Thursday's suck. It's the day I have most classes, as well as five hours of work. I don't know how I survived today, but I somehow did. I took a shower and now I'm laid in bed, aching and ready for some sleep. But I can't, I've been trying for close to an hour.

I had got in at eight-thirty, heated up the leftover dinner that was on the side before taking a shower, so it's now ten-twenty. It's early, but I need more sleep than I'm getting. I guess tonight just isn't the night.

The girls were in bed already and Matt is sleeping at Kieran's, so I'm pretty much alone. I could take this for granted and have some alone time, but I'm just so restless. I don't have the patience for it.

Finally giving up on sleep, I start scrolling through my phone. I go on Instagram, preparing myself for many models to appear, ready to hate myself further but the first person that does appear is Abby from Harvard, alongside a guy. Is she finally dating again? I hope so, she deserve as much.

I send her a quick text, hoping she's doing good. We've, well I haven't spoken to her or even tried since the summer, so I hope she doesn't think I'm a total bitch. I have my reasons and she knows of them.

My inbox is full since I don't exactly read my messages on here, especially my requests, but Ethan's is at the top. I haven't even been on his profile yet, nevertheless checked what he's messaged me, so since I have time, that's what I'm going to do.

I don't what I expected, but it's pretty much all about boxing but at least this way, I can actually see what he looks like in the ring. It's everything I didn't expect. I thought it would be... harsh, bloody, cruel and unpleasing. But all I see is him. He looks to be owning the ring. His eyes are fixated on whomever his opponent is. His body, Jesus. I need to stop with this stupid attraction towards him but I can't help it.

Not having the self-control that I thought I originally had, I have to come off it. And that's when I finally read his messages. Wait, this guy knows grammar! I don't even text with proper grammar.

He asks me why I go by Frankie yet his name on here is Kane. Not that it isn't a good name, but his name is Ethan. At least mine is somewhat relatively the same.

Kane:

Hi... hope you got in okay?

I'm guessing you either were telling the truth and don't go on Instagram, or you're ignoring me.

To save my ego, I'm going for the former.

Yep, okay. Well, hi. If you ever need a chat, just do, I guess?

Jesus Christ.

Anyway, I hope you're doing okay.

I feel like a fan... does she reply?

Okay, yeah, I'm going.

I instantly feel bad since these were all from Sunday, but some of them do make me giggle. It's Thursday and even though I have seen him twice since Sunday, I'm still going to reply because I'm bored and I'm not a person to leave someone on read.

Me:

Hi, I'm sorry that I didn't see these but you did see me the day after and yesterday when you came into work for a coffee. But I will definitely take you up on the offer of "chatting". But I'll send you memes instead though.

Also... what the fuck? You were telling me about how I should go by Francesca yet you go by Kane on here.

You're a hypocrite.

If you leave me on read, I would not be surprised...

As you can see, I'm not a very good texter which is why I prefer to call or FaceTime people because texting is just awkward sometimes. When it involves me, it's most of the time though.

Scrolling through the rest of my socials, I'm about to attempt sleeping again when a notification from Ethan comes through. He's seen my overly awkward messages. Well, shit.

Kane:

Wow, I am so not a hypocrite. It's for WORK!

Also, I thought you'd be asleep, weren't you at work today?

And send me all the memes you have, I'm always here for a laugh.

Me:

Yeah, I was at work until 8. I'm tired but I'm not... does that even make sense?

He's typing until he isn't no longer which makes me frown, but then my screen fills with an Instagram FaceTime. I look like shit; the towel is literally still on my head. He really picks his moments, doesn't he?

I throw the towel off my head, fluffing my wet hair to make it look somewhat presentable before finally picking up. Maybe the towel was what kept me from sleeping? No, I've slept before with it like that.

"Hello." He greets, lying his head back on his headboard which is matt black, completely shirtless. "So, why aren't you sleeping right now if you're tired?"

"I'm bored." I answer making him laugh.

"Have you even tried to sleep?" He asks.

"Yes, of course I have. I was in bed for an hour, staring at the ceiling. It didn't do anything." I shrug.

"Go for a run, then you'll be tired." He suggests.

"It only wakes me up more." I say.

"Well, aren't you difficult?" He muses.

