Salutations! I wrote this for my creative writing class. I got the idea from a photo I saw on tumblr lol. As of right now I don't have any plans to continue it, so I'm marking it as complete and calling it a one-shot. Maybe if I get some ideas, it'll be more than that. They don't bang or anything, it's kind of just a fluff story. Hope you all find it enjoyable :)

Why is it so hot? The Sun is like that one straight guy at a party who wants to make sure everyone knows he's straight. Just blatantly in your face and an asshole. I can't deal with this. I knew it was a bad idea to let my friends drag me here, but I'm always getting pulled into shit, including fifth wheeling on some kind of double date to an amusement park. I glare at the back of my friend Renji's head as he whispers into his boyfriend, Byakuya's, ear. He's the one who forced me to come along, even though he knew Rukia - my other friend, and Byakuya's sister - would be bringing her boyfriend, Ashido. Like why did he need me to come so bad? I could be in my house, in the air conditioning, sipping on some Alizé and watching something gay on Netflix, but instead I'm here, roasting alive and getting subjected to unnecessary amounts of PDA from two different directions. Thus is the life of Ichigo Kurosaki.

I'll admit, at least a smidgen of my salt comes from being a single person stuck between two couples. Don't get me wrong, they're all my friends and I'm beyond happy for them, it's just. . .being around them makes me feel really lonely. My last boyfriend and I split up about eight months ago. His name was Kensei, and we dated for two years. We ended things on good terms, I suppose, but I find it impossible to stay friends with someone I used to date. It's like this person saw my soul; he had my heart; he knew things about me that my parents don't know, and he looked at me and said he didn't want that. What else do we have to talk about? Nothing. I'm cordial whenever I see him, but as for talking on a daily basis or hanging out? Nah, he good.

I haven't really put myself out there since the breakup. I just don't have the urge to go club hopping anymore, though I used to enjoy it when I was younger. I'm twenty-five now, and I feel like I'm done messing around, you know? Like, I'm not old enough to be thinking about marriage and kids and whatnot, but I'm too old to be playing games, and it seems that nowadays, all people want to do is play games. I'm just not for it. I think I played more than enough games in high school when I thought I still liked vagina.

"Aye, Ichi, look! It's yer lucky day!" Renji says, and I look up from my phone where I've been scrolling through tumblr to see my idiot of a friend pointing frantically at a sign that stands at the entrance for the rollercoaster we're about to get on. The sign says in bold white lettering SINGLES WILL BE PAIRED. Ha fucking ha.

"Oh, you're so fucking hilarious, Ren. Look out Kevin Hart," I say, with much attitude.

"Aight, ya better chill with all that salt before ya get hypertension," Ren says, and the rest of our group - sans Byakuya - laughs. I just roll my eyes.

"Literally did not ask."

The line starts to move and we finally get to go under the shade. I swear to God I almost died. My attention is back on my phone while my friends act all cute and shit, because honestly, if I watch them do that shit, I'll probably get on this rollercoaster and not strap myself in. Five minutes into my dash, and someone taps me on my shoulder. I'm ready to beat somebody's ass, but my wrath is quelled when I see the person that touched me.

"Shinji? What the hell?" I say, grinning at my friend. He smiles broadly, hugging me tight.

"The one and only! How've you been, Ichi-poo?" Shinji asks once he lets me go.

"I'm good. What're you doing here? I thought you moved."

"Oh yeah, I did, but I'm back! I came here with my boyfriend," he says, gesturing behind himself with his thumb. I can't believe I didn't notice this guy before now. He looks like Groot.

"Oh, hey there, uh. . .?"

"Nnoitra," he says, holding his hand out. I shake it, offering a smile.

"Nice to meet you."

"Who're you here with, Ich?" Shinji asks, and I sigh, throwing my hand up in the general direction of my friends. Shinji chuckles a bit when he sees them. "Ah, I see. You're fifth wheeling?" I nod.

"Well, yer not alone. My little brother's third wheelin' us 'cause he ain't wanna be alone."

"Where is that little asshole, anyway?" Shinji asks, and Nnoitra points behind himself before he steps aside revealing what has to be the cure for cancer and AIDS.

The male standing in front of me has to have a patent on the word fine. Is this the angel that greets people when they go to heaven? Because if so, I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and saviour right now. He wears a black Of Mice & Men tank top, white skinny jeans and black and white Vans sneakers. A backwards snapback sits atop luscious blue hair and oh my god, did I mention how good his arms look? Because they look so, so good. He's like a cross between a football player and a Hot Topic model, and I love it. He's on his phone, so he's not looking at me, but when his brother nudges him roughly he looks up, glaring at Nnoitra like he wants to kill him. His look of anger changes to one of deviance when he looks at me, and that's when I know I'm in trouble. His impossibly blue eyes glimmer with mischief as he steps around his brother and Shinji to stand directly in front of me.

