"I've invited a couple of friends to join us for lunch, is that okay?" Jess couldn't look at Becky directly. She was nervous about this, horribly nervous. Which was totally ludicrous. But it didn't stop it from being the case anyway.

After she'd brought herself back under a semblance of control at the party and then some, she'd left Sam with a promise to see him Monday at the library as usual. Somehow she'd kept on a proper face long enough to tell Becky she was going home. She'd made sure, by calling the dorm supervisor, that Shirl was no longer around before making her way up to her room.

It wasn't until the next morning that she realized what a complete fool she'd made of herself the evening before. She'd been such a total, blubbering, girl! But she couldn't deny she felt better for it. Maybe all she'd really needed was a shoulder to cry on. It still didn't make it any easier to show up at the library on Monday, however.

Getting herself down those stairs was one of the hardest things she'd ever done. But when she got there, Sam was the same as always. It was like nothing unusual had happened at all, except… They spoke a little more than normal. Actually traded information. Nothing deep -- just little things, but more personal than the pleasantries of before. They even took turns bringing things for dinner that week and taking a half hour off from studying to eat and talk together rather than munch as they went along.

Then mid week there'd been the message from Jeff. How he was desperate for some help with the "Sam" project.

And so now here she was.

"Sure, why not? More people for Zach to meet." Becky gave her a mischievous smile. "Might this have something to do with that study buddy of yours I've yet to meet?"

"Uhm, maybe…?" How had she ever let Jeff talk her into this?

"Sweet!" Becky headed for the closet. "Let me pick what you should wear, okay?"

"No, please, no! This is just a casual thing. It's not a date!"

Becky stuck her head out of the closet to stare at her, her eyes alight. "I never said the word date."

Jess slumped into the room's third bed. "It doesn't matter if you did or not. It's not a date!"

"We'll see, won't we?" She disappeared again. "Still, you must be properly dressed for whichever it ends up being."

Jess let herself fall back flat onto the bed. She hoped she would survive this. That Jeff could sweet-talk anyone out of anything. What the heck was she getting involved in? She swept her hand over the light blue bed cover.

At least she wouldn't have to put up with a new roommate for a few months. With Shirl leaving to another dorm so late in the year, there were enough vacancies around there was no real need for the space. The whole thing still stung, but not like it used to. And much to her surprise, she hadn't gotten any other ugly packages or seen much of Roger and his goons outside of class. It couldn't last though, she knew that. She just couldn't be that lucky.

"Eureka!"

Becky's enthused exclamation forced Jess up into a sitting position, all worried again. "What?"

"The perfect thing!" Becky came out grinning ear to ear. "A white sundress. With some cute little sandals, no one will be able to resist your wiles."

"How many times do I have to tell you? I am not interested in using any wiles and this is not a date!"

She ended up in the dress anyway.

The plan was to have a picnic lunch down by the shore of Lake Lagunita, which sat just behind their dorm complex. They were in charge of blankets and dishes, Zach of food, and Jeff of drinks. Jess wondered how soon before leaving he'd spring the surprise on Sam.

The day was warm for spring, but a nice breeze made it rather pleasant. Jess made sure to take a wide brimmed hat, her complexion and the sun occasionally having disputes. Luckily the lake, which for most of the winter sat empty of water, was ringed by trees, so they could set up under some shade.

Jess and Becky selected a spot, then while Jess cleared the area of small branches and any other debris and set out the blankets, Becky went back to the dorm to wait for the guys so she could show them where they were.

Jess sat down, waiting for them, listlessly straightening the hem of her dress for the umpteenth time. If she didn't know better, she would swear she was anxious about this, that it was a date. But it was only lunch! With company. A perfectly harmless thing. She saw Sam almost everyday. This would be no different.

She almost jumped, startled when she finally heard someone coming. She got to her feet and half hid her face beneath the brim of her hat.

"Jess!" Jeff dropped his end of a cooler to rush over. Much to her surprise, he gave her a hug like they were old friends. He quickly whispered in her ear. "Thanks for this. I owe you one! I figured this might be more up his alley than what me an Alex normally get up to." When he was done, he held her at arms length to look her over. "Well, don't you look delicious? Sam, take a look!"

Jeff pretty much pushed her in his direction. What the heck? She didn't dare look up, totally embarrassed at the attention, and still feeling a little guilty about helping Jeff with his pet project. "Hi, Sam."

"Hi. Jeff's right. You do look nice."

She bit her lip and dared glance up. There was a ghost of a smile on his lips and something bright in his eyes. She also noticed he was wearing the blue t-shirt with the white and blue stripped shirt, the ones that made his hazel eyes look blue – her favorites.

"Come on you guys, sit down wherever. Zach should be here in a minute and Jess and I need to get a couple of more things anyway. We'll be right back." Becky grabbed her by the arm and pulled her bodily away from the other two.

As soon as they were out of hearing range, Becky turned on her. "Okay, fess up. I can't stand it! Which one of them is it?"

Jess should have known this was why she got dragged off. She was tempted not to answer her, but decided to be kind. "The tall one. Sam."

"Drat! I was hoping it was the other one." She elbowed Jess in the side. "I could really fall for tall, dark, and totally cute, myself."

Jess took a step back. "Becky, I told you-"

"This is not a date. I know, I know." She waved her back. "Go on and keep them occupied, I'll go check on my brother and prod him along. I don't want to miss any of this." Her grin was wicked.

Jess had a horrible feeling it might be a long afternoon.

