AN: It's my birthday, but I'm giving you guys a present. So, here it is.
Two chapters in one week? That's insane. You're really good at making me want to write more. Well done, folks.
PS, thanks for the reviews and the birthday wished. You're far too kind.
From her bed, Andy heard a knock on her door over the sound of an old episode of How I Met Your Mother playing on her laptop. Chris was supposed to stop by and grab his basketball that he left in her care, so she had made sure Traci left the door slightly propped open. "Come in," she said through a laugh, not even bothering to pause the video. "It's on my desk chair," she said, pointing aimlessly below her bed.
"I'm not really looking for a basketball, McNally."
Andy's head snapped up as she closed her laptop quickly. "What are you doing here?" She asked, pushing the computer off her lap. She slid to the edge of her bed and swung her legs over so they swayed back and forth. "How did you get in here?"
"Your door was open," Sam said, hitching his thumb over his shoulder. "And you told me to come in."
"I thought that you were Chris," she admitted, shaking her head. "But I meant, how did you get in the building? You don't have a key."
"I have friends in high places," he smirked smugly and she looked around her room—away from his stupid, perfect face. She kind of wished that Traci and Gail were home, then she wouldn't feel so lost in her own room. "I know your RA. I made a call," he shrugged and Andy nodded. Of course he knew Noelle. He knew everyone, apparently.
"Okay, so, then what are you doing here?" She asked again, sliding toward her ladder so she could climb down to the ground. Even though, she liked having the higher ground with him—for once—she felt like he could see up her pajama shorts or her nose.
"I wanted to make sure that you were still coming over today," he said once she landed on the floor.
"I told you," she shook her head again, crossing her arms over her chest, "I don't think today's a good day for that."
"I know," he said, stepping closer to her. She finally looked at him and his face looked softer than usual; it almost made her smile. "But, I think you're wrong. Today's perfect."
She thought about it, thought about how she'd love to spend a few hours with Boo. With him. But, then she remembered the way her heart sped at the sight of him and the way her palms sweat when he touched her. "Sam…"
"Come on, Andy, you got through your first round of midterms. That's huge," he said, taking another step toward her. "And I told Boo you were coming. Want me to lie to him?"
At that, Andy smiled and, then, so did Sam. She looked down at her outfit—plaid boxers she'd had for years and a long sleeve t-shirt she got after running a 5k—and then back at him. His smile only grew and she shrugged. "I'll meet you outside," she told him and he nodded quickly before turning toward her door.
"See you in two minutes," he said before letting it fall shut behind him. Andy sighed, but got dressed. It took her a little while to find her boots hidden under a pile of Gail's clothes and she smiled when Sam sent her a text warning her he'd come back up if she didn't hurry.
Sam stood by his truck, which was in sight of the door to Andy's dorm, and held his hand through the window, petting the top of Boo's head. When Andy came out, he waved his free hand and she looked both ways before crossing the street to meet him. He was starting to understand that was how she worked—she was careful and thought everything out. Which, he assumed, was why she was pulling away from him.
"Hey," she said shyly. "Where are we going?"
"Get in," he said, opening his door. Boo moved to the middle of his bench seat and Andy slid in on the other side of him. He was excited to see her—sniffing her hair and then nudging his snout against her hand. She laughed out loud and obliged as Boo got comfortable and rested his head on her lap. Sam smiled to himself and drove away from campus.
"I thought you didn't go to the dorms?" She asked suddenly, after a few minutes of silence.
"Why would you think that?" He asked, furrowing his brow.
"You told me that on, like, the second day of school," she reminded him. "Something about a bad experience."
"Oh, right," he laughed, looking quickly at her with an easy smile before turning down a quiet street. "I don't usually. I thought I'd make an exception today. For you."
From the corner of his eye, he could see Andy smile to herself before turning to look out her window. She was still uncomfortable around him and the only thing he could think of was that she was upset about his date with Hannah. He watched her for a second and could practically see her mind working.
When he pulled into a dirt parking lot, Andy sat up straighter and looked around the truck, out each and every window. Boo sat up with her and started pawing at Sam's lap—something he did when he was excited.
"Are you going to murder me?" Andy asked, looking at the empty parking lot and the trail leading into the woods.
"Yup," Sam said easily, turning off his truck. He got out quickly, put Boo's leash around his own neck, and watched as the dog ran out in front of him. Not too far—he was really good about that. As Andy made her way out of the truck, Sam leaned against his tailgate and watched Boo chase a bug in a circle.
"Is he okay?" Andy asked, nodding at Boo as he started toward the trail.
"Yeah, but we should catch up," Sam said, walking fast. She caught up with him as she buttoned up her wool coat and then stuffed her hands into her pockets.
They walked like that, quietly and about two feet apart, as Boo slowed in front of them so he could see and smell everything. The deeper they got into the woods, the more people they saw—mostly couples with kids and dogs of their own—and Andy moved closer and closer to Sam. He kept looking between her and the dog, making sure neither of them disappeared, but his gaze always seemed to linger on Andy. He knew that Boo wasn't something to worry about; he wasn't going anywhere. Andy, though, she was worrisome.
"I'm not going to run away," she said, looking up at him with a small smile. "You don't need to stare at me."
"What if I just want to look at you?" He smirked and she rolled his eyes and shoved him.
