I woke up to my empty apartment with no sight of Ian. In fact, if it wasn't for the beer bottles in my fridge, I would have thought I imagined the entire night.

Groggy, I somehow still managed to rub the sleep out of my eyes and walk towards the bathroom where I properly woke myself with a splash of cold, icy water.

Then I found my phone and tried switching it on, just to see if I got any messages from Devin or even Ian for that matter. But when I pressed on the small button by the side, the screen did not light up like it was supposed to, and I almost tossed it out the window.

Instead, I just opted to throw it at the couch, where I'd pick it up to charge it later.

I had a quick breakfast, fed the dog who was anxiously waiting for food, and then fastened the leash on his collar before heading out the apartment.

The dog barked a couple of times, and I shook my head at his impatience before my gaze fell upon Rob's door.

Doubtful he would even reply, I still knocked on the door a couple of times.

The door swung open abruptly, and I jumped back in surprise, the dog letting out a nervous whine.

"Hey, Nate!"

I blinked at Rob's enthusiastic grin. It was too early in the day for that.

"Hey, I just wanted to check up on you. Everything okay?"

He nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, yes! I'm great. Adrianna and I went to this cooking class yesterday and it was a lot of fun! You should try it out with your girlfriend."

I rolled my eyes. "I don't have a girlfriend."

Rob blinked and peered at me like I suddenly grew antennas on my head. "Oh right, you swing for that team. I almost forgot."

I smiled. "Well, I'm glad you're happy."

Rob beamed, his face alit with joy. "Thanks, maybe you should try those cooking classes with your boyfriend then."

"My boyfriend?" I raised my eyebrows.

He wiggled his brows."Yeah, I saw him leave a few minutes ago."

Ian.

I laughed. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Why not? He's attractive, no? Even I can tell."

I shook my head and scoffed. "He's dating my best friend. Plus, he's not my type."

Rob frowned. Then he shrugged mere moments later. "All right."

"Okay," I said awkwardly. "I'll see you around."

"Bye Nate."

Then he shut the door and I sighed with relief.

"Are you just going to stand there or what?"

I jumped. "Ian."

"Good morning." He smirked, leaning against the wall opposite to me, a plastic bag interlaced with his fingers.

"Hey," I said weakly.

"I got breakfast," he held the bag up for me to see.

"I already had some."

He raised his eyebrows challengingly.

I sighed. "I Guess it wouldn't hurt if I had more than one."

Ian grinned, and together we walked to the elevator, the dog in tow.

We walked a bit, taking turns with the dog since he was so out of control.

The wind blew hard in our direction, and I silently cursed myself for not bringing a heavier jacket along.

"Let's sit," Ian suggested.

I squinted against the wind. "Sure."

We sat at a random bench, and Ian began opening up the plastic bag.

"So I wasn't sure what you like...," he said, unraveling a blueberry muffin before setting it aside. "I got blueberry, chocolate chip, and a bagel."

I blinked. "I like all three, thanks."

He smiled. "Good."

"Which one would you like?" I asked, picking up the blueberry muffin.

"I got fruit salad."

I deadpanned. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"That's not breakfast!"

"Why not?"

"It's just fruits," I sputtered.

He chuckled. "So what?"

Peeved, I picked up the beagle and thrust it in his direction. "Have this."

He raised his eyebrows. "That's for you."

He pushed the beagle away.

I pushed it back in his direction. "I already had breakfast. Eat."

He shot me a teasing smile. "Or what?"

My cheeks stung, and I inched away from him a bit. "I won't hang out with you for the rest of the week."

Ian smirked. "You can't."

I rolled my eyes stubbornly. "Of course I can. What, you think I don't have any friends? Pshh, please I got-"

"I tutor you," he cut in.

If I wasn't in public I probably would have sacked my head against the pavement repeatedly.

Instead, I  settled for a mental face palm. "Right."

"Besides, you gave Dev a promise."

"You say that like I never broke a promise," I muttered, guilt lacing around my heart with a slightly painful tug.

Ian held my gaze curiously.

Then he picked up the beagle and took a bite.

