Page 42 of The Game Plan

Sam makes me feel like it might actually happen for me, like it’s a possibility I might one day find someone who likes me for me. She hangs out with me enough, at times that don’t include our study sessions, that it’s not inconceivable that she enjoys my company. She’s the one seeking me out.

And I likeher. I like the way she bites her lip when she’s concentrating. I like the little furrow in her brow as she works to understand the lecture. I like the way she treats each of my teammates with respect, like they’re actually people instead of faceless blobs. I like the way she curls her hand under her chin when she watches movies, and I like the way she leans on me when she gets tired. I like that she’s trying to work out her issues with her friend, that she isn’t abandoning her or sweeping everything under the rug when things get difficult. And I like that she’s devoted to her teammates and her sorority sisters, that she has a group of friends to fall back on, but she isn’t afraid of standing on her own two feet.

Mainly, I just likeher.

And, sure, the outside is quite nice too. She has gorgeous eyes and the kind of smile that could stop traffic. The curves of her body makes me lose all rational thought.

Sam meets my eyes, and I realize that I’ve been staring at her like an idiot. Drooling over her in the middle of the dining hall.

“You all right there, big guy?”

Big guy. From other people, it’s an insult. From her, though, it feels more like a term of endearment. Yeah, I’m big. I can’t change that. Most of the time, I don’t even want to.

“Fine,” I tell her, focusing my attention back onto my plate. It’s nearly empty. I can’t remember eating any of it.

She gives me one of her brilliant smiles, and my stomach flips. “I have to get to class in a few minutes. What do you have planned for the day?”

“Library.” I have a paper due next week for my linear algebra class. I thought it would be an easy course, but it’s surprisingly challenging. I kind of dig it.

She beams at me. “Great. I’ll walk with you.”

“Are you done?” I take her empty tray and stack it with mine before making my way over to the tray return. She’s talking with Greg, saying something I don’t catch, though I hear him grunt at her like a mannerless caveman. “Ready?”

She pops up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. “Ready!” She waves back at the guys. “See you later.”

We cross the dining hall in silence. Making our way through the lobby, she tugs on her coat and gloves. She waits for me to do the same before she reaches over and takes my hand.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she says, dropping it. Her cheeks flame red.

I take her hand in mine. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to.”

Her smile is like a punch to the face. “Okay, then.”

We’re friends. We’re friends that hold hands. She chatters on the way to the political science building about the paper she’s working on and the test she has coming up in her kinesiology class. She fills the distance between us so effortlessly, I almost don’t notice until we’ve reached her classroom.

“I’ll see you later,” she says, tugging at the hem of her coat.

I let go of her hand. “Right.”

“Miles?” Turning to leave, I stop at the sound of my name.

“Yeah?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing. I just… it’s nothing.”

“If it’s nothing, that means there is something.”

Sam crosses the three feet between us. Her hands fist in my coat, and she tugs. I let her pull me down.

Her lips land on my cheek. “Thanks for walking me,” she says, her face bright red.

I go dumb. “Um…”

She releases me at once, taking a step back. “See you later,” she says again.

“Right. Dinner?”

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