I did not think this shit through.

When I talked to Arisa last Halloween, I hadn't really thought about the time I needed to invest in actually 'wooing' her. I got the hang of balancing school and football, but add dating to the mix?

Yeah, it was a fucking challenge.

I figured I shouldn't waste precious time just because I was too busy to see her, so I sent food and flowers to her place every other day. On the fifth day I sent her a bouquet of roses, she asked me to send her plants instead because 'flowers wilted too fast.'

She never complained about the food, though.

"Yo, Alfie!"

I was on my way out of the locker room when Holden called. I stopped and looked up from my phone. We were both fresh out of the shower, having just won a game against Columbia.

"We're going to Crown Oak to celebrate," he said. "You coming?"

Every once in a while, the team had drinks at the pub because they knew I preferred it there. Usually, I'd go with them... but not tonight.

"Nah, man. I have plans."

Oz wouldn't fucking let me live this down if he knew I was passing up a chance to drink and party on a Saturday night – for a girl. But this was the only night Arisa and I were both free. My Sunday was already booked up. Literally.

Life of a grad student.

"Does this plan involve a girl?" Holden teased, wiggling his eyebrows.

I smirked, and merely said, "See you on Monday."

I stopped by the apartment to drop off my things before heading to MIT to pick up Arisa. I parked my Lambo near the main entrance of the Stata Center and leaned on the passenger's door while I waited for her.

MIT had that same vibe of prestige like Harvard did, but with more modern buildings. While the university I attended would make you feel like you traveled back in time with its old buildings, here it would make you feel like you stepped into the future – all clean and well structured.

Not many students were around campus at this time of night. Then again, it was a Saturday. They were probably at a party somewhere.

I pulled out my phone and texted Arisa.

Me:
Your chariot awaits.

Arisa:
Are you the horse?

Me:
Only if you'll ride me. ;)

Arisa:
I like to ride all night. I don't think you have the stamina. :(

Me:
Try me.

Arisa:
Lol, no thanks. I'm on my way out.

After a few minutes, I saw her coming out of the building. She was wearing a huge beige coat over a black overalls and white shirt underneath, completing the get up with white sneakers. She looked so damn cozy that all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and hug the hell outta her.

Hmm, maybe later.

Arisa smiled at seeing me, and shook her head in amusement.

"What?" I asked, opening the passenger's door for her.

She stopped and looked up at me intently, tilting her head. "I never thought we'd be going on a date."

I pursed my lips. "Don't feel too honored."

"Oh, I'm jumping for joy."

I threw my head back and laughed. "I have to tell you something, though," I told her, in a more serious tone. "I don't put out on the first date."

"No virgin does," she replied in a sigh, patting my shoulder and nodding in mocked understanding.

Before I could reply, she climbed in and closed the door. A grin stretched my lips as I went around the car to the driver's side. When I got in, I turned to face her. She already had her seatbelt locked in.

"You sure you don't wanna just go to a restaurant?" I asked.

"I'm sure," she said, meeting my eyes. "Just save your money. Every place in town would be packed, anyway. I'd rather stay in and cook."

Hell, I'd rather eat what she cooked – or her, if she'd let me.

I shrugged. "You're the boss."

I really wanted to take her out somewhere but like she pointed out, it was a Saturday night. It would be hard to get a table anywhere without a reservation.

"I watched the game," she mentioned, as we drove away from her campus.

"I thought you had to finish something."

"I did... while some of my classmates watched the game in the background."

"Ah, they played it live on ESPN?"

"Yup, online."

I chanced a glance at her. "Did you understand what was happening?"

We were all aware she wasn't into football. I knew the universe was fucking with me because the girl I liked preferred goddamn basketball. It would've been better if she liked ice hockey, to be honest.

"I understand that you won," she said slowly, turning to me and flashing me a smile. "Congrats?"

I chuckled. "A for effort."

We arrived at her apartment building in East Cambridge in ten minutes. Her roommate was out for the weekend, so we had the place to ourselves.

