I'm not 100% sure about this one. It makes Andy seem a little naive, but hopefully not clueless…just scared to let go of her heart. It may not truly be in character, but what the heck. Let me know what you think.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Sam Swarek woke up with a smile – he had a plan.
Andy and Luke had broken up and Sam and Andy had been dating for about a month…now if only he could get her to admit it.
A week after Andy broke up with Luke, Sam couldn't wait any longer and he asked Andy if she was ready to start dating. Even though Andy thought it was too soon, Sam knew that she hadn't truly been in that relationship for a long time. He was pretty sure she was ready, but she just wasn't willing to let herself. Still, he played along.
He suggested that if she wasn't ready to date, why couldn't they just hang out and spend some time together and see how it goes…see if it might work. She figured there was nothing wrong with two partners just hanging out and so she agreed.
The first week Sam started by driving her to and from work every day. They decided to go out for supper early in the week. At the end of the night, Andy kissed Sam on the cheek and told him she had a great time. He had too. A couple of nights later, they went to a movie. Again, at the end of the night, Andy kissed Sam on the cheek and told him how much she enjoyed herself. When they got to the end of the week, Sam had Andy over to his house and he cooked for her. She was totally impressed and told him she could really get used to this hanging out.
When Sam dropped her off that night, she leaned over to kiss him on the cheek, but this time he turned his head quickly to get a kiss on the lips. She thought it was cute so she planted another quick chaste kiss on his lips and thanked him for a wonderful evening. Sam smiled as he walked back to his truck.
During the second week, the pattern repeated…for the most part. Sam picked her up for work and dropped her off every day. The next time she tried to kiss him on the cheek, he again turned his head for a kiss on the mouth. She would giggle and then give him another soft kiss. The kiss told him how much she cared, how much he meant to her and it filled his heart, but he wanted it all and she was still holding back. He had to make her see that it could only get better and that he would always be there for her.
By mid week, she didn't even try for his cheek any more. Friday night they went out with Traci and Jerry, as friends of course. Traci and Jerry weren't fooled; they saw the way the two of them interacted. When they walked together, they held hands or Andy held on to Sam's arm. And they looked at each other with such love. But Andy assured Traci they were just hanging out and enjoying each other's company until Andy was ready to date. Andy thought Sam was being so patient and Traci just thought he was a genius.
At the end of the evening, Andy went to kiss Sam good night. One kiss had been turning to a few, and those few had started lasting a little longer each time. That night, Andy felt Sam's tongue gently caress her lower lip. That was not what you did when you were just hanging out. When she opened her mouth to let him know that, he took the opportunity to slide his tongue gently in. It didn't take long for her to forget her argument. It was just kissing…right. And she was definitely enjoying it.
The following week, Sam decided to push the envelope a little and he mentioned something about them dating. Andy quickly reminded him that they were just hanging out, but he wasn't quite ready to let it go.
"Do you hang out with any other guys?" Sam asked.
"No," she replied, almost insulted.
"Why not?" Sam wondered.
"I don't want to. Why? Do you hang out with other women?" They spent most of their time together so she was pretty sure he didn't, but the thought still scared her.
"No, I don't want to either."
Although Andy was happy with his admission, she still didn't think she was ready to date so Sam left it at that. Near the end of the week after a few more 'dates' and a lot more kissing, Sam tried to talk to her again. He wanted to know why she thought she wasn't ready to date him.
After quite a bit of prodding, he finally got it out of her. She loved spending time with him; everything was so good between them. They got along well; they had fun. But she didn't want to screw it up. Every other relationship she'd been in had gotten screwed up. She couldn't ruin what she had with Sam; she never ever wanted him to leave. Sam swore to her it wouldn't change, but she was still scared.
Sam knew they were far from casual. He wasn't dating anyone else and neither was she. They hadn't discussed it, but neither of them had any desire to date anyone else and they both knew how much it would hurt the other if they did. They could never hurt each other like that.
He knew they were a couple and he knew deep down that she did too, but she wouldn't admit it. She continued to tell everyone they were just friends.
He could see that she was happy spending time with him and he loved spending time with her, but if they were to ever get anywhere he was going to have to be the one to move it forward. So he kept taking small steps.
