Francesca's POV

My mind, it's foggy. A picture not pixilated yet as I attempt to wake up. My head, it's pounding; the noise of my heavy breathing becoming too much. My body is heavy, like a wall is atop of me, weighing me down.

I can't breathe, I feel like I'm drowning. The pressure in my chest becoming overwhelming.

Blinking my eyes open, all I can vision is a blur. A mask of cloud covering my eyes, terrifying me further.

The question to where I am is still unknown and that's settling uneasy. A whimper escapes my lips as I close my eyes, lying stiff as a board. I've never felt like this before. A dip in the bed frightens me, and my body goes into panic. Who's here?

"Francesca." The voice whispers, and I can't pinpoint it until he speaks again. "Hey, you're okay."

Ethan.

"I'm not." I tell him along with a sharp gasp.

"Tell me so I can help you." He says, most likely sitting up as the bed dips yet again.

"When... when I open my eyes... I can't see and I don't know why. My body feels like something is laid on top of me. I can't breathe." I try to explain the best of possible whilst trying to control my breathing.

I don't even know what the time is.

"Okay, I'm going to turn this light on, so I can see you a little better, okay?" He asks.

"Yeah." I whisper, a wave of humiliation falling over me. Why is he even here, next to me in bed?

Opening my eyes, I see the cloudier version of the room when the light flickers on.

"I'm now going to sit you up." He tells me and I somewhat nod. His hands come around my body, gently grabbing hold of my hands, easing me up into the sitting position.

My breathing is somewhat erratic, and he cups my face with his hands. His face is blurry but handsome, nonetheless.

"Close your eyes, and we'll do some breathing techniques together because I think you're panicking. Am I right?" He asks and I nod, but who wouldn't be panicking. "Okay, close your eyes."

I do as he says, and he helps me, taking my mind of it as he asks me sensory questions, some leading to me admitting he's a little bit attractive. Ethan yet again saves me. Maybe I am a fucking Damsel in distress?

But I still can't see properly.

"Okay, let's get laid back down and I'll tell you how we ended up here." He murmurs, and I don't complain before lying my head on the pillow. He lifts the cover up over us and I frown when his leg touches mine, only just realizing that he's wearing jeans in bed.

"Aren't you uncomfortable?" I whisper.

"I'm fine, Francesca, don't worry about me." He chuckles, and I snuggle into the pillow as he turns the main light off before flicking the lamp on, on the bedside table. "So, this is your room?"

"No, we're still in the frat house. This is Tony's." He tells me.

"Birthday guy?" I scrunch my brows up.

"Yeah, he's okay with it." He says and for some reason I don't believe that he even knows.

"What happened last night? The last thing I remember was me dancing with Lauren and some other girls." I ask, needing some kind of explanation. My eyes are clearing, slowly, but still, they're clearing as I watch him clench his jaw.

"This guy, Shawn." He starts and my insides immediately curdle at the name, Ethan taking notice of my distaste straight away. "You want me to continue?"

"Yeah, it's fine." I say, but I'm not at all excited to hear about him.

"He, um, he offered you some drugs. When you and I had a conversation, you said you just assumed it was cocaine. You never told me how many lines you did but when I saw you, you were nearly passed out on the stairs." He explains, and I purse my lips as he tells me.

"What about him?" I ask.

"Francesca, are you sure you want to know?" He asks and I sigh, nodding. I don't really but I need to.

"He was holding you up, his hands were on your ass. I took you from him as soon as I saw you, putting you over my shoulder. My first thought was that he was a friend of yours but he made a comment about me been a cock blocker of whatever, so I don't know what would have really happened. I'm just glad I saw you, Francesca." He says, leaving an uneasy feeling in my stomach.

How could I have been so stupid? I accepted drugs from that guy, first of all. I shouldn't have come to this party. Everything always goes wrong. Why can't a girl go to a party without getting cat-called or prayed on. I hate being a woman sometimes.

A whimper escapes me subconsciously, and Ethan wraps his arms around me as I settle my head on his chest. He runs his fingers through my hair and I close my eyes as a tear escapes. Pushing all feelings aside towards Ethan, I lay here with him.

"Thank you for saving me... again." I whisper, and he shushes me, laying his chin on the top of my head.

"I don't want to press or anything, but what drugs do you think it was?" He asks.

"With whatever I take, I always seem to remember the night or parts of it, you know like some of the experiences of the night and everything, but I can't remember a thing. It's like my mind is blocked. Honestly, Ethan, I don't know what it was." I tell him.

"I'm sorry you can't remember because you said some great things last night." He says, his voice teasing. I'm glad the conversation is somewhat changing but I'd prefer a less embarrassing topic.

