a/n: I'm sort of obsessed with my cute little made-up couple. Enjoy!

GRAMMAR UPDATE: November 2nd, 2013

Disclaimer: I do not own Covert Affairs. I do, however, own Ari and Ally...so I own most of this story.

Coffee and College

It was one of the best schools in the country. In the entire world, for that matter. Getting accepted was the easy part. He was the boy who had never gotten a B in his life and pretty much dominated the country's swim records for four years running. Waiting to see if Ally, who had been accepted to numerous colleges for many different reasons, would choose his school…that was the hard part.

She had been accepted to art schools in France and California, a culinary school in Italy, a music school in New York City, and numerous universities located across the country for majors such as education, English literature, world languages, and a million other things. Her future was bright and open and she had so many choices. The nerves in Ari's stomach wouldn't let him sleep for awhile, and he spent a lot of time looking into her top choices to see what kind of programs they could offer him, but nothing looked as promising. He wanted study Astrophysics. He was determined. He picked his top choice, and frankly he didn't want to go anywhere else.

So that's why, three days before the end of Senior year, when she snuck into his half-boxed up bedroom through the open window at two in the morning with an acceptance letter grasped in her pale hand, quietly declaring she'd decided, he nearly had a stroke.

Harvard it would be, for both of them. Something good would come of all the work they had put into the past four years. For all those late nights of constant studying, for the million cups of coffee and all those disgusting energy drinks they consumed. For four years of straight As with no recognition and everything to show for it.

They spent a long time that night curled up together under the dark green comforter on Ari's bed. Ally excitedly rattling on and on about all the different things she could major in. She had so many choices ahead of her, and she couldn't wait to explore them all and find the right one for her.
She rambled on about the classes and sports and clubs and parties she thought sounded fun and the books they could share—the classes they could take together and which ones they'd have to take alone. And Ari just smiled. After so long, and so much struggle and hard work, this felt like the final puzzle piece, setting down the path to happy ever after, if you believe in that fairytale stuff.

One semester in, and the weather had started to turn cold and Ally and Ari seemed to spend less and less time together as they prepared final projects and studied for final exams. Ally spent most of her time in the library and Ari in the computer lab. By the time either of them could spare an hour for dinner, both were exhausted and agreed popcorn in Ari's room would be good enough. Sometimes the popcorn wasn't even popped all the way before someone fell asleep on the other one and they gave up on dinner all together.

But there was one thing that the two of them had agreed on within the first week of school they had never wavered on and, if you asked Ari, it had saved their relationship.

"Wake up, sleepy head!"

Ari felt his covers torn off his warm little nest and the mattress shifted a little.

"Ari, get up! It's time for coffee!"

The promise of coffee and Ally's company was very appealing, but Ari, still mostly asleep, curled tighter into his pillow and started to fall back to sleep.

"Ari Wilcox!"

"Go away," Ari mumbled, "It's Saturday."

Ally laughed and leaned down to kiss his cheek over and over again.

"Whaaaat?" he whined.

"Get up and go on a coffee date with me!" she insisted. Her bubbly laughter made Ari smile into his pillowcase.

"Mmm, coffee."

"Yes, coffee."

Ari peeked open one eye at her and she kissed him lightly on the nose.

"I'm going back to my room to find my jacket. When I get back, please be dressed and ready to go."

He caught her hand as she stood up to leave the room, "But it's cold, Ally Bear. Let's have coffee in. Or no coffee at all. My bed is warm, come join."

The girl grinned, "Nope," and with that she skipped out of the room to find her jacket.

Ari sighed and breathed in the lingering smell of her perfume and detergent. He opened his eyes and glanced across the cold, too-small college apartment bedroom at his too-small college apartment bedroom closet.

Ten minutes later, when Ally knocked on Ari's bedroom door, he was lacing up his boots. He was fully dressed, teeth were brushed, and he was ready to brave the chilly morning air for his weekly coffee date.

"And you even tied your shoes by yourself," she teased as she leaned against his doorframe.

"Have you been talking to your father a lot lately? You've clearly inherited his horrible sense of humor."

Ally rolled her eyes playfully and pulled her little pink gloves out of the pocket of her jacket.

"Catie taught me that one actually."

"I'm sure she did," He stood up and picked up his own coat from his desk chair. He gave his textbooks a fleeting glace.

"We should study later," she assured him, "But if you don't take me to get coffee, I will do everything in my power to make sure that you get no studying done at all today."

And oh, the power she held over him.

"When you put it like that," he winked at his girlfriend, "I would rather not get anything done today."

Ally rolled her eyes, "Fine then. No coffee, no sex."

That caught Ari's attention.

"You know, there's nothing I'd rather do then get coffee with you, baby."

Ally rolled her eyes again and held her gloved hand out for him.

"I love you," she told him as he entwined his fingers with hers. He smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Is that why you followed me to school?"

She scoffed, bumping his shoulder as they headed out the front door of the apartment and down the skinny hallway towards the main doors, "You followed me to school, Ari."

"I did not!"

"You most certainly did. Besides, if you were here all alone, who would take care of you? And who would make sure you got enough sleep and didn't skip dinner every single night?"

Ari's laughter echoed quietly against the snow-covered landscape.

"Ally?"

"What?" she answered, kicking at the light snow that had started to fall.

"I love you, too."