"You didn't have to ring me, I'm just saying." I smile at him.

"Well I was bored, so since you actually replied, I just thought why not?" He says, pouting slightly as a filter appears. I didn't even know you could have filters on here. Well this is certainly entertaining.

"You're secretly just a child, aren't you?" I ask and he hums, turning on a beauty filter with a butterfly.

"I look so pretty." He boasts and I burst out laughing. "Whatever Francesca."

"Did I deny that?" I ask him and he frowns at me. "Exactly, now put on the Shrek one again because that one was hilarious."

"So you can laugh at me?" He asks and I nod, smiling slightly. "You really aren't tired, are you?"

"Nope." I tell him.

"Get dressed, I'll be on my way over. We'll go somewhere, you're driving." He says and I scrunch my brows up.

"It's nearly eleven, I have class at ten tomorrow." I say like it's a valuable excuse.

"Since when does skipping one class hurt? Get your ass out of bed and wear something casual, we're not going anywhere fancy." He says, sitting up in bed. Seriously? He's really serious about this.

"Uh, okay. Where?" I ask, and he smiles at me.

"You'll find out, now come on, go, go, go. I'll be waiting for you downstairs in twenty minutes." He says and I sigh before nodding my head. I need to live a little.

"Okay but I expect you in twenty minutes, don't be late." I say, and he... solutes at me? "Jesus, I'm leaving."

"See you soon, Francesca." He chuckles.

Why did I agree to this again? Oh yeah because I'm awake and bored. Francesca, you're also stupid.

I don't know where we're going and I'm trusting a guy I've only known three or so weeks. I do trust him though, but I'm picky on the whole surprise location. The only thing I know is that I'm supposed to dress casually. Well, that's the easiest thing I could do. And I'm not really surprised, it is nearly eleven PM, where would we go that was fancy? That's what unease's me.

Getting up out of bed, I look down at what I'm currently wearing; a large grey Jimmy Hendrix t-shirt of what was once my dad's. I always wanted it, from being a young teenager, and on many occasions, I looked online for hours but to no avail, so after he turned his back on me, I stole it and well, now I have it. Yes, I stole it but, in that moment, I really just didn't give a fuck and neither do I now.

Staring into my closet, I sigh before grabbing a pair of navy-blue leggings out, as well as a bra because I've learnt my lesson from last weekend. Quickly, I pull the leggings up my legs and lift my shirt up above my head. I can't believe I'm going to have to wear a bra, but I'm no way in hell wearing a wired one. I fasten the back before throwing the shirt back on, looking in the mirror and liking the outfit.

Casual and comfortable.

Sitting back down on my bed, I vary my options. I have at least fifteen minutes. Opening my bedside table, I grab my makeup bag and flick on my lamp for more lighting. A little bit of makeup won't hurt, right?

Some concealer, mascara and lip-gloss later, I'm looking somewhat better and refreshed. I pick my purse up from the floor, opening it and putting my phone in there before leaving, going into the bathroom. I brush my teeth, pee and run a brush through my hair, and as soon as I feel like I'm ready, I get an Instagram message notification.

Just to make sure that it is definitely him and that he is here, I check the message and smile when I do see those eight words. I'm here get your ass down here now.

Yes, sir. I'm on my way.

Grabbing my purse, I make sure my keys are in here before leaving, making sure the door locks behind me.

It's dark and quite cold when I walk outside, so instantly I regret not bringing a jacket or coat. I don't what I expected since we are nearly in October. I wrap my arms around myself and smile when I notice Ethan's car, a couple spaces down.

"Hey bossy." I greet when he gets out of the car and he smiles at me. I take in his outfit, black joggers and a grey hoodie. Yeah, I'm not overdressed, that's good.

"I'm so not bossy." He says and I scoff.

"Whatever. I thought we would be going in my car?" I ask as I gesture to his car.

"I decided we're not, just come on." He says, dropping the keys in the palm of my hand.

"Okay bossy, but I have to ask if you have a spare jacket in your car or something because I misjudged the weather." I say, shivering only slightly but I'm still very cold.

"It's eleven at night in late September, and you didn't think to bring one?" He asks with a laugh and I shrug. "It's okay, I have a coat in my trunk, it will be too big but it will be warm. Is that alright?"

