"How you even pulled this off is beyond my imagination." Sophia laughed as she tied her curly brown hair into a messy bun.

"It's Cupid magic," I smirked, flipping my hair, that was parted from the middle.

"What now?" Daphne sat on the bed, hugging her knees like a scared toddler.

"Now..." I plopped down next to her. "You're going to help Elijah with science."

"But I'm terrible at science." She murmured.

"That's why we have Soph!" I nudged her. "Don't worry. Just take deep breaths and enjoy being in the same room as your dream guy."

Sophia scoffed, earning our attention. "Enjoying won't do anything if she doesn't actually talk to him."

"She will! We'll help her." I gave her a side hug. "That's what friends are for."

We exchanged encouraging smiles, and then the doorbell rang, making her shoulders tense. We bolted towards the window and saw Elijah standing at the door, and Blake was nowhere to be found.

"Open the door." I practically shoved her toward the door. "Go!"

She hesitated, glancing back at us, but obeyed, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"I don't think this is going to work," Sophia said when she walked out.

"Why not?" I frowned, crossing my arms.

"Daphne and Elijah don't seem compatible," she shrugged, her tone casual but her eyes serious.

"They haven't even started. How can we judge their compatibility?" I argued. "Daphne's just shy around him."

"My point."

"Huh?"

"Daphne's always shy around him. How will she ever get comfortable?"

"It'll take time-"

"I think you should give it a rest." She interrupted.

"Why?"

"This study date will be enough to make them close. We should see how everything goes after that naturally for a while."

"But-"

"Come on, Cara. You're the one who said 'slow and steady,' remember?" She raised an eyebrow.

My shoulders slumped and I sighed. "Fine."

"Good! Now let's go!" She grinned, grabbing my hand and led me downstairs.

It was a good thing Samuel wasn't home, or else his presence would have only complicated things.

We walked into the living room to find Elijah and Daphne sitting awkwardly on opposite sides of the couch, and an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air. Sophia shot me a knowing look, and I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, Elijah!" I greeted him, and a smile broke across his face.

"Hi, guys!" He beamed, glancing between us. "Blake's on his way."

"We can wait for him or..." I shot a sideways glance at Sophia. "We can get started."

"How about we dive into science first?" Sophia suggested. "You two can work on calculus when he arrives."

"Good idea." I agreed.

We settled onto the floor around a large square table, the carpet soft beneath us. Elijah sat directly in front of me, with Daphne to my left and Sophia to my right. Sophia, the only one with a brain among us, began explaining the basics of the topic. Daphne and Elijah listened quietly while I brainstormed ways to nudge them into conversation.

About fifteen minutes later, we heard the unmistakable roar of Blake's car pulling into the driveway. At first, I thought to get the door but hesitated. If I got up, I wouldn't be able to rearrange the seating arrangement.

"I'll get it." Sophia got up while I looked between Elijah and Daphne.

"Daphne, can you scoot a little?" I asked, shifting closer to her. "Blake and I will work on calculus together, so he'll sit here." I gestured to the space on my right.

"Uh... Sure." Daphne blushed as she shifted over toward Elijah, her nervousness palpable.

I watched the two of them exchange glances, hoping this study session would spark something between them.

Sophia entered the living room, with Blake strolling behind her. He had on a light gray t-shirt, slightly loose, giving off that perfectly casual vibe. His dark green joggers hung just right, the kind that looked comfortable but somehow stylish at the same time.

He wore a laid-back grin, and his eyes locked with mine, making my heart skip a beat. I gulped, desperately trying to keep from drooling, and quickly averted my eyes to my plain black shirt and shorts.

"Evening, everyone." He greeted, making his way closer. Daphne and Elijah smiled at him, and I opened my mouth, ready to instruct him on where to sit. To my surprise, he plopped down right next to me without a word.

Huh? That was easy.

"You guys started without me?" He pouted, picking up my notes to examine them. "You could've waited a few minutes for me."

I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, too stunned to respond. Thankfully, Sophia stepped in to save me.

"We were going through science." She explained, sitting next to Elijah. "You two can tackle calculus while we continue with ours."

Everyone nodded, and I opened my calculus journal, which was practically empty.

"Don't you write notes in class?" Blake frowned, glancing at the blank pages.

"Because of certain reasons, I have a hard time seeing the board," I muttered, finally finding my voice.

"Oh, so you're blaming me for your grades?" He arched an eyebrow.

"No... I'm blaming the teacher for the awful seating arrangement." I forced a smile. "It's not your fault that you're big."

His lips twitched upward. "How do you know I'm big?"

It took a moment for his words to register, and my eyes widened in shock. Even Sophia, Daphne, and Elijah stared at me, their expressions a mix of surprise and amusement.

"Do you peek in the boys locker room?" He gave me a knowing smug grin.

"What?! No!" I whiffed my hands, and my face burned. "I didn't mean it like that! Um-" I stammered. "You know, I mean it- in the context of-uh, your height!"

The room felt like it was closing in on me. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks as I searched for a way out.

"Right." Blake leaned in closer, and his grin widened. "It's about height now?"

"Yes, height!" I shot back, trying to regain some dignity. I could feel everyone's eyes on us, and the awkward tension made it even worse. "Can we please just start studying?" I blurted, desperately trying to shift the focus. "Calculus, remember?"

Sophia snorted, clearly trying to stifle her laughter. Daphne looked like she was about to burst, and Elijah just shook his head in amusement.

Blake chuckled, leaning back, but was not ready to let this go. "Sure, but I'd like to know more about my height."

The smirk on his stupid, pretty face made me fume in anger, and I knew he was playing with me on purpose.

"You're a jerk, you know that?" I squinted my eyes at him.

