Dane steps in her room bright and early Friday morning and his jaw drops. To her, he whispers, "Oh, you dumb slut."

Blaise winces. "Shut up."

Yvo is still asleep on her bed.

Yvo Sandejas is on her bed. Freshman Blaise would be rolling on the floor and shrieking like a mad woman right now.

Junior Blaise is freaking out because she woke up cuddled against him, facing each other. She didn't want to leave her bed.

He looked...less intimidating asleep. Still beautiful and sharp and glorious, but calmer and relaxed—which is something she doesn't see often on his face.

Blaise was so sure he'd leave her dorm room last night with a scoff and barely a glance back at her direction, but he just—he just keeps surprising her.

She knows he wants to kiss her. He probably wants to sleep with her. But cuddling and staying the night? That's...that's out of their 'deal', right?

There's no way he actually wants her. Her. This is Yvo fucking Sandejas.

Blaise drags Dane away from peering at Yvo's face and closes the door as quietly as she could with her sports bag slinging over her shoulder.

"You've gone insane," Dane tells her.

"You try getting kissed by Yvo Sandejas! See if you don't go insane!" she hisses in annoyance, huffing, and walks away to head to the studio first.

"So...that good? Better than me?"

"Oh, shut up, Kallhoff."

The dance studio is bustling with life and energy when Dane and Blaise walk in and stuff their bags in the cubbies. The other members greet them with enthusiastic hellos, and Dane, captain, gets in front of the mirror to face them and lead the stretching and warm-up. Blaise takes her spot in the front as vice-captain.

They're learning brand new, complicated choreography from their coach today to add to their routine for the end of the year show. Croyden's streetdance team was one of the best in the country, and it had been Blaise's dream, as a high school student, to get here.

Their coach arrives just before Dane ends the warm-up and starts with the choreography.

It's nearing eleven when she finally deems it enough for today. Covered in sweat, out of breath, and sore all over, Blaise reaches for her second bottle of water as she collapses on the floor.

She takes her towel hanging from her bag to wipe her face when her phone lights up. Blaise fumbles for it.

Unknown: running away from me now?

He's awake. Blaise purses her lips and types her reply. I left you a note.

The note left her number and said that she was going to dance rehearsal. She also thanked him for last night.

It's up to Yvo to wonder whether she's thanking him for helping with the invitations or for the insane kissing and groping session.

She tries to ignore the way her heart leaps. He actually texted her. He put in her number and texted her!

"Blaise," one of the girls, Lila, calls out. She's slumped against the wall, cradling her water jug, catching her breath. "Is it true Yvo Sandejas is into you? Someone saw you guys go for lunch together last weekend."

"What?! No way," Heather pipes up with a gasp and wide eyes, turning to Blaise. "He doesn't date."

"It's okay if you're making things up, Blaise," Riley says with a chuckle. "I would, too. He's fucking gorgeous and untouchable. Oh, he's actually in my bed right now!"

The team goes into collective laughter.

Dane raises an eyebrow at her.

Blaise rolls her eyes. She knows exactly what he's thinking: are you going to shut them up or am I?

Blaise texts Yvo, biting her lip. are you still in my room?

He reads that immediately. why

send me a selfie from my bed

no

Blaise rolls her eyes. He's impossible. fine, you lose your slot in my schedule today.

Yvo doesn't send another word. He sends a goddamn selfie.

He's still lying on her bed, hair disheveled and sweater wrinkled. He looks annoyed, but fuck if she doesn't feel butterflies swarming her stomach at his face.

Blaise slides her phone to Riley. "Actually, he's in mine."

*

His slot was after her classes. He picked her up outside the lecture room, and Blaise resisted grinning when her classmates gasped and watched as he walked with her to the cafe beside campus.

Blaise makes him buy her two cake pops. He scowls but gets up from the table and heads to the counter.

Yvo's scowl is gone as soon as his eyes watch her mouth while she's eating one.

"Try the other one." They're both vanilla buttercream.

Yvo's eyes lift to hers. "I'll taste it later."

Her face burns.

He does. Pressed against the door of her room, licking in her mouth, fingers pulling her closer through her belt loops.

Blaise gasps when he squeezes her behind. She's pretty sure he smirks in her mouth.

He has class in ten minutes at the other side of campus, so he kisses her one last time and opens the door, pushing the other cake pop in between his teeth when he walks away.

Yvo messages her that night. sweet.

Saylor jumps when Blaise shrieks into her pillow and kicks the bed.

*

Yvo's staring at her again at first period.

She knew he was going to do this, so she woke up an hour earlier this morning to choose her outfit now that she knows he thinks her spine is insulting.

She chose a crocheted top with long sleeves that dipped into a low neckline with the hem barely reaching her stomach into an inverted V, meeting at the middle with a lace-up.

Her back should be staring and attacking him right now.

Blaise smiles down at her notebook, biting her lip, trying very very hard to listen to the lecture.

Her phone lights up. youre fucking infuriating.

Blaise ignores that and makes a show of taking her ponytail from her wrist, reaching back to gather her hair in one hand, and tying it up.

fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you

She grins and taps her pen into her notebook.

