AN: For you on this chilly Friday evening (Well, it's chilly here).So much fluff, so much kissing, so much McSwarek. Hope you enjoy! (PS I know nothing about Toronto, so I did a quick google search for neighborhood and street names. I don't really care if they're accurate because I probably won't be specific ever again haha)
Andy stepped outside after her English class on Friday, stretching her leg behind her back as she got ready to run. Right as she was about to start, she heard two low whistles from the street and she turned to glare at whoever thought that was remotely charming. Instead, she laughed and rolled her eyes before jogging over to Sam's truck. She crossed her arms in the open window and leaned her head inside to get a little of the warmth from his heater.
"What are you doing here?" She asked and he held up his phone to her face.
"Did you check your email this morning?" He asked before she could start reading. She shook her head and held his hand steady around the phone so she could read his. It was a message from Boyko, claiming to still be sick, telling them that class was cancelled for the day but that he expected to see them and their papers on Monday.
She smiled at Sam, leaning forward to kiss him and he held the back of her neck, keeping her there for a little longer. "Get in," he said, nodding to his empty passenger seat. She pecked him quickly again and ran to the other side of the truck.
"Heat," she said slowly, rubbing her hands together in front of the heating vents on her side of the cab. "Hi," she smiled at him before reaching over to squeeze his knee.
"Hi," he chuckled, closing his window. She looked at him, her eyes wide and excited, and he leaned over to put his warm hand against her cold cheek. "How do you feel about playing hooky from the rest of your day?"
"Like, skip bio?" Andy asked, reaching up to squeeze his hand against her face.
"Yeah, McNally," he laughed, rubbing his thumb over her bottom lip. "Like, skip bio."
She thought about it and let a slow smile spread across her face. "What do you have in mind as an alternative?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. He smiled triumphantly, pulling her closer so he could kiss her fast and hard on the lips.
"What do you think about a quick trip to the city?" He asked, pulling himself away from her and she instinctively leaned closer again. "I ordered a textbook online and forgot to change my address, my old roommate just called to tell me it was delivered."
"Can I change first?" She asked, gesturing to her running leggings and sweatshirt.
"Yeah, we can stop by the dorm," he promised, reaching over to squeeze her knee and run his hand up and down her thigh a few times. She smiled and he pulled away from the curb, headed toward her dorm. The drive took no more than two minutes and they climbed out of his truck together.
As soon as they were walking toward the door, Sam put his arm around her shoulders and pressed his lips to the top of her head. She smiled to herself and unlocked the door. As was expected during the day, it was pretty quiet inside and they made it to her room without even seeing another person. Just as they were about to walk inside, Andy spotted Noelle turn the corner into her hall.
"Sammy," she said with a wide smile that Andy had never seen before. "How are you?"
"Good," he said, leaning over to give her a hug. "How are you?"
"Good, running late to class," she laughed. "Be good, you two."
"Bye, Noelle," they both called after her. Andy laughed and pushed her door open, checking quickly before allowing Sam to enter.
Her roommates were gone, hopefully not to an empty class, so she reached for his hand and pulled him inside with her. As soon as the door was closed behind them, Sam's hands were on her face and she was flush against his body, his lips moving against hers. It was a desperate kiss that slowed considerably as her arms went around his waist so she could clutch his back. They hadn't seen each other since Wednesday between classes and she realized how much she had missed his lips against hers, his hands on her body, and her name coming from him in a quiet moan.
Sam walked them to her desk chair and sat down, pulling her into his lap. Her legs swung over the side of the chair and her arms went around his neck. He held her at the awkward angle but didn't care. He just needed to feel her against him for a minute longer. He never knew that a single day could feel so much like an eternity, but it wasn't something he wanted to get used to. In the short week they had been doing whatever it was they were doing, he got used to seeing her and feeling her every day.
"Why is your bed so high?" He asked before his lips fused to her neck.
"Small room," she breathed, her head falling backward and his hand slid to the base of her neck to keep her steady. "Sam," she moaned as his teeth teased her skin and her fingers gripped the hair at the back of his head.
