but you were over it now. sure, you haven’t pursued anything with anyone, and the dating app accounts your friends crafted for you went nowhere, but you were definitely over it. you deleted every trace of him, and blocked him on every app possible. you haven’t seen him since he picked up his things from your apartment, with a certain lady waiting in the car for him. safe to say you got the closure you needed.

but boyfriends are nice to have when you want to go to the movie theater and not spend the outrageous concession prices yourself. you decided to be brave though, after all, this was a movie you’ve been anticipating for weeks!

that leads you to now, alone, and comfortable in the soft theater seat. you’re lounging with your soda and small popcorn (as previously stated, concession prices are outrageous!) the previews haven’t even started yet, the theater still fully lit up, the room full of chatter and the sound of popcorn and other treats hitting the floor, making a mess that is sure to disgruntle the theater employees.

you’re about to waste time on your phone until the lights dim, but that’s when you hear it. a familiar sound that makes your stomach clench. it’s a laugh. a laugh that you had grown very acquainted with. a laugh that you could unfortunately recognize anywhere. your heart starts to race, this must be what it feels like when a small creatures hears a lion roar. suddenly the movie theater feels a lot smaller.

you gain the courage and turn your head around, and sure enough. there he was. the man that you haven’t seen in seven months. the man that took your heart and made a voodoo doll out of out. and—“oh my god.” you can’t help but say it out loud, breathless as you say it. there, clinging to his arm, was her.

THE her. the girl that he threw you away for. they’re giggling and he’s holding a large popcorn for the both of them to share. you look down at your own, suddenly your popcorn seems measly in comparison. they stayed together? how was it that him and the girl he ruined you for are going steady still after all this time? and here you were, alone. did what he did not mean anything? was there not a speck of guilt within him?

you panic. for some reason, the idea of him seeing you alone was sickening. you’re definitely over him, no it wasn’t that you wanted him back. but it’s the principle. after all, if anyone deserves to be with someone happily giggling and feeding each other popcorn, it’s you damn it!

you frantically look around at your other theater goers. more couples, parents with their children, teenagers laughing with friends, tossing candies into the air and catching them in their mouths. then, you see him.

he’s a couple rows behind you. a handsome man, you assume around your age. sitting alone. he’s scrolling through his phone in one hand, the other casually resting on the arm rest next to him. a sick and twisted idea pops into your head. no. you couldn’t. but—you’re already on your feet, practically scrambling to get to this handsome stranger.

you seem to move out of body, until you plop down into the empty seat next to him. you’re breathless as you turn to face him. you grasp his arm with your hand, leaning in to speak. the gentleman looks at you with curiosity, you see a peek of his eyebrows furrowing through thick dark hair.

your mouth moves before his does, frantic and quite frankly, insane. “hi. you don’t know me. and i’m sure you won’t want to after i ask this. but…see, um, my ex boyfriend is here. he’s brought the girl he cheated on me with. and i uh, this is a lot to ask but please could you pretend like you know me? just for a second. i can’t stand the thought of him seeing me here alone, i know him and i’m almost positive he’ll talk to me—“

your psychotic ramblings are cut off by a voice. THAT voice. “y/n? how funny seeing you here!” you scrunch your face up. a voice that you used to find comfort in, now pierces your ears with such disgust. you wish you could melt into the floor, be discarded with all of the popcorn and sour candies.

you reluctantly turn your head away from the much prettier sight of the handsome stranger, your hand leaving his arm. seeing him this close now, standing at the end of the row, you feel your throat filling with bile. you knew it. you just knew he’d take any chance to rub this in your face. as if you would be curled up and miserable at the sight of him and her. your eyes dart between your ex and the girl attached to his arm like velcro. she’s giving you a sickly sweet smile. you return it to the best of your ability.

“oh hello! haha, long time no see….i guess.” your voice comes out steady, despite your hands clutching your bag of popcorn so tight you’re surprised it isn’t shredded. your ex looks between you and your—stranger? with his lips pursed. you realize what he’s waiting for and get embarrassed. the realization of what you’re doing crashing down on you.

