He honestly wasn't sure if the concept of cuddling appealed to a girl like Ava.
They had spent a few nights in her room either watching movies on her laptop or playing cards on the floor, but they would rarely touch when doing so and kisses were only offered at the end of his stay. Sure, their relationship was still fairly young; in three days, it would be five weeks. Yet, for someone who had the dating experience of a toddler, Sam didn't know when it would be an acceptable time to ask for more than chaste kisses in the doorway or the rare make-out session behind a tree in the nearby park. Testing the waters was fine and peachy (and he definitely wasn't going to complain about what he had already received), but he liked Ava. Really liked her. And he wanted to express that through the sense of touch more than anything.
So, while she read a book and he played a handheld game on top of her bed, he tested the waters a little more. Starting out small, he inched towards her until their hips were touching, blue jeans scrapping against cotton leggings. Ava seemed to pause in her reading for a moment or two, but she didn't question the action and continued on, flipping the page while humming a familiar pop song. Discreetly, Sam turned off his game, hoping that she wouldn't notice the loss of the 8-bit sounds.
His gaze flickered across her face and he studied her focused expression, engrossed with whatever words were written on the crisp, white pages. With a deep intake of breath, Sam sat up and stretched out one arm until it was above her head, wrapping it around her shoulders and bringing her into his chest.
A few more seconds passed and…
"Wow," Ava said, her voice bored, "That is literally the oldest trick in the book."
"What?" Sam asked from above her head, his heartbeat quickening at her blunt response, "I…I just wanted to hold you! Okay?"
The giggle that escaped her was unexpected, and so was the way she nestled herself into his chest, "Took you long enough, dork. I thought I was going to have to spell out what people do in relationships."
"As if," Sam rolled his eyes despite the smile forming on his lips. This was okay; she wanted this with him like he did with her. And he couldn't be any happier.