This was a one shot for the #SurreraCountdown

By popular demand, I've decided to make it into a story. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Andy has always been a strong willed person and Robert has a mind of his own too. Both too stubborn to admit when they're wrong and give in to each other despite their new found unconditional love.

6 Months Ago

Andy had joined the fire academy and was a month in training. Just being there made her the happiest person alive. This had been her dream all along and nothing would get in her way of that; which meant everything else was on the back burner. She made it her goal to keep her head down though, other than when she's giving her all at drills and whatever training she has to do.

Since the profession is dominated by men, it was expected that there would only be a few women and Andy was among the 3 present recruits. The men would try to laud over them what they could do at a quicker rate and Robert was the prime example. He would make Andy's days unbearable and test her patience. It's as if his day wasn't accomplished if he didn't manage to taunt her.

Andy would ignore him and maintain her composure but he was surely getting under her skin. As they went in the shower she cursed "Ugggh. I so hate that guy Robert. Like what the hell is wrong with him? Why doesn't he pick on someone else for God's sake"

"Maybe because you're his competition and as history has proven, guys torment girls they like" Vic answered while laughing.

"Yea definitely that" Maya chimed in.

Andy rolled her eyes. "Pfft. I think the training is finally causing y'all to go crazy. He's just an annoying soul who needs attention, no attraction. Can't believe you'd even say that to me."

"Just spitting facts Andrea...or should I say..." Vic looked up at Maya before continuing. They definitely knew this would piss her off even more but what's more fun that teasing your friend right.

Andy was listening keenly to see where this was going.

"Soon to be Mrs. Sullivan" Vic blurted. She and Maya erupted in laughter while Andy was completely dismayed they even uttered those very words.

If looks good kill, the one she had on her face would surely send them to their graves.

"I'm telling you, you're crazy. You know what, I'm done with you ladies. You better stop putting such crazy ideas in the universe."

Their shower banter continued and Vic didn't fail in annoying Andy even more while Maya supported her.

Meanwhile, Robert and 3 of the other recruits who were a tightly knit group were having their convo out in the yard.

"You know Herrera is one fine recruit" Jack said while smirking.

"As if she'd go for you" Tom added while laughing.

"Oh come on, I can charm a girl out of her wits. Have you seen my smile" Jack replied jokingly.

"I doubt you'd get the chance. Our friend Robert here might have a chance though. They already have a love hate relationship" Lucas chimed in, patting Robert's shoulder.

"Love hate uhh? That's what you call it?" He said chuckling. "Certainly no attraction for her, so hence no love. Hate, yea maybe on her part. This is a rivalry and she keeps standing in my way so I've gotta do something to get her to back off."

"Now that's where I come in." Tom said rather excited. He now had the attention of the others.

"I propose you make her fall for you and then break up with her and she'll lose focus and bam, we show them how weak the women are" Feeling rather pleased with his plan, Tom grabbed another soda and put to his head.

"I don't know man. That's a bit much, playing with her feelings. She's innocent" Lucas added.

Robert was running through his head how this could play out in his favor and it may not be a bad idea, he thought. "Your ideas are big Tom. You may have just solved my problem" he said with a grim smile.

Lucas tried to have him rethink but to no avail. Jack went along in an effort to maintain his 'bad boy cred'.

It was at this exact moment that things were about to change. Would it be for the better or the worst?

The girls came outside and sat on one of the benches. "So we gonna eat or what?" Vic asked. "Yea, I'm hungry. Just grab a plate for me" Andy replied with her best innocent act.

"You Andrea Herrera. Only because you're my friend." Vic spoke loudly as she and Maya walked off.

The loud talking had caught the attention of Robert who chuckled and made his way over to Andy.

"Well if it isn't the queen herself, sitting on her throne" Robert snarked as he walked closer.

Andy rolled her eyes knowing exactly who it was. She kept her eyes focused on her phone trying to ignore him.

"Oh, the silent treatment now is it? Here I thought you were a badass. Guess you are weak and I'll just crush you in training."

Andy laughed "Sucks to be you uhh? Trying to weaken a girl so you can feel good about yourself. Pretty pathetic don't you think?"