That weekend, Andy needed some help at her apartment. It was manual labor so Sam took the opportunity to remove his shirt while he worked. Every time he caught her looking, he would make a smart remark – 'see something you like' or 'Andy you're drooling'. She would get flustered and blush before turning away to try and find something to busy herself. But he kept finding excuses to need her help so he could catch her again; he even went so far as to suggest that she take her shirt off too…just to make sure it didn't get dirty. She didn't fall for that one.
But he could tell he was getting to her because he caught her looking at him a lot. When he finished the job, he was hot and sweaty; he tried to kiss her but she held him off. She offered him the use of her shower and he made her promise to kiss him when he got out…after he tried to talk her into joining him of course. She promptly reminded him that hanging out did not include communal showers, but he could see that she was working just as hard at convincing herself that it wasn't what they should be doing. The walls were coming down.
For the past week, when Sam would 'accidentally' brush up against Andy, he could feel her body automatically respond, but she would quickly regain her control. He could see the desire flash in her eyes before she was able to mask it. He could see that it was getting harder and harder for her to fight her feelings.
You could no longer call what they were doing just kissing; they were making out and Andy was slowly loosening the grip on her control. First she would say his name breathlessly, neither one acknowledging her halfhearted plea to stop. He could hear the doubt in her voice and he would respond by moaning her name and kissing her harder, which only served to weaken her resolve even more.
But somehow she always found the will to stop. When she would finally pull back gasping for air, he could see the war she was having with herself. The way she responded to his touch left no doubt what her body wanted, but he could see that her mind was still wrestling for control.
Sam knew what he wanted and he wanted Andy. He knew that things could only get better if they could just get by her fears. He knew deep down that Andy wanted him too and so he just kept working on breaking through.
And today was the perfect day to turn up the heat a little. He had the perfect excuse to put his hands all over her and he was going to take full advantage. He was pulling out all the stops, and if today was the day he finally broke through, he thought it only fitting. He smiled again as he looked at the calendar on the way out the door. March 17th had to be the perfect day to celebrate with a McNally, and he planned to do just that.
When Andy walked into parade she was ready for a great day. She was a McNally, something good was bound to happen today
After parade, Sam and Andy were headed out the cruiser together. As they crossed the parking lot, Andy felt a pinch on her butt.
She turned to Sam. "Was that you?"
"Hmm…what?"
"Did you just pinch me?" She asked incredulous. It was definitely not like him to touch her like that at work.
Someone walked by just then and Sam stopped to talk to them for a minute and then he continued to the cruiser, ignoring Andy's question.
The first thing they did was stop for coffee. When Andy stood up to exit the cruiser, Sam took the opportunity to pinch her again.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"You're not wearing any green." Sam responded with a grin, before he got out and joined her on the sidewalk. "You're a McNally; don't you know the rules for St Patrick's Day?"
"How do you know I'm not wearing any green?" She challenged.
Sam looked her over from top to bottom, taking much longer than necessary. When Andy started to squirm a little, he smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Well, I can't see any."
She looked him straight in the eye. "I'm a McNally; of course I'm wearing green."
The look on her face told Sam that she was indeed telling the truth, and he definitely wanted to see it. "Prove it."
"Why should I?"
"Because if you don't I'm going to keep pinching you all day." Sam warned.
There are worse things. "I could pinch you back." She countered.
The twinkle in his eye told her that he would be more than happy if she did, and she knew she was beat. "You could." He said. "But…" And then Sam showed her the small bit of green on the face of his watch; he had planned this out.
Dammit. She checked her watch quickly, but no such luck.
"So are you going to prove it?" He asked. "Or do I get to keep pinching you?"
"We're on duty Sam; I really can't show you right now." With all her equipment on, it wouldn't be easy and on duty, it wouldn't be appropriate. "You're just going to have to trust me."
"No deal." He said as he pinched her side. It was more like a tickle and she couldn't help but giggle as she walked away blushing.
They were assigned to a speed trap today, which meant they would be standing side by side for hours on end. Every time they stopped someone, Sam would gesture with his hand for her to go. Whenever she turned her back and he saw the chance, he would grab her somewhere.
