"Your birthday is close, baby," Andy says, looking sideways at Rhysand. "What do you wanna do?"

Rhysand scoffs and puts his hand on Andy's bare thigh. "Don't remind me."

Andy grins. "Fine, then. I'm taking that as a green light to plan it and do whatever I want."

"I really don't care," Rhysand counters, taking a left into the school parking lot. "As long as I celebrate with you."

"Sap!" Andy whines, smacking him on the shoulder. "Don't do that."

"Not doing anything," he says, though a small smile pulls up on his lips. Rhysand parks the car. "You get flustered so easily, it's cute."

Andy grabs her bag from the backseat to hide her blush. "You're annoying."

Rhysand scoffs again. "Says you."

Andy opens the door and leans over to kiss him on the cheek. "Bye, thank you for driving me."

"Wait," he says, snatching her wrist. Andy blinks at him. Rhysand's eyes turn dark and his expression changes as he tips his chin upwards. "That him?"

Andy turns around with drawn eyebrows and sees Johann near the entrance of the pool, already shirtless. He spots her and gives her a big wave and a smile.

Andy returns the gesture before looking back at Rhysand, who's giving her a piercing stare. "Yeah, that's Johann."

"C'mere," Rhysand says, and not giving her time to react, pulls her arm, curls a hand around the nape of her neck, and kisses her.

Andy's surprised at the show of jealousy but kisses him back anyway, dropping her bag onto the seat. Even with this, Rhysand's still careful. Calculated. Too afraid to go too far.

She presses her lips further against his, but Rhysand's already pulling back, a satisfied smirk on his face. He tips his chin towards the pool. "Call me later."

Andy's face is flushed as she picks up her bag. "Bye!" she says hurriedly, already turning away and heading inside the pool.

Johann greets her cheerily and follows her as she steps towards the locker room. "Hey, Andy. Was that the boyfriend?"

"Yes!" she squeaks, ducking inside. "I'm going to change!"

Bash meets her outside when she's ready and tying her long hair into a bun to keep under the swimming cap. The captain is leaning against the wall opposite the locker room with an eyebrow raised. "How's the nose?"

"Fine, thank you so much," Andy answers politely, pulling her ponytail into place. It accidentally gets caught in between the strands of her hair, and she winces with a gasp. "Ow, motherchucker—"

Bash laughs and moves closer. "Motherchucker?"

"Just so I don't curse," Andy mutters distractedly, trying to pull her ponytail free from all the tangles. Each pull makes her wince from the pain. "Ah, God—"

"Jesus, here, let me," Bash says, swatting away Andy's arms as he stands behind her. Andy freezes in place as she feels the warmth and press of Bash's body against her back, but thinks nothing of it as she lets her friend help her. "You're ruining your hair with all your pulling."

Andy pushes her bottom lip out and crosses her arms. "Sorry," she murmurs, even though she has no reason to apologize—least of all to Bash.

The captain is smiling when he says, "Cute. Here, I think I got it." With utter gentleness, Bash finally disentangles the ponytail from her hair. "I'll tie your hair up for you."

Andy blinks and moves to step back. "Oh, no, that's okay, thank you—"

"You're gonna ruin it again if you don't let me do it," the captain counters firmly, planting one hand on her bare shoulder to keep her still. "Let me."

Andy stays in place as Bash ties her hair up gently.

"There," he says, patting her lower back. "All done."

Andy steps back with a sigh of relief and smiles at him, one hand coming up behind her head to touch the neat bun. "Wow, thank you, Bash! That was kind of you."

"No big deal." He smiles at her boyishly. "But you do owe me for saving your life when your nose bled."

She blinks and tilts her head. "You hit me."

Bash raises his eyebrows and crosses his arms. "The ball wouldn't have hit you if you caught it."

Andy frowns. He's right.

She swallows hard and nods. "Okay, yeah. Do you want to get ice cream after this? I can treat you! Thank you again, by the way, you knew what to do and I didn't, and you were so nice—"

"Come with me," Bash blurts out suddenly, cutting her off, "to this thing with my friends tonight. We're getting barbecue and drinking. You should, uh, come with me."

