The flask's neck was clamped firmly between two fingers, shimmering blue liquid inside gently lapping against its glass walls.
The colour was unique, matched with the exact shade of the recipient's favourite colour, and that colour happened to be a beautiful dark blue, verging on purple.

The fingers gave the flask another gentle shake, eyes watching as the contents slosh against the walls. After a moment, the bottle was brought to their lips. The potion was swallowed, the bottle hastily hidden behind a thick stack of books.

Three slow days later, and the flask was rediscovered by an angry friend who had stormed into the apartment. They came in unexpectedly and found the potion nestled behind the books.

Their friend's eyes blazed with anger, the other harshly pinned against the wall. "You're messing around with love potions?!" Their grip on the other's shirt tightened, leaning in close enough that their warm breath could be felt just below the other's ear.

Their voice dropped, the anger remained. "I can't believe you. How could you be so stupid? Who did you give it to?"

The other scrambled for answers; their friend's questions felt unanswerable. They felt cornered, so they did the only thing they could. They lied. "It's not a big deal."

Their friend looked even angrier, if possible. "You want to tell me that forcing someone to love you is no big deal?!" It came out as a snarl. They twisted their fingers deeper into the other's shirt, slamming them against the wall once. Twice.

The other winced as their back hit the wall, biting their tongue to hold in a yelp. They wriggled in the tight grip, only to sag against the wall in defeat a moment later. Their mind raced back and forth, choosing different solutions to their current predicament. The only way out, they decided, was to fess up.

"I didn't give it to anyone, alright? I didn't give it to anyone." The tone wavered towards the end, but it was out.

Confusion replaced anger in the friend's eyes. "Then what-" They froze. Their hold loosened on the shirt as the pieces clicked together in their head.

The other finished the process their friend started, harshly pulling their shirt out of the other's hands. Their eyes focused on the tiled floor beneath them as their breathing sped up. They sank to their knees, wrapping their arms around them and burying their head on top. "I didn't give it to anyone. I-I just wanted to feel what it was like to love myself for once." The words flew out in a jumbled mess.

"I-I'm sorry."