The worst part was that as irritating and juvenile as it was, she loved it. She tried to be angry, but she couldn't do it. It was driving her crazy, and he could tell. But that only made him enjoy it even more. She couldn't be mad because every time he touched her, her first instinct was to smile. She couldn't help it; she loved having his hands on her. Every time she walked away she shook her head and grinned. Sam's mood brightened with every smile.
After a couple of hours, Andy couldn't take it anymore. "Sam, stop it."
"Prove it!"
"You don't trust me?" She asked, hoping to make him feel guilty.
"I trust you with my life, McNally. But in this case, I need proof."
"I can't show it to you." She said quietly.
"Why not?" Sam pushed.
"You know why not." She stressed, looking him in the eye.
Sam looked directly back and asked again, a little more seriously. "Why not?"
She knew that he was talking about more than the proof and that caught her off guard. Why not? She asked herself before reminding…because you don't want to ruin it.
Sam knew he got her with that and left her to her thoughts for the rest of the morning. At least she was thinking about it.
When they met Noelle and Traci for lunch, Andy kept giving Sam the look and nudging him like he should be doing something. Finally he turned to her in exasperation. "What?"
"Aren't you going to pinch them?" Andy asked.
"Sam Swarek, you better keep your hands to yourself." Noelle warned.
"I have no idea what she's talking about." Sam defended. "Andy, where in the world would you get the idea that I would do something as juvenile as that?" He asked innocently.
She just looked at him in shock until he laughed and flashed the dimples. She couldn't resist smiling back; those damn dimples got her every time. Traci and Noelle exchanged looks; something had been going on with these two for a month now, but something more was definitely happening today.
When Andy sat down in the cruiser to leave, she looked out the window to wave to Traci and Noelle. As soon as her head turned, Sam grabbed the top of her knee. She shrieked before she started to giggle. Noelle and Traci turned back at the noise and just shook their heads. Sam was obviously on a mission to drive her crazy today.
"Please, Sam. If you stop, I promise to buy you all the green beer you can drink at the Penny tonight." She hoped maybe bribery might work.
"OK…if you promise to go out with me tonight, I'll stop." Sam agreed.
"I just said I would."
"Yes, but are you going to tell everyone we're on a date?" He asked.
"Sam we go there all the time."
"But you always say we're friends when anyone asks. If you want me to stop, this is a date."
"I hang out with you all the time."
"I know, but tonight you are going out with me."
She knew there was no way he would take no for an answer and truthfully she wasn't sure how much longer she could say 'no' to Sam. "Fine…I guess we're going out tonight."
Sam grinned and left it at that. The first step is admitting it.
After shift, Andy headed to the locker room to get changed. She was supposed to meet Sam out front in 20 minutes. Before she had a chance to head to the showers, Traci came in.
"What was with you two today?" Traci wondered.
"He's driving me crazy." Andy admitted.
"How?"
"He couldn't keep his hands to himself; he kept pinching me all morning claiming it was because it's St Patrick's Day."
Traci laughed. "And that's a bad thing?" What could be wrong with having a hot guy's hands all over you all day? She was surprised though – Swarek had a playful side?
"Traci…the worst part is I loved every minute of it. And now he wants to go out to the Penny." Andy lamented.
Traci was slightly confused. "You always do."
"But this time it's a date."
Traci just shook her head. Andy may have been able to pretend that she was fooling herself, but she wasn't fooling anyone else. "Andy…you have been dating Sam Swarek for a month now. And we all know it. It doesn't matter what you want to call it. You and Sam are a couple. You don't see anyone else."
Andy tried to shake her head at her friend, but Traci wasn't buying it. Tracy reached out to stop the motion and looked Andy in the eye. "Andy, you literally don't 'see' anyone else. Cut the man some slack. He hasn't left you and he's not going to. You're driving him crazy and he still comes back for more. No man is that patient; he's yours Andy. You just have to take the chance. Why not?"
There was that question again. "Traci you know my track record; I screw everything up."
"Andy, you can't go by your track record. None of those guys was Sam and none of them would have stuck around this long. None of them looked at you with way he does and you never looked at any of them the way you look at Sam. It's not the same. Trust me."
