Either MJ purposely ignored the unimpressed look his comment earned, or he was too oblivious to pick up on the signals Liv was attempting to send. She guessed it would be the latter; the failure to recognise the tension in the room since Cara’s arrival wasn’t something that Liv thought anyone could, or would, do on purpose. “MJ,” she whispered, trying to be subtle. “Everybody did not need about those.” Her attempt at reprimanding him, however, was fruitless, so Liv let him be. It was his birthday, and she didn’t want him to remember it for all the wrong reasons. They had all slid into the taxi by now, the three of them squished together in the back seat. “Gosh, I’m not sure whether that’s a story that I want to hear,” Liv chuckled nervously, suddenly hyper aware of the history between her boyfriend and his ex. There were countless stories and jokes that they shared; ones that she would never understand. How could she compare to someone who had known him basically his whole life?
There was a horribly sick feeling in the pit of Cara’s stomach that she intended to drink away as soon as they got to whichever bar the boys had picked out. With one last pleading look at Zach, she got into the taxi and tried to ignore the obvious tension in the air. “I do not get fiesty,” she argued, shoving her shoulder into MJ’s. She leaned forward, looking round MJ to Liv. “MJ’s brother used to get us into Toto’s when we were in high school,” she explained, “and there was this girl who used to hang all over the guys whenever we went. We had a small disagreement about it one night and I was politely asked not to come back.” This was of course a huge understatement. Cara had ended up with a black eye after the incident but considering the girl had attempted to get with MJ, she felt the resulting violence was reasonably justified. She didn’t fancy MJ’s new girlfriend knowing about her habit of punching girls who had hit on MJ when they were teenagers.
“I reckon they still remember me, L. They took my photo and stuck it on their wall of shame. I still look exactly the same as I used to. I haven’t grown since we were fifteen.” If she just kept talking - and kept her hands in her lap - then she could pretend there was nothing weird about this whole situation. If she avoided touching him for the whole evening, the knots in her stomach would hopefully avoid crawling up to around her lungs and throat and she’d manage not to make a complete an utter arse out of herself.
If his friends hadn’t known him better, perhaps the boys present would have believed that MJ was playing up the awkwardness of their current situation. The truth of the matter was that they did, had known him since childhood, and were therefore well aware that he’d always been like this. The night in question when Cara had been banned, the girl she’d fought with had gone so far as to situate herself in his lap and his only response had been to kindly ask if she’d like his seat. Climbing in between the pair of them, MJ sat with his long legs spread, a thigh pressed up to either girl’s. “I’m pretty sure security carried you out under his arm like a teddy bear,” he corrected her, laughing easily at the memory. He lifted an arm and slung it around Cara’s shoulders, defeating the point of her caution as he squeezed her against him. “She means she stopped growing at ten. In height, anyway.” The intent of his comment was coupled with a wry smirk, grossly inappropriate and sending the awkward factor skyrocketing.
Cara felt a little disconnected from the whole scene in front of her, not quite sure how she was supposed to interact with those around her. “I hate you so much right now,” she murmured to Zach as she rested her head on his shoulder for a few moments. Of course Zach had wanted her to come - these were her closest friends and she’d been hiding from them - but god, she wished it had been any night other than this. MJ’s Mario Kart dragged Cara back instantly, drawing an indignant “Oi!” from the brunette. “Underhand tactics do not count as winning.” She realised a second too late that MJ had done the exact same things with Liv as he’d done with her and suddenly her chest tightened painfully. She didn’t say anything further for several minutes, climbing into the car and buckling her belt. “Which club are we going to anyway? I’m still on the ban list for Toto’s.”
With that said, the troupe finally left the Quentin household, most likely to relief of his mother. Whilst she had entertained his birthday wishes as her favorite child, Mrs Quentin had never been fully supportive of his choice of friends. It was much easier to blame them for her son’s unkempt attire, his habit of playing Guitar Hero in their polished front room and most recently, his awful lip piercing. None of that held any relevance in that moment; MJ was far too busy enjoying himself to worry about his parents’ concerns.
MJ turned to make sure Liv was following, pulling her body against his and resting his hand against her ass as she double-checked her purse. “Don’t worry, babe. Anything you might’ve left behind will still be here when we get home,” he assured her, loud enough for Cara and the rest to hear. In a voice that wasn’t quiet enough, he added, “including those new condoms.” What made it that much worse was his self-satisfied, entirely dorky smile and the waggle of his brows as he aimed to get a reaction. In the same breath, MJ turned back to Cara. “Hey, you can’t still be banned from Toto’s. That was a million years ago. You’ll never guess what Zel did,” that was to Liv -- everyone else had been present, Liv the only one not privy to their wealth of childhood memories and private jokes. “She gets way too feisty when she’s drunk.”
Although his birthday was on May 4th, MJ didn't celebrate turning nineteen until finals were over and summer vacation had arrived. It seemed like the perfect time; Liv wouldn't be flying back home yet, and all the guys had cleared their schedules and returned to Wellesley. The only one who was missing was Cara, who he'd shared his birthday with ever since they were thirteen. Her absence would have been stranger if she hadn't been missing all year and if he hadn't already been prepared for it, knowing she was busy engaged in some program that would put her a shoe in for NASA, or whatever super-smart thing she was up to next. The usual 'May the 4th be with you' banners were missing too, the Star Wars theme replaced by something a little more sophisticated as he entered the final year of adolescence. With his arm around Liv's waist, all the guests suited up for the club they'd be sneaking into thanks to fake ID's and Zach's older cousin, he found that another year older did feel different this time round.
Liv:
Finals had come and gone and while for many that meant a trip home for the summer, Liv found had remained in Boston. An three week intensive training camp for the team was underway, so despite being on holidays she found herself with less time than normal. Nevertheless, Liv had made sure that she could attend MJ's birthday; he was so keen to enter into his last year of adolescence that she didn't even consider not enjoying herself. Normally she would be cautious when the alarm on her phone was set to 4:00AM, but this was a one time event. Plus, they might as well make use of the fake ID's. Liv had easily slid into MJ's embrace as they waited to leave to the club, the heels Seneca had lent her nearly closing their height gap. She smiled as MJ joked around with all of his friends, laughing at the appropriate moments, but it was hard not to feel out of place when all of the other guests were so well acquainted.
