the other's touch and desperately needed some kind of physical relief. We had decided to take things slow, given we lived together, and not to let lust take over the situation yet. We wanted to go step by step, but the process of drawing him, studying his body in such a way, had made it near insufferable not to touch him, not to kiss him, not to feel him.

Once I was done painting the back of the chair he was resting on, I checked the time, realising soon enough I would need to be at the coffee store. I worked on the final strokes before leaning back and examining the work I had done so far, feeling quite satisfied with it.

- Okay, we are done for today, I've got to go to work – I announced, putting my palette on the tiny prop table beside me and letting my brush sink with the others in the glass of now coloured water.

- Can I see? – he asked in a raspier voice than usual, clearing his throat right away. He was trying to play it cool as he put his hair up in a bun again, but I could tell he was turned on too.

- Sure – I mumbled, walking over to my desk to put my oils away.

He stood up and rounded the easel, finally looking at the now not so empty canvas. He brought his hand up to his chin and examined it, while I leaned back on the wooden piece of furniture behind me.

- So, what do you think? – I asked kind of nervously.

- It's amazing Gwen – he said, still analysing the painting. He then looked up and met my eyes, the sexual tension from the previous hours growing stronger and deeper.

He took the couple steps that separated us and stopped right in front of me, bringing one of his hands up to brush a single strand of hair out of my face. He gently cupped my cheek afterwards, pressing our bodies together as the back of my thighs buried into the desk. Realising that, both of his hands reached down to my bare legs and lifted me up with no effort, placing me on top of the table as he stood between my limbs.

- You are amazing – he corrected, pressing our foreheads together, our breathes mixing. Sliding his hands up my body he reached my waist, pulling me closer to him before he dived down, his lips meeting mine in a desperate kiss.

My arms immediately flew around his neck, my back arching so that there was almost no space between our bodies. All the tension from before seemed to finally be released, relaxing our minds at the same time it ignited our skin. His tongue felt hot against mine, and his lips seemed eager to pull against my own, being precise but yet sloppy as they fiercely met each other. My fingers buried in the back of his neck, lightly tugging from his hair as I pulled his face closer to me. After one powerful but tender bite he left on my lower lip, which made me inevitably moan, he moved his mouth to my jaw, starting to leave kisses all the way down to my neck.

I tilted my head back, giving him more access as his hands slid down to my ass, grabbing it lustfully. The scent of his shampoo against my nose was intoxicating, and the feeling of his wet, warm lips against my soft skin was almost enough to already send me over the edge. Grabbing onto his hair, I was fighting to keep my eyes from closing, pleasure taking over me. But when they opened, I saw the damned clock hanging from the wall in front of me, the time indicating I really had to go.

- Sam – I moaned just as he sucked and nibbled against my pulse, my definite weak spot, to then trail down to my collarbone – Sam, I've really got to go.

- Stay – he groaned, moving his lips down to the exposed skin above my loose neckline. They fixed on the flesh brimming from bra's cup, kissing it and biting it softly.

- I can't – I managed to say between breathes, as his mouth and tongue didn't stop working eagerly on my chest – Sammy, please.

He probably heard the desperation in my voice because he sighed, tilting his face to run his nose up and down my sternum before he placed one last kiss to my collarbone. His hands stayed on my waist, while his face levelled up with mine and our eyes met.

- You are driving me crazy, Gwenny – he said in a low voice, brushing his lips against mine at a slow pace before kissing me softly. I pulled away gently, looking up into his eyes,

- You are driving me crazy too – I sighed as my hands cupped his cheeks – But I've got to go.

- I know – he sighed as well in defeat. I brought his face closer to mine and kissed his pout, our mouths sensually moving against the other again, but I pulled away before it could go further – Can't you stay for lunch at least? You can't go out without eating at least something first – he insisted, running his hands up and down my thighs as he placed intermittent pecks on my lips.

- I had breakfast, you silly – I laughed against his mouth, pecking him back quickly – I'll just grab something there, I'm going to be late if not.

- Okay – he mumbled in slight disappointment, stilling his hands back on my waist and squeezing it gently. He kissed me one last time, pulling away slowly, before he let go of my body. He took a couple steps backwards and rubbed his face with his hands, clearly frustrated and turned on. I bit my lip, admiring his chiselled abdomen which looked incredible as his sweatpants hung low on his hips.

