prompt:  INTRODUCTIONS
series: Wrapped Up In You
timeline:  Paved With Good Intentions
characters:  Sam, Jessica, Brady
words: 433
summary: (First meetings can be unexpected)

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It takes a month and a half of whining and wheedling for Sam to cave to Brady. He’s actually pretty proud of himself for this, as there is only so long a person can stand to listen to the hard partying loudmouth bitch and moan, and Sam has lasted longer than most of their mutual friends. It’s cold comfort to take with him when he finds himself ducking into a bar behind his friend at a quarter to midnight. 

He still caved, after all; caved and was dragged off for a night of karaoke. The laughter that’s ringing in the back of his head right now? That’s Dean’s. This is definitely one of those stories he is not going to tell his brother about. Ever.

Karaoke might be one of those normal guy in a normal life situations, but it had never factored into his own normal life plans. The upside was that it was a sports bar, and he could alw—

“TYSON!”

Sam is a pretty smart guy. He gets good grades and tends to breeze through the requirements to keep his scholarship going. It still takes the shouting woman actually jumping on Brady for him to connect the name. There are few people that call his friend by his given name, and Sam had almost forgotten that Brady wasn’t it.

“You are late!”

“Not by much,” Brady grins widely, and it’s all teeth. The blond woman wrapped around him leans back and Sam is embarrassed to discover that it’s his favorite stranger. 

“Two hours, Tyson. That is a whole lot of late!”

A distant part of Sam’s brain takes note that she’s pretty even when she’s mad, though most of it is caught up in her wide eyes and red cheeks. He might not have the same level of experience at cataloging the tells that his brother does, but the slight slur to her words and the way she’s swaying is enough to tell him that she’s started drinking without them. 

He really shouldn’t find that cute, but like everything else he’s ever noticed about her, he totally does.

Brady hasn’t lost an inch of his grin; if anything it’s gotten wider. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and then swings them around so that she can see Sam. The heat in his face makes it pretty obvious that he’s blushing, and he’s hoping like hell that between the drinks and the lighting, she doesn’t notice. He’s not prepared to meet the girl that’s been on his mind for over a year, but that’s taken out of his hands now.

“Rabbit, this is Sam. Sam, this is Jessica.”