Cara:
Cara had argued back and forth with Zach about tonight but had ultimately lost. It was idiotic of her to even pretend she didn't want to go. Almost a year had passed since she'd left for college and she missed everybody she'd left behind, particularly MJ. Without the money to buy something new for the occasion, she'd dug a dress out of her closet that she'd worn to their graduation party last year and let Zach drag her to the house she'd strategically avoided passing for the last three weeks. Zach opened the front door without hesitation and rather than letting Cara integrate subtly into the group, announced her presence by yelling "Look who I found!" and pulling Cara forward by her wrist. The theatrics made Cara laugh and the sight of so many of her friends in one place meant the laugh faded into a bright smile as she hugged the people nearest to her. "Hi everyone," she heard herself saying, even as her insides turned into an anxious mush.
MJ:
Approximately five minutes before Cara's arrival, MJ had led Liv out back under the premise of showing her his parents' landscaped garden. Whilst the others may have thought they'd snuck off for a cheeky makeout session (and really, he wasn't ruling that one out), he'd actually wanted just a few minutes alone of her undivided attention. "Are you having a good time?" That had always been MJ's role when it came to parties: flitting from person to person, doing everything in his power to ensure that everyone was having a good time. His hands encircled his girlfriend's waist and he pulled her in closer. "All the guys keep saying you must be dating me out of pity. That means they like you." With an easy grin, he leaned in to kiss her. "You look really beautiful." It wasn't the first time MJ had said it tonight, and it wouldn't be the last. They reentered the festivities more cosied up than ever, completely unaware of his ex's arrival until Kyle stepped out of the way and MJ found himself staring back at Cara.
Liv:
Liv just ignored the hoots and whistles of MJ's friends as he led her outside, having learnt that it was the nature of the group to tease after a mere five minutes of having met them. They stood outside on the pavement as she let her hands wander to the back of his head, looping her arms loosely around his neck as the space between their bodies was eliminated. "They'd be 100% correct with that then, I just really feel sorry for you," she said, a teasing grin on her lips as they kissed. Despite having left under the pretence of viewing the garden, Liv had barely taken any notice of it by the time they returned to the group. She was too wrapped up in her boyfriend to pay any attention to Mrs Quentin's choice of plants. As they reentered the room, it was clear that the atmosphere had changed somewhat. Liv soon realised why as her gaze landed on a small brunette; she had never met Cara in person before, but she had heard enough stories about the girl to recognise her instantly. Sliding out of MJ's grip immediately she dropped back, unsure what his reaction would be, and even more unsure whether it was something she wanted to see.
Cara:
Revealing her presence to the guys was more than a little chaotic. Kyle and Mason in particular were almost aggressive in the way they hugged her. Cara's feet left the ground when each of them hugged her, her laughter starting all over again as she wrapped her arms around the necks of the people she'd spent the better part of five years with before she left for college. "Okay, okay, you're choking me a bit now," she said as she untangled herself and pulled her dress down carefully. "I was only gone a year, jesus," she teased, sliding her arms around Zach and Mason's waists respectively. "Where's the birthday boy then?" Cara asked the crowd at large, though her question was answered when MJ walked in with his - very tall and completely beautiful - girlfriend. Cara's heart went into her throat instantly and she tried to keep her feelings off of her face. "Surprise," she said sheepishly, shrugging a little as she stepped away from the others and walked across the room. "Happy belated Birthday, Link." Her voice was quiet and she gave Liv a small smile, trying to ignore the twisting in her gut and the horrible feeling that she was stepping on someone's toes.
MJ:
Of course he'd thought about Cara during the past year. It would've been impossible not to when she'd become such an important part of his life, a part of /him/. They'd kept in touch over FaceTime and Skype calls, which had turned into frequent texting, until their new lives meant that the only correspondence was the occasional stiff pleasantries. He'd made sure to call her on their birthday, at 3am right when she'd been born as per tradition, but seeing Cara now in the flesh was a lot different to a grainy image on his iPhone screen in the dark. The last time they'd been together in person they'd been a couple, and now here he was with his new girlfriend instead. These were thoughts that may have crossed his mind later, but MJ had always been the type to act then think, the sort who went through life on his emotion's whims. Right then, he'd never been happier to see her. "Zel." MJ's smile lit up the room as he bounded over to the brunette, sweeping her up in a bear hug, oblivious to the tension that everyone else had picked up on instantly.
Liv:
Liv had never wanted to think about what would happen if she met Cara. In all honestly, she had somehow convinced herself that there would be a way to avoid the very scenario. It would be impossible considering the type of relationship that Cara and MJ had, but she believed it all the same. Now that the tiny brunette was wrapped in the arms that were previously encircled around her waist though, it was very much reality. She really didn't want to be jealous at all. She hated the idea of not trusting MJ, because she did. Liv knew that he would never intentionally do anything to hurt her, but there was no doubt that he could be a bit clueless at the best of times. Determined not to just stand there, Liv approached Cara and MJ after they had separated. "Hi, you must be Cara, I've honestly heard so much about you," she greeted. She forced a polite smile on her face despite the gnawing in her stomach, bending down slightly to hug the girl hesitantly.
Cara:
Cara hesitated in the hug for a moment, hyperaware of all of the eyes currently on her and MJ. When it came down to it though, she couldn't have stopped herself from hugging him if she'd tried. Her arms wound around his neck with familiar ease and she hugged him tightly, her face pressed into his chest and her feet barely touching the floor. When he released her, she averted her eyes to the floor a moment, trying to school her emotions so that they at least didn't show on her face. Oh god, Liv was so nice. It was impossible to think a horrible thing about this blonde Victoria Secrets-esque girl currently introducing herself. "It's so great to meet you," Cara said back, trying as hard as she could to push jealousy down. She hugged the other girl firmly, trying to be warm towards the girl who had replaced her spot in MJ's life. "What have they been saying about me?" she asked, shooting playful daggers at all of the boys in the room. She kept her eyes off of MJ as much as possible, knowing she'd only end up staring at how much he'd broadened and grown since she'd seen him last. "It's not a problem if I crash this party, is it?"
MJ:
It was clear from the way that Kyle and Mason shot each other brief glances that they had picked up on the monumental Awkward Factor that had descended the moment Cara stepped foot inside the Quentin household. The only one who remained clueless was the sole reason for said strain; MJ's grin remained in place, even after he'd released Cara from his grip. Whilst Zach shot the other boys a warning glare, MJ seemed ecstatic to have the two girls finally meet, as if this had been a part of his plan all along. "Of course you're not crashing," he said, quick to ease Cara's concerns. "I would've invited you, but I thought you had that space boot-camp thing all summer. Besides, you know you're always welcome here." His words would too tender, even as he placed his hand back against the small of Liv's back.
