AN: I can't believe this is already the 16th chapter. I mean, my original plan was to cover the entire school year. If I want to do that, I've got to get moving. It's only the beginning of November, story-wise!
When Andy and Sam walked into the Penny after their quick trip to the city, Sam spotted his friends right away. The beard on Oliver's face was really starting to come in after five days without shaving and Sam knew it would only get worse. He had a shot and a beer sitting in front of him while Jerry was slowly sipping on a beer for himself. Sam could see Oliver trying to convince Jerry to take a shot with him and he could see Jerry shaking his head over and over.
"Oliver's been pretty quiet all week," Andy noted as they got closer. "And what's that thing on his face?"
"His breakup beard," Sam shrugged and he nodded his confirmation when he saw the look of genuine shock on her face. "They talked after he dropped you off on Sunday. She wasn't happy. He wasn't either."
"Hence the beard," Andy said sadly and he nodded again before lacing his fingers through her hers. Just as they were getting to the bar to stand next to Oliver and Jerry, Sam saw Andy's friends come in and head straight towards them.
"What are you drinking? " Andy asked, sliding into the spot right next to Oliver. Sam waved the bartender over, ordered two beers and two shots of tequila.
"Yes, Sammy, thank you," Oliver said, clinking his shot glass gently against Sam's. "See, Jerry, this is what friends are for."
"I'm driving, Ollie," Jerry reminded him as Traci and the rest of the freshman joined them.
"So am I, this is the only one I'm taking with you, brother," Sam said, sliding a shot glass over to Andy. "Care to join us?"
"Yes," she said confidently and he smiled at her easy acceptance of a simple challenge. He leaned forward and kissed her before she stepped back enough so the three of them could cheers together. "To Oliver?"
"To Oliver," Sam agreed just before their small glasses touched and he took the shot of burning liquid. Shots were never enjoyable when they were the first thing to be done, but he was able to chase it with his beer and come out okay on the other side. "How you doing, buddy?" He asked Oliver while he slid his arm around Andy's waist so he could pull himself closer to her.
"Day five is good," he said with a number of nods, one right after another. He was drunker than Sam first thought. "Freshman, let this be a lesson to you. Don't commit if you're not really happy," he warned.
Sam rolled his eyes but smiled to himself when he felt Andy's arms snake its way across his lower back. When she squeezed ever so lightly, he kissed her temple and squeezed back. Oliver, though, was looking at them, head shaking slightly, before moving on to Traci and Jerry and, then, Gail and Chris. The latter were too consumed with each other to notice what he had just said, but Jerry and Traci were practically making out while sharing a single stool. When Andy noticed, she pretended to gag.
"Hang out with your friends," she said to Sam, turning her body away from everyone else so that she was focusing solely on him. Her hands slowly made their way up his chest and onto his shoulders. "I've got a long day tomorrow, so I'm not drinking much and can drive later if you want to drink yourself into oblivion with your best friend."
"Oh, yeah, what are your big plans for tomorrow?" He asked while sliding a piece of hair behind her ear. "That include a bus?"
"We're going apple picking," she said, standing on her toes for a second and he could feel the excitement radiating off of her. "So you do whatever you need to do to be a wingman and come find me when you're ready to leave."
"Can you stay tonight?" He asked, speaking directly into her ear. He knew already how she'd shiver against him and her grip would tighten.
"Yes," she answered, her voice barely a whisper and he kissed her neck right below her ear and she dug her nails into his shoulders quickly before letting go all together. For whatever reason, their talk in the city was making him bolder while out in public. He didn't care who saw him with Andy while their arms were wrapped around each other. He valued his privacy, but, at the moment, he valued her presence more. "Not fair."
"See you later, McNally," he smirked while handing her the beer he had ordered for her.
Andy sat with her friends at a table across the bar from Sam, Oliver, and Jerry. Not that she was keeping tabs or anything, but she'd seen them all take an additional three shots. Whatever Jerry protested before clearly wasn't an issue anymore. "You driving your boyfriend home?" Traci asked when she started watching the three of them as well.
"Yeah," Andy nodded, turning to look at her. She was smiling way too big for Andy's liking and she suddenly felt very self conscious. "What?"
"You didn't fight me when I called him your boyfriend," Traci laughed and Andy rolled her eyes. "What happened in Toronto?"
"Okay, calm down," Andy laughed which brought attention from the rest of her friends.
"What?" Dov asked, gulping down some of his beer.
"Andy and Sam are official," Traci said, raising her eyebrows conspiratorially and Andy laughed again.
"It's not a big deal," she insisted with a shake of her head. "We talked and… it is what it is."
"And is what it is good?" Gail asked, linking her arm through Chris's across the table.
"Yes," Andy said definitively. "Very good."
"We need to do some shots ourselves," Traci said, heading toward the bar.
"I'm driving later," Andy reminded her and she sat down again.
"Oh, yeah, so am I," she sighed, drinking her beer slowly.
"So, what's going on with Oliver exactly? "Chris asked and Andy looked over her shoulder to see the three of them playing some kind of drinking game that just looked like people watching.
