Sadly, as much as I loved the idea of giving us a chance, sleeping with my roommate didn’t sound right at all. What if we had a falling out and still had to share a dorm with one another? If I thought things were awkward between us now, they’d be ten times worse by then.
Not that I wouldn’t love to run my hands through her hair.
Cup her face. Kiss her. I never should’ve invited her.
It was too late for that now.
“Really?” Sam’s soft voice drew me from my thoughts.
It took a moment to remember what I’d said, which only complicated things more as heat rushed into my cheeks. “Sure.
Why not? I’ve always wanted to travel but never really had the time. I’ll have to scrimp and save a bit, but I’m sure I could swing it no problem.”
“Then you’ve got yourself a deal,” Sam said with a huge grin on her face. No longer staring out the window, she sat back and looked at the road ahead. “So what do you like to do for the holidays?”
By the time we pulled into the drive, it was dark. We’d stopped for a quick bite to eat along the way, but I was already starving. No doubt Mom had a load of food prepped in the fridge, some of which I hoped to break into as soon as we got through the door.
“Aww, it’s cute,” Sam said as she rummaged around the backseat for her things, pausing once she was through to admire the small cottage my folks owned. “You never told me about this. I always thought you lived in the city.”
“Sometimes, I do. Mom and Brad have two homes. There’s one right on the edge of the city, but they also have this one which we tend to use for our family get-togethers. It actually has a yard in the back.”
“It looks way better than the flat we have back home,”
Sam said. “You get a nice view but not much of a yard to speak of.”
I nodded then. “Which is how the other house is. This one is my favorite, though it isn’t close to anything at all. We’ll have to drive about twenty minutes if there’s anywhere you want to go, so while it may look good, the travel can be a bit of a pain.”
“Which is why it’s a holiday home,” Sam chirped.
“Exactly. In any case, are you ready to step inside or would you like to admire the exterior some more?”
Sam tilted her head to the side, gave the house one last look, then bumped shoulders with me and joined me on the front step. I was about to reach for the door when it opened fr
om the other side. My mom’s bright smile greeted us as soon as she pulled back the door.
“You brought her.” She threw her arms around me, hugged me tight, then look at Sam. “You must be Sam. I’ve heard so much about you.” When she held open her arms, Sam gave me a questioning glance. Once I inclined my head, she fell into her arms, completely enveloped by my mother’s welcoming
embrace. “Come on in. Have you eaten? Are you hungry?” she asked, releasing Sam back into the wild.
We walked close behind her, leaving our things inside the door before joining her in the kitchen. She’d already put out a spread along with chips, various dips, and veggie sticks.
“Coffee?” She was already in the process of starting a new pot when I pulled her into my arms. “Mom, we’ve got this. Go sit down.”
“Oh hush,” she said with a wave of her hands. “You shut your yap and let your mother do her job.”
Sam smiled at me, then lifted her brows as she silently asked for guidance.
“Grab what you can,” I reminded her. “Consider this your rehearsal dinner for tomorrow.”
Smiling, she picked up a plate and took a handful of cheese and meat rolls. “You guys celebrate on Christmas Eve?”
“Usually,” I said with a shrug. “That way most folks have time to travel and unwind back home before returning to work.
It makes things less hectic, you know?”
“Yeah, but think of the travel time.” She shook her head, then rolled up some meat and cheese together before taking a bite.
I had to agree with her there. We had two days until Christmas and the roads were already packed when we left campus. I couldn’t imagine what the drive would’ve been like if we’d waited until tomorrow.