Liv:
There weren't many people that could be oblivious to the awkward tension building in the room, but MJ was most certainly one of them. He didn't appear at all distressed by his current girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend meeting; a sign Liv wasn't sure was positive or negative. She settled on somewhere in between, hoping that his casual demeanour meant that she had no reason to be worried. Right? Liv tried to not let the doubt creep in; this was MJ's night and she didn't want it to be tainted by any stupid drama. His birthday was meant to be a celebration and she was determined to prevent it from becoming one he'd prefer to forget. "Plus, I could do with another girl to even out the testosterone in here, none of them will accompany me to the bathroom," Liv added. Her words were strained, but she tried hard to keep it from showing, not wanting to come off as rude or dismissive. MJ's hand against the small of her back was reassuring as she leaned slightly into his hold. "We should get going anyways, I know you’ve been waiting all day for this,” she said, nudging MJ.
Cara:
Space boot camp. Cara's stomach turned to lead and she had a hard time keeping her smile intact. She was supposed to be at a summer programme run by NASA's outreach division. That was exactly where she was meant to be right now but fate had had other plans for her. "Couldn't miss your birthday," she said by way of explanation, thankful when Zach's arm came to rest around her shoulders even as MJ made casual contact with Liv. This was a hideous idea. Still, Liv was making an effort and Cara would too. "I'm glad you count me as a girl. This lot haven't for years." Her comment was met with a chorus of cheers from the boys and Cara was able to laugh for a few seconds, flipping them all the finger. "Are we getting a cab?"
MJ:
Zach had been Cara's anchor whilst MJ remained in the dark and here he was again, the older (okay so technically, the slightly younger) brother-figure she'd never had. MJ's smile softened at her words into something too warm, too telling in a room full of people who knew all about their history and knew all about his new girlfriend too. "I booked two ubers to take us to the club," Zach spoke up, the events coordinator for the night. MJ drew absentminded circles along the bare skin of Liv's back, his gaze flitting between his current and former girlfriend. "You should come in our car," he offered helpfully, and Mason groaned under his breath from somewhere behind them at his friend's stupidity. "You guys can bond about girl stuff. Although actually, you're both dead good at Mario Kart. Not that I haven't beaten both your asses anyway." MJ smirked was shared equally between both the pair.
Liv:
MJ's offer was one that she wouldn't have given herself, but she could understand why he did. It had been a year and he wanted to catch up, Liv just wished it didn't have to be in a confined space while she was present. It was like he was trying to create the most awkward situation a person could ever endure, except in true MJ-style he had know idea that he was doing it. Still, she nodded at the suggestion, hyper-aware that everyone was waiting for her own reaction. Liv rolled her eyes at MJ's claim, slapping him lightly on the chest, unsurprised that he would say something like that. "Okay, that was one time and I only lost because you sat on me so I couldn't see the screen anymore, of course you were going to win!" Her memory of that night appeared to be very different to his. Two loud horns interrupted the bickering, prompting the group to begin to gather their belongings and file out of MJ's house.
Cara:
Cara felt a little disconnected from the whole scene in front of her, not quite sure how she was supposed to interact with those around her. "I hate you so much right now," she murmured to Zach as she rested her head on his shoulder for a few moments. Of course Zach had wanted her to come - these were her closest friends and she'd been hiding from them - but god, she wished it had been any night other than this. MJ's Mario Kart dragged Cara back instantly, drawing an indignant "Oi!" from the brunette. "Underhand tactics do not count as winning." She realised a second too late that MJ had done the exact same things with Liv as he'd done with her and suddenly her chest tightened painfully. She didn't say anything further for several minutes, climbing into the car and buckling her belt. "Which club are we going to anyway? I'm still on the ban list for Toto's."
Internal conflict was a situation that Liv rarely found herself in. She had always known what she wanted and her mental state had always reflected that. Indecisiveness and confusion were foreign to her, and she was finally beginning to understand how lucky she had been to somehow avoid the two all her life. Things had been easy previously; swimming came second to nothing. Up until now, she never once second-guessed her choices in regards to her training and her commitment to the sport she loved. Choosing between swimming and something else was something that Liv had never needed to do, and while she had never once thought that it would ever be a choice she would need to consider, MJ was making her rethink just about every decision that she had made during her time at Daleton.
She could feel his arm resting on the back of the bench where they were seated, Liv’s backpack dropped onto the group next to them, very much forgotten now that she was beginning to remember what it felt like even to be around him. On the simplest of levels, she had just missed being with MJ. She felt relaxed around him, and even though she swore that all of his jokes came straight from a forty-something-year-old father, she always remembered feeling happy around him. No matter how many papers she had due that week or how many gruelling sets she would have to swim in training, Liv knew that she could rely on MJ to make her forget about it all, even if it was just for a moment.
Normally, Liv always had an answer to anything that came out of the lanky blond’s mouth. Now, however, she sat speechless. Not for one moment had she even considered what he could be going through. All whilst she was struggling to keep MJ out of her thoughts, it was obvious that he was struggling to do the same. He was the last person that she had ever wanted to hurt, and yet here they were.
“God, MJ I don’t – You didn’t scare me. Not at all,” Liv began, her tone trembling and unsure as she tried to work out what she wanted to say. “I want to do things with you, trust me. I’d do anything to be able to do things with you, at whatever pace, but I… I can’t. Not now, with swimming and just… everything.”
Despite the earnestness of his words, just being this close to Liv again had had a profound effect on him. ‘I miss you’ didn’t quite cover the enormity of the feelings MJ had been having, how his pining for her had been constant and affected his eternally good mood so drastically. There was a part of him that wanted to tell her that too, but more than that, he didn’t want to make her feel bad or like that was somehow her fault. He’d had plenty of times to come to terms with emotions, but he’d meant what he said. If she wanted him to stay away, he would. It’d suck, but all he wanted to do was make her happy. It was only a small, selfish part of him that had led to where he was now, simply wanting to know why things between them had ended so abruptly and if there was anything he could do to fix it. Somehow, sitting in touching distance of her, he couldn’t find it in himself to be all that guilty about seeking Liv out.
