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"Oh man, why is it pouring so hard? We could've been watching the basketball team play right now if it wasn't for this rain!"
"You can still go, you know. No one's stopping you."
"But I'll get wet if I go."
Your friend pouted as her chin rested on top of her bent wrist, staring out of the window that was splattered with violent rain. "I hate the rain." She added once again, disassociating from reality and focusing on the droplets that would meet the glass pane.
You stared at her facial features for a moment before looking down at your laptop that sat on top of a pile of messy papers you had collected over the semester.
As Winter was approaching, the weather was becoming more wild and hostile causing the mood and spirits of the campus to sink. Everything looked dimmer, clouds coloured with a dark hue as the distance was painted with a blue filter. You looked out the window, observing students who were just arriving to campus carrying an umbrella or rushing under the shade, splashing puddles beneath their feet.
The girl beside you let out a gentle sigh, her deep, turquoise eyes stared into yours. Her irises swirled around like there was a hidden forest beneath the surface, like a mystic pond that was protected by a higher being. Her pale cocoa-coloured hair swung itself side to side with each move that she made, practically bouncing in her seat. It was organised into a simple and neat braid, completed with the addition of a red ribbon.
"Aerith, we should work on our project." You reminded the girl whose focus was staring out of the window, watching the trees shiver and sway in the strong winds alongside the heavy rain.
"Oh! That's right!" She clasped her hands together before releasing them once again, her dainty fingers reaching for the corner of the pages of her textbook, flipping the pages.
The only sounds you could hear were the clicking of your speedy fingers on the keyboard mixed with the music that played in one of your ears, making sure your headphones were crooked to be able to hear Aerith's voice. A calm moment passed by, allowing you to concentrate - your hypothesis was somehow completed.
You read the sentences back to yourself multiple times before bringing a finger to your lip, staring at your screen in the utmost focus, eyebrows knitted tightly together in slight confusion before you hurriedly spam the 'delete' button on your keyboard. You sighed, it seemed that not only was the weather in a bad mood, but so were you.
"I know you have a crush on that boy on the basketball team... What was his name again-" She pondered out loud to herself, bringing her pencil to tap her chin in thought, however, she had been interrupted by your hand smacking against her mouth. Her eyes widened in shock at the contact but then relaxed to express her smiling eyes.
"Relax! It's not like there's anyone else in here."
It was true that you and Aerith had always managed to find the most secretive and hidden spots around campus to hang out but you still felt flustered at hearing the words come out of her mouth.
"I do not like anyone." You denied, turning your head back to the papers that laid before you on the cold, wooden table. The table practically drowned in the amount of documents that you had placed onto it.
She let out a teasing giggle before shuffling her chair closer to yours as her face met with your open ear, "Don't worry, it's not like I'm gonna tell anyone! We're best friends, remember?"
"Aerith. I don't like anyone." You sighed, realising that the stern words coming out of your mouth weren't going to change her mind as she had a mischievous grin plastered on her face, reaching from ear to ear. You wondered why it made her this excited just to tease you.
Although you didn't appreciate Aerith's constant teasing, you enjoyed her company and her way of filling the empty space that you felt without her. You had met her on your first day of class as you both were undergraduates in the same biology class, while you were doing biomedicine and she was studying environmental sciences.
It seemed that everyone who had entered university already established their own friend groups, while you and Aerith were the two lone wolves who were situated estranged from the other sociable groups. She had approached you on the basis that you appeared intriguing to her - you remembered the gentle taps on your shoulder as you removed your black, cheap headphones that were close to detaching from their wires as you looked back at her, meeting her cheerful and warm smile. She invited you to have lunch together to which you reluctantly agreed.
It had been a year since then and here you were, best friends with the only other person you knew in this enormous school.
She looked out the window again, propping her chin onto her palm as she became lost in thought which allowed you to focus on your work once again.
You were conducting a group experiment on the production of glucose in plants in various conditions. You felt a bit lost in ideas as you left the experimental design section to the silly girl who sat beside you in her soil-dirtied dress.
"Oh! I remember his name! It's Cloud-" She suddenly jumped up, her body ecstatic with adrenaline as she finally remembered the forbidden name of your hopeless school crush. You face palmed as a sour expression overcame your face, wishing to disappear. "Aerith..." You groaned, eyes tightly shut in humiliation.
