Page 97 of Sweetheart

Sam took his time getting into position.

"I don't think you can use it too much, you know? It's not like there's this finite amount of love in a person's heart, and once it's used up, it's gone.You can always create more. It's one of the only things that really is endless."

He swung, but as his ball sailed past, I couldn't tear my eyes off of Sam.

"Loveshould be said more often. Not less," he said. "That'sjust my opinion."

As his eyes settled on me, I looked away in time to see his pink ball fall neatly into place, disappearing into the earth. A hole in one.

"Nice shot," I murmured.

"Thanks," he said. "What do you think? About love?"

Clearing my throat, I turned back to face him and methis gaze. "Ithink love is special, that it's rarer than everyone makes it out to be. I think some people search all their life for true love and never find it."

Sam nodded."What about I love you?"

Heart sparkles.

All the heart sparkles went off at hearing him say those words.

It was a question, not a declaration, but the organ in my chest couldn't tell the difference.

Sam Bishop would never say those words to me for real, so I allowed the sparkles to fill me up, enjoying the fuzzy feelings, before coming back to reality.

"Kent?"

"I think you should only say I love you if you mean it," I said.

"Just so you know," he said, "when I say it, I always mean it."

Pulling in a long inhale then releasing an even longer exhale, I smiled. "That's good. Also, that was two of your questions."

"But—"

"Honestly, might've been three. But I'm willing to compromise."

As Sam shook his head, we walked to the end of the green. He retrieved his ball; I sunk mine in one extra stroke, and we moved onto the next hole. I think we both needed a breather after that because the follow-up questions weren't nearly as profound.

Sam: What's your favorite sport?

Me: Does reading count as a sport?

Sam: No...

Me: Oh, okay, then figure skating.

(a grunt)

Me: If you could go anywhere, where would it be?

Sam: Fictional or real world?

Me: Either.

Sam:Schitt's Creekif it's fiction, a bakery if it's not.

Me: I love that answer.

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