{{Dedicated to @impediments because she's the sweetest lil cutie pie}}

Rhea woke up thinking someone needed to punch her in the face, stat. If that was what would make her see reason for once in her life, she'd sit back and take it. Admittedly, she'd been known to make some bad decisions whenever she was around Caleb recently, but this one definitely took the cake. Because agreeing to be Caleb's friend? Worst. Decision. Ever. It wasn't that she didn't want to be Caleb's friend. That was among the many other things she wanted to be to Caleb. Being just friends with him? That's what made her want to repeatedly punch herself in the face.

As much as it had sucked to not talk to Caleb, at least it was safe. Safe from heartbreak, safe from the crushing disappointment and frustration brought on by not being able to get as close to him as she wanted. Being his friend? Being around him but not being able to reach out and sweep back his hair when it fell in his eyes? Not being able to kiss the corner of his lips when he ever so adorably squinted and bit down on his tongue as he concentrated on something? That was sure to hurt more than any sort of distance would.

That was why she was a quivering mass of equal parts dread and anticipation that morning.

Last night at Caleb's house had been...interesting to say the very least. As she'd lived it, she'd been bombarded with too much at once to analyze every single one of them at length, but once she'd made it home, she'd mulled everything over in the comfort of her bed until the wee hours of morning.

The mixed signals she'd gotten all evening were enough to make her head spin. There was an undeniable change in Caleb's attitude towards her. He was more familiar with her now, he'd been in her personal space so many times, she was sure she could pick his cologne from a test stand of hundreds-not that she couldn't before, but that was beside the point. And there were also all those meaningful words and secretive smiles. But then at the end of the night, he'd gone and asked to be her friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

Even if it was more than likely unintentional, he'd managed to mess with her head-and her heart-once again.

Waking up that morning was an impossible feat. She'd barely gotten three good hours of sleep and coupled with the way she dreaded going to school, she felt like burying herself under her comforter and never getting up.

She did though, of course she did. Because once again, she was at war with herself. Wanting and not wanting to be around Caleb, she dragged herself out of bed and got ready.

Willa was waiting outside in her car when Rhea finally managed to make her way out the door. She got in and slumped in the passenger seat. It took Willa a total of five seconds to analyze her expression and pull her into one of her hugs that Rhea was sure carried magical healing powers.

Disentangling herself from her friend, Rhea rested her head on her shoulder before she said, "You know I love you, right?"

Willa cheekily shoved her away in response. "Rhea, stop. You know I see you as a friend."

"Jerk," she whispered under her breath. "Be serious for one second."

"Fine," she said. This time it was Willa who rested her head on Rhea's shoulder. "You know I love you too."

"It's just that... I've been so caught up in all my soulmate drama these past couple of months that I wasn't always a very good friend to you. But the truth is...there isn't just one type of soulmate for a person. You...I'd be lost without you. You're my soulmate, Willa. Forever and always."

"If you say one more word, you're going to make me cry." She dabbed under her eyes with her fingers, trying to dry the tears brimming at her eyes without smudging her mascara. "God, you're such a nerd and I love you so much."

"I know," Rhea said, grinning at her best friend and wrapping one arm around her shoulders.

They stood like that, parked outside Rhea's house for minutes, just making small talk about school, Wade and everything else. When it was time for them to finally get to school, Rhea was feeling lighter than she had last night, ready to face whatever this day would throw at her.

They made it to school with ten minutes to spare before the bell. They were hanging out by their lockers, waiting for Wade to show up when Rhea saw Caleb approach them with a smile on his face.

When he reached the pair of them, he casually draped an arm around Rhea's shoulder before saying, "Morning."

Not having expected it, Rhea stiffened at the casual nature of his touch. Was this how friends were supposed to act around each other? Did the rules of friendship even apply to their situation? All these questions roamed around in her head as the greetings Willa and Caleb exchanged went over her head unregistered. She could see how Willa observed the two of them with a careful glint in her eyes, so she knew she could rely on her best friend to help her make sense of the situation later.