"Oh come on (Y/N)! What are you so embarrassed about? You two would look so cute together! I can see it right now, the biomedicine student dating the chemistry major!" She continued to ramble on, lost in her own delusions as your head fell into your arms, appalled at the girl beside you.
The truth was, you did find the spikey-haired, blonde boy interesting. He had an impassive and rough way of speaking and behaviour but you found it more charming than frightening. The way his muscles would stretch out the fabric of his clothing when he became tense or his eyebrows that would constantly knit tightly in confusion or discomfort, you fell deeper in love with him every time you noticed his small characteristics.
Cloud was a chemistry major and despite his usual nerdy and dorky attire, he was a part of the basketball team alongside the boy that Aerith liked, Zach. They were always a power duo, radiating more light and power than the sun itself. They had rounded themselves up a prominent number of fangirls which included yourself and Aerith.
You thought that Cloud was the most handsome man on Earth on the gym court. Your eyes would light up every time you made eye contact with his built figure. His swift and calculated movements had you enchanted, lost in your fantasies. However, you knew that it was an immediate lost cause trying to be with him. Each day, he was surrounded by other females who would prance onto him at any time possible, just to be shrugged off by the impassive male. You didn't want to be like one of them.
Although, sometimes you couldn't help but also act lovesick.
In the library, when Aerith was busy in her own classes, you would sit alone in the history-filled lounge, laptop in your lap as you typed furiously to convey your ideas into words. Eyes only ever leaving your bright screen when thinking of the next text.
Lost in thought, your eyes wandered around the empty area, only to be filled with the figure of the boy you had been so drawn to. A glossy layer of sweat covered his skin as it slowly dripped from his forehead, only ever so slightly pulling down his spikey, soft hair. A white towel wrapped lazily around his neck as his head was arched backwards, resting with his eyes shut and an unfamiliar look of satisfaction painted his face. He was still in his basketball jersey, his biceps openly exhibited for your eyes to feast on as they rested on either side of him, on top of the seat.
You knew you shouldn't have been staring at the boy who just wanted a moment of rest, but his every move was more charming than the last, causing you to be starstruck and dazed just at the sight of him.
Your moment of desire was overcome by a moment of embarrassment as he propped his body up, taking a look around the area before his eyes met with yours, causing you to immediately rip apart the accidental eye contact.
Your eyes met with the fidgeting fingers in your lap as you felt yourself become light-headed and boiling hot. You hastily shoved your laptop and papers into your bag before rushing out of the library in fear of Cloud remembering or recognising your appearance.
Another embarrassing moment was when you and Aerith were hanging out in the cafeteria, probably speaking about something idiotic that happened in your classes, but you couldn't properly remember since your attention was being stolen by the blonde dork who sat at a distance in the corner of the room.
He was on his laptop, papers carelessly cluttered on his table as he bit the tip of his pen, deep in thought. His headphones were sitting on top of his head, flattening the spikes that caused him to stand out so much, however, you also appreciated this new look of his. He sighed, shaking his head before pushing his fallen glasses back up his tall and sharp nose.
A girl approached him, disrupting him of his private study time. You observed the way his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes became hostile and sharp. He pulled his headphones off of his ears as he stared with discomfort at the female who slid her bottom onto the table, forcing the boy to turn his attention to herself.
You stared for a brief moment before shaking your head as well, immediately retracting whatever thoughts you originally had about that boy. You refocused on whatever story Aerith was talking about, actively listening as she made you laugh with her ridiculous reenactments and impressions.
However, you couldn't refrain from sneaking peeks at the boy who sat in the distance, maybe peeking at him a total of twelve times until your eyes accidentally met once again.
You tried to play off the humiliation, hoping Aerith wouldn't catch on and tease you again, but it seemed she had been too immersed in her own story to notice the sudden change in your demeanour.
જ⁀➴
"Sorry to ask this of you (Y/N)."
"No, it's okay." You offered your professor a faint smile before hesitantly making your way out of the classroom.
