Page 16 of Fire Dancing For Icey Dragons (Obscure Academy #15)

BLAZE

My phone lights up, getting my attention from where it's sitting on my bed. I brush out the covers a couple of times and flick on the kettle so I can make some tea for Zara. I know she likes it as hot as I do, and her message should be her entering the building, giving me just enough time to finish getting ready for her.

As if proving how perfectly we've judged it, the doorbell goes off as I pour the water onto the tea.

The creak of a door suggests that one of my flatmates has gotten up to go and answer it. I should have thought about that and asked for a little extra time so I didn't inconvenience them. They were nice people, if a little loud when they decide to party, and I don't want to put them out just because I have a date.

I hurry out of my room to see Krissi opening the front door.

"Zara, what are you doing here?" she says, surprise in her voice.

"I'm here to see Blaze, we've got a date," Zara says, looking a little uncomfortable.

"I'm here," I say, hurrying down the corridor and getting a confused look from Krissi.

"Did you just come out of room eight?" she asks.

"Well, yeah. That's my room." I gesture unnecessarily to it.

She blinks a couple of times. "That's Craig's room."

"Yes, my room," I respond.

Understanding dawns on Krissi's face. " You're Craig?"

"Last I checked. Did you not know that?"

"No, I thought your name was Blaze, that's what you introduced yourself as."

"Ah, yeah. Well I'm technically Craig Junior, but everyone in my family hated calling me that. Some of my friends started calling me Blaze when they found out I was a dragon and it stuck. Suits me much better than Craig."

"You're Craig," Krissi mutters. "All right, erm, have a good date." She disappears back into Jeremy's room.

Zara raises an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Apparently she didn't know I lived here," I joke. "It's only been a year."

"Maybe I should rethink her bid for cheer captain with those observational skills."

I chuckle. "In fairness, I really haven't introduced myself to anyone as Craig since I got to the academy."

"I didn't know it was your name. Blaze suits you better, but I did assume that was your actual name. It wouldn't be the first time I've met a dragon named after something fiery."

"Mmm. True."

"And it's hardly worse than Krystal."

"Is that Krissi's full name?" I ask as I push open my bedroom door and gesture for Zara to step inside.

"It is." She smiles. "This is nice. And exactly like my room."

I laugh. "Aren't all of them pretty much the same?"

"Yes. But sometimes it's nice to be reminded of that."

"Well, the pizza will arrive in ten minutes, and I have all the movies we decided on queued up."

"Great." She smiles at me, making my chest feel tighter. She gets onto my bed and props herself up, looking very at home.

"Though I'm somewhat surprised you're eating pizza." From all of the meals we've shared so far, I've learned a few things about Zara's eating habits, and one of them is definitely that pizza breaks several of her rules about what she can and can't eat.

"I love pizza," she responds. "And now competition season is over, I can eat some. Within reason, obviously."

"Ah." I hit play on the movie and send it to the large screen I normally use for gaming. "Your tea is on the windowsill. Piping hot, but if it gets too cold, there's a kettle over there."

"You have a kettle in your room?"

"Sometimes the walk from the kitchen to the bedroom is enough for my coffee to get too cold," I respond. "This way, I can have it boiling."

Zara laughs. "You're such a dragon."

"Correct." I take my seat next to her and pick up my mug. I hold out an arm so she can shuffle closer and she does, leaning her head against my shoulder. It's surprisingly natural, especially since we haven't had a date like this before. I was honestly surprised when she suggested it.

Zara lets out a contented sigh. "I love competing, but it's nice to be able to relax and know that I'm not going to have to for a bit."

"Ah, so you're already planning your comeback to competitive cheer?" I ask.

"I'd like to. If I can find a squad to join when I get a job," she responds. "It's one of the reasons I'm looking at a big city."

"Ah, that makes sense. Where are you thinking?"

"Birmingham, maybe. It's close enough to home that I can visit, but it's big enough to have everything I want." She pauses, but I don't have to ask what's going through her mind. "What about you?"

"Same, actually. Though it's not really near home, my family lives closer to London, but I'm not foolish enough to believe I can live there on a graduate salary."

Zara laughs. "No, probably not. So, we're going to try and be in the same place."

"So it seems."

"I mean, that's good for us, right? It means we can keep dating?"

"I'd like that," I respond.

She lets out a sigh of relief. "I was worried," she admits. "I know it's silly, but we started seeing each other so close to graduation, and I wouldn't have blamed you if you'd wanted to call things off because it's impractical, but that was also going to hurt."

"I don't want to stop seeing you, Zara," I assure her.

"Good." She leans in and I know exactly what she has planned. I close the gap between us and press my lips against hers, kissing her deeply and hoping she knows I mean what I say. It's going to be a hard road ahead, especially when we have no idea what's in store for us once we leave the academy, but I'm certain it's going to be worth it.