Andy's eyes go wide. "Oh, that sounds nice! I've never been invited—" she stops abruptly and shakes her head, but Bash watches her curiously. Andy sighs, but she keeps the smile on her face when she continues, "Sorry, I just don't have many friends. I only ever go out with my roommates. Meeting new people could be fun."

Bash stares at her for a moment too long. "What do you mean you don't have many friends?"

Andy shrugs. "Aside from my roommates, I have Johann, and this other girl in my art class named Kat, and I have this friend named Jenner, too."

Bash furrows his eyebrows. "That's it?"

Oh. "Oh," Andy mutters, feeling the heat rise up to her cheeks now. "Oh, well, yeah, I don't know, I was told I'm kind of annoying? And I talk too much? So maybe that's why—I mean, sorry, I didn't mean to dump things on you, um, if it's okay, and if you're not taking the invitation back, then I'd love to come."

Bash blinks at her. "I'm not taking it back, what are you talking about?"

Andy flushes and ducks her head. "Sorry."

"No, don't apologize," the captain says, stepping forward to ruffle the top of her head. "And I didn't mean it like that—I just thought you were popular. Brains and beauty and all that."

Andy barks out a laugh and ignores the compliment. "I am far from popular."

Bash's mouth curls up in a wolfish grin. "You'll love my friends. They're good people, I swear. Come with us."

Andy doesn't need to be convinced. She nods eagerly and rises up on her tiptoes. "Okay. Where should I meet you?"

"I can pick you up," he offers kindly.

"Oh, no," Andy says immediately, shaking her head. "It's fine. You're too nice, Bash, thank you, but I'll get there myself."

"Just give me your number then," the captain says, holding out his phone. "So you can text me when you arrive and I can come get you."

Andy smiles and takes the phone. She places her number in. "Okay."

The professor calls all of them to gather near the pool. Andy turns away to follow the rest of her classmates, Bash right beside her.

And just as the professor is talking about more drill instructions, Bash leans in to whisper, "You should've included me in your friend list."

Andy looks at him. "Oh, yeah. You are. Sorry, I was rambling and I forgot—"

"Cool," Bash says, straightening up. He crosses his arms over his chest, seeming satisfied. "Cool."

Andy smiles. "Cool."

Later that afternoon, Rhysand falls asleep sprawled across her lap, and Andy's tangling her fingers in his hair, caressing the strands carefully. She uses her free hand to scroll through her assigned readings on her phone.

Rhysand tightens his arm around her about an hour later. "Time is it?" he rasps, burying his head further into her stomach.

"Almost five," she answers him, hand still stroking his hair. "Do you want me to leave so you can rest properly?"

"No," he mutters sleepily, and Andy wants to coo at him. "Need to get up, too."

"You should sleep more," Andy says softly, a frown etching her face. "Do you have something urgent to do?"

Rhysand nods against her belly. "Need to work."

Andy sighs. Of course he does.

"Why?" Rhysand asks, opening his eyes. "Did you want to do something?"

Andy puts her phone down and lies against the headboard. "Um, no, not really, I was just worried about your lack of sleep."

He raises an eyebrow and waits for her to elaborate.

It's not exactly a lie, but after the scene of jealousy he caused in the parking lot today, Andy looks elsewhere when she says, "Actually, I have plans tonight. And I was wondering if you could give me a ride...? Or if I could borrow the Jeep if you're busy? It's too far of a walk."

Rhysand's expression stays the same. He looks at her for a long time. "I'll drive you. Where are you going?"

It's an innocent question, but Andy's nervous when she answers, "To this Korean barbecue place. Bash invited me and I want to go. I have to go home first to change, but—"

"Bash?" Rhysand asks quietly.

Andy bites her lip and nods. "He's a friend. The other team's captain in water polo. He's nice."

Rhysand lets out a heavy breath. "Okay."