"Calling you teacher a jerk is not very polite, Miss Valentine." He clicked his tongue.

Why is he so infuriating?!

I inhaled a deep breath to calm myself and forced a smile. "Can we start what we came here for?"

"Ah, yes. After you helped us last time with literature, it's my turn to return the favor and help you..." He flashed a lopsided grin. "With studies, of course."

My eyes widened as I realized he was using my own words from his study date with Daphne against me.

Is he here to take his revenge?

Why didn't I see that coming?!

Blake leaned back with that mischievous grin of his, enjoying the effect his teasing had on me.

"Alright, Miss Valentine." Blake tapped my notebook with his pencil. "You ready to dive into derivative?"

I nodded, trying not to let his smirk throw me off.

"Derivatives are all about how things change." He said casually, still looking at me as he scribbled something on my notebook. I blinked at the equation he wrote, feeling a bit lost.

"That looks like a bunch of symbols," I muttered, unsure where to even begin.

Blake chuckled. "It's okay. It's a lot at first. But let's break it down together." He smiled at me, his voice softening a little.

I focused, doing my best to make sense of what he was saying. I nodded my head when he completed but, of course, Blake won't let me get away that easily.

"That deep frown on your forehead is clearly telling me that you're pretending and you don't understand a single word." He teased, leaning closer with a grin that practically screamed 'gotcha.'

I shot him a glare. "I'm not pretending."

He raised an eyebrow. "You totally are."

I crossed my arms and rolled my eyes, trying to hide my embarrassment. "You're insufferable."

Blake just chuckled, unfazed by my sarcasm. "Look, if you just focus, you'll get it. Let's try another example."

He drew another quick equation, showing how a simple calculation worked. I stayed quiet, trying to follow along as best as I could and he genuinely tried to help, even when he was joking around.

After a while, I managed to get the hang of the problem, and Blake shot me a quick nod of approval. I smiled, feeling a bit more confident as he began writing about the next problem.

My eyes went to my front, and I saw Sophia like a professional professor explaining the topic while Elijah was engrossed in listening and Daphne was dreamingly gazing at her crush.

"Are you paying attention to what I'm saying, Shorty?" Blake whispered next to me.

I rolled my eyes as I turned my head towards him. "Yes, I am-" The words get caught in my mouth when I come face to face with him.

I had no idea how or when we'd gotten so close, but his face was just a few inches away from mine, and his dark eyes locked on mine.

The sudden proximity made my heart stutter in my chest, and a strange warmth spread across my skin, like I was suddenly aware of every breath, every movement. I could feel the heat radiating from his body and the subtle pressure of his presence pulling me in.

I tried to shift away, instinctively wanting some space, but as I moved, I felt the light brush of my leg against his. The contact sent a ripple of goosebumps up my body, and I froze.

My breath caught as my gaze flickered from his dark eyes to his face. With a set jaw and unreadable expression, his intense gaze remained fixed on me. A sensation of warmth spread through me, leaving me uncertain whether it was caused by his closeness or the intensity of his gaze.

I couldn't help but let my eyes drop, tracing the curve of his lips. His upper lip had a sharp, defined curve, the center gently dipping into a subtle bow. His lower lip, naturally plump and well-shaped, seamlessly blended with his facial features. I couldn't help but let my thoughts wander for a moment, imagining how it would feel if they were pressed to mine.

My heart skipped when I realized my eyes had lingered too long. I snapped my gaze back to his, only to find that he was already gazing at my lips. It felt like time had slowed down, and we were both holding our breath, waiting for something to happen.

Blake's lips parted slightly as if he was about to speak, but nothing came out. Instead, he smirked at me, his teasing smile revealing that he was fully aware of the impact he had on me. I tried to steady myself, but the tension was heavy. This-whatever this was felt like it was hanging by a thread. Any move, any word, could tip it over the edge.

But Blake didn't move. He just waited, eyes still locked on me, as though daring me to make the first move.

And in that moment, I realized how desperately I wanted to close the distance between us.

"Let's take a break!" We jolted out of whatever it was at Sophia's voice and in a swift moment, we sat with a space that could fit an elephant between us. "Cara?"

"Y-yes?" I gulped as I tried to form the words.

"Will you help me?" She blinked her eyes at me, and I glanced at Elijah and Daphne scribbling something on their notes.

Thank God they didn't notice.

"Sure." I forced a smile and tried to get on my shaking knees, but lost my balance. "Oh!" I grabbed the couch to steady myself.

"Are you alright?" Blake looked at me with concern.

"Y-yeah." I cleared my throat. "My legs get numb easily." I made an excuse and followed Sophia to the kitchen. "Let's take Daphne's cookies-"

"What's going on?" She asked, making me halt.

"Huh?" I turned to her and saw her glaring at me with her hands on her hips. "What do you mean?"

"Don't play with me." She narrowed her eyes. "Elijah and Daphne are oblivious, but I saw what just happened."

I let out a nervous laugh. "What-"

"You two looked like you were about to suck each other's souls out!" She exclaimed, and my eyes widened in shock.

"Sophia quiet!" I placed my hands on her mouth. "They'll hear you!"

She mumbled something, but I couldn't understand. She yanked my hands off her mouth and smirked. "I knew it."

"What?" I frowned.

"There's definitely something going on between you two."

"You already know he hates me for what happened on Halloween."

"The way I witnessed you two staring at each other, isn't the way two people who hate each other look like." She rolled her eyes.

"You already know everything-"

"Will you stop lying and tell me the truth for once?" She groaned in frustration.

"Soph-"

"We are not leaving this room until you tell me everything." She narrowed her eyes. "And I mean everything."

My shoulders slumped in defeat, and I told her everything. About my encounter with him in the locker room till the one-on-one we had last week and also about my crush on him for years.

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