"Perfect, thank you." I say, walking around to the driver's door.

We get into the car and I smile as I adjust the seat, getting comfortable. The heat is on high and it smells of lavender in here, something I failed to realize last time or it's new.

"So, I need directions, where are we going?" I ask, looking back to see him smiling at me.

"We're getting pizza first of all, so choose your pick. Then we're going to my old stomping grounds around twenty minutes away, the directions are in the GPS." He says and I blink at him. He's taking me to where he used to grow up.

"Where is that?" I ask.

"You'll see but don't have high hopes, okay?" He asks with a dry laugh and I nod, feeling something stir inside of me. He's trusting me with yet another thing from his past, something he finds difficult to share. I feel trusted.

"So, pizza, what's your go-to?" I ask, pulling out the parking space.

"Don't judge me, but ham and pineapple." He awkwardly tells me.

"No!" I exclaim in total disgust. "Why? How does one like warm pineapple? Warm fruit in general is just disgusting."

"So, you don't like apple pie or anything like that?" He asks.

"No, it revolts me." I say with a little laugh. "And you like pineapple on pizza, seriously dude?"

"Dude?" He comments, laughing.

"Yeah, dude. What the fuck." I shake my head. And to think I was attracted to this guy. Wow.

"I knew you'd hate it, you gave me that vibe, so I'm just going to be easy and tell you that I like peperoni too." He says and I smile at that.

"At least you like one normal pizza topping." I say with a shrug.

"What's your favorite?" He asks.

"Chicken and bacon... with barbeque sauce. It's really good but you need to get extra cheese on it for it to really work. It's delicious." I say, the thought of it mouthwatering.

"We're getting that, it sounds great." He says.

"It is, when me and my friends having movie night Fridays, we order pizza from Giorgio's. It's really good. They also do these cheese fries that are perfect." I say, catching myself talking about food like I'm in love with it... which I am.

"Do they do ice cream too?" He asks and I nod, knowing they do tubs of Ben and Jerry's. "You're picking the pizza toppings; I'm picking the ice cream."

"Okay, deal." I say because I know I like every flavor of their ice cream.

~~

After being in the car for fifteen minutes, waiting for the pizza, and then a further twenty minutes of driving, we are finally here at our destination.

He told me not to have high hopes or expectations of the place, but he shouldn't think so little. We're at a small and deserted parking lot, in a somewhat sketchy neighborhood. It's quiet and peaceful. The moon is bright, it's beautiful. On either end of the parking lot, there are field lights, eliminating the place. There's public garages and the doors are full with graffiti, beautiful graffiti, nonetheless.

"This is so cool." I whisper, smiling at my surroundings as I wrap my arms around myself. The air is chilly, it making goosebumps appear on my skin.

"Cool, really? You don't think it's a little... I don't know." He sighs, running his hand through his hair.

"Back in New Haven, we had something similar to this. It was a skate park but it was more run down, we had parties there. This gives me a similar vibe." I murmur, looking around.

"I used to come here all the time. From the age of twelve to fourteen, it was somewhere I could hang out, get some peace, you know?" He smiles at me and I nod, shivering slightly. "Let's get you that coat, and we'll eat some food."

"Sounds like a plan." I say, following him over to the car that I didn't exactly park. It's an abandoned parking lot, it's not like I need to park in any kind of lines.

He opens the trunk and throws me a grey coat, and thankfully I catch it because when I check what kind of coat it is, I find it's a very expensive brand.

"You keep trusting me with expensive things of yours." I say, not at all refusing or hesitating to put it on though because I'm currently freezing.

"Well I trust you." He shrugs.

"I don't." I say with a laugh, and he pouts at me. "Well thank you anyway."

"You're welcome, now I'm starving, so let's climb up onto that roof over there, and eat." He says and I blink at him before following his vision. We're climbing up onto a garage?

"What if the roof falls through?" I ask.

"It won't." He seems sure of himself.

Once we've got the things up there, he climbs up first and show me how strong the roof is by bouncing on the fucking thing. When it doesn't go through or make any kind of noise, I take that in comfort before making my own way up. He's put a little blanket down, the food spread out amongst it.

"This looks amazing." I say and he pats the spot next to him.