And Andy knows he's not mad—he's not petty and shallow—but she can't help but feel like he's not happy about it either. Timidly, Andy strokes a hand down his face and says, "Rhys, he's a friend."

"I didn't say shit," he says, sitting up, pulling Andy with him, and she goes easily. This—curling her body around his—comes so naturally now. "What time are we leaving?"

And Andy shouldn't be thinking this, her cheeks are flaming just from the thought—but Rhysand is the jealous type (the sudden kiss in front of Johann proved that). And it's incredibly—sue her—attractive.

She shouldn't be surprised that she finds everything Rhysand is or does to be attractive. It's unfair—why is he dating her again?

"In an hour, please," Andy murmurs, pressing her face against his neck. Her lips brush against his pulse point, and boldly, Andy lets herself kiss his skin. "If you're not going back to sleep. Thank you."

"Don't thank me," Rhysand says roughly, and Andy hears the hitch in his breath when she kisses him again, lower this time, across the wings of his collarbone. "They're your friends. You don't need my permission."

Andy takes his hand and threads their fingers together. "I know," she whispers. "It was for the ride. And besides, I wanted to tell you. I'll keep my phone on loud mode and call you when I need a ride back."

Instead of a response, Rhysand tilts her chin up with his finger. Andy's eyes widen, and then they're kissing.

As always, Andy's body sags against his as she clutches onto his shirt, gasping at the intensity of Rhysand's mouth—it's been so long since he's kissed her like this: obnoxious, greedy, all-consuming. It throws her off-guard as she struggles to catch up, toes curling, gasping into Rhysand's lips.

And then, all too soon, he pulls back. "Shit, I'm sorry, I—"

"It's okay," Andy whispers, her mouth tingling. Rhysand's eyes are dark and wild. "It's okay, don't hold back." To prove her point, she crawls on top of him, Rhysand's head laying flat on the pillow, and without giving him any time to argue, she presses their mouths together again.

Rhysand doesn't hold back this time. His hand moves to the bare skin of her thigh and squeezes, and Andy gasps at the touch, lost in his taste. Rhysand's other hand grabs at the base of her jaw, tilting her head to the side, and then slides lower, his palm curling around her neck.

Andy follows his lead, opens her mouth when coaxed open, and makes a tiny noise in the back of her throat when Rhysand slips his tongue in. His hand tightens around her neck, and his other hand yanks her thigh around his waist.

Andy gasps against his lips and clutches his arms. Rhysand digs his thumb onto the base of her jaw and tilts it further to the side, his mouth moving to the delicate skin beneath her ear, down to the curve of her shoulder, and across her throat and collarbone. Andy bites her lip through it all, tries not to make any sound as she holds onto his shirt, panting. There's a stir in her lower belly from where she's straddling Rhysand, but she ignores it and closes her eyes, arches her back as Rhysand sucks on the skin of her chest, his hand pulling her shirt aside.

"Sunshine," Rhysand murmurs, slowing his kisses, making his way back up to her lips.

Andy kisses him, tangles her fingers in his hair.

"Beautiful," he rasps, dipping his head to graze his mouth against the skin of her neck again.

Andy can't find the words to say—not when he's touching her like this. So she pulls back, pushes Rhysand's shoulder to put some distance between them, and moves out of his lap.

"Hey, don't freak out," Rhysand starts to say, furrowing his eyebrows. "Did I go too far?"

"No, no," Andy rushes out, shaking her head. Her face is red. Utterly, entirely red. She hugs her knees and hides her face. "This is embarrassing. I'm so sorry."

Rhysand barks out a laugh. "Jesus, I thought I scared you off again."

He's...intense. Andy can still feel the hand wrapped around her neck. Shamefully, she swallows the lump in her throat. She liked it. "No, I-I was the one who said to not hold back. I'm just embarrassed."

"Why?" he asks quietly, snatching her wrist. "Tell me. I won't know unless you talk to me."