Andy didn't trust a lot of people, but Traci was one of the select few she did. And deep down, she knew that Sam was too. Andy sat quietly for a few minutes and Traci just left her to it. She knew that Andy knew she was right. She just had to admit it.
There was no further exchange as the ladies showered. But Andy was snapped out of her thoughts when Traci said goodbye. Andy continued to ask herself why not, as she pulled on her jeans.
She looked at the clock and realized that she should have met Sam 10 minutes ago. Her fears started to get the best of her and her mind started racing. What if he gave up? What if he got tired of waiting for her to be 'ready'? She knew she wanted Sam, but what if he left without her? What if he thought she had chickened out? And what if this was her last chance? She grabbed her shirt as quickly as she could.
Sam didn't knock; Traci had told him Andy was the only one left in there. When he stepped in quietly, Andy was just pulling her shirt over her head, and Sam caught a glimpse of his proof. She was wearing a cute little push-up bra that was covered in green shamrocks.
"Do you have the matching panties too?" He asked with a smirk.
Andy's eyes were still covered by the shirt and he had startled her. She gasped and took a step back. When she started to stumble, Sam ran up and grabbed her before she could fall over.
The moment his hands touched her bare skin, she felt her body's automatic response – desire, passion, need…love. It was all there if she could just let herself have it. Why not?
When she finally found her voice, she felt the need to lighten the mood and dissolve some of the tension that was continuing to overwhelm her. "I guess you have your proof now so I suppose we don't need to go out on that date."
Was she seriously still trying to back out of this? He knew that she felt everything he had the moment he touched her, and there was no way he was going to even entertain the thought of backing things up now. "You didn't answer my question."
"What's that?"
"The matching panties?"
She grinned. "Are you going to take my word for it this time?"
"Probably not." He grinned back.
She lowered her voice and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Then I guess we should go."
"Go?" Sam asked, the desire clouding his voice.
"…to the Penny…for 'our date'." She reminded him with a wink.
Sam laughed, trying to mask the disappointment; he would have much preferred to 'see the proof'.
They went to the Penny and laughed and joked with their friends. Andy reluctantly admitted to them that she and Sam were on a date. When everyone just laughed, she had to join in, finally acknowledging that she had only been fooling herself.
At the first quiet moment, Sam whispered in her ear. "You didn't answer my other question."
"Which one was that?" Andy wondered, unsure of what he meant.
"Why not?" He prompted.
She was ashamed to admit it, but he deserved an answer. She lowered her eyes to her drink. "I'm still afraid I'll ruin it."
"We both know that's not going to happen, Andy." Sam assured her. "This last month has proven that. So if you can't think of a better reason then I think we should get out of here and go on a proper date."
She met his eyes then and she could see that he meant every word. And she knew he was right; this past month was the happiest she had ever been. She hopped off her chair and held out her hand. "Why not."
Sam grabbed her hand and grinned. Their friends all smiled as Sam practically dragged her out of the bar. They had never seen him so happy.
As soon as they got outside, Sam poured every ounce of love he had for her into a kiss. When he finally leaned away, it was only to whisper in her ear. "I still want to see the matching panties."
She put her hand to her chest and gasped in fake surprise. "On the first date?"
"No." He said as he lifted her chin so he could meet her eyes. "… on the day I first told you I love you."
He watched as her eyes filled with tears.
"I love you, Andy."
"Oh, Sam." She said tearfully as she pulled him back in to hug him.
She didn't need to say it back; Sam knew she felt it and he would wait for her to be ready.
He didn't have to wait very long.
"I love you too, Sam." She whispered quietly.
Sam froze. He was completely shocked.
Andy pulled back. "What?"
"I…I…I mean I was pretty sure that you loved me too, but I can't believe you said it…out loud. It took you a month just to admit we were going out."
Andy blushed. "I guess I just figured if I'm going to admit it, I might as well be honest and admit it all."
Sam moved quickly past shock and went straight to joy. She loved him too. He was almost giddy; he couldn't help himself. "So…about those panties."
Andy grinned. "I thought we were going on a proper date?"
"Would you settle for an indecent proposal?"
A.N. I'll let you decide for yourself which one she went for...but I'm kind of thinking both :) Have a great day!