“oh! i’m being so rude, this is—haha um…” you turn toward the stranger, his gorgeous face eyeing you in a way that would make your knees weak if you weren’t sure he was going to put a restraining order on you after this whole ordeal. he surprises you though. as if an actor that had been waiting on his line to come, he jumps from his seat. he gives your ex a small bow accompanied with a courteous smile, “i’m kim seokjin!”

you exhale enough hair to deflate a hot air balloon. he was actually doing this. you look up at the ceiling of the theater, thanking the powers above you for delivering an angel to you in your time to embarrassing need.

your ex introduces himself, and the woman he’s with. you bite back the urge to say that you already know her name from the explicit messages you read months ago. instead you just plaster a smile on your face, forcing it to stay despite the awkward insanity that covers this entire interaction.

your ex is none the wiser. however, there’s a smirk on his face that you’ve seen before. he’s determined to embarrass you somehow, you’re sure of it when he asks, “and how did you two meet?”

you’ve gotta be kidding me. he could care less about this. was he onto you? was it that obvious that you weren’t acquainted with this beautiful man—jin? did he want to know what you two were? maybe confirm you weren’t actually on a date? revel in the fact that you’ve been alone since, well, him? maybe jin was mouthing “help me, i don’t know this woman and i’m being held hostage.”

but this guy keep surprising you! jin looks at you, his eyes almost longing in their gaze. you’re sure you’re turning as red as the cherry slushie a kid behind you is drinking. he doesn’t miss a beat as he looks back at the happy couple, “oh! we met at a cafe! i saw her and thought, there’s no way i have a chance! once i learned someone had screwed up their chance, i acted fast. after all, who would be stupid enough to give her up?” he sends you a smirk, accompanied by a wink that nearly kills you.

oh. my. god. you were going to faint. a vision played in your head of an underpaid teenager sweeping your body into a dust pan after the movie. does this guy take acting classes? if he kept looking at you like that you were going to start wondering what your wedding colors will be.

you send him a sweet smile back, before turning to your ex. you watch as he sticks his tongue to his cheek, a forced chuckle escapes him. victory!

“well. enjoy the movie guys.” he gives you one last look, up and down before he and his companion go find seats far, far away from you two.

you finally feel like you can breathe a little, but not for long, as jin takes his seat beside you. reminding you that this is in fact, just a stranger, and what you just asked of him was ridiculous. you are afraid to make eye contact when you face him, “i’m so sorry about that. it was so childish of me! thank you for playing along, i know it was so silly.” you sigh, a heavy one that says ‘what the fuck am i doing?’

jin lets out a laugh, shaking his head and waving a hand at you, as to send your worries away. “no need to be sorry, who doesn’t love a show, before the show?” his tone is lighthearted as he motions toward the theater screen. due to his sweet tone, you chained the courage to look up at him. jin was handsome. really handsome. the kind of handsome that takes your breath away truly. something about those big brown eyes, full lips, and boyish grin that make you want to get to know him and run far away from him all at once. you can’t help but wonder what he’s doing here alone. as much as your heart tugs at you not to, your mind urges you to choose the latter.

“well thank you again, jin. i’ll get back to my seat now, they’re long gone.” you say, your somber voice betraying the smile on your face. you move to stand up when you feel a hand on top of your’s that’s gripping the arm rest. you tilt your head toward jin in confusion.

“that seat isn’t taken. no sense in moving, we are dating after all.” much like your somber tone, the red tint that coats the tips of his ears give away his attempt at being suave. this makes you even more attractive to him. how can someone simultaneously carry a sense of deep confidence and bashfulness at the same time?

no seriously. why was he here alone?

“oh, okay. well here, have some of my popcorn, i owe you something for your trouble.” you hold out your small popcorn (already half eaten) and jin smiles that same boyish grin. he excitedly reaches into the seat next to him and pulls a large bucket of popcorn onto his lap. he grabs your popcorn and pours it on top of his own, “there you go, i’m happy to share!”

an overly handsome man who pays for the overpriced concessions?

you’re taken aback. before you can respond, the lights dim and you both settle into your seats. you both take turns grabbing handfuls of popcorn, blushing when your hands touch. you genuinely start to wonder how this could get any better.

halfway through the movie, you learn how. after feeling his gaze on you for quite some time (you were obviously pretending to be focused on this movie) jin leans over and whispers in your ear, “hey, you asked me a crazy question earlier, so i’ll return the favor. could i borrow your phone for a second?” his silky voice makes you feel lightweight, you want to ask if he wants your heart out of your chest as well. but you don’t. you’re confused. but you turn your brightness all the way down and hand it to him. maybe he doesn’t have his and needs to call send a text to his loving, beautiful long term REAL girlfriend.