I jumped off the desk and headed to my wardrobe, looking for some fresh clothes to wear to work. I took of my shirt off, leaving myself in my bra and tiny cotton shorts, only to realise he still hadn't left the room.

- Go away, you perv – I joked looking over my shoulder at him, who was indeed staring at me with his arms crossed and a playful smirk.  He was stilly eyeing me up and down, biting down on his plump lower lip, so I threw the t-shirt I had been wearing at his face.

He laughed as he removed it from his head, tossing it to my bed before finally walking away. Before he left though, he swerved to where I was standing, pressing a kiss to my cheek from behind and smacking my ass before leaving. I simply rolled my eyes, trying to ignore the blush creeping up my neck, and turned to my wardrobe again, finally changing my clothes and getting ready to go.

He was in a pretty relaxed position on the couch when I walked into the living room , focused on a book on his lap with a new mug of coffee on his hand. Pressing a kiss on the top of his head from behind I said goodbye, finally exiting the building. I reached the bus stop and waited for some time, arriving at the coffee store with ten minutes spare. Ten minutes I could have spent with Sam, my dirty mind thought.

Brooke was already behind the counter when I walked in, tying the apron around her neck as she said goodbye to our co-worker that had taken the morning shift.

- Hey there – I greeted her, walking behind the counter myself and hanging my bag from the chair we kept there.

- Hey – she smiled, turning around to face me – Luke said it was a rather calm morning, so I guess we won't be getting too many customers either – she said, referring to our colleague that had just left the shop.

- Good, because I've been painting all morning and I'm kind of tired – I sighed in content, putting my own apron on.

- Oh, what did you end up choosing? – she asked, organising some coffee bean bags inside a cupboard.

- Uhm, I'm painting Sam – I admitted in a forced nonchalant tone, turning around to clean some mugs so that she wouldn't see me blushing.

- Okay, spill the tea – she said, dropping what she was doing immediately. Whenever it came to gossiping, Brooke became a different person, leaving everything she could be doing just to catch up with the latest news – What's going on between you too?

- There's not much new, I've already told you what happened on Friday – I shrugged, as I had already told her about us making out after his band's show and everything that happened that day and the previous ones.

- Yes, but I won't believe nothing has happened ever since then – she chuckled – You live together, there's not a chance you haven't banged each other at least once these past days.

- Well, we haven't – I replied, feeling sexually frustrated enough after that morning for her to remind me of this.

- What the hell is wrong with you both? – she asked in disbelief, but laughing a bit – I know it's awkward since you two live together, but I believed we were all over the fact that you are head over heels for each other and that there's no way to change that. So why haven't you slept together yet, then? I mean, you did it in the blink of an eye after you first made out last year, and you sleep just a door away.

After being against it for so long, Brooke had finally come to terms with the idea of me and Sam. She ended up realising that whether she liked it or not, we liked each other and we were pretty aware of the complications living together could bring. But she concluded that it was for more better than for the worse for us to finally accept what we felt, as running away from each other or trying to prevent it had only proved to worsen things.

- It's complicated – I sighed, biting down on my lip as I scrubbed some spoons too – I guess we are still coming to terms with our feelings. Trust me, I'm all hot and bothered and I know he is too. But we are still going back to normal after everything that happened. Fucking it out of our systems will only make things worse later.

- You guys are weird – she snorted, sitting up on the counter next to the sink and looking at me – But well, didn't anything happen at all? Give me something, Gwen – she pleaded.

- You are unbelievable – I chuckled, shaking my head as I focused back on the cups I was cleaning – We've been kissing, that's all you'll get.

- Oh, come on, give me more. Dry humping? Some sneaky hands? I'm dying for some juicy details here, please give me something – she begged.

- Nope – I replied, popping the "p" and not sparing her any details.

- I hate you – she said childishly, hopping off the counter and waking back to the cupboard she had been tidying up – You better give me all the details once you fuck, and you better remember it this time.

