AN: Aw shucks, I'm going to end every chapter with these two fools in bed. Continuing with this chapter. Sorry it took a while, I've been having a hard time getting and staying focused (and inspired and motivated). I'm kind of failing on all levels lately, but hopefully an update will make up for all that?
Sam had a habit of curling around Andy whenever he slept. For instance, while she sat up in bed, reading for class, he slept with his arm around her knees and his head propped on her thighs. She liked him there, though, and kept one hand in his hair—alternating between rubbing her thumb along his hairline and turning the page of her book.
Another week had passed, filled with classes and homework and stolen kisses in between shelves of the library. They spent one night together on his couch pretending to watch a movie—they didn't even turn it off before he threw her over his shoulder and placed her on his bed as they both laughed.
Now, on her bed, he trembled in his sleep like he did sometimes and she looked down at him. He had surprised her that morning with a coffee and a breakfast sandwich. They had breakfast together, barely finishing before he fell asleep. Apparently, he was up all night the night before so he could finish his portion of a group project and send it off.
She was surprised to see him in her hallway after sneaking in with one of the residences. His face was covered in scruff—he, apparently, hadn't shaved since she'd seen him last—and his hair was a mess. She could picture him running his hand through it over and over while he worked on his project. But she was happy to see him. When he kissed her, he tasted like coffee and his body felt heavy against hers—like he couldn't keep upright without her help.
Andy looked up from his sleeping face when she heard her door open and she smiled at Traci. "Hey," she said quietly and Sam—still sleeping—tightened his grasp at the sound of her voice.
"Good morning," Traci whispered with a small smile. She closed the door quietly and laid her coat on the back of her desk chair. "Did you guys sleep here last night?"
"Me and Gail did. Sam showed up about an hour ago," she explained and Traci nodded. She took her backpack and climbed to her top bunk. "I'll wake him up, though. I don't think he meant to fall asleep."
"No, let him sleep," Traci insisted as she settled herself against her pillows. "I came back to do homework. I'll be quiet," she promised with a convincing smile and Andy smiled back.
The three of them stayed that way—Sam and Andy curled together on her bed and Traci on her own—and it was comfortable. If Andy were to look to her left, she'd see her best friend engrossed in her school work and, if she looked down to her right, she saw Sam's peaceful sleeping face.
He always looked so at ease when he slept. She'd spent a good amount of time watching him sleep because she was always the first to wake up in the mornings. Most of the time, she'd get up and hang out with Boo, or Oliver when he was living there, but other times she just didn't have it in her to get up so she'd lay in bed and watch him sleep. She knew when he was dreaming by the movement behind his eyes. He usually woke up immediately following a dream and he'd be a little disoriented.
"You're doing it again," he whispered, burying his face deeper between her leg and the mattress so she could only see the back of his head.
"What?" She asked with a laugh, throwing an apologetic smile to Traci who just waved it off.
"Staring," he said as he let go of her. He moved onto his back and Andy shuffled closer to the edge of the bed to give him more space.
"Well, I like looking at you," she reminded him before leaning over him to kiss his lips.
"Hi, Traci," Sam said, holding his hand up high enough for her to see once Andy sat back began.
"Hi, Sam," she laughed.
Just then, as Andy was about to say something else to Sam, her phone rang from her desk. She left Sam in bed and walked over to get it, smiling at her dad's picture on the screen. "Hey, Dad," she said, sitting in front of Sam again. His fingers skimmed across her lower back as she focused on her phone call.
"Hey, Kid, I'm downstairs," her father said and her eyes widened as she looked between Traci and Sam.
"You're early," she said, standing up. Sam's hand fell and he sat up to watch her pace. "Like-like, a week early."
"I had to trade my shift," he said casually and she stopped and looked at Sam—still tired, slightly disoriented, scruffy. "I thought I'd surprise you."
"We'll, uh, I'll be right down," she said before hanging up. "Well, my dad's here."
"What?" Sam asked, falling back against her pillows and she shrugged as she reached for her jacket.
"Want to come down and meet him?" She asked and he rolled off of the bed. Andy looked back at Traci and she smiled.
"Good luck," she called down.
"Thanks," Sam said, following Andy out of the room.
He wasn't even fully awake. He could have stayed in Andy's bed for even a second longer and fallen right back to sleep, but then the phone rang. When she reached back for his hand, he tangled his fingers through hers and they walked outside together. She squeezed his hand and tugged him a little to the right and, when he looked up, he saw her father walking over to them. A smile fell from his face and Sam knew his presence was responsible. It didn't help that he looked relatively homeless after days without shaving and combing his hair.
