Page 110 of Campus Crush
But Gordy was usually able to look at things objectively, so I ran it by him. “What if Sam and I swapped places? She could take my room here with the en suite bath so she wouldn’t have to share with you guys. You all know each other and get along.”
Gordy leaned back in his chair, considering the idea. His expression remained neutral, which I took as a good sign. If he thought it was a terrible plan, he would have said so immediately.
“Have you talked to Sam about this?” he asked after a moment.
“Not yet. I didn’t want to bring it up if you guys weren’t comfortable with it. But if you are, then I could move in with Abby into her apartment. Abby and I can share a room and Mason can have Sam’s room.” I leaned forward, warming to the idea as I laid it out. “That way, no one has to break their lease, and Abby’s commute goes from over thirty minutes to five.”
“You’ve really thought this through,” Gordy said, a small smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
I grabbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Is it crazy? I can’t stand to see Abby working herself to the bone and stressing so much. If she’s closer to campus, we can all pitch in to help.”
Gordy studied me for a long moment, his gray eyes thoughtful. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”
I gave him a smile. “As if I stood a chance.”
He chuckled. “I’m cool with it,” he said finally. “You’d need to check with Drew and Liam, but I don’t see why they’d have a problem with it. And I agree about her being closer so we can all help. Abby and Mason are part of our family now.”
That last part hit me right in the chest. After everything that had happened with my own family, hearing Gordy say that Abby was part of our chosen family meant more than he probably realized.
“Thanks, man. I appreciate it.”
After talking to Drew and Liam and getting their approval for the potential plan—Drew had immediately said, “Hell,yeah, Sam’s cool,” while Liam had shrugged and said, “As long as she doesn’t mind our mess”—I texted Sam.
Me
Hey, can you meet me at The Grindhouse this afternoon? I was hoping we could talk about an idea I have to make things easier for Abby.
Sam
100% What time?
Me
My afternoon’s wide open. What time works for you?
Sam
Meet me at 3.
Me
See you then.
I arrived at the coffee shop fifteen minutes early, ordering a black coffee with two sugars and grabbing a table in the corner where we could talk privately. My knee bounced nervously under the table as I waited. I knew my plan made logical sense, but I was still asking a lot of everyone involved.
At exactly three o’clock, Sam walked through the door and scanned the room. When she spotted me, she waved and headed to the counter to order before joining me.
“Hey, hockey boy,” Sam said as she sat at my table, setting down her drink.
“Hey, thanks for meeting me.”
“Of course. I hate seeing how stressed Abby is. It’s not healthy.” She stirred her drink, concern evident in her expression. “So what’s this idea you had?”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table. “It’s kind of wild.”
She mirrored my pose, her brow arched. “I’m all ears.”
I took a deep breath and laid out my plan, watching her face carefully for any signs of reluctance or discomfort. To my relief, she nodded thoughtfully as I explained.