- Don't you want the sex tape too? – I laughed jokingly, seeing how badly she wanted to know every piece of information that could regard my sex life – But enough about me, how's Brooke Davis' love life?

- Ugghhhh don't even mention it – she replied, dropping once again what she was doing and walking back over to me. She barely did anything during our shifts; I had always wondered how she hadn't got fired yet – I'm so alone! Danny's with Mackenzie, now you are all lovey-dovey with Sam, and I'm sure Matt always has a chick around. Even Layla has started seeing this guy! And then there's me. I need to get a guy – she sighed, sitting on the counter again besides me.

- You don't need to get a guy. You are a strong and independent woman, I get it that you want to be with someone, but it's fine if you are not.

- Don't get all feminist with me now – she spat with a laugh – Yeah, I'm strong and whatever you said, but this independent woman has needs that need to be satisfied. Soon. And I'm tired of meaningless flings. I want something else – she pouted.

- Alright – I said, closing the tap off and drying my hands – What about Mark?

- Who's Mark? – Brooke asked back with a frown.

- The guy who asked you out twice last month – I answered, rolling my eyes but laughing lightly afterwards. She could be so oblivious.

- Oh, Mark. Nah, he's not my type – she stated, taking a biscuit from a nearby table and popping a piece of it into her mouth – What about Sam or Danny? They are both good looking, don't they have any cute relatives?

- I don't know their whole families, but Sam does have brothers. They are pretty cute – I commented, turning to the cupboard she had abandoned and rearranging the bean bags inside myself.

- Oooh nice. Are they single? – she questioned, trailing behind me.

- As far as I know, none of them are in a serious relationship. You would have to ask Sam to really know – I shrugged - You could come with us next time they have a show nearby or if we go out – I went on – Sam wouldn't mind and you could meet both of them. Their gigs are great, so in any case you would still have fun.

- Awesome – Brooke said with a full mouth, finishing off the biscuit she had started eating – Oh shit, there's a customer. We'll carry on with this later – she added as the bell rang, indicating someone had come through the door. She turned around and greeted the guy that was already waiting by the cashier.

The afternoon went by smoothly, because just as Luke had said, there weren't many people around. Soon enough my stomach started grumbling, so I took a fifteen-minute break to eat some veggie sandwich we were serving. Brooke took care of most of the few customers that actually came in, as she dreaded any chores related to cleaning up or organising supplies. There was just an hour till our shift ended when I finished doing everything I could possibly do. I grabbed my phone, checking for new texts and came across one from Sam from some minutes before.

Sammy: Heyy, are you done at work?

Me: Not yet, got another hour left. Why?

Surprisingly, I got a reply right away.

Sammy: I'm somewhere a couple blocks away and wanted you to come for a minute

Sammy: Just call me once you are out

Frowning, I answered with a simple "Ok" and put my phone away, wondering what he could be on about. He was never as mysterious as that; if it were something simple, he would have jus texted me about it. I spent the following hour racking my brain in an effort to find out a possible explanation to Sam's text or where he could be at that he wanted me to go.

As soon as my phone's lock-screen showed it was five o'clock, I stood up from the stool I had been sitting on, untying my apron quickly. You could say I was a slightly anxious person and couldn't really handle intriguing situations.

- Woah, someone's in a rush – Brooke teased as she took her apron off as well, looking at me hurriedly gathering my stuff – Where are you going?

- I'm meeting Sam – I explained, putting my jacket on.

- Oooh, are you two going on a date?

- No – I chuckled – He is a couple blocks from here doing something and wants to meet me there.

- So you are ditching me on the bus ride back home? – she gasped in mocked offense – Alright, go ahead, leave lonely and single Brooke on her own.

- I'm sorry – I said, trying to contain my laugh at her act.

- Shush, now go, and you better have something spicy to tell me next time I see you - she winked at me after giving me a short hug.

How had Brooke gone from scolding me whenever I let something happen with Sam to being our number one supporter, I would never understand.

Stepping out of the store, I fished my phone from my pocket, looking for Sam's contact instantly and pressing on the button to call. After a few beeping sounds, he picked up, sounding very excited.

- Hey Gwen – he chimed. I could hear some ruffling noises in the background but couldn't really make nothing out of them.