"Dad," Andy said and he looked at her instead. She, at least, had a smile on her face and he dropped her hand so she could give her father a hug. "Dad, this is Sam," she said with an arm around her father's shoulders as she led him over.
"Hello, Sir," Sam said, offering his hand.
"Call me Tommy," he said, shaking Sam's hand. "I didn't know you were here. I should have called first."
"No, it's okay," Andy said, stepping closer—her shoulder in front of Sam's like she was shielding him from something. "Sam brought me breakfast this morning, we were just lying around doing homework."
"How's your homework going, sweetie? How are classes?"
"They're good," she said before looking back at Sam quickly. He smiled tightly and she squeezed his hand from behind her back. "Busy. We've all been really busy lately."
"Well, I won't stay too long, but I wanted to see you, meet your boyfriend, maybe take you guys out for some lunch?"
"Sure," Andy said and Sam nodded before running his hand over his jaw. "Let's go inside. You can meet Traci. Gail, Chris, and Dov should be home soon, too. You need to meet them."
Sam stood back as Andy and her dad walked inside together. Eventually, he followed behind them, giving them enough space to themselves to talk. He didn't want to intrude. He knew how excited Andy was for her dad to meet everyone. And he knew that she would be happy to see him completely sober without even the smell of alcohol on him.
When they got back to her room, Traci was at her desk and stood up as soon as the door closed. "Mr. McNally, I'm Traci Nash," she said and Tommy offered his hand. "It's so nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, Traci," he smiled and then looked down at her desk. "I hope I'm not interrupting your work."
"Not a problem," she smiled—first at Tommy and then at Andy. "I think we could all use a little distraction."
"That's what it sounds like."
Sam took a seat on the edge of Andy's desk. He'd never felt completely comfortable in her room—maybe it was the memories of living in a similar one—but now he felt even less comfortable. Tommy McNally was pleased as punch to see his daughter—he kept a hand on her shoulder the entire time they spoke about school—and he even seemed happy to meet Sam and her friends. But every time he looked over at Sam, his eyes narrowed like he was trying to figure out what—if anything—his daughter found appealing.
"Is it too early to go to the Penny?" Dov asked as he trailed into the room behind Gail and in front of Chris. "Oh," he said, upon spotting Tommy.
"Dad," Andy said, eyes narrow as she glared at Dov. "This is my other roommate Gail and our friends, Chris and Dov. Guys, this is my dad."
"Tommy," he said and her friends all waved from the spot where they first noticed him. "What's the Penny?" He asked, looking at Andy again.
"It's the, uh," she trailed off, looking at Sam and he stood up and walked over to take the spot next to her. There he felt more comfortable, especially when his hand settled on the small of her back. "It's the bar we go to. Across the street."
"It's closed, actually," Sam added to Dov. "So, yeah, too early."
"I told you," Chris said, smacking his shorter friend in the back of the head. "We'll leave you guys alone. If you need us, we'll be next door."
"I'll go with you," Traci said, pushing her chair out. "It was so nice to meet you, Mr. McNally."
"Nice to meet you all," he agreed with a soft smile and a nod of his head.
Sam moved his arm so it was around Andy's waist and she settled her weight against him before her father had time to turn toward them.
"So, you two are pretty serious, huh?" He asked as soon as he was looking at them again. Sam couldn't even keep his eyes from popping open or his hand from falling from Andy's side. He was awake now.
"Dad," she admonished, stepping away from Sam. "Take it easy, please?"
"I'm just asking a simple question, Andy," he shrugged and she sighed before looking back at Sam. His face had turned neutral again and he offered a tight half smile before stepping closer to her again.
"Yes," he said and, this time, Andy's eyes widened. She smiled at him before turning back to her father with a smug expression on her face. Was it really all that surprising to her that he would admit that?
"Now, please, can we have a normal conversation?" She begged and her father shrugged with his arms out to his sides defensively. "Thank you. You mentioned lunch?"
"You guys didn't just eat breakfast?" Tommy asked, looking at the trash piled on Andy's desk and Sam checked his watch. It was almost 1:00, but they didn't eat breakfast until 11:30.
"It's fine," Andy insisted. "We ate a small one. I could go for some lunch," she said before looking at him. "Sam?"
"Lunch would be good," he agreed and Tommy smiled wide.
Sitting next to Sam and across from her father, Andy kept looking from one to the other. She expected at least one of them to say something. No one had said a word since they'd ordered and she was the one making all the conversation to begin with.
She knew Sam was beat, she was sure her father could tell. Not that he knew him, but just looking at Sam was a dead giveaway that he wasn't in top shape. He was still fighting to keep his eyes open and he kept scratching the hair on his face. Not to mention, his hair only looked worse than it had that morning—he continued to run his hands through it throughout the day.