"So, I hear you guys had to have an emergency study session yesterday?" She heard Willa ask Caleb, most probably to help get her out of her daze. The question did have the intended effect on her, seeing as she immediately turned around to look at Caleb for his answer.

Caleb's face broke into a fond smile as if he were remembering a very sweet memory rather than a four hour long chemistry-induced torture. "We did," he answered. "Don't you just love Mr. Martin?"

Rhea snorted at his answer, starting to relax even with his arm still lightly draped around her shoulders.

Caleb turned to her with a smile still plastered on his lips, though this one was more of the self-satisfied kind, only ever present when he knew he'd made someone laugh. "So," he said, "Caroline really likes you."

Rhea felt warmth spread in her chest at the words. "She does?"

"Yeah, she talked my ear off all morning about how pretty you are."

"I really like her too. You know, she made me tuck her in last night."

"Yeah. I don't know how she does it, but she somehow always gets her way. The sooner you learn to say no to her the better because once she's got you wrapped around her finger, you're done for. I remember this one time she painted all my nails pink. Took three days for it to completely come off."

A soft smile found its way to her lips at the memory of a snippet. It felt like a lifetime ago that she'd watched that very moment Caleb talked about now, through his eyes. "I know," she said wistfully.

Caleb's smile gave way to confusion at her words. "What do you mean?"

Realizing her slip up, she rushed to cover it up. "I mean, I can tell...that she's got you under her spell."

As quickly as it came, the confusion was wiped away from his features as his face lighted up with yet another fond smile. "Oh. Yeah, she does."

At lunch, Caleb joined them at their table, making Wade raise his eyebrows at Rhea. He'd vaguely known about the fall out between her and Caleb but had no idea about their recent truce, so she could tell he was asking if he should kick his ass all the way into next month. She gave him a small smile and a miniscule shake of her head to indicate everything was fine. It made her chest expand by miles to know that her friends had her back no matter what.

She'd never had problems being comfortable around Caleb before so the newfound timidity that seemed to engulf her whenever he was around surprised her. She'd never been one to get so nervous that she couldn't eat, but it seemed to be the case now, as she halfheartedly nibbled on her peanut butter sandwich.

Caleb seemed to have no such troubles, seeing as he devoured half of his own sandwich in three large bites.

He stopped inhaling his food briefly and looked over to her, more specifically to her lunch spread out in front of her-half of her sandwich, an apple and chocolate milk.

"Is that chocolate milk?" he asked, gesturing to the carton of milk.

"...yeah?" she said hesitantly, so that it came out as a question more than an answer.

"Give me some," he said airily, in a way that was only half request.

"Are you sure? I don't have an extra straw." She looked at him with a bewildered raise of her eyebrows. It had taken her almost a year to share food with Willa. The idea of sharing flasks or water bottles still made her want to shudder. Not that she'd mind it with Caleb but it was still surprising that he'd feel the same.

His easy stare grew meaningful as it dropped to her lips for the briefest of moments. "I'm not disgusted by your mouth," he said.

Her mouth dropped open at the meaning behind his words, heat creeping up her neck. It wasn't like Caleb to be so openly flirty and suggestive. Sure, he'd made some remarks months back when they were just friends, but she'd known then that there was no heat behind them. Now it felt different. Different how, she was still figuring out.

It felt like they'd been staring at each other wordlessly for an eternity when an almost smug smile took over Caleb's features as he took in how flustered Rhea had become.

It was Willa's voice that snapped them out of their daze when she said exasperatedly, "Ugh, why won't you two just jump each other's bones already?"

Wade's head whipped towards his girlfriend so quickly Rhea could swear he must have strained a muscle or two. "Babe..." he chided her with wide eyes at the same time Rhea half-screamed, "Willa!"

"What?" she said, pointing at them incredulously. "The sexual tension between them is so thick it's clogging up my esophagus. I can't eat around these two."