That was why when she spoke, what she said threw him for a loop. It didn’t upset him so much as left him confused. “I don’t?” He’d racked his brain in all the time they’d been apart, and she’d dismissed the only logical answer he’d been able to come up with. He was relieved, of course -- Zach had said that he wouldn’t even be able to scare a baby let alone a girl in college, but MJ hadn’t been so sure. Just because he wasn’t the most formidable of guys didn’t mean that he’d misread her signals and come on too strong. “But then...” he trailed off, listening to her and watching. MJ wasn’t one of those guys who were unable to handle emotions or romance, wasn’t the type who fucked around like Gareth or kept everything under a cool façade like Anna. He was upfront in the way that only someone who wore their heart on their sleeve could be, and in that, he couldn’t fathom what was so complicated if she liked him as much as he liked her.
“What is everything?” He couldn’t keep the note of frustration from his voice and he reached for her hands, holding them in his own. All this time that he’d been moping and worrying about himself, had she been going through something much bigger? Was that the reason why she’d cut things off with him? Suddenly, he felt both petty and guilty. “You can tell me anything, Livvy. I want -- I need you to know that.” He lifted one hand to touch her face, and her skin still felt damp from the pool. “I know what I said just now and I do mean it, but I want to be there for you so goddamn much. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you this whole time...” He searched her expression for any sign she might’ve wanted this too or, more importantly, he should just abort mission and buy several pints of Ben and Jerry’s for himself now. “I can’t stop thinking about you now. Or that night and...” he touched her bottom lip with his thumb, his voice softer. “And how much I want to kiss you like that again.”
He didn’t though, even if everything in his being seemed to be gearing towards leaning in and showing her just how much he cared through a kiss. It’d worked for him before and sure, it did in all the movies, but none of that was important compared to not screwing this up. MJ had somehow got lost on what he was trying to convey, and everything he’d been feeling came out instead. “What we were doing... I really liked where it was heading. I really like you, and I know you must know that, but maybe you don’t. You’re special. Not just because you’re training for the Olympics which is so fucking cool, or that you’re gorgeous, but I’m just... I’m so into you, Livvy.” He looked near-helpless then, running a hand through his already messy hair. He’d barely given her a chance to respond, but everything he was saying seemed to be coming to a head. “I’ve never met anyone like you before. All this time I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to hold your hand and take you out bowling so you could thrash me and all the things boyfriends do and I -- I wanna be your boyfriend.” His bottom lip was tucked between his teeth, lip ring protruding, eyes large and blue and fixed on her like she was the only thing he could see. “Would you like that?”
The showers where Liv hoped to stay for the rest of the week was soon invaded by other swimmers. Their excited voices quickly filled the change rooms, prompting Liv to leave. She gathered her belongings without a word, shoving her cap and goggles into her backpack and sliding her tracksuit pants and top over her damp body. Normally she would take her time, dissecting the events with the other swimmers, gossiping about who had won and who had lost. Now, when it was her that was most likely being gossiped about, Liv didn’t find the activity as appealing. Getting out of the aquatic center and back to her own dorm room was her number one priority in that moment, not hanging around for feedback from her coach or waiting for an invitation to go to breakfast post meet.
She left the change rooms with her bag swung over one shoulder and her head down, her eyes refusing to meet anyone that she walked past in an effort to curb any unwanted comments about her performance, regardless of whether they were critical or sympathetic. Liv was successful in doing so until she was exiting the lobby, her feet stopping in their tracks as her eyes landed on the one person that she didn’t want to see, but probably needed to (although she wouldn’t admit it).
MJ Quentin had drawn Liv in right from the very first moment they met. From then on he easily consumed her thoughts, regardless of whether she was in his presence or not. After Gatsby’s latest party at the Casino and the events that occurred after, Liv had hoped that she would be able to push MJ into the back of her mind somehow. It had been ambitious, that she had known from the very beginning, but she convinced herself that filling her life with school and swimming and Seneca would be enough of a distraction to allow complete focus on anything and everything other than MJ.
The offer to go for a walk caught her completely off guard; Liv didn’t have a chance to reject it immediately. Instead, MJ’s suggestion hung heavy in the air. She didn’t want to have to explain what had gone on in her mind to the blond who was waiting, because Liv didn’t know what had gone on in her mind herself. Everything felt like a giant mess, one that was too big and too complicated to even consider attempting to sort out. The decision, however, to either take MJ’s offer or to simply leave wasn’t made fully by herself. The call of her name from the desk in the lobby was enough to make Liv want to run, her fingers clasping around the wrist of the boy as she pulled him from the building, escaping one problem while she lead the other into a courtyard.
The secluded courtyard was unsurprisingly empty, leaving Liv to slump onto the bench immediately. Her backpack dropped to the pavement beside her as she leant over, her head in her hands as she tried to make sense of the mess that had become her life. It wasn’t meant to be like this. She was meant to come to Daleton to swim and to learn; it was simply a stop on her journey to Rio, nothing more and nothing less. Yet here she was, torn over a boy with a stupid lip ring and weed socks.
Taking a deep breath as she stood up, Liv looked anywhere but MJ’s eyes. “I’m sorry about dragging you here, I just- I needed to get away from all of them,” she explained, her shoulders shrugging at the admission.
If his life were to be defined by a genre in that moment, it had most assuredly become a cheesy rom-com. The tree that MJ stood under was a canopy of orange and red, only partially disrupted by the fall of Autumn leaves; through the spaces, the early morning sun haloed his blonde hair. With his hands shoved into his pockets and that dopey-looking smile tugging at one corner of his mouth, the whole scene was definitely textbook Jen-An (short for Jennifer Aniston). He’d have compared it to 500 Days of Summer too, if he’d ever watched the film or knew remotely what it was about. The point was, MJ was tired of pretending he didn’t care about the girl before him, tired of acting like he was okay with her suddenly booting him from her life with no warning. He wanted to talk things out, even if that meant standing with a boombox outside her window — and man, he really needed to stop making movie references. He’d definitely been spending too much time with Zach.
Whatever spur-of-the-moment speech he’d been about to launch into had been interrupted by Liv’s hasty departure. He was lucky he’d come in tow, and allowed her to drag him to the nearest available area of privacy. Anything he’d been about to say once again fell short once she collapsed onto the bench, posture slumped in defeat. Her competition today had been a dud, but even though MJ had never seen her swim before, he had no doubt it had been a rare and unfortunate turn of events. Her ambition was one of the most attractive things about her, and he knew all too well how gutting it felt to lose out when you were constantly trying to exceed your own limits. The blond sank down onto the bench beside her, lifting an arm to drape around her shoulders before deciding on the back of the bench instead. So far, it had been good. He didn’t want to make things worse by making her feel uncomfortable.