the rest of the movie is spent in a tension filled silence, both of you sneaking glances like middle school crushes in the library.

after the movie, you both say a quick goodbye. you assume your interesting encounter with jin will just remain a funny story to tell to your friends later. when you’re walking out into the night air, about to reach your car. your phone vibrates in your pocket. you take it out, and read the notification at the top of your lock screen.

jin: call me if you ever want to get to know who your boyfriend is ;)

you click the notification and see a text sent from your phone to his during the movie. perhaps he is suave after all.

you clutch your phone to your chest and resist the urge to make more of a full of yourself on this movie theater’s property by jumping around in excitement. instead you look up at the stars that decorate the night sky. for the first time in six months, you’re grateful your ex cheated on you.

joe just looked at you like you had three heads over his dinner, his fork clattering as he dropped it onto the plate. he reaches his arm across the table and clasps your hand with his, “hey. don’t be silly. you’re my girl. there’s no one, and i mean no one, i’d rather do this with.”

there’s something about joe’s soft, steady voice that always reassures you in the way he knows you need. he places a delicate kiss to the back of your knuckles. you don’t worry about it again.

your time in france is an absolute whirlwind. joe had warned you that his schedule was pretty packed, but you didn’t mind. after all, you’ve grown used to the hustle bustle of football season. nothing like the fast life. dinners, meetings, panels, runways, and parties. you’re supporting joe through it all, and he notices. hell, everyone notices.

the first dinner you all have together is after a runway show in cannes.

you’re chatting with a woman sitting next to you, laughing and sipping a glass of white wine. joe is on the other side of you, catching up with JJ and some of the other guys. of course the topic has reverted back to football, hard to avoid with those two at the table together. JJ and another friend are in a heated discussion about the rules surrounding taunting when the food arrives.

when the plates hit the table, joe watches your actions from the corner of his eye. you pick at your side choice, before putting the smallest bite into your mouth. reaction almost immediate, you turn to joe with a grimace that he knows all too well.

he clicks his tongue, shaking his head back and forth as he begins to eat his own meal, “i told you. i knew you wouldn’t like them cooked that way.”

you did this every time the two of you had dinner somewhere new. you like to order something you’d usually never try on the menu, in hopes of enjoying it. and joe, who knows you better than anyone, always warns you against it. then every single time, you flash him an adorable smile and say the same thing, “well, when in___”

this started when he brought you to ohio for the first time. the two of you were having lunch in cincy before heading to athens to meet his parents. you inquired about ‘cincinnati chili’, to which joe explained and confessed that even he didn’t enjoy chili served over spaghetti. but you had said “well, when in cincinnati!” with such excitement, that he didn’t have the heart to argue further.

the hometown specialty almost made you puke all over his childhood bedroom hours later. flash forward some years and the song and dance was still the same.

you shake your head, trying to lie. you’re stubborn. the last thing you want to do is admit he was right about this…again.

you attempt another bite, poking the food around your white, porcelain plate. “it’s not that bad joey…i kinda like it…”

you’re lying through your teeth. joe knows. he always does. the man has been reading you like a playbook since college.

so with a sigh he picks up both of your plates, making easy work of switching them. this is also a reoccurring affair. joe always orders something he knows you’ll enjoy, pretty much expecting you not to like your exotic choices. he never tells you this of course. but he’s not picky, so no harm no foul.

you frown down at your new dinner, as much as it looks delicious, you feel bad taking your boyfriend’s food. “no joey you don’t have to do that. i’ll eat it i swear!”

joe just gives you an affectionate eye roll, tapping your thigh a few times under the table, “eat baby.” he gently commands, picking up a fork and beginning to eat your rejected meal. his hand lingers, and you intertwine it with yours, leaning over and placing a sweet kiss on his cheek. you murmur a thank you against his skin, joe hums in response.

unbeknownst to you both, the people across from you were tuned in to the entire exhange. sharing amused glances with JJ, who just shrugs, “they’ve always been like this.”

the two of you resume eating, when the man across from joe speaks up in an amused tone, “so how long?”

joe looks up, confusion written on his face, “excuse me?” he swallows a bite and decides you’re right. this isn’t good at all, but he’s gonna eat every bite.

the man chuckles, sipping his drink. “sorry i didn’t mean to pry. it’s just, you two remind me of me and my wife early on in our marriage. i just assumed you must be newlyweds.”

