Ch 6: Can we be friends?

While Liam was trying to impress Janet, Sam, struggling to find balance between his burgeoning friendship with Emma and his mysterious connection with Lady J, decided to take a rare evening off. He visited Sophie, who, noticing his distracted demeanor, pressed him for details.

"You're glowing, Sam," Sophie teased. "What's her name?"

Sam chuckled, shaking his head. "It's not what you think. I've been exchanging letters with someone, a stranger. But it feels… different. Real."

Sophie smiled knowingly. "Maybe it's time to stop hiding behind those letters and meet her."

Sam wasn't ready for that yet. But he too wanted to meet Lady J.

On the other hand, Liam was getting somewhat closer to Janet. Janet didn't reveal her identity but decided to go on a date with Liam. While Liam continued his letter to impress her and acting as Mr S, Janet somehow wasn't feeling well with him.

Janet was a literature teacher and worked at a school for well over 10 years. She could identify different writing styles and judge their writers based on them. She just couldn't shake the feeling that Liam wasn't being entirely truthful. While his gestures were sweet, his writing lacked the depth and introspection of Mr. S. She decided to test him.

One afternoon, she casually mentioned, "I always found it fascinating how some people can pour their soul into letters, don't you think?"

Liam nodded, but his response was vague. "It's an art, really. You have to keep it simple and direct, right?"

Janet instinctively knew that Liam wasn't Mr. S.

Meanwhile, Sam found himself at a charity event, coincidentally at the same venue where Janet was volunteering with Emma. As fate would have it, Sam and Janet crossed paths again.

"Janet, right?" Sam said, his voice softer this time. "About the gala… I owe you an apology."

Janet was taken aback. His sincerity was unexpected. "It's fine. I mean, I probably should've been more careful."

"No, it wasn't fine. I was out of line," Sam admitted.

They shook hands, and for the first time, Janet saw a side of Sam she hadn't noticed before a vulnerability that mirrored her own.

Sam was the chief guest at this charity event Janet's school was organising. And amid the business talks Sam saw the tender side of Janet. He realised his mistake and in an effort to make-up for his mistakes, he asked Janet to have lunch with his team. And since Emma would be there too and it could be a lovely get-together.

They had an interesting day at the event with Janet and Emma having friendly memories with Sam Foster. Sam who was always concerned with himself found himself enjoying the amazing company of Janet as well as that of Emma.

As their friendship grew, Sam and Janet began running into each other more often at different charity events, at community events, and even at a café near her school. Each meeting seemed serendipitous, and their conversations flowed effortlessly. More importantly Sam was trying to think like a writer to better approach Lady J and was taking writing advices from Janet.

Emma, however, began noticing Sam's growing attention toward Janet and felt a pang of jealousy. She confided in Sophie, who unknowingly encouraged her feelings. "If you like him, go for it. What's stopping you?"

But Sam's focus remained on his letters with Lady J. In one of his replies, he wrote:

To Lady J,

"Dreams and reality often collide in unexpected ways. But perhaps that's the beauty of life, finding harmony between the two. If you were to meet your prince charming in the real world, would you recognize him?"

Janet, reading his words, couldn't help but wonder if she'd already met her prince charming without realizing it.