Fiesty. "Oh calm down. No need to be aggressive."

"Is it aggressive though? It's only the truth"

Robert spotted Maya and Vic coming and he knows he should probably go. "Well since your less friendly comrades are back, I'll leave. Nice chat Herrera, see you tomorrow where I'll crush you."

As he walked off, he nodded at Vic and Maya which left them with a puzzled face and thus didn't go unnoticed by Andy. She knew the unending questions and taunts would follow now for sure.

"Umm, our words got to you and you already made a move?" Vic blurted.

"Victoria! Ugghhh, sometimes I wonder how you became my friend."

"Seriously tho Andy, what was that about?" Maya inquired.

"Typical Robert behavior. He came over and decided to taunt me and idk try to get into my head as he went on about him being better than me."

"Told you he likes you. He can't stay away"

"Trust me, there's absolutely no attraction between us. We're merely coexisting in the same air space."

The girls all chuckled and started eating. They had their own convos and then made their way in.

Robert and his crew went in shortly after so they too could get rest for the next day of training.

Robert went in and decided he'd get a nap for 30 mins then come back to work on his technique. It was his way of ensuring he kept himself in check.

Andy on the other hand headed to the roof of the building once she figured everyone was inside. She loves the sense of calmness and she could work on tightening her skills without anyone knowing.

She had brought up a few gears so she began her drills. 20 mins later and she was soaked in sweat. This was nothing to her, It was only the beginning.

Another 15 mins passed and she was still at it. She was in the middle of push ups when she heard the door to the roof burst open. The adrenaline rushed through her body in fear it was an instructor.

"I guess this is where you hideout?"

Just great she thought. The one place where she could get some quiet has been ruined.

"You know, stalking someone to taunt them isn't going to get you anywhere." Andy responded while getting up.

"I just came to get away okay. I looked for a spot but then came up with the idea of the roof and figured no one would be here." Robert answered. His tone was softer than usual and he was sincere.

Andy was caught off guard. He's always teasing her or making her upset, she forgot he could actually have a decent side to him.

"Well I can go." She said as she started to grab her things.

He stayed silent, so once she grabbed a few things she headed to the door to go down. It also meant she had to pass him. As she passed him she only felt his hands pulling her back towards him.

Both their eyes met and for the first time she sees beyond his tough exterior. They both stood staring at each other as if caught in a trance. 'Wait you're suppose to hate him' she thought.

She realized he'd still been holding her. She pulled her hand away "What the hell was that?"

"I realized some company wouldn't be so bad."

She couldn't tell if he was genuine or just trying to use her. Either way she wasn't going to fall for it. "Well, you ruined my space so I'm going."

Andy stormed off and once she got down she threw down her gear and headed to her room.

She jumped in bed in hopes of forgetting whatever just happened. Her mind had a different agenda though as all she could do was think about him. 'What was that other side to him? Why did he want her to stay? Why does it feel like maybe Vic is unto something?' These along with several other things flooded her mind and she was getting frustrated.

She pulled off the covers and decided maybe a cool shower would wash away the thoughts.

She spent an hour in the shower and then made her way out. She felt relaxed and now she was ready to get some rest.

The next morning, Robert felt like he had accomplished something in his quest. He's sure he got her all flustered and she'll be off her game after last night.

In reality he was hard to resist because of his physique but his attitude definitely needed working on.

"What's with the grumpy attitude?" Maya asked turning Andy to face her.

"I'm just tired. Had a rough night and I couldn't sleep."

"Is it your dad, did something happen?" she asked worriedly

"No, no. Just exhausted" she lied. How could she possibly explain her thoughts were filled with the one person she hated. He occupied her dreams and she was in no mood.

They went about their day as usual. Andy working twice as hard than usual, that way her mind is occupied elsewhere. She avoided eye contact with him despite her able to feel his eyes on her.

Robert could tell she was upset and what better time for him to make a move on getting closer to her. He tried to get her attention but she wouldn't look his way.

Ripley kept an eye on him just to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid. Vic on the other hand was watching Andy to make sure she keeps her cool.

