In a parallel universe, maybe we'd be destined for each other... Maybe...

"_y/n_," your boyfriend said, pulling you from your thoughts. "I forgot my textbook. Grab it from the library, would you?"

You turned to him in confusion. "But...class is about to start." You and Isa had English in 5 minutes, and a trip to the library across campus took about 12. The boy's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Then you'd better run."

You huffed. "Fine." He always made you do tasks like this. You hated him telling you what to do, but the time you spend starting another argument with him could be better spent sprinting. You headed off.

The halls were otherwise empty, as most campus classes had started already, so you were able to go a lot faster than usual. The walls that were filled with columns of books seemed to groan lazily in the room's silence. They greeted you with a sharp scent of dust and a new vase of flowers at the front desk. No one was there, so you slipped through the entrance relatively unnoticed. You searched the sturdy tables and lounge chairs for Isa's textbook, but it was nowhere to be found.

Strange of him to leave it in the first place, you thought. Could he have lied to you about leaving it? He wasn't the type to frazzle you like this, but perhaps he was made about something that you weren't aware of?

A thick paperback landed on your head. Your vision flickered for just a moment and you rubbed your scalp with a yelp.

"Oh. Sorry." A very tall and slender redhead climbed down from his stepstool to grab the book at your feet. He gave you a half-apologetic shrug before ascending again to find the thing's home. You stared up at the boy with vague curiosity; you'd seen his thin form somewhere before.

"You don't sound terribly sorry," you told him. He shrugged again.

"Nope," he replied. "You shouldn't have been in the way." You scowled, but other matters were more pressing than starting an argument.

"Hey, have you seen a Literature 1100 textbook around here? My boyfriend left it in this room, I think." A gray cart was beside the boy's stool, and he reluctantly descended to shuffle through it.

"Here." He said. He practically threw it at your chest. You were just graceful enough to catch it: something that wouldn't happen again in a million years, thanks to your accident-prone genetics.

"Thanks," you muttered. The clock in the hall made a long "clang", and you remembered that class is starting without you. You swore under your breath and started sprinting again. The redhead called after you:

"Tell Isa to stop leaving his things were they'll get lost!"

You paused for only a moment; he knew-?

Another noise from the clock and you're off again. Damn Isa for making you do his dirty work! You were certain that Professor Ansem wouldn't forgive yet another tardy.

...

Taking a deep breath that night, you started heading up towards Isa's dorm room. You'd finally decided to forgive him for the fourth tardy of the month, but only because it was your three year anniversary tonight. A little forgiveness could be shed for such an occasion, right? You had made sure to wear your best black dress and heels, taking careful steps to your lover's door. After a few knocks, Isa let you in.

"Hey," he said, spreading open the door and returning to his desk. You saw his attire was as usual: his favorite blue cut-off vest that had white stripes along the sides and edges, and a black tank top beneath it. His dark jeans slender enough to show off his toned legs. You tilted your head at him as you walked in; wasn't he going to dress up for your date?

While he hastily scribbled into a worn yellow notepad, you took a seat on his bed. It was firm, not allowing your form to sink in too far. Looking across the room, you saw one of his roommates, Braig, sprawled over his lush mattress. A small book was in his hands, but you weren't sure if it was for study or if it was shielding the contents of the latest "Guns & Ammo". Braig gave you a glance with his one good eye, the other hidden behind a black patch.

"What's up, _y/n_?" He greeted. You shrugged casually.

"Nothin' much," you replied. "How's your pink-eye doing?" Braig touched the pirate patch.

"Honestly, I get it so often I'm thinking about just leaving this thing on." You tried to laugh, but your eyes kept going back to Isa. When were you going to leave? Braig returned to his reading and you glanced to the room's third bed. Its quilted covers were red and looked extremely warm and inviting, but it occurred to you that you'd never seen who occupied them.

Isa, as always, noticed when your face made that unattractive thinking-scowl and sighed.

"Lea rarely gets back to the dorm before morning," he said.

"He's usually getting into trouble at nightclubs or messing with the school staff," Braig added, grinning wickedly. "If your boy wasn't such a stiff, we'd be out there with him."