Rhea was sure she'd blow up at any moment, she was so mortified. Yes, she'd been aware of the growing tension between her and Caleb. It was like a dam, filled to the brim with water. With Yasmine gone and their mutual attraction out in the open, it was as if the floodgates were now open, creating a current between the two of them that grew stronger every passing minute. But hearing it out of her best friend's mouth, stated so bluntly? It embarrassed her. Chancing a glance at him, she saw that Caleb seemed embarrassed too.

It was Wade that came to their rescue a moment later. Clearing his throat he asked to Caleb, "Are you coming to the game on Friday?"

"I don't know man," he answered, seemingly grateful for the diversion. "It's an away game, isn't it?"

"It's a two hour drive, yeah."

"You should come," Willa interjected. "Rhea's coming too."

"I am?" Rhea asked, surprised at her friend's words. As much as she loved Wade to bits, football had never been a thing she enjoyed and they'd established pretty early on in their friendship that she'd not be going to most of his games if she had a say in it. But when Willa swiftly kicked her on the shin under the table, she relented saying, "Yes, I am."

"Then I'll go too, I guess," Caleb said, after surveying her face for what felt like a whole minute, though she didn't know what it was he was looking for.

"Good, you can drive her then, because I'm riding with my boyfriend," Willa said. Her words uttered in a way that left no room for objection. When the first bell rang a moment later, Willa rose from her seat with a smug smile on her face, looking very satisfied with herself.

Rhea couldn't remember seeing Willa's matchmaking skills in action in a very long time. She seemed to have stepped up her game a couple notches since the disastrous attempts she'd made at setting Rhea up with one of the football players when she'd first started dating Wade. Her methods still weren't subtle in the very least, but there was no denying they were effective.

The week passed pretty much in the same way that it had started. Rhea was pulled in two directions by the dread pooling in the pit of her stomach and the thrill she felt at this new territory she seemed to be wandering into with Caleb. Caleb made a point of somehow touching her anytime they saw each other- a playful bump of his shoulder against hers as they walked side by side, a grasp on her elbow as he moved her out of someone's way in the hallway, an arm around her shoulders as they talked in a group with other people, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ear... the list was endless and it made her stomach erupt in butterflies every single time.

Friday came quickly. It would be the first time she'd get to hang out with Caleb outside school since the chemistry project at his house, so she'd been-anxiously-looking forward to it all week.

It was agreed that Caleb would pick her up at her house at five so that they'd make it to the game on time so she rushed home after school in a hurry to get ready. After a quick shower, she dried her hair and fixed it in a side braid. Her outfit was already decided after Willa stayed over on Wednesday so all she was left to do was put it on.

Exactly at five o'clock, Caleb honked the horn of his car from outside. They'd agreed that he wouldn't come to the door, because they wouldn't make it out the house for an eternity if her parents ever got wind of his presence. She didn't tell him why that was exactly, but she thought he had an idea.

Second after she'd heard the horn, she was tugging on her coat and rushing out the door. She opened the door to the car after a bit of struggle and got in. The smell of worn leather mixed with the smell of Caleb's cologne filled her nostrils immediately.

"You look great," he said as a way of greeting. He tugged at the end of her braid as he added, "I like your hair."

"Thank you," she replied as she broke out into a smile. His answering grin made her heart beat against her chest that bit faster.

"You ready to go?" He glanced at her with a half-smile still on his lips. The last rays of the sun filtered through the car window from behind his figure, finding their way through Caleb's hair and surrounding him like a halo.

"Sure," she answered and in that moment, it felt like she'd have gone to the ends of the earth with him if he'd just asked.

As they drove on in silence, Rhea felt the current between them grow stronger and stronger until the inside of the car felt like it was crackling with electricity. Being confined in such a small space with him, all alone, she was filled with all sorts of urges. The urge to reach out and hold his hand that rested on the gearshift, to rest her head on his shoulder, to run her fingers through the unruly wisps of hair that adorned his temple...

