"Are you busy?" Grayson asks.

"As a matter of fucking fact, yes I am." His ears are red.

Blake snickers, leaning over to look at his phone. "Kol won't give a shit if you go through his porn stash but he'll blush like a schoolgirl if you see him going through his 'Arden fucking smiling and shit' folder."

Kol throws a pillow in his face. "Shut the fuck up, I don't have that folder."

"See how he denies the folder but not the porn stash," Blake says. "A denial straight from a Sandejas—"

Kol throws a pillow in Grayson's face again when he cackles.

Six months into a goddamn relationship—he has the right to have that folder, okay?

He also has the right to get mad about this date because he wanted to spend time with his girlfriend and not with his annoying brother and his equally annoying fiancé, but does he have the right to bitch about it?

"No," Arden tells him in the car. "You were the one who wanted me to meet your family."

"At dinner," Kol grumbles. "Not a fucking double date!"

"I'm scared of Yvo, okay!" Arden argues, glaring at him, even pushing his hand off her thigh.

"You talk to Pax just fine!"

"Pax is in high school and he's cute! I can't talk to Yvo without Blaise!"

Ah, yes. Blaise and Arden have become the best fucking friends.

Kol grits his teeth and pushes his hand on her thigh again and grips it. He doesn't say anything else.

Even without looking at her, he knows his girl is grinning. "Well, what do you know. Blaise was right. I do have you by the balls."

Kol sneers at her. They should stop spending so much time together.

At the rink, Blaise and Arden hug each other like they haven't just seen each other two days ago when they went shopping and left Kol and Yvo fucking sulking.

"Tell your fucking girlfriend to stop stealing mine," Yvo told him.

"Tell your fucking fiancé to leave mine alone," Kol told him.

They're not engaged yet, but. Soon.

Blaise hugs him tight after Arden, tiptoeing to reach him and patting his butt. "Hello, Kol."

"Blaise."

"Little brother," Yvo says, stepping forward with a blank face. His brother has a good one inch on him and Kol fucking hates it. "Arden."

"Hi Yvo," Arden squeaks with a hesitant wave, sticking herself next to Kol.

He puts his arm around her waist and narrows his eyes at his brother.

"Don't worry," Blaise says cheerfully with a wide smile, hooking her arm around Yvo. "He promised me to be on his best behavior today."

"So no murders?" Arden jokes.

Kol blinks, turning his head slowly to look at her. Yvo stares at her, too.

Arden clears her throat and Blaise laughs. "And that means no murders from Kol today as well. Come on, guys!"

The girls go ahead first, chatting and grinning with their arms hooked around each other's.

Yvo walks next to Kol behind them and says, "Fuck you for making me do this, you fucking simp. Fifty-six dates and this is one of them, Jesus Christ. You know how to fucking ice skate?"

Kol scowls at him. Arden told Blaise about his strategic planning every morning in class and then Blaise whined to Yvo about "Kol has fifty-six dates planned for him and Arden! Why don't you plan for any of our dates? Whatever, ice skating is now a double date and you don't get to say shit."

"You fucking asshole," Kol returns quietly. If any of their girls hear them, they'll get their asses kicked. "No, but you don't plan for any of your dates? You sure Blaise said yes to marrying you?"

Yvo puts his hand around his neck and digs his nails into Kol's nape. "If I'm not dead of fucking humiliation before my wedding, shut up before you don't get to be best fucking man."

"Then you won't be best fucking man in mine—"

The girls turn to look at them.

Yvo loosens his hold on his neck. The boys blink innocently at them.

Satisfied, Arden and Blaise continue on towards the rink.

"Fucking simp," Kol hisses, pushing him away. Yvo tosses him his middle finger and mouths the words back to him.

Arden holds his hand and giggles once they have their skates on because Kol won't move. "Baby, come on."

How is he supposed to fucking glide on ice? He glares at her. He wants to say he's preparing for his impending death but she'll only laugh at him and call him dramatic.

"Come on, I'll hold you."

"Shut up," Kol hisses, tightening his hold on her before he takes a step in the rink.

He almost falls face first.

Arden is laughing her ass off, holding him up. "Kol!"

In the distance, he also hears Blaise shout, "Yvo!" and fucking laugh.

