Yelling was not something anyone should ever be forced to wake up to. It's loud. It's violent. And it interrupts much needed sleep. Sleep Blue craved as they laid on Andrew's foamy mattress. Sleep was no longer in their vocabulary, as with the school year having begun a week ago, Blue had to stay up constantly to get their assignments done. And with band practice right after class, it was difficult to find time to rest.
In no way were they complaining about the load being too heavy or how it wasn't worth it. Their on-campus classes were easy, what with there only being dance with Alister (who would be their partner for the year) and voice lessons, it was mainly the online classes they had to take care of while they were waiting from class to class. They would arrive on campus early to add in some extra study time in a study-induced atmosphere to help them concentrate. Then once classes ended at two, they would drive down to the clubhouse to rehears until sex, sometimes seven, come home to cook dinner if Andrew was home, study and finish their three online Gen-Ed classes, then relax for an hour before heading off to bed. As for nights when they had a concert, they would stay out until late at night or early in the morning. Just as they did last night.
"You can always tell them you can't work on Fridays anymore," Andrew suggested once they came home from their gig.
"No, I only go to school two days out of the week anyway. The rest are online classes. I can easily finish them. It's just Tuesdays and Fridays that are the more difficult days. Tomorrow is my day off. I'll relax then," they promised as they laid down on the couch.
"You should still take care of yourself. I don't need to worry about you potentially collapsing or anything. You may not realize it now, but if you're not careful, work will screw you over."
"I know you're speaking from experience, so I will heed your warning," they stated as they cupped his cheeks and pecked his lips, "but I don't need to worry about any of that right now."
"That's what I told myself the first time," Andrew muttered as he shifted towards the kitchen.
Snatching his wrist, Blue pulled him down beside them on the couch. "I promise to take good care of myself. If things get too rough for me, I'll tell the band I need to take a few days off, and they'll understand. We're all in college, except Rain because she works at some ideal music shop in the inner city that her parents own."
"Good for her, but I'm still worried about you." Pulling them closer into his chest, he ran his fingers through their hair and kissed the top of their head. "Look at you now," he murmured. "You're practically falling asleep."
"Your chest is warm, and you're doing the hair thing you know I like. How can I not be falling asleep?" they slurred.
"Yeah, yeah." Scooping them up in his arms, he carried them into his bedroom. Laying them down on the bed, he walked over to his closet.
Though they missed the warmth of his arms, they didn't want to argue or move. Silence and comfort lulled them into a dreamlike state where they were unable to tell if Andrew was actually taking off their clothes or if it were a dream. When they knew it was in fact reality, they began to stir, but he gently shushed them back to sleep. Pulling one of his t-shirts over their head, he lifted the duvet over their body and crawled in next to them. Instantly, they cuddled into his side where he began to run his fingers through their hair once again as they both drifted off to sleep.
With all the peaceful traits to coax them to sleep, waking up to Andrew violently arguing with, who they could only assume was, his editor was not something they intended to wake up to. Their alarm was supposed to wake them up every morning at eight, yet as they peered over at Andrew's alarm clock, it was already 09:47.
Jumping out of bed, they slammed the door open as they ran to the kitchen. "Sorry. Breakfast is com-"
"Stop," Andrew groaned. Lifting them by the waist, he carried them over to the couch and planted them on the cushions. "I didn't wake you up to make breakfast precisely so you could sleep in," he stated, kissing their cheek before facing his editor again.
"Yeah, but now I've lost nearly two hours to my day-"
"Andrew, you need to calm down," Marcy commanded. "It is not as big of a deal as you are making it out to be."
"Every idea I come up with, you shoot it down," he yelled.
"Because college kids don't get in a private jet to take them to a rooftop garden for a private dinner."
"I did."
"You're rich," Blue and Marcy deadpanned.
"Blue, what sort of dates did you go on?" Marcy questioned.
"You tried to date people other than my brother?" they questioned, completely ignoring Marcy.
He shrugged. "I had to find a way to get over him." That didn't help ease Blue's conscious in the slightest. If anything, it made them all the more anxious. The possibility of them being nothing more than a fling to get himself over Luke was far more probable than ever. "They all sucked, though. Everyone wants to date me because I'm rich." Smiling at Blue, he sauntered over to them and ran his thumb over their cheek. "Well, not everyone."
"Blue?" Marcy impatiently asked, slapping the back of her hand into her palm. "Seriously, what sort of dates have you been on before? What was your first date like?"