Andy pouts. "I just—I've never done anything like that before. I don't know if—if you like it, if I'm doing anything wrong, or—"

Rhysand shuts her up by kissing her again.

It's slow and sweet this time. No rush.

Andy's breathless when Rhysand moves back. His eyes are blazing as he stares at her, and Andy tries not to cower under his gaze. "I like everything I do with you."

Andy flushes. She hides her face against his shoulder and weakly punches his chest. "I hate you."

Rhysand snorts, but his voice is serious when he says, "We have to talk about our boundaries. You have to tell me what you're comfortable with and what you're not. I might not remember to go slow or be gentle when you're not saying anything or pushing me away."

"It's hard to," Andy mutters.

"Sanford," Rhysand says sternly, flicking her forehead. "I'm fuckin' happy I'm the first."

"And the only," Andy adds quietly.

"And hopefully the only," Rhysand agrees, "but you need to be vocal about the shit we do. I don't want you to do anything just because you think I'm going to get mad or annoyed if you don't."

Andy bites her lip. Muffled against his shirt, she says, "I liked it."

"I can't hear you."

Andy smacks his stomach. "I liked it," she repeats begrudgingly, ignoring the hotness of her face. "And I promised you I'd tell you if I feel uncomfortable. I promised I'd push you away."

Rhysand doesn't seem convinced, but he leans back against his palms and stares at her and says, "Okay. I trust you. Do you trust me?"

Andy nods slowly. Without question.

Rhysand nods too and taps her hip. "Okay. Get up and pack your shit so you can change at your dorm."

MJ and Sabina are both working on their assignments when she comes in the room. They barely spare her a glance as she heads straight to her closet to find something to wear. Since it's just a friendly get-together with people she's never met before, she decides on a cute navy blue, red, and white sweater paired with a blue pleated skirt and a cute black belt. Andy grabs her makeup bag and heads to the bathroom.

Quickly, she reapplies her makeup and changes her clothes. She takes a black shoulder bag and stuffs it with her portable charger, wallet, keys, phone, and lipstick. Around her neck, she puts on a silver charm necklace, and she grabs a small ponytail so she can braid her hair in the car.

She kisses Sabina and MJ on their cheeks before leaving. "Bye, I love you both!"

"Have fun," MJ says flatly, not looking up from her reading. Andy snickers and shuts the door, then takes the elevator down.

Rhysand has an unlit stick in his mouth. Andy frowns and holds out her palm. "Give."

He rakes his eyes down her body. Andy shifts her weight from one foot to another. "I need it for when you leave."

A bubble of laughter escapes her chest. "You're such a baby."

Rhysand opens the door for her. "Your skirt is too short."

"It's not," Andy argues immediately, pushing her boyfriend away so she can climb up the vehicle. She doesn't want to flash him again—not accidentally, anyway. When Rhysand rounds the car and starts the engine, Andy leans into him, cups her face with her hands and whines, "Don't I look cute?"

Rhysand kisses her quickly and pulls out of his parking space. "Put your seatbelt on."

Andy blushes and sits back to do as he says. As he drives, Andy threads her fingers in her hair and braids it carefully. The quiet ride lasts only about twenty minutes, and then Rhysand parks the car right across the bustling restaurant.

Andy takes a deep breath and grins at her boyfriend. "Okay. Phone is on loud and I'll text you every once in a while."

Rhysand nods. "Okay. I'll be at home waiting for you."

Andy leans over the center console and gives him a kiss on the cheek. She opens the door and jumps out. "Bye, baby! Thank you for the ride!"

"Go inside," Rhysand says, mouth curving upward.

Andy smooths her hand down her skirt and turns around to head inside the restaurant, making sure to shoot Bash a text to let him know about her arrival.

He responds in less than ten seconds. Gimme a sec, on my way to you

Andy pushes open the door and immediately cringes at the loudness of the atmosphere—laughter, the clinking of metal utensils, the sounds of meat being cooked, chairs being scraped back and waiters running around. Her discomfort only lasts a moment before she spots Bash coming from a secluded section in the restaurant.