"Jesus. What did I say?" I ask, covering my face as I brace myself for sheer embarrassment.

"Well, you called me baby, that was the first thing you said as soon as you saw me." He says and I close my eyes, groaning. "You were very clingy too."

"Clingy?" I dare question him.

"You wouldn't let me leave... like at all but I had to get you some water. Then when we got into bed, you kept telling me not to leave because everyone else does. You also cuddled with me." He tells me.

"Why do I have to embarrass myself all the freaking time?" I rhetorically ask.

"There was also um... well... you kind of refused to get dressed for a while. Like when I came back from getting you water, you were naked, laid out on the bed." He tells me and in shock, I jump up out of bed making my head become a little dizzy but only now do I realize my eyesight is back to normal.

"You've seen me naked!" I exclaim, covering my mouth in shock. Then I look down at my attire and I cover my breasts. I'm basically wearing a see-through shirt. Neon nipple studs do not work with white shirts. Oh my God. Don't ask me why I decided to buy neon colored nipple bars because I don't have a real answer, I just thought they were cool looking.

"Get back into bed. As soon as I walked through the door, I closed my eyes and wouldn't open them until you were in clothes. The shirt was a problem though but I just avoided eye contact." He says and I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Thank you... for not being like every other guy." I say before climbing back into bed.

"You're a good person Francesca, and you weren't in the right state of mind. If you had done that completely sober, we would be having a completely different conversation about your obvious affection towards me." He says with a grin, and I groan as I get comfortable yet again. "Is it totally inappropriate to ask why the fuck you wear neon piercings?"

"Ethan!" I squeal, hiding my face and his rough laughter feels my ears. "Ugh, I don't know. If I had known I'd be seeing you, wearing this shirt, I wouldn't have put any in or at least plain ones."

"It's hurting mine just thinking about putting a piercing through a nipple. Does it not hurt?" He asks.

"Do you want me to do yours and you'll find out." I grin up at him, but he just scoffs.

"How about no." He smiles at me.

"Honestly it didn't hurt too much, and now it's just normal. I guess I have high pain tolerance. I got them both pierced as soon as I got here. Hanna did them." I tell him with a little laugh.

"Of course." He says, rolling his eyes.

"One day, I'll make you get at least one of them done." I say and he shakes his head, a little laugh bubbling out.

"Actually... you know what. One day, I'll make you get a tattoo with me. Then we have a deal." He says, but he doesn't know that I secretly want one anyway and that I have one already.

I lift my hand up and show him the little rose on my wrist. It used to be a stick and poke but as soon as I turned eighteen, I actually got it done.

"Shit, you already have one. I had the impression that you'd be scared of getting a tattoo." He mutters and I laugh, smiling at him. "Eh, we'll get matching tattoos. You can have my star sign, I'll have yours."

The simple idea wakens the butterflies in my lower body. Couple tattoos, especially names have always been a massive no-go zone to me because it's on your body forever. But this, this is kind of sweet.

"What sign are you?" He asks.

"A Virgo." I say, and a smile creeps its way onto his face.

"That makes a lot of sense actually." He says and I hum in response, agreeing with him. "I'm a Scorpio, and it fits me pretty perfectly really."

"Yeah, I see that." I murmur before yawning and closing my eyes.

"You tired?" He asks.

"Yeah, what time is it?" I ask.

"Four AM. Get some sleep, and then I'll drive you home when we wake up." He says and I instantly go into panic again. Do I tell him? "Francesca, what's wrong?"

"I didn't bring my car." I whisper.

"Yeah, well I have mine." He says in a soothing voice.

"I can't get into a car... if I'm not the one driving it." I explain, cringing slightly at the reality.

"Okay, well how about I'll give you the keys, you drive us to your place and we'll switch over." He says and I frown. He's not taking this like I'm a total weirdo. Weird.

"Thank you." I whisper.

"It's no problem, now let's sleep." He says before he yawns.

"Can you at least get changed into some sweats? I've spent my fair share of nights sleeping in jeans, so I know you're not comfortable." I ask, pulling the covers up over me as I get more comfortable.

"You're just wanting me to strip for you, don't you?" He muses and I push him out of the bed, watching him save his fall as soon as hits the floor. "You're mean."

"Whatever Ethan. Just get changed, I'm getting some sleep." I say, closing my eyes as I do, smiling when I sense him walk away.

Maybe, just maybe I don't have same amount of restraint as he does or moral decency, but I peak open my eyes only slightly as he opens the top drawer, his back to me. My eyes are drawn to him as he lifts his shirt off above his head, the muscles in his back flexing so perfectly, and I have to cross my legs together to relieve some of the tension. Jesus Christ, how was this man built like this?