One of his hands went to dip beneath her shirt, but then he heard voices and a key working the lock of her door. He quickly removed his mouth from her and slowly eased her to stand. She let out a shaky breath and he turned to slide his chair under her desk just as her friends joined them.
"I see you heard class was cancelled," Gail said, nodding toward him. He looked up at Andy's flushed face and she nodded. "Whatcha up to?" She sang knowingly, falling onto the bottom bunk as she swung one leg to rest atop the other.
"I came back to change," Andy muttered, wiping her palms against her thighs. She glanced at him and he offered her a small, tight smile. "I'm going to go do that."
He watched as she gathered an outfit together quickly and then he glanced back at her friends who were looking between the two of them as if they were trying to figure out what they had just walked in on. Andy left without another word and his eyes shifted to the contents of her desk. The last time he looked there, he remembered thinking about her mother missing from the pictures. Now he knew why she wasn't included and it reminded him of why she would never find a picture of his father in his apartment. His father didn't leave by choice, not like Andy's mother, but he deserved to be exactly where he was. Some men were meant to be in prison, his father was one of those men. Sam was determined, hell bent, on not becoming one of those men.
After a few seconds of silence, Andy's friends went on with their conversation and Sam ran his hand over his face before turning back toward them. They were both on the bottom bunk now, each with their phones lighting up their faces as they leaned against each other comfortably. He could picture Andy there with them, her legs folded beneath her while her shoulder was propped against one of theirs. When he was two months into his freshman year of college, he had promised himself never to enter his dorm room unless it was to sleep—just so he could stay away from his roommate. Andy, she was lucky. So were Gail, Traci, Chris, and, Dov. They found each other so early on that they never had to worry about making friends again if they didn't want to.
"Ready?" Andy asked when she came back. Traci and Gail looked up at her and then at Sam while Andy tossed her clothes into her hamper.
"Yeah," he said, standing up. She smiled, pulling on her coat, and turned toward her friends.
"I'm, uh, taking the rest of the day off," she said and he friends nodded approvingly. "Tell Dov at lunch?"
"You'll be back tomorrow, though, right?" Gail asked, tucking her phone into her pocket.
"We need to be on the bus by noon," Traci continued and Sam wondered why they were taking a bus anywhere.
"I'll be back," Andy promised, her hand tucking into his. "I should see you tonight."
"Penny?" Traci asked and Andy looked to him for confirmation. He nodded just a little and squeezed her hand.
"At the Penny," she confirmed.
"Bye, guys," Sam called out and they waved at him as the door fell behind him.
Andy remembered Sam saying something about needing to upgrade his truck. Sure, it was older than he would have liked, but she happened to love it. The bench seat alone made her never want him to trade it in for a newer, fancier model. She liked being able to sit right next to him—his hand held the outside of her thigh, keeping her close, as her elbow rested on his shoulder so that her hand could rest in his hair on the top of his head.
The drive to the city was no longer than an hour and a half and Sam was a careful driver. With his one hand on the wheel and the other on her leg, tapping along to the music on the radio, he never missed a turn or had to slam on the brake. He had a habit of talking under his breath, cursing the other drivers on the road, but Andy thought that was hilarious. When he did it, she'd bite her lip and rest her forehead against his temple and he'd calm immediately and she'd kiss him on the cheek.
As they got closer, Andy got excited to be home even if just for a little while and even if she wasn't technically going home. Being in the city made her smile and when Sam noticed, he moved his hand from her leg to her cheek so he could pull her close enough to kiss her. "Welcome home?" He said and she nodded excitedly.
"Where's your friend live?" She asked, moving to the opposite side of the bench seat so she could look out her window.
"Near Spadina," he explained, turning smoothly toward downtown. "What about you?" He asked, looking at her quickly.
"Topham Park," she said, throwing a smile over her shoulder.
"You miss home?"
"Not as much as I thought I would," she told him, shaking her head. "Everything is different now, you know? It's barely been two months, but I don't feel like the same person anymore."