"It’s cool. I don’t think I’ve ever been here before." From the way he cast his gaze around, the abandoned courtyard could have been the Garden of Eden. It may have seemed patronising from some people, but it was impossible to misinterpret MJ’s intentions as anything but kind-hearted. He was not cool or unflappable like his older siblings, but more than made up for that with his goofy nature and innate sweetness. "Hey. There’s a Robin." He watched it fly away before he turned back to Liv, his smile too tender for such a casual observation. That look was all for her. MJ leaned forward and carefully brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. "I’ve missed you," he confessed. "I know you’ve been avoiding me and I should just let you go, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking of you since, Livvy. I just…" His gaze was intently focused on her face, searching it for any kind of positive response to his words. "I wanted to say I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to push you away. If you — if you wanted to do things slowly, we totally could. I could do slow." It would be difficult controlling his urge to kiss her every time he saw her, but he’d do it for Liv. "But… if you don’t, then I… I just wanted you to know I’m sorry. I never meant to scare you."
Something wasn’t right. Olivia knew that something wasn’t right as soon as her toes pushed off the starting block and her fingertips pierced the dead still water. Normally she was one of the fastest off the blocks; a trait that was envied by the sprinters who craved the millisecond head start. For a long distance swimmer like herself, hitting the water first didn’t mean that you would slap your hand at the end of the pool first. Long distance swimmers needed endurance and courage; the ability to push yourself to the absolute limit and then some more. That was what Olivia Llewellyn truly excelled in. She had mastered the art of sprinting to the edge and jumping over it without hesitation. It made her a good swimmer, the way she never slowed down, even when every inch of muscle felt like it was on fire and her lungs were grasping for air. Except for today.
Today her rhythm was completely off, the usual one, two, three, breathe, had been replaced with a staccato tempo that didn’t mesh with her kicks. She was able to hang in for the first 200m of the race, but at the fourth turn, where Liv normally made her first push, she fell behind. She tried to fasten her strokes, but the bodies of the swimmers in front of her disappeared from her view quicker than she could catch up. She hadn’t lost a race since sophomore year of high school. Sure, she didn’t always win, but Liv never lost.
The race didn’t get much better after that. She was the last to hit the wall and the first out of the water. She didn’t stop to congratulate anyone nor confer with her coaches. Liv just wanted to be alone. She didn’t need anyone’s pity nor their support. She had absolutely fucked up the race, and that was all on her.
Liv walked straight to the change rooms, sliding the two swimming caps from her head and dumping them on the floor of the open shower. She turned the faucet and stepped under the showerhead, her tears masked by the steady stream of hot water. For once she let herself come undone, leaning back against the tiled wall as she thought about how she had not only fucked the race up, but whatever was going on between her and MJ too.
Walking out that morning was something Liv wished she hadn’t needed to do, but she’d slept through training. She couldn’t just miss sessions like that, it showed weakness and poor form and she knew that swimming was too important for her to give into that. Liv needed to stay strong and motivated, and how could she do that when MJ made her the most vulnerable she had ever been?
Over the following weeks, she spent her time convincing her mind that her feelings towards him were nothing but a schoolgirl crush, that’s all. He was just a distraction, nothing more, and as time passed surely her infatuation would too. Except that it didn’t. Because Liv still thought about him, all the damn time. When she was in lectures sitting next to Sen and when she was trying her hardest to fall asleep, all that was on her mind was Michael James. It was annoying as hell, and Liv didn’t understand why this boy was so hard to get out of her head.
From the moment that he’d decided not to chase after her, MJ had not regretted a decision more since starting at Daleton. He rarely had time for remorse; he was the type who would apologise for any misgivings immediately and with far too much vigour, or preferred to simply live in the now otherwise. That was a philosophy he had learned over his vacation backpacking last summer; nevertheless, old habits died hard. He had not seen Liv since the morning she’s run out on him with no explanation, and he’d been trying to piece together the puzzle ever since. The only common conclusion all his theories led to was that he’d come on too strong the night prior and scared her off. It was the only explanation as to why she’d clearly been avoiding him since.
In all honesty, he had expected her to call a few hours after she left. Text, even. Those hours had slid past morning straight into the afternoon, and then the sun was setting, and a day had passed and he’d still heard no word. He’d been the first to cave, shooting off a message where he didn’t try to conceal his concern:
[text]: Hey you okay?
It was only after he’d pressed send that he wondered if that was coming on too strong too. Was this her way of saying that she needed space to breathe, that she’d had second thoughts about… them? He couldn’t help but feel dismayed. It had all been going so well that he hadn’t thought to ask to define what it was between them. In one fell swoop, it had slipped through his fingers entirely, and he had no clue how to go about fixing it without exacerbating the problem.
He’d decided against heading up to Bronwyn. Cornering Liv on her own territory did not seem like the right foot to set off on; instead, he’d hoped to run into her on campus — by chance, naturally, so he didn’t seem like a complete stalker. Despite his hopes, he’d gone from seeing her around every now and then to never seeing her at all. MJ had even resorted in attempting to slyly glean answers from Seneca (a plan that she’d naturally seen right through). The answer he did get had been something along the lines of Liv needing space to breathe; the vagueness of the answer left him frustrated, but he understood it was Seneca’s duty to her friend to keep tight lipped. Still, it confirmed his worst suspicions. She needed time away from him. He’d pushed her too fast and too soon.
After that, MJ’s vivacity faded. He was quieter in class, even more so outside of it. Even Zach’s visit did not seem to help — they spent the majority of the time they had holed up in MJ’s room, playing video games and ordering in when they were hungry. It was hardly different from what they’d spent their time together doing whilst they’d been at school and all the summers in-between, but MJ had lapsed into that state of morose, sullen teenager that his best friend absolutely despised. Once he’d finally come clean to the other boy about why he’d been so down, Zach’s response only served to result in further frustration. He’d barely heard him out before he’d started to talk about Cara of all people; MJ had uncharacteristically cut him off before he’d had the chance to finish, skulking out of his room in a worse mood than before and leaving Zach to shrug and continue their game alone.
