_______________________________

You are red,

Full of fire, power, and beauty

And I am blue,

Broken, empty, but trying

Would you like to make purple with me?

_______________________________

My own hazel eyes gaze into deep brown ones as Ethan looms over me at the all-too-familiar bench. I blink.

"You're here early. I haven't even headed to class yet," I note, looking him over. "Miss me on Sunday?"

"Miss you?" Ethan scoffs. "Please."

I roll my eyes. "How shitty do I look?"

"You don't look shitty, just injured." He pokes the bruise on my cheek. "What the fuck happened?"

"Was at the bar with Jamie. He went to the bathroom and some random guy started feeling me up. There was a fight."

"What a fucking prick." Ethan growls. "Sorry that happened to you." He pats my shoulder.

"It's fine. Jamie got pretty upset. It was kinda hot." I chuckle, closing my journal.

Ethan nods. "At least you got something out of it."

I cross my legs. "How was your Sunday?"

"I spent it video chatting with my family." Ethan answers. "It was fun."

A small smile finds its way on my face. "That actually sounds really nice." My phone vibrates and I check to see a message from Michael, my ex boyfriend from high school who attends college here. "Hey, Ethan, do you know a guy named Michael?"

Ethan thinks for a minute. "Maybe in passing, why?"

"No reason." I pocket the phone, taking mental note to message him later. "Want to head to class?"

"Well, I don't want to, but I suppose we have to." He holds out his hand to help me up.

Grabbing it, I hoist myself up with his help and make sure to leave ample space between us, unknowing if he is okay being seen walking with me. My hands find their way to my pockets and I lead the way to class.

Once we're inside, Ethan takes his seat. "I have a present for you." He grins.

"Really?" I sit down excitedly.

"Yep," he pulls a piece of paper out and hands it to me. It's a portrait of Momo wearing a stylish crown.

"It's beautiful." I marvel at the artwork. "I love it. Thank you."

"No problem! I'm glad you like it." Ethan smiles and pulls his feet up onto the table.

"Do you take any art classes here?"

"Not really, I mostly freelance." He shrugs.

"I feel like I should pay you or something." I continue to study the piece. "You probably spent a lot of time on it."

"Eh, it's not a big deal. I have plenty of money now anyways." He says bitterly.

Biting my lip, I reply. "I... If you ever find yourself in trouble again, you could ask me... You could pay me back if it makes you feel better or something. I just don't want... y'know... I know you didn't enjoy the experience, and I'm not implying that. I just don't want you to struggle too much."

Ethan looks me in the eyes. "Thank you, Charlie. I'll keep that in mind."

I grin. "It's no problem."

Ethan smiles back at me and pulls out a sharpie to draw on his skin. Today he's wearing a black Queen shirt and his essential black skinny jeans with a silver chain hanging from them. On his feet I can see a pair of what looks like cowboy boots tucked under his jeans.

"Want to get tatted?" I ask.

"Absolutely, I have a few already but I'm always itching for more." He smirks.

"I want to see." I scan his figure, trying to imagine what and where he has tattooed.

"I can show you after class. Bathroom?"

I nod excitedly. "Yeah. Sounds like a plan."

I wait in anticipation until it's finally time to leave class and I turn towards the brunet and practically yank him into the handicap stall of the closest men's restroom. Bouncing on the heels of my feet, I place my hands behind my back, waiting.

Ethan chuckles at my giddiness and pulls off his left shoe and sock first to show me his ankle. Printed there is a small stereotypical alien head. "This was my first."

"It's cute." I poke it.

"Thanks. Then there's this one," he pulls his shirt up and his jeans down slightly to expose his hip where there's a small vintage motorcycle. "This was my grandad's favorite bike. I got it when he died."

"It suits you."

"I thought so too." He drops his shirt and pulls his sleeve up to show the album cover art for Queen's album, 'A Day at the Races,' on his shoulder. "Had to represent my favorite band."

I grin. "You're cute."

"And badass." Ethan reminds me. "That's all for now."

"You should get a tattoo of me." I smirk.

"Now, why would I do that?" Ethan raises an eyebrow, smirking back.

"Because it'd be cute. Momo could be on my head." I hold an invisible Momo on top of my head.

"That would be cute." Ethan agrees. "But alas, I made a deal with myself when I was sixteen that I'd never get anyone's name or face tattooed on me so I cannot grace my body with such beautiful art."

I sigh. "I tried. It's probably for the best. You nor anyone else could catch my likeness." I mess with my hair. "What a shame. Momo is disappointed."