It was more modest than mine and Byron's for sure. While the theme of our townhome seemed to be all brick, gray walls, and dark wood, theirs were mostly white walls and minimalist furniture.

It reminded me of that Nordic style shit Gwen showed me when she had that Pinterest phase last year.

"Are you okay with pasta?" Arisa asked, after hanging her coat on the rack. She looked over her shoulder at me as she walked towards the kitchen.

"I'm okay with anything you cook."

She grinned. "Kiss-ass."

"I do love kissing your ass."

She rolled her eyes and turned her back to me, but I already caught the smile forming on her lips. Ha, I knew she couldn't resist my charm.

While she prepared dinner, I set up the table. It looked like spaghetti wasn't too long to make because it was ready in less than fifteen minutes.

"Is it good?" I asked, watching her lick her lips after tasting the pasta sauce from the wooden spoon.

"Mm-hmm." She nodded, her eyes going from the red sauce then up to me. "Wanna try it?"

Instead of answering, I stepped forward, grabbed her chin, and kissed her. I pulled away before she could hit my head with a pan.

"Hmm, yeah." I licked my lips, before grinning. "Just the way I like it."

She blinked, still too stunned to move.

"Let's eat." I chuckled, then I took the bowl and hurried to the dining table.

"I'm going to kill you," I heard her say behind me.

"You like me too much to kill me."

"I never said I like you."

I faced her, and winked. "You didn't have to."

"Wow, you really think highly of yourself."

"Thanks, I try my best."

She scoffed, watching me put down the bowl of pasta on the table. As if she just remembered something, she hurried back to the kitchen. When she returned, she had a bottle of wine and a pair of wine glasses with her.

"I'll do steak next time," she said, taking a seat across from me.

The corner of my mouth twitched as I tried real hard not to smile. I really fucking wanted to tease her and call her out on the second date assumption, but I didn't want to give her the chance to take back her words.

"Audrey says thanks for the plants," she mentioned, nodding towards the other side of the room. "We're one pot away from being a jungle."

I chuckled, looking around their apartment. My eyes zoned in on the area near the window. It was like a mini garden house.

"I'll give you another two so you'll feel like you're in the Amazon."

She shook her head in amusement. "You never run out of things to say, don't you?"

I snorted. "I could say the same about you."

"Finally met your match, huh?" she teased, turning her attention to her food as she twisted her fork in the pasta.

I looked at her seriously. "Yeah, I have."

She raised her eyes and met mine, her smile slowly disappearing. "I thought you said I deserve someone better," she said quietly.

Ah, so she heard that.

"I did," I confirmed. "So I got better."

She remained silent, watching me.

"I wanted to be that someone you deserve."

She still didn't say anything.

"And you deserve the best, Arisa Emilia."

She only stared at me.

Normally, I'd fucking relish the fact that her eyes were on me like this. But I just sprouted some cheesy ass lines and I'd appreciate a little response.

I cleared my throat, and added, "You know, this would be the part where you say something smartass."

Silence.

"Damn," I breathed out, leaning back on my chair as I gazed at her stunned expression. "I made you speechless."

She blinked, coming out of her trance. Her eyebrows furrowed in that cute little way they did when she was trying to understand something.

"Do you mean that?" she finally said.

With all humor gone, I replied, "Every word."

She looked away, but not before I caught the corner of her lips lifted up in a smile. Honestly, that was all that I was aiming for.

"Aw," I cooed, pouting. "No 'You deserve the best, too, Alfie. Lucky for you, I'm already the best?'"

She let out a small laugh. "Why state the obvious?"

I burst out laughing.

While I fucking loved making her speechless, I preferred it when she opened her mouth. It made me wanna kiss her... which was exactly why I stuffed my face with food.

If I stole another kiss from her, she'd have my balls.

* * * * *

After eating, I put the dishes in the dishwasher while Arisa set up the smart TV in the living room. I made us some microwave butter popcorn before coming to her, where she already had a blanket over her lap.