MJ’s guilt was at peak level after what he’d done to upset Liv; the added emotions that came with Cara Jennings would only serve to add further detriment. The sole reason MJ’s mind hadn’t trailed back to his ex-girlfriend as often as he would’ve thought was that he’d been resolute in his new mantra to stick to living in the present and leaving the past where it belonged. He’d done far better than he would have anticipated a few months ago. However, he’d have to admit that although he rarely thought of the pair of them in relation to another (as different as they were), Liv’s presence had helped to cushion the blow. She was not a rebound; rather, the past few weeks of pining for her had demonstrated just how genuine his feelings were.
Eventually, once he’d finished feeling sorry for himself, MJ had resolved that the only way to solve this problem was to speak to her himself. It may not have been what she wanted, but surely she’d give him the chance to apologise. All MJ wanted to do was talk — and okay, hopefully do enough to win back her friendship at the very least. His action plan had been to visit her dorm, perhaps take her out to talk over coffee. Granted, maybe that would feel too much like a date. MJ had still been figuring out the finer details when he’d heard one of the girls in his class talking about ‘Ally’s swim meet’. Wherever swimming was at Daleton, Liv was sure to be. He’d tapped her shoulder to ask for the details, and by the time that Liv had kicked off her block the next morning, MJ had been sat in the bleachers, bleary-eyed at the early hour but ready to watch.
There wasn’t much he knew about swimming (well, except that he could swim, but not like this). Nevertheless, he could tell something was wrong. He’d never seen Liv perform before, but he knew somehow that she was usually much better. His suspicions were confirmed once the race was over and she stormed away, an unusual display of anger from the blonde. He decided to wait outside of the lobby, guessing that she wouldn’t stick around like the others had. Less than ten minutes later, Liv appeared carrying her belongings, her eyes red from what MJ doubted was merely chlorine.
"Hey," he offered a smile before clearing his throat. "Wanna go for a walk?"
By now, Liv was certain that her cheeks had reddened enough for the colouring to be visible and that the shortness in her breath would be obvious to all. Luckily the only person close enough to tell was MJ, something which suited Liv entirely. She didn’t mind if he saw her like this, vulnerable almost. After all, it was entirely his fault that she had let herself relax and come undone, a feat that few had ever been able to achieve.
There were no thoughts of the laps she was meant to do in the morning as MJ’s fingers carefully traced from her temple to her jaw. They were truly the last thing on her mind, every other spot had been filled. The strength of his muscle under her palm, the lingering scent of his body, all of it consumed her thoughts and her mind leaving little room for anything else. She didn’t notice the muting of the television; her focus had long been removed from the characters of the movie and their antics to boy whose bed she was lying in. Gone too was the fatigue that plagued her body, the lethargy that usually broke over Liv like a wave by this time of night had not arrived. It was instead replaced by a feeling of excitement in the pit of her stomach (mixed with a large dose of nerves she was trying to ignore).
Liv leaned up to meet MJ halfway, their lips brushing together before he took her bottom lip in between his teeth. He tugged firmly but with a gentle edge, provoking a smile from the blonde that she had tried so hard to contain. She giggled as he released her lip, reaching up to do the same. Liv reclined back onto the pillows, her loose hair spreading out underneath her. She didn’t know how long the continued like that for, their lips pressing together, growing more confident with each embrace. She had pulled away eventually, the fatigue that she had pushed away beginning to find its way back into her bones. Liv said goodnight to MJ with one last kiss, this one more chaste than before, and fell asleep quickly with a large (and slightly idiotic) smile sitting on her lips.
It was the sun streaming through the open curtains that woke Liv, the light filling the dorm room. She shifted slightly in the bed, taking a moment to remember the night before and how she had ended up in MJ’s bed. She grinned at the thought before sliding out of his grip, carefully untangling her long limbs from his as she sat up. Her phone, discarded on the bedside table beside her, began to buzz, the do not disturb function having turned off as normal. The screen lit up with more messages than expected, many from swimming teammates. Liv’s eyes immediately flickered to the alarm clock, a string of curse words slipping from her lips as she realised exactly what had happened. Training had long finished and Liv had missed it all. Frantically, she grabbed her phone, pushing herself off the bed. She needed to go to the pool, Liv decided. She needed to find her coach and explain things, somehow or another, and then she needed to find a way to make up for missing training. Liv didn’t think to take anything other than her phone as she stumbled out of MJ’s dorm room into the halls of Sterling, no doubt making enough noise to wake the entire campus. She didn’t think to leave a note for MJ, in fact she had barely spared a thought for the boy she had woken up next to, her mind too consumed with the fear and concern she felt, all for missing training.
MJ could have spent the rest of the night kissing Liv. By then of course the night had already bled into early morning, but the sentiment remained true. Even as he tangled his fingers into her hair, barely lifted his mouth from her own, there was no urgency to press further. It was not for a lack of desire; if she shifted closer, Liv would have felt the effect that she was having on him, from both her kisses and the contented sighs that slipped from her lips before he swallowed them whole. MJ may have looked far younger, and perhaps it could have been suggested that when it came to women that he possessed a maturity behind his years; in the end, however, he was an eighteen year old boy. Like every eighteen year old boy, MJ couldn't help his body's response to making out with the gorgeous Olympic swimmer he'd managed to 'lure' into his bed.
Once Liv had pulled away, MJ felt dizzy from her lips. He offered no protests when she settled down to sleep either, but simply cradled her body closer to his than before. It was quiet in the room after that, other than the sound of their breathing. He couldn't be sure of it, but he thought he fell asleep after her. All that MJ knew that was even though he was sharing the space he would have usually inhabited spread-eagle with all of his limbs, he slept far more comfortably than he had in a long time.
Unlike Liv, the blond was highly accustomed to lie-ins, particularly ones that proceeded a night out. Granted, he had not drunk enough to be nursing a hangover, but the abrupt awakening several hours later simultaneously came several hours too soon. MJ barely had any time to process what was going on before Liv as scrambling out of bed. "Mmmmphhh?" Although MJ had gone to sleep with floppy hair, it now stuck up at wild angles, the boy having to force himself to keep his eyes open. "Liv?" All that replied back to him however was his bedroom slamming. Once MJ was able to blink back against the sunlight, he found himself alone. He was halfway through swinging his legs off the bed and getting dressed before he realised she would have told him where she was going if she wanted him to follow. Flopping back down onto the mattress, MJ sighed. He just hoped he hadn't been too forward with the blonde last night.