Sitting down, I sigh in astonishment at the view. The city looks beautiful up here. I feel at peace. It's like all my problems temporarily go away when I'm with him.

"So, this pizza better be good." He says and I laugh, nodding.

"It's not like you didn't buy chicken wings, fries, cheesy fries, and ice cream as well as pizza." I retort.

"True, but a guy has got to eat." He shrugs.

"Yeah, so have I. Now, pass the lemonade and fries... please." I smile at him, and he does before digging into the pizza. I watch in anticipation, hoping he likes it because none of my friends like the barbeque base which I personally think is stupid. "Good?"

"Fucking gorgeous." He says chuckling.

"Finally, someone agrees with me!" I exclaim and he laughs, shaking his head. "So, you brought me here."

"Yeah." He mutters.

"It's really peaceful. Up here it's like you can see the whole city, like you're on top of the world or something. Powerful, I guess." I murmur.

"Yeah, I get that. I used to come here nearly every night, I used to sleep up here some times. That's why this roof is secure, there's wooden boards under here. Me and an old friend, Mark, did this when we were thirteen. It was a cool summer project." He chuckles, smiling at me.

"That's kind of cool. It's definitely secure." I say with a little laugh.

"Yeah, well you wouldn't have believed me if I hadn't have jumped on it, right?" He asks and I nod my head because I know I wouldn't have. "You're something else."

"Yeah, I'm definitely strange." I say, taking a sip of my drink.

"No, not strange, just different. You're up for almost anything, like you didn't ask questions, you just came with me tonight. You're very open minded." He says and I smile, looking down at the food.

"I grew up like that. My parents didn't really care what people thought; made their own rules. I didn't have a house for my first five years of life, so that's an example. In schools I kept my head down, but I also went to parties and had fun. I've not really ever stuck to a cliché, there's no fun in that. In my mind, I just hate saying no to opportunities, so I don't. If I want to go swimming with sharks, I'm going to do it because you only have one life. Why waste it on been scared or hesitant?" I explain, and he looks at me, smiling.

"Have you been swimming with sharks?" He asks.

"Yes." I answer and he raises his brows at me. "In a cage thing, I was ten I think, with my mom. There's a photo somewhere. It was terrifying but fun."

"Fucking hell, I couldn't." He says making me laugh.

"They're only fish." I shrug.

"Who kill us." He chuckles.

"Live a little, Kane." I say, patting him on the shoulder. His last name not at all sounding right.

"Yeah, I'm not going swimming with sharks, you can have that one." He says.

"I want to go sky diving next, but that costs money that I don't have. So, it will have to wait." I say, shrugging as I take a bite of pizza.

"You're a little adrenaline junkie." He laughs.

"Yeah, I guess I am." I say, smiling.

"So, what've you done in the past?" He asks.

"Swam with sharks. I snuck into a strangers wedding with my old friends. When I was with my ex, he and I, uh, we broke into a strip bar, which we thankfully didn't caught doing. I've climbed a church tower when I was a teenager. Me and a group of friends left town and drove to LA for no reason, we just did it and if you would know, it's forty hours or something stupid, so everyone was worried where we were. Anyway, on the way back we broke down because we didn't have enough gas, so Will's parents had to come get us. That was a really fun night – hint my sarcasm. When I was twelve, I rode a motorcycle on my own – I stole it out of the garage, the police caught me on the highway. I was grounded for a month; can you believe that?" I ask, and he bursts out laughing.

"You've, um, done a lot." He chuckles.

"Yeah, but at least I have stories to tell my future nieces or nephews and be the cool aunt." I say, moving my hair out the way.

"You're going to have a whole books worth." He says and I hum, agreeing with him. "So, you broke into a strip bar without being caught, how does one do that? They have cameras."

"That CCTV footage would have been enough to buy them. We got drunk, I danced on the poles, and I'm sure we had sex in there. So, yeah, we never got a call or anything." I shrug.

"You're crazy, like not bat shit crazy, just fucking crazy." He says and I smile.

"I have a story to tell and so many more years to fill the empty pages, so why waste the ink?" I murmur.

"True." He nods.

"So, you got any stories?" I ask.

"Not ones like yours, but I guess I have. Come with me." He tell me, getting up.

"What about the food?" I ask, frowning at the gorgeousness.