- Hey Sam, what's up? I'm already out of the store.

- That's great, I'm at this place at Oak Street, between the Second and the Seventh, do you think you know where it is?

- Yeah, that's just five blocks from here. Where are you? – I asked, walking in the direction he had just mentioned.

- You'll see when you get here. It's got a blue blind on the outside.

- Okay, see you in a couple minutes – I sighed, ending the call. Not knowing what was going on was really killing me.

In less than five minutes I had made it to said street, looking around until I spotted a blue blind with a blue sign above across the street. Of-fucking-course.

The puppy shelter had its door closed, but after knocking on its door, a middle-aged woman opened it for me with a huge smile, letting me in. Puppy toys were scattered messily all over the place, and tons of food bags where piled on the corner of the room, giving it a funny smell. Cheerful sign with typical Pinterest motivational phrases were covering the walls, and soft music played in the background.

- Hi dear, how can I help you? – the lovely woman asked, going behind the front desk they had.

- Um, I guess I'm looking for my friend, he told me he was here – I explained – He's kind of tall and has long hair, do you think you've seen him?

- There you are! – Sam's voice came from behind, making me turn around. He walked over to stand next to me, placing a hand on the small of my back –Trisha, this is Gwen, my uhm... roommate. Gwen, this is Trisha, she owns this place – he introduced us with a huge grin.

- Oh, darling, it's so nice to meet you – Trisha said pulling me into an awkward hug with the desk still between us.

- It's lovely to meet you too – I greeted back with a little laugh, pulling away from our embrace.

- C'mon, follow me – Sam said right away, taking my hand and leading us further into the place.

- I would ask what you are doing here, but I think I already know what your evil plans are – I told him as we walked along a corridor full of white doors.

- Shh, just let me show you and you'll tell me what you think later, alright? – he asked, turning his face to look at me.

- Okay – I sighed, already knowing that I would end up disappointing him anyways.

Sam opened the last door in the corridor, which was blue instead of white, and I was met by a huge white room. The floor was covered in foam mats, and all around the place were puppies jumping and playing with each other. They couldn't be older than a month or two, as some of them were being fed by a guy with a shirt with the shelter's logo on. He greeted us with a nod, but didn't spare us any words. Little tiny barks filled my ears as we walked in, tons of puppies running to where Sam and I stood and jumping around us, standing on two legs as their pawed at our pants.

He let go of my hand and crouched down to the floor, petting them with enthusiasm. He ruffled their heads and called them cute names, using a cooing voice that made me chuckle to myself. A couple climbed up his torso when he sat down on the mat, licking his face desperately as he received them with open arms.

- C'mon, come down – he said pulling from my arm and forcing me to sit down next to him.

There couldn't be more than twenty puppies in the room, but immediately a bunch of them were all over me, climbing up my lap and licking on my shoes, making the cutest little sounds as they attempted to bark. Their tails were moving eagerly as excitement filled their tiny bodies as I petted them. I turned to the side to look at Sam. He was already lying on his back with two puppies sitting on his abdomen and another one all over his face, while other three were playing with his jeans, biting and uselessly trying to pull from it. A smaller one was playing eith his shoe laces, already having managed to untie them and rip their ends a little bit.

I bit on my lip as I saw him lying there, his hair sprawled all around his head carelessly as he enjoyed himself. The huge smile on his face warmed my heart, his carefree laugh making my own smile widen even more.

- They are cute – I admitted, making him look at me.

- I know – he replied with a chuckle, being interrupted by the puppy he had on his chest licking all over his nose and mouth – Hey buddy, who's a good boy? – he went back to his cooing voice, playing with said doggy's ears as it barked happily.

Laughing to myself, I scanned my surroundings and found a rope toy lying nearby, grabbing it. In less than a second, all the puppies surrounding me jumped at it, biting and pulling from it desperately. It was fun to see them fight for it playfully, some falling backwards clumsily as they tried to pull harder than they actually could. Eventually I softly let go of my end of the rope, letting them play with it between themselves as I cradled the puppy that had stayed on my lap against my chest.

I stood up while I petted its soft beige fur and took a look around. Seeing that Sam was in his own world, I approached the guy feeding some of the little dogs across the room, making him look up at me when I reached him. He had to be in his early twenties, and if I had to bet on it, I would have said he was Trisha's son.

