The chair didn't budge. My wild laughter died in my throat as Ethan turned around to face me, his expression was much louder than any words.

What the fuck do you think you're doing?

I tugged at the chair again with everything I had. Why the hell wasn't it moving? It was a chair, chairs were supposed to move and a task like moving a chair from under anyone's butt should be easy as pie to a boxer like me. For fuck's sake I spent three days a week pushing and pulling weights like an ox, this should be relatively easy.

Ethan continued staring at me uncomprehendingly, the slight irritation on his face slowly reducing my agitation for the unmoving chair.

At least he was irritated.

We looked at each other, I waited for him to say something, possibly something that included curse words.

Nothing came out of his mouth, in fact, now that I noticed it, his mouth- no his cheeks looked puffed up and out of proportion.

Before I could ask him why he looked like a blowfish and possibly have him blow me up for that, someone from a little inside the cafe spoke.

" Hey, you guys ok?"

Both of us looked up in perfect synchronization and nodded at the girl sitting alone at a table with a coffee in front of her.

She raised her eyebrows at both of us, although her bright, caffeine-high eyes were on Ethan's face. Either she was staring at his beauty or she found his blowfishness (is that a word?) intriguing.

My common sense told me it was the latter.

I mentally thanked lady luck for my hyena laugh going unnoticed.

The women didn't seem convinced, so I smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah, we're good".
My mom always said I had a charming smile.

Still looking a little worried but probably deciding it would be rude to press us with her questions, she looked away pointedly.

I straightened up and tapped Ethan smatly on the back.

He turned back around to give me the full benefit of his blowfish face. It looked bigger than it did before, even his eyes were bulging.

Interesting. Was he going to blow up now?

He fortunately didn't blow-up, instead he opened his mouth and coughed out smoke, right into my face.

As the disgusting, noxious gas filled the air around me, I stepped back, waving my hands in front of my face and coughing as some smoke got into my nose.

" Sorry". Ethan coughed. " I was trying to hold it in but-" He couldn't go on as huge fit of coughs caught up with him.

We were too busy coughing to speak for a few moment.

" I was trying to hold it in but you startled me. Sorry". He said ever so politely, his eyes slightly watery from the smoke.

My eyes fell on the still-lit cigarette in his hand and I shook my head. "It's alright, I was planning to pull the chair from under and throw you on your butt anyway''.

My confession went unnoticed, his eyes followed mine all the way down to his smoke and he pursed his lips.

Clearing his throat, he said, " I'll be right back, give me a moment".

He walked out of the cafe so fast, someone would think I was burning him with my presence.

That someone was the only other person in the cafe, the girl who was getting high on caffeine.

" You okay?" She asked again, I could feel her gaze on my back.

I didn't even turn to look at her, my eyes were focused on Ethan, I was watching him from the glass door as he hurried away from me and out of the cafe, practically running across the road and into the park, stumbling and almost getting run over by a car in the process.

The reason I'd spent a whole month debating whether or not I should interview Ethan on his.......er........habits was because I was worried I'd offend him. I was worried that he might pull out a knife and stab me for asking him such personal questions. That was also the reason I'd freaked out when he spotted me watching him, I'd expected him to physically assault me for stepping into his private life. 

The reaction I got from him now was so surprising that I was shocked into silence.

Ethan was far more vulnerable than I'd expected to be. Not only vulnerable but also ashamed for what he was doing.

Ashamed.......... he was ashamed of himself.

Suddenly, I felt ashamed of myself, for wanting to rip apart something he was ashamed of and carefully analyze it before putting it down on paper the best way I could to make more people read it.

Ashamed and disgusted.

I shuddered. I might have a lot of bad qualities but I also had a few good ones, one of them being my conscience. If my heart told me I was doing something wrong, I stopped doing it immediately. That was also one of the reasons for my lack of friends in school.

Until 9th grade, I was the best friend of every popular girl or guy in school, there were even times when my chances of becoming my Student Body President were discussed.

I changed though, and the guy who changed me didn't even acknowledge my existence until I lost the Boxing Championship to  our rival school in the finals.

I'm saying he changed me, like he took me on his magic carpet, singing  'I can show you the world' like Aladdin. It was more like he dumped me from his magic carpet and I face-planted on the sidewalk into the reality of the world.

The best part was, he didn't even do it directly - the harsh reality just hit me one fine day because of his actions.

All those things didn't matter though, as they say, mistakes only make you better or something like that.

------------------------

Ethan came sometime later and I already had a  steaming cup of coffee on the table for him.

He looked wary as he walked into the cafe, but it lasted only till he reached our table, and then that haunted-dog look changed into anger.

Sitting down on a chair, he grabbed the cup of coffee and glared at me.

I guess trying to make him fall on his butt was a bad idea.

"Why are you here so early?" He asked me, the rage in his voice a little too clear while a storm gathered in his grey eyes.

I blinked in surprise. He wanted to know why I was here early and not why I was planning to toss him on his butt.

Oh well. If he wanted to pick on me for the lesser of the two sins, he was welcome to it.

"How does it matter?"

