Cause we're not seventeen,
But you're my teenage dream.
If there's a chance we'll sink then,
I don't even wanna try to sleep or dream.
—Rare by Waterparks.

———•———

Pierce doesn't know when or how it happened but after two weeks of back and forth texting, he discovers his favorite part of the day is waking up to Clover's cheesy good morning texts.

It sounds pathetic but it's true. They're always so harmless and cute like the one he's currently staring at for example.

Clover: I hope the bedbugs didn't bite last night.

With a smile, he taps back a reply—they did—and throws the phone down on his immaculately laid bed. He's already showered and all he has to do is dress up, go attend his lectures, and pray he doesn't mistakenly bump into Clover on campus when he's about to leave.

He's been following Lilian's advice ("Don't date but you can socialize.") by keeping Clover as something akin to an internet friend. He's been avoiding her invitations to dates for the sake of keeping her at arm's length via lighthearted texts and memes.

Which is sad because he's almost sure he has a bit of a crush on her now. Again, he can't explain how he has a crush on a girl he doesn't even know, but then again, he's never been the best at explaining his feelings.

He wears his favorite faded jeans and a shirt and decides to skip breakfast and instead, buy some coffee because he's running late and the particular lecture he's going to attend features a lecturer who really doesn't like it when he sleeps in class. Getting a degree in economics seemed like the dream at first but these days, he's starting to lack the inspiration to chase the dream.

But he has to try.

His phone vibrates, and he sits on his bed. He picks his phone to see that he has another text from Clover.

Clover: Sounds rough. Maybe a date with me will lift your mood.

She really doesn't stop. It's flattering. He hates how warm his cheeks feel.

Pierce: who said anything about my mood?

Clover: Huh?

Pierce: i never said i was in a bad mood.

Clover: How can someone who has been bitten by bedbugs not be in a bad mood?

Pierce: idk. i was joking, in case you didn't notice.

Clover: Your jokes suck.

Pierce: your intellect isn't advanced enough to grasp sarcasm is all.

Clover: You suck more than your jokes.

Clover: I know this restaurant. They invite actual funny comedians every Friday. You're in luck babe; tomorrow is Friday so we can go laugh at some actual GOOD jokes over a bowl of spaghetti.

He hates that he has to say no when all he wants to do is say yes.

Pierce: no. i'll pass. i'm not going on a date with you clover. i'm not interested.

Clover: You know, you type this but then you stay up late texting me like a boyfriend should so excuse me for calling bullshit.

Pierce: oh? friends can't text each other late at night?

It's a genuine question. Pierce has never been big on friends and friendship has never been a fan of him. He doesn't know friendship etiquette.

But if friends aren't meant to text each other memes and little tidbits about themselves at three in the morning, then he'll stop. It'll be hard to do but he'll try and do it. He'll just have to wait for her morning texts.

The three text bubbles show up on Clover's side of the screen and Pierce prays her answer is going to be something along the lines of 'yeah-friends-can-text-late-but-that-isn't-my-point' so that he can sass her again. He frowns when the bubbles disappear but no text comes in.

"Figures," he sighs. "I overdid it again."

He continues staring at the phone, and for a moment, he considers texting her again. He's not sure what he should type but—

"No, it's Clover," Pierce reminds himself. "Don't do that. She's chill. She isn't mad."

She should be but she never is and that's what makes her so precious. He doesn't know people who would willingly put up with him. So far, Clover is the only one who has managed to keep on talking to him despite his condescending texts, and his generally bad attitude.

Finally, he stands, pushes his phone into his pocket, and leaves the comfort of his room to get to class. He got carried away texting so it's too late for him to get his caffeine fix, so the least he could do is just get to class early and try and concentrate. Now isn't the time for him to be thinking of her and what her leaving him on read means.

But it's hard. He's noticed lately that Clover seems to be taking up a lot of space in his head. He hasn't seen her since their first encounter but her smile is a vivid memory in his head and the image of her face stays at the back of his eyelids. Even when the professor drones on about various economic theories, he's daydreaming about her. Even after class, when he's leaving the building, he's praying to not come across her because he doesn't know what he'll do if he sees her.

Blinking, he realizes his prayers haven't been answered.

"I wonder why I always have to skip a class just so I can hang out with you," Clover raises an eyebrow. "It's getting old, Pierce."

He can't speak. It feels like his tongue is cotton and she's even prettier than he remembers—but maybe it's because this time, she doesn't look like a coffee-soaked mess.

Clover shakes her head after a moment of silence. "Did the bedbugs bite your tongue?"

"What are you doing here?" he blurts out, then realizes he sounds harsher than he means to. He winces but doesn't bother to correct his tone or apologize. "How did you know I'd be here?"

"Common sense," Clover waves her hand, unfazed by his tone. "I wonder, what was even the point of you texting me? You don't even want to see me—you're clearly avoiding me."

She's not lying but it's not what she thinks. Or maybe it is. Even he isn't sure. "I'm not avoiding you," he says and hopes it doesn't sound like it's a lie. "I've just been busy."

"Then why aren't you looking me in the eye?"

Shit.

Before he can stop himself, his jaw clenches. He pointedly looks at her bangs. "Let's talk somewhere private. We're blocking the exit."