Since you were a loner in your class, the professor decided that it would be easiest to ask you, requesting that you retrieve a couple of sacks of soil from the gardening shed beside the gymnasium. You weren't the weakest person ever, but you also weren't the strongest. You shook your head with a defeated sigh as you continued walking through the hallways of the school.
The explosive laughter that echoed throughout the hallways caught your attention, causing you to stare into the classrooms for a brief moment as you walked by. The school felt a lot more alienating when Aerith wasn't around, almost like you didn't belong here.
You shook the thought out of your head as you realised it wasn't the time to be solemn.
Your feet arrived at the gym which wasn't your designated location but your feet had dragged you there unwillingly. Even if the feeling in your chest told you to turn around, you couldn't help but sneak a peek through the slightly ajar doors.
The sound of screeching from one's running shoes could be heard echoing throughout the large gymnasium as a gentle and rhythmic bounce of a ball jingled alongside it. Just by listening to the sound, your cheeks flushed a peony-pink at the thought of a specific someone.
You peeked your ears around the door, only hoping not to be caught by either the person inside or by people walking behind you.
Your eyes met with the boy you wanted to see most, his hair had been slightly dragged downwards due to the sweat dripping down his forehead, dampening his collar. His rapid and swift movement as he performed a lay-up, swishing the basketball into the hoop - just the sight made you go light-headed and your chest tightened. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, taking a break as he squatted down beside the ball that appeared tiny next to his large build.
Even if it pained you to drag yourself away from the door, you decided it would be better if you didn't get caught by the boy.
You groaned, agitated that you weren't able to spend your time daydreaming about the handsome male, instead your feet dragged you to the gardening shed which was luckily next door to the gym, hidden in the gardens on campus.
You used the keys handed to you earlier by your professor, sliding the jingling keys into the cold, metal lock. The large wooden door flew open due to the strong winds that brushed through your hair, it opened with a loud bang, hitting the wooden walls.
You found the large sacks filled with soil, a couple of them had spilt already, coating the outside with a thin layer of dirt.
You weren't sure of how many bags your professor had desired but you were unsure of how many you were actually able to carry. It seemed that each bag weighed at least three kilograms, wishing that you had a wheelbarrow or that your professor had asked someone else more capable.
You stared at the dense bags that sat against each other in the corner of the shed with a hopeless feeling building in the pit of your stomach. You took a step into the shed, the wooden grounds creaking beneath you, it seemed that there were a lack of visitors in this area. The floors were soiled with dirt as you kicked it accidentally with your shoe, spider webs were accumulating in the corners of the room and dust covered the shelves and appliances.
Your arms reached out to the nearest sack, picking it up with difficulty as you wobbled out of the shed. The weight in your arms was making your arms sore even if you had only held it for a couple of seconds. You let out a devastated groan as you dropped the bag onto the ground as you exited the wooden shed. It made contact with the ground with a sudden thud as you bent over, hands reaching your knees, heavy breaths making their way out of your mouth.
Your rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing filled your ears as you shut your eyes, focussing on recovering before forcing yourself to carry the dense bags back to the classroom.
"Do you need help with that?" Your eyes suddenly widened as you looked up at the husky voice belonging to that of a certain someone. "H-help? Um, yes please." You questioned his intentions before realising that you would be doomed if you didn't accept his help.
Even if you wanted to avoid contact with the boy at all costs, you knew that there was no way you'd be able to carry all of the bags on your own.
You stared at the bag that lied on your feet in front of you, hoping that your cheeks weren't exposing the embarrassment you were feeling. "Is it just these bags?" He pointed at the remainder of the sacks that laid in the shed, leaving you with a small headache that you had to deal with more humiliation than you wanted to. You replied with a small but ashamed nod.
"Sorry..." You let out an apology, your dignity being buried beneath the ground as you attempted to avoid looking at the charmingly built boy. "It's nothing." He replied, a tint of embarrassment was burrowed in his voice.
Your ears perked up to the creaking of the floorboards reacting to every step he took inside, pulling a sack over his shoulder as he grabbed a sack in the other hand, scrunching the top whilst he let out a grunt as he picked everything up in one agile movement. He exited the shed as his eyes accidentally met with yours, the pair of you instantly ripping the eye contact apart as you ignored the now evident red hue on your cheeks. You approached the shed before locking it once again, a bit hasty in your movement.