"I'm glad that Isa stays out of trouble," you said with a smile at your boyfriend. "It's something I love about him."

"I bet you could be exciting if you wanted to be. Maybe you just need to break this blue-haired nerd out of his shell."

Isa gave Braig a brief scowl. "I'm fine the way that I am." You hated the awkwardness that the boys shared, so you found yourself babbling again.

"W-well, I don't think I could ever be a partier like the other campus students." You twisted some of your hair between your fingers. "I always hated getting in trouble when I was younger."

"You're an adult now, sweetheart!" Braig sat up and let his shoes drop over the floor. "You can do what you want!"

"Speaking of which...," Isa began, finally looking over at you with his steely amber eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Forgiveness, you reminded yourself. You struggled for a sweet smile. "It's our anniversary, silly! I thought we had plans to go out tonight."

Isa gave an, "Oh", but kept to his furious note-taking. "I can't tonight. We'll have to reschedule." Reschedule? You felt anger well within you and could think of Forgiveness no more.

"You're so frustrating! First, you make me late to class again without even trying to defend me, then you forget our date? Now, you want to reschedule our anniversary? How can you be so insensitive?"

"I have more important things to do." He gave you a glare that said, "Don't act like this in front of my roommate."

"Fine. You know what? Larxene has been asking me to go out with her anyway. I'll just spend my anniversary with her!"

"You will most certainly not." Isa stood as you did. "She's a terrible influence. I forbid you to hang out with her."

"Forbid?!" That was it. You had to exercise all of your willpower to keep from thrashing the beautiful scar on his face. "You can't tell me what to do!"

"You are my girlfriend and you will do as I say."

"Yeah, right. I'll just always bend to your will." You stormed out of there without hearing another word, and were extremely disappointed when Isa didn't follow you out. You seemed to remember a time when he'd follow you after a fight and try to make it all up to you. Maybe those times were just a dream.

"It'll be great," Larxene assured you, forcing you to follow her towards the beach bonfire. You suddenly weren't so sure that it was wise to be out partying with your roommate; she was much more ostentatious than you were. Still, you were going to show Isa that he couldn't control who you hung out with. "Hey, your phone's buzzing."

You glanced at your pocket, finally filling the vibrate. Pulling it out, you saw Isa's name and number flash. You felt your willpower weaken; maybe he wanted to apologize? You almost caved to answer the call, but Larxene took it from you first.

"Hello?" She answered for you. Her face contorted. "Well, sorry." She passed it to you, mouthing: asshole. You brought the phone to your ear.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you? I want you come back this instant. That harlot will only lead you to trouble." You flared at the tone he took with you. How could he call one of your best friends a harlot? Sure, she was kind of devious and flirtatious, but she paid her half of the dorm room rent on time and always helped you with chores and homework! That made up for her sinful behavior outside of campus, didn't it?

"I will not. This harlot and I are already out, and won't return until you apologize to both of us!" You hung up the phone and Larxene giggled.

"That'll show him!" She cried in triumph, high-fiving you. While her enthusiasm helped, you felt guilty for acting so childish towards your man. Maybe you should call back and say you're sorry...

Larxene seemed to hear your thoughts and dragged you to the party before you could feel anymore remorse. You were led through dozens upon dozens of other students, some of which were in your Honors classes. You were shocked to see so many devout classmates downing drinks and dancing like exotic dancers.

"Isn't this great!" Larxene said, pulling you towards a keg. She got you both red Solo cups and started chugging hers down. You stared at the girl for a moment. This was a side you didn't see of your friend very often. Larxene wasn't her real name, obviously, but she thought the rearrangement of letters with the added "x" made her seem fiercer. Guys had responded to it well, though maybe they were more attracted to her daring personality, her short and strangely cut blonde hair, and her vivacious figure. You weren't sure which it was.

"Delicious!" Larxene shouted, filling up another cup and heading into the crowd. She had seemed to forget you, and you lost her in the mesh of people within moments.

"Wait! Larxene!" Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. You felt so out of place in the crowd. You felt that you were fairly innocent-minus a few passionate sessions with your boyfriend-and wished desperately not to sully your good name with such immature behavior. You pulled out your cell: it was time to call Isa and beg for forgiveness. On the bright screen, you saw a text from him. It read: Come home now, or you'll suffer the consequences.

