Page 35 of Any Port in a Storm

Something flashes over Sam’s face then, but he blinks quickly and nods in agreement. “Okay. Whatever you want, babe.”

Babe. The term of endearment thunks hard as it registers. Things with Sam are still new, and, while I’m definitely enjoying our time together, I’m not sure I’m ready for pet names.

But I force a smile and squeeze his hand. “Thanks.”

Unfortunately, I step directly into a pile of crunchy leaves just as we’re within earshot of Nick and his lady friend, and his eyes flick open.

“Oh, hey, guys.” I see his gaze dart directly to where I’m still holding Sam’s hand.

Frankly, I don’t think he has a right to notice. He’s the one who made it excruciatingly clear that he just wants to be friends.

“Hi,” I say with forced cheer.

“This is Alyssa.” Nick gestures to the girl he’s with, who’s preoccupied with removing a leaf from her hair. “Alyssa, Laurel and Sam.”

“Nice to meet you.” Alyssa waves, blissfully unaware of the fraught subtext here.

“Likewise,” I reply at the same moment Sam says, “You too.” We catch each other’s eyes and laugh. It’s nice to feel like someone actually enjoys my company.

Nick reaches for Alyssa’s hand. “Well, we were just heading to dinner.”

“Yeah, looks like it,” I say before I can stop myself.

All the color drains from Alyssa’s face, and Nick appears torn between a glare and a laugh.

“Sorry,” I mumble.

Sam saves the situation with uncharacteristic grace. “We’ll see you around.” He wraps his arm around my shoulders and urges me back onto the path.

“Bye,” I wave.

“Yeah, see you.” Nick opens his mouth as if he’s going to say something else, but he shuts it again, and that’s the last thing I see before we walk away.

The next morning, I’m at the library, looking for books for a particularly painful philosophy essay that’s due tomorrow, when I spy Nick leaning against a nearby shelf, nose buried in a book.

My stomach lurches. I don’t know if it’s the acid reflux that kept me up most of the night, thanks to the pizza Sam loves so much, or if it’s because of how badly I don’t want to be writing this essay, but I stalk across the room to Nick before I can think better of it.

“Hi.” I don’t bother to sound cheerful.

He looks up in surprise. “Oh, hey, Laurel. What are you doing here?”

“Looking for books for an essay.” I cross my arms. “But I figured, since I was here, I’d tell you how happy I am for you.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s nice that you found Alyssa so quickly.”

“What do you mean, so quickly?” He narrows his eyes.

“Well, you know. So soon after you took me to formal. Because you weren’t with her then, right?”

He takes a measured breath. “Of course not.”

“Right. So that’s what I’m saying—it’s nice that you found someone, and progressed in your relationship to the point of making out in the middle of the quad, so quickly.”

Nick props an elbow on the bookshelf behind him, a smirk edging in. “We weren’t in the middle of the quad.”

“Whatever. You know what I mean.”