PEACH PIT :: ETHAN DOLAN

HUIT

Wine stained lips. The moon reflecting on the rippling water. Sand beneath between toes and sticking to bare skin. Hair messy and pushed back off lightly sunburnt foreheads. Fire crackling. Light through distant cabin windows. Music playing quietly being drowned out by laughter. Every now and again, fireflies come closer to visit. These are things that remind Ethan he's alive.

Sometimes, it's hard to stay in the moment. Sometimes, Ethan feels like he's not in control of himself, that he's just watching. Sometimes, he still felt lost even in the most familiar places, with the most familiar people.

Not tonight. Not in this moment.

Sitting around a fire roasting marshmallows with the three people he cares about most, looking up at the shining stars, and speaking about everything that comes to mind.

It was late. Probably too late, as the only nearby cabins with any lights on were starting to turn them off. The campfire was the only real reason they could see, a warm glow illuminating all of their smiles.

They drank red wine out of red cups, for they didn't want to break any glass. Not drunk, that was for sure, but it kept them extra warm and extra bubbly.

Ethan popped a burnt marshmallow into his mouth, laughing as Alondra spilt wine onto her chest. She wore a white bikini that soaked up the color, making her groan.

"Well this bathing suit is ruined," she huffs, peering into her empty cup. "Gray, pass me the wine?"

"Why, so you can spill more on yourself?" He teases, getting pelted with a marshmallow. "Here ya go, Lon."

She thanks him with a cheery smile, pouring herself another half-cup. Then she turns to Ethan, holding the bottle to him. "Sure you don't want some, bub?"

"No alcohol, it hurts my tongue," he reminds, sticking it out of his mouth. It was swollen, feeling odd in his mouth, but hopefully would start going down again tomorrow. He was trying to avoid anything that irritated it, and only eat soft foods. "Too fucking swollen."

"You should've expected that," Phoenix snorts, looking out at the water. "Let's go for a swim. The water looks nice."

"You know what I've always wanted to do?" Alondra asks with a smirk. Her friends raise their eyebrows in response. "Skinny dip." No one reacts, she moves too fast. Downing the rest of her wine, she jogs over to the water and pulls her top off, shimmies out of her bottoms, and wades in. "Come on!"

"Fuck it," Grayson shrugs, following after her and stripping out of his shorts.

"I guess this is what we're doing now," Phoenix nods, nerves noticeable but dulled just enough by the wine in her system. "You coming, E?"

Ethan's been watching with wide eyes from the moment Alondra's top went over her head, and they widen more when Phoenix strips at the shore too. Maybe they all had more to drink than they noticed, but Ethan didn't drink more than one sip. Seeing the two girls bare themselves was much more than he expected to happen tonight.

The three of them were fully submerged, unable to even see anything in the dark and under the water. It wasn't as big of a deal as it might seem, but Ethan was still stuck to his spot.

"Don't be a pussy!" Alondra shouts with a grin.

Grayson laughs and yells, "yeah! Come on, E! Don't be a little bitch!"