the words catch your attention and your eyes turn into saucers. newlyweds? did the two of you really act married? the idea of being joe’s for life, officially; your stomach twists in lovesick knots. sure you’ve definitely thought about it. after all, you’ve been by his side for almost 5 years now. but you didn’t know where joe stood when it came to life long commitment. the idea that he might not want that with you, is sorta frightening. you don’t have time to overthink it though, a couple of ladies pulling you back into busy conversation.

justin gives joe a knowing smirk. he holds a hand up and wiggles his fingers, pretending he’s wearing a ring. an action he used to do back when joe would ditch them to hang out with you after lsu practices.

you’re so preoccupied you don’t notice joe’s hand playing with yours a little later into the meal. he takes one of your daily rings off of your index finger, slipping it onto the special one next to your pinky. he twirls it around a couple times, smiling fondly.

the rest of your days abroad pass in pictures of time. you and joe eating croissants early in the morning. sneaking kisses in your hotels elevator. joe asking if he had anything in his teeth before walking in a backless suit.

“were you planning on smiling on the runway babe?” you teased.

joe just shrugs, “maybe. it’s hard not to when i know you’re watching me.”

before you know it, it’s the vogue world after party, marking your last night before returning to the states. the night is lots of fun, full of mingling and laughter. although…there’s something up with your boyfriend. you’re not sure what, but he seems almost anxious. it’s usually out of joe’s character to be antsy, they call him joe cool for a reason. he’s been fidgety, bouncing his knee up and down every time the two of you were sitting. he’s quiet, but still sweet to you in a way that’s reassuring you that he’s okay. you blame his odd behavior on exhaustion, or maybe his social battery draining. maybe even the strobe lights are giving him a headache, which is bittersweet because they make his blues shine so well.

it’s well past midnight, and you’re sitting on joe’s lap wearing a black dress that compliments his outfit. you’re chatting with some people while

your boyfriend sits silently. you have no idea, but his mind is running a mile a second. one of his hands is wrapped around your waist, the other twirling stands of your hair that sit against the back of your dress. his heart thumps against his chest as he uses his leverage against you to raise himself up. he takes a deep breath, and leans his body forward to reach your ear. “you wanna get out of here?” deep voice rumbles from his chest and tickles your ear. it makes a shiver run up your spine.

you turn your head to look behind you, your noses are almost touching this way. the loose curl sitting against his forehead is begging you to brush it away. you resist the urge.

“sure babe, if you’re ready?”

joe looks at you with a look so full of adoration you think you might melt. he presses a quick kiss to your lips, “i’m ready. i already called the car.”

paris is stunning late at night, lights twinkling across the city. joe watches you stare out the cab window. he looks at you the way he has all night, full of love and an indescribable devotion. you’re so mesmerized by the landscape you don’t even notice you’ve passed your hotel until joe clears his throat.

your eyebrows furrow in confusion when joe turns your head to face him. “do you trust me?” the question is serious, but his voice is kind of rocky. like he’s nervous. but what for?

you nod your head with a laugh, “of course joey. why?”

joe smiles and deflects from the question. “alright. close your eyes for me then.”

now you’re really confused. you tilt your head at him, watching as the smile remains on his face. he’s really waiting on you to close your eyes. well, you choose to honor you words, closing your eyes tightly. you’re guessing a surprise is in store.

you feel the car slow to a stop. your hands drum on your lap, anticipation building in your gut.

joe places a hand on your thigh. “don’t get out yet, i’ll come around and get you.”

you nod your head, eyes still clenched to prove your honesty. you hear a car door shut and footsteps coming closer.

joe takes a deep breath, crisp night air filling his lungs. a shaky hand grips your car door, pulling it open.

you hear joe thank the driver, before he gently takes hold of your hands. he guides you to stand and step out of the car. you hear the cab drive away and your heart thumping in your ears.

the warmth of joe’s hands covers your eyes, making you laugh. whatever this surprise is, joe’s pretty adamant in not wanting you to spoil it.

you begin walking forward at joes command. “we almost there?”

you feel your body turn to the right, and suddenly the presence of his hands disappears.

