“How heroic.” Lincoln winked in my direction. “What’s that? The second time this guy’s been on the other end of your door. Must mean something.”
Could he be more heavy-handed? I shot him a glare that I didn’t wipe away quick enough. Naomi glanced at me and her smile wavered for a second. Damn, I think she took my response the wrong way. Her hand was back on her shirt, tugging at the hem as she stirred the boiling noodles. It didn’t take her long to recover. Someone who wasn’t paying attention wouldn’t have noticed. But I was paying too much attention, trying to read through the lines of her smile.
“Do you all go to Mendell?” she asked.
“We do,” Henrik confirmed. He was the only one who brought in something useful from the car, a box of kitchen utensils, and was currently unpacking as he spoke. “Third year for us.”
“My second.” She smiled, directing it only toward Henrik. “Well… it’s my first on-campus. I feel more official now. I took classes online last year because I was working a lot.”
“So that means you haven’t experienced everything Mendell has to offer?” Lincoln sounded like he had a terrible plan. Naomi laughed, obviously not of the same opinion.
“I suppose not,” she said as she started filling the bowls. I handed them to her, one by one. Our fingers didn't touch once. I couldn’t tell if I was the one being more careful this time or if it was her.
“We’re going to have to change that.” Lincoln sat on the counter closest to her.
Naomi made a face that was supposed to look silly but damn if it didn’t make her even sexier. “I’m not much of a party person if that’s what you’re getting at. I do like to watch people get drunk, though.”
“There’s way more to Mendell than just parties,” Sam spoke up. He had his phone out, only half interested in the conversation.
“He’s right. But, the parties are usually the highlight,” Lincoln said. “We’ll convince you to come to at least one. It’s a college essential. Along with weird date nights, tail-gating, and random road trips.”
Naomi’s eyes shone with excitement. “Well, I am a sucker for a good road trip.”
“Who isn’t?” Henrik agreed.
“Finn?” Sam’s voice tore my attention from the conversation. I hadn’t realized how hard I’d been staring at Naomi until my gaze moved to him.
“Help me?” He gestured over his shoulder to the front door.
I cleared my throat and nodded. While I’d been watching Naomi, at some point, Sam stared at me. Since he knew more about me than I did of myself, it didn’t bold well for my hopes of keeping life simple this semester.
He said nothing until we got to the back of the van. The lights from the house cast a warm glow onto the dark driveway. I pulled out a few suitcases. As soon as the last one hit the ground, Sam said,
“We haven’t had time to talk one-on-one since you got out of the hospital.” Instead of moving luggage, he took a seat in the open hood. I hesitated for a second as I tried to figure out how to maneuver out from this conversation.
I avoided one-on-ones with most people because it was harder to pretend to be Finn with one person. Figured that out weeks ago when I was stuck at home, recovering while surrounded by my family.
“Yeah, things have been busy.” The comment felt safe enough.
Sam nodded. “I thought I’d check-in. You haven’t been saying much lately.”
“Do I usually?” The question slipped out because my curiosity got the best of me.
“You do. At least around us. Me.” Sam shrugged like it was no big deal. I noticed how he poked his tongue against the inside of his cheek. He did that after the girl he’d brought to the cabin ordered a Lyft, ending the vacation early in a huff. They had a loud argument. He didn’t talk about it with the rest of us, continuing as if it didn’t happen.
“Been more tired than usual, you know?”
He nodded. “And in pain.”
My shoulders relaxed. So, this was what he wanted to discuss. “It’s being managed. Got a great doctor. Few physical therapists. All thanks to you, right? My dad said yours hooked us up.”
I nudged his arm with my elbow on instinct. It felt like the right thing to do.
“Of course. Everyone wanted you to have the best.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest and tilted his head up to the sky. It was cloudy tonight, so most of the stars remained unseen.
“I have the best,” I agreed. “All the more reason for you not to worry. I’ll be back on the ice and better than ever.”
He turned his gaze to me. “You think I’m worried about the ice?”