"You need these for class?" He attempted to bring up a conversation with you as you sheepishly nodded, staring at the sack on the ground you had tried to ineptly carry. Your line of sight was caught by Cloud as he bent over, picking up the sack that had been dirtied in his free hand.
You would be lying if you said Cloud didn't look insanely handsome in his pose right now. As both of his hands were occupied with the heavy bags of soil, it defined his biceps that were exposed by his basketball jersey. His nose and cheeks were slightly dyed a pale pink due to the cold weather and his eyes were as beautiful and intriguing as ever. He was slightly glistening from the sweat that formed during his prior practice session. His appearance was contrasting to his usual dorky attire which made your heart rush and your knees weak.
"Uh, yeah class..." You caught yourself getting lost in Cloud's attractive appearance as you remembered you had to answer his question if you wanted to level up your romance stats.
You began to lead the way, letting your feet guide you and Cloud's directions back to your biology class. The awkward tension was accumulating as you fidgeted with your fingers, wishing to hurry and arrive to class already.
You were suddenly aware of the obscure dorkiness of the boy beside you, his sharp nose pointing upwards as he stared out of the window, the dark clouds that shunned the bright, blue sky. His impassiveness mixed alongside his lack of words caused all the women in your school to be intrigued by his mysteriousness and charm, also luring you in. You didn't want to hide behind the shadows of the other women who chased after Cloud, you wanted him to think differently of you, but your inept social skills prevented you from changing.
"Um, sorry once again that you had to do this for me." A hand came up to rub the back of your neck as you peered over at the boy beside you who seemed to walk without an issue. "You don't have to apologise. I was the one who came over." He reassured you with a calm voice but his eyes never left the window, avoiding any eye contact with you whatsoever.
You felt a bit dejected, removing your eyes from his stature and returning to the ground.
The lack of words shared between you two made you develop a hopeless feeling in the pit of your stomach. If only you had been different, like the extroverted and mature girls that would often approach the blonde.
"Oh, um, this is my class! Thank you for helping me." You finally arrived which had seemed like almost an eternity. You hoped your racing heart couldn't be heard by Cloud as you rushed to hold the doors open for him, allowing him to enter the large lab classroom. He gave you a small nod before his entrance, causing an instant surge in the volume of the classroom. You shut your eyes in agony, anticipating having to hear talks about the boy you dreaded most for the next whole period.
જ⁀➴
Your safety glasses slightly obscured your vision as you swirled a substance of enzymes in a test tube. The colour changed from clear to a bright violet as you let out a sigh of relief, placing the test tube onto the rack once again. It sat beside its failed siblings, all of which were various colours of pink or red.
During your lunch break, you stayed overtime in the chemistry lab, working on the student-organised experiment that you and Aerith had been producing. She had come down with a cold so it was only you who could be found in the large, sterile laboratory.
There was an odd yet comforting silence, only the sounds of your footsteps filling the room. You picked up a pen that laid negligently next to your notebook, hurriedly scribbling down the number of drops you had added into the test tube before turning your attention back to the test tubes before you, holding a prideful smile on your face. "Looks like I win this time." You huffed, your hands resting on your hips.
It was quite peaceful staying in the laboratory when all the other students had left, removing their unwanted presence and unnecessarily loud voices.
The peace had been disrupted by the opening action of the laboratory door, followed by a prompt shutting. You assumed it was your professor who wanted you to exit the lab soon so you returned by shouting out a quick "I'm nearly finished!" before attempting to clean up all the equipment you had gathered as quickly as you could.
You heard the coupling of heavy footsteps approach you but you didn't pay much attention to it, rather your attention was more focused on rushing to clean your soiled equipment. Your mind had been tormented enough today that you decided it'd be better just to follow instructions. You held a focused expression painted over your face, your eyebrows furrowed together as there was a slight pout forming at your lips. You were too immersed in your own actions to notice what was happening in the foreground.
You hurriedly paced back and forth, multiple test tubes in hand as you poured them down the sink with its various pink-toned colours mixing together with the cool, running water, flushing everything down into the sewers.
"Uh, it's just me."