He narrowed his eyes, waited for it to start raining and the manger kicking us out for ruining his lovely decoration.

No such thing happened, instead Ethan's eyes cleared until they resembled a slightly less stormy weather and he shrugged. "It doesn't, let's get down to work, only next time try not to hurt me physically". He gulped down the coffee like it wasn't scalding hot.

Forcing myself not to comment on his way of drinking coffee, I said "It's your turn today, you have to go first"

"You're such a kid". He looked right into my eyes with such intensity that I almost gave in to his silent command which said-

I'm not going first, you are.

I didn't respond to that.

Like a brave warrior who has the will of iron and the perseverance of a river, I stared him down. His grey eyes flickered with the usual irritation and then he finally bowed down to my will.

Or maybe he was just too bored to continue the staring contest.

He sighed loudly. "Where did we stop yesterday?"

I snorted in an as ungentle way as possible "The only thing you told me was 'I started doing drugs 5 years ago'."

"You were the one who wanted to know that so desperately that you asked me the same question more than three times".

"That's because you weren't answering it, and also, you were supposed to answer more than one question".

"You're not the one answering pesky questions about your life, I choose the number of questions I answer and I'm only answering one a day".

Disagreeing with him would be impossible, what with having to lie to him about the existence of a boyfriend and doing the one thing I wouldn't want anyone else to do to me: cheating.

Since I was cheating him, I was determined to at least go along with his conditions.

I gave him a nod to indicate my acceptance of his choice.

He almost looked relieved. "So, what do you want to know today?".

"Everything"

"I'm not-"

My laugh cut him off "I'm just kidding, why don't you tell me what quantity you take in everyday?"

The way I was planning my article, this was the most important thing now

A thoughtful expression crossed his face "You want to know how long I can last without drugs in my system?"

"Yeah, if you put it straight".

"You sure?"

"Yeah".

"I can tell you anything else if you want". He said hopefully.

"Just answer the question"

"You 100% sure?"

I nodded. Why was taking so long to answer that one question? It was like he was trying to buy time and avoid the question. Why would he do that? I did tell him I wanted to know, didn't I? Was he worried I the amount of snuffing he did would surprise me?

Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself not to judge him for his habits, however bad they may-

"Let's just say, I'm making buy coffee for me everyday because I need some kind of high to keep myself going and I don't have nearly enough money because most of it goes towards buying drugs".

My brain took a much longer time to process that than it does to process math.

I willed myself to breath normally.

So what if he couldn't even stay a few moments without drugs? It was none of my business, Ethan was the perfect subject.

I should be happy. I told myself.

I gave him a shaky nod "Right ...................um..........cool"

So much for not judging him, Em.

"You asked". He said accusingly. He sounded humiliated and looked ready to pounce on me for making him face such humiliation.

I nodded "It just surprised me a little, so you have to take drugs 24/7 ?

He just shrugged. "Why do you think it's called drug addiction?"

"What do you do when you have to sleep?"

The moment those words came out of my mouth, I knew it was a stupid question.

And so did he, because the next thing he said was "I sleep and when I wake up, I have withdrawal symptoms, so it takes some time for me to adjust"

What he meant was 'when I wake up, I overload myself with drugs to compensate for what I missed'

Unconsciously, he'd answered more than one question, and he looked ready to answer a few more, I might as well press him if he was in a good mood. Right?

"How much money do you spend on it?"

Quick as lightning, his good mood literally melted off his face and he changed into Mr. Grumpy. "We had a deal Emmaline, I already answered more than one question, don't try to push it". He said threateningly. His eyes narrowed to slits.

He used my full name. I hated it.

I nodded at him though. What he didn't know was, I was doing my best to stalk for time, I wasn't sure I wanted to lie to him after seeing how unhappy he was with himself.

"Why do you want to know?" I didn't add what I was talking about, but it was pretty obvious that I was asking him why he wanted to know my break up story.

"I think I already mentioned that it was non of your business". His said, his defensiveness coming back in full force.

"Yes bit I just want to know, ok? It only seems fair that you tell me because you know exactly why I want to know your story".

I waited for him to protest and argue, but instead, a resigned look came on his face. "It's pretty creepy, uh? Wanting to know about a teenager's highschool boyfriend?"

I thought it was more creepy to lie about one's boyfriend while using a real person's name for it but I wisely kept my mouth shut.

"I recently went through a bad breakup and I'm having a hard time dealing with it, there's not many people I can talk to".

It grew quiet as my conscience beat me up for what I was doing. The tattoo bearing, badass college guy only someone to talk to, someone who he could relate to, how lonely was the guy to seek his comfort from a weird, high school kid? I, unfortunately, understood better than I should. I knew how it felt like when you realize all those people you thought were your friends suddenly become strangers. When you feel alone because you have no one to talk to.

"I'm.......... I'm sorry".

"It's ok, everyone goes through breakups, I just needed someone I could relate to".

No, more than that, he needed someone who could help him feel not so bad about his bad relationship, and he'd chosen me- a girl who never even went out on a date with a guy.

A girl who was lying to him.

I'd though that once I got to know why Ethan was so interested in a mere breakup, I'd be happier to be lying to him like this.