After another minute or so of silence, she slowed down and fell behind. He whistled for Boo and walked back toward her as she worried her lip between her teeth. "You went on a date last week," she whispered and he nodded, stepping closer. "I don't know why it upset me so much."
"I'd be upset if I found out you went on a date," he promised quietly and she looked up at him with hopeful eyes. "Andy, that date meant nothing. You were not supposed to find out about it."
"You know," she said, shaking her head and walking away from him, "I don't know what's going on with me. Or us. Or… anything."
She started pacing and he reached for her wrist to pull her toward him. "Hey, what do you want to be going on with us? Just give me an idea, Andy," he was pleading, but he didn't care.
He could see Boo sitting on the ground next to him and people walking by them, but his full attention was on Andy. Pretty much as it had been since day one. "I went on that date as a favor to Zoe," he told her. "Oliver wants us to get along, so I did what she asked me to do. That's it. Hannah knows that I'm not interested in her. Everyone knows who I'd rather be dating. Except for you, apparently."
Andy pulled her arm out of Sam's grasp and continued walking. Before long, Boo was walking next to her and Sam was following behind, sighing loudly. She understood what Sam was trying to tell her and she knew she was acting childish by not telling him the same. Of course, she liked Sam. And it was obvious now that he liked her. She knew from their past two months together that they could be friends and that their chemistry was off the charts.
She was nineteen and everything she was feeling was way outside of her comfort zone. Things with Tanner and Matt and the other few guys she had dated were so simple. The only simple thing about Sam was that the feelings were real and reciprocated. Everything else—his age, his standing as her TA, his life experience—was all complicated.
"We've been learning a lot about each other the last month or so," Sam spoke up and she nodded to herself.
"So what?" She asked, turning sharply toward a bank of benches in an open area off the trail.
"So, I like what I know," he said as she sat down. Boo hopped up next to her and rested with his paws and head on her lap. There was barely enough room for Sam to sit on her other side, but he did. His thigh against hers sent shivers up her spine. "Come to this party with me tonight."
It wasn't a question so much as a plea and she shook her head. "Andy, please just look at me," he said, reaching for her thigh. She gasped embarrassingly loud and did as he asked. His smile was warm, but his eyes were incomprehensible. She watched as his dimples disappeared and reappeared over and over and, at that moment, she just wanted to understand everything about him.
"Things were easier between us before we decided to be friends," she told him and he laughed. "We weren't worried about how the other felt. I mean, it was obvious. Ever since we listened to our stupid friends, I've been questioning and doubting everything between us."
"Yeah, you and me both, McNally," he insisted and she laughed. Boo looked up at her and she ran her hand over the soft fur on his head. "I hate feeling like this, by the way."
"Like what?" She asked, searching his face for meaning.
"Like I don't know what I'm doing," he said.
"Well, you're controlling," she teased and he rolled his eyes.
"I don't like not knowing what's going on in your head," he continued. "And I haven't had any idea for the last week. I hate that. I hate that you've been treating me like I spit in your face and that I didn't know why. Now that I know why, I hate that I hurt you over something that meant nothing."
"I told you, Sam. What I'm feeling has nothing to do with you personally," she reminded him and made a face like she was crazy, causing her to laugh again. He smiled. "What's been going on in my head is my own kind of insanity. I over think… Everything."
"Yeah, I've noticed," he laughed. She smiled and watched as the tip of his finger started drawing mindless patterns on her thigh—the one Boo wasn't resting on.
"That's all me," she said again. "Not you. Don't worry about… This," she said, making a twirling motion with her finger near her temple.
She looked up at his face again and he was already watching her, trying to read her. He'd been doing the same thing for months and now she realized why he was doing it at all. He wanted to understand her, just as much as she wanted to understand him. She reached for his hand on her thigh and laced her fingers through his. One side of his mouth quirked into a slow smile and she tried to keep her own enthusiastic smile from spreading too wide too quickly.
He used his free hand to hold onto her face and she leaned her head closer to his. His face had turned serious as he studied her features and she could feel butterflies in her stomach every time his eyes moved. She squeezed his hand and his eyes fell on hers—they were bright and it made her smile uncontrollably.
When his lips finally landed on hers, she melted against him and ran her arms around his neck. He pulled her even further into his body and she swung her legs over his so she was as close as possible. She sighed contentedly against his lips and let him decide the rhythm—she was just happy to be there in the moment. With him.
Unfortunately, the kiss what cut short by the barking of two dogs. Sam pulled himself away from her, licking his lips, and they both turend to see Boo standing very still while barking at a bigger dog. Andy wiped her hand over her mouth and swung her legs off of Sam's lap so he could get up and clip the leash to Boo's collar.
"Sorry about that," he said to the other dog's owner. It took him a couple of tugs, but eventually Boo got the message and followed him toward the bench so that the other dog and its owner could pass through.
Sam smiled down at Andy and offered his hand to pull her up. She smiled gratefully and accepted it, pleased when he didn't let go.
"You did it again," Andy said as they walked back toward the truck. He looked at her with raised eyebrows and she explained. "Kissed me in public."
Sam nodded and laughed and kissed her again. She didn't actually mind at all. "Well, then you should definitely come over and hang out with us," Sam said, nodding to Boo. "I mean, that's as far from the public eye that I can think of."
"Yeah, no, you're probably right," she smiled. "I should definitely come and… hang out."