"Do you mind if I sleep without a shirt, or would that make you uncomfortable because I don't want to do that?" He asks and I blink once, thinking about the options. I wouldn't be uncomfortable; I'd be distracted and frustrated.

"You can wear whatever you want, Ethan. I'm not at all bothered unless you're not naked." I say, turning over so my head is in the pillow because I know if I see his legs, I'm going to go crazy and jump on him.

We're friends, I remind myself. Just friends. My stupid hormones can't come in-between whatever we are. It would help if he weren't so darn attractive though.

He soon joins me back in bed, quickly turning the light off, leaving us in complete darkness. I hope my breathing isn't too loud. Wow, I really have my priorities straight.

"Good night, Francesca." He whispers and I smile massively, it hurting my cheeks slightly. He can't see me smile, so it doesn't matter how wide I do.

"Night, night." I snuggle further into the pillow.

Peace, comfort, warmth.

~~

Waking up for the second time, I cringe at the loud hammering at the door. I whine, blinking my eyes open, them stinging slightly, the room bright from the sun spilling in through the open curtained window.

"Ethan." I reach out, accidently hitting his face. Oops? "Shit, sorry."

He blinks his eyes open, a smug smile on his face. His green eyes are brighter than I've ever seen them, pure emerald, the smallest bit of blue in them. He's so handsome, it's purely cruel really.

"Morning." He says, his voice rough yet smooth. Morning voice, oh my God, it's his morning voice. I'm weak, totally and utterly weak right now. I just want him to roll me over and fuck the shit of me, but you know, we need to keep this friendship purely platonic... which it is.

"Someone's banging on the door." I whisper, smiling gently.

"Well, since it's noon, I would not be surprised if it's Tony." He says and I blink at him. I've slept in? I had no nightmares either. I know that we woke up through the night because I had a weird panic episode, but still, I went through the night with no nightmares. I feel somewhat rested despite the headache that I have lulling over me from my little hangover.

I send him a look and he groans before finally getting up, and only now do I realize he has some low fitting fitness shorts on, with no shirt. Jesus, this is a girl's wet dream. Well... maybe not.

I don't like him, I tell myself. I like him as a friend, and only that.

So, I have a strong case of denial, is there anything wrong with that?

When Ethan opens the door, I stay in bed, the covers over me as Tony strolls in. I laugh at his facial expression when he sees me. Poor guy thinks we had sex in his bed.

"Ethan, I have one rule-" Tony starts, running his fingers through his blonde hair, looking stressed and disheveled.

"If it's that no one has sex in here, don't worry, we stuck to it. We slept, that's it." I say, smiling shyly at him, assuring him that he's bed is sex free.

"Thank God." He sighs, and I raise my brows at Ethan, who only rolls his eyes.

"But he did give me your clothes." I add, and he spins around to face Ethan.

"Dude!" He harshly whispers, making me laugh.

"Keep your panties on Tony, they're easily washable. Francesca, this is Tony, as you know but he also has a little OCD, so just ignore some of his ways, he doesn't mean to come off as a prick." Ethan says, only winding him up even more. Poor guy.

"Oh, my ex best friend has that, so I get it." I say and Tony sends me a gentle smile.

"Is it alright if you give us ten minutes, and then we'll get out of your hair?" Ethan asks, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, that's fine, I'll put the coffee on." Tony says before immediately leaving, shutting the door behind him.

"Get dressed, he will most likely time us." Ethan says, making me laugh even more but I soon shut up when he throws my dress right at me.

"Rude!" I exclaim, and he chuckles pulling his shirt on over his head.

Reluctantly, I step out bed and shimmy the dress on under the t-shirt, and when I'm confident I can take it off, I do, putting my arms through the straps. This dress is beautiful but so uncomfortable, I'm honestly really glad Ethan made me change before I fell asleep. I then pull the shorts down and fold them both when I'm changed. In my own little world, I flip my hair in front of me and quickly put it up in a bun, not caring what state it's in.

"Why is it girls take hours getting ready, but you've just done it in less than two minutes?" Ethan asks, and I giggle, looking back at him to see him staring at me in bafflement.

"I can take my time but you just said that I was on the clock." I say, shrugging before walking over to him. I smile taking him in, standing in front of him as I run my dainty hand over his shoulders. "I can be fast if I want to be, but I prefer slow and steady."

"Are you still drunk?" He asks, blinking twice at me.

"Nope, I just woke up and chose teasing because I figured it would amuse me." I say with a wide grin.

