𝐒𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐅𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 - 𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐱 𝐨𝐜

𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐰𝐨!

he wiped his face with a napkin. "i program and code for videogames."

"is that what you majored in?"

he hesitated, messing with his napkin. "i actually...i didn't go to college. i dropped out."

she paused, wine almost to her lips. clay didn't breathe, until she murmured, "jealous." he tilted his head. "so then, is coding your only job?"

he winced. "basically. i...rose to the job very quickly. it pays well, so, here i am."

she nodded. "do you like it?"

"i absolutely love it. it's where i met sap and george, to be honest. they're my best friends." he was smiling just thinking about it.

she leaned forward. "tell me about them."

his eyes lit up. "okay, so—i've known sap since i was a little teenager, but i met george a couple years ago. i honestly...i know i flipped out that one time, but i was just worried. you both mean a lot to me, so...i'm just glad you guys get along so well."

she swirled her wine around in her cup. "does sap know about the whole roommate situation?"

he nodded. "he's on board with it, but we have...some odd rules, if that makes sense. the contract is back at my house..." he trailed off, leaving the silent offer hanging. she sipped from her wine, refusing to acknowledge the way her heart quickened at the idea of going back to his house. he continued, "and if you don't like it, that's fine. it's just better to see it in person, you know? and you get to meet sap!"

she covered her face with her hands, embarrassed. "and face him after i called him hot, thinking he was you?"

clay shrugged. "you still called him hot."

she glared at him through the gaps in her fingers. "fuck off."

he only leaned back, smirking. "let me know when you want to head out." she looked down at her empty plate, cheeks flushing. she'd finished her glass of wine and cleaned her dish, having eaten every bite. he had a little bit of his steak and salad left, but didn't say anything.

"i'm ready when you are."

"perfect." they conversed quietly, waiting for the check. when it came, he quickly paid and they headed out, bickering over how he wouldn't at least let iris cover the tip. he'd countered, "iris, i invited you out to dinner, you're not paying for shit. suck it up, sweetheart."

the comeback with immediate. "well, if you say so."

he let out a startled laugh, opening the car door for her again, scoffing at her playful eye roll. once he was back in the driver's seat and starting the car back up again, he quietly said back, "if you're down—"

"shut up, clay."

"just saying."

"don't play the game if you don't wanna win," she said.

"there's no law saying we can't fuck on the first date."

she shrieked at the vulgarity, despite the way her head spun with excitement. "well when you say it like that—" he burst out laughing, saying something incomprehensible through his giggles while turning the car into his neighborhood.

he lived in a nice neighborhood, much nicer than her apartment complex all together. it looked much safer, too. like there wasn't regular drug deals going on next door. clay ending up parking in a two-story, cream-colored house, with a full lawn of grass and gravel decorating the front. he walked her up, swinging his car keys around his finger. he unlocked the front door, sending a wink over his shoulder before pushing it open. a rush of cool air flowed over her, and she took off her heels at the front.