“alright. open em’” he backs away from you, hands shoved into black pants.

you open your eyes, blinking a few times to adjust to the lights blinking all over the place. you gasp at what’s in front of you, your eyes trailing upwards. “joe…you…”

he grants you a chuckle, eyes crinkling in the way you adored. “you didn’t think we’d leave before i let you see the eiffel tower did you?”

you just stare at the beautiful structure in front of you, trying to convince yourself it was real. there’s something so breathtaking about being in front of something you’ve only seen in photos.

joe is staring at you with the same fascination that you’re giving a wonder of the world. 5 years and you still make the confidence flee from him. you take his breath away simply by being well, you. he’s been a nervous wreck all day. but staring at you right now, in the middle of paris. he’s never been so sure of anything.

you’re rubbing your bare arms, but the cold isn’t even bothering you.

that doesn’t matter to joe. he slips his charcoal jacket off, draping it over your shoulders. you feel strong arms around you, a comfortable warmth covering you. joe rests his chin on your shoulder, turning and placing a few kisses on your cheek. his nose cold against your skin, but you still welcome the contact.

a content sigh escapes you, “it’s so stunning, isn’t it? there’s something so romantic about it.”

joe nods, but to be honest he’s barely even glanced at the tower. he calls your name, his voice cracking is like a bullet shooting through his ego.

you turn to face him, a grin on your face. “i know i keep saying it but thank you. thank you so much for bringing me here.”

joe’s response doesn’t miss a beat, “i’d take you anywhere. i want to take you everywhere, show you the world. that’s what you deserve.”

the sincerity of his words coupled with the setting make your heart soar. suddenly he unravels himself from you. you turn around to face him confused. you open your mouth to question him but he interrupts you by grabbing your hands, squeezing them with his own.

“i love you. i’ve loved you for 5 years and somehow i still love you more each day. you’re the best part of me. you make me a better man, and i wanna be that man for you, always.” joe’s voice is strained as if he’s getting emotional. it’s so rare to see from him. the fact that he’s getting choked up over you. his love for you nonetheless, you feel your own throat tighten. you feel your eyes well up with tears. joe brings your intertwined hands to rest against his chest, his heart pounding in a way he’s sure you feel. the night air sweeps his hair around, that single curl waving at you.

“the first time i thought you to ohio, i saw howmuch my family loved you…and i realized something.”

that was only 6 months into your relationship. a spring break in march that joe wanted to spend with his family. he asked you to tag along and although you were petrified, you agreed. you’ve never felt nervous around his family after that, quite the opposite actually.

suddenly joe steps back from you, a hand reaching into his pocket. the implication of what’s happening makes your mouth dry up. it’s like you’re frozen, just staring at him with wide eyes.

“i–i went out and got this as soon as we got back to baton rouge. i’ve held on to it all this time….and i brought it with me because i thought well, when in france. right?” joe tries his best to keep his voice steady, a nervous chuckle escaping him. and sure enough, a little black, velvet box appears in his hand.

a hand flies to your mouth, and you look around as if a camera crew is going to appear and tell you you’re being pranked. but alas, it’s just you, joe, and the eiffel tower.

“joe….” the tears are definitely flowing now, silently down your face. you couldn’t believe your eyes. this was really happening. right now. in paris at almost 2 in the morning.

you watch as joe gets down on one knee. he tries to tame his trembling hands as he opens the little box, but to no avail. the quarterback that is usually so collected, has crumbled down to mush that you hold in the palm of your hand.

joe perches the box in between his hands, early morning moonlight dances across the diamond ring.

he breathes your name like a prayer, “i meant what i said. i would want to do this. or anything, with anyone else. i want to be yours forever if you’ll have me. so angel, would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

joe flashes you that boyish smile that you fell in love with all those years ago. it’s then that you realize it isn’t just joe kneeling before you.

it’s the handsome transfer student from ohio that asks you where bronson hall is. it’s the boy that invites you to watch him play football, and forgets to mention he’s the new star quarterback. it’s the guy your friends ask about when you’re blushing at brunch. it’s the teary eyed heisman trophy winner who thanks you in his speech. it’s the cincinnati bengal who trusts you decorate the new apartment you share together. it’s the guy that plays catch with your younger family members at thanksgiving. it’s your boyfriend that invited you to france. it’s your joe.

this is the easiest question you’ve ever been asked.

