[forelsket - norwegian origin; refers to the euphoric feeling at the beginning of love - you know, the type of feeling that absolutely fills you with butterflies each time you look at your significant other]

Vera looked onwards, not really focusing on what was written on the PowerPoint in front of her. She knew she had to, for the sake of her looming exams. She could still feel the tingle of Gemma's handprint on her face, like it happened yesterday. It had been three weeks since Gemma had looked her way, let alone, spoken to her. Gemma had avoided all their usual routes, and their usual catch-up spots. Vera had peeked inside to their usual coffee shop, in the hopes that she would see her friend, even if it was her smooching her boyfriend. Her hope was rooted in vain, and she never saw her friend.

The light snores caught her attention, and she turned to see Blaire asleep on her laptop, her hands slowly pushing her laptop off the edge of the desk. Thankfully, they were sat at the back and Blaire was sat directly behind someone with long hair.

Vera slapped her friend on the knee, hoping that the commotion would make her friend stir. Blaire simply mumbled and turned her head to the opposite direction. Vera slapped her friend again, a bit harder this time, making sure to muffle the noise with her cough. The girls in front of her turned around and gave her a confused look. She gestured to Blaire and dramatically rolled her eyes. The blonde-haired girl, seated in front of Vera, smiled and turned back around.

Vera shoved her finger into her friend's side in a desperate attempt to wake her friend up. Blaire made a squawking noise, resembling a deranged parrot as she woke up. Unfortunately, she attracted the attention of the hundreds of students in the hall. Vera felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she slunk down behind her laptop, trying to avoid the eyes that were watching her every move.

**

"Next time you shove your hand into my ribs, could you warn me first?"

Vera looked at her friend, clearly dumbfounded as she watched her friend slip her laptop into its case. She opened her mouth to retort but she sighed, knowing that it wouldn't get her anywhere.

"Why are you so tired?" Vera asked, swinging her backpack on her shoulder.

Blaire pushed her friend forward, moving her along with the crowd.

"I was up all night."

"Doing what?"

The silence hung awkwardly in the air.

"Oh." Vera's eyes widened as she realised what Blaire was referring to. "Oh...OH!"

Blaire laughed, her laugh ringing through the crowds. A couple of people snickered as they walked past her, apparently eavesdropping onto her conversation. Again, she felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she dragged her friend through the crowd and out of the hall.

"Careful Rudolph, the embarrassment has reached your nose." Blaire teased, her lilac hair falling in front of her face as she snickered into her hands.

Vera playfully shoved her friend, watching as she fumbled on her feet and started to walk off without her. A hand tapped her on the shoulder quickly, making her stop in her tracks.

"Blaire, I swear if you're gonna tell me one more innuendo-"

Vera turned around, expecting to see Blaire trying to hold a straight face. Blaire was nowhere to be found. Leon stood in front of her, in his very attractive glory. She searched for the septum piercing that initially intrigued her but found her gaze on his lips instead. She looked away as once again, she felt the sudden heat on her cheeks and ears.

"I can't tell you any innuendos unless you wanna hear them on our date, later."

"Is that your way of asking me out?" Vera teased, her eyebrows raised.

"Depends on your answer." He grinned at her. "I'm assuming it's a yes."

Vera put a finger on her chin in mock thought. "I mean, I'd have to see if I could fit you in, with my busy schedule and all."

"So...it's a yes, then?"

Vera could barely keep the goofy grin off her face. She told herself to play it cool, but even the giddiness in her stomach made it hard to pay attention to her mind. She nodded, for the fear of saying something unintelligible and embarrassing overcame her.

Leon grinned again, this time showing off his pearly whites. "Cool, I'll pick you up at 6."

Vera didn't know what else to do except grin at him until her cheeks started to hurt. She threw him a thumbs-up in the spur of moment as he waved at her. Wave goodbye Vera. She waved at him – with her thumb. She gave him a goodbye thumbs-up-wave. Thankfully, he laughed instead of staring at her like she was an alien that was on a first time visit to Earth.

She waited until he had disappeared around the corner to muffle a scream into her hands.

**

"I waved at him." Vera complained, as she sprawled out on her bed. "With my thumbs."

Blaire chucked a dress at her body. It was a skater dress that Vera had bought on a whim, and immediately regretted it. She tried to return it but even the lady at the counter refused to have the cursed item back. Vera kept it for sentimental value – at least, that's what she told herself.

"That's a blight on my eyes." Blaire shook her head in a disapproving manner before her head disappeared into Vera's wardrobe once more. "Get rid of it."

"I don't wanna throw it away." Blaire stuck her head out of the wardrobe and glared at her friend. Vera looked for ways to correct her sentence, "I mean, I mean, um, maybe I could give it to charity?"

Blaire tilted her head and raised her eyebrow. "Charities will reject you."

"Not if I put in one of those clothes bin things." Vera struggled to find her words, she knew what she was talking about but the words just tripped over each other.

"Why would you want to add more sorrow to people's lives?" Blaire tutted. "Burn it."