Luckily, her feelings of doom proved to be exaggerated.

Jeff wasn't shy, and turned out Zach wasn't either. Becky, Jess already knew intimately about. And though they could have totally overridden the conversations and everything else, allowing Sam to just sit and observe, they were having none of it. Jess noticed them all tugging at him in different ways to contribute to the conversations, drawing him out until he was adding commentary willingly on his own. Much to her amazement, she was the one who said the least, for once probably seeming demure. But she was happy, content, and it was such a treat watching Jeff work on Sam, drawing him out, making her scholar grow more and more comfortable, until he came out of his usual shell and enjoyed the day with them.

It was funny, really, how he seemed to know so much about many things, yet in more mundane, common things at times appeared sorely lacking.

They ate more than their fill of KFC, drinks, cookies, and pie.

An unexpected gust of wind grabbed the hat from her head. Sam sprang after it and missed. He tripped, rolled, and was instantly back on his feet chasing it down the beach. It happened so fast, Jess wasn't even sure she really saw it.

A minute later, Sam was back, barely out of breath and with the biggest smile ever plastered on his face. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

As she took back the hat the others applauded his efforts. "You can run pretty quick when you want to, can't you, white bread?"

Sam's smile, if anything, grew wider, even as some color doused his cheeks. "Yeah, I guess."

"How about a game of Frisbees?" Zach pulled out a plastic bag from behind the cooler as he made the offer.

Jess saw Sam's eyes light up. It was like watching a little kid getting a present. She couldn't help but grin as she got up to join the others.

Forty minutes later, Jess sat back down under the cover of the trees. The sun had come out in force and she figured discretion was better than sunburn. Totally oblivious, Sam, Zach, and Becky kept at it, laughing like loons as they ran up and down the beach.

"Here." Jeff offered her a cold cream soda as he sat down beside her with one of his own.

She took a grateful sip. "Thanks." Her gaze remained on the others, especially on Sam. He seemed to be having a ball. It made her feel glad she was able to inadvertently give him something back, especially after his support the previous weekend.

"I knew all along he had it in him." Jeff grinned beside her, also watching the others. "Guess it was all just a matter of finding the right thing and the right people."

Jess found herself curious, despite herself. "Have you known him long?"

Jeff took a long swig of his drink and shook his head. "Just this last year. And knowing is probably way more than it is. Never met anyone so close to the vest, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do."

Becky squealed as her brother dipped the Frisbee into the water and scooped some out to fly in her direction. Sam ran up behind him and snatched the Frisbee out of his hand then tossed it in her roommate's direction.

"So…why the 'Sam' project?"

Jeff laughed. "Look at him! A big, gangly, innocent, puppy is what he is. But he's also more than that." He shook his head. "At first I dismissed him as just another bookworm, shy to the extreme, wet blanket roommate, then I saw him talking up a storm one night when Alex came home totally smashed and got caught by the floor monitor after curfew. That boy can spin a yarn! And he knows how to work that sincerity angle. Got Alex off the hook, too. Never once brought it up to him though, not asking for thanks or anything, not that Alex remembered much from that night anyway." A quick smile came and went, even as he stared out at Sam, his expression serious. "You just don't see people lending a hand to others like that anymore. Heck, if ever! So I figured someone had to help this kid out, get him to live a little or something, join the rest of us in the big world, so…

"But he's one tough nut to crack, that one. I'm really grateful to you for giving me a hand with this."

Jess sent him a sly look. "Sounds like Sam isn't the only one who'll help people without expecting gratitude." These were the type of people she wanted to know. Not the Shirls or the Rogers or the others like them.

Jeff chuckled. "I'm no saint." His gaze met hers. "You like him, don't you."

She didn't know what to say for a moment. He didn't say it like a question, but more something he already knew. Was he implying something? "Sure. As a friend."

"Not the way it looks like from over here. Or last weekend."

Jess glanced away. Did he mean when they'd first met or had he seen them later, on the dance floor, after…?

"Not that I'd mind if you weren't, especially if you'd look at me like that, my pretty." He twirled an invisible mustache.

Jess couldn't help but laugh.

"But honestly, if you're interested, you'll need to make the first move. He's never going to. He's not the type. Hell, he can barely talk to anyone he actually likes, let alone take steps. Wish you'd seen him during art history class!" Jeff rolled his eyes. "Alex and I convinced him to take it with us. For us guys, it's a shoe in. You can get away with a passing grade easy and meet a lot of chicks. And you know what happened? Can you guess?"

She shook her head not willing to try yet already feeling the laughter trying to bubble up inside as her imagination went all over it.

"Alex and me got nowhere. All the girls fell for shy boy good looks and puppy eyes and wouldn't give us the time of day." Jess had to cover her mouth to keep the hilarity in, dying to hear the rest. "Did he even have the decency to notice though? No. And then he rubbed salt on our wounded egos by making the top grade in class and later thanking us for suggesting he take it in the first place!"

Jess howled with laughter. Nothing else would do. She could see it so clearly it hurt. The others stopped what they were doing and looked back their way. In a minute she knew they'd be over to ask what was so funny. She hoped Jeff would tell them something other than the truth. Sam would be so mortified if he didn't.

"So all I'm saying is, he won't make a move unless you do. And if he ever becomes aware of what those eyes of his can do and uses them, no one will be able to resist him. So you better grab him while the grabbing's good. Though, of course, don't forget, you could always just ditch him and pick me instead."