Samantha noticed Xavier suddenly go quiet and asked what was wrong. Xavier revealed that his friends had shown up unexpectedly, and Samantha saw a group of three men and one woman approaching, all friendly and upbeat.

The tallest man, Mike, introduced himself, followed by introductions to Chris, Jesse, and Jesse’s girlfriend, Becca. Samantha connected Chris to the cruise ticket she had taken earlier, and he said he was happy to give it up. Xavier appeared displeased and surprised by their presence.

Mike joked about their plan to do activities like golf, bumper cars, and nachos, and teased that they had come to witness Xavier playing laser tag. He invited Samantha and Xavier to join them. Samantha accepted readily, but Xavier paused the conversation and pulled Samantha aside to apologize for the unexpected friend meet-up.

Samantha reassured Xavier that she was comfortable meeting his friends and suggested they play a couple of rounds of miniature golf, aiming to beat the group and then decide what to do next. Xavier checked again that she was truly okay with it, and Samantha promised to speak up if she wasn’t.

Privately, Xavier admitted he was not a miniature golf person and had suggested the outing because he did not want the evening with Samantha to end. Samantha agreed, saying she also did not want to go home yet. She noted that his friends seemed very fond of him, and Xavier replied that they were more interested in her.

With the group waiting nearby, Samantha leaned closer to Xavier and flirted, proposing they give his friends something to talk about, implying a public display of affection as they moved forward with the group plan.