"Who this?" he asks, and his scent circles around me, his minty fresh breath wafting over my face. Don't even get me started on his voice. What kind of angelic creature. . .

"This is my friend, Ichigo. Ichigo, this tall drink of water is Nnoitra's stepbrother, Grimmjow." The guy, Grimmjow's, face breaks out into a huge grin.

"Well, it's been quite some time since I met somebody as fine as you," he says, and I think I may faint. I don't show this outwardly though, choosing instead to simply raise an eyebrow.

"Hmm. I suppose I could say the same." He reaches out his hand and I take it in my own, shaking it. He holds on to my hand for way longer than necessary, and while I'm squealing on the inside, I pull my hand away, giving him a tight smile. He smiles in return, and I swear it's as bright as the Sun itself. God, he's gorgeous. How rude.

Grimmjow and I chat as the line slowly moves. He's charming in a puerile sort of way; he's not petulant or anything, but he's just not so mature that he'll take everything too seriously. I like that. I learn a few things about him, like he's twenty-two, so three years younger than me, and he's finishing his first four years of med school. This surprises me because of his personality and the way he dresses, but I guess the saying about books and covers still rings true. The more I talk to him, the more I notice little things that I like about him; his eyes crinkle at the corners when he laughs; his smile could probably put him at the front of Santa's sleigh one foggy Christmas Eve; he smells like spearmint with the unmistakable scent of a male and he looks like what I think a demigod would look like. All-in-all, he is a double shot of "oh my gawd" with a little "yaaassss" on the side.

"So are you from here, Ichigo?" he asks, and I nod. "Cool. Is Ichigo like 'strawberry' or. . .?"

"Very funny, but no; it's means 'one protector', though I get that question a lot. What about you? Is it like a requirement in your family that you have weird names?" I ask, and Grimmjow lets out a musical laugh that sends a shiver down my spine. Somebody help me.

"Yes it is. My brother is Nnoitra the Pirate, and I have three more, Szayel, Yylfordt, and a sister named Nelliel."

"Wow, you have a big family."

I have two younger sisters, but no brothers. My sisters have always been really important; my parents had wanted a daughter, but instead they got me. Probably why they kept my name as Ichigo, and just shifted the kanji a bit to change the meaning. My parents always tried to make time for me, but since they were both doctors, it was a stretch. It got even worse when they divorced when I was fourteen and my sisters were ten; this was also the time that I was starting to develop feelings for other males that were much stronger than friendship. I was sent to live with my dad because my mom thought he would understand me better, but I didn't feel like this was something I could talk to him about; I was afraid he'd be ashamed of me or disown me. I found out later that I was wrong, but at the time I felt so alone. I happened to meet Shinji when he transferred to my school in tenth grade, and I didn't feel so alone anymore, since he was gay and didn't care who knew it. I guess he's like the brother I've always wanted.

The line moves forward yet again, and we're almost to the gate to board the ride. I turn to Grimmjow, and he's looking at his phone again, completely engrossed. Damn, he's so fine. Who gave him the right? I see Renji and Byakuya and Rukia and Ashido boarding the ride and I panic. I don't want to ride a rollercoaster with some stranger.

"Hey, Grimm, can I ride you?" It's only when Grimmjow looks up at me with an inquisitively arched brow that I realize what I said in my haste to get the question out. I mentally facepalm as Grimmjow starts to laugh. "I didn't - I mean, I meant - fuck."

"I know what you meant, dude," he says, once he sobers. "I thought it was already established that we'd ride together, so let's go."

We cross the threshold as I fight against my embarrassment; Grimm doesn't seem too fazed by what I accidently said, but my face is still burning like I just ate a ball of wasabi. Why do I turn into such a mess when I'm around hot guys? Why must every eleven minutes of my life be filled with misery?

We take the seats behind Rukia and Ashido, and I strap myself in. I always get a bit nervous before riding a coaster; I love them, don't get me wrong, but after watching Final Destination 3, one can't help but to be a little skeptical. I'm taking deep breaths when I feel a strong, warm hand wrap around mine. I look over at Grimmjow, and he smiles slightly, but keeps his gaze forward.

Cute.