As if the universe knew how to wreck Andy even more, the trainers decided to do an exercise and put them in groups of 4s. They did a random selection and she was in groups with Ripley, Robert and Vic.

"Well this should be fun" Vic joked.

Andy shot her a glare. Meanwhile Ripley was nudging Robert telling him to be cool.

They were doing the interior search and rescue training. After getting the instructions, they were to pair up and move on. "Andrea, you're with me" Robert echoed before anyone had a chance to speak.

She was frustrated but there was something about the way he said her name. She moved to stand beside him and they made a plan.

2 groups went before them and once it was their time, they set off.

"You ok? You seem off?" Robert asked.

"Yea I'm good."

"Despite what you think of me, I'm a good listener and we have time"

"Seriously, I'm good. I don't need to talk. Can we just focus."

"Whatever you need, my Queen"

Andy rolled her eyes and they continued. They recovered their dummy patient with the quickest time yet.

They still had more drills left, so the pairing would last until the end of the day.

Andy prayed she'd endure the day and he'd just leave her be.

That was far from what happened as he questioned her every chance he got. It wasn't the passive aggressive way, rather he was sincere. This confused Andy even more as she couldn't understand him. She needed to know why the change of attitude.

After hours and training it was finally lunch time. She took off to her bunk, she really did need some time alone, plus she needs sleep. She set an alarm for 20 mins so she could at least get a nap.

Robert kept scanning the room but he couldn't see her. He knows he was a pest in the day but that shouldn't have stopped her from eating.

"Hey Luke, seen Andy?"

Luke looked at him. "I just haven't seen her and I wanna know if she's good. She seemed off this morning and how can I complete my quest if she's not around."

Lucas rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You better not mess with her. She's one a the good ones Bobby"

Robert ignored him and got up. He took a chance and walked over to Maya and Vic. "Hey, so where's the queen herself?"

Vic looked at Maya then Robert. "You wanna know this why?"

"Just curious. She seemed off this morning."

"Ohh. Well she's busy. No time for you"

He could tell his presence wasn't welcomed so he decided to do his own checks. He went to her place the roof, it was empty so he went to her bunk.

He knocked, no answer. He knocked a 2nd time and waited.

Andy was just about drifting into a deep sleep when she heard the knock. "Coming"

She got up and headed to the door. To say she was surprised at who stood at her door was an understatement.

"Robert? What's are you doing here? Wait did I oversleep?"

She then let go of the door and ran to get her phone and look at the time. She realized she was on schedule and sighed in relief.

"So what's up?"

"You weren't eating lunch and I know you were in a mood so I was wondering if you were okay."

"Ohh..Umm, I'm good. Just needed to lie down for a bit."

"Okay. So now can we go back and you come and eat something?"

"What's with the act, why are you so concerned?" Andy asked still puzzled at his behavior.

"Just trying to be nice to you."

"Mmm. I'll be there shortly, just lemme fix back my hair."

"I'll wait."

Andy brushed her hair, fix herself and grabbed her phone. "Okay let's go"

They both headed back. As they walked in they went their separate ways.

The girls had saved some lunch for Andy so she got her share and started a convo with the girls so they'd ignore what just happened.

The day ran off quickly but was filled with more practical training that had everyone on their toes.

It was now evening and Andy took off and headed to her comfort scenery to practice her drills or just relax.

As she got to the roof, she saw him. She made a quick turn to leave but was blocked by Robert now standing at the door.

"I need to leave." She spoke.

"You just got here. Where's the fun in that"

"Why are you being so difficult?" She uttered now meeting his eyes.

"I just like being in your presence" he replied as he closed the gap between them.

"See you can't even look away, you know it's the truth"

Andy was being tormented internally. Whatever was happening, it's like her legs couldn't bring her to move. "Even if I move, you're blocking the door" she barely uttered.

"I'm not holding you back," he said with a smug look while taking yet another step.

Andy's breath hitched and before she knew it his lips were crashing on hers. She found herself returning the kiss before she realized what was happening.

She shoved him away and ran straight through the door.

The game has now been changed and she isn't sure what to do. What will the future now hold for them?