Olivia knocked gently before easing Sam's office door open. "Ms. Sam, the car is ready at the front entrance for your factory visit."
Sam didn't look up from the stack of papers spread across her desk. "Alright. Just a few minutes, Olivia."
"I'll let the driver know, ma'am."
The door clicked shut, leaving Sam alone with the rustle of pages and the soft hum of the AC. She signed one more document, clipped another together, and exhaled, shoulders tight from hours of tension.
A few minutes later, she walked briskly through the lobby, phone pressed to her ear.
"Yes, I'll be at the factory today," she said, weaving past employees who nodded as she passed. "I want to review the assembly line report myself... Yes, I'm already on my way."
She stepped into the waiting car, the familiar scent of leather and disinfectant wrapping around her. The car pulled away smoothly from the curb. Sam continued, "There are documents I need to go over, but it should be fine once—"
Something prickled at the back of her neck.
She glanced out the window.
This wasn't the usual route.
"Hold on," she muttered into the phone. "I'll call you back."
She hung up and leaned forward slightly. "Excuse me—this isn't the way to the factory."
No response.
Sam's heartbeat quickened. "Hey. Where are you taking me?" Her voice pitched higher, panic tightening her chest. "This is not funny—stop the car!"
The driver's shoulders shook lightly... almost like a muffled laugh.
Then the driver reached up, pulled off the cap, and turned to her with a grin.
"I'll take you to a place where you can escape your stressful world," Alexandra said.
Sam's jaw dropped. "Oh my God—ALEX?!"
The fear snapped like a brittle thread, replaced by a rush of adrenaline and disbelief. "I thought—I really thought I was being kidnapped!"
Alexandra couldn't hold her laughter anymore. "I'm sorry, baby. I had to improvise. You were never going to leave the office unless I staged something dramatic."
Sam pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing. "Dramatic? Alexandra, I almost cried. Do you understand? My soul left my body for a second!"
Alexandra looked at her through the rearview mirror, eyes sparkling with mischief and affection. "I know. I'm terrible. I'll make it up to you later... promise."
"You better," Sam muttered, though a smile tugged at her lips. "I swear, Alexandra Brand, one day you'll be the death of me."
"With love," Alexandra shot back, winking.
Sam huffed dramatically, crossing her arms—but her cheeks were already warming with fondness. "Next time you want to kidnap me for a date," she said, leaning forward with a playful glare, "just text me. I would have said yes."
"Well," Alexandra said, steering the car onto a quieter inner-city road lined with small cafés and neon signs, "where's the fun in that?"
Sam sank back against the seat, finally letting herself laugh. The fear melted away, replaced by something warm, bright, and full.
And as they drifted past the familiar buildings, heading toward the outskirts, Sam felt the warmth settle in her bones.
And all she could think was:
God, I love this woman.
--
They were halfway out of the city when Alexandra abruptly flicked on her turn signal and pulled into a small convenience store tucked beside a laundry shop. Neon lights buzzed faintly above the entrance. Sam raised an eyebrow.
"We're taking a snack detour?" she asked.
Alexandra smirked. "Abduction packages come with refreshments. It's standard."
Sam rolled her eyes but smiled as she followed her inside.
A blast of cold air greeted them, the freezer humming in the corner. Alexandra made a beeline for it, crouching as she rummaged through the frosted glass. Sam leaned against a shelf of chips, watching her with amused tenderness.
Alexandra popped upright. "Found them!"
Minutes later, they were back outside, sitting side by side on a small wooden bench under the glow of the streetlight. Cars passed in lazy intervals down the road, and the warm breeze carried the faint scent of asphalt and street food.
Sam peeled open her strawberry ice pop. Alexandra tore open a lemon one and bit straight into it—too aggressively—and instantly made a face.
Sam snorted. "Every time. You never learn."
"It surprises me," Alexandra insisted, puckering dramatically.
Sam's laughter softened into a smile, her body relaxing against the bench. Alexandra swung her legs slightly, like she had zero stress in the world. It was adorable.
Then, mid-bite, Alexandra went still.
"Déjà vu," she murmured quietly.
Sam turned. "What?"
Alexandra blinked once, slowly, as if pulling herself out of something. "Nothing weird... just this." She gestured between them with her half-melted ice pop. "Sitting like this. Eating these. It feels like it's happened before."
Sam watched her closely.
There was something in Alexandra's voice—soft, almost fragile. A quiet confusion threaded through it, like she was searching for a memory she couldn't quite grasp. Alexandra's gaze drifted to the pavement, lost for a moment in a nostalgia with no clear origin.
Sam didn't say anything.
Instead, she simply looked at her—longer than she meant to, deeper than she expected.
Studying the gentle furrow of Alexandra's brows, the way the streetlight traced soft gold along her profile, the small crease at the corner of her lips that appeared whenever she was trying to make sense of something she didn't understand.
After a moment, Alexandra glanced over, catching Sam staring at her.
Sam didn't look away.
Alexandra tilted her head slightly, a quiet question in her eyes. "What's that look for?"
Sam's response was soft, almost shy. "Nothing."
A small smile tugged at her lips, honest in its warmth.
She nudged her knee against Alexandra's, the touch light but grounding.
"Come on," Sam murmured. "Take me to this mysterious escape of yours."
Alexandra's smile unfurled slowly, brightening her eyes and softening the lines of her face—like Sam's words alone brought her back to the present.
They rose from the bench, tossed their wrappers into the bin, and headed toward the car.