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“See?” Sam says over the murmur of voices around them. “I told you.”
Lara looks over at Sam and her crooked grin and she can’t suppress a chuckle.
“And what exactly did you tell me?” Lara asks with a wry smile. She actually can’t stop smiling but she doesn’t care. It’s the most relaxed she’s felt all week.
They had finished up early today and the skies were finally clear after several days of wet weather. Lara had been anxious for nothing more than a hot shower, a hot meal and a whole lot of nothing else. Sam had convinced her what they both really needed was to have a drink – or several – and loosen up. So they'd wandered to the village up the road from where they were staying near the excavation site and found the closest thing to a bar they could find, which was really just the local eatery.
Lara is well aware she has a tendency to become too serious – something Sam never misses an opportunity to remind her of. It isn’t that Lara doesn’t know how to have fun. She is simply focused. Driven. And maybe sometimes she allows herself to be consumed by that focus. Luckily for her, Sam also enjoys pulling her out of the mire of work and ordering her to chill out.
“I told you that you just needed to relax and have a beer.” Sam leans into her and bumps her shoulder affectionately. “And don’t you feel better?”
Lara takes a deep breath and feels her smile grow even wider. She does indeed feel much better than she did even an hour ago as they were walking here. They’ve been on this expedition for weeks now, making some truly fascinating discoveries, and as exciting as that is, it’s also utterly exhausting. The simple act of sitting on a stool, drinking a beer with her best friend is immensely satisfying right now.
“I do,” Lara admits. “You were right again.”
“As usual, you mean,” Sam teases.
Lara laughs and lifts her bottle toward Sam, offering a toast and Sam clinks the neck of her bottle against that of Lara’s.
“Wait!” Sam blurts.
Lara stops, her bottle midway to her lips and raises an eyebrow at her.
“Well, what are we toasting?” Sam continues. “You can’t drink before the toast, it’s bad luck.”
Sam means it as a harmless jest, but Lara can’t help the wave of darkness that passes through her. Bad luck. Images from a year prior float through her mind and she pushes them away as she always does. Friends lost. Scars gained. Lara still has nightmares about their time on that cursed island - though she would never admit it, especially not to Sam, who endured far worse during that particular adventure, she’s sure.
“Oh hey, sweetie, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean – “ Sam starts.
“No, no, it’s nothing. I promise,” Lara assures her, hoping it is believable. She takes Sam’s hand and squeezes it reassuringly. “Killed the mood, didn’t I?”
“Ha, with me? Never,” Sam says before draining what’s left of her beer and signaling to the man behind the counter for two more. Something in Sam’s tone gives Lara pause, but she just smiles gratefully and finishes the last of her beer.
Sometimes she can’t understand how Sam does it. How she stays so positive, and even playful, after everything they experienced a year ago. Of course, Sam was deeply affected by what Mathias put her through, and she will doubtless forever carry those wounds in her soul. But even through her recovery, Sam never lost hope or the ability to laugh. Lara wonders if she can ever express how much she relies on Sam’s strength and how grateful she is for her solid presence.
Truth be told, it was Sam who brought Lara through the ordeal on Yamatai, even if Sam didn’t realize it. The love she has for her friend and the need to save her from the clutches of those cultist monsters drove Lara to do things she’d never imagined for herself. She killed untold numbers of men. She nearly died several times over. And she would do it all again if necessary to keep Sam safe. There is no one else she’d rather have with her right now.
It was Sam who insisted on coming with her after they left the island. Sam came to her, not even a full day after they had escaped, and Lara was unable to hide her adventurous intentions from her friend. Sam knew straight away, sensed it perhaps, and despite having just gone through the most horrific experience of her life, Sam asked to come with her. No, not asked. She just announced she was coming and left no room for argument. Lara feels a surge of warmth at that memory.
Two full bottles are plunked onto the wooden bar in front of them, pulling Lara from her thoughts and she realizes Sam is watching her. Their eyes meet and Sam just looks at her for a long moment. Her warm hand is still clutching Lara’s own and Sam laces their fingers together, giving her a small smile.
“What were you thinking about?” Sam asks gently.
Lara shrugs and reaches for one of the fresh bottles, taking a long swallow from it. “I’m glad you’re here,” Lara tells her. “You keep me sane. And you keep me grounded… safe. I don’t know if you realize how much.”