Andy notices that he looks different when he's not shirtless. He's in a simple button-down shirt and jeans, and his hair is pushed back against his forehead neatly. There's a smile on his face as he walks over to her. "Hey, you made it."

"Said I would," Andy says, grinning brightly. "Are you sure your friends won't mind? I'm not imposing in any way?"

"Nah, they're cool with it," Bash assures her. Shamelessly, he looks at her from head to toe. "You look great."

Andy blinks. "Uh, thanks."

He settles one hand on her back and leads her away from the crowded room. "Hope you're hungry." They enter another room, and Andy is greeted by two pairs of curious eyes. "Hey, guys. This is Andy. Andy, this is Piper and Sam."

Piper jumps up from her seat and without hesitation, embraces Andy. "Hi! It's so nice to meet you!"

Surprised, Andy awkwardly puts her arms around the girl. "Hello, it's nice to meet you too."

She pulls back with a wide grin and takes Andy's hand, pulling her along. "Come, sit! This is my boyfriend, Sam."

The tan, dimpled blonde gives Andy a salute. "Hey."

Andy greets him back shyly while Bash pulls out the chair beside him and says, "Sorry about Piper. She's a little excited."

"Oh, shut up, Sebastian," says the brunette, settling back beside Sam. The boy immediately puts his arm around her shoulder as she leans into him. "You were just as excited." To Andy, she says, "He tried on four different outfits and showered twice."

Bash gives her the middle finger. Piper flips him off as well.

"How do you guys know each other?" Andy speaks up softly.

"I've been tolerating these two since high school," Bash answers. "And we're all in track together."

Andy's mouth parts in surprise. "Oh, that's really impressive."

"Thank you!" Piper grins. "What about you? Any sports? Bash told us you met in water polo."

Heat rises up to Andy's cheeks. "Oh, um, I'm not good. At all. I just had to take it as a required PhysEd."

Sam snorts. "Bash doesn't lend you a hand?"

"Oh, no, it's okay!" Andy says quickly, shaking her head. "He's captain and he's really good. He doesn't have to."

Bash piles two pieces of meat on Andy's plate. "I'll help her in the next match," he says, shooting Andy a wink.

She doesn't know what that means, so she doesn't give him a response and just smiles back.

Piper, Sam, and Bash are all easy to talk to, but Andy sees herself becoming close friends with Piper. The three of them eat a lot, and even when Andy tells them that she can't take any more food in her body, Bash ignores her and gives her more meat. It's when the two boys start talking by themselves that Piper leans in close to Andy and wiggles her eyebrows. "So?"

Andy blinks and chews her food. She's really, really full. "So...what?"

Piper's smile grows wider. "What do you think of Sebastian?"

Andy spares him a glance. He's laughing with Sam about something. Andy looks back at the brunette, who propped her elbows on the table to lean in closer, one hand toying with the end of her braid. "Um, he's really kind and sweet. He doesn't hold back in water polo just because I'm not good, and I appreciate that. And he invited me here, so that's really nice of him."

Piper nods thoughtfully. "Okay. What else?"

Andy bites her lip. "I—I mean, he's a great friend, and—"

Piper's eyebrows shoot up. "Great friend?"

Andy blinks. "Yeah."

The brunette barks out a laugh. "Bash, you stupid idiot."

"Wh-what?" Andy stutters.

"What did I do this time?" Bash grumbles, joining in again. He grabs Andy's glass and fills it with water. "What'd she say?" he asks Andy, facing her.

The sudden proximity of their faces makes Andy lean back a little, but Bash isn't bothered. He stares at Andy, waiting for her to answer him.

Piper laughs again. "You're so cute, Andy."

Andy looks away from Bash and mumbles, "Thanks...?"

Bash switches his gaze to Piper and glares at her. "The fuck are you talking about?"

"Later," Piper says, winking at him. "Come on, we gotta order some drinks!" She calls a waiter.