Instead, she chose to break the silence so she cleared her throat and asked, "How come you never drove to the supermarket when you were working there?"

His expression grew bashful. "I thought we'd save up on gas, money. Having a car is pretty expensive. Besides, I didn't mind the walk."

"Oh. Why didn't you say something? We could have gotten a ride with Wade and Willa."

"What, and let all of Willa's efforts to get us alone go to waste?" He grinned at her. "I couldn't possibly do that."

Letting out a laugh, she swatted his shoulder.

In the silence that followed his remark, she chanced a glance at him. His gaze was focused on the road, giving her the perfect opportunity to study his profile. She'd memorized it a long time ago but every time it caught the light in a different angle, it fascinated her all the same. She was a minute into studying his cheekbones and the way his eyelashes fanned across them every time he blinked when he abruptly took his gaze away from the road and directed it at her. After a brief eye contact, a self-satisfied grin took over his features before he winked at her, making Rhea avert her gaze immediately.

Flustered, she reached toward the stereo and turned it on. The song that immediately flooded the car was familiar; in fact, it was one of her favorites.

Forgetting her embarrassment from only a moment ago, she excitedly turned in her seat toward Caleb and asked, "You like this band too?"

He shrugged his shoulders a bit too casually. "Just recently getting into them. I heard you talk about them at lunch the other day, so I thought I'd check them out. I've got to say, they are pretty good."

"They are," she agreed, beaming at him.

The stadium was already packed with students as they made their way towards the stands. There were some familiar faces among the crowd she recognized from around the school and other who were total strangers. After a minute long sweep of the stands and a very loud phone conversation, they spotted Willa at one of the middle. She wore a red sweater and she'd painted Wade's jersey number-thirteen-on her face in matching colors.

As soon as they made it to her, she threw her arms around Rhea and half-shouted in her ear. "Oh my god, I'm so glad you guys are finally here. It was getting hard to keep these seats."

Grinning at Caleb over Willa's shoulder, Rhea said, "Good to see you, too."

Before they even had a chance to hold a conversation for five minutes, the whole stadium erupted in cheers as the teams made their way out of the locker rooms. They were all on their feet in a heartbeat, cheering loudly for Wade and the team in general. Rhea had never been a sports kind of person, but Willa's excitement was quick to rub off on her. It was impossible for it not to, seeing as Willa jumped up and down like the overexcited girlfriend she was, pointing at Wade and shouting "That's my boyfriend!"

The excitement died down pretty quickly though and ten minutes into the whole thing, she was already squirming in her seat. Willa was oblivious to her boredom; she was too preoccupied with doing a loud commentary of the game mixed with random shouts of encouragement aimed at Wade. Caleb, however, seemed aware of how close Rhea was to falling asleep on the spot or gouging her eyes out. He bumped her shoulder with his playfully, showing her he was commiserating with her.

She realized that was one thing she didn't know about him-whether he liked sports or not. She'd never bothered to ask because sports had never been a topic of conversation she'd be interested to discuss. Even though he hadn't objected to the invitation to come watch Wade play, judging by the way he only followed the game halfheartedly, she'd say he was as interested in football as she was.

The first quarter passed with playful nudges and shared smiles. By the second one, they were quietly talking with each other-well, as quietly as they could manage with a hundred people constantly shouting in their ears.

As the second quarter neared its end and the halftime approached, Caleb asked her if she wanted to go get a soda.

"God, yes!" she answered, maybe a bit too eagerly. She was desperate for any means of escape she could get. Quickly, she leaned towards Willa to tell her they were going to get sodas, who in turn distractedly told them they should bring one back for her.

The line was quite long so by the time they made their way back to the stands with sodas in hand, it was already half time and the stands were buzzing with even more activity than they did during the game. Everyone was talking over each other, walking towards people, reaching across the stands...it was almost impossible to move from one place to another.

That's why Rhea didn't notice she was walking into someone until the moment she did, sending both cups of sodas spilling all over her hands.