"College can do that to a girl," he explained, knotting his fingers with hers on the seat between them.
"I guess so."
He squeezed her hand once before putting both hands back on the wheel. She knew they were close and she suddenly didn't want to leave the comfort and the privacy of his truck. She reveled in the closeness they shared when they were alone. They were still figuring out how to be together in the outside world, around other people. Class on Wednesday had been similar to Monday. They did their own thing for the most of it, flirting only every so often and quietly so as not to bring any attention to them. They were still eating lunch at separate tables and walking to their next classes together. The only thing that had changed was the way they weren't afraid to touch each other when they were walking somewhere together.
His hand would always find its way to the small of her back or she'd lace her arm through his, squeezing his biceps. Before, when they were just friends, but after they had kissed, Andy was terrified to touch him because she knew what it did to her. Her heart still sped when they were touching, but now she didn't have to be afraid of how he was feeling. She knew.
Sam pulled up to the curb outside of his old apartment and turned his truck off. Andy was already climbing out, so he reached for her hand and pulled her to him. His hand tangled in her hair and he kissed her, sighing happily before pulling away. Her smile was huge and her hands gripped either side of his face to bring him back for more. He laughed just before their lips collided and his hands circled her waist. He tugged and she straddled his lap, arching her back into his chest to avoid hitting his wheel.
"Are you ever worried that this is all we do?" She asked when his lips moved down her neck.
"Not even a little, McNally," he chuckled even though he knew that wasn't the answer she was looking for. He could feel her deep intake of breath before he heard it and he gently pulled back. His hands moved to her hips and he squeezed his eyes shut quickly. "McNally…"
"After that month of trying to be friends, it doesn't concern you that all we do is make out?" She asked as she started to slide off his lap. "I mean, it's the middle of the day and I'm straddling you on the side of the road."
"That's not all we do, Andy," he reminded her, sliding closer to her but not close enough to touch. "We go to class and do homework, we go to parties. I'm not worried because it's not true."
"I don't want this to be some sex thing," she said and his eyes widened. Was he not being clear? It was never about the sex. Sure, it was great, but it was her that she wanted. "Don't get me wrong, I like the sex, but I like you."
"I missed you," he told her and he watched her face soften and her shoulders relax. "Yesterday, I missed you. I was going to make this trip tomorrow alone, but class was cancelled and I wanted to see you."
"I missed you," she said with a small roll of her eyes. "I'm sorry. You're right—we're not just making out and having sex. And, believe me, I do really like the sex," she finished with a laugh and Sam smiled.
"Yeah, so do I, McNally," he promised, leaning just his head toward her. "But I'm in this thing for you."
"Okay," she said, her smile growing. She leaned toward him and kissed him.
He could see her working something over in her head as they got out of the truck. "I know we haven't put a label on this thing," he said, assuming that was what she was thinking about and partially why she may have been upset. "We can."
"We don't have to," she said quickly, running up the steps to the door ahead of him.
"Remember when I told you that you were a terrible liar?" He asked, pulling it open for her when he was next to her again.
"Yes," she laughed uncomfortably, walking ahead of him again.
"I still think that's true," he teased and she stopped and turned slowly toward him.
"What is this thing? Who am I to you? Who are you to me?" She asked, crossing her arms tightly over her coat.
"I don't want to be with anyone else," he said, walking slowly toward her to close the gap between them. "I don't care about anyone else."
"It's so new, though," she reminded him quietly, worrying her lip between her teeth. "I feel the same way. He smiled slowly as he reached for her arms to uncross them and put them around his neck.
"I don't care," he smirked, kissing her softly. "I like you, McNally. I'm pretty happy and that's pretty rare. Time to take the bull by the horns and all that, you know?"
"Am I bull?" She asked, laughing and he bent his knees to catch her lips with his. Her arms tightened around his neck and he held her around the waist.
"You wanna be my bull?" He asked and she laughed again, nodding. "Okay."