83 Will You Marry Me?

Sam enjoyed his time with Sumi. Something about her always put a smile on his face and he couldn't explain it. It was more than pure attraction; they connected in a way that he had never connected with another woman. Not even with Delilah and Tiffany. And every time they met, it was full of fun and excitement.

However, they had a couple of obstacles in their way...

Firstly, their relationship was still a secret to most people they knew. Sam always snuck into Sumi's workplace when no one was around, and Sumi never introduced him officially as her boyfriend. The only people that knew about them were Delilah and Tiffany who had walked in on them having sex in the storeroom. Sam began to wonder whether they were even an official couple or just friends with benefits.

But a bigger obstacle...was the fact that time was ticking for Sam. He was not an American citizen; he was from Hong Kong and he had to eventually return there. Meanwhile, Sumi was not a Hong Kong citizen; she had never even stepped foot into Hong Kong. Even if they made their relationship official, how would they maintain it? Would they have to fly back and forth to see each other? But...the distance between Hong Kong and Vegas was so far ...

Eventually, Sam realized there was only one option if he wanted a stable relationship with the woman: he would have to marry her and make her move to Hong Kong with him? Would that be too farfetched for two people who had known each other for less than a week to do?

Sam had never been a brave person. Heck, it took him over a decade to reveal to Delilah that he was gay...and he didn't even do it out of his own free will; she had to walk in on him and Sumi for him to finally tell the truth.

But when it came to Sumi, he was willing to do anything.

So, during one of their secret meetup sessions in the storeroom of the cafeteria, Sam got down on one knee and went for it. "Sumi, I know this might be out of the blue and too soon, but I need to return to Hong Kong in a week and I don't want to be separated from you. Will you marry me and move to Hong Kong?"

Sumi glanced down at the man in surprise. There was a complex mix of emotions in her eyes that Sam could not decipher. She seemed moved by his actions, yet she looked hesitant and there was even a trace of guilt.

Helping the man off the ground, she gently shook her head.

He wasn't completely surprised. 

However, Sam still felt his heart break when he saw this. Although he knew there was a really low chance of her actually saying yes, the rejection still hurt. But, at least, he expressed his feelings and showed her he was serious. Perhaps, they could now sit down and discuss the next step in their relationship properly and find a way to make it work. If they truly liked each other, nothing could stand in their way, right?

"Sorry," Sam apologized, "I know I may be moving too fast, but I just really wanted to give it a try. It was a solution that I came to after a lot of thinking..."

Sumi moved away and looked down. She felt bad for rejecting the man. But she had to.

"How about this, we can maintain a long-distance relationship for a year. I will fly to Vegas every two months to see you. If things go well, will you reconsider marrying me?" Sam asked as he took the initiative. He had never wanted something so bad in his life.

Sumi's head remained down. Without saying anything, she simply shook her head again.

Sam looked at the woman in confusion and sensed that something wasn't right. "What's wrong? Do you think two months is too long? We can make video calls every night. Or do you think one year isn't enough? How about two years? I can wait."

"That's not it," Sumi finally said.

"Then what is it?" Sam asked, "Do you think we should make our relationship more official first? I can meet your friends and you can meet mine. I can fly to Korea and meet your family if you want and you can fly to Hong Kong to meet mine. Will that make you feel better?"

Sumi bit her lower lip like she was trying to hide something. Slowly, she lifted her head and looked regretfully into Sam's eyes. "Sam, I really like you. You're the best man I've ever met. We get along so well together and...we have amazing sex...but..."

Sam furrowed his brows. But? Something was definitely not right...

"It's not that I don't want to marry you. I really can't..." Sumi looked down again and closed her eyes in pain.

By this point, Sam had a foreboding feeling and his voice began to tremble. "Wh-why?" was all he managed to say.

"Sam...you came into my life out of nowhere...and I lost control of myself. I never planned for this to happen...

"I never planned for 'us' to happen..."

Sam looked at the woman in shock. "Don't you like me? Was this all just a game for you?"

The woman quickly shook her head again. "This was not a game. I truly like you. I like you a lot. That's why I couldn't control myself." Tears began to form in the woman's eyes.

Sumi was normally a cheerful person; this was the first time Sam had seen her like this.

Feeling his heart break, he suddenly grabbed onto her and pulled her into his arms. "Then...let's make this work. We can figure something out," he said softly.

However...the woman buried her head into his chest and started crying. "I can't, Sam. I can't!"

"Why do you keep saying you can't?" Sam asked. He didn't understand what was stopping her.

Finally...between sobs, the woman whispered, "I'm sorry, Sam, I'm already married..."