A voice peeked out from behind you as you flipped your body around, seeing the boy that you had least expected. It took you by surprise as you let out a small gasp, becoming dizzy from the shock and embarrassment you felt.
His arm reached up to his neck, scratching the back of it as he stared at the marble ground. "Oh..." You let out, a deep rosy hue colouring your cheeks as you turned back around, continuing to clean up the mess that you had created even further by rushing. "Uh... sorry." His voice was gentle yet humble.
"Well, do you need anything?" You pushed the glasses that were sliding down your sweaty nose back up to eye level, using a paper towel to wipe down the coloured mess that was spilt on your counter. You forced a defensive persona, hoping that it wouldn't fall apart and expose your feelings for the other.
A moment of silence passed, the only sounds being heard were your footsteps and the tempered glass of the test tubes clinking against each other. It made you nervous, warm and sweaty, even if the room was massive, it felt humid like an inferno with Cloud next to you.
"I see you... staring at me... sometimes." Your heart flew out of your chest as you felt your dignity drop down beneath the ground. You hung your head down, staring at your feet. The compilation of embarrassing moments you shared with the boy before you played inside of your mind, tormenting you with every second that passed.
"...Sorry." You let out sheepishly. Humiliated and afraid of what was about to exit his mouth next. The loudest sound in the room was your heartbeat, filling your ears as you became a bit dizzy, holding onto the counter beside you for support.
"Don't be." His usual speech of a few words caught your attention as you peered up at him through your eyelashes. You were feeling ashamed and mortified of your past actions but as Cloud appeared a bit flustered and self-conscious, it seemed to reassure you that there was more to what you were thinking.
"I... uh... I want to..." Cloud stuttered with a dark crimson shade of red painting his pale cheeks as he stumbled on his words. As each second passed, the sound of the clock ticking became louder in your ears, like a ticking time bomb that was about to explode any second now. You couldn't stand waiting any longer in desperate anticipation, the pain felt as if something was eating you alive.
You could barely stand the fear of being rejected, you gripped onto the counter in eagerness and torment just to feel requited. "I like you." You blurted out wishing for the torment to end, your eyes shut in fear and you felt your fingernails digging into your palm from how tightly they were wrapped inside of your hand.
His attention darted over to you, mouth agape and eyes wide like a lemur. You noticed his usual almost-deathly coloured cheeks had become so vibrant in blood and colour.
"Exactly what I wanted to say." An almost smug smirk grew on his face, as he came closer towards you. You watched each step of his black sneakers as they became larger as they became closer. You were on edge, watching his every move with extreme detail.
You noticed his grey parker that was unzipped, hopping against his legs with every step as his necktie, which was carelessly tied, had become loose. His white blouse was crinkled and needed ironing and the top button was unbuttoned due to the heat overcoming his body from his unusual restlessness.
He snatched the black glasses off of his face, tossing them sloppily onto the unkempt counter behind you.
You could finally see his ocean-blue eyes, the furious waves swirling within his irises and it made you even more intrigued in his personality and history. It was ferocious, yet you sensed an unexpected calmness within the waves.
His larger and solid body barged closer towards yours, almost too close, causing you to move backwards. Your movement was hindered by the cold, stone counter behind you, your hands moved to grip the edge of the table in an attempt to brace yourself from Cloud's dangerous movement.
His dorky and shy demeanour had suddenly switched, unlocking his devious and hungry nature. It almost scared you but at the same time, you felt a sense of adrenaline rushing through your veins, desiring Cloud more than anything else.
His arm reached to meet your face, causing you to shut your eyes tightly, anticipating his contact. You felt a gentle grip pull the safety goggles off of your face, untangling them from your ears and hair before hearing a clank behind you.
Your eyes opened ever so slightly, staring at his exposed collarbones at first before peeking up at his face. The close proximity of your two bodies shocked you. His body radiated a heat that you could feel on your own. He bit his lip as his dark eyes stared down at you, feeling dominated and belittled.
The swift and nimble movement of hands pulled at your labcoat's collar, pulling you towards his body, colliding his lips with yours. His lips were rough but they had been lubricated by his saliva, sliding slickly against your lips.
He seemed strangely experienced, his lips were guiding yours and fed you with pleasure. You felt your legs become weaker with each kiss, gripping onto the collar of his hoodie for support. His rough and calloused hands travelled to grip your hips, tickling you slightly as you squirmed in his arms.