From that moment on almost every word that came out of MJ’s mouth evoked a laugh from Liv’s. Whether it was his rather inaccurate comparison of himself to famous actors or simply his wild exaggerations, he rarely failed to amuse the blonde. She loved how easy it was to be happy around MJ; compared to the intense focus that was forced upon her during training, he truly was a breath of fresh air. For once in her life, Liv felt like she could relax. She could push the (sometimes overwhelming) thoughts from her mind, and simply be Liv. Shaking her head, she protested yet another of his comparisons. “Just because you’re tall and blond doesn’t mean that you’re immediately the same as every tall, blond and famous person in the entire world,” Liv replied, the tone of her voice remaining light.
She tilted her head at the sound of her name, the corners of her lips flicking up as his warm palm reached for his cheek. Before she could remind MJ that they were there to watch the movie and nothing else, he leaned in, their lips meeting in the middle with ease. Liv leaned into the embrace, her hands quickly finding his waist. Her fingers resting on his bare skin where MJ’s shirt had ridden up slightly. The kiss itself was long and slow yet still managed to fill Liv’s stomach with a million butterflies. She couldn’t remember ever feeling like this about someone; the racing heartbeat in her chest was more foreign than anything and his touch sent continual bouts of electricity throughout her entire body. MJ may have looked like a recent graduate of middle school with his floppy hair, but he certainly didn’t kiss like any fourteen-year-old.
Despite her killer lungs, Liv pulled away, out of breath. She let her forehead rest on MJ’s, her eyes flicking down to the mix of pillow and sheets below them before returning to his gaze. “I don’t think we’re going to even watch this movie,” she admitted, gesturing towards the television that was still playing the film.
MJ’s looks may have caused constant scrutiny in terms of his maturity, and his goofy attitude certainly did him no favours either. He would never be the ‘mysterious, older and sophisticated’ type, but if there was anything he excelled in (other than his musical pursuits and even more impressive ability to trip over thin air repeatedly) it was this. Of course, he’d thought about kissing Liv. In fact, the desire had cropped up all night, from the moment he’d first seen her in that dress to when she’d stepped out of his ensuite wearing his pajamas. Still, he hadn’t anticipated that she’d make a first move and, perhaps shamelessly, he had decided to take full advantage of having her in his bed once she'd made it clear that her intentions ran along a similar vein.
"I guess not," MJ admitted, smiling down at her once they’d parted. In all honesty, he couldn’t care less for the film in that moment. Schmidt and Jenko could’ve jumped out of the screen like the girl in the fucking Ring and he would’ve simply told them to leave him and Liv alone. The swimmer looked shy now, her cheeks coloured, breathing only a little laboured. MJ had learned how to breathe steadily through his nose, only a part of the experience he had under his belt when it came to things of a romantic (or even sexual) nature. He pulled back only to blindly search for the remote control, muting the sound instead of turning off the television and plunging them into darkness. It had been a long day for both of them, and he was sure with the early hours that Liv was usually up at that she must've been exhausted. For now, however, he wanted to revel in the colour he'd injected into her cheeks for a little longer.
Turning back to the blonde, MJ leaned up on his elbow so that he was staring down at Liv. She was so pretty that it was painful, but even though he certainly hadn't dismissed her looks, it wasn't how gorgeous she was to look at that had kept him hooked. He trailed his fingers from her temple to her jaw before leaning in, brushing his lips gently across hers before taking the bottom between his teeth.
Liv simultaneously scrunched up her nose and shook her head at MJ’s comment, confused as to how he had fallen under the seemingly spellbinding persona that is Channing Tatum. She had never been a fan (expect in Step Up, she had a soft spot for dancers), and simply couldn’t understand why so many people found him attractive. After all, with the entire cast of Teen Wolf to choose from, why would anyone want more? “I haven’t seen it, remind me in the morning and I’ll watch it when I get back to my dorm or something,” Liv said, forgetting that in the morning she did not have the simply luxury of returning to Bronwyn for a lazy Saturday.
“You do not look like Channing Tatum, MJ,” she scoffed, almost certain that the judgment had been made by MJ himself. As far as Liv was concerned, the similarities started and ended at the muscles that they both possessed. Although she wouldn’t admit it, for fear of inflating MJ’s ego even more than those that equated him with the actor, she preferred the stretch of his back to that of Channing anyways.
Holding her body weight with one hand, Liv pondered the question for a moment, her fingers lingering against his cheek. “Funny different,” she decided, “All of the floppy hair makes you look like you barely finished middle school.” Her tone was laced with a hint of teasing that Liv had grown comfortable engaging in with MJ. They had become close over the time they had known each other, a surprising feat for Liv who always felt like it took her a long time to get to know someone. She never expected it all to be so easy and simple, and she couldn’t be more grateful for the fact that it was. Leaning in further, Liv left a quick kiss on the corner of his lips, a light red blush flooding her cheeks as she registered her actions. She shyly returned to her previous position, removing any space between their bodies as she settled down to watch the movie.
"You have to watch it, seriously." Although he may have been so insistent in his advice, MJ didn't feel inclined to reach for his phone and show her the video on YouTube himself. They were in the process of watching the film (even though they'd spent the majority of what had played so far conversing amongst themselves) and besides, grabbing his phone would mean stretching over to reach for it where he'd plugged it in to charge, thus disrupting their current arrangement. He was comfortable where he was, Liv's body heat warming his side and his chest. His thoughts drifted to the video in question and he laughed out loud to himself, oblivious to Liv's bemused smile.
"Dude, I so do. Like a younger Channing Tatum." Other than the colour of their eyes (possibly) there was very little physically similar between the actor and MJ; whilst he was well aware, it didn't stop him from making such lofty comparisons. "I can even dance like him to." MJ paused, realising that maybe now he'd gone a little too far. "Okay, maybe I'm more like Liam Hemsworth. He's tall and badass and I could totally pass for an Australian." Although his intent had been not to interrupt their film-watching with his video, it seemed he was going to talk over most of Schmidt and Jenko's antics regardless. "Plus I would have never let Bae go." It didn't take a genius to figure out who exactly MJ was referring to, especially once you noticed the various Bangerz memorabilia scattered across the room.
Of course, digs about MJ's youthful appearance were commonplace by now, especially amongst the pair. MJ had learned to take such teasing in his stride, certainly not the type who couldn't laugh at their own expense. The expression he painted on was completely scandalised at her insinuation, complete with a hand pressed to his chest. "Middle school? You're fourteen when you finish middle school!" He pretended to self-consciously run a hand through his damp locks, in an attempt to make the damp strands stick straight up. "How about now? Tell me my hair looks sexy pushed back--" MJ's clowning around was abruptly put to an end as Liv leaned in, leaving the softest of kisses at the corner of his mouth. She slinked back down as if nothing had happened at all, but MJ had forgotten all about his teasing, even forgotten about the movie. "Livvy..." When she glanced up, he gently slipped his hand up to cup her cheek, sealing his lips over her own.