Bash leans in to Andy again. "Is she making you uncomfortable?"

Andy widens her eyes and shakes her head immediately. "Oh, no, no—she's really great and sweet. I'm having fun. I'm glad I came."

The boy's mouth curves upwards. "Good."

At some point in the drinking, Bash's chair comes closer to Andy's and their legs touch. Andy scoots away to put some distance between them, but Bash's arm behind her chair doesn't let her move. She downs one shot, makes a face in disgust, and texts Rhysand again.

Hi we're drinking and it tastes disgusting but i'm having fun :D

    A reply comes two seconds after. Good. Call me later and be safe.

Andy grins and types her response. I will! Love

Her eyes widen as she scrambles to delete that. Exhaling heavily, she tries again. I will :D

She puts her phone down. Bash is staring at her curiously. "You alright? Do you wanna go outside for some fresh air?"

Andy thinks she needs it after that small heart attack. She swallows the lump in her throat and nods. "Yeah."

Bash lets the couple know where they're going and Piper waves at them knowingly. Bash flips her off again and leads Andy out, one hand on her back.

Out on the sidewalk, Andy breathes out and wraps her arms around herself. Bash leans on the wall next to her and shoves his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

Andy clears her throat and smiles at him. "Thank you again. For the invite. I'm glad I met Piper and Sam."

Bash stares at her for a long moment and licks his lips. "Andy, I like you a lot."

Andy beams and lifts herself up on her tiptoes. "I like you too! You're a great friend, Bash."

The brunet raises an eyebrow. "Wow, you're really fucking dense."

Andy's smile falls. "Huh?"

Bash rubs the nape of his neck and steps closer to her. Andy doesn't move. "I like you a lot. Not as a friend. I like you."

She blinks. "Oh."

Bash snorts. "Yeah, oh. Thought that was obvious. I asked you out on a double date."

Andy's eyes widen. "Oh. Oh!" Oh, no.

He laughs once and runs a hand through his hair. "Don't tell me you don't get a million love confessions a day."

"I don't," Andy blurts out, still reeling with surprise. "Um, I'm sorry I didn't know." Damn it.

Bash shrugs with one shoulder. His eyes don't leave Andy's. "You don't have to answer me now. I just wanted to let you know. I think Johann likes you too."

"He doesn't," Andy says, cheeks flaming. She looks at the wall behind Bash's head.

Bash snorts again. "You're really dense."

"Yeah, I got that," Andy mutters, covering her face with her hands. "Uh, I'm sorry, Bash, but...I actually have a boyfriend."

The brunet's expression doesn't change, but the way he looks at Andy tells her that he's confused. "Huh?"

Andy looks at her feet and bites her lip. "Um, yeah."

"Oh," Bash says, furrowing his eyebrows. "Just...didn't seem like it."

Andy wants to crawl in her bed and die. "What does that mean?" she asks quietly, looking up at him.

"I mean," Bash starts, scratching his neck. "I thought you were flirting with me, actually. Well, no, I was flirting with you, and I thought you let it happen 'cause. I don't know, you were single. My bad."

Andy hangs her head and groans. "I am so sorry, Bash. I didn't do it on purpose. I'm really sorry."

"No, it's cool," he says, shaking his head. He kicks an imaginary pebble on the ground. "No worries. Uh, does he go to Pendleton, too?"

She bites her lip. "No, he already graduated. He's working right now."

Bash tilts her head to the side. "Oh. What's the age difference?"

Andy hesitates. Bash senses this and immediately backtracks. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. I was just really surprised. D'you wanna go back in?"

"No, it's okay," Andy says quietly, sighing. It's not a big deal. "It's a five-year difference."

Bash's eyebrows raise. "Oh, wow. That's huge."

"Why?" Andy asks, shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Is it that weird? I don't think it's weird. It's not huge," she rambles on defensively. "I'm nineteen, he's only twenty-four—"

"Chill, Andy," Bash says, laughing. "Well, I mean, doesn't it bother him? That he's dating someone so young?"