The ride starts, the axles creaking as the car moves up the tracks. I feel Grimmjow's grip on my hand tighten as we approach the top. By the time the car pauses before the drop, he's squeezing the life out of it, and I can't help but to smile; he's adorable. The drop happens and the rest of the ride goes as expected; up, down, loop-de-loop, twist, turn, tunnel that needs to not be so dark before I call the cops, bright light, one more dip and we're pulling into the station.

Grimmjow held my hand the whole time. I kind of feel lonely when he lets go.

We unstrap ourselves, climb out of the car, and head for the exit. When we meet up at the gate, I feel him slip his hand into mine again, and I fight a blush while pursing my lips to keep from grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

"So, Ichigo, how's about we stick together for the rest of our time here?" Grimmjow asks, and I give his hand a squeeze before I nod. He smiles brightly, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight. "Cool."

Grimmjow keeps his grip on my hand as we leave the area for the ride. He talks and I listen; I like his voice. It's like. . .you know when you see a really beautiful girl and you just think, "my gawd"? That's what his voice is like, so I don't mind listening to him talk.

We get on a few more rides that have shorter lines than the first coaster we rode, and soon my stomach is throwing a tantrum.

"Hey, Grimm, do you wanna get some food?" I ask, and he nods, his blue hair swaying slightly with the motion. We find a truck that's selling pizza and I order two slices. When I reach for my wallet, Grimmjow stops me, handing the necessary bills to the vendor before I can protest. Once we have our food, we find a place to sit. I eye him as he takes a huge bite of his pizza slice. "You didn't have to pay for it." He shrugs and finishes chewing the food before he speaks.

"I know, but I wanted to."

"So is this like. . .a date now?" I ask, quietly, messing around with my napkin nervously avoiding his gaze.

"It is if you want it to be." I finally look up at him then, and I feel my face flaming. He's smiling as he says, "You blush a lot. It's cute."

"Shut up," I respond, but there's no heat behind it. We finish our food and throw our trash away. He takes my hand again and we start walking. "So what do you want to ride next?" Grimm looks around for a second before his eyes light up and he points.

"I wanna ride that one."

My gaze follows his finger, and I can almost feel the color draining from my face.

Okay I like rollercoasters, but I also like life, and what Grimmjow is pointing to right now is certain death. I've ridden every rollercoaster in this amusement park except that one. Not only does the ride reach a maximum height of 205 feet, but it suspends you there, at a ninety degree angle, for thirty seconds before it drops straight down. Does he want to die?

"No," I say, shaking my head for extra effect. Grimmjow pouts, and while it's cute, it's so not going to work.

"C'mon, Ichigo, it'll be fun!"

"Death is not fun."

"We're not gonna die."

"You're right. I'm not gonna die because I'm not getting on that ride with you."

"Have you always been a scaredy cat?" he asks, and I almost nod before I realize how lame that would make me look.

I've never been someone who takes a lot of risks. If the outcome doesn't seem favorable, or if I don't think I can do it perfectly the first time, I don't try. I've always been that way, especially when it comes to relationships. I still remember my first crush in high school, Shuuhei Hisagi. He was a senior when I was a freshman; he was gorgeous and popular, and so nice too. He was literally the perfect guy. All the girls wanted him, but he never paid them any attention. One day when I was in the library, I was struggling to get a book from a high shelf, and he reached up and got it for me. We started talking after that and we became friends; I wanted to ask him out, but I never did. I was too scared. When he moved away for college, he told me via text message that he'd had a crush on me too and probably would've said yes if I'd asked him out. My being a coward prevented me from having a relationship with someone I'd probably still be dating right now.

"I'm not a scaredy cat, I just like life."

"If you ride with me, I'll buy you cheesecake."

I glare at him. I knew I shouldn't have told him that; I literally cannot resist cheesecake. It is my one and only weakness. I look at Grimm, then at the ride - which is on the other side of the park and is still visible, by the way - and I sigh.

"Fine. But it better be strawberry, and if you laugh at me once, I will fight you." Grimm pumps his fist into the air, his smile illuminating his whole face.

"Yes! C'mon, let's go!" He grabs my hand, pulling me along behind him like he's an excited five-year-old trying to show me something, and I'm his bored parent who couldn't care less about what it is.

We make it to the other side of the park where the ride is and of course the line is killer. The line for this ride is always ridiculous; I guess a lot of people aren't afraid to die. As Grimm and I wait, we talk more.

"So what do you do?" he asks.

"I'm an editor for Elle Magazine," I respond, and his eyebrows reach for his hairline.