I smiled triumphantly.

"Last night was fun," he said, his voice muffled from the food in his mouth.

I scrunched my nose in disgust. "You have food in your mouth."

He shrugged me off. "Let's do it again."

I shook my head. "Are you kidding? I don't think I can withstand hearing your voice again."

He faked hurt, placing a hand over his heart. "Ouch, you hurt me."

"Why don't you write a sad song about it?"

"You just said I don't have a good enough voice," he frowned.

I pushed him by the shoulder. "Shut up."

He grinned. "So have you heard from him?"

"Who?"

"Dev, who else?"

"No, I haven't."

"Aren't you worried? It's been over a week."

I frowned. "What?"

"He left nine days ago."

"Really?" I asked weakly.

Ian nodded.

"Has he talked to you?" I asked.

"Yes, but I'm curious as to why he's avoiding you."

"He's not avoiding me."

Ian raised his eyebrows.

I huffed. "I'll give him a call."

"Are you going to see your parents soon?" Ian asked abruptly, I almost chocked from the food in my mouth.

I coughed painfully, my eyes watering. "No."

"I thought you wanted to."

"I don't trust them."

"They're your parents."

"They also abandoned me," I shot back, not feeling hungry any more.

Ian regarded me thoughtfully."Don't you think they deserve a second chance?"

I had thought about it. Usually, I would say that they do deserve a second chance and maybe they did, I just was not ready for it.

"I need to go," I said, standing from the bench.

"Where?" he asked, standing as well.

"I don't know," I snapped.

Ian's eyes squinted at me, and I wanted to smack his face so bad but I knew not to act on my feelings. Especially the ones that only seemed to fill me up with irritation.

"I'll see you around then," Ian said, giving me a little wave with his hand before he walked away.

I stared after him. His hands were stuffed inside the pockets of his worn out leather jacket, his back hunched over as he pulled the hood of his jacket over his head. As if he was trying to hide away.

I glanced back at the bench and picked up the fruit salad and the half eaten beagle, dumping them both in the dumpster along with the rest of the food.

~

I walked to the apartment, the dog whining the entire way back. As soon as I walked in my apartment, I pulled out my phone and gave Devin a call.

"Hello?"

I froze, not really expecting him to pick up. "H-hey, it's Nate."

"Oh, hey, how's it been?"

"Good."

"What's up?"

"Just checking up on you. It's been a while."

He chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah, I've been busy."

I sighed. "Dev, why haven't you called?"

"I told you, I was busy."

"Busy enough to ignore your best friend?" I meant to say it teasingly, as a joke, but it came out as angry-jealous.

Devin groaned. "I'm sorry."

"Have you been avoiding me?"

"Maybe?"

I winced. "Oh."

"Look, I've been gone over a week. I was just worried you'd get mad."

"I'm not mad."

"You know what I mean. I don't want you to think I'm staying here for good, but I need more time."

"I understand," I said stiffly. "How are your parents?"

"They're great! They're not mad anymore, they finally accept me," he said.

I smiled. "That's great, Dev."

He chuckled. "Yeah."

I opened my mouth to tell him about my own parents but never got the chance.

"I gotta go!" he exclaimed. "Talk to you later."

He hung up.

I stared at my phone for a long time before tucking it away.

Whatever, I told myself, I can tell him later.

I spent the rest of the day mulling around the apartment with almost nothing to do. I was done with all the job requests I had ignored before, the dog was sleeping peacefully in his corner, and I was bored out of my mind.

For lunch, I scourged through the kitchen to look for anything to eat. I had nothing in my fridge that wasn't expired already, or decent enough to fill up my appetite. I even glanced at the bottles of beer and contemplated taking a swig or two, but quickly dismissed the thought after recalling Ian's strange behavior the night before.

Sighing, I admitted my defeat and grabbed my car keys.

I had no choice but to go grocery shopping.

I hated grocery shopping.

I thought it was the most boring thing a human could ever do. I tried avoiding it the best I could, but sometimes I had no other choice.