Andy frowns. She's not young. "Um—"

"Okay, never mind, it's not my shit," Bash says, shaking his head. "Come on, let's go back inside before they make a big deal out of nothing. You still have a bottle to go."

Piper and Sam are grinning when they sit back down. Piper clasps her hands together. "So...?"

"Cut it out," Bash says sharply, pulling Andy's chair out so she can sit.

Piper's eyes widen as she holds her palms up. "Damn, touchy."

Bash gives Andy her half-finished bottle. "Finish this then I'll drop you off."

Andy opens her mouth to protest, but the look Bash gives her shuts her right up. "Okay," she says quietly, taking the bottle.

Piper doesn't say a word about it again, but she keeps her cheerful and friendly composure until they have to leave, and gets Andy's number so they can hang out again sometime.

Andy texts Rhysand as he leads her to his car. Bash is dropping me off.

    What, the four hours wasn't enough?

Andy doesn't know if he's joking. He, uh, something happened. And he wants to, so I'm letting him. I'll meet you at home.

His reply comes faster. Bash opens the passenger door and Andy smiles at him gratefully before settling in. Stay there. I'm picking you up.

Andy wants to groan, but she keeps silent as Bash starts the car. No, it's okay. It's nothing bad. I think. I'll tell you at home, I promise I'm okay :)

Rhysand doesn't give her a response.

Bash pulls out of his parking space and asks where he's dropping her off. Andy gives him the address.

"Hey, Bash," Andy starts quietly, fiddling with her fingers. "I'm really sorry."

"No, it's fine," he says with a shrug, sparing her a glance. "Don't apologize. It's no big deal. We're still friends, right?"

"Yes, of course," she answers, pouting.

"Then good," he says, nodding. "I'm fine with being friends."

Andy lets out a sigh of relief. They get to Rhysand's place in less than half an hour, and Andy thanks him with a hug. Bash salutes her and says, "I'll see you next match. Night, Andy."

"Goodnight!" Andy says, grinning and waving.

Rhysand is seated on an island stool when she comes in, legs spread, a lit cigarette between his teeth. Andy's heart races—he looks handsome even though he's not doing anything. She takes off her shoes and frowns. "Baby, no smoking in the house."

"I already tried telling him," Jenner says somewhere from the living room. "Multiple times. Take him outside, Andy, please. I'm dying."

Andy rolls her eyes and stalks over to Rhysand. He keeps his eyes on hers and lets her pull out the cigarette from his mouth and toss the stick into the ashtray without complaint. Andy wraps an arm around his neck, and Rhysand spreads his legs further so she can step between them and circles her waist loosely with one arm. "Hi," Andy murmurs.

Rhysand hums. "What happened?"

"Apparently," she starts quietly, pursing her lips, "I, uh, went on a double date."

Jenner bursts out in laughter from the couch. "Jesus Christ."

"Shut up," Andy says miserably, twisting her head around to shoot him a glare. To Rhysand, she says, "Apparently...he likes me."

Jenner snorts but doesn't say anything more.

Rhysand's face is impassive, but he uses his index finger and thumb to tilt her chin towards his face to kiss her softly. Andy clutches his shoulders and kisses him back. His hand slides down to her hip, the dip of her back, down to her bottom—and Andy's breath catches, pulling back in surprise.

Rhysand's eyes are dark as he stares at her. "Okay?"

Andy gulps. Slowly, she nods her head.

"And what did you say?" he asks quietly, slowly slipping his hand under her skirt.

Andy gives Jenner a glance. He's focused on his laptop, back towards them. Andy digs her nails into Rhysand's shoulder and leans into his body. "I said I have a boyfriend," she breathes, biting her lip.

Rhysand's other hand keeps a firm grip on her hip. The other makes Andy's breath tremble, heart race, face hot—his finger slowly traces the seam of her underwear.

And Andy might not be completely sober—which is why she's not pulling away and ducking her head in humiliation, even though Jenner's sitting only about a room away from them.