At one point, when her eyes were on her boyfriend, she saw his eyes slip closed for longer than a normal blink and she put her hand on his thigh until they opened again. He looked at her and smiled graciously, squeezing her knee in return.
"So, what happens in May?" Her father asked and both her and Sam turned to look at him with confused expressions etched across their features. His hands were folded on top of the table and his head was cocked to the side like he was awaiting a full blown story when, in reality, Andy had no idea what he meant.
"I don't know," she said, shaking her head at him before glancing up at Sam. "What-"
"What happens in May?" Sam asked, scooting closer to the table. His hand remained on her knee, but his eyes stayed glued on her father.
"That's… That's what I'm asking," he said, looking at Andy. "School ends and you move back home. Are you two planning on staying together?"
"It's only three months," Andy said immediately. She'd thought about it already and came to the same conclusion every time—they would be fine.
"The city's less than two hours from my apartment," Sam agreed, finally looking down at her and she smiled at him and nodded at her father.
"And you're serious," he reminded them and they both nodded. "So, three months will be easy."
"Not easy," Sam insisted. He took his hand off of Andy and laid both palms flat against the surface of the table. "But doable."
"Okay, if you say so," her dad said and she pushed herself to the end of the booth.
"Let's talk outside, Dad," she said and he looked at her—surprised. She didn't use that tone with him unless it was in reference to his drinking. "Come on."
They both smiled tightly at Sam and he slid to the corner of the bench and let them walk away. Andy led the way to the parking lot, pulling her sweater tighter around her. "Stop trying to bully him," she said as soon as the door shut behind them.
"I'm not bullying anyone," her father said and she rolled her eyes. "I was asking a question."
"The only real questions you've asked today have been about my relationship with Sam and how serious we are," she said, throwing her hands up. "We're adults and-"
"He's an adult, you're nineteen," he said and she stopped short before falling back a step.
"Which makes me an adult," she told him. "In an adult relationship. With a man I love."
"Oh, please," Tommy said and it was his turn to roll his eyes. "You have no idea what love means, Andy."
"I do, actually," she insisted, getting angrier by the second. "I'm not my mother, I know—I understand—love. You taught me that. So, can you trust me to know what I'm talking about and to love who I want to love?"
"He's good to you?" He asked, arms crossing over his chest.
"Very."
"He loves you?"
Andy nodded confidently even though Sam had yet to say the words. Love or not, he cared about her a whole hell of a lot. If it was enough for her, it was enough for her father.
"Sam's a good guy," she told him and his face softened. "He's a little gruff today because he's been working so hard all week and he pulled an all nighter last night, but give it time and you'll see the real him. You'll like him."
"I don't not like him now, so that's probably true."
Andy smiled and kissed her father's cheek before looking pointedly at the door. His cheeks were red from the cold and she could only imagine hers looked the same. He nodded and they walked in together.
"Everything okay?" Sam asked once they sat down again. Andy nodded and he hesitated before looking away from her. "Okay."
"Three months is no big deal," Andy said suddenly as they were laying in his bed—both with a book in front of their faces while Boo slept at the foot.
"I know," he said, smiling over at her quickly. "I mean, that month over winter break sucked, but we got through it. We can get through three."
"Exactly," she said and he looked at her again to see her nodding to herself—deep in thought. He leaned over and kissed her cheek and she smiled at him. "So, you don't, like, want to take a break or anything?"
"No," he said, turning back to his book. It wasn't even something he wanted to discuss, honestly.
"And we'll be okay when I get back here at the end of the summer?" She asked and he nodded, turning the page.
"We're an hour and a half apart," he reminded her, scratching his freshly shaved jaw. "I have my truck. We'll be fine."
He really, one hundred percent, was not concerned about their summer break. Clearly, her father had gotten to her, but he could tell she wasn't too concerned. She was just being Andy—overthinking and covering all of her bases. He knew her well enough to know that she needed to do it and, eventually, it would fall away once she realized that they would, in fact, be fine. The routine was so familiar to him that he was only partially paying attention as he continued to read his book for class.
"So, a whole summer, together but apart," she said and he nodded again. "I'm not crazy about that."
"Me either," he admitted, settling deeper into his pillows.
"We're not breaking up," she said and he nodded again. "And things will be fine. Nothing will be weird and everything will be good."
"I love you, I'm not breaking up with you over an hour and a half travel time," he said, turning slightly onto his side—not looking at her but turning his body that way. She gasped and he actually did look up at her face but she wasn't looking at him.
It was smiling—white teeth and bright eyes—and he looked back at his book, confused. Did she really think he would break up with her over an hour and half? Over a summer break that was forced upon them? She was crazy to be that excited over his commitment to her, but he was glad just to see that smile.