Christian's POV

That was the best sleep I had in a while and I doubted the feeling wasn't mutual. She fell asleep, wrapped in my arms last night. Although there wasn't any place even to shift a bit, it couldn't get more comfortable. The morning light from the window tortured me while her warm breath teased the skin on my chest. I could feel her slightly moving and then wriggle in my arms, trying to get out.

“Um-hm,” I groaned, half asleep and held her tight.

“Let me go, Christian,” she whined in her morning voice.

It was fucking cute!!!

“Not today. A little more, please. This is all I ask...,” I murmured in sleep.

“Why? What is it today?”

I didn't answer as I fell asleep again and then was wide when I missed her warmth. I groaned silently and turned to sleep in for a couple more minutes when --

“What the flying fuck?” Blaire's high pitched voice pierced my ears.

She was at the door, crouching down on the floor. I leapt down the bed and walked over when I saw a load of gift boxes of various shapes and sizes at the door. She was irritated. She picked up a box and read the label on it saying, “Happy birthday, Christian.”

“It's your birthday?” she asked looking up at me from the ground.

I scratched my neck and replied, “It is.”

“Oh!” was her silent reply.

She stood up and eyed the small boxes lying on the floor, “You got some crazy fan following around the campus. Ain't you the popular guy?”

She gave me a tight-lipped smile and a little shrug before she walked towards the washroom. I walked behind her and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her close,  I cupped her cheeks and looked into her eyes.

“Hey, what's wrong? What happened?” I asked softly, almost in a whisper.

She tore her gaze away from me and fixed it on the floor.

“Look at me, sunshine,” I said sternly yet in a whisper.

Finally, we were starting to get along and I didn't want to mess it up.

“All those people,” she eyed the presents again, “they love you Chris. I mean at least they know your birthday and cared to drop a present but...,” she trailed off.

“But what, sunshine?”

“But I don't even know or rather remember your birthday when I should have known, oh, sorry, remembered....”

“Shhh! It's not your fault. If it's anyone's then it's mine,” I pinched her cheeks and playfully brushed my nose with her's.

“Fuck all these stupid thoughts you have and let's get to class,” I ordered.

“It's Sunday,” she grinned.

“Okay, so what do you wanna do?” I asked, leaning in. My lips inches apart, she stared right into my eyes.

She cleared her throat and inched back from me, hiding a sly smile, “Well, I think I gotta go, run to the library.”

“Okay,” I smirked.

“Okay then,” she nodded.

It was sundown when I came back to the dorm again.

“Hey,” I said, cautiously eyeing Blaire.

“Hey,” she called back from against the counter and huffed.

“What's going on?” I was curious. She looked messy, covered in kitchen stuff.

“Well, take a seat,” she gestured towards the couch.

I did as I was told and then she walked out in her messy apron and bird's nest on her head with flour on her face, holding a white saucer in hand. She came in front of me and kneeled. There was a chocolate cupcake on the plate with candles 1 and 8. She grinned at me nervously and I gave her an amused look.

“Well,” she started nervously, “I didn't mean to bake a cupcake but I tried like a hundred times before I got the breakthrough and there wasn't any mix left --,”

“Wait, you baked it? You? Are you alright, sunshine?” I was worried like hell and she just rolled her eyes.

“You sure you didn't burn yourself or something?”

She rolled her eyes again and said, “Will you hold it now?”

I took the plate from her and eyes her, “You weren't at the library. Were you?”

“Did I mention library anytime soon?” she asked dramatically as she lit the candles.

“Umm... it's nineteen,” we looked into each other's eyes.

“Oh!” she said, a little disappointed.

“I took a year in elementary school twice due to some reasons but it doesn't really matter. Does it? Eighteen or nineteen, it's all the same,” I tried to shrug it off.

"Well, everything happens for its own good. I mean if you wouldn't take that year twice then you'd be a sophomore right now and we'd not end up being roommates...,” she looked down, “Its the bright side.”

I blew the candles and was going to respond when she snapped, “Hey, I was going to sing the birthday song!”

I chuckled and she smiled at me.

“Well, about your bright side earlier, we were always going to end up together no matter what,” I chuckled again.

“How are you so sure?” she stood up furrowing her eyebrows.

“Well, if we fell in love, then it was because we're meant to be together.”

“But I'm not in love with you,” she protested.

“Well, you were and I will give you a second chance to forever,” I winked as I bit off half the cupcake.

To me, it was way more than perfect.

“I don't believe in love.”

That sentence had my eyebrows furrowed, “Wait, what? What are you talking about?”

“Yes. I don't believe in love anymore.”

“Well, look at how the tables have turned. You're talking like I used to and I'm talking about love shit and forever,” I laughed out harshly.

She didn't say anything but shrugged and plopped down on the bed.

“Why don't you believe in love, Blaire?”

“What is the point of love if all we do is end up getting hurt?” she asked back without looking at me.

“Well, everything has consequences. Yes, love hurts sometimes but we fall for it anyway. Ain't we?”

“I don't want to,” she protested in a tiny whisper.

“Fall in love or get hurt?”

“Both,” she replied shortly.

“Someone taught me, life is all about second chances. What I'm trying to say is, give a second chance to love,” I said kneeling before her.

My hands reached out and I cupped her cheeks. Looking into her beautiful orbs, I said in almost a whisper, “Be my rose, Sunshine; I'll defend you like thorns. Be my pearl and I'll protect you like a shell. Be my sun, I'll love you as sunflowers do.” I chuckled softly at my own words while she smiled softly.

“Just be my forever and I'll be your happily ever after,” I met her eyes again.

It was intense. My voice and how our eyes met and the closeness. It took everything in my not to kiss her right there.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by her voice.

“Forever is just an illusion, Christian.”