Vera sat up suddenly, blinking a couple of times as a wave of dizziness overcame her. Blaire gasped loudly, and then started shrieking. Vera quickly rushed to her side, expecting the worse, to see Blaire holding a dark dress in her hands.

"Why would you let a dress like this just sit in your wardrobe, doing nothing but simply exist?" Blaire gushed as she held it against Vera's body. "It's gorgeous. You'd look hotter than you already are in it. Put it on. Put it on, put it on."

Vera took the dress away from her friend before Blaire could physically force the dress on Vera's body. Blaire's head was already in her closet before Vera could interject. She removed her top and wiggled into the dress, struggling to move it past her (gigantic? since when was her head so big?) head. She huffed as she struggled to drag it down her body, breathing heavily once it was completely on. She removed her jeans and kicked them away from her.

"Ta-da." Vera mumbled, as she placed a hand on her stomach.

No pain, no gain. Putting on the dress was a complete struggle but since it was on, the dress sat comfortably on her figure. The off-shoulder look felt nice for once, and she thanked God that it was a skater skirt, instead of a dress that hugged her curves. This meant that she didn't have to suck in her stomach whenever she was walking or talking to someone.

Blaire shrieked once she laid her eyes on Vera. She fawned over her like she was a proud mother, fiddling with her dress, tugging it down, and taking off the straps of her bra. She led Vera to the mirror and grabbed Vera's cheeks, forcing her face closer to Blaire's as they looked at the mirror.

"You're so adorable." Blaire pinched Vera's cheeks as she moved her head side to side. She adopted that babying tone, the type of tone spoken to babies or little animals. "Yes, you are. Leon won't be able to keep his hands off you when I'm done with you."

**

"Vera, he's here." Blaire threw her phone at her, and Vera barely caught it in the space in the space between her fingers. "Vera, he's fucking here. Why, and how, are you even struggling with your shoes?"

Vera's hands were shaking with so much anticipation that she couldn't put her shoe straps on properly. Blaire grabbed her feet and struggled to put the belt buckle on the shoe. R-r-rip. Blaire let out a small gasp as she stared at Vera's feet in horror.

"You know what, eff it." Vera mumbled. She slipped on her black Vans and threw her phone and her wallet into her clutch. She said breathlessly,"If he can't take me in my Vans, he doesn't deserve me in my heels."

Blaire exploded with laughter as she ushered her friend out of her room. Blaire practically ran out of Vera's flat, dragging a breathless Vera with her to the carpark, where a very restless Leon was waiting.

Once he saw her, his mouth was left slightly agape. His demeanour changed as he suddenly stood straighter as he walked towards her. He kissed her on the cheek as she hugged him.

"Shit, beauty does take time." Leon laughed, once they had separated. "I'm very happy to have you accompany on this date." He planted light kisses on her hand. To Vera, they were almost ghostly – his lips barely touched her hands and oh how badly she wanted to them to.

"Okay, kids. Chill with the PDA." Blaire teased. She turned to Leon, her expression suddenly turned stern. She poked Leon on the chest several times. "Oi, you better treat my girl right. If I hear you've been messing around with her, I will cut off your-"

"Okay! We're gonna go." Vera interjected before Blaire could finish her sentence.

Leon laughed as he led Vera to his dark grey car. She turned back to see Blaire thrusting the air and making inappropriate signs with her hands. Vera glared at her friend before sighing and turning back to Leon.

"So, where are you taking me?" Vera asked as she sat in his car.

He looked at her with a secret smile on his face. "You look absolutely beautiful."

"Distracting me with compliments? How sneaky." She teased, letting the smile grow on her face.

Play it cool, V. She told herself, don't let him know how weird you are yet. On this date, she would remain calm and collected. Even though she was on a date with an extremely attractive guy. Calm and collected. She watched as he rolled his sleeves up, showing off his forearm. Calm and collected, Vera.

"You caught me." He chuckled as he started his car. "Looks like I'm gonna have to try a lot harder to distract you." He drove out of the carpark, then glanced at her. "I wasn't lying – you really do look beautiful."

Calm and collected Vera. Play it cool. She could do this. All she had to do was ignore the fact that he looked like God had spent a lot of time on him. The fact that he freaking looked like an angel send down to test her.

"Thank you." She paused dramatically. "So, where are you taking me?"

He laughed, "I guess it's too late for surprises but I'm taking you to my favourite Italian restaurant."

Vera kept her eyes trained on the road, restraining herself to not gawk at his beautiful face. "Is this where you take all your dates?" She teased, not seeming to be able to get rid of the playful tone in her voice.

"Nah, I take them to T.G.I's." He joked, but turned to look at her, with a grin on his face. "No, you're the first girl that I've taken here, and hopefully the last."

Vera was speechless. She could do nothing but grin at him. "I'm honoured; I don't know what else to say."

"You should be." He said, before chuckling to himself. "I wanted this date to be special."

Vera smiled as she turned away from him, trying to resist the heat climbing up her neck. She watched as the buildings blurred into each other as they settled into a comfortable silence.