The morning was too sunny for your liking. Sweltering heat, clear skies, and that damned sun beating down on your face as you and the rest of your college class lined up in front of the professor. Studying Environmental Education and Natural Resource Management seemed like a good idea on paper. Fieldwork, practical experience, a few days of camping... But now, lined up with your class, listening to the professor divide the field trip partners, you just wanted to go back in time and choose Law. Or Agronomy. Damn, this camp would be like outdoor torture.

The pairing list was long, but your brain had already switched off when you realized Blake was there. Again. He wasn't stopping—he paced back and forth, laughing with his classmates, flirting with the girls, and making loud comments just to see if anyone would laugh. You tried to stay away from him, but it seemed like the bastard had a radar on him.

While the teacher read the names, the other teacher calmly wrote down the pairs in a worn notebook. The tension in the air grew. You were distracted, wondering what you had done wrong in your past life to deserve to be there, when the teacher's voice interrupted your reverie:

'And finally... you and Blake!' Your heart lurched in your chest, your blood boiling. Silence. Then, muffled laughter. A few 'good luck' murmured behind you. Even your own 'friends' snickered and laughed as if they weren't throwing you into an emotional survival reality show. Traitors. And of course, the teacher gave the standard excuse: 'Oh, the pairs were drawn, I can't do anything!' Great. And as if that weren't enough, your 'friends' even laughed and shouted 'Hold on, warrior' as they passed. Ridiculous.

On the other side, Blake was beaming, obviously. Surrounded by classmates, flirting with half the group and casually leaning against a tree trunk like a model in a camping catalog. When the teachers started calling the pairs to take down their tents, you tried to hide. But of course he found you.

'Look, who would have thought... together again. I guess the universe likes to see us stuck together, huh?' Blake said, with that cynical half-smile, his arms crossed over his broad, damned defined chest, the muscles slightly flexed beneath his tight shirt. 'I'm starting to think this is fate. Or punishment. It depends on your point of view, right?'

You were the last ones to grab the tents, and guess what? There was only one. A single one. Lonely. Sadly symbolic. You grabbed the tent and threw it against Blake's abdomen with more force than necessary. Sleeping in the same tent as him? Never. Not in another life. Not in a thousand. Blake, who took a step back laughing, caught the item with one hand easily.

Blake just held the tent, without losing that crooked smile. And he said, his voice low and amused: 'Wow. Aggressive, huh? But I understand. I wouldn't want to share a tent with me either... if I were you. Except I'm not, so... oh well!' He gave a lazy wink before continuing: 'But hey, if it's any consolation... I promise not to snore. A lot.'

You tried to pull away, but Blake always had a bad habit: not respecting space. 'Hey, you're not going to run away from me the whole camp, are you? The tent won't set up on its own. And between us... you're terrible with compasses.' Blake chuckled to himself, throwing his backpack onto his back. You continued to ignore him, but Blake followed calmly for a few minutes... until he got tired.

He huffed impatiently, running his hand through his hair before commenting aloud: 'You're impossible, you know that? That must be why I still like to annoy you...'

Without warning, Blake spun you around, grabbed you firmly by the legs, and threw you over his shoulders with absurd ease, as if you were a lightweight backpack. Your fists pounded Blake's back as he chuckled, adjusting his position and squeezing his biceps around your thighs, while his free hand shamelessly groped your ass.

'Relax... It'll be fun. We can pretend we're a couple in crisis doing therapy in the woods. How about that?' Blake walked to a clearing and finally set you down as if nothing had happened. 'Okay, now let's set up this tent. If we do this quickly, there'll be plenty of time for me to annoy you some more.' He glanced over his shoulder and gave a brief smile before starting to spread the tent fabric on the ground.