"He and Zoe broke up," she shrugged, looking back again. "He's doing surprisingly well considering how long they were together."
"He is," Dov agreed. "So, what are they doing?"
"Drinking away his sorrows?" Traci said with a shrug. "I don't know, but Jerry is a whiny drunk so tonight should be fun."
"I'm kind of interested to see Sam with his inhibitions lowered," Andy laughed. "He's always so serious when he's out. I've never seen him drunk."
"Well, that's definitely changing tonight," Gail promised, nodding toward him. Andy turned around and saw him take down another shot before slamming his fist against the bar with a hearty laugh.
"Well, at least we don't have to deal with hungover boyfriends," Traci reminded her and Andy smiled happily at the thought. At the rate Sam and Jerry were going, they'd probably still be sleeping by the time she and Traci left them to go apple picking.
Sam stumbled off of his stool and knew right away that he probably shouldn't have taken that last shot—or even that first shot. Oliver was laughing, though, and that's all that mattered. After a seven or so year relationship ending, the guy needed to laugh. Sam was happy he and Jerry were there for that. Even if he would regret it the next day.
He balanced himself against a table, looking around it to make sure it was the right table, and nodded happily when he saw Andy holding in a laugh. "'Nally," he said followed by a deep breath and she bit her lip harder. "Can you bring me and Oliver home?"
"Yeah," she smiled, pushing her chair out. It accidentally hit him in the gut and he heaved against it until her hand was on his cheek, checking on him. "You okay?" She asked, both hands on his cheeks now.
"Mmm," he hummed, standing up straight. "Yes."
"Okay," she nodded, slowly removing her hands. While she put on her coat, Sam held his hand up in a wave to the rest of the table, but they were already gone.
"Where did they go?" He asked when Andy wrapped her arm around him and started moving back toward the bar.
"Home," she said, shaking her head with a small laugh. "They said goodbye."
"Didn't hear 'em," he shrugged and then put his arm around Oliver when they reached him. "My couch?"
"Yes, brother. Onward," he yelled and walked out of Sam's grasp toward the front door. Sam hastily put his jacket on and went to follow him, but stopped when Andy's tiny hand slid into his front pocket.
"Whoa," he said and he was surprised of the sound of his own voice. It was all throat.
"Settle down, Romeo," Andy said, slowly pulling out his truck keys. Sam sighed involuntarily, but tugged on the keys gently so he could pull her closer and wrap his arm around her shoulders. "Oh, that was pretty smooth, though," she laughed before kissing his cheek. "Come on."
They walked out—or, she walked them out—to find Oliver resting facedown against the hood of Sam's truck. As soon as he heard the door close, his head snapped up to avoid being caught, but Sam was already laughing at him. "No," Oliver said, lurching forward and Andy held Sam back to avoid whatever was about to come. Thankfully, he just took a few deep breaths and stood up again. "I'm good."
Andy laughed quietly and let Sam go so she could manually unlock the door. It really was time Sam upgraded, but, alas, Sam was broke and making barely enough to pay for his rent and the alcohol he consumed—tonight alone. But, as he watched Andy help Oliver into his backseat and then watched her coming for him with a small smile on her face, he was okay with being broke. He could get a better job over the summer to finish paying off school and start saving for a new truck.
"Are you ready?" Andy asked and he nodded. "Are you okay?"
"Good," he promised and her smile grew. He kissed her softly and she squeezed his hand. "You okay?"
"Of course," she said, pulling him to the truck. He followed obediently, stumbling over his own feet only once.
Oliver was lying across the whole, narrow backseat and Sam rested his head against the freezing cold glass of his window. Andy was a careful driver, which didn't surprise him, but it did make him feel relaxed enough to close his eyes. It actually surprised him how quickly the truck stopped on the street outside of his apartment.
"Let's go, boys," Andy said gently as she reached across the cab of his truck to ruffle his hair a little. "Get up, Sam."
He nodded, shook his head a few times, and got out while Andy helped Oliver onto the sidewalk. The three of them walked inside and into his apartment together. Boo was at their feet in seconds. Oliver just kept walking and face planted on Sam's couch. "Is he going to be okay?" Andy asked with a laugh as she situated herself on the floor to pet his dog.
"Yup, should be," Sam said, sliding down the wall to sit with her. Boo got excited again and started licking his face. "No. Nope."
He heard Andy laugh and felt her stand up again. "I'm going to take him out, okay?" She asked. Sam nodded and watched as she hooked his leash onto his collar. "I'll be quick," she promised with a kiss to the top of his head. He could have gotten up and taken care of himself, but the floor was so comfortable and Oliver's snores were actually relaxing him. So, when Andy came back only a few minutes later he was still sitting on the floor.
"I should go to bed, huh?" He asked as he felt Boo jump over his outstretched legs.
"I am," she said and, all of a sudden, her hands were outstretched in front of his face. "Boo is."
"Then I may as well," he said and Andy grunted as she pulled him up. They wrapped their arms around each other as they walked to his room and Andy gently shut the door behind them so as not to wake Boo or Oliver. "You're good at this, taking care of us."