“yes. oh my fucking god! a million times yes!” you exclaim, heels clicking the pavement as you jump up and down a couple of times. you’re confused when you look down and see joe still kneeling below you, his grin rivaling the city lights. then you realize, you don’t have the ring on yet. “oh fuck which hand is it?!” your brain is so frazzled, you just stick both hands out toward him.

joe gently grabs your left hand, ring perfectly slipping onto your ring finger. he admires it for a moment and places a kiss on your knuckles.

he’s standing up straight for less than a second before you’re pouncing on him, throwing your arms around him. you pull his neck down toward you, crashing your lips together in a bruising kiss.

joe returns your affection quickly. hands find home holding your face, thumbs dusting away tears. this kiss is different than any you’ve had in the past. it’s a seal. a promise. a sign of your devotion to one another deepening after tonight.

the two of you stay like that for a moment. so caught up in one another. the anticipation of a lifetime together makes you feel as light as a feather.

the two of you break away with sharp inhales, crisp air filling your lungs. you remove your hands from his neck, instead grabbing his in your own and giving a laugh at their state, “babe. you’re shaking.”

joe nods, tongue darting out to lick his lips. he gives your hands a squeeze. “yeah well. good thing i got you to keep me steady.”

the ride back to the hotel is full of giggles and light touches. the ring on your finger is like a magnet to your eyes. you can’t look away, even as joe is extra affectionate; kissing all over your cheek and the side of your neck. you’re so full of love it feels hard to breathe.

“hey joey?”

your boyfriend fiancée pulls his head back to look you in the eyes, “yeah, pretty?”

you put your now ring clad hand on joe’s chest. he looks down at it with a smirk, before meeting your eyes once again.

“what do you think about that backless suit for the wedding?”

another kiss against your cheek, followed by an overdramatic sigh, “yeah, just really hard to focus on statistics with something so distracting in my bed.”

joe’s closer now, a hand playing with your hair as he peppers kisses down your jawline.

you roll your eyes at his antics, knowing exactly how this was going to go. “oh i’m the distracting one?” you question, your tone sarcastic.

he moves his hand to your cheek, tilting your head to the left to face him. his blue eyes bore into yours and you realize why you’d avoided looking at him. it’s much easier to stay on task without his handsome face in view.

joe leans down to place a slow peck on your lips, “a very.” peck. “very.” peck. “pretty distraction.”

he pulls away from you entirely, smirking when you try and chase his lips. this is exactly why you wanted to study alone. as much as you loved your boyfriend, how are you expected to get anything done with a gorgeous quarterback all over you? but the two of you have barely seen each other these past few weeks, and joe insisted on you both doing schoolwork together before his practice later that day.

“joe. baby. we’re supposed to be studying.” your voice is pleading, begging for any sort of mercy. he caresses your cheek bone with his thumb, a smirk sitting on the side of his mouth. “i am studying.” he uses a tone that tells you he wants you to ask what his punchline is. you bite.

“and what are you studying exactly, joseph?”

he trails his hand down your body until it rests on your waist, just above where your hands and laptop sit. he lets his eyes trail down and back up, bright blues staring at you while he licks his lips, “anatomy.”

you let out a laugh for his sake, grabbing his wrist and removing his hand from your body, “you’re impossible!” you place a quick kiss on his lips, standing up and taking your laptop.

joe groans loudly, falling back against the pillows on his bed, “where are you going?”

you carry your work to his wooden, student-issued desk, setting your laptop down and taking a seat. “you’re going to stay there. and i’m going to stay here. we both need to get work done and it’s hard to do that when you’re being…well you!” you try to sound frustrated, but you both know better.

joe being the cocky bastard he is, just gives you a knowing smile. the effect he has on you just strokes his ego (as if anyone else needed to). he decides to leave you be for the time being. he picks his pencil back up and holds his hands up in faux innocence, “yes ma’am. whatever you need.”

you turn back to your essay, typing your third page, smiling when the framed picture of you two displayed on his desk appears in your peripheral vision. if you looked around, your presence is covering this room. his whole apartment in fact. sure, you may be putty in his hands. but you have joe burrow pretty much wrapped around your finger.

after about 20 minutes of both of you working diligently in silence, you hear joe clear his throat.

“hey pretty?”

“mhm?” you reply, clicking back and forth between your class notes and your paper.

“didn’t you say you took this class last year?” joe asks, deep voice like velvet when it hits your ears.

you pause your task and turn around in your chair, “yeah i did for a semester, why?” he looks absolutely delicious. he’s sporting a cozy lsu hoodie and nike gym shorts that reach barely mid thigh, his trademark array of bracelets decorate his wrists. the way one of this legs is raised make his shorts ride up, giving you a peek at his black briefs. you suddenly wonder if the essay is even that important.