"Did you pick something?" I asked, dropping on the couch beside her.

She nodded, her eyes on the screen. "Crash Landing On You."

"What's that?"

"A Kdrama," she answered simply, putting down the remote and grabbing a handful of popcorn.

I did a double take. "A what now?"

"A Kdrama—Korean drama."

I groaned. "With the subtitles and shit?"

She made a face at me. "Don't tell me you're one of those people who hates reading subtitles."

"Babe, I read from the moment I wake up to the second before I sleep. I need a break." I didn't even wanna think about the shit ton of books and cases I had to read tomorrow.

"This is the only free time I have, and I've always wanted to watch this," she muttered, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. Then, she turned to me as if she made a decision. "You can go home early. I don't mind watching this by myself."

Yeah, like I would do that. I wanted to spend time with her no matter what the hell we were doing, even if I had to watch a mushy drama with her.

And she knew that.

"Alright." I sighed. "Play the damn thing."

"I don't want to force you to read subtitles," she said, batting her eyelashes and playing innocent.

I turned to her. "Is this what you want to watch?"

"Yes."

"Then, let's watch it."

She stared at me for a long damn moment, biting her bottom lip as if to stop herself from smiling. Just as I decided to warn her that I'd kiss her if she didn't stop looking at me like that, she finally hit the play button.

Okay, so I had a plan.

I was gonna watch her the whole time, memorize her face and all that shit. But damn it to hell, I got fucking invested in this show. It was too cheesy for me, but fuck me if I wasn't intrigued by their situation.

"He'll definitely die," I guessed.

Arisa glared at me. "Don't say that."

"Oh, come on. They're in North Korea. They killed someone just from being suspected of having the coronavirus. A military officer hiding a South Korean in his own home? You know this will only end one way."

"I'm not losing faith in Captain Ri Jeong Hyeok."

"I'm telling you."

We watched some more until sunlight shined through the window, reaching inside the room. Fuck, it was morning already?

It seemed like I wasn't the only one who noticed because Arisa pulled away from me and sat up. Yeah, we ended up cuddling on the couch.

I wish I could say that I thoroughly devoured each moment that she was in my arms, but I was too hung up on what we were watching. Besides, it just felt so natural that I didn't put too much thought on it.

How weird was that?

"You better go home," Arisa suggested, pausing the episode and rubbing her eyes. "You still have some cases to read today, right?"

"Yeah," I said regrettably, eyeing the TV. I turned to her and pouted. "Don't continue watching without me."

She laughed. "I won't."

"Promise?"

She laughed again. "I promise, Alfred."

Grinning, I stood up and got ready to leave. Arisa walked me out. I stopped by the doorway and faced her. We were both sleep-deprived and had bags under our eyes, but I still liked seeing her in the morning like this with her bare face and messy hair.

Everything about her was just so fucking real.

"Thanks for last night, Arisa Emilia," I said, leaning closer and kissing her on the cheek.

Her brows shot up in surprise. "Now you're being wholesome?"

"Man, I knew you liked my dirty side." I flashed her my most charming grin, making her chuckle as she shook her head and pushed me out of the door.

"Have a safe drive home."

She leaned on the doorframe as she gazed at me, wearing a soft expression I'd never seen her use on me before. It was slightly unnerving.

I nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Feel free to dream of me."

"I don't want to wake up from a nightmare."

My laughter filled the hallway as I climbed down the steps.

To everybody else, I was doing the walk of shame. But nobody knew, all Arisa and I did was watch a Korean drama.

Damn, this girl was seriously killing my game.

A smile stretched across my lips, as I walked out of the building and headed to my Lambo. I looked up and glanced at her window, where Arisa was standing and watching me. She raised a hand, and I waved back.

I swear, this girl would be the death of me.

_____________

Next update: Tomorrow!

Coming up next..... Chapter 15: You Get What You Give
Did anybody miss the crew?