When class ends, Blaise packs her things slowly, even bends down to show him her skinny jeans. She turns around, and then there's a harsh tug on her ponytail to tilt her head back and Yvo's pressing their mouths together.

Her free hand instinctively goes to his neck, and she kisses him back for a while before she pulls back and reminds him, "That's not how this works."

Yvo makes a sound close to growl and glares at her, raising one eyebrow. Well? What the fuck do you want?

Blaise smiles. "Make me a poem."

"Roses are red, violets are blue, fuck you, fuck you."

She laughs. "I have class all day today and I'm going to work in the library, so consider that your kiss for the day."

Yvo surges forward again, but Blaise puts a hand on his mouth and says, "Another poem if you want another one."

"You're so fucking difficult," he bites out, blue eyes shining in irritation. "Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm going to thank Kallhoff for breaking up with you."

Blaise cackles this time, throwing her head back. "That rhymed—mph!"

Yvo shuts her up, his hands grabbing her hips. Before she leaves, his knuckles brush her bare sides, and Blaise can't help but run back to him when she reaches the door and kiss his cheek before actually leaving this time.

Blaise thinks about blue eyes and white-blonde hair and sinful lips all day.

In the library. Where she's supposed to be studying. Blaise shakes her head and takes a deep breath, returning her attention to the two books she took off the shelf almost ten minutes ago for her research and she still hasn't read a single word on it.

Blaise rolls her shoulders back and returns one book to the shelf. She's turning the page on the other one when her gasp catches in her throat as a hand grazes her side, the same hand on her bare skin hours ago, and a nose nuzzles into her neck and she smells him.

Blaise feels his smirk against the side of her throat and the pressure of a kiss there. "I really don't like being ignored," Yvo mutters, pressing his chest against her back. "In fact, I loathe it."

She grins. "Hi, Sandejas."

"Finch." His arms wrap around her waist, and her head falls back against his shoulder, her hand finding his thigh.

God. Blaise's heart is out of control.

Yvo curls his hand around her ponytailed hair and pulls it back so he can lean down and kiss her.

But Blaise pushes him with the book towards his chest and whispers, "We are in the library."

"So fucking what."

She steps back when he comes closer and he scowls. "This is sacred ground, show some respect."

Yvo follows her to her table like a puppy denied of treats. An angry puppy. He slumps down in front of her where his bag already is and glares at her, jaw tight.

Blaise merely smiles at him and mouths, "Study."

He sneers at her and opens his book.

To her surprise, he actually does study. He still glances at her every now and then, but he's a quiet study partner and Blaise is glad he lets her work without being a distracting little shit.

He already is, with his looks, but he doesn't make it harder.

Blaise notices eyes on them again and distant whispers, but Yvo doesn't look like he gives a fuck. He hasn't given a fuck about her wanting his interest be...public. Or them, in general.

She finds that this makes her happy. It makes her smile at her screen.

When Blaise looks up, she meets his eyes. Startled, she whispers, "What?"

"You better be fucking thinking about me with that fucking smile." He closes his book with force and stands up, taking his wallet with him. Then he leaves the library.

Blaise is...confused.

Yvo gets back about ten minutes later with coffee in one hand. He sets it harshly in front of her and takes his seat again, and she notices he has candy in his mouth. He doesn't look at her.

Blaise feels the urge to crawl across the table and kiss him. He left so he could buy her coffee!

When she drinks, she's surprised to find that it's the same coffee she always has every morning. Yvo is furiously staring at his reading as he chews, as if begging her not to ask him and let it go, so she takes pity on him and doesn't ask.

She doesn't know how she doesn't stare at his mouth the next few hours.

She also doesn't know how they end up holding hands before she pulls him inside her dorm room.

"You're a good study partner," Blaise says, letting go of his hand, heart stuttering in her chest, as she dumps her books and bags on her desk before turning to face him. He's watching her with an unreadable expression on his face. "What do you want?"

"Wanna kiss you," Yvo breathes out.

So fucking cute.

Blaise smiles and tiptoes to cup his face and lets him do just that.

Her shirt ends up on the floor, his hands tracing her back and chest, and his jeans get pulled down to his ankles. She finds that Yvo Sandejas is beautiful when he's catching his breath, when he's so lost in the feeling she's giving him on her knees, when he takes what he needs from her to chase his pleasure and reciprocates that with a hand in her underwear, swallowing her sounds with his mouth on hers.

He licks his fingers clean while staring at her. She drops her head on his shoulder with an embarrassed whine, hands still on his neck, and she swears she hears him chuckle in amusement.

"You can stay if you want," Blaise says later, almost shyly, before heading to the bathroom to shower.

When she comes out, Yvo is already lying down on her bed, freshly-showered and changed, and he pulls her to him. "Don't put this up tomorrow," he says, curling a hand gently in her hair. "It's fucking annoying seeing your neck and not kissing it."

She hums. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Brat."

"Ass."

"Bitch."

"Prick."

He huffs against her neck and hugs her tighter. "You're fucking difficult. God help the idiot who puts up with you."

"Shut up, Sandejas. Right now, you are that idiot."

"And will you see this idiot tomorrow?" he demands.

Blaise grins, closing her eyes. "Yes."

"Good." Yvo kisses her temple.

Blaise thinks she falls asleep with a smile.