She half expects Sam to joke about how Lara always seems to be doing the rescuing but instead Sam searches Lara’s eyes in that way that makes Lara feel like the room has just disappeared. For all her playfulness, Sam’s eyes can burn with an intensity that warms Lara to the very core. She feels herself flushing under Sam’s gaze yet she can’t tear her eyes away.
“I know,” Sam finally says with a solemn nod. “I do. Because you do the same for me.”
Lara smiles again. It’s always easy with Sam. But not dull. Never dull. Even doing something as commonplace as sharing a cold drink on a balmy night, Lara feels alive in a way she can’t quite articulate. Being with Sam makes her feel more real somehow.
“To us, then?” Lara asks, holding her bottle up. She swallows hard against the rising emotion in her throat.
“Us,” Sam echoes softly, holding Lara’s eyes as their bottles clink together.
***
The clear skies that lasted all afternoon now greet them with a distant thunder as they step out into the night, dodging puddles that still linger from several days worth of rain. After beer number two, the conversation had turned to their days at University - reminiscing over parties and classes and too many hilariously awkward moments to count. The night was exactly what Lara had needed to unwind and she still felt remnants of laughter bubbling around in her chest, keeping a goofy smile plastered on her face.
“How do you do it?” Lara asks. The question has been on her mind all evening, but it kept getting lost to other conversations.
“Do what?”
“How do you always make me feel so much better?” Lana clarifies.
Sam slinks an arm around Lara’s waist, leaning into her, and whispers into her ear as they walk. “If you don’t know by now, I’m not going to tell you.”
Lara stumbles a bit and gently pushes her away with mock indignation. “What’s that supposed to mean, cryptic girl?”
“You’re the puzzle solver, you tell me,” Sam shoots back.
“Mm, I do love a good puzzle, I can’t deny that,” Lara sighs lazily and pulls Sam back against her in a loose hold, arm draped over the shorter girl’s shoulders. “Though you were a fantastic help in that last situation, I must admit.”
“Well, don’t be afraid to admit it nice and loud,” Sam says. “I don’t want to become just the pretty face with the camera.”
“Ah, but you are a pretty face, it’s true.” Lara tells her, grinning at the sky.
“Ha, well... so are you.”
Lara sighs, resting her head against Sam’s.
“You know you’re more than that though, I hope,” Lara says sincerely, tightening her embrace.
Sam stops walking and turns to face her, right hand lingering on Lara’s hip, and even through her inebriation Lara can feel the energy around them changing. Like the ground just shifted beneath them -- and she is fairly certain that earthquakes are not common for this region of the globe. Sam’s eyes are burning into her again. Lara feels the familiar flush in her cheeks and her heart flutters against her chest.
“What is that look?” Lara hears herself ask, but her voice sounds distant and separate from her.
Sam’s mouth moves wordlessly but then her lips just turn up into a crooked grin. Lara realizes absently that it may be her favorite expression on the girl. She has a sudden urge to pull Sam into a hug but finds her feet are quite heavy at the moment.
“What are you doing?” Lara whispers.
“Helping,” Sam says simply.
Lara’s arms hang as heavy as her jaw as she feels Sam’s fingers hook into her belt loops, pulling her closer. Sam looks at her, just studies her face for an eternity, her expression softer than Lara has ever seen. And the feeling it gives her makes her want to break herself open and pour herself out into the space between them, filling it with everything she’s never truly recognized before this moment because -- she knows now. She understands why Sam’s eyes are roaming down to her lips and why, as close as they are standing, Sam pulls her closer still. Their faces are inches apart now, and Lara presses her forehead to Sam’s as they exhale together, eyes closed, breath mingling in the night air.
And then Sam’s lips are pressing against her own with a tenderness that takes the breath from her lungs, takes the bones from her body and it’s all she can do to remain standing. Lara’s hands move to Sam’s waist and then drift around to press into her lower back, holding her close. Their lips are moving together now, so slowly time may have actually stopped. Until finally they part, and her senses begin to return.
“Oh,” Lara breathes, certain that her insides have melted since she can no longer feel anything but warm and glow and Sam, and Sam responds with a soft laugh.
“What can I say? I like helping you solve puzzles.”
Lara shoves at her playfully before stepping into Sam’s arms and bringing their lips together again. Yes, she definitely feels better.
END