Kol tries to stand again despite his burning ears and Arden grins, guiding him slowly. "Okay, one foot after the other."

"I'm not a fucking toddler," he grumbles, looking at his feet, fingers tight on his girlfriend's arms.

She shrugs and lets go.

"Wait, doll, fuck—"

Kol and Yvo won't look at each other at dinner after that humiliating experience.

Yvo is stepping on Kol's foot in anger. Kol kicks him under the table.

His feet and calves fucking hurt from slipping but he got to hear Arden laugh because of him and smile all fucking night and he got to spend time with her doing something she likes.

"Thank you," she whispers later in his room, sliding her hands under his shirt, tiptoeing to kiss him slowly. "I know you hated that."

He grunts and kisses her back, hand on her cheek, and rasps, "Well, I love you."

It makes Arden smile brightly. "Look at that, you can say something without 'fuck'."

"I love fucking you," Kol corrects flatly. "I fucking love you."

"Mm." She rolls her eyes and pushes him down on the bed. Oh, Kol likes where this is going. "Remind me again how our dates end in your head?"

Him fucking her. He grins and grabs her neck, pulling her down to him, hands everywhere.

Kol loves it when Arden goes to his games in his jersey and gives him a kiss good luck, leaning over the bleachers. Kol loves it when she texts him she misses him and when she strokes her fingers over her bare thigh in class because she knows he's watching. He loves it when she's studying and concentrated and he can stare at her for fucking hours, loves it when he wakes up spooning her, loves it when she moans his name, calls him just because, gets mad at him during her period, and tells him all about her day.

What he doesn't love—what he hates—is making her cry, her ignoring him.

"Arden," Kol bites out, following her to the bathroom. with his fists clenched. "Fucking talk to me."

She strips without a care, leaving her clothes on the floor, and steps inside the shower, harshly pulling the glass door closed.

Kol has half a fucking mind to follow her inside and make her talk to him before he loses his goddamn mind, but he doesn't want to make her angrier. Or make her cry again.

Gritting his teeth, he leaves the bathroom and almost slams it.

How the fuck was he supposed to know he went on a fucking date with Arden's fucking freshman buddy?

It was this whole senior-freshman project in the cheer squad to get the fucking kids more adjusted to the school and the team, lend out a hand and ask questions and all that. Kol had never met the bitch, but Arden mentioned her name to him, told him she was "so sweet and kind, I like hanging out with her", and so when she sat across from him at a table in Arden's favorite restaurant while he waited for her and said, "Hi, I'm Brooke," what was Kol supposed to do, fucking kick her out of her chair?

Well, yes, that's what he would have done if he had not thought that ah. This is the kid Arden is friends with. His girlfriend is not going to be happy with him if he kicks her.

So he just grunted and texted Arden. the fuck is taking you so long i miss u already goddamn it

And then she replied, BABY IM SORRY, study group is running late can u just eat there and bring takeout back to my room i love you

He scowled. fuck fine

He was going to bring her food and coffee to the student lounge, but his order was called and there were two plates. Rolling his eyes, he pushed the other one to the kid. Arden wasn't going to be happy with him if he let her starve.

Kol didn't see her bright smile and wide eyes and her flushed cheeks because he wasn't even looking at her, goddamn it.

He finished his food in five minutes and stood, grabbing the paper bag of takeout.

"Wait!" Fingers took his wrist. Kol looked at it.

She immediately let go and stuttered, "S-sorry. Um, could I—could I have your number? For a second date? Or—or would you want to drive me home?"

Ha. Kol's first thought? Arden was going to fucking kill him. And then her.

His second: how the fuck am I going to explain and apologize? Sorry, doll, I accidentally went on a date with your fucking freshman because I'm shit at reading social fucking cues and goddamn it, please don't fucking break up with me.

His third: what a fucking bitch, jeopardizing his fucking relationship. It was impossible she didn't know Kol was Arden's boyfriend.

Kol kicked her out of her chair. He heard her squeak in surprise and her stumble to the floor, but he left without looking at her and headed straight to Arden's room, trying not to have a fucking panic attack.

He was biting his goddamn nails, seated on her bed, while waiting for her to come back. He called Blaise almost to fucking tears and his brother's fiancé said, "Kol, sweetie, calm down. Just explain and apologize." And then she paused and added, wincing, "Though if Yvo went on a date—accidental or not—I would be screaming and crying and upset but let's hope Arden isn't the type of crazy that I am."