I pushed at my cart, passing the vegetable aisle as slowly and reluctantly as I could. I resented vegetables, they looked weird and smelled funny. I picked up a broccoli, wrapping it in those weird plastic things, and tossed it in my cart.

I was at the cereal aisle when I heard someone call my name.

I couldn't decide on which cereal box to choose from, I had the two boxes in my hand, each one in arm's length as I squinted between either or. When I heard my name, I almost dropped both on the floor, panic shooting up my spine.

"What the fu-...oh, it's you," I grumbled as I saw Ian approach me.

"Did I scare you?" He smirked.

"No," I lied.

"Right, so what are you up to?"

I glanced at the two boxes in my hands. Screw it, I tossed both in the cart before walking away.

"I don't know, Ian. What does a normal person do at the grocery store?" I asked sarcastically.

"Now, you don't have to be mean, Nate," he said, the corners of his lips slowly twisting up to form a smile.

I glanced at the empty basket in his hand. "Are you stalking me or something?"

"You wish...I could ask you the same thing."

"Your basket is empty."

"I just arrived."

I glared at him. "Leave me alone."

His smile wavered. "Is everything okay?"

I sighed, my hands clenching around the cart's handle. "Everything's just fine and dandy."

"I know just the thing," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "That's what you said yesterday. Now I have bottles of beer in my fridge."

"I have something stronger than beer."

I was tempted. Why wouldn't I be?

Shaking my head, I took a few steps away from Ian. "I'll pass."

"C'mon, I have nothing better to do!" he called after me.

"I do!"

I heard his footsteps following me. "Nate, we need to bond more."

"Why?"

"Because!"

I scoffed at his lame excuse and walked towards the almost empty counter. "You should work on your negotiation skills."

"I'm practicing, aren't I?"

"Leave me alone!"

The girl behind the counter jumped at the loudness of my voice, and I sent her a quick apologetic smile. It felt more like a wince.

"See, you scared the poor girl," he said.

I carried my bags after the girl packed them up, handing her my credit card. "I thought you came here to buy groceries."

He grinned. "I did."

"Then why's your cart empty?"

He looked down at his cart, then picked up a pack of gum and placed it on the counter before taking out a few coins.

"See? I'm done," he said. "Now let's go drink!"

He slung an arm over my shoulder, and we walked outside to our cars.

"Are you sure you're not already on something?" I asked.

He smiled sheepishly, and I groaned.

"C'mon, I'll drive," I muttered.

"What about my car?" he asked.

"We'll get it later."

I pulled him to my car and shoved him in the passenger seat. "Seatbelt."

"Yes, mom."

"Ass."

He smirked. "But a fine ass that is."

"If I agree to drink, will you stop talking?"

"Yes!"

"Damn it," I cursed. I didn't think he would agree.

True to his word, Ian remained quiet the whole ride and I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Although, I did play some music on the radio, which may or may not have muffled his voice.

I found myself with a beer bottle in hand thirty minutes later, sitting wearily on the couch as Ian downed a shot of some drink I can't even pronounce.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm fine," he slurred. "Drink up."

Hesitantly, I brought the bottle up to my lips.

Ian suddenly leaned closer with inhuman speed and tipped the bottom of the bottle so the bitter taste filled my mouth and I almost gagged. His hand wrapped around the bottle and he tugged it away from me, then placed a hand over my mouth.

"Swallow it," he said, a mischievous smile painted across his lips.

I shook my head, wincing at the burning liquid in my mouth, I needed to spit it out but didn't know how.

"Come on, Nate, there's no easier way to get rid of me.

I shook my head again.

Then his fingers clasped over my nose and my eyes widened with shock. What the hell is he doing?

I swallowed, feeling the liquid burn down my throat as I coughed non stop.

"I...hate...you," I sputtered, slamming my hand against my chest.

Ian smirked, taking a seat beside me as he picked up a bottle and took a swig.

"Are you alcoholic or something?" I asked once my breathing was under control again.

Ian chuckled and leaned closer to me. Too close.

I leaned away, placing a hand on his chest to push him away.