- Hey – I greeted, running my fingers over the back of the puppy I held.

- Hey, first time here, right? Haven't seen you around – he smiled at me from his crouching position on the floor, a puppy drinking from the milk bottle he had in his hand.

- Yeah, he dragged me over – I explained with a soft laugh, motioning to Sam's lying body behind me with my head.

- They love Sam – the boy chuckled – I'm Dean, by the way.

- Gwen – I smiled back – So, where did you get all these puppies from? – I asked curiously.

- We found some on the streets, but most of them were born here after we took in their mothers. We usually find them pregnant and abandoned, in very poor conditions – he explained, making me nod as he spoke – We feed and assist them in the birthing process. We keep the puppies with them for a month or so for the milking, but then we usually separate them. We don't want them to develop a bond if they will probably be separated when they are fostered.

- That's reasonable – I agreed, placing the beige puppy I held on the floor. It ran away quickly with little barks, making me chuckle – It's very nice of you doing this.

- Thanks – he smiled, removing the bottle from the dog he was feeding and standing up to refill it.

- Hey – I suddenly felt two hands on my waist, making me jump a little.

- You scared me, shit-face – I scoffed, letting him place a kiss to my cheek from behind.

- I'm sorry – he apologised, resting his chin on my shoulder. Dean was a couple of steps away, as he was looking in a box for another gallon of milk – So, what do you think?

- I've already told you; they are cute – I replied, knowing where this conversation was going to and not liking the way in which it would develop.

- We could get one – he started in an innocent tone, sliding his hands across my stomach so that he was hugging me.

- Sam, we've already talked about this. No – I replied tiredly, hating to act bitchy.

- But why? Look at them – he said turning our bodies so that we faced the room – C'mon Gwenny, we could totally foster one.

- Don't make this harder – I sighed, really liking the dogs but knowing it would be a mess if we got one.

- Please, Gwenny, just one – he begged, tightening his grip on my body as he buried his face in my neck. "Just one", as if I would even consider getting two.

- Sammy, look at me – I said after some seconds, turning around in his arms. He lifted his face up, puckering his lower lip at me with, ironically, puppy eyes. I brought my hands up, smoothening them over his shoulders as I continued – You know we can't. It would be a complete disaster.

- I would clean up – he hurried to say, desperation and hope glimmering in his eyes.

- Not just in the apartment; a puppy is really demanding. We've got a lot in our plates right now, and you said last week that you wanted to get a job. I know you really want one, but it's not the right time for us to do this. Once things get more settled and we aren't as busy, we can talk about it, okay? – I tried softly, cupping his disappointed face tenderly.

- Alright – he sighed in defeat, his shoulders dropping a little bit and his head falling, staring down at his shoes. I tilted his face up, scanning his gloomy features before I stood up on my toes and gave his lips a soft, loving kiss.

- I'm sorry – I whispered against his mouth, not wanting to open my eyes and see his sorrowful face again.

- It's okay, let's go – he simply responded with a tiny sad smile, pulling away from our embrace and taking my hand. We waved goodbye to Dean, silently making our way out of the room and store, greeting Trisha as well.

And as we reached the bus stop to go back home, hand in hand but in silence, I couldn't help but feel guilty. He had had the biggest smile on his face back there, and I felt the urge to do everything I could to keep it there. But a dog? I felt like it was too much for us yet.

- Brooke has just texted me saying she wants to bang my brothers, what the fuck? - Sam exclaimed, breaking the gloomy mood as I laughed, peeking at the message on his phone.

- Well, it might be my fault, I might have named them today - I admitted with a playful grin. I was glad he wasn't closing down on me after our conversation at the shelter, as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pecked my lips.

- You lady, have a lot of explaining to do - he chuckled, resting his chin on top of my head.

I smiled to myself, but not at the thought of our delirious friend, but because that he hadn't let our little disagreement come between us. I feared we would take a step backwards because of it, but instead he proved me that we could work on it. He had always been really stubborn, and he could have fought harder for it. But he didn't.

He put me, us first. And that, said more than a thousand words.