Oh, God. Oh, God.

When the door finally opened, Arden greeted him with a tired but bright smile, face glowing at the sight of him, and kissed him on the lips. She went straight to the food. "Thank God, I'm starving—"

"Don't fucking break up with me," Kol said.

Jesus. Christ.

Arden blinked, surprised. "What?"

"Promise me."

She laughed, confused. "Kol, I don't—"

"Promise me, goddamn it," Kol demanded, nails digging in his skin, and fuck, he was panicking, he was panicking—

Arden's smile faded. "What did you do?"

"Fucking promise me first—"

"Tell me first," Arden snapped. "And then I'll decide."

God, shit, shit. Kol's mouth couldn't open.

If she wasn't going to promise him she won't leave him, he wasn't going to tell her.

Arden clenched her jaw. "Kol."

He grit his teeth and looked away.

"Kol, did you—" She took a shaky breath. "Did you cheat—"

"Why the fuck is that your first question?" he demanded, standing up, hurt. "What the hell do you think of me—"

"You're acting like you did, what the hell else am I supposed to think!" She was crying already, damn it, goddamn it to fucking hell—

"I didn't fucking cheat on you—"

"Then what?"

Kol rushed to explain. He apologized. He said he didn't know, didn't even look at her, kicked her out of her chair.

And now Arden isn't fucking talking to him.

Fine. He'll give her until tonight for her fucking space.

When she doesn't text him, doesn't look at him in class, Kol is almost out of his mind on the way to her room and if Arden fucking breaks up with him he's going to hunt that bitch down and slit her throat.

She opens the door, still looking quite angry in his hoodie and shorts, and goes to her desk without a glance at his face.

Shit. Kol feels his chest weigh fucking tons as he closes the door quietly and sits on her bed, fiddling with his fingers.

Well, she opened the door for him.

Kol just hopes she doesn't kick him out again because God fuck if he spends another night without touching or spooning her—

Arden faces him suddenly and thrusts in his chest her sugar cookie jar. "Open it."

Oh, thank God.

Kol tightened the lid of her sugar cookie jar—the ones she always eats when she's upset or tired or stressed and Kol always makes sure it's stocked—so she'll have to talk to him.

Kol tries not to let his relief show in his face at hearing her voice directed at him again and her eyes on his as he opens the jar.

"I fucking miss you," Kol says. "Give me your affection again, damn it, what the fuck do I have to do—"

Arden snatches the jar from him and bites a cookie angrily. "She's pretty."

He stares at her.

"Brooke."

Kol continues staring at her. "Does that fucking matter?"

"You agree then?" Arden nearly shouts, eyes watering. GOD, fuck! "That she's pretty?"

"FUCK," Kol snaps. "I never looked at the bitch. I kicked her out of her fucking chair."

And then Arden cries again—Jesus—and Kol pulls her to his lap and hugs her, pressing his lips to her hair. He hates this, hates making her cry, hates her crying because of him. "I'm sorry, please, fuck, please stop crying, I didn't mean to—"

"I know," Arden says, clutching his shirt, face in his neck. "I know you didn't know. I'm just—I was just upset that she'd do that to me. And then I thought it made sense for her to pursue you...she's pretty and all that—"

Kol shut her up and kissed her, and then stripped them off their clothes and jerked himself off looking at her—just looking at her—because she's fucking beautiful and she's the only one he sees and looks at but he doesn't tell her all the goddamn time and he's a shit boyfriend for that.

"You tightened the jar, didn't you," Arden mutters later in his chest, hugging him.

Kol smiles, fucking finally. "Tell me what the fuck to do about the bitch. I can smash her head in for what she did to you."

"Oh, no need." Arden smiles and kisses him. Fuck. That feels so good. "I put her in her place at cheer practice earlier."

Kol grins and kisses her forehead. "That's my fucking girl."

"And you?" Arden asks.

"I'm all fucking yours, doll."

"You better fucking be." She kisses him again. "Or else."

*

now where do i find my sandejas boy who has a folder of pictures of me in his phone labeled with 'gi fucking smiling and shit' THE FUCK does a girl have to do