Consequences? Really? You growled at the phone and shoved it into your pocket. The drink in your hand was downed within a few moments. You'd never been one to drink and gagged on the burning alcohol. Gross! Your pocket buzzed again. A nearby student helped you fill the cup once more, and down the acid went. Feeling a bit dizzy, you took a deep breath and opened the cell. You had to go closer to the lapping waves for this one, as the burning bonfire created a horrible glare on your screen (or perhaps you were getting drunk?). The message read this:

Home. Now. Or Else.

Pfft. Or else this! You reared your arm back and threw the device into the sea. You were immensely proud of yourself,...until you remembered that your parents were paying for your data plan. You cursed and kicked off your shoes, rushing into the water to retrieve your phone. The water did its best to knock you down-though a feather could probably topple you at that point-but you struggled hard to find your technological leash to the rest of the world. Another series of splashes approached your side and soon, the phone was in you hand.

"You're lucky that your throwing arm sucks worse than your drinking," a voice told you with a snort. The redhead from earlier glowed against the fire behind you both, a grin set into his lips. You huffed.

"I'm not exactly athletic," you muttered. Your voice wanted to slur, but you tried your best to resist the urge. You wouldn't let this loser have the satisfaction of being proved right about your alcohol content. You cradled your device, which was soaked and refusing to turn on again. You sighed; you'd need to get a new one in the morning. Your parents would be pissed about spending money on a new device months before an upgrade opportunity. You went to sit on your butt when, to your surprise, you sunk waist-deep into the water. The redhead laughed as he helped up your flailing form.

"Man, you're drunk off of your ass." His cackle grew at his joke. You struggled out of his hold and returned to the beach, now completely drenched. You glanced around and realized that, in your angry blur, you'd led yourself to a small cove just outside of the party. Not too far off, you could see a few couples making out on the sand. Making a face, you turned the opposite direction. It was colder in the shadows that the moon above cast, but you didn't want to go awkwardly past those hormonal students. So, you resorted to plopping down in the sand behind some rocks and staring up at the sky. The stars were brighter out here than they were at your dorm, and you couldn't help but sigh in relief. You half wondered if you were meant to live among those twinkling lights-that's why you had changed your major to Astronomy last semester. You felt that you'd always be happy if you could study the worlds outside of your own for your career.

"Gorgeous, huh?" The redhead headed your way from the water, following your gaze to the midnight ceiling.

"Yeah," you breathed. The boy sat beside you; even slouching, he was a head or two taller than you could ever hope to be.

"Look at that; we agree on something." He sat back among the grains and for awhile, you both sat in silence as you admired the heavens. You were all too aware of his burning presence the entire time, and felt the exact moment when he turned his gaze to you. "So, what are you drinking to tonight?" You met his glance.

"Excuse me?"

"The way you were drinking, I could tell it was your first taste of booze. Most people who chug alcohol that fast have reasons for being so reckless." You turned away, ashamed to show your face to this stranger and the constellations you loved so.

"My boyfriend and I got into a fight."

"Ah. I thought so." You looked at the boy again, narrowing your gaze.

"Are you stalking me or something? You seem to think you know a lot about me." The boy's sideways glance made you grow more suspicious.

"You're just paranoid."

"But...how did you know Isa then?"

The boy didn't tense or flinch. "Who?"

"Isa. You told me to make sure he didn't leave his stuff lying around."

"Oh, him. Who doesn't know the Scholarship student?"

"Never mind." This boy was good at avoiding questions; it was clear you'd never get anywhere with him.

"Isa's your boy, yeah?"

"Yes."

"Well, what would you have to fight about with such a smart guy?" He saw that your face was guarded and swiftly added, "What? It's a valid question."

You still wouldn't respond. The redhead sighed.

"Look, I'm trying to help you. Sometimes, it helps to tell a stranger about your problems." Apparently, that was all you needed, because you burst into tears and told him your whole story. To your surprised, the boy was patient and listened to every word you spilled. He didn't make any jokes or even move until you finished.

