Say You'll Remember Me

Xavier sleeps for almost six hours after their reunion. Samantha doesn’t wake him, noticing the dark circles under his eyes and his overall exhausted appearance. She’s content to lie beside him and feel his presence, with even Pooter seeming to understand it’s nap time. When Xavier finally wakes around one in the afternoon, he’s momentarily disoriented before pulling Samantha into a sleepy hug. He examines Pooter when the cat climbs over to him, checking her gums and ears with natural veterinary instinct.

After Xavier heads to shower, Samantha tells him he talked in his sleep, whispering, “come on Eileen,” (236). Xavier playfully responds that he always wants Samantha to look at him the way she looks at mustard, making her laugh.

At In-N-Out, Xavier tells Samantha about his mother’s call. Samantha expresses frustration with Xavier’s parents’ refusal to take responsibility for their abuse, particularly his father’s unwillingness to apologize. Xavier admits he would have accepted a genuine apology, though he would never fully trust them again. The conversation shifts to their future, with both confirming they want children. Xavier assures Samantha he would still want to be with her even if she couldn’t have children, stating that as his wife, she would be his world.

After lunch, they stop at a grocery store where Xavier notices a pug suffering from heatstroke in a hot car. He breaks the window, rescues the dog, and begins emergency cooling measures. The owner returns, angry about his broken window, but police side with Xavier. When the man refuses to get veterinary care for the dog, Samantha confronts him on camera, threatening to make his animal abuse public. The owner abandons the dog, leaving Xavier and Samantha with a new pet.

After rescuing the pug, Samantha and Xavier take the dog to a vet before returning home. While preparing appetizers for her mother’s birthday dinner, Samantha tells her sister Jeneva about Xavier’s heroic rescue. Their brother Tristan implies their father is having an affair, based on his late-night absences, which both sisters dismiss as absurd. During the dinner, Tristan reveals that Xavier has become an internet sensation, showing them a viral video of the pug rescue that highlights Xavier’s physique with admiring comments.

Samantha’s grandmother reads some of the suggestive comments aloud, causing uproarious laughter. Even Xavier, initially embarrassed, joins in the humor. After dinner, they return to Samantha’s apartment where they playfully discuss Xavier’s newfound viral online status. Their teasing turns into an intimate moment where Xavier assures Samantha that he would care for her even if she were transformed into a worm. He claims he would become a worm expert, provide her with the perfect environment, and surround her with things she loves, including her favorite mustard.

Back in Minnesota, on Christmas Eve morning, Xavier meets his friends Jesse, Mike, and Chris at Donna’s after working an overnight emergency shift. Looking exhausted, he explains he’s been working seven days a week to afford trips to see Samantha. His friends express concern about this unsustainable schedule, questioning how long he can maintain this arrangement. Xavier admits he doesn’t know, acknowledging he’s never been more simultaneously happy and miserable. They discuss Xavier’s father being audited, which brings him some satisfaction.

At his clinic, Maggie and Tina introduce Xavier to Dr. Hank Brekken, a retired veterinarian in his eighties who formerly employed them. Dr. Hank, recently widowed and lacking family, offers to work at Xavier’s clinic for free several days a week, seeking connection and purpose. Xavier agrees, recognizing how this arrangement could allow him more flexibility to visit Samantha. The moment of hope is interrupted when Xavier receives a devastating call from Samantha—her grandmother has died.

Samantha describes Christmas Eve as the day her heart was broken by her grandmother’s unexpected death. The family scrambles to handle arrangements while Lisa continues asking for Grandma. Early Christmas morning, Xavier arrives on a red-eye flight, having spent a fortune on a last-minute ticket to support Samantha. She finally breaks down completely in his arms, allowing herself the emotional release she hadn’t permitted during the day of arrangements and family care.

The next morning, Samantha finds Xavier making breakfast for her nephews. Lisa demands to go grocery shopping. Xavier correctly suggests she might be hungry, revealing the family had forgotten to feed her the previous night in their grief. This causes family tension as they blame each other for the oversight. Later, Samantha realizes she accidentally swallowed an earbud while taking pain medication in the dark. Despite the tragedy surrounding them, Xavier finds humor in the situation, providing a moment of levity during their grief.

Xavier confirms he can hear “Come On Eileen” playing from Samantha’s swallowed earbud, bringing a moment of humor to their difficult day. He shares news about Dr. Hank joining his clinic, which Samantha suggests is mutually beneficial for both men. They exchange Christmas gifts: Samantha gives Xavier a framed photo from their first date, while he gives her a necklace made with a seashell they found on the Santa Monica beach. Their conversation reveals that Xavier typically spends Christmas alone, working. Samantha declares she’s now his family and insists they spend future Christmases together.

Xavier reflects on how Samantha is different from anyone he’s ever known—she is his “one.” He describes the sense of belonging and purpose he feels with her and how taking care of her and her family feels natural. He has stepped in to help with Lisa’s care, meals, and household tasks after Grandma’s death. Though working himself to exhaustion to afford seeing Samantha, Xavier believes she’s worth every sacrifice.

At the funeral dinner on January 2, Samantha contemplates how instrumental Xavier has been for her family during the nine days since Grandma’s death. He’s managed household tasks, defused conflicts, and cared for everyone, becoming beloved by the entire family. Now he must return to Minnesota, and Samantha likely won’t see him until February or March due to financial constraints and her mother’s care needs. She wishes Xavier could stay permanently but won’t ask him to abandon his clinic and life’s work.

Before leaving, Xavier finds and returns Grandma’s lost bracelet that she had given to Lisa, a family heirloom they’d been searching for over a year. As they say goodbye, Xavier tells Samantha he’s in love with her, adding he’s “always loved [her]” and feels like he remembers her from a different lifetime (289). Though Samantha returns his declaration of love, she understands that love alone can’t overcome their practical circumstances. She remains at the restaurant with her family while he leaves for the airport, feeling that she’s just a single item on a list of reasons that isn’t enough to justify him relocating his life.

Xavier reflects on how differently leaving feels this time, like tearing himself in half, as his soul has taken root in California. Having stayed nine days, the separation is more painful than ever. Despite knowing Samantha needs him and loving her deeply, he must return to Minnesota for his clinic responsibilities. Dr. Hank has already covered for him longer than expected, and Xavier hadn’t even properly prepared him before rushing to California after hearing about Grandma’s death.

Xavier no longer considers Minnesota home; it’s merely where he works. His true home is wherever Samantha is. He feels trapped by his own success, as the clinic and business he built now own him, preventing him from being where he wants to be. The irony isn’t lost on him that the professional achievements meant to prove his worth to his parents have become the very things keeping him from his happiness with Samantha. Despite all his accomplishments, returning to his life without her feels like ruin.