"And?" He asks, looking for verdict.

"Very much so." I nod, turning around as I walk towards the bed, grabbing my little purse from the floor.

~~

Once we were ready, we joined Tony downstairs and we caught up on the night over a cup of coffee, and he seemed to have had a really good birthday which is always good. After one cup, Ethan and I decided to leave, and I was shocked that he remembered that I couldn't get in a car unless I drove it, but he did and willingly handed me the keys to his very nice car. He has a Mercedes AMG GT 63 in a beautiful matt red. I don't even trust myself with this, how the fuck does he?

"Ethan, are you sure? I mean, I can walk." I ask, feeling a little unsure. I don't care if my car breaks, it's very old and shitty but this looks brand new.

"Don't worry, just get in. But do know that I love this car more than myself." He says, opening the passenger side door. Fuck.

Finally, I get in, adjusting the seat, most likely pissing him off before driving off. He doesn't comment on it though, he just switches the radio on, selecting a station before putting it on low.

"I'm jealous of your car." I blurt out, getting a laugh from him.

"I told you I win most of my matches." He says and I quickly look over at him to see him smiling. "I wouldn't have it if I wasn't good at what I do."

"I want to see one of these matches." I say, keeping my eyes on the road.

"You can if you want to but that would consist of me getting your number. I mean, we've slept in the same bed already. Are you still dragging me along?" He asks and I giggle, nodding. I like that I can taunt him with something so little, but it's something. "I don't have a match for another few weeks, but of course you can come along. I'll just find you on social media."

"What if I don't have social media?" I ask, even though I think everyone does.

"It's the twenty first century, who doesn't?" He retorts.

"Fine, yes I do but I'm hardly active on any. I think I last posted on Instagram last year, maybe my graduation." I say, laughing slightly.

"I'm searching you up." He tells me as he grabs his phone out of his pocket. It's rare these days to see people without a device in their hands, but I've never seen him on it despite the time he came to my workplace and bothered me. "What's your name?"

"You slept with me and don't even remember my name. That's so rude." I scoff, rolling my eyes.

"Francesca Salatino, what the fuck is your username?" He asks and I purse my lips, finding this amusing. I could tell him anything and everything right now, but I decide to just tell him. "I don't know why you go by Frankie or Fran. They're both lovely names, but your full name is so much better."

"As a child I couldn't even spell it, so I shortened it to Fran. But as I went to middle school, my friends called me Frankie and I liked it like that." I say, shrugging slightly before I take a left into my parking lot.

Shit, now he knows where I live. Well... I'm smart.

"Of course you live here." He chuckles, and I frown at him. He then points to the dorm block next to mine. "I'm in that one."

"How-" I start to ask him how I've never seen him before because it is a little uncanny.

"I just own a dorm here. I know it's wasting a room but it's a good place to go for some silence and peace sometimes. For my first year, I lived in the frat but frat life was not for me, let me tell you, so I left, getting this dorm. I've spent a handful of nights here." He explains, and I sigh, thinking about it.

"I don't know why you wouldn't love to be in a dorm. I love being on campus and everything." I say, putting the car in park.

"I spent so long without a family and I finally have one that I love, so I guess that's why. And also, I love been near the gym. I spend most of my nights down there anyway." He says and I nod, smiling slightly.

"Thank you for letting me drive your car. If we go anywhere together, I'll make sure to take mine because I don't trust myself with this beautiful thing." I say and he laughs, opening the door.

Getting out of the car, I shut the door behind me and join him at the door of my building.

"Well, I guess that's me. I can't thank you enough for helping me last night, so thank you." I say, crinkling up my eyes from the bright sun.

"It was the decent thing to do, and believe it or not, I like you. Just be careful in future, okay?" He smiles, and I nod, pushing down the butterflies that awoke when he told me he liked me. I understand that he meant in a friendly way, but still.

"I will do, thanks Ethan. And I trust you won't stalk me now that you know where I live." I say, raising a brow.

"You've got it, but I will stalk your Instagram." He says and before I can question it, he starts to walk away. "See you tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?!" I yell in complete confusion, what's tomorrow?

"Phycology class." He replies, opening his car door, and I smile, nodding. I forgot it's Monday tomorrow.

~~~~~

A/N

I love these two, and I'm feeling really happy with the story so far despite my doubts. Thank you all for reading so far, and I hope you're enjoying it. I love seeing your comments.

Question of the chapter:

Do you keep a journal? I do, but I kind of suck at writing in it. I still love it though.

Thank you for reading! Please comment your thoughts, vote by pressing the little star, and if you want, you can follow me too. Xx

3954 words!

~B