I Still Love You

"Sam, we have to talk about this. You can't keep running away when I bring it up." Freddie told her in a stern, yet, calm voice. He moved so he was now standing in front of the window that led off the fire escape and back into the apartments. Sam wouldn't meet his gaze and shifted back and forth. Finally she moved forward.
"Move out of the way, Freddork. I don't want to talk right now." She commanded him. "I just need some time to think." With that she shoved him out of the way. Freddie grabbed her arm as she was going over the window sill.
"Can you at least let me have your new phone number that you were talking about? So, that way I can get a hold of you." Asked her. Sam looked into his eyes for a brief moment, then jerked away from his grasp and darted into the building.

The next day he couldn't find her or find a way of getting a hold of her. Finally he went to the Shay's apartment and asked Carly. She gave him a surprised look.
"You mean she didn't tell you?" Carly asked. Freddie just looked at her, waiting for her to tell him.
"She said she was changing her flight schedule to earlier this morning." Carly told him, with a look of pity on her face.
"What?! I knew she's been talking about leaving, but... I didn't think she meant it!" Freddie was shocked that she left, but not really, because she had been talking about going for awhile now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It has almost been a year since she had last talked to him. Sam went over and picked up her phone and dialed the number, that used to be so familiar to her. It rang three times on the other end and then the answering machine picked up.

'Hi, this is Freddie, and if your calling about that car I sold, or if your calling on a Tuesday night, I won't answer 'cause I'm out bowling. And if your trying to sell me something, don't bother leaving a message. But, if your anyone else, wait for the beep and you know what to do after that. PS, If this is Sam... I still love you.'

Sam dropped the phone and let it hit her counter. She was overly shocked.
"What kinda dork would hang on this long?!.... How much does that say about his feelings for me?..." She got quieter as she talked to herself.
Sam decided to wait a few days before she tried back again. She heard those same three rings then the machine picked up again.

'Hello, Freddie here. I'm not answering if it's Friday, because I went to the ball game and I'll be at the lake Saturday morning if the weather holds out, I will return your calls in the afternoon of Sunday, that's when I get back, and PS, If this is Sam, I still love you.'

Sam decided to leave her number this time, but didn't say another word, not even calling him one of his nicknames.
When Freddie got back from his trip to the lake, he went and checked his messages as he put away some of his camping gear. Then one of his messages drew his attention. The voice on the other line was one he would never have forgotten and her voice left a number that was new to him, but he called it up. It rang, he didn't pay attention to how many times, but to him it seemed to take forever. When finally it stopped ringing. On the other end this is what he heard.

"If your calling about my heart, it's still yours, it never stopped being yours. I should have listened to it more, then maybe... It wouldn't have been this long to realized that I need to come home.... And by the way, Benson, this isn't a machine your hearing... Can't you tell? This is Sam and I still love you.... I still love you..."
He could here Sam get quieter as she repeated the last part, and he could hear very faint sobbing coming from the other line. He wished that he was there so he could comfort her, but he wasn't, so he did what he hoped would help.
"... Sam...." He said sweetly to get her attention. "... I have always, and will always, love you."