"That's cool. You're so young though; how'd you end up with a job like that?" I shrug.

"Hard work and dedication, I suppose. I did an internship for them my junior year of college, and I kept in touch with the editor-in-chief. She really liked the work I did while I was there, and she ended up offering me a job when I graduated."

"That's so awesome. I wish I had a cool job, but instead I fold sweaters at Old Navy," he says, with a sigh. I smile, placing my hand on his bicep.

"You're gonna be a doctor, though; you should be proud of that." He nods, grabbing my hand so he can hold it.

"Thanks."

We're quiet for the rest of our wait, and after what seems like an eternity, we're boarding the ride. Grimm wanted to be right at the front for some unknown reason, so we take our seats and start strapping in. There's all kinds of security for this ride, and I can see why; this thing is a lawsuit waiting to happen. Once we're secure, the announcement to keep our limbs inside the ride starts and we're moving. My heart is pounding so hard that I feel like it's going to jump right out of my chest. I can't reach Grimmjow's hand this time, so I grip the safety bars until my knuckles are white. The ascent is painfully slow, and I can feel it as we lift off the ground. As we go higher and higher, my breathing accelerates and I'm freaking out by the time we get to the top. We hang in the air, and I can see pretty much the whole park; it's a beautiful view, but I'm still losing it internally because the only time anyone should be this high in the air is when their soul is being lifted from their body by the grace of the Lord. When the drop finally happens, I feel like I am experiencing just that; my soul leaves my body, along with my ability to breathe and I think I'm dying. This is the worst decision I've ever made. I hear people screaming all around me and I only wish I had the luxury. I can't even breathe, let alone scream. The second drop isn't as big as the first, but I still feel my heart stop and this time I do scream because I've got my breath back. Lord Jesus don't let me die like this.

When the ride is finally over, everyone's screaming about how "wicked" it was and they're right; that ride is not of the Lord. They should've called it Satan's Chariot. Ridiculous. My legs are shaking as I make my way through the exit. Grimm jogs to catch up with me because I didn't wait for him. He's laughing and I glare at him.

"That was so awesome! Thanks for riding it with me; no one else would," he says as he grabs my still shaking hand.

"So glad I could make your dreams come true," I quip, sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

"But did you die though?"

"Nearly. I want my cheesecake."

"Fine, fine. Don't be a whiner."

I stick my tongue out at him as we head for a small bakery. He buys me cheesecake, and we find a table and sit down.

"How long have you been single, Ichigo?" Grimm asks, and I swallow the bite of heavenly cheesecake that I've just taken before I answer,

"Eight months."

"Why so long? I mean, you're really good-looking; I'm sure you've got people coming at you from all directions."

"Um, sure, if you want to think of it that way. But I'm not looking for one-night stands or 'hey let's have coffee', 'I'm not going to show up', 'I'm not gonna text back', and then 'I'm just gonna ignore your messages until you stop messaging me'. I'm looking for something more than that. I want to raise a dog with someone. I want to be in more than a relationship. I want to be in a soulmate-ship. I want to mean as much to someone as they mean to me. No one else my age is looking for that, so what's the point?"

Grimm leans back in his chair after I'm done talking, giving me a strange look. I eat my cheesecake as he continues to stare. Maybe I said too much, but everything I said is true. I don't want just hot rutting against one another in the backseat of a car or cancelled plans or "oh, he's just this guy I went to this thing with once". I want to be someone's most important person. I want someone to look at me and think "damn, I am so fucking in love with you". I want to be someone's vacuum cleaner, breathing in their dust. If they like their coffee hot, I want to be their coffee pot. I want to be their setting lotion, holding their hair in deep devotion, at least as deep as the Pacific Ocean; I just want to be theirs.

"What if I'm looking for that too?" Grimm finally asks, and I look up at him from my now empty plate. His eyes are trained on me, the deep swirling oceanic depths telling a story.

"Then you're exactly who I've been looking for," I reply, meeting his gaze with my own.

He smiles and stands up then, leaning over the table until his lips are a millimeter away from mine. I meet him the rest of the way, capturing his lips in a soft, chaste kiss. His lips are full and pliant, and I bring my hand up to his face, stroking his jaw with my thumb. His tongue swipes against my lips and I grant him entrance, deepening the kiss. Soon, he pulls away, and I find myself missing his lips on mine instantly; butterflies merengue around in my stomach as he sits back down, looking at me with what can only be described as admiration.

Maybe I don't have to worry about being single anymore.

Thanks so much for reading :)

Until next time,

Patd06