He didn't resist, but when I wanted to withdraw my hand, his own fell against it and he held it there.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

I frowned, snatching my hand with no trouble. "What?"

His eyes bore into mine. "What are you afraid of?"

I stood up, stumbling from my position on the couch. "I'm not afraid of anything."

He stood, walking towards me as I slowly backed away.

I turned suddenly, and dashed to the kitchen where I grabbed a glass and filled it up.

"Are you avoiding me?" he asked.

"No," I swiveled around to face him. "I just need to have a drink of water."

It was a lame excuse, but it was the best I could come up with on the spot.

Ian fixed his gaze on me as I lifted the glass to my lips and chugged the whole thing down, wiping my mouth on the sleeves of my shirt when I was done.

He took another swig of the bottle. "I lied."

His words caught my interest and I tilted my head to the side. "When?"

"When I said Devin's been contacting me."

"What?" I frowned.

He clenched his jaw, his hand tightening around the bottle, a vein popping against his neck angrily. "He hasn't called me for days."

Ian walked closer to me, and I not so subtly inched away from him. "Oh."

"I think he's not coming back."

"No, I'm sure you're just tired. Dev will be back soon, I know it."

Ian growled, almost tossing the bottle, but I rushed forward and grabbed his arm just in time. "He doesn't want me anymore."

"Don't say that," I said meekly, squeezing his arm reassuringly as my heart rate sped out of scale.

He glanced down at me through his long lashes, piercing me with his deep green eyes which seemed to harden the longer he held my gaze.

Suddenly, I felt his hand push at my chest and I stumbled, my back painfully hitting the edge of a kitchen counter.

He stalked over to me, my eyes widening as a result and I pressed my back harder against the edge of the counter top.

"Look, I can talk to him if you want. It won't make a difference if you hurt me," I said, lifting my hands up in defense.

Ian watched me, took another drink from the bottle, and walked closer to me until our chests touched and I winced in anticipation of some sort of attack.

I closed my eyes, feeling his breath fan across my face, his chest moving rhythmically as his fingers clenched around my hair and he pulled my head back. I tried to cower away, squeezing my eyes shut, until I felt something wet on my lips and felt my heart drop to the ground.

I peeked an eye open and Ian's face was all I could see.

I shut my eyes again.

His lips moved against mine, coaxing me to respond. They felt damp against my chapped ones from all the drinks he had, and his hips were pressed too close to my own. His other hand trailed down to my side as he pressed himself closer against me so that I let out a gasp I could no longer hold back.

He kissed me deeper, so I could taste the beer. I wanted to pull back, I wanted to push him away, but his taste was addicting and the way his hand was inching towards the skin under my shirt was making me feel all sorts of wants.

His hand was cold against my skin, his fingers moving closer and closer to my chest as my heart beat started to accelerate. Somewhere inside me I felt a warning sign flash repeatedly, but somewhere else, I found a strong desire to wrap my legs around him and to press myself closer to him.

My lips moved involuntarily, meeting his hunger as his hands suddenly gripped my hips so he could carry me. I wrapped my legs around him, felt the way his strong arms held me by the small of my back as he walked the both of us to the couch.

Never once did he stop kissing me, his lips bruising mine until we ran out of breath. He pulled back, tracing his lips down my jaw so that my skin burned and my stomach twisted in knots.

I arched my back as he kissed my neck, his hand too close to the zipper of my jeans. I felt him press against me again, my hand finding the back of his head as I pulled him closer.

Then the dog barked.

The spell broke.

We stared at each other, our lips swollen, our eyes wide, the hair on our heads wild like they have never met a hair brush before.

"Shit."

I didn't know who said it, but suddenly we were on either ends of the couch, staring at each other like two deers caught in the headlights.

And right then I really wished a car would hit me straight on.

Hi...xp

Troye Sivan released the third video in his 'Blue Neighborhood' trilogy thing and I am dying in the inside. You should check it out if you haven't already, then join me in my cry baby party.

Question: what's your favorite kind of breakfast? Personally, I love anything with bacon and eggs...and sausages...and hash browns...I'm gonna stop now.

Thanks for reading! :)