Liv’s eyes widened with shock as MJ’s towel slipped, a bright blush sweeping across her cheeks at his almost accident. He had caught the piece of fabric just in time before anything was revealed, however that didn’t stop her gaze from darting around the room while she tried to conceal her embarrassment. Liv thought that the entire ordeal was over as MJ turned to leave, but the towel still hung low on his back, allowing the girl a glimpse of his ass. From what she could see, his ass was one that many girls would be jealous of, herself included. She waited until he bathroom door was firmly closed between them before flopping down onto MJ’s bed, a soft groan escaping her lips as she tried to expel any thoughts from her brain about what was truly hidden by the towel.
The opening credits for the movie had just begun when MJ joined Liv once more, his bits finally secured and safe from the dangers of falling towels. She had made herself comfortable under his warm sheets, stacking pillows against the head board and wrapping the edge of the duvet around her. “Really?” Liv replied, a matching grin slipping onto her face at his excited tone. “People were talking about it last week at training and it sounded funny.” She easily adjusted to his presence in the bed, not considering the potential implications of their current position. Dressed in his clothes with her head resting on his chest and her body pulled into his side, it would be easy to see something very different than reality. Nonetheless, Liv slung her hand over his torso, her fingers lying gently on top of the black t-shirt. She twisted slightly in the bed, her head raising up in order to make eye contact with MJ as she spoke. “Everyone seems to be in love with him but I just don’t get it to be honest,” she admitted, remembering the countless girls at her high school in Colorado that were insanely obsessed. Grinning at the state of his hair, freshly washed, Liv reached over, pushing the strands off his forehead. “You look funny with your hair like that,” she mused.
It had been some time since MJ had been in bed with a girl like this. The last time, he'd been with Cara, back when they were dating. Not a lot of film-watching had occurred in that situation; but then, MJ wasn't thinking about that. His ability to differentiate so wholly between his past experiences with his ex-girlfriend and any current ongoings was peculiar to say the least, but not exactly unwelcome. It certainly would've been more than awkward to be in the same frame of mind he'd been the previous occasion, much less thinking about another girl. MJ's intentions remained clean, and his mind was focused wholly on the blonde in his arms. She was warm, and she smelled of him, and that gave him far more satisfaction than he should've been allowed to feel.
"Dude, Channing Tatum's hot," he told her, seemingly aghast at the suggestion the actor on the screen was anything less than that. "Have you seen the Channing Tatum song with Jamie Foxx? It's got Miley in it too." Therein lay the answer to MJ's fondness of Channing; his love for Miley Cyrus eclipsed everything, something he'd made no attempts to hide either. He was certainly in the running for title as her Biggest Fanboy. "Don't you like his muscles? I thought you'd be into that sorta thing. Especially 'cause I look like him." He grinned, dimples indenting his cheeks as he flexed a pec. MJ was by no means a Channing Tatum, but he wasn't entirely unfit either. He let her lean up to comb her fingers through his damp locks, tousled with his towel. "Funny bad or funny good?" MJ already knew the answer. It was the reason he never left the house without some hair product.
Liv’s eyes widened with shock as MJ’s towel slipped, a bright blush sweeping across her cheeks at his almost accident. He had caught the piece of fabric just in time before anything was revealed, however that didn’t stop her gaze from darting around the room while she tried to conceal her embarrassment. Liv thought that the entire ordeal was over as MJ turned to leave, but the towel still hung low on his back, allowing the girl a glimpse of his ass. From what she could see, his ass was one that many girls would be jealous of, herself included. She waited until the bathroom door was firmly closed between them before flopping down onto MJ’s bed, a soft groan escaping her lips as she tried to expel any thoughts from her brain about what was truly hidden by the towel.
The opening credits for the movie had just begun when MJ joined Liv once more, his bits finally secured and safe from the dangers of falling towels. She had made herself comfortable under his warm sheets, stacking pillows against the head board and wrapping the edge of the duvet around her. “Really?” Liv replied, a matching grin slipping onto her face at his excited tone. “People were talking about it last week at training and it sounded funny.” She easily adjusted to his presence in the bed, not considering the potential implications of their current position. Dressed in his clothes with her head resting on his chest and her body pulled into his side, it would be easy to see something very different than reality. Nonetheless, Liv slung her hand over his torso, her fingers lying gently on top of the black t-shirt. She twisted slightly in the bed, her head raising up in order to make eye contact with MJ as she spoke. “Everyone seems to be in love with him but I just don’t get it to be honest,” she admitted, remembering the countless girls at her high school in Colorado that were insanely obsessed. Grinning at the state of his hair, freshly washed, Liv reached over, pushing the strands off his forehead. “You look funny with your hair like that,” she mused.
It had been some time since MJ had been in bed with a girl like this. The last time, he'd been with Cara, back when they were dating. Not a lot of film-watching had occurred in that situation; but then, MJ wasn't thinking about that. His ability to differentiate so wholly between his past experiences with his ex-girlfriend and any current ongoings was peculiar to say the least, but not exactly unwelcome. It certainly would've been more than awkward to be in the same frame of mind he'd been the previous occasion, much less thinking about another girl. MJ's intentions remained clean, and his mind was focused wholly on the blonde in his arms. She was warm, and she smelled of him, and that gave him far more satisfaction than he should've been allowed to feel.
"Dude, Channing Tatum's hot," he told her, seemingly aghast at the suggestion the actor on the screen was anything less than that. "Have you seen the Channing Tatum song with Jamie Foxx? It's got Miley in it too." Therein lay the answer to MJ's fondness of Channing; his love for Miley Cyrus eclipsed everything, something he'd made no attempts to hide either. He was certainly in the running for title as her Biggest Fanboy. "Don't you like his muscles? I thought you'd be into that sorta thing. Especially 'cause I look like him." He grinned, dimples indenting his cheeks as he flexed a pec. MJ was by no means a Channing Tatum, but he wasn't entirely unfit either. He let her lean up to comb her fingers through his damp locks, tousled with his towel. "Funny bad or funny good?" MJ already knew the answer. It was the reason he never left the house without some hair product.
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