They aren't blocking the exit—there's more than enough space for anyone to waddle through—but Clover entertains his suggestion. "Private like where? Your room?"

In-person, she's even more persistent. It almost makes him smile. Almost. "No. Follow me."

They walk through the campus side by side. Pierce tries not to steal glances at her but it's hard; she's wearing perfume and her hair is straightened down to her back and he thinks she's wearing lipstick. She looks good and she smells great and if she asks him out now, it's going to physically hurt when he turns her down.

They finally make it to Bakersfield dorm and Clover whistles as they walk in. "Is this the dorm you live in?"

"Yes," he replies.

"Makes sense that you stay in the rich kid's dorm," Clover says. "It's all starting to make sense."

He doesn't know what is starting to 'make sense' to her since he's only living in the Bakersfield dorm because it's the only dorm on campus that allows for single-person dorm room accommodation, and he doesn't have the patience or the capability to live with a stranger, but okay.

Pierce doesn't reply. Instead, he weaves through the corridors and doesn't stop till he's in front of his destination.

Clover stares into the room. "You brought me to talk privately in a public laundry room?"

Again, he doesn't answer. Instead, he walks in and sits on the farthest washing machine from the door. The other machines are functioning and the noise is enough to hide their voices from anyone who wants to eavesdrop as long as they don't talk too loudly. It's the perfect place.

Clover follows after him with a huff but doesn't sit when he does. Instead, she stands right in front of him, still managing to be a bit shorter than him.

"Hmm," she looks around the laundry room again. "I honestly thought you were taking me to your room."

Pierce frowns, confused. "Why?"

In one fluid motion, Clover erases any semblance of space between them and steps into the gap between his legs. He gulps as he stares down to see her lips are merely a centimeter away from his.

She smirks. "I think you know why."

With barely controlled strength, he shoves her away and she stumbles back with a surprised laugh.

He's not laughing. His heart is beating at a rate he's sure isn't safe. He glares at her as she continues to laugh. "It's not funny."

"It isn't," Clover agrees with a chuckle. "I mean, it's obvious you're attracted to me, and I'm attracted to you too. We could be making out by now but you're playing hard to get. You keep turning me down and honestly, it's getting to me."

How is she so bold? Why is she saying all this without any hesitation?

Pierce gulps again. Clover is staring him down, and he doesn't know what to say. He's never been in this kind of situation before. He doesn't know what to make of it. He isn't sure he knows how to tackle it.

It takes a few moments but he finally finds his voice.

"I can't date you," is all he manages to croak.

Clover raises an eyebrow with an amused look on her face. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Silently, he shakes his head.

"Right. Boyfriend?"

"No."

"Then why?" Clover rolls her eyes, and for a second, he sees something like frustration cross her ever happy features. "Did you just get out of a relationship?"

No. Not just. He's tempted to tell her everything. But then, usually, telling people everything usually leads to them leaving him.

It's pathetic but he doesn't want Clover to leave him like everyone else does. He likes her good morning texts and her late-night calls. He likes the way she's always ready to take any opportunity to flirt with him. He likes her voice, her smile, her eyes, and even her disgustingly uneven fingernails.

He doesn't want her to leave him because he knows the summary is, he just really, really likes her. Which is inconvenient because he shouldn't, but again, that's just his brand of luck.

"No," he answers. "I..."

Silence settles over them as he trails off, and Pierce tries to ignore how loud the machines suddenly sound. He groans and buries his head in his palms.

Small hands wrap around his wrists and softly tug them away from his face. He pointedly stares down at his hands wrapped in hers—how much paler his skin is compared to hers, and how his fingernails are much neater than hers.

"Okay, look," Clover chuckles but the sound is sad. "I don't know what happened to you. But I do know that I consider you a friend and contrary to what you believe, friends do hang out, and I can take a hint."

She takes a deep breath as if gathering some strength and courage, and Pierce chances a look at her face. She meets his eyes and smiles.

"So, again, I'm asking you to hang out with me on Friday at that restaurant I was talking about. We won't dress up like we're trying to impress each other, and I won't flirt with you. We'll just have a good time, laugh, and then when the night is over, I won't kiss you. And then we can continue doing that till whenever you're ready."

Pierce discreetly gulps as they continue to maintain eye contact. He's vaguely aware of the way his heart is beating loudly in his chest, so loud that he's almost sure Clover can hear it over the noise of the washing machines.

Slowly, he nods, and he's almost sure that he's somehow already fallen in love with her when she throws her head back and laughs.

———☯︎———

A U T H O R ' S N O T E

+Thank you so much for reading! Tell me what you think? The chapter is rushed but it's a draft and I'm trying out this thing about not needing stuff to be perfect (I'm failing woefully but still tell me what you think please, thank you. Haha.)

+I'm going to try updating this sporadically this month as I'm also doing NaNoWriMo. It's for a novel I'm working on called Cole Black & The Seven Models but I've gotten a sudden burst of inspiration to continue this story so continue it I shall.

+Please vote, comment, share. It'll mean a lot to me.

+Also, please check out Cole Black & The Seven Models? (If you want to? It's pretty lighthearted compared to this but yeah. Haha, thank you!)

+Stay safe & drink water. I love you.