"I'll make it up to her with snacks." Ethan chuckles and leans against the wall. "How should I make it up to you?"

"Hmm. Dunno yet. Surprise me." I stretch, looking through the glory hole in the door and chuckling.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It's just a glory hole." I straighten out, putting the back of my hand to my forehead. "Now I really must go. I was asked to skip and skinnydip. Have fun, babe."

"Okay," Ethan says, significantly quieter than before. "Have fun."

I walk towards him and kiss him on the cheek. "I'll try and have as much fun as I can without you. Maybe one day we can do it." I mess with his hair before leaving, meeting up with Michael and grinning.

"Ready to go?" He asks.

I nod, craning my head up to see him. Michael is about six foot four and has medium brown skin, light brown eyes, and a crooked smile. His eyes flicker somewhere, but when I turn to see what it is, he kisses me.

Wrapping my arms around him and standing on my tip toes, I return the kiss and grin, punching him on the shoulder and laughing. "I better not get in trouble with the law for this."

"You won't, you won't. I have a pool and a jacuzzi, remember?" Michael asks, playing with my hair.

I think back and nod dumbly. "You also have roommates if I recall correctly. We won't be putting on a show for them now, will we?"

He laughs, grabbing my hand and interlacing our fingers before leading me to my truck and kissing me again. "Sadly, no, we won't be putting on a show for anyone. They all are at class and have plans later, so we have the house all to ourselves."

My grin widens. "I can't wait."

♥︎ • ♦︎ • ♣︎ • ♠︎

"I see you still don't have a shy bone in your body." Michael laughs, watching me from outside of the jacuzzi, still fully clothed.

"Mmm. Never." I smirk, throwing my head back and letting the jacuzzi work its magic. "Are you going to watch me or join me, MJ?"

"Coming, I'm coming." Michael starts to peel off his shirt, revealing his taut stomach and abdomen that he's kept up since I met him my freshman year of high school. His pants and briefs drop down together and he finally removes his socks, his shoes long gone.

He joins me in the jacuzzi and sits closely beside me. "So why did you want to go to your first class and then come here?"

"I wanted to see my friend."

"So you have a friend now?"

"Yeah. His name is Ethan."

"The one who dresses like an emo cowboy?"

I punch him. "Hey, don't talk shit. You wore neon and pastel in the same outfit that one time. It was absolutely horrid."

"I looked good." He rolls his eyes.

"You looked like a clown. Clowns aren't sexy." I lean on my left hand so that I'm looking at Michael through half lidded eyes.

Michael wraps a hand around my dick. "You sure about that, beautiful?" His lips find my neck and he begins to suck, stroking me slowly.

My mouth falls open shamelessly as I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to calm my body's natural reactions. He's teasing me and it's working.

"M-Michael, we're in a jacuzzi," I stutter, my breathing accelerating.

"I know. It really sets the mood." Michael smirks against my neck, but lets go of me, moving back and relaxing. "We can pick up in a less wet place later. My bed, perhaps?"

"Sounds like a plan." My lips find his in a chaste kiss, my cheeks reddening when I remember Ethan kissing me of his own volition.

Resting against Michael, I push Ethan out of my head and hum when Michael wraps his arms around me. There's this... lightness I feel with Michael, a familiarity. I know just where to touch, the scent of his skin, the taste of his lips. All of it is vivid as it was when I gave my virginity to him all those years ago when I was a freshman in high school. Now I'm a freshman in college and Michael still possesses the same confidence he did when he asked me out his senior year, the same confidence he had when he asked me to his prom, and that same friendliness from when he came back to take me to my senior prom. He's comfortable with me and I love that. Ethan, on the other hand, isn't Michael.

Ethan is mysterious and unknown, dangerous, but I don't know where we stand. He just seems so... hesitant of me. I want to be friends, to hang out, but I can't shake the feeling that if his friends were around, that he'd push me away and act like he doesn't know me. It feels that there's this little seed of hesitancy that he waters with shame, a shame that's there because he associates himself with me.

I've never been the person with massive self confidence issues, but I do have problems with people who have issues with me. There are many questions that arise when I'm with Ethan in public or even alone and they aren't questions that I should have to ask.

"If Ethan's friends saw us close, would he push me down and call me names to make sure he keeps the friends he has?"

"How close should I stand or walk next to him in public?"

"Why does he look at me when he thinks I don't notice like I'm tearing his world apart?"

I don't know what he wants, but most importantly, he doesn't know what he wants. Him feeling confident around me no matter our relationship, that's what I want from him.

I just don't know if that'll ever happen.