I only felt worse, like a gutter rat. Or a vulture for preying on his weakness. Or even a highschool bully.

I was on the verge of coming clean when I became aware of something.

Sure, I'd never been in a relationship, but the only thing Ethan wanted was comfort, he wanted a story, something to make him feel better.

I could do that right? I was a writer, maybe not the best one out there, but fiction was my thing, whenever I got lonely I made up tales or made up imaginary scenarios in my head. That was one of the main reasons I wanted to be a writer.

And if telling Ethan a story would make him feel better, I was going to tell him a hella good one.

"I've never been through a breakup".

I looked up, my plan already half formed in my head. I cocked up an eyebrow. "What?"

Ethan frowned, wrinkling up his pale, perfectly-cut features. "I've never been through a breakup before". He repeated. "And I never dated anyone before the last girl, that's the reason I'm asking for your help, I'm not a wuss".

"I didn't say you are, did I?"

"That's what people automatically assume". Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on the table, showing off his tattooed arms, as if to emphasize the 'not a wuss' part.

I almost laughed, and to think he called me a kid.

I glanced at his arms. Admittedly, the tattoos were pretty cool, not that I knew much about them, but both his arms were covered in dark swirling colours of red, blue and mostly black. He had surprisingly bulky arms for someone who spent all his time doing drugs and screwing-up his health.

"Are you actually checking me out?" He sounded scared, instantly dropping his arms to his side.

I smiled. "You have a lot more muscle than I thought you would".

His scared look changed into utter horror. "Are you flirting with me right now!?" He looked so jumpy, I half expected him to fly off his seat and through the roof.

"All I said was you had muscle in your arms, how's that flirting?" After the amount of training I went through for boxing, talking about muscles became pretty normal for me, if you have muscle, it means you're strong.

But then, I heard something that sounded like the wiser part of me telling me that commenting on a guy's muscle is the universal way of informing him that you're interested in him.

I shuddered. And then cursed.

"You're not flirting with me are you?" His jumpiness reducing a little.

I shuddered again and shook my head. "Nah. Do I look like a dumb flirt?"

He studied me carefully. I twiddled my thumbs under his gaze. Needless to say, I wasn't the most confident about my looks. What with my wild, curly hair and crooked nose. Close inspection made me get awkward.

"Well, you are a blonde". He said.

Silence. Then:

"Hey! That's not fair. That's.......that's.......you can't judge me on the colour of my hair. I'm smart for a blonde". I said heatedly.

When his lips slowly curved up into a smile, I actualized what I'd said.

Smart for a blonde. I told him I was smart for a blonde. Which meant blondes were naturally stupid.

My cheeks turned a deep shade of red.

"That's not what I wanted to say." I said as calmly as I could.

"I can tell".

"Blondes are not dumb. I'm smart".

"Ok"

"Why does it sound like you're placating me?"

Another smile. He should really learn to smile more, he had a nice smile. The kind that lit up his eyes.

I caught myself before I could make a dumb comment on his smile and seal his opinion on the stupidity of all blondes.

"Let's just get down to work, yeah? Where did we stop yesterday?"

His smile turned into a frown. "You were telling me how you turned Aiden down whenever he asked you out. It is Aiden, isn't it?"

I nodded. "Yeah". I gathered my creative juices. "So, um, he would ask me out and I would turn him down. And then one day I just gave in. There was no other way actually. He was very insistent and persuasive and he convinced me to go out with him."

I took in another deep breath, planning out the next part of my story. "On our first date, he took me out to meet one of my favourite authors. We talked books the whole day. I was a voracious reader back then, I still am actually. So when he took me out and talked books the entire day, I was practically head-over-heels for him. We were so similar to each other and it felt like we clicked like puzzle pieces, it was perfect. I didn't even know he read books until he took me out, so it was like the best surprise. He was also the first guy who asked me out, and, well, yeah. There you go, that's how it happened". I ended it abruptly. Like the perfect broken-hearted girl.

Ethan stared at me like a statue. Still, unmoving, expressionless. "No wonder you want to be a writer".

"What?" I seemed to be using this one word a lot more than I should these days.

"The way you talk, it feels like I'm reading a book. The words you use, the way you describe things, you talk like you're writing". Shaking his head, he stood up and pushed his chair back into its place.

"Tomorrow? Same time?"

I nodded. I was still thinking about what he'd said. That was most definitely the best compliment I'd received in my 17-almost-18 years of life.

I smiled. Although I hadn't managed to piss him off, my whole crappy mood was out of the window.

'No wonder you want to be a writer'. He'd said. Like I was a natural at it. No one, not even my parents had said that. But then again, they didn't know I was writing articles. Yet.

Maybe they'll react the same way once they know.

But I knew that no compliment from my parents would make me feel this good.

Parents do everything to make you feel good about yourself.Ethan was a stranger, so when he said what he didn't take my feelings into consideration. He just said it.

I talked like a writer. Having someone say that to me was almost better than giving me an entire chocolate cake. Not completely, but almost.

Author's note- Hey, so that's the 7th part. Please comment and let me know what you think. I really need feedback.