Standing back from the luggage carousel, Samantha yawned and cracked her neck. She'd spotted her purple rolling bag right away, and was just waiting for Jake and the students to find theirs among the cascade of identical black duffles. She rolled her shoulders, trying to work out the kinks from the cramped coach flight.
Jake was not-so-subtly admiring the way her shirt pulled tighter across her chest when she arched her back. She stuck out her tongue at him. Not because she minded the way he looked at her, so much as that he was doing it in front of the students. He grinned and turned away, grabbing his bag and loudly encouraging everyone else to find theirs.
Sam sighed and smiled, despite herself. The problem with Jake was that he _knew_ he was cute. He had carefully tousled hair and just a bit of stubble. He wore a flannel shirt with rolled-up sleeves. He struck a careful balance between casual cool and slovenly. He was charming without trying too hard. There was a reason that most nights, after the Robotics squad went home, she invited him back to her place.
She had started the Robotics team at Lovelace High School to encourage more young women to pursue an interest in science and technology. As the group became more popular, even a few boys had asked to join. She'd been worried that would affect the dynamic, but for the most part it had been fine. Eventually, the team had grown to the point she needed assistance, and she'd asked Jake to help out. He was great with the girls, always respectful and encouraging.
In fact, it was Jake who had suggested the team enter the MIT competition. It was held every summer, and the qualifying teams received a large grant and a paid trip to the MIT campus. Over a long weekend the team would participate in a competition and meet other teams of high schoolers. But perhaps more importantly, they'd get to tour the university's labs, meet leading roboticists, and make connections. The nature of the trip meant it was restricted to the oldest students, at least age eighteen. All told, Sam and Jake had brought eight of their best.
"Everybody got their bags?" Jake called out, and the students cheered, excited to get moving. "Alright, follow Coach Sam and the guy with the sign over here, he's brought a van to drive us to campus. Stay together!"
The campus rep, who'd met them by the luggage area with a sign reading "Lovelace High," led them to one of those generic white vans with rows and rows of seats. The students were practically vibrating with excitement after the flight. Sam managed to grab shotgun, and let herself admire the sunset as they drove through Boston.
When the van pulled up in front of the student housing, she was pleased to see that they had a large quad dorm all to themselves. She'd been worried about how they would supervise the students if they were spread across multiple units. As Jake and the campus rep chatted about the weekend schedule, she checked the place out.
The front door opened into a large open-plan common room, split roughly in half between linoleum flooring in the kitchen/dining area and carpeting in the living area. Two couches sat at the edge of the carpeting with their backs to the kitchen, facing a flatscreen TV mounted to the far wall. Two short hallways opened on either side of the room. Each connected to two bedrooms and a bathroom. The bedrooms were all identical, with twin beds and a window facing the parking lot. The bathrooms each had a shower. Honestly, it was a lot nicer than the dorm room she'd shared in college.
The boys, Ian and Wally, grabbed the far room on the right, and the girls split up the other rooms. Sam reminded Jake that Marcy and Bonnie were a couple and needed to be in separate rooms. They protested mightily, but ultimately couldn't stand in the face of Jake's cheerful firmness.
"Okay, everyone, it's 10pm, time for bed!" Sam called. The students groaned about the early bedtime, but she cut them off. "That's enough of that. We're here to work, not party. We've still got to unpack all our gear and get it tested before the competition. Everything starts at 9, and we need to be there by 7, which means y'all need to be up at 6. Now go on, get to bed!"
They grumbled, but began filtering towards their rooms.
"So," Sam said, regarding Jake with a sly look. "Four bedrooms, all claimed by teenagers. Is there anywhere for the two of us to sleep?"
"Why, madam, I've reserved you the finest spot in the house." Jake walked into the living room and bowed low, gesturing grandiosely at the larger of the two couches. "Feast your eyes upon this sofa... for hidden within is a bed fit for a queen!"
Sam watched as Lucia, Kara, and Rylie came into the kitchen to brush their teeth. The girls were laughing and chatting, and paid no attention to the adults. She shot a conspiratorial look in Jake's direction.
"Gracious! Surely, you're not suggesting what I think you're suggesting." She fanned herself dramatically and lowered her voice as she stepped closer. "It wouldn't be _proper_ for us to share accommodations while acting as chaperones to these impressionable young people."
"I wouldn't dream of doing anything improper," he winked. "Naturally, I'll be sleeping on the other couch."
"Hmm... That couch doesn't look very comfortable." She made a point of inspecting the cushions. "It's too short to lie down on. And there's a _rather_ large stain."
She glanced up as Amy ran past, giggling and waving a stolen pair of men's pajama pants. Ian was hot on her heels, laughing and protesting.
"Well, I'll just have to endure the discomfort for the sake of propriety. Unless..." Jake moved closer, nearly touching her, "there's some other option?"
"I suppose," she ran her finger lightly over the buttons of his shirt, "it would be rude to leave you to suffer when there appears to be room for you in my bed."
The girls finished brushing their teeth and retreated to their rooms, leaving Sam and Jake alone.
"That is, if you think you can handle the, ah... proximity?"
Jake leaned in close, and whispered, "That's not all I can handle."
She shivered as his lips brushed against her ear and then stepped quickly away as Ian loudly ran back through the kitchen with his recovered pajama pants, chased by Amy.
"Hey, come on, break it up! Everyone to their rooms!" Jake called after them.
Before long all the students were in their rooms with the doors closed, the lights were off, and Sam and Jake were relaxing on the sofa. She leaned companionably against him, and he draped his arm across the back of the cushion. She flipped through the channels, finally landing on one of those HGTV shows where an obnoxious married couple renovates houses.
Jake didn't even pretend to be interested. She half-heartedly swatted at him as he started nuzzling her.