He continued to play with your hips, feeling the pleasure overcome his own senses as he moved his hands up to your waist, pushing your body backwards, forcing you to arch your back. You felt his thighs contact with yours, feeling hotter and more flustered as the steamy tension built in the room.
His lips never left yours, continuing to suck on your bottom lip before pausing to return the continuous contact of colliding your lips together. His sneaky tongue travelled to meet the entrance of your lips, slightly parting them before slithering inside. It was slick and slippery, yet warm and slimy. It made you feel uncomfortable and shy but you wanted more, you wanted him.
"Cloud..." You let out breathily, panting with a lack of breath from what Cloud was stealing from you. You pushed his chest off of yours, avoiding his face that was intrudingly close to yours. It was too embarrassing to handle his whole strength forced onto your body, and everything felt too rushed - it didn't feel like the geek you thought you knew.
Only now were you feeling the embarrassment of the heated moment. You avoided eye contact with the boy who was blushing from ear to ear with half-lidded eyes, staring deeply at your every expression. "You taste so good." He whispered into your ear before leaving a soft and sloppy kiss on your cheek.
You were at a loss for words, the only sounds filling the room were the breathless pants exiting both of your mouths, mixing together to form the steamy air.
You looked up at him once more, staring into his darkly tinted eyes, enchanting you to continue with your suggestive make-out session. You looked away, denying any more suggestive content with burning cheeks that spoke for your emotions. Slowly, you shook your head before rushing to slide out of his grip to create the necessary space between you two.
The tension was becoming awkward. You rubbed your arm with sweat dripping down your neck, just begging that no one had passed by to witness the horrendous act of you two making love.
"Ah... shit, sorry." Cloud bit his lip with an arm rubbing the back of his neck to help him find composure. His eyes no longer contained their dark glow but rather their vibrance and innocence, and he held a guilty look covering his face.
"That wasn't your first time, was it?" You questioned, a slightly sour expression growing on your face. His odd and unexpected sense of precision in kissing made you feel a bit inexperienced and unprepared.
He sighed as his eyebrows slightly knitted together before gently shaking his head, staring at the ground. "I didn't mean to... sorry, I'm not so good at speaking."
"You're saying you do this kind of stuff regularly?" The sourness on your face was blatant, giving him an amused stare. You sighed heavily before turning your back towards the boy and picking up the paper towel that you had dropped earlier, proceeding with your clean-up.
An unbearable awkwardness fell upon the two of you, feeling like the roof was pushing against your heads.
"(Y/N), I... I want you so bad." His voice was desperate and clingy, something that you would have never expected to hear. You felt a warmth cover your back, reaching around your waist and snuggly tugging you closer to his.
The warmth was comforting and gentle, as if you had been craving his touch your whole life. You felt weak in the knees by his unexpected warmth, conforming to his shape as if you were complimentary shapes.
"Never thought I'd hear you say that, playboy." You teased him without turning back to take a peek at his supposed flustered expression. "I'm not a playboy." He grumbled with distressed denial laced in his voice.
"I... I don't want a simple fling, so why don't we start from the beginning?" You flipped around in his arms, feeling a sense of sudden dominance and confidence, your hand hastily reached up to touch his burning hot cheek. He flinched at the sudden movement before conforming to your actions with little hesitation, complying with your affection.
His eyes met with yours, giving you a shy, yet satisfied nod. You let out a proud grin before remembering your next class, letting out a loud and abrupt gasp and jumping out of his grip. Your hands fumbled with your pockets before dragging out your phone and flipping it open to exhibit the time.
"You have class? I'll clean up, you should go." His tone was accommodating and tender, making you feel like your heart was melting and your brain was becoming smooth, instead carving his name into it.
You ripped off your lab coat before rushing over to the clothing rack and hurriedly shoving it onto a hanger. Your feet made their way over to the door in a rush, causing your shoes to squeak against the polished flooring. You paused to take a moment to think to yourself, turning back to face the blonde once again with a slight tint of rose in your cheeks.
"Ca-can I call you? When I need help with um... chemistry?"
"Call me, not just for chemistry."