Sam was quiet for a few moments but his breathing was a little more ragged than usual. This night sucked. Everything sucked. He needed a vacation far, far away from everything.

"And I can't give you what you want either," Sam finally said. "Because yeah, I want more than that. Because I've had it and it was good for me. It was so good so dialing it back, trying to have less, and being okay with that? I just can't do it. It's not about not wanting you in more than one way, Natalie. It's about there being too much between us in the past to just be friends in the present and future. It's because I know you so completely as you say. So, I can't give you what you want."

He shook his head and rubbed his tired and gritty eyes. "And I've really gotta go now. Brid's coming this way and I've gotta go."