Storm, Meet Raine

Just Relax.

HER.

"Bambi, I know you're having some problems, babe, but I seriously have to study," I breathe out before bringing my mechanical pencil up to mouth. I gnaw on it for a few seconds, the plastic bending under the force. "I promise I'll call you as soon as class is over tomorrow."

"Oh my god, Thickness, why didn't you tell me! Hear you later! Bye! Good luck! Love you!" She hangs up abruptly, filling my heart with warmth. Even while going through a crisis with her currently confused, future husband, she's willing to hold off so that I can cry while staring at endless sheets of notes.

I groan loudly, throwing myself back onto the bed and covering my sore eyes with my forearm. Stats terminology was swarming my head, I couldn't keep up with the marketing tips I was trying to absorb. Is it too late to change minors?

     Time passes with my eyes furiously traveling across my notes, pencil back in my mouth. I was just about to start a review sheet I found somewhere when the door to my shared room opened. Carson strolls in, throwing his backpack on the floor before sighing. He tosses the envelope we found a little while ago under Ni's dresser onto a shelf before climbing onto the bed beside me.

     "Hey," he acknowledges me before laying on his side, resting his head on a pillow.

"Hi," I mumble from around the pencil. I skip the first page on the review because I knew how to do it. There's no point in wasting my time doing what I know. I flip the page again, looking for a difficult question.

"What's up?" He raises up, resting his chin on his palm so that he could lean over me and look at my papers.

"Studying."

"Can I get anything more than one word from you right now?" He asks me, scooting closer, laying his upper body over my lap.

"No," I grumble.

"How long have you been studying for?" He lifts my left arm up to give himself room to cuddle into my side and wrap my arm around his big body.

"Three."

"Days? Minutes? Hours? Come on, Carter," I feel his gaze on me, though I decide not to answer, finding my difficult question, and quickly reading it. "Cart—"

"Shhh," I cover his mouth with my left hand, glad that he made me hold him because it made access to his mouth easy. I begin to think about how to answer the question, though all thoughts fly out of the window when he licks my hand. "What do you want?" I raise my voice, annoyed with his presence.

"You need to calm down," he backs away from me, sitting up on his butt. I don't answer. "What's wrong?"

"I just have two really big tests tomorrow, and I can't fail. They're both half my grade." I rub my eyes, breathing in deeply. My breath hitches when he places a gentle, but rough hand on my thigh. He rubs it soothingly.

"You know it's bad to study the night before right?"

"I know, but—"

"No buts. You study any longer, you're gonna blank out tomorrow." I roll my eyes because he was right. "You need to relax," he prompts.

"I can't relax," I look into his grey eyes. He arches a brow, his hand sliding up my thigh a little high, but only massaging the flesh.

     I close my eyes just as he asked, "Can I help you?" It was a quiet question, but he didn't even have to hear my answer to know that I'd let him. "Lay back," he murmurs. I do what he says, reclining myself onto the bed with my eyes still closed. He pushes all of my notes and work off of the bed before kneeling on the edge of it, bending down to kiss my left ankle. Next, he kissed my right.