Blue hated to think about it. It was not a prized memory, one they were partially ashamed of. "My first date was when I was fourteen, and he was sixteen. He brought me to Target without intending to buy anything, and he didn't. Then he took me to a sex shop to wander around aimlessly, then bought me Boston Market and took my food to go, then drove me home. He was still one of the better guys I dated, though," they explained, ashamed for having gone out with him multiple times afterwards.
"You went out with him again?" Andrew clarified.
"Yeah, you met him once. He had dinner with us and Luke at the old place," the replied. Turning to Marcy, they asked. "How about yourself?"
In an instant, a dark aura seemed to consume her, her face blank as she stared sadistically at the wall. It was an unnerving sight. "Never ask about her dating life," Andrew whispered in their ear.
"Listen, how about the two of you go out on a date or something," Marcy suggested, suddenly snapping back into her usual perky mood.
While Andrew smirked at Blue, they locked their eyes on the couch and refused to face him.
"Blue, you're a commoner, so you plan it," Marcy demanded.
"Why me?" they exclaimed, jerking their head up to her.
"Because if you let him do it, it will be the most luxurious date you've ever been on."
"I wouldn't mind taking you out on one of those," he smirked at them.
"Save it for when it's not about your writing," Marcy commanded.
Packing her bag, Marcy asked Blue once again to plan a date. Since it was for Andrew's book, they would have felt horrible for not agreeing to the conditions. It was a research date, not a real one. They had to keep telling themself that, and that made it easier to agree.
While the two were exclusive, they hadn't been on their first real date yet. It had been a month, and the closest they've had to a date was going out to the supermarket together or stopping through the McDonalds drive-thru on the way back. Those didn't exactly feel like date tropes, but they were special moments they shared with Andrew alone, ones they wouldn't want to get rid of anytime soon.
"Well," Andrew teased as he crept in close to Blue's face, causing them to fall back on the couch, "looks like we're finally going on a date."
"Yeah, it's about time we do couple things," they quipped, though it was not something they meant to reveal. They were ready to take things to the next level when it came to their relationship, but with doubt being a locked door, they weren't ready to climb out the window of possibilities. They were afraid to explore until they were absolutely certain Andrew was over Luke.
"What do you mean? We do couple things."
"Oh, nothing," Blue stated as they rolled off the couch from beneath him. Standing on their feet, they entered the kitchen. "If you haven't had breakfast yet, I can make something."
"Don't bother. Marcy brought muffins and smoothies. Yours is in the fridge."
Opening the fridge and pulling out a strawberry banana smoothie, they sat down at the counter and began to pick at their muffin, attempting to avoid Andrew's unnerving stare. "What?" they asked, a bit harsher than they intended.
"Come on," he coaxed as he walked up behind Blue and wrapped his arms around them. "Do you think we don't act like a couple enough?"
"Well, what's your definition of a couple?"
"I'd say going out on dates, eating together, spending quality time together, kissing, cuddling, sex depending on the couple," he listed.
"All things we've done."
"Do you not feel the same way?" he questioned, his arms slowly leaving their body.
Releasing their breakfast, they grabbed hold of his hands and pulled him in close to their body. "I do. I'd say the same things, but...I don't know, I guess some things just feel different than they did with Hayden- And I know it's wrong to compare the two of you-"
"You just don't feel that spark?" he assumed.
"I don't know if I do or don't." Spinning around on the stool, they refused to let go of his hands as they said, "I do like you. I really, really do. I love what we have right now. It's just been a while since I've been in a relationship, and I don't remember what to do or how to feel-"
"You don't force yourself to feel anything," he explained. "You just know what you feel. I know I love you, and you know you like me. It's okay if you're not sure if you love me back or if you ever will. All I'm asking for is a chance to be with you, and the moment you tell me to stop and leave you alone, I will."
"And I know that, and I am giving you that chance, but I...just...I just...don't know-"
"I have an idea," he interrupted. "How about you plan out this date, and you do whatever you want with me on it. We'll explore whatever feelings you're interested in, and I won't go about trying to sway your opinion of me or anything. It'll be the two of us, and we'll figure it all out together. How does that sound?"
Nodding slowly, they smiled as Andrew smiled and kissed their plump lips.
Blue turned back to face the counter, listening as Andrew walked upstairs to his office to work.
Planning a date seemed too farfetched. They knew exactly what they wanted to do on the date, but it was difficult to gain the motivation to go. They knew they were indeed beginning to fall in love with Andrew, but if they ever spoke about it out loud, they feared their heart would shatter if he really was still in love with Luke.
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