“wanna come check this for me? make sure i did it right?” he taps his pencil a couple of times and holds out his notebook toward you. there’s no flirtation intent behind joe’s question, he just values your insight. and for some reason, that just turns you on even more. he’s won. he’s getting what he wanted without even trying.

you stand up from your seat and make your way over to him, taking the notebook from his hand. he looks up at you in silence, waiting for you to check his work. but instead you toss the notebook to the side. it makes a slight thud when it hits the hardwood.

joe opens his mouth to question your actions but you’re on the bed with him in a matter of seconds. you swing your leg over his hip and straddle his lap, legs resting on either side of him. his hands are on you immediately, per instinct, large hands engulfing your thighs. it takes him a moment to process your actions but he sobers up quickly, cocky and confident, “aw, who knew stats could get you so worked up?”

you want to knock that stupid smirk off of his face. you also never want it to go away.

“shut up.” followed by a feverish kiss full of want and desire. the lack of each other for weeks has stretched the rubber band of tension to a hilt, and you finally let it snap. your fingers thread through his wavy hair at the nape of his neck, tugging just a bit. he’s due for a haircut soon. a noise rattles up from his throat, your reaction immediate. your hips grind down, begging for some friction. he gladly provides, guiding your waist back and forth.

the next moments are full of tongue kisses and heavy breathing. “next time we—“ gasp. “study together, we’re doing it in public–ow!” joe bites your lip, an apology vibrates against your lip, you know he doesn’t mean it. “like the library.” joe grips your hips and flips the two of you over with ease. you yelp in surprise, now looking up at him.

joe scoffs at your words, “like that’s ever stopped us before.” he reconnects your lips, a new sense of urgency found in this kiss. he props himself up with an elbow next to your head. your leg finds itself hooking around his waist, forcing him impossibly closer to you. he breaks away for air, hand dragging up and down your lifted thigh. he leaves goosebumps in his wake.

he looks down between your bodies and watches as your hips lift to meet his own, adam’s apple bobbing. his eyes flick back to yours, a familiar darkness clouding the ocean. his kisses follow a trail down your jaw, “god baby, you drive me crazy.” he purrs in your ear, lips attacking your neck. you aren’t sure how he can say that, when you’re the one that feels dizzy under his touch. your hand finds his hair again, letting out fits of giggles when his mouth grazes your most sensitive spots.

you tilt your head to the side, catching sight of the time on your phone screen as it lit up on the nightstand. you let out a gasp, partly because of joe shifting his hand between your thighs, but mostly because it was almost time for, “joe. practice.”

he returns his attention to your lips, “5 more minutes, all i need.” he murmurs, capturing you in a kiss that’s hard to turn away from. you feel his hand slip under the waist band of your pants, and as much as you dread this ending; you know what you need to do.

“joey. babe, hey.” you use your grip on his hair to pull him away. the love drunk look on his face makes this even harder. “listen. as much as i want to, we can’t. you love to be unreasonably early, and coach o will track me down himself if i’m the reason his star isn’t there for pre, pre warmups.”

joe chuckles and nods his head, reluctantly removing his hands from you entirely; it’s as if you’re magnets, if he isn’t across the room you’ll gravitate back together. he stands and starts to get ready for the one thing you’re forced to share the title of joe’s first love with, football.

you start to stand to get ready to go home, but joe quickly faces you and shakes his head, black backpack and cleats in his hands.

“no no no stay. here.” he throws his backpack over his shoulder and uses his free hand to dig in his pocket. he pulls out his purple lanyard, plucking his apartment key from the carabiner.

joe places it in your hand and folds your fingers over it.

“here, i’m gonna have you one made anyway. go back to your dorm, grab some stuff. you can order dinner, finish your homework here. i’ll be back in a couple hours and i’ll take you to that froyo shop down the street and then we can…finish what we started.” joe says with a wiggle of his eyebrows. he punctuates his words with a sweet kiss on your lips, another on your forehead, “bye pretty. love you.”

you stare at him in awe, “love you. have fun!”

he winks at you before he walks out of the front door.

you sit there on the edge of the bed, staring down at the shiny key in your palm. you’re shocked at how he can make such a big relationship step seem so nonchalant. he’d obviously been thinking about this for a while, you being around more. in his space.

you flop down on your back, kicking your feet with a giddy smile. if you weren’t alone you’d be embarrassed.

looks like you’ll be studying here a lot more often.