"Did he try to kiss you?" he asks in that same, low tone. "Touch you?"

Andy whimpers and grabs Rhysand's shirt by his chest when his finger slips underneath the cloth.

"Did you let him?"

"No," she whispers immediately, shaking her head. How could he think so?

Rhysand hums. Squeezes her bottom harshly with his palm that Andy gasps. "Good girl," he says darkly, using his other hand to cup her neck and brush his lips against hers.

Andy presses forward with a groan as Rhysand squeezes again. "Rhys," she murmurs, pulling back. "Jenner's right there."

Rhysand grazes his lips along her throat, sucking the skin. Andy clutches his arms and grits her teeth to keep from making any noise. "You gotta stop me, sunshine," he rasps, tightening his hand around her neck, brushing his thumb over Andy's mouth. "Tell me to stop."

But Andy doesn't want to. Instead, with confidence brought alive by a kick of alcohol and the pure want in her belly, she parts her lips to wrap them around Rhysand's thumb, sucking it into her mouth, running her tongue over it.

Rhysand inhales sharply, surprised, gaze locked on her mouth, and breathes out, "Fuck."

Andy doesn't know what she's doing, but Rhysand's grip on her bottom tightens—she must be doing it right. She holds Rhysand's hand between two of her own and sucks his thumb deeper, keeping her eyes on her boyfriend's.

With a quiet groan, Rhysand pulls his finger out of her mouth and grabs her chin, capturing her lips with so much force that Andy gasps and tries to catch up with his pace, gripping his hair in between her fingers.

"I was wondering why the two of you gave up talking," Jenner's voice quips, and Andy jumps out of Rhysand's hold like she was burned, panting for breath, lips red and swollen. And Andy thinks it's unfair—everything they do affects her more than it does Rhysand—he looks perfectly fine. Aside from the annoyance in the furrow of his eyebrows at the interruption.

"Please go upstairs, I eat here," Jenner says smartly, opening the fridge to grab a soda.

Andy ducks her head to hide her face.

"You couldn't wait for your damn drink?" Rhysand snaps, jaw clenching.

"I was thirsty!" Jenner defends himself.

Rhysand gets up from his stool and grabs Andy's hand, pulling her arm harshly towards the stairs.

Andy goes with him (it's not like she has a choice, anyway, the grip on her hand is enough to pull her arm out of her socket if Rhysand wanted to), and looks back at Jenner to mouth, "Sorry."

He grins and makes a lewd gesture with his fist and mouth.

Andy's eyes widen, feeling her face heat up more, and then her friend is out of sight as Rhysand stomps up the stairs to his bedroom.

A giggle bursts out of Andy's chest as she gets dragged to the bed, Rhysand immediately crawling above her to cage her between his arms. He's careful enough to keep his weight on his elbows to not touch her—he seemed to remember that this position was too intimate and doesn't want to scare her off.

"Why're you laughing?" her boyfriend asks lowly, looking like a boy that had his toy taken away from him.

Andy grins and circles her arms around his neck. "We got caught."

"He's seen worse," Rhysand says lightly.

Andy's smile falls.

"Shit," Rhysand mutters, pressing his forehead against hers. "Sorry." He drops a sweet kiss on her nose.

"It's fine," Andy murmurs, shaking her head. She purses her lips and asks, "Um, you don't actually think that I was going to let Bash—"

"No," Rhysand answers before she can finish, drawing his eyebrows together. "No. I trust you."

She leans upward to kiss him. "I trust you, too."

Rhysand pushes himself up and stands. "I'm going to shower first. I need it."

Andy sits up and frowns. "What do you mean?"

"I'm hard," he says nonchalantly, pulling open his closet. Andy almost chokes on her saliva as she coughs. "Need to get rid of it. You can shower after me."

Andy lies down on the bed and hides her face in the pillows. "Really?"

"You wanna check?"

"No!" Andy squeaks in embarrassment. Rhysand laughs once and disappears in the bathroom.