"Not my first time at the rodeo," she said and he swore there was a hint of sadness behind her smile. "Come here," she said, using his coat to pull him against her.
"What's wrong?" He asked, both of his hands smoothing down her hair. She smiled up at him and shook her head before standing on her toes to kiss him. "Thanks for today, McNally."
"It was a good day," she said as her hands slipped beneath his jacket and locked behind his back. "Thank you for getting me to play hooky."
"Oh, any time," he promised, holding onto her chin. "I'm a great bad influence."
"Well, it did feel good to be a little bad," she laughed and he kissed her. "But you should get some rest, Sam."
"You're probably right," he laughed, letting go of her. She hesitated before letting go of him, but eventually her hands fell to her side and they both got undressed. As soon as he was in his boxers, Sam was under the covers on his stomach. He felt Andy's hand run down the back of his head and the length of his back before he heard his door open and shut a minute later. "Goodnight, Andy," he said when he felt her weight next to him.
"'Night, Sam."
Andy crawled into Sam's bed on her knees. The sun coming through his shades was blinding and the air was perfectly crisp when she was walking Boo around the corner. She almost didn't want to wake Sam up, but she didn't want to leave him without a goodbye or promise to see him later. "Sam," she whispered into his ear. She held in a laugh as he shook awake and she sat back so he could properly wake up.
"Oh my god," he said, pulling his pillow over his head. "What is happening?"
"I need to go," she said, biting her lip. "I just wanted to say bye and let you know that I took Boo out and fed him. So, you're free to stay in bed as long as you need."
Slowly, Sam removed the pillow from his face. He pushed himself to sit up and his face was paler than she'd ever seen it before. "What happened last night?" He asked, rubbing his hand over his chin and jaw. "I haven't been hungover since I was your age."
"You were being Oliver's friend," she shrugged.
"Oh, right. You drove us home," he said and she nodded. "Sorry about that."
"I insisted," she promised, unfolding her legs to sit next to him. "But I should really go. I need to take a shower and get ready."
"Are you sure?" He asked as his head fell to the side so he could look at her. "I don't know if I can handle Oliver on my own."
"Sorry," she shrugged with a frown. "He's, like, super passed out. But, he is breathing. I checked."
"McNally," he sighed and she shook her head and kissed him before he could ask her any follow-up questions that would lead to her telling him about her dad's drinking and her habit of taking care of him.
"Go back to sleep," she insisted, kissing him a couple of more times, quickly on his lips.
"Do you want my truck?" He asked and her eyes shot open. "I mean, I'm not going to use it today. And, then, you know, it gives you an excuse to come by later."
"All you have to do is ask, Sam," she laughed, although she would not mind bypassing the bus all together and taking his truck.
"Well, I am offering you my truck instead," he laughed before grabbing his head.
"Thank you," she laughed gently so as not to make his head hurt anymore. "But, seriously, go back to bed. I'll be by as soon as I can. Do you want me to bring you anything?"
"You, that's it," he shrugged. She smiled softly and kissed him slowly. "Thanks for, uh, taking care of me and Oliver."
"My pleasure," she smiled, getting out of bed. "There's water on your bedside table and some aspirin."
"You're the best bull ever," he said and she laughed at his term of endearment, remembering their day in the city.
"I aim to please," she smiled. "Bye."
He waved and she shut the door as she entered the living room. Boo was still eating and Oliver was sleeping on his stomach, so she quietly made her way to her coat and put it on without disturbing either of them. She made sure there was water left in Oliver's glass on the coffee table before she started to leave. Right before the door shut behind her, she heard Oliver call out a quiet, "Thanks, Andy."
She smiled to herself as she made her way to the truck, a little bounce in her step. Things with Sam were good and she was happy. Yes, the night before was nothing new for her, but she knew Sam was nothing like her father. He didn't drink much, he even said himself he hadn't been hungover in five years. It didn't surprise her—he took care of people, he wasn't one to be taken care of. Her dad, though, he was a good dad but an even better drinker. Or worse, depending on how you looked at it.
She actually felt a little guilty about not calling him when she was in town the day before. She hadn't seen him since she picked him up from the hospital at the very beginning of the semester. She talked to him at least three times a week and he seemed to be doing well, but she still should head home soon to see him and make sure he was taking care of himself.
As she walked into her room, Traci and Gail were getting ready together. "Sam let me take the truck," she announced as soon as she started rummaging through her clothes for a clean outfit. "So, no bus for us."
"Oh, good, I hate the bus," Gail said. "Black or red?" She asked, holding up two sweaters.
"Black," Traci and Andy said together.
"How's Jerry feeling?" Andy asked Traci and she laughed.
"Oh, he'll be feeling it all day. How are Sam and Oliver?"
"Same. Well, Oliver was sleeping, but he won't remember much of last night," Andy told her. "I'm going to take a quick shower and then we can leave. I'm so excited!"
"So are Chris and Dov," Gail promised. "I mean, I am, too, but you should have seen them last night. They are so ready for apple picking. You'd think we were going to the shooting range or something."