Sniffling, you said, "Maybe I should just go home and apologize. I'm being such a hypocrite, drinking and partying out here. I don't belong with these people..."

"I don't think you're in the wrong here," the redhead spoke after a long pause. You gave him a sidelong glance. "You just wanted to be validated. You wanted to feel like he loved you like a girlfriend, not a slave. He should've been the one to cave and apologize."

"You...really think so?" Larxene had been the only one to agree with you so far, but it was for more malicious reasons. Otherwise, very few had agreed with you on Isa-matters.

"Yeah. You've got a lot to offer. You're smart, you're fun, and you're super hot. Isa should be the one afraid of losing you. There are plenty of other guys that would take you as their girlfriend in a heartbeat."

You rubbed your nose, your snot and tears drying out. "How would you know?"

"Because I see them in the library. You must be pretty dense not to notice the other guys leering at you all of the time."

"Really?" You thought yourself pretty ordinary. You weren't supermodel skinny or pretty, your hair got split ends, and you got terribly acne when you were PMSing. You were pretty average...but could you have been missing all of the stares?

The boy put a hand on your head, the warm fingers rubbing you gently. "Of course. You're a person worth being adored and worshiped, so you shouldn't be selling yourself so short. Got it memorized?" He tapped a finger to his temple with a bright, energetic grin. You suddenly looked at him-really looked. You examined his sharp and light facial features, trying not to ogle the body beneath. He had a long nose, thin peach lips, and two brilliant emerald eyes that reflected the beautiful stars above - the entire night sky was there, it seemed. It was tantalizing.

Rather than meet the twin heavens head-on, you at last glanced over his clothing. He wore an unzipped black jacket with silver chain-drawstrings hanging over his bare, toned chest. His blue jeans had been rolled up halfway past his thighs, which had wet edges from the ocean. His feet lacked shoes from his ocean journey and his naked toes burrowed into the sand. His skin, not too pale or too tan, shimmered with wet beads in the moonlight. Beautiful.

He jumped in surprise and grinned wider. "I've never had a girl tell me that before."

Dammit, why did you just say that last thought out loud? You blushed and stared hard at the lunar circle overhead. The boy was quiet for a long time; if his hand wasn't still resting in your hair, you would've thought he'd left.

"Would I be coming on too strong if I told you how cute you are when you blush?"

You didn't know how to respond and met his gaze once more. Your heart pounded as you became lost in the universe's mysteries. Your polite and honest nature made you say, "Yeah. But I don't mind right now."

"How about if I said…." He shook his head, his mouth open slightly in a deep frown. He looked as though he were trying to spit out the words that slinked to his lips. However, the efforts were futile; the thought arrived without his approval: "...that I really want to kiss you?" Your heart gave a brisk gallop, nearly lodging itself permanently in your throat. It made your voice weak.

"You shouldn't say things like that..."

He had already started leaning in, and you felt something pull you towards him - some force that you knew you should resist, but didn't want to. The redhead's nose touched yours, and you felt a spark burst against your skin.

"What if I said that I wanted to stay with you on this beach for...?" He couldn't seem to think of a time. You could see a struggle in his face, making his brows close together. He didn't make much effort to move - probably because you didn't either.

"I think that sounds...nice."

His lips pressed over yours, giving you a single swift kiss. The sensation of his burning skin was...addicting, to say the least. You let him kiss you again. This test was longer than the last and, by the time he pulled back again, you could feel your fingers getting jittery. He must've felt the same way; he initiated a full-on attack, his eyes surrendering to the passion in their depths. His mouth was upon yours and a fire flared in your chest. He pulled you into his lap where he could wrap your entire body in his arms. They traveled everywhere, igniting something in you that you thought had faded years ago.

Wait, when had it disappeared? Had you not noticed when your passion vanished?

As your hands not-so-hesitantly rose to the redhead's chest, you felt all thoughts and doubts disappear. You thought of nobody and nothing else. The boy tasted of sugar and spice, his skin felt like touching a solidified flame, and the trail his fingers left on the seam-made indents in your skin made your muscles tense then relax repeatedly. On the beach that night, you felt the party and the ocean and the sky dissolve around you until nothing was left but you, the boy, and that little patch of sand that kept you afloat.