"It will still be here, just come." He says and I shrug my shoulder, why not?

I follow him down the ladder, and he takes my hand, pulling me along towards a garage, a few down to the one we were just sat on. He stops, turning me around with his hands on my shoulders.

"What do you see?" He asks and I frown at the graffiti.

"Roses, some kind of monster sea creature thing, a k- wait." I turn around, and he's there smiling. "This is yours?"

"Yeah, and the back. As well as a wall in my old, old bedroom. I used to draw for fun, and then when I came here. One day a group of people shoved some cans in my hands, and told me to do something, so I did." He says, his voice slowly becoming quieter.

"The monster?" I ask, frowning at it.

"I was twelve, in my ninth care home. I had just moved to the opposite side of the country. I was terrified really, and the people in charge, they were awful. They were the monsters. There were two women, and occasionally a man. That monster is from my nightmares though, but it represents all three of them. It was a weird time of my life." He explains before clearing his throat, and my heart yearns for him. I hate that he grew up like this.

"I'm sorry about that, Ethan, no one deserves that, especially not you." I murmur, and he smiles weakly at me. "What do the roses mean?"

"Peace, purity, and power. The guys, they laughed because I had painted flowers, but it has a meaning. They're more a reminder that even the prettiest things have thorns. That everyone has their issues. When I was twelve, it symbolized hope. When I got my tattoos, it was because I finally got it; the hope I was wishing for was a new start, a better one. I also love roses." He quickly adds after explaining them.

"What else is in your tattoos?" I ask, looking up at him.

"There's a lions paw, some random ones like I have a stick man in there somewhere." He says and I laugh, smiling up at him.

"You've overcome a lot, and I honestly love this. It's beautiful. The K, it's definitely you." I muse, and he groans, rolling his eyes. "What, it is!"

"You're annoying. But yes, the K is definitely me. I was always called Kane, the people in charge, they addressed everyone with their last name. You're honestly the first person to immediately call me Ethan. It's weird." He tells me.

"That's your name. I like your name. It's better than Kane, that makes you sound edgy." I say, crossing my arms.

"Yeah, well when you're a boxer, you kind of want that. And living in this neighborhood, it's good." He says and I frown, shaking my head.

"I'm never calling you it." I tell him.

"Good, because I don't want you to." He says, and I smile before walking away.

"Come on, I want more food!" I yell before running off.

"Not fair, you had a head start!" He shouts back, and I giggle as I start to climb the ladder.

It's definitely past midnight now, but I don't care, I'm having fun. I could stay out here all night, talking, getting to know one another.

And that's what we did.

We stayed here all night, until the sun rose the next morning. We finished all the food. We laid together and watched the stars for a while. We discussed futures, pasts and presents. We shared laughter. We even raced for the last piece of pizza, one of which I won, surprisingly. We had fun.

Then we went home, and I laid in bed for as little as a minute before drifting off to sleep, a smile on my face.

For the first time, I slept, a dreamless and nightmareless sleep.

Peaceful.

~~~~~

A/N

I loved this chapter; it was one of my favorite so far. I hope you liked it too. I'm very doubtful about my own writing. I just know I love my characters. I have so much to write but actually writing things down, it's sometimes hard and I'm always overthinking things. I hope it turned out okay in the long run though.

I also have the problem with writing too much. My mind just keeps going, and then I end up with a chapter like this which has over 4000 words. I wanted to write more, but I was shocked when I checked how much I did. So, this is it because I didn't want this to spread over a second chapter. So, I hope it's enough lol.

Life update: we're still in a lockdown, so nothing much has changed. Me and my family are starting to renovate the house, well attempting but it's tricky. I've been writing almost every day now, but this chapter took 3 because I was slightly distracted. I watched and finished 'Ginny and Georgia' in one sitting, and I loved it, but I need a 2nd season like right now. Marcus... I love him.

I hope you're all doing good too and staying safe during this difficult time!

Question of the chapter:

What are your Netflix recommendations because I need some?

I'm currently watching Orange is the new black (season 4), Shameless US version (season 4), Dawson's Creek (season 6, last season). I binge watch shows really easily, and if they only have one season, I do it in one sitting so I don't really have much to watch.

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

4279 words!

~B